True to Jane’s word, she examined and healed Frances’s arms and legs. It wasn’t a perfect healing. Frances still needed to wear splints because the bones themselves needed more time to heal naturally. Jane was also unable to heal Frances’s throat, but had given her some herbs to be mixed with boiling water. Frances, recognizing the herbs, thanked Jane and Timur paid her handsomely before she left.

That had left the pair alone in the late evening, quite tired after a long day. After the pair locked the room and cast a soundproofing spell, Frances immediately glanced at her boyfriend and asked, “How did you know she was on our side?”

Timur’s smile faded and his tail, the good half at least, seemed to twist and wiggle. “Um, I… well, I…Um…” He closed his eyes. “I guessed.”

Frances studied her boyfriend’s expression. “Well it was a good guess. The thing is, I was wondering if you noticed something about her because I almost was about to stun her.”

“You’re not annoyed that I guessed?” Timur asked, eyes wide.

“Timur, if you hadn’t guessed, I would have stunned her and she might not have been willing to help us.” She reached out from her bed to Timur, revelling in how her arm didn’t ache when she raised it. “So no, I’m not angry or annoyed that you guessed.”

“But what if I guessed incorrectly?” Timur demanded, his voice rising. Frances blinked, not out of alarm, but at the desperation in his tone. “I could have, and then Jane would have just screamed and yelled for people to help her. I mean… I asked you to trust me, and um, your trust would have been misplaced.”

Frances took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Well, I would have been annoyed at you and asked you why you thought that way.” Her boyfriend’s shoulders sagged, prompting Frances to tug at his hand. “However, Timur, I know you’re a very thoughtful person, and not someone that would put us in danger. So even if you broke my trust, I would still trust you in the future. I’d just want to know why so I can make better guesses by learning from you.”

“Oh. Well… I… there were a few things. First, when I met Jane, she talked to me a little about how frustrating the war was and how she’d wished it would end, and that she really didn’t like that Thorgoth ended the peace conference. I also thought that Jane would be on our side because I realized that if she really wanted to scream, she could have just done it. She needn’t have asked whether we’re on Queen Titania’s side. That, and if she realized we weren’t who we said we were, why didn’t she just excuse herself and say that she needed to get more supplies? Why did she confront us with her suspicions?”

“Because she… she wasn’t poised to just reveal us, she was trying to figure out who we were first,” Frances mused, nodding along with Timur. “I understand now. I think it was risky, but I also think you were right to stop me.”

Her prince blinked and nodded slowly. “Huh, alright. That… I didn’t expect that.”

“What did you expect, Timur?” Frances asked.

“I thought you’d be annoyed and angry that I made such a guess. I mean… it wasn’t like I had hard evidence,” said Timur.

“And I didn’t either when I pulled my wand out. Timur… we just have to make decisions in the moment. We might get them wrong, but I… I won’t stop loving you if you make a mistake,” said Frances.

“I know, but thank you for reminding me,” said Timur. He sat down beside Frances on her bed. “This… this is hard.”

She leaned in against Timur’s shoulder. “It is, but… I’m going to do my best to help you.”

Timur beamed for a brief second, before he pursed his lips. “And… what about you? How are you holding up?”

Frances didn’t reply at first. Her feelings were… not so much a jumble as an enigma. That being said… “I’m good, Timur, really. I… I’m tired and confused, but I’ll let you know when I need help okay?”

Her prince smiled and rose from the bed. “Alright. I’ll take the floor.”

“Take the floor? Timur, you can just sleep here.” Frances looked away, her cheeks warm. “If you want to, that is.”

“Oh. Well then.” Timur kicked his shoes off and dramatically flopped into the bed, turning over to rub his nose into the pillow. “Ahhh, mattress, how I have missed you.”

Frances giggled, but had to agree that it was nice to be back on a bed. Too tired to bother changing, she slid in beside Timur, and threw the blanket over them both.

“Goodnight, Timur.” She yawned, smiling as he slipped his hand into hers.

“Goodnight, Frances,” he whispered.

The first thing that Timur noticed when he awoke was that he wasn’t holding Frances’s hand anymore, and her side of the bed was noticeably colder. He sat up, eyes searching the dimly lit room.

His eye focused on a small figure sitting in the lone chair in the room, one arm crossed over her chest. However, what shocked him to full wakefulness was his realization that she was biting her arm so hard she was rocking back and forth.

“Frances?”

Instantly, Frances sat up, and tucked both arms behind her back. As Timur muttered a Word of Power to light the candle in the room, he could see a tired smile pasted across weary features.

“Oh, hey Timur. Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. I… I got a call last night from Edana and um, it wasn’t good news, but she’s alright. I’m alright.”

Timur tried not to frown, he really did, but he found himself narrowing his eyes. Sliding out of the bed, he walked over and reached out to Frances’s arm. When she shuffled back, he stopped.

“I saw you biting your arm, Frances. You… you are not fine.”

“Of course not! But it’s got nothing to do with you and you don’t need me to be freaking out now!” Frances hissed. She crossed her arms, revealing a saliva soaked indent where she’d bitten herself. “Timur, just… leave me alone for a moment.”

Timur shook his head. “No way. You’re not fine. Even if Edana is. Something must have happened.”

He reached out, except Frances got up, walked right to the corner of the room and pressed both hands against the wall. “Timur, I’m warning you. Leave me alone!”

The trogre stepped back. His girlfriend has just growled. Not spoke to him sternly, not whined, she’d just growled and suddenly he realized that no, Frances wasn’t in distress, or sad, or even frustrated.

She was livid with fury. It shook her while she braced herself against the walls of their room and thickened the air of their small room.

That was not a metaphor. Timur could taste the ozone that accompanied Frances whenever she used her lightning spell and the warm air of the inn was suddenly storm-cold.

Which begged the very frightened prince the question, should he stay, or should he leave? The magic in the room was beginning to crackle from the uncontrolled power Frances was unconsciously leaking into the air.

“Timur, leave! You don’t want to see me like this,” Frances hissed.

The tone in her voice made his decision. Timur took a deep breath, stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders. For whatever reason, Frances didn’t fling him back, but she shook underneath his touch.

“Frances, love, it is alright to be angry. Let it out.”

She shook her head, sending short brown hair whirling. Timur ran his fingers through the mussed strands, straightening them out. “Dear… I won’t leave you, even if you do hurt me. I know you don’t mean to.”

Frances clamped her hands over her ears. “No! Don’t… don’t tell me that. You don’t… you won’t be able to help me with this.”

“Frances you were angry at me before, I think I can take it—”

“Not like this!” Frances spun around. She’d been crying, and yet her eyes sparked with rage. “Every time I’ve been this angry, someone has gotten hurt. You need to go.”

Timur shook his head. “No, I need to stay, for you. Please, you can tell me, dear.”

Frances screwed her eyes shut and backed away from him. He moved towards her, but didn’t touch her. “Three days ago, King Oliver of Erisdale was assassinated.”

The prince gasped. That was bad. Oliver of Erisdale was a capable monarch and head of arguably the strongest of the remaining human states in the war. Even his father had spoken of him with respect. He didn’t understand why Frances was so angry though—

“His daughter Prince Janize and her supporters such as Earl Darius have refused to accept Prince Jerome’s legitimate claim and now Erisdale is in civil war! Salpheron is under siege! And I’m stuck here uselessly in Alavaria while my mother is trapped with children!”

Frances kicked the wall, her boot thudding against the plaster and making the beams of the room shake.

“Why am I here? In Alavaria, when my mother’s been besieged in a castle meant to train mages! Not that I can help because I still can’t sing! I tried… I tried holding a note but all I can do are simple spells!”

“So you are angry at me?” Timur asked, hesitantly.

“Yes—no—I don’t want to be but I am! I’m in Alavaria because I thought oh no, why don’t we stop by and save your niece but because of that I’m stuck here while Salpheron is being surrounded by ten thousand soldiers!” Frances screamed whirling on him.

Timur stepped back as Frances whirled on him. Her hands were balled into fists, but she didn’t lash out. She just stared at him, trembling.

“Why didn’t I kill Darius all those years ago at Kwent? I should have known he was up to no good. But no, I was stupid and thought I had to obey orders. And what the fuck were we fighting for, searching for if all your father has to do is kill one person and everything falls apart?” Frances raised her hand, and the chair she’d been sitting on wobbled into the air as she cried out a quivering, raspy note. Timur jumped out of the way, thanking the fact they’d previously soundproofed the room with spells, just as she threw the chair into the floor. It didn’t shatter, but the wooden chair bounced and clattered off the ground.

“How are the humans so stupid. They fight Jerome because he’s “an Alavari lover” when he just wants to work with Alavaria to end this fucking war! This stupid, useless war that’s killed so many! Why can’t I control how I feel and keep getting blindsided by my own stupid feelings!”

Frances raised her fist to punch the wall, but Timur quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace from behind. She writhed and he hissed as she stomped on his foot and elbowed his ribs, hard.

“Let me go! Let me go! Timur if you don’t let me go I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Hurt me?” Timur asked, trying to keep the pain from his voice and his tone level. “I know you don’t want to do that, Frances.”

Frances froze. Holding onto her bare forearm, it was strange how cold and palpy her skin suddenly felt. She twisted in his arms she was facing him, her hands over her mouth. “I… Timur, I… how badly. Oh no. What have I done?”

“I’m alright. You stomped on my foot, and elbowed me but I’m good. You weren’t yourself.”

Frances backed off, trying to get out of Timur’s embrace, but he held onto her as she started to shake and tears poured down her cheeks. “But I did it again! I just hurt you because I got angry at something that isn’t even your fault! Why do I keep doing this to you?”

“Because you care deeply.” Timur nodded to himself and kissed the top of Frances’s head, smelling her hair for a brief moment. “You care about your mother, the lives lost in this war and the insanity of this situation. And… when you got angry at me back in Erlenberg, it was because you cared about me.”

Frances sighed, “Normal people don’t hurt those they care about.”

The bitterness in Frances’s tone was hard to hear. It was like his emotions were chewing glass.

“Normal people do hurt those they care about, Frances.” He arched an eyebrow. “And hey, I’m not ‘normal’ either, so what if you aren’t?”

“Timur, that’s not… yes we’re both not normal, and that’s fine, but I… if I hurt you, then how can I help you?” Frances’s amber eyes stared up at him, filled with shame and quivering with guilt. “How can I be the partner you need if I can’t control myself?”

He couldn’t meet her gaze. Not out of guilt, but because it was too intense. The love behind her eyes, how tightly she was clinging to him, and all he could do was try to come up with an answer. Except to his abashment, he didn’t know how to answer the question.

How could Frances be his partner if she hurt him? Her temper was something quite formidable and her slap stung his cheek for months after Erlenberg. He understood her worry and appreciated that she was worried for him.

Except something didn’t seem right about the question she asked him, though, he had no idea what.

“... We are allowed to make mistakes, Frances. I mean, I didn’t trust you in Erlenberg,” Timur said.

Frances sniffled. “That’s different!”

“Is it so different?” Timur asked.

Frances pressed her head against his chest and he could feel her sobbing into his shirt. “No… but… you… Timur, you’re still worried I don’t love you. If I get angry at you, I’m going to hurt you.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I won’t love you,” said Timur.

“I know that and you have no idea how grateful I am, but I don’t want to hurt you or have you hurting yourself for me! Like…” Frances’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Like how you cut your own tail off for your father. That… I still feel like that was my fault for losing to your father.”

Timur suddenly felt like he was on the cusp of realizing why the woman he was holding was so distraught, and so scared that she might do something wrong or had done something wrong.

Only he just couldn’t figure out why. He was certain it was tied to the nightmare she’d gone through as a child, but everything that afflicted Frances had its roots back there.

“Then… what would you like me to do? You don’t want me to leave you, right?” Timur asked.

“No. Never!” she exclaimed.

“And I don’t want to either.” Timur sighed. “You have to let me stay by you, even when you are not at your best. Besides… what you just learned was horrifying, especially with what has happened and what we know. Does Edana know how you are feeling?”

“I… I think we were putting on a brave face for each other. Mom doesn’t want to alarm me and I didn’t want to worry her. I know I should tell her, but not now. She needs me to be safe and stable,” Frances stammered.

Timur frowned. “But Frances, what about your needs?”

“I… I have people I love and care for me. That’s all I need.”

Frances was horrible at lying. He could hear it in her voice and when he pulled back, he could see that she was studiously avoiding his gaze.

“Frances, you promised not to lie about these things,” Timur said.

“I did, but… look, what I need isn’t as important as what you need right now—”

“Frances, are you listening to yourself right now?” Timur wanted to shake his girlfriend to make her see sense. So that she could understand how silly she was sounding.

Though, in a sad way, he thought he had an idea of what she felt. It must be like how he was always worried about losing her love and not being deserving of her. Only… this was different, more complex.

“Love, we can’t compare what we went through. I had a horrible father, you had parents that tortured you! Comparing them is absurd and isn’t helpful.”

Frances swallowed and nodded. “Yes… I… I understand. I just… I just want to be the best girlfriend I can ever be, for you.”

Timur sighed and leaned forward, lips about to touch Frances’s brow. At her nod, he kissed her forehead.

“And I love you dearly for that, but I also want you to take care of yourself and to know you can rely on me. Even on your bad days,” he whispered.

She giggled sadly. “Even… even when I’m being moody and angry?”

“Especially then,” he whispered. He loosened his embrace and drew Frances to the bed. “Come to bed, dear. We have a long day tomorrow. We need to get going after all.”

Frances nodded and after kicking off her boots, sat down next to Timur. “Yes. Timur… thank you, and I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” He blinked as Frances kissed him quickly on the lips and hugged him tight. Chuckling, he got his legs back onto the mattress. “Goodnight, dear.”

Frances, still holding onto her boyfriend, joined him, her face damp, but no longer crying

Leipmont, Erisdale…

Elizabeth pulled up her horse as she and Ayax approached her teacher Igraine’s castle, Pinefort. There was a squad of cavalry riding down the road.

“Elizabeth! Ayax!” called the armored knight at the front, pulling up his visor.

Ayax breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the Gods. Martin! You got the battalion here on time!”

The knight pulled alongside Elizabeth and Ayax and clasped their arms with them. There was no time for a hug. “Yeah, but shit’s gone completely sideways. Thankfully Kwent is secure, but do you have any idea what our orders are?”

“No. Igraine told me to hold here for the moment and wait for you to come. She’s trying to coordinate with what we got.” Martin pursed his lips. “Liz, do you know what the Otherworlders are going to do.”

“No. I have no clue.” Elizabeth winced. “I’ve… I’ve been away from them for a long time. I sometimes talk to Nicole and Jim, so I know they’re going to side with Earl Forowena. She’s their mentor after all. I only have guesses for what the other Otherworlders would do.”

“Then what are your guesses, Liz?” Ayax asked. “I mean, we’ve discussed this, but I don’t think we’ve told Martin our suspicions.”

Elizabeth grimaced. “I… I know for a fact that of all the Otherworlders, I’m closest to the inhabitants of Durannon. I…” Elizabeth swallowed. “Martin, I’m honestly considering staying here after the war. I… I don’t know what I’d do after it, but…”

“Liz, if you do stay, you’ll always have room with Ginger and I,” said Martin gently.

Elizabeth mirrored the smile her friend had. It took effort to force her mind back on the topic at hand.

“Thank you, Martin. Right, so… the problem is how long the war’s been going. I know when we were transported here four years ago, nobody was worried because no time would pass in our world. However, I think we’re all beginning to realize how hard it will be when we go home. If it weren’t for you all, I’d… I’d be pretty demoralized.”

“Right… you were all thirteen and younger when you arrived in Durannon,” said Martin.

“Yeah. So… there might be people that resent this war and hate fighting in it. There might be people who just want to end the war as quickly as they can. There… might even be people who harbour different ambitions.”

“Different ambitions?” Ayax asked. “Like… like setting up their own country here?”

“No. Not that. But… there might be Otherworlders who have gotten so jaded they will sell their abilities to the highest bidder. After all… as long as Thorgoth dies first, they will still get rewarded,” said Elizabeth quietly.

Martin grimaced, “Let’s hope it does not come to that.”

The Pinefort was actually a fort with a combination of wooden and stone walls. Perched atop a high hill, the trio and the cavalry squad had to wind their way past huge trunks of trees to get to the castle proper.

Once inside, they were greeted by Ginger who waved them over and ushered them through the castle to a meeting room with communication mirrors.

“Earl Forowena… Queen-Consort Forowena has taken overall command of the Reformist forces. Your Otherworlder friend Nicole is calling the mirror to explain,” said Ginger.

Nicole, a Ukrainian-Canadian brunette had let her once cropped brown hair grow out into wavy curls. Her Red Order robes hung limply on her exhausted shoulders.

“Nicole, how are Jerome and Forowena? Where are you all?” Elizabeth asked.

“We’re in the west of Erisdale, near our powerbase of Tharos City. We’re moving out towards the capital while Darius and Janize are preoccupied with besieging Salpheron. You said Edana made it to Salpheron before they put the castle under siege?” Nicole asked.

“Yes. Igraine also wants you and Forowena to know that she has five hundred more rangers and crack musketeers at your disposal, the rest needed to garrison Leipmont,” said Martin.

“That’s good. Alright, so my boyfriend Jim and I have heard through our personal mirror communications that the Otherworlders are returning to Lehrbeck castle to discuss what to do next. Liz, you need to take the Lightning Battalion there with the rangers where Jim and I will meet you. We’ll need to convince them or if they decide to side with Darius, stop them,” said Nicole.

“Wait, the entire Lightning Battalion and the Rangers? My battalion alone has nine hundred soldiers including two hundred cavalry. We’d be taking more than a thousand soldiers to a meeting of what… a hundred Otherworlders?”

“Liz, at least half of them are mages and many of our classmates are sick and tired of the war. Pay’s been only passable and most don’t see the Alavari as anything other than monsters. I don’t… I don’t want to consider it, but there’s a good chance you’ll be fighting them,” said Nicole.

“Shit,” Ginger whispered.

“That and if we would send armed soldiers… Earl Darius definitely would, and especially since Lehrbeck is dead centre between the Reformer and Traditionalist territories,” Martin muttered.

“I still can’t believe the Traditionalists assassinated Oliver,” Ayax hissed.

Martin shook his head. “No, they probably didn’t, Ayax. I know Earl Darius is an asshole and he killed your father, but it doesn’t make sense for him to kill Oliver. Not when the war is still going on.”

“Then it must have been Thorgoth,” said Ginger slowly. The convict nodded and groaned. “Oh it must have been. He must have known about the disputed succession, the factionalism in Erisdale, and how Oliver just declared Jerome his heir. With Titania rebelling, Thorgoth must have ordered the assassination so he could keep Erisdale from launching any significant offensives into Alavaria.”

“That does sound like him,” said Elizabeth. Groaning, she buried her head in her hands for a second. “Alright, I’ll take the battalion there, Nicole. Is there anything else I should know?”

The brunette pursed her lips. “Well I do have a question, Ginger mentioned you got another Named Staff that was broken but could be repaired, where did you take it?” Nicole asked.

Ayax took a deep breath and raised the staff from where she’d been holding it, showing Silver Star to Nicole.

“Wait, I thought it was broken?” Ginger stammered.

“Using Poker, Edana managed to do a quick repair on Silver Star. I’m… holding onto it in the meantime for safe keeping.” Ayax ran her fingers over the cracks still in the staff’s wood. “I don’t think I want to use it in battle, but… well Silver Star is willing to help out if necessary.”

“Silver Star? Damn! I can’t believe you guys are swimming in Named Wands and Staves. Next thing you know you’re going to find Spellbinder,” Nicole muttered.

The friends resisted the urge to glance at each other until they said goodbye to Nicole.

“I hope Frances is alright,” said Martin morosely.

“Cuz is alright. She called us, but I don’t think she’s happy about losing, but she is with Timur, so… I think she’ll be in good hands,” said Ayax.

“Good,” said Elizabeth. She slowly rose to her feet. “Do you all want to get drunk?”

“Who are you and what have you done with Elizabeth?” Ginger stammered.

“A damn civil war, one of our friends behind enemy lines, and the fact that we can’t responsibly get drunk for a while. We get drunk tonight and not until this civil war unfucks itself,” Elizabeth pointed out.

“Sign me up! I’ll get the alcohol,” said Martin, striding for the door.