Masked (A Hat In Time)

Returning Halcyon

Did you know?

Halcyon can mean calm, peaceful, tranquil, or it can also refer to a time that was happy, carefree, prosperous and wealthy?

Just a little fun fact.

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When Hattie opened her eyes again, she and Moon were in the tundra, though it took her a moment to recognize it. She blinked a few times and looked around until she fully processed what she was seeing.

The ice was melting. Patches of snow still lay in clumps on the ground everywhere, but they were small and dirty now. Long wet grass filled the once-snowy place with green, though it was matted and heavy with water. She had to squint to look around. After spending so much time in Subcon, where it was always nighttime, she wasn't used to seeing the sun again.

Her eyes grew wide. The sun! The clouds were gone, and the sun was shining down and warming the air. And also reflected light off the snow right into her eyes. She lifted a hand to block the glare.

"Life is finally returning to Halcyon," Moon murmured. "The ice is melting, and this field will flourish again." He sounded distracted. He was obviously worried about Jaide.

Hat Kid gave his hand a helpful squeeze before she let go. That snapped him back to reality. With wide eyes, he glanced down at her. "Sorry," he quickly said. "L-let's go find Jaide."

He started floating through the field, and Hat Kid followed him. She couldn't help but gaze around, her eyes wide. It was a surreal sight- patches of green and white as far as the eye could see. Once-towering ice structures were drooping and melting. She could see the ice spikes where the hot springs were in the distance. The spikes were reduced to just a large blob of ice.

Without the snow and familiar structures, it was hard to tell where they were going. But after looking around more and determining the positions of the frozen buildings (Are those going to fall now that the ice won't hold them up? Hat Kid wondered with a shiver of worry), she realized that they were going to Jaide's home.

And Jaide's house, Hattie remembered, was made out of ice just like everything else. Uh-oh.

"Hasn't Jaide's home melted?" she asked Moonjumper.

His shoulders dipped with his sigh. "Yes, it has," he reported, not looking back at her. "It's nearly completely gone now. The furniture she had is completely ruined, but I've been trying to save what I could."

Hat Kid winced. Poor Jaide. She must be feeling horrible.

Finally, they came upon where her home had been. The large dome of ice had melted to only a small ring of ice walls that were half Hattie's height. As Moonjumper had said, the chair had been ruined, along with Jaide's desk. For some reason, she couldn't look at the wreckage of Jaide's home. It just made her sad. So she turned her gaze back to the ground.

Quite a few Hope flowers were growing in the grass now. Hattie had seen plenty of them on the way there. Despite the wet landscape, they were standing taller and prouder than ever.

Hattie bent down to pick one. She could use a little hope and happiness right now. She plucked the flower from the ground.

The image in the petals shimmered and showed her the same image: her, Bow, Jaide, Snatcher, and the two others she hadn't recognized at first. Now Hat Kid realized who they were. Jaide was hugging Moonjumper, and the kids were hugging the prince. She smiled a little. So everything worked out in the end. So they were happy. And it couldn't be too far off in the future, could it?

She was so fixated on Moon and the prince in the flower that she did a double-take when she saw the third person. Hat Kid vaguely remembered Bow had said a new person had appeared in the vision a few nights ago.