The man that approached was beautiful.

It was not uncommon in this world to find beautiful people – when people could transform the way they looked, the way they grew, beauty was something you took for granted and “common” became something of a shock. The beauty of this man was in the healthy glow of his skin, the sharp contrast of his hair and eyes, and the fairy stared at him without shame for several minutes as he walked toward them and began to speak. Reece listened to his voice, but she heard his the tone of it rather than the words, watched his smile as he looked at her. She smiled back reflexively, not thinking that it was the stone that he came for, that he had come to see her and Wefios instead. Then he bowed to her! The king's brother had bowed to her and she could not help but giggle nervously when he bowed to her.

“I'm Reece and this is Wefios. He needs help, the monsters got him.”

If a mule could clear it's throat Wefios did. The fairy turned to look back at him, pleading with him to let it only be healing and nothing else. His eyes were stone. There was no help for her there. She plead mentally that he let her leave it there, that he not make her do this,, but he only shook his head minutely. No connection was necessary to know exactly what she wanted from him or to hear the lies she wanted him to tell for her.

“And also...,” her voice, normally loud, fell until it was almost a whisper. “also to give you the stone. He says we have to.” Despite this the stone went from being presented toward the castle to being cradled until it near disappeared in her clothes. It was... she could feel the earth mumbling beneath her, feel the ways that it could be moved, the ways it could be used, but doing that seemed impossible. Something was missing to use it. She could find what it was, she could find the something that would let her move everything. She'd be able to move the mountains! Remake the rivers and make them all into lakes then make bridges across them, make tunnels beneath the water to see the fish, bring them to see the desert and have all sorts of fun trips! It just needed that special something to make all of that possible. She could find it, she could! It was there... it was.. it was somewhere!

You won't find it.

The fairy cocked her head to one side at that voice. It wasn't, couldn't be, Wefios. King'sbrother didn't sound like that either. It didn't talk again but she listened for the voice for a minute anyway, ignoring the way Wefios moved closer to her. Her silence frightened him, as always. More than that the fact that she was listening to something he didn't hear disturbed him. Then there was the dragon that he had seen in the air... a dragon which had seemed to look at him in a manner he hadn't appreciated at all. If she had heard it, or god-forbid seen it, she'd no doubt call it over and try to escape giving up the stone that way. The girl was just listening, however, and when she blinked and looked at the man that had come out to greet them again. A deep breath later she was presenting the stone once more.

This time she held the stone toward him. Her hands shook as she did it, as if they ached to pull the stone back, but her face had set again. She would give it to the castle, as the flier had said, and because someone would find the special something that would let her be able to control the fishes. Then she could take it back! That last made her smile at the man in front of her. He wouldn't know! Neither would Wefios, but Wefios would know when they had power and rode riversandwaves wherever they went. The magic would be back and things would be better. Someone just had to find that other stone for her. They would.