Lunch was a simple fish salad with bread on the side for most of us. With some nuts, berries and meat for Soot, another trout for Midnight, and assorted meats for Winter. Meleri seemed quite impressed with the salad as well, and soon she and Irin were in a quiet conversation about how it was prepared.

  Ivy was quite a fan of the meal too, but then again, she liked all food. If there was any food she disliked, I couldn’t remember it. However, It didn’t take long before everyone was finished, and soon we were back in the living room. “Well, you certainly didn’t waste any time, so as I was saying…”

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  The remaining wagon was surrounded by the pixies and spiders. The pixies were angry enough that their glows were all taking on angry red hues. One spider tried to force open the door, but the thing must’ve been reinforced by magic, as it didn’t get anywhere.

  As I approached, I could see Nettle and Lily hovering in the back. “Strange that they left the wagon behind.” The two glanced at me, and Nettle let out a sound akin to a hissing kettle. Lily looked at me and shook her head. “When Nettle is that angry, it’s impossible to talk to her. That aside, Lady Morgana, think you could look at the wagon since we can’t get inside?”

  I looked over at the wagon just as a spider rammed it, and it floated to just within the trees of the forest itself. There it hit a tree and got stuck. “Sure, I’m rather curious as well.” I approached the wagon and hopped on top of the small stairwell leading to the door. I grabbed the strange handle and gave it an experimental twist. There was some resistance there, but nothing I couldn’t handle as I slowly opened the door and entered the wagon itself.

  Despite the rough treatment of the giant spiders, the inside was tidy and well kempt. Sitting at a small table was the wagon’s singular occupant. She couldn’t be more than four years, five? And yet, despite the commotion outside and the obvious sounds of the battle earlier, she seemed quite calm and collected.

  She glanced at me, then picked up the cup in front of her and took a sip. “So, they left me behind. Not surprising.” She sounded… bored. Not what I expected at all, given the situation. She looked up at me. “I take it you are here to kill me, then. Well? Go on, I am ready.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “The pixies and spiders outside are all angry enough to jump on that idea. However, I somehow doubt you were given much of a choice in coming here, given your age.” As I spoke, I silently cast a spell to detect lies and falsehoods. The spell immediately informed me that the calm facade the child was putting up was just that, a facade. She was scared, lonely, and not ready to die in the slightest. What a mess.

  I wasn’t kidding about the murderous mood of the pixies and spiders. The child looked at me with an imperious expression. “I was joining my parents in their caravan for the first time, exploring the mysterious north as per our trading mandate. I am not sure whose idea it was to attack a village of pixies and giant spiders, but if I find them…” Her voice trailed off. She gave off vibes akin to that of a noble. She was putting up a brave front, despite the terror she felt.

  There was a noise behind me, and a moment later Soot landed on my shoulder, with Ivy on his back. Ivy was, surprisingly enough, not showing the signs of collective range the rest of the pixies were. “Oh, that’s not good.” I glanced at Ivy. “How so?” Ivy flitted from Soot’s back and landed on top of my left hand. “Nettle’s mood is so bad right now it’s literally contagious. I think the only Pixies in the village that’s currently not affected are myself and Lily.”

  Lily was unaffected? That was good news. If Lily was unaffected, it might be possible to save the kid. A big might, but… I glanced out of the nearby window at the trees and the swarm of angry red that was positioned outside. That aside… “So why aren’t you affected?” Ivy tilted her head. “Huh… I dunno. If I were to guess, it’s because I spend more time with you guys than in the village.” She shrugged and flew up and landed on top of my hat. I glanced at Soot, but he only shrugged as well.

  Well, it didn’t matter in the long run. If I left the kid alone, she was dead as could be, and seeing as her own kin left her behind, she wouldn’t survive without help. Well, nothing to it. I wasn’t expecting to raise a kid, but when life gives you lemons, and all that.

  I turned towards the kid. “Well, for what it’s worth kid, I for one have no interest in your life, quite the opposite. The idea of leaving you to the mercies of the pixies and spiders outside does not sit well with me. Once they have calmed down and can think rationally, the pixies will see it my way, at the very least. Can’t speak for the spiders, though.” As I finished speaking, I turned towards the door and walked back outside, to where Nettle was waiting.

  It was clear she heard what I said earlier, as she was so angry, her usual dark purple light was now blood-red. “You mean to let the intruder go free?” I glanced over at Lily, who glanced from the kid, back to me and nodded. She agreed with me, it seemed. “Look, Nettle. You’re not thinking clearly right now. Yes, her parents were among those who attacked the village, but the kid didn’t get a choice in the matter. Are you really going to punish her for the crimes of her parents?”

  Nettle hesitated for a moment, as the coloration of her light shifted slightly towards purple again, before the red color flared back up. “Intruders will be punished!” Dammit. Well, there was one final card I could play. I really didn’t like the idea, but what else was I supposed to do here.

  I took a deep breath to steady myself. This might just alienate me from Nettledale for the foreseeable future, but so be it. I wasn’t about to let Nettle make such a massive mistake as this. “I see. Well then, it’s good for the kid that I have the final say in this matter then, and not you.” Nettle froze and looked at me, not fully grasping what I was saying.

  I met her confused gaze with my own calm gaze. “As the Lady ruling this forest, I place the child under my protection. Any harm that befalls here while she is within my domain will be treated as an attack upon my person. As per the ruling of the courts of Winter and Summer.” Nettle seemed to finally understand what I was getting at. The moment the wagon floated into the forest, it entered my domain. Here, my word was law. It was only a few feet, but that was all that mattered.

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  At that moment, I could see so many expressions play across Nettles face, it was impossible to distinguish between them. I honestly wasn’t sure what she would do. In the end, she just looked at the wagon. “Go, get out of here, before I do something we both will regret.” She then took off towards Nettledale. Lily gave me an apologetic smile before she followed her bestie. Nettle would get over it in time, I hoped.

  I couldn’t relax just yet, though. While Nettle and the rest of the angry pixies were returning to Nettledale, the spiders didn’t have such constraints. They were still surrounding the cart, and they didn’t seem inclined to leave. I was still not sure how to deal with them, when another spider arrived. This one was twice the size of the others, large enough to dwarf even the cart the kid was in. The Matriarch. This could be trouble.

  Or so I thought. She looked at me for a few moments, then turned around and left, and her children left with her. As far as I could tell, she didn’t say a word. So why they all went without complaint, considering… no wait, I knew if I thought about it for a few moments. I pushed the thought aside, as I needed to focus on the task at hand.

  I looked into the wagon again. “What’s the limit of this thing’s levitation magic?” The girl looked at me, confused, for a moment. “I… I don’t know.” Great, guess I wouldn’t try to tow the damn thing then. “Alright then, in that case, I need you to follow me outside.” She looked confused. “I am going to stash the wagon inside my storage bag. You wouldn’t survive the transition if you remain inside it.”

  She blinked for a few moments. “I see. So what will happen to me, then?” I gave her a gentle smile. “I’ll take you in. It might not be as grand as where you are from, judging by this contraption. But it beats being on the receiving end of the angry pixies and spiders, or left in the forest to starve, I’d say.”

  She nodded and rose to her feet as she followed me outside. Once we were out, I opened my storage bag and pulled the wagon in. It was a slow process because of its sheer size. Still, I didn’t get any of the indications it was nearing full. So that was a relief.

  With that done, I pulled my broom out of the bag and sat down on it. “Sit on my lap… err, I guess I never asked you your name.” The kid looked at me for a few moments, then hopped up on my lap. “… It’s Jaira.” I put one of my arms around her, as Midnight, and Soot, approached. Ivy, who until now was quiet, flitted off my hat and landed on Soot’s back. Jaira stiffened a bit as she saw Ivy, but the pixie just gave her a wide grin. “No need to worry about little old me. I’m Ivy. Pleased to meet you, Jaira.”

  Jaira hesitated for a moment before she gave the pixie a small wave. Soot landed on my shoulder while Midnight hopped onto Jaira’s lap. At the sight of her, Jaira let out a gasp and then looked up at me. “Do… do you think I can pet her?” She seemed almost terrified. “Ask her, not me. Midnight’s as clever as you or me, or maybe even smarter, given her penchant for mischief. She is also quite verbose once you get on her good side.” Midnight opened an eye and looked up at me. “Oh please, Meowstress, you're making it seem like I’m a troublemaker or something.”

  I willed the broom into the air as I looked down at her, earning me another gasp from Jaira. “We… we’re flying.” I couldn’t help but smile. “Oh this? This is my standard mode of transport. If you wind up staying for some time, I’ll see about teaching you how to ride one, and maybe even get you one for yourself.” As I rose from the ground, Midnight pushed her head into Jaira’s hand. “Pet me, girl.” Jaira didn’t need to be asked twice, and soon Midnight’s loud purrs mixed in with the sound of the wind as we flew homeward.

  As we landed at my hut, I could see Jaira’s disappointed expression. “It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing, as I mentioned before.” She nodded, but remained quiet as I landed, and we all got off. “Since I have no place to put the wagon, I’ll keep it in storage for now, unless you have something from within it, you’d like to fetch?” Jaira shook her head, and so I led her inside.

  As we got inside, and she saw the living room, her mood improved a bit. “The construction is… quaint.” I looked down at her. “Thanks, I’ll show you around, but first…” Before Jaira could react, I bent down and pulled her into a hug. “It’s alright, I know you were scared back there, and you were very brave and strong for being able to hold it all back for so long. But it’s alright to be afraid, it’s alright to show emotions. Don’t bottle it up, let it all out. It’s better that way, trust me.” Jaira stiffened for a moment.

  Then she started to shiver, and a few weak sobs escaped her. Then, a few moments later, she was crying as she returned the hug. I gently lifted her up and carried her to the couch, never letting go of the hug. “Soot, would you mind making some cocoa for the kid? I’d do it myself, but…” Soot hopped down from my shoulder and onto the table. “On it, shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.”

  Soot flew off into the kitchen. I knew Soot could use some magic himself. He could carry things far heavier than a raven should be able to, after all. So I didn’t doubt his ability to make cocoa, even more so since he watched me make it several times.

  I returned my attention to Jaira, who didn’t show any signs of calming down, though I’d be more surprised if she did. Poor kid must’ve been terrified all this time. A short while later, Soot flew back into the living room. “It’s done. All you need to do now is to cast your fetching spell.” I gave Soot a grateful smile. “Thanks, Soot, I appreciate it.” Soot flew up to his roost. “Don’t mention it.” He turned his attention to Ivy, who was already up there, waiting for him, and soon the two were in a quiet conversation.

  Midnight, for her part, moved from her drinking bowl and jumped up onto the couch. She moved over next to us and rubbed her head against Jaira’s hand, purring softly. This seemed to calm Jaira down somewhat, as she sobbed and sniffled a few times. A few moments later, she turned her attention to Midnight and smiled softly, despite the tears, as she resumed petting her.

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  Midnight hopped into my lap. “Poor kid was emotionally crushed. I am honestly amazed she held together as well as she did until that point.” I reached down and scratched her behind her right ear, earning me a delighted purr. “It’s just speculation on my part, but I am quite certain the shock and resulting glee from actually flying held it at bay for a bit. That aside, I have little doubt that being raised in a mercantile household where betrayal is common would mean you would usually bottle up your emotions, rather than show them and appear weak.”

  Midnight stretched and rolled over. “I can agree with that assessment, Meowstress. More pats please.” I reached down and began to rub her tummy. As I did, the apartment shook lightly. “Ah, seems like the city’s about to surface. That means Eira will be arriving soon as well. Miva, if you want to know the rest, I can enchant your dreams for you if you’d like.” Miva jumped up from where she was sitting. “Yes, please!” Not a surprising reaction.

  I waved her over and a few moments later it was done. “Well then, let’s relax while the city surfaces. Eira will land on the balcony, if I’m not mistaken.” As I finished speaking, Midnight let out a small growl. I looked down at her and resumed patting her, since I stopped to cast the spell earlier.