I woke up to the early morning sunlight dotting the ground as my dreams were slowly chased away by the curse of being awake. I looked to my left and for once, smiled at the boy laying next to me. Once again, some tugging part of me felt horrible and stupid, but the majority didn't care.

The sense of peace and ease heightened as I recalled the dreams I had that night. I couldn't hide my stupid grin at how they weren't the usual nightmares but rather sweet fluffy dreams that inspired hope and happiness.

But as usual, the feeling washed away like being carried away by a flood when I looked back at the near-lifeless Thomas resting next to me.

I wanted to lean forward and kiss him again; I wanted to feel the sweet carelessness that had been carried with such a small action. My hand placed itself against Thomas's face, but a moment of thought made me stop completely and let go of him.

I threw my feet out of the bed and stood up. Daring one more glance at Thomas, I turned and left the room sullenly.

The desperate need to take a walk was increasing. I absolutely had to clear my head, give myself a moment alone to think. Trying to stay as quiet as possible so I wouldn't run the risk of alerting anyone and having them tag along, I slunk through the hallways.

It's not that I didn't like them, nor that I didn't enjoy their company. Without Thomas, I'd been turning to his friends more and more as a source of comfort, of hope. But sometimes the best thing a person needs is to walk and wander aimlessly. By themselves.

The morning air was brisk and welcoming as I stepped outside. Rather strong wind, but luckily not chilly. The breeze rustled through my hair as I started down the path. Somewhere along the way, I scooped a stick off the ground and pretended to be Gandalf just to have something to hold onto.

I listened to the birdsong that drifted from the treetops above. Strangely, it was a welcoming sound and though reminding me of Thomas, I listened closer to see if I could differentiate the difference of the pitch and tone of each bird.

I started humming something to myself to keep my mind busy as I strolled pointlessly through the undergrowth, veering far off of the trail. The trees grew taller and wider, bushes denser as I made my way deeper into the forest. Thorns pricked my skin as I pushed through vines, but I barely noticed the pain.

When I closed my eyes and let my mind wander off into oblivion, I could feel the gentle thrum of the energy that accompanied me during my trek through the forest. It was everywhere, in everything. Every plant, every animal, even in the space between. I could see the strings it was composed of, and I knew that if I really wanted to and threw all of myself into it, I could change the shape of this entire forest.

I was so lost in thought I didn't notice at first when the weight on my shoulder suddenly increased, but the pinprick of claws being dug into my skin shot through my body, I whirled around.

Nothing but trees and forest stood behind me.

A chirp from nearby sounded through the air. My eyes darted towards the direction it had come from to see a small figure on my shoulder.

"Belletra?"

She chirped once more in response and let the grip of her talons relax. She didn't move however. It was sort of comforting to have her there. A piece of Thomas protecting me during my harrowing journey through the woods of no return.

I rubbed her head gently like one would pet a cat or dog, and she didn't protest or fly away. She was certainly the bravest bird I've ever met.

"What are you doing here girl?" I cooed. "Here to protect me? Did Thomas send you?"

She chirped again, puffing out her chest in a display of pride or strength.

I continued on with my walk, Belletra now by my side. I found it interesting how she would answer to the birds that twittered just out of sight. She was certainly loud and bold for such a tiny creature, going as far as to tug on a strand of my hair if I was going in a direction she didn't like.

That took a lot of hair tugs to figure out what she wanted me to do.

"Are you always this disobedient?" I teased gently, earning myself another hair tug. It was endearing, in a way.

There wasn't any noticeable change in the scenery surrounding us when she started to let out a series of horrible screeches.

"Hey, Belletra!" I exclaimed, almost jumping out of my skin. "Shh, it's okay!"

Belletra, for the first time throughout the walk, left my shoulder in a flutter of wings and panic. I tried to keep my eyes on her, but she was darting around the forest like a crazed bird in a cage.

"Belletra!" I exclaimed, reaching out for her. "Hey, it's okay! I promise you!"

She returned to me and landed on my fingers, but I had never seen such a wild look in one of Thomas's birds before. She looked like what any normal person would assume her to be, a wild animal.

"Belletra?" I repeated, forcing a calm demeanor. "What's wrong?" I wasn't expecting a verbal answer, and she didn't offer me one. "Do we need to get out of here?"

She flew to my shoulder.

"Will we be in danger if we don't?" When nothing happened, I continued. "Should I go deeper into the forest?" She tugged at my hair, signaling she meant "no". I stifled a sigh and scooped her into my hands, moving my coat and setting her in one of the inside pockets tailored for weapons.

"Don't worry Belletra, we're getting out of here," I murmured, more to myself than to her.

I turned around and started in the direction I had come from. I suppose that I could've been lost, but I felt confident in where we were going so I sticked to the route and refused to let the panic that had overcome the bird beat me too.

"You should have listened to the bird a while back."

I let out a series of curses and turned on my heel to face the king.

"Can't you just leave me alone?"

"I'd love to! But I won't! And I'm not going to hurt you! Think of this as one of your dreams, expect you can actually have control of your actions. I'm merciful like that."

"Merciful?" I spat, the word tasting like poison.

"Of course! I could kill you now if I wanted, couldn't I? I want to talk to you, and it won't wait until tonight."

Belletra made a low growl-like sound from the innards of my coat.

"Leave me alone," I hissed in agreement with the bird.

"Umm? No." He smiled at me, but it just barely concealed the row of pointed sharp fangs ready to dig into flesh at a moment's notice. The king took a step in my direction, malicious smile widening.

"I'm warning you!"

"I'm terrified."

I didn't know what else to do. Working as quickly as I could, I unlocked my connection to the energy in the plants surrounding us and forced them upwards. Two tendrils like giant looming monsters erupted from the ground next to me. Stitched together by plants like a messy patchwork quilt, they went striking through the air with a single thought. They raced towards the king, faster than a bullet.

But the king's smile widened, and he flicked his hands.

The tendrils halted in midair and fell to the ground limp and useless.

"There's no need for this," he said with the air of someone who was used to getting what he wanted without having to ask a second time.

Another pair of tendrils snaked from the ground and launched themselves at the king, but once more, he easily felled them.

Belletra's growl noise increased, but she nestled herself closer to my body. I could feel her small shape trembling.

The king kept advancing, my attack not bothering him in the slightest.

"How did you destroy my barrier?" he demanded, his steps perfectly inline.

"I don't know!" I roared over the blood rushing to my ears as I tried again with the plants for the umpteenth time. It was the only thing I could think to do, and it was clearly not working. Not even wearing down at his defenses.

"You must know! How did you do it? And stop with the damn plants!"

In a second, my entire body froze. I couldn't move, couldn't tap into energy, couldn't do anything.

"Thank you," King George breathed. "Now answer me."

I couldn't answer. Not because I couldn't move my mouth (that was the one thing I did have control over), but because I didn't know the answer myself. The only thing I knew from that moment was the sharp increase in adrenaline and the drop in feeling as I watched the only thing I cared about fall to the ground.

"I'm waiting?"

"I don't know."

The king sighed, and I felt the hold on my body release. I fell to my knees and drew the knife from my coat pocket, holding it at him pathetically.

"Of course not," he hissed to himself. His gaze turned back to me, and he raised his hand threateningly. "Can't have you running around messing up my plans! You understand of course."

I moved my hands in front of my face to prepare for the oncoming blow, but it never came. Instead a yell sounded through the air, loud and resolute. It was a war cry.

I lowered my hands just in time to see a burst of light circle around the king and completely envelope him. When the light faded away, the king was gone.

I leaned forwards, then spun around. My heart fell when it wasn't who I was expecting it to be. Hoping it to be.

"Did you kill him?"

Peggy shook her head and walked over to where I was sitting, her hand reaching out. I accepted it, and she pulled me to my feet.

"Why not?"

"It isn't time for it yet. But you should start heading back now. There's something waiting for you."