[Firefoot]

"Miss Lily," said Blanco. "Would you tell me exactly how you feel about my brother?" Lily felt herself go cold. The question was not completely unexpected, but it hit her hard just the same.

"I... I love him." The words, though not loud, were easily audible in the silent barn. Lily did not wait for his response. She had been almost to the door when he had called her back in, and a few steps she was outside. Letting the door swing shut behind her, she fled. She did not return to the inn, but rather around the other side of the barn. There was a large tree, with branches low enough for her to swing herself up among the leaves. She sat there in a fork in the branches, gasping for breath. She was not sure why she had reacted so strongly, but somehow the question had seemed so bold, so personal. Had she really been so afraid of his reaction that she had needed to get away that quickly? Deep inside, she knew the answer was yes. Then, being so flustered she could hardly think clearly, she had offered the bluntest answer she could now imagine. The words were true, of course, but admitting them out loud in such a way had awaken something deep inside her.

Lily wasn't sure how long she sat in the tree, but she knew if that Blanco and Posco would come looking for her if she was away any longer, if they hadn't already. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she pushed off from the low branch and landed lightly on her feet. Lily knew her only real choice was to return to the inn, and she steeled herself to walk around the far side of the barn. Neither of the twins were in sight, so she went alone up to the Inn and prepared to walk inside.