Author's Note: Relatively short chapter by this fic's standards, but lots of big stuff still happens here. The beginning has a painful moment or two, but more of Good Dad Osvald (to borrow the reviewers' phrase). Also, some good development with Elena later on, I think, including a bit more of her feelings on Montwise. So let's go.

Chapter Seventeen: Changes and Beginnings

Hector finally figured out what crushes were during his next year at school.

He'd noticed a handful of times during the previous term that some of his classmates had gotten shy and giggly around each other. Hector hadn't understood why then, but it was happening more and more often now. Even among his own friends, Elizabeth held hands with Cyril under the table at lunchtime, and Lily started blushing a lot around Morgan.

He knew most of Papa's friends were in relationships. Was this like that? Hector kind of thought so, but he wasn't sure how to go about asking.

But all thoughts of approaching this "logically" were forgotten when Hector started noticing (for lack of a better word) a girl in their class named Nicole.

She was pretty, with wavy brown hair and bright green eyes. Hector knew she often got high marks on their tests, too. She sat a row ahead of him, and Hector could always see her proudly smoothing out her papers when their teacher passed out their grades. The thing that made him start talking to her, though, was that he saw she was reading one of the Iris Hawthorne books during their break period.

It was rainy that day, so they had to spend their free time inside. Hector had brought one of his own books to read, and he paused after getting to the end of the chapter. He absently glanced up and saw that Nicole was putting a bookmark into her book as well. When she closed it, he caught sight of the cover.

"My sister likes those books," he said automatically.

Nicole curiously turned around to look at him, and Hector's face burned for some unexplainable reason.

"I-I've read a few of them, too," he admitted. "My favorite's the one where Iris and her sister are trapped on the other side of the broken bridge, and they have to figure out who broke the old lantern."

"Oh, Temple of Truth? I love that one." Nicole sighed. "I was so surprised when it turned out to be her cousin's boyfriend! Have you read the prequel, when it showed how they got together?"

"Not yet," Hector confessed. "But I can borrow it from Elena when I'm done with this book."

He gestured to his copy of Castle in the Sky, which Papa had gotten for his last birthday. Nicole peered over at it and then nodded.

"My cousin has Pendragon's Castle, I think. Isn't that the sequel? Maybe I'll ask him if I can borrow it sometime."

"You should! A-and I'll tell you when I read a few more Iris Hawthorne books."

Nicole nodded and gave him a furtive kind of half-smile before turning back to her book. It had been short, but—the conversation went well, Hector thought. He was oddly pleased with himself when he picked up Castle in the Sky; he could read a few more pages before the bell rang. Though maybe Hector could put off finishing it for a second time… He wasn't sure why, but he was excited about borrowing some of Elena's books now.

Well, they were good stories, Hector reasoned. Still, he found himself practically devouring the specific one Nicole suggested over the next few days. Elena grinned as she handed it to him. He hadn't told her why he wanted it, but he'd blushed heavily when asking for it.

"We can talk about it when you're finished," Elena said. Then, she leaned down and whispered, "And if you want to talk about anything else…I won't tell Papa. I promise."

That just made him blush even more, and Hector nodded before scrambling away to read. Elena wasn't teasing him, he didn't think… But why had she said that? What did she know that he didn't?

Still, Hector put the awkwardness out of his mind as he read. A few days later, Nicole announced that she'd borrowed Pendragon's Castle from her cousin, and Hector could honestly say that he was almost finished with Turnabout Reflections. He felt too shy to approach her during their break period, but he found himself talking to her before class more and more often.

"Do you mind if I borrow your math homework?" Nicole asked several times. "Just to double-check my answers. Mr. Reinhardt always compliments you when he gives the tests back."

Hector nodded as he handed over the worksheets they'd done. "Papa checks mine for me," he admitted. "But he says I usually get them right without him anyway. So you can look at mine whenever you want."

And each time, Nicole smiled in a way that flustered him. If she flinched when their hands brushed together, well, that was easy to ignore. Hector was too happy that she continued talking to him, and that he had someone else to discuss reading and homework with, and that she'd given him some suggestions on books in the first place.

"I think you have a crush, Hector," Elizabeth sang at lunch one day, giggling as she looked over at him.

"I-I do?" he replied, feeling alarmed.

"You do! You keep getting all embarrassed with Nicole. It's cute!"

Hector's face ignited, and he was grateful that his blushes were rather muted in comparison to most people's. That didn't stop their friends from giggling as he tried to cover his cheeks and fidgeted awkwardly in his seat, though.

"You should tell her," Elizabeth continued sagely. "I mean, you're really smart and nice and stuff. I bet she'd like you too if you let her know."

"Come on, she just wants to copy your homework," Michael cut in, rolling his eyes. "Math is the one thing she doesn't get hundreds in."

"She doesn't want to copy it," Hector insisted. "She just wants to check it."

Elizabeth grinned and added, "You're just jealous that no one likes you, Michael."

"Come on, we've got forever for that!"

Elizabeth laughed as Michael huffed and folded his arms, and Hector gave her a tentative smile. She was a few months older than both Hector and Michael, but they were past the point of a few months mattering much. Still, he couldn't help feeling like this gave her an edge and made her more knowledgeable. Besides, she and Cyril had spent more and more time together lately. So either way, if Elizabeth thought Hector should speak up, she was probably right.

Hector nodded decisively and said, "I'll talk to her at break."

They went outside after lunch, and Elizabeth grinned, pushed him lightly on the back, and said, "You can do it, Hector!"

He swallowed and nodded, trying to look more confident than he felt. Soon, Hector spotted Nicole near a group of girls sitting on a bench nearby. Hector had no idea how to start this kind of thing. What was he supposed to say?

Well, he often saw the kids who said they "liked" each other holding hands. And holding hands was nice, really, even if the people Hector had done it with were people he liked differently than that. Maybe that was a good start. So Hector took another deep breath and strode up to Nicole before he could talk himself out of it.

Nicole turned around when she heard him approach and gave Hector a curious look. She smiled and raised an eyebrow, but the smile quickly flickered away. The girls behind her all wrinkled their noses, in the kind of expression Hector often saw from people who thought he was weird and just kind of put up with him.

"Yes?" she asked.

Hector opened his mouth but quickly closed it again. Then, after a few seconds, he managed to blurt out, "Do you think I could hold your hand?"

Both of Nicole's eyebrows shot up, and her lips rapidly turned downward. There was a horrible churning sensation in Hector's stomach. He realized immediately that he'd said the wrong thing, but he couldn't help babbling out an explanation.

"I-I mean—I just kind of—like you a lot, so—"

"Stay away from me!"

Hector recoiled at Nicole's volume. A few other students looked over at them. Oh, no; everyone was staring—

"I don't like you," Nicole continued venomously. "You look like a freak. And by the way, boys shouldn't wear girls' ribbons."

She turned on her heel and resumed her conversation with her friends like her outburst hadn't happened. Hector blinked rapidly for several seconds, not entirely processing what had just happened. Then, automatically, his hand moved back to his hair.

Elena had tied half his hair back that morning and lent him one of her ribbons. It wasn't anything too flashy: just a thin, solid-colored ribbon in her favorite shade of dark blue. There wasn't anything 'girly' about that, was there? He ripped it off anyway, and he was tempted to throw it to the ground and stomp on it in retribution, but—

Then Hector would feel bad, if he damaged something of Elena's. It wasn't her fault he was so wrong. Besides, she and Papa and Agnea always said he was cute when he did that—

But "freak, freak, freak" echoed in his ears. Hector was barely aware of the fact that he'd stumbled back over to his own group of friends. Not until Elizabeth hesitantly patted him on the shoulder, and Hector squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed at them with his free hand.

"Um, I heard…" she started helplessly. "I shouldn't have told you to…"

"It's fine." Hector stuffed Elena's ribbon into his pocket. "She's right. I guess she did just want my homework."

Michael shifted uncomfortably. "Well, now you don't have to give it to her anymore. And she's not…"

Hector knew Michael was trying to make him feel better. He obviously felt bad about his earlier comment. But Hector couldn't help thinking that if only he'd listened and waited to tell Nicole until he thought about it more…

At least he wouldn't have embarrassed himself in front of a bunch of other people. Hector just shook his head and sat hunched up on the bench next to Elizabeth. She hugged him awkwardly, and he appreciated the gesture.

Still, he found it difficult to pay attention in the rest of his classes that afternoon.

Osvald faintly heard the door open upstairs at the usual time. He sometimes let Elena walk Hector home from school these days if he knew he was going to be busy. She was sixteen now, and while she wasn't 'too embarrassed' to be seen with her father, she was responsible enough to come straight home. And since Osvald was in the middle of studying some very old and fascinating magic tomes he'd recently scrounged up in Montwise, she'd offered to let him stay home and read them today.

What surprised him was when Elena came downstairs with a worried look on her face, wringing her hands and biting her lip.

"Can you talk to Hector, Papa? I haven't been able to get a word out of him since we left school."

He blinked and then frowned lightly. "All right. Where is he?"

"Up in the living room, unless he's moved in the past minute."

Osvald nodded and set his quill down. After marking his page, he went upstairs and looked into the living room. Hector was slumped over one side of the couch with his face pressed into the arm. His schoolbag had been thrown haphazardly on the floor. The flap was loose, and several books threatened to spill out.

Osvald sat down and cautiously put a hand on his back. Hector didn't push him away, but he didn't speak up, either.

"Hector, what happened?"

There were a few seconds of silence, broken only by the occasional sniffle. Then, Hector shifted and sat up. He pulled his feet up onto the couch, pressed his face into his knees, and absently picked at the webbing between his toes. Finally, his eyes flickered over in Osvald's direction.

"Papa, am I a…a freak?"

"…What? No. Who said that?"

"No one," he mumbled. "I-I just…"

Osvald sighed and slipped an arm around Hector's shoulders. He slowly relaxed against him, moving his legs down into a more comfortable position. Hector automatically slipped one arm around Osvald in return and pressed his face into his shoulder.

"Nicole was nice until I said I liked her," he explained miserably.

Ah, now it made sense. Osvald tightened his grip on Hector as he tried to parse out some kind of comforting reply.

"Well, she wasn't actually 'nice' to you, then. And you have plenty of time to find someone who does like you."

Children often started getting crushes around Hector's age, he supposed. Not that Osvald had cared much back then… He'd spent too much time with his nose stuck in a book to bother, even after he'd gotten into his teens. But Osvald knew he was probably an outlier, and it was only a matter of time until Hector started finding people he liked.

Hector nodded. "Michael said we 'have forever' for that."

"You do. You're still ten, and even Elena doesn't go out too much."

Osvald knew she had a few admirers at school, but Elena was (fortunately) too sensible to let it get very far. And even then, he'd been a little depressed when he'd realized just how quickly she was growing up. When had she gotten big enough for boys to even be kissing her on the cheek, anyway?

He shook his head when Hector smiled tentatively at him. Osvald was getting distracted; his son needed his help. This was no time to be feeling old.

"Did you like anyone when you were my age, Papa?"

"No," he admitted. "I didn't have feelings for anyone until I met your mother, and I was in my twenties then."

Hector actually laughed at that. At least Osvald had made him feel better; that had to count for something. Still, he drooped again shortly afterwards. Osvald stayed silent and let him process his thoughts. Then, Hector looked back up at him and bit his lip.

"Am I a freak?"

"No," Osvald replied firmly. "You're a good person, Hector. You're smart and curious and—let's be honest—you're a lot nicer than I was at your age. You just look different from most people. But you still have friends who like you. Anyone who can't appreciate you is the one who's wrong."

Hector smiled again as he held onto Osvald more tightly. "Okay. Thank you, Papa."

"You're welcome."

Osvald let Hector snuggle into him for a few more minutes, absently reaching up to stroke his hair with his free hand. Most boys his age might say they were getting too old for that, but he knew it always calmed Hector down. Sure enough, Osvald felt him relaxing further, and he glanced down and saw that Hector's smile was a little more natural-looking.

He was sure it would take some more time for Hector to fully believe him, but at least this was a start.

Nicole didn't talk to him for the rest of the year. She refused to look at Hector in class, and she pointedly turned and walked in the other direction if they happened to pass each other in the hallway or cafeteria.

At first, Hector wasn't sure if that hurt more or less than being insulted had. But, after a week or two, he decided Papa was right. Nicole hadn't actually liked him, so maybe being ignored was better.

Besides, most of his friends liked to read, too. The more Hector thought about it, the more he wondered what he'd thought was special about her. He had other people he could actually talk to and play with.

For now, Hector decided that was what he would focus on. It stung, but…he wouldn't let it ruin the rest of his year. He was sure that it wouldn't bother him anymore by the time summer rolled around—and fortunately, he proved to be correct.

It was hard to believe that the next school year was Elena's last one.

Osvald knew it was coming. She had to graduate from public school eventually. He was proud of her, too; Elena had been in the top of her class each year, and she'd come such a long way since they'd returned to Conning Creek. Of course she was clever and hard-working, but Elena had readjusted to a normal life much more quickly than Osvald had expected.

(How had that been almost seven years ago? Where had the time gone? Osvald sometimes found himself setting his pen down mid-note, marveling at the situation more than he should have.)

Something that both surprised him and didn't surprise him at all was when Elena announced, halfway through the school year, that she wanted to apply to study in Montwise.

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to at first," she admitted at dinner one evening. "After…you know."

Osvald simply nodded. She didn't need to elaborate; everyone knew what she was talking about.

"But I know they've got some of the best resources there, and I can see you when you come in for conferences, Papa."

"Well, if you do attend, I'll expect you to contribute," he said wryly. "But you may have an unfair advantage compared to everyone else."

Elena laughed. "I know how you do your research better than anyone else, Papa. And you've already taught me so much, I'll probably be able to finish my own studies more quickly!"

Hector fidgeted, picking at his food without really eating it. Osvald and Elena both watched him, and he glanced up at them before looking away just as quickly.

"You've talked a lot about studying magic. I like doing it, too," he said uncertainly. "I-I just…do you have to go?"

Elena smiled gently and reached over to pat him on the hand. "I'll be coming back over the summers, Hector. We can still go to Beasting Village together if you want! Besides, I really do think I can graduate early."

She was primarily planning on studying magic, with a little mathematics on the side. Elena was so far ahead in both topics that she'd probably need even fewer courses at the academy to graduate than Osvald had. He'd finished in three and a half years; it wouldn't surprise him if Elena could do it even sooner.

"I know." Hector grinned hesitantly. "It'll just be…different without you."

He still liked regularity. Osvald knew that, and he wondered, as he sometimes did, if it was partly due to Hector's circumstances. But Elena had been a constant in his life the past six and a half years. Hector was undoubtedly happy for her (he was too good-natured to be truly upset by this), but it'd take a while for him to adjust.

"I'll miss both of you while I'm gone, too," Elena agreed. "But we've still got the rest of this year. And you said school's going well, right?"

Hector nodded reluctantly. "A few more people are sitting with me at lunch this year. Well, really, they're eating with Michael and John, but they're nice to me, too. And I've got Mr. Dressler for math this year. I like him."

Osvald had worried that secondary school would be harder on Hector. Children could get even pushier with each other during that time. But so far, Hector hadn't mentioned any major problems, beyond the customary-but-annoying judgmental looks during the first few days of class.

"Oh, good, I was afraid he might retire before you started going there!" Elena grinned before pausing to take a sip of her water. "And besides…once I leave, you and Papa will get to do all kinds of magic and math without me. So you'll have plenty to show me over vacations, won't you?"

"I guess so," Hector admitted.

That seemed to cheer him up a little. The next few weeks were busy for all three of them: school assignments for Elena and Hector, and conference papers for Osvald. Then, a letter arrived bearing the official academy seal, and Elena ripped it open and read it anxiously.

"Well?" Osvald probed. "What does it say?"

"They…" Elena's eyes were wide. "They accepted me! I can start attending as soon as the next school year starts. Ooh, but I'll have to leave early so I can sign up for classes, and meet all the professors, and…and…"

She laughed in disbelief and threw her arms around Osvald. He couldn't help a light grunt of surprise as he hugged her back. The borderline tackle wasn't helped by the fact that she was almost as tall as he was now; the top of Elena's head was at his eye level. And yet Osvald was squeezing her back like she barely came up to his knee again.

(When had she gotten so…big? It wasn't fair. Elena couldn't have grown up so quickly, but—)

"I'm proud of you," he said genuinely, still hugging her. "You're going to do wonderfully."

"Thank you, Papa." Elena giggled into his shoulder. "Though really, I don't know how I couldn't, with how much time I've spent going through your research."

Osvald pulled back just far enough that he could raise an eyebrow in amusement at her. "Of course, I'm expecting you to study just as hard as you always have. But…I know that won't be a problem for you."

"It won't be! I promise."

Elena finally disentangled herself from him. They both glanced over and saw Hector standing at the living room door. He smiled tentatively before walking over to Elena and hugging her, too. Hector was silent, but he was holding her so tightly it was easy to tell he was both happy for her yet also apprehensive.

"I'll write every day if you want me to," Elena said, patting him on the head. "Promise."

"Y-you don't have to. I mean, it'll take a while for the letters to get here, anyway," Hector replied reasonably. Then he mumbled, "But it would be nice if you did."

"Well, we'll see how you feel when I actually leave." Elena leaned down and pecked him on the forehead. "But you'll be all right. I know it."

Hector nodded into her shoulder, and Elena smiled as she pulled back. Then, she grabbed the letter off the coffee table and grinned at Osvald.

"Can—can I go show Lady Clarissa?"

Osvald nodded. "Of course. She'll want to know. Just…come straight home, won't you?"

"I will; don't worry!"

With that, Elena scrambled out the door, and Osvald fondly watched her go. Then, he glanced over at Hector; his frills dropped as he looked at the door. Osvald shifted and pulled Hector into a one-armed hug. He smiled briefly before slipping an arm around Osvald in return.

"It's fine. I'd feel bad if she stayed home because of me," he said eventually. "It's just going to be…different."

"I know," Osvald replied, trying to ignore the sudden lump in his throat. "But…we'll be fine."

They would be, and Osvald really was proud of her. Besides, they still had a few months left. The current school year wasn't over yet, and then they would have most of the summer vacation together.

Osvald just hoped he didn't make a fool of himself when it was time for Elena to leave.

Papa cried when she turned eighteen, but he tried to pretend like he didn't.

"Happy birthday, Elena," he whispered as he pulled her into a hug.

Then he pulled back and blinked, and she couldn't help a grin. "Your eyes are red, Papa."

"No, they aren't. It's…dusty in here." He awkwardly cleared his throat. "I…left something downstairs."

Papa hurried to his study, and Hector blinked from his spot at the kitchen table. He looked at Elena and asked, "Why does Papa do that?"

"He doesn't want anyone to know that he's bad at explaining himself." Elena laughed before sitting down and taking a bite of her breakfast. "But I know he's only getting mixed up because he cares. He'll probably get a little sensitive when you're eighteen, too."

Hector still looked puzzled, but he nodded anyway. When Papa came back upstairs a few minutes later, Elena noticed that he was empty-handed. He hadn't really left anything downstairs, but Elena politely refrained from calling him out on it. Instead, she let him hug her a little longer than necessary before she and Hector went to school. This time, Elena didn't comment on the fact that his eyes were even redder.

She had a nice day, going out with Ellyn, Sylvia, Lukas, and Bryan after school. Papa met them at the tavern for dinner and paid for everyone's food. He went overboard on her gifts, Elena thought when they returned home. She opened the box he handed her and gasped: there was a stack of complicated magical theory textbooks, one dedicated to each fire, ice, and lightning, that she hadn't seen at any bookstores in Conning Creek.

"Papa, these must've cost a fortune! You had to have ordered them from somewhere—"

"They're for you, Elena," he interrupted. "You'll get plenty of use out of them. I know you'll enjoy them anyway, and they'll be helpful when you start your academy courses."

She couldn't reply verbally; she just flung her arms around him before burying herself in the lightning tome. Elena saw Papa grin sheepishly out of the corner of her eye, and Hector looked vaguely amused as he patted him on the arm.

Then there were Papa and Hector's birthdays, the end of the school year, and their vacation in Toto'haha. It all passed in a blur, not helped by the fact that they had to cut their trip short this year. Elena's excitement was palpable as she hurriedly packed her clothes and other belongings, triple-checking her suitcases to make sure she had everything.

Finally, they left for Canalbrine so she could catch her ferry. It would drop her off at the New Delsta anchorage; from there, it would be a few days' train ride to Montwise. Ellyn, Sylvia, Lukas, and Bryan came to see her off. They were all laughing and crying as they hugged her goodbye, and Elena admitted she had to wipe her eyes a few times, too.

Her grandparents also made it out to the harbor, but with a little difficulty. They both had to walk with canes now, but Victor was too stubborn to use his half the time. He almost slipped once on the wet dock, and Papa sighed as he caught him.

"If you could please not hurt yourself when Elena's heading off to school—"

"I'll be fine, son," he insisted. Then, he turned to Elena and said in a much softer tone, "Congratulations. You'll do well; I'm sure of it."

"Do write to us, darling," Mallory said as she hugged her.

"I will!" Then, she hugged Hector and Papa, whispering "I'll miss you" to each of them.

Papa squeezed his eyes shut as he held her. "…I'll miss you, too. But keep up with your studies. Write to me if you need anything—"

"All aboard!"

One of the ferry's staff was ushering a few passengers onto the boat. Elena laughed as she pulled back and darted to the ramp leading up to the deck. She turned around and waved at everyone one last time. They all waved back, calling out their final goodbyes as she boarded.

Elena leaned over the railing as the ship departed. She could see Hector and Mallory hugging Papa as he (badly) tried to cover up the fact that he was crying again. It would be a big change for everyone, she knew. But she would learn a lot, and she'd come home eventually. Once she did, she'd have so much to talk about with everyone, and there would be even more for her to do afterwards—

Elena burned the image of her friends and family into her mind as she went to find her cabin. She was looking forward to this new chapter of her life, and everything that would come with it.

Everyone would be fine, she knew. Now she just had to see what happened next.