Of all the times to run out of courage, Nela asked, why did it have to be now?

She stood there, staring at the front door of her grandfather's new house. She wanted to open it, go through, greet him and get welcomed back. Just like so many times before, a childhood part of her wanted to go back to. Even if it could never, ever happen.

She stood there, tense with anxiety. Nela had changed, in so many ways, and she wasn't sure the old man would like who she was now. And she couldn't ignore the possibility that he'd reject her, just like her parents had. Aether's blood, for all she knew, he'd come to agree with them.

Being told she was a disgrace to all elves still hurt, even years later.

Move your arse, Nela told herself, despite not moving. Open the door, knock, do something. If Ronny could see her now, he'd think she was make a big deal out of nothing.

If only...but Ronny was not here now, and she'd have to work this out on her own. Right now she was wishing she was anywhere but out in the street at night, not getting eaten up by biting bugs or fighting herself. She rubbed at her arm, feeling the painful itch that one of the bugs had left.

That was another thing she'd have to get used to all over again, now that she was back in Hallowscroft. They didn't have these bugs further south, in the cooler regions. The tradeoff was...well, the cold. That part she didn't miss.

Well, if she wanted to get away from the bugs, she'd have to go inside. Time to shut up and push through. Nela tugged at her horsetail, making sure her hair was still tied back. After confirming it, she reached out for the door.

Before she could grab the handle, it swung open, revealing her grandfather. Morgivel looked even more aged than Nela remembered. "Can I help you?"

"Nice to see you too, old man," Nela answered, trying to hide being on edge.

"Wait..." He stood there, staring at her, mouth wide open in shock. "Neredyla?"

"Nela," she corrected him with an angry sigh. Of course he wouldn't know, but even so, it still was frustrating. But this was not the time to start a big argument over it, not with him. "Mind if I come in?"

"Right, right, of course." Morgivel got out of the way. Smiling in spite of herself, Nela strode through the open door. It had been way too long.

She came to a stop the instant she saw her grandfather's guests. She wasn't surprised he had people over. He was a healer, people came to him for help, that she expected. What was a surprise was both of the people here were definitely not elves.

Standing to the side was one of those darker-skinned men from the north wearing a working man's outfit. Re-something, she thought, trying to remember what they were called. She really ought to have a better head for that. He gave her a curious look, obviously sizing her up.

Sitting across the table was a young woman, who looked exhausted. She wore a plain tunic and pants, which was a bit odd but not unheard of. However, they weren't fit for her. A cup of something, which was likely tea knowing her grandfather, sat in front of her. Definitely was the one here to see Morgivel, Nela thought.

Her timing was unlucky, but it could be worse. Nela hated to imagine what would have happened if her mother or father had been here. Shouting, probably, lots of shouting and anger and even more words that couldn't be taken back.

No, she was thinking about it now, and that had to stop.

Her thoughts did stop, but only because Nela found herself swept into an unexpected hug. "You're back," her grandmother whispered, holding her tightly.

"Uh, of course, fine. Can you let me go?" Nela found herself pulling away as much as possible, uncomfortable. She really didn't need to be pressed up against someone.

After a moment, Beryla released her grip, and Nela stepped away, shaking it off. "It's so good to see you again," her grandmother said, "Have a seat."

"But...what about them?" Not that Nela wanted to kick those two out, but they probably wouldn't care about her story.

"We were about to leave," the man said. Now that Nela looked more closely, he wasn't that much older than her.

"Actually, I think I'd better introduce you two first. This is Neredyla, my former apprentice, and one of my grandchildren."

"Call me Nela," Nela added quickly. Honestly, the old man just couldn't take a hint.

"You never mentioned an apprentice before," the visitor commented.

"Well...you know." Morgivel shrugged, "This is Hamond. He's another healer, and was helping me with matters."

So, her replacement, in other words. While Nela didn't doubt her grandfather needed the help, the fact that the elders had agreed to allow it was...just strange. If they didn't approve of her taking over as healer, why would they approve of him?

"A pleasure to meet you," Hamond said, giving a slight nod. "Now, I'm sorry, but we do need to get going." The woman on the other side of the table stood up silently, also nodding in Nela's direction.

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"Have a good night," Nela answered, watching as they left the house. Good, now she could finally settle in. Walking around the table, she set her pack down, then threw herself down on the chair the woman had been sitting in.

"Thank the sages you're still alive, and came back to us." Beryla took a seat at the table as well, followed by Morgivel.

"I'm not going to die that easily," Nela boasted.

"I see it didn't kill your spirit either," Morgivel spoke up, "What about the other Elefae that left? You must know something."

Nela sighed, her mood souring. She had hoped to not be reminded. "I'm not fully sure. There was one other elf who marched back with us, but I don't know him. The rest...well, a lot of people died."

"I take it you saved as many as possible." Morgivel's face fell. "Still, so many lost...there will be plenty of grief to go around."

"Did what I could." Nela immediately thought of Ronny. Saving him had nothing to do with her healer training, but that still ought to count.

"It's all a healer can do, yes, yes." Morgivel said, "But you did get more experience as a healer."

"Sort of," Nela answered, "When I went to volunteer, the man I talked to just straight told me he didn't believe I was healer. Said I could join up with the cooks instead."

"I suppose you turned down that offer." Morgivel let out a long raspy sigh.

"I took it," Nela said, "Didn't have a choice, had nowhere else really to go. Getting kicked out of your home tends to do that."

"I'm sorry," Morgivel said softly, pained.

"Don't worry about it," Nela said, ready to move on. "So anyway, yes, I was an assistant cook. Never been much for cooking, but I can follow directions, and figured I might get a chance later to prove myself as a healer."

"I'm sure you did fine as a cook," her grandmother told her.

"Well, I only got to be a cook for a few months. Once we got to the battlefield, they took everyone they could find from the workers and such and just tossed weapons into our hands. Men, women, whoever, they wanted anyone who could fight."

"Even a healer like you?" Morgivel said.

Nela took a deep breath. The old man was just not following. "None of them knew that. I was just an assistant cook to them. More importantly, I was another body they could throw into the war."

"But wouldn't they have to train you?" Morgivel asked.

"They did." Nela paused, thinking back. "About a month's worth, practicing with various weapons. Turns out, I'm a decent shot with a crossbow, so I ended up as one of the archers."

The pair of them just sat silently. Right, like most elves, her grandfather still viewed the whole war poorly. Better not to mention the battles she'd fought in, the enemy men she'd killed.

"Well, after a while, I actually got another chance," Nela continued, "One of the men there got boozed on duty, fell down and messed up his leg. I was the one there first, so I just took care of healing it. That got attention."

"Good work," Morgivel said.

"Of course." Nela was absolutely not going to mention meeting Ronny, not yet. "Did healing work, got settled in, and then everything went arse up."

Morgivel paled. "What happened?"

Nela hesitated, unsure how to describe it. "They hit our camp in a surprise attack. We had to make a run for it, and a bunch of men never made it out." She didn't think any words would ever be enough. The dust kicked up, the screams and shouts as the men scattered in the face of those giant stone things, the blood...

"Oh. Oh no."

"We regrouped about a hexday later. After that, we were ordered to return to Hallowscroft. They...pretty sure they want us back with new men next year." Nela thumped the table in frustration. "No way I'm going again, though."

"Good. You shouldn't." Nela couldn't think she'd ever seen her grandfather look so fierce. "I don't want to have to bury any of my grandchildren. You, or anyone."

"I'd rather you not bury me either," Nela remarked. As terrible as going through that had been, she wasn't about to dwell on what ifs. She had lived, Ronny had lived, and what came next is what mattered.

"So then, what's next?" Morgivel asked after a moment, studying her. "I assume you came looking for a place to sleep, but we don't really have the room."

"I noticed," Nela said. If she hadn't asked around in advance, she wouldn't have known they'd moved houses while she was away. "What happened to the old house, anyway?"

"The roof leaked and rotted," Beryla said, stifling a yawn.

"We didn't have a choice," Morgivel added.

"That's fair." No one wanted a roof falling on their heads. "I can always go back to the camp outside town. Even though I was getting tired of it."

"Hold on, you're all still camped out there? Why?"

"Well, most of us. We were supposed to get our pay the day after we got back, so only one night out there." Nela found herself yawning now. Aether, it was late. "But then, uh, the lord's son, our commander? He sort of just...vanished. Went into town, never came back. So we're stuck waiting for orders that don't seem to be coming."

Morgivel just shook his head.

"I was going to look for someone tomorrow to figure out what's going on," Nela explained, "Doubt I'd be so lucky to get an actual meeting with the lord, but someone has to know what's happening, and can get things moving. Because if some of those men don't get paid soon..."

Morgivel leaned forward. "Nela...can you keep something secret?"

"Well, yes." It was almost like she was keeping a few of them already, including from her grandparents.

"You remember the young lady who was here earlier?" Morgivel said quietly, "That was the young Lady Hallowscroft."

Nela felt like a feather could have knocked her over. She mouthed silently, unable to speak.

That had been Ronny's sister?

Of all the...how? She'd been a few steps away from the answer to her problems, the key to finding Ronny, and she'd missed it by that much? Nela knew, with no doubt, that she had to be the unluckiest arse in Hallowscroft. That was the only answer.

Or maybe she was the luckiest.

"Why...why was she here?" Nela finally found her words.

"She's been recovering under that healer's care." Morgivel's face grew even more grim. "You may not have heard, but someone attacked her."

"That means..." Nela muttered out loud, thinking quickly. No question about it. If they went after her, Myron Hallowscroft...Ronny...he'd have been targeted too.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time she'd had to pull his arse out of the fire.

"So, this healer..." Nela trailed off, trying to remember the name. "Hamond, was it? Do you think he might have a spare bed?"

"He might," Morgivel said with a growing smile. "I think I see your plan. But you'll have to convince him."

"Won't know until I try," Nela answered, suspicious of that smile. As annoying as it was, there wasn't enough time left to figure out what her grandfather was plotting. "Thanks for letting me in. I'll try to visit back with you in a few days. Oh, one more thing." She swallowed, knowing that this was asking a bit much. "Don't tell my mother or father I'm back yet. Please."

"Very well. You'd better hurry, before it gets much later." Morgivel rose to his feet. "May the grace and glory of the Fae accompany you."

She definitely was going to need it. "The same to both of you. I'm off." Grabbing her sack, she barely held herself back from sprinting out the door. Time to pay this Hamond a visit.