He sat by the shore until the suns went down completely. Even then, he was determined to see this through, and simply laid on his back to watch the stars appear. He tried to keep count of them, but after a while, he knew some were slipping into existence past his awareness. That was when he allowed his eyes to drift closed.
"Tarin Wulf."
He woke up with a start and was on his feet in an instant, a dagger already in each hand.
"Who speaks?" he asked into the darkness. He could hear the sound of water lapping nearby, and though it was a peaceful sound, it did nothing to calm his nerves as he stood, supposedly alone, in the blackness.
Light female laughter came from behind him - or perhaps from far to his left. In fact, it seemed to be coming from all over, and he gripped the daggers tighter.
"Tarin, I am no enemy of yours."
"Then show yourself," he commanded. He could still see nothing but himself and the knives in his hands. He could not even track down his target with his ears, let alone his eyes. If this woman did end up being an enemy, he might have finally met his match, as not even his magic seemed able to penetrate the black curtains surrounding him.
Another giggle, and with this one came a gust of wind which, upon brushing past Tarin, soothed him enough that he dropped the daggers to the ground. Once they landed, they vanished into the darkness, and he felt another gust of wind, or magic, or something, blow past - once that one had faded, his weapons belt had fallen away as well.
"I will allow you to keep the swords at your back, but only because I know that they once belonged to one of my sons," the woman said, and her voice was now like a balm to his tension. "I do hope that you will not attempt to harm me, Tarin Wulf. I have never been a fan of violence, which is one of the reasons I called for you."
Tarin licked his lips, his eyes darting around the room and his hands trembling as if they did not know what to do without a weapon in their grip. "Queen Muiress?" he gambled.
He suddenly felt enveloped in magic, and yet, he was not concerned. This was not magic that wished to harm him, but to embrace him, to welcome him. More likely, he realized just moments later, it was meant to welcome the crowned water nymph that stepped out of the shadows before him.
He recognized her immediately, as Serena had indeed inherited more than one of Muiress' features. The pale skin that glowed with some sort of lunar appeal like no other Fae Tarin had known, for one; and of course, her eyes - that blue that made him want to stare into them forever just to discover their depths.
She had the pointed ears of a Fae, of course, with the upturned nose and the structured cheekbones that were common among their kind. Her hair lay damp and straight down her back, and whereas Serena's locks were black as the wings of a raven, Muiress' were as white as a dove. Her head was topped by a simple tiara that looked to be made of coral and inlaid with pearls. She wore an even simpler blue gown that flowed on its own, as if she was underwater.
"Queen Muiress," he repeated, and he was sure this time. He dropped to his knees, feeling as though it was only right to do so. He was still disoriented by the setting she had drawn him into, but he was not one to question such a ruler. He had chosen from a fairly early age to devote himself to the Realm and the crowned ones of it, and knew Muiress' story like the back of his hand. She had been one of the best - if not the best - rulers the Realm had ever seen. Never had the Fae had such pure hearts as during her reign - that much had never been contested.
He would not have been worthy to be in her presence during her life, and yet here he was, called to her through the fabric of the heavens.
"Rise, Warrior of the Moon," she said, and he got to his feet. She was smiling at him, though there was a hint of unease in her expression. "You need not kneel to me."
"Nahla told me about the darkness you sense spreading, your Majesty," Tarin stated, eager to hear what she knew, why she needed him. "She told me that... that you knew Triana was going to die."
Muiress took a step closer to him, and her sadness seemed to seep into him. He realized that it was impossible to remain angry with her; she was too kind, and she cared so much about the fate of them all...
"I know how upset you are, Tarin. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could have done that would have saved your friend," she replied softly, and before he knew it, she was cupping his face with one hand, as if she was a mother consoling her child.
"However," she added, and he glanced up at her as he heard the shift of her tone, "I am dearly hoping that I will be able to help you save your princess."
It was as if the temperature around them dropped twenty degrees. "Is her life in danger?" he asked desperately, reaching out without thinking to grasp the queen's wrists. "Please, if she's in trouble, please tell me who is threatening her--"
"Peace, little warrior," Muiress intercepted, and sure enough, Tarin immediately felt more at peace with her words and dropped his hands in response. "I know very few specific details, but I am willing to share with you all the information I have been given by both the present and future that will help you to save her life... and your own."
Tarin waited.
Muiress took a deep breath, and the sound of water in the distance grew more... present... as she did so, as though all it would take for it to appear in front of them was a single call from the queen. Then, she began:
"I have seen that the Realm has been judged, and it has failed the test. It will not be long before the kingdom falls, and the Fae along with it, more utterly than can be imagined. The growing darkness has set its target, and it has slithered its way into nearly enough hearts now to make this fate a reality.
"If you wish to give the Realm a second chance at avoiding this complete destruction, Tarin Wulf, you must understand what an important role you play. Without you, the Fae will fall; and without Princess Serena, your strength will fail, and the Dusk dynasty will no longer endure. Without my bloodline, Tarin, the kingdom will never rise again. This I have seen."
She paused, and Tarin took the opportunity to beg, "What can I do, your Majesty?"
Muiress smiled at him affectionately. "You have a true heart, little warrior. I know you better than you may think, and it has been so long since I have seen such an honorable man devote himself to a cause as fully as you have pledged yourself to my great-granddaughter."
Tarin was unable to stop the blood from rushing into his cheeks, and Muiress smiled for a second longer before something else clearly occurred to her, and the edges of her mouth fell again.
"I will tell you what must be done in the short-term, Tarin, but the rest may be up to you. Hopefully, by then, your path will be clearer."
"I am listening, your Highness. I will do anything for the Realm," he insisted, and though Muiress' expression remained serious, there was a glint in her eye that made him blush again. She knew that he meant what he said, but that he was omitting the truest statement of them all: that he would do anything for Serena.
"Tonight," Muiress stated, slowly gliding back from where she had come, "the princess will drop from her window before the moon reaches its peak, as she has every night since you went after the hostages nearly a week ago."
Tarin went to interrupt here, but Muiress held up a single finger, and his tongue was forced to the roof of his mouth, blocking any sort of speech from leaving it.
The queen continued, "You must follow her with all the stealth I know you possess. To be seen by anyone at all will put her life in danger as surely as your own. What you see will shock you, little warrior, and will cause you great emotion; however, you must stay hidden, and most importantly of all, you must not intervene nor let anybody know that you have discovered the truth."
Tarin stood in silence for a minute. She was speaking nonsense, surely. At the same time, it was hard to doubt Muiress; she had that quality of innate selflessness and honesty that made him feel bad to even question her words.
"I can do that," he said finally, and Muiress cast him a tight smile.
"That is good to hear, Tarin, but there is something else..." she responded, weaving her fingers together in front of her. "I know how much you care for Serena. But you must not participate in a blood oath with her."
Tarin was taken aback. "I haven't--"
"I know that you have not yet, little warrior, but I can see that given another day or two, you would agree to her current whims. I know that you have no reason to trust me more than you do my dear kinswoman right now, but I beg of you, avoid giving such an oath until you unearth just how deep the roots of the lies of this kingdom have grown."
Tarin scratched idly at his upper arm, trying to avoid her eyes. He did not respond, but she did not seem to be waiting for him to: in fact, she was watching his itching with heavy concern, as if he was using a blade to do it rather than his fingernails. Unnerved, he dropped his hand back to his side, though the urge to itch only grew stronger all over his body now that he had stopped.
"It is almost time," Muiress whispered to herself. She snapped her gaze back to Tarin's then, and spoke faster than she had been before. "We have only a minute left to speak before you must run back to the castle to pick up the princess' trail. There are two more things for you to know, Warrior of the Moon.
"First, you must heed what Nahla has already told you: Release Willard Ambrose as soon as you have returned to the castle after your mission. He is entirely innocent, and to execute a loyal companion such as he would be a violation of your own moral code, little warrior.
"And finally... you are going to want to know how to change what you see tonight, Tarin. I will tell you once more that for you to intervene right away would result in the princess' death. Once you learn the truth, you must bring her to me. Bring your most trusted warriors along with you. I urge you - until you come back here - not to give away that you know a single thing. You have no idea how much the fate of everyone and everything you hold dear teeters on the head of a pin at the moment, Tarin. This must be done with the utmost care, or it will all crash down and become nothing but a history."
Tarin's stomach was in knots, and when he saw the wave of water emerge from the brightening shadows behind Queen Muiress, he stumbled backwards, crying out a warning to her as he tried to get out of its way.
However, his warning meant nothing. By the time the wave crashed, Muiress was gone...
...and Tarin was lying in the sand, staring up at the stars that would linger even after the Realm of the Fae had perished.