Avi tugged at his sleeve and then the fabric at his hips for about the 30th time. He felt ridiculous and constricted, but this was the outfit Oryn told him he had to wear for his own safety.  The boots were rather comfortable though, even when he felt like he’d walked more in the past few hours than he’d walked in his entire life.  He was experiencing a bit of ... for lack of a better term - jet-lag ... or maybe veil lag. Time worked differently in the fae world, but Oryn and her magic had proved rather helpful and he was adjusting better than expected. Even still he was thankful for the opportunity to rest when Mitchell announced that they were stopping for a bit.

As he watched the rest of the party spread out amongst the rocks to rest, he plopped himself down rather unceremoniously. As he nibbled at one of the fruits Oryn had wrapped up for him, his thoughts drifted back to that morning.

Oryn had been a flurry of movement as she hurried to get things ready. She’d given him the new outfit that apparently belonged to her brother and he’d been surprised when it fit, especially after seeing the fae they originally belonged to, but really who can be surprised when magical beings give you probably magical things.  

She’d stared at him for quite a bit once he’d returned to her room. Finally she released a beautiful laugh as she reached up to remove the beanie from his head and brushed his hair back to secure it with a thin leather strap. When she was done she began circling him with a critical eye.

He knew when she gave him an apologetic look that he wasn’t going to like whatever came next..

“Just do it. Whatever it is.”

She seemed sad about it, reluctant… but after a moment she reached out a hand, finger tracing along his facial hair and just like that it was gone. It was definitely an odd feeling and he kept rubbing his chin, amazed at the lack of stubble. She reached out and did the same with a smile, her fingers lingering on the now baby soft skin. “You look more like one of us now”

“Do I look better?”

She stood back and looked him over before her eyes met his once again, shifting to the color of honey. “I think you are very aesthetically pleasing either way.”

He sent her a smile, his usual wit and humor lost in the nervous flutter in his stomach and the fight to keep his urges to himself.

He’d sat and watched as she brushed her own beautiful long hair and quickly plait and secured the front up and away from her face.  She didn’t seem bothered by his eyes on her but his deep voice still startled her slightly when it broke through the silence.

“My sister would love to be able to do that like that.”

Oryn’s eyes lit up. “You have a sister?”

He nodded. “I do. Her name is Esther. I have a brother too.”

“I am sorry you have been separated. I promise I will do everything I can to get you home, Avriel.”

He nodded. “I know you will.”

The rest of the day had gone by in a bit of a blur. He’d been surprised by the appearance of Oryn’s brother, Orion, and also the distaste he’d seemed to harbor for humans. He looked a bit like Oryn, but not overly.  His hair wasn’t the beautiful lavender of Oryn’s, but a snowy white that made his features look shadowed and harsh as opposed to the lovely softness of Oryn. His eyes weren’t quite as large and innocent either, but maybe that was because every time he looked at Avi he seemed to narrow them, and they would darken to a swirl of yellow and black like an angry bee.

Oryn had kept close to Avi, and was patient whenever he would start to fall behind, always waiting and never acting as if he were a burden. Orion, on the other hand, had little patience when it came to the human in their midst and would constantly yell out little biting comments at him, until finally Oryn could take it no more. She had swiftly swept her brother’s feet out from under him, a blade held to his throat as he looked up at her.

“Your enmity is not welcome! He is not a prisoner nor is he an enemy. He is a guest in our world and you will treat him as such. Do we have an accord?”

It halted the entire party, even Mitch who was further ahead, always desperate to push forward as the pull of his other urged him on. The pudgey Sora who was perched almost precariously on the back of his shoulders barely acknowledged the halt in motion.

A very surprised Orion seemed to deflate but gave a terse nod and Oryn reached to help him to his feet.

He’d eased up a bit since, but it didn’t stop the sideways glances that Avi knew weren’t exactly super friendly.

He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts at the sound of metal against metal. It was Oryn and Mitch in an intricate choreography of what looked like chaos, but he knew was way more than that.

Special effects in movies could never hold a candle to the actual speed, grace and accuracy of the fae. His brain could barely keep up with the flurry of movement and found himself just kind of staring.  Orion was on the sidelines with his arms crossed over his chest, yelling out encouragement or correction, but really what could possibly need correcting?

The fight seemed to last ages until it abruptly ended with Mitch on his knees astride Oryn’s stomach, the dagger… he forgot the name of it… poised at her throat. He knew it was only training and Mitch would never hurt Oryn, but it didn’t stop him from getting to his feet… just as a reflex. His hand went to the sword at his hip that he had NO idea how to even hold correctly, let alone use, but his fingers closed over the hilt… y’know… just in case.

He relaxed as the three fae burst into laughter and Mitch got to his feet and helped Oryn do the same. Next up it was time for the boys to dance and the gorgeous girl made her way over to him with a smile.

“That was amazing.”

She laughed. “You are kind. Now… you asked for a sword… are you ready to use it?” She smirked, knowing full well he had 0 experience with fighting.

He narrowed his eyes as hers glittered a beautiful mix of amber and green, her laughter contrasting the constant clash of blades in the background.

“Come. It is time to learn to defend yourself. This is neutral ground. It is the last safe place between here and the veil. Now, the best place for a sword… is in your hand.” She smiled and backed away slowly, her fingers moving to the weapon at her hip.

His heart began a relentless pounding in his chest as he pulled his own gorgeous weapon from its scabbard and held it up as he'd seen in movies. It was much lighter than the swords he’d held back home, but even the lightest of weapons becomes weighty after carrying it for long distances. It wasn’t too bad though, and it was quite a sight to behold. The hilt was a complex weave of silver and blue metal that looked like fragile threads that would fall apart the moment you touched them, but they had little give and it seemed to meld perfectly into his hand. The blade was long with a slight curve and adorned with a line of blue characters and symbols he didn’t understand, but he’d stared at the thing for quite some time after she’d gifted it to him.

But as beautiful as it was, the blade was razor sharp as Oryn had demonstrated quite effectively before even letting him hold it, worried he’d hurt himself. He knew this was a deadly weapon and he hadn’t the first clue what to do with it… besides… y’know… swing it.

Oryn laughed a bit as he held it a bit higher. “Alright. First things first…”

-----

Scott was a disaster.  

He’d curled up on the couch with the little pudgey and just … cried.  He felt like his heart was a magnet and there was a constant tugging from the force of its other half. It was painful and emotionally crippling. He didn’t do anything but stare off into space, trying to figure out what exactly he was going to do if Mitch never came back.

How could he live with this ache? How could he live with that feeling of being rent in two, the other piece impossible to get to.

How?

Sarah let out a sad cry and he realized that not only had she lost her partner or brother or whatever he was, but this little creature had also lost its home.  It was trapped in a world it didn’t belong in, a scary, unsafe place and she had no others of her kind to exist with or learn from.

He let out a heavy sigh that she watched and then mimicked. It made him laugh, even through the pain and he hugged her close.

“He’ll come back for us. He will, I promise. Until then I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’ll take care of you, ok?”

She nudged up under his chin and he pressed his eyes closed as the sobs came once again.

----

Mitch sat high in one of the trees keeping watch while the others rested and gathered strength. He could hear Avriel asking Oryn when they would get to see the big dragons and although the human's excitement was amusing, he couldn't even bring himself to smile.  

Sora was perched by his side as always, but there was a distinct sadness between them.  Out there somewhere their other halves were waiting for them and the separation had already begun to take its toll. He’d already known this sadness before, and it had come so close to his destruction. He wouldn’t let it win this time. He would find Scott and he would prove his father wrong. Scott loved him.. he just knew it. 

He closed his eyes remembering.

“Wait. So you magicked them to move when my brain tells it to?”

Mitch laughed and handed the sphere to Scott. “Only this one. This is your game piece. It is connected to you and will do as you want it to.”  He finished laying out the different colored crystals in the weird pattern he’d already described to Scott, but still had the human a bit confused.

He placed the seven pointed star, his own piece, down in the game area and pointed to where Scott should place his.

“It’s going to just roll around.”

“No it will not. Just put it down and tell it to stay.”

Scott was definitely unconvinced, but he placed the sphere in the spot Mitch told him to. “Stay.” He said it firmly and slowly moved his fingers away, still ready to catch it if it should decide to roll away. It sat completely still, balanced against nothing.

Mitch was struggling not to burst out laughing at the rather perplexed boy.

Scott rolled his eyes at Mitch's amusement. “Ok, fine Mr. Magic. Now what?”

Mitch couldn’t hold his giggles in any longer and the frown on Scott’s face only fueled them.

“Oh, you want to laugh at me? Who’s laughing now?”

Mitch’s laughter rang out through the woods as Scott’s fingers found his waist and they ended up a tangled mess as Scott tickled relentlessly.

Mitch wiped away tears before reaching into his pack to pull out the items he’d retrieved from Avriel after they’d passed Illyria’s borders.  The game pieces he’d left with Scott were whole once again, but the cracks and scars of previous breaks were still evident.  The clarity of the dark green sphere had dimmed to a dull matte and he knew it had to do with Scott.  He kissed it gently before repacking it carefully.  

The dagger, Illandir, was beautiful in appearance but deadly all the same. He knew it was probably a lost cause, but Oryn and Avriel had agreed to keep its true identity hidden from Orion. His connection to the King worried him and while he knew it was probably unfounded as they’d grown up as friends,  not knowing where and with whom his loyalty truly lay was troublesome.

He held the blade up and into the light and closed his eyes thinking of the man who was so far away and yet so close to his heart.

“I love you and I miss you. I am coming, I swear. I will find you.”

Somewhere in another world... a sleeping man snuggled close to a sad baby dragon and even lost in his dreamworld...   he smiled.