A/N: I'm sorry for being so lousy at updating frequently. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are as excited as I am to bring on the New Year! Thanks for reading this far and as always vote if you like it, comment your opinions below and thank you for continuing to read As They Fall <3 xx
Dedicated to Sceritz for rekindling my faith in my writing ability :)

An entire month had passed since we parted and my patience was wearing thin.

"Surely they should have returned by now? Or sent the Queen some form of an update!" I fumed, pacing up and down the room wringing my hands.

"I'm sure she'll notify you the moment they return," sighed Charlie, who was sprawled out on his bed, fiddling with a loose thread on his tunic. I glared at him and spat,

"Can you at least act like you care?"

"You must be joking!" snapped Charlie, his expression wounded as he returned my gaze.

"I'm sorry," I sighed, collapsing face down onto my bed, "I didn't mean it." My words muffled as I buried my face deeper into my pillow, upset and ashamed. The bed sagged as Charlie sat beside me and stroked my head, running his fingers through my hair, in an attempt to soothe me.

"Everything will be fine. Your uncle is a strong man. Let's speak to the Queen in the morning and find out what's going on," he murmured, brushing my hair aside to reveal my face. I turned to look up at him and flashed him a grateful look. His fingers lingered on my cheek, his eyes filled with longing, before a knock at the door caused him to leap to his feet. The door swung open and Elizabeth strode in, her cheeks flushed pink and her green eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Where have you been all day?" I asked, pulling myself up into a sitting position as Charlie sat back down on his own bed.

"I've had the most wonderful time!" exclaimed Elizabeth as she launched into a detailed description of her day.

"How is Merek doing?" said Charlie as Elizabeth told them about the meal she had shared with him.

"He is doing well; his wounds have almost completely healed and he is becoming accustomed to using only one hand." It was heartening to see that she had overcome most of her guilt surrounding his injury, her expression remaining cheerful as she spoke. Once she had finished, she clambered into bed and fell asleep before the fireflies had even begun to dim.

With a small chuckle, I rolled onto my side and faced Charlie, who was on his back staring up at the softly glowing ceiling. He closed his eyes and draped his right arm his face while his left arm dangled off the side of the bed his fingertips almost brushing against the floor. I lay there watching him until he was asleep, his chest rising and falling softly. In the dim light, I reached out a tentative finger and touched his hand, lightly tracing the veins, scars and lines of his palm. As I enjoyed the soothing warmth of his hand and fingers a lump of guilt rose in my throat. I withdrew my hand but Charlie clutched tightly onto my hand and didn't let go. I let out a small squeak of surprise but he did not stir. Is he awake? I thought to myself as I attempted to pry his fingers loose. No matter how hard I pulled his grip did not slacken, instead his fingers intertwined with my own. Still asleep, he rolled onto his side and faced me, pulling my hand so close I could feel his breath on my fingertips. The back of my neck prickled with embarrassment but I left my hand where it was and closed my eyes.

Elizabeth was already gone when I woke in the morning and Charlie had let go of my hand during the night, his back now facing me. My eyes bleary with sleep I stumbled out of bed and out into the hallway. Down the hall, Yuli was coming out of her bedroom dressed in hunting garb.

"Good morning." Her voice was polite, but cold, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she glanced at me.

"Good morning," I replied, keeping my tone light and friendly. The majority of Eularians had grown accustomed to our presence and were friendly and hospitable, but Yuli had always seemed distant. I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts, and concluded that her attitude was most likely because of Merek's injury. We walked in silence throughout the house, the both of us heading for the front door, out into the forest.

"Are you going hunting?" I asked, eyeing her clothes and the bow she had slung over her back.

"Yes, winter will come early this year so it is important that we have enough food stored to survive." Before I could answer, Yana bounded over to us with a large grin plastered across her face.

"Amelia! Hello! How are you today?" Yana was definitely far more approachable than her twin and we had become fast friends.

"I'm feeling great," I replied, grinning at her, "my injuries have completely healed."

"Wonderful! You should come with us today, have you ever been hunting before?" Yuli glared at her sister as she spoke but Yana simply shot her a look and continued to grin at me.

"Women aren't really allowed to hunt in my Kingdom, but I am skilled with a bow," as I spoke a memory of hunting with my uncle came unbidden to my mind. He had loved hunting and was an excellent shot. If Yana noticed my dip in enthusiasm she did not show it and instead continued to ramble about where we would be hunting today and stories of her first hunting trip.

Once I was properly attired and equipped with a bow, I followed the twins out of their home to where a group of elves were waiting on the fringe of the city. I recognised a handful of them but could not put a name to any of their faces. One stocky male elf eyed us with confusion as we approached.

"Where is Telrith?" he asked, readjusting the bowstring digging into his broad shoulders.

"No doubt spending time with Elizabeth," muttered Yuli darkly, stopping to flick something off the sole of her bare foot. Yana elbowed her and flashed her a warning look but the male elf simply chuckled and rolled his eyes before motioning for the group to follow him into the woods.

The elves moved through the forest with stealth and confidence, their bare feet making no noise as they threaded their way through the maze of trees and undergrowth. I concentrated on keeping my footsteps silent, wincing as my bare feet were jabbed by various sharp objects on the forest floor. The male elf who had spoken earlier raised his hand in the air for us to stop and pointed to where a large stag was rubbing his antlers on the branches of a fallen tree. It was a beautiful creature, with powerful shoulders, a thick, glossy brown coat and large ears. The elves watched the stag warily as they slowly approached it. I chose to stay where I was, afraid of spooking it. I held my breath as the male elf knocked an arrow and pulled the bowstring taut, his gaze never leaving the stag, which was still preoccupied with its antlers. With a single thrum of the bowstring and a loud thud it was over. The magnificent creature lay dead with a single arrow protruding from its chest. I shuddered to think how deadly the elves would be as soldiers, the way they killed was efficient, precise and seemingly effortless.

While the other elves carried the stag back to the city, Yuli, Yana and I remained in the forest and managed to catch a few rabbits.

"Forgive me if I am being rude, but how can you kill animals despite being able to communicate with them?" The question had been burning on my tongue since we had begun the hunt and I couldn't help but ask when Yana slung a particularly large rabbit over her shoulder.

"Wild animals are different but they understand. It's part of life. Our ability to communicate with animals does not make us equals. A wolf would not hesitate to kill an elf if it meant feeding its pack, just as a deer knows that we consider it prey. Wild animals factor us into the natural cycle of life just as we do." Yana's voice was matter-of-fact and held no trace of regret.

"We use each and every part of any animal we catch," added Yuli, shooting me the same disapproving look any time I inquired into their lifestyle. I bit back the sharp retort forming on my tongue and slung a rabbit over my shoulder before heading back to the city. We met up with the rest of the hunting party, who were already skinning the stag and dropped off what the twins had caught. Once I had seen just how skilled the elves were at hunting I decided to refrain from using my bow, afraid I would make a mistake and scare off all the game. I thanked Yuli and Yana for taking me with them and headed back to their house, keen to see Elizabeth and Charlie. I strolled through the city, my earlier agitation wiped away by the blissful peace I felt witnessing in the elves harmonious existence. My enjoyment was soon shattered when I saw the terrified look on Misaeh's face as she ran toward me. Something was wrong.

I raced to meet her and gripped her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" I demanded, trying to keep my hands from shaking.

"The Queen. Charles was furious, breaking things and yelling at her. I tried to intervene but she sent the guards and I away. I didn't know who to come to, I don't even know why he's so angry." Misaeh was sobbing, fear for the Queen flooding from her with every breath she took. For a moment, I stood still, frozen with shock and then I was sprinting up to the palace. I burst through the doors to see Charlie standing over the Queen, who had collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"Charles!" I shrieked, "What on earth are you doing?" Charlie did not reply, instead he glared down at his mother and spat,

"Tell her. Tell her what you did." I stared at the Queen in disbelief as guilt flashed in her eyes.

"You have to understand, I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, I would not have done it if I wasn't completely sure he was alright." It was hard to make out the Queen's words between her sobs but I could feel a wave of dread wash over me with every word she said.

"What did you do?" I murmured, fixing my steely gaze directly on the trembling elf queen.

"My trackers have found your uncle. The man he was with handed him over to another human man. They appeared to know one another but he was still bound when they took him to a large camp they have established in the mountains." Relief flooded my body with such force that I almost fell to the ground.

"He's still alive? You found him!" My voice cracking with excitement. I rushed forward to clutch her into a tight embrace but Charlie darted between us and growled,

"I wouldn't be thanking her if I were you."

"Why not?" I demanded, frustrated and angered by Charlie's treatment of his own mother.

"Tell her when you found out the location of her uncle," said Charlie, his back to the cowering Queen. I glanced up at Charlie with a puzzled expression and his gaze softened.

"I received word of your uncle's location two days after I dispatched the party..." Queen Suraya trailed off and refused to look at me, shame embedded in every word. I paused for a moment as her words sank in.

"You mean to tell me that you have kept us here for almost an entire month for no reason!?" My voice came out in a shrill screech and I wanted nothing more than to throw myself at Queen Suraya and kill her.

"Please you must forgive me. I only wanted to spend more time with my son and learn more about him. But I knew if you left he would follow. I knew your uncle was relatively safe so I didn't see the harm in postponing his rescue for just a short while longer."

"Didn't see the harm!?" I was furious. It felt as if my blood had turned to ice and my face felt red hot, my eyes blazing like two orbs of melted steel. I exploded.

"MY UNCLE COULD BE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOUR SELFISHNESS!"

If the Queen had been afraid before she was terrified now. Her mouth opened and closed in a wordless plea but if she spoke I could not hear her over the blood pounding in my ears. I was faintly aware of Charlie's hand on my shoulder and I wanted nothing more than to shrug it off and lunge at the elf.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, burying her face in her hands. My rage subsided as Charlie steered me out of the palace and away from the Queen. I wasn't aware I had been crying until Charlie wiped my cheek with his thumb and pulled me into an embrace.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth sounded distressed and I saw Misaeh rush past us into the palace. Charlie quickly filled her in before he said,

"Pack your things and say your farewells, we need to leave. Now."