Nim whistled as he entered from the back of his shop with his arms full of rolled up scrolls.

"Here you go, Nod," Nim said as he placed them on the table. "But why exactly does Ronin need my maps?" He scratched his head. "Don't you guys have your own?"

Nod gave a forced laugh. "Uh, yeah, but funny thing is that he lended them to one of Tara's fairies and they haven't given them back yet."

"Tara's fairies?" Nim asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Why take yours when she probably has dozens?"

"Um…," Nod started and looked to M.K. for help. "Because-"

"Because they thought Ronin's were a lot prettier to look at," M.K. said quickly. "It's silly, but they thought their regular old maps were so boring."

Nim blinked, looking uncertain.

He's not buying it, M.K. thought. He's going to tell Ronin, and our whole plan will be ruined.

Much to her relief, Nim shrugged. "Yeah, that's true, some of them can be so picky." He turned around and grabbed his apron. "And it's back to work for me. Stay safe you two!"

"Will do!" Nod said as he took the map, and then dragged M.K. out of the shop. Once they were out of Nim's sight, Nod slumped.

"I thought he caught on to us for sure," he muttered.

"We wouldn't have to have gone through that if we just used the maps Ronin had," M.K. said as she went over the list of their supplies.

Nod shook his head. "Then we would have been caught before we got our foot out the door. Ronin has spells on those maps that causes them to go completely blank and alert him the moment their off his property." He shrugged. "Thus, not only would they be useless, but Ronin would have known right off what we were planning to do."

"Okay, that makes sense," M.K. admitted as she crossed off maps on her list. "I'm guessing those spells are to ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands?"

Nod cleared his throat as he rubbed his neck. "No...more like to ensure I wouldn't take them and try to go into the fairy realm by myself."

"Why am I not surprised?" M.K. said, rolling her eyes as she held out the list for him. "I think we have everything. Water, food, maps, and now we just need a compass."

"No point in getting that," Nod said as he took the list. "Regular compasses don't work in the fairy realm. The magic messes up the magnetic pulls or something like that. Ronin told me once, but I wasn't really paying attention then."

"Figures," M.K. muttered and then took a deep breath. The knot in her stomach had been growing ever since they got their backpacks to collect their supplies. "We're really going to do this aren't we?"

"Yup," Nod said. "But, if you're changing your mind-"

"No," M.K. said firmly. "Like you said, we're the best chance my dad has. If I want him back, we go to do this."

Nod gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I promise I'm not leaving there without you. I got your back."

"Thanks, and likewise," M.K. said as she reached for the hand. "So, how do we get into the fairy realm?"

"We go into the woods," Nod said as he steered her down the path. "I know exactly where the spot is, I've just never been allowed to actually enter."

M.K. nodded as she tried to steady her own heart beat. No turning back, I'm coming, Dad.

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They reached the entrance much faster than M.K. expected and frankly it wasn't anything how she pictured it. She imagine a great wooden door, or a pair of gates that would magically open. Yet, all that sat in front of them was a large oak tree and a patch of mushrooms scattered around in a circle.

"This is it?" M.K. asked.

"Yeah," Nod said with a shrug. "I know it doesn't look like much, but fairy rings aren't anything to laugh about."

"Oh," M.K. said with a nod. Her father had told her about fairy rings and made it clear she should always avoid them and immediately tell him if she ever found one. "So, we just step inside?"

"You got it," Nod said, but grabbed her arm as she lifted her foot. "But before that, we should put our iron bells in our backpacks. We should be able to take them with us, but we'll freak out a bunch of fairies if they actually see it."

"Ah, okay," M.K. said as she reached for the bells Ronin had given her and slipped her into backpack. "Anything else?"

"Just one more thing," Nod said as he brought something out of his backpack and brought out a pair of sunglasses. "Put these on."

M.K. snorted a laugh, until she saw the serious expression on Nod's face. "Seriously?"

"From what I hear, the Summer Court's side of the fairy realm is REALLY bright," Nod explained as he slipped his sunglasses on. "Ronin told me it's not uncommon for some humans to go blind from seeing it...or at least that's how it feels when they come back to the human world."

"Oh," M.K. said slowly as she took the glasses. "We're part fairy though? Would that still affect us?"

"Probably not," Nod said with the shrug, "and Ronin and I technically get a pass for being part of the Guardian family, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Good point," M.K. replied as she slipped on the pair and posed. "How do I look?"

"As awesome as I do," Nod with as he tapped his glasses. He glanced to the fairy ring and held out his hand to M.K. "Ready? We just got to step inside, while we say 'Queen Tara' at the same time."

"Why? Is that a password or something?" M.K. asked as she took his hand.

"You got it," Nod replied. "The password changes when they select a new queen, so it should change when Tara finally crowns her heir."

They both turned their heads to the ring. "Okay," M.K. said as she steadied herself. "On the count of 3."

Nod nodded and in unison they said "1...2...3...QUEEN TARA!"

Once both feet had entered the fairy ring, they were engulfed in a blast of light. M.K. staggered slightly, but Nod steadied her as the light dimmed.

M.K. stood frozen and was very glad she was wearing the sunglasses. It looks so unreal. Everything seemed to shimmer. The flowers, the fields, even the sky had sliver of rainbows as if it was made out of crystals. It was hard to determine the proper colour of the area, but even through them she caught glimpses of a golden tint among all the foliage. The only thing that seemed grounding was the sound of a bubbling brook not too far off, but even that sound reminded her of bells chiming.

Briefly, she wondered was such water would taste like, but she shook her head. Big rule, no eating or drinking from the fairy realm if we want to be able to go back. M.K. just hoped they had enough food and water in their backpacks to make the trip.

She glanced to Nod, and wasn't surprised to see the same expression of awe. He had mentioned he had never been here either. She bet it felt odd to see the place he'd been told to guard for his entire life.

"I once heard Tara commented he likes the human realm more because it's more natural," Nod commented thoughtfully. "I think now I get what she was saying."

M.K. nodded. "Can't help but feel like it's easy to get sucked into this place if you're not careful."

"Yeah," Nod muttered and shook his head to awake from the daze. "Let's get moving, we got a lot of ground to cover before Ronin realizes we're gone."

M.K. nodded and they headed down the stone path, and tried to fear they might never get back home.

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They walked what felt like hours, but M.K. wasn't certain. Nod did mention that time was a bit wonky in the fairy realm. She had suggested to bring a watch, but Nod said they didn't work in the fairy realm.

"The sun doesn't set and there's no moon," Nod had explained. "The fairies basically sleep and eat whenever they feel like it. That's why it's dangerous if a human wanders in here without being prepared. They could spend what feels like a couple of hours and not realize days have gone by."

M.K. tried not to picture what kind of damage that would do to a human's sanity, particularly her father's.

Eventually, M.K. and Nod declared they needed a rest and sat the bottom of a purple leafed tree. M.K. got out one of the water bottles they brought, but only took a few mouthfuls. They had to rationed what they had since they weren't sure how long they would be there.

"How much farther to the Winter Court?" M.K. asked as asked as she offered the bottle to Nod.

Nod took a drink as he unfurled the map. "Depends on which path we take." He pointed to where they were. "If we stay on this path, it will take longer, but we won't get lost until we reach the border when we'll have to sneak our way through."

He then pointed to the forest. "If we cut through the forest, we'll save a few hours, but they're uncharted so there's a risk we could get lost."

"Great," M.K. muttered as she slumped against a tree. "Don't suppose we could stop and ask for directions?"

Nod didn't seem to hear as he stared ahead.

"Um..Nod?" M.K. asked, but Nod shushed her with a finger to his lips.

"Listen, you hear that?" Nod asked.

M.K. froze and strained her ears to listen. She couldn't hear much. Wind through the leaves of the trees, chirping of some kind of bird, giggling-Wait, giggling?

Nod rose to his feet, his body tense as if he was expecting an attack at any moment.

"Stay close," he whispered. "Probably nothing, but let's not take any risks."

M.K. nodded as she crouched behind him. Silently, they trek ahead in the path and the giggling got louder. They soon came across a clearing, and found the giggling was coming what appeared to be a small tea party.

A couple of fairies were laughing as they sat around a table sipping tea and offering some kind of cookie that were molded into the shapes of leaves. The group didn't seem to notice as the teens stepped closer.

"So, I told Rose that dress was just hideous," said a fairy they couldn't see due to her back facing them, but looked like she wore a dress made out of giant green leaves.

The second fairy sat on the far end of the table, shook her head and almost caused the flower crown of daisies to fall off her head. "Lilly, that's a little harsh isn't it?"

"Well, I couldn't lie, Daisy! She would never forgive me!"

At the other end of the table, small fairy who looked almost like a young preteen girl, sighed deeply as she slumped in her chair. She wore a dress that looked like it was sewn out of giant marigold petals.

"Mom, can I please, go now?!" she pleaded. "I'm bored out of my mind!"

M.K. chewed her bottom lip and tugged Nod's shoulder. "They look harmless," she whispered, "we should go before they see us."

Nod didn't say anything. His body remained still to the point it was almost frozen. M.K. was getting concerned something was wrong until Nod lowered hands dropped to his side.

"Mom?" he said aloud.

The three fairies jumped and turned in their seats. The fairy named Lilly, turned and gasped in shock as she saw them. She had long dark brown hair and eyes that were identical to Nod's. The flower crown she wore on her head nearly fell off as she leaned back.

"Nod?" she whispered.

M.K.'s eyes widened. This is Nod's mother?!

Nod swallowed, and gave a shaky smile. "Hey, Mom..um...long time no see?"

Lilly rose from the chair her eyes still in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Um...Nod," started. "Well, you see-"

"Does Ronin know you're here?" she asked.

Nod's shaky smile dropped into a frown. "Gee, nice to see you too, Mom."

Her eyes narrowed. "No need to take that tone with me. It's a fair question."

Nod folded his arms as he sighed. "I'm not staying. My friend and I are just here on business, and then we're heading back."

Nod's mother frowned. "I'm going to assume by that answer that means you snuck in here without Ronin's knowledge. Nod, I think you should head back."

"Oh, really?" Nod remarked. "You haven't seen me in years, and your first instinct is to tell me to go back?"

Nod's mother frowned, and tears started to build up in her eyes. "You really do look like your father," she muttered.

Nod went silent as his hands formed into fists.

M.K. chewed her bottom lip. She wasn't sure what to say or do. Neither of them had thought they would bump into Nod's mother.

The younger fairy at the table looked equally confused. "Are those humans? Mom, what's going on-"

"Not right now, Sweetie," Daisy said gently and cleared her throat. "Well, since we're all here, why don't you join us?" She clapped her hands and gestured to the table. "I realize you can't eat or drink what we have, but you can join us and chat at least."

Nod looked tempted, but then he glanced up to his mother. She was looking away from him, and hugging herself tightly. M.K. couldn't help, but notice a few tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thanks, but no," Nod said as he took M.K.'s hand, "we got to get going." They turned back to the path, and without turning his head he said aloud. "We'll have this chat again, Mom...when you're feeling up for it."

Nod's mother barely gave a nod and didn't dare turn her head as they went. M.K. glanced over her shoulder.

"Mom," she saw Marigold said, but in a more softer tone. "Would it be alright if I go, now?"

"Yes, Dear," Daisy said, gently as she patted Lilly's shoulder. "I think that would be wise."

They were soon out of earshot before they could hear the rest of the conversation. M.K. looked to Nod, but his face was unreadable. Nod had mentioned he hadn't seen his mother since his father died.

It had been years before she had seen her father, but at least her father was willing to see her after her mother passed away. Compared to Lilly, he was a bit better...but only a bit.

"You, alright?" she asked.

Nod sighed and shut his eyes. "Yes...no...not sure." He shook his head. "Sorry about that, I honestly didn't expect we just bump into my mother like that."

"She seemed….nice?" M.K. replied, not sure what else to say.

Nod gave a bitter laugh. "Thanks...you know, actually she normally is. A bit air headed, but she is a good person."

They paused in the path as he ran a hand through his hair. "It's just, fairies take the loss of a loved one a lot harder than humans do, and they can grieve a long time as a result."

"Dare I ask how exactly long?" M.K. asked.

"Varies. For some it only takes like five years, others it could take decades, and maybe longer," he raised his head up to her. "And I have a feeling for my mom it's the century long one."

M.K. reached out and hugged him. "Sorry."

The tension seemed to leave Nod's body as he hugged M.K. back. "Thanks...although, now we should really get moving. Mom maybe be an airhead, but there's a strong chance she's going to ask Ronin about us being here."

"So, shortcut through the forest then?" M.K. said, "or should we just try to run all the way down to the Winter Court?"

"You guys are going to the Winter Court?!"

M.K. and Nod jumped in unison. "Who said that?!" Nod said as he got a battle stance ready.

"Me!" Marigold cried as she swung upside down off a tree branch. "After I left I decided to follow you guys." She hopped down and didn't seem to register the shocked expressions on the teens' faces.

"Why are you going guys going to the Winter Court?" She bounced up and down excitedly. "Is it an adventure?! Is it? Is it?"

"I guess technically," M.K. muttered, "but it's hardly for fun"

"Ooh," Margold nodded thoughtfully and suddenly snapped her fingers. "Is it a rescue? It's a rescue isn't?!"

M.K. exchanged a stunned expression with Nod, but the boy swiftly covered it up with a cough.

"What makes you assume it's a rescue?" he asked.

"You live in the human realm, but you're clearly not here to live or you would have asked to eat some of Mom's and Miss Lilly's fairy food." She counted off her fingers. "So, that means you're here on a retrieval mission and the Summer Court fairies only bother to steal little trinkets, and you look WAY too jumpy for something small like that."

She raised a finger and gave a smirk. "So, matter of deduction says it's a human and if so, only ones who still do that are the Winter Court fairies." Marigold grinned. "So, am I, right?"

Nod blinked and scratched his head. "Dang, you're good."

Marigold giggled. "I read a lot of detective novels that Queen Tara brings over to me."

"You know the queen?" M.K. asked.

"EVERYONE knows the queen," Marigold said, "but she's actually an old friend of my mom's." She grinned widely. "And she's awesome and super cool! I can't imagine the next queen could even be half as great as her-"

"Sorry to stop the Tara love," Nod cut in, "but we do need to get going."

"Oh, right, sorry," Marigold said, but continued to grin. "So, who are you rescuing?"

M.K. sighed and exchanged a look to Nod. It seemed pointless to keep it secret with her, and who knows, maybe she could give directions. "We're rescuing my Dad, Mandrake has him."

"Oh, wow," Marigold said in genuine shock. "Is he okay?"

"At the moment, maybe," Nod explained, "but we need to get him out soon. He won't last much longer."

"Ooh," Marigold said as she started to sway back and forth on her heels. "So, that's why you need to sneak into the Winter Court."

"Exactly," Nod explained. "So, if you don't mind-"

"Can I come? PLEASE!" Marigold placed her hands together. "I can help."

M.K. blinked. The girl was a bit too enthused for this. "Thanks, but it's too dangerous," she said with a hand raise. "We're already taking a risk just going by ourselves."

Marigold flapped her wings and pointed to the woods. "But you'll save time by taking a short cut through the forest."

"Yeah, we know," Nod said with a shrug, "but problem is we'll get lost."

"I wouldn't!" Marigold declared and pointed to herself proudly. "I know the fairy woods like the back of my hands."

M.K. and Nod froze and glanced to each other.

"Are you telling the truth?" Nod asked slowly. "Or are you just saying that so you can tag along?"

"Nope, I swear!" Marigold declared. "I've played in those woods since I was little. I'll even...oh, let's see," she searched her pocket on her petal dress and suddenly grinned as she brought out a seashell. "If I get you guys lost, I promise to give you my favorite seashell! Which is a BIG deal because it's my favourite thing!"

M.K. took the shell and looked it over. "I didn't know they had seas in the fairy realm."

"They don't," Nod muttered as he folded his arms. "How did you get your hands on this?"

"Queen Tara gave it to me," Marigold explained. "I'm always asking her questions about the human realm, so she gave it to me as a present." She glanced around and said in a low whisper. "I really want to go there for a visit, but Mom says I can't go until I'm old enough."

Nod chewed his bottom lip and looked to M.K. "The woods would be a lot faster if we had a proper guide."

M.K. frowned as she looked at the young fairy. They shouldn't involve anyone else, especially someone that was basically a kid, but they didn't have much time to save her father either.

"Alright, you can come," M.K. stated as she gave back the shell. "But once we're at the border you're out."

"Aw, but I want to help," Marigold replied.

"Helping us through the forest will be enough," Nod said as he kneeled and patted her shoulder. "Besides, there's a high chance of M.K. and I getting captured, and if we do, I'm counting on you to tell Ronin for me." He gave a wink at her. "Think you could do that?"

Marigold blinked and then she beamed. "Yes! Sure, I can do that!" Her wings flapped madly as she flew ahead. "Come on, we head north for a bit. Follow me!"

M.K. giggled as she whispered to Nod. "Good excuse so she wouldn't follow us."

Nod gave a shaky laugh. "Thanks...but I was mostly serious. If we get into trouble, we'll need someone to let Ronin now what happened."

M.K. ceased her giggling. Right, that made sense.

"Guys, COME ON!" Marigold whined. "I've seen slugs move faster!"

"We're coming," M.K. called as she and Nod picked up their feet.

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Something was amiss, but Ronin couldn't place on his finger exactly what it was. The kids had headed over to Finn's farm early that morning. Nod suggested getting a proper tour of the place would help M.K. take her mind off of her worries, at least for a while.

Ronin thought it was a good idea and allowed it, and had immersed himself into researching what was known about the Winter Court to attempt some kind of plan to rescue Boma. However, he had gotten so engrossed, he didn't realize it was already half past one until he went to get a cup of coffee. Nod had said they be back for lunch, so where were they? Still at the farm?

Ronin frowned as he went to the phone. They were probably fine, but his sixth 'Nod getting into trouble' instincts were starting to tingle. He dialed and sat in the chair as he heard the phone ring.

"Hello?" Finn said on the other end.

"Hi, Finn, it's me," Ronin greeted as he straightened the papers on his desk. "I just wanted to check to see if the kids are alright."

"Um...okay," Finn asked, slowly. "So, why are you asking me this?"

Ronin froze, his sixth sense was vibrating now. "Because they went to your farm, and haven't come back yet."

There was a long pause. "Ronin, Nod and M.K. aren't here," Finn replied.

Ronin's grip tightened on the phone. "But Nod said they were heading to your place hours ago."

"I've been here all day and I haven't seen them," Finn replied. "Maybe they went into town to see Nim instead?"

Ronin scratched his chin. That was a possibility, but something wasn't right. "Finn, I'll call you back. I'm going to give Nim a call."

Finn said his goodbye and once he hung up Ronin was dialing Nim's number.

"Nim's ice cream shop!" Nim greeted on the phone. "How can I help you?"

"Nim, it's Ronin," he said. "Tell me, did Nod and M.K. come by your place?"

"Yeah, sure," Nim replied. Ronin's body started to relax. Good, for a split second Ronin thought they were up to something crazy.

"And I gave them the maps you wanted," Nim replied. "Sorry about the handwriting on them. My uncle didn't have the best penmanship."

Ronin's body went numb. "What maps?" he asked, his voice full of dread.

"The maps of the fairy realm…," Nim started, but then trailed off. After a moment of silence, Nim started again "You didn't need my maps did you?"

Ronin cursed. "Of all the stupid-Where did the kids go after leaving your place?"

"T-They didn't say," Nim stammered. "I just assumed back to your place. Ronin, I'm sorry. I never would have lend them if I known-"

"It's not your fault," Ronin said, half meaning it and also thinking he didn't have time to listen to Nim's apology. "I got to try and track them down, but let me know if you see them."

"Will do! And I'll contact Tara for you," Nim said before hanging up.

Ronin cursed again as he rapidly dialed Finn's number and ran a hand through his hair as Finn answered.

"Ronin?"

"The kids went to the fairy realm," Ronin answered. He was going to kill Nod when he found him. It was probably his idea to begin with.

"Are you certain?"

"They took fairy realm maps from Nim, and I haven't seen them since this morning," Ronin answered. "Where else could they be?"

Finn sighed. "I hate to say it, but I'm not surprised. The chances of getting Bomba back ourselves weren't looking very high. The kids probably thought they had a better chance."

"That doesn't mean they should have gone," Ronin grumbled. "They're putting a lot at risk, and not just themselves."

"Not saying I agree with it, but I understand it," Finn replied. "You would do the same if it was Nod that was captured."

Ronin sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He knew Finn was right, but that didn't make the kids' plan anymore stupid.

"What do you want to do?" Finn asked.

"Gather your things and meet me at the fairy realm entrance. We have to go after them. Tara will probably meet us there after Nim contacts her."

"Alright, I'll see you there," Finn said as he hung up.

Ronin dashed out of the room to practically dump his supplies into his backpack. They had to act fast, and maybe, just maybe they could find the kids before Mandrake did.