We finally reached the bottom of the mountains. The beautiful mountains. I tied my mare to a nearby tree and looked at our surroundings. Seth was healed and helped the children off of the horse. Throughout the journey, he and I took turns riding on the back of the horse. Our pace had been slow, getting through the thick jungle.

"What shall we do now?" Seth asked.

"I want to make a small house." He blinks rapidly at me. I look at the trees around us. I place my hand flat against a tree. The trees and grounds begin to shudder and shake. A circle of walls formed around us. It was about five hundred feet in diameter. A flat roof formed above our head. It was a healthy mix of wood and stone. I continued the building up. I made a second story.

Then, I started making rooms. I made a kitchen. Stone appliances, glass windows. I made the doors, living room, dining room, and I started making bedrooms. I was starting to become fatigued. Making a whole structure was exhausting. I made two bedrooms and two washrooms. Sweat drenched me. I hadn't rested since I rescued the kids. I have been using magic nonstop. I was reaching my limit.

"I think that's good." I mumble.

"Are you ok, Mariposa?" Seth places a large hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off. "You are looking quite pale."

"Leave me alone." I snapped at him. I take a deep breath and try to ignore the emotions that always exceed their normal levels around him. "Sorry, I'm fine." I wave him off. "Come on, let's go upstairs." I pick up the two kids and carry them up the winding staircase, ignoring the sweat covering my body.

"Wow! You are so powerful, Mari!" Josephine smiles up at me. "I hope to be that strong one day, too!" She smiles up at me when I set her down.

"Alright, first, though, you need a nice long bath." I smile at the kids and nudge them into a washroom. I summon water and heat it with fire as I pour it into the stone tub. "The first step to becoming a powerful witch is good hygiene and self care."

"What about me?" Joseph looks at me sadly. "I'm not a witch. How do I become strong enough to protect others?" I help the kids undress.

"You become a knight." I turn my head slightly. Seth leans against the door with a soft smile. "You become a strong knight and take care of all the people that can't take care of themselves." I smile slightly at him.

"Are you going to become a knight?" Joseph asks as I lift him into the bath.

"Well, I already am a knight." He smiles and the smile falls quickly. "I haven't been a good knight so far," he looks at me, "but I will become a good knight and help Mariposa to save other innocent people." A bottle of soap floats up to me as he stares at me.

"Yes, and then he can teach you how to be strong." I add on as I spread the soap along their bodies and in their hairs. "You will be a strong knight, Joseph, so that you can protect small children until they can be strong too." He smiles at me and I rinse the soap off of the two kids. I dry them off.

"Here's their clothes." Seth hands me an outfit for both of them. "I thought it would be helpful to bring it up for you."

"Thanks." I dress them. I pick them up and carry them to another room. "This is your room." I set them on the floor. My basket floats up to us. "This is where you will store your clothes." I pull the drawers out of the dresser and fill them with clothes. "One side is for Joseph and the other for Josephine." They search around the room excitedly and settle in front of the window on the seat that I made by it.

"Where will we sleep?" Joseph asked.

"On the beds." I point to each bed. One on each side of the room. The mattresses and pillows were difficult to compose. The blankets were threadbare. "We will have to buy better blankets at a market." I say with a smile. "Speaking of markets, I finished the charms." I dig in my dress pocket and pull out four pieces of jewelry, two rings and two necklaces. "Do not put these on unless we leave the forest, ok?"

"Yes ma'am." The children speak at the same time.

"I will hang on to them for you." I smile and stick the necklaces back in my pocket. "This one is yours, Seth." I handed him a silver ring. Silver was the hardest thing I have ever created.

"This looks like a wedding ring." His face scrunches up as he looks at the twisting silver.

"Well yeah." I sigh. "Remember, we are supposed to act like a married couple when we go anywhere. It's to avoid suspicion." I remind him with another aggravated sigh. "Having a woman travel by herself and make purchases alone causes a lot of suspicion here."

"Oh, right." He scratches the stubble on his chin. He looked unhinged. So different from the crisp and pure man that I had met. I think... I think I like him better like this. I shake away the thought. "How does it work?"

"You just put it on." I put on my ring, twisted silver with a glass diamond. A tingle shot through my body. Blonde hair fell around me. My skin was now paler and I was shorter and thinner. "The only thing I couldn't disguise were my eyes." I sigh. "It should work for you since you don't have magic."

"Alright." He slides the ring onto his finger. He becomes shorter and fatter. His blond hair was long and he had blue eyes. "Did you really have to make me fat?"

"I had to make you what you aren't." I sighed. I pulled off the ring and my body tingled again. "Don't lose that ring, or I will castrate you."

"What does castrate mean?" Josephine asks from her bed.

"A not nice thing that you can do to a man." I say simply. I should be careful with what I say in front of children. "But it's not something we should say to others." I say to the small children. They look up at me with their wide innocent eyes.

"But you just said that to Seth?" Joseph's eyebrows scrunch together as he looks at me. Sally peaks out from Josephine's blonde hair. The gecko sticks out her tongue and gives me the closest thing to a mocking smile that a gecko can get to.

"That's because... I am an adult." I try not to flush at the snort that comes from Seth, so I glare at him instead. Not helping. "It's time for bed!" I say quickly, trying to save some face. The stars twinkle outside of their window. I lift them and place them in their beds and tuck them in. "Goodnight, Joseph." I kiss his forehead.

"Goodnight, Mari." He kisses my cheek.

"Goodnight, Josephine." I kiss her forehead.

"Goodnight, mommy." She drowsily kisses my face and I stare at her in shock. Joseph was already asleep. I put them to sleep with the kiss. So, he didn't hear his sister's blunder. I caress the little girl's face as she falls under the gentle blanket of sleep.

I walked out a little shocked. "Good job, Mariposa." Seth laughs at my earlier blundering.

"Josephine called me mommy." I look up into his golden brown eyes.

"Well, I saw that coming eventually." He leans against their closed bedroom door. "They both idolize you. They love you." I blink at him as emotions rise to a painful peak. "She probably never had a mother. I heard she died at their birth. So, you are probably her first taste of a woman's love." Tears thunder down my face. "Did I say something wrong, Mariposa?" Seth asks nervously.

"No." My voice cracks as I try to wipe the tears away but they just keep coming. The fatigue was making me crazy. "I killed a man in front of her! How can she idolize me?" I look at him, pleading. "I've never had a mom. Something like this could mess them up, Seth. What if I mess up on these poor babies?!"

Seth doesn't respond. Instead, he pulls me into a warm hug and lets me cry.