Subaru and Emilia woke up early the next morning. Emilia restarted the fire with a wave of her hand.

“Subaru, I think that you should go check on Anri,” Emilia murmured as they dressed.

Subaru looked pained. “Um. Maybe you should do that, Mili. I don’t think she would care to wake up and find a strange man staring at her while she sleeps.”

Emilia sighed. “A strange man or a wicked witch. Which do you think she’d prefer?”

Subaru flinched. “I guess you have a point,” He admitted. He scratched his chin for a moment and pulled a gold coin out of his satchel. “Flip you for it?” He offered.

Emilia looked at him, unamused. “Get going, Subaru.” She handed him a few small logs from the wood pile. “Here. If she’s not awake yet, build up the fire in her house. We need to keep her warm. I’m not certain if she can use mana to warm herself. I’ll start making breakfast.”

Subaru chuckled. “Yes, dear,” He said as he left the house.

The forest and the village were quiet that morning. The storm had passed and the sun was shining but the forest was shrouded in mist thick enough to walk on.

It’s freezing out here! How the hell do you get fog when it’s this cold?! More unnatural weather caused by Emilia’s curse?

Subaru looked around the village but visibly was reduced to maybe twenty feet so there wasn’t much to see.

Subaru carried the logs across the ‘street’ to the other cottage. Subaru hesitated at the door and then knocked quietly.

He heard nothing so Subaru cracked the door and peeked in.

Anri was still asleep and the fire was dying down to embers. The girl was a loud snorer.

Subaru crept into the house and quietly added the logs to the dwindling fire. He tried to angle the logs to catch the remaining embers and saw the flames slowly creep along the dry bark of the new logs.

When he was satisfied that he had breathed new life into the fire, he walked over to the bed where the girl was sleeping.

There was no sign of any injury or illness other than the broken arm and Anri was sleeping peacefully.

Well, it looks like she’s recovering from her night in the tree pretty well. Of course, that does beg the question of what do we do with her now…

Subaru turned to leave the house. “Ouch!” He swore as he tripped over something.

The girl’s snoring changed note but after a moment she burrowed deeper into her blankets and kept on sleeping, her snoring muted.

Subaru looked down and discovered that he had tripped over a rapier in a beautiful, elaborate sheath that was lying on the floor.

Subaru picked it up and inspected it. He partially drew the blade.

Wow. I don’t know much about swords but this blade is beautiful! The metalwork is covered in delicate engravings.

I’m guessing that this belongs to the girl. For some reason, I have a hard time picturing Emilia’s people carrying weapons.

She must have dropped it.

Subaru made a face. Maybe I should borrow this for a while… Just in case she gets any ideas…

“Hey. Who are you?” A voice asked.

Subaru jumped and spun around.

The girl’s eyes were open and she was staring at Subaru blearily.

Subaru flashed her a smile. “Hi. My name’s Subaru. I understand that you made me some medicine last night.”

Anri sat up in bed with a yawn, holding the blankets tight to her chest to preserve her modesty. “It was no big deal. You certainly seem to have made a fast recovery.”

Subaru chuckled. “If you had any idea how much shit we’ve been through lately, you’d know why I need to be a quick healer.”

Anri smirked at him. “Yeah, Emilia told me that you guys have had it rough. I’m Anri.”

“Nice to meet you. Emilia is making breakfast right now if you want some.”

“Food sounds great. Hey, you mind turning around for a minute?”

“I don’t mind,” Subaru obediently turned around. “But wouldn’t it be easier if I just left the cottage?”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Anri said as Subaru heard her getting dressed.

Subaru shrugged. “OK…”

“What do you think about going to one of the local villages today?”

“For what?”

“Well, food for starters. Emilia told me you don’t have much food left and this forest can’t be easy to forage in.”

“I’ve got to admit, we didn’t have much luck,” Subaru replied ruefully, recalling their aimless wanderings through the woods.

“Also if we go to one of the local villages, I can get out of your hair. I can probably buy a ride from a traveling merchant and get where I need to get to.”

“And where’s that?” Subaru asked.

“You can turn around now, Subaru. Oh, I’ve been on the road for weeks trying to get home. I’ve had the worst luck along the way and been bounced from place to place but I’m finally almost there and all I need to do is finish the homestretch!”

Subaru turned around and saw Anri standing there dressed in her blue hooded riding cloak and brown pants. Her arm still hung in a sling. She flashed Subaru a broad grin as she finished lacing up her shirt.

Subaru cocked his head and his eyes narrowed slightly. “That was a stirring reply, Anri,” Subaru complimented her in a neutral tone. “And while all answers are replies, not all replies are answers. You didn’t answer my question. Where exactly are you trying to get to?”

Anri’s smile tightened. “Say, Subaru, do you think that we know each other well enough for me to say ‘my business is none of yours?’ I mean, I think that we both have secrets we’d rather not share.”

“Oh, hell yeah!” Subaru agreed calmly. “And honestly, I don’t really care where you’re going. But as far as ‘your business not being my business’, well that’s only true for so long as it’s true.”

Anri frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Subaru looked at her intently. “It means that I don’t want to have to care about your secrets, Anri,” Subaru said in a grim voice. “They’re just more mess for me to deal with when I’m already spread pretty goddamn thin. Your secrets aren’t my business. But if they put me and Emilia in danger then they become my business pretty damn quick. You get me?”

Anri’s eyes opened wide at Subaru’s hard tone. Subaru was suddenly acting like a completely different person. There was a chill light in his eye that made her feel as if she was being analyzed as easily as she might study a ledger. “Yeah… I get you,” The girl said, trying to sound flippant but not quite pulling it off.

“So tell me the truth, Anri,” Subaru said firmly. “Can I ignore your problems or is there something that you should be warning me about right now?”

Anri swallowed hard. “I don’t… think so…”

Subaru appraised her for a long moment. Then he made a face and sighed. “Alright. I guess I’ll accept that for the time being.”

Anri blinked in surprise. Subaru’s tone had shifted back to the same calm, casual voice he’d had before.

Subaru waved his hand. “Look, I won’t ask any questions about you if you promise that you won’t answer any questions about us. I get the funny feeling that both of us are hiding from something. Otherwise, why would you come into the forest at all?”

Anri’s lips thinned but she didn’t answer immediately. “I suppose you might be onto something there,” She conceded. “It would probably be for the best if I left as soon as possible and forgot that I ever met you. That way we won’t… inconvenience each other.”

Subaru nodded. “Makes sense to me.”

Anri looked at Subaru’s hand and he suddenly realized that he was still holding her rapier. “So, can I assume,” She muttered, “That you’ll be… holding onto that for me until we part ways?” She asked sarcastically.

Subaru thought for a moment then shrugged and held the rapier out to her.

Anri took the sword with her good hand, looking up at him in confusion.

“No,” Subaru replied calmly. “I don’t see any need to do that.”

Anri stared at Subaru with a perplexed expression on her face.

“What is it?” Subaru asked.

“I don’t know,” Anri admitted. “This may sound funny but… I think maybe it would have worried me less if you’d insisted on keeping the sword. Giving it back… kind of suggests that you’re completely unconcerned that I might try to use it.”

Subaru gave Anri a slow smirk as he opened the cottage door. “So. Coming for breakfast?” He asked calmly.

Anri swallowed hard and nodded.

“One more thing,” Subaru said as he stepped outside. “Cooking is still… more of an art than a science for Emilia. So, if you could try not to comment on breakfast, I’d really appreciate it.”

Subaru and Anri entered the cottage. They found Emilia cooking soup.

Emilia looked up. “Good morning, Anri! Are you feeling any better?”

Anri gave Emilia a broad grin. “Well, my skin isn’t blue anymore! So that’s progress!”

Emilia laughed. “How’s your arm feeling?”

“Not bad, really. I think that it’s mending,” Anri replied. “I'm mostly just feeling tired right now more than anything else. Which is weird because I literally just woke up.”

“Mili, can I do anything to help you make breakfast?” Subaru asked.

“Oh, I’m fine, Subaru. It’s nearly done. Why don’t you and Anri just take a seat at the table.”

The pair sat down across from one another at the table. Anri looked slightly uncomfortable to be sitting this close to him.

“Emilia,” Anri said. “Where did you say was the nearest town?”

“Nearest?” Emilia murmured, fussing with the soup. “Hm. I think… that would be Rixum.”

“Is it far?” Anri continued.

Emilia nodded. “It’s a goodly distance from here, Anri. I used to walk there from time to time when I had things to trade. It’s just beyond the southeastern edge of the forest. But are you sure you should be out of bed this soon?”

Anri shrugged. “I’m a little tired but hopefully I can just sleep on a merchant’s wagon if I can buy passage from out of Rixum.”

“Rixum is a pretty long walk,” Emilia warned her. “Can you use mana to keep yourself warm in the forest?”

“What do you mean?” Anri asked in confusion. “I don’t have much mana. I only ever mastered a few very basic healing spells.”

Emilia gave Subaru a worried look.

Subaru shrugged. “That’s OK, we’ll all take Patrasche.”

“Take what?” Anri asked.

“Patrasche. That’s what I decided to call the dragon.”

Emilia squinted at him. “Subaru, that’s a really strange name. Where did you even hear that name?”

Subaru smirked at her. “I’ll tell you. Someday.”

Emilia glowered at him.

Subaru’s smile was beatific.

“OK,” Anri murmured. “I feel like I’m missing something here…”

“Private joke,” Subaru shrugged.

Emilia sighed and shook her head. “Well, I suppose that we need to go to town today anyway. We’re nearly out of food. We only have enough for one or two more meals.”

Anri nodded. “Hey, great timing! You guys get to buy food and you get me out of your hair. It’s a win-win!”

Subaru nodded. “Anri, do you think that you could be ready to go this afternoon?”

Anri blinked. “Um. Actually, I’m ready now. Why the delay?”

Subaru shrugged. “I just have a few chores around here that I want to take care of before we head out,” He said innocently. “Besides, you already said how tired you were. A few more hours of sleep might do you good.”

Emilia squinted at him from behind Anri’s back.

Breakfast was a thin broth with a few vegetables in it. After they’d finished, Anri returned to the other cottage to take a nap and Subaru helped Emilia tidy up.

“Subaru, what did you mean about doing chores?” Emilia asked as she scrubbed the pot.

“I just wanted to take a look at a few things before we send Anri on her way and put her out of our minds,” Subaru replied, drying the bowls.

Emilia stopped cleaning. “I know that look on your face, Subaru,” She said in a worried voice. “Do you think Anri is an enemy?”

Subaru hesitated. “No,” He said slowly. “Or at least… I don’t want to. I just think that there’s a lot of weird stuff going on around here lately and I’d like to poke around a little before we leave.”

“What did you want to look at?”

“Do you think you could find that place you told me about? The place the lightning was shooting from last night?” Subaru asked.

Emilia frowned thoughtfully. “I can,” She said finally. “But it’s a long ways off, Subaru. I don’t like the idea of you walking that far away from the village. You could get caught in a sudden storm again and you don’t move very fast.”

“Patrasche does,” Subaru said cheerfully. “If we run into stormy weather, she’ll be able to get us back here quick.”

Emilia mulled that over. “I suppose that makes sense,” She admitted. “But are you sure that we should even go to this place? It might be dangerous.”

“Exactly. That’s why we need to try to figure out what was going on there. If there is something dangerous in the forest then we need to know about it.”

Emilia resumed scrubbing the pot. “And you think that Anri might have had something to do with it?”

“I don’t know,” Subaru said honestly.

“She seems very nice, Subaru,” Emilia said in a neutral voice.

“Yeah. She does,” He agreed.

“She even made you medicine last night. But you think that she might be an enemy?” Emilia whispered, her voice growing sad.

Subaru stopped drying the bowls and looked Emilia full in the face. “I don’t know, Mili,” He said simply. “I just don’t know. I’d love to be able to just say that Anri seems very nice and we should trust her and help her as much as we can but we’ve had to learn the hard way that life just isn’t that simple. The past few weeks I’ve kept seeing people I thought were friends turn out to be enemies.”

“Subaru,” Emilia objected softly. “You know that wasn’t their fault.”

Subaru sighed. “I’m not sure that I care a whole lot if it was their ‘fault’ anymore, Mili. We’re dealing with the same mess regardless. Besides, if we’re talking about folks like Ayane betraying us, it was definitely her fault. And then there’s Roswaal. He was playing us like a fiddle the whole time we knew him. I don’t know. Maybe I’m going to far in the other direction now, being suspicious of everyone I meet, but we’re in a desperate situation here, Mili. We’re exhausted and our resources are almost gone. We need to be careful.”

Emilia thought and then slowly nodded. “I suppose you’re right,” She sighed.

“Once we finish cleaning, we’ll head out to investigate that lightning show you saw. Then we’ll take Anri to Rixum.”

Emilia nodded with an unhappy expression on her face.

The other reason I want to be gone for a while is to see if Anri does anything while we’re out. If she leaves her cottage and goes ‘exploring’ that will tell me what she’s interested in…

Subaru and Emilia walked through the village as the mist slowly dissipated in the morning sun.

“So this is where you grew up?” Subaru murmured.

Emilia gave him half a smile and slipped an arm around his waist. “Be it ever so humble,” She replied.

As the mist finally burned off, Subaru got his first good look at the village and it stopped him in his tracks.

Emilia looked at him. “Subaru? What is it?”

Subaru didn’t respond. He stared at the village that lay before him. Village didn’t do the place justice. Rather than a few tiny shacks this place would have been a respectable town anywhere in this world. The houses were built among mighty trees that rivaled redwoods. The houses were large and varnished and most had intricate patterns carved into the wood. Their roofs were made of purple stone of some kind. Most amazingly, the town was built in levels. While most houses sat on the forest floor, there was a whole other level far above with houses built into the boughs of the enormous trees and entire neighborhoods overhead were connected by hanging bridges. Almost every major tree had a stairway to the upper levels. Even on the ground, many houses appeared to have physically been built into the trees.

“Subaru! Are you alright?!”

Subaru shook his head in wonder. “This place is amazing,” He whispered. He glanced back at Emilia’s house. Emilia’s home was varnished a golden brown and its shingles were purple, either painted or made from some naturally purple rock. The door was painted a dark green and a crescent moon symbol was carved into the front.

Emilia frowned and looked at the village. “What is?”

“The village! It’s awesome! This is exactly the kind of place where elves should live!” Subaru said in completely unfeigned excitement. He grabbed the startled Emilia’s hand. “Show me more!”

Emilia’s surprised face broke into a broad smile. “I’m not sure what I could show you, honestly.”

Subaru took her hands in his own. “Show me everything. I want to understand what your life was like before we met. Show me everything that you used to do around here.”

Emilia giggled. “That’s really not very interesting, Subaru.”

Subaru kissed her cheek. “I always find you fascinating, Mili. Maybe you could give me a tour of the village? I’ve always wanted to see it.”

“Really? How come?”

“Well, it just gives me some insight into where you come from and who you were before we met.”

“Subaru, I thought you wanted to go investigate the lightning storm?”

Subaru’s smile faded. “Oh, right. Yeah. Well, business before pleasure, I guess,” He sighed.

Emilia led Subaru to the village stable. The building was old and rundown but the insides seemed to be in good condition. The straw lining the pens was old but Patrasche was wide awake and peered at Subaru over the door of her stall with bright-eyed excitement.

“Hey, Patrasche,” Subaru said affectionately, scratching the dragon’s head.

She closed her eyes enjoying the sensation.

“Subaru, I never knew that you were so good with animals,” Emilia said, sounding impressed.

He laughed. “Neither did I!”

Subaru found her saddlebag hung on the wall. He dug around inside the bag and found some food. It looked like kibble. Subaru found a small bowl in the stable and he filled it up with food for a very excited Patrasche. The dragon quickly dug in.

Huh. That doesn’t seem like very much food.

I remember reading somewhere that reptiles need a lot less food than mammals but I don’t know if that applies to dragons too.

Patrasche finished the bowl and seemed to have no immediate interest in eating more. She proceeded to nuzzle Subaru’s chest.

“The way to a dragon’s heart is through her stomach,” Subaru murmured to Emilia.

Emilia flashed him a smile.

Subaru led Patrasche outside the stable and then saddled her.

This is a little harder than it looks but at least I got it done. It helps that Patrasche seems to be guiding me in terms of what goes where.

Subaru climbed on top of the dragon and reached down to help pull Emilia into place behind him.

Emilia settled in place and began to fidget.

Subaru glanced back at her. “OK, do you remember where that storm was?”

“Yes. You’ll want to go north. It’s not especially far from the village,” Emilia said in a nervous voice. “Um. I’ve never ridden an earth dragon before. What should I do?”

Subaru chuckled. “Hold on tight.”

Emilia jumped and wrapped her arms tightly around Subaru’s waist.

“Alright, Pastrache,” Subaru said, “You ready to go?”

The earth dragon clucked appreciatively and began to trot through the snow drifts down the snowy trail that led out of the village.

Pastrache took a slow and steady pace as she followed the trail. Patrasche kept glancing back at her passengers.

Oh, you think I’m falling for this, girl? I know that you’re setting us up for a practical joke. You’re letting me think that you’ve learned your lesson and that you’re going to be chill on this trip. Girl, I am not buying it.

Pastrache kept prancing and clucking as they meandered down the road and out of the village.

It almost sounds like she’s humming to herself. Girl, you need to work on your nonchalance.

“Subaru,” Emilia sounded grumpy, “Why do I need to hold onto you so tight? This ride feels completely safe. Are you trying to trick me? Is this another lewd thing?”

Pastrache immediately bent over and set herself.

“This is all your fault, Mili,” Subaru sighed, “You did this.”

Pastrache took off like a rocket, flying over the snowbanks and kicking up great clouds of powdery white snow.

Emilia and Subaru screamed in harmony as they both hung on for dear life.

Emilia buried her face in his shoulder.

“See, this is kind of what I meant when I suggested holding on tight, Mili,” Subaru yelled, trying to lean into Patrasche and steer her.

“Subaru!” She cried out, squeezing him almost painfully, “Make her slow down!”

“OK, Mili!” Subaru yelled back. “Sure! Any suggestions on how to do that?!”

A half hour later, Emilia and Subaru rode through the forest. By trial and error, they were getting better at leaning into the dragon and controlling her direction.

“Subaru, are you alright?” Emilia said, raising her voice to be heard over the dragon’s thunderous passage as she raced effortlessly over the hard-packed snow. “Are you getting too cold?”

Subaru shook his head. “I’m fine, Mili. You’re doing a great job keeping me warm,” He chuckled.

“The lightning should have come from somewhere around here, Subaru,” Emilia said.

“OK, let’s keep our eyes open. A lightning strike shouldn’t be hard to find.”

Subaru looked around as the woods flew by in a blur.

Well, I say that it shouldn’t be hard to find but what am I even looking for? Everything in this forest looks the same to me. Lightning would usually start fires but can anything even burn in this unnatural winter? These trees looks like they’re half fossilized only instead of turning to stone, they’ve turned to ice! Maybe lightning striking a frozen tree wouldn’t do anything at all. Maybe it would just dissipate the same way as a bolt of lightning hitting the ocean!

“Subaru! Look up there!” Emilia yelled.

Subaru pulled back on the reins and Patrasche growled at as she came to a halt. She looked back at her riders with thinly veiled irritation. Patrasche was born to run. One did not ask Patrasche to stand still. It was a violation of the natural order of things, of the laws of nature. One would no more ask Patrasche to stop running than they could ask a river to stop running.

Subaru shielded his eyes against the sun glittering off the snow and peered up to a large mesa nearby.

He saw several trees up on the mesa had been knocked down or were lying on top of each other at awkward angles.

“That looks promising,” Subaru murmured. “Do you know how we can get up there?”

Emilia nodded and pointed off to their left. Subaru nudged Patrasche back into a run.

When they crested the mesa, Subaru immediately reined in Patrasche.

The earth dragon made a sound of protest at her unreasonable rider’s frequent pauses but Subaru and Emilia didn’t notice.

They looked around the mesa with disbelieving faces.

The mesa was a large plateau at least three hundred yards across and it was covered with a dense grove of tress.

Or at least it had been.

What the fuck happened here?! The place looks like an Internet video about strip-mining! Something sent these trees bouncing around like matchsticks and most of them are burned black!

The trees on the northern and southern sides of the mesa were piled up in big messy heaps and several of them were badly burned. Strangely enough, most of the trees on the east/west sides of the mesa had been spared. Some of the fallen trees looked like they’d been sliced up like a stalk of celery. All that was left was countless smooth, circular slices lying in piles on the ground as if the trunks had been attacked by a demented lumberjack. Some of the fallen trees were peppered with holes the size of Subaru’s fist that had been drilled straight through the trunks. Strangest of all, some of the fallen trees appeared to have been completely petrified and turned into gleaming, faceted crystal.

The center of the mesa was free bereft of snow. Instead, there was a large shallow pool of ice. At the very center was what looked like a demolished bonfire site, surrounded by a group of badly damaged benches made from shaved logs.

“Subaru, what happened here?” Emilia gasped. “Lightning couldn’t have done all this!”

“No, it could not. And I have no idea what could have,” Subaru replied.

He felt Emilia stiffen behind him. “Subaru… do you think it could be… Regulus?”

Subaru’s heart stopped but then he took a deep breath. “I… don’t think so. Regulus could easily do this much damage but as far as I know he can’t throw lightning or fire. Something not only sent these trees flying, it also burned them to charcoal. And don’t even get me started on those trees that somehow turned to fucking glass!” He pointed at the crystallized trunks.

“So what happened here?”

“I don’t know!” Subaru said helplessly, nudging Patrasche forward.

Patrasche started to bolt ahead but Subaru tugged the reins.

Patrasche gave her rider an extremely put-upon look but she obediently moved forward at a walk.

“Subaru, where did that fire pit come from?”

“What do you mean?”

“That fire pit doesn’t belong here!”

“You mean, your people didn’t build it?” Subaru asked.

“I mean that it’s not here,” Emilia emphasized. She hesitated, putting her thoughts in order. “I climbed this mesa after you killed the Snow Blight! I came up here to look for anyplace safe to bring you. When I did, I realized that I wasn’t far from home. And that fire pit and all those benches weren’t here less than two days ago! This was an empty grove!”

Subaru stared at Emilia for a long moment. “This just keeps getting better and better. So… somebody comes into the forest and builds an elaborate bonfire site in the middle of nowhere in the course of a single day. Then, before the sun sets, the site gets mysteriously destroyed as if it was hit by the world’s smallest natural disaster. That sound about right?”

Emilia shook her head. “I don’t know, Subaru.”

Subaru led the dragon in a slow circle around the outer edge of the blasted zone.

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment.

The world slowed down around him and he felt lightheaded. He was only vaguely aware that he was swaying in the saddle. A piercing pain built up in his head and his muscles ached.

“Subaru!” Emilia shouted. Her voice sounded very slow and he felt her arms slowly wrap tightly around him, holding him steady. “What’s wrong?!” She demanded as the world resumed it’s normal pace and speed.

Oh, right. I forgot. Something is wrong with Reason and Judgment right now.

Subaru moaned and rubbed his head. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?!” Emilia asked incredulously.

Subaru hesitated. “I… I think maybe I’ve been pushing it a little too much lately. That’s all.”

Something is wrong with my Authority. It’s been acting funny ever since the incident at the slaver camp.

Could I have… strained it somehow? Overused it? Is that possible?

“Subaru, I think we should just go home,” Emilia said firmly. “You’re exhausted and you were really sick only last night! We can do this another day.”

Subaru shook his head. “We’re already here, Mili. Let’s just take a quick look around before leaving. Patrasche is doing all the walking after all.”

Emilia’s face was disapproving but she nodded reluctantly. “Alright but let’s not linger. Do you think that we’ll actually find a clue as to who did this?”

“Maybe,” Subaru replied as Patrasche patrolled the outer edge of the mesa, occasionally stopping to sniff curiously at a char-broiled log. “We’ve got nothing to lose by trying. I actually think that it was more than one person. That might be good for us. Although, I guess that would be long odds,” Subaru finished, sounding like he was talking to himself.

“More than one person?”

“Yeah. Look at the trees that were destroyed compared to the ones that weren’t destroyed. What does that suggest to you?”

“Subaru,” Emilia grumbled. “I know that you’re more clever than me so just tell me what you’re thinking. Don’t make me guess!”

“Huh. Somebody’s feeling touchy today,” Subaru murmured.

“Somebody is feeling touchy because I’m every bit as exhausted as you!” Emilia snapped. “Not only did I have to trudge all over northern Lagunica with you and lose the spirits but I had to endure Daddy’s scorn and nurse you back to health after you fell into the frozen lake. Did it ever occur to you that I’m at least as tired and frustrated as you are if not more so?!”

Subaru’s head snapped around. Emilia was glowering at him and breathing deeply.

Wow. Never seen Emilia like this before. She must really be on edge.

“I’m sorry, Emilia,” Subaru said in a placating voice. “I forgot how the past week must have worn you out.”

Emilia closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Finally, she opened them. “That’s alright, Subaru,” She said in a more composed tone. “So what do you think happened here?”

Subaru looked over the mesa. “Well, the trees on the north and south parts of the mesa were destroyed but not many trees on the east west part. That makes me think that there was a fight here. Two people were throwing magic or something at one another.”

“A fight?” Emilia said in surprise. “What could have been fighting here to cause all this damage? Dragons?”

Subaru blinked and he looked at Emilia in real concern. “Mili, are there dragons around here?!”

Emilia shook her head. “I’ve never seen a dragon, Subaru.”

Patrasche came to a halt with a loud honk. She gave her passengers a look of profound offense.

“Um. Present company excepted, of course,” Subaru said quickly.

“Yes! I meant… um, I’ve never seen a… um…” Emilia trailed off. “Well, what I meant to say is that earth dragons obviously have all the majesty and grandeur of their distant ancestors. Even Volcanica can’t compare to the dignity of an earth dragon!”

Patrasche looked slightly mollified and resumed her slow march around the mesa.

Subaru and Emilia shared a look that was equal parts amused and incredulous.

Emilia cleared her throat. “As I was saying, Subaru,” She continued. “I’ve never seen a… dragon,” She whispered. “I think that there are only a handful left. Maybe Volcanica is the last one…”

“OK. Well then, let’s assume for right now that this wasn’t a pair of dragons fighting,” Subaru replied. “This must have been a really big fight. Like… a Reinhard versus Regulus level of fight maybe.”

“But what could have done this? Do you think that they could have come to the forest looking for us?” She worried.

Subaru thought about it, then shook his head. “If Regulus knew that we were here, he would have torn up the whole forest until he found us. He’s not one for holding back. And I doubt that any fight he’s ever been in has been restricted to this small of an area. Reinhard would be the same way. As careful as he is, I think that if he was really pushed to the limit during a fight he’d be hard pressed to contain his power. The destruction would have been a lot more wide spread than this.”

“So that means that we have no idea who did this?” Emilia murmured.

“Not really,” Subaru admitted. “But maybe the fact that there were two of them is a good sign.”

“How?”

Subaru hesitated. “…Maybe two people who hated each other just happened to bump into one another in the forest and they had it out. Maybe them being here had nothing to do with us at all!”

“Subaru,” Emilia said skeptically. “I spent my whole life in this forest and never saw anything like this. We’re back for less than two days and a large section of the forest has already been demolished. And you think that this has nothing to do with us?!”

Subaru sighed as Patrasche completed her circuit of the mesa and returned to the slope they had climbed to reach it. “Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking. Hey, Mili, how did you recognize that you were near home from seeing this plateau. Did you come here a lot?”

“No, not really,” Emilia admitted. “This area was off limits when I was child. But it’s extremely recognizable.”

“How come?”

“Because of that,” Emilia said, pointing at the middle of the mesa.

Subaru followed her finger and frowned. He hadn’t noticed it before but there was… a line in the middle of the plateau. A fat purple line that just… stood there.

“What is that?” Subaru asked in confusion.

He nudged Patrasche closer.

“Be careful, Subaru,” Emilia said, sounding nervous.

As they drew closer, Subaru realized that it wasn’t a line. That was just an optical illusion because he had been looking at the thinest part of the object. As Patrasche walked around it, Subaru realized that it was a door. A beautiful, ornate, double-sided door made of some kind of polished, dark purple stone. It must have been ten feet tall and wider than Subaru could spread his arms.

And it was standing in the middle of the mesa, unconnected to anything.

Subaru looked at Emilia in disbelief. “What the hell is this?!”

Emilia shook her head. “I don’t know, Subaru. I just know that I was supposed to stay far, far away from it.”

“Why?”

Emilia just shrugged.

Subaru awkwardly slipped down from the saddle to investigate the door.

“Subaru!” Emilia said, jumping down beside him. “Be careful!”

“Of?” Subaru asked.

Emilia just bit her lip.

Subaru gingerly reached out his hand and touched the door with a finger. The door felt like cold stone but otherwise seemed unremarkable. Subaru pushed the door but nothing happened.

Subaru looked at Emilia. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

Emilia shook her head. “I just know that I and most of the other elves were forbidden to come near here.”

Subaru scratched his head. “Who the hell builds a door in the middle of nowhere? And what’s even holding it up?!”

Emilia hung back, looking at the door with trepidation.

Subaru thought for a moment. “Mili, give me a hand.”

“Subaru,” She whispered in disapproval as she reluctantly complied.

The door wouldn’t budge no matter which side they pushed on. There seemed to be nothing anchoring it in place but pushing it felt like trying to shift a mountain.

Subaru finally sighed in resignation. “OK. New theory. Whoever came here, they came here for this. Maybe they were fighting over it.”

“The door? Why?”

Subaru threw his hands into the air. “Mili, I have absolutely no idea!” He said as he returned to Patrasche and remounted her. “I don’t anything about this door so I can’t even guess why somebody would want it!”

“I don’t know what this door is, Subaru. I just know that the village elders and Mother Fortuna and Guese thought that it was very important,” She said, climbing up behind him.

“Well, that’s not much help,” Subaru said, nudging Patrasche back toward the slope that led down from the mesa.

“Subaru, I-”

“Wait!” Subaru said, pulling Patrasche to a halt by the slope. He peered down into the snow. “Footprints.”

He studied them for a moment. “Well, they don’t look like either of ours.”

Emilia looked down at the snow. “If we followed them,” She said reluctantly, “Do you think that they’d lead us to whoever did this? Because I don’t think that we’re ready for that kind of fight, Subaru.”

“Trust me, I agree!” Subaru said fervently. “But I don’t think following these footprints would lead us to anyone.”

“They won’t?” She asked in confusion. Emilia looked at the tracks more closely and then nodded. “Oh. Those footprints are coming to this clearing.”

“Yeah,” Subaru replied, deep in thought. “This must be how one of our friends got here. The strange thing is that we looked around the entire mesa and while there are footprints leading in… there aren’t any leading out…”

“Maybe they both killed each other?” Emilia suggested.

“We would have found bodies,” Subaru disagreed.

“Well… they might have completely destroyed each other,” Emilia mused. “Or maybe they used magic to leave.”

Emilia’s eyes suddenly widened. “Subaru! What about Roswaal?!”

“Roswaal?”

“Roswaal is a powerful magic caster! He could easily destroy an area like this and we know that he can fly! And Subaru, he knows where the village is!”

Subaru frowned. “Does he?” He said after a moment’s thought. “I mean, I can’t think of any reason why Roswaal would be able to remember you when the rest of the world forget. I doubt that he has any reason to be looking around in the forest for me. He shouldn’t remember anything about you.”

Emilia’s face grew gloomy as she pondered that.

Subaru shielded his eyes and looked off the mesa. “Mili, do those tracks look like they lead back toward the village?”

Emilia jumped. “They do?!” She looked at the trail of tracks that lead down the slope and south through the forest. “Yes. They do seem to be going that way. Subaru, do you think that Anri might really have had something to do with this?!”

“I don’t see how,” Subaru admitted. “If you mean, did she make these tracks then I don’t know how much sense that would make. I can’t imagine that she woke up last night and walked here. Or how she could have destroyed the grove in the first place, much less how she could have gone back to the village without leaving any tracks. But if these tracks come from the village then maybe…”

Subaru stopped talking.

“What?”

Subaru shook his head. “I’m not sure,” Subaru murmured. “And I’d rather not guess right now until we see where these tracks actually lead. I have a theory but… Let’s just follow the tracks for now. They’re heading in the same direction that we need to go anyway.”

Subaru nudged Patrasche and the suddenly cheerful riding dragon took off at a run.

Subaru and Emilia followed the tracks through the forest. The tracks went down a broad forest trail and then met and followed the river.

Patrasche leaped onto the frozen river with a joyful cry. After years of eternal winter, the ice must have been ten feet thick and it took the riding dragon’s weight easily. Her claws gave her good traction on the ice and the dragon raced along the frozen river at great speed.

“Well, at least Patrasche seems to be enjoying herself!” Subaru shouted, trying to keep a close eye on the footprints that hugged the riverbank.

“I’m glad that one of us is!” Emilia yelled back, desperately holding onto Subaru. “This is not very much fun for me!”

Subaru sighed. “Beatrice had the same opinion,” He replied in a morose tone.

They followed the winding river as it roamed through the forest and led back toward the village.

The village was in sight when Subaru saw something on the riverbank and reined in, much to Patrasche’s surprise. The riding dragon went skidding across the slick ice and nearly lost her footing before catching her balance.

Patrasche gave Subaru a reproachful look and an annoyed cluck.

“Sorry, girl,” Subaru said, half sliding, half falling out of the saddle onto the frozen river. “Next time, I’ll try to give you more warning when we’re going to stop.” He reached up to help Emilia down.

“Subaru, why are we stopping here?” Emilia asked.

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“You see that skid mark on the hill?” He replied.

Emilia glanced at it. “Yes. What do you think caused it?”

“I did,” Subaru muttered. He glanced at Patrasche. “You know, girl, I think that you might have saved my life last night.”

Patrasche gave a low honk.

I’m pretty sure that was Earth dragon for ‘No shit.’

“Subaru, what are you talking about?” Emilia asked.

Subaru squatted down by the skid mark on the hill. “Mili, these were the tracks that I was following last night,” Subaru explained. “I thought that they were your tracks so I was following them. If Patrasche hadn’t interrupted me, I would have marched straight up to the mesa and found… whoever was waiting up there.”

Emilia’s eyes were wide. “Then someone was trying to lure you into a trap!”

“Probably. I mean, I guess so,” Subaru said slowly.

“You guess?”

Subaru raised his eyes heavenward. “I mean… This still still doesn’t make any sense! Why leave a note to lure me into a trap if the person that you’re trying to trap is lying there helpless? Beyond that, if they saw me lying in bed, they should have realized that I never could have made it to that mesa alive! In the state that I was in, I would have frozen to death or died from exhaustion long before I got anywhere close!” Subaru shook his head. “So whatever plan they had that was trying to get me to the mesa was doomed to fail from the start. And why were they so desperate to get me to that place anyway? Why steal the note afterward? None of this make sense!”

Emilia shook her head. “So they tried to lure you to the mesa… But then what happened? The people waiting on the mesa threw a tantrum when they realized that you weren’t coming and destroyed everything?”

Subaru frowned. “Maybe… maybe they were interrupted.”

“Interrupted?”

“Well, try this one on for size. Someone goes into the cottage and rewrites your note. I still don’t know why they did that but let’s skip it for right now. Then they laid down tracks up to the mesa to wait for me to come and find them. They sit there waiting at that bonfire site. Then… someone else shows up. Someone who either doesn’t like the first person or doesn’t like… whatever it is that they’re doing here. So there’s a fight. And then…”

“And then?” Emilia prodded.

Subaru sighed. “I don’t know, Mili,” He muttered. “There’s too much going on here that I don’t understand! What was the point of leaving that note for me and why are there footprints leading to the mesa but none that lead away? And why was there only one set of footprints when all the signs indicated that there were two people on the mesa?”

Subaru frowned and looked up at Patrasche. “Now that I think about it, girl,” Subaru said slowly. “What are the odds of you showing up on the exact same night as all of this happening and you not being involved somehow? How do you factor into all this?”

Patrasche cocked her head.

Subaru sighed. “Moments like this, I really wish that you could talk, girl.”

Emilia shook her head. “Subaru, it’s nearly noontime. If we’re going to go to Rixum today then we had better get started. You still can’t weather the night temperatures in the forest very well.”

Subaru nodded, “Good point.” He climbed on top of Patrasche and pulled Emilia up behind him. He nudged the riding dragon and she sprinted back to the village.

“Subaru,” Emilia whispered. “Do you think that Anri had anything to do with this?”

Subaru hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know if I can trust Anri but where does that leave us?”

Emilia was quiet for a long time. “If we can’t trust her then… should we really expect her to keep our location a secret?”

Subaru didn’t respond immediately. “I know, Mili. I’ve been thinking the same thing. But then what? We can’t just keep Anri a prisoner here forever. And I won’t even discuss the alternative…”

Subaru felt Emilia nod against his back.

Subaru and Emilia dismounted Patrasche and knocked on the door of the house where Anri was staying.

The girl opened the door. Her gaze briefly flickering to the dragon.

“So, are we leaving?” She asked her face brightening.

“If you feel up to it,” Subaru replied.

“I’m ready!” She shouted, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “But, Emilia, do you think that we could stop at the clearing where we met? I have… another bag that I’d like to retrieve and,” Anri’s face became somber again. “I really should make a grave for Hunnicutt.”

“Was he the man you were traveling with?” Emilia asked.

Anri nodded and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry,” Subaru said. “Where you very close?”

Anri shook her head. “No. Honestly, I barely knew him but…” She trailed off.

Subaru frowned. Hang on. She’s traveling with a man deep into a haunted forest and she barely knows him?

“I’m sorry,” Emilia continued. “I don’t think you’ll have much luck making a grave in the forest. The ground is just too hard to cut through.”

Anri looked stricken. “So I just have to leave him lying out here to be picked at by scavengers?!”

Emilia shook her head. “There are no scavengers in the forest. Just mabeasts and they don’t eat.”

Subaru watched as Anri’s face slowly became resigned. “I suppose that the snow is as good a blanket for his slumber as a layer of earth would be. But it still feels wrong.”

Subaru shrugged. “You can only do what you can do. We can’t bury him here and we have no way to bring him out of the forest and bury him. Because if anyone saw us carrying a corpse around, that would be serious attention that we don’t need,” Subaru said meaningfully.

Anri sighed, “That’s true, I guess.” Anri forced herself to put on a smile. “Well, I suppose we might as well get going then. Can we still try to grab my stuff?”

“I don’t see why not,” Emilia shrugged. “It’s not far out of the way.”

“Alright well, let’s get moving,” Subaru said, climbing back into Patrasche’s saddle.

He pulled Emilia up behind him.

Anri stepped forward to caress the riding dragon’s face. Patrasche closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the attention.

“This is a magnificent animal,” Anri whispered. “Where did you find her?”

“She was a gift,” Subaru said shortly.

“Wow. This was a kingly gift,” Anri admired. “Was it from a close friend?”

“Actually, it was from a close enemy,” Subaru snorted.

Anri looked at Subaru in confusion. Emilia just rolled her eyes at him.

Subaru sighed. “It’s a long story, Anri and I really don’t want to get into it. Let’s just get going.”

Anri frowned. “But where am I going to sit?”

Subaru shrugged. “You can sit in front of me.”

“In front of you?” Anri repeated.

“You got a better idea?” Subaru asked.

Anri looked pained. She slowly reached up to take Subaru’s hand. “Alright but just… watch where you put your hands, OK?”

Subaru rolled his eyes as he helped Anri get settled in front of him. “Yes, Anri. I’ll try my very best to control myself,” He said sarcastically.

Subaru nudged Patrasche and she flew off like a bolt of lightning.

Anri bowed her head over the ruins of Hunnicutt’s body.

Subaru and Emilia stood by awkwardly as Anri knelt down and began to pray.

Emilia gestured and both she and Subaru turned around to give her some privacy.

They stood there, wondering if there was anything they should be doing.

“Alright, I’m done,” Anri called.

Subaru and Emilia turned around to see her picking up a large knapsack.

“You got everything?” Subaru asked.

Anri sighed. “Luckily, yes. I have everything I need.”

The sun was just starting to set when Patrasche broke through the trees and thundered across an open meadow. Subaru could see a large number of houses built along the king’s highway in the distance.

What the hell is that? Subaru thought as he checked Patrasche and slowed the dragon to a halt. For once, Patrasche didn’t seem inclined to argue as the dragon was finding this meadow to be equally fascinating.

It looks like someone drew a line right down the meadow. On one side you have snow and ice. On the other side, you have green, new grass. Patrasche has a claw in two different seasons right now. Even the air feels different! My left arm is freezing but my right arm feels like it’s a balmy, early summer afternoon!

This is amazing!

“Wow,” Anri murmured. “I’ve never seen anything like this before…”

“Subaru,” Emilia said, sounding aggravated. “Do we really need to sit here like this?”

“This is some amazing magic!” Anri said in awe. “Do either of you know what caused it?”

“Why would we know?” Emilia replied sharply before Subaru could respond.

Anri looked at Emilia, taken aback by her tone. “Well, you did say that you grew up in the forest. I just thought that you might know what really happened. The locals have a dozen different stories about it. I heard a few of them while I was traveling. A barmaid told me that the forest was the sight of a fight between the Black Snake and a Dragon. She said that the Dragon froze the forest solid during the fight. An old woman told me that the forest is home to an enchanted elven princess who’s trapped in a magical slumber, waiting for her true love to come and rescue her-”

Subaru gave Emilia an amused smile.

She didn’t smile back.

“But most folks,” Anri continued. “Claim that the forest was cursed by a terrible witch long ago.”

Emilia flinched.

Subaru frowned and nudge Patrasche back into motion. “Look, let’s leave history alone for right now. We need to be focused on our future. We have no food and you need to see about finding a ride.”

“Sounds good to me,” Anri said calmly as they flew down the road toward the town.

Subaru reined in Patrasche just inside the town border.

Subaru helped Anri and Emilia slid down and then dropped to the ground himself.

Emilia pulled her hood forward as far as it would go.

Anri walked to the highway a short distance away and stared at the wagons moving in and out of town. Even late in the day there was still a lot of traffic. She looked carefully for signs of the merchant’s destination.

Subaru made to put Patrasche’s reins around the hitching post but she jerked her head, nearly pulling the reins out of his hands.

Subaru looked up and the earth dragon stared down at him reproachfully.

“Not big on hitching posts?” Subaru asked.

Patrasche clucked.

Subaru made a face. “Alright, fine,” He said, letting go of the reins with a sigh. “But stay here and try not to cause trouble. We shouldn’t be long.”

Patrasche clucked.

“Anri, how do you plan to find a merchant going… wherever you want to go?” Emilia asked, raising her voice so Anri could hear her.

“Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Anri said calmly. “I’ll go find a tavern where the merchants congregate and feel around. I should be able to find someone going my way.”

Anri lowered her voice. “At least, I think I can,” She murmured to herself. “What would be the signs of a wagon that’s headed to Iruk?”

“Iruk?!” Emilia called incredulously. “You’re trying to get to Iruk?!”

Anri jumped and spun around. “How did you hear…” Anri trailed off as her eyes fixed on Emilia’s ears.

Emilia flushed uncomfortably.

Anri made a face. “OK. Well, just keep it a secret, OK? Please?” Anri asked plaintively.

Subaru shrugged. “You keep quiet about us, we keep quiet about you. Sounds fair to me.”

“Great,” Anri sighed in relief.

“Anri,” Emilia said in utter confusion. “Iruk is in completely the opposite direction! We could have taken you to Iruk in half the time that it took us to come to Rixum!”

Anri winced. “Well, I don’t know the area very well. Don’t worry. I’m sure that I can still buy a ride. I don’t want to put you guys out anymore than I already have,” She added, looking guilty.

“Don’t worry about it,” Subaru shrugged. “Incidentally, do you have enough money to purchase a ride or do you need any?”

Anri looked at Subaru in surprise. “Thanks, Subaru,” She said. “But I should have plenty to get where I need to go. Like I said, I don’t want to go any deeper in your debt than I already am.”

“Anri, I’m sorry but I don’t think that you’ll be able to find transportation here,” Emilia apologized.

Anri started. “Why not? I thought that Rixum was the closest town to Iruk!”

Emilia scrunched her face up in thought. “Well… Yes, I suppose that it probably is…”

“What’s the problem, Mili?” Subaru asked.

“‘Mili?’” Anri repeated with a chuckle. “That’s actually kind of adorable!”

Emilia flushed but ignored her. “I’ve never actually been in Iruk but I’ve seen it several times. It’s just beyond the northeastern edge of the forest, over the border into Gusteko-”

“Keep your voice down!” Anri hissed.

“But Iruk is a one road town,” Emilia continued. “It’s smaller even than Arlem! There can’t be more than a few dozen people living there. I doubt that merchants go there with any kind of regularity. I suppose that you might get lucky and find someone going there tonight but I think that you’d have to be very lucky to find someone.”

Subaru sighed and rubbed his forehead. “OK. Well, I’m sure we can put Anri up for one more night. Tomorrow, we’ll just bring her to Iruk ourselves. Heck, it’ll save her some money.”

“Um. Tomorrow?” Anri’s voice held an objection that carried no force.

“Tomorrow,” Subaru said firmly. “Anri, it’s almost dark now. By the time we do our shopping and get back to the village it will be pitch black outside. I don’t want to go stumbling though the forest looking for Iruk in the dark. There are mabeasts and maybe even worse things in that wood. We’ll take you there first thing tomorrow.”

Anri looked at Emilia in appeal but Emilia just shook her head.

Anri deflated slightly. “Well, thank you both very much. I really appreciate all the trouble that you’ve gone through to help me. I promise that I’ll try to find a way to make it up to you.”

Subaru shrugged. “Don’t sweat it. It’s just nice to help somebody out after everything that we’ve been through. I have a feeling that we’ve been where you are. In some ways, we’re still there.”

Anri gave them a bittersweet smile. “I’m really sorry to hear that. ‘Where I am’ is a tough place to be…”

The trio began to walk into town, approaching the market that was still bustling as the sun set.

“Subaru,” Anri asked. “What did you mean by worse than mabeasts?”

Subaru shrugged. “Well, the forest is supposed to be haunted, you know,” He hedged.

Anri jumped and her eyes became huge. “Is that really true?!” Anri asked in astonishment. “Emilia, have you ever seen a ghost?”

Subaru glanced at Emilia out of the corner of his eye. She walked beside them silently, her expression and manner somber. “Many times,” She replied quietly. “But they were only the spirits conjured from my own memories.”

Subaru, Emilia, and Anri walked through the open market. The center of town was an enormous collection of stalls and stands. A few merchants called out their wares as the group passed but most shopkeepers seemed to consider the day over and they just chatted with their neighbors and customers.

“Mili, any idea what we should be looking for?” Subaru asked, looking uncomfortably at a skinned rabbit hanging from a rope above a stall.

“I’m not really sure,” Emilia replied. “I didn’t buy food very often when I last lived in the forest. I’m not sure what we should get.”

Subaru glanced at her. “Didn’t you need to supplement your diet? I can’t imagine that you found much variety of foods in the forest and you probably struggled to forage at all when the weather was bad. What did you do if you couldn’t find anything to eat in the woods?”

“I went hungry,” Emilia said, matter-of-fact.

Anri looked at Emilia in dismay. “Um. OK look, I realize that we barely know each other and that my opinion probably doesn’t count for very much but you guys really need to come up with a better strategy.”

“Trust me, it’s high on my to-do list,” Subaru sighed.

This really bites. My number one priority should be to find Beatrice and Puck. My number two priority should be to break Emilia’s curse.

What am I doing instead? Bringing Anri to a town that she apparently didn’t even need to go to and now I’m out shopping for groceries!

The problem is, I can’t act like this isn’t critical too. We’re no good to Beatrice if we starve to death in the woods. And the sooner we get Anri out of the forest, the sooner we can focus on bigger, more important matters. But despite how necessary doing these things is, they’re both still just distractions from bigger problems.

“OK,” Subaru continued. “Mili, what do you know how to cook?”

“Soup,” Emilia murmured in reply. “What about you, Subaru?”

He chuckled ruefully. “I guess I know how to cook over a campfire a little. Not that I ever did it very much. Back home my culinary talents were mostly limited to making cereal and heating up microwave burritos.”

Anri and Emilia both gave him a strange look. “Subaru,” Anri said. “I’ve never heard of either of those things. Where are you from exactly?”

“Far away,” Subaru replied with a sigh.

“What, like Vollachia?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Subaru replied. He and Emilia exchanged amused smiles and their hands found each other as they walked through the market.

“Did you ever come here before?” Subaru asked Emilia.

“Once in a while. I would occasionally bring pyroxene crystals here to trade for items,” Emilia replied.

“Did the people here treat you OK?” Subaru said.

Emilia made a face. “Well… Puck had to threaten a few of them to make them back off but then things seemed to be alright. The townspeople never exactly warmed up to me but they stopped trying to kill me at least.”

Subaru gaped at her. “They tried to kill you?!” Subaru said in fury.

Emilia nodded. “This village was assaulted a few years ago by the Witch Cult. I understand that they took several casualties in the fighting. This wasn’t a good place for me to shop but it was really my only option.”

Subaru looked aghast. Then he shook his head and tried to focus on more immediate problems. “OK. Well if we’re going to be making do off soups and stews then we should just buy a lot of vegetables and maybe some meat for flavor.”

He suddenly thought of something. “I guess keeping the food fresh in the forest won’t be terribly difficult.”

Emilia shook her head. “Before the… incident, the village used a magic ice room to keep food cold. I’ve never seen the need to use it since then.”

“Guess not,” Subaru said, inspecting a stall that seemed devoted to vegetables. He picked up what he thought was an onion and sniffed it.

“Subaru,” Emilia said. “Do you really think we should buy a lot of food?”

“Well, if it won’t go bad in the cold then why not?” Subaru replied.

“No, I mean… how long do you think we’ll be in the forest?” She asked quietly.

Subaru quickly looked up and saw Anri looking at some bread rolls in another booth. Subaru quickly wrapped his arms around Emilia and pulled her close. “I’m not sure, Mili,” He said honestly. “I really don’t know what to do now. Before we can leave the forest, we’ll need to have a destination in mind. But whether it’s to rescue the spirits or to try and break your curse, I just don’t know where we want to go or how we’ll even figure out where to go. There’s thousands of places that the spirits could be and I don’t know how we’re going to narrow it down. And I’m no closer to figuring out how to lift your curse than I was the day that we left the Sanctuary…” He said despairingly.

Emilia held him tight, feeling the exhaustion in his voice. “We’ll figure it out, Subaru,” She promised. “Like you keep saying, as long as we’re together, we can do anything.”

They smiled at one another as they separated.

Subaru turned back to the stall and started inspecting vegetables. “How about we buy some carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms? They should be easy to chop up and they should give the soup we make a little more flavor,” Subaru said, hearing some children playing in the background. They were running around, chasing one another. “Maybe we can grab some meat cuts as well. We need some protein in our diet and-”

“Oh!” Emilia shouted as a laughing little girl accidentally plowed into her, knocking them both down.

Subaru spun around to see Emilia and the little girl had fallen to the hard ground. Emilia’s hood had fallen back and her silver hair and ears were clearly visible. The formally noisy market was suddenly quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Emilia hit the ground hard and shook her head, trying to clear it. A moment later, she realized that her hood had fallen off and the little girl was staring at Emilia with wide-eyed horror.

“It’s a witch!” The child screamed in a piercing voice.

Emilia recoiled from the child’s terrified pronunciation as if it was the blow from a flail.

The girl scrambled backwards as fast as she could then leaped to her feet and ran away, tears in her eyes and screaming for her mother.

“Anri!” Subaru shouted as he helped Emilia up. Anri raced to their side as the crowd began to circle around them.

The townsmen were clearly terrified but that fear was starting to shift. Fear is fertile and it breeds anger and hate.

“What is that?” A merchant with a bushy mustache spat.

“It’s a witch!” A plump housewife cried, trying to hide behind the basket of goods she carried.

“She’s not a witch!” Subaru shouted. “She’s just an elf!”

“My grandmother told me that there were witches in the great forest,” An elderly woman whispered. Her frail, wrinkled body trembled violently, seemingly as much from terror as from age.

“Call the guards! Sound the alarm!” A young woman screamed. Her face was barely visible as she hid trembling behind a market stall, a fat merchant cowering beside her.

“Look!” Subaru shouted, putting up his hands and trying to placate the crowd. “We don’t want any trouble here! We’re leaving right now, OK?”

Emilia’s head suddenly snapped back and she saw a bright flash of pain. She clapped her hand to her temple and it came away wet with blood.

“Emilia!” Subaru screamed, grabbing her in his arms. The pair scanned the crowd until they saw a boy of no more than seven who was holding stones in his hands. Tears were streaming down his face. “You filthy witch! Give me back my Dad!”

He threw another stone that went wide.

“Your Dad?” Emilia asked in a confused voice as she held her now throbbing head.

A woman wearing a shopkeeper’s apron leaped toward the boy. She held him close, her eyes terrified. “Please! Have mercy! He’s just a boy, I’m sorry! He didn’t know what he was doing! Forgive us!”

The boy was crying as well but his rage eclipsed his fear. “Go away, you disgusting witch! Leave my family alone!” The boy shouted, struggling to throw more stones while his mother restrained him.

“Please have mercy on my son! I’m begging you!” They were both crying as they sat there on the frozen ground with their arms wrapped around each other.

“You little brat!” Subaru roared at the child.

The child froze, his eyes growing wide. The stones fell from nerveless fingers as he trembled in his mother’s arms.

“You serving the witch, boy?” A fat middle-aged man snarled. “You put to stud for her? You making dirty elf babies in that belly?”

The crowd began to close in around them. The locals who carried weapons drew them and the rest picked up sticks and stones. Their formally terrified faces were now savage caricatures of dark joy as they prepared to punish the thing that had so frightened them. They had been terrified of Emilia but now they’d seen that she could be wounded. The mob had tasted blood and it wanted more.

“Kill them all!” Someone shouted.

“Call the guards!” Someone shouted.

“Burn her!”

That did it. All the past week’s frustrations boiled over as the crowd of sickening bullies snapped Subaru’s very last nerve.

“Burn her?!” Subaru shouted in a voice that silenced the crowd. “You’ve got no proof at all that she’s a witch but you say burn her. Well, how would you all like to be used as kindling?!” He roared.

The crowd drew back slightly.

“You want to see a witch?! I’ll show you a wicked witch!” Subaru shouted, feeling power welling up deep inside of him.

The crowd recoiled. They looked at one another in horror. They could sense a vast power surging within the strange boy. They didn’t understand it but they knew that it was far beyond anything they could deal with.

Subaru pointed at them. “Pridebreaker!” He roared.

A wave of power swept over the terrified crowd. A few fell down and several shook their heads in a panic.

A few moments passed and the the panic slowly began to fade into confusion as nothing seemed to happen.

Subaru looked at them, baffled.

Wait. It didn’t work?! Why not? Does it not work on humans or something?!

Fuck! Bluff!

Subaru drew himself up to his full height. “That was but a taste of my power!” He shouted. “You who attack an unarmed girl are undeserving of my mercy!”

Subaru reached down deep inside of him, trying to trigger the Authority’s true power, like he did in the slaver’s camp but something felt like it was in his way.

Subaru reached as deep as he could and then-

He threw up.

Subaru bent over and vomited a disgusting black spew that looked like sludge and smelled like raw sewage. It was thick and sticky. Subaru felt as if the noxious payload was slowly crawling up his throat. He had to fight to get each disgusting mouthful out.

By the time he was done throwing up, Subaru felt utterly drained.

“Subaru!”

Subaru felt a hand grab his arm. He turned to see Emilia with tears in her eyes. “Please let’s just get out of here!”

Subaru’s attention snapped back to the crowd but his moment of intimidation had passed.

A burly man drew a ungainly sword that looked like a meat cleaver. “Kill them!” He roared to the crowd’s road of approval.

“Let’s get out of here!” Subaru shouted as he pulled Emilia away at a run.

Anri watched in amazement for a moment before her eyes widened and she tore off after them.

“Get them! Don’t let them get away!” Someone screamed.

“Burn all three witches!” Another shouted.

Subaru ran back to Patrasche as fast as he could and he heard the crowd surging after them.

Patrasche sensed her master’s distress and came running.

Subaru climbed up quickly and Emilia hopped on behind him.

Subaru and Emilia pulled Anri up and slung her across the front of the saddle. Patrasche broke into a run before Anri was even secured.

The riding dragon flew out of the town as fast as she could as the crowd flung stones, and whatever else they could find after them.

Anri almost fell off Patrasche and had to make a desperate grab for the dragon’s mane to hang on.

“Subaru!” Anri shouted. “I’m slipping!” With only one good arm Anri could barely hold onto the dragon’s neck.

“No, you’re not!” Subaru shouted back, grabbing her by the cloak. “I’ve got you! Just hang on for a minute. We’ll get a little distance away from that lynch mob and then help you up!”

Patrasche snorted indignantly at the dangling Anri.

“Emilia! Are you alright? How bad is that cut?!” Subaru shouted as Patrasche raced across the grassy field and back onto the snow.

“It’s not deep,” Emilia murmured but Subaru thought that her voice sounded slurred.

“I can take a look when we get back to the village,” Anri promised as she and Subaru struggled to hold her in place atop the speeding dragon. “It didn’t look bad!”

Subaru looked behind them but it appeared that no one was giving chase.

Patrasche ran under the forest eaves as the sun finally set and Subaru reined her in.

Anri let go of the dragon and landed gracefully on the ground.

“Let me help you up,” Subaru said, reaching down. He pulled Anri onto the saddle in front of him.

“Thanks,” She muttered.

“Anri! Can you take a look at Emilia,” Subaru begged. Emilia was slumped against his shoulder, muttering something. She seemed barely conscious.

Anri leaned over Subaru’s shoulder and closely inspect Emilia’s head.

“It’s not serious. This cut is barely more than a scratch,” Anri said.

“You’re sure?” Subaru demanded.

Anri nodded. “She’s in no danger at all, Subaru.”

“I feel fine,” Emilia murmured in a slurred voice, her head slumped against Subaru’s shoulder.

Anri half smiled. “At least this I know how to do,” Anri touched Emilia’s head and whispered a few words.

Subaru watched as the cut on Emilia’s head faded away, not leaving any trace of its existence aside from some dried blood.

Emilia’s eyes which had been dull with pain, sharpened. She touched her forehead with wonder.

“Anri, you know healing magic?” Emilia asked.

Anri shrugged. “Just a little bit. I don’t have much talent with magic so I make up the difference with herb lore and practical medicine.”

Anri slid down off the dragon.

Subaru and Emilia looked at her in confusion.

“Emilia, you and I are going to swap seats for the trip back,” Anri explained. “You’re is going to ride in front so that Subaru can hold onto you. I’ll ride in back.”

“Anri, I’m really fine-” Emilia said.

“Healer’s orders!” Anri said sharply. “You got hit in the head and you might have a mild concussion. You can find yourself falling asleep without any warning. So you’re going to ride in front where Subaru can hold you.”

“This is really unnecessary,” Emilia protested.

“I think maybe we should listen,” Subaru murmured. “She knows more about injuries than we do.”

Emilia looked resigned as Subaru helped her slide down from Patrasche and then climb up in front of him.

Subaru pulled Anri up behind him.

Patrasche watched in fascination as the three people mounted on her back played this strange game.

Subaru nudged Patrasche back into a run and she fled deeper into the dark forest.

Patrasche ran up to Emilia’s cottage and Subaru reined her in.

Subaru helped Emilia and Anri climb down.

“Mili, why don’t you go lay down,” Subaru sighed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to start dinner with whatever food we have left.”

“Subaru, I am not an invalid. I’m perfectly capable of preparing soup. Besides, where are you going?” Emilia asked.

Subaru shrugged. “Got to bring Patrasche back to the stable and feed her!”

“Oh. Right,” Emilia murmured.

“I’ll be back soon!” Subaru said as he rode Patrasche off.

“Damn, Emilia, was that thing in Rixum normal for you?” Anri asked as they worked together to peal and chop Emilia’s last few remaining vegetables.

“Yes. Most people want to kill me on sight,” Emilia sighed.

Anri shook her head while peeling some wild carrots with a knife. “I’m really sorry to hear that. That’s got to make life all kinds of difficult!”

“Yes, it does,” She agreed, peeling potatoes.

“And Subaru stays by you through it all?” Anri asked, peeling a carrot.

Emilia flinched but Anri didn’t notice due to her focus on the carrots. “Yes,” Emilia almost whispered. “Subaru has stood by me through everything. No matter how much I mess up or how bad things get…”

Anri kept peeling. “It’s funny. I keep feeling like I’ve heard that before,” Anri mused.

“Heard what before?” Emilia asked absently.

“Subaru. I know that I’ve heard that name somewhere,” Anri murmured.

Emilia stiffened. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Emilia said awkwardly. “Names are very common after all.”

“I guess you’re right,” Anri shrugged.

They worked in silence for a moment. “So where are you guys from originally?” Anri asked.

“Um,” Emilia hesitated. “I was born in the forest. I think.”

“Wow. Really? Wait, you think?”

“My family is all dead. My earliest memories are of the forest but there’s no one left to ask if I originally came from somewhere else.”

“And you’ve been here ever since?”

“Yes. I grew up here. I’ve spent my entire life here except for a brief time that I lived in, um, Arlem,” Emilia hedged.

“Arlem,” Anri said thoughtfully. “I’ve heard that name too…”

Suddenly the girl dropped her knife and stared at Emilia with wide, terrified eyes. “Wait… Subaru… Natsuki?! The Butcher of Arlem?!”

“Butcher?!” Emilia shouted in outrage.

Anri flinched. She looked at Emilia with huge eyes, like a child who had been snapped at. “I mean… I heard that he killed sixty Gusteko soldiers from Walla who had gotten lost across the border, while they begged for their lives,” She whispered.

Emilia snorted. “Anri, there weren’t even sixty soldiers in Arlem!” She said scathingly. “I was there! And any begging that those soldiers did was after they’d already threatened to kill a village full of unarmed civilians. I saw the stakes that the soldiers had set up for their heads! Those soldiers went to Arlem to kill innocent people and they deserved a far worse fate than they received!”

Anri just stared at her in shock.

Emilia looked away, her face twisting in remembered pain. “Subaru… let most of the soldiers escape. He killed some of them. I remember how scared he said he was… how horrified he was at what he’d been forced to do. I held him that night while he cried and sobbed. I wished that I could find a way to ensure that he never had to do anything like that ever again…”

“Wait a minute. You’re saying that he cried?” Anri asked incredulously.

Emilia whirled on Anri, her eyes flashing. “My Subaru is very kind! He hates having to hurt people!”

“Wow,” Anri whispered. She thought for a moment and then slowly picked up her knife and started to peel more carrots. “Honestly, I guess that makes sense. The story of the Massacre at Arlem is pretty common where I come from. Most people believe it. Then again, I guess House Voivode and House Griest lying about the incident is no real surprise. It is the kind of thing they would do. And the notion that these soldiers just got lost dozens of miles over the border is pretty hard to swallow. I don’t know Subaru very well but I can’t really see him slaughtering people for no damn reason. Although, I got to admit that I thought that the folks of Rixum were in for it tonight. Subaru looked like he might have killed the whole lot of them with his bare hands. At least until he got sick. And what was that slop that he threw up? Was that just from breakfast or-”

Anri froze and her head snapped up to stare at Emilia in wonder. “Holy shit. You must be that witch! I can’t believe that I just put it together but I heard a rumor while I was traveling about how Subaru Natsuki had ran away with a witch who put a spell on him!”

“I did not put a spell on him!” Emilia shouted.

Anri blinked. “Um. This might be a dumb question but why is he hiding way out here in the woods with you then?” She asked earnestly.

Emilia bowed her head and tried to focus on peeling potatoes. “He’s here because… he loves me. He’s here because… he wants to be with me…” Emilia said in an almost inaudible whisper.

“Wow,” Anri said, sounding awestruck. “So Subaru really gave up like… everything, just to be with you?”

Emilia looked up at Anri, cut to the quick, but Anri was still peeling carrots with an expression of rapture on her face.

“That’s so romantic!” Anri squeed. “A royal prince who gives up everything to be with the woman he loves, even with the entire world trying to tear them apart! All of his friends tell him he’s being stupid but nothing can stop the power of true love and he’s determined to stay with the woman he loves no matter where the road leads them or how difficult it gets!”

Anri shook her head, her broad smile never flickering. “That is amazing, Emilia! It’s just like a romance novel. Wow. Actually, it’s almost like I’m in one of those stories now. I wonder what roll I have? Maybe the sympathetic girlfriend who helps the heroine figure things out and then helps the pair escape and live happily ever after?!”

Emilia had no idea what Anri was talking about but she felt she had to say something. “I’d like that,” Emilia murmured.

Anri kept talking animately but Emilia wasn’t listening.

Subaru. You really did… give up everything… just to stay with me…

I’d never thought about it that way before. You gave up everything.

Why? Why would you do that…

“Wonderful soup tonight, Mili,” Subaru said in an amused voice. “Tasted just like water with a few vegetables tossed in!”

Emilia sighed. “I’m sorry, Subaru. That was all we had.”

Subaru looked at her in concern. “Mili, I was only kidding! Dinner was fine. We’re still getting settled here. There’s going to be a few bumps in the road. That’s all.”

Emilia just sighed.

Subaru and Emilia were cleaning up after dinner. Anri had gone to bed in to the other cottage and Emilia had given her another two logs to keep a fire burning tonight.

They finished drying the dishes and Emilia walked away. She sat down on the bed and stared down at the floor.

Subaru followed and sat down beside her. “Mili? You OK?”

Emilia shook her head and her eyes grew watery. “Subaru. What happened?”

“What do you mean?” He asked gently.

She shook her head. “I’ve lived in the Elior Forest all my life. This is home. I… We’ve gone through disaster after disaster ever since we left the Sanctuary. When we came back here, I thought that at least we were finally safe. But the people living just outside the forest want me dead and the mabeasts are stirred up and something powerful is stalking the woods and someone even walked into this very house while you were sleeping! I feel like we’re surrounded by enemies. What are we going to do?!” Her voice rose to a shout.

Subaru looked at Emilia’s frantic expression and gently guided her head to his shoulder and stroked her back.

Emilia sighed. “I thought that we could just disappear into the woods and let the world forget about us. I thought it would just be the two of us and the world could solve its own problems. It was such a beautiful dream…”

“It’s not a dream, Mili,” Subaru corrected gently. “But maybe not as simple as we thought.”

“What do you mean?”

Subaru struggled to put his thoughts into words. “We can ignore the outside world but we can’t expect the world to ignore us. The world is all around us! People are going to come into the forest periodically and we’ll need a plan for how to deal with them. The wide world is out there. We can fence ourselves in but we can’t always fence it out.”

“How would we do that?”

Subaru shrugged. “The forest is supposed to be haunted. And it is literally cursed-”

Emilia flinched.

Subaru sighed before continuing. “Maybe we can use the mabeasts that I… ‘tamed’ to frighten people away. The forest is huge! Hell, you grew up in this forest and you didn’t even realize where we were for days!”

“Subaru!” Emilia protested. “That wasn’t my fault! We were in a part of the forest that I almost never went to! One frozen tree looks very much like any other!”

Subaru grinned at her. “I’m not blaming you, Mili. I’m just making a point. You mapped the entire forest but you were still lost after Beatrice sent us here. I mean, it took you a whole five years to map the place-”

“Seven,” She corrected.

“Seven,” Subaru acknowledged. “But that means that we can still hide out in the forest. If you can get lost in here then anybody can! You’d need an army to search the place! It would take me days just to walk from one side of the forest to the other.”

“Actually, Subaru,” Emilia mused. “At the speed that you move in the snow, I think that it would take you closer to a week and a half.”

Subaru shot her an annoyed looked. “Thanks, Emilia,” He said sarcastically. “It was very important that you clarified that point.”

Emilia didn’t respond, still looking downcast.

Subaru sighed. “Look, Mili, you need to try to calm down. This is a new situation for us.”

Emilia looked at him in misery. “Subaru. This isn’t supposed to be new! I’ve lived here all my life-”

“It’s a new situation for us,” Subaru emphasized. “Living with me isn’t like living with Puck anymore than living with Puck was like living with Fortuna. And when we find the spirits that will be another adjustment. It’s not all going to be perfect right away but we’ll figure it out! It’ll just take a little bit of time.”

Emilia took a deep breath. “I don’t know, Subaru…”

Subaru gently kissed her temple. “Those townspeople really spooked you tonight, didn’t they?”

Emilia was quiet for a long time. “Subaru, they wanted to kill you…” She whispered in horror.

“Well, they’ll need to get in line,” Subaru grumbled. “There’s quite a crowd in front of them. Capella, Regulus, some folks in Gusteko, Rem, and the entire Lagunican army!”

Emilia slammed her fist against the mattress. “Subaru! Can you please stop making jokes?! This is serious!”

Subaru wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “My point is that people wanting to kill us is nothing new. We can handle it. We’re going to be OK, Mili. Even if our lives get really difficult, as long as we’re together we can do anything!” He said soothingly.

“But, Subaru,” Emilia whispered to herself. “What if us being together is the thing that’s making your life so difficult?”

“What did you say, Mili?” Subaru asked.

Emilia took a deep breath. “Nothing, Subaru. Are you almost ready for bed? I’m feeling pretty tired.”

Subaru was deep asleep but Emilia remained awake. Tired as she was, her mind wouldn’t be still and her thoughts followed grim roads and dark paths.

All this time, I’ve been an utter fool. Ever since we left the Sanctuary, despite knowing that the entire world was out to get us, I never really worried about Subaru.

Reinhard would have killed me but I know that he would have died before he ever hurt Subaru. Felt is the same way. I’m sure that she’d do almost anything to protect him. I knew that if we were caught, my life would be forfeit but Subaru and the spirits would be well cared for. So I didn’t have to worry.

But… that’s just foolishness, isn’t it… Those villagers had no idea who Subaru is and they didn’t even care. To most people, Subaru is nothing more than another Witch Cultist following a witch around! Most people won’t go out of their way to keep Subaru safe while they kill me. He’d be an acceptable casualty in killing a witch. Some people might even think that Subaru deserves to die as much as I do purely for being with me!

What can I do? Anri was right. Subaru really has given up everything just to be with me!

Emilia, you are a selfish little brat. You really have the gall to claim that you love Subaru? How could you ever let anyone you love do this? How could you possibly justify letting him make such an enormous sacrifice solely for your benefit?

You’re determined to keep Subaru with you no matter what. No matter what it costs him or how much it hurts him. You’ll let him give up everything to be with you because you’re so scared of losing him.

That isn’t love, it’s pure selfishness.

It’s time, Emilia. It’s time to grow up. It’s time to stop letting your own weakness destroy the lives of everyone around you.

Oh, Subaru. This is all my fault. None of this ever would have happened to you if it weren’t for me. Now you’ve lost everyone because of me. Everyone turned against you because of my magic. Worse, if there is some kind of strange monster in the forest, you might be in danger just staying here! Now you’re a fugitive from the kingdom with no idea where your next meal is coming from. You’ve even lost Beatrice.

Subaru… I can only imagine how much you’re hurting now. But there’s one certain way for you to get Beatrice back.

It’s… It’s the only way. Reinhard and Felt will protect you so you’ll never have to use your Authority again. Beatrice and Puck will be there to comfort you. It’s the only way to make things right. It’s the only way to give you the life that you deserve.

Oh, Subaru. You’re in so much pain. I know your heart so well that it’s as if I can feel it breaking every day since you’ve lost your family. This is all my fault. I need to make this right. I need to do what’s best for you, Subaru and not myself. I love so much, Subaru. If it’s for you, I know that I could bear any sacrifice. Even if I wonder if it will kill me to even say it out loud…

Emilia buried her face in the pillow beside him and wept.

When Subaru woke up he found Emilia was already awake and sitting at the table. She had her hands clasped tightly together and she stared down at the table with a bleak expression.

Oh no. Mili is still upset from last night…

I need to find a way to cheer her up…

“Good morning, Mili,” Subaru said, trying to sound chipper while pulling his clothes on.

“…Morning, Subaru,” Emilia whispered.

He clapped his hands together. “Well, it’s a brand new day full of possibilities. It’s time to start pulling our lives back together. I think I’ll grab Anri and bring her to Iruk. That’s one less mouth to feed anyway. While I’m there, I’m going to buy some food.”

Emilia didn’t answer.

Subaru hesitated. “Mili, I know that you don’t want to hear this but I think… maybe you should stay here. It’s just safer that way,” He said in a placating tone. “I won’t be gone too long and the villagers at Iruk are less likely to react badly to me.”

Emilia sighed and bowed her head.

Subaru’s face grew careworn. “Mili, I know that this is hard for you but I’ll be alright without you on this trip. And trust me, you’ll feel so much better once you have a full stomach. I’ll drop off Anri and bring back food and we’ll have a feast tonight. Once we’re rested and full, then we can regroup and figure out a plan to get the spirits back!”

Emilia didn’t respond right away. “You really miss the spirits, don’t you, Subaru?” Emilia asked sympathetically.

“Of course, I do!” Subaru said simply. “I miss having Puck around. I miss reading to Beatrice every night.” Subaru shook his head and chuckled. “You know, it’s funny. I can’t even remember the last time I walked any serious distance without Beatrice on my shoulder. It feels flat out weird not to have her here! I feel… off balance…” Subaru said, the forced good humor in his voice becoming sad and wistful.

Emilia bowed her head.

Subaru cleared his throat. “Which is why today is the beginning of Operation ‘Get the Spirits Back!’ As soon as I’m back from Iruk, we are going to eat a huge meal and then we are going to brainstorm how to rescue Puck and Beatrice!”

Emilia stared at Subaru expressionlessly. Oh, Subaru. I should never have left this place. I should never have listened to Roswaal’s lies. Now I’ve lost Puck and I’ve even dragged you into my own mess. Your friends have turned against you and even the Kingdom thinks that you might be an enemy. It was one thing when everyone wanted to just kill me but now I’m putting you in danger as well. People will see you with me and think that you’re a Witch Cultist. I can’t let this happen. I can’t ruin your life anymore than I already have. You deserve so much better than this. I need to make this right. There’s only one thing I can do.

“Um, Emilia?” Subaru said, becoming uncomfortable.

“Subaru, I have an idea for how to get the spirits back but… I don’t think that you’re going to like it,” Emilia said slowly.

“OK. That doesn’t sound promising,” Subaru muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

“Just… promise me that you’ll try to keep an open mind, please?” Emilia pleaded.

Subaru took a deep breath, “What is it, Mili?”

Emilia closed her eyes, “I think… I think maybe you should go.”

Subaru squinted at her, “Go? Go where?”

“Go home,” Emilia said.

“Emilia, I have no idea how to get back to my world,” Subaru said incredulously, “And why would I want to?”

“No! I mean… go back to the capitol. To the manor. Find Puck and Beatrice. They need you.”

Subaru stared at her, “And just what are you going to be doing while I go off on this daring rescue mission?”

“Subaru, it won’t be a ‘rescue’ as long as I’m not with you! Just tell them that you got away from the ‘evil witch’ and Reinhard and Felt will forget the whole thing. They’ll put Puck and Beatrice right back in your arms,” Emilia pointed out.

“And then what?” Subaru scoffed, “I just walk away, say ‘We’ll be back in five minutes,’ and then march all the way back to Elior without anyone noticing? They’re going to be watching me like a hawk after all this. If I told them that I just miraculously ‘got away’ then everyone would be worried that I was some kind of sleeper agent sent back to cause trouble. I’d never be able to sneak off.”

Emilia bit her lip, “I know. I was thinking that… you shouldn’t come back.”

Subaru stared at Emilia, “…What?” He whispered in horror.

“I don’t like it either,” Emilia said.

“My feelings for this ‘plan’ of yours go a little bit further than ‘not liking’ it, Mili!” He snapped.

Emilia took a deep breath, “Subaru, I need you to stop and think about this.”

“Think about what?! That I’d be leaving you? That this would be ‘goodbye, see you never?!’ What the hell would make me want to follow this plan?”

“Beatrice!” Emilia snapped.

Subaru paused.

“You promised her that you’d be together forever,” Emilia reminded him, “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“I made you the same promise if you recall,” Subaru retorted.

“You did not,” Emilia said calmly.

“I asked you to fucking marry me, Emilia! What does marriage mean to you? Hell, what do I mean to you?!” Subaru demanded.

“You mean everything to me,” Emilia whispered.

“But you want to send me away,” Subaru scoffed.

“Subaru! What kind of life could you possibly have here?” She demanded, “You’re trapped in the forest hiding from the kingdom with me! What would you do here? Grow turnips?”

“I’m guessing that if I was waiting for the growing season, I’d be waiting for a very long time,” He admitted, “But the same question applies to you! What are you going to do every day? Map the forest? Dust the ice statues?”

“I’ve lived here before.”

“Well, I can start living here right now!” Subaru replied.

“What about Beatrice?” Emilia asked.

“What about Puck?” Subaru retorted, “Are you really OK with never seeing him again?”

Emilia took a deep, ragged breath, “Puck doesn’t even remember me. All his love has been given to you. So I want you to promise me that you’ll love him and cherish him the same way that I would.”

“Or, and I know this sounds crazy but just hear me out, why don’t I just bring Puck and Beatrice back here and we’ll cherish them together!”

“How, Subaru? You just admitted that you couldn’t do that!” Emilia reminded him.

“I can’t do it if I try waltzing back to Felt and Reinhard saying: ‘Let’s all just forget about Emilia!’” Subaru said sarcastically, “That’s a terrible plan. We’ll need to sneak the spirits out!”

“Subaru, even if you could, what about everyone else?”

“Everyone else? Who? Who else are we responsible for?” Subaru asked.

“Felt, for starters.”

“Felt?! Emilia, I feel absolutely no responsibility for Felt at the moment! She’s the one who talked Reinhard into tracking us down and trying to kill you, in case you forgot!” Subaru spat.

“And that… was a bad mistake,” Emilia admitted.

“A mistake?!” Subaru said incredulously.

“Fine. What about Petra?”

“Petra? What the hell is threatening Petra right now?”

“Subaru, you know that some winters she doesn’t have enough to eat,” Emilia reminded him.

Subaru stared at her, “What the fuck, Emilia?! We introduced crop rotations at Arlem for a reason. Next winter they will have so much food!”

“But what about all the other Petras in all the villages across the kingdom who don’t have that knowledge?”

“What about me, Emilia?! Why are you looking for excuses to get rid of me?!” Subaru yelled.

“I’m not!”

“You must certainly fucking are!” Subaru snapped. “What is this? Now that I can’t get the dragon blood for you, you just don’t want me around anymore?!”

Emilia looked as if Subaru had just slapped her, “That is absolutely unfair, Subaru! You’re just projecting your own insecurities on me now!”

“Oh yeah? Then why are you so determined to make me leave?!” Subaru demanded.

“Subaru! Because of all the good that you could do! You could make millions of peoples’ lives better all over the world if you went back to the capitol and won the royal selection! You could take care of Beatrice and Puck and make sure they felt loved everyday! You could make sure everyone in the kingdom had good food and warm clothing. You could even end the fighting between humans and demi-humans!”

“And what about us?!” Subaru demanded.

Emilia took a deep breath, “Subaru. I love you. I love you with all my heart. But I’m just one person who would be happier if you stayed here compared with millions who would be happier if you left. You would be much happier if you left. We need to think about the big picture.”

“I would miserable away from you! I’ve already tested that theory! Also, fuck the big picture!”

Emilia shook her head sadly, “I really hoped that you would be more mature than this.”

“Mature? Seriously?!” Subaru sneered, “You want to talk about maturity? Emilia, this is you trying to buy your way out of your own guilt. Again.”

Emilia gasped. “And just what exactly do you mean by that?!” She demanded.

“Emilia, you’re doing what you always do! You have a martyr complex! You’re trying to work your way out of your own guilt by suffering. Ever since the disaster in the forest, everything you’ve done has been with the single goal of making up for your big mistake.”

“This has nothing to do with that!” Emilia yelled, her face flushed with anger.

“Of course it does! If I stayed here with you, you’d be happy and you think that you don’t deserve to be happy so you had better send me away,” Subaru said sarcastically. “That way you can be all alone and miserable. Good thing that Puck’s memories got erased because you know that he’d never abandon you otherwise!”

Emilia stared at him, her jaw hanging open, “How dare you?!” She yelled.

“I really thought that you were starting to get over this!” Subaru shouted back.

“Get over it?!” Emilia screamed, bolting up. “Are you really that dense? I entombed hundreds of people in solid ice! You don’t just ‘get over’ that! I have an obligation-”

“To help them! Not to be miserable! You really think that your suffering makes them feel any better? If those people are still conscious in any way, they’re not sitting around hoping that Emilia feels guilty enough or that she’s torturing herself enough. If they’re watching, all they want is not to have been turned to ice. They’re the ones that are hurting and your pain doesn’t decrease theirs in any way. It isn’t about you!”

“That’s rich coming from you!” Emilia screamed, her cheeks bright scarlet, “To you, everything is about us! You don’t care what happens to anyone else as long as we can be together!”

“I will rescue Beatrice and Puck!” He shouted back.

“And that’s it?! You don’t care what happens to anyone else as long as your personal family is safe?!”

“I never claimed to be a hero, Emilia!” He yelled.

“You were my hero!” She screamed in his face.

“Well, Emilia, I’m sorry that I finally let you down by being a goddamn human being and not some fucking perfect effigy in a story book!”

“Get out of here!” Emilia shrieked.

“Gladly!” Subaru yelled, grabbing his satchel as he marched out the door.

Subaru slammed it shut behind him.

Emilia’s eyes widened and her face became stricken. She raised a hand helplessly as if to call him back.