I bolted upright, lashing out and nearly hitting Fern in the head. Yet again.

I gripped the sides of the bed I was lying on, trying to piece together reality.

What happened? I thought, staring at my knees.

The first thing that came to mind? Gen is evil.

I began to panic, where was Gen, what happened? I remembered pain, horrible pain. A knife in my leg. Then it was fuzzy, I remembered Nick and Hazel floating. Was I hallucinating? Then... then, Hazel did something I never would have dreamed she could do.

"Easy!" Fern's voice said, "I was just getting-"

"Where is Hazel?" I demanded without looking at him.

"Um..." Fern said, "Your friends are indisposed, they're over there."

I glanced at where he was pointing. Nick sat on a stool by the edge of Hazel's bed while Hazel got a cast put on her leg. What happened to Hazel's leg? Standing next to Nick was another elf I didn't recognize at first glance.

I threw the blankets off and got off the bed, immediately regretting it.

Pain shot through the leg that got stabbed and I sat back down quickly. The room spun.

"I wouldn't recommend getting up," Fern said. He was sitting on a bed to my right, an ice pack on his head again. "Our healers managed to combat the venom, but it's healing slower than they would have liked."

I glanced at my torn pants. The knife site was bandaged, but I could see thin, snaking lines coming out of the spot. They seemed to be retreating back into the wound.

I decided I didn't care and stood up anyway, not putting any weight on my bad leg.

"Oh-ok..." Fern said, "If you insist."

I hobbled over to Hazel's bed, where a kind looking elf was putting the finishing touches on a cast.

"Now, you can put weight on this, it's not too bad, but I wouldn't suggest running for at least a week. You have to be careful," She was saying.

Hazel nodded, looking troubled, "So, do I have to stay here, or- Remi!" Her face lit up like the sun slightly  when she saw me.

"Yes," the nurse said, "You can get up, just be careful. We'll give you the room."

She and the elf who was standing next to Nick left. I realized the other Elf had been Oak, the prince.

Hazel slid off of the bed and wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder. For some reason, she began to cry. I hugged her as tight as I possibly could.

"Rem?" She said, her voice shaking.

"Yeah?"

"About what you said on the roof, did you mean it?"

"Did I mean what?" I asked, panic rising in my throat. I knew what she meant but I didn't know if I was ready to talk about it just yet. It was a panicked confession, and I wasn't sure what I even felt yet.

"Do you really love me...like that?"

More arms encircled us before I could answer. Nick. "Hey guys," she said.

"Hey Nick."

There came a knock at the door. An elf I didn't recognize ducked in. He had close cropped hair and green eyes. He headed straight for us. Bustling about behind him, was the nurse who was tending to Hazel. She was in a tizzy, looking angry that the messenger had come in.

"Hello," he said, "I am the Queen's messenger, I have a message for Nicholina, Hazel, and Remi?"

"That's us," Nick said and stepped up to him.

"The Queen wants you to know that as soon as you are recovered, she wants to see you."

"That it?" Nick asked.

The messenger nodded, "I advise you to be careful though, the Queen is in a bit of a rage because she can't figure out what happened."

"Thanks," Nick said, and the messenger left.

The nurse tapped her foot, watching him leave. "Finally," she said, "You all need rest!"

She came over to us and helped Hazel back onto her bed, tears still streaming down Hazel's cheeks. Nick sat on her own bed, looking a little miffed that she had to sleep.

"And you," the nurse said, "Remi, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, I'm glad you're awake," she said with a smile, "I'm Willow, in case you were wondering."

I let Willow help me back to my bed, where I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

***

We spent two days in the infirmary, much to my aggravation. Nick was allowed to leave, since she didn't have any wounds, but she stayed with us most of the time.

Oak came in several times but mainly talked to Nick. Aspen also visited us, getting into a conversation with us about books. I noticed there was something different about Hazel though, all her spark just seemed to be gone.

Finally, after two days of sitting there, napping, with nothing to do, the Elves released us.

I limped immediately to the door. Most of the pain was gone, but I had to limp. It almost felt...wrong to walk on yet. I also had random moments of fatigue or nausea but those were slowly going away. The Elves' healing was so accelerated it was almost a miracle.

Hazel came up behind me, Nick right behind her. Hazel looked troubled and her hands were shoved deep into the pockets of her new tunic.

"You ok?" I asked.

She shrugged. Not helpful.

We went to the Queen's tree palace and slowly made our way up the ladder. It took us quite a while, given our injuries, but we finally made it. I ignored the height as best I could.

The Queen simmered angrily on her throne, tapping her fingers ominously. Both her children stood behind her once again. Today, the Queen wore gold, all too bright and flashy.

"I apologize for my impatience," Queen Aster said, "I have been informed that the girl Gen is... gone. As you can imagine, that would make a person anxious to hear more."

"It's fine, we're here now," Nick said.

"So tell me, what on Eisildor happened!" The Queen demanded.

Hazel stared at her feet, Nick looked uncomfortable.

"Gen is basically evil," I said to break the silence.

Hazel winced, "Remi, she isn't evil, and it's wasn't now."

I realized my mistake. Death is the switching from is, to was.

"Evil?" The Queen said, "How-"

Hazel shook her head, hard, "No, your majesty, she wasn't evil; she was doing the wrong things. She was confused."

"How did she die?" Queen Aster asked, leaning forward slightly, her long brown hair (which was loose) falling over her shoulder.

Hazel stopped and took a deep breath. Nick filled in for her. "She ran out of the healing pavilion and into the woods-"

"Forgive me, but let me guess," the Queen said, holding up one long finger, "You followed her."

Nick nodded, "We had no other choice; we couldn't just let her get away!"

"Not critiquing," said the Queen, "Continue."

"We followed her to some ruins," Nick said.

Queen Aster and her children tensed up at this. "Ruins..." she said. I noticed Oak fidgeting behind her and Aspen giving him a look.

"How far away are these ruins," the Queen asked. I started to get a creeping feeling up my spine.

Nick shrugged, "I don't know exactly," she looked to us for help, but we had nothing. "We had to fly to keep up."

"Did they look like they had recently been on fire?" The Queen asked.

We nodded.

Queen Aster took a deep breath and said slowly, "How did Gen know where the Dorian ruins are?"

"She was working for the Zorg, maybe that's part of it?" I offered.

The Queen's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"I knew it!" Aspen muttered under her breath, Oak didn't look surprised, just sad, like every other time I had seen him. He always seemed happier when talking to Nick though.

The Queen gave Aspen a look, "You knew?"

"I had suspicions," Aspen said, "She seemed very... hostile."

The Queen nodded thoughtfully and turned back to us, tapping her fingers on the arm of her throne. "I see. What is her motive? Why is she with the Zorg? She isn't a Dragon, is she?"

My friends and I exchanged glances.

"She was supposed to be," Hazel said, "But she isn't, we don't know why or how, just that she was- was shunned and then finally banished."

So that's what's bothering her, the fact that Gen was banished from the Dragons. It made sense that Hazel would be overly empathetic like that, even though Gen was the bad guy, wasn't she?

Queen Aster sighed sadly, "I have heard such stories before. It is very uncommon for a Dragon child to not be able to shift, we don't know what causes it and why, but we do know there are a few."

We explained the rest of what happened, how I was stabbed, then shifted and immediately collapsed, what Gen said about her past, the Queen occasionally making comments here and there.

"SHE HAS WHAT?!" Queen Aster shrieked suddenly.

"Umm," Hazel said, sounding a bit scared, I couldn't blame her, the Queen looked about ready to explode. "Gen can use magic, is that-"

"Argh!" The Queen yelled and stormed up from her throne in a cascade of gold and sparkles from her dress. She began to pace around the room.

"I thought no one could use magic anymore!" She said, throwing her hands into the air, "I thought the art of magic in humans and Dragons and Elves and Zorg and every other species in Eisildor had long faded away!"

"Why did it fade away?" Nick asked, sounding entirely too fascinated.

The Queen fumed for a minute longer before finally answering. "No one knows. Beings just started needing it less and less; eventually, it just faded away. The Elves tried to keep it alive, but magic is like a plant; if everyone doesn't help keep it alive, then the plant will wither and eventually die."

"Oh," Nick said.

Queen Aster stopped pacing in front of us. "What spell did the girl use?" She asked.

We shrugged helplessly.

"She made me and Hazel float," Nick offered, "And she was choking me without touching me."

The Queen uttered a string of curses and began pacing again. "Do you happen to know who taught her this art?"

"The Zorg," Hazel said, "She said the Zorg taught her the long lost art of magic, I don't know what that means."

The Queen looked several miles away, "So the Zorg have found magic again... never mind, I'll think on this later, how did you manage to get her to stop?"

"I was talking to her," Hazel said, "Trying to get her to see. It- it nearly worked, she let us go and Nick fell on top of her-"

"Not my most graceful moment," Nick said. Was it just me, or did the corners of Prince Oak's mouth twitch.

"When Nick got off, Gen was mad, she-she was about to- to kill-" she stopped like her throat had closed up, her eyes glistening.

"She was about to kill Remi, she had a knife raised and everything, and I- grabbed the knife she dropped- I didn't think, I just-" she stopped, breathing hard. We all just stood there, not sure what to do.

"I killed her!" Hazel cried suddenly, real tears pouring down her cheeks. "I just-"

"Enough," Queen Aster interrupted, "Rowan," she said, calling the fair-haired General forward, "May you take Hazel back to the girls' room?"

"Of course, your majesty," Rowan said and lightly put a hand on Hazel's shaking shoulder.

I started to follow as Hazel was steered away, limping on her injured leg, but the Queen cleared her throat to stop me.

"Remi," she warned, "You will have your time to talk to her, but she needs to rest, to heal, to compose herself. You may speak with her later, but right now, you are most useful here."

I nearly followed anyway. After all, from what I could tell, Queen Aster was a good Queen, but she wasn't my Queen. Instead, I stopped and turned back to face her, trying to hide my distress.

"What happened to the girl after she was stabbed? For I take it she was stabbed, correct?" The Queen said gently.

When Nick said nothing, I nodded, "She was stabbed, but the weird thing was, she kind of, fell over and just... disappeared."

The Queen stared at me for a long moment. "Disappeared," she repeated, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, "It's fuzzy, I just know that one second, she was there, the next, she was ash."

"It looked like she just crumbled into dust and was gone," Nick said.

"Alright, I will talk to Hazel about it once she has calmed down a bit," The Queen decided, pacing back to her throne and sitting in another glorious cascade of gold.

"Now, I know you have probably been impatiently waiting to know how you got from the ruins, back to Ellesmain. Am I correct?" The Queen asked once she was settled.

We nodded.

"I heard some yelling before I must have passed out," Nick said, "Was that you?"

"Those were my best commanders and generals," Queen Aster said, "General Rowan was among the number, along with General Sequoia and General Fennel. The healer Bacopa informed us that Gen had run off. I knew immediately that she was not to be trusted so I sent my best."

"Thank you," Nick said, "I don't know what we would have done without all the Elves' help."

The Queen nodded serenely, "What do you plan to do now?"

I glanced at Nick, "Maybe go back to Pira?" She asked, more to me than the Queen.

I shook my head, "If I'm being honest, I'd like it more just traveling for the rest of my life. Besides, Gen is gone, we can't just go back like: well, she died, carry on."

Nick looked at me like she was trying desperately to be angry with me, but laughter was taking over. "She doesn't actually have parents in Pira, does she?"

I shrugged, "Probably not, if her parents were Dragons... I don't know, we'll have to talk to Hazel about it."

"Yeah," Nick agreed, looking sad.

"We have to go back at some point though," I said, "Your parents will be out of their minds with worry. And don't even get me started on Hazel's grandparents."

"True," she said, brightening up a bit.

"You could stay here until you are in fit condition to travel," Aster said, "We have no fight with any of you, we have more than enough room, and I'm sure the Zorg will be angry that you killed their pet sorcerer. You will be safe here until you can fend for yourselves again."

Nick glanced at me again and I shrugged, "I guess we could do that," I said, "If the Elves are willing."

"We are," the Queen said, "You may stay where you have been staying. My healers gave me an update this morning, you should be ready to travel in about a week. I'll have some of my people guide you to the perimeter of Dorian, then, it's up to you."

"Thank you!" Nick said, "but don't you have a treaty with the Zorg? Why are you letting us stay?"

"What the Zorg don't know won't hurt them. Now you may leave," the Queen said with a grin, "I advise you to swing by the dining hall, the cooks have been creating an explosive racket down there, and I should think they're making something good."

As we left, Nick gave a small wave in Oak's direction and he gave her a nod in return.

We went back down the ladder.

"I'm gonna go check out the kitchens, I'm starving," Nick said. She caught a glance at my face. "Unless... unless you want company?"

I shook my head. "I'm good."

"Ok," Nick said. "If you do want to talk, just find me."

I wandered around Ellesmain for who knew how long. No one stopped me or talked to me, and I was ok with that, though I had to turn and walk the other way when I passed a large tree with a very large door which immediately opened and seven or eight elf children came barreling out, shrieking and yelling in the elf language. I supposed I could have found Nick, but I liked being alone. I grabbed a bite to eat from the dining hall when I got hungry and then I found a secluded corner to sit in and think.

Eventually, when the sun was beginning to drop down the sky, I got up, stiff and cramped from sitting so long. I decided to go to bed and check on Hazel.

I limped back up the ramp to our room and ducked under the door. Both my friends were sleeping. I went over to Hazel's bed. Her face was expressionless in sleep.

I reached out and gently tucked a stand of her loose hair behind her ear, then sighed and lay down on my own bed. I fell asleep in an instant.

***

I woke up in a cold sweat from nightmares where Gen chased me through unseeable landscapes and had venomous barbs instead of hands. Her voice had whispered: your fault your fault your fault, the whole time.

I realized with a stab of fear that Hazel's bed was empty, the blankets gone. Nick was still asleep and it was still dark outside, so I guessed it was still the middle of the night. I started to feel guilty for not checking on Hazel as soon as possible.

I slipped out of bed, pulled on my boots, and ducked out the door.

The whole city was silent in sleep. The moons told me it was about midnight. Owls whispered in the trees, occasionally letting out a hoot that pierced the night and made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. A symphony of frogs and crickets chirped nearby. The whole cacophony was mixed with distant roars and growls from who knew what.

I squinted at the ground, trying to pick out a shape that might be Hazel. I spotted nothing.

Maybe getting higher will help, I thought, although it made me shudder.

I forced my feet to move upward and circle higher into the tree, going past more rooms and even what looked like small apartments.

The very top of the tree was probably the most beautiful place I'd ever been. It was in a very slight bowl shape, gently sloping downward beneath me, and a vast canopy of leaves stretched above me, held up by huge, thick branches. Three Dragons could have easily stood snout to tail on the width of it. There was a hole in the canopy at the very center, letting moonlight fall down like a spotlight to land on the very person I was looking for.

Hazel was sitting cross legged right in the middle of the bowl shape, a blanket over her legs and her long hair falling over one shoulder. She was looking at the moons.

I stepped up on her left side, so I didn't alarm her, but she jumped anyway.

"Oh my-" She yelled, then clamped a hand over her mouth when she realized it was me. "Remi! Oh gods, you scared me."

"Why are you up here in the middle of the night?" I said, glancing up at the moon, a glowing mark in the sky. It had always been the human dream to get to it one day, but we couldn't figure out how. The moon was almost full.

"I just wanted to be alone," Hazel said, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Oh," I said, and stepped back. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No, no," she said and shook her head, "Stay." When I hesitated, she added, "please."

I came back over and sat beside her. My knee just brushed hers. Why is this awkward? "But you said you want to be alone."

"Well you're here now," she said, "You're fine."

"Oh," I said, not quite sure how to respond to that. "Why did you want to be alone?" I asked to break the silence, "Are you ok? Are you still upset, from earlier?"

She sighed, "I- I don't know. I couldn't sleep."

I waited for more, but there was nothing forthcoming.

"Come on," I said, "What's bothering you? And don't tell me it's nothing, because it isn't."

She sighed once more. "Just, thinking."

"About what?" I ask.

"Gen," she said, so quiet I could barely hear.

"Why are you so bothered by her?" I asked.

She looked at me with tears glistening in her eyes, silver as the moons turned to liquid. It made me want to cry too.

"I killed her," Hazel said, her voice choked, "I took a life, Remi, don't you understand?! I'm a terrible person! It was evil!"

I was shaking my head before she could even finish the sentence.

"Hazel," I said, "You're not a bad person, you're not evil."

"How do you know?" She sobbed, "I can't even tell what good and bad are anymore!"

"Well," I said, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't make me sound too deep and wise. "For one thing, killing Gen wasn't bad. In fact, it was good. I think it was the best thing you could have done at that moment. Yes, she is dead, but she was bad Hazel. She was the definition of bad."

"But she was listening to me!" Hazel said, "She could have changed with help, I know it!"

"Maybe," I said with a shrug, "But that doesn't erase all those Dragons she said she's killed, it doesn't erase the fact that she still is a bad person."

Hazel gulped several times and nodded.

"You, Hazel, are a good person. One of the best people I know," I said, and it was true.

"Really?" She said, looking at me with shining eyes.

"Really," I said.

"But how would I know if I was a bad person?" Hazel asked, fidgeting with her shirt. "I mean, Gen obviously thought what she was doing was the right thing."

"I would tell you," I said with the smallest of smiles and nudged her shoulder with mine, "I promise. And so would Nick, she would tell you too, and then you would go back to being good."

She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "But you're a good person too, why wouldn't you just leave, or not say anything, or-or kill me?"

"Because-" I said, struggling for words. I considered, why? If Hazel took Gen's place, why would I try to stop her instead of just leaving, or worse, kill her?

"Because I- I love you," I said, feeling my stomach tighten. "You have to know that by now. I didn't know that was true before, but recently I've begun to realize that over the years, It's always been you, the person I come to with problems, secrets, stories, everything. You've always been my best friend, and the person I want to be with for the rest of my life, wherever that leads. I had always loved you, Hazel, and I know for a fact that you are a good person. As good as anyone can get. I wouldn't just say that."

She stared at me with wide eyes.

"Oh gosh," I said, feeling my face heat. I was glad for the semi-darkness, she probably wouldn't be able to see. "I didn't mean for that to turn into a confession. You probably don't want to talk to me now and-" I stopped as she kissed me on the cheek.

She smiled at my dumbstruck face. "Now we're even for when you kissed me before."

"You...you missed," I managed to get out, my breath barely a whisper on the wind.

She rolled her eyes at me, but hooked her arms around my shoulders and fit her lips to mine.

I always expected my first kiss to be... I don't know, a moment when fireworks shot out of the trees and flowers popped up all around you. Not that it wasn't great, I loved every second of it, but it was awkward; our noses were entirely in the way and I had no clue where to put my hands. I had certainly never kissed anyone before, and I didn't think Hazel had either. It was nothing like books had ever been able to describe it, though it was magical in It's own way. When we broke away, I rested my forehead against hers and kept my eyes closed. Our breathing was synced as one. In, out, in, out.

"That was..." Hazel said, lifting her head at last.

"Awkward," I finished for her.

"Yeah," she agreed with a light laugh, "Remi you dork, why did you wait so long to tell me?"

I laughed and thought for a long while.

"I guess I was nervous about what other people would think..." I said truthfully, "and what you would think. I mean, we've been friends for so long."

Surprisingly, she laughed. "You? Worrying about what other people think about you?"

I laughed too, embarrassed, "Yeah, I guess."

"You shouldn't care and I certainly don't, although I did before," Hazel said.

"Well, now you know." I said.

She smiled, the moonlight filling the shadows on her cheeks, making her look even more beautiful. "It took me so long to realize this is what I feel for you. I was so nervous you would reject me and our friendship would be ruined."

"I think this whole adventure has changed us a lot," I admitted, "it would have taken me so much longer to realize how I truly feel at home."

She didn't say anything but nodded and scooted closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and gently pressed my lips to her temple.

"Does this mean we're girlfriends now?" Hazel asked, twisting her neck to look up at me.

"If you want to be," I said, smiling.

"Girlfriends, I like that."

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Written by justasnarky_sandwing on WATTPAD