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Kelsey J. Sohn,

You did a good job with Corinne and Saorise. They're going to be wonderful young women when they get older- they're great right now too, though. Very brave – I thought I should tell you though, me and Corinne have had quite the bonding experience. I worry she'll tell you in the future, or say something oddly concerning. In case I'm not there to explain myself, I thought I should let you know in the letter.

Unintentionally, and not entirely voluntarily, me and Corinne went cliff diving. I'd rather tell you the story in person, and I'm sure Aunt Mebh or Prince (King?) Chase of Tenaloch and his friend-? (They have a weird tension, you'll get what I mean later) can explain if I'm not around to do it. The context is a little lengthy, but I really didn't have much of a choice but to jump off of your balcony and into the sea with Corinne. There was no other way out. We were both scared. I think her burns healed okay – I haven't seen her in a while but I'd like to imagine everything is alright. Aunt Mebh seemed worried when I left them at the Kwons, but I can take comfort in knowing they're all together. It'll be okay. I hope it will be.

I know you told me not to make any more contracts, and stupidly, like most of my decisions, I ignored you. I had to make a promise to your girls. I wanted to find you all so bad, I didn't think I could live with myself if I didn't. Do me a favor though, when you see me again, don't scold me for it. Or do scold me for it. It doesn't matter what you do, cause you'll be home, and that's all that matters.

I miss you. I love you.

I feel horrible for fucking up your birthday - if I did. I hope you liked your presents anyway. The ones here are for Christmas, so I hope you like those all the same. Your birthday was great. Even though it spiraled there at the end a little, it was really nice getting to be with you all. It was the first, and one of the only times I got to be with you all as not a club member - but your friend.

I don't know if you'll ever know how much it meant to me, to hear that you talked to your Aunt about me. I can't imagine you saying much of a bad word against anyone, I've never had a friend talk about me in such a light to their family, especially as I got older. In the summer, if I make it, I hope we can convince the rest of the group to go camping like we wanted, or you can show me that hike you were talking about - where the wildflowers bloom so readily. I hope I make it back, I'll try and look forward to that when I go through the portal.

I know I keep getting you flowers, but they're a fun present, and I think you deserve them.

These ones are Lego, admittedly. It felt a little childish ordering them to be completely honest, but I don't think you'd laugh at me, or laugh at them as a gift. They can be a pain to build sometimes, but I thought it'd be something for you to do when you get back - in case you're relied on to be the blooming optimism of the club.

You're allowed to be scared.

I know that you know that, but do you actually practice it? Every time I look at you, all I see is someone who was dealt one of the worst hands in life, and you play anyway. I don't have to know your whole story to know what I'm looking at when I draw you. I don't need to know either, I've found comfort in those questions lately – they're the only thing that seems to keep me company.

I also got you these custom chocolate molds- it's a bunch of sea creatures and coral. I don't know how much of a baker you are, and admittedly, I would have preferred to make them myself to give to you, but I realized after I bought them that I might not get to. That's okay. I left chocolate in here for you too.

The last thing I got was this cold-shower attachment thing. I couldn't remember (at least it'll be funny if I'm wrong), but you are one of the few people I know who take cold showers in the morning. I guess you prefer it - so the shower attachment is for your comfort. I hope you like it, I tried to do some research, but if it's horrible, I included the receipt.

I love you. See you soon.

– Sulli Chevalier

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Kelsey felt sick.

It's like he's drowning again, losing something important to him again. The scars on his back burn, a phantom reminder of just what he's lost. And now, Sulli. Well, maybe not yet- but everything had happened so fast. Sulli didn't wake after they had started to breathe again, even if they all waited for it. No, they'd just lied there, taking in mouthfuls of air like their chest was going to stop at any moment.

They're alive.

His two daughters - he could have sworn they were gone, he hadn't realized something had saved them. All he'd heard was the guards discussing some kind of firebomb in Cork, to kill, they had said. There were loose ends. His daughters were nothing more than that to all of them. Loose ends; collateral. So was Sulli. His own scattered burn marks were healing quickly, thanks to the response of his recovering magic, but they still stung - being kept in that intolerable heat for so long. He felt like he was going crazy, but maybe that's what Sedna wanted.

The walk back to the portal had been silent so far. The only sound was the group's weary, heavy footsteps tracing the path that Sulli and their new friends had taken to come and rescue them. Brewed rage swirled in his chest, and Kelsey had to bite his tongue to avoid hissing a few venomous words in Cassiar and Dominicus' direction.

Where had they been?

Logically, Kelsey knew it wasn't their fault, they'd been occupied carrying out their role in the plan, freeing Club Lore while Sedna was distracted. Sulli had been the bait.

That's what made him so frustrated – Sulli was bait; they were a distraction. It's a death sentence in itself, surely they must have realized that. How could they have been so selflessly stupid? Sulli wasn't an idiot, no, but over the time he'd known them, it became increasingly apparent just how desperate Sulli was to prove something. What? He doesn't know- but it was something. Brave enough, strong enough, persistent enough- maybe just enough.

Kelsey can't fault them for it, he's had that spiral a few times himself.

Beside him, Julian is carrying Sulli's broken, strained body. Their chest is still moving, agonizingly shallow, and Kelsey knows he's not the only one who keeps looking over to check. Even Julian's eyes dart down sporadically, pausing just long enough to assure that Sulli is still alive; still somewhere in there. Yaşru hadn't so much as argued about it when Julian had wordlessly picked them up - they'd only shared a wordless glance, and he'd relented, instead turning and offering his hand to Magnus to pull him to his feet.

The sun feels unfittingly warm, bright, and unkind - Kelsey draws in a breath. He can feel it, the pull of the Feywild. The weather was always harder to manipulate here than it was in the human world - it's so alive here, it takes a touch of charm and persuasion to convince it the whole way. The wind carries a world's worth of arcana, the clouds are thick with it, choked with a misery of magic. His magic is still recovering as it is, he's not sure if he has the strength to combat the unbearable warmth. It's stinging his scars, the heated burns he received while in that stupid fucking circle. 

Beside him, he feels the brush of his fingers against his arm. It's not Magnus like he expected, but Madden - his hands were a little bit cooler, just a step-down, and Kelsey raised his eyes to his friend thankfully. Madden only seemed to nod, reaching to rub his arm up and down in slow, concise movement.

It only feeds Kelsey's fury towards Adelaide. Towards the whole Kwon family in general, now that he's thinking about it.

Fuck you.

How could she do this to them? To Madden; to Sulli- to his daughters. Corinne and Saorise would be heartbroken. Kelsey's heart sunk deep into his chest. He'd have to make sure they were okay first. They were in the hands of the Kwons. As far as Sulli knew, they were alive but - that could change in an instant.

Kelsey felt the wind shift, not changing directions, but changing substance. Something large was headed towards them, barrelling really. His footsteps stalled, closing his eyes. Without missing a beat the scattered steps around him stalled as well, leaving him in silence, blind to anything but the feeling of the air around him.

A chill rushed over his skin, prickling the hairs on his arms to stand up, and something cold and familiar became interwoven with the breeze. It's not warmth, which is what he expected, flooding from the distant clouds, it's an ominous chill- but something; something in Kelsey wanted him to run towards it.

I know you.

Kelsey's eyes snapped open, eyes aglow with light and tracking arcana, as a creature burst from the encroaching winter clouds. They'd rapidly been building in the distance, but they'd moved with unmistakable speed and power, something only a very powerful Fae could do.

Something a Fae noble could do.

Orion.

Kelsey wanted to collapse out of relief at the appearance of the Winter dragon of the Feywild- Orion's dragon. Lux Brumalis. He took in a breath, that strangled, broken emotion deep in his chest writhing to get out - he'd only been able to put a pause on it for so long, but this was freedom, this was breathing. He wanted to cry, he wanted to be held, and for the first time in a long time, Kelsey just wanted to be allowed to be sad.

His friends never took that permission away from him, no, of course not. But Kel had taken it away from himself. He'd rather pretend to be happy, than genuinely be sad - and most of the time he could convince himself good and well. Most of his darker days were long gone, but these new ones that had risen over the past month - Kelsey wasn't sure if he had the strength to be so enthusiastic for much longer. At least for now.

The Dragon ran through the sky, clouds of winter haven and chill blowing behind him, dragging out streams of condensed vapor as he drove toward the ground instead- drove towards where Club lore awaited with weary glances. Kelsey didn't allow his friends to panic, although admittedly he should have said something, anything, to explain what was happening, before he took off towards where the dragon had planned to land. 

He hadn't brought it up to his friends. It hadn't been important at the time- but on Samhain, that night, a very particular Fae noble had approached him. And had, adorably, might Kelsey add, asked to court him. He'd even danced with him, just once, before the Prince had to leave again, but it had been so remarkably sweet. Kelsey had met Orion a few times, at varying events, but he was important, and Kelsey hadn't thought twice about the fact that Orion might be paying attention to him, of all people - that would be oh-so-very arrogant.

Prince Orion was cold, and reserved, and frightening, to be entirely honest. A powerful fae with a powerful presence, but it had been the Autumn Equinox - Kelsey had decided to take a few days off from work, to take Corinne and Saoirise to the Feywild, to get an idea of where they came from. Not that they couldn't come from the mortal plane too, but their magic, their history, their culture. The twins had always been curious - what child wasn't after all, and it was a matter of minutes before Kelsey had seen them vanishing between the castle grates- giddy and delighted to be sneaking into the castle. Children, especially Fae children, are seldom frightened off by the guard. They mean well, and in complete honesty none of them are powerful enough yet to shatter a ward or barrier. So it was a frequent sight to see a group of younglings frolicking in the gardens of the high-clearance castle.

Many had said it brought the two remaining royals great comfort, although, at the time, it seemed unlikely anything could bring "great comfort" to Orion.

How wrong Kelsey had been.

There are few things Kelsey is more protective of in this life than his children, so without a thought, without a beat, Kelsey broke into the castle himself to retrieve them.

After a scuffle, and quite the dramatic capture, he'd been brought to see Orion, who hardly seemed mad at all no, he seemed impressed, and quite taken - with what? Kelsey assumed his magical abilities- but apparently, that hadn't been it at all.

Well, maybe it had been some of it.

Kelsey could feel the buried sobs choke into his throat as the dragon landed, and he slid to a stop to avoid being hit by a fluttering wing. The surrounding cold ran down his arms, soothing the injuries he'd gathered in that bloody hell-hole. "Orion-" Kelsy isn't proud of the way his voice broke, but can you blame him?

It didn't matter anyway, the Prince's hands were on his arms in a moment, before traveling to his face, "Kels, Kelsey- are you hurt, do- you are hurt." Dark eyebrows furrowed, but he lifted the Fae's head, checking for further injuries, "For fuck's sake- what happened-"

"You-" Kelsey wanted to cry. He wanted to break down and shatter, but before he could, he placed his hands on his chest and shoved him. Orion barely stumbled back, but it didn't matter, cause that anxious, horrible fury that had been building up inside him was there now. "Where were you? You're late-"

He looked surprised, before stepping towards him again, and distantly, Kelsey registered the stares of his friends at the scene now, "I was busy, Kels- please-"

"Busy with what-"

"Baba?"

Kelsey stopped. 

Slowly, he turned to look up, to the top of the dragon, where his two beloved daughters were sitting, staring at him with wide, imbued eyes. Virtually unharmed, bundled up in warm clothing, and staring at him with their own tears in their eyes. He couldn't move for a moment - everything felt still, and silent, and at long last serene. His daughters made the first move, with the help of Prince Orion, who moved up to help them down from the dragon and slide down the wing of the massive creature - till both of them, in coats of soft, silken fur - and twin sets of the most adorable earmuffs he'd ever seen where staring up at him.

"But - Orion, the Kwons-"

"I handled it."

Kelsey no longer had the strength to stand either, and he dropped to his knees, drawing them closer to his chest in a flurry of silent, stifled sobs. They were okay. They were alive. "Oh God- my loves-" Kelsey cupped their faces, one with each hand, insistently looking them over for injuries between his tears, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry- I didn't mean to leave you, I didn't want to. I- 'm sorry-"

They both looked so indescribably sad, Saoirse reaching up to brush his cheeks, "No, don't cry, don't cry, Baba." Her own tears welled in her eyes, and Corinne shook her head beside her twin.

"We know you didn't mean to- Sulli said so. And Nana did too."

Sulli said so.

It made it all the more devastating. Saorise had her arms wrapped around him, but Corinne hadn't yet, shuffling on her feet. Kelsey read the guilt on her face, and bewilderment crossed his own, rubbing his eyes free of tears, "Cori, what is it? What's wrong- I'm- Baba's fine, see? I'm fine."

She shook her head again "Sulli told me to tell you something." She sniffed, "But you can't be mad or scared, okay?"

"Okay." Unease plummeted deep into the center of his stomach.

"We went cliff-diving."

It was a battle to keep the smile on his face, "Sorry- what??"

Corrine's lip wobbled, and Saoirise held her arms around his neck tighter, where he was kneeling down to her. "They said it was important- there wasn't a way out, but they held me the whole time so I wouldn't get hurt."

"Sulli jumped off a cliff??"

"There was a fire." Saoirse supplied, sniffling herself as she buried her face into her dad's shoulder. "Sulli went in to get her."

Oh.

Oh.

Guilt wracked his chest, but he drew Corrinne into a hug anyway, murmuring assurance that he wasn't mad - at anyone, not Sulli; not her.

How often did Sulli nearly kill themselves trying to save someone else?

It happened the first time too, when they thought they'd heard something in the woods, and with no thought of themselves, took off running towards it. Sulli is one of the most scared people Kelsey has ever met, but he's also the very definition of bravery. Sulli could afford to be a coward, once in a while.

He thought back to Samhain, the only time that Sulli had run from something they were scared of - run from them. But Sulli hadn't had anyone to protect in that moment but themselves either - it was a curious connection. Sulli wanted to be friends with people. Was it so they had something to protect, or was wanting something to protect the reason why they made friends?

It doesn't matter.

Sulli died for them.

And moreso, they'd been willing to die for them this whole time.

Another echoing call on the horizon forced his head up, that wind shifting again. Kelsey's exhaustion had settled in, and wordlessly, he looked to Orion, who raised his hand in dismissal and shook his head. "My sister." Without a second glance at the summery dragon that burst through the lingering clouds, running a wave of warmth and humidity through the breeze, Orion's eyes looked up to scan the crowd, hitching on none other than Arden.

Arden looked stiff, not that he didn't always look like that, but more so than usual. "Your Highness-"

"Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried sick Fawn has been?" Orion took a step forward, and Kelsey watched as frost kissed the ground where he walked, "What the hell-"

Anam Cara, the Summer Dragon, landed in a meadow of warmth and blooming sunrise, and the illuminating smile of Fawn appeared, only to quickly vanish all the same as her eyes fell on who her brother was speaking to.

Arden, for the first time, looked ashamed as Fawn landed on the ground, staring at him with the youthful eyes of a brokenhearted child. "Arden?"

"Your Highness-" They grimaced, shaking his head, and correcting himself, "Fawn, I'm - you don't understand."

"Yeah, I certainly don't. Where have you been?" She crossed her arms over her chest, and Kelsey sent a sparing glare to Orion - he certainly didn't want him getting into a fight right now. He couldn't take the stress of it. Orion scowled back but looked away, and despite the tense situation, it sent an arrangement of flurries down into his stomach at being listened to.

Arden shifted on his feet, "It's not my fault. I- Sedna-"

"You killed our friend-" Magnus hissed the words, and Fawn's face contorted.

"You killed a human? On Yule??"

"Yes. Well, Yes. I did. The contract, they were in pain-"

"You made a contract with one?!" Fawn looked like she was in shock, and Arden wilted.

"That's- I didn't have a choice, she had my name. I had to I wanted-"

"You wanted what-"

Arden sighed, just a little. Not frustrated with her, but frustrated with himself. "Fawn. Please."

"No, what did you just have to have so fucking bad that you didn't even- I didn't even get a letter? Not a note? Fuck- a bye would have been better than just leaving me!"

"I just wanted you to be safe! Okay? I'd rather die before you did, does that make you happy??" He crossed his arms over his chest, demeanor cold and snappish. "Are you so foolish to think that I would leave you if I wanted to? I didn't want to go anywhere- but I couldn't be in a place where she could get to you too. Alright? I love you. So fucking deal with it."

Fawn stared at him, as did the rest of the mixed company around them. Her features softened. "...You love me?"

"Well, I'm your partner. Boyfriend- girlfriend- whatever." His eyebrows creased.

"Arden."

"Don't be stupid, Fawn. That's not in your usual taste. Of course, I love you."

"Great." Orion's voice was borderline sarcastic, and Arden looked like he wanted to bite back, but left it after Fawn went over to him, whispering in her own words. His body posture relaxed a fraction, back to that normal stiffness, and Orion's eyes instead turned back to Kelsey, who was still kneeling on the ground, before he offered his hand. "Are you really alright?"

Kelsey took the hand without a second thought, and cried out for the time being, but still overwhelmingly exhausted as he leaned into the cooling touch of the prince. "I'm alive."

"That's not what I asked."

"That's what matters though, isn't it?" He managed a weak grin, cheeky and endearing, and Orion sighed, cupping the side of his face to brush a hand over it.

"It's not. But I appreciate the sentiment all the same."

"You're so formal, why aren't you on your knees, crying and thanking the earth and heaven for me?"

Orion raised an amused eyebrow "...Would you like me to do that?"

"Maybe."

He sighed, shaking his head, before reaching his other hand to cup the sides of Kelsey's neck, fingers stretching to hold his cheeks too, pulling his head forward and planting a sweet kiss on the top of his head. "I was worried. I was looking for you."

The thought is a little comforting, and Kelsey's momentary bout of humor crumbles, dropping his head forward to hide his face into the cold chest in front of him. "Good."

"Good?"

"Is it wrong to be comforted by the fact that you were worried about me?"

"No." Orion's arms draw him closer, wrapping around him securely. "No. It's not. I'd always look for you, Kel."

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WYN

twenty-fifth chapter!

Sulli is still not awake (tragically), but you did get to see a reunion between Kelsey and his girls! Not to mention meet (in context) Kelsey's love interest (hahahahahaha)

Spring Fae and Winter Fae could heal me alright-

We also go to see Arden's girlfriend (in context) Fawn! which is another very exciting thing-

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter <3

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH ^^