THE GRAIL HUMMED AGAINST Chalice's hip as it rested in their bag, almost enough to distract them from Titania's electrifying presence. She made no moves to attack them yet, like she was waiting for someone else to throw the first punch. Karma worked well for her, that much they knew, and she'd take advantage of it so long as her opponents were idiots. Chalice couldn't exactly flaunt the wisest of companions, but they hoped the others had enough sense not to attack right away.

"You really came," said Titania. Her face was still mangled, but she was no less enchanting to look at. The arm she'd lost had been replaced by a mechanical one, sharp and sleek and fluid when it moved. "I thought maybe you'd lost your wits."

"And abandon my people?" said Morgana. "You're an idiot."

"The Seelies are not your people," she spat. "Why are you trying so hard to heal them?"

"Because that disease is killing the Unseelie, too," he seethed. "Why haven't you done anything for them? Your people are in agony. What kind of Queen lets her kingdom die without batting an eye?"

With a loud cry, Titania lunged for him. It seemed to have struck a nerve, and she was merciless as she swiped his chest, dodging by a breath of bad luck. Chalice's reflexes were quick, and they slowed her down, giving Morgana enough time to draw his sword and duck away from her.

A blow from behind knocked the druid to the ground, sending the Grail flying from their satchel. Namyra was behind them, a large shield strapped to her arm and a furious expression marring her beautiful features. She had the face of a Queen and the backbone of a spoiled dog. Chalice didn't know whether to pity her or hate her more.

Titania's attention switched from Morgana to the holy relic on the cobblestone, glinting in the sunlight. She clutched it in her hand, trembling as its glory defied her impurity.

"Is that what this is?" she said. "Do you think you can heal them with this? It won't work if it's gone." With a loud cry, she crushed it in her metal hand, the gold caving in with her strength.

Chalice felt their heart drop to their stomach, and they threw themself to their feet. Kit and Eurion held Namyra back while the druid tried to find a solution. It shouldn't have been that easy to break it, but it bent like soft foil in the Queen's grip. If it was that easy, it shouldn't be so hard to fix it.

When the Grail clattered to the ground, magic weakly flickering away from its surface, they stretched out a hand and thought of what it once was. It was a powerful relic, one of miracles, and if they had any hope of completing their mission, it had to exist.

Slowly, the deformed metal popped back into its place, and Titania watched in horror as they fought to return it back to what it was. She picked it up from the ground and tried again, but Chalice was too determined to give in. They strained, praying for the others to keep Namyra back while they reshaped the Grail. Soon, it was back to normal, but they weren't done.

They made it brighter, holier, blessed it with their sheer will and a silent chant said beneath their breath. It became too much for Titania to bear, and she dropped it like a hot poker. It took her a long moment to get over the initial shock, but once she did, she cried out, lashing her hand at the druid.

Over time, the Queen had gotten sloppier, more desperate, like she needed something so badly it hurt. Chalice wanted to feel bad for her, but after everything she's done, they couldn't. They dodged her hits better than they expected to, drawing power from the Gods to deliver blows to slow her down. She pulled a dagger from her belt and swung it their way, but with a clean roll, they narrowly avoided it, snatching up the Grail from the ground as they did.

They could stop her now, if they tried hard enough. She was panting, still damaged from the dragons' vicious blows, and they had the Grail. Chalice clutched its stem, focusing on the power that grew from it. They prayed for a miracle, for the people to be healed and the Queen to fail, because that was the only way to keep them all from suffering.

The Grail flashed a light, bright enough to blind anyone who dared to look it in the face, but when it dimmed again, Namyra was still fighting their friends and the battle raged on in the distance. Titania was nowhere to be seen, but Chalice could feel her nearby, though not as close as she'd been before.

"Please," they begged, looking back down at the Grail. But before they could stop it, the artifact was melting in their hands, dipping through the cracks of their fingers and vanishing into the air before it hit the ground. "No, no, wait." Chalice clawed at the cobblestone, as if it would bring it back, but to no avail. "No, we still need your help! Please, I wasn't done, nothing's happened!"

Their eyes brimmed with tears when they came to the painful conclusion that it wasn't going to come back. The Grail was gone, and they wasted their miracle on nothing. It was all they could do not to curl on the ground and weep, but Eurion's pained cry was enough to grab their attention. Instinct took over then, and they lept to their feet, albeit slower than usual with their frustration, and assisted the two in taking on the Summer Princess.

She was as swift as she'd ever been, ruthless in a way they didn't expect such an elegant faery to be. She was more fit to fight Kit, though, all anger and fists and a large shield she used as a weapon more than she did for defense. Her will was strong, too, it was difficult to weaken her. She had more determination than Chalice had ever had to go against, though in all fairness, they'd never had to go against Kit or Morgana or Selene. A bitter taste flooded their mouth at the thought that such a thing might soon change.

There was an empty presence there, and Chalice realized with a start that Lionel and Morgana were missing. Kit seemed to realize at the same time, too, as he paused just long enough for Namyra to slam her armored's fist into his face, knocking him out of the fight and to the ground at their feet.

"Go find the others," Chalice ordered him. "We'll hold her off, go!"

Kit scrambled to his feet, and when Namyra moved to chase after him, Eurion gripped her by the hair, pulling her back to them. Together they worked to keep her there, though the fight got harder without a third pair of fists.

It was a good thing Eurion and Chalice fought well with one another. Eurion was quick and efficient, making up for Chalice's physical shortcomings, while the druid focused on weakening her and messing with her head. Occasionally they used the iron chain they had wrapped around their waist, but it didn't do much against her armor.

Namyra was quick, but Eurion was quicker. The thief's armor was lighter, and she hadn't been previously beaten down by the prince's angry rage that was strong enough to dent a shield. The shield was becoming useless for the princess, it couldn't defend against magic, and Eurion's knives were faster. She was cowering behind it now. They were winning.

Chalice focused on her arm. They focused on weakening it until the heavy shield brought Namyra to her knees. "Now!" they cried, and Eurion yanked it away from her, using it to deliver a strong hit to her face, cracking her nose until a river of blood trickled down it.

"For Christ's sake," she growled. Eurion moved to swing a blade, one Chalice was sure would take her out, but Namyra was fast enough this time, no longer burdened by the metal, and she gripped Eurion's hand, tugging her against her chest and reaching for something sharp with which to cut the thief's throat.

Chalice was overtaken by a blind rage, and they wasted no time in kicking back her hand, twirling the iron around it and yanking it upwards until her shoulder pulled from its place with an ugly crack. She screamed, and Chalice swept Eurion up into their arms.

"We've got to help the others," they urged, but Eurion already knew that. Once she gained her footing again, they made a run for the palace, should Namyra get up with enough time to chase them down. Chalice's legs were slow, but they were long, and they kept good time with Eurion until they were effortlessly through the palace doors.

The guards were scarce, and Chalice figured most of them were out fighting. It was a challenge to cut through them, but when they finally did, they raced through the hallways until they stumbled upon the ballroom. Titania was there, abdomen soaked in dark red blood, but there were no bodies nearby. The druid's heart dropped.

"You're here," the Seelie Queen said with a wicked grin. Her hair was a disaster, as though she'd grown completely unhinged within the time it took for them to fight off Namyra and the handful of guards awaiting their arrival at the doors. "I'm sure you're wondering whose guts I've got all over me."

"Where are they?"

Titania laughed, a disturbing cackle that shook them to the core. "Dead."

The world dipped beneath their feet, but Chalice had to keep their head on straight. She was just trying to rile them up. When they caught sight of an open wound in her stomach, they knew she was lying.

"It's your blood," they said. Another pulse pushed liquid from her wound, the crimson expanding across her bodice.

"Chalice, look," said Eurion, pointing to a crudely made blade in Titania's trembling flesh hand, streaked with blood. It was Excalibur.

Titania's eyes were bloodshot. "I'm still standing," she seethed. "This stupid sword didn't do a damn thing. It's a fake! You need to fix it, Red," she growled.

Chalice knew Kit couldn't deliver deadly blows with Excalibur, but he could use it to injure. If that was the case, Titania needed a lot more to kill her. She made no move to fight them, only glared at the druid with a sickening fury.

"I can't, I don't know how," Chalice said. "I already told you."

Titania tossed the sword across the ground their way, streaking the tile with red as it settled at their feet. They could feel the faint thrum of magic that pushed from the sword, and Chalice hesitated before they picked it up, staining their palm with gore as they studied it. The magic felt more potent in their hand now, and they let it seep through their skin like it was searching for something.

Power. That's what it sought for, Chalice's power especially. No, not Chalice's--Vivien's. It sought for her, for its creator. It was broken, and it longed to be whole. The Lady of the Lake was no longer there, but Chalice was.

"No."

They tossed the sword aside, and Titania glowered at them. "Oh, come on, you almost had it!"

"I'm not giving you a weapon."

"You won't have it to fight with," Titania said, eyes rabid. "You could kill me if you changed the rules of the sword, you could get what you want."

They sensed an odd desperation from her that they never had before, like she wanted  Chalice to take Excalibur and kill her. And if that's what she wanted, they couldn't trust it. Surely they weren't the only one who wanted her dead, but this wasn't the time.

"Killing you is not what I want," they said, braving a step closer. "I want the people of Faerie to be healed. I want the war to cease, and I want the deaths to end. But I've a feeling killing you is not what would make that happen, would it?"

Titania didn't get a chance to answer. The floors were shaking, ever more violent, and her eyes went wide. "No, it can't be!"

"You mean this isn't you?" said Chalice, sidestepping to avoid a falling banister. In their moment of distraction, the Queen escaped, and when they looked back up at where she'd been, she was gone.

Eurion gripped their hand, pulling them out of the room and away from the chandelier breaking away from the ceiling. It fell moments after they left, and Chalice's heart thundered in their chest.

The two raced down the hallways, slipping around corners, narrowly dodging falling lights as the palace quaked. Finally, they were outside, stepping onto the stretch of stairs leading up to the doorway, where they were met by the sight of two large dragons and Mab, pressing her palms to the floor, eyes dead on Titania.