Excalibur's Seven - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

FOR A WOMAN AS tough and as willing to kill her fellow human beings as Selene, she was surprisingly averse to killing deer. She'd tried it before, but it was far too much work for an animal that didn't have the will in its bones to hurt another creature. All the tenderness in her heart was reserved for animals, at least the ones not raised on a farm for the purpose of milk and slaughter. Still, she avoided farm work as often as possible to avoid getting attached to her future meals.
And, also, Morgana sent her a chilling glare every time she even mentioned killing anything but fish, so real meat was completely off the table. She knew how protective the Sídhe were over nature, even the Winter Court. There was no way in hell she'd give Morgana any reason to get back at her, even if that reason was hunting a couple squirrels for food.
Morgana and Chalice were both happy with berries and leaves found throughout the forest, and once the faery had stopped entertaining Kit's need to argue with someone, he went with the druid to gather. Kit and Selene got to work stabbing their swords in the river on the off chance that they might catch enough fish for the rest of them. The fish were large in these woods, but they were few and far between and catching them with swords was a difficult task.
She got one before Kit did, though, which made her oddly proud. She didn't know why everything felt like a competition to her, but once they'd both caught one, she made it her mission to get Eurion's lunch before Kit could.
It seemed he caught on, because soon they were shoving each other out of the way, even wrestling whenever they found one swimming under the water. It probably wasn't wise, as it usually just served to scare the fish away, but it was nice to see her nephew smile for once.
Finally, it was her who caught the last fish, but she was repaid with a bitter splash to the face. It quickly turned into another fight until Morgana called to them and they finally stopped.
Eurion was awake again when they got back to their site, where Chalice was already lighting a fire. Kit had somehow managed to gather the wood for it earlier while he was fighting with Morgana, so at least he was being productive in his anger.
"I got one for you," Selene said as she held up the fish to Eurion. She felt an odd sense of relief when the thief nodded in approval, like she was hoping she would accept an apology.
She and Kit got to work gutting and preparing the fish to go over the fire, and she didn't miss Morgana's darting eyes, focusing on anything other than what the two of them were doing. He seemed to be getting along with Chalice, the two of them just sat in silence sharing berries and other fruits found in the woods.
The rest of the hour was silent as they filled their bellies and regained their energy. Chalice checked Eurion's wounds and place a silent spell on them, and as they carried on with their adventure, Eurion stayed propped against Chalice's lanky frame the whole way. For someone as sturdy as the thief, Chalice could hold her up well. They never once asked for help.
By the time the sun was high up in the sky, Selene finally thought to ask where the hell they were going.
"You think I don't feel her?" Morgana asked. "She's practically my sister, and she's one of the most important faeries we have. I know where she is."
It seemed less effective than either her or Kit going to the castle and finding out where the soldiers were. But upon further reasoning, she realized the others at the castle probably wouldn't be too pleased with her, much less the Prince, and if the men were so far into the woods, it wouldn't be likely their location would be known.
"Did it really take you that long to figure all this out?"
Selene jumped, stopped in place and fixed her sword at him. "How the hell did you know what I was thinking?"
"You're easy to read," he said, as though he saw it all in her face. But if Selene knew anything about herself, it was how stoic she could be. Her face was like stone, only the most perceptive knew what she was thinking.
"And you're a liar."
"I'm a faery, I can't lie."
"But you can avoid the truth and twist your words. You can read my mind, can't you?"
He laughed. "No, I can't, but I can show you mine."
She swung, but he stopped her sword with his cane. He stumbled a bit this time, more than he did the night they met. He was getting more dependent on it, it was clear.
"You're ill," she observed.
"Yes, but not weak."
She lowered her sword with caution and they continued on in silence until the sun kissed the horizon once again.
They were close to the princess now, Morgana had informed them. Only a few miles away. The only other person who seemed to have a sense of that was Chalice, who appeared far more alert than they had been the entire trip. Kit noticed how aloof they were the whole day since their stop, talking to Eurion about trivial things and looking around wistfully at their surroundings. They must've been enjoying the magic. But the magic had long since faded.
They were no longer in the thick woods anymore, approaching the edge of the trees which gave way into dead plains and tall, rocky mountains. As they broke through, they saw a small village aside a large lake, spiraling up the hills and lighting up the valley with torches and fires.
They were clearly guests in the village, only Chalice looked at home. Selene and Kit were obviously royalty, Morgana was as Unseelie as they come, and Eurion's almond eyes and smooth sloped nose gave testament to her Southern lineage. Because of this, Chalice led the way.
Kit tried to ignore the stares he was given, offering his politest smile to try and appear as nonthreatening as possible. At the same time, he found himself trying to obstruct their view of Morgana, whose blue eyes seemed to flicker in the dark. It's like Kit was protecting him. He was sure it was Morgana's control over him that made him do this, but anyone who dared look at the faery with anything but calm or indifference caused him to clutch his sword.
Whenever they were stopped, Chalice gave an effortless speech and whoever had come to question them was appeased, allowing them to continue on.
Finally, they'd gotten out of the village and into the rocky hills. Morgana took the lead once more, guiding them to a small pocket of trees at the side of a creek. Within the thicket were several men, some asleep and those who were awake silent and staring at the fire.
"Kit, Selene," Morgana ordered. "This is all you."
"Wh- they don't even like me!" Kit protested.
Selene nudged his shoulder and pointed towards the man whose back was angled towards them. "That one does."
He was confused at first, until the man turned his face to mutter something to his comrade, exposing a very familiar southern face, lined by a well-trimmed beard.
"Herwerde," he said.
"Yep, now let's go."
Kit took a deep breath before pressing on, loudly walking through the bushes and alerting the men. Each of them stood and raised their swords, some even woke up, but they all relaxed when they saw who it was.
"Kristofer, what in God's name are you doing here? Everyone at the castle has been looking for you." Herwerde's words were angry, but his tone was concerned.
Something about everyone looking for him was as heartwarming as it was terrifying.
Selene stepped through the bushes after him. "Yeah, and you lucky bastards better be glad I found him."
"Selene," Herwerde greeted with a respectful nod, one he never gave to Kit. He tried not to be offended, he was like a father to him after all, but it was just another reminder that even his mentor didn't respect him like he did everyone else.
"What are you two doing here? Why aren't you back at the castle?"
"The thief got out somehow, and this genius decided to go after her himself." The lie fell effortlessly from her tongue. The men didn't seem to have much information from the castle, as they believed every word she said. "We happened to stumble across your camp just now, it was lucky."
Herwerde narrowed his eyes, like he didn't believe it was just luck.
"Actually, not that lucky." It was Chalice, stepping through the bushes as well, dusting themself off.
Selene's eyes widened, this wasn't part of the plan. But Kit was glad they came, it was one more person to serve as a distraction.
"So what are you all doing in the middle of God knows where?" Selene went on. Kit thought it best to let her do all the talking.
"Well, we don't know anything about this assassin and we... well." Herwerde scratched the back of his neck. "We found a faerie, she's definitely a Seelie but she seems important so we're hoping we might be able to get somewhere with her."
You'd be surprised, Kit thought to himself, but remained silent.
"Well, have you?" the Lady prodded. "Gotten anywhere?"
Herwerde sighed. "No, not really. None of us know that much about faeries and unfortunately we don't have Prince Charming here to try and at least flirt something out of her."
Kit grumbled at the thought of his unpleasant brother being 'Prince Charming.' The man was as stiff as a board, all he had was looks.
Selene looked at Kit. "Well, he might do. And he knows a lot about the Fair Folk, as you might be aware."
Herwerde finally looked to Kit once more. "Alright, I suppose you could give it a try. But Selene, I want you to go with him."
She and Herwerde shared a look, like they were communicating without words. He felt like two people were talking about him while he was standing right there, and he shifted on his feet. He brushed the feeling aside, trying to focus on the task at hand.
"She's over there," Herwerde gestured casually, as though he wasn't pointing them to 'one of the most important faeries,' as Morgana would say. "What about your druid?"
"I," Chalice said pointedly, as though unhappy about being 'their' druid. "Will just stay out here. I can't imagine I'll be very useful."
Kit knew what that meant. Chalice would keep them occupied, while the two of them retrieved the princess.
Selene nodded to the others and led Kit away to where the princess would be found, a small slope tucked within a small grove.
He froze in his tracks the moment he saw her.
The princess was beautiful. Despite the dark of night, she looked like she was glowing. Her hair was large and coily, the color of a field of lilacs and surrounded by a pale blue glow. Her shimmery ebony skin reflected the orange light of the fire several feet away, decorated in thin, blossoming vines, not a blemish to be seen on its surface. Her shoulders were bare, a large pair of gentle iridescent wings sprouting from her flawless back.
She looked at them with gentle eyes, the color of the deep sea and framed with impossibly long lashes. Her plump lips spread apart in a gentle smile, displaying a charming gap between her two front teeth, as white as pearls. Her nose sloped gently and stuck out wide at the bottom, and her cheeks glowed with a gentle pink blush. Everything about her made him feel like he was standing in a meadow in spring.
Kit had never seen anyone more lovely than her.
When she spoke, he thought he was hearing angels sing. "Well, hello," she mused. "Who might you be?"
The prince could hardly muster his reply, and he turned to see if Selene could do it for him.
If he thought he was stricken by her beauty, Selene had hearts spilling out of her eyes. She looked like she was ready to fall down onto one knee and recite her poetry. With the way she was so scornful of her husband, Kit thought she was incapable of love. But in this very moment, he wondered if all the room for love in her heart was tucked away, stored for the fateful day which she met the Princess of the Vernal court.
Evidently, he would do the talking now.
Kit cleared his throat. "Right. Um. Princess," he started.
Her perfectly plucked brows drew into an adorable, confused crease on her forehead. "How do you know that about me?"
Isn't it obvious? he almost said, but held his tongue. "Um, well. We're actually here to—"
She perked up, turning her head with wide eyes. "Morgana?" she whisper-called. "Is that you?"
From between the bushes, Morgana stood up, briefly showing his face. The princess grinned, trying to stand up but falling right back down.
"Oh, right, my hands are bound. Do you mind?" she asked Selene.
Selene looked like she might throw up roses at the idea that the princess was talking to her specifically. She immediately moved to obey, slicing her bindings with the blade of her sword.
Once the princess was free, she stood up rather quickly. She was noticeably short, which was not unexpected, coming up to the base of Kit's torso. She curtsied towards Selene, who could've passed out, and then tiptoed towards the bush Morgana was hiding in.
"Mog, it's so wonderful to see you!" she hummed excitedly.
"Hush, now, Giselle," Morgana hissed, but his biting tone didn't seem to faze her one bit. "The only reason you haven't been caught yet is because of that very talented druid. Now hide!"
The princess nodded, dashing around to hide behind him. Her glowing hair was clearly not easy to keep hidden, and Kit motioned for her to duck lower until only the tips of her wings poked up through the bush. This time, Morgana took care of it, pushing them down himself.
Kit looked back when he heard a murmur, only to find Chalice scrambling to distract Herwerde. He seemed very insistent, coming ever closer until finally Chalice whispered something to him and he collapsed onto the ground, sound asleep.
They scurried down the hill towards the rest of them, a bead of sweat running down their forehead.
"We should probably run," they said breathlessly.
And so they did.