Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The boat's gentle swaying felt less like Craft sickness every day. Bonbon was perking up more and more, Isabeau was back to his loud self and you could leave your room without using the wall or another person as leverage. At this point, by the time you got to Ka Bue, you'd find solid land under your feet weird.

"Frin!" Bonnie bounded over to you, pulling you up the rest of the steps to the main deck. "The sun's settin'! Come see, come see!!"

"Easy there, Bon," Petronille laughed. "Don't yank their arm off!"

Bonbon ignored her, weaving past her and other travellers as they dragged you over to the side of the boat and stopped at the railing. A harsh breeze nearly knocked their hat off as they stood on the tips of their toes (not like they needed to, they were already taller than the railing) and leaned over the railing to watch the darkless orb sink into the sea. Petronille joined them on the other side, crossing her arms and shifting from side to side. She didn't know why this was so important to you.

She didn't have to know. Your family knew, and that was good enough for you.

Ever since you got out of "forever school", Bonnie had made it a habit to drag you towards something new to prove that you were out. Something as innocuous as a new snack used to be the biggest deal ever, now it had moved on to larger things—a deer crossing your path, a stranger not recognizing you, a new town acting like you don't exist…And on the boat, the sun rising and setting. You never saw it do either of those things in the loops, as you were in the clocktower, so the sight never got old.

Hands on your shoulders made you jump, though they thankfully didn't leave. You leaned back against your partner's chest and purred a little when he rested his chin on your head in response.

"Watchin' the sun again, eh Bonbon?" Isabeau asked, taking your hands when you took them off the railing. "What's it look like today?"

"A coin!" Bonbon pointed at the sun, then traced it with their finger. "See? It looks like a giant silver coin."

"Slowly going into somebody's pocket," Petronille added.

"Maybe stolen!"

"No!!"

"We should alert th' Defenders!"

"Not that they'll do anything," you piped up. Isabeau barked a laugh and you nuzzled into him.

"What's this about Defenders?"

Your heart jumped when Odile spoke, joining your little group at your other side. She was looking over your head, likely asking Bonnie, so you stayed quiet.

"Th' sun's a coin!" Bonnie said proudly.

"I thought it was a star."

"Not today." Petronille ruffled Bonbon's hair under their hat. "Today, somebody's stealing it."

"So we thought about callin' for Defenders, but we'll have better luck gettin' it ourselves."

Odile huffed a laugh. "I'll fetch the horses."

The horses!! They were new additions to your little family. A draft horse and a pony, a cart horse and one for Bonbon. At the mention of them, Bonnie's eyes lit up and they lost all interest in the sun coin.

"I'm gonna go check on 'em!"

Off they went like a shot, Petronille heaving a playfully exasperated sigh before following them. Something soft brushed against the crown of your head before Isabeau pulled away, tugging you back with him by your hand.

"Dinner's going to be ready in a minute," he said. "We should go wake up Mira."

Poor Mirabelle, who wasn't taking well to the sea at all. You waved at Odile and let your partner lead you back down to the rooms.

Regardless of the time of day, it was dark under the deck. Dark and reeking of wet wood and wax. Crafted candles flickered along the walls and in some corners in an attempt to make the hold seem homey, or at least look more inviting. The sight made your head hurt in a familiar way, so you tried not to think about it too much.

Mirabelle was sitting up in bed when you pushed open the door of the room she shared with Odile. She looked up when Isabeau knocked on the door, then gave you both a soft smile.

"How're you feeling, Mira?" Isabeau asked, sitting on the foot of the bed.

"Better." She kept her voice soft, likely to avoid aggravating her stomach. "The tea really helped. Tell Oscar I say thank you at dinner tonight."

"We will."

You walked over to the bed, motioning Mira to move over and sitting beside her when she gave you enough space. She ignored you flinching when her arm brushed against you as she hugged herself.

"How is everyone?" She asked.

"Good!" Isabeau stretched his legs out. "Bonnie's running around everywhere and trying to help where they're allowed, Petronille's helping out on the top deck, m'dame Odile helps in the treasury, the horses have settled in and I'm on rope duty. Riveting stuff."

"I'm having a good day today," you added. "Haven't needed to drink potions much."

The relief on Mirabelle's face made your heart ache a little. You knew she felt bad that she was too sick to use Healing Craft on you and your aching, stars-cursed body; leaving you stuck with sour potions and bed rest. You felt bad that you'd put her in this situation. If any of your family members knew she would be so bad with boats, you would have put the trip to Ka Bue off for another week or two, you were sure.

You and Isabeau stayed with Mirabelle for a long time, long enough for you to start drifting off. You dreamed of stars and planets.

Up until your dream was rudely interrupted by the door banging open.

"Guys!" Petronille shouted over the din of heavy rain and howling wind. "Something's wrong! The captain wants everyone on the deck!"

"It's just a storm," Isabeau said, a soothing hand on Mirabelle's shoulder (when did he come up here?). "We've sailed through them before."

"Not like this one. Come on!"

Isabeau winced and took Mira's arm, whispering apologies and encouragement as he helped her down from the bed. You pushed yourself off the bed and flinched when your shoes splashed in something wet.

The lower deck was flooding.

On the main deck, people were milling about in confusion and worry. The captain was busy snapping orders at her men, so her first mate took over.

"Try not to worry!" They called over the boiling chaos and thundering rain. "Our life boats are Crafted to keep everyone on board and safe no matter what. Stay together and keep at a safe pace, we'll help you all down!"

A harsh wind blew, forcing you to brace against it as various things went flying. Dogs barked, horses whinnied, children started to cry and Bonnie whimpered, huddling against their sister as she tightened her grip on them until her knuckles turned darkless. Thunder crashed and your head split open.

Not again. Stars, not again. You saw images of small hands struggling against rough water, arms shaking from the strain of pulling on the oars, trying to draw from knowledge you no longer had and muscle memory that no longer existed. A huge wave crashed against the side of your little boat, threatening to turn you over, you screamed for someone who would never come as another one rose in front of you—

Hands grabbed your elbows and yanked you back from a railing. Isabeau guided you back to your family, his voice lost on your ears as your head spun. Lightening flickered, thunder crashed, a child shrieked in fear.

Not again, not again, not again.

Bodies pressed against you, everyone too close. Isabeau was holding on like you would flee like a spooked horse if he let go, it was too tight. An argumentative voice pulled him away from you, letting you slip through the cracks and disappear to where you could breathe. Let them call after you. It's just for a moment.

In…And out. The rain's plastering your hair to your head, soaking through your cloak, turning your shoes into soggy, useless things. You stared at the sky, unsure of what you were looking for until lightening struck again.

For a brief few seconds, a lightless land mass rose over the boat; the flash of lightening reflecting off wet lightless rocks. Your head pounded, your heart jumped into your throat. If that's not an illusion from another lost boat…

You took off towards the wheel of the ship, startling the sailor already handling it when you grabbed one of the knobs and wrenched it towards you. They tried to pull it back, but you held strong; and lingering Craft sickness be blinded you were stronger than this sailor and you were going to save your family.

"What're you doing?!" The sailor sputtered. "Let go!"

"There's an island this way," you panted. "There is, there is—"

"There's nothing over here! You're throwing us off course! Get down to the boats!"

"Please, I saw it, I know it's there—"

As if to show support, the universe lit up with lightening again. The startled sailor let go and you looked over your shoulder, your heart pounding when you saw the lightless land mass again.

"This is why I hate sailing with light ones!" The sailor pushed you off the wheel and sent you stumbling into a railing. "We're already taking on water, don't make it worse by getting us lost!"

You pointed desperately, daring to wish that they would see what you saw. The universe lit up once more, illuminating the dark shell of the island.

"There's nothing there!"

"THERE IS!" You shouted back, gripping the railing with your free hand. "There is, I saw it, I know, just trust me, please, trust me..."

Your voice failed you, leaving you staring down the sailor and uselessly pointing in the direction of the island. The sailor heaved a sigh and turned the wheel in the direction you were pointing.

"When in Change," they said, mostly to themself. "We're gonna die anyway."

"MARKOV!" The captain snapped, slipping up the steps. "What you doing?!"

"Following a lark!"

Wind shoved you against the railing again, making you stare into the lightless waves below you. Your head spinning, you stumbled down to the main deck; falling down the rest of the stairs when the boat crashed against something rough and sandy.

Sandy?

Batting away hands attempting to help you up, you ran to the side of the boat. Even through the pouring rain, you could see the lightless shapes of rocks and the sandy beach sloping down from a dark forest.

For the third time, hands gripped on to you; preventing you from flinging yourself off the boat. Isabeau's voice finally broke through the spell the island put on you.

"What's gotten into you?!"

You gestured weakly at the island. Your throat felt like rough stone, your head like the storm had struck you. Shaking his head, Isabeau hooked an arm under your legs and picked you up, rubbing your back when you dropped your head against his shoulder.

The first mate sent you all back to the rooms, now that the boat wasn't going anywhere. Now that you had calmed down a little, the Craft sickness caught up with you; leaving you with an even foggier head and no will to speak. Everyone helped get you into a bed and Bonbon curled up next to you, hugging your arm against their chest.

"Questions will come later," Odile warned you before she left. "Sleep well."

You weren't sure how long you slept when Bonnie started shaking you awake. You'd barely cracked your eye open when you were pulled out of the bed and onto the main deck. It was early morning by the look of it, the sun shining off puddles left along the dark planks.

"Look how dark it is!" Bonbon pointed out over the sand. "Everything looks like night!"

"It's like when the King froze everything," Mirabelle said. "But I don't feel any Time Craft. I don't feel much of anything."

You know, you know, you know what she's feeling.

"Well." The captain cleared her throat, walking up beside you. "I don't know where you just took us, but you saved us last night. We were taking on water to a dangerous degree. Thank you, bright one."

The thud of a ramp hitting sand saved you from having to respond.

"We're going to check the grounds," she went on, now addressing everyone. "I implore you to please stay on the boat. If we find anywhere safe, you can stay there until we've drained the ship and made sure it's water ready again. Oscar, gather some hands and search the place."

Her first mate nodded and left. The captain's hand landed on your shoulder, making you flinch and look up at her.

"I'm told you knew this was here," she said. "An island nobody thought existed, you knew about. Where is this?"

You know, you know, you know.

You shook your head and shrugged.

The captain hummed and took her hand off you. "How well do you know it?"

You grew up here.

"I—I think I visited it, once. In the past."

"That's more than any of us can say. You're on the grounds when we leave."

"Um—excuse me?" Mirabelle jumped in nervously. "They can't. They're sick, and—"

"We'll watch them."

"It's Craft sickness," Odile added. "He can't use Craft or they'll hurt themself—"

"Then we'll do all the Crafting."

Isabeau gripped your hand, clearly on edge. "I want them to stay with us?? It feels safer??"

"Come on, saviour." The captain gave Isabeau what she probably thought was a reassuring smile, but it looked more shark-like. "Do you think this is the first time we've done this? I've searched grounds for a safe place to stay before, my parents taught me. He'll be fine."

"Frin?!"

You love your family, you really do. You almost ended the world for them. But the thought of introducing them to your home town made you so excited you were practically vibrating. The music, the food, the stories!

"I'll be fine." You squeezed Isabeau's hand lightly. "They're competent."

"Sif, I really don't think—"

"Then we're coming along."

Yes yes yes!!! You grin at Odile, though she doesn't look happy with you.

"Fair enough." The captain backed off at last, letting up on your shoulder. "Gather your things, this might take a while."

Petronille grabbed Bonnie's shoulder and tugged them closer to her. "We'll stay here."

"WHAT?!"

Leaving her to deal with the squawking pre-teen, you rushed to the ramp and ran down it to the land. Your shoes slipped—heels aren't made for sand—but it felt like electricity struck you as soon as you stepped foot on it. The gaps in your memory felt less like gaping wounds in your body as you tried to register everything, nearly spinning around in your excitement.

"I've never seen lightless sand before," Mirabelle mused, clinging to Isabeau as they came down the ramp behind you. "What is this place?"

You turned towards her, smiling so wide your cheeks hurt.

"It's my home!"

Chapter Text

Bouncing on your heels was difficult on sand. Your attempts seemed to amuse Isabeau, as he was watching you with a smile. Mirabelle was struggling a little to walk herself, stumbling over and falling into you after a failed attempt to stop. Odile, Isabeau and the rest of the captain's "ground crew", on flatter shoes, didn't seem to have the same problem.

"Alright, bright one." The captain stood by you, her hands on her hips. "You're our guide. You're the only one who's been here before."

"Oh, I'm—"

"And if we're attacked," she cut you off. "And you're captured. I'm leaving you here to deal with that yourself, as you brought us here."

You bristled. Your island isn't like that.

"Change, I was joking! Tone down the look!" The captain laughed and turned to her first mate. "We'll split up. You take madame and the Defender with you. Housemaiden, you and your bright one are with me."

"Uh, they're not my—"

"The rest of you, split yourselves up. So long as your numbers are even, we should be good."

Mirabelle gave Isabeau a guilty look as the captain guided you away, putting more space between your groups so the others could split up evenly. You couldn't help the childish twinge in your heart. You didn't want to split up, they were your friends, your family, you swore it would be months until they had to leave you alone again!

Mirabelle taking your hand made you flinch. She gave you an apologetic smile. "We'll be all together again soon."

Was your despair that obvious on your face? You looked away, trying to find anything in the trees to distract you.

You immediately found something. A tattered piece of cloth tied around the trunk of a tree, faded darkless from the sun. Stepping closer, you found another one tied around another tree a couple of feet away, and a third one—much darker, saved from the sun by the trees around it—further into the forest.

You whistled to get the captain's attention and pointed at the markers. She scrutinized them for a moment, then got an adventurous glint in her eyes.

"Follow them!"

You led the way again, Mirabelle at your side. She took your hand, jittery from what you assumed was nerves, so you leaned your head towards her to have a Secret Conversation.

"Feelings buddies?"

"Um!" Mirabelle squeaked, then dropped her own voice to a whisper. "I feel bad."

"For what?"

"W—We left Bonnie behind, and Petronille, and now we're separated from Madame Odile and Isabeau, and I'm worried that we'll have to split up, too."

Your grip on her hand tightened. You already felt like a large chunk of yourself was missing, taken away as your family split up. You refuse to let Mirabelle go and leave her alone, adrift in a new place without knowing the language.

Breathe. This isn't about you.

"I—I need a distraction." Mirabelle tapped one of the markers as you walked by it. "Do you know where these go?"

You should. You shake your head. Mirabelle deflates a little.

"Then, um, how about who tied them?

A tall person. Dark hands. Your first crush, your boating instructor, tying scraps of fabric to the trees so your tiny self could find your way home. "We wouldn't want you to get lost at sea now, would we!"

"Boat…" What's the word in Vaugardean? "Teacher."

Mirabelle stopped listening. Something in the brush had distracted her. Which was fine, you could feel yourself forgetting already.

"Bright one!" The captain's voice made you pause. "We're not going any farther into the island! It's not safe!"

You ignored her. You ignored Mirabelle trying to stop you; shaking off her hand when she grabbed your arm. The captain cursed, Mirabelle called your name and you sped up, ignoring your bones throbbing to the beat of your jog as muscle memory took over: right, left, straight ahead, around the large boulder, and…

"Change around," the captain swore under her breath when you came to a large village below a grassy hill, some buildings carved into the bases of huge trees. "How did you know this was here?"

You shrugged. "Followed the markers."

"Someone's path…"

She turned to one of the sailors who had come with them. "Go find Oscar, bring him back here. You and you, get the rest of the passengers. We'll find an inn and settle down there until the boat's drained."

The sailors voiced their understanding and left. The captain pushed you forward and you started down the incline; catching Mirabelle when she slipped on the wet grass.

"It's so quiet," Mira whispered to you when you hit the dirt road of the village. "Where is everyone?"

She's right. "I don't…Know. Do you smell anything? Feel anything?"

She pauses, then shakes her head. "No, nothing."

You don't either. Which was odd, as you were under the impression that a wish made your home lost to everyone. Maybe the time loops have truly fried your sense of smell.

"Oh Change," the Captain murmured behind you, "please don't let us find any remains. I really don't want to have to see that."

Mirabelle squeezes your hand so hard it hurts. You don't squeeze back. You push the idea of a slaughtered village to the back of your mind and kept going, stopping when someone grabbed the collar of your cloak as you nearly walked past a lightless wood inn.

"Hold it, bright one," she said. "You can explore later. We're searching this place first. If it's safe, you and your friends can stay here."

"I—I can lead," Mirabelle offers, her hand going to her bag. "I have a short sword."

"You think there will be Sadnesses all the way out here?"

Mirabelle glances at you, unsure. You try to think back, but come up empty. You shrug.

She takes the lead with the captain, apparently not giving her a choice. You smile, pride swelling in your chest at her show of command.

Those anxiety meds did wonders for her sense of self.

The first room of the inn is empty. At least, at first. You blink, and suddenly there's a curvy woman standing at the bar; giving a patron a wide smile. The room is filled with a handful of other people, most of them at the tables scattered around the room: drinking, eating, talking and arguing. Mirabelle and the captain flinch, one of the sailors swears and another gasps; so you're not the only one who saw them after a blink.

"When the crab?!" The captain snaps. "It was empty a minute ago!"

"They're ghosts!" A sailor yelps. "Change, this place is haunted!"

The captain paled. She pulled Mira back, shoved you out of the way and leads the way out of the inn.

You're tired of being pushed around, so you don't follow. Instead you go over to the bar, cautiously avoiding a burly man with several mugs in front of him. Climbing up onto one of the stools, you wave a hand to get the curvy one's attention.

"Hey!" She chirps, sliding up to you. "Didn't see you come in. You want anything?"

Your head pounds and your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth. She's speaking your language. You can't reply.

"You look a little lost," the curvy one goes on, steamrolling right over whatever answer you might have had. "Well, you've come to the right place! This is my wife's inn. She'll be by in about a minute, if you don't mind waiting to get a room."

You hold up seven fingers. The curvy one, universe love her, immediately understands.

"Rooms for seven people? That's a tall order, but I'm sure we can handle it. How about a bite to eat while you wait. How about an apple crumble?"

She must be used to selectively mute people. You nod. The curvy one winks at you and moves away, disappearing into the back room.

So they're not ghosts. Or if they are, they're very self-aware ghosts; able to interact with people outside of their situation. Your ghosts could only cry—but then again, they were less ghosts and more echoes of you, so maybe they didn't count as actual spirits.

The first ghost story that came to mind was a fictional one of Mira's, where the ghost was trapped in a time loop and could only speak to people within the context of that loop.

Maybe you were in their loop, taking the place of another person within a group of seven, and it lined up?

But it was too exact.

Argh, spooky things are more Mira's thing. You don't know how to navigate ghosts.

Someone was behind you. They were careful to avoid your blind side, patting your arm so you knew they were there. Mirabelle seemed concerned as she looked up at you.

"You didn't come with us," she said. "Why did you stay here?"

You pointed at the back room, which the curvy one had just left. "I talked to her. Got some rooms."

Mirabelle's shoulders slumped with relief. "Oh, Siffrin, thank you—"

"Can you talk to her?"

"Um—sure!" Mirabelle got onto the stool next to you. "What do you want me to say?"

"Hello." You shrug. "I want to test something."

"What?"

"One of your books. The ghost only talks to people in the context of their loop."

Mirabelle's eyes widened. "You think she's a ghost?!"

"How else would she or anyone else have appeared out of nowhere?"

Mirabelle bounced in her stool, then waved her hand to get the curvy one's attention. She got it, which put a small dent in your idea.

"Hello there!" She greeted Mira casually. "You wanted something?"

Mirabelle cringed and squeezed her eyes shut. That's right, your language gives others a headache. Guilt jabbed into your gut. You shouldn't have forced her to do this.

"I'm sorry, Mira—"

"Translate for me," she whispered to you. "I'll cover my ears."

"She asked if you wanted anything."

"Ask her if she has another spare room!"

Your tongue got stuck in your mouth again. Swallowing hard, you picked at your brain for the words; fighting to translate Vaugardean into a language you weren't supposed to remember.

"She…She wants a room."

"So you do speak!" The curvy one laughed. "I was starting to wonder how to speak with you about payment! She'll have to talk to my wife about another room."

You translated for Mira, who furrowed her eyebrows.

"Ask her something random!"

"Like what?"

She had to think. "Ask her if she has a cat!"

You did. The curvy one nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! She's around the inn somewhere. She's the best at keeping pests out!"

"A dog!"

"We did once. Poor old boy passed on just last week."

"A, uh, a—a rabbit!"

"Do you have allergies?" The curvy one shook her head with a soft smile. "Don't worry, traveller. We only have a cat."

"She's not in a loop." Mirabelle lowered her hands, the hum of other voices around her apparently not bothering her head as much as being directly spoken to. "I don't know what else to look for—"

A loud cheer went through the crowd. Mirabelle cringed and covered her ears, you looked around to see what the fuss was about. A taller woman with long, darkless hair was coming down the staircase off to the left. The curvy one's eyes lit up, and you knew you were looking at her wife.

You sent a prayer for poor Mira's head as the curvy one waved her wife over excitedly. The tall one idly greeted the other patrons as she made her way over, slipping behind the bar and immediately getting crushed into a hug by her partner.

"These two want some rooms," the curvy one said after letting her go. "The little one wants seven!"

"Seven?" The tall one raised her eyebrows. "Why so many?"

"Travelling with a party." Your tongue feels thick. "Seven of us. Maybe more. Don't remember."

"That's the rest of our available rooms. If there are more, you will have to share."

You share this with Mirabelle, who looks like she could care less so long as they stop talking. She gives you a shaky smile and excuses herself to go outside. You went to follow her when someone grabbed your shoulder, making you flinch and nearly fall off the stool.

"Sorry!" The curvy one lets go and winces. "It's just, now that I think about it…You look familiar. What's your name?"

You run through every vowel in your head, but what you come up with sounds more like "suffering". A second try is closer, but the curvy one is still staring at you like she's trying to piece a puzzle together.

"I'm sorry. Never mind." She waves you away, and you drop to the floor. "Go, catch up with your party. Your rooms will be ready by tonight!"

You went out after Mirabelle, finding her back with the captain. She looks guilty when she looks up at you, pushing herself off of the bench she was sitting on and grabbing your hands when you're close enough.

"I'm sorry I left," she said. "The air made my head hurt. How did it go? Do we have rooms?"

She's already forgotten everything that happened inside.

You push that away, too. You'll deal with it later. You nod, and she smiles with relief.

"Good," the captain says. "Oscar should be here soon. We'll go back and gather your things."

Chapter Text

Stupid Frin and their stupid home and stupid Nille making you stay back because she thinks it's not stupid safe. Of course it's not safe! That's why you want to go too!! Siffrin doesn't care if they get hurt, somebody has to look out for him, and Belle would be so scared!!

You kick the water bucket by your feet, making water splash all over your boot. Celeste barely reacts, munching on her handful of hay like you're not steaming with anger beside her. Her apathy cools you off a little.

You don't want to cool off, so you look away to stare daggers into Nille's back again.

Everyone was off the boat, since nobody saw the point of staying on a damaged ship when the ground was probably safer. All the people, pets and horses were unloaded and the people spread out, gathering in their own little groups to stay together. Your group feels so small without everyone with you, even if Za's big horse Blanche is taller than even Dile and big enough to take up the same amount of space as all of you.

You shuffle closer to Celeste and lean against her. You wish they would find a safe place faster and come back already. Nille was just starting to get along with Belle and now they're apart again, and they'll probably fight again when they come back, and you'll have to pick who to sleep with after they refuse to sleep in the same room again, and—

Crab this. You storm up to Nille, catching her attention away from talking to Blanche. You cut her off before she can say anything.

"I'm gonna go explore."

"Oh no you're not," Nille counters. "Not alone, at least."

"I'll ride Celeste!"

"Bon—"

"I wanna be alone!" You snap.

Nille looks like she wants to fight, but relents, dropping her hands to her sides. "Just stay close."

Stay close, stay shmose. You dig through your stuff for Celeste's bridle, forgo the saddle, free her from the rope and ride at a walk close to the woods until you're sure Nille's stopped watching you; then kick Celeste into a faster gait and go around the woods instead.

Celeste struggles to trot in the sand, so you steer her closer to the woods so she can walk on the dirt. She snorts in relief and you pat her neck, laughing when she shakes out her fluffy mane.

Another person laughs with you. Hauling on Celeste's reins, you make her stop and back up so you can stare into the woods. You don't see anyone, but you know you heard that.

"Hello?!" You call. "I heard you laughing!"

Someone started panting. You've scared them!

You slid down from your pony's back and followed the sound of the breathing. It led you to a kid that had long, darkless hair braided down their back. They were sitting with their legs drawn up, covering their mouth and breathing fast.

"I'm sorry that I—"

The kid screamed and jumped away from you, landing on their back and pushing themself away an inch. You both stared at each other for a moment, both frozen in startled fear.

"Your horse," the kid said at last, their voice soft. "She's…Very pretty."

"She's a pony, actually." You put your hands on your hips proudly. "Her name's Celeste!"

"Celeste…After the…?"

The last word the kid said made you cringe, a headache ripping through your skull. The kid whispered an apology and ducked their chin, just like Frin trying to hide in their cloak.

Just…Like Frin…Who said this was their home.

"Do you know Frin?"

The kid tilted their head to the side.

"Siffrin," you elaborated. "He looks like you, with the light hair, and they try to hide just like you, and…"

"No," the kid whispered when you trailed off. "I've never heard of…Sif-frin. I am…Ellie."

They said Ellie weird. Kind of like how Loop said "kid" weird. Like they weren't used to the word or wanted to say something else.

"Ellie?"

"Short…Eleanor."

"That's a pretty name!" You smile. "I'm Bonnie. Are you lost? I'm with a buncha other people, we can look after you for a minute."

"I'm…Lost, yes." Eleanor looked around uneasily. "I was trying…to beach. Went wrong."

Eleanor speaks Vaugardean funny. "Where are you from?"

"Here."

Of course. Now you feel stupid. You looked it, too; if Eleanor's small smile meant anything.

They followed you back to Celeste, climbed onto her back after you and hugged around your stomach as you rode back to Nille and everyone else. Nille nearly ripped you off of Celeste's back, crushed you into a too tight hug and started giving you crab before you pried yourself free and gestured to Eleanor.

"I found someone!!"

Nille's yelling died. Eleanor shrank in on themself as everyone looked at them, their hands tightening on Celeste until the pony tried shuddering her off.

"This is Eleanor!" You ran over to help them down, steadying them when they stumbled after dismounting. "They was lost!"

"The poor child," some Ka Buean man tutted. "In a place like this, that must have been terrifying."

"So I brought them back here!" You were talking mostly to Nille. "So they'd be safer!"

Eleanor's voice was a whisper when they corrected you. "She."

"So she'd be safer!"

"There's people on the island." An older woman covered her mouth with her hands in horror. "Oh Change, there's people on the island."

"Where did you come from?" Nille tried to keep her voice soft as she asked.

Eleanor pointed back into the woods. Some of the adults began talking among each other.

"We can bring her back!" You said. "We'll be safe all together!"

"We should really wait for the captain," an adult worried. "She's mapping out the area."

"She could be anywhere," another added. "The child may be right, bringing her back may be our best bet. At the very least, it'll buy us a day and the favour of her parents. Maybe they can let us stay with them."

"All of us?"

They all felt quiet at Nille's question. She crouched down to your height and put a hand on your shoulder.

"Can you bring her back?" She asked. "Run there and back?"

You nodded vigorously.

"You promise you'll come back?"

You nodded again. "I super duper promise."

She looked conflicted. You stuck out your chest, which apparently sold her. She hugged you tightly, relaxed when you did the same and reluctantly let go.

"Scream if anything happens," she said, holding you by your shoulders when you both pulled away again. "And don't be a hero. I'm serious, Boniface, you don't—"

"Know who's really hurt and who's trying to rob us," you finished, "I know. I'll be super duper careful—"

"Bring your wok, and for crab's sake get a saddle on that pony—"

"I'll be safe if you are!"

"Don't play that game with me. Just stay alive."

You left before she could re-live forcing you to run from the curse. You don't feel as broken up about leaving as you feel like you should be, but maybe it's because you weren't alone this time.

Eleanor was quiet during the walk up to and into the woods, her arms around your stomach to stay on as Celeste's saddle was too small for both of you to ride on. You jumped and nearly headbutted her when she suddenly gasped.

"Know what I was trying to do!" She exclaimed. "At beach! My sibling ran, I follow, lost track!"

"Your sibling?" You looked back at her. "Which way did they go? Maybe we can find them!"

"You promised sibling—"

"If it's a short detour, we can pick them up and I'll be back!"

Eleanor bit her bottom lip. She pointed back the way you had come. "Think…That way."

You pulled Celeste into a turn, laughing when she snorted indignantly about having to walk through some tree brush. Eleanor giggled against your back and seemed to perk up.

"What's your sibling's name?" You asked. "It'll be faster to find them if we call them!"

"Sibling's…Name?"

Eleanor froze, her grip around your stomach getting harder. She was starting to shake.

"Sibling…Older, wiser, faster than I, didn't like food, ran, I follow, always slower, always teased, they were—"

"Eleanor, it's okay!" You twisted your neck trying to look back at her. "Just call their name, we'll find them!"

"I can't…Remember!" Eleanor wailed. "My sibling!! I can't remember their name!!!"

"But you were just following them!"

"I know!!" Eleanor sobbed. "Was just behind, they ran, got lost, they were—they—"

Her head fell against your shoulder. You almost fell off Celeste trying to look and see if she had fainted or something, but her grip shifting as you moved said she was okay.

"Take me home."

You nodded, turning Celeste around again. "Where's home?"

Eleanor lifted her head. Her eyes seemed glassy as she looked over your shoulder.

"Don't know," she said after a moment.

Great. You're lost. Time to pick a direction and pray.

~~~

It was night out. You broke your promise to Nille and was super lost.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Eleanor had tried to apologize, but her broken Vaugardean was getting harder to understand as your frustration grew by the minute. She finally gave up; only talking to offer directions, suggest a stopping point and to say she was going to go get some wood so you could build a fire. You picketed Celeste close to you, sat on a log and watched the dots in the sky while you waited for her to come back.

Frin loved those things. You're still not sure why, they're just dots in the sky. He once tried to point out pictures in them, but it made no sense to you and they'd struggled to hold on to the memories long enough to explain everything. You felt bad.

You still do.

Squinting at the sky, you try to trace one of the pictures yourself. You remember something about a horse, its hoof always pointing north, but there's no hooves in the sky. Just a bunch of dots you can't connect.

This is stupid. Frin is stupid. Everything's stupid. This is a waste of time—

The smell of something sweet hits you. It's only a little bit, not as strong as Frin when he turned into a monster, but it's enough to catch your attention. Eleanor came back with her arms full of sticks, visibly more relaxed.

"This should be enough," she said, dropping them on the ground. "I'll help you build the fire. I learned how from my papa!"

You blinked. "You're—"

"Speaking perfectly, yes?" Eleanor giggled. "I got tired of trying to speak Vaugardean, it makes my throat hurt. So I made a wish! You hear Vaugardean, I'm hearing Tirrish! We can understand each other perfectly now!"

"A wish?" The same thing Frin used to—

"Oh, you don't know about Wishcraft, do you?" No, you do! "It's really hard to explain. Just know that you don't have to worry about mishearing me!"

"Can you SHUT UP?"

Eleanor recoils, hugging herself. You stood up off the log, your hands tightening into fists.

"Wishes are dangerous! They're bad! Frin used a wish and it made him bad! He got sad and scary!"

That got her attention. "What did he wish for?"

"He wanted to stay with us, and it put him in a timeloops! They had to kill the King over and over again…And…"

Eleanor had gone pale. She stepped closer to you, taking your hands.

"You're right," she said. "I made a huge mistake. I'm so, so sorry."

Oh no. "Are we in a timeloops too?"

"You're not." Eleanor shook her head. "My island is."

"What? How? What did you do?"

"Not me. Never me. Someone else." Eleanor hunched her shoulders and dropped her head. "We don't know who."

"What happened?"

Eleanor dropped your hands and turned back to the bundle of sticks. You followed her, both of you starting to put them together in a circular pile.

"It happens every week," she started. "We go through life as usual, and then something…Happens. Something skips, breaks, and we all go back to where we were a week ago."

"How did it happen?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't think anyone knows. I asked mama and papa if they knew anything about it a couple times. Sometimes they don't know what I'm talking about. Sometimes mama cries. Sometimes papa says he doesn't know, but he wishes that whoever caused this suffers as much as we do."

"I don't know how you got here," she went on. "But maybe the Universe heard us, finally. The ones who remember, we kept asking for help; and now we have it. It's not just you and your sibling, is it? Who else is here?"

"There's me, and Nille." You counted off your fingers to make sure you didn't miss anyone. "And Belle, and Za, and Dile and Frin! Frin says this is his home, but I haven't seen them since…Um…"

Thinking about Frin suddenly got super duper hard. You scrunched your eyes shut, fighting to keep the memory of him leaving with Belle and the Captain in mind. You can see the Captain, you can see Belle, but Frin hurt to look at even just in your mind.

You didn't realize you were grabbing your head until Eleanor carefully took your hands away, untangling your fingers from your hair. She looked saddened for you. You hate pity.

"You shouldn't have brought him here," she said.

You didn't answer, pulling your hands free to go back to stacking the sticks. Neither of you spoke again for the rest of the hour.

Chapter Text

It's getting cold out. Your strange, loud friend is quiet now, hugging their knees and shivering as they sit close enough to the fire to be practically sitting on it. Looking down at your own bare arms, you wonder why you're not covered in chillbumps yourself.

Your friend's been ignoring you for minutes now, staring at the fire like they were trying to read the flames. Maybe they can?

Anything to get them talking to you again.

"Can you read fire?"

Your friend flinched, then glared at you as if you were dim. You muttered an apology and ducked your head.

Your silence lasted for maybe a minute. You had to make your friend talk, make sure they still liked you and wouldn't abandon you to be lost in the morning.

"Why are your boots so large?"

"I like them big," your friend muttered. "That's all."

"Does it not wear on your feet?"

"Why aren't you wearing boots?"

They're looking at your bare feet now. You blush and yank your legs back, covering your feet with your long play skirt. "I ran outside without putting shoes on."

"Do your feet hurt?" Your friend uncurled slightly, seemingly worried.

You stretched your toes. There was a slight burning sensation from stumbling over roots, but that was all. "No."

Your friend nodded and turned back to the fire. As they had come out of themself somewhat, you stood up and sat down beside them; pulling your skirt tight around your legs so it didn't catch fire.

"I don't like shoes," you admitted. "They hurt more than being barefoot. Mama said I've never liked them, even fought her over them as a baby."

"Nille said I used to be like that too," your friend said, smiling slightly.

"Nille?"

"My sister." Their smile fell. "She was the one who raised me, with our neighbors."

It felt like a touchy subject, but you had to ask. "What happened to your parents?"

Your friend shrugged. "Nille never talks about 'em. She only said we don't gotta worry about them."

Stars. They must've died when your friend was too young to remember.

This didn't feel like your business to reveal, and your friend seemed to sense it; as they pushed themself up from the fire and dusted off their bare knees.

"I'm going to sleep," they said. "Not much else to do, right?"

"I suppose not." You brushed your hair over your shoulders and stood up yourself. "Will you be okay with sleeping together?"

"WHAT?!" Your friend squawked, blushing lightless. "NO! EW!!"

"But you were shivering from the cold—"

"I'LL SLEEP AGAINST CELESTE!" Your friend pushed you back, making you stumble. "GO AWAY! GOOD NIGHT!"

They stomped away with that, startling their lightless pony before jumping up onto its back. You should probably feel hurt, but you were mostly bewildered by their reaction. Wouldn't it be more logical to share body heat with another person?

You kicked dirt onto the fire to put it out, then lay on your back next to the smouldering embers. Your parents were going to kill you for getting dirt all over you, but maybe it would help you stay warm during the night somehow?

You stared at the stars peeking through the branches overhead and spent your time trying to trace pictures in them before drifting off to sleep.

The sound of branches snapping startled you awake after a short time. You froze, both from the cold and from fear, as you heard footsteps approaching you. A dark shape loomed over you, they bent down…And the smell of pony hit you as your friend spread their shirt out to use as a pillow and curled up on the ground, pressing their back against you.

It was a struggle to keep from laughing as you similarly turned over, pressing your back against theirs and relaxing as it grew warmer. They said something you didn't hear as you drifted off to sleep again.

Your entire body hurt when you woke up a second time, the sun in your eyes and a rock stabbing you in the side. You rolled onto your back and grit your teeth to stifle a yelp as another rock jabbed you, this time close to your tailbone. Why, oh why did you decide sleeping on the ground was a good idea? A rock would have been better, or a up in a tree, or even in the fire pit…

"G'morning," your friend grumped when you sat up to rub your aches. They looked just as banged up as you felt.

You yawned so wide your jaw creaked, then pulled your feet under you and stood up. "Are we going to find the beach today?"

They shook their head, then crouched to poke at something. It finally dawned on you that they'd moved you away from the fire pit to start another fire and were cooking something in a strange-looking pan.

"Nille said that if I ever get lost, I should stay in one spot," they said. "So I wanna stay here. At least until we get bored."

That sounded reasonable for the morning. Depending on what time it was, the nocturnal predators would be asleep and the daytime ones wouldn't be out hunting yet.

Your friend's pony was still nearby, blinking sleepily at you when you approached it. Its muzzle was as soft as a baby blanket when it nosed at your hands.

Someone roughly grabbed your shoulder and yanked you away from the pony. You yelped as your friend pushed you towards the fire, speaking quickly about breakfast being ready. "Breakfast" seemed to be baked berries and some kind of charred bark.

Yum.

"I'm pretty sure the berries are edible," your friend said as you started on the bark. "Dile says that if the bushes have shaded or lightless flowers, they're fine; but if they're darkless than they're poisonous. It was hard untanglin' all the branches, I hope I didn't mix any up."

…You decided against touching the berries. The bark was strangely good, though.

"What kind of bark is this?" You asked, breaking a piece in half to try and look at the inside. "It's delicious!"

"It's not bark," your friend said proudly. "That's dried seaweed! I brought some with me for a snack in case we got hungry an' forgot all about it."

This was nothing like the dried seaweed you were used to. In fact, wasn't that the reason your sibling ran away? You remember he declared hating having dry seaweed every night and then—

You gasped, inhaling seaweed and leaning forward to try and cough it out. Your friend was by your side in an instant, patting your back in an attempt to help.

"Sorry," you wheezed. "It's good. Hurts to breathe."

"You're not supposed to breathe it, dummy." They rested on their knees. "D'you need water?"

You nodded. Your head was pounding, as if the bit of seaweed you'd gotten lodged in your throat now rattled about in your head. Your friend stood up quickly, shouted that they'd "be right back" and ran into the woods with their bag clutched in their hand.

You were now alone with the pony. It seemed at ease; and if your brief bout of choking didn't draw any predators out, nothing would. You finished your breakfast, avoiding any dodgy-looking berries—

The smell of something sweet hit you. The pony flinched and jerked its head up, as if it smelled it to. Dropping your plate, you stood up and found that the scent followed you. No, no, no, you thought you had more time! The festival was yesterday, market day the day before, gran'ma came over…

Your friend returned with a full flask and a big smile, though it fell when they saw your likely horrified face. "What's wrong?"

"The island's time loop," you said. "It ends tonight."

"Well that's great!"

You shook your head, stepping away from them. "No, you don't understand. It ends tonight. Everything's going to go back one week."

Your friend dropped the flask as your vision blurred. They grabbed your shoulders.

"That's fine!" They said. "It's fine! I'll find you again!"

"I don't want to forget," you cried. "I might forget about you! I won't remember you're here! I don't even know your name!!"

"Bonnie! It's Bonnie!! I'll tell you again after you loop, I'll come find you, I know where you'll be!!"

You don't want to leave them. Already it feels like the Wish is pulling at your mind, trying to take you away. You wanted to cling to them, take them back with you; maybe then you'll remember them.

They clung to you first. Trapping your arms against your sides, their grip as strong as a crab's. You shakily hugged them back, burying your face against them. They hummed with worry and stood until the sugary sweet smell faded to be another background scent.

"We've still got all morning," they said when you pulled away. "We can still find your home. Or we can explore! What's your favourite hiding place?"

"Hiding place?" You echoed.

"Yeah! Tell me about it, and I'll have something to tell you when you timeloop!"

Proof that they'll have known you before.

"Bonnie, you're fantastic!" You smiled and grabbed their wrist, pulling them over to the pony. "Help me up! I know a place I can show you that I've never shown anyone else!"

"Nuh uh, only I get to ride Celeste!" Bonnie pushed you aside and climbed onto the pony, gathering the reins when it raised its head. "You sit on the back like last time! I can take directions!"

It was their pony, after all. You grabbed their hand when they held it out and they pulled you onto the creature's back, guiding her away from your little campsite.

Directing them to your play farm was a little awkward at first, as you were approaching from an angle you weren't used to. Once things began to look familiar, Bonnie kicked their little pony into a trot; leaving you laughing as you bounced along. You forgot how bouncy trotting was!

"There!" You pointed at the cobblestone fences of the pasture. "There's the back!"

"Of what?" Bonnie asked, looking back at you.

"My farm!" You slid off the pony and stumbled upon landing, you were so excited. "This is where the sheep are!"

Bonnie blinked at you. "Uh…There's nothin' here."

"They're pretend sheep." You gestured in one area. "Here's Coal, she's a black sheep; and Small, she was born so tiny! She's just a lamb."

Bonnie dismounted the pony themself, looping its reins over their arm to keep it close. "Can I have one?"

You nodded. "There's plenty of room!"

"Okay, uh…"

They looked around, then pointed at a stray darkless rock. "That one! I'll name her Shelley!"

"She's cute!" You giggled.

"Her wool is the best," they bragged. "Za can use it for anythin'."

"There's more! Come on!"

You rushed over and looped your arm with theirs, pulling them and the pony past the sheep pasture. All thoughts of the incoming end were gone, the sweet smell of Wishcraft buried under wet rock and fresh grass.

For just a couple hours, you can afford to be a kid.