Chapter 35

                                    

                                          
The moment Arwen acknowledges that Rowan has finished her lessons, Rowan bursts up from her chair and darts to her room. She grabs her bag from the bed and darts out again. She is at the gate by the time the back door is almost shut. Rowan doesn't hear the sound of the door dclosing, so she looks back. Her grandmother is standing there, frowning. She is holding something in her hand. Rowan frowns and steps away from the gate. 
                          
"Gran?"
                          
Aisling makes her way over to Rowan. "Take this with you."
                          
Rowan cups her hands and lets her grandmother drop a chain into it. A round stone pendant is attached to the chain. The stone is the milky-white colour of moonstone and there is a symbol etched into it in a strange blue-black ink that shimmers like the rainbow. It looks like oil, but it isn't oil. It's a dry substance, not a wet one. She frowns down at the mark, confused.
                          
"What is this?"
                          
Her grandmother shugs. "I'm not sure. But it will protect you."
                          
"Where'd you get it?"
                          
Aisling shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. Just wear it, alright?"
                          
Rowan shrugs but slips the chain over her heads anyways, letting the stone rest against her skin just beneath the necklace of rowan berries. The crystal holding the four-leaf clover is just barely touching the top of the stone. The two chains fit together perfectly, so perfectly that it is almost as if they were made to be worn together. Rowan leans forward to hug her grandmother.
                          
"I'll be alright, Gran. I promise."
                          
Aisling gives her granddaughter a sad smile and places her hand against Rowan's cheek. "It doesn't mean I can't worry now, can it? Go on, enjoy the woods. I can tell that's where you want to be."
                          
Rowan grins and turns away, unlatching the gate and slipping to the other side of it. The forest beckons in the distance, the green leaves waving to her. She lets out a soft laugh and breaks into a run. Her speed picks up when she passes the treeline, moving into a sprint. The forest blurs around her, different shades of green flashing in the sunlight and shadow. Gold glints from her left and Rowan laughs. The sunlight is peeking through the trees. Then she pauses, stumbling to a stop. The sunlight can't be shining through the trees, it's the wrong time of day for it to be doing that. 
                          
She backtracks her steps to where she saw it, only to see nothing. She frowns, dejected, but her frown quickly becomes one of confusion. The shadows beneath one tree are darker than the others, darker than they should be. Rowan steps onto the shadow and looks up. Someone is sitting in the tree, on a branch high enough up that they can't be seen from the path. They can't be seen at all unless someone is specifically looking for them.
                          
"What are you doing up there?"
                          
There is a startled laugh. They hadn't realized she had found them until she spoke. The person drops to the ground, just barely giving Rowan enough time to step back. It's the same faerie she saw the other day, the one with antlers. But Rowan can see him in a bit more detail now. His hair is a dark red colour like wine. His eyes are green-gold, not gold like she had thought they were before. Rowan tilts her head. 
                          
"Who are you? Why do I keep seeing you?"
                          
He laughs, the sound light and musical. "You don't need to know that."
                          
Rowan's hands fly to her hips. "And why not? You keep following me, so why shouldn't I know?"
                          
"It's safer if you don't. Just forget you ever saw me."
                          
Rowan frowns. "Why?"
                          
He sighs. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?"
                          
She grins. "No, I'm not."
                          
The faery frowns. "Then I'm sorry for this. Forget, Rowan."
                          
She opens her mouth. "What?" He doesn't answer, just fades backwards into the forest, slipping away.
                          
Then she blinks. Why is she staring at empty space? Wasn't she going towards the river? Rowan turns away from the trees and returns to the path, followings its curving trail to the river. Andrian is waiting there in horse form, up to his knees in the river. His head tosses when he sees her and he shifts into human form, wading out of the water. He grabs onto Rowan's shoulders.
                          
"Hey, hey. Are you alright?"
                          
Rowan blinks. "What? Why wouldn't I be?"
                          
He frowns. "You didn't know you were en-" He stops and shakes his head. "Nothing. There's no reason at all." 
                          
His words are slow, like they are painful. Is he lying? Rowan shakes her head. Why would Andrian lie to her? He still looks worried as he directs her into the water. He wraps his arms around her and shifts into horse form, carrying her through the passage to his pocket realm. On the other side, Rowan slides off his back before he can shift, her feet hitting the water of the river with a splash. He stays close behind her as she wades out, still looking concerned.
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How do you think the faerie made her forget? Why do you think he did? What will it mean in the future? Do you think Andrian knew? Tell me your thoughts!
                          
Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!
                          
~Goddess of Fate, signing out.