Amongst the Stars

A Moonlit Pearl short story

By Trixie Lavender

I look up at the night sky. Something about seeing the stars is so relaxing. It makes me forget about everything. When I look at the stars, all of my problems seem to vanish. I don’t think about school, about the farm, my father… or even that I’m a boy.

    I don’t know any of the names or constellations, or anything about them, really. No one here cares except me. Even so, I’ve made my own. To my right, I see a cat, with a little kitten beneath it. I call them Felis Major and Felis Minor. To my left is my favorite: a mage, her arm up casting a spell, and her ears back. I can see this one in such detail, I don’t want to look away.

    BOOM!

    An explosion wakes me from my trance and I hear yelling in the distance. As I get closer, I can see a tower. It’s hard to see in the dark, but I know it wasn’t there earlier. I’m close enough to hear some of the yelling.

    “Leave! We don’t want you here!”

    “There’s no room for one of your kind!”

    “You’re unnatural! Stay away!”

    My father is in the front, his ears sticking straight up, shouting profanity. There’s a figure in front of the tower, but I can’t tell who, or what, he is. He’s no rabbit, I can see that. I stand next to my dad, still shouting profanity. I can now see what this newcomver is: a wolf.

    I’m too shocked for words. A wolf is in the middle of our village, and it seems he’s built a tower sometime between now and sunset. There’s no mistaking it. He’s not just a wolf, he’s a mage! But, what would a mage, and a wolf at that, be doing building a tower in a rabbit village? Being the only one who isn’t terrified, I walk toward him.

    My father grabs my arm and pulls me back. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he shouts. I pull my arm back, but his grip is too strong. I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off. “Get in the house, Ryan. I don’t want to see you outside again tonight.”

    He lets go and all I can think of doing is continuing my approach to the mage. Then I remember what my father might do if I don’t obey him. I start to walk home and turn around. I’m not sure, but I think the mage is looking at him. He turns to my father and says something, but I’m too far to hear him. He looks at me again and goes inside his tower. My father won’t be happy if he sees I’m still out, so I run the rest of the way.

    When I get home, Mother is reading a book by candle. Some propaganda from the castle, I’m sure. My family isn’t going to have any real books. Mother puts the book down and asks if everything is okay. Guess she can tell I’m a bit upset.

    “Yeah,” I say. “Everything is fine.”

    “What’s going on?” she asks. “I thought I heard an explosion and yelling.”

    “Uh, yeah,” I begin to say before my father bursts in.

    “Damn mages!” he yells. “Think they can go wherever they want. And a wolf, too. Just wait, we’ll be finding dead bodies every week, mark my words."

    Ridiculous. The kingdom outlawed wolves and foxes from killing rabbits years ago. There’s absolutely no reason he would kill anyone here. I want to tell him so badly, but the words just can’t seem to come out.

    “And you!” he says, turning to me. “What in God’s name were you thinking?”

    “Honey?” Mother asks, shocked that he would speak to me like that. She’s never seen us out in the field. Never heard what he’s said to me countless times. This is nothing in comparison.

    “I see no harm in letting him stay,” I say reluctantly. There’s nothing I can say to make him understand.

    “Yeah, that’s your problem,” he says. “We’re out in the field every day and you can’t see a damn thing in front of your own face! You should know how to do everything by now!”

    “I don’t want to work on the farm!” I blurt out, not thinking about what I’m saying.

    “Then what the hell do you want?”

    “I want to learn magic!” Oh no. I didn’t just say that. Please tell me I didn’t say that.

    My father is silent as he stares at me with a mix of anger and disappointment. I did say it. My life is over. I’ll be lucky if he ever speaks to me again. Normally, that might be a good thing. Not this time. I may as well be dead. Mother is too shocked to say anything, but at least she doesn’t look like I’m an abomination. “Go to your room,” he finally says. That’s not at all what I expected him to say. “Now.”

    Not knowing what to say, I go to my room. I don’t know what to think about this. He has yelled at me, insulted me, called me “worthless” and a “waste of space,” and even hit me. Not once has he sent me to my room. He’s also complained to Mother a few times. This time, though… not a word. Maybe he’s trying to pretend it didn’t happen? 

    I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Most nights I wish there was a window above my bed so I can look at the stars until I fall asleep. Tonight is very different. My eyes are open, but I can’t see anything. All I can think about is how stupid it was to tell him the truth. I can hear him talking to Mother. He’s not shouting, so I can’t tell what he’s saying. Is that a good thing?

    Eventually I fall asleep. My dream is odd. I mean, all dreams are odd, but this one… Well, I remember a little bit. I was in a room with the wolf mage. Weird enough that I’m in the same room as him, but stranger still is I was holding a baby fox as if I was her mother! Looked rather odd for a fox, too. She had very long ears, a rather short tail, and pale purple eyes. I think there was someone else there, but I really don’t remember.

    Sunlight through the window wakes me up. Which means my father didn’t even bother to try. Shit. He has woken me up every morning for the last six years, even when he’s mad at me. No shouting, no violence, no waking up at the crack of dawn… I could only dream about a day like this. Now that it's here, I’m filled with dread.

    I don’t even bother getting breakfast. I walk past Mother and out the front door. I think she said something, but I wasn’t paying attention. I find my father plowing our largest field by himself. He stopped doing it himself six years ago when I was old enough to start helping. Can’t say I was much help at seven years old, but I did my best. Always have, even if my best isn’t good enough.

    “Um, father?” I say as I approach. He either didn’t hear me or is still pissed. “Father?” I try again. “About last night…” I don’t even get to say anything else before he grunts in dismissal. I think my heart stops beating. I can’t even describe the pain in my chest. He has physically hurt me before, but this hurts so much more. I stand there, motionless for what feels like hours.

    Mother comes up from behind and puts her hand on my shoulder. Guess she was watching. “Ryan, sweetie,” she says. “Why don’t you go play; give your father some space for a while?”

    Play? Is she aware I don’t have any friends? The farm stops me from spending time with anyone outside of school. Even then, I’ve never been interested in what any of the other guys like. Never had the guts to talk to any of the girls, either. Whatever.

    I walk around town, staring at the ground the whole way. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I have no friends and nothing to distract my thoughts until sunset. Then it hits me: the mage’s tower! It literally hits me. I walk right into it. Physical pain wasn’t what I had in mind, but it’s certainly distracting.

    “Well now,” a voice says. “If it isn’t the young buck from last night. What can I do for you?”

    It’s the mage. The mage is talking to me. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. Come on, this is your one chance! Just say it! ‘I want to learn magic.’ Say it!

    “Nervous, eh?” he says. “I don’t need to guess to know what you want. The one rabbit who didn’t yell last night. Only one thing you could possibly come here for, and the answer is ‘yes.’ Come on in and I’ll teach you the basics.”

    He goes inside his tower and I stand out here like an idiot. He just said he’ll teach me. Me! I get to learn magic! But… What about my father? “What about him?” I scoff to myself. I’ve been given a chance to live my dream and he’s pretty much disowned me. There is no reason I shouldn’t take this chance! “What will Mother think?” I ask myself. Now that I think about it, what would she think? She has not once talked about magic. Maybe she’ll be okay if it makes me happy? That’s the best case scenario, and I don’t want to think about the worst.

    Regardless of what Mother thinks, I really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Heck, I’m sure I can do a lot of good around here with magic. I go through the door the mage left open for me, and it slams shut behind me. I jump and look behind me to see no one. Instead, I see the locking bar lower by itself. The bar looks really heavy, so not only is no one else coming inside, I’m not going out.

    The stairs are the only way to go, both literally and figuratively. There’s no way I’m leaving. The stairs feel like they go on forever, and I’m completely out of breath by the time I make it to the top. The room is spacious with shelves lining the walls and a fire pit in the center. The shelves are full books, scrolls, viles of colorful liquid, crystals, other things I can’t identify, and… is that a skull? By the fire pit are two chairs with a small table between them. A tea kettle is over the fire and a cauldron is on the floor.

    “Stairs will get easier in time,” the wolf says. I didn’t even notice him. “Have a seat. Relax, have some tea.” He pours a cup and hands it to me.

    Normally I take my tea with sugar, but I don’t feel like I can ask for it. I take a sip and… oh my gosh. This is the best tea I’ve ever had! I can’t help but gulp it down.

    The wolf chuckles a bit before sitting down in the other chair. “Comes from the east,” he explains. “Honestly, I can’t drink the local stuff anymore, too bland. It’s actually cheaper to import this stuff than pay for all the sugar needed to make our tea any good."

"I see," I say, not knowing what else to say as I put my cup on the table.

"The name's Silver," he says. "And you?"

"It's…" I hesitate. "Ryan."

He looks at me puzzled. "I'll call you whatever you want," he says. There's no reason to give me a name you don't like."

"I have a choice?" I ask. Seriously though, my parents named me Ryan. What else am I supposed to tell him?

"You always have a choice," he explains. "Your parents may have given you that name, but you don't have to take it if you don't want to. It's your name and your life. Do what you want with them. What do you want to be called?"

"I've never given it any thought."

"As you may have guessed, Silver isn't my given name. Honestly, I don't even remember what my parents named me. I got my name because of my magic. One of the first spells I ever did was turn iron into silver. Normally a difficult spell, but I managed it on my first try. Now I can turn any metal into gold or even platinum if I wanted. So, what do you like?"

"Stars," I say without hesitation.

He leans forward in his chair. "Stars…" he mumbled to himself. "Besides the simple name of Star, the only name I can think of is Stella."

Stella? I’ve never heard that name before. “I like it!” I tell him a bit too enthusiastically.

    “You sure?” he asks. “It’s an owl name, and not something a rabbit would use.”

    “So?” I ask. “You named yourself after a precious metal.”

    He chuckles a bit. “Fair point, but it’s also a girl’s name.”

    I think about that for a bit, but it doesn’t bother me. “No, I like it. Call me Stella.” 

    “Very well,” he says, rising from his chair. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Stella. Or should I say, my apprentice?”

    Oh my gosh! He called me his apprentice! Wait, did he also call me Miss Stella? No, that’s ridiculous. I must be so happy I’m hearing things. That’s a thing, right? 

    “Well,” he says getting up. “I’m sure you’re eager to get started. Shall we?”

    I don’t even remember getting up, but I must have because I’m following him down the stairs. It feels like it’s taking longer to go down than it did to go up, but not nearly as exhausting. That can’t be the case because we’re in the entryway. Except, there’s something different this time… “That door wasn’t there before,” I tell him. It’s right next to the stairwell. I would have noticed it before, but I didn’t.

    “No?” Silver asks with a smile. “Maybe it wasn’t.” He opens the door and gestures for me to go in. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he mouthed the words, “ladies first.” 

Two near endless staircases, a door that wasn’t there, and two instances of him calling me a girl; not to mention giving me a girl’s name, which I like. I must be dreaming still. After I enter the room, I’m all the more certain I’m dreaming. It’s completely empty, save for a door on the far corner.

“I was hoping to find an apprentice in this town,” he says walking over to the door. “I designed this room for him. Or her.” Did he just smile? “Though, I must admit, I never expected to find one so soon, so I’m afraid I only have one test available.”

Test? Did he say test? No… Gods no. I’m going to fail. I got myself so excited and I’ve already blown it!

“There’s no need to be scared, Stella.” He walks over to me and looks me straight in the eyes. “Everyone is capable of using magic. Some are better than others, and most specialize in certain areas. These tests are designed to figure out where your specialty lies. Relax.” He continues to walk over the door. When he opens it, I can see it’s a closet with a shelf. The only thing on it is a bowl full of dry grass. He takes it and walks over to me. “Sit.” I do as he says and he dumps the bowl on the ground next to me. Along with the grass, two small blocks of metal fall out. He moves the metal to my other side, about two inches apart from each other. He sits down in front of me and places the bowl between us. He then holds his hand over the bowl. What happens next is astonishing. The bowl begins to fill with water! 

“Close your eyes and relax,” he tells me. “No matter what happens, you don’t fail. I want you to imagine you’re playing in the snow with a friend or sibling.”

I can’t imagine why I would play in the snow, but I do it anyway. I slowly start to see our farm land covered in snow. I’m an only child, so I imagine I’m throwing snowballs at the friend I don’t have. She’s throwing them back, and she’s… a fox? Okay, I guess I’m friends with a fox. I am alone in a room with a wolf, so I guess it’s not that weird.

“Now imagine you’re suddenly attacked by bandits. They’re shooting arrows at you and you need to protect your friend.”

I did not expect that. But then, I don’t know what to expect. I can see ten wolf bandits─ wait, is that bad? Is it prejudice if I see wolves? Bandits tend to be wolves, I think, so it’s not, right? The archers in the pack are shooting at us and I force my friend down to avoid being hit.

“Now you need to defend yourselves. Use your magic. Imagine you’re shooting fireballs at them.”

Now I wish this was real. I doubt I’ll be learning fireballs anytime soon, but I imagine I’m shooting them anyway. I don’t like the idea of killing anyone, even bandits. So I shoot around them to scare them away. It works because… Well, I’m shooting fireballs. Anyone would be scared of that.

“The fire has melted the snow around them, and now the survivors are trying to run away. Don’t let them. Freeze the water beneath their feet. Stop them in their tracks.”

I can’t say I want to do that. I’d love to freeze the water and make an area to skate on, but I’d rather the bandits get away. I do as I’m told and freeze the ground. Now the bandits are stuck.

“Now finish them off. Unleash a storm of lightning."

I really don’t like that. Lightning bolts shoot from my fingertips, but I can’t do it. I can’t kill them. I miss and the lightning hits a rock instead.

“You can open your eyes now,” he says. I open them and he’s still sitting in front of me. “You couldn’t kill them, could you?” he asks.

“How did you…?” I begin.

He points at the grass. It looks like there was a small fire, but it went out fairly quickly. "This alone doesn’t show much. You are capable of using fire magic. In fact, you can use all three spells you used. With training, of course. When you shot the fireballs, the grass caught fire. You did that. I suspect the flame would have been larger if you wanted to kill them. Or you’re not that strong at fire, but then there’s the other two.” He then points at the bowl of water. “The water started to freeze, but it melted soon after. I think you wanted to freeze the water, but not to stop the bandits.” He then points at the metal blocks. “Nothing happened. If you wanted to kill them, they should have at least moved a little. Based on the other two, anyway. If you were particularly talented in this field, they would have been drawn to one another.”

“You mean…” I start. “You mean I used magic?”

“You did,” he says. “And I’m impressed. Not only that you used magic, but also that you refused to kill even in a hypothetical situation. Even those who claim pacifism can’t do that.”

“Thank you. I… I didn’t realize that’s such a good thing.”

“It’s an admirable trait,” he says with a smile.

We go back up the stairs to the room where we had tea. I swear the staircase keeps getting longer, but he insists it isn't. Maybe I'm just eager to use magic. When we finally make it to the top, I collapse in my chair and he pours me a cup of tea. This might just be better than the first cup.

After a few sips, he catches me off guard by asking about my life at home. I'm not really sure why, but I tell him everything. I tell him about how my father treats me, and how Mother is the closest thing I have to a friend. He doesn't seem to judge, and doesn't interrupt at all. He just listens like he cares about me, even though we hardly know each other.

When I'm done telling him basically my entire life story, as dull as it is, he informs me that it's getting late and I should go home. I have no idea how he knows, since there isn't even a window in the entire tower, but he's right. I have been here all day and now the sun is starting to set.

I take my time getting home because I honestly have no desire to see my father. It's almost dark by the time I do enter the house. I don't even have time to close the door before Mother rushes over to me with a hug.

"Ryan! I have big news!" she exclaims. I don't remember the last time she was this excited.

"Father's okay with me learning magic?" I ask. I don't expect the answer to be yes, and she ignores the question.

"I went to the doctor today," she explains. "And…"

"And?" Why doesn't she just say it?

"You're going to be a big brother!"

I stand there in silence. A big brother… I’ve always wanted a sibling, so why does that sound so bad? It doesn’t make sense. What if she said she was pregnant? Would that be any better?

“Sweetie? Is everything okay?”

No, I want to say, but I’m still speechless.

“It is a lot to take in,” she says.

I notice my father in the back of the room, grinning at the thought of having another child. “Yeah, maybe father will finally have the son he wants,” I mutter. He frowns, so I must have said that louder than I thought.

Mother is shocked. “He has you,” she says.

“Sure,” I say as I walk past her and into my room. Neither she nor my father try to stop me. I go straight to bed and just lay there thinking about what just happened. Big brother… Will that ever sound okay?

I eventually fall asleep and have yet another strange dream. I’m getting ready for my wedding. As if that will ever happen. What’s really strange is it isn’t my father helping me get ready, it’s Mother. She’s helping me get dressed in a gorgeous white gown, while a young girl, maybe seven or eight, is begging Mother to help.

“Leave your brother alone,” she says to the girl. “Why don’t you go check on─”

“Mom!” the girl cuts her off. “Stella’s my sister!”

That’s when I wake up. I was wearing a wedding dress and called a sister. This dream was weirder than the last. 

“Where did you go yesterday?” father asks. 

I jump. Thanks for letting me get up… “Just walked around,” I lie.

“All day?” he asks. He knows I’m lying. He knows where I was. “Your uncle Brian said he saw you walk into that wolf’s tower. So are you lying or is he?”

I ignore him as I get dressed. He stares at me the entire time, and he’s blocking my only way out. “You already know the answer,” I tell him.

“Damn it, Ryan!” he shouts.

“It’s Stella now,” I say without thinking. “I’m going to be a mage, and my name is Stella.

“Now you listen, boy,” he says walking closer to me. “You stop with this mage crap right now.”

“Why?” I ask. “I haven’t been this happy in years. I’ve always wanted to learn magic, and now I finally have a chance.”

He clenches his fist. “If your mother didn’t beg me to not hit you…” he mumbles to himself. He glares at me for a bit before says, “Get out. If you’re going to learn magic, you are not welcome in this house. Get out right now!”

Like he had to tell me twice. I leave as fast as I can, not giving him a chance to say anything else. Mother is in the dining room drinking some tea. I think she says something, but I’m not paying attention. I race over to the tower with no regard for anything. 

When I get to the tower, the door opens on its own without me even knocking. I practically run up the stairs, and for once they feel shorter. Silver is in his chair drinking tea.

“Stella?” he asks in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting you so early. Is everything okay?”

I shake my head and sit down. He pours me a cup of tea and I explain what just happened.

“Unfortunate,” he sighs. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes!” I shout. “I’ve never wanted anything more!”

“Very well.” He gets up and starts walking down the stairs. I follow, and he leads me to the same room as yesterday. The room is mostly the same, except there’s a bed in the corner. There’s a desk next to it with a mirror. “I anticipated this, given what you told me about your father yesterday. I had hoped he would last a few more days, though…”

I’m speechless. I didn’t even need to ask and he’s already inviting me to stay. “Thank you.” I manage to get out.

“Of course. There’s no reason for you to be homeless for following your dreams. Especially at such a young age. Now then, I do have one more test ready for you.”

“Great! Let’s do it!”

“It will hurt,” he warns. “A lot.”

“I can handle it.”

“As you wish.” He grabs my left arm and pulls out a dagger. Before I can ask what he’s doing, he cuts my arm.

“OW!” I scream in pain and grab my arm as blood drips down.

“Close your eyes and imagine something pleasant, something that makes you happy.”

Right now the only thing that will make me happy is my arm healing. I assume he means something stronger, so I close my eyes and  imagine myself as a powerful mage, working for the royal family. My arm hurts a little bit less, but otherwise nothing happened.

“Try something stronger. Perhaps a memory, or a dream.”

What he says makes me think about my dream last night. Wearing that beautiful wedding dress and that girl calling me her sister. Now I don’t feel any pain. I open my eyes and the cut and the blood are gone. 

“That’s amazing…” Silver says.

“I did well?” I ask.

“I’ve never known anyone to do that without years of practice. Even my master could never do that. It would be one thing to reduce the pain, but you healed your arm completely. You can do a lot with practice. Tell me, what did you think about?”

I tell him about my dream. He asks if I have a sister, and I tell him about last night. He asks about other instances where being a boy has been unpleasant. I tell him, but I don’t expect him to understand. I don’t even understand.

“That’s what I thought,” he says. I guess he does understand? “You’re not the first person I’ve encountered in my life. Second, actually. We never came up with a word for it, but my master, Elenor, insisted that she─ he,” he corrects himself, “wasn’t the only one like that. You may have been born a boy, Stella, but, simply put, you’re a girl.”

“What?” I scoff. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Elenor was anything but ridiculous. I didn’t hear any objections when I called you ‘Miss Stella’ yesterday.”

“I… Thought I misheard you?” Even I don’t believe it. But he can’t be right, can he? Me a girl? He must be right, though. I can feel… something. It feels… Right? “But… I’m not a girl. I can’t just wear a dress and call it good, can I?”

“That’s what that cat did. Well, men’s clothes. Wish I could remember his name… In any case, I don’t think that’s your limit. Not with our magic. How would you feel about having a girl’s body?”

He can’t be serious. But the thought of having a girl’s body… It’s, I’m not sure. Exciting? “Can you do that?”

“Not by myself,” he says. “Close your eyes and imagine how you want to look. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“I close my eyes and imagine myself shorter, slimmer, and… well, pretty. I feel an odd sensation coursing through my body. It feels like it lasts forever, but also no time at all. I open my eyes, and my whole body is different! I feel smaller everywhere, and my clothes don’t even seem to fit right. I can’t even begin to explain how great this is!

Silver simply smiles and gestures toward the mirror by the bed. I go over to it, and… "Oh my gosh!" I exclaim. The change in my voice catches me off guard and I immediately cover my mouth. Everything about me is so cute I can't take my eyes off me. Actually, my eyes are... They're pink! They were brown, what happened? "Actually... I rather like them pink."

"Now that we have that settled, how about we train you in the healing arts?”

It's been just over three years since I started my apprenticeship with Silver. Was I quick to change my body? Yeah, probably. Do I regret it? Not for a second. It took awhile for Mother to get used to the idea that she doesn't have a son. She still slips up every so often, but I forgive her. My father hasn't spoken with me since he kicked me out, so I doubt he's comfortable with it. Conversely, my little sister, Evelyn, absolutely adores me.

Silver has been teaching me a lot about healing, and other magic. He says if I keep this up, I'll probably drive the local doctor out of business soon. Unfortunately, my ability to heal is still connected to my thoughts and emotions. I can't adequately heal if I'm worried or anxious. For example, Evelyn fell from a tree a few weeks ago. It wasn't too bad, but I had some difficulty because I was freaking out a bit. I've learned some defensive magic, just in case I need it. Nothing that will kill, of course. I refuse to learn anything like that, even for the sake of knowing. He's also told me a lot about his master, Elenor.

She was called Elenor the Wise. Like me, she was a rabbit. Maybe that's why Silver moved to my village? She traveled all over the world, even before she took Silver as her apprentice. No matter where she went, she always understood the language. She always listened to those she encountered, and did her best to help, always taking the culture into consideration.

Silver refused to tell me how she was able to speak so many languages. Apparently, he told someone he was close to and it resulted in her death. That was just over twenty years ago. He thinks someone was listening in on their conversation and killed her to obtain her ability. Not sure how that would work, and it apparently didn't. Now her secret is lost. Yet he still won't even tell me. Maybe one day.

Now Silver wants to teach me how to use my magic to create potions. With the right ingredients, he thinks I can create a potion to cure any disease! This might be true, but I think he just wanted me out for a while. I think he's planning something special with Mother for my birthday. I just turned seventeen, so I'm now a legal adult. Not that it means much to me. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

I'm mostly just looking for blueberries and nightshade. So I'm out in the middle of the forest looking for plants. I have my staff on the ground next to me while I put the berries in my basket.

"Hey there, little rabbit," a voice says from behind. "Wanna have a little fun?"

I turn around to see two wolves, each heavily armed. They're each wielding a sword, with an axe at their hip and daggers strapped to either leg. There's a third in the back, but he also has a bow in addition to the rest of his weapons. A group of bandits, just what I needed. Happy birthday to me…

"I think I'll pass, thanks," I say, reaching for my staff.

One of the bandits steps on my staff. "Now, now, little mage, don't want anyone to get hurt."

"If that's the case, why don't you just leave?"

"We've been watching you for some time," the second wolf says. "Your master is nowhere near here, and the boss could always use a new young lady. I doubt you can do much without your staff, so I think you're a good pick."

"You're disgusting!" I shout. "When Silver finds me, you won't live long enough to─"

"To what?" the first wolf cuts me off. "Like I said, he's nowhere near here."

"Silver?" the third wolf asks, walking up to us. "Did you say Silver? The wolf mage? The boss is really going to like you. We lost track of Silver years ago. First he gets to kill his master, then sleep with his apprentice. Lucky him, eh?"

This person… he's the one responsible for Elenor's death? Now he wants me to… Oh gods!

"Leave her alone, Egon!" A fourth voice comes from behind the third bandit. This one is a fox wearing black armor and wielding a short sword.

"Well," the third wolf says turning to the fox. "If it isn't Sebastian's precious little vixen. I've been waiting so long for this. And to think it would be so soon after having nearly been assassinated by you."

"I won't fail this time, Egon," the fox says.

"You're not too bright, are you, Lily?" Egon taunts. "There are three of us, and I don't see that stupid cat to save you."

"We both know I don't need her to finish the job," Lily says readying her sword.

"Maybe one on one," Egon says. "But you're outnumbered."

The other two bandits ready their blades and approach Lily. I take advantage of the distraction, grabbing my staff and charging an electrical spell. It's not enough to kill, but it'll do the job. “Mind if I help even the odds?” I say before casting the spell directly at Egon.

I shouldn’t have said that. It gives Egon just enough time to dodge the spell. He instead throws his sword with perfect timing, causing it to intersect the spell before impaling the fox in the shoulder. I gasp in disbelief.

“You idiot!” Egon shouts at the first wolf. “You let her get her staff! Retreat!” They all run away faster than I’ve seen anyone run, scared that I’ll be launching fireballs at them.

I won’t, of course. Even if I could, I may have just killed someone. I run up to her as quickly as I can. She appears dead, with the blade lodged in her shoulder and blood running down her armor. Her injury isn’t fatal, and neither is the spell, but together? I have no idea. I check her heart, which is still beating. She’s alive! I pull the sword out and do my best to heal her. I’m not sure what my spell might have done to her, and I can’t heal what I don’t know. I’m still able to close the wound and stop the bleeding. She’s still out, so I pick her up and carry her to the tower. 

Silver seems excited to see me until he notices I’m carrying a body. He takes her for me and carries her to my bed. I tell him what happened and he says she’ll be fine and just needs some rest. That’s a relief.

Silver is upstairs doing something, but I can’t keep my eyes off Lily. After a few minutes, she opens her eyes and tries to sit up. Clearly I didn’t do a good job healing her because she can’t. She grabs her shoulder and lays back down. “What happened? Who are you? Where am I?” she asks in rapid succession.

“Relax,” I tell her. “You’re safe. My name is Stella, and I’m the one who healed you. And cause your injury to begin with,” I say to myself. I look into her eyes. They’re a deep purple and I can’t seem to turn away.

“I need to get to Todstone,” she says trying to get up.

I put my hand on her chest and gently push her back down. “You need to get some rest.”

“You’re a rabbit,” she says. “Why are you helping me?”

“Our species are irrelevant,” I say. “Besides…” Why can’t I stop looking into her eyes? “You saved my life. I owe you a lot.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she says. “I was just─”

“Finishing the job?” I finish for her. “I don’t think that’s the case. You saw someone in trouble and you wanted to help. You wouldn’t have tried to ‘finish the job’ by yourself.”

“No,” he admits. “I guess not. Still, that’s twice I’ve failed to kill him. Guess I’m not cut out to be an assassin after all…”

“Maybe not,” I say. “But you’re cut out to be something. Now get some rest, and I’ll help you get to Todstone when you’re better.”

“Thanks, Stella,” she says before going to sleep.

I leave the room now that I know she’s okay. Silver is walking down the stairs.

“Was I hearing our guest?” he asks.

“Yeah, but she’s going back to sleep now.” I answer. “Hey, are purple eyes common for foxes?” I don’t know why I just asked that.

“Purple?” he’s surprised. “No, that’s quite rare. In all my travels, I’ve only encountered one. Luther Prince… He was the one, I… I told about Elenor.”

“Do you think there’s a chance they’re related?” I ask. “Daughter perhaps?”

“No,” he answers. “He died about fifteen years ago. Along with his wife and daughter. Poor Lily… Only one and killed by a dragon…”

“Her name is Lily!” I exclaim. “Maybe Luther survived!”

“He didn’t,” he says. “I was there when it happened. I was the only survivor of that massacre. It pains me that I couldn’t help…”

“Oh…” Way to bring up past trauma, Stella. “So, she wants to go to Todstone when she’s better. I don’t know where that is, but I said I’d help her. She did save my life.”

He thinks for a moment. “Yes, that’s not a bad idea. I’d hate for you to be here when they come back… The bandits, I mean. They will come back for me. It’s bad enough that my presence here is putting the town in danger, but I can’t risk them getting you. Oh! Before I forget, I have something for you.” He leads me upstairs, and hands me a brand new staff! It’s pure white and slightly taller than me, with a pink gem on top. “Happy birthday.”

“I love it! It’s so pretty!”

“I knew you’d like it. And this,” he says picking up some pink cloth on a shelf and handing it to me. “Is from your mother. I think she finally accepts you as her daughter.”

I unfold the cloth to reveal a strapless dress. It’s simple, but beautiful. I immediately change into it and look at myself in the mirror. I look so beautiful in it. Thank you so much, Mother.

“Best not wear it when you leave,” he says. “Don’t want to ruin it.”

“No,” I agree. “But I can still wear it for now.”

I end up sleeping on the floor that night. Not the best sleep I’ve had, but I’m not about to kick off an injured guest from my bed. Besides, if I’m going to Todstone, I’d best get used to sleeping on the ground. It won’t be long before Lily and I leave, and I’m sure a lot will happen to us. I think it’s best to let her tell that story. But I will say that when I’m with her, I really feel like I’m amongst the stars… 

Art by IArePanda