WARNING: SPOILERS!!! ~A Watty's 2019 Submission!

Saved for A Sister's Quest

Gwendolyn sat playing a Duel of Wits with Gart, though she was completely distracted by the thoughts of her grandfather and her great Aunt Hova.

"Gwendolyn. It's your move." he told her, and she sighed.

"Sorry." she moved one of the shields, then looked up to Gart. "Hey, do you know anything about Great Aunt Hova?" He shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"Not really." He admitted. "I hadn't really ever heard of her until Grandpa said something. Grandmother told me that Grandpa did have have some sisters, and she did say that they went on adventures, but she always seemed awkward when I asked about Great Aunt Hova. She did mention how she traveled with Grandpa, but that was about it." Gwendolyn sat up at that.

"Really? So,Grandma Neese knows something about her?" Gart nodded, and Gwendolyn stood up quickly. Maybe Grandma knew where she went! "Excuse me!" Then she hurried out of the room, running down the hall towards the throne room, when she saw her grandma standing in the hall. "Grandma!" She called, and Neese turned around, smiling.

"Yes, Gwendolyn dear?" She said sweetly, and Gwendolyn stopped short in front of her, standing up straight and preparing herself to ask the question.

"What do you know about Great Aunt Hova?" Neese's smile fell, and she bit her lip nervously.

"Why do you ask?" She asked timidly, and Gwendolyn nearly sighed. At least she hadn't denied her yet.

"Because I know that Grandpa misses her." She told her. "And, I think he wants to see her again. I thought, maybe, if I could find her, maybe it could help him get better." Neese twiddled her fingers, a little nervous. She knew that Gwendolyn could possibly be right. If Hova did come back, then maybe it would help Graham heal. But she also knew the consequences of bringing a woman like Hova back into their lives, especially Graham's.

Finally, she let out a sigh. "What would you like to know." Gwendolyn smiled, and she led Neese to a sitting room.

"What was Hova like?" She asked as they sat adjacent to each other. "Was she nice? Did she make puns? Did she always have those spells like Grandpa and you do?" Neese chuckled.

"Calm down, dear! Let me collect my thoughts!" She leaned back in her chair. "I remember when I first met Hova. She and I got along splendidly! She would share the adventures that she and your grandpa had shared with me for hours! Your grandpa would have to drag her out of the room just to get us to bed! And she was ever so helpful when I first came to Daventry!"

"How so?" Gwendolyn asked.

"Well, your grandfather, while he was kind enough to introduce me to all of his friends and to show me all of his favorite places, she was a little more helpful. She taught me addendums, and showed me around the palace. We'd take walks through the town and she'd show me the functions of each of the shops and who was best at what."

"What did Hova do? Since she wasn't queen." Neese's smile faded, and her eyes looked down at her lap.

"Well, she was... a different, sort of worker here in Daventry." She said, treading carefully as she spoke. "She used to work with the Hobblepots, brewing potions and learning their spells. She had quite a gift for magic, she did." Gwendolyn gasped.

"Great Aunt Hova did magic? I thought magic was forbidden in Daventry after what happened with Grandpa and Mananan!" Neese nodded.

"It wasn't at the time. Hova was a gifted witch, and a clever one at that. She adored doing magic, and was very good at it. She actually used to teach your father a bit of magic when he came home."

"What happened?" Gwendolyn asked. "Why did she have to leave then? It sounds like everything was okay." Neese pursed her lips.

"I don't really know, dear. Your grandfather came home one day, fuming. He was so angry, he didn't speak to anyone. He simply locked himself in the bedroom and wouldn't come out for anything. She came home later that night, and we sat in this very room together. She wouldn't answer any of my questions about what happened. We simply talked. It was as if everything was normal." Gwendolyn looked around the room, trying to picture Hova sitting next to her, just talking to Neese, and failed. She didn't have a clear vision of what Hova really looked like, and didn't know what to look for.

"What did she look like?" She asked, and Neese twiddled her fingers.

"She looked normal. She had on her cape, and she wore her hair down in a long braid that had a twig braided headband on it to keep it back."

"What did she talk about?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. She asked me about Rosella and how her adventuring was going. We talked about how Alexander had run off with your mother, and wondered if he was doing alright. She asked me if I was doing okay as queen. In hindsight, it seemed as if she was making sure we'd be okay after she left."

"When did she leave after that?" Gwendolyn asked.

"That very night." Neese wiped her eye, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear."I bid her goodnight, and then I never saw her again. No one had seen her leave." Gwendolyn clenched her fist. "It was such a sad affair when she left. Graham wouldn't say anything about what happened. Rosella was certain that that they had had a fight, but she'd been in a confused state all day. She and Hova were so close." Gwendolyn looked up at that.

"Really?" Neese nodded.

"Oh, yes. She taught Rosella nearly everything she knew about adventuring." Gwendolyn jumped up. If Hova had told Rosella everything about adventuring, maybe she had told Rosella about her next adventure!

"Thanks, Grandma!" Then she jumped up and hurried off to find Rosella.