MORGANA STARED AT THE crown with wide eyes. The Unseelie were known for being chaotic and mysterious and lacking of a moral compass, but the Seelies were no better. They worked quieter, sneakier, put up an act of mercy like it wasn't cruel justice they demanded. They led both worlds to believe that the Unseelie kingdoms were wicked and deceptive and didn't care who got in their way in order to paint themselves as the better ones, the kinder ones.

He knew how they worked after so long being around them. This crown wasn't just a message, it was a threat. The Seelies were coming, the Queen wasn't done with them yet.

"What could she possibly want?" Giselle asked aloud. "She's been up to something this whole time, I fear she's been involved from the start."

"She knows where we are," Morgana observed. "She's telling us she's following us."

Kit looked confused, with that adorable little crease between his brows. "Why would she be giving us a warning? What does she gain from that?"

Adorable?

He shook his head. Kit had a point. It had to be more than just a message or a threat, Titania didn't do things without a reason.

"We have to leave," Morgana said after pondering for a moment. "I would hate to put your friend in danger, Eurion."

Eurion furrowed her brow, less than happy with the thought of leaving so soon. But she clenched her jaw and nodded. "I think you're right," she said. "We'll go then, quickly. We need to find our clue, anyway."

They were fast as they gathered up their things and dressed to leave. Eurion said her goodbyes to Samma and they departed, taking the items from stranger's bag with them.

The streets of the city were lively in the day. Sun beat down on Morgana's skin, painfully averse to the heat. Kit thrived in the warmth, like he was immune to it, but the Unseelie felt he was on the brink of melting like the creature of ice that he was. The townspeople were clothed in colorful attire and golden jewels, thin and sparse enough to air out the heat, but covering enough territory to protect from the harsh rays. For the first time in his life, Morgana wished Giselle would've dressed him how she wanted instead of covering him in layers of modest, black fabrics.

Not only was he burning alive, but he felt dreadfully out of place. Though his skin looked more southern, his attire made him stick out like a sore thumb. Selene might've been red as a rose an hour into their journey, but at least she dressed like she belonged.

After some time, the port city gave way to the Capitol. It was more dazzling than Morgana expected it to be, filled with exquisite buildings decorated in careful engravings and details. The rooves were domes or shaped like fat teardrops, and everything around him was full of gold or bright, colorful stones. This was a rich, prosperous city.

"The Gem of Every Sea," Eurion breathed. Morgana could see why it was called such a thing, he'd never seen anything like it, not even in Faerie. It truly looked like a gem of a city.

A palace sat in the center of the city, a masterpiece comparable to the beauty of his own home and far more elegant than the rundown stone fortresses of Avalon. Before it laid a square, full of shops and music and children playing while their mothers spoke to each other and their fathers exchanged their riches. There was a mix of rich and poor, existing together in ironic harmony.

"It's gorgeous," said Giselle, echoing his thoughts. "Where are we meant to look for the clue? It's so vast."

"That's a good question," Eurion said, eyes drawn to the palace before them. "I have a feeling our target is somewhere fiercely guarded, which could be many of these places. We'll just have to hope we know it when we find it."

Morgana was about to propose splitting up when someone across the square caught his eye, a vaguely familiar figure. It was too much of a coincidence to be anything but intentional. "Wait," he said. "It's the stranger from Samma's place. They're here."

The others turned right as the stranger met his eyes, and he felt a chill run down his spine despite the awful heat of the south. They never turned their gaze, and Morgana was confused, until their dark hair gave way to golden waves and their rags became royal armor. A crown materialized on her forehead, and his heart stopped.

"It's her!" he cried out, just in time to prepare them for her attack. She lunged at him, and he stepped aside swiftly, gripping at the back of her armor and yanking her away from his companions. It barely gave him enough time to pull out his knife and twirl it in his hand to get the best position. He swung it at her, but she was quicker on her feet than him. His cane jabbed at her side, but she grabbed it and flung him to the ground.

Before he could make any contact with the cobblestone, however, he felt two strong arms under his own, holding him up with incredible confidence. "Let's go," Kit murmured. While Selene had the princess distracted, the two made a run for it, ducking through the crowds until they were safely behind an alley.

He stretched his glamour, changing both of them as quick as he could until they looked like normal townspeople and not the very men the princess was looking for. They didn't look much different, all he did was shorten his own hair, and Kit looked like a female version of himself now.

"You should get into cross dressing," Morgana muttered, to Kit's confusion, before dragging him along again. He tucked his cane away, holding onto the prince instead to avoid giving himself away.

The two found themselves near the side of a building, surrounded by several very still guards, waiting for someone to mess up near them, almost daring them to.

"You made me look like a woman," Kit whispered after a second. "Why do you get to look like a man?"

"Because you already look like one," Morgana told him. At Kit's blank stare, he huffed. "You do understand the point of disguises, don't you?"

The prince rolled his eyes. "So what are we doing here?"

"We're hiding."

"Well shouldn't we be looking for our clue?" he said. "I mean, this is pretty heavily guarded, it could be here, like Eurion said."

He had a point. Morgana had no idea what he was doing, but he supposed he'd figure something out eventually. He took an awkward step forward, stumbling like a drunkard without his cane. His vision was blurring and it didn't help at all. Kit rushed to his side to keep him upright, but he was already caught.

"Sir, are you intoxicated?" a guard broke out of his silence to ask. "You know the rules about intoxication near the palace, don't you?"

The palace. They were already there.

"Sorry," Kit said. "We're not from around here. We just got a little lost."

"And I'm not drunk, I'm crippled, you moron," Morgana ground out, reaching for his cane against his better judgment. "Do you have a problem?"

"I apologize," the guard muttered. "Do you have business here?"

He felt a flash of dizziness again, and he stumbled against the wall. "Uh, sort of," he told him. "Maybe, that depends, do you happen to have a very important artifact that might lead people to something sacred, perhaps? We need that."

The guard looked confused. "I have no idea. But listen, if you two seek an audience with the Emperor, you'll have to make a formal request and we'll get back to you when we can. For now, I'll have to ask you two to leave. You shouldn't be here."

"How long is 'when we can?'"

"It could take days, weeks if the Emperor is busy," the guard said. "Sorry."

He groaned and took Kit's wrist. "Fine. We'll figure something else out." He dragged the prince away, taking them back out into the crowds, but he was sure not to lead them back to the princess.

"I can trick them," Morgana said when they were out of the guards' earshot. "Find out some way to get in the palace, I'm Sídhe, I have the magic."

Kit studied him. "Morgana, you've been using more magic than I've ever seen you using lately. It's making you weak, are you sure you have it in you?"

He looked at the prince with a fixed jaw. Of course he'd notice, of course he'd care. "I have to. I'll be fine."

"Take from me," Kit pleaded. It was harder to be mad at him when he looked like a pretty woman, but he still felt aggravated. "I have strength, take it."

"No," Morgana bit. "I'll be fine. You need it more than me. Just let me try."

Kit sighed. "Fine, at least drop my glamour, then. Don't expend more than you have to, okay? I don't need you passing out in the middle of the act."

He was right, as much as Morgana loathed to admit it. So he did as he was told, dropping Kit's glamour until he was a man before him once again. He'd miss that hair. At least he had his stubble back. Morgana noticed he hadn't shaved as often since that morning in his cell, but he tried not to think much of it.

"Don't get yourself killed while I'm gone," he insisted. "I'll try not to be long."

Kit looked worried. "I won't be far behind, okay? I won't let you get yourself killed, either."

"Just don't get seen." Morgana fixed him with a stare, trying his best to threaten the prince into prioritizing his own safety. He had one of the most sought after weapons right there on his hip, and the face of a wanted man out for all to see, if anyone was in danger it was him.

Once their brief staring contest was over, Morgana turned to leave. He felt something prodding at his chest as he walked away from Kit, like he had to do something, but the opportunity was gone. He was heading for the entrance of the palace, looking different once again, praying on the fact that the Deserts didn't believe in the Fair Folk.

At the entrance, he was met with skeptical glares.

"Do you have business with the emperor?" asked a woman.

"I do," Morgana told her. "And it's rather urgent."

The guard's look never faltered. "And who might you be?"

"The man the Emperor is waiting on. Do you often make your Emperor wait?"

"I need your name," the guard said. "Or you can't get through the gates."

"May I have yours first?" he asked, trying to hide his smug expression.

She gave him a once-over. "What for?"

"Well, if we're making introductions, I'll need your name. May I have it?" he went on.

It was clear she was still suspicious, but like a fool, she gave in. "Temrah Lo. Now please, your name."

He grinned. "Your first mistake."

Her eyes widened as her body began to move without her permission. She took the others by surprise enough to knock them back, and soon she was engaged with  her comrades in a messy battle. He made sure she was winning, but amidst their chaos, no one noticed him as he grabbed the keys and pushed open the gate, strutting up the stairs and into the palace walls.

By the time he let Temrah go, his head was spinning. He was being reckless again, but he didn't have a choice. They needed this clue, and he'd push through the dizziness to find it. He could feel magic somewhere in the palace, and he was determined to reach it. He was sure it would at least get them one step closer if it wasn't the clue they needed.

But his legs were giving out, and his glamour was fading. It was all he could do to hide the cracks on his face. His vision darkened around the edges, and the sounds of guards chasing after him was all he could hear. As hard as he tried, he couldn't run anymore. He collapsed to the ground with a frustrated cry.

He failed. Again. And in a moment of déjà vu, Morgana spent the last of his consciousness calling out Kit's name, forcing the image of his location into the prince's head, before the world faded away and hot chains were locked around his wrists.

No, not hot.

Iron.

Figure this out, Kit. I'm sorry.