I sent a painted butterfly to mother and waited. It didn’t take long after it flew in front of her face. A black ripple next to me sent a shiver down my spine. Did she just open a portal to check on me?

She pierced the veil, walking through the portal with Roland. Mother quickly walked over and began checking to see if I was okay.

“Mother, I am fine!”

Elise smiled and kissed my forehead. “And I am glad. Well, I can see this is quite something.”

She looked over the spirits dancing in the air. The water opened even further, and I stood in stunned silence. An ethereal woman with blue hair floated out—twinkling specs shining around her blue dress, laced with green. Her beauty was almost otherworldly, not that I could talk.

“It’s been a long time, Elise,” the woman said to my astonishment. “I see you even had a child. I never thought that would happen.”

“Tidesdottor,” Mother said, “I never thought I’d see you again in this lifetime.”

Janie gaped, running towards the water before Yumi grabbed her. The scene of her legs running in the air repeated itself.

The spirit smiled and laughed cutely. Tidesdottor looked at Janie in bemusement. “What is your name, girl?”

“I am Janie! And my best friend is Princess En!”

This time I gaped. “Best friend?”

“Mhm! That’s right!” She cheered.

“Tidesdottor is a great water spirit,” Mother said as the spirit floated to the river bank. She looked at Yumi—still holding onto the dragon troublemaker. “Don’t worry. Tidesdottor wouldn’t hurt a painted butterfly.”

The spirit landed almost on the ground—held slightly in the air by a stream of water. She surfed over to us. I could better make out a glowing blue tattoo on her face—like primitive outlines of her features. It wrapped around her eyes, nose, and mouth. She pointed at me.

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“En, huh?” She closed her eyes, and the tattoos on her face brightened. “Interesting, but no. I am sorry. You aren’t the one.”

I looked towards Mother’s face, but it remained unreadable. I grabbed her hand. “Mommy, what is she talking about?”

The one to answer was the great spirit herself. She opened her eyes, grinning towards me. “It’s my job to decide the future of the spirits. Even if you are Elise’s daughter, I must remain impartial.”

More confusion mounted, and Janie ran over to the spirit, grabbing her dress. “Don’t be mean, lady!”

“Mean?” Tidesdottor asked, putting a finger on her chin and tilting her head. She looked over the nodding dragon girl and closed her eyes once more. The tattoos lit up again. She smiled, opening her eyes and her palms towards Janie. A white spirit graced her hands. “You met this one, yes?”

Janie nodded, and the small white spirit danced towards Janie’s horns. It twirled around her horns in a figure eight. “What is its name?” My dragon best friend asked tentatively.

“Her name is undecided yet, but she is special.”

“Special how?” Janie asked.

Tidesdottor giggled and covered her mouth cutely. “I guess that will be for you to figure out.”

“No fair! What about her name!?”

“That will also be for you to figure out!” The great spirit giggled, surfing backwards towards the lake. She spread her arms out, and the spirits fanned out above her head.

“Until next time,” the great spirit said, her body slowly dissipating with the rising sun. “Give the spirit queen my regards.”

Janie almost ran after her, but Yumi quickly grabbed her before she dove into the water. The spirit floating around the dragon’s head seemed to vanish, too.

I pulled on Mother’s dress. “How do you know a great spirit?”

She frowned slightly before righting her expression. “It was a long time ago before I met your father.”

“Was it something bad?”

“No, dear,” she said, hugging me, “It’s a long story.”

Janie ran over to join our group hug. “I like stories!”

“Fufu, I am sure you do.”

Adelisa cleared her throat. “Your maj---” a gaze from my mother corrected her. “My queen, we should probably get back to the carriages.”

Mother sighed, releasing the group hug. “You’re right. Besides, a queen and a princess shouldn’t disappear from their escorts, right?”

Adelisa nodded fiercely.

“Fufu, and what about escorts running off with those princesses to play?”

“It was my idea!” Janie yelped.

“Don’t worry,” Mother said, patting the dragon and I. “Call it a royal joke for royal pains in the---”

Roland coughed. “The sun will only get higher. Better if we reach the city before sunset.”

He motioned for everyone, and we all surrounded him. A magical circle spread out on the ground around us, and in the blink of an eye we were transported.