"Aston? Are you okay?" Gwyneth hesitantly approached Aston. She reached out to comfort him, but he quickly backed away.

"I... I killed him." Aston stared down at his hands in disbelief. Sure, Notus got on his nerves just as much as he got on everyone else's, but did he deserve to die? If he had waited just a little longer, would Isla have been able to convince him? He had magic, for Almighty's sake! He could have bound him or taken him as a prisoner. If he had focused enough, maybe he could have willed him back to Losufea. But no. His stupid thoughts immediately went to subduing him in the most permanent of ways.

"You had no choice!" Isla tried to convince him, taking a hesitant step forward before recoiling back at Aston's harsh voice.

"No choice?" Aston laughed humorlessly. "Everyone has a choice. And I just made the choice to kill him." He laughed hysterically; eyes wide still focused on his hands. The hero was supposed to save everyone, right? And he killed someone. He actually killed someone! He knew the others never believed in him; it was why they had journeyed with him in the first place. Was he just fooling himself this whole time?

"So, what do we do with this extra unicorn?" Cetri gestured to the riderless unicorn. It wasn't as if any of them could ride it. And even if they could, they wouldn't abandon their own mounts for its sake.

"We could always eat it." Elric shrugged as the unicorn hesitantly backed away.

"Mmmm... Magic meat..." Cetri licked her lips.

"Do you not see that now isn't the time?!" Isla shouted at the two of them.

"You're right. Eating it would be a waste. We could sell it and use the funds to buy more food!" Cetri nodded as Isla's jaw dropped. Was Cetri actually being serious...?

"Let's go," Aston said coldly. He mounted his horse, giving a slight kick. The others wordlessly followed suit.

Days passed in a blur. Elric and Cetri continued to try to make conversation with the others; Gwyneth and Isla would occasionally respond, but their focus was on Aston. He had been eerily quiet ever since that morning. Usually by now, he would have complained about how long the journey was or insult them or set one of them on fire.

At first, he was distraught over the feeling of murdering someone for the first time. But now, his thoughts were laced with confusion. The more he thought about it, the more he could have sworn he had killed someone in the past. Multiple someones, at that. But that wasn't possible. While he didn't have many friends in Aboracies, there weren't many, if any, people he hated. And even if he had killed someone, he was just a kid and not a clever one at that. Someone would have noticed.

He spent the night gazing up at the moonless sky while the others slept, contemplating what had happened, his past, and his future.

"Do you need someone to talk to?" He nearly jumped at the voice. Looking to his right he saw Gwyneth in her nightgown as she sat down next to him.

He sighed. Sure, talking to someone might be nice. "Be honest with me; do you think I have what it takes to save Halcyone?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here with you right now," Gwyneth answered, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

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"I thought you only came to keep an eye on me."

"Yes, that's right."

"But you just said—"

"I said 'right now'. As in I'm next to you talking to you right now." She turned to face him.

Well, that sure made him feel better.

Not.

"Just answer the blazing question."

"I see you've picked up some Cathruli swear words." Gwyneth shook her head. "I used to think you didn't care about anyone other than yourself. I mean, I still think that a little bit. But after seeing how you reacted with Notus... I know you genuinely care about others. Well, at least enough not to wish death upon them."

"I can't tell if any of that is supposed to be a compliment."

"Don't worry, the compliment is in there somewhere. I'm sure." She sighed. Cheering up someone who you don't think has any redeeming qualities was a lot harder than she thought. "You're strong, Aston. Your strength is what's going to save us, not your attitude. Notus would have killed us if you hadn't killed him. It's the same thing with the King of Zetheria. You're going to have to kill him too, right?"

But did they have to? Couldn't they reason with him— No. This was Zetheria... Why did the name of the kingdom suddenly make his blood boil? The king should pay for what he has done— But what has he done? Aston shook the many thoughts away before mumbling a soft "yeah..."

Aston got up and made his way to his tent, leaving Gwyneth by herself. A chill swept over her, causing her to shiver. They would be all right, wouldn't they?

---

The next morning finally brought back some normalcy into the group's lives. Aston was talking as usual, and Gwyneth and Isla felt some relief wash over them. Things were looking up.

Until they heard a scream. It was fairly high-pitched, so it must have been a girl. No, Aston knew it was a girl. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. He urged his horse faster, faster than he had ever asked of it before.

"Aston! Wait!" Elric shouted. He scoffed as he followed Aston, urging his own horse faster until it was nearly at its limit.

He saw her standing there in front of a giant tree, helpless, her white dress torn as a bear approached. Her skin was pale enough to rival Isla's, and her long curly black hair draped over her shoulders until they reached her thighs. To him, she was the very definition of beauty.

With the quick work of a fire spell, the bear was scared off. He would have chased after it if it weren't for his concern for the lady in front of him. "You're... You're okay?" He asked.

"Yes, thanks to you." She smiled; lips remained sealed as dimples formed.

"Thank goodness..." Tears streamed down Aston's face. Wait, he was crying? He quickly wiped them away in confusion. He didn't know this girl, but it felt like he had known her all his life.

"There you are! Don't rush off on your own!" Elric arrived at the scene, his horse panting from exhaustion. He slid down as the others followed behind him shortly. Unsurprisingly, Isla's unicorn didn't look any worse for wear.

"Are you okay? We heard you scream." Gwyneth slid off her horse and approached the woman in front of them.

"I'm fine, thank you." She nodded. "My name is Linda."

"Linda?" Gwyneth raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds like a Cathruli name," Elric noted.

"What?!" Cetri gawked. "No, it does not! ...Well, kind of. It probably could be one. But it's not!"

"We're—" Gwyneth was cut off.

"Going to Zetheria to defeat the king and restore peace to the world. I know that Aston is the prophesized hero." Linda smiled.

"What? How would you know?" Isla asked, becoming instantly suspicious of the woman.

"I know a lot of things." She giggled. "But that's not important. What is important is that you won't be able to get into Zetheria unless you're personally acquainted with one of its residents. I can get you in."

"And why should we trust a resident of Zetheria when she's blatantly aware of our reason for visiting?" Elric asked sternly.

"I never said I was a resident."

"Then how else would you...! No, it's too dangerous—"

"We can trust her," Aston spoke confidently.

"How would you know?" Gwyneth asked. "We just met her!"

"I can't explain it, but I have this really strong feeling that we can trust her."

"She could be manipulating you somehow! Maybe she has magic!"

"She's not a Fae. Besides, how would she have magic that isn't elemental?" Aston felt his patience starting to wane. "We're going with her. That's final."

Cetri nodded. "We don't have any other way in. Besides, if she tries something, I'll just break that pretty little head of hers."

The others turned to glance at Cetri in horror, save for Linda who simply laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a Cathruli warrior."