Robinson and Jillian crashed through the underbrush and stumbled into the clearing. Almost instantly, Eye-Eye ran up to them.

"About time! We were almost about to-."

"We're leaving," Robinson said, trying to catch his breath. "They know...about...the posters."

Realization flooded the first mate's face. He saluted and scampered off. Quickly, he returned with the horses and the rest of the pirates. None of them questioned what was going on as they spurred the horses into a canter. Jillian's horse had been left in Brooks along with Sparky's so she sat behind Robinson while the pyromaniac sat behind Eye-Eye.

They thundered through the woods, disrupting brush and leaves in their wake. Jillian was bouncing so much she had to wrap her arms around Robinson's waist to keep from falling in an embarrassing heap.

"Where-are-we-going?" Robinson asked inbetween bounces. Rosie who had managed the feat of map-reading and riding looked even more grave than usual.

"The Wilds," he said mournfully.

The mood among the pirates instantly darkened. "THE WILDS!?" Eye-Eye screeched from behind. "But Captain-."

"I know!" Robinson shouted back. "Its bad, but get over it!"

Jillian tapped him on the shoulder. "Umm, what are The Wilds?" She could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Its a giant expansion of dark forest, nearly covering a third of the continent. Its about the same size as the Snow Queen's territory and is its entire southern border."

Jillian's eyed widened. "You're j-joking right?" Why did everywhere they went have to be dangerous?

Rosie decided to butt in with some 'helpful' information as he ducked under a hanging branch. "And its full of trolls, hobgoblins, ogers, and even werewolves."

"Werewolves?!" Eye-Eye and Sparky cried in unison.

The horses lept over a stream and the pirates pulled on the reins, slowing them to a walk. The conversation picked up immediately after.

"They're origionally from Across-the-Sea but I have heard rumors that a few came here and bred," Boulder called from behind. Al nodded in agreement.

Jillian didn't really know what a werewolf was but didn't want to ask if their reactions were this bad. Even Robinson looked uneasy at the prospect of The Wilds. Maybe this was too much for them. There was no way this was a good idea!

"Umm, Jill, you ok?" Robinson asked, turning in the saddle.

"Fine," she said, gritting her teeth to keep herself from throwing up. Her nerves were so high she felt nauseous.

"Well, you're making frost spread all over my coat."

Jillian gasped and withdrew her hands from his waist. "I'm so sorry! I'm just nervous and-"

"Scared?" Sparky finished. "Well join the club." She stared at him. He was to one she'd least expect to admit being scared.

"You?"

The pirate scoffed. "You think I want to risk my neck in that hole of demon-spawn?" He caught a hard look from Robinson and quickly tried to fix it. "Uhh I mean it will be fine. I'm sure its not as bad as all the rumors say." He winced as Robinson and Eye-Eye both face-palmed.

She knew they were trying to make her feel better and not trying to stress herself out was making her more stressed.

Rosie spoke up again after a few minutes. "The fortress that the children live in is on the edge of the Wilds so we don't actually have to go in."

Jillian exploded. "Why didn't you say that first?!? And here I am so panicked I accidently used my powers!" As if to prove her point, an icy wind blew through the trees, momentarily washing away the summer warmth. Her companions shivered slightly but made no mention of the brief magic. Jillian felt color leave her cheeks.

Rosie had the decency to look slightly ashamed. "S-sorry," he mumbled, turning back to the map. Silently, the pirates returned their attention to following the navigator. Jillian cautiously put her arms back around Robinson and closed her eyes to calm herself.

Eye-Eye muttered to Sparky when he though Jillian wasn't listening, "You know we'll have to go in the Wilds eventually to reach the Snow Queen, right?"

By dusk, the group decided to set up camp for the night. Jillian was forcibly reminded of the nymphs' forest but Rosie assured her and the others that they didn't live in this region. After they got settled, Goose immediately jumped into Jillian's lap. "Tell me a story!" the little girl demanded. The older girl was exhausted but she agreed, anything to keep her mind off of the Wilds and her scary thoughts about her magic.

"Well, its an interesting story. I don't know very many," she confesed.

"Tell it!" Goose begged, eye wide.

"Once upon a time, there was a bean, a piece of coal, and a piece of straw..." Jillian began one of the tales she heard other girls in the orphanage tell the younger ones. She said how the three objects decided to escape their fates of being eaten, used up, and burned by traveling away together. "Soon, they reached a stream and the straw decided to act as a bridge so the others could cross it. The piece of coal got scared halfway across and-."

"It got scared?" Sparky interrupted. Jillian's face burned as she noticed the others had slowly gathered around her and were trying to act as if they weren't interested.

"Its a kid's story!" she defended hotly.

Goose stuck her tounge out a him. "I want her to finish!"

"When the coal got stopped moving, the piece of straw burned and broke in half. The two fell in the river and were never seen again!" Everyone gasped. "The bean, though, found this funny and laughed so hard it burst. Luckily, a man was walking by and saw the poor bean. He took pity on it and sewed it back together. This is why beans have a black stripe. The end."

"That sucked," Sparky complained. "I got a better one and its scary." He moved closer to the fire so the orange light flickered on his face. "Once upon a time, there was a boy who didn't fear at all..."

Jillian felt a hand on her shoulder. "I want to talk with you," Robinson whisphered. She silently stood up and led Goose to sit with Boulder. Following him into the trees, she heard Sparky say, "His father sent him off so he could figure out how to be scared."

The two stopped a few yards away from the camp. "What is it?" Jillian asked, though she had a pretty good idea what was up. Robinson had been oddly quiet since the ride.

"I just want to know if you're okay," he said.

Jillian was taken aback. "Oh! I'm...good. Nothing to worry about."

"You sure?"

She nodded, a little too quickly.

"Then the winter wind was just a wordly phenomenon, right?"

Jillian cursed silently. She had hoped she only pretended the others had noticed.

Robinson took her stunned silence as an answer. "Has this happened before? I mean before the..accident." He touched his abdomen, reminding her of his injury.

"Yes and no," Jillian said slowly.

Robinson rasied his eyebrows. "Well what does that mean?"

"I've never effected the weather before!" Jillian shouted, at wit's end. "There! You happy? What's happening to me?" she cried miserably. "Are my powers growing? I know my brother caused a blizzard in Brooks but I don't want to do that by mistake. I was fine having magic before but..." She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"You don't want to lose control," Robinson said. "Well, if its any consolation, you only gave me frostbite." She gave a tiny chuckle. "Your magic is pretty emotional so we'll work on keeping things calm for you."

"Okay." Jillian didn't really think they would avoid any magical incidents but she appreciated the effort.

When they returned, Sparky was wrapping up his story. "The boy woke up and said, 'Now I know what it is to be afraid!'"

Same here, Jillian thought sadly, sitting back down. Not that she wasn't afraid of things before, but she was now adding herself to the list.