THE VILLAGE OF FELLS was beginning to feel like home. Kristofer understood why Chalice loved it like they did. It was no easy place to live, their food was limited to the fish in the lake, the animals that passed through, and the small gardens they grew. The buildings were barely hanging on purely by the fierce will of magic, and their homes were small and crowded with beds as hard as stone.

But it was beautiful. The green water and the rolling hills, the low cliffs and the mossy gray stone, and the thick woods shielding them from the rest of Avalon, surrounded Kit in a peaceful, earthy haven.

He found joy in the people, as well. Chalice's friend, Cian, was a kind man. And wise, too. He taught Kit things when there was a moment to learn, told him stories and legends and things he never would've learned at the castle he grew up in.

The druids were a peaceful, generous people, happy to share their space with Kit and his friends, even when they had so little resources. They kept Lionel entertained and helped him explore his power, and kept Morgana alive with prayers and spells and medicine only they knew how to make.

Morgana was getting better by the day. It helped to have Astyr there, healing him with Sídhe methods, doing everything she could to get him better. The color was returning to his lips, and the dark circles beneath his eyes were fading back to their normal shade. Morgana never looked fully healthy, but he was looking more like normal.

"We would have him awake by now," Astyr explained. "If it was Excalibur, though, wielded by a descendent of Arthur, the power of Connor's will is keeping him from waking up. I need something to overpower that."

"Any ideas?" Kit asked, leaning against the doorframe, eyes scanning over the Unseelie's body. He was better clothed now, but the tunic he was dressed in still allowed for access to the wound.

Astyr's eyes were sad. "I have no idea. I mean, if your son knew how, perhaps he could try, but one shard against the other six would be a tough battle, even with his natural magic."

He looked at his feet. It was getting hard not to cry nowadays, and even now, he pressed his palms to his glassy eyes to keep anything from slipping out. He wished he could say this was his fault, take responsibility for it all, because at least then he'd have someone to punish for it. But it wasn't all his fault, and he hated it.

"I'm heading to bed, " Astyr told him, standing up from her chair. "You should, too."

She ruffled his hair and he smiled up at her, but it was a sad smile. "I will, I promise," he told her. "I'm just gonna keep an eye on him for a bit."

Her brown eyes were sympathetic when they settled on him. "He'll be okay, Kit."

"I know, it'll just help me feel better."

She squeezed his hand and left, leaving Kit alone at Morgana's bedside.

His wrists were chained to the bed, but there was enough slack for Kit to take one of his hands, pressing their palms together and lacing his sturdy, callused fingers through Morgana's long, thin ones.

They were so different in every way. He looked at Morgana and saw the moon, pale and beautiful, casting a gentle glow, pulling at his heart like the waves of the sea, endlessly reaching out but never quite getting to him no matter how he longed to.

Kit was the sun, bright and golden and impossibly hard to miss. He didn't think himself sunny like Giselle, he wasn't bright or happy and he didn't much light up the room. But he was fiery, hotheaded and angry. Something about Morgana was steady and cool, keeping Kit's fire at bay just as much as he fueled it.

"Come on," he whispered, eyes desperate on Morgana's face. He squeezed his hand tighter and tried again. "Come on, Morgana, take it. Please."

Kit had no idea how to give his strength, not when Morgana wasn't there to take it from him. He tried every day, but nothing ever worked. Either Morgana was too spent to even take it, or he didn't want it. But Kit didn't give up.

He would this time, though. He sighed, kissing the faery's palm again, then slowly pulled his hand away. "I'll be back tomorrow. If you're not awake by then, Morgana, you're just going to have to deal with me pestering you every day until you do. I know you don't like me pestering you, so you better get on that."

It was his last resort, trying to use Morgana's annoyance against him. If anything would wake him up, it was spite.

He hesitated, but Kit finally left, stepping out into the starry night and towards his bed.

* * *

E

urion was the first awake when morning came. Not by a lot, there were a lot of druids with early morning responsibilities. She would take whatever quiet she could get, though, even if it was just a few minutes.

There was a small cliff, a large boulder, really, that Chalice loved. They used to climb it and watch over the village and try to spot fish in the green lake. Eurion went there now, scrambling up to the top until she was there, looking out over everything. She could see the sunrise much better from there, but she chose to watch the village like Chalice did, eyes studying the druids that emerged for their morning chores.

"This really is a beautiful place," Eurion said to the emptiness, but not to no one. There was a small inkling of hope in the deep crevices of her heart, that maybe they could hear her. In the moss that crawled up every surface it could, in the trees that never browned, in the water stretching out beneath her dangling feet, maybe they were there listening.

It was stupid, but she couldn't stop thinking of what Kit said. Chalice was still there, in Fells. They never left, not really, because this was where their heart was. Maybe Mab sent them there for a reason. She reached for any possibility she could come up with, even the ones that didn't make sense.

Eurion was the worst at commitment. She could never stay in one place, do one thing, give her heart to one person. Every relationship she's ever had lasted no more than a few weeks, and she's had more than she could count. She never minded being a fugitive, because it gave her a reason to run, to go a million different places, to explore and see the world.

She couldn't be tied down. She didn't need an anchor, she just needed something that would keep her from flying into the sun, something that would show her another wonder to see, to balance her out. But that something, or someone, was gone.

There was a hole ripped in her chest, and she didn't know how to fill it again. She didn't want to fill it, but she wished it didn't hurt like this.

"Can I join you?"

She turned her head to find Kit standing on the rock behind her. She didn't even notice him climbing up there, but she knew it wasn't because he was light on his feet. Kit didn't know how to move quietly, she was just somewhere else entirely.

"Sure," she told him, patting the stone beside her.

He settled in, dangling his legs over the edge next to hers. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Eurion shrugged. "I'll be fine."

Kit could see right through her. She could see right through him, too. Neither of them did well with feelings, they tried to hide them away, and they could see that in each other. The difference was that Kit hid everything in anger and stubbornness, while Eurion preferred to ignore it, think about something else, and change the subject when someone tried to talk about her feelings.

She didn't do that this time. It was pointless, everyone knew how she felt.

"I've been alone my whole life," she told him. "I mean, some of that is my fault, but a lot of it isn't. I was basically on my own since I could remember. I never had anything to lose, but then suddenly I did." She let Kit fill in the rest.

He was quiet for awhile, but she didn't mind. He was probably thinking of something to say.

Finally, he spoke again. "For the longest time, I only had one person to lose. And I thought I wouldn't lose her. But then she was gone, in the most traumatizing way possible, and it felt like a part of me was ripped out and stomped on until it didn't exist anymore."

Eurion rubbed her chest with the heel of her hand. She could feel it, the pain, a physical sensation that lodged itself in her throat and burned her entire torso.

"Did the feeling ever go away?"

Kit looked down at his hands, the corners of his mouth turning up despite his solemn expression. "No. I mean, it happened only a few years ago, but I'm starting to think nothing will ever fill that hole again. She's the only thing that can fill it."

Eurion bit back the tears. It hurt. It hurt so much.

"But I found you guys," he said.

She looked up.

"Nothing will ever fill that hole. But that doesn't mean all of me is gone. I have you guys, and even though it hurts, I don't..." He took a breath. "I don't feel so empty anymore."

Empty. That was a good word to describe how she felt. She was a shell of everything she used to be.

A hand fell onto her own, and she gave Kit a startled look.

"I miss hearing you talk. I miss your stories." He gave her a squeeze. "I hope I'll get to hear them again soon."

Something about that warmed her chest. The only other person that ever truly appreciated her endless talking was Chalice. She thought she just annoyed everyone else. Hearing Kit say he missed her stories was an expression of love she almost couldn't comprehend.

Before she knew what she was doing, she threw her arms around him. Kit didn't hesitate in hugging her back, wrapping his arms tight around her waist and pulling her closer. His arms were strong and he was warm. He felt like home.

"Thank you," she said and pulled away.

Kit studied her for a minute, then tossed a look back to the village.

"I'm going to check on him, so..." He trailed off, and she grinned.

"You're adorable, Kit."

He gave her a stern but playful look as he rose to his feet. "Listen, I'm just worried about him. Don't make this into something it's not."

She still smiled, poking his knee. "Whatever you say, you big liar."

"If you need anything, let me know."

"I will, now go," she insisted.

"Bye, Eurion."

"Bye, Kit." She waved him away and he rolled his eyes before disappearing over the rock.

She was alone again, but her smile lingered. It was the first time she's really smiled in a week.

* * *

Giselle was already there when Kit stepped into the room, pacing at the foot of Morgana's bed. She perked up when she saw him, rushing for him and taking his hands.

"Kit, I have good news," she exclaimed.

His heart sped up. "Really?"

Her eyes were wild. "I don't know if it was just my imagination or not, but I was holding his hand earlier. And... he moved a finger. It wasn't a lot, but it moved when I asked for a sign, and I'm just praying it wasn't my mind tricking me. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to wake anyone up."

Kit pulled one hand away but kept his grip on the other, stepping towards Morgana's bedside and examining him with a furrowed brow.

His hands were gentle as they combed Morgana's hair back with his fingers. "Come on, Morgana," he whispered. He let go of Giselle and took Morgana's hand, pressing their palms together. "Wake up. I'll stop bugging you if you wake up."

Kit and Giselle watched their hands, twined together in a beautiful contrast, waiting with anticipation for something, anything, that might give them a sign.

Then they got their sign, but it wasn't a twitch of his hand. It was a thousand times better.

"You need a haircut, Kit," Morgana croaked.