"Sure, if you can wait a candlemark that'd be much better." 

She goes to the spot in her garden where her tree was to see if it's still there.

It is! It has a rope fence around it and copious signage telling people NOT TO EAT THE FRUIT. 

Very responsible of them. She on the other hand will eat some fruit.

Wingsister goes back to her room to rest, and rereads the letter a few times. 

A candlemark later she goes to find Promise at the tree. 

"Hi."

"Let's go do the Gate at the temple." 

She walks in silence for a bit, looking at her feet. The letter is still in her hand, creased from being unfolded and refolded and read many times. 

"...Do you think Woodlark is actually, um, all right?" she says after a few beats. "He says I shouldn't worry, in his letter, but also that he's not ready to come back, which - is worrying, honestly." 

"He was able to hold a conversation? And write the letter. I don't feel like I fully understand it though."

"Mmm." Wingsister looks like she maybe wants to ask more, but instead bites her lip and keeps walking in silence. 

They reach the temple and she raises a Gate back to the northern Guard-post. "Er, can you tell Woodlark I said hello. And -" her voice catches, "- that I love him and I miss him." 

"Okay."

"Thank you." 

General is waiting on the other side of the Gate. She and Wingsister exchange a look. 

"I have a message for you from the Heralds," Wingsister says suddenly, drawing a different, hastily folded letter from her tunic pocket and handing it across the Gate. 

(It's a copy of the letter, written in a shaky hand with a couple of tears staining it, but Promise doesn't need to know that, or why it's relevant to General.) 

Promise doesn't ask. She just flutters across.

"That was fast," General says, sounding a little surprised, but she doesn't comment further. 

And shortly later there's another Gate for her at the usual spot. 

Back she goes, and she relays everything to Woodlark before she forgets it.

He tries to listen and pay attention, but it's still hard to concentrate, and certain parts are way more salient than others. 

"- People are upset with me, then?" he says, wincing. 

"They have no idea what's going on! Groveborn seemed kind of peeved, Wingsister just seemed worried, none of them know what's going on with your Companion in any detail but they know you gated out and are staying here and won't come back."

"Oh." He looks a bit defensive. "I told Wingsister some things in my letter! I guess I didn't go into much detail on what I fought about with my Companion. In case it's - how Companions are made, and it'd happen with hers too if they talked about it. Maybe she thinks I'm just being evasive." He seems upset and frustrated about this. 

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault if people are upset." Woodlark pulls his knees in to his chest. "I don't know what to do. I think I need to do something? If everyone's upset about me being gone?" 

"I don't think I'm the expert on what you should do about that. Maybe your Companion needs to do something?"

"What if she doesn't? I have no idea where she is or what she's planning!" He takes a deep breath. "...I'm sorry, I know this isn't your problem to deal with, I can stop whining." 

"It's not going to do me any harm, though I don't know if it does you any good."