Nascha sat in a sitting room across the hall from an office, where Fenrys had been speaking with Rowan and Aelin for almost two hours. She was growing increasingly bored as she thumbed through her leather bound journal. She'd already written one story while she waited. She didn't have any ideas for another one yet.

    She closed the notebook with a sigh and summoned her starlight. Nascha wove the magic between her fingers, feeling some of the pressure in her chest ease as she did so. It had been four days since she was last at the Bane's camp. Fenrys had been sparring with her in the mornings, and in the afternoons, Vaughan came to help her with her magic. She appreciated their help, but she couldn't push aside the hurt feelings that plagued her.

    She had asked Vaughan to extend an invitation from her to Aeron and Luciana, hoping that their company would make her feel better. They had promised to come and see her soon, but so far, they hadn't been able to. Vaughan explained that they were both being kept busy with their training. Aedion was adding additional training to their schedules in an attempt to prepare everyone for the possibility of war in the near future.

    Nascha rubbed her forehead wearily and began to pace around the room. A few months ago, I would have used this opportunity to leave Terrasen, she couldn't help but think. Her gaze landed on the closed door of the office. She could only imagine the look on Fenrys' face if he came out and found that she was gone.

    I couldn't hurt him like that. Not after everything he's done for me. But the others... Nascha narrowed her eyes. If it weren't for Fenrys and Vaughan, I would leave right now and not bother looking back.

    She couldn't care less what Lorcan and Aedion thought if she left. It was obvious they hadn't wanted her there from the start. Rowan and Aelin just wanted her for her claim to Arcelia. Elide and Lysandra had been relatively welcoming, but they hadn't made much of an effort to befriend her beyond that.

    Then again, Nascha reminded herself, I haven't been the friendliest person either. I suppose I can't blame them for not wanting much to do with me.

    Still, if Vaughan and Fenrys could learn to get along with her, and her with them, couldn't it be the same with the others? Nascha massaged her temples again as a dull headache began to form. The office door opened and Rowan, Aelin, and Fenrys stepped out. Nascha grabbed her pencil and notebook as Fenrys beckoned for her to follow.

    "Is everything all right?" She whispered.

    "Not exactly. I'll explain later. How's your magic?"

    "A little better than before, but not much." She slid her hand into his and Fenrys squeezed it tightly. The ache in her temples was shifting to a throbbing pain at an unusual speed. Nascha knit her brows, somewhat concerned.

    Rowan and Aelin were saying something up ahead, but she turned them out. Her headache spiked suddenly, rattling her skull as though she'd been struck over the head by a hammer. Nascha froze as her surroundings began to spin. A sharp pain settled into her very bones.

    "Nascha?" Fenrys tugged on her hand.

    Needling agony burst through her body. Nascha fell to her knees, gulping down ragged breaths. Fenrys was there in a heartbeat, smoothing hair back from her forehead as he studied her eyes worriedly. Her chest constricted with the force of her pain and magic combined. Nascha doubled over with a gasp.

    "What's wrong with her?" Aelin asked.

    "Everything's on fire," Nascha rasped. There was no other way to describe the pain that was tearing through her. It felt as though dozens of white hot needles were stabbing into her nerves. Her very bones were burning up. "What's happening?"

    Another hand touched her shoulder and a sense of relief seeped from it. It sent gentle cold waves drifting through her, numbing the burning pain. Nascha trembled against Fenrys' chest, not knowing how she'd wound up there. The hand on her shoulder was Rowan's.

    "She's Settling," the male said.

    Aelin came closer. "What do we do?"

    "There's nothing we can do. Her body is reordering her aging process, and her magic is maturing. She just has to weather it."

    "For how long?" Nascha asked faintly. Fenrys stroked her hair as Rowan replied.

    "The process itself can last several weeks to a few months, and it will be months after that before you've fully adjusted to the changes taking place."

    "Is it going to hurt like this the entire time?" She could still feel the scalding agony within her bones, held back by Rowan's magic.

    "Some days will be better than others, but yes. It's going to be rough. Your magic will become more unpredictable than it was before, and you might lose control of it completely. Maybe we should keep her here until..."

    "No," Fenrys interrupted. "I'll take her home. We'll be safe enough there, and I can take care of her without the lot of you breathing down our necks."

    "They just want to help," Nascha murmured. Her eyes drooped shut as an inexplicable weight settled over her body. Her limbs seemed to be made of lead.

    "She could hurt you, Pup. It'll be better if there's someone else there with you."

    "Then I'll send for Aeron or Vaughan," Fenrys growled. "But no one else comes near us."

    "Will you let me help?" Aelin asked. Nascha sensed Fenrys' hesitation, before he gave a small nod.

    "I'll send for you if you're needed," he said, lifting Nascha.

    She managed to hold onto him, even as Rowan drew his hand away and fire erupted through her limbs. She buried her face in Fenrys' chest, barely managing to hold back a cry of pain. Wind roared around them and the palace faded away.

◦ ~ ❘ ☼ ❘ ~ ◦

    Fenrys sat on the bed beside Nascha, rubbing her back soothingly as she trembled. Her neck was damp with sweat and already, Fenrys had pulled her hair up in a loose bun. Nascha had managed to dress herself in a tank top and a pair of shorts, before collapsing on the bed. She hadn't moved since.

    "No one told me it would hurt this bad," she said, wiping at her eyes. He saw the sheen of tears coating her cheeks.

    Fenrys leaned down and kissed her temple. "My mentors told me, and I still wasn't prepared."

    "I remember when Zeno Settled. I was seven." Nascha drew a few ragged breaths. Fenrys picked up a cloth soaked in cold water and wiped it across her neck, then down her arms. "My room was next to his. Mother and Father told me I had to sleep near Van on the other side of the manor. I didn't understand why, until..."

    She broke off, clenching her jaw. She managed a weak laugh a moment later. "He collapsed a portion of the manor when his magic hit a particularly rough patch. He felt so bad. I remember Van taking me in to see him and he apologized profusely for destroying my room. He promised he would find me exact replicas of all of my toys and personally make sure my room was rebuilt the way it was originally."

    Fenrys remained silent, listening as she recounted the memory. He brushed his knuckles across her cheek, feeling a sense of sorrow that was not his own. "I told him that as long as he made it through his Settling all right, I didn't care about the loss of my toys or my room. He..." Nascha sniffed, swiping at her eyes again. "He told me he would never play another prank on me again. That wasn't true, of course. He still pranked me. But he did restore my room and toys as well as he could, and that was enough for me."

    "He sounds like a good male," Fenrys replied.

    "He was. Both of my brothers were." She rolled over, drawing his hand to her cheek. Nascha closed her eyes, a look of discomfort crossing her features. "What was Settling like for you and Connall?"

    "Not good," Fenrys chuckled. "We Settled at the same time and frequently discussed putting each other out of our misery during the process. Con was in more pain than I was, but my magic was more unruly than his. I was afraid I would lose it entirely. Con thought he would go mad with agony. But we helped each other through it, and in the end, we were both all right."

    "How long did it take?" Nascha gripped his hand almost painfully, but Fenrys voiced no complaints. She pressed her cheek into his palm with a faint whimper. "This is worse than my cycle."

    "The Settling itself lasted six weeks for both of us, and we spent the next four months recooperating," Fenrys replied. "The pain in your bones doesn't fade until several weeks after you've finished Settling, and it takes even longer for your magic to calm down. You'll have to be careful using it the first few times after it matures. You'll have new limits to discover, and it will try to break away from you as you do so. You could hit a burnout if you aren't careful."

    Nascha nodded slowly, then hissed, curling her knees to her chest. "Fuck! Do you think this is worse than childbirth?" Fenrys arched an eyebrow. "Because if it is, I could handle one or two kids. Maybe three if there's about a century between each of them. If childbirth is worse than this, fuck that. I'm not having any kids."

    "I've never had kids, so I wouldn't know," Fenrys replied with a laugh.

    "Please tell me I can at least drink whiskey during this," Nascha groaned.

    "It's probably not the best thing for you to have, but I'm not going to tell you no. I am going to make sure you limit yourself though. It will be even harder to control your magic if you're drunk."

    "I can drink but not get drunk. It doesn't seem fair, but fine." Nascha convulsed again, a pained cry breaking from her lips. Fenrys bent over her, dabbing the cold cloth across her forehead. "Fenrys!" She rasped, her eyes drifting shut.

    "I'm here, Sweetheart." There was a gentle tap within his chest. Fenrys knit his brows, recognizing the glowing bond it had come from. He shoved the feeling aside and touched a soft kiss to Nascha's lips. "Rest while you can."

    She nodded, her features distorting in frustration. Fenrys lay down beside her, not caring about the danger her magic posed. He pulled her close, rubbing her back and shoulders comfortingly. Nascha's breath shook as she attempted to fall asleep.