The moonlight holds secrets,
that the sun cannot keep.
The clouds hold the world,
While the stars go to sleep.

“I…” the king began. Sadness and confusion began to cloud over his face. “I am uncertain if we should.”

I stared at the king’s face. I did not understand where this emotion was coming from. Wasn’t he a monster taking my mother away from me? Why would he be so sad that he was taking me away instead? Why would it matter who he took?

“Grandfather, regardless of everything, right now the girl is awake,” the boy said impatiently. “There’s nothing wrong with your powers. We checked the whole town and everybody was asleep. If she has always been awake every time we cross over, then chances are that she is some sort of a unique defect. We can keep an eye on her in the castle, or make her go through first. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are running out of time!”

“While you make a point Nox, we cannot just put her through. Not if she remembers. We cannot just… or the…”

“Grandfather!” The boy interrupted. “We can discuss that later. It doesn’t matter right now! We need to go. Astin, put the woman back into her bed,” he said to the man holding my mother.

The man with the sharp face looked at the king, who sighed and then nodded his head in agreement. The man complied, taking mother back to bed.

I heard her mattress creak as he laid her down, and I felt tears fill my eyes.

“I’ll come with you! I will. I just… I need… I need to … just” I stuttered.

I have to say goodbye.

I shivered. With fright. With cold. With uncertainty and in trepidation. My mouth was drying up as my eyes were getting wet. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I would not let them see me cry.

“Seriously?” the boy said annoyed. “You don’t need to bring anything! You have nothing! Do you want to say goodbye? Is that it? As if your mother would be awake to know you did. She won’t remember this! She won’t even remember you!”

Tears flooded my eyes, but I stayed determined. “I don’t… I don’t care, I just need to...”

His grandfather looked at the boy sternly. The boy puffed out his cheeks in a pout. “You get five minutes,” he growled. Then he stormed out of the house, dragging his grandfather behind him.

The Night King looked over his shoulder and said remorsefully “you may have ten. I can give you that much.”

As soon as the door closed behind them, an argument broke out. I could hear it clearly, for they did not shut the door properly and left a wide gap.

“There’s not enough time to give her ten minutes!” The boy raged.

“Nox, my child. It’s fine. I’ll… make time. We are taking a girl away from her mother. Let her have her time. Taking her mother would have been the better option,” the king said sadly. “We need to get to her soon. I don’t know how long she will be able to hold on.”

“Why should we care about the best option? The girl could go through first. Her mother doesn’t have to be now! We can put her through tomorrow if she needs to go soon.”

“Nox, you know it would be too unstable. I cannot send two people at once. Not anymore. My powers have not been what they once were. It’s why we do it today. But if we have to then we will. I don’t know if the girl should cross at all… We’ll have to ask the castle.”

Suddenly the scary man was behind me. I jumped. He gave me a strange look and then walked of the house and shut the door. Properly. The rest of their conversation was myriad of mumbles. Like listening through water. I did not want to listen anymore, so it did not matter. I needed to be with my mother.

I spun around and ran to her room.