The flight was sickening, even on Mulberry's steady back. Morana held onto his grey feathers for dear life, close to passing out as she flattened her body against his back until she wouldn't feel the up and down of the wind on her anymore. Her hair was a mess and her tummy spun in circles, but she endured the urge to throw up her breakfast. After all, she wanted to look strong in front of the beautiful nymph queen.

After a nauseating spin towards the depths that seemed never-ending, the noise of the ocean finally reached Morana's ears. The relief of a lifetime had her sit up, and she peered through the steady cage of Wooyoung's arms towards the peaceful sea below. They weren't at the cliffs anymore. The mainland belonging to the Vault of Heaven evened out to sandy beaches that allowed easy access to the lap of azure waves. As if the ocean was calm so long as no obstacles cut it off, it was most mellow here.

San swung his pegasus straight down, not afraid of the biting winds. The sun made his hair shine like a speck of gold. He scoured the area to make sure it was clear of any straggling highwaymen, then he beckoned the rest of the group to follow. Excited, Morana sat up to watch the breathtaking descent of the elegant flying horses.

"Back among the living?" Wooyoung chuckled behind her and Morana sagged into his chest with her full light, purposefully knocking into him. He was always smug when she was so battered down. As if he would be any better on the water.

"Are we almost there?"

"Not quite. We made it to the surface, but now we have to travel across the water to the islands." Wooyoung's eyes were stuck on San when he swung off his mount in a graceful leap and scoured the area. His sword glinted by his side and he wore a light metal armour over his white clothing. On the bright sand, his cape almost turned him invisible.

He was a sight to behold, Morana agreed. The most shining of her uncles. Too bright for her poor eyes.

Lillwen's feet also connected to the sand, and she made right for the cool embrace of her element. With a caw, Mulberry shooed the pegasi off so he could land. They found a meal in the grasses and shrubs nearby, replenishing their strength for the way home.

As soon as Wooyoung lifted Morana from Mulberry, she sunk into a heap by Yeosang's side on the beach. Her hands massaged her weak legs while the dryad dug some sea shells from the sand to show her. Pebble preferred to stay in Mulberry's saddle bag and it was for the best, so she wouldn't get lost on the beach.

Lillwen's feet stepped into the water, and her garments floated around her. While she muttered under her breath, Wooyoung unpacked some rations and supplied Morana, as well. Wynn told the little family to relish their break.

San always loomed somewhere. Still as a pillar, blending in even when he was a king. He was almost as unnoticeable as a servant, stepping in only when danger drew near.

Maybe Morana would ride with him this time to ask about his life before getting tangled up with her athair? She could tell secrets hid behind the sorrow of his gaze.

Before Morana got to get up and ask, a massive splash sounded from the ocean. Cold spray hit Wooyoung, who had been dipping his claws into the wet sand, and he ducked away with a shriek. Lillwen stood at ease with her hands in offering to the sea. Wynn's eyes shone with the twinkle of adventure.

Clutching the shells Yeosang handed her, Morana nervously peered around their figures. The water surface bent and rippled as if something large was trying to break through. The mellow waves washed over the bulging mass and then pulled away, unveiling the bodies of several animals surfacing in the shallow area.

Curious yet tentative to get too close, Morana leaned into Yeosang's side to study them. Their bodies rippled and shifted as their colour constantly adjusted to the ocean, but their shape was grey enough to be made out against the water they blended into.

Were those horses? No, long fins spanned from the top of their long skulls all the way down their backs. The front legs Morana could spot under their long necks were scaley and ended in webbed claws.

Large tail fins splashed in greeting at their queen. Lillwen caressed the two nearest to her, unafraid of their towering height. She glanced over her shoulder to take in the awe of the assembled crowd.

"If our princess gets travel sick easily, it is best to cut through the water smoothly. Our winged companions are welcome to join us or to fly."

"I will stretch my wings," Wooyoung didn't miss a beat, wary of the slippery, scaley bodies of these new mounts and their empty eyes.

Yeosang stood and took Morana's hand to support her squishy legs. She felt better after her brief break and Wynn took a moment to tell her that these were the horses of the shallow waters, not tamed, but fond of Lillwen's call.

It had to be Lillwen's elven side that made her a friend of the animals and nature below the water's surface. Deeply awed by her abilities, Morana didn't dare venture too close, since her swimming was poor and the water treacherously deep compared to her height.

Since San also stayed back, Morana figured he would fly as well. She was about to let Yeosang pick her up to sit with him when Lillwen held out her webbed fingers in an offer.

"Would you like to sit with me, Morana?"

The moment the words registered in Morana's brain, her heart lurched in her chest. Though she had mourned the missed opportunity earlier, Morana suddenly felt exposed at being offered. Everyone looked at her and Morana swore her cheeks deceptively glistened with her blush. Shyly, she wound her fingers around her sea shell, using it as support.

"Is... that fine?" She mumbled, unsure whether she wouldn't be a bother. The queen was so gathered, so untouched by matters like relationships or children. Wouldn't Morana be an unwelcome burden? She heard it often enough from the gryphon-borns how neither of her two uncles was suited as a parent yet stepped up in the moment of need.

But Lillwen was collected even now.

"Of course. Join me for some conversation. Our travels are long."

Loving the sound of her singing voice, Morana nodded. She trusted her if her uncles also did.

With Lillwen's help, Morana sank onto the back of the nearest ocean horse. Its scales were deceptively slippery, but the structure of bone and muscle offered a relatively secure seating. Morana nervously petted the neck before her. Though she preferred to be by herself, Wooyoung reminded her countless times to be nice to the animals carrying her, especially across the skies and the sea, where she would be lost without them.

The horses weren't as friendly as the pegasi, but they remained calm when Lillwen and Wynn climbed onto their respective animals. Yeosang had his own and though the last two went without riders, they stayed near in case Wooyoung's and San's wings tired on the journey.

Morana was distracted from her awe about iridescent scales shimmering under her fingers when Lillwen placed a careful arm around her waist. Her grip was gentle yet steady; her body so much more lithe than Hlin's but agile in her elegance.

Awed, Morana craned her head to look up at her. The queen's crown and gorgeous dress shimmered before her natural habitat, suiting her so well.

Would Morana ever look so put together? Could she even, being a mixed breed, neither demon nor elf?

"Are you comfortable?" Lillwen asked her when the horses turned to swim out into the open water. San spread his wings in a spectacle of white, but Morana didn't have the mind to look at him. Her shyness brought her only to a meek nod, not near as vocal as usual.

Yeosang eyed her with the same concern. His arms had elongated around the horse's neck, creating makeshift reins so he wouldn't slip. Treating him like some seaweed stuck to its back, the horse didn't mind him.

"Make sure to slow down in case she gets sick," he suggested to Lillwen, and the nymph ran gentle fingers through Morana's dark locks. As if her horns and her appearance awed the nymph as much as the other way around.

"I will."

Part of Morana was smug about all her attention, but the rest of her couldn't believe her luck. Would someone like Lillwen care for her?

The horses cut through the water, quick yet smooth above the surface where the rest of their bodies worked below. The spray didn't hit Morana, and she stayed largely dry, although she enjoyed the glitter of the water under the sun. Mulberry and Onyx circled through the skies and San and Wooyoung stayed near each other, conversing even when they were too far for Morana to pick up on their voices.

The islands were far, but even after realising she wouldn't tumble into the fathomless depths, Morana couldn't relax. She was stiff as a log against Lillwen's body, barely daring to touch the fragile nymph.

Since she might go mad being so self-conscious during their entire journey, Morana focused on the horse and the water they were cutting through. Tried to find her words.

"You were a friend of my athair, yes? How have you been doing since the war? The nymphs?" Morana asked her, and Lillwen hummed in praise at her knowledge.

"I was, yes. We allied forces shortly before the war transpired, hence none of my folk was married to him. His downfall startled us, too, even when our lands are far from here. But we didn't get invaded thanks to our neighbours, the titans."

Morana's geography wasn't great, but she nodded along, much more invested when Lillwen taught her instead of Yeosang.

"My uncles look so sad all the time and sigh about my athair," Morana mumbled, trusting Lillwen as a fellow woman to understand her frustration. And the queen regarded her again with her eerie eyes, reading her expression.

"That part is unfathomable to me, as well. Nymphs don't pair up with males for long, neither do we indulge in permanent relationships. But your uncles were dearly in love with your father. His loss was devastating to them and many people of the empire."

"Was he so great?" Morana followed right up, refreshed by the perspective of someone not utterly bewitched by Seonghwa, yet grumpy even Lillwen liked him. Morana hoped she would be above that.

"He was the most beautiful of elves. And he was a compassionate ruler, the best his people could ask for. But his flaw was in his inability to fight. He treasured his peace and his family above all others, and that caused his downfall. Had he committed and sacrificed his demon husband to comply with their wishes, they might not have turned on him. Had he killed that brother of his, the war never would have happened."

So Seonghwa also had a brother. Morana couldn't remember Yeosang or Wooyoung ever mentioning him. What was he like? Stronger than Seonghwa? Vengeful, apparently, if he caused the war.

But that demon husband was Morana's father. And Seonghwa treasured him more than his ties to their country.

How foolish. Especially when the demons were such an influential force as the books said.

Invested in this new perspective, Morana asked some more about what Lillwen knew. Heard of her exchanges with Seonghwa and his visit to her country. She regarded him as a good person, though worn by the burden he couldn't shoulder.

Hearing Lillwen talk about him made it easier for Morana to understand. That her uncles weren't lovesick over an entity they created in their minds as grander than he was. War was difficult and Seonghwa made many mistakes, but he cared for his people.

After their talk, Morana pondered if she would ever care that much about others to sacrifice an entire empire for them. Possibly not?

Soon, the islands of the mages drew near. The towering spire poked into the clouds, taking over their field of vision.

Wynn steered her horse closer to point at the cliffs at the southern end of the largest island, where the spire towered.

"My queen, we are almost there," she informed and Lillwen caressed Morana's horns, distracting her from her brooding.

"Thank you, Wynn. Let's gather up and enter subtly so we won't disturb anyone," she suggested and Wynn carried the command to the others, beckoning to San and Wooyoung before the magical defences in the air would fry them.