I'm getting really sick of hiking everywhere.

Real damn sick.

It's dusk by the time we exit the woods. Gion is asleep on my shoulder and the fox is quiet ahead.

"So..." I kick a small rock, watching it skitter into a fern. "Where are we going?"

"We shall reach our destination soon, child." The fox said.

"You are aware that I am an adult, right?"

He laughed again. "I have heard of humans being amusing but you prove the rumour to be true."

Okay. Rude.

We come into a clearing, the trees giving way but their shadows linger. The grass was tall here with wildflowers sprinkled in between, they swayed gently in the evening breeze. In the middle was a tiny cottage with smoke coming out of its absurdly long chimney. It looked like those cottages you would see in a fairy tale book; small circular windows, a warm exterior with ivy climbing over the bricks, and a bright red door that beckoned me closer.

We stop at the steps to the door.

"This is where I must leave you."

"You know, you never told me your name."

His tale flickers once more. "And you have not told me yours."

I don't think this fox was a fox. He's strange, almost as if he were wearing the skin of a fox...too human-like. The way he laughs and mocks me feels visceral. This is definitely not a fox.

He takes a step towards me.

Fuck.

Gion hops off my shoulder, landing in front of me. He holds a sharpened tree branch in his hands, the tip pointed towards the fox. "She is the friend of the Princess of Dawn, our most honoured guest. You will address her as 'Lady' or else."

The fox's ears flattened against its skull, his teeth bared. "My kin have risked their life to protect this human. The least she could do is provide her name."

I looked between the fox and Gion. "Can someone explain what's going on here?" I asked.

I heard the door swing open behind me. The air trembled and the tall grass in the clearing shook, a gust of air nearly pushed me. I regained my balance and turned around.

A tall, thin man stood in the doorway of the cottage. He was dressed in deep emerald green robes with golden oak leaves pinned to his sleeves. His curly hair was a deep red, his face oval with a sharp nose and faint stubble on the lower half of his face. What struck me the most was the pair of bright gold-coloured eyes that regarded me with interest.

I felt myself shrink back. Like most of the Fae I've encountered, he was unnaturally beautiful. It was like squinting up at the sun, trying not to be blinded by its brilliance.

It must've been my instinct because I felt like I was in danger.

Gion dropped his makeshift spear and bowed to the man. "Lord Goodfellow. My humble greetings."

"Oh, it's you." He said dismissively. He takes a step forward. I notice that he's barefoot. "The tiny little brownie. I cannot say what is bigger, your bravery or your stupidity."

The fox trots up the stairs, his nose in the air. "Master, I have brought you the human."

"Well done, Kona." He picks the fox up, petting his fur.

The man—Goodfellow—stares at me. He tilts his head unnaturally, similar to how the fox did earlier. He regarded me with vague interest, debating if he should let me into his cottage or obliterate me from existence.

"Your name, child," he says. "Maria, was it?"

"How do you—?"

He chuckles. "I see traces of my great-grandson's magic on your being. His mother mentioned you in a letter to me. Although, I assumed you would be some great beauty."

"I can see the family resemblance," I said.

His eyes flashed, the gold in his eyes molten. "Oh?"

"Your eyes," I remarked. "Darien has similar eyes."

The fox in his arms—Kion—squirms out of his grasp and runs into the house. It was dark inside and I couldn't see a thing. Goodfellow turns around, his green robes swishing around him.

"Are you coming, Maria?" He glances over his shoulder at me.

I pick up Gion from the ground and hold him close to my chest. Poor guy. He's still in shock.

"How do I know you won't hurt me?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly

He grins. I see his canines as they flash at me. "If I wanted you dead, I would've let the fools of Oberon's Hunt find you. You're no longer amusing. Come in or else you can find somewhere else to spend the night."

The tree line of the clearing has become darker and the sun is starting to dip below the horizon. The sky is awash in hues of gold, pink, and lavender. How could I not notice how intense the sunset was in the Fae Realm, it was almost as if it had been painted across the blue sky. But night would be here and its dangers too.

The cottage was small but surprisingly cosy. On my left was a small kitchen with a circular window that overlooked the clearing. There were various bottomless of different shapes and sizes. I noticed that one of them had glowing lights inside. On my left was a small bed that was pushed up against a smaller circular window, its covers neatly made. Across from that was a bookshelf that took up the entire half of the wall, reaching up to the ceiling.

Goodfellow sat down in a red leather armchair in front of a giant hearth. He leaned down and blew fire into it, making the room warmer than it already was. Kion was curled up near his feet, his tail tucked around him.

I stood awkwardly in the doorway, taking it all in. I didn't really expect this place to feel so warm and inviting. I wondered how many times Darien must've been here. I could see traces of his work all over the cottage. A footstool in the kitchen carved from maple, the mouldings of grapes and vines over the hearth, and the smell of pine wood.

There was a walking stick next to the door. I pick it up, turning it in my hand. I think it was beach wood from how light it was, its handle carved in the shape of a fox head. It was Darien's work, I'm sure of it.

"I see you're familiar with my grandson's work," Goodfellow remarked. I placed the walking stick back where it belonged.

"He's very good at his job."

"Hmm. The descent of Robin Goodfellow...working as a carpenter in some shop in the human realm." He spits out, his mouth twisted into a grimace. "Those fools have no humour and yet they seek to humiliate me."

I sat down in the bed, it was higher and my boots dangled from the ground. "I'm sorry," I said. "Darien doesn't tell me many things."

He rolls his eyes, his tone chiding. "Do not apologise for something you have no relation to." Goodfellow stokes the fire. "My grandson was a knight like his mother and ancestors before him. I was fine when he was assigned to guard a useless princess but the queen has erred in the absence of the king."

"Who is the queen?" I asked. "Gion told me her name was Shaylee. Shelly? Sea breeze...?"

"Shayla," he hissed out the name. "Queen Shayla, the Lady of the Oakhall, the mother of the crown prince, and the biggest killer of jokes known to all Fae kind."

Wow. Dramatic much.

"She sounds so delightful," I say sarcastically. "But what does this have to do with Darien?"

"She has committed the gravest mistake of all," he said, glaring into the fire. "Her royal highness has imprisoned my grandson for violating his oath."