"You must remember me!" the faerie cried. "I am Nelydia! I'm an old friend of your mother!"

"It was you, wasn't it? The faerie she met and gave us gifts?" Ara had asked, lips running dry. "You cursed me. You made me...this."

Nelydia had chuckled, it sounded high-pitched and unnatural. "Why noooo...I only gave her the gift of prophecy, told her what the future held for her children. And what lovely children she has!" she said with glee. 

It took a lot of will to focus and not let Nelydia intimidate her. Faeries can't lie. This was her chance. 

"How did you find me here?" Ara had asked next and gulped. "Did you know all along?"

"I sensed your presence from miles away, little witchling, of lavender and hazel!" she rambled on. I have a scent? Ara thought. Nelydia sniffed her and shuddered, "Oh my favourite scent! I have been in Faerie for too many moons in the Rambling Wood...It's been so long since I met your kind!" 

"M-my kind?" Did she mean humans? 

"'Birthed from the elm, born anew, breathes of hazel and lavender too!''" and the faerie continue to frolick around Ara, repeating the words in a sing-song fashion. Nelydia giggled, "Ring a bell, witchling?"

"Fine," Ara lied. "So tell me now, what was it that you told my mother?"

Nelydia stopped dancing and grinned, "And why should I tell you, hmm? Surely you must remember from inside your mother's womb?" 

"No, I don't remember. Just tell me what you told my mother, that is all I ask." She hoped Nelydia would stay in her somewhat crazed state and answer without fail. 

The faerie woman twirled her dandelion hair and once again, she giggled. "Why don't I show you?" and before Ara could stop her, Nelydia's dirt-c0vered hand touched her arm and a searing light blinded her eyes. 

She was suspended in time, unmoving as the scene played out. 

A woman whose face she didn't remember, sitting all alone in the woods and she painted on a blank canvas; displaying in her drawing two kids, one a prince holding his little sister's hand in the clouds. Not too far away was a boy - Hongjoong, barely four, as he sat in the grass playing with his toys. Was her mother drawing her and Hongjoong before she had even been born?

And then Nelydia appeared from between the shadows of the trees, with a less tattered dress and less ruly hair. Her eyes were still the same manic silver but Ara's mother didn't flinch as the faerie lady approached. She saw her mother offer her the painting, to which she accepted and then crouched down to the little Hongjoong who had no idea of the situation. Nelydia's hand cupped his small face as she spoke, "'One day, someone will fall so deeply in love with you, and you will be the rise and fall of that person's world.'"

Next, she turned to Ara's mother and looked at her swollen stomach, under the baby blue sundress. And she smiled, "'As for you, little witchling, you will be the hero you were destined to be, wielding the power you are bestowed with.'"

The image dissolved, and Ara gasped awake, staggering back into reality. She looked around, Nelydia the faerie had disappeared but her voice could still be heard. 

"You cannot run, little witchling! With the power you hold, you mustn't run!"

And Ara ran.

Like a little girl lost in the woods and discovering the fright of her life, she ran back to the kitchen. Her pulse pounding, her ears ringing, she tried to make sense of the odd faerie's words. Her saucer-like eyes that had stared into Ara's soul as she crooned over her words, it made her skin crawl. It felt like the longest few minutes of her life, time stopping itself when Nelydia had told her what she wanted to know, showed her what she needed to see.

She didn't even bother to retrieve the pitcher and instead raced back to the infirmary, in hopes that Jongho or even Septimus would be there. To her luck, both of them were present and were taken by surprise when she came in. 

Jongho's brows furrowed, "Ara? What-"

"I know why I can see ghosts, i-it's my mom," she gathered her words, her hands clutching onto Jongho's arms. "She knew- the faerie lady, my gift, it's not seeing ghosts, it's a coincidence!" she tripped over her words. 

"Alright, slow down we can barely understand," Septimus said. "Now try and tell us calmly then perhaps we might know what you are trying to get across."

And so Ara told her encounter from start to finish, at the same time she held Hongjoong's hand and traced circles on the inside of his palm to keep herself grounded. Everything she was saying didn't feel real to herself at all, it all made sense and no sense at the same time. She didn't know why, there had always been an impending feeling inside of her that there were things she, not even Hongjoong knew about their mother or their past. Glancing at him, she wondered 'Did you know more than you told me? Or you had no idea too?'

Someone will fall so deeply in love with you.

But wasn't that her story too? Surely, her story involved Yunho too right? Or was it all a figment she created in her head? Ara was no longer sure about it, along with everything else it brought along. 

"Why would a random faerie appear here? I thought this was part of the Court? Aren't there guards?" Jongho asked Septimus.

Septimus shrugged, "Judging by Araminta's description, that faerie is possibly rogue fey - it's their nature to wander into places they shouldn't be, as long as they do not come within the Court walls they're unlikely to do harm. Did she sound a bit...off? Head in the clouds perhaps?"

Ara nodded. 

"Then yes, besides not being able to lie, she most definitely has some kind of empathy link with you and your brother. All faeries have their own capabilities, being able to grant wishes or declare prophecies is nothing uncommon," Septimus answered. "Human encounters with our kind is almost never intentional, but you said your mother didn't seem intimidated."

"She called me 'witchling', and she called my mom the Corpsewitch," she said and turned to Jongho. "You know more about things in the city than I do, Jongho, are there witch covens in the city? Any you know?"

Jongho looked troubled, "I heard my gramps talk about them, but not in the Square. Witch covens aren't welcomed there, at least besides the gypsy witches who just cook up herbs."

Ara didn't tell him about the new-found hostility about witches she had learned about, it wasn't important yet. "Then where are they?" she asked, even though she somewhat knew the answer to that.

"The Grimm Market," he said finally. 

Ara had heard so many things about that place she'd only passed by numerous time, if she hadn't looked closer she would've missed it. Hidden inside a wetmarket as a disguise, in between the fishmonger stalls - was the place people traded cursed secrets, exchanged vexes for revenge and other darker things. Was that the past her own mother had as the 'Corpsewitch'? 

"Are there any that have something to do with wych elms? Or elm trees? Anything?" 

Her friend thought for a long minute, "No," Jongho shook his head. "Nothing rings a bell. Tell me you're not going to do what I think you are?"

"I have to know, Jjong," she answered. "I need to know what I am, what I can do - or this prophecy won't happen. Besides, the Corpsewitch sounds like a big deal - maybe they'll welcome me with open arms."

"Or, your mom did something and fled, then you show up and give these unknown witches a reason to kill you,"

Ara groaned, "It's not like I have a choice, and if you're with me while carrying that sword of yours there's no way they'll even think about harming me right?" and for good measure she grinned. "I have a faerie prince, even if he's in denial of his royal lineage, as my friend and official guardian angel, what can go wrong?"

That comment made Jongho roll his eyes, and even a little chuckle from Septimus. 

"Fine, I'm in. But what about Hongjoong?" he spared a glance at the person fast asleep. "He's in no condition to go back with us, and I don't think it's safe to leave him at your place right now. Who knows if Serafia is still after you?"

"Of course it's not safe, he can stay here," Septimus answered swiftly, much to their surprise. 

Ara blinked, "B-but what if he wakes up and-"

"Oh no worries!" he exclaimed. "He's much safer here than in whatever place you're running off to, he's in good hands with the healers. He's your brother, you should trust him to be alright on his own no?" 

It could have been him using his faerie magic to persuade her, it seemed to be working though. "Septimus is right, Ara. Hongjoong isn't a little kid, and Septimus's word can be trusted. We can leave him a note to read when he wakes up."

After much contemplation, Ara agreed to their plan. "Alright, but before we go I need to change back into my own clothes. Hell no I'm not walking around looking like the sun from the Teletubbies..."

Of course, Septimus forgot to mention the servants had in fact, discarded her previous clothes in the fire. 

Ara did her final washing up in the ablution space of another one of the Rose Court's fancy dressing room. Somehow the servants had managed to find some modern clothes for her to wear, a blue blouse that bared her shoulders and a pair of expensive-looking jeans. She stared at herself in the mirror, and out of pure impulse started to cut her hair with a pair of scissors lying next to the sink. 

Originally she had asked Hongjoong to cut it for her when he had free time since he was always better at crafting, but she felt like she had asked enough from him and felt bad. 

When she came out of the room with her hair at shoulder's length, Jongho had to blink twice. "What? Does it look that bad?" she raised an eyebrow. 

"I think you look wonderful, the shorter hair suits you," Septimus told her as they made their way out the Court, onto the cobblestoned road leading into the curtains of wood. Standing outside the grand fortress, she glanced back as their horses took them further away and much to her surprise - saw Lady Auraline gazing down from a balcony. Maybe she hadn't noticed Ara catching her looking, or she didn't seem to care - but there was a hint of reluctance in her eyes, like she was unwilling to see them leave. But they'd be coming back for Hongjoong, so why was she like that?

Then Ara realised when she turned back to look at the front again, that Auraline must have been looking at Jongho while he had been entirely oblivious as he steered the horse they were riding. She recalled Auraline telling him to remain in a Courtroon for a private conversation between themselves, and he never brought up after that either. 

Just what had Lady Auraline asked of him? Or rather, what did Jongho ask of her in return?