I slept like the dead.

Something I always did after using quite a bit of magic, but this time it was delayed by days of unrestful flight from the battlefield. Putting off any true sleep had just exacerbated the problem until I was finally given the chance to enter Thain's house where I practically collapsed in the first chair I saw.

Just for a moment to rest my eyes before trudging up the stairs. 

Sleeping so heavily it's no wonder I forgot what happened after that.

My eyes opened to a dimly lit room. I slept through the afternoon and well into the night, if not the early morning. I lay on a soft bed, surrounded by a smokey, earthy, masculine scent. This was not my bed, but I'd been here before...

My eyes popped open and I sat up in the bed. Thain was sitting in his armchair again, though this time he was slumped forward and laying his head on his arms on the edge of the mattress.

Thain must have brought me up here.

A smile played on my lips as I reached forward, brushing aside a lock of dark hair to get a better look at his face. In sleep it was so peaceful. But it didn't take long for him to stir, the strain of the past few days settling back into his features as he did so.

I pulled my hand back and watched as Thain sat up in his chair. Bleary eyed and still holding so much sorrow on his shoulders, he faced me with those deep silver eyes.

"Good morning," I said softly. 

His eyes flicked to the edges of his curtains where the light filtered in golden slivers. "No alarm yet."

I frowned. That was his first worry as he woke up. It suddenly hit me that Baeleon relied on Thain to be his hand away from Thanantholl. How many battles had my midnight fae been in? How many orders carried out, and people defended? With Baeleon gone, it didn't seem Thain knew what to do other than continue to throw himself into the role of the beast he had carried his whole life. 

"Thain," I murmured, reaching out to hold his hand. "Whatever happens after this battle, whenever we find peace for the Wyldes and a new royal is crowned to the court, what will you do?"

His brows raised, he held my hand a little tighter. "My role to this court hasn't changed. I am a weapon of the Autumn court, I will continue to do my duties, no matter who... who sits in the palace."

His throat bobbed as he swallowed the sour words and my eyes traced the movement of it. With a sigh, I scooted across the bed and swung my legs over the side. Thain moved and we were now facing each other. So close our knees touched. 

"Thain," I started slowly, picking my words carefully. "When I lost Bryn, my world was turned upsdie down."

He didn't move a muscle, but I could tell he was listening intently.

"I was lost without him, because he was my whole identity. I was never my own person back in the mountains. I was Brynn's daughter at best and the half-breed at worst. I lived happily in Brynn's shadow, never leaving the safety of it."

My eyes flicked between Thain's, waiting for any kind of reaction. He gave nothing, but he wasn't moving away either.

I took a breath, holding both of his hands before continuing. "I'm not saying that's how it is with you and Baeleon. I can't even wrap my head around what you two have been through together. But I just want you to know that I know your loss. I feel your pain. And I'm here for you if you need me."

Thain remained quiet, but his expression softened. He moved his hands out of mine and reached for my waist, pulling me close to him in a tight hug.

"I don't want you worrying about me, Wren." Thain's hot breath tickled my neck as he spoke in low, soft tones. I shivered at the feel of it, keenly aware of his arms wrapped around me. I slid my hands around his ribs, tightening my own hug.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," I teased. "I'm a worrier, you know."

Thain's breathed a laugh and pulled back. The ghost of a smile now on his lips. "Are you hungry?"

I nodded. "I would have thought my stomach would be in knots after everything, but I actually am hungry."

Thain stood, moving his chair back to the corner it came from as he opened his wardrobe. "Let's get something to eat then. I want to check on the preparations at the city gate this morning."

"I'll go with you," I said. "I just need to find something clean to wear."

I got up from the bed, looking down to see that my armor and boots were removed but I was still in my battle robes. I looked around the room, wondering if my bags had been brought here or to my room on the second floor. 

"Here," Thain said, tossing me a tunic from his wardrobe. 

I caught it, the soft black fabric was big enough to be a dress on me. Subtly, I pulled it closer to me and breathed in Thain's scent. 

"You know, someone once told me it means something when you walk around in the Wyldes smelling like a male," I teased.

Thain closed his wardrobe door and gave me a crooked smile. "So it does. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to."

I shook my head, turning around to pull my robes off my shoulders and slip the tunic over my head. Once I was covered by it, I let the rest of the robe fall away and stepped out of it. Looking down, his tunic fell just past my knees. 

"It's a bit big." I laughed.

He just shrugged. I sighed and reached down to my fallen robes, retrieving a golden cord that I could use as a belt to help tie it up a bit. Once I was done, it didn't look too bad at all. Almost a style of the loose working dresses from back home near Silver Lake. I found my boots at the foot of the bed and pulled them on.

Running my fingers through my hair, I grimaced. I pulled my braids loose and began working out the worst of the knotts in my hair.

"I think Wairen might have something in the kitchen," Thain said. "I smell honey."

"As long as there is tea, I'll be happy," I answered, tugging on a particularly stubborn knott. 

Once we were both ready and I had pulled my hair into a low, loose braid, we went downstairs together. 

My eyes wandered the paintings in his halls. Some of the paintings were of other blue fae, and I wondered who they were to Thain. Were any of these his parents? Siblings? Cousins? He said he had no family, but he had to come from somewhere. 

And just as we were passing the second floor landing, I let out a gasp.

A portrait I hadn't paid much attention to before now caught my attention in full. It was a plain enough painting, faded with the years it had been on the wall. A blue fae leaned against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest and looking out the window. On his ear was a golden cuff in a maple leaf detail. But the fae wasn't Thain, though there was a resemblance. 

"Thain," I said. "Who is this?"

He stopped, looking up the steps to where I was staring. 

"That was my uncle," he said softly. 

"I haven't met him before, is he..."

"He died a long time ago," Thain said.

"I see. I'm sorry." I looked from the painting's ear cuff down to the one Thain now wore. "On his ear, is that the one you took from Baeleon's tent?"

Thain closed his eyes slowly, reaching up to touch the golden leaf on his own ear. "Yes, it's the same one. My uncle and Baeleon were triquetram."

My mouth popped open, my eyes widening. But I only managed to fumble over my words as I uttered my answer. "I... oh."

Thain sighed, holding out a hand for me to take. I placed my hand in his, and we began walking down the stairs again. 

"I'll tell you more about him another time. Right now, I'm more interested in breakfast," Thain said. 

"Okay," I murmured, but in my mind questions were flying. Was Thain close to his uncle? Exactly how long had Baeleon known Thain as his triquetram's nephew? Was Thain so close to Baeleon because of his uncle? He had his own strength, for sure, but would that have been noticed if they weren't already acquainted?

"Wren!" Scchula's voice cut through the thoughts swirling in my head. I blinked and found myself in the kitchen. 

Schula was there in a half-asleep state but fully dressed at least. She had gone back to her own apartment last night. Nassir was there, fully awake and enjoying a cup of tea while Schula made her way through some kind of tart that Wairen had made. 

Peering out the kitchen window to the back yard, Wairen was standing under a birch tree, their palms on the bark and eyes closed. Probably doing whatever it is dryads do with their trees. They wore a feminine form today, possibly because I was staying at the house again.

"We saved you some," Schula said, her words immediately transitioning into a yawn. 

"Not for lack of trying." Nassir chuckled and took a drink from his steaming cup. "She kept taking little slices off the rest of the tart saying one more bite, just a little more."

Schula stuck her nose in the air and turned away from the table. "I can't help it. I've missed Wairen's cooking."

"And yet you also came in carrying a slice of pecan bread from Mama Flori's," Nassir said non-chalantly. 

Schula's eyes narrowed at him. "Traitor."

Nassir laughed, and I pulled out a chair to sit at the table. My eyes roamed over the tart, the hot tea, the bowl of honey and nuts to drizzle over everything. Thain sat as well, pulling a clean plate toward each of us and cutting a thick slice of what was left of the tart for each plate.

"So, from what Schula tells me, I am able to help in the coming defense of Thanantholl. I will be near the cliffs securing the walls upon assault," Nassir said.

I set my fork down for a moment, looking out the window into the yard. It was so peaceful here, and it saddened me to think that the Winter court could be on its walls any time now.

"I'm going to visit Spaulder as soon as we're done here," Schula said around a mouthful of tart. "He said he'd be okay but I miss him."

I smiled. "Me too. It did look like they were setting him up with plenty of dinner when we passed by, but do you think he'd like a slice of this tart?"

Schula eyed it. "Skip the tart, let's stop off and buy him a whole pan of his own. Maybe two."

"I'm going to the front gates for the morning if any of you would like to join me later," Thain said. 

"Securing preparations is a great distraction when waiting for a battle to begin," Nassir said sagely. "I will join you, Thain."

"Caw!" 

I looked up, and through the back window was a fat black raven swooping through the air over Wairen who was holding out a palmfull of breadcrumbs. I smiledglad to see at least one of us coping with this war.

It was peaceful to eat my breakfast, watching him fly through the air. He was so playful, he was even knocking feathers loose as he flapped about.

Or I thought they were feathers. I narrowed my eyes, now inspecting the light dusting of black specs that fell down from the sky. Not thick like a snow, but spread out and almost unnoticed.

It was ash.

Wairen paused, catching Puko who was landing in their arms. Suddenly, my bird was a panicked mess, swqaking and fluttering about. I stood from the table. 

"What in the Wyldes..." I murmured.

Right before we heard the roar, swiftly echoed by the city alarms. 

The Winter court had arrived.