On second thought, Idleaf was as far from being Kirin as I was. If I remembered Mr. Sandoval’s words correctly, they were beings of immense beauty and power. Their wings could obscure the sun, the glow of their horns could blind you, and the softness of their tail was unmatched. They were creatures full of life and compassion, whose fur shined like a lake at dawn, their feathers the color of fire burning in their hearts.

Sure, there were some similarities, but....

First, the spirit of the World Tree had an ethereal form of purple color, no other. Second, no horns. And finally, it was just my feeling, but it seemed to me that the description belonged to a real creature, not some magic projection like her. Sorry, Idleaf.

Anyway, I told her what I knew about Kirin and added my own question. “Have any of the elder ones heard of them?” There was a good chance it was just a terran legend, nothing more. A story made up to cheer you up in hard times, to give you hope. There were plenty of those on Earth. Or it could have been a real thing, a being, even an ordinary terran whose description had been twisted by the ages of storytelling into what was known today. Earth had plenty of those, too.

After a short pause of her conveying my question, Idleaf told me what I suspected. They had never encountered such a creature. Well, when I say them, I mean their Guardians. Sure, they’ve heard of Kirin, never seen one, though.

“Can you imagine the well of knowledge...” Lord Wigram gushed, his eyes gleaming with wonder as he saw with what ease Idleaf asked the ancient trees. “Can I ask...?”

“That can wait,” Captain Rayden cut him off. Quite unusual for her to do so. But it seemed that the longer he was here in Castiana, the more she learned how to handle the Imperial Chief Healer. She figured when she could afford to do something like that and when it was inappropriate. “Squad Four should have been in Fallen’s Cry over an hour ago, not here and wasting their time.”

Lord Wigram cleared his throat, tempering his curiosity. “Of course. We’ll have time to talk when they get back.”

Rayden let out a sigh, nothing more, and looked at us. “Two master guards and two imperial soldiers are waiting for you at the gate. They’re coming with you to make sure you get back in one piece. They have been briefed on the situation and know what to expect.”

“...and what is that, ma’am?” Freyde ventured to ask.

“Unexpected, Welkes. Look, we don’t know, and that’s why more guys are going with you.”

“Ma’am. Wouldn’t it be better if Korra went there alone first?”

“And she will, while you get used to teleporting between the square and the Labyrinth.”

“Oh...” Understanding flashed across the quarter-gnome’s eyes, with a hint of relief mixed in. It was nothing I found to blame him for; nothing to take personally. On the contrary, I was glad to first go there with only Idleaf...I mean, without Freyde, Meneur, and Harper. I’d blame myself if something happened to them because of me.

“Enough with the questions. Squad Four, move your asses to the gate.”

And after saluting, we did as she commanded, leaving those two there behind us.

“Are we going to the labyrinth?” Idleaf chirped as we moved, breaking the otherwise somber mood with her cheerfulness.

“Yes, we are,” I nodded, and while the spirit rejoiced, glanced at my squadmates. They were uncomfortably quiet. “Look, guys. Like I told Meneur, I’m still the same Korra. You don’t have to pay extra attention to the fact that I’m a Guardian.”

Respect was not what I was looking for from others. I wasn’t one for fame and power. All my heart longed for was to be normal, to be treated like everyone else, whether it was as a slave or now that I had found myself on the other side of the coin.

“To be honest, I’m a little conflicted about that,” Freyde said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “I mean...can we really do that?”

What was he talking about? I told him they could. “Wha...”

“You can’t be that dumb,” Harper snapped, whispering, her eyes fixed on Idleaf. “I don’t know shit about World Trees. But I’m not blind not to notice how the Imperial Chief Healer is treating her...or you.”

“Oh, come on...” It was pathetic to beg like that, but I really wanted them to treat me like an equal, not some noble lady.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave you a real noble title.”

“He considered it,” I admitted, dropping my wings in defeat.

“What happened, Korra’leigh?” Idleaf asked as she came out of her reverie, noticing at once my gloom.

Smiling sadly, I waved her off. “It’s nothing...” I said, but stopped short, thinking it was stupid to give up just because I didn’t want to bother her with my lack of friends’ problem. It was time to suck it up and tell her openly what was troubling me, regardless of what others may think. “W-would you mind if they don’t treat me like a Guardian?”

Idleaf cocked her head, confused. “But you are one, my Guardian.”

“I mean, if they treat me like a...like a friend...not with the respect the Guardian deserves?”

She gave me a knowing smile, seeming much older for a moment, as if her playfulness had vanished. “What is respect if it is not sincere? Just a falsehood, appeasing the egos of the insecure, the weak. A falsehood to flatter pride. And pride can be blinding, making you fail to see the falsehood before your eyes.”

Her words left me staring at her in shock. For a second, at least. Such wisdom coming from her? I knew better than to think it came from her head.

“That’s what the elder ones told me,” she giggled, the mask of gravity slipping for a brief moment. Then she touched my chest where my heart was. “I do not wish to be flattered and respected on the basis of a falsehood, nor do I wish my Guardians to be.” Idleaf shifted to Harper and placed her palm on the same spot. “Korra’leigh speaks of you as friends. It comes from her heart, and I wish your deeds to be in harmony with yours, too.”

She then circled Harper and moved over to Meneur, touching his massive chest. “Don’t struggle with your conscience and don’t bother pretending. After all, it would be nothing but a falsehood. Let your hearts speak.”

“If it’s the friendship you’re feeling,” she said as she sidled up to Freyde. “Don’t be afraid to express it. If it’s fear, don’t be shy about saying so. And if you feel respect, then it should be a well-deserved one. Be honest and let your heart speak.”

She started moving between us, almost dancing. “I have walked through Castiana and seen many things. Amazing things. I’ve seen how friendship can be fun, so why ruin it with falsehoods?”

If I was shocked before, now my mind was blown away. Where the hell did that come from? While what she said was true, that wasn’t the Idleaf I knew, that playful, childlike spirit. “Who are you, and what have you done with Idleaf?”

She giggled at my demand. “Silly Korra’leigh. I’m me.”

“But you, now....” That just wasn’t her.

“I have borrowed the wisdom of the elder ones.” What’s that supposed to mean? Did she ask them for advice, or was there more to it?

“They are truly wise,” Meneur said, pulling me from my thoughts. “I don’t like pretense, either. So...if you’re really okay with me treating Korra not as a Guardian, I will, Idleaf, the World Tree.”

“I’m,” she squealed with delight, but then she reminded him: “As long as you refrain from falsehoods and pretense.”

He paused, then smiled, chuckling a little, and burst out laughing a second later. “I like you. Dealing with humans and terrans is full of air. I’m sick of it. It’s good to know I can be myself for once in the presence of someone like you and your Guardian.”

“It’s a scary thing to lose yourself,” Idleaf shuddered at the thought.

Yes, that was her fear. That one day, she would stop being herself, that she would no longer be the Idleaf she was now. Well, I was supposed to protect her from that, to save her from the fate that seemed to have seized the two elder World Trees whose voices had fallen silent. Quite a job, wasn’t it?

Meneur nodded at the spirit, understanding her fear to a degree. “Friendship is a strong bond that doesn’t arise right away. However,” he said, looking me straight in the eye. “I look forward to that day when we call ourselves friends.”

“I-it’s not that I want to force you, nothing like that,” I said quickly. That was the last thing I wanted; them to be my friends out of duress.

“As if that would work,” Harper remarked, smiling, actually. “Look, I like that you’re not a wuss. If only half of the stuff I’ve heard about what happened in Esulmore is true, you’ve got some balls, girl. And the shit with Idleaf here...damn, that’s crazy. I’m still trying to get my head around it. I will, eventually. But friends...I don’t make them that easily. It takes more than one fight and a night at the tavern. Heck, I don’t even take these two as friends. They’re my squadmates, and so are you.”

“Uuch, that hurt,” Freyde clutched at his heart in feigned pain. “I thought we had a connection.”

“Only in your wildest wet dreams, pointy ears.”

“Would you like to hear about them,” he goaded her, knowing she would refuse and laughed when she did with quite a rude gesture.

“Harper’s right, though. We barely know you, Korra.”

And I barely knew them. “It would be great if we could be, but I’m not asking you to be my friends...all I’m looking for is for you not to treat me like some noble lady too troublesome to offend. I’m not one. Just take me as your squadmate.”

He paused for a second, considering it, before throwing his arm around my shoulders. “I could do that, squadmate.” I actually laughed at that as relief washed over my body. Although not the way I thought it would go, and with Idleaf’s great help, things have turned around as I had hoped. I had my squadmates.

And I wasn’t the only one thrilled about the fact. The spirit squealed with joy and butted in: “Can I be your squadmate too?”

“Not sure what the Captain would say, but I don’t see a problem with that,” Feyde said frankly and offered her his other arm. Although he quickly backed away from his intention to throw his arm around Idleaf’s shoulders, realizing how much taller she was the moment she happily sidled up to him. Instead, he grabbed her around the waist and looked behind him. “Hey Harper, I think one of those dreams is coming true.”

“Not a chance, pointy ears.”

***

With Idleaf back to herself, bouncing around us with nosy questions, we met with much more experienced master guards and imperial soldiers to oversee our descent into the depths below the city and arrived briskly at Labyrinth Square.

“Wow, does it look different to you too?” Harper asked as we looked down from the tops of the steps lining the hexagonal platform in the middle of the square.

“It seems the same as yesterday,” Idleaf argued after a moment’s thought.

The baker smiled, lost in memories. “It’s the same, yet it isn’t...ever since I was a little girl, I used to come here to watch the seekers and where they’re disappearing to. Whether one day I’ll be able to go down there like them...and now that I’m here with this...” She held up her hand, showing Idleaf the labyrinth mark, a teardrop-shaped tattoo on the back of her hand. “Fuck! My heart is beating so fast. No baker I know has been down there.”

“Same here, baker girl,” Freyde said, his eyes as fixed on the platform below as hers were. “I used to come here to clear my head after work...and get away from my grandmother. She hates this place.”

“And now you have done it,” she said with a sigh, pissed off at the quarter gnome. “You ruined the moment. Seriously, can you not mention that hag just once?”

“Was she that bad, Freyde?” I asked, ignoring Harper’s outburst.

“It depends. On the one hand, she provided for her family and didn’t let them suffer. We were well off. On the other, she had a tendency to control everyone’s lives to the last detail.”

“Like the books?”

“You got it.”

Harper raised an eyebrow at that. “Everything? Like everything? Even who you’re...shagging?”

He laughed, unfazed by a question like I was. “Oh, she’s got a plan for who my grandchildren will marry.”

“So, who’s the lucky lady? When’s the wedding?”

“When I find her,” Freyde said back, a smile appearing on his face. “Estrella sees it the same way I do.”

“Just say you didn’t melt her heart. Anyway, enough of this bullshit. Are we going in?” Harper asked the master guards, who were watching us with amusement all the time.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Idleaf cheered, eager to see what the ancient structure was hiding. “Let’s go, go.”

“We’re going in once Deckard and Major Lightfeather join us.”

“And they are...?”

“Right here,” Deckard’s deep voice interrupted Harper. He and Lightfeather emerged from the crowd and strolled towards us. “Hey, Little Beast. What miracles should I expect today?”

Hopefully none. Not responding to his remark, I exchanged greetings with the two of them, and so did the others. With the pleasantries off my hands, I pulled one nut from the storage of my ring, a stolen treasure the little squirrel had left with me, and offered it to her. “Would you like one, Pip?” I was really happy to see them.

“Nut,” she squealed excitedly, and while sitting on Lightfeather’s shoulder, she took it from my outstretched hand. “Lady, very thoughtful.”

Keeping her thievery secret, I nodded back and looked apologetically at Lightfeather. “Sorry you had to cut your leave short because of me.”

“Don’t sweat it, Grey. They asked me, and I said yes.”

“Why?” If what she said was true, and they gave her a choice, I’d expect her to refuse. Like Squad Four, she had trouble getting her head around what I had become and felt uncomfortable around Idleaf. The latter didn’t seem to have changed much.

“Let’s just say you’re an interesting gal to be around. Besides, Pip here didn’t shut up about seeing you.”

“Not true, only mentioned it twice or thrice,” the squirrel argued.

“Yeah, but every hour,” Lightfeather said back, making it clear how annoying it was before her eyes fell on the taurus. “You okay there, big guy?”

Of course, I looked too. He seemed fine, though less talkative than usual. Thinking about it, he hadn’t said a word since we reached the platform.

“A little nervous, ma’am,” he said after a moment, tearing his gaze away from the platform; tears streamed down his cheeks as he exposed himself to the magic of the Traiana statue down there. “It’s my first time here.”

“Ah, a mage in the taurus clan,” Lightfeather breathed in understanding as she took a closer look at him. “There is nothing to be afraid of. I’ve been in a few labyrinths, and if you keep your wits together, the first few floors are a cakewalk.”

Meneur didn’t answer her; he just took a deep breath and nodded in thanks.

***

It didn’t take long, and after figuring out who was coming with who and how it was going to work, I found myself on the platform in a group with Deckard, Lightfeather, two imperial soldiers, and one of the master guards while the other stood off to the side with the rest of Squad Four.

“All ready?” Deckard asked, looking at the floor options offered by Fallen’s Cry through the labyrinth mark.

Although he and the master guard were veteran visitors to the labyrinth, their options were limited by the newcomers. In fact, mine too, showing me the choice to move to the first floor only, while I had already reached the third.

“Yes,” Idleaf said, drowning out the others’ affirmation with her eagerness.

“Good. So hold onto your socks, boys and girls, here we go.”

The runes under our feet glowed, and in seconds a white light surrounded us, taking us to the depths beneath the city.

Prepared for every possibility I could think of, I kept my mental defenses up during the transfer, not wanting to experience again the crushing lament that befell me while I was hungover.

It didn’t come, though.

As always, I heard only a faint cry echoing in my head, quickly washing away with a gentle breeze that blew and ruffled the tall grass on the first floor, covering the rolling hills and meadows. Despite where we were, it was lovely down here.

But then, as I marveled at my surroundings, a panic-stricken thought struck my mind.

Idleaf!

She didn’t make it with us.