“Lady Farore, are you here?”

The door opened, accompanied by a gentle breeze, and the lady stepped just outside. She gazed at the page with pale blue eyes and a calm expression.

“Have you a message for me, child?”

“Yes, Lady. Watcher Jareth sends this to you with all haste.” The page handed her a single sheet of parchment, folded over and sealed with the silver eye of the Watchers.

“Thank you.” She broke the seal and read it immediately. An urgent message from one of her Watchers meant only one thing, and this was no exception. She finished and handed the letter back, to be returned to the Watching Post and burned. No evidence of their activities could be allowed to exist.

“What is your reply?”

“I will go and see to this matter. Direct any other messages to the Post until I return.”

“I shall. Be safe, my Lady.” The page saluted and left.

Farore stood quietly for a moment, taking in the peaceful beauty of her Haven, the city she'd built and kept secret for so many years. The only place in Rumnir where those with the gift of magic could live without fear or pain. Many here bore the scars of their past, herself included. And perhaps sometime soon, a new person would come to live here, bearing scars of their own, to heal and learn to trust and love again after the harsh betrayal of reality.

~~~~~

If the appearance of a white mare in Cormenyr was strange, no one noticed or cared. Preoccupied with their unstable homeland, the people of the kingdom did not question the passing of the horse or her rider, the woman in the thick white cloak who carried Lothuan gold.

Farore traveled light and swiftly, passing through Lothua and well into Cormenyr through the secret routes of the underground. She was aided by the Guides who offered shelter revealed the hidden paths and also by the Watchers whose whispers came to her on the wind. The trail had gone cold but she intended to follow and so continued on to the last reported location, at the foot of the great mountains.

She sat patiently, listening to the memory of the air and the warnings of the sky. Satisfied, she had but to wait and soon they came, for they had watchers of their own. Soldiers, dirty and wild and savage. The mare sensed their hostility and snorted, pawing at the ground and tossing her head.

“Calm, Aega,” Farore said as she dismounted. The horse turned her head, listening. “I won't be long. Wait for me as you will, my dear.”

Aega nudged her shoulder and reluctantly moved away. As soon as one of the men approached her, the mare thundered away, vanishing into the forest. There she'd stay until Farore's task was done. In all their years of friendship, Aega had never faltered.

Her captors closed in with harsh laughter and taunting words. Farore paid them no mind and did not resist them. Calm and unafraid, she allowed them to lead her up the mountain to a place that was just one of far too many; a human slave camp.

~~~~~

Farore was shoved unceremoniously into the holding room, filled with girls and young women. With disgust she noticed that she was the only one with her original clothes. The men had stripped away the others' and replaced them with all too familiar slave outfits. She'd been lucky – they'd not had one made for a woman of her height and so she remained cloaked, hidden from their view.

The women looked up at her with dull eyes, eyes beyond hope that knew only pain and despair. Until now. She walked among them with a word or gesture of comfort to each, making her way slowly through the large room.

At last she came to the very last victim, shivering in the corner. Farore crouched alongside her and lightly touched her shoulder. She recognized this young lady from Watcher Jareth's description.

“Eris, it's all right child, I am here to help you. Come with me.” Farore stood and swept back her hood, revealing her piercing eyes and long golden hair. She raised her voice so that all might hear. “Come with me, all of you. You are bound to this fate no longer. Those who have families and homes that accept you may return. Those who do not may follow me and I shall guide you to safety.”

As they gathered around her, long-forgotten hope stirring in their hearts, Farore revealed herself at last. She pulled the cloak away, allowing them to gaze upon her with wonder and disbelief. Two great wings, the feathers white and soft as new-fallen snow unfurled from her back. A strong wind, warm and comforting and smelling faintly of spring swirled through the room.

Farore walked back across the room. The door was locked of course, but it was no barrier for her. She calmly pressed her hand against it, her magic responding to her will. The wood shattered, splinters exploding outward. The guards only had time to look surprised before they fell, pieces of wood driven through their backs.

She led the way out of the building and through the camp and the efforts of the soldiers did not trouble her. A shield of wind deflected arrow and blade like, the sheer force of her magic pushing them aside as she passed. They tried to follow but the air turned cold and heavy until they couldn't breathe. She left them to die a miserable choking death, ignoring their pleas for mercy or forgiveness. As a woman who'd once suffered as a slave herself, she had no mercy to offer them.

~~~~~

At the foot of the mountain Aega stood waiting along with half a dozen Guides, summoned by the white mare at Farore's request. Men and women alike gazed upon her with wonder, for to see the wings of Farore was like seeing an angel come from heaven. She let them see her for a few moments longer, then donned her cloak and turned to address the anxious group.

“The people I have gathered here are people worthy of your trust. Go without fear or anger in your heart and they will guide you back to your homes. Those with nowhere to go will be guided to a hidden place where you may find sanctuary. I will go on ahead to prepare for your coming. Be at peace my dears, for you will not be troubled by the fear of the ungifted again.”

As the Guides came forth to take over for her, Farore pulled Eris aside and spoke quietly so that the others would not hear.

“I came here to find you. My Watchers saw what happened at your village. I am offering you shelter for as long as you need it. Would you like to come ahead to Lothua with me?”