Aeris awoke to find herself alone. She sat up and leaned out of the tent. "Puck…where’s Fezzik?"

Puck sighed. "His soul is as heavy as lead. He went for a walk, he said. I think rather he must clear his heart."

"Understanding it wasn’t his fault would be a start," Aeris finished, picking up the rhyme. She made a face of distaste when she realized she’d done it, and then stood up outside.

"Oh, Puck…it’s wonderful. Such a pretty place. So where to today?"

"To Engywook, knower of things we would know, but understand there’s still quite a ways to go. I’ve arranged…transportation…and a guide. I hope you can trust what you haven’t tried."

"Wonderful. You’ve got some kind of bizarre mode of transportation up your sleeve. I should have guessed." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Engywook. He was the scientist of the oracle, the little man Atreyu watched the first gate with…where the knight failed." She shuddered.

Puck nodded solemnly. "I hope you have a plan to pass that test. ‘Twould be a shame to see you end up like the rest."

"I’m not going, Puck. Fezzik is."

"Fezzik?" he said, and then his smile opened on his face. "But of course! Let him be the driving force, escape your curse and win Inigo back…but will he agree to this track?"

"I think he will. I don’t think I can tell him why, Puck. If I have to, I will. And if he still won’t go, I’ll do it myself."

There was a long silence between them, Puck looking at her. She could almost read the thoughts in his clear, strange eyes. He thinks I’ll die

But he only shrugged. "I think you should make yourself presentable. Our escort’s reaction would be regrettable."

"I know, I know," and she went back into the tent. She changed her dress, combed her hair, and washed her face. As she dried her face, her stomach rumbled.

"Puck," she called, "tell me there’s food."

He laughed merrily. "Why certainly, Herald, it’s all around, on the trees and in the ground."

"You expect me to forage?" she asked, surprised and bemused. She came out of the tent. "Puck, my survival skills are nil."

"There is an apple tree to the west. I’m sure you’ll find them the best."

"If you say so," she replied doubtfully, and headed into the trees. It didn’t take long to locate the apple tree Puck spoke of, and soon she was collecting them in her skirt, intending to bring some of them back for Fezzik. And then she heard it.

It sounded like the cry of a bird. A large bird. It was startlingly loud in the soft morning quiet, and she jumped. A apple spilled out of her skirt and rolled across the ground.

"Puck?" she called hesitantly. Then louder. "Puck!"

Laughter answered. Not Puck’s. Her heart thumped hard in her chest, and her hands shook. "Who’s there?" she demanded.

She didn’t have time to scream when she saw it at first. It swooped down on her so quickly that she had no time to do anything but fall to the ground, apples spilling away from her.

It appeared in her vision suddenly, the wings and the talons…and then the woman’s face. It was a jumble of images, and as she flung herself into the grass, she still didn’t know what she had seen. She rolled over on her back, eyes darting around and searching for the thing.

And then she saw it. Aeris saw her very first harpy.

In fact she saw several of them. And it seemed that they intended that they were the last thing she would see, as they advanced on her. Ugly women with filthy, tangled hair and dirty, flat feathers, and ragged, long talons. Laughing, whispering to one another. And her stomach tightened into a knot at their smell, something wretched and disgusting, worse, she thought, than the Bog.

She glanced around once, wildly. And then she heard some defiant, exasperated voice in her head…her own.

Well, Aeris, are you going to wait for them to eat you or are you going to run?

She didn’t know whether they would eat her or not, but that idea took hold of her imagination, and the subsequent mental picture had her scrambling to her feet and running.

She slipped immediately on an apple, stumbled, touched the ground, and started up again. The harpies were screeching behind her in bird-woman voices, and she heard one cry, "Stop her, stop her, she’s ours!"

"No!" she cried, the sound bursting out of her as she ran. "No! Fezzik! Puck! HELP ME!"

She felt one of those horrible wings brush over her face. Something caught her dress. They were catching up. She was going to die…

There was a roar, and Fezzik sprang out in front of her.

She screamed, and in an attempt to avoid colliding with him, skidded over the slippery leaves to a halt, her feet going out from under her. She slid over the ground on her knees, staining the yellow dress she wore green and brown, and stopped just behind Fezzik, turning around to see the creatures that had been chasing her.

The first harpy, the one that had been leading them, did slam into Fezzik, talons first. He grabbed them, and swung around, putting his weight on his heels. The harpy had no choice but to follow it, and as he completed the spin, he released her. She flew back, out of control, screeching epithets.

But she wasn’t gone for good. Oh no.

In the meantime, the rest of them descended on Fezzik. He was lost in a pile of feathered bodies, and Aeris heard him bellow in rage and fright from somewhere beneath them. They seemed to have forgotten about her. She stood, panicked, frozen, terrified, wide blue eyes searching the melee for something of Fezzik to grab on to. His hand shot out, grasping. She reached for it. It disappeared.

Without a thought, Aeris dived into the fight for him.

The smell of them was overwhelming. She gagged, clamped down her teeth, and struggled through the harpies’ wings and bodies. Her hand brushed Fezzik’s shirt. A claw came down on her shoulder, digging sharply in. She screamed, reaching to it, trying to pull it away. Teeth bit into her side. She kicked and punched and clawed on her own, and sometimes when their wings parted, her white, desperate face could be seen as she searched for a target, an attacker, to land a blow on.

Then, suddenly, heat. Blazing heat. And the harpies were gone. Aeris was kicking at nothing, lying near Fezzik on the grass. They were saved.

And then she choked on a sob. She couldn’t really cry, but if it had been possible, there would have been tears in her eyes. She saw their savior.

A huge green, glittering dragon rose up in the woods. It roared long streams of fire, not burning the trees but melting them. The harpies scattered.

There had been a fighting chance in her mind with the harpies. Not so with a dragon. She dropped back on the ground, waiting to die.

"Herald Aeris," the dragon said lightly, in Puck’s chiding voice. "This is hardly the thanks I’d expect to get." The dragon fanned its wings, blowing cool air over her. "Though I suppose I’ll save your life a few times more yet."

She had been seriously injured. There were rose petals on the ground, and she didn’t like them. They didn’t belong there. She shuddered, and turned to Fezzik.

He was grinning at her, lying mostly on one side. It was a ghastly effect, combined with the cuts and scratches and marks of the battle, but Aeris smiled weakly back.

"I did my best," he said.

"You were very brave," she reassured him.

He fainted.

Her lower lip trembled and she felt like bursting into tears of relief this time. But that would never happen again. She glanced down at the ground one more time. Too many rose petals. And she sank on the ground beside Fezzik. The last thing she recalled was the sight of a long, white cloud sweeping towards them.

"Falkor," she whispered. "The Star."

She closed her eyes.

Urgl didn’t like it There had to be half a dozen people standing around outside. First the luck dragon with Atreyu and the two wounded and the Fae. She didn’t mind that a bit. It was a lot of company, but she was more than happy to tend to that poor giant and girl, especially when she heard their plight. Not even in Fantasia a day, on their way to save a friend and attacked by those wretched creatures. Urgl clucked her tongue, thinking about it. Of course, Engywook, the old fool, was fumbling about the house, trying to find all his papers and research and get ready for them to awaken. He was ecstatic that someone was trying the gates, and had come to him first. But now there were all these other people. First the man Puck had contacted, Oberon, and then the other three, the blonde man, his wife, and his brother. And they’d all done nothing but argue and be underfoot since they’d arrived. And of course they were doing just that as Urgl left the tent and went back into her house to make a broth for the girl, who would likely be up soon.

"That should put a stop to this," Stephan said, unable to keep the satisfaction out of his voice.

Puck frowned at him darkly, and Oberon did the same. "You don’t understand, do you?" Oberon answered. "Remember what Puck told me to put her on this course in the first place. If she tried to change whatever script that’s been written for her, she’d be put back on track, most likely in painful fashion. Even before she could implement the idea…"

"Oberon, please. It was just a freak of nature, she had wandered into harpy territory. Puck should have been more careful."

Puck was riled at this. "I was here to help her on her quest; I would never have camped near a harpy nest!" he hissed.

"He’s right. Urgl tells me that even if he had, Aeris had done nothing to prompt the attack. Too many coincidences. You and Sarah and Jareth are convinced that she’ll wake up and see the error of her ways and come home. You mark me now, she won’t quit. You might as well go home."

"And miss her last moments?" said Stephan dryly. "I wouldn’t dream of it."

"What’s going on?" asked Jareth, emerging from the tent. His brothers and their servant had been talking in hushed, heated voices since they’d arrived, and he didn’t like it. They knew something he didn’t, but they weren’t about to tell him.

"Just a little Fay pow-wow," Stephan said lightly, but his face was moody and irritated.

"Right."

Oberon sighed. "Very well. I believe Aeris will not give up her mission."

"Of course not. She doesn’t remember what happened. She’s doomed when she gets to that mirror. You should have let us take her home, Puck."

The Fae laughed heartily. "I think not, my fine friend. This is not yet the end."

"I’ll remind you who you’re speaking to."

"No, great king, I’ll remind you."

"Enough!" Oberon waved a hand at the Fae, who subsided with a smile. "Urgl said she’d be awake soon. We’ll talk with her then."

"She is awake," Jareth said simply.

And she was. Inside the tent, Aeris had slowly blinked her eyes open to find Jareth and Sarah standing nearby.

She had smiled dreamily, then sat up in a panic. "No, I’ve come so far…Oh." She realized she wasn’t home, Jareth had thought grimly, and he’d turned and walked out, leaving her to Sarah. Anything he’d said would have been useless; Sarah was their only hope for getting her to turn around.

And as they came back in, it seemed like she was making progress.

"Of all the selfish…you lied to me. Don’t you understand? Breaking promises is lying, Aeris."

"I know," she agreed quietly. "I’m sorry, Sarah."

"You told me you’d come right back, and here you are. And you were glad you weren’t at home when you woke up, weren’t you? Well?"

Aeris sighed sadly. "It wouldn’t have been fair, that’s all."

"It’s wasn’t fair for you to break your promise."

"Oh, hell, you knew I would anyway."

"Not until you did it!"

"It doesn’t matter, Sarah. I’m sorry. I really am, and that’s all I can say. I didn’t mean to hurt you. But I’m not going to the Oracle now."

"You’re…not?" she asked.

"You’re not?" Jareth repeated.

"No." She didn’t see Puck sadly shaking his head behind Oberon. "Fezzik is."

There was a long silence. "What?" she said. She started to sit up. "What is it?"

Urgl came into the tent then, with some small cup in her hands. She pushed past the people and proffered it to Aeris. "Drink this."

Aeris’ surprise at seeing the one and only Urgl was tempered by her fears, and as she took it out of Urgl’s hands she had to ask her question. "Fezzik…is he dead?"

"No, girl, he’s laying right over there, sleeping like a log."

Aeris looked over and confirmed what Urgl said, the pounding of her heart subsiding, and drank the contents of the cup, grimacing at the taste.

"No surprise; when he wakes up that broken leg of his is going to be giving him his fair share of trouble."

Aeris choked on the last of the liquid. "What?" she coughed. "No!"

"Now you see, Aeris," Stephan broke in, "you have to quit. You have to come home."

"I can’t," she cried. "I can’t!"

"You tried," Stephan said. "You did your best."

"It’s time to go home," Sarah said gently.

"I’m not quitting!" she shouted. "I’m not! Just leave me alone!" And she hurled the empty cup towards Jareth.

It missed, probably on purpose, and clattered over the ground in the tent. He turned instantly introspective rather than furious. His question was forever "why?" and as he watched Aeris fume and shout at them, he posed it to himself. She was angry with them for trying to make her quit, of course, and he thought he could understand that. She believed in her mission, quite simply. But that was more exasperation, weariness…the anger was coming from something else. And it had prompted her to go so far as to throw things at him. Granted, it wasn’t the first time that had happened, but he usually had to be pushing her buttons to cause that, and he hadn’t. There was a desperation beneath the surface of her emotions, a frightened edge. She knew she had to go through the gates if she was going to find Inigo, and she was terrified. Of what?

His heart skipped painfully in his chest. Because she knew she couldn’t make it. Because she remembered. She remembered what he’d asked of her that day, and remembered that she’d given it.

But then she was suddenly silent and blinking. "Urgl, what did you…"

"Sleeping draught."

Her face caught in an expression of resigned distaste, and that was as far as she got before falling back on the cot.

It was decided that Stephan and Oberon would leave. Sarah would not. Puck accompanied them, but would return to collect Jareth, Sarah, and Fezzik as soon as they were ready. Atreyu and Falkor had stayed very much out of the picture, leaving and returning, but they were staying nearby. Atreyu was anxious for this girl who seemed to have gotten it into her head that she would make it past the gates, though everyone seemed assured she would not. He would be quite glad to give her advice…and it seemed she would need it.

But Atreyu was not there when Aeris awoke again. It was Jareth, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the tent. They were alone; Fezzik’s cot was empty. Jareth glanced at her.

"They went to test his crutches. They’ll be back shortly."

"Ah…" She started to sit up, pushing away the light blanket Urgl had lain over her.

He was up so quickly it startled her, and she drew back a bit. He came very close to her, standing over her beside the cot. "Aeris," he said, his voice very soft but his eyes intense, "tell me something."

"What?" she asked, frowning.

"Is it hard for you to live with it? Are you sorry you didn’t forget?"

She swallowed. Her throat clicked. "What are you talking about?"

His hands fell on her shoulders, careful of the bandaged place on her there. "You know exactly what I’m talking about."

She shook her head. "No, Jareth…You didn’t…" And then she began to blush. It was the realization that he remembered just as well as she did everything that had happened.

He let go of her shoulders abruptly, and looked away from her. "You didn’t take the peach," he said.

"Neither did you!"

"Because I was…"

"Afraid," she finished. "You were afraid, and so was I."

He stared at her silently for a long time. "You’re cursed," he said at last.

"So are you."

That thought hadn’t occurred to him.

She went on, her blue eyes unable to meet his for once. "Maybe I’ve paid my end of it. Though I doubt it would be so small a thing as losing my tears. No, I think I’ll lose my life if I go through that gate."

"Then why?"

"To die trying," she replied, smiling faintly.

He failed to see the humor. "If you die…"

"Oh, yes, my favorite speech. ‘The Underground will be without a Herald…’ Whatever shall we do?"

"…I will have lost my best friend." It was the first time he’d ever admitted it aloud, and she smiled, glancing at him, daring to look in his eyes once more. It was only for a second, but she did manage it before her gaze flitted away.

"I knew it," she said.

"You’re perfectly insufferable, are you aware of that?"

She kept smiling, looking down at her hands on the cot. "You said that for a reason, I know. You wouldn’t be baring your soul if you weren’t desperate. Not just over me but over Sarah. But tell me, Jareth, how do I stop? How do I quit now? Something’s pushing me so hard it half killed Fezzik. So how do I stop?"

"I…I don’t know…" He looked at her. She was curling up, her head falling on her knees and her shoulders shaking. "Aeris. Aeris, don't..." He’d almost said cry, but she really couldn’t, he reminded himself.

She was folding up and burying her face just the same, and though he hated to admit it, the sight affected him. For better or worse, Sarah had opened him up to such sympathies, and he struggled to comfort her for the first time in their lives. He finally, uncomfortably, touched her back, patting it lightly.

She started a little at the touch, and turned a wary glance on him. He shrugged. She sniffed and grinned. He smiled back. Their unspoken conversation was familiar territory, and he suddenly felt at ease, felt that he knew Aeris and knew where they stood again. And from the look in her eyes as they met his, he believed she felt the same way.

But her face turned darkly serious. "Jareth, you might lose Sarah if I go through the gates, whether I live or die or whatever. You know that, don’t you?"

He nodded. "Whatever it is that wants you to keep going doesn’t seem concerned with chancing your life; I assume mine is equally expendable, if not more so. But I think…I think it would almost be a relief. No more secrets. I wouldn’t feel as if I was living a lie anymore. That she was only with me because I had darkened the glass of her memory."

"Jareth, she loves you."

"She loves the man she believes I am."

"Who says you’re not him?"

"Who says you’re not worthy enough to make it through this gate?"

Aeris sighed. "I understand. Conscience. I never pegged you as the sort to feel guilt, Jareth."

"We’re more alike than you suspect."

She groaned, the words bringing back the thought that had run through her mind on that overcast day in the woods. So I am a villian too…

"Aeris, you’re awake!" cried Fezzik happily. "I was so worried about you."

She and Jareth both turned to see him and Sarah coming into the tent. Fezzik hobbled in on his crutches (large, strong, oak affairs), and Sarah came behind, her manner so still and quiet she might be a ghost.

"Aeris, Fezzik and I did some…talking. See, I’ve been thinking. And, well, I still don’t believe you should do this."

"Sarah…"

"Let me finish." She didn’t like that, using her stepmother’s old don’t-dare-interrupt-me phrase, but it didn’t come out nearly as sharp as she thought it would. "I don’t like it. But I know you feel like you have to do it. So I’m going to stop fighting you. If you die doing this, I want to say that I was right behind you and trying to help you get through it, not selfishly trying to stop you for my own stupid reasons. You’re my best friend. You made me who I am; you shaped my life."

Aeris closed her eyes. Jareth watched her, knowing only too well how it must twist the knife to hear Sarah be kind to her. But he had lost something, that cruel bent that made him take a little perverse pleasure in Aeris’ hardships as he had in childhood.

"Thank you, Sarah," Aeris finally managed. "Thank you…" She was up off the cot, shaky on her feet, and then she had Sarah in her arms. She held onto the other girl, her head on Sarah’s shoulder, Sarah leaning down just a little to allow it.

Atreyu broke it up. He leaned into the tent, his boyish, innocent, determined face outlined in the fall of his dark hair, his eyes studying them.

Aeris glanced up at him, releasing Sarah. "You look just like I imagined you to."

He smiled, tossing his hair. "Of course. Come on. You have to get ready for the gates."