Holly stood at the crest of the hill, hazel eyes set hard against the wind. Her short auburn hair danced about, whipping back and forth. The sky was already beginning to brighten; dawn was approaching.

She didn't know why she was here.

No, that wasn't true. She didn't understand why she had wanted to come anywhere like this, but she knew why she had picked this spot. This was where she had said goodbye to Artemis.

The wind of the present seemed to blow away the sound in her memory, as she played it out in her head. She could see the look in his eyes - sorrowful, empty - as his perfect lips mouthed silently. Looking back, she seemed to be able to see herself, as though she had been outside her body - of course she hadn't actually been, but her memories often twisted in this way. She too looked sad, but resigned.

They had always known things must be this way, even when they had first met. Back then, thoughts of breaking the taboo had not yet begun to form in their minds. But it had always been so clear that they were different, had different paths to follow. He was a human, she was a fairy.

Still it seemed like she had let him slip through her fingers. A part of her wished she had called after him - told him they could make it work, somehow. But she knew he would never have looked back. She also knew she would never have had the courage to call. The two went hand-in-hand, and robbed Holly and Artemis of what they wanted most.

It gnawed at her, at her soul. She knew exactly where he lived, yet the pattern had been set that day. Their hearts had both failed. Now she alone could not repair the damage. She knew where he lived, but she could not go there. Just like she had not been able to call after his retreating form.

By fairy standards, Holly was still fairly young. And, until that day, had been quite naive. She had believed in the storybook truths of love - that it could overcome all. But that was not reality. Age-old prejudices, hates and instincts could not be overpowered by two people so internally affected byt themselves.

Artemis was better than many humans, but he was still human. Still lower than her, still unworthy. A nasty sneaking voice in her head told her that. It was hard not to listen, but it dug itself deep.

The voice was what had squashed her courage. And a similar voice in Artemis's head had been what made him walk away. How could they truly love each and be together, when a tiny part of both hated the other?

Yet there had been so much more love, and that was what had drawn Holly here tonight. Because the grain of sand at the heart of the pearl was invisible under all of the layers of beauty. Even if she did not have Artemis, she knew that he wanted her to.

So here she was. On this cold damp hill, warm clothes wrapped tight around her. The birds were already twittering in the distance; some early ones always started before dawn. The pale blue light from the east washed over the land, muting colours and pouring its paleness into everything. Holly felt like she was in a watercolour painting, what with all of the washed-out colours. The fierce wind still plucked at her, whistling in her ears, and stealing her memory of Artemis's voice.

Holly sighed. It was almost dawn. She ought to go. Nothing would be gained by staying here - as nothing had been by her coming. She took one last look at the lightening horizon, and then turned to walk down the hill.

No longer buffeting her face, the wind seemed to lose it's grip on the past. Artemis's voice came rushing to her, echoing in her ears.

"I love you, but you must understand."

As salty tears sprang to her eyes, she quickly blinked them away, pretending it was just the wind. Oh, she understood. The both of them understood all too well.