It's been four months since I left home. Three months that I've been staying with Alder and Stolas. I always knew that my journey would be long. There would be hiccups. It wouldn't be a straight easy shot to the capital. I had to travel across the whole country, after all. But the fact that I had to stay here for who knows how long learning to fight… It left me feeling almost inadequate. I was supposed to be achieving my dreams.

Stolas sat next to me, his arms crossed. My lips were pursed in concentration as I tried to pull the string of my training bow back completely. This bow was, once again, carved by Alder. I swear that Fairy King could do anything. The string was taught as I let it go, the arrow flying forward. I have been practicing for a week now. I didn't like using arrows quite yet. Just because I would always miss the target. Just like I did now. The arrow landed on the bottom of the target, making me groan.

"Your form is getting better." Stolas pointed out. 

"And yet, I still miss." I lowered the bow and looked back at him. "You're awfully leisurely today. No snide remarks, Snappy?"

"Nope."

I hummed and went back to practicing. It wasn't odd for Stolas to act like this. But it was odd for him to act like this during training. Stolas was the type that went off on his own, had his own schedule. He'd listen to Alder's commands in a heartbeat, but he was a generally free spirit. I didn't know much about him. At least Alder has been opening up to me on a surface level and telling me about himself and being the Fairy King. I knew next to nothing about who Stolas is. What he is.

I lowered my bow and sighed. I supposed there was no harm in asking. I sat down next to him, setting my bow on the ground. I tilted my head curiously. His iridescent black wings were stretched out and relaxed. His golden glasses were attached to a chain. In his hair, he had golden charms shaped like feathers, rings attached to his locs. Purple and blue gems hung off some of the charms. He seemed to really like those. It was so… birdlike. Sometimes I saw him making them in the kitchen when we weren't training.

He looked over at me, tiny metal hitting against each other. "You're staring."

"So… a raven, huh? Can you shapeshift into anything else?"

"Nope."

There was that answer again. "I see. Well, can you tell me more about you? Like… Why do you hang around Alder and stuff?"

"Hang around?" He snorted, and gave me a look.

"I don't know how else to describe it!" I huffed, crossing my arms.

Stolas chuckled slightly and sat up straighter. He stretched out his large wings, as if he was preparing to tell a long story. I quickly adjusted my position and sat at attention. I was happy he was willing to tell me a little about himself. Maybe then I wouldn't feel like he was just a hardass teacher.

"I'm a Tasmanicus. We were created solely to care for the Fairy King. It's hard to find a word for our job exactly. The Fairy King doesn't need protecting, but we are here to provide for them. I suppose… like a patron. A messenger, as well. The Fairy King rarely leaves the forest. So if they need a message to be sent, we're the ones to do it."

"So there's more of you?"

Stolas shook his head. "As of now, I'm the only one."

"What happened to the others?"

"There's only one Tasmanicus at a time. We try to serve the Fairy King as long as possible. Until our dying breath. And then another takes their place."

My eyes widened. "W-Woah! Then… how many Fairy Kings have you served?"

"Mmh…" Stolas cocked his head to the side. "Alder is the fifth one I've served."

From what I've learned, each Fairy King has a lifespan of at least five thousand years old. If Stolas has been with five of them… That was such a long time. I couldn't even imagine being alive that long. And Northern War Elves lived to be in their 500s. I stared at him in disbelief.

"That's… a really long time."

"It is."

My voice softened. "Is it hard?"

He nodded. "It is. It's very hard. At times, I believed I was a prisoner. The only time I get to leave this forest is if I need to do a task for the Fairy King. I can't travel the world, I can't live my own life, I can't love… It is hard. But it's something I've come to terms with. Living thousands of years has helped with that. I have had time to think."

I stayed silent. A deep ache formed in my chest. Time had always differed from species to species. Humans only lived until they were around a hundred. Elves lived in the upper hundreds. It was fluid. And it was destructive. I watched as Stolas flicked his hand, summoning his staff. He took out a cloth from his pocket and started to clean his staff.

"Did you know that my staff has a name?"

I stopped fidgeting with the bow and looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yes. Its name is Aeternum."

"Eternity."

"Eternity. Other Tasmanicus have died from war. But there hasn't been war for many, many years now. I have accepted that I'll probably live long after Alder is gone and a new Fairy King has taken the throne. So, I named my staff Aeternum. To remind me of my life.

He sounded almost… sad. I frowned. Stolas was always so confident, so nonchalant. Is this what he's been hiding beneath that facade all this time? It was almost morbid. Forced to live an eternity, serving king after king. I didn't want to think of it any longer. I doubted Stolas wanted to either.

"Well…" I gave him a smile. "Thank you for baring your soul to me."

"I never did all that."

"Sure." I laughed. I then watched as he made his staff disappear. "I have another question. How strong is your magic?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I suppose… It's fairly strong. Definitely not as strong as Alder's, but stronger than yours."

That made me pout. "No fair! I have been practicing, okay? I am but a sapling when it comes to magic."

"You've been spending too much time with Alder."

My face flushed a dark red. "I-I've been spending an ample amount of time with him."

"Whatever you say." He smirked, his eyes looking me up and down. "Anyway, my magic is strong. It has to be if any conflict pops up. I need to protect the forest as well."

"What type of magic do you have?"

"It's attuned to combat. Speed, agility, strength. I can enhance them all with my magic. Plus, the shapeshifting and how I can store weapons is another aspect of my magic."

"Could I use my magic for combat?"

"Maybe. But you would need to talk to Alder about it, not me."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Why would I need to talk to him about it?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Shut up. I want to take a nap."

"Rude." I huffed. I then looked away. "But fine. Take your nap, Snappy."

Stolas hummed and crossed his arms behind his head. He leaned back against the tree. His eyes closed. I did the same, leaning against the tree. My hands were folded neatly in my lap. This was a nice moment. A quiet moment. We were usually too busy sparring or arguing to enjoy each other's presence like this. I mean, he did just tell me to shut up. But that was normal. The scent of petrichor gently wafted through the fresh forest air, making my body relax even more. What a nice, peaceful atmosphere.

"Cahira, my dear."

I jolted, letting out a small yelp. Alder was suddenly next to me, kneeling down. His hand went to my shoulder to steady me. I looked over at him. While his expression was soft, his eyes were filled with a sense of urgency. Something was wrong. Stolas also sat up. He didn't say anything, and only looked at Alder. After a moment, he was up and transforming into a raven. He flew off.

"What's wrong?"

Alder helped me stand up. "I need your help in the conservatory. An animal is hurt."

"M-My help? But I don't know anything about animals."

"It's okay. I just need your presence. You can do that for me, can't you?"

I hesitated. Alder squeezed my shoulder slightly. Help him… I could, couldn't I? He just needed me by his side. That's all I needed to do. So I nodded. Alder patted my head before the world suddenly went fuzzy. The scent of petrichor grew almost suffocating. And then I could breathe. I blinked several times. We were in the conservatory. We had teleported.

"Are you alright?"

"F-Fine. A warning would be nice, next time."

"I apologize. I needed to be quick."

In front of us was a giant rabbit about the size of a lupus pup. It was laying on its side, its chest rising with every rapid breath. It had a large gash on its hind foot. Instead of crimson blood, it was a black goo. Like the one I saw earlier. My eyes widened. Alder led me over to the table. He took my hand and placed it on the rabbit's head. 

"Can you make sure she stays calm?"

"Are you going to save her?"

"Just do as I say, Cahira."

I nodded and swallowed. Alder went to another table and came back with a vial in one hand and a saw in the other. Oh. So that's what he was going to do. I started to pet the rabbit, whispering sweet words of comfort. I wasn't sure if it could understand me, but it was all I could do. 

"Wh-Why are you not patching it up? It's just a gash."

"I have to do this."

"But…" I wanted to protest. This poor rabbit didn't deserve this. But I wasn't an expert. He was. "Make it quick."

"Look away, Cahira."