"Emma?" Axil asks perplexed before turning around and fixing his gaze on the little girl.

She's come for us already. This is it. Axil's plan has not worked at all and this is how she gets us?

There she stands in front of us with a simple cotton dress that looks way too big and a giant seashell necklace that hangs down to her stomach. She shies away, her face all of a sudden, frightened. Her big brown eyes dart back and forth between Axil and me before she takes off running into a crowd of people.

"Hey!" I yell. "Come back here!"

I started after her and tripped only to realize that Axil had pulled me to the ground. My chin hits the dirt, the air getting knocked out of my chest.

"Crista! What do you think you're doing?" Axil barks at me, struggling to keep me on the ground.

"Don't you understand?!" I whip around and look at him. "That little girl is Eden's daughter."

His bright blue eyes go wide and he pushes off of me to start running, using my body as a launch pad.

"Ow!" I yell, but I don't even care. Axil is the fastest out of all of us. He would always win races when we were little. "You keep running! I'll catch up!" I yell and I know we've caused a scene.

An elderly woman comes up to me piled on the ground. Her frail arms wrap around my shoulder. "Are you alright, miss?"

"I'm fine," I squeak out. She makes a cage around me with her arms as I force myself to stand. "Thank you, Ms. Ophelia."

"Oh, Crista," she says bowing her head slightly. I brush off the gesture. "What are you shouting about? Is something wrong? I saw the prince take off." She lists off all her worries and questions and I can only half pay attention until I hear her say something about a little girl.

"What did you just say?"

Her eyebrows knit together as she looks up at me. "I said, I had just taken in a little girl last night and I let her stroll about the town, but if Prince Axil is here chasing after someone I don't know if I should let her be on her own."

I lean in closer and she must take that as an invitation to keep talking. "I should hurry home to see if she has come back. If you see her around, please tell her I want her inside. She has dark brown hair and eyes. Maybe ye high," she says leveling her hand around the middle of her torso.

"This little girl," I question, "What is her name?"

"Willow," she answers.

"Willow," I repeat. "And what is Willow wearing?"

She looks down, gathering her thoughts. Stray hairs spring out of her bun, and something tells me this isn't the first time she has had to look for this child.

"Well, I think this morning she put on a smock. Oh! She wears this necklace her father gave her."

"A seashell." I don't even have to question.

"Yes. How did you know?" Her forehead is scrunched, her eyes narrowed.

I sigh. "How do I put this nicely," I murmur under my breath. "Willow," I say, the name sounding foreign on my tongue, "is the person Axil is chasing after."

She gasps and folds her hands to her chest. "Not Willow." She shakes her head frantically, more hairs coming undone. "But, why?"

"Um... well..." I stall for time looking around to see if I can catch a glimpse of Emma or Axil through the alleyways.

"What's going on?" Ms. Ophelia asks again, distressed.

"You see..." and before I can even come up with a lie, I see those big brown eyes darting out into the square of Senwain, Axil following quickly behind.

"Crista!" he shouts my name and Ms. Ophelia whips around faster than I thought she could.

"Willow!!"

And at Ms. Ophelia's voice, the whole town goes silent. The girl and Axil both come to a halt. You could hear a pin drop. "You get back to the house this instance, young lady!"

***

Two thoughts are racing through my head.

Number one: This is Eden's daughter, right here in Senwain. And number two: Ms. Ophelia can be quite scary.

I've never stepped foot in her house but I have to give her props in the cozy department. The moment I had crossed over the threshold, my body melted into the warmth of her cottage and the softness of her cushions. Her house feels like being wrapped in a warm hug and I relish in the moment as much as I can knowing Willow is sitting right across from me.

Axil sits on the edge of a bench, hunched over like he's worried he'll break something. He doesn't seem anxious at all about this situation but maybe that's what his training has taught him. Either not to be afraid, or to be afraid and not show it. The thought makes me sick.

I've never realized it before. It was only when I locked myself in my room that I realized how much I needed people around me. I need their smiles and warmth. I need to know that we are always together because without them I feel lost. But even now, surrounded by all of these people... I still feel lost.

"Now," Ms. Ophelia clears her throat breaking the awkward silence. "Can someone please tell me what is going on?"

She looks towards Axil, and Axil looks at me, his eyes sympathetic. "You go," he whispers in my direction.

My shoulders slump. Where do you even begin when explaining that a whole enemy monarchy is coming for our kingdom and the daughter of the evil queen is sitting in your rocking chair? I inhale and can already feel the stutter that's about to come out.

The little girl's eyes pierce into mine and I know I've seen them somewhere. Perhaps for only a fraction of a moment, but I've definitely seen them before. And that's when it hits me. I can feel my blood suddenly get cold, and the room doesn't feel as warm as it once was. This little girl is John's sister.

I don't know where the guilt comes from, but all I can think of is how the hurt of locking up John affected Zaria. She doesn't talk about it, but I can see it in her eyes whenever that night is brought up. I can see the ache.

I was a bad friend. I am a bad friend. I haven't brought it up. I don't know how. And my own cowardice has brought me here; sitting across from my best friend's, ex-friend's, sister.

I look into her dark chocolate eyes. I can't blame her. She's done nothing wrong; nothing as far as I know. And she's a child. Even if she is a nightmare, I can't blame her for being one when a life with Eden is all she's ever known.

"The Princess sent you after me, didn't she?" the little girl speaks up and the strength in her voice surprises me.

Axil practically jumps off of the bench. It topples before settling. "Did you say, Lucy?" There was not a hint of a threat in his voice, only curiosity.

The little girl nods and curls herself into the corner of the rocking chair.

"When did you see Lucy?" he asks.

She doesn't seem scared of Axil at all; far different from ten minutes ago when she was running from him all over Senwain. "Last night," she says.

My eyes are drawn out the window. The sky is no longer pink and purple, but an inky darkness. Zaria and Lucy have been gone for a full day, and they're out there somewhere... but where are they?

"There was another girl... her name was... um..."

"Zaria," I murmur and she nods again.

Axil and I look at each other, confirming what we already know. "What happened last night?"

She hugs her knees to her chest. A crease on her forehead forms and her eyebrows furrow.

"I didn't want to," she whisper-cries. "I didn't want to, but I did."

"What did you—"

"Don't," I say, stopping Axil from getting any closer. He sits back down, his breathing a lot heavier, whereas mine has slowed down into a melancholy numbness.

"She sent me," she wails into her arm that crosses over her face. Curled in a ball she cries and cries. "She told me to poison the queen. I didn't want to do it, but she'd hurt me if I didn't."

She looks up at Axil. Her eyes are bloodshot, her cheeks as red as a rose. She sniffles. "I don't want to die."

Axil's shoulders slump again, and I know if my heart feels like a hundred pounds, his must feel like a thousand.

"I thought you were coming to kill me. That's why I ran," she squeals.

"We're not here to hurt you," I say honestly and she cries even harder. I look over to Ms. Ophelia frozen in her chair. "None of us are." I sigh. "You said she. You mean Eden, don't you?"

The tiniest nod is all the response I need. She wipes her face, tears and snot covering her cheeks. "Zary. She brought me here. And Princess Lucy," she adds.

"Look," Axil says dropping to his knees in front of her. "I really, really need you to explain what happened last night."

And through her tears, she breaks it all down. She tells us everything about coming here with a woman she'd never met to poison the queen on Eden's orders. She tells us about changing her name so no one could possibly make a connection. Bad luck on that part.

"Zary... appeared through the wall, like she knew all along what was happening. The Queen." She sputters. "She handed me off to her and we met with the Princess. We rode away on her horse and they brought me here."

Axil and I hang on to her every word, trying our best to piece all of it together. All of the things she is saying, and all of the things we can guess from them. My anger towards her shrinks. She had nothing to her name. She has nowhere to go.

"Did they give any hint or clue as to where they were going?" I ask, looking back and forth between the little girl and Ms. Ophelia but they both shake their head.

"Is— is there anything else you can tell us?" Axil asks looking over at me and back to the two of them. "We're trying to find them and we think they might be in danger."

Ms. Ophelia shakes her head, but the little girl squirms out from the corner of the chair and scurries through the hallway. We both look at each other again, and I can see the desperation on his face. There is a rustling noise and then the sounds of her run again.

"Zary left this."

Axil holds out his arms and she drags Zaria's cape from the floor into his grasp.

"You can have it back," she says, but Axil grabs her hand and gives it back.

"She wanted you to have it. How could I take it away?"

How horrible I must be. Zaria's first instinct was to protect and clothe the daughter of Eden and my first reaction was to tackle her to the ground.

"You have my sincerest apologies," he says to her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She hangs her head looking down to the floor. "Am I?"

Axil stands to his full height and without hesitation says, "No." He looks over to Ms. Ophelia and apologizes to her as well.

"Me too," I say, and it's all I can get out without feeling like I will break down myself.

Ms. Ophelia opens the door and we step out. The chill of the night air bites and I wrap myself tighter. Poor Zaria. She's out there somewhere without her cape, cold.

She hands over a basket of goodies. Sugar-coated cookies, brownies, and muffins fill every space. "For the trip," she says. "Wherever you may be going."

Axil takes the basket from her and for once in his life he doesn't look appetized.

"Thank you," we both say.

"If you don't mind me asking... Where are you going?"

I look at Axil, but he's looking up at the sky. "I'm not sure yet," he says and I can tell that for the first time in a long time we feel the exact same way.