Goodbye for now.

Katherine was moving things around in her sitting room. She sat down to do some sewing.

Aciona was nervous as she knocked on the door of the office.

Katherine was sewing, "Come in."

She walked in, looking at him. "Um, I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling happy here. I'm too different from everyone here. So I'm leaving. But I'm going out for a swim first."

Katherine put her sewing down, "Sweetheart, come 'ere first." She got up and opened her arms to her. "I know. Ye are the balance between Air and Water. I watched ye hatch. I was there when the Guardian realized what was wrong and carried ye down to the river and put ye in so ye could breath. I taught ye how to swim and on the first day, ye were better than me." Kathrine stepped forward to hug Aciona.

She hugged her, smiling. "You and Hamlet are the only two that I can trust around here. But I just feel like there's more for me out there."

Kathrine looked at her, "Just remember, lass, I love ya. Go. Seek out Goliath. He has been around the world." Princess Kathrine was crying.

She smiled, hugging her again as she felt a few tears come to her face. She turned to go, then went to the lake.

Hamlet hadn't intended to hear it all, but he did. He was perched in the Princess's window, on her balcony, and was just about to confront Kathrine with something quite similar. He heard Aciona leave, and watched her walk from his spot on the balcony.

He looked at the princess, his dark eyes hard to read. He gave a little nod. Maybe Kathrine would think he was going to try to convince Aciona to stay.

He turned to leave.

Kathrine looked at her, "Ye and ya Brother are a lot alike. Ye protect her, ye here. Ye keep her safe, she is not like the others, she does nae have the same instincts to protect herself . Ye stay safe as well Hamlet. I love ye." She grabbed him by his scarf, pulling it off. She gave him a new one. It was a stronger sturdier material.

Hamlet inhaled as his scarf was pulled off. He hated that exposed feeling. But when he was given his new scarf, his fingers played along the nice, ornate surface. He nodded and wrapped it around his neck and face, then pulled out the leather book he kept in a pouch at his belt. He quickly jotted something down, and ripped out the page. He handed it to Kathrine.

"I love you too." was written on it. And then he turned to go.

She smiled and watched two of her "children" leave.

(Continued in "Moving On")