His morning was a little less peaceful. When he woke up and made his way out into the living room, he found the couch empty of Corwin. His friend was nowhere to be found in the apartment and worry settled so quickly in his stomach that fora moment he was sure he would be sick. Hunting through all the little papers and notes on the fridge and counter revealed nothing and there was no heat left in the couch cushions. There was no telling how long ago Corwin had left but it was clear that he had gone. After the night before it made Arlan dizzy, wondering about where he might have disappeared to. He was panicking when he grabbed his phone, typing out a message so full of errors that he might have been embarrassed if the situation was different. While he knew Elwynn and Corwin were fighting, there was still a chance that Mies’ twin could at least point him in the right direction.
When his phone chimed to life with a reply just a few minutes later, it brought the last message he’d ever expected with it. Corwin had gone back with Elwynn, needing rest and relaxation in a neutral place. The relief that flooded in outweighed the guilt that his home might have not been the best place for his friend for the moment. There was so much that still clung in the air here, an energy that crackled in the air around the sink, at the door, even for Arlan who remembered very little about the event. He just didn’t want to lose Corwin, not again. Once had been more than enough for one lifetime.
Communicating through Elwynn it was relayed that Corwin wanted to have a day or two away from Arlan, mostly because he was worried he would lose control again. While both Elwynn and Mies insisted there was no chance of another attack using Corwin as a vessel, the humans were uneasy enough that the unwanted wait was set into place. Elwynn themselves promised to come over at the end of the second day at least, to try and pull the remaining magic from whatever corners it was lingering on. It was a hard wait. Arlan wanted answers about what exactly had happened and he was certain that Corwin wanted the same.
When the day finally came for answers, Arlan wasn’t so sure really wanted them, a fear of what they might be making a home in his gut. It gnawed at the walls, growling louder and louder until Elwynn actually stepped into the apartment with Corwin, surprise chasing it away for a few moments. The pair arrived holding hands, something that his best friend had been certain he would never see. The faerie twin looked a little bashful about it when they noticed the direction of Arlan’s gaze but Corwin didn’t seem to care. He was too caught up in Elwynn, looking more at peace, more rested than he had since he’d arrived.
The fae siblings promised to listen to questions once they were done clearing out the last bits of lingering magic, leaving Corwin and Arlan alone in the kitchen. The former watched the doorway with a tension in his muscles that suggested he was just moments away from bolting out of there, returning to where Elwynn was. It was sweet but Arlan had no idea if that would interrupt the process the fae pair were going through
“So, you two made up?” Arlan started the kettle without even asking if Corwin would want any tea. He’d learned the last few weeks that Elwynn would never say no to a cup and he was fairly certain that the warmth might help soothe his friend’s nerves.
“I got over my hang ups if that’s what you mean.” Corwin couldn’t sit still, already getting the teapot down for when the water was done boiling. His height was helpful and the mugs came down next, a mix of patterns and styles, collected over the years. He pretty much took over making the tea entirely, grateful to have something to do with his hands while they waited but it felt Arlan with itchy fingers.
“Well good. You both look happier. You look… so much better.” He wasn’t sure how else to say it, knowing that no matter the phrasing it could come across as rude but really there was such an improvement in his pallor that he couldn’t not point it out. Opening the fridge he grabbed a few things for small sandwiches. His china might have been just a jumble of random designs, collected one piece at a time, but this was going to be a proper tea with food as well as a drink.
“I feel better. I slept. Like actually slept at Elwynn’s place. I think I’m going to stay a little longer, if that’s okay with you?” Corwin glanced at his friend, clearly worried the answer would be no but this wasn’t something he wanted to deny.
“Of course you can. Just know you’re welcome here anytime.” The cuts on the sandwiches weren’t perfect but he was fairly satisfied with how it all turned out. He felt like a proper host to his guests now.
“Even after what I did?”
The question hung in silence for only a moment before Arlan responded to it, stopping everything to hug Corwin tighter than he ever had before. His friend seemed hesitant to hug him back, taking a moment before he wrapped his arms around him a little less forcefully. They stayed like that for a few moments, Arlan trying to get his point across with his actions before his words.
“That wasn’t you. I don’t blame you at all. Mies says that you weren’t yourself? That it was a faerie thing but it wasn’t your fault. So yes you’re still welcome here anytime because you didn’t do anything.”
The timer chimed in after that, a loud sound that made them both jump. Corwin didn’t say anything, he just busied himself with getting the tea bags out of the teapot, mumbling something about keeping it from getting bitter. Arlan didn’t push him, he just moved the plate of sandwiches over to the table that had been half cleaned off, just enough space for them to have a few plates and mugs. It was hard to watch Corwin like there, not knowing what to say to make him feel better.
“Arlan’s right. You weren’t you.” Elwynn saved them from their silence, crossing the kitchen to mimic Arlan’s earlier action though their arms were gentler as they wrapped around the taller human. “It was a part of a very angry moon.”
“Moon?” Corwin looked as skeptical as Arlan felt. “I’m sorry, how was that a moon?”
“Not a whole moon, just a part of it. They plucked a piece and put it inside you, left it sleeping. When they woke it up they promised they would return it home if it did as they commanded and brought Arlan to them.” Elwynn tugged at a strand of their hair, eyebrows furrowed as they tried to find the best words to describe what it was that had happened. Magic wasn’t a natural part of the human vocabulary, its nuances completely foreign to them. The phrasing of things didn’t make sense to them when it was perfectly normal to the faerie twins.
“A piece of the moon. Okay, so basically they hijacked his body, to force him to get me. Is… is that why the deal worked, when I offered to switch? Because they turned him into a backup plan?” Arlan struggled not to shout, his voice catching in his throat.
-
“Basically. A lot of the faerie court doesn’t really see a problem with using humans like tools.” Mies didn’t take a chair of his own, even when it had just been the two of them here, he'd always insisted on pulling Arlan onto his lap so that he could wrap his arms around him. “They’re wrong of course but that doesn’t stop them.”
“Will it happen again?” Corwin’s voice was small when he asked, barely audible even in the quiet of the kitchen. There was a pause that left everyone on edge before Elwynn quelled everyone’s worries.
“No. I got all of it. There’s nothing left to grab hold of you. Your head is yours and yours alone.” This fae was far more polite than their twin, sitting on their own seat though they pulled their feet up to sit cross legged. Placing a comforting hand on Corwin’s shoulder they pressed a mug full of tea into his hands, encouraging him to take a sip.
“All of it? Elwynn, what did you do with it? You didn’t absorb it yourself did you?” Mies sounded uncharacteristically serious when he asked, one eyebrow arched with a second question that neither human could interpret.
“And if I did brother? It’s fine.” they shrugged the question off but it wasn’t one that Mies seemed ready to drop. The second eyebrow raising told even the humans that he wasn’t buying it. “A little bit of buzzing for the first day but it’s gone and I am fine. Stop looking at me like that.”
“Corwin, if my twin starts acting peculiar at all, in anyway, I would very much appreciate if you would inform us. While they were blessed with the gifts of the moon when they were born, it doesn’t mean they are immune to its desire to return home. What would you do Elwynn, if the moon decided to use you to return home?” The hold Mies had around Arlan got a little tighter though it wasn’t from concern about the human. It was just a reaction to the tension that had crawled into every one of his muscles the more he spoke.
“It will not brother. I’m looking for ways to release it on its own, so that it doesn’t well up to that point. I am no human, it will take far more for it to effect myself.” They picked at one of the sandwiches, not really eating it, just moving the layers about over and over again with fingertips that looked to be healing from burns. “Besides, what I am more worried about, as you should be as well, what they’ll try next. Uncle was not the sort to let go of his prey easily. We need to try and figure out what his next move might be.”
“So, you’re saying that we’re still not safe?” Arlan couldn’t keep the despair from colouring his tone at the thought. This was supposed to be the end of it, he was supposed to have his happily ever after free from the meddling of the hidden world. He wasn’t sure the he could handle more than what he’d already faced, it was too much. All he had for protection was trinkets and charms, nothing that could stop any of this real magic for longer than a few minutes. Corwin didn’t fare any better in that way either, the iron that had been meant to save him had only left burns from where it had been in contact with his skin. The metal had left enough of a mark that no fae magic could speed up the healing process. The world had gone from unsettling to dangerous in just a few months and now Arlan wasn’t sure if it was all worth it.
There were many arguments about what the next steps should be. The twins couldn’t seem to come to an agreement about what their uncle would do next, what the best course of action was to keep everyone safe. Mies wanted to leave this city, to leave the country and find a different entry into his world. He thought perhaps a different court elsewhere in his hidden world would help them. Elwynn absolutely refused that plan, shutting it down before it could even really be discussed. Arlan wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, if he thought his prince was right or not but he could easily see why Elwynn would fight it. Anytime the world beyond the veil came up, Corwin would go white and shut down. For that alone Arlan found himself siding against Mies.
The prince grew distant from all of them, the more his plans were turned down and pushed away. He sulked most evenings, the mornings finding him spilling over maps with strange markings and lines. When Arlan inquired about them the fae just shrugged him off, mumbling about how they were points of power, different entry points that were weaker or stronger between the two worlds. He wasn’t giving up on his plans and his hurt at the dismissal made Arlan feel guilty. He was torn between his lover and best friend and it led to a question that felt stupid from the moment it left his lips.
“Corwin, why would fleeing to a different faerie court be so bad?” The pair of friends had left for a walk, making their way over to the park that had been their beginning while the twins argued and plotted all at once. the question made the taller friend stop dead in his tracks, staring at Arlan as if he was a snake ready to bite.
“Seriously? You’re asking me why it would be bad?” The disbelief and hurt in his voice just changed the nature of Arlan’s guilt, making it worse.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound like an idiot but if they’re different fae, with different ideals and we’re there under Mies and Elwynn’s protection, wouldn’t that be safer, better than before?” Arlan’s voice was unnaturally high, worry creeping into his throat to squeeze at his vocal chords, trying to stop his voice altogether.
“Arlan. I’m not worried about not being safe there. I’m worried that if I go, I won’t want to come back. That place is full of strange magic and I lost myself while I was there. I don’t want to lose myself again. Don’t ask me to cross the veil. I would rather die.” Corwin had always been the serious sort but in this moment he was far more serious than he’d ever been before. Arlan fully believed that if he was given the choice, Corwin would take death over a life in the hidden world. He swallowed, mouth dry, feeling awful for even asking now.
“Oh. We won’t cross. I promise.” It felt so wrong to go against Mies, who he knew was only trying to protect him from danger but his friendship had always been the most important to him.
Corwin said nothing more on the matter, it had clearly been a difficult subject to broach at all, choosing instead to hug Arlan tightly, in thanks for the promise. Later, when the evening grew cool and his bed lonely, Arlan found his faerie in the kitchen, still making plans and marking maps as he cross referenced books the human could never read. He whispered his reasons for not wanting to leave, his concern for his friend all while assuring Mies that he was certain the prince would find another way to be safe. Begrudgingly he followed his companion back to bed with an agreement to finally try a different approach. Though danger lingered over their heads they pair finally managed to get a good night’s rest, wrapped up in one another’s arms.
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