for as long as they'd been apart, milori could see it in the queen's eyes — the truth that they'd both been holding onto the past. their past. for him, it was something he held dearly close to his heart. oftentimes throughout the years, milori wondered if the queen had been doing the same. it's hard to tell if the feeling of knowing she had was of relief or guilt — maybe he could hold both emotions at once.

surprise took over clarion's fair features as he said her name ⸻ so informally, so intimately. she hadn't heard him say her name in so long, it almost made her knees buckle from underneath her, or perhaps that was just herself growing weaker in this encroaching cold. his words, however, did not surprise her. the queen knew that was how he felt, that he would trade his wings for her over and over and over again with no remorse. that was the entire reason she made the choice all those years ago to separate their worlds ⸻ because he was never going to be safe if he was willing to lay down his life for her and truly losing him would be something she could not survive.

" milori, " the queen of pixie hollow breathed out, daring to say his name out loud for what felt like the first time all over again. she felt the rush of cool air hit her warm skin, the feeling of winter's frozen embrace hitting the pixie dust tree and for a moment, clarion prayed the tree was going to survive ⸻ because something had to change in pixie hollow.

"it does?" tink asks, her eyes widening in delight. it was always nice when someone understood, but for that someone to be queen clarion? it was all more delightful and assuring that tink wasn't crazy. "i mean, of course it does! but isn't not knowing so ... frustrating?" she says, and then tink flushes pink at the queen's question. it wasn't like she was lying earlier — tink had been reading, but her initial questions about omens originally stemmed from what she felt when she crossed the border. "oh, um... the book title? ... i think it was called wingology? but honestly, it wasn't very insightful. the bookworm ate most of the pages so there wasn't much to read."

" not knowing some things is a part of life, tinkerbell. we cannot help that. " clarion answered. never before had a faerie been so curious and so combative against the way things were as tinkerbell was ⸻ not since clarion herself was a young faerie. the queen knew this must've been how elvira felt with her. a strange thing to understand all these centuries later.

︵‿۶ৎ 𝓐‿ "are they ? i didn't know there's humans outside of the mainland, as you call it. but there's mermaids, too, so i guess anything's possible desire is a pretty strong feeling, huh." in a way, it was her desire and ambition that got her her happily ever after or just extreme trauma in her grotto, but the former sounds nicer. "oh my gosh, really ?! i'd love to visit. but are you sure only legs is enough ? won't i need wings or something to roam about ?" from mermaid to human to possibly a fairy for a day ... sounds like her kind of adventure.

for a moment, clarion felt her heart sink at ariel's innocent question. won't i need wings? it was a good question, that the queen could not deny. she swallowed back the centuries old ache that had begun to rear it's persistent head before she shook her head lightly. golden pixie dust twinkling from her action. " no, you would do just fine with legs. " clarion softly answered, " some faeries cannot fly anymore. take rani, for instance. she gave up her wings in order to swim. brother dove helps her fly wherever she need. " it was not rani and her selfless sacrifice that was at the forefront of clairon's mind, however, but a lord of winter that her crystalline eyes had not gazed on for a long time.

clarion couldn't help but laugh softly at ariel's eagerness to learn about pixie hollow and how the seasons worked. " i do not have a season, i'm afraid. i have no seasonal power such as the garden faeries or the frost faeries. " though, summer would have been a good guess, if she were to have one. " my job is to ensure all seasons come and go with ease, to guide the other faeries in their duties. there is a minister of summer, you would love her. she's a very warm and cheerful faerie. "

"i know what you mean." milori replies, knowing quite intimately what kind of pull the border has. there were countless evenings and midnights where he finds himself wanting to linger near the tree root and stare wistfully over at the warmer seasons and daydream of the queen who held his heart. milori rests his chin atop clarion's head as she snuggles closer. "clarion," he begins, his brows furrowing. "you know, you are not just your title. i see you as the queen of pixie hollow and clarion because they can both coexist at once. of course, you'll have your fairies who will see you as just their leader, but to those close to you? i'm certain they see you, too, as i can." though, selfishly, he hoped it wasn't like exactly how he saw her.

" i hope you are right, milori. " clarion sighed, " but . . . petra and artemis have each other. " of course, she was happy for her two closest friends. she had watched them dance around each other for a decade before finally admitting to any feelings between them ⸻ but now, instead of just overwhelming joy for them, clarion's heart also ached at the sight. they were so happy together. it was bittersweet to watch, to know what they had is what she couldn't.