THE GENTLE WAVES OF the sea rocked the boat from side to side, lulling Chalice into a deep calm as they closed their eyes. Sera was beside them, guiding them through the magic. She told them things they felt they should've known, like a reminder of something they knew long ago but couldn't quite reach on their own again.

It was no simple spell. Without any memory of training, all Chalice was left with was the things their body memorized, and everything that came naturally to a druid. They knew they'd been powerful before, Eurion would never let them forget that, but it was hard to believe such a thing when they just felt so useless.

"You can do it," the thief encouraged, holding her hands out to them. She'd knicked the base of her palm enough to sting to help the druid figure it out, and she would be the one to let them know when it was working. So far, it wasn't.

Sera pressed her fingers to their temples. "Focus, Chalice," she said. "Stop thinking about how little you know and start thinking about taking Eurion's pain away. Now."

It was hard to focus when the woman was this pushy. Chalice wasn't used to someone this harsh and impatient, but they supposed it was how she had to be when all she had was herself to keep her and her son alive for so long.

"I'm sorry," the druid murmured. "I'm doing my best but it's not there."

Sera huffed, slumping back in her seat. "What isn't there? How do I help you?"

"I just--I can't focus. I need a minute."

"Well, we don't have a minute," she snapped.

Eurion put a hand on her arm. "Sera," she said. "You're stressing them out. Let me try."

It was almost instantaneous, the calm that flooded their body when Eurion touched their face. Her hands were large and rough, but her touch was the most gentle thing they'd ever felt. They focused on her fingertips, brushing along their hairline, on the gentle pulse beneath her skin and the precise stillness only someone as slick and skilled as her could possess.

And suddenly, there it was. The demand in their head, the single word running back and forth, became the only thought on their mind.

Numb. Numb. Numb.

Eurion laughed victoriously. "Chalice, you're doing it," she said. "I can't feel my hand. Now try the rest of me."

The druid opened their eyes and thought only of Eurion's body, of the pain she must've felt, and thought of turning that pain into emptiness, into a dull nothing.

"I can still feel a little, but it's mostly gone," she said. "I think you did it. Can you do a few more of us?"

They reached out, thought of Selene. What they did for Eurion, they tried to do for her at the same time. And then Morgana, waiting for their reactions.

"Is it working?" they asked. Whatever they were capable of before was returning to them. Maybe they could remember everything else soon, maybe Ursula really helped.

Morgana's voice was flat, too flat, it sounded angrier than it had been earlier despite the sheer absence of emotion. "I think so. It'll work."

Sera took Lionel and Kit as well as Chalice, who was just as worn out as their companions. The strongest ones would take turns holding Giselle, who was in no position to walk. Together, the druids would attempt to dull their pain and exhaustion until they arrived. It would keep them moving, but the moment the magic was lifted, they'd be in agony.

Chalice was not looking forward to that.

The boat pulled to a stop after a little over an hour, and Chalice covered their targets once again, hiding away their pain. Their body felt relieved--if only a bit weak--when Sera did the same for them, and their long journey began.

It was easy to keep up with for the first stretch. For several hours, they did nothing but walk. The terrain was cold this far north, though as they traveled south, it warmed up. They didn't know where they were going, but it felt like they were moving slower than they should've. Even Morgana, in his angry determination, couldn't walk as fast as he wanted with his bad leg.

"Please, just take some of my strength," Kit begged when his limping became too much to ignore.

"No," Morgana growled, and the prince made no further effort to argue after that. Chalice knew he probably wanted to, but it was clear the Unseelie was too angry and tired to be reasonable anymore.

The terrain got greener the closer they were to the Grail, and the sky was darkening. Chalice wasn't looking forward to the trip through the night. It had been an impossibly endless day already, and they could feel their energy draining even with Sera's help. Druids had more stamina than the average human, but the constant focus and strength they were expending was taking its toll already.

When the dark took over, and the bright moon was high above their heads, Chalice could feel it collapsing. They weren't in pain, and they weren't feeling the exhaustion, but their body was weakening, like everything was too heavy. But they couldn't stop now. They knew if they took a break for even a moment, they might not be able to get up again for too long.

"You're doing great," Eurion told them. "If you need to, you can release me. I'll be okay."

"No," Chalice breathed. "I can't do that to you."

The thief took their hand. "I don't feel weak. I can handle it."

Chalice swallowed. "Only a little," they said. "But if I think you're struggling too much, I'm taking it back."

"Deal."

It helped a little. Eurion flinched every once in awhile, but they tried to let her keep her commitment.

They must've been traveling for several hours of the night when Sera called out for them to stop.

"No, we need to keep moving," Morgana gritted, but Sera clutched his wrist. He must've been too weak to fight back this time, because he didn't even try.

"Connor can still see Kit," she said. "I don't want him to know where we are. Before we get too close, I'm going to have to blind him."

Kit froze. "You what?"

"Just while we're there," she told him. "And none of you can speak a word of where you are to Kit. We can't risk the King finding us. He cannot get his hands on the Grail, do you understand?"

Kit looked afraid, but understanding. "How do you know that's how he's been finding us? What if blinding me does nothing?"

Sera clenched her jaw. "I can't guarantee this will work, but this is all I can think of. Someone will have to guide you along now, okay?"

If Chalice knew one thing about Kit, it was that he refused to ask for help, that he didn't enjoy feeling like a burden. This would be no simple tasking, depending on someone else like this, but it was clear he knew he couldn't afford pride right now.

He bowed his head. "Fine. Just do it, we have a place to be."

Sera nodded, a grim expression on her face when she placed her thumbs over his eyes. And then, with a bright light and Kit's pained cries, she did her magic. When he opened his eyes, the golden pools were replaced with a foggy blue. Chalice knew that blue. One of their own eyes was like that, blinded from an injury they couldn't remember. They forgot it was there sometimes.

"I'm sorry," Sera said as his eyes welled with tears, and Chalice could feel the ache in his chest from the spell. "This isn't permanent. It's only a precaution."

Morgana grabbed his arm, and Kit's hand immediately found his face in a moment of heartbreaking tenderness that made Chalice turn their head.

"Don't get soft," the Unseelie growled, gripping his wrist. "I'm just helping you walk in a straight line. Now please, let's get moving again. None of you will ever know peace if Giselle dies."

Chalice had no doubt about that. Morgana hardly let them be in peace now, even while Giselle was still alive. They had no doubt he'd keep his promise if the disease took her, and they were the first to move on.

The walk turned their legs into clouds, and they knew if the pain was there, it would be excruciating. For now, they let the numbness move them forward. With time, they could no longer feel their body, and by the time the horizon turned from a deep black and into a soft indigo, they could feel their body giving out. Judging by Kit and Morgana's dragging feet, they assumed the spell was slipping away.

"We're close," Sera said. "No one say a word to Kit. He can't know."

Chalice watched the world around them turn green as the sun rose higher into the sky, illuminating the fields of grass before them. They were approaching a lake, and behind it, a humble, busy village. It was hardly dawn, and it was alive already.

Perhaps it was the Grail, or maybe it was something else entirely, but there was a feeling in Chalice's gut, a lump that formed in their throat. Their chest got tight, and they felt the need to run. And then, despite the pain, they did.

They ran.

Across the fields, through the tall, green grass, under the sunlight and towards the lopsided homes which made up the humble village. They had no idea where they were, and yet they did, all at once. This was the feeling they'd longed for since they awoke in the Seelie palace, cold and alone and in pain. The paled faces of the villagers when they saw them racing their way and the tears rolling down their hollow cheeks told them everything they needed to know.

A short, plump man pulled the druid into his arms, weeping into their chest. A child came next, then an ancient, frail woman. And soon, they were pulled into the embrace of a dozen people while more called to their families, rousing them from their sleep until Chalice was surrounded by people they loved, whose names they wished they could remember, whose souls spoke to theirs and said only one word.

When their companions caught up, they weren't sure, but they were there soon enough, taking the attention. Selene dumped Giselle into a tall man's arms, and Morgana dragged Kit along with him to follow her. The only ones to stay were Eurion, Sera, and Lionel.

"Chalice," the short man said, looking them over. "I thought you were dead. Are you alright?"

"Well, I was dead," they said. "But not anymore. And...I will be, I suppose. Um, forgive me, but uh..."

Their words caught, suffocating them until their eyes welled with tears. They looked to Eurion for help, and thankfully, the thief knew what they were trying to say.

"Cian," she told Chalice. "That's Cian. And this is Fells, this is where you're from."

Somehow, they knew it to be true. They met Cian's bittersweet gaze, his eyes wide and full of pain and hope. "I don't remember," they said, voice trembling. "When I died, so did my memories. I'm sorry."

Cian was already crying, but his tears rolled down fatter now. "I understand. But you can feel it, can't you? You can feel that you are home."

Chalice became dizzy, and their limbs ached with sudden force. Sera was letting them go, and they stumbled into Cian's arms, falling down to their knees. He followed, keeping a strong hand on their shoulder.

"Yes," they murmured. "I can feel it. I'm home, Cian. And my love for you remains. I'll try to remember. I'll try..."

All at once, their exhaustion overtook them. They collapsed completely, body so full of pain that they no longer understood why pain was bad. It was too much to hurt anymore, and they stared up at the cloudy sky above them. While their mind faded into sleep, a smile brushed over there features.

Home. Finally, after all this time, Chalice Daines was home again. And for the first time since they rose from the dead, they knew who they were.