“Eory!” Pollyanna called, gripping her blade firmly. Karku skittered ahead on all-fours, nose to the ground. Pollyanna turned her nose up at the boy, but followed him. “Seems like he’s on Eory’s scent."

“Why did he run?” Estelle wondered. 

“You don’t know him very well, but he’s a weird guy. He’s prone to eloping for any number of reasons.” Pollyanna replied, following Karku. 

“Terran…” 

Pollyanna glanced at her shoulder to see that Eliita had roused. Pollyanna put her down. Eliita rubbed her shoulder. Pollyanna could see the sorrow in her face. There were deep circles under her eyes, and she looked sallow and thin despite being pregnant. Eliita shivered. 

“Eliita. How are you feeling?” Pollyanna tried to sound compassionate, but it wasn’t one of her strong suites.

Eliita just shook her head. She rubbed her protruding belly. “I… I can’t do this by myself. I don’t know what to do.” 

Pollyanna put a hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “Yes you can. If you give up…” Pollyanna thought of Rory and her miscarriage, and swallowed bitterly. “You’re not just failing yourself. You’re failing your baby and your husband.” 

Eliita met her gaze. Her eyes were teary. “What’s the point of being free without him?”

Pollyanna didn’t have an answer for a moment. When she had lost Rory and her child, she thought there was no point to continuing, until she had met Fjorn. If not for him, she would have spent the rest of her life in a convent, waiting to die. 

The problem is, is that I found the wrong reason to keep going… I’m in no position to give her advice. 

Pollyanna took a deep breath. “No one can convince you life is worth living, other than yourself. I tried to let someone else convince me life was worth living, and it led me down the wrong path. It’s only now that I’ve found a reason to live. A reason all my own.” 

Eliita looked incredulous, and she murmured under her breath, “What’s that?”

Pollyanna smiled gingerly, knowing it sounded ridiculous, but she managed to say, “I… I just want to be a hero. I want to make the world a better place. It’s what I always wanted to do when I was a kid.” 

Eliita managed a smile at that. She lowered her gaze. “I–I have a decision to make.” 

“We have to walk and talk. Eory ran away.” Pollyanna said. 

“He ran away? Was it because I was so cruel to him?” Eliita asked, moving through the forest.

Pollyanna stared forward silently. “I don’t know…” 

“I need to apologize, and then I will probably…” Eliita swallowed, inhaling a deep breath. “I will probably return to Ghar.” 

Pollyanna stopped in her tracks. “Back to Ghar? Me and Eory are heading to Maribel. You should come with us.” 

Eliita’s expression turned dark. “Ghar is in bad shape, and I'm a dwarf. I have to remain loyal to my kingdom.” 

Pollyanna felt her heart thudding–finding it bizarre that her stony heart could still beat after all these years. “You’ll be alone with your child, though. And… I’ll miss you.”

Eliita managed a smile. “Pollyanna, meeting you, Eory, and Tock was a pleasure. We were all freaks who didn’t fit in, but with you, Terran and I felt accepted. But trust me–this is something I need to and can do on my own, even while pregnant.”

Pollyanna frowned deeply. For whatever reason, her heart ached and tears lined her own eyes. “I’ll really miss you.” Pollyanna said honestly. “You did so much for me.”

Eliita smiled at her, and then patted her arm. “You did a lot for me, too. I’m glad I was able to help you. And I’ve had a dream of my own all this time, too.” 

“What’s that?”

“I wanted to help my family in any way I could. Being a concubine was the way to do that when I was a girl. Now… I’m going to become queen.” Eliita murmured, almost more to herself. 

“How do you plan to do that?” Pollyanna was befuddled. “Perhaps me and Eory should help you, first?” 

“No. You and Eory have to do something about Maribel. Leave Ghar to me.” Eliita said. “But first, I’m going to say goodbye to Eory.” 

“I’ll go on ahead and look for him.” Pollyanna said.

Pollyanna dashed ahead, using her superhuman speed to search for Eory. The world passed her by in a blur. Eory should have stood out with his white skin, but she didn’t see him anywhere. 

Suddenly, crows flocked away from the forest as a resounding roar shook the leaves in the forest. Pollyanna paused in her steps, wondering what the roar could have been.

It sounded like a dragon. 

Pollyanna sped up her pace, pursuing the sound.

Pollyanna’s heart nearly thudded out of its chest when she thought she saw flaming red hair disappearing behind a nearby tree. She whispered to herself, “Fjorn…?”

She swallowed.

Another roar swept over the forest--shaking everything in it violently. Pollyanna was torn in two. Should I pursue this ghost, or Eory? 

Without her permission, Pollyanna’s feet moved her toward the ghost. “Fjorn!”  

She kept seeing the red hair get further and further away. She gritted her teeth and pushed ahead. She was closing the gap quickly, the red-headed lion coming closer and closer in her vision. 

She reached out an arm when she was close enough, touching the ghost–her hand phasing through it. The ghost spun around. 

His eyes were as black as she remembered when he was young. His hair as wild and vibrant, his body strong–his presence overpowering. Somehow, she found herself bowing to him. 

She closed her eyes, trembling in his presence. 

She felt a finger on her chin–he lifted her eyes from the ground as he liked to do. He made her brave enough to look him in the eyes. She inhaled a deep breath. She shuddered as she reached up, touching his surprisingly soft skin. 

“You aren’t real… you don’t rule me anymore. I’m looking for Eory.” Pollyanna said shakily. 

“You’re lost without me. You think clinging to him will save your soul? He’s already on a dark path. Besides. You’re mine, and you will always be mine.”

He grabbed her by her shoulders and wrenched her to her feet. “You’re flesh and blood like anyone else. My spirit lingers within you. If my own flesh and blood will not continue the Arrozan Conquest, I will have to do it. I’m the only one you can have. Stand up, and go to Maribel, and you will find the way to bring me back.” 

Pollyanna stared into his eyes, seeing herself shaking within them like when they had first met. Always when she was alone with him, she could see herself shaking like a leaf in his eyes. 

“N-no..” Pollyanna said.  

“Come back to me, my darling. I’m the only one who can have you.” Fjorn beckoned.

The roar shook the forest again. Pollyanna was frozen where she stood for a moment, gazing into Fjorn’s eyes. She reached out toward him, but then…

It was as if she felt a hand on her arm, lowering it.

Rory…? She looked up with a smile. She turned around, and pursued the roar instead.