Chapter Text
They sat in a tense, awkward silence at the table. The cookies were delicious and cooled to a Lockes’ brand Just Right temperature, and melted on Blondie’s tongue with each bite. Combined with the tall glass of milk, it was a strangely domestic scene. Blondie wasn’t sure what she was going to do with the knowledge that Evana Queen was not only a wealthy and successful book writer, she was also a witch and she made really good cookies.
Cupid happily ate away with no regard for the tense atmosphere, crumbs sprinkling on her shirt as she gulped back milk.
“So,” Evana began, “I suppose Applecheeks isn’t going back into her little story?”
Apple whimpered. Blondie put down her cookie and settled for pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Mom,” Raven scolded. “Be a little more empathetic!”
“Well, there’s just no use crying over spilled milk, is there? What is done has been done.” Evana dabbed at her lips. “Let this be a lesson for you, birdie; never try to conjure something while distracted by a pretty face. I admit, I was hoping your first summoning would be something a little more... evil. Why, when I was your age--”
“Oh, no, please stop,” Raven said, her cheeks beginning to burn.
“--I summoned a succubus on my very first go!” Evana sighed wistfully. “She was such a pretty thing, had a lot of fun stories. We painted the town red! Or, she did. I was hopelessly in love with your father, ew.”
“That’s,” Blondie said, voice high with uncertainty, “romantic?”
Evana waved her hand and a plume of purple fire raced across the table. The milk glasses--wet with condensation--suddenly became ice cold again and the cookies heated back into the perfect temperature. Blondie was a little surprised; she had been expecting an incantation, at the least.
“Eat, please. They’ll help settle your stomachs.” Evana took a sip of milk. “Now, we all agree that any secrets shared in this house won’t leave, hm?”
“Y-yes, ma’am.” Holly shifted in her chair, staring blatantly at Apple before forcing her eyes away. Poppy, holding an ice pack to her head, breathed out a shaking yep and touched her glass. With an audible snap the condensation returned, trailing over Poppy’s fingers.
“How are you doing that?” Blondie marveled.
Poppy and Holly looked at each other. Something unspoken passed between them before Poppy set her ice pack on the table, sighing through her nose.
“We’re human,” is what she said at first, which even Blondie could tell was at the least a half truth. “But ever since we were little, we noticed...strange things happening.”
“Things... grow around me,” Holly began softly. “Little things, like plants. Whenever I write about something--like, if I’m writing about a fish--it tends to...well, it, um--”
“It comes to life,” Cupid supplied, and Holly nodded shyly. “Fascinating …”
“It’s only when I really, really concentrate though. When I put...parts of myself into my stories.” Holly resolutely stared at the tabletop and did not meet Apple’s bright, frightened gaze. “A lot of love, a lot of life--”
“Creation magic.” Evana sounded mystified. “I’ve heard about it among elder sorcerers, or from crones deep inside the coven, but never from a little girl. You have a gift. What about you, hm?”
Poppy shrugged. “The opposite. Strange things just don’t...happen to me. It’s like I’m just too normal that that’s the... abnormal thing. You name it, it stops being magic. Curses, hexes, spells,” and she looked to Cupid as she said, “shapeshifters.”
Cupid shuddered and ducked behind Blondie, just a little.
“Destruction of magic,” Evana said, though far more warily.
“More like, nullification,” Poppy was quick to interject. “And it’s not really permanent unless I hold onto it for like, ever. Or else Raven wouldn’t have any magic at all.”
"That’s why I always fall asleep,” Raven realized with a gasp. “It was like all my magic was just sucked away--”
“Dampened,” Poppy rushed. “Don’t make me sound like a void where all the cool stuff goes to die, y’know?”
“Why couldn’t you make me go home?” Apple’s trembling voice cut through the chatter. “If you n-nullify, whatever, why couldn’t you bring me back home?”
“I can’t nullify Holly’s magic,” Poppy said with a wince. “If it was just Raven’s magic, then you’d be home in an instant. But because Holly’s magic brought you here … ”
“There’s also the element of belief,” Cupid added. “Humanity’s greatest strength is the power of their imagination. It’s a level of magic even the gods can’t touch, and not something I imagine you could nullify so simply.”
Poppy nodded. Apple buried her face in her hands and her whole body trembled. She swayed in her seat, and did not flinch away or otherwise push Raven away as the witch reached out to steady her.
“It’ll be alright Apple,” Raven said soothingly, “I brought you here so I’ll take care of you. It’s my responsibility.”
“Yes, you’ll stay here, Apple! I have more than enough space to take you in! Don’t you worry your pretty little head! We’ll go shopping this weekend.” Evana’s smile was evil incarnate. “I think you would look absolutely stunning in bla--”
“We’re letting Apple dress herself,” Raven snapped. “By Lurline, mother, honestly, you are not dressing up an actual princess in black for your aesthetics.”
“And I’ll work on bringing you back into your story,” Holly said to Apple, hesitating before she offered a hand. Apple gave her a small smile--and it was still quite beautiful, despite her clear sullen disposition--and took it. “I promise, Apple. You’re gonna get a happy ending.”
“I-I will?” Her voice wavered. “T-thank you.”
“In the meantime, we’ll keep you busy with this world,” Blondie said with a grin, finishing off her glass of milk. “There’s a big field trip coming up to the museum and everything! Do you like history, Apple?”
“O-Oh, yes, very much so!” Apple’s eyes finally began to gleam again, and she clasped her hands to her chest. “I suppose it won’t do to simply mope about, will it? I’ve just got to make the most of it.”
“Hey, I’ve been making the most of it ever since I met this ghoul,” Blondie snarked, wrapping an arm around Cupid’s. Cupid pouted, which caused Apple to giggle. “You’ll be in great company, I promise.”
The rest of the week passed quite smoothly; it was clear that Apple was new but she was so utterly charming that no one gave her much grief. A quick fib that she was a family friend visiting from overseas, homeschooled all her life, and timid around new people had the whole faculty endeared to her. It helped that Apple took to learning like a fish in water; she soaked up knowledge like a sponge. Whether or not Holly had written her with that trait was unclear; Blondie didn’t like to really mull over it herself.
Just where did Apple White the character end, and Apple White the reality begin? It was a line that was blurry enough on its own. No real need to make matters worse with all the existentialism.
Apple, for her part, looked quite happy with her lot. She made quick friends with Briar and Ashlynn and didn’t particularly care that both of them were immortal-- “We all have our quirks,” Apple had giggled--which practically guaranteed her entrance into Blondie’s steadily growing Charmed Circle of friends. Briar, Ashlynn, and now Cupid, Apple, the O’Hairs, and Raven.
How odd, Blondie thought. She hadn’t realized she’d been as lonely as she was until suddenly there were more people than she knew what to do with. Whether it was Raven showing her magical diagrams under the table during physics class, or Apple tutoring her in calculus (and wasn’t that a shocker for the ages) Blondie found that there was someone always by her side. Cupid was a constant as well, if a pseudo-romantic one.
Friday finally arrived, and it brought a long awaited school trip to Afterever Hills’ museum, a huge building with every exhibit under the sun and then some; while the sections were smaller in size, neither quantity nor quality had been sacrificed. Most were merely recreations, but there were a fair number of genuine artifacts. Blondie and her friends boarded the bus with elation; Apple and Raven sat together in the seat ahead of Cupid and Blondie, with Holly squished between Ashlynn and Briar on the side. Poppy would have been there, of course, but she was on a different bus with a particularly clingy ballet dancer.
Blondie snuck a glance at the way Apple clung to Raven’s side, chattering excitedly and asking as many questions about Afterever’s history as she could get away with. Someone’s not the only one that’s grabby, she thought to herself with a grin.
Thankfully Faybelle wasn’t on the bus as well; no spiteful cheers were lead against Briar. Instead, Melody Piper and Meeshell Mermaid lead the students in a rousing and frankly silly rendition of Hollaback Girl. This, Blondie thought as she clapped her hands with the beat, was what senior year was about. Old songs that never really got old, and friends, and being unafraid to make fools of yourself.
They walked into the building and were greeted by the usual; towering dinosaur bones looming above them, all sharp teeth and the menacing imagination of what they might have looked like. A bit cheekily, Blondie pointed to the suspended pterodactyl skeleton and said, “Hey, Ashlynn, look! I found a cousin of yours!”
Ashlynn frowned for a moment, before the joke clicked, and she whapped Blondie on the arm with a snort and a giggle. “Jerk!”
“You love me,” Blondie said with a grin. “Come on, granny, admit it.”
“Hey, hey,” Cupid played along, coming up along Blondie’s side. “Should I be getting jealous now?”
“Oh my god.” Ashlynn laughed. “I’m going to find Hunter!”
“Don’t make out in the bathroom,” Briar called after her. “Don’t be that guy, Ash! Don’t be the one that makes out on the field trip and ruins it for everybody!”
Ashlynn made a rude gesture with her hand that Apple gasped at, scandalized. Raven doubled over and cackled; Holly simply covered her face.
“Someone’s going to end up making out,” Cupid said, smartly. “This is literally the perfect time for people to make out.”
“At the museum?” Blondie giggled.
“What could be more romantic than being surrounded by ancient bones of things long since dead,” Cupid drawled. “Makes my knees weak just thinking about it.”
“And that’s our cue!” Briar linked arms with Holly and began to tug her away. “Come on, Holly! Let’s check out the Celtic exhibit, I haven’t been there in years.”
Holly and Briar were swallowed by the crowd, though Blondie thought she spied a bouncing, platinum blonde ponytail trailing after them. Faybelle? Maybe. Holly and Briar were still protected by the previous orders, though, so Blondie wasn’t too worried.
Still, something to keep in mind. Blondie peered down at the brochure/map she’d been given and hummed. “They’ve got a little set up for King Arthur and Camelot up on the fourth floor; wanna check it out?” She paused, and turned to Cupid. “Was King Arthur a real guy?”
“If he was, I never met him,” Cupid said.
“Most of what I’ve read is conjecture too,” Raven added. “Most of the coven my mom belongs to says that Merlin was definitely a thing, but a ton of the old scrolls detailing him and his travels were lost in World War II.”
“Cool.” Blondie hiked her thumb to the stairs. “Let’s go before it gets swarmed!”
The four hustled up the stairs. Either it was still early in the day that not too many people were around, or most of the crowds were occupied with the other exhibits floors below. It was a shame; there were banners in crimson and gold all over, and two great statues were at the entrance. Blondie wandered inside, trailed by Cupid.
It was fairly impressive; lots of suits of armor behind towering glass cases, with ancient swords proudly displayed alongside them. The main eyepiece, though, had to be the goliath of a creation in the center of the room, roped off by red velvet and with a giant sign that said DO NOT TOUCH
It was all stone, exquisitely carved and remarkably preserved; the statue was of a knight laid upon an altar with strange runes etched into the side. The knight appeared to be in slumber, or would have been if not for the sword piercing their chestplate; they had a firm grasp upon the ‘blade’. A plaque just next to the giant DO NOT TOUCH sign described the art piece as Live By The Sword , which Blondie found somewhat ironic.
“My,” Apple breathed as she and Raven joined Blondie and Cupid to observe the statue. “How sad--how noble, too. The poor knight. Do you think perhaps they require a kiss to awaken?”
“It’s just an art piece,” Raven said, but gently. “No amount of kisses can wake them up, Apple.”
“Wouldn’t be too sure,” Cupid said, crouching to peer hard at the runes. “These aren’t just for show. An alchemist was at work here--or some kind of two-penny sorcerer trying his hand at preservation.”
Blondie gasped, but for once the idea of having something magic revealed to her didn’t bring a rush of fear.”Oh, man! Magic statue?”
“May not be a statue at all,” Cupid said, starting to circle the thing. “Gods, the penmanship here is abysmal--let’s see. Here lieth still our Guardian. May the true Magic free them; may the true Heir aide us. Blood shall beget blood." Cupid propped her hands on her hips, and whistled. “Ominous.”
“You think someone bound a soul to a golem?” Raven asked.
“Could be. Needs a blood contract to activate, looks like,” Cupid replied.
“This world is still full of such magic,” Apple said, rubbing her arms. She looked homesick for a spell, then brightened. “I was so very worried I wouldn’t really know what to do with myself when I learned I was to be staying a bit longer, truth be told. But, surely, it can’t all be bad. Ominous warnings of blood aside.”
The floor below shook, the sound of something rumbling following. Blondie frowned as she looked down. “Uh, guys?”
“Of course there’s magic in the world, Apple,” Raven said kindly, taking the princess’s hand. “All around us, and within us, too. We only have to choose our destiny, to draw it out, and make it take form.”
The rumbling continued; Blondie thought she heard some screaming. “Guys? ”
“Shh,” Cupid said in a whisper. “I don’t want to miss this part!”
“Oh, Fair Ra--, no, ah. Raven.” Apple’s eyes went misty, and soft. “You’ve been so...so kind to me. I do apologize if I’ve been difficult to manage...”
“N-no! No, of course not, gosh.” Raven rubbed the back of her neck bashfully. “You’re the perfect guest. You don’t have to do housework or anything, but you still--”
“--I would never simply let myself laze about when there is something I could do to help!” Apple was very passionate in her declaration, turning both of her hands to grip one of Raven’s. “One day, I might--I will have to return. I-I know this. But while I’m still here, I want to be here without regrets on any side!”
“Apple,” Raven murmured.
Yeah, alright, definitely screaming. And was that a T-Rex roar? “I don’t mean to interrupt, but, something’s not--”
“Shhhh!” Cupid shushed her harder. “Don’t spoil the moment!”
The Moment seemed to just be Raven and Apple staring shyly at each other. It was cute and all, but Blondie was more concerned about the distant chaos no doubt unfolding beneath them.
“Okay, can we just--chill on the gay for like, five minutes!” Blondie finally blurted. “I don’t know if it’s just me, but I think there’s something really, really wr--”
The floor collapsed from beneath her. Blondie shrieked as the marble cracked and gave way; ghastly, yellowed grotesque teeth framed her body for half a second--enough for her to realize that she was going to die Jurassic Park style--before she felt Cupid’s monstrous hands seized her wrists and she was pulled out of her free fall. Raven and Apple vanished in a moment’s worth of crackling, purple fire; Blondie wrapped both of her arms around Cupid’s neck as Cupid scrambled up the wall.
The... thing was dead and decaying, half mummified flesh and half bone; it bellowed in fury and its snout dropped deeper into the hole it had made. The screaming was much, much louder now; patrons no doubt fleeing from the building. Another flash of light and a trembling and dust streaked Raven and Apple were joined by Holly, Poppy, Briar, and--
“Faybelle? ” Blondie gaped as Cupid crawled down off the wall, keeping one arm tight around her waist. “What--” She looked harder, then sputtered, “What did you do? ”
Faybelle’s glamour failed a split second later, as did Briar’s, apparently. Their hair looked fairly tousled, and some clothing--specifically the collar of Briar’s shirt, and one of the sleeves of Faybelle’s black dress--was askew. As if that weren’t evidence enough, though, Faybelle’s lip was split from someone’s teeth and Briar’s lipstick was smudged.
And they had hickies. The both of them.
“Are. You serious?! ” Blondie shrieked as the thing below them continued to cause mayhem. “Were you two seriously making out?! ”
“No,” Faybelle snapped, while Briar just shrugged guiltily.
“They were super making out,” Holly said, frazzled. “Briar was insulting Faybelle and Faybelle was all, like, shut up, O’Briar, and Briar said make me and then they were all just like--like--!” Holly balled up her hands into fists and mashed them together. “It was violent! I was terrified! Fanfiction lied to me!”
“I thought you couldn’t touch her without permission,” Blondie accused, pointing at Faybelle, who smirked.
“I took make me as the highest amount of permission,” she purred, infuriatingly smug. “I heard no complaints.”
“Yeah, up until you summoned a dragon ,” Holly screeched, pointing down into the hole. “I saw a stone tablet break inside of its glass case and then surprise, dragon! ”
“Can’t you nullify it,” Cupid asked of Poppy. “It’s a magical creature! Turn it back into a stone tablet.”
“Oh sure, just let me get real up close with the giant dead dragon and touch it! ” Poppy threw both her hands in the air. “What can possibly go wrong! ”
“One of us can throw you,” Cupid said, just as Raven chimed in, “Fast ball special!”
“Nobody is throwing Poppy at the dragon! ” Blondie grasped at her hair. “Okay! Okay, we’re gonna be okay. We just have to get out the museum and then think of a plan on the way! We’ll be ok--” She stopped. “Apple? What are you doing?”
Apple was lingering by the statue, her hand touching the pommel of the stone sword. She bit her lip. “I was...thinking. Perhaps we need not throw Poppy at the dragon…”
“The golem!” Raven moved forward, joining Apple in standing atop the stone altar. “Apple, you’re a genius! But--wait. Ah, how are we even gonna get this thing to listen to us? It said something about magic and a true heir, and we only have half that.”
“Not necessarily,” Cupid said, rushing forward. “A more literal translation would be ‘one of magic’s blood’ and,” her eyes looked up to Apple, “‘one of royal blood’.”
Cupid popped a finger that shifted into a razor like talon and pricked both girls hands carefully. Raven and Apple looked at each other, and Raven swallowed hard, before they both placed their hands over the heart of the stone knight. At first, nothing happened.
“I don’t know why you chose a shade of a princess’s blood over mine,” Faybelle said haughtily. “Clearly, as a princess capable of great magic, I should--”
The stone breathed.
Raven and Apple scrambled off as purple light began to spread like spiderwebs over the surface of the stone, chips of it falling away. Without a sound of protest, the knight’s hand tightened on the blade and yanked it from their chest; no blood issued forth, and with a great sound, the knight sat up. Flecks of stone fell from shimmering silver armor the color of mercury. The knight swung their legs over the side of the altar and rose from it like a bed, standing tall and proud. In another flash of purple magic, the wounds upon Raven and Apple’s hands sealed fast, and the knight bent to their knee.
“I am at thy command,” they spoke, their voice warped deep from within their suit of armor--if indeed there was anyone at all within. “My ladyship...s? You are not Merlin. Nor are you Arthur. Pray tell, what goes on?”
“Holy shit, Arthur was a real guy,” Briar said.
“Well,” Apple began, “you see, we were in dire need of your assistance, and our friend Cupid read your inscription and--”
Fire burst from the hole in the floor, followed by a bellowing screech.
“Dragon!” Blondie snapped. “Dragon, gonna kill us, please help! ”
The knight looked to Apple and Raven. Raven stammered, “Uh, go get’em?”
“At once, your Grace.” The knight rose and twirled their sword, also free of its stone covering; with a mighty cry the knight leapt down without fear. “Foul beast, prepare to taste my steel!”
With a cry of rage, the knight gave a wide crescent slash of the blade. The dragon flinched as it was struck, surprised and caught of guard after such a mighty blow. As it stumbled backwards, the knight tucked and rolled into the landing. Once they were upright, they gave a perfunctory rolling of their shoulders, the armor much maneuverable than it had appeared.
“Tis’ been many cycles since I last sparred. One would not have thought a dragon would have been my first opponent upon awake. The Lord smiles upon me this day, it would seem.” With a crack of their neck they charged just as the dragon recovered. It gave a giant swipe of it’s claw but with surprising speed and strength, the knight blocked the attack. It was a gruesome thing; a long spindly neck and a great maw full of teeth, and gnarled, twisted wings.
“The tablet,” Blondie gasped. “Poppy, if you got your hands on the tablet…”
Poppy nodded. “I think I could nullify it.”
Holly gnawed on her lip. “But we can’t go down there with the dragon still fighting! We need someone quick on their feet! Someone who can get down all those floors easily, and…”
As one, the group turned on Faybelle. The Fae scowled viciously. “I am not some errand dog,” she snarled, flashing her fangs. “Get the witchling to teleport again.”
“Can’t,” Raven said, “I’m all tapped out.”
“Besides, you--and Briar--started this,” Blondie said. “You’ve got to help fix it.”
“And who is going to make me do anything?” Faybelle smirked. “Perhaps I shall simply fly away and let this great mass of stone and steel crush all of you to dea--”
“Flòraidh,” Blondie, Cupid, and Briar said in complete unison.
“Oh, curses on the lot of you!” Faybelle’s wings hummed as she hovered in midair, her face dark with rage. “I can’t believe I let myself be swayed by your charms, Aurora. You vile seductress.”
The knight proceeded to stab the dragon in one of the joints of its wings and it went wild, thrashing with a horrible cry.
“Get the thing!” Blondie reared back and slapped Faybelle right on the ass. “Go get the stupid thing! ”
With a squeak, the Fae shot down through the chaos. Briar stared at Blondie like she’d pulled off an incredible feat--or she was very jealous. Poppy gave her a thumbs up. Cupid snorted back a laugh.
“Can’t believe this is my life now,” Blondie began to rant. “No, seriously! I cannot believe I have to be the one cleaning up after your gay messes. What was that you told Ashlynn earlier? Don’t be that guy? Guess what, B! You’re that guy! You’re totally that guy!”
“In my defense, she kissed me first.” Briar deflected.
“And I’m sure the giant hickies on her neck are her fault too,” Cupid snarked.
“G-Go, Ser Knight!” Apple cheered on the fight below. “That’s it--you’re doing splendidly! What grace, I’ve never seen anyone fight like that. I’ve never actually seen anyone fight, come to think of it.”
“That’s weird,” Holly said, “I actually wrote a lot of subtle violence into the story, more subtext than anything…”
“Oh, they snapped its neck!” Raven gasped. “Oh, sick. ”
Faybelle soon flew back into few, tossing two halves of a great stone tablet on the ground. Somehow it didn’t shatter even more. She was strangely quiet, and would not look Blondie in the eye; in fact, turning her head in Blondie’s direction brought a flush to the Fae’s cheeks.
That better not have awakened anything in her, Blondie thought, then suppressed a shudder at the mere hint of a possibility.
Poppy gathered up the halves of the tablet and winced; the tablet soon turned to dust as a storm of black lightning flew up, crashed through the roof, and vanished into the sky. The beast below heaved a final roar as it, too, turned to dust and left only a victorious knight standing among the ruins of what must have been some form of art exhibit. Raven carefully gathered the group above into a bubble of flame and transported them down to the knight’s level; she swayed on her feet, and the knight was soon charging for.
Gently, Raven was caught. “There, there, my Mage,” the knight soothed, leading Raven to rest against them. “Careful, now. I can feel that your magic has been stressed mightily.”
“O-oh,” Raven stammered. “Thanks for that, buddy.”
“This is nice, and all,” Briar said, staring at the damage around them with wide eyes, “but, uh, unless you’ve got a massive magical control-z in your pocket, we are screwed. Everyone saw an undead dragon come to life and this museum is toast.“
Holly and Poppy looked to each other.
“We can’t,” Holly whispered tightly, wringing her hands together. “What if we...I really like being in this time, I don’t want to reset again so soon!”
“Relax,” Poppy soothed. “We won’t be together long. Just enough for soft reset. We won’t go back there, I promise.”
Holly nodded after a moment, then turned to the group. “Gather close; if you’re closer then you won’t be sucked out into the ether of time. I-I hope.”
“You hope?! ” Faybelle squawked. “I’m to believe the hopes of simple mortals?!”
“Oh, for god’s sake--” Poppy stormed forward, ducked, and slapped Faybelle on the bottom for good measure. The Fae let out a woozy, Ohhh, before falling into a dead faint right into Briar’s startled arms. “There. Now can we huddle up before the cops arrest us?! Also, please don’t tell Duchess I slapped another girl’s butt. She’ll kill me.”
“Is she…?” Briar shook Faybelle a little.
“She’ll wake up after we set things to rights,” Poppy said as Holly gathered a handful of the dragon’s ashes. “Might want to get her to set up her glamour immediately, though. People will come flooding in.”
The knight scooped Raven up and shuffled over at Apple’s encouraging wave. Holly and Poppy joined hands, and began to breathe. The twins settled in synch, and Blondie watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as the floor began to darken beneath the group. A great, black void opened like a pit, and suddenly the world was filled with stars. Blondie felt sick, felt a great many things--constellations crowded around her, Sirius and Leo and the twins of Gemini. Cancer nipped at her heels.
She stared up as the world spun. Her eye caught onto Ursa Major, lumbering in the distance. Her ears popped; someone screamed, and then they were all standing in the middle of the third floor art exhibit, clean and whole as a whistle. Holly collapsed with a wheeze and Poppy propped her up.
“Bathroom,” Poppy hissed, “go, go, go.”
It was a hilariously fast shuffle to the third floor women’s room, hauling a number of exhausted magical beings into the tiled room and shutting the door. Faybelle was the first to recover, her eyes fluttering open. Briar held her beneath the arms, and then set her down; the Fae groaned, groggy.
“ Aurora…? ”
“Not my name.” Briar was oddly gentle as she brushed Faybelle’s hair back. “Briar, remember?”
“Briar...right.” Faybelle stared at her for a moment, before she came to her senses and reapplied a flimsy glamour; it hid all of her Fae attributes, but the split lip and hickies remained. Poppy lent her the scarf from around her neck, seeing as how she didn’t have a high collared coat like Briar did. “Stars, my head hurts...what was all that?”
“Everything and nothing, creation and void,” Cupid said at last, looking at Holly and Poppy with something like awe. “I see. So that’s what you two are. Just halved...”
“Keep it under wraps?” Poppy smiled weakly. “We’re still just kids, y’know.”
“Right.” Cupid sent Blondie a smile that promised an explanation. Raven whined and the knight, still with them, set her down very gently. Apple went to the witch’s side and wrapped both arms around her neck, shaking.
“Thank you,” Apple said to the knight. “Ser Knight, I don’t think we can thank you enough.”
“Think not of it, your Highness,” the knight said. “I am soulbound to my liege and my mage; I will endeavour to protect the both of you.”
“That’s hot,” Raven groaned.
“Please, my good sir, remove your helm,” Apple said. “Will you let us see the man behind your armor?”
“Ah,” said the knight, “I cannot.”
“O-oh.” Apple wilted. “Is there nothing in the armor, after all?”
“Oh, I assure you, there is certainly someone within.” The knight’s hands went to their helm, and lifted it off. White hair cascaded over shimmering armor, framing a strong face and crystal blue eyes and toned, dark skin. “The problem is, that I am no manner of man.”
“I’d say,” Blondie began as Apple’s face bloomed as red as her namesake, “that’s the exact opposite of a problem.”