I burst through the door into Orsand's office. He jumped up as we all flooded his area.

"What in Goddess is going on?"

"Orsand!" I said breathlessly.

"Elanor. Why are there so many creatures in my office right now?"

I glanced at Edmond and he took a deep breath.

"Father, things are not good outside."

"What do you mean?"

"King Orsand," King Aquilastrum started, "We do beg your pardon for intruding in such a manner. Prince Edmond and Princess Elanor ended up saving the entire faery kingdom."

"They did? What happened?"

"The swarm of goblins, ogres, and trolls broke through the barrier to their kingdom. We had to lead them to Equinotia for safety."

"Were you able to get the Luminaria?" Orsand asked.

I nodded my head. "Yes. We were able to get it."

I dug through my satchel and pulled out the glowing flower. It was beautiful and had an overpoweringly sweet scent. Orsand motioned for one of his assistants to his desk. I handed the flower over and the boy quickly ran from the room to get the last ingredient for Kallisto's nectar mixture.

"Are the faeries safe?" 

"For now," King Ajax said. "I'm just hoping our barrier will hold up better than theirs. Our guards are protecting the border to our kingdom now."

"We have to figure out how to stop this," Orsand said.

"How can we figure that out?" Queen Celestia asked.

"We'll need to gather as much information as we can about these attacks," Orsand replied. "We need to know why they are happening and who is behind them. We also need to ensure the safety of all the kingdoms, not just ours."

"I agree," King Aquilastrum said. "We should all work together to find a solution."

"We can start by sending out scouts to gather information," Queen Celestia suggested. "And we should also increase our defenses and prepare for the worst."

"Agreed," Orsand said. "We can't afford to let our guard down. This could just be the beginning."

As they discussed their next steps, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. 

Is this like Hera? Is it Hera?

I glanced at Edmond and I knew he heard me.

'Edmond?'

'Yeah.'

'What do you think? Could it be Hera again?'

'I don't know. You said that Zeus told her to stop or there would be consequences, right?'

'Yeah, but would she listen? If she has that much of a grudge against us would she just listen?'

'I don't know, but we need to find out.'

"Elanor?" Orsand drew me back to the conversation.

"Hmm?"

"Your thoughts?"

"Oh. Um, well, we need to gather a few more kingdoms to help, but what if we tracked where the swarm is coming from?"

"That could work," Prince Zephyr said. "I could go out with a scouting  party to see where they're coming from."

"Would you mind if I went with you? We could maybe stop by Egypt? Find the Sphynx?"

He nodded his massive head.

"They sphynx?" Orsand raised his eyebrows at me.

"She should be a great help if we would need to battle."

"She is a mighty warrior from what I've heard."

"I'll go as well." Edmond turned to King Aquilastrum. "Do you mind if Titan goes with us?"

"I think that's a good idea. Titan is a mighty warrior and will be of aid if something happens," King Aquilastrum agreed.

"Before we go, I want to check on Kallisto and Reuben."

I left the other royals to talk with Orsand while I squeezed through and made my way to the clinic.

"Ellie! Ellie, where have you been?"

I turned to see Harmony running after me.

"Hey. How are you?" I asked.

Her face was tear-stained and her eyes were bloodshot.

"Whoa, what happened? Are you okay?" I questioned.

"Um, yes. I mean, I don't know. No." She broke down sobbing.

"Harmony, what the hell happened?"

"Alex. He...he...hit me."

"I'm sorry. He what?"

"Can I just, hang out with you for a little bit?"

"Oh. I'm leaving again."

Her face fell, and sadness was plastered on her once-always happy face.

"Listen, where I'm going is dangerous. Like, really dangerous. There are some things going on that I need to handle."

"No, I get it. You're the princess. You have royal things to do."

I sighed heavily. I was making a mistake. A huge mistake, but she's a wolf. She should have an innate ability to at least protect herself. Plus, having another set of eyes could be helpful.

"Harmony, come with us."

"What?" she asked.

"Come with us."

"The pups."

"They'll be fine. We have more than enough hands here to take care of the pups."

"I'll be a burden. I'm just a burden."

"Harmony, stop. You are not a burden. Alex is by far the dumbest wolf alive. He has a long-distance relationship with his common sense and he's about to have a long-distance relationship with his mate."

"He'll never let me," she said, shaking her head.

"I don't think you're understanding. I don't care what he says. You're going. Royal command."

Her eyes sparked up a bit.

"Come with me. I'm going to the clinic right now to check on a few things and then we're leaving."

"Okay. I'll go arrange things for my pups."

I nodded and went into the clinic, making my way for Kallisto. Doctor Pine and a bunch of nurses were huddled around her bed with the king and queen flying above their heads.

"What's going on?"

"Oh! Elanor! Elanor, it's wonderful!" Queen Lyra exclaimed. "Look!"

I peered around everyone and saw the tiny faery princess sitting up. The tiniest little bag of saline, which glowed a beautiful pink, seemed to just fuel her little body.

"You're okay!"

"Ellie! I''ve been told I have you to thank for me being alive."

"Kind of. I didn't really do much though. I'm so glad you're okay."

Queen Lyra flew down to me and hugged my shoulder the best she could. "Thank you so much! You saved our daughter!"

"I didn't really do anything though. It was all Doctor Pine."

"Even if you don't think you did anything, thank you," King Eamon told me.

"I'm just glad she's better. She's a wonderful princess and it would be a great loss if we didn't have her."

I smiled down at the little faery princess who smiled up at me weakly.

"Oh! Ellie!"

"Yes, Kal?"

"The whole reason I was even coming here!" She turned to look at her parents. "Which I am so sorry for leaving without telling you guys, but those things that have been attacking. I saw something really weird. Something I thought maybe you would know about."

"Me? Why would I?"

"Because what I saw could not have been fae magic. I guess, perhaps evil fae, but there hasn't been an evil fae in so long."

"What did you see?" I asked.

"There was billowing black smoke and in the middle of it was a man. He was dressed in black, with a very large, black wolf. He was so incredibly handsome but absolutely terrifying."

"A handsome man, with a large, black wolf who is terrifying," I mumbled.

"Who could that be?" Doctor Pine asked.

"Ares," I said quietly.