"DON'T MIND the mess," Eve said after they'd put their bags away in her bedroom. She was walking quickly out of the house, Andorra hot on her tail. "My parents are into maximalism, for sure. They love their clutter. They say it makes it feel more like home, when you've collected enough items to tell a life story."

And a story they did tell. Andorra could spend the entire weekend just exploring the house itself, looking at the paintings and the pictures, turning over the knick knacks and the trinkets. And the house was colorful, exploding with every color under the sun. The walls were painted bright colors, each room a different one, and the different pieces of furniture told many different stories, ones Andorra would love to hear.

It was very different from her human life. Her parents had painted the walls white, and the furniture had been beige, and while there had been some color in her life, it wasn't like this.

"Will I get to meet them?" She didn't know anything about Prince Desmond. If he was anything like Prince Puck, Andorra wasn't sure she'd like him. But, there was a chance he was like Princess Carling, and that chance was enough to make her want to meet him. See if he had known her fae parents.

"Maybe. They're busy, but they will be at the festival. And they have been interested in finally meeting the daughter of their friends."

"Friends? Your parents knew mine? And they were friends?"

Eve offered her a rare smile. "Yeah. They were. Here, wait, I actually have a picture of them."

Andorra's stomach flipped, her hands suddenly shaking. She had never wanted to see a picture of her fae parents before, but suddenly, it was all she could think about. Her birth parents had lived here, had been a part of this world. And she was going to get to see what they looked like.

Eve went through the kitchen, stopping at an antique cabinet. There, behind one of the glass panes, was a framed picture. Eve opened up the glass door and removed the picture frame carefully. She tilted it towards Andorra. "Okay, my parents are on the left. And yours... are on the right." Eve's finger brushed over Andorra's parents before she handed Andorra the picture.

Andorra felt her throat tighten, and her eyes burn as she looked down at the picture. On the left stood two people that were smiling and happy. They were blonde, of course, but the man had a big bushy mustache, and the woman had hair cut short in a pixie cut. But the couple on the left, Andorra knew immediately that they were her parents.

Her father was tall, with tanned skin and blue eyes. His hair was straight and blonde, cut into a bowl cut of sorts. He was laughing, his arm slung around a woman. His nose was straight and strong, and Andorra brushed her finger over his face. Over her face - she recognized his nose immediately, because it was the same nose she saw every morning in the mirror. And his smile, that was all her as well, his dimples matching hers entirely.

And the woman next to him, she was laughing too, but she wasn't looking at the camera, she was looking at Andorra's father. She had big brown eyes, and long blonde hair, so long it fell out of frame. She was shorter, smaller, more petite. She had a smattering of freckles on her nose, and her cheeks were rosy and red. Just like mine.

Andorra felt the tears well up, and she had to blink them away furiously. So these were her parents, the King and Queen of Anlithamy. And Eve was right; they looked so kind. They didn't look like the type of people who would abandon their child. They didn't look like the type of people who would abandon Anlithamy.

"My parents have more pictures. I can ask them where they are later. They're really attached to that specific photo, but I'm sure they would give you another one."

Andorra nodded, her eyes blurring, and she handed back the photo. She didn't want Eve to see her cry, but it felt inevitable. A sense of homesickness wracked her so hard, hitting her right in the gut. Those were her parents, and she would never meet them. And they would never meet her.

Would they be proud of her? She had no way of knowing.

"Hey, it's okay. Do you want to freshen up in the bathroom? Do you want to take a breather for a moment? It's okay to cry." Eve put a hand on Andorra's shoulder, trying to peer into her eyes. "I didn't mean for that to make you cry, I promise."

Andorra rubbed her eyes, trying to stop the tears. "No, no! I'm just overwhelmed, I think." She pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes. "I've never really considered them my parents. I've always considered my human parents to be mom and dad. And now, seeing them, it makes it so real. And I'll never get to meet them, or know them, or love them. And they'll never get to meet me. In every scenario, I've lost my parents. Both sets of them. And I feel so lonely, like I don't know what I'm doing, and everyone expects me to know what to do! And Callum keeps telling me I have to hide this side of me, but I can't! I don't know anything. I don't know how to be a faerie, and I don't know how to rule Anlithamy, and Anders is trying to kill me off, and I don't know what to do!"

Eve paused for a moment, looking out of her element. Then, she hooked her arm with Andorra's. "Let me show you something. I think it'll cheer you up."

Andorra swiped at her tears, letting Eve pull her back outside. The two of them skirted the house until they came around to the backside, stepping onto the back porch. Eve stopped, right at the edge of the porch. She knelt down, motioning for Andorra to do the same. When Andorra did, Eve ran her finger over a carved message in the wood.

"Your dad carved this message for my dad. When they were young adults."

Andorra leaned to get a closer look. In carved scrawl, it read, Desmond, don't let me make any stupid mistakes as King! We both know I'm not cut out for it!

Andorra opened her mouth, then closed it. "Why carve it?"

"They were drunk. My dad talks about it all the time. King Henra often spoke about how he wasn't ready to take the role as king. Yet he did, and he was great at it."

"My dad's name was Henra?" Andorra tried his name again in her mouth, and it sounded weird to her. Henra. King Henra.

"Yeah. Your mom's name was Adela."

Adela and Henra. Andorra felt her chest get tight again, but she promised herself she wouldn't cry. "I didn't even know. How bad is that, that I didn't even know their names."

Eve stood back up, offering Andorra her hand. "How would you know? Half of Anlithamy acts like they were never King and Queen. After you were named future Queen, it was like our world split in two. Half of us longed for our King and Queen to return, and the other half was eager for a child to be morphed into an evil King to take the throne."

"I didn't realize that Anlithamy didn't like my parents."

"At the time, a lot of people felt it was unfair. Their clan was banished, so why should they get to stay? And be in charge? They felt that Cornomus had let them down. I think that tainted their thoughts about the entire time your parents reigned. No matter how much good they did, those people refused to see it."

Which was why they hid Andorra away. Because the people that hated them would have hated Andorra, even as a baby.

"Come on. Let's go into town. I want you to meet some people." Eve turned, heading back off the porch and onto the grass. "We'll have to take the bikes into town, though. I don't like traveling with the car. Usually it brings more trouble than it's worth."

Around front, Eve opened a side door to their house, but instead of entering the home, it was a small garden shed. Eve pulled free one bike first, pushing it towards Andorra. "This will be yours." Then, she pulled out her own.

Andorra swung her leg over the blue bike, smiling at the basket. It reminded her again of her childhood, biking to the library, biking to the grocery store, joy riding for fun. She followed Eve down the driveway, and out towards the main road. The summer sun washed down on them, and Andorra for once felt comfortable in her own skin. She wasn't cold, not even a hint of a shiver on her skin, and she loved the feeling of her hair blowing in the wind.

This was possibly the happiest she'd felt since arriving in Anlithamy, and that thought alone made her feel a little guilty. She wasn't with Coralia, her closest friend. And she wasn't with Win, her future best friend. No, she was with Eve, the daughter of Court royalty.

She was with Aihfie's friend.

It was shocking that she could feel this way with a girl she had considered an enemy a few weeks ago. Crazy how now, Eve didn't feel quite like an enemy to her, but more like a sister. A long lost sister she'd always wanted. Just like Lithe.

The ride into town was perfect. When they arrived, Eve pulled her bike to a stop right outside of a 5 & 10 store, leaning the bike against the building. She motioned for Andorra to do the same. "C'mon, I want you to meet someone."

Andorra left her bike, shooting it one last glance as she stepped into the store. A bell chimed overhead as they stepped into the building, and their entrance seemed to kick up dust. Eve walked with purpose, like she'd been there many times before. "Randle, are you here?" she called.

Andorra tried to follow quickly, but there was a lot to take in. Shelves upon shelves were filled with what looked like random items, and the interior was dark. The only window in the shop was at the front, and while some light trickled in, it wasn't a lot.

"Eve, is that you?" The voice was booming, but kind. "How is school going, my dear? Are you home for Cauladra?"

Andorra turned the corner, and there at the front desk was a large man. He took up a large space behind the counter, and his beard was big and bushy. "And you brought a friend! Welcome! A friend of Eve's is a friend of mine. I'm Randle."

Randle held his hand out, and Andorra shook it, the warmth of his hand passing through her. "I'm Andorra. It's lovely to meet you."

There was a long pause. "Andorra. Henra and Adela's daughter?"

Andorra offered a small smile. "Yes. I suppose I am."

He turned to Eve. "You didn't tell me your friend was the Princess! I would've cleaned up shop!" He stepped from around the counter and drew Andorra into a bearhug, pressing her close. "My dear, we've been waiting for you since we found out about your birth. You do not know how much it pleases me to meet you! Your parents and I were great friends!"

When he pulled back, there was nothing but kindness on his face. "You look just like them. The spitting image."

"Really? You think so?" She touched her face, almost self consciously. After growing up, always being told she looked nothing like her parents, this made her feel welcomed. Included. Home.

"My dear child. I have something for you! I've been keeping this for a long while." Randle disappeared into the back, leaving Andorra and Eve alone for a moment as he rustled around. Andorra took that moment to continue looking around, taking note of the different items lined up on shelves. Stacked upon each other.

"Ah, here it is!"

When Randle came out, he held a small wooden box. When he handed it to Andorra, he smiled wide. "Your parents gave that to me when they found out Adela was pregnant. They had just finished telling me that they were going to hide you away, and that they wanted me to keep this safe. For when you returned."

Andorra drew her finger over the box, her fingers running over the ridges of the name carved on the front. Andorra.

So, that had always been her name. Not a human name given to her by her human parents, or a name given to her by the Snow Clan. It had always been hers.

When she opened the box, she was pleased to find out that it was a music box. Instead of having a ballerina dance in the middle, it had a wyvern. A white wyvern, just like Viir. She ran her finger over the spinning wyvern, listening to the melody play. It wasn't something she'd heard before, and it was absolutely beautiful.

"And there's something underneath. In the bottom."

Andorra lifted out the smooth bottom, and Randle was right. There, in the hidden compartment, was a letter. A letter from her parents, to her.

"I don't know if I can read it right now," she said, feeling her chest tighten. Today was already a lot to process, and this would be so much more. She wanted to read it alone, where she could feel freely. She closed the box, cutting off the music, and she looked at Randle.

"Thank you. This... this is very kind of you. To have kept this for so long."

"There is very little I wouldn't do for your parents. For you. Andorra, you have family here in the Summer Court. You are always welcome to stop by when you are in town."

And Andorra knew he was telling the truth. She could just tell that this man meant every word. She gave a shaky nod, worried she would start crying again if she continued to stand in this store. Eve must have picked up on that, because she gave Randle a hug. "We have a lot to do before Cauladra. I'll stop by before I go back to school."

Randle hugged her back tightly. "Please do. Tell your parents that they haven't stopped by in a while, and I find it very rude of them to ignore me so."

Eve let out a laugh, then she was towing Andorra back out of the 5 & 10 store. When they exited and entered the bright sunlight again, Andorra wiped away at her tears. She hadn't expected that coming here, to her home, would be so emotional.

"I feel like I'm going to make you cry all weekend. Are you sure you're okay?" Eve peered into her eyes, searching.

Andorra shook her head. "I'm fine. Just overwhelmed. I didn't expect this." Even in the Autumn Court, with Princess Carling, she didn't feel as welcome as she did here. She was home.

"Should I call on Callum?" She had forgotten to do so at Eve's house, and she wondered if she even really needed him here. But, knowing him, Callum was probably pacing around his room like a deranged lunatic.

"He's definitely sick with worry that he'll be killed at any moment. Bring the sourpuss here."

Andorra put her music box in the basket of her bike. She then called upon Callum, just like she had with Aihfie, and within an instant, Callum was stumbling on the brick sidewalk.

"It's been hours, Princess." He was seething, glaring at her. But, she did notice he was checking her for injuries as well. "You're okay?" Then, he got closer. "Wait, you've been crying."

He spun on Eve, ready to tell her off, but Eve was already walking away with her bike. "Callum, a pleasure, as always. Try not to make my people hate you, please."

"What she means to say is that I've been crying because she showed me a picture of my fae parents. And then the owner of this store just gave me a gift from my parents. I'm just feeling emotional is all."

Callum stared at the music box in the basket, as if it could hurt her. Then, he looked her in the eyes again. "You'd never seen them before? Like, in pictures?"

Andorra shook her head, pushing her bike and following Eve. "Nope. Today was the first time. I hadn't even known their names. Before today, they were like mythical creatures. There in my past, but not really existing. Now, I don't know. It's different. Now they're people. With lives and friends and family. And I'll never get to know them."

The look on Callum's face was understanding. Pity. Guilt. Maybe he felt bad for glaring at her moments before. "Either way, I'm fine. You don't need to worry."

Eve looked over her shoulder. "Callum just loves getting his panties in a twist, don't you?"

Callum shot her a deadly look. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"We're going to get lanterns for the festival. There's a shop that sells them. I'm sure they've been crazy busy, but I hope they have a few left over for us." Eve didn't bother looking over her shoulder at him as she continued to push forward. Her sharp, almost abrasive attitude didn't get past Andorra. She wondered then what it was like for Eve, to grow up with Callum and treat him this way. What he had done to make a childhood best friend so cold towards him.

Andorra wasn't going to let Callum ruin this weekend for her. She hurried to catch up to Eve, just as she was propping her bike against another storefront. Eve turned, motioning for Andorra to follow. "I think the dog can wait outside."

Callum sneered. "Absolutely not."

Eve tossed her hair over her shoulder before entering the store. Before Callum could follow, Andorra put her hand on his arm. Her grip was tight enough to stop Callum, his eyes glaring down at her.

"Don't. Eve is kinda touchy about her hometown. Don't make it worse by being Prince Puck's son. Can you please just be my guard? I'll even take my future friend. But don't make a big deal out of this, okay? Don't ruin this for her, or for me. Please."

Callum ripped his arm from Andorra's touch. He was almost insulted that Andorra expected him to act like a complete prick in the Summer Court. But, she wasn't wrong.

Andorra walked into the shop, Callum hot on her heels, and she took in the interior. There were banners streaming along the low ceiling, the colors of a sunset. A poster on the wall behind the counter had all the information for Cauladra this weekend.

Eve was talking to the person behind the counter. Andorra took note of a few other patrons browsing, looking at the different candles on the shelves. She made eye contact with one of the shoppers, and she quickly looked away, instead finding Eve.

"Princess? Princess Andorra?"

Andorra squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Caught. She turned back towards the shoppers, plasting on a smile. "Hi."

"Oh my goodness, it really is you!" The woman surged forward first, capturing Andorra's hands in her own. "I knew you'd come home! I just knew it!"

Callum took a step forward. "Release the Princess."

The woman, taking in Callum for the first time, dropped Andorra's hands like hot potatoes. "Oh. Prince Puck's son." She looked between the two of them. "I wasn't aware you were friends with Eve."

"Royalty sticks together. But you wouldn't understand that, would you?"

Andorra jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow. "Can you stop? Apologize to her, right now Callum. I can't believe you just said that!"

Callum's mouth opened in pain, his hand immediately coming up to rub his ribs. "What?"

"What?" Andorra mocked. "You were just completely rude to her! Normal people don't respond like that. Apologize."

"I'm sorry." He barked it out, frowning. "I didn't mean it."

"Okay, but you did mean it. Go stand outside and wait for me and Eve. I don't want to shop with you right now."

Callum shot her a look, but he did listen, stalking towards the exit. When he was gone, Andorra turned back towards the woman. "I am so sorry he said that. I wouldn't really say he's friends with me or with Eve. More like a thorn in our sides."

The woman looked back towards the door. "I'm glad you're here, Princess. Anlithamy needs you. The Summer Court needs you."

Do they? Andorra offered another smile. "Are you shopping for Cauladra?"

"Yes! Are you? For King Henra and Queen Adela?" The woman's face flushed then. "I'm sorry, that wasn't what I meant. Your parents are only missing, not necessarily dead. Oh my, forgive me."

Andorra took the woman's hands in her own, pressing them with a smile. "No, you don't need to apologize. I'm celebrating my human family. My human life. I know, it's not exactly how you guys celebrate, but I figured that they were my family too, and now that part of my life is dead."

The woman understood. "You are always welcomed in the Summer Court, Princess. Your new home is very happy you have returned, despite what others in Anlithamy may say."

Andorra felt that this was true. She could tell, just by how the summer fae had greeted her with warmth.

As the woman moved back to her family, Andorra turned towards Eve, smiling sheepishly. She stepped closer, looking at the lanterns on the counter. "Are those for us?"

Eve eyed her again, nodding. "We've grabbed some of the last ones. Thank you, again. You treat me too well." Eve gave the shop owner a warm smile.

The woman behind the counter returned it. "Eve, you are always welcome. And Princess, it is so nice to finally meet you! I was friends with your parents. It's so good to see you here! They would've loved to be here with you, celebrating Cauladra."

Andorra hoped they would. "Did they celebrate every year? Before?" Andorra didn't dare say, before they disappeared. Before I was born.

"Yes! They even had a huge celebration in the Royal Court for Cauladra. They invited members from other courts to participate. Some took to it, some didn't, but they loved this holiday. It was always a pleasure seeing them come home for it."

Eve grabbed the lanterns and said goodbye to the woman. She steered Andorra out of the store, just as more people were entering, staring at Andorra but not saying anything.

When they exited, Callum was standing a few feet away, arms crossed and shadows pooling at his feet. Before they could rejoin them, Eve put her hand on Andorra's shoulder.

"I've never seen anyone talk to Callum like that before. And I've never seen him listen like that. The way you kicked him out of the store."

"You talk to him like that," Andorra reminded her.

Eve shook her head. "You have something, Andorra. It's like, when you give a command, people feel the need to listen. When you told him to go outside, even I felt the urge to leave."

Andorra let that settle inside of her. She'd never been bossy before. Never was a leader. "Maybe because I'm supposed to be Queen?"

"Maybe."

Eve didn't sound so sure, though.