"THANKS," KIT MURMURED AS Selene unlocked the cell, setting the two of them free. Morgana hesitated, but Kit stepped out without a second thought.

Selene's eyes went anywhere that wasn't Kit and Morgana, and he couldn't say he blamed her. His hair was even messier than it'd been before, and his face was still flushed from whatever the hell he and Morgana just did. It was obvious, and Selene was perceptive.

"Are you sure the Queen is allowing this?" Morgana asked, lingering behind. "I'd hate to accidentally commit treason or something."

Selene stepped through the door. "Yes, she did. Now you two better fix your clothes before everyone else has to see what I saw."

She disappeared, putting a wooden barrier between herself and the two of them before they could follow her up the stairs.

Kit cleared his throat and turned around. Morgana looked fine for the most part, other than a few pieces of misplaced hair. He was careful as he reached out, adjusting the loose strands until they were back where they should be.

"Sorry, you just had--"

Morgana cut him off with a glare.

"Right. Um. Okay." He brushed his own hair back in place with his fingers, turning to open the door for Morgana. The faery took the offer, but on his way out, he yanked Kit down by the collar until their faces were inches apart.

He said nothing for a second. "You look better when you don't shave."

Then he left Kit there, cheeks as red as a cherry, frozen until the clanging of Morgana's chains disappeared from earshot. Once the sound was gone, Kit finally got his wits about him and he followed him up the stairs.

The others were waiting for him in Giselle's room, sitting around a table with a map open in front of them.

"It's about time," Eurion said with a smirk when she saw him, looking him up and down. He didn't know if she was referring to him getting there or something else entirely, but at this point, he didn't care to find out.

The only spot to stand was right next to Morgana, but he kept himself as far from him as possible. It didn't help the tension, but he did his best to ignore it.

"There were clues in those pages," Selene began once she knew they were paying attention. "Somewhere in there, it mentioned the Grail being a 'gem of every sea.'"

"'Gem of every sea' is an underground way of talking about the Southern Capitol," said Eurion. "Most people wouldn't catch it, it's not a common term, but it's unmistakable. Whoever wrote those words meant something by it."

Her fingers traced the map until they settled on a starred point, and that's when Kit realized it was a map of the Southern Deserts. It was one of the largest continents, almost twice as large as the North Islands, where Avalon was.

"I think Guinevere is trying to lead us here," Eurion continued. "I don't know why, I doubt the Grail is in the Capitol. But I think it might lead us to another clue."

"Pack your bags, then, folks," Selene said, eyes alight with excitement. "We're going South."

* * *

G

iselle knew all too well what this look meant that her mother was giving her. She was trying to be disappointed, but she knew Giselle was right and she couldn't tell her no. She would try as hard as she could to convince her there was another way, though.

"You have to be here for your people, darling."

"I know, that's what I'm trying to do," Giselle insisted. "If we get the Grail, I think we might be able to save them. I don't know what good I'll be doing just sitting here watching them die."

The Queen set her jaw. "I understand," she murmured. "I worry for you, you know. Going out on these adventures, taking risks like this. The South doesn't even believe in the Fair Folk, what if they try to hurt you?"

"They will try, mother," said Giselle. "But they won't. I promise you, I'm smarter than I look. And I have the best fighters in the world by my side, I won't let you down."

"If it's any consolation," Astyr chimed in, stepping forward. "I'll be staying, I'll do my best to help here with you, I believe this is where I'll be most useful."

The Queen looked down at the Autumn faery with a thoughtful eye. "Very well, then." Before Giselle's smile could get too wide, her mother fixed her with a stare. "But don't do anything that you know will get you killed. I need you to stay alive, do you understand?"

"Of course, mother, my friends would never let anything happen to me." She bowed her head. "We'll be careful. I promise."

The Queen looked to be on the brink of tears, and Giselle ignored all precautions to run to the throne and sweep her mother up in her arms.

"I love you, darling."

Giselle held her tighter. "I love you, too, mother. Stay safe."

It was hard to leave the room, but every moment wasted was another faery dead, and they couldn't spend a second longer than they needed to on sentiment.

Morgana said his own goodbyes to Astyr, but they were as brief as they could be. Giselle took his hand when they parted, looking at him with the gentlest eyes she could muster, trying her best to comfort him. He loved his mother just as she loved hers, and they were both terrified for them, that much was clear.

They knew exactly where they were going. Redbágh, the bustling port town where the culture was rich and the ships were abundant. This time, thanks to Giselle's love of fashion, they looked like they actually fit in this time.

Just like before, the ports were lively and crawling with sailors. Eurion knew her way around, so she led the way.

"Do we even have a ship?" Kit asked, fussing with his belt. It was a bit bulky, but it would give him an advantage, she was sure.

Eurion walked with the confidence of a woman who was back home already. "Not yet, but we will."

Before anyone else could ask another question, she pointed towards a large ship crawling with crew members, a ship even larger than the Lady they'd sailed in and subsequently sunk before.

"The Black Bonny," Eurion said with a proud grin. "I've been on this ship more times than I have fingers. The crew's a bit ugly, but I know they'll let us on if we try hard enough."

The ship seemed to get bigger the closer they got to it, but perhaps Giselle was just short. She had to tilt her head as far back as it went to see how high the sails went up.

"Captain Crane!" Eurion greeted as she approached the deck. She grabbed the attention of a tall man with dark silver hair to his shoulders and a well-trimmed beard, whose smile was infectious as it was annoying.

"Well, if it isn't the King's thief," the captain said with open arms. "What can I do you for?"

"My friends and I need a ride to the South," she asked. "We don't have money, but we--"

"Ah." Crane lifted his hand to cut her off. "No money, I'll have to stop you there. Sorry, kid, I don't even do favors for my favorites."

He walked towards the ship, but Eurion followed behind. "Listen, this is really important, we really need to go. Is there any way?"

"Unless you can invent enough money right now, there's nothing I can do."

"We'll do anything, come on," Kit pleaded, catching the captain's attention. He looked at the prince weird, but Giselle tried not to think much of it.

Crane sighed. "Fine. I'll make you folks a deal. If you can come up with the money by tonight, you can hitch a ride. But you better hurry."

"I'll do you one better," Morgana growled. "You give us a ride to the South and you get to live."

The captain laughed. "I don't work in threats, pretty boy."

"Fine," Morgana shrugged. Giselle didn't realize what he'd done until Crane was stumbling back, choking on nothing with a look of sheer terror on his face.

"Okay, okay!" Crane gasped. "You can... you can get a ride... just please--"

Morgana let him go, and the captain took a deep, dramatic breath. "Thanks," the faery said with a smug grin. He stepped up onto the boat and everyone else followed.

"Sorry about him," Giselle whispered sweetly as she stepped past him, but it was clear her words were insincere. Not a lie, of course, but to Crane, not genuine.

She heard Kit a few paces ahead, teasing Morgana about the nickname "pretty boy," and received a swift smack on the head and a threat she couldn't quite hear.

It didn't take a genius to notice how shifty the two had been since they both returned from the dungeon. She asked Selene if she knew anything, and the Lady's silence said more than enough. Also, the large red mouth-shaped mark an inch below Kit's ear. That also said something.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a cheerful voice coming from the crow's nest. Giselle had to shield her eyes from the sun when she looked up, met with the sight of an excited blonde climbing her way down to the main deck.

"No way, it is you!" she said, scooping Eurion up into a suffocating embrace and spinning her around. Her hair was the same gold as Kit's, wavy and all over the place, decorated with a red band over her forehead and two braids framing her face. Her skin was tanned from the sun, and hundreds of freckles dotted her rosy cheeks. She looked like joy if joy was a person.

Two others came running from the forecastle deck, a tall man with warm skin only a few shades lighter than Giselle's, and an even taller woman with a kind face and impossibly long, black hair. Eurion was delighted to see them, more delighted than Giselle had ever seen her before.

"Guys, these are my old friends," Eurion said, motioning to the three crew members. "Old friends, these are my new friends."

She went around and introduced everyone. The blonde's name was Quinn, the dark-haired woman was Mahria, and the man was Amala. They felt a lot nicer than Crane and all the other sailors they'd met thus far on their trip.

Giselle left Eurion to catch up with her old friends, wandering towards the side of the ship to look out over the sea. It was truly beautiful, but all she felt was sadness. It made her think of Chalice.

"They're all a bit loud," said a familiar voice. Morgana joined her side. "Nice, but loud."

She smiled. "I'm not shocked, they're Eurion's friends. That other woman didn't seem so bad, though."

"I think she's a bit too quiet," Morgana replied with a laugh, and Giselle joined in.

"You're right. She intimidates me a little." She traced her fingers along the wood, worn by time and the salty air of the ocean. "Are you afraid?"

Morgana shifted on his feet. "Afraid of what?"

She lifted a shoulder. "Of all of this. Sailing, the water, the South. I know the Folk aren't supposed to be scared of the human world, but I... this is all so new. I fear we won't have the upper hand anymore when we get there."

He gripped her hand with his own, and suddenly she felt grounded again. "Honestly, I haven't stopped being afraid from the moment I was assigned to kill the King way back when. But we'll figure this out. We always do."

Her heart swelled when she looked up at him. She let his words settle over the silence, and she was calm again. Morgana always made her calm.

"So, you wanna talk about Kit?" she teased.

Morgana stiffened. "Nope, I absolutely do not want to talk about Kit." She giggled, and a smile forced its way onto his face.

This wasn't going to be easy, but it would be okay, as long as she had Morgana. They were going to find the Grail, and their people would be okay. It was all she could do to hold onto her hope, and hold onto her friends.