Word had come from the Dawn Queen later that night: the news had begun spreading across Aelurus of the Shadow King's betrayal of the Eridan Treaty. He'd marched on two of the animal kingdoms, Aelurus as well as the reptilian realm, Oxfrendren. Gravious had given instruction to have their rulers killed and replaced by shadesmere. There was even a rumor that Nocturnis had been dead long before his rebellion, though the truth of it all could never be proven.

But now that Aelurus had learned the truth, its people cried out for a new king and so, a few days after their run-in with Feign, Abby found herself staring up at the ceiling of Darkmoore Castle. Stripped of its previous occupants, the castle, though a bit musty, now shone with a vibrancy it hadn't had before. She'd been given a room in the west wing, opposite the royal wing where Sebbi and Lucy were staying, and the morning sun shone through the crack in the heavy cotton curtains.

The ceiling was gilded in gold, patterns of trees and smatterings of stars etched into the wood. She sat up in her four-poster bed and stretched. She'd felt like she'd been asleep for months, rather than a few hours. It'd been almost a week since her thirteenth birthday, since she'd learned the truth about her cats, and about the fire that had killed her family.

Lucy and Sebbi were princes of Aelurus, a kingdom full of upright walking giant cat creatures and now that the false king had been dealt with, one of them would rule. Their coronation was coming up, but first they had a funeral to attend.

Abby rose to her feet with an ache in her back and stretched again before moving toward the large wardrobe opposite her. Inside it, she found long gowns of deep purple and midnight blue, her size, along with a few braided silver cords and one hooded black cape. She grabbed the blue dress, heaved it over her head and slid into it, the material soft against her skin. Her birthday dress had arrived back at Darkmoore in barely more than tatters and Abby, to her own surprise, was glad when the servants had ripped her out of its remains. It had been stained with blood and Abby couldn't have been happier to be rid of it, even if it had been a gift from her father.

After the dress, Abby grabbed a silver cord and tied it twice high around her waist. She knotted the end, three times, as she was told by Margo this was customary for funerals. Each knot represented a main phase of the moon goddess. After that, Abby tied her hair up in a ponytail using the ribbon Sebbi had given her back in town. Standing on her tiptoes, wearing a very uncomfortable pair of leather sandals, Abby quickly glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked worn, and older and she could barely recognize the girl reflected back at her, staring at her with empty eyes and sunken cheeks. She had a bruise below her left eye and a few faint red marks across her neck. All given to her by Feign.

He's still around, she thought and winced, remembering his red eyes, the feeling of steel against her skin, the power behind his fingers as he tried to strangle her to death. If it hadn't been for the queen's blood then Abby would have—

A slow, heavy knock echoed throughout the room. Shaken out of her thoughts, Abby ran towards the door. "Coming," she called.

On the other side of the large, carved door stood Sebbi, dressed in an all black coat and trousers, the crescent-shaped scar gleaming between his eyes. His fur looked as though it'd been brushed for the very first time in his life ever. Abby smiled as she spied bits of broken comb teeth stuck deep in his fur.

Sebbi scratched at the back of his head. "Do I look strange?"

Abby chuckled softly and nodded. "Yes," she said. "You're a giant cat, remember? You've looked strange since the moment we got here."

"I mean," he said, fiddling with the slightly large cuffs of his jacket, "Do I look stranger?" With a harrumph, he looked briefly down at the floor. "They brushed my fur," he said, his tone barely above a whisper.

Abby chuckled. "No, you look fine," she said. "Regal," she added, thinking he truly would look noble if he held himself a bit straighter and stopped slouching all the time.

Sebbi's face cracked into a grin.

From behind, a pair of equally large and black and furry hands wrapped around Sebbi's shoulders. The grin on his face slid off as he looked at his brother. Lucy looked the part of some lost nobility, and unlike Sebbi, he embraced it. A black linen shirt fell loosely over his broad chest and over a pair of black trousers. His tail peeked out of the back and was wrapped in a silver chain that looked like dragon scale. He wore a black, hooded cloak, with a crescent moon emblazoned on the side. His fur looked impeccable like he'd been draped in rich silk.

Sebbi snarled and brushed his brother's hands off him. Taking one last look at Abby, he walked away.

Lucy smiled and outstretched his hand. "You look beautiful," he said in that tone that overflowed with sweetness.

Her cheeks turned a bit pink as the cat-man continued to stare at her with his unwavering gold eyes but she managed to return his smile, albeit with a lot less fang. "You look quite handsome," she said in return.

Lucy's grin spread across his face quickly at her words, and leaning against the doorway, he asked, "More so than Sebbi?"

Caught off guard, Abby fumbled for her words, "Umm," she started as she felt her cheeks grow hot. Lucy's smile faltered. "Sure," Abby piped up hoping to placate the now frowning cat-man.

Lucy looked at her as if studying some rare artifact he didn't quite understand. After a few moments of silence, where his eyes bored into her, Lucy chuckled. "I'll take it," he said. "It's better than Margo's answer."

"What did--" Abby started.

"She said I looked worse than moldy cheese," Lucy began, his shoulders slouching, his tail thudding against the floor. "Because, as she said, 'moldy cheese is still cheese and cheese is better than any cat.'" He folded his arms across his chest and Abby saw for the first time that the edge of his cape was singed and smoking slightly.

"Lucy, what happened?"

Lucy followed Abby's eyeline and frowned. "After she said I looked worse than moldy cheese, I asked her if it was her love of cheese that made her take such a lumpy form when she was disguised as a maid. And then..." He raised the sleeve. "Well, she is a wizardess..."

Abby raised a brow. "Margo lit you on fire?"

"Just a bit," he said shrugging. "At least she didn't turn me into a toad like she's always threatening to do. Can you imagine it? Me eating flies?" He stuck out his tongue in disgust and then after a moment of silence, leaned in toward her, "At least I'd be the most handsome toad you'd ever see."

Abby smiled and nodded.

The silence returned. Abby fiddled with her thumbs. Lucy ran his eyes along every piece of furniture in the room. Lucy was the one to finally speak up. "How are you?" he said, his eyes soft as they traced the red marks across Abby's neck and her bruised cheek.

Abby blushed. "I'm..." fine, she wanted to say but found the word stuck in her throat like dragon's porridge. Why couldn't she say it?

In a flash, Abby was wrapped up in Lucy's embrace. "It was a stupid question for me to ask," he said. "I'm sorry."

Abby shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I'm glad to know you care."

Lucy pushed Abby away from him just enough to meet her gaze. "Of course I care," he said, gripping her shoulders. "I love you." His matter-of-fact tone made Abby's cheeks go from red to scarlet. "Do you know why I loved wearing ribbons so much?"

His question caught Abby off guard and she had to think a moment before answering. "Because they made you look handsome?" she answered, a grin on her face.

Lucy nodded. "Well yes, that's obvious, but I didn't really love the ribbons. I loved the hands that tied them so carefully around my neck and tail. I loved the smile that wearing them put on your face. You were and always will be my best friend."

Tears ran down Abby's cheeks but Lucy's hands were quick to wipe them away. She looked up at him grateful. "And what of Sebbi?"

Lucy laughed. "Sebbi, well, he's far too quiet and not nearly adorable enough to be my best friend. Though," he grabbed Abby's arm and hooked it in his own, "as far as brothers go, he's fine the way he is."

Abby nodded.

"Now," Lucy said, leading her out of the room, "I think it's time we pay our respects."

The great hall of Keldaer had transformed overnight. It's rust-colored walls draped in rich blacks. Hundreds of golden lights fluttered in the air, hovering over three bodies that had been laid across large stone tables and draped in white linens. Two of the bodies had been placed together, a large crescent moon embroidered on their shroud.

Hestor. Lain. Queen Loreilanna.

The warm air smelled of summer, of grass and flowers. The lights overhead streaked across the gilded ceiling and Abby noticed they weren't lights at all, they were bugs.

"Goldenflies," she whispered. How did something from her world end up here?

"Is that what you call them in Exul?" Margo stood next to Abby, draped in a white dress, trimmed with gold. Her hair was tied up and intermixed with golden twine, her skin more luminescent than Abby had ever seen. Her blue eyes were wet, her cheeks a little puffy. She had been crying, surely, for Hestor.

Remembering Margo's question, Abby nodded. "Yeah, it's what we call them. Why, what do you call them?"

"You Exulians are so oblivious," she said, placing a hand out. Three tiny goldenflies fluttered down and landed on it, their abdomens pulsing with golden light. "These little guys are magickal creatures. When they sense loss, they gather and glow red with warning. When a swarm of them fly overhead, they look like the sky's been set ablaze." Margo nudged one of the bugs with her finger. "And then they glow gold to help souls find their way home. They're called Erida'naal. It means 'ferrymen,' because they travel across all the realms, helping guide the dead to the stars." The tiny bugs fluttered away and returned to the swarm of them overhead. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

Abby nodded and watched in solemn silence the bugs fluttering overhead. She'd seen them the night of her birthday, the deep red of their bellies pulsing, warning her something bad was coming. And as they'd run away, she'd thought she'd seen a glimpse of gold. And she had. They were guiding her loved ones to the stars, where Abby's mom had gone a long time ago.

The funeral was different than anything Abby had ever experienced. Lanterns were light for each of the fallen and released in the hall. Before they hit the ceiling, they erupted in golden sparks that transformed into the most beautiful white-winged butterflies Abby had ever seen. The butterflies, along with the ferrymen hovered over them for a minute, before heading toward the horizon. Menna had said they were taking the souls to Y'mestria to sit among the gods.

Lain was buried with a sword. It wasn't a real Wanesguard sword, but it was close enough, and they'd decided Lain deserved to be given a hero's burial. He'd saved them. Protected them from Feign, allowed them time to escape. He'd also killed the queen once and for all, allowing her soul to pass, but only Abby had known of that. And she'd promised Lain she wouldn't tell anyone.

As Abby watched the butterflies and Erida'naal take to the skies, she hoped they wouldn't ferry Lain's soul toward the sky. He deserved to ride the sea, like he'd wanted to all those years ago.

Abbernathy Fun Fact 17: Abby's love of gardening and the outdoors, but her utter lack of any green sensibilities comes from my mom. She's a master gardener now, but before that, she struggled to keep the house plants alive. She's also the one who told me to talk to plants; not only was I supplying them with carbon dioxide, I was also keeping them company.