Authors' Notes

Uhm… Hi. Welp, we died. Today marks… yikes… eight months since we have updated this story. Uhm… yeah. I guess this is where we apologize, but this particular bout of vanishing feels inexcusable.

Fun story. I (Archie) got whooping cough back in October that wasn't officially diagnosed and treated until it was too late for the antibiotics to do anything but make me not contagious. Then, just as I got my voice back and stopped coughing at every tiny bit of exertion… I had a show. So that was fun. Then the holidays happened. Then my birthday. Then my boyfriend. And school… ah school, that harsh mistress… V got wrapped up in her original story and became rather like two people living in one body it was so obsessive (It's called Evan and it lives on Fictionpress, by Vanimalion, just in case you're interested. It's romance. And it's dark.). This takes lots of blame, too. Anyways, life just kinda attacked me (us, technically, but mostly Archie...) this year. So it has taken forever to write this!

Another fun story! Unless V and I (mostly Archie...) can get off our lazy butts, there will be another great break after this chapter as I... am majorly traveling this fall with my family. Hopefully (fingers crossed!) we can write the fifth chapter in the next month, and then editing can happen with an ocean between us :)

Haha… okay, anon replies at the bottom, and enjoy this chapter!

- Chapter Four: Hidden Beginnings -

"John, what the hell happened out there?" asked Robin, twitching apprehensively.

"The Hand finally crossed the border." John said, shaking his head with a grim look.

Robin ran his fingers through auburn hair anxiously. "Oh god... what exactly happened? Did we lose anyone?"

"We lost Bradford. The Hand lost several more." The large man shifted uncomfortably. "But that's not... not the point of this meeting."

"Then why...?" Robin trailed off. He stood up agitatedly and started fingering the knob on the back of his chair.

"It is our newest recruit, Legolas."

"What about him?" Snow asked tensely. She looked suddenly defensive.

"I just... I don't know. I'm not sure if we should have him out there on patrols."

"And what do you mean by that? Every member of the army has patrol duty." Arthur asked, restlessly fiddling with the handle of his coffee mug. "Exactly why do you feel Mr. Legolas should be an exception?"

"His methods of fighting are... different than ours. The way he dealt with the Hand members was... alarming, it was like he didn't care that his actions were causing people to die. I've never seen that... lack of feeling before."

"Information, Man!" Commanded Arthur, gesturing frustratedly with his mug. "Come on! How many were on your patrol? And the Hand?"

"Six in my patrol, eleven Hand members."

"Eleven?!" Arthur dropped the mug in shock. It hit the floor and it shattered with a crash. Hot, black coffee spread around his feet, but he ignored it. "How did you get out in one piece, losing only Brad from the whole patrol?"

"Legolas saved us by taking them by surprise... he wandered off at one point and reappeared at just the right moment." John said.

There was a long silence in the room. Mr. Canis finally spoke from his corner. "Did any escape?" He handed Arthur a ragged towel.

"No. As we were piling bodies, we found that Peter Pan and Howard Hatchett survived, but we brought them back for questioning. I counted nine Hand members dead, but I was in a rush to get everyone out of the area before the sounds drew others, and so no full identification. I know that Jack, Jill, and Tinkerbell are dead at least. And the Beast."

Everyone was silent in shock. "The beast is dead?" croaked Robin after a few seconds, sitting down shakily. John nodded

"But why don't you want Legolas out on patrols, John?" Snow asked, trying to draw the discussion back to the original topic. "You said you didn't want him out there, but you didn't give a reason."

"We can't have him out there for the Hand to see!" John cried, exasperated. He took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "He is has a level of talent that we need. And that talent needs to stay hidden behind our ranks."

Robin leaned back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair again. "We can't keep our best men back. That would be suicide. This is war, John..." He sighed, his eyes searching his friend's face. Slowly he straightened up, staring at John with a strange expression on his face. "What are you thinking?"

John paused. "I don't know what I'm thinking. We just could learn from him, that's all..."

Robin tilted his head. "You're not... are you considering promoting him to teach?"

The larger man shrugged, shaking his head. Snow tapped her chin with her finger, thinking.

Charming stood up. He began to pace, slowly making his way to one side of the cabin and back. He sounded contemplative when he finally spoke. "He is talented, yes. I watched him when Snow was testing him. But we can't have him instructing our whole army. We know nothing about him. He could destroy us for all we know."

"Fine, then don't have him train. But we can't just let him sit around." said Snow.

Mr. Canis cleared his throat. "We have to consider that, in boring him, he might betray us. I agree with Charming that we know nothing about him, and therefore must be careful. But Snow and John are right; we can't just ignore his skills... and if not on the battlefield, then where else?"

There was another long silence. Finally Snow spoke. "I think we should give him a chance at teaching. Give him a student and see how she learns."

"She?" questioned John. "You have someone in mind already?"

Snow nodded slowly. "I think we should see how he handles Sabrina Grimm. She learns quickly and won't take any nonsense. If he tries to teach her something worthless, she just won't accept it."

"That's a good point." said Robin. "And she would also benefit from a change in her training."

"More that she would benefit from some space from that infernal fairy..." Charming muttered.

"Are we settled then?" John asked, looking much calmer than he had at the beginning of the meeting. "Legolas will be staying in the Fort and teaching?"

Snow nodded. "For now. We'll need to revisit this topic soon, because I doubt that he'll be at all happy being confined. He is a wanderer, that one..."

- X -

Legolas was unsure as to why Charming had sent for him. He had been summoned to the door of a small cabin that said "PRIVATE" on it in large white letters. He knocked firmly and a voice from inside told him to enter. He did so, stepping lightly across the threshold.

"Hello, Legolas," said Charming, stiffly. "Please take a seat, anywhere is fine." He gestured to the only unoccupied chair. He was carefully composed, but the prince looked tired and overworked.

Legolas sat down in the empty chair and looked around. "You sent for me...?" He prompted politely.

John nodded, not making eye contact. Snow answered in his stead. "Legolas... there is quite honestly no easy way to say this." She paused, chewing on her cheek. "We've decided that we need to take you off of patrol duty."

He blinked, a look of pure confusion crossing his face. "Why?" He asked, his voice a little uncertain. It seemed as if it were inconceivable to him. "What do you want me to do if not fight for you?"

"We do want you to fight for us!" Snow said quickly, talking over a cough from Charming. "John came back with a detailed account of the battle, and while we couldn't be more thrilled at your talent..." she trailed off.

John spoke up. "Legolas, I think what Snow was try to say is that... while we are very happy to have your contributions, we're not sure yet where we want to use you."

Snow nodded. "Yes, thank you John." she turned back to Legolas. "And until we know exactly where we want to put you... I'm afraid that we must put your talents to use inside the Fort."

"So what do you plan to ask of me?" He inquired slowly, praying that they would not ask him to be a squire or some other lowly worker.

Snow glanced at Robin, who gave her a small smile. "We would like to put you into training. Not as a student," she added quickly, sensing his apprehension, "but as a teacher. We would like to see how you do at passing on your talent."

Legolas blinked, silent for a few moments. "You want me to teach?" he said, his eyebrows shooting up in astonishment. He had not imagined them asking that of him, for no-one ever had. "I... do not teach." He said firmly.

"You don't teach or you have never taught?" Arthur asked.

"Both. Unless training horses counts, but for some reason I believe that is a different skill." Legolas said dryly.

"We aren't asking you to teach an entire class," Snow said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Their idea wasn't going as planned. "To begin, we would just like you to instruct Sabrina Grimm in an art of combat."

The elf's eyes narrowed. "Very well... let us say that I accept your offer. Is that all I am to do, instruct Sabrina Grimm? Would I have any other duties at all?"

Charming cleared his throat. "That is still under discussion. There are many things to do inside the Fort now... and the war has not broken out completely yet..." he trailed off.

Snow gave her leader a glance. "You are one of the most talented people in this fort, Legolas. We are not completely sure how we want to approach this. Can you understand that?" She asked softly.

Legolas looked at her, his gaze softer now. When it was put that way, he completely understood their point. Of course, he would rather be out in the forest, but if this is where they needed him... "I accept your offer, then. I assume that if you need anything else from me, you will not hesitate to ask." he smiled at them. "Is that all?"

Snow nodded. "I still have to discuss this matter with Henry and Veronica, as they are her parents. She has talent, but Henry is very protective of his daughters and doesn't like that we're training her in the first place. However, one of us will talk with them about it. Veronica is sure to agree, and she can bring Henry around..." Snow seemed to be talking to herself.

John turned to Legolas, speaking over Snow's muttering. "In the meantime, Legolas... please remain inside of the Fort or one of the Mirrors."

Legolas's jaw clenched just a little bit, but no-one noticed.

"You may leave, Legolas." Robin said.

And he did.

He walked down the path away from the cabin, away from Snow and Charming and all those others who had restricted his liberty. Now he needed to think about how he was going to manage to teach Sabrina Grimm... he sighed. It was all aggravating him to no end. He belonged on the battlefield, yes, but most of all he belonged in a forest, and that had been taken away too.

"Ai, Valar..." he muttered under his breath.

"Are you alright?" Legolas started. He spun around to see the concerned face of Rapunzel. "You just walked in a circle... is there something bothering you?" She asked. He looked away, and her eyes followed his to the door to the cabin he had vacated. She sighed. "Don't take what they say to hard. They're just a bunch of airheads who are really concerned about the safety of the Fort."

He shook his head lightly and looked at her for a second before collecting his thoughts. "Oh, yes, I am well, thank you." he smiled. "And they did not really say much..." he said distractedly as he looked away, appearing to be lost in thought again.

She looked at him for a moment, and her expression clearly said that she didn't believe him. "Look, I'm bringing them some food now, but after I come out would you like to go to the Mess Hall and talk about it? I'm hungry."

He hesitated for a second. "Thank you very much for the offer," he said graciously, "but I am afraid I must decline." He began to turn away.

An amused laugh made him stop. "Who told you to stay away from me? William? Robin?"

He turned back. "As a matter of fact, yes, it was William. And he told me you were wed. As I have no intention of angering anyone, I intend to keep my respectful distance."

Rapunzel laughed again. Her laugh reminded Legolas of birdsong. "I don't know what the customs are like where you come from, but here it is perfectly okay for a married woman to have lunch with a man other than her husband. Will you please accompany me?"

Legolas turned to face her, eyebrows raised. She was standing with an expectant smile dancing across her lips. "Please? It will take your mind off of whatever is bothering you."

"Well, I suppose if you put it that way I have no choice but to accept, fair lady. I shall see you in the dining hall, then?"

She smiled. "Save me a seat." She winked and turned back up the path to the building that Legolas had just left.

- X -

Sabrina winced in pain as the heavy bo-staff rebounded off her hip, sending jarring her arm. She collected herself and a moment later spun the staff over her head, launching another attack on the straw filled dummy in front of her. With the next hit, the burlap split, spilling straw onto the floor at her feet.

Bōjutsu was the newest addition to her training regime. Snow had told her that it was one of the handier techniques to learn, as there were many things on a battlefield that could be turned into effective weapons using the bōjutsu techniques. At first it had sounded like an easy thing to master, just hitting things with a very long stick, but after a month of training, Sabrina was discouraged and sore. Each time she made a mistake, the pole would bounce off of her shins or her shoulders leaving her constantly bruised.

Finally, Sabrina laid her bo-staff down. After a long morning practicing for her later training sessions, her muscles were aching and the sweat dripping from her hairline stung a fresh cut on her cheek.

She sat down on the side of the training center closest to the Mess Hall and began to stretch. With her muscles already sore from sessions that afternoon and more the next morning, it was vital that she stay limber.

Suddenly, the dark clouds above her parted, and the sun briefly shone on the Fort. Even though there had not been a battle in a few months, the heavy clouds of the magical war had remained, leaving the Fort in a dreary gray light. Sabrina lay back, letting her body soak up the long lost warmth.

She closed her eyes and relaxed in the sunlight, slowly letting go of her stress.

- X -

Puck was in a foul mood. He had just been given a lecture on war strategy. He quite honestly admired Arthur, but he did not like sitting in a tent alone with him while he droned on and on about something that Puck wouldn't ever use. At least… he didn't expect to use it.

He stalked towards the Mess Hall, hoping that he would be able to pester Beauty to let him have some food. Lately their supplies had been getting plainer and plainer as they were magically reproduced more and more; an item of food could only retain its full flavor through so many duplications before it ran too thin. Charming had been advising everyone to cut back on their in between-meal snacking through the winter, and Briar's suggestion of a garden had so far not been acted upon.

When he reached the Mess Hall, he found that the door had been locked so that the day's kitchen staff could set up lunch. Giving a disgruntled sigh, Puck sat down on the porch. Just then, the clouds slowly parted to reveal the sun.

He blinked in surprise. It had been quite a while since the sun had made a genuine appearance, and the occupants of the Fort were not missing it. From the tent area, Puck could hear quiet exclamations and laughs. For some reason, the sun had brought a relaxed atmosphere to the war camp. To his slight surprise, he could even feel a calmness set down in him.

Reclining against one of the columns that held up Mess Hall's overhang, Puck let his eyes wander. The path was empty, with everyone socializing by the tents or on some sort of guard duty. His eyes strayed towards the training center next to him, and he saw Sabrina lie down, also soaking up the relaxing sunlight.

He allowed himself to take her in. He found himself thinking about how much she had changed since he had tried to push her off a diving board at their first meeting. Then she had been a skinny eleven year old who kind of looked like a clown. Her strong, somewhat sarcastic attitude mixed with her knack for confronting him had been annoying but entertaining for him. Now the attitude was still there but the coating was different. Still thin, she had become muscular from three years of constant combat training. Her long, golden hair was pulled tight into a braided ponytail, which she had been known to use as a weapon.

A gentle sting on his left hand made him jump and look down. At his hand was one of his remaining pixies. He had lost a great many of them during a battle with the Hand, and was in the process of breeding them to once again have their service.

He drew it up to his ear, where it buzzed and hummed at him. "Your majesty, you seem to be lost again in the girly."

Puck frowned, and motioned the pixie away. He glowered after it as it flew away, furious that a pixie had once again commented on Sabrina. He sent the blonde girl a last fleeting glance before he stood up and strode towards the tents.

- X -

Sabrina's relaxed moment didn't last nearly long enough. After what only felt like a minute, the sunlight had faded and she scrambled to her feet. There wasn't a precise rule that said she shouldn't be lying down in the training center, but even so she was sure her teacher would strongly disapprove.

And then, as if she had stepped out of Sabrina's thoughts, Snow rounded the corner of the Mess Hall, quietly conversing with Veronica. When she saw Sabrina, she called, "Sabrina, come here for a moment."

"Coming, Ms. White." She scooped her bo-staff up, placed it carefully into the trunk where it was kept, and crossed the Training Center to meet them.

After submitting herself to a kiss from her mother, Sabrina turned to Snow. "What's going on?"

Snow didn't answer immediately. Then she turned to Veronica. "I'm relying on you to convince Henry…"

The other woman nodded. "He will not like it, but I'll make him see sense. This is something he should be proud of, but he has always been protective of the girls Especially since the Hand came into the open."

Snow sighed. "It's hard to get used to this new Henry, he is nothing like the carefree Hank who sent me potatoes from Kindergarten until long after he graduated high school… but I digress. You take care of that, I'll tell Sabrina." The blond girl looked exceptionally confused, although she was trying to hide it.

Veronica gently tousled Sabrina's hair and nodded goodbye to Snow.

Snow turned to Sabrina with a serious expression. "Sabrina, I have just left a meeting with the other leaders of our army. And before you get panicked," she added quickly, seeing the apprehensive look on Sabrina's face. "let me tell you that what we are about to talk about is a product of a long conversation about Legolas."

Sabrina nodded but said nothing.

"I'm sure that you have heard by now that the last patrol ended in a battle with the Hand. John came back with a lot of interesting observations, none of which I bore you with... Anyway, we decided that, given the results of the patrol, Legolas needs a task inside the Fort."

"And...? Ms. White, I don't understand why you are telling me this."

"I haven't gotten there yet." She paused, contemplating Sabrina. "After a long meeting with the leaders and Legolas, he agreed to take on a portion of your training."

Sabrina stared at her. "He... what?"

Snow sighed. "Look, Sabrina... John told us that when Legolas went into his stride, it was beautiful and horrible to watch. He had little qualms about killing the members of the Hand to protect himself and his companions. In a matter of minutes, most of the Hand patrol of eleven was dead, and our soldiers were barely injured except for the loss of Bradford. The clearing was a mess of bodies. You understand that this cannot happen again in a simple forest patrol. We need to keep him inside until an actual battle... until we know what to do with him."

There was a long moment of silence. Sabrina stared at her hands. She had not expected her teacher to speak so openly about the skirmish; the leaders had already declared it taboo and none of the members of the patrol were allowed to speak of it. No one had missed Brad's death, but it and the battle had been discussed in hushed tones the whole afternoon.

"Okay... so he isn't going out anymore. Why is he teaching me?"

"You haven't really spent any time with him, but while I was assessing him I learned that he needs to be doing something. His mind and body need to be constantly in the middle of something, and he would not be happy just training all day inside the Fort. And quite honestly," she added, "we thought you might like a break from a constant stream of activities with Puck."

Sabrina grinned. "Yeah..."

Snow perked up. "So you are alright with a session of lessons with him?"

The blonde girl nodded. "What will I be learning?"

"That is really up to how your mother convinces your father to let this happen. It could be something new or he might take over from me or Robin." She made as if to leave, but stopped. "Sabrina... thank you. Agreeing to this just made my day a little easier."

"Anytime, Ms. White."

- X -

He heard her approaching long before she came into sight. She plopped herself down unceremoniously across the table from him. "Sorry it took that long... I didn't expect them to be planning. Here." she slid a plate of fresh fruit across the table to him. "I remember that this is what you were eating earlier. Plus, I didn't think you would like the pasta." When he just stared at it, she sighed. "Come on, speak up. I can't help if you don't open your mouth!"

He blinked several times and just looked at her. For a moment she thought he was going to remain silent and just stare at her like a dead fish, but then he said quietly: "I dislike boxes." And left it at that.

She stared back at him. "Well then, come Christmas... I'll make sure your presents are in bags." When he didn't react, she sighed again. "Seriously, Legolas. I want to help. The leaders said or did something that upset you. What was it?"

"I am not allowed to visit my trees!" He said with a slight gleam of panic in his eyes. "They forbade me to leave this dreary place. I have been locked up and I dislike boxes..." He sounded so forlorn and looked down at his food, picking up his fork and half heartedly picking at a pile of fresh, cheerful blueberries. "It is nothing that they have said, and I have endured so much worse that this seems almost paltry, but perhaps I have grown accustomed to my privileges and forget myself when I no longer have them." He popped a blueberry into his mouth and looked at her expectantly.

This was a rather different version of Legolas, she thought. The careful courtesy and diplomacy were gone, and he seemed to be behaving almost , having learned next to nothing, Rapunzel decided to change the topic. "Okay then. Well, why don't you tell me more about where you came from?"

"Oh, that is not a joyous topic... it is rather tragic, actually... are you sure you wish to ruin your meal with stories of the destruction of beautiful things?"

She picked up her own fork and took a bite of her salad, giving him a half smile. "Have at it, sailor."

He arched an eyebrow at the name, but decided not to comment. "Well, I have already told you of our rather indifferent attitude towards death, and of the dark things that live in our woods... which were not always so evil. When I was younger, a great many years ago, it was a beautiful place... I believe. I have forgotten much of what was then, you see. Other matters become more pressing. But it was a good place. I have seen paintings of it, and it was grand. The sunlight streaming in through the leaves and dappling upon the soft, mossy ground, the clear streams, the birds... all clean and green and glorious..." he went quiet, wistfully looking off somewhere. He cocked his head, as if listening for something. He stayed that way until Rapunzel waved her hand in front of his face and he seemed to come back. "Sorry," he said, looking slightly embarrassed, "Sometimes we elves get lost in memory. When darkness is all around you, you must have something to hold on to where you can go, and then you don't feel so lost when your friends get their eyes cut out." He picked up a piece of apple and bit it. After a moment he looked at her again. "Does that make sense?"

She contemplated him. "It does, actually. I know the feeling of watching a beautiful world you have known for hundreds of years crumble away. That's the price of living for all eternity..."

He smiled sadly at her. "Greenwood will be beautiful again. We are fixing her and she will heal. What will happen when the elves leave, that is not for me to say, for I do not know. But before we fade away we will make the world bright again..." he smiled at her again. "And then, when we leave, we will get to see all those who were lost to us, as they reside beyond the sea, waiting for us. It will be a good day." He popped another piece of fruit into his mouth and looked away into the distance again.

"I wish I could say the same about my world. Humans have no control over themselves, and so they are destroying their one chance on Earth. They live wrapped up in themselves, caring only that they get what they want, and aren't improving the world. When I was born, it was clean and people cared. Now... I can't say." It was her turn to stare sadly at her food. Then she seemed to shake herself, and looked back up at him again. "Maybe we should try a happier subject?"

He blinked at her again. "Have you any suggestions?"

She smiled. "Do you have anything about yourself you could tell me? Something that won't make me want to drown in sadness?"

"Why would drowning in sadness ever be something you would want to do? That sounds very unpleasant." He asked, evading the real question.

"I wouldn't. That was the point. And don't ignore my question!"

"Well..." he was quiet, thinking. After a while he smiled. "Once, many many hundreds of years ago, when I was very young, my brother and I would steal all the cakes from the kitchens and hide them all around the palace... we would sneak out in the middle of the night to steal them and then we would put them in secret places and eat them throughout the day. Back then we were so proud of ourselves, because we believed none of the staff knew where they had gone. Now I know that everyone knew but simply found it too endearing... we were popular as elflings, my brother and I..." he flashed his teeth in a dazzling grin. "Was that happy enough?"

"That was very cheerful." She laughed.

"I stopped doing that after he died... it was simply not the same doing it alone." he stated matter-of-factly.

She raised her eyebrows. "...and now it's not."

"Forgive me... sometimes I forget." He looked down at his food sadly. He never remembered to leave out the end of every story, where this friend or that relative met their end and the games stopped. It always felt necessary to tell the whole things for some reason, and he never remembered and always ruined it for whoever was listening. He made yet another mental note to pretend everyone was still alive.

They ate in silence for the rest of the meal.

- X -

Legolas was nervous, which was a rare and uncomfortable feeling for him. He had lived many years, and lately not much was new to him. But the prospect of teaching archery to someone he didn't know was very much new and not something he felt very confident doing. He had never taught and it had been over three thousand years since he himself had learned the art, so even memories of his old teachers would not be very helpful. He sighed, picked up his bow, and walked out.

It had been three days since he had been taken off the patrols, and two since he had been cornered by a rather irate Henry.

"So..." he had begun, cornering Legolas as he was leaving the training center. "I understand that you will be instructing my daughter in an art of combat." His voice was menacing

Legolas had taken a step back in slight surprise, attempting to keep a respectful distance. "Yes, I have been ordered to do so." He had said politely, watching for any sign of increased aggression in the man.

Henry had narrowed his eyes, staring daggers at the elf. "There isn't anything I can really do to stop you since the order came from Snow." Henry had glanced over to where his wife was eating breakfast with their daughters. "But know this... I'll be keeping a close eye on you and your teaching methods. Tread cautiously around my daughter." And with that, he had stalked away without another word.

Legolas had then passed the remaining two days with boredom, a constant feeling of dread following him around like a dark cloud. The imminent need to comply with Henry's standards on his first attempt was not something he was looking forward to.

But those days had passed quickly, and now he was walking to that meeting. Snow had informed him that he would be teaching archery, and this was a good thing, but he was still not happy about his new job.

He put his princely mask on to hide his nervousness and walked into the training center. He went over to where Snow, Robin, and Sabrina were standing, talking.

Robin turned when they heard the elf approaching. "Hello, Legolas. I'm sure your day's been good so far?"

"As good as can be expected." He smiled. "And you?"

"I'm good. Wish the mess hall had had more than toast, but... the early bird most certainly does not get the tastiest worm around here..." He trailed off and turned his attention back to Snow, who had been looking at him half-expectantly.

She smiled and nodded a greeting to Legolas. "Good morning, Legolas. We were just discussing what Sabrina had learned so far. Robin has been teaching her how to shoot off and on for a year, and after a quick discussion, we decided that you should begin teaching her as if she has never shot before. Is that acceptable to you? That way any differences in technique will be fixed."

"Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea." Maybe, just maybe, this would work out well.

- X -

Puck groaned inwardly as he reached for his drink. He had strained a muscle in his side, and most movement hurt. He took a gulp of orange juice and then leaned back on the wall behind him. He gazed around at the bustling Mess Hall, his eyes betraying his troubled mind.

Just then, the door farthest to him opened and Sabina walked in. Puck's stomach lurched at the sight, but he mentally shook himself. He wanted to ignore that particular feeling, to pretend that he didn't have that particular reaction to her…

His mood darkened when is saw Legolas follow Sabrina into the Hall. She was talking animatedly with him, and his head was cocked, listening intently to what she was saying.

Puck grimaced. He felt a pang of bitter saudade hit him, but he just scowled darkly and ignored it. Across the room, the pair had paused for a moment. They concluded their conversation, walking towards the buffet where a brownie was supervising the serving of lasagne. Puck watched Sabrina turn her attention to the food, muttering something to the sprite while adjusting her ponytail.

"Hey."

Puck jumped and dropped his fork. It bounced off the table and landed on the floor with a loud clang. He spun around and saw Daphne sliding onto the bench next to him with her tray of food.

He took a deep, calming breath. "Oh… hey." He ducked under the table to retrieve his fork.

"Wow… you are really jumpy today." Daphne commented as he reemerged, scooping a giant piece of lasange into her mouth and consuming it with relish. "You were really startled earlier when you were with me and Red in the Medical Tent..."

Puck scowled. "Yeah, well… I didn't sleep that well last night. My cot is right next to the path, and Snow had those guys running laps again this morning."

Daphne glanced at him, confused. "They run every day, shouldn't you be used to it by now? And anyways, they don't start until 5:30… you'd've been in bed for a good six hours at least by then."

Puck didn't answer right away. He shot a look across to where Sabrina was sitting and talking with Jake. He noticed that the elf had departed. At the moment he looked, Jake stood up smiling and nodded a farewell to her. She grinned and laughed at something he said, her eyes straying to the door through which Legolas must have left.

"I see…"

Daphne's voice shocked Puck back to his own table. He shook himself, cursing inwardly that he had been staring again. "What?" he asked, his voice defensive.

The younger girl shook her head. She slowly chewed another mouthful of food before laying her fork down and looking at him. "You are such a worrywart…"

Puck pulled back slightly and stared at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Daphne waved her hand in the direction of her sister. Almost unwillingly, Puck looked to see Sabrina cover her mouth in mock shock at something someone at her table had said. "That. Sabrina."

Puck felt his eyes narrow. "What about her? She's eating lunch after a training session."

The younger girl rolled her eyes. "No…! You know exactly what I mean, stop playing stupid!"

Puck chose to ignore this comment. He took another drink of his orange juice, pointedly looking away from both Grimm sisters. He heard Daphne sigh behind him, but their silence continued.

After a few minutes, after Puck's eyes had wandered back to Sabrina, Daphne spoke again. "You know it's not like that."

Puck dropped his eyes to his partially eaten lunch, but refrained from answering.

"I'd be lying if I said Sabrina doesn't feel attracted to him," Puck's stomach dropped. He knew who Daphne was talking about. "but it's not something you should freak out about."

The fairy was silent. He slowly spun his fork in his long fingers. Finally, he glanced at Daphne. She was looking at him searchingly, and gave him a half smile when their eyes me. "I know I joke about it a lot, but you two are meant for each other. It's not something that is just a possibility, it's your future."

Puck snorted. "Yeah, right…"

"It is." Daphne said again, shrugging.

Puck shook his head. "You're still caught up in fairytales. It just… doesn't work that way in real life, Daph."

She gave him another half smile. "It does sometimes. And I'm telling you, this is Sometime."

He rolled his eyes and started eating again. Movement from the distant table made him look up to see Legolas excusing himself from Sabrina's company. Puck's thoughts began to wander a few years back, back in his enchanted room with…

"Hey…" Daphne's voice interrupted his thoughts again. She nudged him gently with her elbow. "That's the first time you haven't denied that you have feelings for her."

Puck blinked, and the small girl started laughing.

"What's so funny?" The two teens jumped and looked up. Sabrina had brought the remainder of her lunch over to their table.

Puck inhaled a mouthful of juice and began coughing. Daphne pounded him hard on the back while she answered Sabrina's question. "Puck was just complaining about having to work in the Medical Tent earlier."

Sabrina shook her head. "Don't be such a baby... we all have to!"

"I am not! You are!"

Sabrina snorted. "You actually sound like a two year old... grow up and grow a pair!"

Daphne suddenly stood up. "Shut up you two!"

The two teens stopped and stared at the younger girl. "Daphne-"

"Shush!" She had narrowed her eyes and was staring across the room. Slowly, Puck and Sabrina turned around to see what she was looking at.

At another table across the hall, all the leaders were arguing, although the noise of the army enjoying their lunch made their voices indiscernible. John and Arthur had their faces very close to each other, and they seemed to be snarling. Their noses were almost brushing, and they looked as though they were trying hard not to strangle each other. Charming was gesticulating furiously at Snow and Robin, who appeared to be trying to convince the angry prince of something. Mr. Canis sat slightly apart from them with a bored expression and muttered about a map in front of him.

Suddenly, Charming roared, startling the other leaders. He slammed both his fists down, stood up, and leapt onto the table amongst the drinks he had spilled. He paused, making sure everyone was watching him intently, and then let out a guttural bellow: "We will march tomorrow at sunrise; prepare yourselves for war!"

- To Be Continued -

To the two Guests: We're so glad you're both enjoying this crazy story of ours! It really is wonderful to hear from our miniscule fanbase, just to know you exist :) Thanks! As to continuing, you can be assured that we are not going to give this story up. We may leave it for a few months, but we'll never actually drop it. We've fallen too much in love so far, and so leaving it would be about as horrible as leaving puppies in a dumpster (Thanks for that image, V...). Something with epic potential would be cruelly destroyed. We are not abandoning this.