so this one took forever -yours truly

(Della)

My family has reached a horrible point, from perfect work and a legacy to this. One son is dead, the other? Who knows anymore, he could be dead or still helping the Neverseen. The only world I've ever known is broken, my life is in shards. I make an oath to myself to find the Neverseen and make them pay if it's the last thing I do. But, that later, now it's time to organize the planting. It's good I have something to focus on, if I have something to do I won't fall apart. 

"Show me Edaline Ruewen," I say into my imparter. 

"Della? How are you holding up?"  She answers immediately.

"I have something I need to do, you may not like it and it does seem like something our daughters would do. But right now will you come with me to find a spot for Fitz's tree?"

"Of course Della. To both," she assures me.

She clicks away and moments later there's someone at the gate. I rush down to let Edaline in and get wrapped in a tight hug. It's sad that she has to understand how this feels to me, neither of us should have to experience this.

"Let's go," she says after a moment. 

So we leap to the Wanderling Woods. 

+++ [at the planting]

We ended up choosing a lone spot on a big hill, where no Wanderlings stand. Fitz will be the first. It's a beautiful spot, overlooking the forest below, a breathtaking and overwhelming view. 

[Biana]

I watch as my father pours a liquid over the freshly planted seed, then shatters the bottle on his knuckles, scattering sparkling glass over the soil. The tree starts to grow at once. It's a beautiful tree, a tall dark trunk, with chocolate brown leaves and teal blossoms. I look over the crowd, teary eyed and looking at our family, pitying us. For once, I don't feel bad about it, they should pity us, my brother was killed essentially by my other brother.

I can't help but cry. I cry for the brother who I loved so much, I cry for the brother who died thinking I hated him, I cry for the brother who died because I was too weak to save him. MY brother. He might've been mean sometimes, but he only ever meant to protect me. I will never forget his laugh. His smile when Sophie chucked Alvar's award at Brumevale, his eyes shining with pride when he came home and said he found the long lost elf. The handsome, funny, kind, perfectly imperfect brother. 

An arm wraps around me holding me close. I can't tell who it is through my tear blurred vision until I hear a whisper in my ear. "There's no reason to worry dear, we will find a way to remember him."

I cry while people come up and apologize to me. I cry and cry and cry, because  he's my brother, and I love him. Finally, it's my turn to say goodbye to Fitz. I never should have said those things, I never should have said Keefe was more like a brother to me. Because no one can replace the boy who's been there my whole life. My mother once told us to hold our siblings close, now I understand why. 

"Hey Fitz," I whisper, "we might've not gotten along these past few months, but I really want you to know I never hated you. I loved you, I still do, and now that you're gone, I don't know what to do. I'm sorry, I was too weak to save you this one last time..." 

His leaves rustle and his tree grows taller, as if he heard me. "I love you, big brother. You're the best brother I ever could have had. I loved your laugh when you called me Bitz, I loved your grimace when you got stuck in that chandelier. I loved laughing at you. I LOVED YOU. And I still do. All your friends do too, don't forget that. You sacrificed so much for the Black Swan, for your friends, for me. Bye Fitz, I love you forever." I say. 

 I walk away without looking back. 

(Della)

Edaline, Sophie, Maruca, Linh, Marella, Biana and I are in my office at Everglen, working out a plan. When I told Edaline what I wanted to do, she told me she'd get Sophie to round up her friends.

"We're going to take down the Neverseen, once and for all. I don't care if it's the end of me, I will stop my son's killers." I say. 

"I am getting revenge on my daughter's murderers." Edaline says, ""I'm with you." I never realized how similar our situations were. 

"They killed my aunt. I'm done letting them win." Maruca, my daughter's old best friend, adds.

"If Vespera gave me scars, I'm giving her some too." Biana, my sweet fierce girl says. 

"I was starting to think Fintan wouldn't go back to the Neverseen, he started to get me to trust him. But he really just was making sure he knew what I could do with my fire." Marella says. 

"They took my brother away from me, even though he's back, he's not back."Linh says, her determination clear. 

"They want to fix the world, but their solutions are wrong. We defeat the villains before we understand them too much." Sophie says, sweet Sophie still trying to be logical. 

I still remember the Sophie I met a few years ago, shy, frail, doubting herself, that girl is gone, and this new girl will stop the Neverseen for good. I know it.

"So, we hunt down the Neverseen, and defeat them once and for all." I say. 

My daughter looks over at me, with a look I only saw once, at the river when we were leaving to the Black Swan. She gives me a look of pride mixed with a confident smile. 

"Let's do this then."