Levisia had been to the Fairy Tree Forest herself. And now that she had discovered her powers after all this time, it was time to stop doubting herself. Trying to clarify things would only serve to make her head hurt.

“Levisia.”

Levisia heard rustling behind her, followed by the feeling of the mattress sagging behind her. She looked around to see that Pel had moved to sit next to her, a concerned look on his face.

“I know I said that you needed to adjust to the change that has taken place, but I didn’t mean you had to do it immediately. Allow yourself the time to properly adjust, and don’t feel disheartened when you are unable to meet your expectations. These things take time. You didn’t even know you had your power until this evening, and you were only properly confronted by it a few minutes ago.” Pel reached out and cupped Levisia’s hand. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. So long as you are actively striving to adjust to your new powers, you can go at your pace.”

Levisia blinked away the tears that had started forming in her eyes. She wiped them away with the sleeves of her nightgown and let out a wet laugh.

“When did you become so sage in your advice, Pel?”

Pel shrugged and patted Levisia’s hand.

“It’s one of those things I’ve picked up, I suppose. But it is true. You should not rush yourself to get better at your abilities, nor should you allow anyone to pressure you into doing so. That includes the Kraidens.” Pel sharply exhaled through his nostrils, and Levisia knew that he was referring to Elizabeth in particular. “If they do pressure you, remember that you can stand up for yourself and say no.”

“I don’t think Elizabeth will be that bad, Pel. But still…” Levisia bit her lip, “What if they want me to use my powers to cure something, for the greater good? What if they need me to get better so that I can fix whatever is happening in the Southern Regions, and I can’t rise up to meet their expectations, and then it’ll be my fault that nothing is cured, and I…”

Levisia was cut off by Pel clamped his hand over her mouth and shushed her.

“No one can make you feel bad for something that is beyond your control. If any of the Kraidens make you feel like you are not good enough, or that you have no grasp on your powers, remind them that you are Levisia White and that you are your own person. That is what you wanted, wasn’t it? Freedom from the Kraidens’ grip?”

“It was, yes. I’m just confused and lost at the moment.” Levisia said as she removed Pel’s hand away from her face. “Can we talk more about this tomorrow? I really need to get some sleep now. Please?”

Pel dropped his hand to his lap and, after a quick moment of hesitation, pressed a soft kiss on Levisia’s forehead.

“Yes, I think sleep would be for the best. We both have a long day of traveling ahead of us.” He rose from the bed and walked over to the bedroom door. After unlocking it, he gave Levisia one last smile before he left the room and closed the door behind him. Leivisia immediately leaped up and locked the door again, and made a note to only open it again when it was morning and it was time to leave. The estate would have to be on fire for her to leave her room again before sunrise.

She collapsed back in her bed and pulled her blanket up around her. She wondered how Chetter and Viola were getting on now that the latter was properly awake. They presumably had so much catching up to do that they would be talking well into the early hours of the morning, potentially even past sunrise. If that was the case, then there was the chance Levisia could leave before Chetter could tell the Kraidens what she had done.

With this thought resting in the back of her mind, Levisia buried her head in her pillow and pulled the blanket up to her chin. She was exhausted as a result of the past couple of days, and part of her wished she had never come here in the first place. But she was leaving in the morning, and she could put all that behind her. And she would do exactly what Pel had said. Should any of the Kraidens put pressure on her, she would tell them exactly what she thought of them, and maybe in the process, find the freedom she so desperately wanted.

A smile crept along her lips as she felt sleep take over, and she slipped into a dreamless slumber.