Hollow Kingdom

The ropes were cut, and Lily twisted to land somewhat gracefully on her feet. Alec hit the ground with a grunt and Belle fell on top of him, her blue eyes wide and disbelieving as she stared at the man walking towards them. He had a long white beard and disheveled white hair. But eyes the same piercing blue as Alec and Belle's marked him as Tobias Spaulding.

Belle let out a strangled sobbing noise and launched herself at him, nearly toppling him over with the force of her hug.

"Daddy!" she cried. "I've missed you so much!"

"My little Bluebelle," Tobias said tenderly, hugging her tightly and stroking her long dark hair. Alec had by now gotten to his feet but didn't rush to his father like Belle had. He stood back, looking uncertain.

"Alec. By the heavens, look how much you've grown." Tobias kept one arm around Belle, who looked like she could be knocked over with a feather, and slowly moved closer to Alec. Alec's shoulders stiffened ever so slightly but he didn't recoil as Tobias clasped his shoulder.

"It's good to see you again, son," Tobias said quietly. Alec finally loosened a bit and let himself be pulled into a hug as well. Lily realized she'd been slowly inching further and further away from the little family reunion until one of the men who'd released them from the net gave her a sharp look and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. Lily glowered at him.

"I'm not going to run," she snapped. "I'm not a spy."

Tobias turned to eye her with curiosity. "And who might this lovely young woman be?"

"Lily," she replied stiffly.

"She's a friend," Alec said. "And an asset to the rebellion."

Lily felt an odd flicker of annoyance but shoved it away. Tobias continued to study her and she tried not to squirm under his gaze. Erwin poked his head out of her cloak, where he'd been hiding since the net came up.

"Tobias!" he exclaimed. "Thank the moon we found you." The ferret hopped down and scampered to Tobias. "Your children are quite impossible."

Tobias let out a chuckle. "They get it from their mother. Come, all of you must be tired and hungry."

Tobias gestured at Lily and she reluctantly followed as they headed deeper into the forest. Alec remained quiet but Belle kept up a steady stream of chatter, peppering her father with questions and filling him in on their part in the rebellion. She made no mention of Daniel and Lily supposed that was something she'd rather talk about in private.

The two men who had cut them from the net still seemed baffled to find they had caught Tobias Spaulding's children and they didn't talk much either. Lily tried to hang back as much as she could, not sure what to do or say. She had no experience with parents and families and she didn't want to intrude on the moment. A small twinge of envy and sadness sprang up in her chest but she willed it away. There were more important things to worry about just then.

She kept a tight grip on the reigns of the horses; they were growing antsy and restless as they walked further into the forest.

"So you've been living here this whole time?" Belle asked her father incredulously.

"Not here, exactly." Tobias smiled slightly. They came to a stream and Tobias led them partway into the water before gesturing for them to halt. Then he waded further into the water, moving his hands in slow circles and chanting something under his breath. The water began to swirl and the air shimmered. Lily blinked, sure her eyes were playing a trick on her.

The water churned faster, creating a whirlpool. The horses stomped nervously and Lily gripped their reigns more tightly, her heart hammering in her chest. She felt an unpleasant jolt in her stomach and the world went black for a breath, then was a riot of almost painful color, and then as quickly as it had all begun, it stopped. Lily pried her eyes open, not even having realized she'd closed them. Then she blinked again. And again. They were standing behind a thundering waterfall instead of in the small brook and she could see movement beyond it.

"Come along," Tobias said, looking exceptionally pleased. Lily, Belle and Alec cautiously moved forward past the veil of water and Lily's breath caught. What she saw before her looked like something out of a dream. It was very like the wood they had just been traveling through, except here the trees were silver and gold, with an intricate network of rope bridges and tree houses scattered among their tops.

"We've taken to the trees," Tobias said. "This whole glade is shielded with magical protective wards. To return to the 'real' world you just travel back through this tunnel and it will transport you back to the stream. But you need a magic user to get back in. Rarely are people without magic allowed in, in order to keep it secret and safe."

"This is incredible!" Belle exclaimed. "I can't believe it! Show me everything!" She tugged on her father's arm, barely letting him get a word in edgewise as they walked up the trail. The two strangers disappeared after shooting Alec and Lily more wary looks. Alec looked stunned as he took in the sight before him.

"I think I'll find a place to put the horses," Lily mumbled. "You should go catch up with Belle and Tobias."

"I'm not sure if I want to talk to him right now," Alec said. Lily cocked her head.

"You're angry with him for leaving," she guessed. Alec signed, running a hand through his hair.

"I know it's not really his fault," he admitted. "But it's still hard not to be a bit resentful. He's been gone for so long, without a trace or a word. We thought he might be dead and instead he's been here, swinging around on tree branches."

"This may come off as too forward, but as someone who doesn't have so much as a memory of their parents, is strongly suggest making up for lost time instead of holding grudges."

Alec glanced at her, brow furrowing. "You were brought to the orphanage that young?"

"I was only a few days old. I was left in an old potato crate that was delivered to the orphanage. There was no note or anything. They didn't even leave me with a name. I didn't become Lily until...until later. Someone at the orphanage gave me the name."

She'd been about to say, "until Angie got there." But she wasn't sure she was ready to reveal that particular secret just yet. She looked up to meet Alec's gaze.

"It might take some time," she said quietly, "but you'll forgive him."

"Did you forgive your parents?" he asked curiously.

"No," Lily said mildly. "But that's because mine never came back."