When I woke up, my body felt completely refreshed. The ache and pain of the earlier battle disappeared. I slowly sat up, stretching my muscles and letting out a groan. Despite Adler's magic sapping my energy, I felt amazing. Not only that, but I could feel the emotional turmoil melt away as well. I slowly pulled my legs over the edge of the bed, a small smile on my face.

I wasn't upset about the fight anymore. I did so amazing for my skill level! I fought against something so much stronger than I am. And I held my own. If I had done this before I started training with Stolas, I would've died immediately. Stolas probably wouldn't even let me fight. So yes, I was proud of myself.

And I was embarrassed. I had given up so easily at the end. I just accepted my fate when I should have been fighting against it. I should have pushed past the pain I felt and fought until the very end. I knew next time I would do better. I would be better. With an optimistic sigh, I stood up and got dressed. After I finished, I walked out of my room. My foot hit something soft and fuzzy. I looked down.

"Ms. Rabbit!" I gasped, leaning down and picking her up. "What are you doing out here?!"

She was practically trembling in my arms. She was safe, but… Poor thing must be traumatized. From losing her back foot to seeing those creatures succumb to the Atrophy, she's been through a lot. I frowned and hugged her to me, gently running one hand through her soft fur. She needed food to get her energy back up. I headed towards the kitchen, my steps soft and light. When I arrived at the kitchen, I saw Alder sitting on a stool, whittling something. Stolas had his arms crossed and was leaning against the counter. I could just feel how tense it was. I quickly hid myself and crouched against the wall. I peeked over the corner to watch them.

"I truly am sorry, Alder. She's been training hard. I thought she was ready."

Alder's voice was tight, that anger from earlier coming back. "She is not like us. She has not been training her whole life. Cahira may be a war elf, but she has not seen war."

"She has talent. It may not be as natural as other war elves and she may never become the best fighter in the world. But she will be good enough to hold her own."

Wow. My eyebrows furrowed at Stolas's words. He may be right, but I could become the best fighter in the world! If it was only me and everyone else was shit at fighting. Whatever. It didn't matter. What did matter was that I tried my best. My attention went back to the two. I could tell things were about to get heated. Alder's movements became more aggressive as he whittled away at a piece of wood. 

"This is not about talent." He hissed, the knife taking off chunks of wood. "This is about using your brain and protecting those who need it. Cahira was not ready for a battle like that! I expected better of you, Stolas."

That made Stolas scoff. "You expected better of me? I'm making sure she's prepared! She has to travel across half the forest on her own! Not to mention, once she leaves, she'll have to deal with the-"

"Enough!" Alder slammed the wood and knife down on the counter. He glared at Stolas. "Do not speak of Cahira leaving. This is about your insolence and disrespect of what I have asked you to do!"

What did Alder ask Stolas to do? My eyes widened as I tried to listen in. It wasn't hard when their voices raised, getting angrier by the second. I clutched Ms. Rabbit tighter in my arms. Something was wrong between them. I thought things would be fixed by the time I woke up, but they were still fighting. It felt so unnatural to see. I hated it. I watched as Stolas uncrossed his arms. He pushed up his glasses and glared at Alder. This definitely wasn't good.

"And what you asked is ridiculous! I am already going out of my way to train someone who has no skill as well as keep up my duties as patron!"

"It is not ridiculous!" Alder bit back.

Stolas rolled his eyes. "Then what about those other travelers? The ones that you let become victims to the fairies, the ones who've been mauled by the ursidae? They could've used your help!"

"I-" Alder looked flustered at Stolas's rebuttal. He huffed and turned his head away. "It is the circle of life, and I could not intervene. I asked you to intervene with Cahira because I sensed magic."

"And you know how the Empyrians feel about meddling with magic users."

There was so much information being revealed, that I didn't know how to react. Was I the only one that Alder saved? Had he let other travelers succumb to the dangers of the forest? It also seemed like he had asked Stolas to save me. That means that Stolas probably would've left me alone to die if it hadn't been for Alder.

I blinked and tried to organize my thoughts. The Empyrians. They must've given Alder – or at least, the Fairy King – rules about interfering with mortal beings that are blessed with magic. But why me? Why would he try to interfere with my life? It didn't make sense. Or maybe it was simply… an act of kindness. I would dwell on it later. I needed to hear how this played out. 

Alder's hand ran through his hair. "The Empyrians do not care about it as long as it provides them entertainment. Stolas, you disobeyed me. You are not only going against my wishes, but you are completely ignoring what I have to say. And it is unacceptable."

"Oh, please." Stolas waved his hand. "You're being irrational. It's just some little elf, Alder."

"King."

"What?"

Alder stood up, his eyes going dark. "I am your king. You will treat me with respect and address me with respect."

That made Stolas's feathers ruffle. Literally. His wings twitched in anger. "I have treated you and the other Fairy Kings with respect for thousands of years! I have dedicated my entire life to you! How dare you say I do not respect you?! I am tired of always being pushed around like this and with no appreciation! No gratitude! I am at my limit with being treated this way and I won't have it any longer!"

Alder's eyes widened. "Stolas, that is not what I meant and you know it. I'm just-"

"You are blinded, my king! It will destroy you. And I won't be here to save you."

Stolas stomped out of the kitchen, making me fall back in surprise. The rabbit hopped out of my arms and onto the ground beside me. He only gave me a look, a growl, before heading up the stairs. Alder was now standing in front of me. He looked down at me and sighed. 

"Do not cry, little blossom. He'll be back."

I quickly wiped my tears away. Once again, I didn't realize I was crying. I sat up, staring at the ground. Alder said Stolas would be back, but… it was a bad fight. He didn't look like he would come back. For some reason, that terrified me. I picked the rabbit back up and held her in my arms. Her soft warmth comforted me and I finally stood. Alder smiled sadly.

"That was a lot." I murmured. 

Alder reached out, patting my head. "And you were eavesdropping, were you not? That is naughty, little blossom."

"Sorry." I looked away sheepishly. "I came to feed the rabbit, but I didn't want to interrupt."

Alder just hummed in response. He didn't seem to want to talk. I didn't want to force him. He walked back into the kitchen and started to look in the cabinets for some food. I sat on a stool. My hand gently pet the rabbit. The bryum were hiding behind various parts of the kitchen. They all peeked out, their eyes wide as if this was the first time witnessing an argument between the Tasmanicus and the Fairy King.

I wanted to fix it. Deep down, I knew this was all my fault. If I had just refused to follow that raven in the first place, none of this would have happened. It always seemed to fall on me. I always seemed to be causing trouble. Not only for myself, but for others around me. All this time, I believed I was doing good. Following my dreams. Getting away from my family so I wouldn't have to depend on them. Yet here I was, depending on others and ruining the life they had. I watched as Alder came back with a pile of vegetables on a plate. He put it down on the counter.

"It's all my fault." I muttered, my head hanging low.

"Hey, hey. Do not do that, Cahira." Alder took the rabbit and set her on the counter. She started to munch on the plate of veggies. 

My voice wavered and I could feel tears drip down my face. "Is it not true? If I had never shown up-"

"If you had never shown up, I would not be happy. Do not sink into a depression. Do not let your mind spiral." He reached out and cupped my cheeks. His thumbs wiped away my tears.

I shook my head slightly. "If I had never shown up, you and Stolas would not be fighting."

Alder sighed and continued to caress my tears away. "The fight between Stolas and I had been brewing for a while. It is not your fault, Cahira. I do not want you to think you're a burden."

"He thinks so." I whimpered. "Stolas didn't want anything to do with me!"

"He does not think you are a burden! He said things out of anger. But if he did not care for you, he would not have worked so hard to train you. He has talked about your progress and is proud! Just think… if Stolas did not believe in you, he wouldn't have allowed you to fight."

I broke down in tears. I wasn't even the one involved in the argument, and yet it felt like I was. I didn't want Stolas to leave. I didn't want them to fight. I just wanted everyone to be happy again. My body fell forward and I wrapped my arms around Alder. One arm wrapped around my shoulder, while the other softly pressed my head against his chest. 

"I want him to come back."

"I know." Alder whispered. "I do too."