Chapter 1: Nowhere

At first Fae became aware of the sounds around her. She could hear a few whispers, people who were talking to each other. But her eyes refused to work and remained closed, covering her in the darkness that surrounded her. Her mind tried to guess what had happened and the sound and scent of rain filled her mind, but she realized she could no longer feel it. The ground she was laying on was not wet or muddy. It felt soft and warm. She could no longer smell the scent of the rain and soil. Everything was dry and what she could smell were soft sweet pleasant scents. Fae tried to stir, but her body refused. Her muscles screamed in pain and stiffness and the young Elven girl grunted. The whispers stopped …

She heard footsteps coming in her direction and Fae forced her eyes to open. At first she squinted because of the sudden light. The area was certainly bright. She tried again and hoped her eyes would focus. A figure stopped into her eyesight. A flickering of purple, a faint smile … 

Fae squinted again, blinking with her eyes, trying to focus. She tried to look again and turned her head towards the person that stood beside her. A dark face, marked with purple scales, bright violet eyes and long purple hair that was combed back into braids and a big smile of sharp teeth. Two sets of horns protruded from her scalp, one pair bending backwards, while the second guarded the sides of her face. A large smile with sharp teeth was formed on her lips.

Sharp teeth?

With a gasp Fae pulled away from the person that stood next to her. Her muscles screamed in defiance yet she managed to roll herself around, only to be halted by the sight of something more threatening. On the other side of where she was laying stood one of those large wolves she had seen before. Yet this one was white, pink eyes and it was looming over her.

Fae screamed.

“Ow dear, easy now. She is not gonna hurt and neither am I.” The woman said, slightly raising her hands, trying to calm down the frightened girl. Fae could only let her eyes shift between the two sights. The woman was smiling, giving gentle gestures and when Fae looked back to the wolf, the creature was laying down on the bed, softly wagging her tail.

It was only then that Fae was able to take a quick look around. She was laying in a bed. An actual bed, made with soft pillows and a bunch of blankets and decorative furs covering her.

“Where am I? Who are you?!!” Fae stammered, realizing she had no way to go. Either side of her was blocked. 

The woman lowered her hands, offering a kind smile before she took a chair, one that looked heavy decorated in the woodwork and took a seat next to the bed.

“You are Nowhere. That is all you need to know for now. I am Kristavera, yet many call me just Krista.” The woman smiled again. Fae gave a small nod, letting her eyes go over the woman. Her eyes had not deceived her before. The purple scales and the pointy teeth were real. Her eyes were the same violet, slit pupil in a reptile way. Yet when taking a closer look, you could see the refined face and a certain beauty that was only described to Elves. 

Noticing how the young girl was looking at her, almost scanning her, Krista gave a small chuckle.

“You haven’t seen any of my kind before, did you?” She said.

“I am a Dragon Elf. My kind is just as rare as yours. You are a Night Elf, aren’t you?”

Fae could not withhold a confused look. Not once during her travels had a person guessed her species correctly. Everyone had called her a Drow from the start, without further thinking.

“Yes …” Fae replied, a bit hesitant. 

“You said I am Nowhere?”

The woman nodded.

“Indeed, you are Nowhere. But that is not important right now.”

Fae only became more confused. Nowhere, where was Nowhere? Was that the name of the place when it was now? Or was she indeed dead? No, she felt alive. Her muscles made that clear, still screaming with every move she made. Feeling how her body was yelling louder than her mind, Fae decided to lay down. She grunted, but quickly settled in the soft pillows.

“Are you in pain?” Krista asked, rising from her chair to walk over to a small displaying closet. Inside, there were a bundle of bottles, big and small in a large array of colors. She picked out a red one and walked over to Fae again.

“Here, this will help.” And she uncorked the bottle, handing it over to her.

“How do you feel?”

“Like a dragon ran over me …” Fae replied, only to realize a second later that that probably sounded very stupid in the presence of a Dragon Elf. 

Krista only chuckled, taking her seat again, waiting for Fae to drink up the potion. While sipping from the bottle, she had the opportunity to take a look around in the room she was in. She noticed how the walls looked like they were carved out of stone. At her left side, there were large windows which let in light that came from outside. The rest of the room was decorated with furniture that looked very well crafted and decorated. She noticed the presence of images of dragons in the woodwork and even in the walls. Which was not surprising if you were in the presence of a Dragon Elf, Fae thought. 

Large furs were decorating the floor, the walls and at the other side, she noticed a large desk, littered with books, papers and scrolls. It looked like a mess. And not to forget, at her bedside there was still this oversized wolf laying down. Even when pushed against the ground, this beast was still looking huge. Fae shied away when she noticed the pink eyes of the white canine lingering on her, something that didn’t go unnoticed to Krista.

“That is Nualla.” Krista said with a smile and when hearing her name, the large wolf raised her head, her tail wagging against the floor.

“She is a Fey Dire Wolf. A breed that has stood at my family's side for ages. You do not need to fear her. Of her kind, she is probably the nicest you will ever encounter.”

The nicest one you will ever encounter, so … there were more? Fae swallowed. At that moment she didn’t want to know, yet she knew there were more. She had seen them, those two that had stood before her in that forest. And they looked less nice then this wagging … giant puppy. She could remember their snarls clearly, their long canines, …

Seeing the discomfort on the young girl's face, Krista looked aside to the white wolf, staring at her with a smile on her face. The wolf did the same and suddenly dropped her head back on the ground, trying to make herself as small as possible, like she wanted to sink in the ground and hide. Fae was too occupied with her own mind to realize what had just happened.

“Now dear, can you tell me what happened to you?”

It was like she was pulled from a dream. The images of the past day were suddenly flying past her eyes like she was reliving them. A cold shiver ran over her body and the Night Elf wrapped her hand around her arms, in a defensive way.

“I got attacked …” Fae whispered, feeling a sudden sting in her shoulder. It didn’t hurt, it was like her body wanted to remind her of what happened.”

“Are you serious?” Krista said with an unfashionable snort.

“I can see that, luv. They brought you in more dead than alive. You are lucky my men found you. Come on dear, I am gonna need a bit more details then that.”

Fae shied away, pulling her knees up to her. Her muscles were fighting again, but less hard than before. The feeling of the warm blanket around her made her a bit more secure, but reimagining the night before released a wave of fear over her.

“The villagers …” she started, before taking another deep breath.  

“They thought I was … a Drow.”

Krista nodded, like she understood it all. Well, maybe she did.

“I am not surprised. That village is rather … stuck in their beliefs. Full moons are the nights of witches and black cats are evil, etc … I am not surprised they attacked someone with … your appearance.”

Fae noticed that Krista tried to not call her a Drow, knowing she wasn’t. It was like she knew that naming her that was painful.

Giving her enough time, Krista waited for the rest to spill out. Fae kept silent at first, like she tried to find the courage to continue.

“I got help to get away. Two men helped me. Herbert and his son John, they …”

Fae’s head shot up, like she was hit by thunder.

“They … they stayed behind!” Her eyes shot towards Krista.

“Have you found them? They could not be that far from where I was! Please tell me you found them as well.”

But from the worried look that started to form on the Dragon Elf’s face, Fae could already guess the answer. She had found them, but …

“I am sorry Fae, they … my men found them at the edge of the forest. It looked like the elder had succumbed to his injuries. The young boy was …”

Krista swallowed.

“He was murdered.” 

Fae knew that Krista wasn’t telling her everything, probably to spear her. But she didn’t need to tell her, Fae already knew. The shouts from the enraged villagers lingered in her ears, the fury in their eyes. In their mind, Herbert and John were helping a Drow. Like allies … even if they would be alive, they would have never been able to return to their home. And for what? For helping her? For being kind? They had been the only people who had been kind to her and what did they gain from that? They were dead! Because of her!

 “By the moon …” Fae started, feeling how the air was leaving her lungs, how difficult it became to inhale. Panic shot over her body, her muscles trembled.

“No, no, … no, no, no!” Fae stammered. Her nails were digging in her own skin, while she tried to get hold of herself. Tears started to roll over her face, faster each time she heard their screams again. Each time when she saw the image of their bodies, bloodied, wounded, because of her.

She wanted to scream, to yell, to trash around, but her body even refused that. Darkness was creeping inside the corners of her eyes and at the moment she thought she would faint, she felt the strong grip of arms around her. They were comforting, calming, warm …

“Calm down, dear. You are only hurting yourself.”

Fae wanted to push her away, but her own arms were refusing her commands.

“No, leave me alone …” The girl whispered. “You will die, just like them. It’s my fault they are dead! I bring death! Leave me alone!!”

“NO!” 

Fae froze, shocked by the sudden outbursts of the woman next to her. It was not that it sounded angry, more, demanding. 

Releasing her from her hold, Krista looked at the girl with stern eyes, like a fire was rolling inside them.

“You must not think like that! You do not bring death. Life … brings death. Not you. This … was not your fault.”

Fae sobbed silently, her eyes still fixed on the purple scaled elf.

“People are stupid, humans are superstitious. Led by their own beliefs, they do crazy things, because they are afraid. They cling to life too dearly that they would kill to keep it. Ironic, isn’t it? It does not defend murder, but there is a difference between someone who kills out of fear … or someone who kills because they want to.”

The Dragon Elf gave her a reassuring smile, while her fingers were softly caressing her shoulders in a soothing manner.

“So, The villagers got scared and attacked you. And someone died during that fight?”

Krista was trying to make eye contact, but Fae often turned her face away, still ashamed of the entire situation.

“Sort off …” She whispered. 

“They assumed I was a Drow and wanted to kill me for that idea alone. They did not even care to look further than their first glance. They see dark skin and white hair and already brand me as a monster.”

The young girl took a deep breath, trying to calm the whirlwind in her mind. It helped a bit and she had to admit that someone caring for her, trying to calm her down, one that was listening to what she was saying was very calming as well. She actually got the feeling that she was heard for once. During her two years in the Tribe of her Aunt, she had been welcomed, but never as a true member. She was always ‘that girl from that Tribe that was annihilated by the Drow’. 

“Let me tell you this, dear, you are not a monster.”
Fae could feel the woman’s fingers softly strengthen around her shoulder, a slight forcing movement to make her look up, only to see a gentle smile on Krista’s face.

“Humans are superstitious and those simple villagers don’t even know what lies beyond the edge of their fields, let alone do they know the difference between a Drow and a Night Elf. Your white hair and dark skin does not make you one.”

Krista’s words were very convincing and Fae calmed down. Knowing that at least one person could see beyond the first look was comforting. She had never thought to be branded as a Drow when she had left her Tribe to figure out who had killed her family. To be marked as the same foul creature that she was planning to hunt down. In her mind her quest had been simple, but the execution had been much different then what she had expected.

“Now, were you traveling alone?”

“Yes.” Fae whispered. Alone, indeed. She no longer had any family who would have joined her. Not even an Elf from her Aunt’s Tribe was willing to go with her. They had found her quest foolish and had urged her to stay safely inside the walls of the Tribe. So she had left by herself. 

When looking up, she saw the confused face of the Dragon Elf before her.

“Why? What were you looking for by yourself?” She asked, geniously curious why a child would travel alone, leaving her home behind.

Fae was not planning to answer that question and turned her face away.

“Nothing …” She whispered, hoping that that would be the end of that topic. It was her quest to complete. It had been her family that was annihilated. No other had to help her to find the truth. It would only harm them anyway. On top of that, Krista looked like the person that would try to forget about that quest all together.

Yet instead of ignoring that question …

“You are lying, Fae. And I don’t like it when people lie to me, dear.”

Her voice was still calm, kind but the underlying message was clear. 

“It is nothing of your concern, not something you can help with.”

“Not something I can help with?” The Dragon Elf’s voice lingered in the air and Fae could only see a grinning smile and the mischief in the reptile shaped eyes of the woman.

“You would be surprised what I can offer you, my dear.”

“Why?” Fae asked. “Why would you help someone you pulled from the mud? You don’t know me as I don’t know you. You have no idea who I am or what my goal is. Why do you even help a complete stranger?”

Her golden eyes narrowed, overlooking the purple scaled female again. She started to wonder what was driving this person to help her, a complete stranger that was found by some soldiers in the woods, on the edge of dying. Why help a wounded creature that you didn’t even know? 

At those questions, the woman rumbled under her clothes and pulled up a medallion that had been hanging around her neck. She carefully unlocked it and placed it in her hands. When Fae took a closer look, she saw that the medallion was made of a silver looking metal which would be called platinum. The carvings in the medallion were forming a dragon’s head, colored with blue enamel. The curves around the edges were marked in a white gold color. The jewel was shining and sparkling. You could clearly see it was a piece of art on it’s own.

“Do you know what this is?” Krista asked, yet Fae had to nod a negative answer.

“This is my Cleric symbol. What do you know about the gods of this realm, dear?”

Fae looked from the Elf to the medallion and back up again. 

“Not that much. I only knew the goddess my Tribe worshipped. My mother was the Imha-Akthan. I think you call it a …” Fae paused for a second, trying to find the correct word.

“A priestess? I never learned about other deities. It was not needed as our Tribe didn’t come into contact with them.”

It was not the full truth. She knew about Lolth, the Spider Queen and patron deity of the Underdark Drow. But she had only heard about that deity through stories she gathered during her years of travel. 

“Then I may assume your mother did the same as I do. She … she died, your mother?”

Mother … the word cut her like a knife and for a second, she saw her mother’s face. Her long white hair, her ash grey skin and lively silver eyes. And then her smile. She had always known her mother to smile. It was hard to imagine her without her smile, except … in that last image of her.

“No …” Fae said in a tone that was mixed with sadness. She averted her face when she felt the tears stinging again. But she was able to contain them.

“She was murdered …” 

A silence followed for a few seconds. Neither of them were breathing.

“I … I am so sorry, my dear. No child should see their parents being murdered.”

And Krista pulled the girl close in an embrace. For a second, Fae leaned in, just one second before she tried to regain herself and break free, but the strange scaled arms of the woman kept her close.

“It seems to me that Lord Death has already claimed a lot from you,, didn’t he?” 

Fae frowned, Lord Death? This woman spoke of death like it was a person, like a common man she knew.

“Yet rest assured, you will see your mother again, one day. No today and I hope for you, also not in the near future. But remember that death does not mean the end.”

Krista broke the hug and looked again at Fae, this time with a more serious glance in her eyes.

“Was her death justified? Was her killer brought to justice?”

Her question was sincere. In Krista’s mind, a killer had to atone for his sins. Intended murder was one of them.

“No.” Fae said, forced. “That is what I am planning to do.” A growl filled her voice. Not necessarily a snarl like a canine would do, but a deep rumble in her chest of determination. 

“Ahh, so that is why you were traveling …” Krista said. It was a simple deduction. Fae was not even surprised at this point.

“Do you have any clue who did it?” She again pointed to the medallion.

“This is Bahamut, Dragon god of Justice. I see it as my task to help those in need and to bring justice where needed. 

“A murderer must be brought to justice …”

“Murderer?” Fae stammered, feeling anger and fear mix together inside her stomach.

“You can call them murderers. It was them, those wretched Elves of the Underdark! Drow killed my family, my Tribe! Elders, children … They were slaughtered like cattle! They .. they left no one alive. And for what? A reason I do not know! A reason I want to find! My Tribe had never had trouble with them, there weren’t even rumours of them around us. They just came and killed everyone!!”

Rage filled her chest as her voice. A rage that Krista recognized easily and she looked at the girl with a serious glance, feeling her own rage grow. They had striked again ...     

“Drow … don’t need a reason to kill, darling.” Krista started. You could hear the soft shiver in her tone, the locking of her fingers together to keep herself calm.

“If they receive the order of their goddess, Lolth, The Spider Queen, they would even kill their own mother or sibling. Just because she commands it. Their hate for Surface Elves …”

Krista’s voice stocked for a second and she took a deep breath. 

“They see us, Surface Elves as inferior. In their mind, we betrayed them and chased them to the Underdark. There are many legends going about that story, but one thing is the same. They hate us and want to see us dead.”

Fae looked at the Dragon Elf, feeling compassionate. The way the woman spoke about the Drow shared the same feelings as Fae did. Only did this woman know much more about them than Fae at this time. And in some way, it intrigued her. 

“Be rest assured, dear one, I will help you to get the info you need and to bring justice upon the ones that harmed you.”

“How?” Fae asked, a spark of curiosity in her voice. 

“How could you help me with what I want?”

A sudden grin appeared on the woman's face and the anger and sadness from a few seconds before was gone. Her lips curled up, showing a row of sharp fangs and even the pupils in her eyes became thinner than before. 

“I have men, dear girl. An army, money and a huge force that stands behind me. I have spies even in the deepest layers of the Underground and perhaps … you could become one.” And she raised her sharp nailed hand, pointing at Fae.

“I can train you, I can give you the information to know how to enter the Underdark and where to find your murders. I can help you to gain that information you greave for and claim the vengeance you need. 

From the tone of her voice, that serious sound, Fae knew she was not lying. The Dragon Elf was speaking the truth and it made Fae wonder what was behind this woman, behind those rocky walls. But at the same time, it also made her nervous. Who was this lady?

Then at the other side, Fae had always been on herself. She had started this journey alone and in her mind, she had thought that she would finish it alone as well. Never had she imagined that she would get help from someone. Determined as she was, she had stepped into the unknown all by herself.
Only to end here in this bed. Wounded and sick. It made her realize that she was not fit to do this alone. She had trained and fought in her Tribe, but that wasn’t enough. It was not enough for the world she was walking on. And deep inside, Fae started to realize that she barely knew anything about the Drow. She knew how they looked, that they were evil and lived underground. And that was it … A shameful short list of facts. 

“You know them, these Drow?” Fae asked in a careful tone. She only saw the purple scaled female nod.

“Yes, I do. Far too good for my taste. Just like you, I have my reasons to hate them as well.”

Fae sighed, relaxing her muscles a bit. Maybe it was time to accept that this quest was ridiculous to finish on her own. She needed help and that help had just been offered.

“Can .. Can you teach me about them? How to fight them?”

Again the Dragon Elf nodded, taking a seat again at Fae’s side. Her violet eyes shimmered, her slit pupils focussing.

“I can teach you everything you need to know. How they live, how they fight. What their strengths are and their weaknesses. I can even teach you their language. The Undercommon and the High Drow.”

Krista paused, her eyes going over the young girl again. Even Fae could see that she was interested in her, even when she knew no reason why. She was still wondering why a complete stranger would offer such a measure of help to get justice. Fae knew there was more to the eye than just this, but for now, it had to do. After all, could it end worse than how she ended in the mud with an arrow wound in her shoulder, chased by angry villagers?

“Any idea which House attacked your Tribe?”

The question came out of nowhere and Fae looked up in surprise.

 “House?” She repeated, frowning her brows.

Krista hummed, letting her fingers caress her chin before she stood up and walked to one of the bookshelves, where she picked up a large thick old looking book. She dropped the book with a ‘plof’ on the bed. Fae saw that this book was not a book with child stories. The sides were raffled, the cover had Elven signs on it that she couldn’t read. From between the pages, she could see that pieces of parchment were between the pages. When Krista opened the book, some dust fell from the cover and parchment pieces flew away on the ground. Fae could see that the pages were filled with texts, symbols and drawings.

“By the Moon’s grace …” She started when she crawled a bit closer to look at it better. Here and there she could read something from the written words, but not all of it. Many drawings of spiders, symbols and spells were colored in. One thing was certain, that this book held a lot of information she could use. Information about the Drow. 

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Fae looked up while Krista stood up from the bed and walked over to the door with a certain grace. When she opened the door, Fae was not able to see who stood in the hallway, yet she could hear the person.

“MiLady. The food you requested.”

“Ah, thank you!!” Krista said with an over exaggerated smile taking the plate with food. A quick bow was exchanged and the Dragon Elf closed the door before walking over to Fae again.

“I almost forgot I requested some food for you. I hope you are hungry.”

Fae’s golden eyes went over the plate. There was a bowl of hot steaming soup, some bread, porridge with honey, smoked and cooked ham, several kinds of cheese, pancakes and some fruit.. 

“I have no idea what you like, so I asked some basic things.” Krista said when she placed the plate on the bed. When the lovely smell entered her nose, Fae’s stomach gave an angry growl. I guess that meant she was hungry indeed.

“Now …” Krista started while she picked up the heavy book from the bed.

“Let’s eat first and then you can take a bath.” she said, laying the book on a nearby table before going back to the bed to help Fae.

“Mommy?” A high pitched voice suddenly said and at the other side of the room, in a now open door, a young child stood dressed in a long white night robe, with her hand rubbing in her eyes trying to get rid of the sleep.

Fae took a small gasp when she saw the child. It had pearly white hair already growing halfway back. Her skin was pale, almost translucent and her eyes were a weird purplish blue. Noticing the point in her ears, Fae was almost certain this child had Elven heritage.

“Ah, Felyn …” and the Dragon elf stood up from the bed, walking over to the child to pick her up and caress her softly.

“Awake already?” Krista made some soft shushing sounds when Fae heard the child moan softly. She could halfly hear the child say something about being tired and having nightmares again before Krista turned over and walked back to Fae to place the child on the bed as well.

Nualla, the giant white wolf who had been silent during the entire conversation, suddenly raised her head from the ground and started to wag happily when she saw the child. From that reaction, it was clear both knew each other very well as the pink eyed wolf stood up from the ground, sniffing at the child who started to giggle a bit and began to pet the giant wolf. She was certainly not scared of the giant canine. 

“I hope you don’t mind that she stays with us for a moment. She …”

Suddenly the child moaned and almost folded double. Like stung by a bee, Krista moved to the child, starting to comfort her. The child cried for a few seconds, only to lean into Krista’s embrace and fall silent again. 

“Is … is she sick?” Fae asked carefully, not wanting to trespass an unknown line. She saw how Krista picked up a small bottle from her belt and made the child drink a few sips while she kept whispering.

“Yes, very … And it only grows worse.” Krista kept rocking from side to side and Fae saw the child softly fall to sleep again.

“Felyn is my ward. I see her as my daughter and she sees me as her mother.”

“And .. her parents?” Fae asked.

Krista gave a soft smile. “A story for another time …” She said and with that Fae knew she was not supposed to ask anything further beyond that point. She looked back to the child, who almost looked like a doll the way she was lying inside Krista’s arms. She looked around three years of age, yet if she was Elvish then she would be mentally older already.

Fae wasn’t that good with children, still being a ‘child’ herself. She had seen how her mother had taken care of her brother, but she never had the feeling to take care of one. They looked so fragile … and this child was not different. And yet, Fae couldn’t shake off an eerie feeling like there was more than what the eyes saw. Yet while she looked at the pale child, Felyn calmed down, her muscles relaxed and soon she drifted back to sleep.

Another knock on the door and before opening, Krista laid Felyn gently on the bed before opening the door again. After some whispered words, a few girls came in to prepare the bath. They placed chamber screens in front of a large bathtub before it was filled with water. Soon the room was filled with the sweet and soft scent of flowers. While Fae tried to ignore the servants, she couldn’t help it to glance at them, only to receive a worried look in return. Yet she had no idea if that was aimed at her or Felyn who was lying curled up at her side of the bed. 

“Well, time to get you a bit cleaned. We didn’t have the opportunity yet to get those tangles out of your long hair.”

Fae looked to her side, seeing that her hair was indeed a mess. Tangled, dirty, … She had no idea that she had looked this messed up. The idea of taking a bath suddenly sounded like a dream. She pushed aside the blanket, yet when she wanted to turn around and throw her legs out of bed, she suddenly felt the weakness in her muscles. Her body shivered standing wobbly on her two feet. 

“Let me help.” Krista said quickly before grabbing Fae’s arm, offering her support. 

“I got this.” Fae said rapidly, her tone a bit harsher than she had expected. While she gave the purple Dragon Elf a short smile, Krista could see the determination in her eyes, so she took a step back, allowing the young elf to figure out for herself how ‘strong’ she was. 

Trying to stand up and gaining focus, Fae noticed the weakness in her legs didn’t go away and when she looked up, she saw the room spinning before her eyes. The light feeling of nausea fell over her when she dropped herself back on the edge of the bed, taking a deep gul of breath.

“Oké, maybe I don’t get this …” She whispered, admitting her shameful defeat. Krista giggled shortly, taking a step forward again to help Fae up. She had expected the outcome, but one could only learn from experience. 

“Careful, child. Walking will be difficult, you have lost a lot of blood and your body is still tired and recovering. Don’t take this too fast.”

Fae gave a soft huff. In a way, she felt ashamed that she was this helpless, even when Krista didn’t seem to mind it at all. The more Fae interacted with her, the more motherly she started to feel. Nonetheless, she still had a certain pride. She had travelled alone for two years and now she was almost crippled to the level of a baby. 

With careful and more shuffling steps, Fae was able to reach the bathtub without fainting. While grabbing the bronze side with her hands, she released a breath, letting her dizzy head calm down for a second.

“Everything alright, dear?” Krista asked carefully, still supporting the young girl. Fae nodded, looking down at the steaming water. Flower Petals were floating on the water and the scent of sweet oils filled her nose. 

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