LONG, SLENDER FINGERS HELD Kit's wrists together with a firmness he should've expected. At his side, Morgana was dragged along by the princess. He was lucky enough to get Chalice, who was gentler by nature and--though they were firm--wasn't cruel to him the way the princess was to the Unseelie.

His eyes were covered by a slip of fabric, but he could still feel Morgana's cold presence and the tension in the air. He wished he could tell him he was sorry, but then he'd be lying. He had no remorse for sparing him from more pain than he deserved, even if he was angry with him.

He also had no remorse for getting the both of them out of the dungeons.

There wasn't a plan, Kit knew that, and he had no idea how he'd be able to rescue the others. But he was out of his cage now, it was a start. He was surrounded by Seelies, perhaps he'd have to be just as good at deception as they were to get around their defenses.

The blindfold slipped away once they were no longer in the dungeons, now in the warmth of the palace hallways. It was bright enough to make him squint, and as beautiful as he remembered it to be. For such a terrible woman, Titania sure knew how to live.

Two large doors led into a small throne room. The Queen's beauty never failed to take Kit's breath away, and not in a good way, no matter how often he saw her. She sprawled across her throne with a glare, staring the prince down with eyes like ice in stark contrast to her summery people.

"So he agreed," Titania mused, swinging her legs off of the arm and planting her feet on the floor. She leaned forward, examining him further. "You should've cleaned him up before you brought him."

The princess bowed her head. "Sorry, Your Majesty," she said. "I figured I'd better get him here before he caused a problem."

The Queen scoffed. "I doubt he could do much. He was too gullible the first time, and last time he almost lost until his guardian bitch saved him and his friends."

"But he's got Morgana on his side this time," the princess argued. "It was just... better safe than sorry."

"And we have the druid," she bit back. "Whatever. It's no use, I'll put up with one disgusting man for now. I'd have loved to properly admire him, though, he is a sight to behold."

"I'm right here, you know," Kit murmured, but his jaw clamped shut as soon as both Titania and Morgana fixed him with vicious stares. "Sorry."

The Queen rose, walking slowly towards them with her hands behind her back. Kit didn't trust that, but again, he didn't trust a thing she did. "So, about our deal." From behind her, she pulled out a poorly crafted sword, one he knew all too well from carrying it around on his hip like a useless prop. "What do you say?"

He gulped, eyes switching from her to Excalibur and back again. "I'll do it," he said, then nodded to the princess. "But she needs to hold up her end of the deal."

The princess swung her head his way. "I did!"

"No you didn't," he answered, lips curling up into a smirk. "I said let Morgana go, and I won't do what you want until you do."

"I thought you meant--"

"Yes, perhaps, but you thought wrong," Kit crowed. "Is that not how the Folk operate? It's never what you 'think.' I meant let him go, and the moment I do what Titania asks, he will be free. Or, we can remain captives and I'll never do as you wish. How's that sound?"

Titania was furious, eyes boring into the princess with rage. "Let him go, Nam. He's not worth it, we need the prince. We'll talk about this slip up later."

Kit watched Morgana fall from her grip and let out a breath of relief. The Unseelie was properly free, and he could leave as long as he didn't do anything else to justify being a prisoner again. He hoped he would just leave, but he was a fool to think he would, not without Giselle. If he knew how to solve this thing, he'd do it in a heartbeat, but he had no plan yet. This was all a matter of figuring it out as he went.

"So," Kit went on. "You want me to do what, exactly?"

"You're the only one who can wield the sword," Titania told him, and he wished he could laugh. "I need to know how to use it."

He stretched his hand out for it, but froze. "May I?" When she nodded, he took the handle, and positioned it for a swing.

His arms were strong, steady, precise, as the sword made its way towards Titania's neck. But it froze only a breath away from her skin and refused to move any more. She knit her brows together in confusion, then, anger.

"That's how I use it," he told her, lowering the sword. "I don't. I can't. I don't have a trace of Arthur's blood in my veins, Excalibur won't work for me. Not if I'm trying to kill, at least."

Her eye twitched, and her throat bobbed.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?" he told her with a laugh. "You worked with the King. You know I can't wield it. So what do you really need me for?"

Kit could see it coming from a mile away. When Titania swung her claws his way, he ducked. He wasn't so lucky the next time, though, when she swiped them across his chest, ripping open his white tunic and staining it with blood.

"I'm finishing what I started," she hissed, swinging at him once more. But before she could deliver a proper blow, she froze.

Not because she wanted to, no. She was stopped.

"No," Titania seethed, eyes settling on Chalice. He turned to look at the druid, whose hands were in the air. They were stopping her, the Seelie Queen herself.

"Go!" they cried.

In her moment of weakness, a blade came slashing through the air and lodged itself into her side. Kit had every confidence she would survive, but it was sufficient in setting her back long enough for Kit and Morgana to flee the room.

"She can kill you for that now, you know!" Kit shouted as he tugged Morgana down the hallway. The Unseelie merely growled in response, and he couldn't help a chuckle.

Now that he had Excalibur back, Kit could fight off the guards that came for them. Morgana picked up a sword somewhere along the way in their scuffle, and together they succeeded in getting through the hallways, and soon they were outside of the palace.

Sure enough, there were dozens more guards waiting for them, too many for the two to take on alone.

"Shit," he breathed.

"Yeah," Morgana mumbled beside him. "That was pointless. Listen, if I die--"

Just then, a line of guards was knocked down with a swiftness that he could only attach to one woman. More fell to their knees, and the sound of horse hooves pulled his eyes to the side. It was Giselle and Eurion, leading two getaway steeds their way, while Selene and Chalice took the men out.

Kit let out a victorious chuckle. He and Morgana cut their way through the remaining guards until they were closer to their escape animals.

"Sorry there's only two," said Eurion.

He opened his mouth to reply, but a loud cry beside him caught his attention. It was Morgana, now crumbled on the ground and clutching his bleeding shoulder. The roots were growing, cutting into him with lethal force.

Giselle didn't hesitate to abandon her steed to fall at her friend's side. It was Seelie magic, thank the heavens, and she managed to stop them, pull the roots away enough for Kit to grip them and yank them out of Morgana until the hand was no longer attaching itself to him. The Unseelie cried out the whole time, and it didn't stop until Giselle pulled the hand away entirely, leaving him with a stump and a bleeding arm.

Despite his own weakness, Kit gripped Morgana's empty wrist. "Take from me," he whispered. "Just enough to get you away from the palace."

"You're hurt, too," he replied.

"I'll be fine." Kit set his jaw. "Please. We don't have much time, just do it."

The prince was relieved when he felt him doing as he was told, and he could see the calm overtaking Morgana's face as he took his strength.

Once he was done, Giselle and Kit worked together to set him up onto the horse, and Kit followed after. She took the place behind him and gripped his waist, while Eurion pulled Chalice and Selene up onto her horse. Lionel was with them, too, and though the creatures wouldn't be able to take them far like this, they could get them to the woods, and from there they could escape the kingdom.

Naturally, though, more men followed them. Morgana was still bleeding, and so was Kit, enough that the front of his tunic was now entirely red, and he had no way of knowing what blood belonged to whom.

The woods were in sight, but the slow horses weren't fast enough to outrun the guards.

Chalice did their best to help, but without their memory, Kit didn't think they were as strong as they could be. They pressed on, but soon, arrows came whipping through the air.

"Come on," he gritted as the thick trees neared. He could feel that familiar buzz, the one that told him they were close, but it wasn't strong enough to cross over yet.

Kit curled his body over Morgana's like a shield and whipped the reins again, as if he could make the beast go any faster. Somehow, the steed with four people was ahead, closer to escaping, but the guards were practically nipping their heels now.

An arrow whipped passed his head, and Kit hoped stronger than he hoped for anything before. Close, they were so close. His body got warmer, adrenaline, he was sure.

Once again, arrows clipped by, but none of them hit. They should've, and it was a miracle that the three of them were still alive.

And then, as luck would have it, a projectile struck the horse's leg, sending the three of them flying forward off of the beast. "Giselle, now!" he cried.

He was still clutching onto Morgana as they went plunging towards the floor of the Seelie forest, and he closed his eyes for impact. When he finally landed, he kept his arms tight around the Unseelie. He expected to die then, but he noticed the sudden silence, and his eyes flew open.

They were no longer in the Seelie forest. It was hot and dark, and they were on sand, not dirt or grass. In fact, sand was all he saw for miles. Red rock plateaus stood tall in the distance, but it was several hours away.

The other four were scattered not far from them. Lionel and Chalice were the only ones still on the horse, Selene and Eurion were on the ground, coughing up lungfuls of dry sand.

Morgana shoved Kit away, but it was a weak effort, not enough to properly get him to move. He did it anyways, though, then turned him onto his back and examined his arm. "Are you okay?" he asked frantically.

"You're the one with a red tunic," the other croaked. Morgana was getting bad again, and Kit had no more strength himself to help. "I should be asking you."

"I'll be okay," Kit insisted. "You need a remedy, now. Giselle?"

"No!" he cried out, attracting several stares. "No, I can't take it. It's not for me, I'll be fine. Just... get me to a river to wash myself up."

His blood still poured from his wounds, staining the sand black in the darkness.

"We're surrounded by nothing but sand for miles, Morgana," Kit told him. "There is no way to get you cleaned up and you're going to bleed out by the time we find something. Just take the remedy."

He clenched his jaw in defiance. It was clear he didn't want to take it, and though his reasoning was sound, it still made Kit angry. But eventually, likely because he was too tired to fight, Morgana reached out to Giselle. "I'll take it," he whispered, and she nodded to him.

Morgana face's was dusted with black powder as he breathed it into his nose, and Kit watched as he was filled with life right away. He let out a sigh.

"So, we're surrounded by sand," Morgana hummed. "But it's a Faerie ley line."

Kit met his eyes. He was right. As far as anyone knew, there was no Sídhe in the South. So how did this portal get there?

Before he could question it, though, his own blood spilling from his chest caught up to him, and Kit's eyes rolled back into his skull. This time, it wasn't Morgana who passed out from exhaustion.