Sky had let Jimmy go hunting. He was somewhere, in the gloaming, looking for game as the sun went down. They'd rest now and make their way in the early hours of the morning, when it was pitch dark and safest to fly across the coast of the Epicurean stronghold.

Meanwhile, Will was staring at Sky admiringly, while he nibbled on a sandwich that Ollie had packed for him. They were in the abandoned Aary castle in the king's old chambers – Laina had talked a lot about the building when they'd first arrived, clearly awed by the structure, but now she was slumbering soundly in a royal four-poster bed. Will was sitting on the marble floor across from the bench Sky was perched upon. The room was still fully encased in the mountain instead of exposed to the open air – the face of much of the castle had been blown off in battle during the Epicurean assault. Here, they were insulated from any roaming soldiers who may have been stationed near the ruins. Sky's quick assessment had shown no immediate threats nearby.

Will was smiling at Sky. It looked like the wheels in his head were turning as he munched. It was exceptionally sunny, and though he'd applied the suntan lotion from his pack that Ollie had insisted they bring, he had gotten a touch of sun across his cheeks and nose. Late summer in Htrae was unbearably hot, just as it had been back on Earth.

"Do you mind?" Will asked, lifting the bottom of his t-shirt to signify that he'd prefer to have it off.

"No," Sky said. "That's fine."

He got up and pulled his shirt over his head, displaying a tanned and toned torso. He was tall and lean, but strong. Good, Sky thought. He would be a warrior. Sturdy. A fighter. Certainly an asset. Sky averted her assessing gaze, realizing that she'd been starring. But it had been more than just a cursory evaluation if she was being honest with herself, and her reaction surprised her. She felt the tug of attraction, not only to those deep familiar eyes, but to his handsome and novel physique. A longing, an excitement for a pleasure she had not indulged in for a very long time, made her ache. And there was guilt too, that a body that was not his could inspire such voracious lust in her. She was mad at her own body for betraying her with such base urges. Damn Will! It might have to be my new moto, she decided. Yes, damn Will indeed.

He sauntered over and sat beside her, straddling the bench facing her, a confident grin on his face. Will was often awkward, but not totally unaware, then, of the fact that he was in good shape and had affected her in some way. He seemed to be trying to gather the courage to say something.

"So ... I mean," Will cleared his throat. "I don't really know how these things work for demi-god valkyries, but do you ... uhhh... have uhhh ... a husband or wife or are you soul-bonded or...?" He rambled on in one quick breath, "Do you date?"

Sky looked at Will in utter surprise, not having expected such a direct, brazen, and hilarious conversation so soon. The world was ending and Will wanted to know if she was available to 'date.' Sky threw her head back and laughed, a hearty laugh that echoed through the cavernous room. It was a wave of true emotion and she was swept up in the humour of the moment for the first time in a long time. And then Will joined her, realizing how absurd it all was, and their laughter intermingled and echoed in the great chamber, a cacophony of frivolity that swept them both away.

For a moment, all Sky's responsibilities were forgotten, all the hard things she had to grapple with. She looked at Will's twinkling eyes and the universe receded into the background. She remembered how it could be. How she could feel. In her dreams, she was only a girl, he was only a boy, and they were free. But Sky wasn't only a girl.

"Can I just say," Will said, "you are absolutely stunning when you laugh. Even more so than normal. And that's saying something because you're always exceptionally beautiful. But you usually look so sad." His hand came up and brushed a loose wave of dark hair back off her face, as his thumb grazed her cheek. "I just ... I really want to be the reason, the person, who makes you laugh like that all the time."

Her laughter caught in her throat and she looked into those eyes.

He waited.

"I know you think I'm joking," he said, "but humour me."

"I'm not married. I mean ... gods and goddesses do that sometimes, often Valkyries partner with other female Valkyries, or demi-gods find lovers or those they love, but I haven't been with anyone in a long time." Will looked very pleased that his prospects still appeared rosy. "But," Sky countered that optimism, swinging a leg over the bench and facing him with her best don't-mess-with-me expression, "demi-gods are discouraged from falling for humans."

It wasn't only discouraged. It was, for all intents and purposes, prohibited. But that wasn't what was truly punishing about loving a human. Sky had learned that the hard way.

Humans didn't last forever; true love did. She thought it best not to iterate her thoughts out loud.

"Oh," Will said, sounding less than pleased. "But you can't exactly help who you fall for, can you?" He shot his cheekiest grin at her.

She sighed. No. You couldn't. Otherwise she would never have gotten herself into this mess in the first place.

His smile was triumphant. She didn't need to say her thoughts out loud to know he'd read her like a book.

"And earlier... when we met. Tell me I'm not imagining things? Something happened between us. Something incredible. I feel like I know you. I've been waiting for you my entire life." He was serious now, staring at her, those kind eyes searching hers. "And I've never been a believer in love at first sight."

No, it wasn't love at first sight at all. It was...

"Maybe we loved each other," Will said, "in another life."

Sky's heart shuddered, painfully. She wanted to explain everything, to tell him everything. More than anything, she wished for a real future with him. She wanted, needed, this time to be different.

Their knees were touching. He smiled at her again, leaning in closer, closer. One hand stroked her knee as the other came up and cupped her head, his fingers tangling in her thick dark hair and his thumb stroking her jaw. Her heart beat quickly, her stomach fluttered. He waited, patiently, staring into her eyes, for her to close the last inch between them. For her to initiate.

It was torturous. As if the indecision held them there for an eternity.

She shouldn't. But she couldn't help herself. Even after 400 years, love still made her feel like a fledgling. Will was the key to her happiness, to her devastation. And she wanted him, whether or not it was irresponsible. She remembered what it could be.

Her hands stroked his arms, his strong shoulders, his neck, gliding over his muscles greedily. Giving in to her abandon. She traced his lips with her finger. Then she closed her eyes and leaned in.

A shrill screech and a smash sounded from somewhere nearby, and Will and Sky jumped apart and to their feet.

"What was that?" Will asked, looking around.

Laina was sitting, ramrod straight and disheveled in the four-poster bed.

"Wahhh, happened?" came out in a garbled half-asleep mumble.

Sky looked around, assessing. Her heart was still pounding. Beside the bed was a shattered vase. And if the shriek hadn't been Laina's – at first Sky had assumed it was – then what had made that noise? She scanned the room.

"Didn't you say something about people thinking] this place was haunted? Which is why patrols stay away?" Laina asked her.

Sky nodded.

"I mean if there are dragons, ghosts don't sound that unlikely," Will added.

"There are ghosts. Just not around here," Sky answered.

Will and Laina both looked perturbed. Laina hopped out of the bed and scooted towards Sky and her brother, grabbing Will's arm, fear written on her face of all those things out there that might go bump – or smash – in the night.

"I'm a Valkyrie," Sky said, matter-of-factly. "If there were ghosts around here, I'd know. It's my job to help guide spirits to where their final destinations lie. Some refuse and become angry, but if there were any around here like that, I would be aware. Though something must explain why people are afraid to come here. I thought it was just a rumour because of all the devastation and turbulent history." She looked around. "No ghosts. Which is far more troubling. If this place isn't haunted, what just made that noise?" She moved quickly to peer out the window. Jimmy was silhouetted in the moonlight, a dark shadow reflected in the sparkling water on the horizon. He was too far away for a quick getaway. Sky slid her sword from its scabbard and handed it to Laina. She tossed a stiletto from her boot to Will and he plucked it out of the air as if it were second nature. Well ... at least one of the twins had a kinetic aptitude.

"Hello?" Sky called. "Who's there?"

"Miss Skuold?" Though Sky hadn't been expecting an answer, one came in a deep rough burr. "Is tha' you?"

The bright moonlight spilled into the room, highlighting all the furniture so it was clearly visible. The voice had been projected from the corner of the room, where there was nothing but the meeting of two grey stone walls. It was as if the wall began to blur and move, and it appeared as if a short and stocky gray man was emerging from the stone itself.

Sky gasped. "Fearghas?"

"It is ye! I thought you were some sort of Epicurr scum. Not an intruder after all, then."

"I thought you were dead!" Sky said, running and bending over to hug the dwarf, whose colour was seeping slowly back into his skin and beard.

"Ye didna expect it, did ye now? If I let myself die, who'd be left to rebuild this here castle to its former glory, lass?" He gave them his biggest toothy grin. "Booo! I'm the ghost of Aary castle. Who are ye?" Fearghas asked, staring at the twins.

The twins were gawking at the dwarf who had transitioned from ashy sepia tones to a fleshy pink colour, two ruddy cheeks and a shiny pat head giving way to a tufted beard in three long braids. He was no taller than four feet and his clothes were worn and old, but the tools in his tool belt – an assortment of hammers, splitters, and chisels packed into every available slot – gleamed as if they had been newly minted. One hand lay casually on his biggest hammer, in case Sky's escorts happened to be anyone of whom he didn't approve. Laina and Will laid the weapons Sky gave them carefully on the ground, and put their hands up.

"This is Fearghas," Sky announced. "Fearghas is a renowned mason of the Stone Hallow Dwarf Clan of the Highlands. He is an incredible craftsman and rune mage with the innate ability to camouflage with rock. He's also the man responsible for building this castle."

"The whole castle?" Laina queried. "But it's incredible! The buttresses leading to the waterfall on the right side alone are a work of heavenly inspiration. And the intricate etchings on each of the balustrades. And oh my god, did you make the towers and the steeples? They're beautiful," Laina gushed.

"I don't ken who ye are, but I reckon I like ye as much as I can a stranger. This funny looking one though," Fearghas said gruffly, pointing a suspicious finger at Will, "I'm not so sure about."

"Fearghas," Sky said, "This is Will and Laina Aary, prince and princess of the Royal family of Aary, the second and third in succession to the throne."

"Yer bums out the window!" Fearghas exclaimed, scowling.

The twins' eyes flicked to the window and back to the dwarf, confused.

"I've come to understand after a century of knowing him that what he means by that is, you aren't making any sense," Sky explained to her bewildered companions.

Fearghas sized up Sky. "Are ye mad, woman? Ye ken as well as I that the former King and Queen of Aary died with only one byrne by the name o' Rowan. And I reckon she'd be angry to hear 'bout any pretenders."

"The queen escaped pregnant. Do you doubt me, Fearghas? They are who I say they are. Look at them!" She gestured at Will and Laina. The resemblance to their parents was striking. Undeniable.

Fearghas clambered up onto the bench, and squinted at them at eye level, analyzing every inch of them. "Losh! Aye, ye might be right. This one's got the eyes of her mother. And this one is the spittin' image of his da. I reckon I owe you all an apology. I'm sorry. Come closer," he beckoned.

Laina and Will both hesitated but Sky gave them a slight push forward. They stumbled and stood right in front of the bench, inches away from Fearghas, both looking slightly wary. Sky smirked. Fearghas pulled them in towards himself by the scruff of their necks and then, embraced them, sniffling loudly in their ears.

"I was the last of my clan and yer parents took me in. They were the best leaders a kingdom could hope for: kind, strong, loving, generous. I pledged my allegiance to them a long time ago." He hopped down from the bench and knelt, head bent. "Now I pledge my allegiance, my hammer, to the children of the Aary clan. May we avenge the kingdom of Aary in your parents honour." Fearghas lay his hammer at their feet. "May we make them proud. And may we refill this castle with the sounds of many feet and the timbre of a thousand laughs. Aye!" Then he straightened and chuckled incredulously.

After visiting with Fearghas for a while, Will excused himself to take his turn resting. While Laina and Fearghas talked of building materials and stone carving techniques, Sky peered out the window at the darkening night and worried. A bright moon and no cloud cover were not ideal conditions for traveling above the Epicurean territories unnoticed. But it couldn't be helped. It was time to fly. They still had a long journey ahead of them. This was as dark as the night was bound to get.

Goodbyes were said to Fearghas, who was insistent that his place was to watch over the castle, at least until the rebellion needed his hammer in battle. So they parted ways, Laina and Will mounting Jimmy, Sky flying beside the wyvern once more.

And as they flew towards the port of Mittgura, Htrae stretched beneath them, fields and farms and mountains cloaked in inky midnight. Sky tried not to let her thoughts drift to Will, to him. As they got close to the coast of Epicure, it was easy to see burning beacons down below from their vantage point that wouldn't normally have been there. Sky realized, with alarm, that they were only in the locations of the Epicure camps. She felt drawn to them, pulled toward them, and her only explanation was that there were a great many lost souls down below, waiting. The knowledge saddened her greatly. The war casualties would add up now. Her small vanguard was not prepared to fight down below yet. Not yet. And they were too late, even if they had been ready.

Sister, will you help us? asked a beckoning voice, one laced with honey and iron. It was Brynhildr, her second. I'm sorry but I cannot, Skuld replied. She could not leave this mission now, tempting as it might be to be with her chosen family, to do what came with ease and clarity and to help souls find rest. But she knew her sisters supported her. Let Odin go with you then, came the reply.

It was an effort to keep flying towards her destination, and not to circle back. Her sisters would lend her their strength. She would see Hildr, her shield reflecting the moon as she descended; Sigrún, her long red hair and bronze wings depicting an avenging angel of hope; And sweet Kára, the most compassionate of all of them; Gunnr, tough as the battle axe she wielded; except when it came to Sváva, the love of Gunnr's life and the woman that could elicit fear in the bravest warrior; the sisters, Hrist and Mist, one with wings of white, one with wings of black, both calling forth the name of Odin as they pirouetted from the skies; and Ráðgriðr, Sky's favourite, her golden voice used more than her gleaming sword as she pressed Gods and Women and Men to strive for peace, always to look toward harmony, instead of bloodshed.

Her sisters were missing her.

But Sky kept flying, one eye cast toward the travesty below – the funeral pyres for those who deserved so much better. Their hope flew beside her, on a Wyvern. And so she continued to guide the Aary children toward Mittgura well into the early hours of the morning. When the sun crested the horizon of a cloudless sky, she swooped down, leading Jimmy to descend near the outskirts of a busy harbour town. From a distance she could see the safe house, a beach cottage and a stable hidden away from the water. She landed on the grass and the wyvern came in for a landing beside her.

Both Laina and Will descended from Jimmy's back looking wobbly and stiff, but just as they were getting their bearings, three identical black girls, their hair dark halos around their heads, came shooting out of the beach house at high speed.

"Jimmy!" cried the Freds in unified glee as they ran towards the wyvern and launched themselves at his chest and neck, trying to get their arms around his oversized torso for a proper hug. Jimmy lifted one girl with his strong neck, her body dangling as she nuzzled him.

"Jimmy?!" Sky protested, turning to the three girls. "Don't I get a hello?" She saw Fred senior, their father, make his way out of the cottage behind them.

"Oh," said Winnie, "Yeah." Or at least Sky thought it was Winnie.

"Sorry," said Fredrica. Or was it Fred junior? "We like you, too."

And they all ambled over to her to give her a begrudging hug.

"Laina and Will, these young ladies are the Winifreds," Sky said. "Winnie, Fred junior and Fredrica." The girls each raised their hands when their name was called, as if Sky were performing roll call at school.

"And I'm Fred senior," said the tall and muscular black man, stretching out his hand for them to shake. He had kind eyes, but a bit of a harried look on his face. "Wizard Ba'leon is waiting in the marina for one of you to come get him. Then he'll sail the boat around and take you to the Rebel hideaway from here. But I suspect you'll want to rest. And I should stable Jimmy." He walked over to the wyvern, gave him a pat on his haunches. Jimmy got up and started to amble towards the stable. "Girls, why don't you bring them inside and get them whatever they need?"

"Yes, Dad," they all said together.

"Come on then," Winnie said, taking Will's hand. Fred took Laina's and Fredrica grabbed Sky's.

"Which one of you wants to come on an adventure with me?" Winnie said, directing her question at the three newcomers.

"I would have done a better job," protested Fred.

"Or me," grumbled Fredrica. "He should have chosen me."

"Or me," huffed Fred.

"Yeah, but he chose me. So there," said Winnie. Halting their progress towards the door by stopping in her tracks and folding her arms across her chest.

"Who chose you for what?" asked Laina, looking at the little girl who had just spoken.

"Wizard Joel Ba'leon, the greatest wizard of all time," Winnie pronounced, at least Sky was pretty sure it was Winnie, "capable of casting the most difficult spells and reading the most complicated of minds," she continued, "has tasked me with bringing one of you to him at the docks. Got that? So who is coming with me?"

Sky looked at Laina and Will. She shrugged indicating that it was entirely up to them.

"I'll go," Laina said. "Just give me a washroom break and some water and we can head out. I suspect Will wants a bite to eat." He nodded, and his tummy growled loudly in agreement. The girls giggled.

"Ok. But hurry though. I don't want to keep the wizard waiting," said Winnie, tapping her foot impatiently.

Sky laughed. Somehow Joel had managed to find himself three little brunette taskmasters.

"Easy Winnie," Sky urged. "You and Laina can head off soon. But why don't you let us in first?"

It had been a long trip already. Sky had gone to Earth and back without a break, and she didn't relish the idea of getting on a boat for the rest of the journey. She wanted at least a moment to collect her thoughts. So she headed towards the safe house, determined to give her tired wings a soak in the tub before it was time to head out on the open sea.

*** 

So a lot happened this chapter! Do you think Will and Sky should just make out already or is it too soon? And do you have a favourite character? If you enjoyed the chapter, please vote! Thank you! ~ Emmy