Flora and Bubbles looked each other in the eye. "Let us borrow the pack leader's house for a moment," Flora whispered, leaning in towards Bubbles. "I think he is occupied at the moment."
"Wow," Bubbles said as she entered the house, "this is much better than I expected."
Flora shrugged, "I suppose, though I hadn't quite imagined anything, I think. Anyway," she said and looked around, "I think they have a fountain room or washroom somewhere – let us get you cleaned up."
"The world feels so uncertain now," Flora said as she dapped Bubbles' face with a damp cloth and brushed her hair. "Though I longed to travel, I just wish I could be back home in the Kingtree."
Bubbles nodded, "I know how you mean, though it seems my parents had been planning something different for me far longer than I expected."
They looked at each other in the mirror, their eyes meeting, their hearts beating. Flora shook her head, "They hadn't."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I overheard my father talk about it. He was quite surprised as well."
Bubbles leaned back in her chair, "So you mean to tell me that if they had, in fact, been planning it, they had not even let the king in on their plans?"
She nodded, "My father even argued against it. He said they shouldn't have to sacrifice their only daughter. Not even for peace with the Ice-kingdom."
"Hmm," Bubbles pondered it for a moment, "well, I just don't know what to make of this."
"I can't say I do either. Now, will you please help me with my hair – it seems I have a piece of bone stuck in it."
"Eww!" Bubbles said as she took a look, "Alright, be still, I will try to be gentle." She pulled the piece out, "Now, I look forward to hearing about your powers, now that they are out in the open."
Flora nodded, "But let us wait with that for another time."
"Yes. We should go now," Bubbles said with a sigh.
"I wish we could stay." Flora moved her hair away from her face. "Just a little longer."
Bubbles nodded, "though if we stay away, the pack leader might think we have run off."
"Maybe we should have done that," Flora pondered.
"You could have," Bubbles said as she took a look back at her own wings.
She shook her head, "Not without you."
"That settles it," Bubbles stretched her arms and legs as she got up, "we have to go talk to him. No more avoiding it."
They walked out of the leader's house searching for him and his mate to discuss the recent battle – and what was to happen now. They could not hope that he had changed his mind a great deal, but hopefully they had left some impression on him.
"Have you suffered many injuries?" the wolf pack leader asked them both when they found him. However, he seemed to address his words mostly towards Flora, who was not physically hurt.
"My partner has," Flora said and turned towards Bubbles with a worrying look, "though I am merely mentally drained. I hope you have had a chance to address the damages and deaths your pack has suffered."
"I have to thank you once again for what you both have done for my pack." He paused. "Our casualties would have been even greater had it not been for you."
Flora nodded.
"I am sorry for underestimating you, little princess." He chuckled a little. "It seems that it has become a habit of mind. I will make sure to correct that in the future."
At that, Flora shook her head, "You do not have to apologize. We have all been in difficult situations, and understand the decisions you made, though I do not approve of your methods." She looked towards his mate, who was standing behind him in silence. "Did you lose someone close to you?" She asked.
The female wolf looked up with tears in her eyes, "I, I, do not wish to bother you or your companion with our grief, dear princess," the wolf said.
"Please," Flora said, "it is no bother. I wish to know what pain you have suffered."
The wolf took a deep breath in, her tears increasing in frequency. "We lost our cubs," she finally said in a whisper, "I do not think I can cry any more, yet the tears just keep coming."
"I am sorry for your loss," Flora said, stumbling over her words, "all of them."
The pack leader shook his head in answer, "We have one from the litter left."
"Then I shall look forward to seeing the strongest of your cubs grow older and one day take his rightful place," Flora said, thinking about the cubs she had seen running around the camp, how they had played and tumbled over each other in pretend fights.
That seemed to please the pack leader, for he nodded with a respectful smile on his face. "I only wish I could let you leave our camp, but, alas, I cannot until our little goblin problem has been resolved."
Bubbles felt the same shiver rush down her spine as she had experienced the first time, when she had encountered the wolves in the forest, and when she had first seen the big silver wolf loom over them.
"You cannot?" Bubbles burst into the conversation despite her fear. It was overshadowed by her outrage. "After all we have done for you?"
"Precisely for that reason," the wolf said with a grin, "how can I let such powerful and resourceful fairies walk away when we need them for our own protection?"
Bubbles felt a strong desire to snap at him in a similar way to what she had seen the young cubs do to each other. "We should have turned our magic against you instead of the goblins, it seems," she said with an imitation of his growling.
But the pack leader merely laughed, "Maybe you should – would you like to have your wings plucked, little fairy?"
Bubbles tried snarling at him and baring her teeth, refusing to admit that her wolf imitation was intimidating.
"Calm down, Bubbles," Flora said, "we can still negotiate." She turned towards the pack leader, "What do you think our chances are of finding your cubs still alive if we locate the goblins for you?"
The mate of the pack leader looked up at her, "Will you get my babies back, sweetheart?"