"SHE... KILLED all of them? In the night?" Fraseri stood on the viewing platform, knuckles white as he gripped the banister keeping them safe. Something in his voice wavered, perhaps out of shock. He turned to look at Roseria. "Impossible."

Andorra opened the gate and pulled herself in the in-between, just to arrive right on the platform. "Correct. Are you surprised?" Her smile was feline and dangerous as she stepped closer to Fraseri. "Surprised that I, Queen of Anlithamy, am strong enough to take on a legion of fae?"

Fraseri took a step back, but Roseria took his place, nearly snarling at Andorra. "I call foul play."

Andorra's answering grin was feral. Had it only been a few months ago that Andorra thought of Roseria as a friend? Had it only been a few months ago that Andorra had taken that potion from the pink haired fae, so unaware of her intentions?

Not that the potion had been dangerous. No, it had actually been rather advantageous. But, Andorra had been so naive to just blindly believe in a stranger.

Now, Andorra saw nothing of that girl in herself. Not as she stood there, grief lodged in her throat from what had happened that night, and hatred burning in her gaze. It was like her human heart was at war; be soft and upset, or be hard and vicious.

"You would, wouldn't you? I think, Roseria, you forget that I'm not actually human."

Roseria held her stance. And it would be so, so easy for Andorra to grab her, to yank her to the Royal Court, and Roseria must have known that. She took a step back, teeth bared, power sparking at her fingertips.

Fraseri looked between the two. There was a sense of unease as he realized what would happen next. But, with his hesitancy came urgency for Andorra. "Listen, Fraseri. I have things to do with my day. So let's finish this up. I won, fair and square. Which means, the Reaping will cease to occur."

There was thick silence in the air, perhaps mixed with a hint of hatred. Because of course Fraseri would hate her now, for ruining his fun. For making him appear weak. He reached for her wrist, and Andorra let him take it. Let him raise her hand above her head. "I declare you our winner, Queen Andorra. I grant you free passage through our wood. And the Reaping will cease, as long as you shall live."

There was a dull threat in his words. And, despite her doing this for respect, Andorra realized that she would still be hunted. Quietly, and not obviously, but hunted nonetheless. While Fraseri lived, anyway.

A quiet enemy was better than a loud, abrasive one.

"I admire you for your truth and honesty. And I will reward you for upholding your end of the bargain. The Royal Court will always welcome you, Fraseri."

She meant her words, but not like she had with Eiriae. His presence would be welcomed, but not enjoyed. She had a sense that Fraseri, too, realized this.

Fraseri bowed, low. "If there is anything my Queen needs, I will help."

He was telling the truth, but it killed him to do so.

"Do not expect the same from me," Roseria hissed, her voice lethal. Not that Andorra would have expected that. She watched as Roseria stepped into her own gate, out of sight. Andorra felt the hint of remorse for not grabbing her sooner, for not forcing her back to the Royal Court. A little bit of disappointment. But there was still time, and Andorra still possessed the recipe for whatever Roseria needed. The pink haired fae would be back.

"Sir Nohx. Does he still dwell in the wood, or has he returned to the Winter Court?" Andorra tried to sound casual when she turned back to Fraseri. "I have not yet heard from Prince Puck of his return."

"I am right here, my Queen. Puck has sent me to discuss court with you." The low timber of Nohx's voice sent shivers up Andorra's spine. She spun, schooling her features into boredom, but the sight of him alive made her heart careen.

He stood there by the makeshift ladder, hands in his pockets, his head tilted low. Almost as if he were bowing to her.

"Very well, then." She turned back to Fraseri and gave him a dismissed nod. Then, she turned back to Nohx. "We will make a gate out of here. I have no desire to take the ladder down."

Nohx let her grasp his arm. Let her pull him into the in-between. But as soon as the gate closed, he was pulling away from her, grief in his stark expression. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"Noah-"

"I would have won. You knew I wasn't in danger of dying." His tone was exacerbated. Hoarse. "I'm stronger than that."

"I couldn't stomach seeing you tied up like that!" Andorra threw back at him. "And, I needed to end the Reaping. And the only way I knew how was to bargain my win for the ceasing of this barbaric event."

Nohx stared at her, chest heaving. He ran a tongue over his teeth in compilation. Frost seemed to crawl up his neck. "You're so fucking reckless. So fucking reckless."

Anger slithered up her spine. "Reckless is what makes a great Queen. I'm not apologizing for that."

Nohx rubbed at his temple. There was a silent debate in his mind, and Andorra watched it happen. Watched his guarded expression, watched the way the frost began to harden into ice. "You shouldn't apologize for it. But fuck, Andorra. You're not replaceable. You're important, and many fae want to see your head on a platter for who your parents were."

Andorra stuck her chin out. "Those fae hanging were also important. And as their Queen, it's my duty to save them. Which I did. And I saved you too, so you're welcome."

Nohx rolled his eyes. And then, as if they hadn't just been fighting, he reached for her, his hands finding her cheeks. Andorra leaned into them, finding the first slice of relief since stepping into the Woodland Forest. The panic in her chest eased.

"You're fucking brilliant. Always. Saving your people, saving me. And of course you would have thought to bargain for the ending of the Reaping." Nohx scoffed to himself. "But next time, I don't know. Maybe tell someone what is going on in that brilliant mind of yours."

Andorra's answering grin was much softer than it had been for Fraseri. "You think I'm brilliant?"

"Yeah, a brilliant pain in my ass. Let's go find the Rumplewren before someone else snatches you up. Your hero complex knows no bounds." He pressed his lips to her forehead, a feather of a kiss, but it made warmth bloom in her chest.

He was alive, and safe, and despite her antics, he still wanted to be by her side. Something in her little human heart fluttered to life at that realization alone.

* * *

"My, my. It's been a long, long time since I've seen the both of you together." The Rumplewren croaked. He turned to Nohx. "You could have visited more, boy. Come, come. What needs do you have?"

Andorra was terrified. Maybe if she hadn't been stunned silent, she would have asked the Rumplewren what he meant by that. Maybe she would have caught the anxious look Nohx cut her way.

He looked a little like the dryads, with their bark skin. But that was where the similarities ended. The Rumplewren emitted power that had even Andorra bucking. She could feel the way it pressed up against her, almost in a caressing way. There was something dark in his eyes, something that resembled Moribund. She could almost taste death in the air.

Her stomach turned as she followed the Rumplewren into his home. Carved out from the base of a tree, it looked almost harmless. Nohx let her in first, following closely behind in a protective stance. But that was unnecessary; even Andorra could tell that the Rumplewren wasn't out for blood. Not from them.

Andorra fingered the recipe in her pocket. Her heart was in her throat. "We need you to help us figure out what this potion is." She presented the slip of paper, hoping he would take it. Hoping that Nohx's presence would be enough of a bartering chip for his help.

She was going to ask Nohx about that later.

The Rumplewren took the recipe. Looked at it. Waved his hand towards the couch in the corner. "Take a seat. This will take a moment, and I need to speak to the Snow Clan Leader. That is what you're going by nowadays, correct?"

Nohx snorted, the only answer he would give. Andorra followed directions, moving to sit on the couch, but feeling uncomfortable in the home of a creature as old as this one. It was on instinct alone that she felt uncomfortable. Instead, she took in the sight of the home as Nohx went deeper, following the Rumplewren.

It was a hiss from his mouth as soon as they were out of earshot. "She doesn't know. So back off."

The Rumplewren moved to place the recipe on his workbench. He grunted over his shoulder, his soulless black eyes roving over Nohx. "Yet you do?"

Nohx didn't bother responding to that question. Instead, he nodded at the creature in front of him. "What have you heard of the war? I know you hear the whispers."

The Rumplewren read over the recipe. Letting the combination of ingredients mix together in the catalog of his ancient mind.

"Kaeberon has been alerted."

Nohx froze. He had to force his face into neutrality. Even with connections to the Rumplewren, he wasn't about to give anything away, including shock or surprise. Instead, he turned that information over in his mind, until it didn't make sense.

"How? And who would even dare try to sail those seas to reach Averotho? That's asking for a death sentence."

The Rumplewren clicked his tongue. "Not sailing. This fae went via gate."

Nohx was stunned silent again. Twice in one evening was unlike him, but so was hearing Kaeberon's name. A name as ancient as Sivelle's. If Kaeberon was thinking of bringing war to Anlithamy, then they had a bigger problem than just the Spring Court.

"And he wants war?"

"He wants your Queen."

Nohx saw red. He found his hands bunched into fists, the promise of ice kissing them. He wanted to lose control, wanted so badly to roar his anger, but he reeled it in. The Rumplewren was not a liar, nor was he a coddler. He would certainly banish Noxh from the wood if the snow fae made a childish scene.

"Wants her dead?"

The Rumplewren shook his head. "Your Queen is approaching. Speak to Sivelle. She will not hide what you seek. That much is obvious considering you know of your bond to the Queen."

Nohx's chest felt too tight. Too tight as Andorra stepped into the room. She looked ready to pick a fight if someone was to tell her to leave and go back to the main room. There was a fire in her eyes that made Nohx feel weightless for a moment; the moment before the drop on a roller coaster.

"This is a healing potion. Certain properties lead towards healing a curse. It's not particularly strong. Will not heal whatever curse you seek to cure."

Andorra shook her head, but not in denial. "It's not for me. A curse, though?" So Roseria was under a curse of some sort. A curse she needed to cure. A curse that crippled her enough that she needed to take the edge off with medicine.

A curse that others in Anlithamy suffered from. Andorra had seen all of those other medication cards with similar symptoms. This wasn't a one off for his daughter. No, there was something else happening.

"Do you know what the curse may be?" Andorra knew she was pushing it with that question. She knew that the Rumplewren wasn't a cursemaster.

"No. Not something I would know. One other in our kingdom may know." Andorra nearly flinched from the low timber of his terrifying voice. It made the hairs on her neck stand on end. She wanted to reach for Nohx, but was also afraid of making their relationship known.

Nohx's jaw clenched. "No. Not even I have connections there."

The Rumplewren wasn't looking at Nohx, though. He stared past, right to Andorra. His black eyes made Andorra tense up. He handed the recipe back to the Queen, watched as she took it stiffly. "Seek out the Rattislon in the Spring Court. He knows curses. He may know this one."

"No." Nohx's voice was hard, biting. "The Spring Court wants us dead. We will not be going there." Nohx was facing the Rumplewren, but Andorra knew he was talking to her. But, what choice did they have?

"We have Spring Fae on the Council. Clini can go."

Nohx stared at Andorra, like he was going to challenge her. Instead, he led Andorra out of the Rumplewren's work room, almost herding her back to safety. Anxiety rolled through him at the thought of anyone going to see the Rattislon.

But then, a thought hit him hard. "Vulara."

"What about Vulara?" Andorra looked over her shoulder once they were back in the entry room, the sun almost blinding her now that they were back in the presence of windows.

"He knows the Rattislon. He will go."

The Rumplewren let out a wheezing laugh. Andorra was almost disturbed he could laugh. "Good luck getting Vulara to do your bidding. He is as ancient and stubborn as I."

"It's a good thing our Queen has connections." Nohx met Andorra's gaze, his pushing. "He will go. Clini will be in danger the moment he returns home, and you know that. But Vulara..."

It was worth thinking about. Andorra though didn't say that as they stepped back into the wood. She would have to talk to Clini and Vulara. Let them decide who would do her bidding for her.