The old memories came back to Annlynn whenever she tried to sleep. Over the next day, though, the emotions would come back during the day too. Nightmares from her past had seeped into her daytime thoughts, reminding her of her worst moments.  Somehow, in a place where she was supposedly going to find peace, she found violence, hate, and anger within herself.

The elves took care of her as best they could. They made sure she had some calming tea when she asked for it, and Sylvani had done her best to ensure that Annlynn’s walking stick was in perfect condition.

They eventually made their way out of the wilderness and into the city. Here, Annlynn wondered if they would whisper about her. As they made their way through a bustling city, it was clear that she was out of place. Most of the elves were much taller than her. She was likely mistaken for a young elf child. Fortunately, no one seemed to care too much, having been too wrapped up within their own visions. There was something about the entire journey which left Annlynn questioning herself. Throughout many quiet moments, as she contemplated the prophecy, and her own life, she could be certain that maybe she wasn’t a girl at all. Although for the time being, she left those questions to hang in the silence.

Eventually, they took her to a hospital. There, Annlynn stuffed down the ideas about gender. She had been living as a girl her whole life. What would it matter if she decided to try to make the shift?

But as she toyed with the realization, there was a sense of relief within it. During her flower crown ceremony, something had felt off in ways which she struggled to describe. But then as she contemplated the prophecy, as well as what the elves had told her, it had all made sense.

The doctor began by asking her some questions.

How old was she? Thirteen, and her birthday was a month ago.

What did she want out of the visit? To check on her leg, and then to work on getting her magic back to normal.

The doctors nodded, and at this point, they took her backstage and weighed her. She was about ten pounds underweight, according to some old literature. Thanks to my old stepmother. Annlynn didn’t say anything about her old life; her village had been at a relative famine for a while. Perhaps it was cruel to blame her stepmother. But the bitter hatred remained.

When they took her to a magic practitioner, she found herself underneath a short spell which hampered her consciousness. During that time, she didn’t remember much; just that her magic wound backwards, and that this time, she could feel it as if there were different parts of a snake within her. She smiled. She should have been doing other things, but instead, she was here, fighting herself—as well as the rest of her.

When she reawakened, the doctor turned to her, gesturing her to sit up.

“So you’re mostly healthy; you just need some more food, and some time to heal the broken leg,” the elf said. “We cannot risk healing either with magic. Unfortunately, your magic will take many years to heal. In that case, magic could help, but it cannot be the only source of help,”

“I know,” Annlynn felt disappointed, but not surprised. “The elves said the same thing.”

“You have a long healing journey ahead of you, if you want to use your magic,” the elf practitioner said. “Because it’s more than possible that you make a full recovery, so long as you’re able to do the work.”

Annlynn nodded. “I understand.”

She didn’t, though. Her magic should have died out when she was really young. But now, as she found herself facing a new reality, it was alive again.

Were these the unfinished businesses the elven ghost had referred to? Annlynn didn’t have a clue, but she found herself thinking about things as she made her way out to the elven huntresses. Each one looked uncomfortable in the city. It was here which Annlynn knew.

“You guys don’t mean to stay here,” Annlynn asked.

“We’re going to take you to the king, and then we’re going to sort out your adoptive family,” Valaris said. “But this was our unfinished business. I’m sorry. But we have to go back to our job of hunting.”

Annlynn turned back to her. “I don’t think you need to be. I will miss you, but I would likely have died that day. And for now, that is enough.”

“You know, it’s okay to be disappointed or sad,” Valaris said. “None of us here would be angry with you.”

She, on the inside, wished she could ask them to be her family instead. On some level, she was excited to have an elven family, but in many senses, she found herself thinking more about what happened last time.

She had run away, and although her journey was incomplete, she had found her way here. In some senses, for the first time in a while, Annlynn gave herself permission to be proud of herself. If nothing else, if her new family was cruel, she could just run away once more.

Her bittersweet spirits had dwindled as Annlynn thought about what the healing journey might look like, as well as what it would mean for her. She turned back to the elves.

“I do think I want to try and heal my magic,” Annlynn said. “Whatever that means.”

“It’s going to be a long journey,” Asonya said. “And in five years time by your human years, you will likely have to choose whether you want your destiny. Because if there is anything the elven practitioner has uncovered, it’s that your destiny is not dead, and neither is your magic. Whatever they tried to do to you in order to stop it has failed.”

That was the other thing that had puzzled Annlynn—although she scarcely had time to think about it. She was supposed to be a boy, but she had been born a girl. Somehow, even after everything, parts of it made sense, but she didn’t want to think about that. At least, not yet.

She wanted to explore the elven world, to heal, and to find a comfortable life here—one devoid of stepmothers who would do anything other than feed her dinner when she needed it most.

An anger lurked beneath the surface—one which she couldn’t quite tame this time. She had learned a lot about healthy relationships in the past few weeks. And now, as she found herself in the elven world, facing her new life, she had seen a taste of what a family was supposed to be like.

The aspects of her contemplation had left her feeling like she had discovered a new arena.

Once she stepped outside, she was much clearer still; they had apparently stalled her magic. But this time, she was able to appreciate the saltwater, as well as the size of the city.

Thick trees with moss around them waited outside, and there were a few parks throughout. However, the city that waited for them outside the hospital was bustling—with darkened stone for the material on most houses. Much of the cities had a Gothic feel to it.

Maybe she could eventually find another name for herself, too, giving herself the fresh start she knew she needed.