Origin and Aerwiar Part 7, LAST PART!!! Spoiler alert for the first book

It's finally out!!! This is the final part of the book in my fanfiction that covers season 1. I've decided I am going to follow the seasons due to wanting to actually feel like I am finishing something. The next section will be called Dividing Blood.

Gracie’s eyes fluttered open as the late morning light spilled through a roughly cut window, illuminating the room. She lay on a pile of blankets spread across the wooden floor, and for a moment, she simply watched dust motes dance in the sunbeams, but bit by bit all of last night flooded her mind. Before she could gather herself fully, a cheerful voice broke the silence. "Oh, good! You’re awake!" Nia stood in the doorway, her smile warm and welcoming. "I was about to wake you for lunch. Are you hungry?"" As if in answer, Gracie’s stomach growled loudly, drawing a hearty laugh from Nia. "Well, I think that settles it! Come outside and eat—your sister’s been waiting for you." Gracie nodded groggily, brushing dust and soup from her borrowed tunic as she got to her feet. The smell of fresh buttery bread wafted through the air, coaxing her toward the door.

Gracie stepped outside, blinking as the bright afternoon sunlight greeted her. The treehouse perched high in the treetops, offering a breathtaking view of the surrounding forest. The air was fresh and carried the soft rustle of leaves swaying in the breeze. Her eyes landed on Rebekah, who sat on a swing rigged up between two sturdy branches. She was nibbling on a thick slice of buttery bread, her feet gently kicking at the air. “Hey, Bekah,” Gracie called softly. Rebekah looked up, her expression a mix of relief and unspoken concern. Hopping off the swing with practiced ease, she landed lightly on the branch below, her eyes saying what her voice didn’t: I was so worried about you. Don’t do that again. Gracie hesitated, unsure how to respond. “I’ll do my best,” she said finally, her voice quiet but sincere. Rebekah squinted at Gracie, giving her a “warning” glare, but the tiniest hint of a smile tugged at her lips. Gracie couldn't help but laugh softly, squeezing her sister's hand in reassurance, and the sisters sat beside each other on the branch as they ate.

Nia, meanwhile, was already busy in the treehouse, settling into her familiar routine. Now that the girls were safe, she was determined to get things back to normal. Her plan for the afternoon included starting THAGS—though she knew Tink wouldn’t be thrilled. As she hummed to herself, cleaning the room with methodical care, Nia walked into the back room and spotted something odd in the corner. It was a pile of heavy bundles, tucked far out of sight. She crouched down to investigate, picking them up carefully. A gasp escaped her lips as she realized what they were—two strange-looking backpacks, unlike anything she had ever seen before. Nia's heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t help but wonder how these things had ended up here. “Children!” Nia called out, her voice tinged with both curiosity and excitement. “I think it’s time we clear up a little mystery. Come here, all of you.”

Leeli stared at the two strange-looking backpacks, which looked as strange as Gracie and Rebekah's old clothes, which Nia had decided to get rid of. In short, she could tell that they came from their world. Gracie and Rebekah were still coming, so Leeli assumed their explanations would take a moment. Nia cleared her throat, and her children all looked at her, wondering what she had to say. "I know that all of this is strange, and it's weird having other kids around, but I want to make it clear that we won't be badgering them with questions. I especially have noticed that Rebekah doesn't seem to talk, and I don't want you asking her about that or trying to get her to speak. It might be that she's shy, or maybe has an embarrassing problem with her speech. Don't worry them about it, all right? I might talk to Gracie about it, but I don't want you kids asking either of them questions." Nodding quickly, Leeli asked, "What's in the bags?" Nia shrugged, "I don't know, I found them in the back room, I'm waiting to mess around with them until Gracie and Rebekah get here."

It took a minute, but Gracie and Rebekah hurried into the room, still catching their breath from their jog. When Gracie spotted the backpacks on the table, her eyes widened in surprise and recognition. “Where did those come from?” she asked, her voice full of confusion. Before Nia could respond, Peet popped his head into the room, grinning. “You left ‘em behind! You left ‘em, yes, you left them behind! In town, I mean,” he said, his voice bubbling with excitement. “I brought ‘em back for you, Gracekah and Rebekie! Little Gracekah, little Rebekie, they are all safe and sound now!” Nia just shrugged, as though to say it was nothing, before turning her attention back to the children “Well,” Nia began, her voice settling into a more serious tone, “Now that you’re all here, I think it’s time we get down to the important business of the day. We’ve got THAGS to tackle.” Tink groaned, "I don't wanna do THAGS, that's so boring!!!" Gracie, curious, asked, "What are THAGS?" He explained what they were, and what that meant, and why he hated them. "They're school!!! No one else in Skree does school!!!" Gracie, completely befuddled, responded, "That's not school, drawing is fun!!! And I LOVE TO READ!!! How is drawing for a couple of hours considered school?" He stared at her, "What's school to you then? Math?" He had said the last part snarkily, but her face in response was too serious to laugh at. Nia, interrupting, asked Gracie to spare her from her curiosity and open the bags, at which Gracie handed one of the bags to Rebekah, recognizing it as hers, and undid the strange thing that kept it shut, which she called a zipper. Gracie peeked inside and then groaned, "Tink, this is our school." Nia, curious like the others, asked "What is your school then? Can you show us before Tink bursts his hide in wonder?" Gracie nodded and pulled out a stack of books that seemed to reach the moon to the Wingfeather children. Tink's jaw dropped further, and his eyes bugged out more and more with each subject she named. "Spelling, science, language arts, history, math, my art book, I don't have my music book and this is my current reading book that I have to write an essay on. Here are my note books for math, science, spelling, history, and language arts." Kalmar interrupted face pale, "how do you do all of that every day? When do you go outside and play?" Gracie looked at him confused, "Its simple. We do. I start after breakfast, and I always finish by dinner, but usually right after lunch..."

"RIGHT AFTER LUNCH!!!"

Nia shushed Kalmar and then smiled at the other children. "this was a normal dose of schooling in Skree before the invasion. Now people just don't educate. But Gracie, I can't teach you math or science, as I know only basic arithmetic like most Aerwiarians. That will have to wait until you can get someone more learned to teach you." She explained this with a furrowed brow, looking through the confusing (to her) pages of advanced arithmetic. Gracie looked at her shocked, but then nodded, "Ok, I didn't know you didn't do MATH!!! I don't like it either, so I'm happy not to do it!" Nia laughed, and in response, decided, "I think I will have you do word as your main THAGS, as you have multiple subjects already related to that, also, share that history book with Janner so he can learn about your world, Rebekah, I think contrary to your books, I will have you study song with Leeli as your main THAGS, as that seems to be a talent of yours. Happy?" Both girls nodded, and Nia set all the children, with much less complaining than usual, to their THAGS.

Podo thrust the post into the ground with a grunt, wiping the sweat off his forehead, he sighed heavily. "Thats the last one. Now I just need to get the boys out here to test it out." The boys tumbled down the ladder in response to his bellowing call, and gaped in amazement at the wonder he had worked. It was a training ground with multiple types of dangers they might encounter mimicked in different ways around the course. Gracie stuck her head out the window interested, and then called out, "Can I try?" Slightly annoyed, Podo acquiesced and let her, Leeli, and Rebekah train with the boys until dinner. Gracie surprised everybody with her lack of skill in throwing knives, even though she had good aim; this was mainly due to the fact that she wasn't very physically strong. That was at least until they tried sword fighting each other with carved sticks, and then she showed the knowledge of someone who'd trained for about a month intensively, meaning she defeated Tink, but lost to Janner, who was naturally talented. At the end Podo wondered how she had fought off the Fangs at all, as she had almost no skill at all, however, he thought she would learn quickly. After a while, Nia called the girls in to help with dinner, and in a private moment, asked the question that had been on her mind. "Hey Gracie, can I ask you a question?" "Yes, you can ask me a question, what is it?" she responded lightly. Nia's gentle tone carried a weight of concern as she asked, "Is... Can Rebekah talk?" Gracie paused, considering the question with a soft sigh. "I think she can. She did at home." Nia’s expression softened, her heart going out to the quiet girl she had grown so fond of, and instead of responding, she nodded, and they both continued preparing dinner. It turned out that Rebekah was excellent at cooking, and she dominated the position of Nia's helper to the point that Leeli sat down and began practicing her harp.

Dinner was lively, life and light streamed from the little treehouse in a world overpowered by darkness. The Jewels, Gem, and swordwielding sister all found a time of peace amidst the dangers of the forest, and for a time, all was well.

Here you are!!! And I must give credit to Chat GPT, as it helped me streamline several wordy parts and keep it easy to read. Hope you have enjoyed!!!