I never thought I'd feel so relieved when the carriage finally came to a grinding stop. Eliza and I had ridden the rest of the three hour journey alone in absolute silence, but I doubted that either of us really regretted that. Anger, or at the very least annoyance, radiated off of her like heat from the sun.

I rose to my feet and stretched out every limb of my body before exiting the carriage. The scenery had been quite nice to look at inside the carriage, but it was nothing compared to the scents and the sights and the feelings that rushed over me the instant my feet made contact with the ground. I took in a deep breath of the air, grateful for the freshness of it.

It smelled like Thomas.

"So this is the Capital?" I asked Angelica, who stepped out of her carriage and up next to me.

She shrugged. "Never been here before. But I don't think so. There's nothing here."

She was right. It was nothing compared to the cities and villages we passed through, which though old, had a feeling about them that I couldn't place. Safety, comfort? Something like that. But now, we were standing in the middle of an empty clearing surrounded by trees. I looked up, but I couldn't see the tops of them. They were a lot taller than the ones back at home.

"We're almost there," James said. He pushed past me without saying a word. "We just have a little more to go."

"What are we looking for?" Lafayette asked, stretching himself out. He seemed as pleased as I did to have been traveling in those awful carriages.

"And ruin the surprise? Please. You'll know it when you see it."

Lafayette looked displeased with that answer, but he shrugged. "Thomas asked you to say something like that, didn't he?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that."

"So he did then."

"Speaking of which, where is Thomas?" asked Aaron, looking around for him. "Wasn't he with you, Alexander?"

"Yeah. He was. Then he decided he wanted to get some exercise and I went with him," said James simply. His explanation left a lot of room for theorizing, for wondering why he decided to leave so abruptly. And it wouldn't be long before the blame was pegged on me.

It was partially my fault, okay? I'll admit it. I'm not stupid. And the instant I said it, I regretted it. The rest of the carriage ride I spent sitting in the silence stewing over how stupid I am. But that didn't change what I said, and I couldn't take it back.

I turned my attention upwards, and saw more green than blue due to the towering trees and their heavy cover. "Where do we go now?" I asked, tired emotionally just as much as physically. I could already tell that this would be a very long trip, and the only thing I wanted to do now was go home.

"We walk."

The voice from behind me made me spin. My heart leapt to my throat when I saw him. I held onto my arm and forced my mouth to stay shut, knowing that if I didn't, I would say something even more stupid.

Thomas fell from the branch he was sitting on high above the ground and landed without a noise. His wings flared and, an air of dignity and royalty, surrounding him, he pushed past us. "We don't have far left."

Lafayette let out a groan of disagreement and raised a giant stone from the ground, which he sat atop of and let it carry him as he followed Thomas. "Your stupid Capital better be worth it."

"It was designed for secrecy. So only those who knew where it is can find it," Thomas returned. He didn't seem bothered by earlier, and every time I tried to search for a falter or breach in his walls, I saw nothing. Because there was never anything with him.

"And how much longer do we need to go?" asked Philip, picking his way through the undergrowth.

"Not much, actually," Peggy said. "It's inside a tree not too far from here."

"How do you—" Thomas began, spinning to face her, but his shoulders dropped as he realized. "Oh. Right. You've been there."

"Quite a few times," she said with a sly smile.

"Wait, it's inside a tree?"

"The entrance is inside a tree," Thomas said as he continued walking. "Just keep your ears open. You'll hear it before you see it."

I listened, just as he had instructed. At first, I heard nothing but the chatter of birds, rustle of leaves, and the occasional gurgle of water. But it wasn't long before I heard something unusual, far off in the distance. It didn't sound like the simple forest, it sounded like life. Like vibrancy, like music without instruments. I knew it should have put me at ease to hear something, but strangely, a rock sat heavily in my stomach.

I was about to meet Thomas's family, see the world where he grew up. More importantly, meet his family. Fuck. I'm not ready for that.

"Is it that tree?" Peggy asked, as she had for every third tree we've come across.

"Peggy, you're really dampening the surprise here," Thomas said. "And no, it isn't that tree. Why don't you just relax?"

"I will not relax! I'm excited! I've never been to Avionerra in this form before." Nobody questioned her, and I have to believe it's because nobody wanted to press further to try and understand what she meant.

Thomas came to a halt in front of one of the trees. It didn't seem anymore special than any of the other ones. In fact, it looked like it was dying. The only thing that set it apart was the carving of something into the trunk about six feet off the ground, a depiction of a feather. "Okay, this is going to feel very weird, but just loosen your body and don't scream."

"Oh, okay," Angelica said dryly. "Very reassuring."

"What can I say?" he said, adding a shrug. "I try." His fingers fell upon the carving of the feather. I waited, eyes shut tight for something to happen. I focused on my breathing, keeping my body as relaxed as I could possibly keep it. A strange feeling washed over me, and I opened my eyes.

I didn't feel like I was in my body. I looked around me, searching the forest for a sign of movement, but it remained still. I had control of my body, I think, but I felt no urge to move. Though everything looked and smelled and stayed the same, it was somehow different. A force compelled me to close my eyes, a force that seemed much stronger and more powerful than me, but I wasn't alarmed as I fell into its grasp.

My eyes shot open again, but I was no longer standing on the forest floor. My boots were against wood, and when I glanced around in shock, I realized we were standing on a walkway impossibly high up in the air.

"Fuck!" I yelled, stepping away from the rope, which was the only thing keeping me from a thousand foot drop. "No, no, no. That's okay. Thomas, I wanna go down now. This was fun, but let's go home."

I felt the brush of a hand against my back, and I didn't even need to look to know who it was. The warmth that traveled through me was enough. I wanted to curl into his touch, but instead, I moved away from him.

"It's going to be alright, Alexander. There's a spell that stops you from falling, if that's what you're worried about." I turned to face him, and everyone else who seemed to be having just as much fun as I was.

"We weren't meant for this," Lafayette mumbled underneath his breath. "The whole Capital isn't like this, is it?"

"Of course it is," James said with a smile, much happier to be home. He stretched out wings he didn't have a second ago and took a deep breath of the forest air. "Oh, I never thought I'd see this place again alive."

"Oh," Thomas said, rolling his eyes. "Stop being dramatic. That's my job." James wasn't the only one who suddenly seemed lighter. He began to walk away from us. "Come on, castle's this way."

"Is the rest of the region like this?" I asked Eliza, who glanced at me and shrugged. The leaves of the trees were a rich, vibrant green. The walkways spiraled around the trees, clinging close to them. The air was nice, temperate, which I did not expect by the looks of this place. A little ways in the distance, I could see small buildings hanging from the branches above.

The terror of being so high passed, and I was overcome with a sense of wonder and awe. The Capital, though simple in most aspects, was beautiful. And it wasn't just birds that lived here. I saw butterflies, of course, as well as insects of all shapes and sizes. I even saw a bat or two hanging from the treetops. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the world surrounding us.

I was about to say something to Thomas, something simple but enough to compliment his home. Maybe to rectify what I said earlier, to fix my mistake. But before I could get a word out, Thomas suddenly stopped in his tracks. His hand went to his sword.

"What's wrong?" Angelica asked, shushing Peggy, who had been going on and on about how much she loved this place.

"Something's following us," he said, turning to face us, but even with the heaviness of his words, his eyes weren't as grave as they usually would have been. It took me a second to place it, but he didn't seem bothered. "I know you're there. Come on out."

All that came in response was a rustle of leaves somewhere behind me and to my right.

"Now," Thomas said. "Or I'll light this place on fire."

"You wouldn't dare," said a feminine voice from the bushes. It sounded young, or at least younger than I've heard in a while.

"Wanna see?"

A streak of white flew past, and was on Thomas in a matter of seconds, hugging him fiercely, and a jumble of words exploded from her mouth. "It's so good to see you! I missed you so much! Why the fuck did you leave us in the first place?!"

"Language."

"And Stars Above, Thomas! What are you wearing?" The girl separated herself from Thomas so she could criticize his clothing further. She held up his arm, staring up at his sleeve. "Hey, James. Been a while."

James waved.

"I was trying to...ease them into this, so to speak." He gestured to us standing behind them, and the girl whipped around to face us. "These are my friends. Everyone, this is Anna, my youngest sister."

The girl surveyed us, and her posture straightened the same way Thomas's would. I had to bite down on my tongue to keep myself from smiling at the thought. Finally, her eyes landed on me, and she turned to Thomas with immediate surprise. "You brought an Islander here? Of all the regions?"

"They're not all Islanders," Thomas said.

"Yeah, but even one's bad enough! Mother will kill you!" She grinned. "Oh, Stars. That'll teach you for running off like that. So you're home? For good?"

"You talk a lot," Thomas teased, setting his hand on her head to emphasize the height difference between the two. "And no."

Anna pouted. "You guys haven't won yet? What are you all doing?"

Before anyone of us could speak and say something we pry would regret, Thomas cut in. "Working hard. Surprisingly, rebelling against an evil totalitarian government is not as easy as it sounds. Anyway, we're headed for the castle. What are you doing out here by yourself?"

She frowned, glaring up at him. "I'm not a child, Thomas."

"You'll always be a child to me," he teased. But he glanced back up at us and cleared his throat, as if remembering we were there. The smile fell, and his back straightened, as if his happiness was a private thing he wasn't so willing to share.

Why the hell should I care? I thought to myself, but I knew the only thing I was accomplishing was making myself feel even worse than ever. I couldn't have stopped myself from staring at the upturned corners of his mouth. I wonder if he caught me looking.

"Hey, guess what?" Anna asked.

"What?"

"I hate you. Let's get moving. I want to see Mother yell at you."

Thomas rolled his eyes. He didn't bother looking back at us, looking back at me, as he continued pressing forwards. This time, his entire attention was occupied by his sister. I watched them walking away until Eliza brushed her hand against my back. "You miss him," she accused lightly.

"No."

"Why are you denying it? You know you miss him. I know you miss him. I'm sure Thomas knows you miss him. Why don't you just talk to him?"

"Why are you trying to bring us together?" I snapped at her, pulling myself out of her grasp. "Of all people, I thought you'd be happy about this." I quickened my pace so I could get away from her. I just needed time to think by myself, was that too much to ask for?

The closer we got to the center, the louder and more lively the world surrounding us became. I observed the people we passed, marking their movements and the way they stopped to watch in awe and delight as Thomas walked by.

"Here we are," he said. There was something in his voice, hesitation in his walk. I followed his gaze to the castle sitting just a ways away.

"You coming in?" Anna asked, her wings expanding as she rose to a platform above us. "Or are you just going to sit here and delay the inevitable?"

James nudged Thomas forwards. "Come on."

"I'm working on it," he said. His head fell and he turned to us. "Thanks for coming with me. I wanted to say that before I forget."

"You don't have to be nervous, Thomas," said Angelica as she walked up to him. "Whatever happens, it's going to be alright."

"I know. I just... I don't know if I can talk to her about... everything."

Anna cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "Coward!"

Thomas sighed and lifted himself up to the platform. He looked back at us and paused. "Maybe you all should wait out here for a minute or two. I think I might need to talk to her alone."