"What are we going to do?" asked Henry in a panic. Timber relied solely on her hearing for many things including Renegade. How would she care for him if she couldn't hear him?
"Her Majesty might be able to help," said Sebastian. "Let me talk to Timber."
Sebastian concentrated on Timber for only a moment when she looked back at him. She tried to get to her feet but she wobbled and fell into the snow. Henry began to fill with dread. How much damage had been done if Timber couldn't stand? She tried again to get to her feet but without success. She then looked at Sebastian again and nodded at Henry.
"Hǎo. You can pick her up safely, Henry," said Sebastian. "I told her what's happening."
Henry picked Timber up and quickly walked her up to the castle with Grace in tears behind them and Sebastian focused on mentally communicating with the silver wolf to keep her calm. He made sure she knew where they were going and he told her everything Grace and Henry said. They went through the front doors when they came across a group of water elves heading out for their afternoon swim in the lake.
"Lord Santelli," said the smallest one. Her pale blue hair fell over her white skin as she bowed.
"Would you happen to know where Queen Aiyanna is?" asked Henry.
"No, My Lord," said the elf, "but I know she is not in Haven at this moment. Do you need a healer?"
"Yes," said Henry urgently. "My wife's ears were injured and she cannot hear."
"I believe I know someone who could help," said another elf with hair the color of sea foam. He pointed toward the back of the castle. "There's the small group of fairies currently in the hospital room who have healing power. They're just as skilled as Her Majesty and they should be able to help."
"Thank you," said Henry.
"You're welcome, My Lord," said the elf.
Henry took Timber, Grace, and Sebastian through the castle and into a large stone room with multiple beds. It was empty but Henry heard laughter coming from the other room at the far end. Grace stopped as they walked in that direction but Sebastian pulled her along. Dancing by the pillow on the table was a group of colorful fairies, each no bigger than Henry's hand.
"My Lord," they chorused, bowing in unison.
"My wife's ears are hurt," said Henry. "She can't hear and she can't stand."
"We can help," they chimed.
They suddenly vanished into miniature balls of light and headed for Timber. Henry set her down and two fairies went into each of Timber's ears. Timber, having been informed by Sebastian what was happening, remained still while they did their work. She could feel them moving and touching every part of her ears. It took the fairies ten minutes but slowly, Timber noticed that she could hear everyone breathing. She wagged her tail lightly and twisted her ear in the direction of the sound and then she heard Grace laugh with relief. She wagged her tail harder and then the fairies left her ears and became their normal size.
"Thank you," said Grace and Henry.
"You're welcome," they sang together.
"Lady Timber needs to rest here for a short time before she can move around. The patches need to fuse with her skin for a permanent seal," said one.
"We will leave until she is ready to be released," said another.
They bowed and flew out of the door. Timber Turned and sat up slowly. She looked around and felt an odd sensation wash over her.
"I don't like this room," she said.
"This is the hospital ward though this room is for the ones who are hovering close to death," said Henry. "I don't think comfort was going through Lord Frost's mind when it was added."
"No, I just have this feeling I've been here before," said Timber.
"You were born here in Haven and attacked at the age of two," said Henry. "Chances are you would have been here before."
Timber looked over at Grace. She was white and trembling and biting her bottom lip.
"Aunt Grace?" asked Timber. "What's wrong?"
Grace tugged at her collar and shook her head.
"Aunt Grace?"
"NO!" shouted Grace. "It's too painful!"
She made to leave but Sebastian caught her and held her close to him.
"Méiguānxì. Tā huì hǎo qǐlái de. It's going to be alright," said Sebastian.
He looked over her head to Henry and Timber, silently asking for patience. When Grace had calmed down, Timber asked again.
"Have I been in here before, Aunt Grace?" asked Timber.
"Yes, you have been." Timber looked up to see Lord Frost and Renegade standing in the doorway. "I swore your aunt and uncle to secrecy and modified both your memory and Henry's." Timber and Henry looked at each other in confusion and then back at Lord Frost. "Let us go your suite so we can discuss this in more comfort and privacy. I have been informed about why you are in here. I am giving permission for you to move. Henry will help you."
It was a long quiet walk. The only sound were footsteps and the occasional sad sniff from Grace, but once behind their door, Timber rounded on Lord Frost angrily. She was so close to him, a normal person would have backed away. Lord Frost was unafraid of the furious woman in front of him.
"Now what the hell happened to me that you removed from my memory?" Timber demanded fiercely.
"When you were ten years old, a man broke into your home while your aunt and uncle were out. From what I was told about the events that happened, the first thing you did was hide Emily in your wardrobe. When she was almost discovered, you attacked the intruder. You were weak from being ill and he overpowered you, threw you down the stairs and then poisoned you with a highly concentrated dose of wolfsbane."
"Wolfsbane! That's lethal!" cried Henry.
"What is wolfsbane?" asked Timber.
"It is a small purple flower that is toxic to most animals. To werewolves, it is lethal," said Lord Frost. "You slowed the poison by disrupting its flow. You Turned to tell Emily to get help and then shifted again. By the time I got there, you were blind and beyond my aid. I brought you here with your family. Aiyanna and Shaelyn worked for hours to heal you. You were fighting on two fronts. Your body was fighting for life from the wolfsbane while your soul was trapped in the In Between fighting with Mortem. In the end, it was Henry who saved you."
"What did I do?"
"When it was made clear that Aiyanna could not heal her alone, we came to you. We asked you for your venom," said Lord Frost. "You did not hesitate when you learned it was for Timber. Shaelyn forced you to transform and she harvested your venom. That was injected into Timber. It was enough to stop the venom from spreading. Aiyanna was able to remove most of it. Unfortunately, there was a small side effect of Henry's venom we did not anticipate."
"What?" asked Timber.
"It killed you. Aiyanna by that point could no longer continue. The poison had done its job and you lost your fight with Mortem and you were thrown into the Styx; the river that leads to the gates of Hell. We tried everything we could think of. Your family said goodbye, and at long last, you were given to Henry. It was the first and only time I ever saw him cry. While he held you, you started breathing and your heartbeat again. Your soul had made it out of the Styx and up the cliffs with help from your friend. Several minutes later, you were conscious and breathing normally. It was an exceedingly rare kind of magic called Vivificantern that Henry created. It is a life-giving love."
"I saw all of this happen," said Grace. "I saw you die. I saw the light surround you. I saw you come back to life. I promised I would never say a word."
"So when you let me go with Henry to help with his classroom the day after he came to town?" Timber asked Grace.
"Your uncle and I already knew who he was the moment we saw him. We knew he wouldn't hurt you."
"I never knew why you trusted me alone with her so soon," said Henry.
"Timber has very good instincts and she trusted you immediately otherwise she would have never allowed you to walk her home," said Grace. "That was the first reason. Chad and I were so open with you so soon because to us, you had already proven yourself. We saw your wolf form when you were fifteen. It was one of the most terrifyin' things I had ever seen but I saw the physical pain you were in durin' the transformation and the weak state you were in after and you did it all willingly for Timber. When I told you I knew what you were, I could only say it was because of your medication. It was only part of the truth. The only reason your medication happened was because of your love for Timber.
"Chad and I were already close to a breakthrough but we had given up after hittin' a dead end. But after meetin' you, we worked almost nonstop. What would have taken us a year took us two months. We knew you and Timber were meant to find each other. Once you did, we knew there was no stoppin' it. We set boundaries, but we knew that's all we could do. We could not separate you and we didn't want to risk it."
"What risk?" asked Timber.
"You and Henry are bound at the soul," explained Lord Frost. "You have been since you met. When you were separated the first time, you both fell ill but you were not old enough to really love. When you came back, Henry fell in love the second he saw your eyes again. This was real love. The kind of love he has for you now. Your eyes lit up when you saw him too. You were too young to fall in love but you could feel deep affection. I erased your memories of each other because to separate you again would have killed both of you if you remembered each other. Henry was so furious when he realized what I was going to do I thought he was going to attack me. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do but keeping you both alive was my priority."
"So those paintings I made on the wall of the Keep were of Timber," said Henry to Lord Frost.
"Yes. While I removed as much of the memories of each other as I could, I could not remove what the heart remembered. You and Timber were both so enraptured by each other you would never really forget. You still had dreams of her."
"Timber still remembered a pair of hazel eyes whenever she saw marshmallows," said Grace.
"That's why we were familiar to each other," said Timber to Henry. "And why you choked when I told you I liked the way he smelled," she added to Grace.
"I thought you remembered him," said Grace. "Then you said it was just familiar and I relaxed a little."
"This is hurting my head," said Timber, looking at her feet and holding her head with her hands. "So much of our history just got rewritten. I can't believe you hid this from us all these years! I mean Lord Frost told us about the marshmallow thing but I still lived in Haven at that time. No one told me that I came back, that I died, or that I had Henry's venom."
"So are you going to tell me what is in the medicine I took now?" asked Henry. "While we have you spilling everything."
"The main ingredient is synthetic wolfsbane," said Grace bluntly. Henry stared at her in disbelief. "It has the same properties as wolfsbane but without the toxin. We found a way to modify it so it's not harmful. We took that and created a synthetic version. With it is also a very small amount of morphine."
"That explains why it was a little less painful during my transformations," said Henry. "It's because you saw first hand?"
"Yes," said Grace. "Also, Timber carries part of your DNA."
"What!" cried Timber. She stood up and tossed her arms in the air and walked to the other side of the room. Henry's head fell to the floor.
"You're not related," said Grace. Timber and Henry both sighed in relief.
"We were never able to remove all of Henry's venom from your system," said Lord Frost. "His venom fused with the venom you already had. Your body's reaction was to filter out the toxins. That is what killed you originally. You broke down his venom and it paralyzed you. The same thing happened when he bit you before the war. Your body held on to it and spread it but removed the parts of it that would have otherwise killed you. You were older then and your system recognized his venom. That is why you did not die."
"Wait, Henry's venom is why I gained weight when I was younger?" asked Timber.
"Yes, but I didn't realize that until I harvested the venom and you began losin' the weight," said Grace. "After I harvested the venom from you when you came back from the war, it confirmed my theory. The small amount of venom you already had fused with Henry's."
"Like snakes, werewolves never stop making venom," said Henry. "It is impossible to remove all the venom from them. Grace could have harvested me dry for an hour and then my body would have made more. Unlike snake venom, which breaks down cells, ours fuses with human DNA cells, causing the chain to alter. That's how we make more werewolves. You were already a wolf. Werewolf venom could not do anything to alter your DNA so you simply had venom flowing freely through your body. Our venom also has a unique odor that we can smell. When I smelled the venom that Grace harvested, I was confused why it smelled so much like mine but I didn't want to say anything."
"Well, now we know," said Timber.
"I'm sorry," said Grace. "I wanted to tell you for years but I promised Lord Frost."
"Děngdài! Wait! So when you injected me with Timber's venom, you gave me Henry's too at the same time?" asked Sebastian.
"Timber's body has altered Henry's venom slightly so it's not toxic, but yes," said Grace. "You do have a double dose of Henry's venom. I thought having the extra dose would hide you better."
"Is there anything else about us that we should know?" asked Timber with her arms folded.
"There is one very big thing I have deliberately kept from all of you," said Lord Frost. "However, this mostly concerns Henry. As you and Timber are aware, spirits can linger. Elizabeth often lingered around Timber when she could before Daniel was destroyed. When he was gone, she could no longer stay and was able to rest."
"What does Timber's mother have to do with me?" asked Henry.
"You have also been followed," said Lord Frost. "She has been here since you first came back with your symptoms."
"She?"
The room was silent for a moment. Then, through the wall, walked a tall woman with dark hair and brilliant hazel eyes. Henry fell to his knees with his mouth open and tears spilling from his eyes. Timber stared in disbelief. The woman knelt down and looked at Henry with a warm, loving smile.
"I missed you, Ferdinand."
"Victoria."
Henry did not seem to know what to do with himself. He laughed while he cried. He slammed his fist into the floor, cracking the wood, and then he bent over, sobbing over his hands. Timber stood in shock. Grace was in disbelief, and Sebastian moved to the side away from Grace. Lord Frost watched with a small smile. Renegade walked over and began trying to lick the tears from Henry's face. Henry picked up his son and held him as he looked up at the semi-solid form of his long-dead sister.
"How? Why?" It was all Henry could say.
"You need me," said Victoria softly. "You were always there for me. You were my best friend. You tried to help me. You always did what you thought to be right." She smiled. "I'm here to return the favor."
"How?" asked Henry.
"I know things I didn't before," said Victoria. "I've been watching from the Beyond. I begged to come back and help. I was granted only a short time. I would like to sit with all of you." Her eyes wandered upwards. "Hello, Sebastian."
"Hello," Sebastian replied awkwardly.
Timber could feel the tension in the room and it was stealing the air from around them.
"Is anyone hungry?" she asked.
"I will order some food from the kitchens," said Lord Frost.
He took his leave and Timber left the room to put Renegade down for a nap. She kept an ear out, ready to intervene, should Henry lose his temper again. Timber put Renegade into his den and gave him his favorite stuffed teddy bear. He yawned and Timber ran a finger from his forehead to his nose and as usual, he drifted to sleep within ten minutes. She kissed his cheek and left the room only to Turn immediately.
Sebastian's fangs were visible, his eyes were red, and his fingernails looked like daggers. Henry was in his smaller wolf form angrily circling Sebastian. Henry snapped for an unknown reason and attacked Sebastian. His teeth clamped down on Sebastian's shoulder. Sebastian sank his fangs and nails into Henry's neck and refused to let go. The two of them fought until Timber had enough. She ran and jumped, ramming herself into them. They let go of each other and fell to the floor. When they that didn't work and they went after each other again, Timber joined the fight. She sank her teeth into the back of Henry's neck and slammed his head on the floor as hard as she could. Then she rounded on Sebastian and sunk her teeth into his arm just enough to pull him down. Then she took her paw and slammed his face into the floor too. She stood over them growling lividly until it became clear that both men surrendered.
She Turned and folded her arms. "Now explain to me what exactly happened and why you were acting like impudent children."
Henry and Sebastian resumed their normal appearances, both bleeding and bruised.
"I couldn't stand it," said Henry angrily. "First he dated Victoria, now he's dating your aunt. Seeing him in the same room as both of them was too much. I snapped."
"I got too aggressive in my response," said Sebastian. "I should have been more understanding."
"Who started it?" demanded Timber with a thicker accent than she usually had.
"I did," said Henry, looking away from Timber in fearful shame.
"Fine. You're going to be the one to apologize first or you're sleeping on the couch," said Timber firmly. "No one is going anywhere until you've made up. If you start fighting again I'm going to start breaking bones."
Both men knew better than to test Timber. She was merciless when she was in a real temper and they knew they were getting close. They got to their feet and shook hands.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper with you, Sebastian," said Henry apologetically. "I should have realized that Victoria is your past. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry I was rude to you," said Sebastian.
"Friends?"
"Friends."
Henry and Sebastian hugged just as Lord Frost came into the room with a tray full of food. He stared in confusion at the scene in front of him.
"I was clearly gone for too long," he said.
"Henry and Sebastian had a fight," said Grace. "Timber ended it. She went into mean mommy mode."
"Mean mommy mode?" asked Victoria.
"That's what my friend called it when she had to break up a fight between her sons. She'd get so stern she would scare them into submission. I've never had to do it with Timber or my daughter Emily because the arguing never got physical due to Timber's self-control, but it's just something that comes naturally with being a mother."
"I am glad it is resolved," said Lord Frost. He set the tray on the table and sat down. Everyone gathered around him and helped themselves to tuna salad and crackers. "Now, Victoria, what it is that you wanted to say?"
"Oh yes, I almost forgot," said Victoria. "I found out what happened to Daddy."
"He died in a car accident," said Henry.
"Daddy was murdered," said Victoria and Henry dropped the fork he had just picked up to put tuna on his cracker. "Mommy had him killed. She paid a man to hit Daddy's car. She arranged it so the driver would have enough alcohol to be drunk but not enough for him to miss Daddy's car."
"Why?"
"She wanted people to feel sorry for her, raising three kids alone. She hated Daddy. He was a good man. She was tired of people seeing him that way. Eventually, sympathy wore off. Then you got your bite and came here. She told everyone you died. She even had a funeral for you. Lots of people came to support the grieving widow who lost her youngest son."
"She's a monster!" said Timber.
"She tried to kill me and Timber in front of Charles last time I saw her," said Henry.
"You never told me that!" cried Grace.
"I didn't want to worry you," said Timber. "We were wedding planning and Uncle Chad was dying. There was a lot going on."
"Charles cut ties with her," said Henry. "She moved away. That's all I know."
"She died," said Victoria. "In a painful way. She was sleeping with the stove on. Something sparked and set the house on fire. She was burned alive."
"Where is she?" asked Grace.
"The deepest place in Hell from what I was told," said Victoria.
"Good," said Henry coldly. "She deserves it."
"How come they couldn't connect her with the death of her husband?" asked Timber.
"The other driver died too," said Henry. "If no money was exchanged, they'd have nothing."
"Makes sense," said Grace.
"May I inquire about your position within the family, Henry?" asked Lord Frost.
"I'm the middle child of three," said Henry. "Charles is our older brother. Victoria is three years younger than me."
"That explains your level head," said Lord Frost. "At least in most situations." He shot Henry and Sebastian a pointed look and they both looked ashamed.
"Ferdinand has always been the way he is now, even as a child. I still remember. He was always kind and easy to get along with unless he was mad. He's always had a nasty temper. I was so sad when you went away. I missed you terribly."
"I'm so sorry, Victoria," said Henry. He got up and walked to his sister. They embraced and Henry began silently weeping with joy. Timber and Grace wept too. Sebastian and Lord Frost simply smiled at the two. It was a moment of pure joy.
Timber didn't want it to end but like all wonderful moments, it was interrupted. Renegade had woken up and come out of his bedroom. He saw Henry and ran over to him, demanding attention. When Henry didn't give him attention immediately, Renegade put himself at Henry's feet, rolled ono his back, and began whining. The room broke out in laughter and Henry bent down to pick up his son.
"Renegade, this is Daddy's sister," said Henry. "This is Aunt Victoria."
Renegade did not react the same way he did with Grace. He hid his head in Henry's arm and curled his tail around his back legs. He refused to look at her but Victoria did not seem bothered.
"Henry, it's okay," she said. "I don't think I have a smell. I think that's why he's afraid of me. Let me see if I can touch his back."
She reached out and touched him lightly. He spun around and sunk his teeth into her hand. It had no effect on her which only seemed to make him mad and he tried to attack. Henry pulled him away and handed him to Timber. She held the struggling pup tight so he couldn't get away.
"I'm sorry," said Timber. "Are you hurt?"
"I don't think ghosts can get hurt by things like that," smiled Victoria. "I'm fine. I don't want you to punish him. I shouldn't have touched him if he was afraid of me."
"Timber," said Sebastian, "are you going to try again with Grace's gun or are you going to do it tomorrow?"
"We've all had enough for one day," said Grace.
"Yeah, my head is still reeling," said Timber. "We'll get an early start tomorrow."
"Okay," said Sebastian. "I'm going to head home then. Bye."
"I shall go too," said Lord Frost. "I will see you tomorrow for Sunday dinner."
"Aunt Grace, I promised you time with Reneage," said Timber. "Let's go into his room and play with him so Henry and Victoria have some time to catch up."
"Timber?" said Henry. "You are honestly the most wonderful wife in the world. Thank you."
Timber kissed his cheek and took their son into his room with Grace and closed the door. Renegade brought his current favorite toy over to Grace and dropped it at her knees.
"What does he want me to do with a pinecone?" she asked Timber.
"Throw it up," said Timber.
Grace did and Renegade sprang up and caught it in his mouth and then began shaking his head back and forth when he landed. Then he gave it back to Grace who tossed it up again.
"He really likes this game," said Grace laughing.
"He does," said Timber. "This is working on midair coordination for hunting. They're stronger than tennis balls when they're closed. I don't let him get open ones anymore. He likes to chew them to bits."
"So he picks them out?" asked Grace as she tossed the pinecone up again.
"Yes but I'm the one that gets them because they're usually in the tree still," said Timber. "He can't climb yet."
"Has he started tryin' to Turn?"
"He can hold his eye color for about two minutes now," said Timber. "Renegade, show Aunt Grace your eye trick."
Renegade looked at Grace and his ice blue eyes became a brilliant hazel identical to Henry's. Grace squealed and picked up the puppy and covered him with kisses.
"That's not all," said Timber. "Fur, Renegade."
The fur on his head around his eyes changed color to a sandy blonde color with dark roots for just a moment and then turned black again. Grace rocked him happily and looked at Timber.
"He's goin' to look just like Henry, isn't he?"
"I think so," said Timber. "Hazel eyes and blonde hair definitely doesn't come from me."