Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, magic was a thing of stories. Sure Kings and Queens and brave knights and many other parts were real, but magic had always lain within the realms of fiction. 

Rae had always been someone who loved these stories, he loved the idea of worlds full of magic and turmoil, where brave heroes rose above them all to defeat the evil and save the day. Stories where families were found and love was true even in the depths of despair. That was, until his stories became reality.

Eighteen years ago, somewhere deep in the west of the kingdom now called the Nether, two noblemen sought out an ancient site, and what they found was something straight out of a story book. With their actions, they unleashed magic on the world, with violent waves racing across the land, striking those in its path and imbuing them with its power.

Of those hit, four rose above the rest, with powers far greater than anyone could have ever imagined, even in the pages of fantasy.

The Ruler in the west with powers of destruction, using their magic alongside their partner to try and reform the now crumbling terrain of the Nether

A King to the East, already in power but now powerful in his own name. His powers of creation used to protect not only his family but also the kingdom he’d sworn to protect when he took his wife’s name.

To the south, a quiet King who stood strong, using his newfound abilities over space itself to isolate his lands, allowing a safe space to research this new development and watch it flourish.

And to the North, a bitter Queen not of any of the noble families, who struck terror as she took control of any who dared to oppose her. But not many knew the full nature of her anger like Rae did.

He walked through the halls of the castle, the light of the sun reflecting off the falling snow outside the window. He shivered, despite the heavy cloak on his shoulders. His heartbeat grew faster the closer he got to the throne room, fear creeping up his throat in an oh so familiar way.

Rae paused outside the door, the large intricate wood looming over him. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a breath before pushing them open and stepping inside. His boots clacked against the marble floors as he made his way forward, hand resting comfortably on the sword by his side despite the fact that it would do him no good to draw it in here. Still the weight was one of few comforts.

The Queen sat on the throne, watching him as he approached, one finger tapping against the arm of her chair. Rae stopped, still a good few feet away from her, and knelt. He could feel her watching him, her gaze sending an itch across his skin that would have made him squirm had he not have served her for nearly eight years already.

“Rise, Sir Morningstar.” The Queen said finally. Rae stood at once, looking up but not meeting her eyes. You didn’t serve in her court for this long without knowing that looking into her eyes was the worst mistake you could make. Rae had seen many people lose their minds at the sight.

“What information have you gathered?” She asked, almost lazily.

Rae bowed slightly, “Everything seems to be as you suspected. The Nether has sent word that their Monarch has passed, and the newly Queen Soul does not seem to be interested in reinstating the alliance between the End and the Nether. There has also been word that she may be looking to work with the Overworld in the coming future.”

Even without seeing her face, Rae could feel the scowl she wore at his words. “And what of our progress? How are the experiments going?”

“Well, your majesty. Perix has reported moderate success in her potion research, and my team has had some recent success with our search through the archives and magic tombs that were uncovered last year.” He held his breath, hoping it was enough to satisfy her.

The Queen hummed, seemingly content, and Rae let out a small sigh. “I look forward to seeing your report at the end of the month, then.” She replied, “Of course, should anything particularly interesting come up, bring it to me immediately.”

Rae bowed again. “Of course, your Majesty.”

Just as she was about to dismiss him, the door burst open behind them, four people entering the room. Rae turned, recognizing two as guards and a third as Perix. Her flowing magenta hair was hard to confuse with anyone but her. The fourth though, was unknown, though both the chains around his wrists and his tan skin marked him as not from around here.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Queen demanded, standing from her throne. Rae silently moved to the side, allowing her a clear view of their new guests. He tucked himself into the shadows of the throne, hoping to avoid any part of this if he could.

Perix bowed deeply to the Queen. “Queen Enderian, your Majesty, I found this man snooping around the lower levels of the castle. He bears King Fable’s symbol and had a multitude of magical artifacts on him. I believe him to be a threat.”

Enderian strode forward, her tall figure looming over the prisoner where he’d been forced to kneel on the floor. She pressed a single finger under his chin, lifting his face up towards her. Rae waited with bated breath and was relieved when he refused to meet her eye. Enderian hummed, letting his face go and taking a step back.

“So you aren’t a complete idiot,” She drawled, turning away and taking a few steps back towards her throne, “I thought everyone from that damn kingdom was. Good to know they teach their people some sense.”

She turned back, raising an eyebrow at the prisoner. “What, nothing to say? I thought Fable’s people were just as brash as he is.”

The man sneered, “In all due respect, your majesty, I don’t think you’d be very interested in anything I have to say.”

The Queen grinned. “You do have a voice. Maybe you can use it to help me decide what to do with you.”

Perix stepped forward, bowing slightly. “I could take him, your Majesty, I’m always looking for more subjects for my experiments.” She said, a wicked grin spilling onto her face. Rae’s heart leapt to his throat, and he saw the brief flicker of fear roll over the man’s face before disappearing again.

The prisoner seemed to finally notice him then, his eyes wandering and finding Rae where he stood next to the throne. Almost as if he could sense Rae’s own discomfort, he seemed to plead with Rae silently for help, like he knew Rae was the only one who would potentially be on his side in this room.

And he wasn’t wrong. Which was maybe why Rae did something he normally wouldn’t do due to his own fear of the Queen, and by proxy, Perix. He stepped forward, reminding the others of his presence with a small cough. The Queen turned to him, a curious expression on her face. “Did you have a thought on this matter, Sir Morningstar?”

The prisoner’s eyes seemed to widen at Rae’s title, and he couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not, but still, he continued. “If it would be alright with your Majesty, I would also be interested in taking the prisoner. Lady Perix mentioned a series of artifacts he was found with, and I would be most curious to bring them back to my study. As well, it could be interesting to see what knowledge I may be able to gather from him about them.”

Enderian seemed to consider his words for a moment, a small smirk playing on her face. “Very well. I do believe your claim to this prisoner is greater in this case. I trust you have an adequate space to hold him, or shall we have him delivered to the main cells?”

Rae let out a small sigh of relief, briefly basking in Perix’s scowl at losing her newest plaything before responding. “There is a chamber that can only be opened from the outside that we would usually use for experiments, I’m sure it will work as a temporary cell for as long as our… guest, is with us.”

The Queen smiled almost approvingly. “Wonderful. And as our meeting was practically done before we got interrupted, you are free to go. Guards, escort Sir Morningstar and the prisoner back to the research labs, and ensure that everything he was found with is turned over.” With that, she waved them off, sitting back on her throne.

Perix stormed out of the room, likely to create some horrible concoction to make up for her loss today. Rae, meanwhile, strode forward, nodding to each of the guards and trying to avoid making eye contact with the prisoner again before leading them out as well.

The walk towards his labs was silent, though Rae swore his heart was beating loud enough for the whole castle to hear. In all of his years of serving the Queen, he’d never made a move as bold as he had today, and he still wasn’t entirely sure why. He didn’t know what it was about the stranger currently being led down the hall behind him, but there was just this feeling in his gut that he was too important to ignore.

And maybe a little bit of it was finally getting something over on Perix, who was practically the Queen’s second in command despite Rae technically holding that position. Whatever it was, he was very curious as to why the Overworld would have sent someone here, especially with the growing security due to King Netherum’s passing.

They descended the stairs, going down just below the earth’s surface to where only the lanterns along the wall provided light. Rae let out a small sigh of relief at finally being back in his space. Wordlessly he traced the familiar path back toward the room he had mentioned to the Queen. 

Thick obsidian walls sectioned off a small part of the space, with some iron bars providing a way to look into the room. In it sat a lone cot, a rickety old thing they'd only shoved in there after the first time one of their experiments required someone to be asleep.

Rae pulled out a key from around his neck, sliding it into the lock and opening the door, gesturing for the guards to move past him. They maneuvered their way into the cell, the taller one producing a ring of keys he used to unlock the wrist cuffs at Rae’s confirmation. The shorter one sent the prisoner a stern look before exiting the cell behind the other, and Rae locked it behind them, leaving just the prisoner inside the room.

He expected the guards to leave after that, but they paused. He raised his eyebrow, prompting them to explain their continued presence. The taller one gave a slight bow, “Sire, the items we confiscated were given to another guard when Lady Perix came and got us. Would you like them to be delivered here or would you rather collect them from the captain’s office?”

Rae frowned, nearly forgetting about the items in the jumble of thoughts that had been racing through his mind. “Oh, I’ll send my assistant for them in the morning. Just tell the captain to expect them before noon if that's alright.”

The guard nodded in response. Rae moved to the other end of the room and sat at his desk, removing his sword from his belt and leaning it against the side. “If that’s all, then you two are dismissed. Thank you for your help today, it was much appreciated.” With that the guards finally left, leaving Rae to fully relax as the stress from the day came crashing down on him.

Despite him being a rather large cause of that stress, Rae still nearly managed to forget about his new roommate until the man in the cell spoke. “So… I’m guessing I’m not getting my artifacts back?”

Rae jumped, swearing silently at himself for forgetting he wasn’t alone. “No,” he replied snappily, “And I don’t suppose you’re going to just tell me what they do.”

He heard a scoff from the cell, “Now where’s the fun in that?”

Rae pushed himself up from his desk, crossing the room again to stand in front of the bars of the cell. Behind them, the man was sitting on the small cot, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Now that he had a moment, Rae really took him in. He wore a simple white shirt with a worn brown jacket overtop that looked like it had had several things — likely magical items — pulled off of it recently. His eyes burned a brilliantly deep red, and there was an odd streak of white through his mostly brown hair.

The man seemed to watch him back, and he subconsciously reached up to wrap his deep purple cape further over his shoulders. The man smirked at the action, sitting forward a bit as he met Rae’s eyes. “I suppose I should thank you though, I’m almost certain you will be a much nicer warden than that she-demon who found me. She seemed way too happy at the idea of experimenting on me.” He said, a small shudder rolling over his shoulders.

Rae scoffed, “I see you think your words are important enough for me to hear. And don’t think I did it just for you, I am rather interested in those items you had on you. Besides, how do you know I’m the better option? You don’t even know me.”

“Ah, but I know your reputation, Sir Morningstar,” The man said with a grin, “Word has it you’re the black sheep of the End court, the only one who seems to actually have a heart in this frigid place.”

Rae could do nothing but stare at him, questions racing through his mind. There weren't very many people who made their way in and out of this court, many of which he’d only met in passing. He had no idea how a rumour such as that could spread, especially with how careful the Queen was to appear as frigid as the land their kingdom stood on.

Despite these questions he managed to keep himself composed, keeping his expression neutral as he eyed the man. “Well I don’t know how true that is, but you have made me realize I’m at a disadvantage here. You know my name, but I don’t know yours. So what can I call you while you’re under my watch?”

The man seemed to consider this for a moment, and Rae worried he wouldn’t get a response and would be stuck calling him “the prisoner” or “the guy in the cell”, but then his grin slipped back into place. “Ghosty. You can call me Ghosty.”

“Well then, Ghosty,” Rae said, “It has in fact been a rather long day already, but I’ll be back in the morning. I’ll make sure someone comes by with food before night falls.” Without giving him the chance to respond, Rae turned and made his way out of the room, heading down the small hall that led to the small bedrooms that he and his assistant often used.

There was another set of stairs at the other end of the hall that he used to get to the main floor, finding a maid and asking her to ensure some food was delivered down to the pris- to Ghosty, before descending back down and opening the door to the room he’d claimed for himself. Technically he had a much larger, much fancier room in another wing of the palace, but its proximity to the Queen was not something he was overly fond of.

He sat on the bed for a long time, listening to the slight ruffle of pages coming from his assistant's room, and the footsteps that told him someone had come with the food. He sighed, pulling his notebook off of the side table and flipping it open. 

On the most recent page was a sketch of an artifact he’d found in the tomb they’d been searching. The amulet stared up at him, the lines blurring together the longer he stared, and yet he couldn't look away.

He’d made a discovery this morning that nearly broke him, to the point where he’d sent Jamie off for the afternoon so that he could have the lab to himself. And then, just when he’d managed to drag himself out to go give his report to the Queen, he’d gained another new problem in the shape of the man now held in his study.

He brushed away the tears welling in his eyes, closing the book and setting it to the side. He stood, moving in front of his small mirror that hung on the wall and staring into it. He stared and stared, ignoring the green eye too similar to the Queen’s, the one that marked his innate connection to magic, and focusing on the blue one. He traced his features, slowly, methodically, just like he had many times over his years in the castle.

He knew he looked a lot like her, but he could no longer remember her face, so he used his own, trying to picture the differences and watch as her face almost came into view, only to lose it again, over and over. He sighed, frustrated when the result was the same as ever. Giving up, he moved to his desk, pulling out another book. A more personal one this time. One whose cover had seen much better days, that had the crumbling remains of a once blue flower pressed inside the cover.

One that held every thought he’d ever remembered to write down, and one that reminded him of a better time. He reached for his quill, flipping to an empty page and pressing the ink to the paper.

He had so many things to figure out, but for now, a good start would be to write them down. The rest would come in time. At least, that’s all he could hope for.

Chapter Text

He was in a small cabin, the old wood and breeze fluttering through the windows so familiar and yet impossibly far in the past. He knew he was dreaming, and yet he couldn’t find it in himself to wake up just yet. 

Every inch of the room was familiar as he slowly wandered around; the nicks on the table from where they’d all bumped into it at least once, the worn books on the shelf that told of fantasy worlds he had never wanted to live through. Even the ruts in the carpet by the fire where they’d all curl together when the weather turned colder. 

Familiar humming drifted in from the kitchen and he knew, he knew if he stepped through that door he’d see her again.

But the closer he stepped to the door the further it seemed to get, until he sank to his knees, watching desperately as it continued to move away from him. Proving to him that the life he had was gone, and he couldn’t get it back that easily, not even in his own memories. He didn’t even remember her face anymore. He didn’t remember what any of them looked like, just what it felt like to be with them. And that made something deep within him ache.

The world around him shattered as he was dragged back to reality, sitting up startled at his desk with a hand on his shoulder. His heart was beating so loudly that it was the only thing he could hear, even as he turned and saw Jamie behind him, their mouth moving but the words not registering. Rae blinked at them, brows furrowing as he tried to wake himself up the rest of the way.

“-ae? Rae? Are you alright?” Jamie’s voice finally came, their face full of concern.

Rae swallowed hard, nodding slightly. “I’m alright. Just… a nightmare I guess. Did I wake you?”

Jamie shook their head, “No, I was up already. Do you need me to get you anything?”

“No, I should be fine, but thank you,” Rae responded, standing from the chair at last. Jamie’s hand dropped back to their side, but only stayed there for a moment before they stepped forward, wrapping Rae in a hug which he gratefully accepted. In the years since Jamie had become his assistant, they’d grown quite close, and Rae was thankful to have at least one person in this damn castle that he could trust, no matter what.

He pulled back slightly, remembering then that they had a new guest in their little section of the castle. “Have you been out into the study yet today?” he asked.

“No, I was waiting for you,” Jamie replied.

“Well,” Rae started, pulling away and moving to grab his artifacts notebook off the desk, “We have a… visitor, of sorts, staying in our experiment room. He was found sneaking around the castle last night with King Fable’s crest.”

Jamie’s eyes widened. “Wait so we have a prisoner? Why is he here and not in the main cells?”

Rae winced. “Because his other option wasn’t the main cells, it was Perix.”

Understanding flashed across Jamie’s face. They knew Perix’s reputation around the castle, especially since they had almost been assigned to her lab before Rae had claimed them. He shuddered at the thought of what Perix may have done to them had that happened. Gods knew she constantly needed new assistants whenever she was done using them.

“Yeah, so he’ll be here for the foreseeable future. Which reminds me, they confiscated some artifacts from him when he was captured. Would you mind running up to the captain’s office and grabbing them? I told her to expect you sometime this morning.” Rae asked, tucking his book under his arm.

“Of course,” Jamie said, turning to the door, “Should I grab food while I’m out?”

Rae frowned. “I’ve asked the kitchen staff to make sure the prisoner gets fed, so I don’t see any reason you’d need to.”

Jamie looked at them with that Look that always meant he’d said something dumb. “I meant for us? Or are you actually planning on leaving the lab to eat in the next few hours?”

Rae ducked his head with a small wince. Sometimes he hated how well his assistant knew him. “Ah, yeah, that's probably not a bad idea. Thank you.”

“Mhm,” Jamie responded, walking out into the hall, “I’ll be back soon, don’t kill the prisoner while I’m gone.”

Rae spluttered after them, but they were already gone, and he could hear their footsteps as they climbed the stairs. He huffed, turning to check his small mirror and making sure he didn’t have any ink on his face before heading down the other end of the hall towards his study.

The lanterns on the wall still burned brightly, thanks to an ever-burning charm he’d discovered early on in his research. There was enough darkness slinking around the castle without having to stumble around in the morning to relight them.

He glanced towards the cell as he passed, relieved to not be met with eyes watching him. Ghosty lay on the cot facing the wall, the thin blanket thrown loosely over top of him. Rae continued past to his desk, pausing as he sat to stare at the mess of papers he’d left the day before. He sighed, reaching for the first pile and shuffling them to align them before sifting through them, sorting between the ones he’d finished and those he needed to add more to.

With the papers out of the way, he stood again, moving towards the shelves that lined the walls, pulling off a few boxes that could hopefully be used to store the new artifacts. He returned to his desk, digging through one of the drawers and pulling out some small notecards, stacking them in a small pile so he could later use them for basic description cards. At some point, he started humming, some random tune from deep in his memories.

He didn’t even notice until Ghosty spoke. “Do you always hum to yourself when you work?”

Rae jumped, looking towards the cell despite not being able to see the man within. “Sometimes. Does it matter?” He responded, a little colder than he meant to. It was going to take some time to get used to not being alone in the lab when Jamie was gone.

“Not really. What song were you humming anyways? It sounded familiar” Ghosty asked, and this time when Rae looked over he could see where he was now leaning against the bars, just barely in view.

Rae bit his lip, debating whether it was safe to share or not, though he quickly realized he didn't give enough of a damn for it to matter. “My mother used to sing it to me. She was from the land that’s now the Overworld Kingdom, so that’s probably why you recognize it.”

“Was?”

Rae tensed, glancing away from the cell to stare at the floor. “I haven’t seen her in years. I don’t know if she’s still alive or not.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” Ghosty replied, genuine guilt in his tone.

Rae shrugged, moving to stand behind his desk again and pretending to look at one of the papers. “You had no way of knowing.”

Footsteps echoed through the lab suddenly, a familiar rhythm that let Rae relax as Jamie came around the corner. They grinned at him, holding up a rather large box with a tray of food balanced on top. “I got everything!”

“Thank you,” Rae replied, smiling as they set everything on the desk. He glanced over at the cell, sighing when he saw Ghosty trying to lean over to look at the new arrival. Meeting Jamie’s eye, he reached out, putting a hand on their shoulder and stepping a bit closer to the cell. “Jamie, meet Ghosty. He’s the visitor I mentioned. Ghosty, this is my assistant, Jamie.”

Ghosty nodded his head, waving awkwardly from where he leaned by the window. Jamie however, was glaring at him, like they were trying to burn a hole through his head. They moved out from under Rae’s arm, moving closer to the cell. Rae considered stopping them, but before he could move, Jamie was pointing a finger at Ghosty and talking. “If you do so much as annoy my mentor too much, I will personally make you pay for it. I don’t care what your mission was in coming here, I don’t care what your plans are. Mess with anyone else you want in this castle, but leave him alone. Got it?”

Rae lifted a hand to his mouth to muffle his laugh. At barely 18, Jamie wasn’t the most intimidating person, and yet, from what Rae could see of his face, Ghosty looked stunned and slightly nervous nonetheless. He’d gone from leaning by the window to standing up, his arms by his head like he was trying to show that he wasn’t a threat.

Jamie continued to glare at him for another minute or two before Rae stepped in, smiling fondly at his assistant. “I think he gets the point, Jamie. Come on, let's go look at what he brought with him.”

The two made their way back to the desk, and Rae went to move the tray off the box but Jamie stopped them, glaring at him until he reluctantly took some food off first. He took a bite of a muffin as Jamie grabbed a few things and set the tray to the side. The lid of the box slid off easily, and Rae had to squint at the brightness at which the items were glowing.

Jamie glanced at him, an excited look on their face. “Lots of powerful stuff?”

“You could say that,” Rae replied with a nod. Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he realized that a few of the items in the box weren’t glowing at all. He reached for them, pulling all three out and setting them on the desk. The first was a ring, a simple black band that had a series of leaves carved into the thin surface. The second was a small pocket journal with a pen hung on the cover. Rae flipped through it briefly, finding mostly quick notes and hastily drawn structures with coordinates next to them.

He looked up towards the cell. “Do you travel a lot?”

There was some shifting in the cell, but no response. Rae moved closer, making sure he was in view and holding up the notepad. “Ghosty?”

Ghosty looked up, staring at Rae for a second before glancing at Jamie, who had moved to stand beside Rae, and then back. 

Rae rolled his eyes. “You can talk, Jamie’s not going to bite your head off.”

“Yet,” They muttered, crossing their arms over their chest.

Rae smacked them with the notebook, sparking a small smile on Ghosty’s face. “Then yeah, you could say I travel a lot. Can I have that back by the way? It’s the only way I know where I’m going.”

“Do you not have a compass, or a map?” Rae asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Ghosty shook his head. “Nah, not really my thing.”

Rae opened his mouth, paused, and then closed it again. He glanced at Jamie, who seemed to be just as confused as he was. “Then how do you get anywhere?”

Ghosty smirked. “Well, they don’t call me the lost one for nothing.”

A small laugh escaped Rae which he quickly tried to disguise as a cough. Judging by the look on Ghosty’s face it hadn’t worked, as his grin had grown even bigger at the reaction. Rae flipped through the book once more, checking that there wasn’t any sort of glow or anything that may help Ghosty escape. Finding none, he walked up to the bars, holding out the notebook and passing it to him.

Though he tried to hide it, Ghosty seemed relieved to have it back in his possession. Rae watched him for a moment, deciding it wasn’t an issue and walking back to the desk. The third item that wasn’t glowing was something he recognized instantly, the shield with an orchid laid over it easily recognizable as the crest of the Overworld.

It basically just confirmed what he’d already known; that Ghosty had come from the Overworld, likely on some sort of mission for King Fable. Though, given how quickly he was caught upon entering the castle, Rae couldn’t help but wonder what Ghosty had come for, especially since he bore the pin in the first place. Had he been trying to get caught? Or had he intended to present himself as a diplomat and gotten caught before he could initiate the plan?

Whatever his reason, it wasn’t something for him to be concerned about at that moment. He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts as he got to work sorting the magical items. Some of them were easy to identify, and he sent Jamie to grab the note cards for the ones they had and make copies for the new ones.

He pulled out another pin, recognizing it as a voice changer and making a note in his head to test that one out with Jamie later. All the ones they’d found so far had different effects so it was always fun to see what exactly they did. He turned back to the box, pausing when he spotted a necklace glowing a faint blue. He reached for it, laughing to himself when he confirmed it was what he’d suspected.

Jamie was just making their way back to the desk, and they raised an eyebrow at their mentor. Rae grinned, tilting the pin for them to see. Their expression quickly morphed from one of confusion to laughing as well, both of them giggling helplessly at the item Rae held.

From his spot in the cell, Ghosty was shifting, trying to catch a glimpse of them. “What? What’s so funny about my stuff?”

Rae let out another laugh, glancing at Jamie before answering him. “Why do you have a frost pin?”

He could just make out Ghosty’s scowl from behind the bars, which only helped to set him off on another round of laughter. “You never know! I could have needed it!”

“In the tundra?” Jamie questioned, “Worried you were going to get too hot?”

Ghosty crossed his arms over his chest, “I was in a rush when I was packing, ok?”

“If you say so,” Rae replied. He passed the pin to Jamie, who whined when the pin hit their bare hands before they disappeared to stash it with the rest of the artifacts of its kind. Unsurprisingly, most objects they’d uncovered had been hit with frost enchantments when magic first appeared. More variety was found across the different kingdoms, but the End was the kingdom of ice, so, ice magic.

Rae paused where he was about to dig back into the box, taking a moment to appreciate how extensive their collection had grown over the years. The Queen had been more than happy to let Rae take care of researching the various new magically charged objects that had popped up, though she was also probably slightly happy that it kept him so occupied. He really didn’t mind, he’d much rather hide out down here with Jamie and research than have to be in her presence or that of any of the other high members of the court.

Now that he thought about it, that probably helped the rumour Ghosty had heard of him being a black sheep so to speak, but the Queen had never spoken to him about it so surely it wasn’t a big deal.

He looked at the box, then at the small piles of artifacts he’d made around the desk, frowning as he quickly counted them and made a count of the ones Jamie had already put away. He looked back up towards the cell. “How many of these things did you bring with you? It’s like you have an entire mini magical armoury.”

“In my defence,” Ghosty started, smirking a little from where he leaned against the windowsill. “I did have a bag on me when they found me, so it wasn’t like I was just wearing all of them. Do you have it by the way? It was a gift from a friend and I’d hate to lose it.”

Rae frowned again, looking at the box and around it. “I don’t have a bag here, sorry.”

Ghosty’s face fell, but it was quickly replaced by the same neutral face he’d been sporting for most of his time here, save the incident with Jamie earlier and the occasional smirk. “Ah, it’s fine. Shouldn't have expected they’d save it.” 

Not thinking of anything he could really say to that, Rae turned back to his work. Jamie came around the corner of one of the shelves, passing Rae the notecards they’d grabbed. Rae looked at the top one, reaching for the piece that matched it. He motioned for Jamie to come closer and they compiled, coming to stand and watch over his shoulder as he began to copy over the note.

The artifact was a pendant on a chain, a swirling magnets stone set in a silver lining. “What can you tell me about what this one does based on the card?” he asked.

Jamie leaned in, reading the card. “Regionally, comes from the Nether, which means… its power is likely destructive in some form?”

Rae nodded, smiling. “Yes, that, or the origin itself is what's being used. Here, can you tell what any of the runes may indicate?” He passed them the pendant.

“Oh! I know this one,” Jamie said excitedly, pointing to each rune they knew as they spoke, “This one is Queen Soul’s sigil, which means it was likely made for a specific person, seeing as she’s the only one who can do that one, and the one next to it is… is that air?”

Rae nodded again. “Yes it is, so Queen Soul’s sigil and air, and from the Nether, what can you decipher from that?”

Jamie frowned, looking back and forth between the card and the pendant. “Is it meant to hide something? Or, someone?”

“Not quite, but you’re really close.” Rae replied, “Perix’s sigil would be more likely for hiding, given her abilities with illusions, but this pendant was probably used to change something subtle. My guess, given the fact that it’s a very bright red, would be that it was used to hide someone’s origins, and disguise them as being from the Nether.”

“Wait, wouldn’t that only help if it was used against someone who can see the auras?” Jamie asked. They’d come up with that nickname for the glowing Rae saw and it had stuck. It was certainly a lot better than saying ‘the glows’. Though that was also something he tried not to share, and he glanced nervously towards the cell.

Rae pressed his lips into a line, “Yes, though there have apparently been rumours that the other kingdoms are developing ways to see them more easily. Given the Queen is the only one besides Queen Soul with an innate ability for it, it could be more common for pieces like this to exist in the future.”

Jamie frowned, opening their mouth to question him but Rae nodded his head towards the cell, reminding them that they had company. As if on queue, a set of footsteps could be heard coming from the main staircase at that exact moment. A moment later, a guard turned the corner of the last shelf and came into view.

They dropped into a bow upon spotting Rae, throwing a quick glance toward the cell before addressing him. “Sire, the Queen has requested your presence in the throne room within the hour.”

Rae’s heart dropped, but he held his face neutral. “Thank you, I’ll be sure to go and see her.”

The guard left, and Rae fell back into his chair. He turned to Jamie, who was looking at him worriedly, and gave them a small smile. “Can you copy down the note for that one with what we were saying while I go?”

Jamie nodded, “Of course. You don’t think you’re in trouble, do you?”

“I sure hope not,” Rae replied, standing back up from the chair. He gave Jamie a quick hug before making his way out of the study, his breathing growing more rapid with every step.

Chapter Text

It was strange how quickly he forgot the fear and the nerves that came with being summoned by the Queen. And yet, walking down the long hallway towards the throne room for the second time that week was enough to have his heart racing, worrying about why she wanted to see him the whole way there.

By habit, he paused right outside the doors, taking a deep breath to try to calm his heart before stepping inside. The Queen sat on the throne, her silver crown on her head and a dress as dark as the shadows spilling over the seat. Rae frowned slightly, recognizing the attire as what she wore only when they had guests worth dressing up to her most elegant. That wasn’t the only odd thing; two people stood by the throne, and the Queen seemed to be talking to the man, who had light blue, almost white, hair and wore a mask and clothing of similar colours accented in gold.

The Queen’s gaze flicked over to him as he approached, and he ducked into a quick bow. “You wished to see me, your majesty?”

He could feel her stare as it bore down on him. She hummed, “Yes, I did. Sir Morningstar, this is Lord and Lady Will from the Aether. King Alerion has sent them to discuss a trade agreement, seeing as our two kingdoms have the most extensive knowledge of artifacts. As that is typically your area of expertise, I believe you should be able to take care of the majority of the discussion?”

It was a test. It was absolutely a test. The Queen knew he’d been busy lately with the new tomb that had been discovered as well as the fact that he had Ghosty with him now. It was a very conveniently timed test but it was a test nonetheless. But still, not one he could refuse without consequence.

He looked to the visitors, giving them a small bow and looking at them as he answered. “I would be more than happy to oversee this discussion. While I’m quite busy today, I can most certainly make time to meet with you both tomorrow, if that is alright?”

To his surprise, it wasn’t Lord Will who responded. Instead, his partner stepped forward, causing her golden hair to spill over her shoulder as her warm blue eyes met his. “That would be excellent, thank you.”

Rae smiled back. “Then I will send my assistant to you in the morning.”

The Queen smiled, standing as waving for one of her servants who were always lurking in the shadows. “Lovely, now I’m sure the two of you are tired, and I have more to discuss with Sir Morningstar. One of my servants will escort you to your chambers.”

The lady turned towards the Queen, curtsying gracefully before taking the Lord’s arm. “Thank you, your Majesty. We are grateful for your hospitality.” With that, the two of them made their way out of the room. Rae watched them go, silently wishing he could go with them before turning once again to the Queen.

“What else did you need me for, your Majesty?” he asked.

The Queen sat back on her throne. “Some of the guards arrived back today from a scouting mission. They found something potentially dangerous inscribed with runic symbols. You are to meet them by the Captain’s office to check their suspicions. I will not have a potential weapon against us laying around the castle.”

His heart jumped at the mention of the soldiers, but his shoulders fell at the idea of spending even more time away from his study. Reluctantly he resigned himself to spending an hour or so with the guards to determine if there was a threat before he could retreat to the familiarity and comfort of the shelves and his company.

The Queen brought up a few other details, things to look for that he’d already noted in his head, though of course he wouldn’t say that. Then she dismissed him, pulling out a report to read the second she was done with him. She didn’t glance at him once while he walked out of the room.

Halfway to the captain’s office a guard caught his attention, leading him on a slight detour until they arrived at a room where a few people had gathered. “Captain, Sir Morningstar has arrived,” The guard who’d been escorting him said, drawing the attention of the room. The Captain looked up, smiling at Rae warming and beckoning his forward, towards the table in the middle of the room where a strange box sat.

Rae walked over, joining her at the head of the table. “What do we have?”

“A box?” The Captain said, smirking. Rae looked at her deadpan. “Alright, alright, my men found it on the edge of the forest just inside our border. They tried to open it but couldn’t, which probably wasn’t a good idea even if they’d managed to do it because of the symbols none of us know the meaning of that are lining this thing.”

Rae leaned towards the box, squinting at the thin line of symbols. It really did seem to line the entire box, though he noticed almost immediately that only some of it was the symbols they’d come to associate with magic. He recognized some of the other parts, and quickly translated the parts he knew.

“Well, good news, I don’t think it's going to blow up.” Rae said, turning to the Captain. 

“Then what is it?”

Rae fought back a grin. “A jewelry box.”

Everyone in the room stared at him, some with disbelief, others with shock, and a few that were fighting back their own laughs at the situation.

The captain shook her head, leaning in to look at the box. “How do you know? Surely a jewelry box wouldn’t be that hard to open?”

“Well, it is enchanted. The bit on the front here is in what I believe is Telkin, and seems to be basically swearing out anyone who tries to steal the stuff inside. The bits on the left and right parts of the lid are in fact runes, mostly of protection, a silencing charm, and oh wait no that one is a burning charm set to go off if it’s not disabled properly before opening.”

“Soo, not a threat?”

Rae shook his head. “Nope, probably just someone stashing their stuff away for safekeeping. You should probably put it back at some point in case they come looking for it.”

They discussed the box a bit more, and after a little convincing the Captain agreed to send a few men back to where it had been found to see if they could locate the owner. If they couldn’t, the box would be delivered to Rae to see if he could open it safely and check out the contents. He sort of hoped they could find the owner, he didn’t need more on his plate at the moment.

Rae said a quick farewell, silently relieved it hadn’t been a very big issue and even happier to get to go back to his study now. His only hope was that nothing else would need his attention today, and he could just spend some time going over the artifacts with Jamie, and maybe trying to see if he could get any useful information out of Ghosty.

He could hear a bit of talking as he descended into the basement, Jamie and Ghosty’s voices becoming clear as he reached the end of the shelves. Jamie was sitting on the floor, their notebook open on their lap and a few of the notecards on the ground around them. Ghosty was explaining something about an artifact Jamie was sketching.

He smiled softly at the sight, leaning against the shelf and simply watching for a moment. He was glad that, if he could trust Ghosty for one thing, it was to be nice to his assistant. He may not know the man very well yet, but part of him hoped to, but he refused to be more than decent to anyone who couldn’t find it in themselves to treat staff with respect. Especially Jamie.

Ghosty’s eyes flicked up toward him, and he grinned. Rae raised an eyebrow at him, which Ghosty returned. Jamie then seemed to notice his presence, twisting to see him and smiling brightly. “Rae! Come look at this!”

Rae laughed, moving to sit next to them on the floor. Jamie adjusted their notebook so it sat between the two of them and grabbed the artifact off the floor. “I was trying to figure out what this one did based on the process you usually use, but I was having a hard time, and Ghosty offered to help. It has a sigil that looks like it has roots in the Overworld, and then the earth and air runes, so I figured it probably had to do with farming, does that sound right?”

Looking carefully at the artifact, he was very happy to see Jamie’s guess had been fairly accurate. The fact that it was glowing green was just another confirmation that it came from the Overworld, and given their widespread agriculture, a farming artifact made a lot of sense. “It certainly sounds right, good job, I’m proud of you for figuring that out.”

Jamie beamed at the praise. “Thanks! And I mean, Ghosty did help, but I got close before he stepped in.” Their eyes went wide, their grin suddenly taking a slightly mischievous air to it. “Oh, by the way, someone came by looking for you while you were gone. They left something in your room for you.”

Rae frowned, standing from his place on the floor. “Did they say what they needed? And why in my room of all places? My desk is right there.”

Jamie shrugged, “Your room made more sense this time.”

Rae glanced at Ghosty, trying to see if he would perhaps be any more helpful, but his face gave away absolutely nothing. Rae started walking towards the side hallway, approaching his room cautiously. He heard Jamie get up behind him, not quite following him, but moving closer. Sighing, he pushed open his door, expecting to see some sort of package or something on his bed but finding nothing.

“Uh, Jamie, are you sure they left it in he-!” Rae shrieked as someone grabbed him from behind. He spun, ready to punch someone and gasping when he saw who it was. “Oh my gods!” He yelled, grabbing Centross and pulling him into a hug which he reluctantly accepted with a small chuckle. Rae let go, still grinning, and then smacked him in the shoulder as hard as he could. “You scared the shit out of me, asshole.”

“Good to see you too,” Centross replied, laughing as he rubbed his shoulder.

“How long have you been back?” Rae asked, trying to remember if he had known his friend was returning soon.

“Not long,” He said with a shrug, “Got back this morning and came down here as soon as I wasn’t needed elsewhere.”

Over his shoulder, Rae could see Jamie grinning, and a realization hit him. He smiled at Centross again and then turned to his assistant. “Don’t think you’re getting out of helping him with that. Watch your back, you aren’t safe from revenge.” He called, pointing his finger at them menacingly.

“Worth it!” they called back.

Rae rolled his eyes before looking back to Centross. “So how long are you here?”

He hesitated, “As long as you are.”

Rae stared at him, “What do you mean?”

Centross glanced towards the main room, motioning for them to step into Rae’s room. Once they were both inside, Centross closed the door behind them and turned to Rae serious, even more so than usual, expression. Rae turned to face him, crossing his arms over his chest. “So what’s this about? What do you mean you’re here as long as I am, don’t you have to go do more patrols or else the Queen will get suspicious? We both know you’re on thin ice as is.”

“And that’s exactly the point, Rae,” Centross replied, “Things are getting worse here. The things she has us doing are getting worse, it’s like she’s preparing for war. I think it’s time to actually get serious about leaving. I don’t know how much longer any of us are safe here, especially so close to her.”

And there was that sense of knowing creeping up his throat, that sense that told him centross was right, that it wasn’t even worth debating. After all, he was a soldier, he saw more of what happened in the kingdom than Rae did. He was the coward that chose to hide deep in the castle where he couldn’t hurt or be hurt. And yet he wanted so desperately for him to be wrong.

“But how do you know? How do you know it’ll be any better out there, even if we make it?” He asked, desperate for hope even as it slipped through his fingers.

Centross sighed, dragging a hand over his face, “I don’t know, but I think we have to hope.” he paused, “You told me once, that you had a life, a family, before you came here. Don’t you want a chance to find them again?”

Desperately, more than anything, but how was he supposed to find them when he couldn’t even remember their names? It wasn’t for the first time that he cursed Enderian for all that she’d done to him. He hung his head, staring at the floor as bitter thoughts filled his head. “You know it’s impossible. I tried. You watched me try. What makes this time different?”

To his surprise, Centross didn’t reply, he grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the door which he cracked open. Out in the main room, Jamie was back to sitting on the floor, laughing at Ghosty, who was leaning casually by the bars on the cell. Centross looked at Rae, a lopsided grin forming on his face, “Him.”

Rae frowned, scanning Centross’ face for any sign that this was a joke and finding none. He looked back out at the other two and tried to consider how this outsider would possibly help him, and why he would. And then he considered the vast and strange series of artifacts he’d brought with him. He considered the way that Ghosty had spoken very little with the Queen and Perix present and how much he’d spoken to him and Jamie casually, right from the start. He considered that, for a man who was very clearly over-prepared for a mission into the castle, he’d gotten caught awfully quick.

Centross was grinning at him as they ducked back into the room, that sort of cocky smirk that Rae half wanted to just try and smack off his face. And he was forced to admit to himself that maybe, for the first time in nearly a decade, he had just a little bit of hope that he may finally be able to leave.

He met Centross’ gaze, rolling his eyes, “You can stop looking so proud of yourself, just because you may have a point doesn’t mean it’s going to work.”

“But it could, and that’s the best part,” Centross argued.

Rae sighed, deciding it was best to give in for the moment and shaking his head. He pushed past Centross towards the door, fixing his face back into a smile as he approached Jamie. They turned on him almost immediately, like they’d been listening for the door. “Good you two are done. We can go get food now.”

They pushed themselves to their feet, walking past Rae toward their room. Rae just stood there stunned, trying to process what had just happened as Centross grinned at them from the mouth of the hall. Jamie returned, their book and materials put away. They grabbed Rae’s hand, trying to gently tug him towards the stairs.

Rae got his voice back, but allowed Jamie to pull them while he spoke, “Wait, what are we doing? Didn’t we just eat?” He asked, thinking back to the tray of food Jamie had brought.

“That was like 6 hours ago,” Jamie replied, giving him a look, “Besides, it’s Centross’ first day back at the castle, we have to do dinner in the garden.” Jamie looked past him, grinning at Ghosty with a wave, “We’ll be back soon!”

Rae glanced back in time to see Ghosty throw a wave in response before they reached the stairs. Centross was trailing after the two of them, his pose still casual despite the fact that Rae knew it would turn rigid the second they made it upstairs. 

As soon as they pushed through the door at the top of the stairs, it was like three different people appeared. Rae straightened his back, trying to look every bit the noble he supposedly was. Jamie dropped his hand, ducking their head and falling in line behind him. Centross' was perhaps the most grand, though not unexpected. He briefly touched a gem hanging from his neck and his irises turned a deeper dwelling purple, the scars on his skin gaining the same glow as his face solidified into that of a rigid soldier, and not a friend.

A shiver ran over his spin, but Rae did his best to ignore it, leading them towards the kitchens. Rae and Centross waited outside while Jamie ducked inside, all of them knowing the type of rumours that would circulate if either of them stepped inside. They came out a few minutes later, a tray similar to the one they’d gotten that morning in their arms. Rae gave them a nod before continuing to lead them down the halls, towards the wing of the castle where his formal chambers lay.

With a deep breath, he opened the door to his rooms, wincing at the lacklustre decor, mostly done in the deep purple colour the kingdom was so well known for. He really hated coming in here, but it held the only entrance to what had become Jamie’s favourite place in the castle, so he bore it when needed.

Dead ahead of them sat a glass door, and behind it, a greenhouse that was home to all sorts of flowers. Rae pushed open the doors with a sigh, breathing in the warm air that differed so greatly from the usually cold atmosphere of the castle and their sublevel hideaway. Once all three of them were inside, he shut the door, activating the runes he’d set to change the glass to a more translucent opacity. It wasn’t much, but he saw the roles of the castle fall off his friends’ shoulders once he’d done it.

Centross moved to the corner with a practiced rhythm, grabbing a blanket and passing half of it to Rae. Together, they spread it over the grass, it barely having touched the ground before Jamie was on it, setting the tray down and moving to look at all of the flowers. Rae shook his head, laughing after them as he sat on the blanket.

As he stared over the garden, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing. The walk to the garden had reminded him that he really wasn’t free here, at all. He wasn’t free to leave, to make decisions, or to show that he cared about the people he considered his family. He tried to imagine what it would be like if he’d met either of them any other way. Jamie was from the Overworld, maybe, in a different universe, he could have met them when they were both just free and living with their families.

He tried to imagine Centross as he’d described himself in his youth; a simple farmer on the border between the End and the Overworld. Oh, how different all of their lives would be if they weren’t bound to the stone walls and the ice of the End. It brought back that ache he’d felt earlier when Centross had first mentioned it.

He turned to Centross beside him, “If I go along with your plan, you have to promise me something.”

Centross frowned, “Yeah? And what’s that?”

“If we get caught, get Jamie and get both of you out,” Rae asked, his voice wavering ever so slightly.

“Rae-”

“Please.”

Centross took a deep breath, adjusting his weight as he leaned back on his hands. “I promise that I will make sure Jamie gets out safely, but I can’t promise that I’ll just leave you behind. And you’re going to have to live with that because I’m not changing my mind.”

Bitterly, Rae hung his head, knowing he wasn’t winning more than he’d already gotten, “That’s fine by me. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Centross replied, shrugging like it was the simplest thing in his head despite the storm it was causing in Rae’s. “Now pass me some food, I’m starving.”

Rae laughed, passing him some food as Jamie flopped down on the blanket. They began rambling about the various flowers, talking so fast he could hardly keep up, but he couldn’t be happier. He just hoped that someday they didn’t have to hide in order for him to show his fondness for his assistant and his friend.

Chapter Text

By the time the next morning came, Rae had spent hours tossing and turning in his bed, unable to get the conversations from the night before out of his head. Eventually he gave up with what little sleep he’d managed to get, pushing himself off the bed with a resigned sigh. He stood, grabbing his cloak off the chair and heading out into the main area of the study.

It was early, too early for Jamie to be awake, which is why he was surprised when he saw Ghosty awake on his bed, notebook in hand as he scribbled something on one of the pages. He looked up at the sound of Rae entering the room, smiling at him from behind the bars. Rae returned the smile, continuing past until he reached his desk.

Sitting down, he pulled a file from the top drawer of his desk, knowing he had to get a few things ready before his meeting with the Lord and Lady from the Aether later that day. He scanned a list of artifacts, copying over the names of ones he knew they had many of and that he thought they might find interesting.

The Aether had been hit with a rather interesting blast of magic, and they’d been the first ones to put immediate focus to the subject, allowing them an edge over the other kingdoms that, to everyone’s surprise, they never used in an offensive way. A few people had seen that as a weakness, and were quickly proven wrong if they tried to attack the kingdom at all. 

Despite this, King Alerion hadn’t tried to make any alliances with the other kingdoms, which is why Rae was so shocked that he had sent someone to discuss trades. As much as he didn’t like the idea of the End getting more powerful, Rae also knew he wanted to learn what he could since he was in a position to do so.

Some time later Jamie emerged from the hall, yawning as they met Rae’s eyes across the room. “How long have you been out here?” They asked.

Rae glanced at the clock, trying to remember what time it was when he woke up, “Uh, maybe an hour?”

Jamie raised an eyebrow at him, then looked at Ghosty. Without even exchanging a word, Ghosty grinned, “It’s been closer to two.”

Rae gaped at him, feeling betrayed as his assistant turned to him again, glaring at him. “Did you even get any sleep?” They accused.

“Yes! Probably not a lot but I did in fact sleep!” Rae defended, setting down his quill to focus on the conversation.

“Raeee.” Jamie whined, finally making it all the way across the room to the desk. “You know you need to sleep more.”

Rae sighed, knowing they were right but also that there wasn’t much he could do about it right now. “I’m trying, I promise. But I was having trouble and I have things I need to get done. Oh, by the way, after breakfast can you see if any of the meeting rooms in the west wing are free, and if so invite Lord Will and his partner to meet me for noon?”

Jamie nodded, though they didn’t look happy that the discussion had turned away from Rae’s sleeping habits so easily. They set off towards the stairs, noting down any food requests before they disappeared from sight. Rae watched them go, waiting for a few moments before turning towards the cell with a sigh, “Did you have to sell me out like that?”

Ghosty approached the window, grinning over at him, “Well, in my defence, no one told me it was supposed to be a secret.”

“It was implied.” Rae shot back. Centross chose that moment to emerge, his armour absent in favour of his usual grey t-shirt and his hands shoved in the pockets of sweatpants. He paused in the door, raising an eyebrow at Rae. He rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what that look was for, “Oh don’t look at me like that, we were talking about his ratting me out to Jamie.”

“And… why was he ratting you out to Jamie?” Centross asked, leaning against the wall with an amused look on his face.

“Because he was lying about how much sleep he’d gotten, which is apparently a problem,” Ghosty replied before Rae could get a chance. He whipped around to look at him, glaring daggers through the bars of the cell.

From behind him, Centross started laughing, “Yeah, sounds like him.”

Rae sighed, “Ok, this feels unfair, I shouldn’t be getting ganged up on in my own study.”

Centross shrugged, “Then get a better sleep schedule.”

Rae glared at him, “You try sleeping well with the shit she did to my head.” The slight wince on Centross’ face was a small victory before he remembered there was someone in the room who hadn’t known about that. He bit his lip, turning to face Ghosty, who unsurprisingly was trying to hide the shock on his face.

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, neither of them really wanting to break the silence. Rae quickly grew tired of the tension, wanting to move on and pretend everything was normal like he had for most of his life, “Can we just ignore that I said that?”

“Sure,” Ghosty replied, breaking eye contact in favour of returning to his bed and picking up his notebook.

Jamie chose the best possible moment to reenter the situation then, coming around the corner and passing a small package of food to both Rae and Centross before setting one on the window ledge of the cell for Ghosty. If they could sense the tension from moments before they didn’t show it, simply turning to Rae as they took a bite of their food.

“Ok, so,” They started, swallowing their bite before continuing, “Your favourite meeting room was free all day so I marked the meeting into the schedule and then went to see the Aetherians. They said the time and place worked perfectly and that they would be there. Oh, and then I got food.”

Rae laughed, reaching up to ruffle their hair fondly, even as they attempted to duck under it somewhat annoyed despite the betrayal of the smile playing on their lips. Rae moved past them, debating sitting at his desk before sinking to the floor in front of it and opening his food. Jamie quickly took the spot next to him, already halfway through theirs as Centross sat across from him.

At some point Centross stood, returning to his room to grab his armour before bidding them all goodbye and heading out into the main parts of the castle. Rae tried to focus on his work for the few hours before the meeting, but was easily distracted by Jamie, who seemed to have taken a fascination with Ghosty, and was constantly asking him stuff about the Overworld.

About half an hour before the meeting he got up, grabbing his notebook and the list he’d been copying over. He said goodbye to the other two and headed towards the stairs, wrapping his cloak tighter around himself as he left the insulation of the basement. He nodded at one of the guards standing nearby before setting off toward the west wing.

He was happy when he didn’t see anyone beyond the guards on his walk, knowing that if he’d happened to come across any of the nobility he’d be forced to stop and talk, and he really just wanted to get to his meeting without trouble. Besides, the nobles were always trying to kiss up to him in hopes that it would get them closer to the Queen. It wouldn’t, but they seemed to believe it which meant Rae had to deal with it.

To his surprise, he heard voices as he approached the meeting room. He frowned, remembering Jamie had mentioned it had been free all day, so unless someone had booked it in the last few hours, it should be empty at this time. Poking his head around the corner he could just make out the shimmering of a deep blue skirt, swirling around the legs of who Rae recognized as the Lady he kept forgetting to get a name for. She was talking animatedly towards Lord Will, who sat in one of the chairs and watched her with a smile on his face.

Rae felt a little bad for snooping, it wasn’t like he was gaining anything from it either, given he couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he also didn’t feel all that bad considering they were in a public meeting room and they knew he was coming to meet them there. He straightened up, making sure his footsteps echoed as he rounded the corner and came into view.

The Lady stood straight up, almost like she’d been there for a while and hadn’t just been pacing the room. Behind her, Lord Will sat straight in the chair, though there was a muffled bit of laughter escaping from behind his mask. Rae’s lips tugged into a grin as he approached, bowing respectfully. “Good afternoon, I see you found the room alright.”

Lord Will nodded, “Indeed. Your assistant said it was in the west wing and a servant helped us find the right room once we were here.”

Rae hummed, moving to the right side of the table and setting down his book and papers. The table in this room was a square, with no seat designed to hold more power than the others. It was one of the reasons Rae liked this room and the Queen didn’t. He pulled out a chair, watching as the Lady moved to take a seat across from him and next to her partner.

“Thank you for meeting with us, Sir Morningstar,” Lord Will said, drawing Rae’s attention.

He flashed a small smile, “Of course, it is my honour. Although I must admit an oversight on my behalf in saying I don’t think I caught your name, my Lady.” He responded, looking across the table again.

A look of panic, so brief he wouldn’t have caught it had he not been looking, crossed her face before smoothing over again. She glanced toward Lord Will, whose expression was mostly hidden by his mask. “Oh, you may call me O- ow! -en. Owen. Yes.” She said, shooting an annoyed look at her partner.

Rae raised an eyebrow at her, but didn’t push it. “Wonderful. And for the duration of your stay, feel free to address me as Rae during our meetings or in private. My title is less important to me in cases of business.”

Lord Will laughed, “I certainly understand that. You can call me Will then. No point in me being the only one using my title. I’m very excited to get to work with you on this. We’ve been hearing more and more about the End’s knowledge on magic and artifacts, and knowing you’re the mastermind behind it makes this truly an honour.”

Rae flushed, looking down at his book to hide the redness on his face. “Oh, I wouldn’t say I’m the only one behind it, but I appreciate the praise. I brought a list of some of our more common artifacts that tend to be found within our lands if you’d like to look it over.” He said, offering the list to Will who accepted it gratefully.

Owen (still not questioning the name. Ok, well maybe a little) leaned over, looking over Will’s shoulder to read it. Her eyes lit up, clearly seeing something that interested her. She looked away from the page and over at Rae, “Do you actually have artifacts that freeze the surface of water?”

“Yes, we do,” Rae said, laughing silently at the glee in her eyes, “I actually had a few of the guards help me test those when we first found them. They attach surprisingly well to boots.”

Will whipped his head to look at his partner, “No.”

Owen gaped at him, “But I haven’t even said anything yet!”

“Yeah but I know you and I know that look in your eyes,” He said, shaking his head, “You were much more prepared for this than we were Rae, I’m afraid I don’t have any sort of list of the type of artifacts we possess, but I’m sure we can make the most of this discussion nonetheless.”

Rae nodded, “Oh that’s not a problem at all, I’m fairly familiar with the type of artifacts native to each kingdom. I was, however, curious about this one I’ve heard of a few times before.” He said, leading them into their discussion.

A few hours passed, and Rae could slowly feel himself becoming restless the longer they sat at the table. It seemed his companions felt similarly, as ‘Owen’ had excused herself and left for about 20 minutes before returning, only looking mildly more attentive after her return. Rae sighed, closing the cover of his notebook and looking up to the other two. “Well, I think we’ve done enough for the day, is there anything else I can help you with today or shall we leave it at that and continue the day after next?”

They shared a look. “Actually,” Will started, standing from his seat, “We’ve been curious to see more of the castle, if it isn’t too much, we would love it if you would be able to give us a tour?”

Inwardly Rae cursed himself for whatever hospitality rule made him offer to do anything beyond this meeting, but outwardly he just smiled, nodding. “I would be delighted. Where would you like to start? The library, perhaps the greenhouses?”

“The greenhouses sound perfect,” Owen replied, already moving to stand and join them.

Rae quickly mapped out the route in his head before leading them out the door, trying to walk a little slower than his usual brisk pace. Hopefully they could do a quick tour of the gardens and then maybe the library and it would be enough for him to be able to slip off after.

He paused at the doors, making sure they were both behind him before pushing them open. Unlike the greenhouse connected to Rae’s rooms, these gardens were open access to the whole castle, which was evident by the colour theme that had been implemented. The few trees that grew were ones native to the area, the chorus trees, whose spindly purple limbs had never been that appealing to him. The flowers, too, mimicked the themes as rows and rows of purple and white flowers spread out around the paths. 

Will and Owen walked past him, admiring the scenery as Rae hung by the door. He always felt a little weird about stepping in here, because it was so perfect in a way he’d asked the gardeners to never make his. As they wandered along the paths though, his eyes were drawn to a corner of the room, an area tucked away from view unless you knew to look for it, that was blooming with orchids.

Owen seemed to follow his gaze, catching sight of the blue that stood out so much from its surroundings. “Oh, are those orchids?”

Rae nodded, debating momentarily before turning to take the path that would bring them to the flowers. He stepped past the hedges, letting out a small sigh of relief of being out of the main parts of the garden, though he knew he still needed to be mostly on edge because he wasn’t alone or in his study. There was a gasp behind him as Will and Owen rounded the final corner.

“Oh wow, there’s a lot of them.” Owen said, stepping forward a bit, “Why are they so hidden in the corner?”

Rae shrugged, “I’m not really sure. I’d argue that they don’t fit with the theme of the rest of the garden but I don’t know why they’re here at all if that’s the case.”

“It’s certainly a nice break from all the purple,” Will chimed in, scanning the space.

“Purple does tend to be everywhere here,” Rae agreed, a little bitterly, “Even the flowers.”

Owen frowned, turning to Rae almost curiously, “Are you not a fan of the purple? I thought anyone raised here would be used to it.”

Rae ducked his head, laughing internally at the irony of the statement, “Ah, well, I wasn’t raised here, and I associate the colour with some less than pleasant memories, so that’s why I’m not the biggest fan.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” Owen replied, even as she shared a glance with her partner behind her.

As much as he wanted to move past it, he could see the questions lingering between them and didn’t want to have to deal with them later when they needed to get business done. “It’s alright, I don’t mind. Most people here know I’m not originally from the End, or even what it was before the Queen took control.”

Owen hummed, “Do you mind me asking where you are from then?”

“The Overworld,” Rae replied simply, watching carefully and catching the shock that slipped over Owen’s face before disappearing. For his part, Will’s face was covered, but Rae didn’t miss the way his body tensed momentarily when he said it.

Rae pressed his lips together, eager to escape the tension that he had accidentally created, “Well, how about we continue our tour then? The library is truly amazing, I think you’d both find it quite interesting.”

Chapter Text

Rae sat at his desk, staring down at his notes with a small frown on his face. He’d sent Jamie off with Centross, hoping that their absence would help him feel less crowded than he had in the last few days. Between his audiences with the Queen, the sudden influx of people staying in the basement study, and the visitors from the Aether, he’d been much too social for his usual comfort level.

The Aetherians had mentioned at the end of their second meeting yesterday that they wanted to explore the capital, and would return in two days to resume their meetings. That meant he had a bit more time to focus on his research and upcoming report he needed to have ready for the Queen, something he had fallen behind on between all of his other duties.

Of course, there was one person he couldn’t exactly avoid the company of, even in his own study, but he found the longer Ghosty was here the less he minded his company. In fact, he almost dared to say he enjoyed it. The man was quick witted, always responding back and playing into the quips the other three were throwing at each other. He was also an incredible story teller, as Jamie had discovered while Rae had been giving the Aetherians a tour of the castle.

He’d returned to the study to find Jamie back in their spot on the carpet in front of the cell, resting their head on their hands as they listened to Ghosty recall an adventure he’d gone on some time in the past. Rae had stopped, leaning against the shelves and listening until he’d been spotted. He’d worried the story would stop, but Ghosty got right back into it, and continued to indulge Jamie with more stories whenever they asked.

Now, Rae appreciated his company, as silent as it was, because he was a nice middle ground. His gaze wasn’t filled with the same judgement and scrutiny that the nobility held, and it wasn’t filled with the concern that often filled his friend’s eyes.

Rae sighed frustratedly, setting down his quill and glaring at the artifact he was trying to decipher. Some of the lines on one of the runes were contradictory, but the fact that they were there implied it was someone's sigil. He didn’t know whose though, which meant he was having a very difficult time figuring out what this artifact was meant to do. Especially since it didn’t seem to do anything when he tried to activate it.

He glanced over towards the cell, “Ghosty, how much do you know about artifacts?”

There was a small amount of shuffling from behind the bars before Ghosty appeared, assuming his usual place of leaning by the window. “Enough to get the gist of most of them, why?”

“I’m having trouble with this one, I thought maybe another set of eyes could help, and Jamie isn’t here,” Rae replied, holding up the artifact briefly.

Ghosty raised an eyebrow at him, “And you’d trust me to look at it? Isn’t that like, against some sort of code?”

Rae rolled his eyes. Technically, Ghosty was right, but this was his space, and he’d always functioned best on the idea of his space, his rules, unless any of the nobility were here. Which was very rare, and not at that moment, so, his space his rules. “I don’t care enough to think about that, besides, I don’t think you’d try and snitch on me and risk ending up with Perix.”

“Touche,” Ghosty replied with a grin, “Slight problem though, can’t see it from here.”

“Obviously, dumbass, if you’d given me a minute I was going to bring it over,” Rae replied, laughing as he stood from his desk. He held the artifact out for ghosty to take, which he did hesitantly, like rae was going to pull it back the second he touched it. Of course, Rae didn’t, because he genuinely just wanted some help figuring out what it did.

Ghosty looked at it, his eyes going wide and a chuckle escaping his lips as he flipped it over in his hands, “Oh, this is one of mine, isn’t it?”

Rae blinked at him, remembering that it had come from that pile. “Oh, I guess it is. Do you know what it does then?”

Ghosty looked up at him with a look that was the embodiment of ‘well duh’, before turning the artifact to point at the rune Rae had been having the most trouble with, “This is King Alerion’s sigil. A lot of rulers or people in power have both of these lines because they’re mostly good people who do bad for the sake of their people. Others, like, uh, well certain people in this castle, just have the one, for reasons I’m sure you can guess.”

The lines he was referring to were ones people often called the “morality” lines. They were either horizontal or vertical lines that appeared only on people’s sigils, and often reflected whether that person was good or bad. Rae had seen them plenty of times, the Queen’s being one of the examples Ghosty had mentioned, as hers only had a vertical line, but he hadn’t really heard of anyone having both, so he was quite surprised when Ghosty said it.

“Are you sure? I’ve never seen anyone with both,” Rae asked, accepting the artifact back from Ghosty.

He nodded, “Pretty sure, seeing as that one was lent to me by the prince of the Overworld, who was given it after a trade with the Aether. They told me all about it before I left to come here.”

Rae returned to his desk, placing the artifact back on the table and opening to a page of his journal where he’d been noting down significant sigils. He carefully copied over the sigil, noting the lines that indicated what sector of magic it was related to within the branches commonly found in the Aether. 

With this new information, he looked at some of the other runes that were carved alongside it, noting which of the elements were also present. He frowned, double checking his work and then triple checking it, because surely that wasn’t something that could be done. “Ghosty, does this… open a pocket dimension?”

Ghosty shrugged, “The prince called it a fancy storage closet, but in technical terms, yeah I think so.”

Rae gaped at him, trying to understand how he was being so calm about such a thing. Given the fact that this had been in the possession of someone from the Overworld and made by someone in the Aether, he knew that maybe it was a bit more normal, but still, the idea of it was incredibly powerful if you knew how to use it. Depending on what exactly you could put in it, it could even be part of the answer he’s been looking for.

“How does it work?” He asked, looking up at Ghosty eagerly.

Ghosty frowned, opening his mouth, pausing, then closing it again. “I don’t think I can really describe it? It’s, yeah wow I really can’t describe it, but it’s kinda like using magic from what I’ve been told? Sorry I really don’t know how to say it.”

“...Could you show me?” Rae asked, knowing he was taking a risk in asking.

It was confirmed in the way Ghosty’s eyes widened, trying to tell if Rae was serious or not. He looked around him, like he was trying to gauge the size of the room he was in, “Even if I, uh, wanted to, I don’t think the cell is big enough. It’s a little cramped in here.”

Rae sighed, “Well in my defence it wasn’t ever intended to actually hold someone for an extended period of time,” he argued, knowing he was also going to have to be less subtle about his meaning, “and I didn’t mean show me in the cell, I wouldn’t be able to see it very well in there anyways.”

Ghosty froze, eyeing Rae suspiciously. “Do you mean…”

Pulling the key off from around his neck, Rae walked over to the cell, holding it up in plain view for a moment before inserting it into the lock. It clicked open, and Rae swung the door open, stepping back to make room for Ghosty to exit, though he just sort of stared towards it, still wary. “Why are you doing this?” He asked.

Many reasons, Rae thought, though I don’t know if you’d understand most of them. He sighed deciding that the truth, as much of it as he could give, would be the best thing, “Because to be honest, I trust you more than most of the people in this castle, which I think either says a lot about your acting skills or the nature of the people here. And, I really want to see how this artifact works.” He added.

Ghosty laughed, caught off guard by the second half of his statement. He seemed to debate it for another minute before hesitantly walking towards the door. He let out a breath as he stepped out of the cell, and Rae couldn’t help the bit of giddiness rising inside of him as he watched.

“Hi,” he said, grinning like an idiot.

“Hi,” Ghosty replied with a laugh.

Shaking his way out of his stupor, Rae made his way back to his desk, Ghosty trailing after him slowly. He grabbed the artifact, passing it to him and stepping back to give him some space. Ghosty moved towards the center of the room, holding the artifact in his hands. He glanced at Rae, offering him a half smile. “Fair warning, I’ve only done this a few times and I'm not great at magic.”

Rae waved it off, “I’m sure you’ll do great. Now hurry up! I really want to see this.”

Ghosty laughed, shaking his head, and then turned back to the artifact, focusing on it. He seemed to trace the runes carved into it with the hand not holding it, before shoving his hand forward. Light sparked off the end of his hand, and suddenly a small portal of sorts was floating in front of him, shimmering blue light acting as a frame.

Rae stepped closer, peeking over Ghosty’s shoulder into the frame. Inside looked fairly plain, a simple white cube of space that only had what looked like a bag of something in it. Ghosty let his hand fall, keeping his thumb on the artifact as he stepped towards the portal. He grabbed the bag, laughing to himself a little as he pulled it out of the frame.

“I forgot I had more food in here, that would have been helpful,” he said, passing the bag to Rae. he opened it, confirming Ghosty’s words when he found a small collection of non-perishable foods inside, along with a water pouch.

The excitement of seeing such an interesting piece of magic in person was almost enough to make his brain not consider the worst, but alas it made its way there anyways, and he found himself wondering again about how Ghosty had been caught. If he had something like this, that could have easily hid anything that marked him as being from the Overworld or serving King Fable, why didn’t he use it? Why had he had all of those artifacts on him when he was caught, and why was he caught in the first place.

Rae shook his head, trying to clear the thought from his head. He could worry about that later, it didn’t need to be a now problem.

Unfortunately for him, Ghosty seemed to have caught sight of his frown before he could fix it, turning on him with concern in his eyes as he removed his thumb from the artifact, closing the portal. “Is everything ok? I thought you were excited about the fancy storage closet?”

Rae sighed, ducking his head and not meeting Ghosty’s eyes. “Just… thinking a little too hard. It’s fine. Thanks for showing me that.”

Ghosty frowned, clearly not wanting to accept that answer, but he seemed to have picked up enough of Rae’s tells over the last week that he knew it wasn’t a good idea to push it at that moment. His eyes wandered instead to the cell, then back towards Rae, “Am I going back in there now? No offence, but it’s kind of cramped.”

He hadn’t actually thought that far ahead, but now that he did, he couldn’t really imagine forcing Ghosty to go back in the cell. He shook his head, “No, I couldn’t do that to you. There’s another bedroom down here you can take. You may need to go back in the cell if the Queen or anyone but us come down here, but that’s rare so you could just stay out otherwise. That is, of course, assuming you actually stay. Shoot, sorry I shouldn’t assume, you probably want to try and leave.” He said, cursing himself internally for assuming things.

To his surprise, Ghosty just smiled, a sort of lopsided grin that he maybe found just a little charming. “Nah, I think I’ll stick around for a bit. Those guards are pretty rude and I don’t want to run into that she-devil again.” He said, shivering when he mentioned Perix, “Besides, I’ve been wanting to learn more about magic, and clearly, this is the best place to do it.”

There was something in his smile and the way that he said it that allowed Rae to think (hope) that that wasn’t the only reason he was choosing to stay, but he didn’t push it. He just grinned back at him, moving towards his desk where most of his research lay, “Well, if you’re so interested in magic, how about you tell me what you know, and maybe I can show you something new, in exchange for what you just showed me.”

Ghosty moved to join him, accepting the stool Rae pulled over for him to sit at. Rae flipped his notebook open to one of the first pages, where he’d first started to organize his ideas about the various components of the runes that had appeared on objects when magic came around.

“So, how much do you know about how the runes are formed?” He asked, checking that he had some spare paper nearby.

“Uh, the shape tells you roughly what type of magic it is, horizontal or vertical lines only show up on sigils, the dash-y lines tell you more about what type of magic it is?” Ghosty replied, trying to get a look at the book, which Rae quickly adjusted to be closer to him so he could read it.

Rae nodded, “You definitely have the basics. The shapes actually correlate pretty closely to the kingdoms, seeing as the rulers are some of the people who got the most powerful when magic hit. The borders sort of formed around what magic was where.”

Ghosty hummed, “Oh yeah, I think I’ve heard that. I know King Fable has kind of adopted the square into some of the decorations and stuff.”

“The Queen has done similar things here, I think most of them have. Same with their sigils being so well known. People are still wary about magic, if they know at least what they’re dealing with, or see at least that their leaders aren’t trying to hide it, it helps calm the fear a little.”

Ghosty scoffed, “As if the people of the End even need more reasons to fear the Queen.”

Rae pressed his lips together, not answering in favour of pulling a piece of paper down towards him, quickly drawing a few squares on it and adding two dashed lines to one side of each. “So, within the general magic found in each kingdom, there are sections that are easily distinguishable on the runes. They’re shown by the ‘dash-y’ lines you mentioned.”

“The ones on the right side mean creation right? That’s on King Fable’s sigil.” Ghosty asked, motioning to one of the squares Rae had drawn.

He nodded, “Yes, that one’s the most obvious since we have the king as a clear example. From what I’ve been able to gather, and correct me if I’m wrong because you are the one who lives in the Overworld, the ones on top signify weather related abilities, the left is flora, and the bottom is fauna.” He said, turning to Ghosty almost anxiously.

This was really the first chance he’d had to speak with someone from another kingdom about the runes and the magic they represented, except for his recent conversations with the Aetherians, and it was a little nerve-wracking. He wasn’t expecting Ghosty to just completely ruin his understanding of Overworld magic, but he could very well say something that ruined the basis he’d been working off of since he started researching it.

Overworld magic was very common. It was the largest kingdom by far, partially because it had been one of the few well established kingdoms before the chaos that came along with magic. But it also had to do with how positive it was. It created, not only plants but life, and life was everywhere, so Overworld magic was everywhere.

To his relief, Ghosty just nodded, “Yeah, that sounds similar to what I know.” He paused, his eyes falling to the bottom of the page where he frowned, “Actually, could you explain this part to me? I don’t get why the four ‘elements’ are involved.”

Rae laughed, “I don’t think anyone actually understands why they’re there, but I can tell you how they work. They rely pretty heavily on intent, so most of the time you have to use the other runes present to determine what they may mean. Like the, ‘fancy storage closet’,” he said with a chuckle, “Earth likely is what helps make it such a defined space, given earth is often used as a foundation for more physical magic. Air, on the other hand, probably helps to allow it to be moved around, rather than only being in one spot. Does that make sense?”

Ghosty was nodding, but it seemed almost hesitant, and the way his eyes widened as Rae spoke was an indicator that he was maybe a little lost, “Yup, totally got it.”

“...You don’t understand anything I just said, do you?” Rae questioned, raising an eyebrow at him with a small smile.

“Well, I mean, ok for the most part no,” Ghosty replied, “But I think I get it enough. Like the part about the element’s meaning being determined by intention, that part is fine. The other bit? I got nothing.”

The way he said it just made Rae’s smile grow even wider, and he wondered how Ghosty had been able to be so positive the entire time he’s been here. It’s certainly not a great situation, even though he’s no longer stuck in the cell, but it still amazed him how willing he was to crack jokes and be kind. It may just be a front until he can escape, but Rae chose to believe it was deeper than that, and it truly was just who he was as a person.

He  looked at his book, closing it and turning to Ghosty. “Well, how about we come back to that another time. I can show you the room if you’d like?”

Ghosty nodded, and the two stood. Rae quickly moved the stool back to its corner to await the next time he needed an extra seat at his desk, and then led Ghosty down towards the small hall that extended off of the study. “Ok, this one is mine, and across is Centross’, whenever he’s at the castle,” He said, pointing to the two first doors, “Jamie’s is next to mine, and then the one across is the one you can use.”

He pushed the door open to the fourth room, a small cloud of dust reminding him it had been a while since anyone had been in it. It wasn’t like they used it for anything anyways, it had just been an extra space in case anyone else needed a place to stay. Which is technically what this was, although it wasn’t the circumstance Rae had originally pictured filling the room in.

“Wow, you guys must come in here all the time,” Ghosty said from behind him, waving some dust out of his own face.

Rae scowled at him, hitting him light-heartedly on the arm, “Look, we don’t really have reason to come in here a lot. But it’s better than the cell, so it’s yours as long as you’re here.”

Ghosty moved past him, closer to the bed, and sat down, bouncing a few times like he needed to make sure it was up to his standards. Rae laughed, watching him amusedly from the doorway. Ghosty turned, grinning up at him, about to speak when he was interrupted by a yawn. 

“Tired?” Rae asked.

“A little,” Ghosty shrugged, “Would you mind if I stayed here and took a nap, I don’t know if you know this but the bed in that cell is not very good.”

Rae laughed, rolling his eyes, but nodding anyways, “Ha ha. But of course, get some rest, I’ll just be out at my desk if you need anything.”

With that, he left the room, pulling the door closed behind him and leaving the hall. With every step he wondered if this was the right thing to do, but then he heard Centross in his mind, and he knew that even if this wasn’t the best idea, it was the only way he might be able to leave this damn castle, once and for all.

Chapter Text

He was on his knees, on the floor in front of the Queen, his own memories feeling like they were choking him as she searched through them. He clung desperately to a necklace he wore, one from someone he couldn’t quite picture that helped him not collapse at the force in which she combed through, trying to find anything she could blame him for, anything he’d done wrong.

His mothers face had long been stolen from him, but the pain ripped raw everytime the memories were pulled forward. A garden where the sun was shining, a blanket beneath him and a woman who he knew was his mother, and yet her face was gone, her soft laughter ringing cruelly through his ears before it moved on to another memory.

The Queen loomed over him, revelling as she dug through his head. There were flashes of his assistant, a quiet figure he couldn’t remember much about at the moment. He knew there should be more there, but he couldn’t think about that right now. There were others, too. Always others. Always people he thought he should know, that he should care about, but something blocked them out and it didn’t feel like her this time.

She tore at him, flashes of praise or kindness from others quickly gone before he could even consider the words. Memories from years ago tugged to the front to remind him why he didn’t dare disobey, why he’d stayed so complacent all these years. It aches, old wounds torn open with a new sense of violence, her words acting like acid as they sink deep inside of him.

He dropped to the floor with a gasp as she released him, and he could feel the way she sneered above him. He wondered, sometimes, why she worked so hard to make sure he stayed when she acted like he wasn’t worth more than the dirt beneath her boots. He expected her to leave, silent, and without a word, the way she always did.

And a moment later she did, a small ‘hm’ followed by the sound of footsteps fading as they got further, a door creaking open and falling shut, and then silence. The only sound in the room was the blood racing through his veins and his breaths coming quickly as he tried to focus. His necklace, something to do with his necklace.

His hands fumbled as he grabbed for it, instinctively finding the almost hidden latch on the back. Inside sat a piece of paper, hastily folded up from when he’d shoved it in there. He brushed tears from his eyes, wiping his hand on his pants before slowly unfolding the note, his hands shaking the entire time.

You’re ok, you’re not alone, you have people who care.

Go down to the study, the people there are trustworthy, they’ll help.

You’ll remember soon.

His breath hiccuped, a tear falling onto the note to join the long dried stains of tears past. He folded it back up as gently as he could, grabbing the necklace again to put it back in its spot. The thud of it falling back to his chest was oddly comforting as he pushed himself to his feet, trying to take deep breaths and wiping the last of the tears from his eyes.

People would be able to tell he’d been crying, but if the Queen gave him any small mercies it was that it was often late when she chose to do this, which meant there were less people roaming the halls when he finally found his feet to retreat back to his study. He just hoped that the version of him who had written the note knew what he was talking about, because he really didn’t want to be alone right now.

The door felt extra heavy as he pulled it open, revealing an empty hallway and the fading light of the sun as it set below the mountains outside. As he walked, he tried to think of what he knew. He knew he was in the End, he knew he’d been here for almost 12 years, he knew he’d been working as the head of magical research for 8 years. He had an assistant who has been there for about 3 years. He knew, well, he really couldn’t think of any major things beyond that, but he knew there was supposed to be more.

He reached the door to his study soon enough, luckily without running into anyone. His hands pressed against the walls in an attempt to steady himself as he descended, his head still spinning a little. He heard voices when he reached the bottom, and despite half of him just wanting to collapse right there, knowing he was at least in the privacy of his study, he kept going.

As he reached the more open part of the room he slowed, two voices becoming clear before he caught sight of them. There was a man facing away from him, with brown hair and a dark jacket, likely to help keep off the cold that was so common in this castle. The other was slightly shorter, with similarly brown hair, though they were facing in a way that he could see their eyes, the deep brown almost black that filled nearly the entire space.

They must have seen him out of the corner of their eye because they turned, a bright smile on their face that quickly fell when they got a good look at him. The conversation stopped as they pushed themselves away from the desk, running across the room to Rae. Behind them, the man turned as well, looking confused as he met Rae’s eyes.

The shorter one was in front of him now, hands placed gently on his arms and speaking softly, “Hey, do you know who I am? What’s my name?” They asked with a sense of desperation despite the gentleness.

Rae stared at them, knowing their face but not finding any name to go with it. He realized now this was his assistant, but other than that he was falling short. He shook his head, more tears threatening to fall as he watched their shoulders sag.

They twisted to look over their shoulder, “Ghosty, go get Centross, he’s in his room.”

The man, Ghosty, nodded hesitantly, moving past them and out of sight. Ghosty. He knew that name. He should know that name.

His assistant was trying to get his attention again, tugging him gently towards his desk and nudging him until he’d sat in his chair. “Can I have your necklace?” They asked, motioning to the chain around his neck. Rae nodded, reaching for it and pulling it over his head, careful to avoid letting it tangle in his hair before passing it to them.

“What’s your name?” He whispered, trying desperately to remember but failing.

They smiled softly, “Jamie.”

Rae nodded, mostly to himself, because of course it was. He knew their name was Jamie. Why hadn’t he known that?

Ghosty came back, followed by another man who Rae assumed was Centross, based on the earlier conversation. Centross locked eyes with him immediately, rushing over in a similar manner to how Jamie had. He joined Jamie in front of the chair, looking like he was ready to kill someone but trying to hide it. “Hey Rae, how's your head feel?”

“Not great,” He managed. So much of him screamed that this was a bad idea, what if they all worked for Enderian and were just waiting for him to mess up so she had a reason to punish him? He couldn’t do this. He needed to leave, he couldn’t, he shouldn’t be-

“Hey, stay with me ok?” Centross’ voice echoed in his head, growing louder and drawing him back to the present. “It’s going to be ok. Do you remember where your list is?” He asked.

List. List… Right, he’d written a list before leaving for the meeting with the Queen. He didn’t remember what was on the list, but Centross seemed to think it was important, so it must be. It… he’d folded it up, and then he’d put it in an old notebook in the drawer of his desk in his room. One on the left side that threatened to fall apart every time he opened it, which is why he didn’t use that drawer often.

He relayed that information, and Centross turned to Jamie, who nodded and stood before heading towards the rooms. Centross turned back to Rae, “You don’t have to answer, but do you think she was looking for something in particular, or just looking?”

Memories of his childhood, his family, the first few years he was in the castle. A glimpse at his research but nothing further. He shook his head, “No, just looking.”

Centross nodded, looking relieved at the answer. “Ok, thank you for answering. Is there anything you want right now? Some water? A snack?”

Rae shook his head, not really feeling like he could keep anything down right now. Jamie returned, a piece of paper in their hands that he recognized as the list. They cast a glance at Ghosty, who had just been hovering since getting Centross from his room, looking like he didn’t know what was happening.

“Ghosty, you know runes yeah?” Jamie asked, setting the list on the desk.

He nodded. Jamie hummed, “Great, third row, second shelf from the top, should be a box marked with just the fire rune, can you grab it?”

Ghosty nodded again, quickly disappearing around the shelves in search of whatever Jamie had sent him after. Once he was gone Jamie turned back to Rae. “Ok, so I know you don’t remember this right now but this has happened before. You remember the list? You write it before every meeting with the Queen you have so that if you need to you can forget everything on it temporarily. It’s not fun but it lets you keep us safe, so you do it anyway.”

Rae nodded, the words sounding familiar. Now that he thought about it, he could feel a barrier in his mind, almost like a thick fog designed to hide away his memories. He knew it wasn’t the Queen’s doing; her magic was more like a fence than a fog. The fact that he’d done it to himself was comforting, because it meant, as Jamie seemed to be implying, that it could be undone. 

“How long does it last?”

Jamie shrugged, “I think technically as long as you need it to. That’s what the list is,” they said, motioning to it on the desk, “The fastest way we’ve come up with to get rid of it is to destroy the list. Usually involving fire because who doesn’t love burning stuff?”

“But,” Centross cut in, “We’ve also discovered destroying it too fast can be bad the longer the list gets, which is why you sent Ghosty to get the slow fire artifact, right Jamie?”

They rolled their eyes, “Of course I did. Well, technically I sent him to get all of the fire starters, but the slow fire one is in there.”

Rae laughed, almost surprising himself with the sound. He hated this moment of not knowing, not remembering these people beyond their names, but with what he remembered about the Queen, he knew exactly why he did this. Her goal was to keep him isolated, alone and reliant on her to stop him from even wanting to leave, but the people in front of him, even now when he couldn’t remember, made him want to leave so badly just so they didn’t have to live here.

Jamie frowned suddenly, glancing back towards the shelves. “Ghosty! Have you found them yet?” They called.

“Uhhhh… yes?” Came the reply.

Centross muffled a laugh as Jamie sighed, shooting him a glare before heading back towards the shelves. Rae found himself watching him as he leaned to grab the stool, moving to sit on it rather than staying on his knees. Centross turned back, catching Rae staring at him. “What, do I have something on my face?” He joked.

Rae hummed, “I think I remember you. Not well, but… You were there when I first joined the court, weren’t you?”

Centross nodded, “Yeah, I was. You know, an eager young recruit to the army. The Queen assigned me as your guard, I was told it was because you were being threatened. You later told me it was so you couldn’t run.”

“You used to believe that she wasn’t a total monster.” Rae continued, the story filling in in his head, “You were never magically under her control, but you believed her lies anyways.”

“Something I’m not proud of,” Centross replied with a nod, “Though you helped me see past that.”

“Then why are you still here? If you’ve seen the truth, why stay?” Rae asked, trying to remember.

Centross smirked, leaning forward on his seat, “Same reason it's always been; You.”

“We found it!” Jamie announced, coming around the corner with Ghosty close behind them. In their hands was a box, the rune for fire printed on the front. They set it on the desk, opening the lid and rummaging through it before pulling out a small bag with two rocks in it. When they pulled them out, Rae could see the runes carved on them, and the red glow that encompassed them.

Jamie set them down, reaching for the list and scanning it quickly. “Oh geez, you wrote a lot. We should probably rip it into a few sections and then burn them individually, so your brain doesn’t get fried.” They looked over the page once more, then tore it clean in half, passing one half to Centross and beginning to rip the other into a few more pieces until they had about 6 all together.

They offered a piece to Rae, nodding towards the stones, “Do you want to do the honours?”

Rae took it, grabbing the stones and activating the runes. He watched as the flame caught the paper, slowly climbing the page until he was forced to drop it before it reached his fingers. The nice thing about the nether rune for fire rather than the normal one is that it only burned what it was supposed to, but it didn’t stop it from being hot.

He tilted his head back, a sigh of relief as his memories started to come back. The top of the page was where he’d written about Jamie the most, which gave him a sense of comfort as they reached to pass him the next one. He smiled at them, offering them the stones and trusting them to burn the rest of the pages.

This was a lot happier than the earlier situation, where in this case he got to see some of his favourite memories racing behind his eyes as they returned.He closed his eyes, and he saw the first time he and Jamie had done a successful experiment, when Jamie had been sick and slightly delirious, babbling about their interests and how cool it was working in the study with him sometimes.

He saw him and Centross walking through the castle, half arguing and half joking as they debated different topics. There was the time Centross had tried to teach him to farm, which had been full of deep sighs and dirt covered clothing as they discovered Rae was not really meant for farming.

And more recently, Ghosty. Rae remembered why it made sense that Ghosty looked so lost, because he’d only been there for a week, week and a half at most. And yet there was a new mindset in realizing he’d considered Ghosty important enough to not want to forget, to not let Enderian see how close they’d grown.

He opened his eyes, the tears long dried as he looked at Jamie, who was tucking the stones back into their pouch. “Feeling better?” They asked.

Rae nodded, “Much. I’m sorry you have to do that.”

“Ah, what did we say about apologies?” Centross nagged, causing Rae to roll his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. But you said to not apologize for things that aren’t my fault, and this sort of is.” He argued back.

“Yes, and we’ve discussed that despite you making the decision to hide your memories that it isn’t your fault, so stop apologizing.” Centross returned.

Rae sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can we not talk about this right now? My head is spinning enough without trying to argue with you on top of it.”

Centross backed down, looking a little sheepish. From next to him, Jamie sighed, tossing the pouch of stones back into the box and closing the lid. “Hey doofus, why don’t you go put this away, and I’ll go get some tea from the kitchens?”

Centross took the box, scowling playfully at Jamie. He looked up at the clock, eyes going wide at the time, “Oh shit, I actually gotta go. The Captain will be suspicious if I’m not at training.”

Rae could see the worry in Jamie’s eyes as Centross left. They glanced back and forth between Rae and the stairwell, like they were trying to decide something. Rae smiled softly, “You can go if you want to Jamie, I’ll be fine while you’re gone.”

They frowned, “I know, but… I don't want to just leave you. Especially after you just got your memories back. You know what happened the last time I left.”

The memory surged to the surface as they mentioned it, and he shoved it down, trying to ignore the sound of his own screams echoing in his head. “We didn’t have as much experience with it then. Plus, this time, I won’t be alone if you leave. Go, grab the tea and those cookies you like. We’ll be fine here.”

Ghosty seemed to have perked up from where he’d been leaning against the shelf, moving closer to them. “I’m gonna be honest, I’m really lost on everything that happened in the last twenty minutes, but I do know it seemed pretty intense. If you want to take a minute to go for a walk, or grab the stuff Rae mentioned, I can keep him company. It’s not like I’m really going to go anywhere anyways.”

Jamie looked hesitant, biting their lip as they glanced between the two of them, before nodding slowly, “Ok, if you’re both sure. I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Rae laughed softly, “Take as long as you need, now go, before they run out of cookies.”

They rolled their eyes, then followed Centross’ path towards the stairs, leaving Rae and Ghosty alone in the study. Rae sighed, letting his face fall into his hands and rubbing at his temples. He could hear Ghosty shuffling, then the scrap of wood against the floor as he pulled the stool closer and sat down.

“I was going to ask what all that was, but I’m guessing now’s not a great time for that?” He asked.

Rae shook his head, “Not really, but I will explain it to you. Tomorrow probably, when my head stops hurting.”

“Does that really hurt your head that much?”

“Well,” Rae sighed, “Not really, the headache is mostly the Queen’s fault. But again, I’ll explain more later.”

Ghosty, for his part, looked a little guilty, “Sorry, I shouldn’t push it. Is there anything I can do to help while we wait for Jamie?”

Rae paused, an idea coming to mind right away but he needed a moment to gain the confidence to ask. It was easy with the other two, he didn’t even have to ask, so this was the first time in a long time he had to. “Could you just… talk? Doesn’t matter what about, just hearing a friendly voice helps block out the remnants of the bad stuff.”

Ghosty nodded, “Yeah, I can do that. Lets see, uh, how about a story about a friend of mine? So, it all started…”

Rae closed his eyes, sitting back in his chair as he listened to Ghosty talk. His voice was calm and even, and Rae couldn’t help but think for what must have been the hundredth time that he was a fantastic storyteller. He relaxed, welcoming the distraction as they waited for Jamie to return.

Chapter Text

Rae shivered, tugging his cloak tighter to his body as the snow swirled around him. He trudged forward, one arm holding his book to his chest and the other tucked into his cloak to try and keep it warm. His hood was pulled up, something he didn’t do a lot, even outside, but the wind was especially brutal today.

He’d gone out to the gardens with the excuse that he needed some fresh air, and some space, but he hadn’t realized that the weather wasn’t great for his plan. Originally he’d intended to sit and read in a small nook in one of the walls, tucked away from any wind or eyes, but he knew now that that wasn’t going to work out for him.

The snow was picking up and he paused, trying to realign himself and figure out where he was. The door he’d come out of was a little far now, and the main door would mean talking to a guard, as would going anywhere near the walls, and he had come out here to avoid a conversation. He sighed, then remembered the stables weren’t too far away and decided to head towards them. Maybe he could take some cover in there and wait for the snow to clear a little before returning to the castle.

He swore silently to himself as some snow got into his boot, finding the nearest bench once he got into the stables and taking it off. His foot was cold, but the warmth of the stables made up for it, even if it did come with the smell of horses. He smiled politely at one of the stablehands who was attending a nearby horse. The man seemed confused by his presence, but just nodded back, turning back to his work.

Brushing the rest of the snow off of where it had gathered on his shoulders, Rae pulled off his hood and headed down the row of stalls. He stopped in front of one by the end, smiling at his horse. He put his book under his arm, opening the gate and stepping inside. He was greeted by a horse nose nudging the side of his face and he laughed, reaching up to stroke Blackberri’s nose gently.

“Hey buddy,” he muttered, grinning at his horse. Blackberri pushed his head closer, knocking Rae off balance a little. He laughed, gently shoving the horse back, “Hey, I know it’s been a while but that is quite rude.”

Blackberri didn’t seem to care as he began to sniff towards Rae’s hand. Rae rolled his eyes, “Right, you’re only excited to see me because it could mean snacks. Hold on, I’ll go grab you something,” Rae said, shaking his head fondly as he stepped back out of the stall. He walked around, finding the worker from before who directed him to where the food was kept.

He grabbed a small handful of carrots before heading back to the stall. Blackberri pawed at the ground as he entered and Rae laughed, offering the first carrot to the horse, who accepted it quite happily. Rae smiled softly, reminding himself to come down here more often because he really didn’t visit his horse as much as he should.

He’d been a gift from Enderian when he was 16; a show of peace when he’d finally joined the court. Besides his space in the study and his friends, Blackberri was one of the only things he liked about living in the End. The times he’d been allowed to go out for a ride with a guard or two escorting him were always such a reprieve from the choking aura of the castle.

Blackberri snorted, nudging his hand with his nose to remind him that he had been feeding him. Rae scoffed, smiling softly as he offered the horse more of the carrots. Once he’d given Blackberri the last one he wiped his hand on a rag hanging by the door. He glanced around the stall, then around at what parts of the stable he could see. As far as he could tell, no one but the stablehand he saw earlier was here, and he had been looking to get out of the cold, so he may as well just stay here to read.

He moved towards the side wall of the stall, lowering himself to the ground and then propping his book up on his legs. He flipped the book open, finding the piece of paper he’d used as a bookmark and starting to read. Blackberry bent his head down towards him almost curiously, then moved towards the floor until he was laying next to Rae, his head resting on Rae’s lap almost like a dogs.

Rae smiled, using one hand to stroke the horse while using the other to keep his book open and turn the pages. With no noise other than the occasional shuffles from the nearby horses, there was a sense of calmness he rarely got.

Despite himself, his memories trailed back to his first years in the castle, when he was younger than Jamie is now. They hadn’t been pleasant by any means, how could they be when so much had been taken from him during that time, but he had been alone a lot.

It wasn’t that he preferred being alone, hell most of the time he tried his hardest not to be, knowing that all it would do was stir up bad memories and self doubt. Being alone meant thinking about everything he could have done differently, how he could have been better so that the bad stuff didn’t happen. It made him consider what would have happened if he’d listened to his mother’s warnings the night Enderian took him.

Being around people helped, especially those he considered friends, like Jamie and Centross, but sometimes he needed to be alone, because sometimes he needed to be allowed to blame himself. It probably wasn’t his healthiest coping mechanism, but it helped him remember why he was still going. He needed to get himself out so his friends would leave, because they’d gone through so much for him and he had to make sure they never did again.

His thoughts drifted back to his book, half forgotten in his lap. It was some old fantasy story about a pig man and a man with wings, one he’d read a few times before, but a favourite nonetheless. He envied the freedom the man’s wings gave him, the strength the pig man had to stand up for his beliefs and protect those he cared about. He closed the book, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get through the story today.

As he was considering getting up, he heard the telltale sound of horses entering the stable, along with two hushed voices. He froze, stuck between hiding and staying silent or making himself known. In most cases it would be easier to just hide, since there was no point in letting people know he was there, but he ran the risk of it being the Queen, or perix, or anyone else who would get mad if they found him hiding there.

His choice was made for him as the voices got closer, coming down the hall he was in and stopping at the stalls to his left. He noted thankfully that the voices weren’t that of the Queen or anyone else he needed to be worried about, but he did know them. He could just see the top of Lord Will’s head over the walls of the stall, and he heard Lady Owen somewhere next to him.

“I just don’t get it, he isn’t around the castle, nobody in town has seen him, where has this man gone?” Owen said.

Will sighed, “I don’t know,Ocie. You know him, I’m sure he can survive on his own for a few weeks.”

“In the End, though? The guards here aren’t exactly the nicest people. What if he got caught?" Owen, or rather, Ocie, apparently, asked. There was a brief silence, followed by, “You don’t think he’s dead, do you?”

Over the wall of the stall he saw Will turn, and Rae ducked further down, feeling relieved when he stopped before he was looking into the stall. “I really hope not, but I also hope we’d know if he was. I’m sure he’s just laying low for now, we’ll hear from him soon.”

The conversation switched to idle chatter as stall doors opened and closed, and soon it was followed by the sound of footsteps retreating from where he sat. Neither he nor Blackberri had moved throughout the entire interaction, and though he doubted his horse understood anything of what had been said, he sure did.

He knew there was something off about them. In all the years since it came into existence, the Aether had never publicly made any sort of alliance, so it was a big surprise that they’d want to now, especially with the End, which was not only geographically far away but also pretty generally disliked by the other kingdoms.

He had also thought it was odd that Ocie’s aura was green, but he’d chalked it up to her being a magic user who had moved to the Aether. But who was the ‘he’ they’d mentioned? A friend maybe? Someone who was supposed to help them with whatever they were here for? Actually, the longer he thought about it…

They’d arrived at the castle almost two weeks ago, and who else had shown up around that time, almost exactly a day before, too? It made sense, honestly. Not only why they all seemed to come at the same time, but also why Will and Ocie would be concerned. He certainly couldn’t contact them when he was locked up, and even now, Ghosty had someone with him most of the time, and if he didn’t he sure didn’t leave the study in case he was seen.

It lined up too well, and instead of feeling betrayed he almost felt… relieved, oddly enough. If the three of them were working together, and especially if Ghosty was actually from the Overworld, maybe… maybe they could help. Maybe he could actually get out! This was his chance, not only for him, but for his friends…

He pushed himself to his feet, brushing off the hay that clung to his clothes. Blackberri looked up at him from his spot on the ground, looking as annoyed as a horse could that he’d lost his pillow, though he soon lay his head back down, going back to his nap. Rae shook his head, then opened the door, stepping out into the hall. He noticed now that the two stalls nearby had had horses placed in them, and it was blatantly obvious they weren’t the kind that were bred in the End.

He looked at them for just long enough to notice the green hue around the harnesses hung up nearby, then made his way towards the entrance to the stables. The worker from before was nowhere in sight, and luckily the snow seemed to have died down a little in the time he’d been inside. He walked towards the castle with purpose in his steps, barely pausing to do more than nod to the guards at the door before making his way through the halls.

Luckily, no one he passed tried to talk to him, the few servants he saw just giving a quick curtsy or bow before continuing on with what they were doing. A plan was already forming in his head as he walked, one he knew he’d have to actually discuss with Centross later, but for now he just needed to make good on his promise to Ghosty to explain what had happened yesterday.

The study was quiet when he finally got down the stairs. As he approached the open space at the other end, he still hadn’t seen any sign of anyone. He turned towards his desk, his confusion turning to a small smile when he spotted Jamie curled up in his chair, their nose stuck in a book. Rae slowed, quieting hsi steps in hopes to not distract them as he slipped into the hallway, walking to the end and stopping in front of Ghosty’s door.

He paused, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before raising his hand, knocking against the stiff wood in what he hoped was a calm manor. There was movement inside, and then the door swung open, revealing Ghosty standing behind it. Ghosty frowned, seemingly surprised by Rae at his door, “Hey, what’s up?” He asked, opening the door further.

“I was hoping we could talk,” Rae replied, then, realizing all the implications that could have, added, “About yesterday. I said I’d explain and I haven’t had the chance to yet.”

Ghosty’s eyes widened, “Oh, yeah of course. Did you want to come in?” He offered, motioning into the room behind him. Rae nodded, slightly relieved, and moved past him into the room. His notebook sat on the desk, a quill abandoned next to it, like it had been left there when he stood to open the door. The bed was a mess, with blankets piled by the foot and half hanging towards the ground.

“Sorry, it’s a bit messy,” Ghosty said, shutting the door behind him. He walked towards the back of the room, snagging his notebook before moving to sit on the bed.

Rae watched him sit, then pulled out the chair from the desk and sat down with a small shrug, “I don’t mind. Mine’s no better sometimes.”

Ghosty laughed, running a hand through his hair before meeting Rae’s eyes again, “So, yesterday.”

He nodded, “Yesterday.” he paused, not entirely sure where to start, and then figured the start was probably as good a place as any. “Ok, prepare yourself, it’s a bit of a story.” He waited for Ghosty to nod before launching into it.

“I mentioned before that I'm from the Overworld, right?” he asked, pausing as Ghosty frowned, “You asked about the song I was humming, I mentioned it was an Overworld song.”

Ghosty’s eyes lit up in recognition, “Oh yeah. You said your mom was from the Overworld, I don’t think I connected that that meant you were.”

“Fair,” Rae said with a small shrug, “Well, I am, and I lived there for most of my life. Actually,” He paused, trying to do some math, “About half my life, now. Anyways, when I was younger, and the initial wars between the kingdoms broke out, my family was caught in the crossfire. I don’t entirely remember how, but there’s a reason for that. Somehow amidst it all, I ended up here, under Enderian’s care.”

“That must have been fun,” Ghosty commented, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he said it.

Rae scoffed, “Oh, so fun. Well anyways, I know part of it had to do with the fact that she knew my mom, and that the way my magic presented made me useful to her.”

Ghosty frowned, “How? I mean, didn’t most kids who got hit with the blast only develop their magic later?”

“Well, yes, but this was a good 6 years after the blast. My magic had shown itself by then. My eye is actually the biggest indicator, but I find people tend to miss it.” Rae said, brushing his hair out of the way to make sure his green eye was in plain sight. For the most part it did just look like a plain green eye, but the pupil was slitted, like a cats, and he’d been told by Jamie and Centross that it had glowed on more than one occasion when he used magic. And given how different it was from his other blueish grey eye, the green one stood out just a little.

Ghosty blinked at him, and Rae got the feeling that maybe Ghosty hadn’t really noticed it either up until that point. “Has that been like that the entire time? I mean, I noticed it was green, but wow, yeah that looks like a magic mark if I’ve ever seen one.”

Rae laughed, letting his hair fall back to its usual spot, half over his eye. “Yup, it sure is. Wow, I can't believe you never noticed it. You’re such a bad friend.” he joked, freezing as the last word came out before he could consider the implications.

Luckily Ghosty just rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips as he answered, “yeah, well, in my defence, there’s been a lot of information to process since I’ve been here. Speaking of, your story?”

“Right,” He nodded, turning back to a slightly more serious tone, “So, magic, coming here, all that. Well, I wasn’t exactly happy to be here, so I did try to leave. The Queen wasn’t a big fan of that, and uh, well I’m sure you are aware of what type of magic she specializes in.”

Ghosty’s eyes widened, but Rae didn’t let him cut in, “Anyways, I don’t remember a lot of my life from before I lived here, really only the basics I’ve told you and a few more details about growing up. She took away practically everything I knew about my family, or anyone I was close to, to discourage me from leaving. No point leaving if you don't know if anyone is waiting for you, right?”

He tried to make it a joke, but the expression on Ghosty’s face told him the humour wasn’t appreciated at the moment, so he continued. “After about 4 years here, I finally gave in. She gave me my position in court, assigned me a bodyguard to keep an eye on me, and that was that.”

“The guard…” Ghosty started, looking to Rae to fill in the blanks.

Rae smirked, “Centross. Trust me, he was more of an ass back then. He’s a lot nicer now, less self righteous, though we may have gone too far and now he’s nearly as self deprecating as I am.”

Ghosty laughed, “You’re telling me he used to be worse? I thought he was already a little high and mighty.”

“I know, it’s hard to believe, right? I also had another friend during that time, a son of one of the nobles who had been a king before the Queen took over. He was really interested in my research, and would often come down to my study and work with me. He wasn’t a big fan of the new rule, and he made that more than clear. We actually made a plan to run at one point. Just the two of us.”

His face must have fallen because Ghosty frowned, “What happened?”

Rae smiled sadly, staring at the wall as tears began to collect in his eyes, “She killed him. She called me for a meeting, and without warning, she was in my head, and I could do nothing as all my memories, the ones remaining that is, began to play in front of my eyes. She saw the ones of us talking and got furious. She killed him, and then used it as a warning for if I dared go against her ever again.”

Ghosty stood from the bed, crossing the short distance and only hesitating for a minute before wrapping his arms around Rae’s shoulders. Rae leaned into the touch, trying to focus on the beating of Ghosty’s heart while he tried to calm his own. “What was his name?” Ghosty half whispered from above him.

“That’s the worst part,” Rae replied, “She took it, so all I have is his face, and time is slowly stealing that from me too.”

Ghosty hugged him tighter, “I’m so sorry.”

Rae shrugged, wiping a tear from his eye, “It’s not your fault.”

“Still,” Ghosty muttered, “So is that what happened yesterday? She went through your memories?”

He nodded, “Mostly. A while after Jamie came, I realized I was growing attached, and if she ever looked through my memories, she’d find out and punish them. I couldn’t let someone get hurt or killed because of me again. I got lucky with Centross, she just sent him to the far regions for a few months, but I wasn’t risking that with Jamie.”

He sighed, reaching to grab his necklace where it hung by his neck. It was an oval in shape, with gold wiring and details decorating the frame in the shape of vines. The centre was mostly clear, with a fake pink tulip frozen in it. He held it up for Ghosty to see as he spoke, “This was the solution. Not this necklace exactly, originally it was just the first thing I could get my hands on, this was a gift from Jamie once we’d worked out the magic.”

“What does it do?” Ghosty asked, peeking at it curiously. Rae noted that he still hadn’t let go of the hug, but he wasn’t about to say anything, so he carried on, “It, ok how do I explain this, it basically works like a mental shield that I can activate at any point.” he flipped it over in his hands, exposing the runes on the back, “I found out that an Aether rune can be used for barriers, and then in combination with a rune signifying memories, and then a soul rune, it creates a way for me to block certain memories from being accessed while it’s active.”

“Oh wow, no wonder you’re the head of magic research here,” Ghosty said, reaching for the necklace with one hand. Rae silently mourned the touch before allowing him to hold it, watching as he turned it over in his hands, looking at the various symbols, “So, the list, you write what you want to forget on it, I’m guessing you can link it to the necklace somehow?” Rae nodded, “So then you just activate this if you find out she's going to go through your memories, and you’re safe.”

“As safe as someone can be under the rule of a Queen with mind control powers, yes.” Rae replied, “And it’s not flawless, obviously I’m a bit of a mess after, which is what you saw yesterday, but it keeps the people I care about safe, so it’s worth it.”

Ghosty hummed, nodding slowly. “Well, thank you for telling me. I appreciate how welcome you’ve made me feel, I wasn’t really expecting that here.” He said, giving Rae’s shoulder a final squeeze before moving away to sit on the bed again.

Rae smiled over at him, “I seem to have a habit for collecting people from the Overworld, and I don’t mind adding you to the group.” His eyes fell to the door, knowing that he should probably get back to his work, “I’ll leave you alone now though, I know that’s a lot to process, and I should probably get some things done.”

He stood, moving to the door and having it half open when Ghosty finally replied, “Rae… if I had a way to get us out, to get you out, would you take it?”

Rae paused, hand on the door as he turned to meet Ghosty’s eyes, “Not without the other two. But if you could get them out too, then yes, in a heartbeat.”

A knowing look filled Ghosty’s eyes, and with that Rae turned back towards the hall, stepping out and closing the door behind him. He briefly looked into the study and smiled softly upon seeing Jamie now asleep in his chair, before pushing the door open to his own room.

Chapter Text

“Lilac or plum?”

Rae looked up from the papers he was holding towards the advisor, who was holding two swatches of fabric in the colours she had just said. Rae raised his eyebrow at her.

She sighed, rolling her eyes at him and repeating the question, “Lilac or plum? Which should I use for the tablecloths at the banquet?”

Right, that’s why he was here. Apparently Perix was too busy to help with preparations for the Winter Banquet, so he’d been told to step up and help. He didn’t really mind, especially since the advisor he was working with, whose name he’d forgotten and was not about to ask again, was fairly nice.

He looked at the fabrics again, trying to imagine them draped over dozens of tables. “Plum, the darker colour will give more contrast against the walls and the snow themed decorations.”

The advisor nodded, setting the plum piece on the table and tucking the lilac one back in a bin. She busied herself with another stack of decorations, puttering around the room and holding up various pieces while muttering to herself.

Rae watched over the top of his book, trying to figure out what she was doing but for the most part failing. His gaze climbed higher until he was staring at the ceiling, where strings of star shaped decorations had started to be hung. The silver foil stood out against the near black roof, almost like they were trying to create the illusion of a night sky.

She paused suddenly, between two of the larger tables, turning to Rae with a frown on her face, “How do the Shulk family and the Drakon family feel about each other? I must admit I don’t pay much attention to the ex clans of the End.”

Sighing, Rae set down his book, marking his page before closing it in his lap, “About as well as expected. The younger ones are less likely to try and start a fight, but the older generations still hold grudges. The Chorus family would be the ones you need to watch out for, but they haven’t attended in nearly 7 years, so you shouldn’t have to worry about any of them.”

The advisor hummed, nodding as she turned back to her work. She lay out a few more things on one of the tables before a small frown reappeared on her face, “The Chorus’ are the ones whose son disappeared, right? That was shortly after you arrived, wasn’t it. I remember seeing him around, but I can’t seem to recall his name.”

Rae’s breath caught in his throat, his face threatening to betray unwanted emotions as he replied, “I don’t think I ever met him, but yes. I believe that’s why they don’t come any more.”

She hummed again, going back to her muttering as she moved to the next part of the room. Rae took a deep breath, trying to be subtle as he wiped a stray tear from his eyes despite the fact that there was no one but him and the advisor in the room.

Footsteps echoed from the door and Rae looked up, frowning slightly when Jamie entered the room, scanning it for a moment before spotting him and heading towards where he sat.. He stood, walking the short distance to meet them. He smiled at them, sparing a glance to the advisor before turning to them again, “Hi, is everything ok?”

They smiled back, nodding. They stood straight, their hands held behind their back and not quite meeting his eyes. Proper form for a servant with a superior, and all that bullshit. “Yes, everything is fine. I was approached by Lord Will while running one of the errands you asked me to do and he asked me to tell you that he would like a chance to speak with you this afternoon if you are available. I told him you were doing some work for the Queen but that I would ask.”

Rae frowned, “I wonder what he wants. Well, I don’t know how much longer I need to be here or I’d be able to give you more of an answer for him.”

“Oh, you’re all good to leave now,” A new voice said. Rae froze, as did Jamie, staring at each other with wide eyes as Perix rounded the corner. Her lips pulled up into a smirk as Jamie instinctively moved to stand just beside Rae, doing a quick bow as they went to not be disrespectful. Rae may not care about the formalities, but Perix certainly did.

Rae nodded to her politely. He was technically her superior, but she certainly didn’t act like that was the case, and he’d had enough trouble for the week. “Lady Perix,” He greeted, a forced smile on his face, “I was told you would be busy all of this afternoon, hence why I’ve taken over your duties here.”

She watched him for a moment, her sharp eyes bearing into him like spikes through his skin. He held strong, more than used to her treatment by now. “Hmph,” she said finally, turning to scan the room, “Well, I was, but I ran out of test subjects, so my afternoon is now free to return to my other duties. Say, I don’t suppose you’re bored of that little Overworlder you took a few weeks ago, are you? I could really use the new test subject.”

Rae fought back a snarl as she turned back to look at him, “No, actually. He’s been very helpful for my research, and I’m sure the Queen wouldn’t be pleased if my research was interrupted.” He said, playing the one card he knew would always win out over her.

He knew it worked when her smile fell, her own snarl barely contained as she glanced back at the room. “Well, then I really am free for the afternoon then. My thanks for covering for me, but I can take it from here. Go find the masked one and see if you can’t talk his ear off about your little trinkets.”

This time, Rae allowed himself to smile just a little, ducking into a shallow bow, “Gladly.” He replied, then started heading out of the room, careful to keep Jamie near him as they left. He heard Perix bark something at the advisor as he left, but he couldn’t be bothered to stop and try and figure out what she’d said.

His heart was racing as they moved farther from the room, Jamie still close behind him as they went. He made it down two halls before pausing, stepping towards a door to the left and checking no one was in the room before opening the door the whole way and motioning for Jamie to go in with him.

The door clicked shut behind them and he finally breathed, turning to see a similar expression on Jamie’s face. “I thought you said she wasn’t going to be around today.” Jamie said, less like an accusation and more out of distress of having to run into her.

Rae shrugged, “Yeah, I thought so. I’m sorry, I know you don’t like being near her.”

“It’s fine,” They replied, “It wasn’t your fault. I know you wouldn’t purposefully do that to me. And to be fair, you didn’t know I was going to be there anyways.”

Right, Jamie had come with a message. “Oh shoot, you mentioned Lord Will wanted something. Well, since I’m no longer on party duty, do you know where he is? I should go meet him.”

Jamie nodded, “He said he’d be in his rooms, which I believe are in the west wing? You’d probably know better than I do.”

“The west wing makes sense. Maybe I’ll head that way and see if any of the servants can point me to the right room.” Rae said, eyes drifting to the door.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Jamie asked.

Rae shook his head, “No, I’m alright, thank you. You should get back to the errands, we’ve been putting some of those off for a little too long.” He laughed a little, thinking about his struggles to get enough ink out of his quill the night before because he’d put off finding more for a little too long and run out in the middle of a note about an artifact.

Jamie giggled too, having walked in on him arguing with the quill to try and convince it to work a little longer, “That’s fair. I’ll meet you back in the study later though, right?”

“Of course,” he replied, pausing and then reaching out to ruffle their hair. They tried to duck under it, a small scowl on their face, but Rae had plenty of experience doing this and managed to get them before they could fully move away. Rae laughed softly to himself, pulling back his hand. “Oh, and see if you can find Centross, he hasn’t been around in a few days and I want to make sure he's ok.”

Jamie nodded, heading for the door, “Got it. Ink, food, Centross. Bye!”

Rae waved after them, following shortly after and watching them disappear down the hall before turning to walk the other way, towards the west wing. He stopped a maid coming out of a room with an armful of sheets and she was able to point him to the room where the Aetherians were staying.

He paused by the door, trying to see if he could hear anything inside. There was the faintest scratching of a quill against paper, but other than that the room was silent. He stepped back from the door and then knocked.

The scratching stopped, followed by a chair scraping against the floor and footsteps as someone approached the door from the other side. It cracked open, revealing the masked face of Lord Will. “Oh, Sir Morningstar, I see you got my message. Please, come in.” He said, pulling the door open further.

Rae smiled at him, stepping past him into the room, “Thank you, yes my assistant told me you wanted to speak, and I was conveniently let go of my duties for the day so I thought I’d come see you.”

“I’m glad you did,” he replied, motioning towards the small seating area further in the room, “Please, sit. I was actually hoping to discuss the Winter Banquet with you.”

Rae raised an eyebrow at him as he sat. “Oh, is there anything specific you wanted to know, or just general stuff?”

Will shrugged, taking his own seat across from him, “Anything, really. Our invitation arrived from the Queen yesterday, and I’ve never attended before, so I figured it might be good to go in with some expectations.”

“That’s fair,” Rae replied, trying to think of where to start, “Well, despite the name the banquet is actually only one day of a three day celebration. I have to admit I don’t know a lot of the tradition behind the celebration, but it comes from the time before the End was established, and it was one of the clauses the original ruling families had when the Queen came to power. It generally gets used as a connection between the people and the nobility. I think historically most of the families used it to announce lines of succession too, as well as anything else to do with the ruling family.”

Will nodded, “That makes sense. You said the banquet is one day, what are the other two?”

“The festival and the ball,” Rae said, “Each one represents the sun, moon, and stars, since they’re important symbols historically. The festival is for the sun, and that one is typically a big event in town. I know you’ve just returned from the town, but I would recommend going down for the first day if you can, I’ve heard wonderful things about it from my assistant.”

“Do you not go?” Will asked, clearly confused. It made sense, rae had said it was a way for the nobility to connect to the people, and yet he didn’t go. Not that he didn’t want to, but well, he couldn’t exactly say that.

Rae pursed his lips, shaking his head, “Ah, no not really. But that’s unimportant,” He said, trying to move away from the topic, “The second day, the banquet, is the stars. I was helping to set up for that before I came here. The kitchen provides food for several banquets that happen both at the castle and in town, and typically it’s pretty mixed between nobility and people in higher positions from the village. I believe the mayor was in attendance last year, as well as a few scholars.”

Will nodded again, but didn’t say anything in response, so Rae continued. “And then the ball. The moon. Typically happens late at night, and any announcements that are going to be made would happen then. The one in the castle is typically only the nobility and guests, but I hear there’s quite a few dances that happen throughout the towns too. The whole thing is really just a chance for the kingdom to celebrate.”

“It sounds really cool,” Will said, “You mentioned that sometimes announcements about lines of succession are made, do you think one would be made this year? Everyone is waiting for Queen Enderian to announce her heir, since the End is the only kingdom without one right now. Does she have any children in the castle?”

Rae shook his head, his throat going dry, “I doubt any announcement like that will be made. I’m sure the Queen has plans for who will succeed her, but she hasn’t shared any plans on who that may be, that I know of.”

Will looked towards the floor, his mask covered his expression but Rae would guess that he was disappointed by his response, “Alright. I did have one more question, if that’s alright?”

Rae nodded, half hoping it would be quick and he could leave. The longer he sat here the more restless he got. “Has anyone else arrived in the castle recently? Oc- Owen, and I, ran into a man in town on our way in who said he was also headed for the castle, but we haven’t seen him since. He was very nice so I would have loved to talk to him again.”

If he didn’t already know, or suspect, better, Rae would have certainly figured out right then that someone Will was connected to Ghosty. Still, he had to play at least somewhat oblivious for the time being, because he wasn’t sure about a lot of things yet, including if he could truly trust them. “I don’t think any of the other guests have arrived, and no other diplomats have come for any agreements. I think the only person who has arrived in the last few weeks other than you and some of the guards would be a man who was caught sneaking around the lower levels of the castle.”

It was almost funny how quickly Will tensed, and Rae was sure he looked surprised under his mask. When he spoke, his voice shook ever so slightly, but Rae had to applaud his ability to keep his voice mostly calm, “Oh? Is that so? And what was done with him?”

“Well, originally Lady Perix wanted him. She tends to take a fair amount of the prisoners for her experiments. It’s something I don't fully agree with, but the Queen lets her have her way.” Rae said, laughing a little internally at how much more Will tensed. He didn’t want to torture the man, but he thought it was important that Will, and by proxy Ocie, also knew how close they’d come to losing Ghosty.

“You said originally, did something else end up happening?” Will asked, almost like he was holding his breath for Rae’s response.

Rae nodded, “Oh, yes. He was found with a large collection of artifacts that I was interested in, so I asked the Queen if I could take custody of him. I don’t know if it’s the same man you mentioned, but he is rather interesting to talk to, so it could be. Very helpful for my research.”

The way Will’s body immediately relaxed almost made him laugh again. On one hand, he should probably think more about the reputation Ghosty and said he had, since this was the second time someone had immediately calmed because he had been the one to take Ghosty and not Perix.

On the other hand, Will now knew Ghosty was safe, and with Rae, which might make some conversations in the future a little easier, so he counted it for the small win that it was and stood, planning to make his exit now that the questions had been answered. “I should probably return to my work, but please let me know if you ever have more questions,” Rae said, smiling politely at Will, “You’ve been wonderful to talk to these last few weeks.”

“You have been too,” Will responded, standing to walk him to the door, “And thank you for answering my questions, I was worried I’d be imposing but you’ve been so welcoming to both me and… Owen.”

Ah right, he hadn’t found out where ‘Owen’, or as he’d recently discovered, Ocie, was during their meeting. He paused by the door, turning back to look at Will, “Where is Owen by the way? You two have been together every time I’ve seen you, I was surprised she wasn’t here as well.”

He could just see the hints of a smile behind Will’s mask, and he could hear it when he spoke, “Ah, she found out about the ball and decided she needed to go make sure we had appropriate clothing for the event. I believe she went to find your seamstresses.”

Rae laughed, “That makes sense, I’ve been going down to check on their progress on my outfit occasionally. They’re really good, I’m sure you’ll both look wonderful.”

“Thanks, I’m sure you will too. I’ll see you around, yeah?” Will asked.

He nodded, giving Will one last smile before leaving the room. He heard the door click shut behind him as he walked, and his mind wandered briefly to their conversation. He quickly shoved it aside, choosing to focus on his path as he walked back towards his study.

Chapter Text

Rae sat at his desk, staring down at the page under him as his head rested on his hand. He frowned, scratching out a few words and scribbling a new sentence next to it. He was having trouble with the wording for a new bit of magic he wanted to try. He knew, logically, which runes he needed, but they weren’t coming together the way he wanted.

He looked up, glancing towards the hall and towards Jamie’s room, where he knew Ghosty and Jamie were. Since he stopped being confined to the cell, Ghosty had spent a lot of time with them, the two growing close in a way Rae had been happy to see. Jamie deserved to have people who cared about them, and he knew he and Centross weren’t always the best options. 

Centross was often away or needed for guard duty, and Rae had his own multitude of problems. He was happy Jamie had someone else to talk to now, especially someone who remembered the Overworld much better than he did. It was nice that they could talk about it and Jamie could get a small sense of home, even when it was so different to where they currently were.

He sighed, knowing he could go join them if he wanted to, but also knowing he should finish his work. He looked back down at the paper, then pushed back from his desk, deciding he might as well actually try the patterns he was writing. Maybe some practical tests would help more than going cross eyed staring at the paper.

The paper stayed on his desk, but he turned it so he could easily glance at it where he stood beside the desk. His face furrowed in concentration, imagining the runes in the air in front of him and reaching for the pit of magic that sat above his gut. With a quick push, he felt magic rush through his body, the runes glowing in the air before him briefly before disappearing. He watched as a swirling mix of blue and red particles floated off towards Jamie’s door.

They passed through the wood, and for a brief second, Rae could see Jamie’s outline through the walls, before it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. Rae grinned, turning back to his page and marking the sequence he’d used as a success. He tried it again, this time focusing on Jamie’s name, instead of their face like he had the previous time.

This time the particles appeared, floating off towards their room, but disappearing without showing anything more. Rae frowned, marking the results on the page. He moved to the next set of runes, doing the same thing and noting down the results each time, until he reached the last sequence he’d noted down.

By now he was a little tired, his breaths coming more heavily than they had a few minutes ago. He didn’t get a lot of chances to do practical magic so he was a little out of practice, especially when trying what could be considered a more powerful spell. But there’s one more thing he wants to try, so he decides, maybe against his better judgement, to just do it and then take a break.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself and then letting his magic flow, only for his eyes to widen as it sparked to life, whizzing around the room in a mess of sparkles in all sorts of colours. The door to Jamie’s room opened and Jamie and Ghosty emerged, and Rae barely managed to shout a quick warning before a streak of sparkles shot towards them, exploding on the wall right next to Jamie.

They stared at the spot on the wall with wide eyes, then turned to face Rae with an eyebrow raised. “I’m guessing that wasn’t meant to happen?”

Rae shook his head sheepishly, “Uh, not exactly. The other ones went ok though. I’m not entirely sure why that one went all weird like that.”

“Mhm,” Jamie said, walking towards the desk. They looked down at the paper Rae was working off of, and Rae moved to let them get a better look. He didn’t really see a point in hiding his research from them, so he didn’t even try and stop them from looking. Their eyes widened as they read it though, turning to Rae excitedly, “Wait, you actually got this to work? Does that mean, you don’t think…?”

Rae laughed, smiling at the optimism that filled their eyes, making them brighter than he’d seen them in a long time, “I think so. I tested it with names and faces, and faces was a little less strong, but it’ll be a good start.”

Jamie rushed forward, hugging him tightly. He returned the hug, squeezing them tightly to his chest. He looked up, catching sight of ghosty watching them over Jamie’s shoulder, and grinned over at him. Ghosty smiled back, and Rae couldn’t help the small bit of butterflies that filled his stomach with it.

Jamie pulled back from the hug, still grinning up at Rae as they did, “Is there anything else you need to test for it? I could go hide somewhere in the castle if you need?”

He shook his head, then paused, “Actually, I should probably test the visibility of the trail. If I cast it again, can you both let me know if you can see it?”

Both Jamie and Ghosty nodded, then Jamie stepped back. Rae took a breath, preparing himself, and then casting the spell again. Just like before, the particles appeared, trailing off towards Jamie and making their outline glow momentarily before disappearing. When it was gone, he looked back up at them.

They shared a look, and then Jamie spoke, “I didn’t see anything, at least I don’t think so. Ghosty?”

“I didn’t see anything either,” Ghosty said, shrugging, “Though I don’t know what I was looking for so that may have been a thing.”

Rae laughed, “That’s fair. It’s a particle trail that leads towards a person you’re thinking about. In this case, I was thinking of Jamie, and it led towards them. It makes them glow momentarily when it reaches them too, so if you didn’t see Jamie glow then you probably didn’t see it.”

“Oh that’s awesome!” Jamie replied, looking down at their arm like they were expecting it to be glowing, “Can I try it? I want to see it.”

“Sure,” Rae responded, moving to switch spots with Jamie, “Try the first line while thinking of either mine or Ghosty’s names. I’m actually interested in if I’ll be able to see it when I’m not the one casting it, so this is probably a good idea.”

Jamie nodded, looking over the line for a second and then turning back towards him and Ghosty. As they cast it their eyes seemed to grow darker, the magic making their mark stand out even more than usual. He watched as their eyes grew wider once they’d finished, clearly watching the trail as it raced towards its target.

For a minute, Rae thought he wasn’t able to see it, and then he spotted a trail of blue and red streaking through the air towards him. It wasn’t the same as when he casted it, with small particles moving around, but more like he was just seeing the aura around them without seeing the actual magic. It was hard to focus on, but good information to have for the future.

Jamie met their eyes, a large grin splitting over their face. “That was so cool. Could you see it?”

“A little. It was hard to focus on though,” Rae replied. He moved back towards the desk, adding the new information to his page. He glanced over to Ghosty, “I’m guessing you still couldn’t see anything?”

He shook his head, “Nope. Not like I expected to though.”

“Did you want to try it?” Rae asked.

Ghosty looked at him like he had two heads, “Uh, well unless you’ve already put the runes on something and I missed it, I don’t really think I can.”

Rae frowned. He knew not everyone who had been directly hit by the magic blasts actually put very much effort into learning how to cast spells beyond the ones they had an affinity for, but he had assumed Ghosty would have. After all, he had a better understanding of the runes than most did, surely that was from studying them for this purpose.

Ghosty raised an eyebrow at him, a hint of a smile playing on his face as he watched Rae. “I’m pretty sure I’d need magic to cast it like you both just did, and seeing as I’m very much lacking that, I don’t think it’ll work very well.”

“...You don’t have magic?” Rae asked, his eyes flicking up to the strip of white in Ghosty’s hair. He’d assumed it was a mark from the initial blast, the same way his green eye was or Jamie’s eyes were, but now he felt bad for assuming.

“Unless you count my natural charm, then no. No magic.” Ghosty replied, barely containing his laughter as Rae just stared at him. His eyes moved once again to the strangely coloured piece of hair, debating if he should ask or leave it alone.

Ghosty seemed to notice though, glancing up at it himself and reaching up to tug on it, in a way that looked so natural Rae was sure he’d done it a million times before, “This is from a mission gone wrong in the Nether. A wither soldier got a good hit on me. Obviously I got better, but this is still here.”

Rae nodded, silently cursing himself, “Ah, shoot my bad then. I’m sorry I assumed.”

“It’s alright,” Ghosty replied, shrugging, “But, if you do want to make it up to me, I have a few questions about the spell you could answer.” He asked, in a way that was almost teasing, mixed with genuine curiosity. Rae motioned for him to continue.

“So, locator spell, right? I gathered that much. Why can you see it when Jamie casts it, but they can’t when you do? I mean I know some magic is only visible to people who were hit, but this seems more specific than that.”

Rae pursed his lips, glancing at Jamie momentarily before looking back. “Well, uh, that, sort of has to do with my mark?” He said hesitantly, motioning to his eye. “I don’t know if you’ve had a great chance to see the Queen’s eyes, but they match. I don’t entirely know why we got similar marks, but it lets me see magic, kind of like how she does.”

“Really?” Ghosty questioned, “I thought she was the only known person with that ability, besides Queen Soul’s, which I mean is slightly different but you know what I mean.”

“I do, and I don’t really have much of an answer for you,” Rae said, “I didn’t start with it, but the ability developed the longer I was in the End, so my best guess is that it has something to do with the Queen.”

“Why are we discussing the Queen? I come down here to avoid that,” Centross said, appearing all of a sudden from around the shelves. He gave Rae a small smile, nodding briefly at Ghosty before moving to claim the stool in the corner.

Rae rolled his eyes at his friend, “We were just discussing some stuff about a spell. I was explaining my ability to see magic to Ghosty and the Queen was brought up.”

Centross nodded, glancing between Rae and Ghosty before letting his gaze settle back on Rae. Rae knew that despite all his insistence of using Ghosty to help him escape, Centross wasn’t the most trusting person, meaning even though both he and Jamie had become a lot closer with Ghosty, Centross was a lot more hesitant to tell him anything that may endanger any of them. Surface level information though, was a different thing. “So what was the spell? I don’t suppose you’ve found a way to make glow berries grown in here?”

“You and your stupid berries,” Rae said, laughing.

Ghosty raised an eyebrow, “Do I want to know?”

“A few years ago, Centross was sent on a campaign to a seaside region by the border of the Overworld. That region apparently specializes in glow berries, a sort of odd looking orange berry that literally glows in the dark. He got… a little obsessed.” Rae said, chuckling at the memory.

Jamie inched towards Ghosty, raising their hand to the side of their mouth to stop Centross from seeing, “You should have seen his room, he had like 20 vines growing in there before Rae found out and made him get rid of them,” They stage whispered.

Centross crossed his arms over his chest, scowling at them, “Which was incredibly rude, by the way. Rae gets to have all his shit down here but the second i want something it has to go?”

“Well seeing as this is, you know, my study , I feel like it’s fair that my things get to be here,” Rae argued, “Also yours was a literal plant! Don’t they need like, sunlight? I don’t even know how you got them to live down here.”

Ghosty was barely containing his laughter as they bickered. Centross had stood from his stool, clearly needing to be able to move around more as he defended his questionable choices, “That's the great part! They don’t need sun! I can’t believe you made me give them up to the gardens. They didn’t even plant them or anything, so now there’s none in the castle.”

Rae sighed, throwing a look to Jamie, causing them to dissolve into more laughter, “Look, if we ever make it to the Overworld, I’ll make sure you get your glow berries. Does that work for you, mr farmer guy?”

Centross huffed, though Rae could tell he was barely holding back a smile at the whole ordeal, “Fine. But you better keep that promise.” He said, moving back to take his seat on the stool again.

Rae rolled his eyes, “Going back to the original question, I was actually working on the locator spell I mentioned way back during the last time you were in the castle. I’ve made some really good progress, but there’s still some things I need to work out for it.”

“Oh nice, I’m glad you got some progress on that. I know it’s something you’ve been wanting to work on for a while,” Centross said, smiling softly, “But can the rest of your tests wait? Because I just got my ass handed to me in training and I don’t want to deal with your magic shit right now. I don’t need another scar.”

“That was one time!” Rae responded, looking to Jamie for support and finding none. He rolled his eyes, “But fine, the tests can wait. Though since you don’t want to deal with my ‘magic shit’ right now, does that mean you don’t have any injuries you want me to look at?” He asked, voicing it so that he made sure Centross knew he was asking just to annoy him.

In his defence, he held out for a full minute, locking eyes with him as Rae silently challenged him to deny it. Rae’s lips tugged up into a grin, having already noted the weird way centross was holding his shoulder. It was definitely at least bruised, and would be a pain to deal with if he didn’t look at it, and he knew Centross wouldn’t trust any of the castle medics to look at it.

Finally Centross sighed, breaking the staring contest, and nodding towards the shoulder Rae had been eyeing, “Please?”

Rae grinned at him smugly, crossing the small distance and placing a hand gently on the shoulder. Not broken, which was good, but definitely dislocated, and likely bruised. “Armour,” he said, turning back to his desk and digging through one of the drawers. He heard the clanking of the armour as Centross began removing his chestplate.

“Little help?” He heard him ask, and seconds later either Jamie or Ghosty moved to help him, probably helping him get it over the injured shoulder. Rae finally found what he’d been looking for, a small vial of a dark pink liquid that he kept in his drawer in case any of their tests went wrong, or, for cases like this.

He turned, spotting Jamie next to Centross with his armour in their arms. He looked to Ghosty, “Would you mind helping with this? He’s normally pretty good but I can’t have him moving too much while I relocate it.”

“I won’t move,” Centross half whined from behind him. Rae ignored him, waiting until Ghosty nodded and moved to join them before turning his attention back to Centross. He held out the other item he’d grabbed from the drawer, “Cloth or no cloth?”

Centross considered him for a moment, then took the cloth from him with his good arm. Rae raised an eyebrow at him, noting that his arm must have hurt pretty badly for him to have taken it. He looked at Jamie, “Why don’t you go put that in his room?” he said, motioning to the chestplate they were still holding.

They nodded, heading off towards the rooms. Rae turned back to Ghosty, meeting his eye over Centross’ shoulder, “Stand behind him and keep a grip on his other shoulder, yeah there you go.” He looked down at Centross, passing him the opened potion to hold in his good hand. “Ready?”

Centross nodded, shoving the cloth in his mouth and shutting his eyes. Rae moved closer to him, placing one hand on the injured shoulder and the other on Centross’ wrist, and then, with a quick and practiced movement, yanked his arm forward. He saw Centross jerk, but not so bad that it caused an issue. 

Rae removed his hands, taking a step back. Centross sighed, taking the cloth out of his mouth and downing the health potion. He lowered the bottle, looking up to Rae with his usual dumb grin on his face, “Thanks, that hurt like a bitch.”

“I don’t know why you refuse to go to the literal medics they have for the soldiers, but if i can at least stop you from just walking around with a dislocated shoulder, then I’m happy enough,” Rae replied, taking back the cloth and empty bottle.

Just on time, Jamie came back, holding something Rae had hoped they’d think to grab despite the fact that he’d forgotten to ask them to. He traded them the bottle and rag for the sling, turning back to Centross with an expression he suspected mirrored a parent looking at their child.

Centross looked up at him, eyeing the sling, “No, I’m not wearing it.”

Rae sighed, “We just relocated your arm. You’re wearing it.”

“But I drank a healing potion, which means it’ll be fine without it,” Centross argued, stretching his arm in an attempt to show how fine it was.

Rae gave him another look, then tossed it at him. He smirked as Centross reluctantly picked it up, looping it over his head and resting his arm inside of it.

Of course, Centross being Centross, met Rae’s eyes with a look that promised trouble, but only ever in the way that would eventually help him, as annoying as it was in the moment. Rae tried to give him a warning look, but he straight up ignored it, “Oh, by the way, could you give me the description the Aetherian’s gave you of the man they met again? The one they met before coming here? If he was on his way to the castle for the festivities I’m sure I’ll be able to let you know if he comes in.”

Rae shot him the most withering look he could manage as he glanced at Ghosty, who seemed to go as pale as his namesake as Centross spoke. Centross, for his part, looked very satisfied with himself. Ghosty looked up at Rae, trying and failing to hide the surprise in his expression at the knowing look Rae knew he was wearing.

Rae sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, simply muttering ‘asshole’ at Centross before turning to look at Jamie. “Would you mind making sure Centross goes and lays down for a while. Wouldn’t want him reinjuring his shoulder.”

Jamie just nodded, shooting Centross a look of their own as he stood and walked towards them. Rae watched them disappear down the hallway with an annoyed expression. He turned to Ghosty once they were gone, taking a deep breath, “I think there’s some stuff we should talk about.”

Chapter Text

Ghosty looked at him like he had two heads, “Yeah, I think we do. Did Centross say Aetherians? As in, plural?”

Rae frowned, “Yes, there’s two members of the Aether court staying here. I’ve been working with them on a trade agreement. I thought you would have known this though?”

“Well I don’t know why you’d assume that,” Ghosty said quickly, clearly trying to hide his slip up, “But I’ve only met one member of the Aether court. I’m just shocked they’d send more than one representative.”

He sighed. He really wasn’t in the mood to be dodging around the facts until one of them slipped or gave up. He met Ghosty’s eyes, giving him a knowing look, “I know you know them. You don’t have to pretend. And before you say anything, I’m not ratting you or them out. That would sort of be counter productive for me.”

Ghosty stared at him, like he was trying to call his bluff, but there was no bluff to call, “And what if I did? I meant what I said, I do actually only know one member of the Aether court, so I have no idea who the second one is.”

“Well, I assume you mean Lord Will, or Will, since his aura actually matches that of the Aether,” Rae guessed, nodding at the recognition that flashed across Ghosty’s face, “And the other is supposedly his partner, but given what I’ve gathered I don’t think that’s true. She told me her name was Owen, but I also have reason to believe that’s not her actual name.”

Ghosty joked back a laugh, “Owen? Seriously?” He asked. Rae just shrugged in response.

“Ok, well, to be honest I don’t know why I’m trying to lie about it,” Ghosty admitted, claiming the stool Centross had abandoned, “You’ve given me more than enough reasons to trust you, as precarious as our situation is. So yes, I know Will, and I’m almost certain I know the person with him. She has long blond hair right? Kind of sarcastic?”

Rae nodded, “Sounds about right. Her aura is green, or Overworld, if that confirms anything.”

“It does,” Ghosty replied, “That’s Ocie. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her, but she’s sort of the ruler of the isles east of the Overworld?”

Rae gaped at him, “Wait, seriously? I mean I knew she had the same name, but it’s actually her? What is she doing here? What was so important that you came with both one of the most important members of the Aether court and the ruler of the east islands?”

“To be fair, they both volunteered to come,” Ghosty countered, “And wait, what do you mean you knew she had the same name? I thought she said her name was Owen? Which, I will be asking her about by the way. How the hell did she come up with that as her fake name?”

He shrugged, “To answer the first question, do you remember how I said I was going for a walk the other day, and then came back and told you about the memory stuff?” Ghosty nodded, “Well, I ended up in the stables, and I was in the stall with my horse, sitting, which is why I don’t think Will or Ocie saw me when they entered. They never mentioned your name, but they mentioned someone they were trying to find, who I assumed was a friend because they were worried if he was alive. I sort of connected the dots when I realized you’d arrived around the same time they did.”

“So it was a hunch?” Ghosty asked, “Why did you come talk to me then?”

“Well, I realized that if I actually wanted to get to know both you and them better, I should make sure I was trusting you before expecting you to trust me. Besides, I had already promised to explain what happened, and I figured I should tell you before I chickened out. It’s not exactly the easiest thing to talk about.”

Ghosty nodded, his eyebrows furrowed like he was deep in thought, “Was there anything else that gave it away? I mean, I knew they had a different approach than the way I was trying to do things, but I thought I was doing ok at not saying anything.”

Rae nodded, “You were. If it wasn’t for the fact that the timing lined up and you seemed like you sort of set yourself up to get caught, I probably wouldn’t have figured out it was you, necessarily. But Will did say one more thing that helped reinforce my thoughts. He asked to speak with me yesterday to ask about the Winter banquet that’s coming up, and at the end asked about a man he’d ‘met’ on his way here who was also supposedly coming to the castle. Between the conversation in the stables and my own theories that pretty much solidified it for me.”

Rolling his eyes, Ghosty shook his head as a small smile formed on his face, “Of course. This is why he and Ocie don’t do the secret missions very often, Clearly neither of them know how to be discreet.”

Rae laughed, “They haven’t done the worst job at it, it’s not their fault I’m always on high alert outside of the study. Besides, if you weren’t with me and were instead in the main cells or with Perix, I definitely would not have caught on. I’ve just been spending too much time with you.”

“That’s fair,” Ghosty said, then, as if he’d been struck, he sat up straight as an arrow, looking at Rae with wide panicked eyes, “Wait, do they think I’m dead? I mean, I was almost in a much worse situation, and I’m really lucky you were there when I was caught. Do they think I’m with Perix?”

“Hey, no, it’s fine,” Rae reassured, “They know you’re with me. Or, at least Will does. When he asked if anyone else had arrived I mentioned how you’d been caught and were under my guard. I don’t know how much they trust me right now, but they know you’re not in a worse situation.”

Ghosty seemed to relax, though Rae could tell there was still a weight on his shoulder. It was likely he’d been so focused on the fact that his situation was better than it could have been, that he probably hadn’t thought about what would have happened for Will and Ocie if it had turned out any other way. Rae himself considered this a lot, and in this case, it wasn’t even his life that had been at risk.

He realized in his moment of drifting that Ghosty was now biting his lip, looking at him like there was a question on the tip of his tongue and was debating if and how he should ask it. Rae raised an eyebrow at him, nodding slightly to tell him to just ask it.

Ghosty sighed, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, “Would it be too much to ask… if you could give them a message from me? It’d be good to let them know myself that I’m alright, and it might help them trust you more.”

“I’ll do you one better,” Rae offered, “Why don’t I ask them to come visit the study to ‘talk about the trade’, and that way you can talk to them in person?”

“I mean, if you’re ok with that then sure. I don’t want you doing anything that’ll put you at risk though,” Ghosty replied, frowning slightly.

Rae shook his head, “I’m not, don’t worry. It would make sense for them to come down here because this is where all of the artifacts are. Until now we’ve only discussed the business side of the deal, and I think it makes sense I’d want them to see the actual items.”

“That would be great then,” Ghosty said. He was smiling now, a nice contradiction to the worried expression he’d had a moment earlier. He found himself smiling too, something that seemed to happen a lot when Ghosty was around. Rae blinked, realizing he’d drifted a bit and Ghosty was talking again.

“Sorry, what was that?” Rae asked.

“Oh I was just asking if there was anything else you thought we should talk about for when they come. Since, y’know, I might be able to answer it if it’s about them?” Ghosty repeated. One of his hands was messing with a loose thread at the bottom of his jacket, and his expression was still kind. He didn’t seem to mind that he’d had to repeat what he’d said, which Rae took for the small comfort it was.

Rae considered the question, trying to think if there was anything he should ask. His eyes widened, his mind going back to a thought he’d had last time he’d spoken with Will, “Could you tell me more about my reputation, actually? You mentioned it when you got here, and I know I’ve talked to both of them, but it might help to know what their expectations of me are.”

Ghosty gave him a look, but nodded, taking a moment to think. “There’s not a lot, to be honest. Most people know of you, but since you never seem to be at any of the events outside of the castle, it’s not like there’s a lot to go off of.”

“You can thank the Queen for that,” Rae muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. He eyed his chair, deciding to sit.

Ghosty laughed, “Yeah I can see that now. Anyways, what people do know comes from ex staff, mostly. I think the main one was a guard who fled during an attack against a village on the border of the Nether. I got to meet him once actually, a very nice guy who had a lot of bad things to say about all the nobles, except you.”

“Rowan,” Rae said, a small chuckle escaping his lips. He remembered that guard. After Centross had been sent away for the first time, Rowan had briefly taken over as his guard. He was older than Rae, and watched him with a mix of pity and uncaringness that Rae had eventually learned was because the man hadn’t wanted to get attached, since he was already planning his own escape.

Despite that, when he’d come into the study to find Rae having a panic attack on the carpet because of an interaction with Perix, he hadn’t hesitated to sit by his side, speaking softly and helping him breathe until he came out of it. Rae had been sad when he left, but he was also happy when he’d heard a report a few months later saying Rowan was seen serving in the Nether, because it meant he’d made it. It meant maybe there was hope for him.

“I wondered if you’d remember him,” Ghosty said, smiling softly, “He is very vocal about his hatred for the End, so the fact that he didn’t say anything about you already drew interest. I wasn’t there, but there’s a story about how someone finally got brave enough to ask about what he thought of you, and he stared them down, and said that he would gladly serve the End again if you ever took the throne.”

Rae froze, silently searching for any sign that Ghosty knew the implications of what he’d just said, but finding nothing. He forced out a laugh, “I’m  glad I do, it’s one of the few people she’s let me remember.”

Ghosty nodded, “Well, his words led a few other people to come out with some information. A young woman who used to work under one of the other nobles mentioned you were the only one who’d actually look at the servants when they were in the room. Always offering little smiles, or saying thank you when they brought you things.”

“So my entire reputation is just that I’m not stuck up like most of the people in the court?” Rae asked, laughing a little at the simplicity of it.

“That’s definitely a big part of it,” Ghosty agreed, “But I didn’t tell you about the last story that gets told.”

“If it’s another ‘he’s not like other girls’ story, I don’t think I need to hear it, I get the point,” Rae said, rolling his eyes.

Ghosty smirked, “Ah, but it’s not.”

Rae raised an eyebrow at him, his curiosity piqued, “Oh? So what else is benign said about me?”

Ghosty’s smirk grew, like he already knew the impact his next words would have, “It’s said, and this is the quietest of all the rumours I’ve mentioned, that you are the only reason the End armies have been as successful as they have been. That you’re the secret weapon of the End, but also that it’s not willingly.”

“...What?”

“You are easily the smartest person in the court, everyone knows how powerful the End army is, and the Queen doesn’t hide the fact that it’s due to the vast amount of research that the Kingdom has done on artifacts and runes, and once people found out that was what your positions as in court, it only helped to fuel the rumours,” Ghosty explained, “And I have to say, you’ve only solidified that in the time I’ve been here.”

Rae shook his head, standing from his chair and moving away from the desk. “That, that can’t be right,” he started, panic settling in his chest as his breaths came quicker and quicker. Had he not been doing as good of a job as he thought he was keeping up appearances? He could have sworn he had. No, no one was supposed to know he was trapped here, that was her deal. He got his position and some freedom as long as it seemed like it was his choice. If she found out about this…

“How many people know?” He asked hurriedly.

Ghosty had stood from his stool when Rae got up, hovering by the edge of the desk as Rae worriedly paced around the small space. “Which part? Are you ok?”

“No I’m not ok! You just said people think I’m not here willingly, and trust me, I’m not, but if she finds out about this,” He shivered, “I can’t do it again. Please, just, how many people know?”

“Not that many,” Ghosty said. Rae sighed, slowing his pacing. “Like i said, it was the least common rumour, especially about you not wanting to be here. It was something Rowan said, actually, when he was talking to a friend of mine. She shared it with me when I was assigned the mission to come here because she thought I might be able to find an ally in you.”

Rae scoffed, hanging his head, “And did you?” He asked, slightly bitter.

“Actually, I did one better,” Ghosty said, walking closer until he was right in front of him, “I found an insanely smart person with the biggest heart, who works so hard to take care of himself and those he cares about, who stuck his neck out for me even though he didn’t know me. Someone who continues to help me make the best of a situation that didn’t really work out like I thought it would, even when it could put him at risk.”

Rae’s breath hitched in his throat, tears flowing silently down his face, but Ghosty wasn’t done. “Look, I’ve known you for three weeks, if that, and I already know you’re someone I’d want by my side. You put everything you are into what you do and the people around you and it’s incredible to see. So yes, maybe I was originally happy you stuck your neck out because it meant I might gain an ally, but now it’s because I gained a friend.”

He reached forward, holding his arms out for a hug. Rae hesitated for a moment, and barely more, before leaning in, letting him accept the affection. Despite the height difference, he still felt Ghosty somehow rest his chin on his head, and he melted in the feeling of safety he felt tucked there. “Thank you,” He muttered, hugging Ghosty back.

“Anytime,” Ghosty replied, moving his head to look down at him, “Did I answer your question then?”

Rae laughed, nodding, “Yes, you did. And some.” His gaze fell behind Ghosty, catching a glimpse at the clock on the wall opposite him. He scowled, “Ah shoot, it’s getting a little late.” He stepped back, mourning the contact before quickly moving to the other side of his desk and grabbing a small piece of paper.

“Is there a problem?” Ghosty asked, moving to lean against the edge of the desk and peaking at what Rae was writing. “There’s not a carriage that’s going to turn back into a pumpkin at midnight, is there?”

Rae rolled his eyes, “No, but I was planning on trying to get the note to Will tonight, and if I want to get it to the servant who delivers their dinner I need to do it soon. I’d wait until tomorrow, but I have a meeting in the morning and I don’t want to send Jamie with this.”

Ghosty frowned, “Worried they won’t be able to deliver it?”

“No, worried, that if this doesn’t come straight from me, and something happens, that they’ll be blamed for it instead of me.” Rae said, casually ignoring the alarmed look on Ghosty’s face as he finished the note. It was pretty simple, and not outright incriminating, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

He picked up the paper, folding it in half twice until it was about the size of his palm. “I should go deliver this. Maybe check on Jamie and Centross if you want? Let at least Jamie know they don’t need to hide in Centross’ room anymore.”

“I can definitely do that,” Ghosty said, turning to walk towards the bedrooms. He paused part way, turning back to look at Rae, “Stay safe, yeah?”

Rae smiled, “I will, don’t worry.”

Ghosty watched him for a moment before turning again and continuing down the hall. Rae sighed then headed for the main staircase, slipping on his invisible mask before stepping out into the busy halls of the castle.

Chapter Text

Rae stared down at his notebook, trying to focus on the meeting but finding himself unable to focus as one of the event planners drawled on about colour symbolism. The few notes he had managed to take stared back up at him, the hand holding his quill itching to add more but finding nothing of importance to add.

He didn’t even know why he had to be here. He’d never been forced to take part in the planning of the Winter Banquet before, and yet this year he’d gotten a note from the Queen herself, saying his presence was expected at this meeting.

Speaking of the devil, he was also sat much closer to the Queen than he usually was during meetings. They were in the main meeting hall, which had three large tables shaped in a U, with the two tables that face each other being about double the length of the base one. Normally, he sat just at the edge of the shortest table, tucked into the corner to be mostly ignored.

Now, however, he sat next to the Queen, on her right in a seat that had remained empty the entire time Rae had been there. Perix sat on the Queen’s left, her right hand just as she had been as long as Rae knew. The seat next to him was empty, though that seat too had remained empty for some time. It apparently would usually be filled by the head of the Chorus family, like how the two next to Perix were for the Shulks and Drakons, but the Chorus family rarely filled it.

The other tables were filled with the various nobles, most of whom Rae had never bothered to learn the names of. He hadn’t really been given any sort of training before being thrust into court life, so he took the bits he knew and pretended he knew the rest. He did know the lady who sat next to his usual spot though they’d made polite conversation during too many events for them to not be acquainted by now.

If it wasn’t for her family being historically part of what used to be the Chorus family’s lands, maybe they would have been closer, but he knew the Queen kept the closest eye on anyone from that region, and he couldn’t have history repeat itself.

He shifted in his seat, suddenly even more aware of just how close he was sitting to the Queen. She wasn’t paying him much attention, instead focusing on the event planner and the occasional whispers from Perix that Rae couldn’t quite hear.

The presenter finished, dropping into a deep bow before moving to rejoin a group of planners who stood at the far end of the tables, closing the U. A small smattering of applause sounded from the various nobles, and all eyes turned to the Queen. Rae suppressed a wince, hating how he could feel some of the eyes drift to him, no doubt wondering just like he was why he’d been moved from his usual spot.

The Queen cleared her throat, though everyone’s attention was already on her, “That was certainly very informative, however, I don’t believe it would be in good faith of the people to change the colours of our festival to, ah, teal and ocean blue. Especially when most of the decorations have been arranged already.”

The man who had been presenting blushed a deep red from his spot in the crowd, ducking his head even further. The Queen watched him, her sharp eyes almost taunting, like she was trying to get him to look at her. He wasn’t an idiot though, and kept his head ducked. The Queen let out a small hum, then turned her head slightly, addressing Perix beside her, “Is there anything you have to say about this proposal?”

Despite not being able to see her very well, Rae could still hear the grin in Perix’s voice as she leaned forward, clasping her hands together and resting her head on them. “I have to say I agree with you, your Majesty, it was an excellent proposal, if not a very smart one. As it was, I think the man would do quite well on my personal planning team. I have an opening after all, since one of my staff seems to have disappeared recently.”

Her voice was honey as she spoke, but Rae’s stomach sank all the same, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was the advisor he’d been working with the other day, since Perix had been yelling at her as he left. His eyes drifted back to the man in the crowd, who had gone pale as a ghost at the suggestion.

His companions were whispering hurriedly beside him, likely trying to figure out if there was anything they could do. Just as Ghosty had mentioned Rae’s reputation, Perix certainly had one of her own, and it wasn’t nearly as pleasant. They likely had drawn the same conclusion Rae had as to what happened to the previous staff member.

Beside him, the Queen’s indifferent expression had turned into a small smirk. She had turned fully back towards the man and his companions. “Well, doesn’t that work out wonderfully? What do you say? Would you like to join Lady Perix’s staff?”

The man took a deep breath, then looked up, his eyes staying glued to the floor, until, barely for a second, he looked up, and the second he did, Rae knew his actions were no longer his own. A purple shimmer shone across his eyes so briefly Rae could’ve blinked and missed it had he not been specifically looking for it.

One of his companions grabbed his arm, like they’d sensed the change too, but the man brushed them off, stepping forward and ducking into a deep bow directed towards both the Queen and Perix, “It would be an honour, your Majesty, my lady.”

His companions’ eyes went wide behind him, and one took half a step forward, a protest on the tip of their tongue before they caught Rae’s eye. He shook his head at them sadly, and they seemed to understand, moving back to retake their spot, watching silently as their friend was escorted out of the room by a guard, likely to be shown to a room he wouldn’t be able to leave of his own volition.

The Queen hummed, absentmindedly picking up a piece of paper off of the table in front of her. Rae tried his hardest to just focus on his own notes, and not on the dozens of eyes that were still focused on him in an attempt to be looking at the front table but avoiding the Queen or Perix, or the two friends of the man who were silently comforting each other in the corner of a too quiet hall.

“Lord Dedrik, has the guest list been finalized for the banquet?” The Queen asked, looking past Perix to the head of the Drakon house.

The man in question glanced down at his own notes, then back up towards the Queen, keeping his gaze low, “Yes, your Majesty. I’ve also received all but two of the replies, and am happy to announce that the mayor of Hythermia has agreed to be in attendance again this year.”

“Wonderful,” The Queen replied, “And Lady Silena? Any news about the festival?” She asked, looking at the end of the central table towards the head of the Shulk family.

“Everything seems to be in order, your Majesty,” The lady replied, barely sparing more than a glance towards the Queen. A move that would have seemed rude were it any other court. No one would dare treat the Queen with anything less than respect, and of those, especially not the Shulks, when they had the most to lose. The other two families at least had their own castles to retreat to, as the Chorus family had done years ago, but the Shulks had nowhere else to go.

With a satisfied hum, the Queen set down the papers, scanning the room coldly for a long moment. The corner of her lips twitched up into a smirk, and she rose from her chair. “Then I believe the meeting can be concluded. You’re dismissed.”

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor quickly filled the room, with many members of the court rushing to make their exit as quickly as they could without looking like they were running away. The Queen turned, speaking to Perix in a hushed voice. Rae closed his notebook, moving his chair back slowly and getting up, silently hoping he could get out before the Queen remembered he was there.

He made it about halfway along the side table when he was stopped, the Queen’s voice calling after him and sending a chill down his neck, “Sir Morningstar, could you stay for a moment. I had something I wished to discuss with you.”

Rae froze, taking a deep breath before turning slowly and ducking into a small bow, “Of course, your Majesty.”

The Queen watched him for a moment, giving him a small nod before returning to her conversation. Rae sighed, pulling out one of the chairs from the table and sitting down. He wasn’t sure whose chair it usually was, but he didn’t think they’d mind if he borrowed it for a minute. Belatedly he remembered that he’d promised Jamie to be back as soon as he could after the meeting, and knew they’d be worried when he wasn’t. Hopefully whatever the Queen wanted wouldn’t take long, and he could be back safe in his study in no time.

He opened his book to a random page, not really focusing on it and more using it as a shield as he watched Perix and the Queen over the top of it. He didn’t know what they were discussing, but Perix looked mad, like for once the Queen wasn’t letting her have her way and she wasn’t happy about it. 

Now that he thought about it, besides the one moment of glee she’d had with that poor man earlier, Perix had seemed in an off mood all day. He had chalked it up to the meeting earlier, but the fact that she still looked displeased made something in him twist. Something was happening and he didn’t like the implications of it.

He watched a moment later as Perix’s frown deepened and she bowed, then turned and walked towards the door. He followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight, the door falling shut behind her before Rae finally turned to look towards the Queen.

Enderian had retaken her seat at the head of the table, looking somewhat displeased herself. As if she could sense his gaze, which, knowing her she likely could, she looked up, meeting his eyes in a way that Rae would almost describe as warm if he didn’t know her any better. He took that as a sign and lowered his book, setting it on his lap and gripping it tightly.

“What did you want to discuss with me?” He asked, knowing she’d wait for him to make the first move in this situation.

“Just a few questions, don’t worry. Nothing special today,” Enderian replied, lifting her hand to inspect her nails. “I assume your research has been going well?”

Rae nodded, “Yes, I’ve been able to catalogue almost every item that I’ve received in the last few months.”

“And the prisoner you took charge of, he hasn’t been too much of a distraction?” She said, sparing a glance towards him.

He shook his head, trying to calm the rising panic in his chest, “Not at all. He was a bit stubborn at first, but seems to be rather curious himself and has been an asset in discovering the true functions of both the artifacts he had and a few others.”

Enderian hummed, “Wonderful. Now, I understand you have your assistant, but I’ve heard that you and Sir Mistvale have remained close despite the time since he was placed as your guard. Is that correct?”

She asked it like she already knew the answer, or rather, knew how Rae was likely to respond. He knew she wouldn’t know just how close they were exactly, but he also recognized the fact that if she’d been hearing things then he couldn’t outright deny it. “He has remained a friendly face whenever he is back in the castle,” He confirmed, his grip tightening on his book.

“Would you consider a partnership with him?” The Queen asked.

Rae blinked, trying to allow his brain a moment to catch up to make sure he’d heard that correctly. Despite that, the only response he could manage was a small, “What?”

“Well, I brought up giving you more responsibility around the castle, and a few of the noble families were concerned about your lack of connection to the land. A few of them proposed a union between you and their heirs, but I don’t particularly want any of them to gain anything from such a union. The Mistvales have been extremely loyal during my reign, and seeing as the two of you are at least acquainted, I thought it a good match, no?” She explained, finishing it with a seemingly innocent question, though Rae could hear the threat behind it.

He gulped, trying to calm the rising panic in his throat. There were many things implied in her explanation, though the idea of gaining more responsibilities in the castle was the hardest to miss. It wasn’t something he particularly wanted, for all of its implications, including the fact that he’d be forced more into the light and away from the safe haven he’d managed to carve for himself in the past 8 years.

Enderian was watching him, her expression blank except for the smallest flash of victory in her eyes. Rae took a breath, trying to keep his voice steady, “I can certainly see your perspective of it, your Majesty. Has he been consulted on the matter? I wouldn’t want to make a decision about his life without him present.”

She smirked, “As a matter of fact, he should actually be arriving shortly. I consulted his parents on the matter, since he is the heir to their small estate, and their approval arrived this morning, so it does come to the two of you.”

As she finished, there was a sharp knock on the door, and then Centross entered. He bowed to the Queen, giving Rae a small nod. A strange feeling sat in Rae’s gut, but he pushed it down, trying to focus as the Queen addressed him.

“Sir Mistvale, thank you for joining us. Sir Morningstar and I were just discussing a possible union between the two of you.” She said, as simply as one might tell someone they had been discussing the weather.

Rae expected Centross to be more surprised, but no matter how close he looked he couldn’t even catch a hint of surprise on his friend’s face. Was it possible he’d actually known already and neglected to tell him? Or had he simply gotten better at acting without Rae knowing? Or…

“What, may I ask, would be the purpose of this union?” Centross asked. Rae tried to catch his eye, using the hand that was already on the table to tap a couple times and frowning when he didn’t get a response.

While he’d been distracted, Enderian had reiterated the points she’d mentioned to Rae, how it would be a way to tie Rae to a smaller noble family and lift a long time allied family closer to the throne in a way that wouldn’t be protested by the other members of the court. Centross was nodding along politely, and then the attention turned back to Rae.

“Sir Morningstar, anything you’d like to add?” Enderian asked, as if he himself hadn’t just learned of this plan barely a minute ago.

Rae stared at Centross, trying to see through him almost and get any hint of how he actually felt about this. His eyes fell to the other man’s shoulder, and a plan formed in his head, “Nothing really, I am curious how your shoulder is feeling, Sir Mistvale? I heard you injured it in training the other day.”

Centross did react that time, an eyebrow quirking up in question and his other hand reaching briefly across his body to touch the shoulder in question, “Ah, it’s been much better. The physicians were able to take care of it fairly quickly.”

Aha, gotcha. Rae smirked to himself, nodding to try and hide it. The Queen frowned, then moved on, turning back towards Centross-not-Centross. “Well, then. Sir Mistvale, how do you feel about the idea of the union? Sir Morningstar was waiting for your opinion to make his own.”

“If the Queen wishes it, I am happy to do my duty,” Centross clone replied, bowing to the Queen. Enderian nodded, a satisfied grin on her face as she turned to Rae, “So, that’s his thoughts, how about you?”

Rae nodded politely, “In all due respect you Majesty, could I have some time to think over this? It’s just all very sudden, and with the increased business the festivities bring, plus the trade deal, I have a lot to think about right now.”

He couldn’t help the slightly satisfied feeling he felt at the annoyed look on both the Queen and Faketross’ faces. They seemed to silently debate something for a moment, and if Rae hadn’t already known that definitely would have given it away, before the Queen turned back to him. “You may have until the night of the banquet. I’d like to announce it during the ball if possible, so that is the deadline.”

“Of course,” Rae said, nodding again, “That is perfect, thank you.”

Impostertross cleared his throat, bowing when the Queen’s attention was back on him, “If that is all, may I make my leave your Majesty?”

The Queen nodded, and he turned and left the room, leaving Rae once again alone with her. The Queen glanced towards him, sighing so softly he almost missed it, “You may be excused as well. I expect to be updated on the trade soon, yes?”

Rae nodded, standing from his palace at the table and heading for the door. He was so focused on getting out the door and away from the very obvious trap the Queen had constructed that he didn’t notice as he almost ran right into Jamie.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” He said, reaching out and grabbing their arm to stabilize them. He glanced behind him, making sure the door was shut and the Queen hadn’t seen that, and finding it firmly shut.

Jamie stepped back, giving a small bow to him, “It’s alright Sir, I was just coming to check on you. The meeting ran late.”

Rae’s expression fell, turning quickly from concern to anger. He debated the consequences and quickly decided he could get away with this without risking too much, “It did. Though I thought you would have known that, Lady Perix, seeing as you were there.”

Jamie’s expression morphed into one of surprise, and then annoyance, and in the blink of an eye it was no longer Jamie standing in front of him. Perix’s green eyes bore down on him despite him being taller than her, and she was smiling almost teasingly. “Impressive, what gave it away?”

Rae scoffed, “I had Jamie working on some of the artifacts the prisoner brought with him today. They wouldn’t abandon that just because my meeting ran late. They know to just let me come and go unless they need my help with something.” A lie, but believable enough to cover the truth. Jamie never called him Sir.

Perix rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond as she shoved past him and went back into the room he had left, and he couldn’t help but wonder briefly how she was older than him considering how childish she liked to act when things didn’t go her way. He sighed, shaking his head and then heading down the hall towards his study, noting that he should have a conversation with both the real Centross and real Jamie at some point about the events of the day.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure they said they’re coming?” Ghosty asked nervously, pacing the small space in front of Rae’s desk, his hands fidgeting by his chest.

Rae sighed, setting down his quill and looking up at him, a small laugh escaping as he saw the worried look on Ghosty’s face. “Yes, as I told you, Ocie stopped Jamie in the hall yesterday to confirm they were coming and when. They should be here shortly.”

“Ok, but what if they cancel without saying anything because they think it's a trap? I mean it does seem sort of suspicious.” Ghosty replied, stopping short in front of the desk. He crossed his arms over his chest, biting at the inside of his lip in replacement of worrying his hands.

Rae raised an eyebrow at him, picking up his quill and going back to his work as he responded, “Considering they think this meeting is about the trade we've been working on, and they're trying to keep up their cover, I doubt they would do that. It would be seen as incredibly disrespectful towards the crown.”

Ghosty paused, considering this, then sighed, “Yeah I guess that’s true. Sorry, my nerves probably aren’t helping you very much here.”

“You’re fine,” Rae replied. He set down his quill again, figuring he’d probably gotten all he could done for the day and deciding he’d come back to it later. He picked up the pages, making sure the ink was dry before sliding them into the top right drawer of his desk. “Is there anything I can do to help while we wait?” He asked.

“I don’t think so, but thanks,” Ghosty replied, glancing behind him towards the clock, “What time did you say they’d be here again?”

Rae checked the clock himself, “Around 6, so they should be here any minute. Centross said he had training until 6, but he should be joining us after that. Jamie’s in their room, but they said to let them know when the Aetherians arrived.”

Ghosty nodded, sparing a glance down the side hall, where Jamie’s slightly cracked open door could just be seen. A small chime filled the room for a moment and Rae turned towards the wall behind him, casting a quick spell to turn the alarm off. Ghosty was looking around the room trying to figure out where the sound was coming from, before realizing Rae was watching him and turning back towards the desk.

Grinning, Rae stood from his chair, nearly kicking the jewelry box that had been dropped off the day before by the guards, “They’re at the top of the stairs, do you want to greet them or should I?”

“You should,” Ghosty answered, “You’re the one they’re expecting, after all.”

Rae nodded, leaving Ghosty and rounding the shelves towards the main staircase. As he turned the corner he met Will’s eyes, or well, the eyes of the mask, and he smiled. Will descended the final steps, stepping out to let Ocie join from behind him. Rae nodded politely to her as well, “I see you found your way alright.”

Will nodded, “Yes, we did. Though I can’t say I expected the stairs. You must get a lot of exercise from those.”

Rae laughed, “Yes, we certainly do. It does help deter unwanted visitors though, so a small price to pay in my opinion for a little more privacy. Something that certainly comes in handy in times like this.”

Ocie raised an eyebrow, “Oh? Is that why you asked us to come to your study instead of one of the meeting rooms?”

“Partially,” Rae answered, half nodding, “I actually wanted to show you something, and I can’t really take it out of the study at the moment without drawing unwanted attention, so I figured it was best to bring you to it.”

Ocie, for her part, looked even more confused. Will was harder to read, given the mask, but the way his head briefly turned towards Ocie before returning towards Rae implied he was also fairly confused.

Rae bit back a small smile, turning and motioning for them to follow him further into the study. They followed hesitantly, walking behind him along the length of the shelves. As Rae turned into the more open area of the room he paused, crossing his arms over his chest when he saw Ghosty sitting in his chair, his feet up on the desk.

“Sir, that is in fact not where your feet go,” He said, just as Ocie and Will turned the corner. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ocie barely contain her surprise, and Will’s sudden stop certainly didn’t help to disguise his own.

Ghosty smirked at them, then turned to Rae with a more playful smile, “But you were taking too long, and this is comfy.”

Rae rolled his eyes, dropping his arms, “It was a minute at most, now get your feet off before you knock over my ink, I didn’t close it,” He said, moving towards the desk and reaching for the ink bottle.

Ghosty gave a dramatic sigh, then removed his feet. He stood from the chair, eyeing Will and Ocie, who were still frozen where they’d stopped, “Are you two ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

Choking back a laugh, Rae set down the ink, turning and standing next to Ghosty as they watched the pair process what was going on. Ocie ended up stepping forward first, stepping closer to Ghosty with an air of suspicion in her eyes, “Are oranges orange?” She asked.

Ghosty rolled his eyes, his grin growing, “Nah, everyone knows they’re peach.”

Ocie’s shoulders slumped in relief, hugging Ghosty briefly, and then before Rae could even question what type of code phrase they’d just said, she slapped Ghosty.

“Ocie!” Will called, almost immediately slapping his hand over his mouth and turning towards Rae.

Ghosty steadied himself, rubbing at his cheek and looking past his attacker at Wil, “He knows already, it’s fine,” He said, turning back to Ocie, “Also, hey!”

She pointed a finger at him, “You deserved that, dumbass. You know how worried we were?”

“In my defence,” Ghosty started, glancing at Rae pleadingly. Rae smirked, shaking his head to tell him he wasn’t helping him get out of this one. Ghosty made a face back, “Uh, well, it worked out, so does it really matter how I got here?”

Ocie bit her lip, looking like she was really tempted to slap him again, and honestly, Rae didn’t blame her. She glanced at Rae, then stared at Ghosty again, “What name did you give him?”

“Ghosty,” Ghosty replied, not breaking eye contact.

Ocie sighed, “Damn, really wanted to cuss you out using your full name.” She replied, turning and walking a few steps back towards Will.

Ghosty relaxed a bit, but then Ocie turned back towards him, a renewed fire in her eyes. It was all Rae could do to not laugh at the panicked look that filled Ghosty’s eyes, and he silently sent a small spark towards Jamie’s room, since he was sure they wouldn’t want to miss this. He caught Will’s gaze as he did, and mouthed the word assistant, motioning towards the hall in hopes that it would take care of his concern. Will nodded, turning back to where ocie had begun yelling at Ghosty.

“You absolute dumbass!” She yelled, “When you said you had a different plan for getting into the castle, I didn’t think you meant just running in and getting caught! What if you had been killed? What if you had been locked in the dungeons and we didn’t know? What if you had ended up with her? ”

She didn’t have to say who the ‘her’ was for everyone in the room to know. Ghosty started to try and defend himself, but Ocie wasn’t done. Rae spotted Jamie coming out of their room, a questioning look on their face as Rae motioned for them to come stand near him. They walked over, and Rae slung an arm over their shoulders, giving them a small side hug which they were quick to return.

“I’m guessing they’re a little pissed at him?” They asked.

“Yup,” Rae replied, “To be fair, he was sort of a dumbass.”

Ghosty turned to him, Ocie having seemingly finished her rant, “Hey! It wasn’t that dumb.”

Rae raised an eyebrow at him, “The only reason it worked is because a, I happened to be in the throne room, b, she who shall not be named decided to follow procedure and bring you to the queen, for once, and c, I decided to speak up on your behalf.”

Ocie was nodding at him, a new respect in her eyes, “I think I like you more now,” she said. She  turned back to Ghosty, wacking him on the arm this time, “Dumbass.”

Will came closer, more so joining the small circle that had formed. He had eyed Jamie briefly as they came into the room, but otherwise had been just watching Ocie rip into Ghosty. “Now that we’ve acknowledged how miraculous it is that Ghosty has survived this long given a number of his decisions,” He said, ignoring Ghosty’s pout at the words, “Can we talk about what’s been happening down here? Why didn’t you contact us sooner?”

Rae raised his hand slightly, drawing their attention, “I can answer that one, actually. Ghosty was actually staying in the cell for the first few weeks,” He started, nodding to the cell on the far side of the room, “And even though he’s been staying in the spare room for the last month or so, we didn’t really tell him a lot, and it’d be way too dangerous for him to leave the study, so he didn’t really know we had any contact with you two.”

Will nodded, “That makes sense. When did you tell him?”

“A few days ago. I had sort of put the pieces together about you three knowing each other and mentioned it. You seemed worried when we talked last, so I figured you’d want to reconnect,” Rae explained.

“When we talked about the festivities?” Will asked, “Wow, I thought I was subtle.”

Rae laughed, “Sorry to tell you, but anything you said during that would probably have tipped me off given Ghosty’s been staying with me, but it was a good try.”

“Wait, so did Ghosty tell you my real name then?” Ocie asked, “I’m gonna be honest, I’m glad I don’t have to be Owen with you anymore, but I’m still curious.”

Ghosty grinned, shooting a look at Rae, “No actually, he already knew when we talked about it.”

Rae ducked his head, “I, uh, may have overheard you two talking in the stables. My horse’s stall is near where yours are staying, and I was out there reading while waiting for the snow to pass a bit.”

Ocie blinked at him, then turned to Will, “Didn’t you pay the stable hand to tell us if anyone was in there?”

“I did,” Will replied, managing to look confused even with the mask on.

Rae laughed, “That would be my fault, again, or, technically the Queen’s? Anyways, there was this whole thing a few years ago about someone posing as a guard and asking for where I was and then turning out to be an assassin and trying to kill me, so now only the Queen and a few select guards are allowed to receive answers about my location.”

He said it casually, but he forgot murder attempts weren’t technically part of most people’s lives, so Ghosty, Ocie, and Will were all looking at him with some form of shock. Jamie for their part was giggling from their spot under his arm, having heard this story a few times since it happened before they got there.

“You are oddly calm about that,” Ghosty commented, voicing the thought Rae was sure all of them were thinking.

He shrugged, “It happened almost 6 years ago. The guy did destroy the notebook Centross had gotten me though, which was disappointing because I’d only had it for a few months.” he said, frowning at the memory. It had been a really nice book too, and Centross had had to leave again shortly after, and since Jamie wouldn’t arrive for another few months, it had made him feel a little bit lonelier.

“Is he also part of this?” Ocie asked, “I feel like the only times I’ve run into him have been when you two were walking together or he was waiting for you after our meetings.”

Rae nodded, “Yes, he’s a very close friend, one of the first I made after joining the court. He actually should be here soon I thought, he said he would be.” He finished, frowning slightly when he looked at the clock and realized Centross’ training was supposed to have finished by now.

“I bet that one guard he’s always complaining about caught him before he could escape,” Jamie said, laughing a little. Rae smiled, knowing exactly who they were talking about, since he’d also been on the receiving end of Centross’ rants about this one guard who seemed convinced that Centross would want to talk to him just because their families were of similar status. It didn’t help that the guy was an absolute prick, either.

There was a small bit of laughter from the others in the room, then Will shifted, drawing attention to himself, “You were talking about what you guys have been doing, right? You mentioned him being in the cell, and then planning this. Was there anything else in the last month or so?”

Ghosty nodded, taking the lead a little after a quick glance towards Rae, “Bits and pieces, some really, uh, interesting information about court and her majesty. Also, uh, hope you two don’t mind, but we’re taking all three of them with us when we leave.”

Ocie raised an eyebrow at him, “Willingly? Or is this just you becoming too attached? No offense,” She added, sparing a glance towards Rae.

“None taken,” He shot back.

Ghosty rolled his eyes at them, “Willingly, of course. I’m gonna be honest I don’t think any of us could force Centross to do anything he didn’t want to. Rae and Jamie? Well…”

“Hey!” Rae exclaimed.

“I’m kidding!” Ghosty laughed, though Rae saw the wink he did towards Ocie, “Rae has mentioned that none of them really want to be here, so I figured it was the least I could do to help since they saved me from becoming a test subject.”

Ocie and Will shared a look, conversing silently with the occasional look towards Ghosty. From what Rae could tell, it didn’t seem bad, and he doubted they’d just outright say no to helping them. He hoped he’d gotten to know them, and Ghosty, well enough to know that they weren’t that cruel. False hope was worse than no hope at all, simply because for a minute there was hope.

Will sighed, looking over to meet Rae eyes, “So did you guys have any sort of plan? If I remember our conversation correctly, you don’t exactly leave the castle a lot, so I’m guessing getting you out of the castle isn’t going to be easy?”

Rae shook his head, “No, not really. Though, if I’m honest, I think I could get myself out if there’s enough of a distraction, since I’ve been really improving my magic in the last few years. And Centross could easily leave, he just chooses not to. Jamie has been our biggest issue, and I’m not leaving without them, so if you can help get them out and safe that would be enough.”

He gave Jamie’s arm a small squeeze as he spoke, feeling them nestle even closer to him. He hated making it seem like Jamie had stopped him from leaving, and he knew that’s what it sounded like, but in truth there was no way he’d still be fighting to try and leave if it wasn’t for them. They made him want a life outside of the castle walls, so even if he needed a little help doing it, he needed to make sure they got out as well.

“Well, since we apparently need to smuggle this idiot out already,” Ocie said, motioning in Ghosty’s general direction, “That shouldn’t be too hard. Would you all be ready to go by the end of the ball? Will and I are supposed to leave the next day and I don’t know how easily we could talk ourselves into staying longer.”

Doing some quick checks in his head, Rae nodded. “That should work. I have a feeling things are going to go downhill for me after the ball anyways, so I’d rather not be here for that.”

“Something from your meeting yesterday?” Ghosty asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Rae nodded, “The Queen spoke with me after about a few things, one of which was taking on more responsibilities in the castle, which will only put me more in her view. Not exactly something I want.”

“I can see why you wouldn’t want that,” Will commented, “She isn’t exactly the friendliest person. Speaking of, we probably need to be careful of how much we’re seen together around the ball. Even if we aren’t directly linked to your escape, we don’t want to give her any reason to blame us. My father would be mad if I was the reason the End attacked the Aether.”

Rae frowned, trying to remember who Will’s father was. He’d assumed he was some sort of Lord, but maybe that wasn’t the case. Will had also pointed out another reason Rae wanted to try and make his own escape, because he really didn’t want more people getting hurt because of him, and a war would certainly do that.

“Of course,” He replied, shoving down the guilt that was creeping up his throat because he’d dared to ask for help in the first place, “No one needs to have any reason to think you’re involved. Any of you.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ghosty frown, but he didn’t say anything. In the silence of the room he was just able to make out the faint sound of footsteps coming from the staircase by the rooms. He knew only three people ever used those stairs, so it wasn’t a surprise when centross rounded the final corner, making eye contact with him down the hall and across the room.

Rae expected him to have his usual neutral but relaxed expression, maybe even a smile, but instead Centross just stared at him, his lips threatening to turn into a frown. He felt Jamie shift under his arm, like they’d noticed Centross and that something seemed to be wrong.

Centross walked the length of the hallway, but stopped before he entered the study properly, eyeing Will and Ocie, who had fallen into a conversation that Rae was only half listening to. Centross looked back at Rae, nodding towards the rooms with a questioning look.

Rae nodded, removing his arm from Jamie’s shoulders and excusing himself quietly. He walked towards the hall, pausing briefly in front of Centross before making the way to his door, opening it and not bothering to look behind him because he knew Centross was there.

Chapter Text

There were a million things racing through his head as the door closed behind him, though per usual half of it was needless worry. He knew Centross, he knew it was him because he’d used the staircase only they had a key to, and even then he’d tapped his thigh the second he caught Rae’s eye, and as he turned to face his friend he caught a glimpse of the purple and blue glow tucked under the collar of his shirt.

Centross was still frowning, though his shoulders seemed less tense now that they were away from the others. Rae doubted he was stressed simply because the others were there, after all he’d known about that before, but he also knew that if something personal was bothering him and it was enough that he wanted to talk about it then being surrounded by strangers only made it worse.

“When were you going to tell me?” Centross asked, breaking the silence in the room.

Rae frowned, “Tell you what?”

Centross scoffed, “That the Queen wants us to get married? The captain told me the Queen wanted to see me after training, and when I got there she told me about this little plan of hers, and she said you already knew.”

Ah, that. Rae turned his head, not able to get himself to make eye contact with him, despite Centross’ attempts. “I’ve only known for a day,” He said, knowing it wasn’t an excuse for not having mentioned it, especially when they’d seen each other after he’d gotten back from the meeting. He hadn’t wanted to deal with that just yet, and he also hadn’t expected the Queen to tell Centross so soon, especially since they’d gone through all the effort to make it seem like he already knew.

“That’s not better Rae,” Centross replied, crossing his arms.

Rae sighed, “I know, and I should have told you, but she didn’t exactly make it easy to think about.” He paused, debating if it was worth telling him about Perix but also knowing it would be better if he knew the full picture, “She had Perix pretend to be you. They made it look like you came in and agreed to the plan right away. I knew it wasn’t you, but it didn’t make it easier to bring it up. I was going to say something soon, I promise.”

Centross studied him for a minute, arms folded over his chest and his face giving almost nothing of what he was thinking away. He sighed, dropping his arms and running one hand down his face, meeting Rae’s eyes. “Alright, so what are we gonna do about it?”

“What do you mean?” Rae asked.

Centross rolled his eyes, “Well, do you want to go through with it?”

Rae blinked, “Uh, not really? No offence.”

“None taken,” Centross replied, moving to sit on Rae’s bed, “So then what’s the plan? Do you have a date you have to give her an answer by?”

“The end of the banquet, she wants to know so she can announce it at the ball.” Rae answered, pulling out the chair from his desk and sitting as well.

Centross nodded, “Ok, so we have what, two weeks? Do you know what’ll happen if you say no?”

Rae shrugged, though he had considered the possibility and had a few guesses. If his time in the castle had been good for anything, it was the ability to read people, especially Queen Enderian, “I think she would still try and set me up with someone. She’s been trying to get me more into court business recently, so she’s probably only being nice and giving me this option because it’ll be easier for her if I’m willing.”

“So we either get you out before the ball,” Centross started, “Or you tell the Queen that we’ll get married.”

There was a hint of resignation in his voice, and Rae knew that this was far from what his friend wanted, but he was willing to do it to help keep him safe. He’d done so much already to help keep him safe, to allow him the small bit of safety he’d gained living in this castle, and this was only one more check for the list.

He stared at Centross, who was staring down at his hands silently. No matter how tempting it was to just say no, no matter what he wouldn’t tie someone he cared about so closely to his own problems, he couldn’t even consider doing this without Centross at his side. And if it came down to it, it was at least a way to buy them more time.

“Will and Ocie have agreed to help,” He said finally, trying to bring something more positive to the situation.

Centross looked up at him, his eyebrow raised and a small smile forming on his face, “Yeah? Is that what you guys were talking about before I got here?”

Rae nodded, “Yeah. They don’t want to be obviously involved, because of diplomatic reasons, but I asked them to help make sure Jamie gets out alright. You and I have been planning this so long that I feel like we can handle our escape for the most part.”

“Well, technically I can just walk out, they trust me enough. It’s you that needs the escape,” Centross commented, smirking at the thought. He paused, staring at the wall for a moment before looking back towards Rae, “Have you talked about how they’re getting Jamie out yet? Or did I appear before you could?”

“You appeared before we could,” Rae confirmed, “We had actually just talked about the other part of what the Queen mentioned when I spoke to her yesterday. I… I didn’t say anything about the time limit, but everyone seemed to come to the same conclusion that we need to be out by the end of the ball.”

Centross nodded, “Do you want to tell them about this part?” He asked it in that dumb way of his that told Rae he already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from Rae himself. It was different from when Enderian did it. With Enderian it had that eerie feeling of her being in his head, like she was just toying with him and his choices weren’t really his own. With Centross, it was a little more teasing, and almost… comforting, that he had someone who knew him well enough to follow his thoughts.

He knew he had a brother. His memories couldn’t supply a name, face or much else about them, but he knew they existed. And even then, that’s almost what Centross was to him. He hoped that if he ever got the chance to reconnect with his brother that they and Centross would get along. His family was already so limited as it was, he didn’t know what he would do if he was forced to choose.

Rae sighed, shaking his head, “No, I think that part should stay between us for now. But, we should probably go back out and talk to them. I don’t know how often we can get away with meeting like this so we should take advantage of it when we can.”

Centross nodded again and they both got up. Centross opened the door, waving for Rae to go first. As he passed Centross punched his shoulder, and Rae turned to him with a mock offended look. Centross smirked at him, “That’s for not telling me, dumbass.”

Rae rolled his eyes, shoving him back before making his way out of the room. The door clicked shut behind him as Centross followed, and together they made the short walk back out into the open area of the study. 

The others hadn’t moved far while they’d been talking, though Ghosty seemed to have reclaimed Rae’s desk chair, having pulled it out from behind the desk and sitting with one leg tucked up under him. He was talking to Will, who had snagged the stool, while Ocie was now sitting on the floor with Jamie, who was using the desk as a backrest and slowly braiding Ocie’s hair.

Ghosty noticed them first, pausing his conversation long enough to wave. That drew everyone else’s attention towards them, with Will turning and both Jamie and Ocie looking up with matching grins. There was something so simple about the scene that Rae was almost sad to have drawn everyone away from it, especially Jamie. He knew, hoped, there would be more moments like this if they made it out, but they needed to succeed first.

“Glad to see neither of you are dead,” Ghosty said, grinning.

Rae laughed, “No murder here, just had a few things to clear up.”

“Speaking of,” Ocie said, leaning forward as Jamie tied off the end of the braid, “We were talking about the plan to get Ghosty and Jamie out. We figured it would be best to get them both out before the festivities start, but none of us know the castle very well. There wouldn’t happen to be a secret tunnel down here, would there?”

He shook his head, “If it was that easy we’d have left by now. There is an entrance in the cellars they usually use to store things like ink and paper though, and it’s a lot less busy than other parts of the castle, especially when everyone is focused on the festivities.”

“Do you know where it leads?” Will asked, leaning forward.

“Unfortunately, no,” Rae replied, “I’ve never had the chance to explore it, because I was worried about someone finding out, but I know it goes outside of the castle walls. I probably have a spell that could get a more narrowed answer without any of us having to check ourselves.”

Ocie and Will exchanged a look, though it didn’t seem like a bad thing. Will looked like he was about to start speaking again, when his eyes suddenly drifted towards Rae's desk, landing on the jewelry box he’d half forgotten was there, “Ocie, is that your box?” He asked, standing and moving towards it.

Ocie stood as well, a frown forming on her face as she went to join Will. Her jaw dropped as she spotted the box that Rae had thought was in a very obvious spot but apparently wasn’t, “Son of a bitch! How the fuck did this get here?” She said, looking up towards Rae.

“A patrol found it and brought it in,” he explained with a shrug, “Anything that has runes on it typically ends up with me if the guards can’t figure it out. Why was your box just randomly in the woods?”

“Well, in my defence, I thought I hid it alright. And for your information, there were some things I decided I probably shouldn’t bring into the heart of the End kingdom, though they’ve ended up here anyways,” She grumbled, staring down at the box.

Rae watched as she crouched by the box, muttering something he couldn't make out before the lid popped open. She reached inside, shuffling things around and grabbing what looked like a bracelet before letting the lid fall shut. She looked back towards Rae, “You’re not going to be mad if I take this, right? I mean, it is sort of my stuff, but still.”

He shook his head, laughing slightly, “No, go ahead. Like you said, it’s yours.” He paused, remembering something he’d been meaning to do for a while. He walked off towards the shelves wordlessly, scouring the shelves and ignoring the questioning mumbles from the other before finally finding the right box.

Pulling it down from the shelf, he double checked that it was the right box before walking back out into the main section of the room. The others were watching him curiously as he approached Ghosty, holding the box out to him, “I’ve been meaning to give this back to you for a while. I hope you don’t mind that it took so long.”

Ghosty raised an eyebrow at him, but quickly turned his attention back to the box, slipping the lid off. The second he saw what was inside he laughed, pulling out the artifact that had started his stay outside of the cell. Ocie and Will seemed to recognize it, though they both looked more exasperated than excited at the sight of it.

“I’m going to be honest, I forgot you had this,” Ghosty said, looking Rae in the eye. He set down the box on the desk, quickly looping the artifact over his neck by its thin chain and letting it fall against his chest.

Rae smiled back at him, sparing a glance towards Ocie, “Of course, I figured you’d want it back, especially considering you said it was borrowed.”

At that Ghosty seemed to remember that he’d mentioned the artifact was in fact not his and he blushed, ducking to avoid making eye contact with Rae, or Ocie, who was staring at him now with her arms crossed.

“Fucking dumbass,” Ocie muttered, which made Rae laugh as Ghosty’s blush only deepened.

“Well,” Ghosty started, “Now I definitely owe you. I don’t think Sherbert would be very happy if I’d come back without this.”

“Ghosty!” Ocie yelled.

“What! Oh come on they all know Sherberts name, they’re the fucking prince!” Ghosty replied, looking offended.

Will laughed at his friends, turning to Rae, “To be fair, my father could have easily made another, but he would have been more annoyed that the End had gotten hold of one than the fact that it had been lost.”

“That wouldn’t have been an issue,” Rae replied, “I actually never made an official note on that one, so no one but me knows it exists, and well, Jamie and Centross, but that’s beside the point. The End would in fact have not known about its existence in any scenario where it ended up here. I’m not trying to leave them with ideas when I finally get away from them.”

Will watched him as he spoke, an almost silent air of approval coming off of him in a way that was hard but not impossible to judge due to his mask. He looked over towards Centross, nodding to him when he caught his eye, “I don’t think we’ve actually properly met. Lord Will, or Will. It’s nice to meet you.”

Centross nodded back politely, “Sir Centross Mistvale, but call me Centross. I’m glad to have more people on our side of things.”

“Mistvale? I think I’ve heard the name. Your family sponsored the Queen when she was beginning her take over, correct?” Will asked, a sudden guardedness to his pose.

Centross scowled, but nodded, “My parents are extremely loyal to the crown,” He said, emphasizing parents as he spoke.

Will nodded, “And you?”

Centross watched him, his gaze flicking to Rae briefly before turning back to Will, “Maybe once, but now? The crown can crash and burn for all I care.”

The two of them continued to talk, and Rae slowly moved out of the way, not wanting to talk about anything political for the time being. With Ghosty and Ocie still occupied with the bracelet and artifact, he made his way over to Jamie, who hadn’t moved from their spot on the floor. Rae sighed, sitting down next to them and smiling as they immediately leaned their head on his shoulder.

“How are you doing right now?” He asked, keeping his voice low.

“I’m alright,” They responded, “It doesn’t feel real though.”

Rae frowned, “Which part?”

“The fact that we might actually leave.”

Rae laughed, “Yeah, it does feel weird doesn’t it? Four years and you’ll finally get out of this place.”

Jamie nodded, not moving their head from his shoulder, “I hope I can find my family again. Are you going to look for yours?”

He paused, realizing he didn’t really have an answer for that. He had dreamed of a life ‘after’ of course, but he’d never put a lot of serious thought into it, because in his head despite all the progress they made it was always just a wish, and not the slowly solidifying future that it was now. 

Of course, he wanted to see his family. He wanted the parents and brother he knew existed despite not knowing their faces. But he had nowhere to start. He had no names, no faces, and not the slightest clue where they had lived. He didn’t even know if they were alive. And even if they were, were they looking for him? Did they miss him as much as he missed them? Did they even remember that he existed?

Rae sighed, leaning his head on top of Jamie’s, “I don’t know,” He said truthfully, “Maybe someday. For now I have you though, and Centross, and once we find your family. Maybe I can focus on finding mine. But that all seems so far away.”

“It seems less far than it has for most of the time I’ve been here. But don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll all work out. If anyone deserves a happy ending here it’s you.” They replied, a yawn escaping despite them trying to hide it.

Rae smiled softly, “You can go to your room, you know. I only called you out here because you asked, you don’t have to stay.”

Jamie hummed, “I know, but Ocie and Will are nice and I didn’t want to be rude. It is a little boring though.”

“I get that,” Rae replied with a laugh, “Here, why don’t you go, and I’ll tell anyone who asks. We probably won’t talk too much more tonight, and if anything important comes up I’ll tell you tomorrow, yeah?”

They nodded again, using the desk to support them as they stood up. Rae followed suit, giving them a quick hug before watching them disappear down the hallway and into their room. He turned back towards the others, trying to get his mind back on the topic at hand and not Jamie’s words. It was incredible how just a few words could affect him so much, and yet he pushed them down, because if he wanted any chance of them coming true they needed to plan.

Chapter Text

Rae tried not to squirm as a seamstress wove around him, sticking pins in the fabric and marking spots she’d have to alter. He was thankful for the work she and many of the others did, and he was excited to see the end result, but he really didn’t like this part. At least they were careful not to stab him.

The seamstress hummed, a concentrated look on her face and a pin between her lips as she adjusted the loosely sewn jacket she’d draped over him, “How does the tightness feel? It should be stiff but not unbearable.”

He took a deep breath, trying to test it without letting loose any of her hard work. “It seems alright,” He replied.

She hummed, nodding briefly before reaching for another section of fabric and sticking a pin through it. “I must say, this colour doesn’t match your complexion very well. I know you said your suit for the ball had to have the kingdom’s colours in it via the Queen’s requests, but surely we could do better than this?” She tutted.

Rae laughed, still trying to be aware of his movements and limit them. It had surprised him the first few times she’d spoken up while he’d been in the seamstress’ area getting fitted, but now it was a welcome distraction. He knew he could go to any of the seamstresses, all of them did fantastic work and he made sure they knew it whenever he could, but he’d found a favourite in the one in front of him, particularly for her interest in letting him have a say in what he wore.

She was staring at a pile of fabrics on the table next to her, grabbing a couple swatches in some darker shades and holding them up towards him. “See, something like this would look much better. Makes your eyes pop. Do you think we could get away with it if I used this as the base with that horridly bright purple as a trim?”

Rae looked at the fabric she was motioning to, finding himself fascinated by the almost star-like pattern in it. It was more subtle than the inner lining of the cloak he usually wore, which was layered in constellations, but it held a resemblance. “I think that would be reasonable,” he said with a nod, “I’ll have the crest as well, so it should be enough to satisfy her.”

The seamstress grinned, nodding as she moved to set the fabric back on the table, then began carefully removing the pieces she’d draped over him. She made a few marks on the fabric before unpinning it, her gaze calculating as she laid them on another table. “Hmmm, I’ll have to rework the pattern a little, but I should be ready for you to return for another fitting in a few days, if that’s alright with you?”

He didn’t think he had anything that would stop him from returning, so he nodded, “That’s perfect, as long as it’s not too soon for you.”

She waved him off, “Not at all. The others are able to cover the other guests who need it, so my focus is on your outfits. Speaking of, Lorein was working on a cape for you at my request, so if you don’t mind stopping by her station on your way out I’m sure she’d love your approval.”

He looked where she was pointing, spotting the woman in question in her own little space off of the main area. He turned back to his seamstress with a smile, “Of course. And thank you for all of your work, I’m really excited to see what you come up with.”

She laughed, “You flatter me, Sire. It’s always a pleasure to work with you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get to work.”

“Of course, I’ll see you soon,” He replied, smiling as he left her station, grabbing his thick cape from where he’d lain in over a chair. A few of the other seamstresses nodded to him as he passed, but most of them stayed focused on their work. He made it to the station his seamstress had pointed to easily, making sure to draw attention to himself so the woman inside didn’t startle and stab herself by accident (he’d made that mistake once, and proceeded to apologize until she threatened to dress him in the brightest purple she could find).

The seamstress, or Lorein as his seamstress — he really needed to get a name out of her, she always just brushed him off — had said, smiled up at him as he approached, dropping into a quick curtsy. His disdain must have shown on his face because she was holding back a laugh and she stood.

“Ah, my apologies, Mira has mentioned you’re not a fan of the curtsies,” She said. 

He nodded apologetically, making note of the name to try and see if he could match it to his seamstress later, “I was told you had a cape to show me?”

She nodded, reaching towards a shelf at the back of her space and pulling out something akin to the fabric his seamstress had just shown him, and he had to wonder briefly when all the seamstresses had found out he liked the stars so much. She handed it to him, taking his other one from him, and he let it fall open, marveling as the seemingly thin fabric twirled and sparkled in the light.

Just looking at it, he had to wonder when he would ever find use for it. It seemed way too thin for the End’s typical climate, even indoors. The fabric was a deep bluish purple, with silver stars embroidered across the entirety, and he could tell it was hand done because he quickly spotted the constellations, his favourites among them, somehow.

He looked up at the seamstress in awe, and she let out a small laugh at his expression. “Try it on,” She urged, “It’s warmer than it looks.”

He complied, swinging it over his shoulders and almost melting at the comforting warmth that came as soon as it was on. It wasn’t overbearing, but it was certainly warmer than he thought it should have been, given how thin and sheer it looked. “Is this enchanted?” He asked, though he wasn’t entirely sure how it would be.

To his surprise, the seamstress nodded, looking rather proud of herself, “Yes actually. I asked your assistant for help with it. They helped me find the runes I wanted and I embroidered them along the seams. I don’t think it’ll set on fire, but please feel free to check my work, just in case.”

Jamie, of course, he’d have to thank them later. He quickly picked up the edge of the cape, running his thumb along the embroidery, his smile only growing bigger and he found a set of the runes. A quick check confirmed that they did pretty much exactly what she’d said they did, doubled with the intent she no doubt put in subconsciously as she sewed them. It almost made him wish he’d thought of it sooner.

“This is… oh gods this is going to sound so nerdy, but this is incredible, not even just from a design standpoint, but from a magical one too.” he said, trying to find the right words to express how excited he was over the prospect of what she’d done, but finding it very hard, so instead, he settled for just smiling, “Thank you, this is incredible.”

The seamstress beamed, a blush creeping across her cheeks, “It’s nothing, really. Consider it a thank you from all of us for being one of the nicer people we’ve had to work with over the years. And, I hope it brings you comfort, wherever you end up.” She added, an almost knowing lilt to her words that Rae chose not to focus on.

He thanked her again, taking off the cloak and folding it. He took his larger cloak from her, slipping it over his shoulders and then tucking the new one in one of the pockets sewn into the inner side of his larger one. He would wear the new one, or both, but he figured he should try and keep the new one pristine for the festivities, and both felt like it might get a little too warm.

Just as he was saying goodbye, preparing to leave the seamstress' space, he caught a glimpse of growingly familiar golden hair farther down the hall. He gave one last smile to the seamstress before making his way over, finally spotting Ocie chatting with another worker. As he got closer, he could see the mannequin they were standing by, the beginnings of a gorgeous dress draped across it.

The worker noticed him first, giving him a respectful nod. Ocie turned, smiling once she noticed it was him, “Sir Morningstar! Are you also here for a fitting?” She asked, thankfully remembering his title. They hadn’t spoken in many public spaces, and he’d been slightly worried himself of falling out of the habit of using them when necessary.

He shook his head, “Just finished actually. I was about to leave when I saw you and thought I’d come say hello. Is this your dress for the ball?” He asked, motioning towards the mannequin.

Ocie nodded, absolutely beaming as she looked towards the work in progress, “Yes, isn’t it stunning? I was just telling them how amazed I am by all of the work I’ve seen down here.” She motioned towards the worker as she spoke, who smiled at the praise.

Rae grinned, glad to see someone else appreciating the work he’d long adored, “It’s incredible isn’t it? I don’t think anyone here gets enough credit for how stunning it all is.”

To his surprise, the worker spoke up, “Have you spoken to Lorein today, Sire? I know she was working on a piece for you.”

“Yes actually, I just came from her,” Rae replied, his smile growing even wider as he turned to Ocie, “Are you almost done here? I wouldn’t mind the company if you were interested in walking back through the castle with me, though I need to make a stop for more paper.” He hoped that she got the message in his words, though he knew they’d have other chances if today didn’t work.

Luckily, she seemed to catch on, giving him a small nod, “I would love to. I think we were all done here, right?” She asked, turning to the worker. The worker nodded, giving them both a quick more polite nod each before moving deeper into their station. Ocie turned back to Rae with a grin, motioning towards the exit, “Shall we?”

He nodded, making his way past her and winding his way through the various tables and shelves before finding the exit, Ocie right behind him. Rae offered her his arm as they left, which she took, leaning in towards him slightly, “I assume you don’t actually need paper?”

Rae laughed, “Well, since we’re going anyways, I might as well restock. But no, that was not my main goal.”

He just caught Ocie’s eye roll out of the corner of his eye, though the grin that accompanied it was all he needed as he began leading them through the halls. 

They made idle conversation as they walked, partly about the festivities to come, and the more fun parts of them like the clothing and the food and the people, and not the looming deadline hanging overhead, at least in Rae’s case. As they went he also made sure to point out a few key locations, in hopes that it would help Ocie find her way back here if needed.

At last they reached the small door that led to many of the smaller storage rooms. They paused, Ocie’s hand dropping from his arm as he pushed the door open, holding it behind him until he felt her take it. The stairs down were shorter than the ones leading to his study, and in moments they were in a dimly lit hall with doors lining both walls.

Rae moved along the right wall, counting down a few doors before reaching for one, pushing it open to reveal an equally dimly lit room lined with shelves of paper and parchment in all sizes and a few different colours. He frowned at the sconces, glancing behind him to make sure Ocie wasn’t too close before casting a quick spell, causing the sconces’ glow to intensify, ridding the room of shadows.

He felt Ocie jump behind him, and he couldn’t help the small smile that formed. He turned to her, trying and failing to hide his grin at her rapid blinking, trying to adjust to the sudden light, “These rooms are always so dark, I hope you don’t mind the adjustment.”

“Yep, great, fantastic. Bit of a warning next time, please?” She replied, her eyes finally adjusting as she fixed a glare in his direction, “So where’s the tunnel?”

Rae turned, trying to orient himself in the room from the last time he’d been down here. Mostly it was Jamie that came to resupply their materials, so it had been about 4 years since he’d been down here consistently, and even longer since he first noticed the tunnel. Still, even through his cloak he could feel the slight draft drifting from one of the back corners, and he moved towards it, Ocie trailing after him curiously.

Despite the shelves lining the walls, flush against the stone and each other, there was one here that was pushed out ever so slightly from the others, to the point where you probably wouldn’t notice it if you weren’t looking for it. Rae stopped in front of it, turning back to Ocie, “How strong would you say you are?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “Pretty string, why?” He motioned to the shelf in front of them, and her face fell, “You’re kidding. It’s not actually behind here, is it?”

Rae shrugged, “There’s no empty spot along the walls, and this one is sticking out. Plus, there’s a breeze coming from behind it.”

“How can you even tell that?” She asked, “This whole place is freezing, how does a breeze make a difference?”

“I’m fairly used to the normal level of cold around here,” Rae replied, then smirked, “Also, some of the pages are fluttering.”

Ocie turned back towards the shelves, watching as some of the pages did just that, the edges of them lifting up briefly before settling again. “Fair point.”

Rae laughed, turning back to the shelf himself. He stepped towards it, trying to see if there was any sliver of a gap between the shelf and the one next to it, or anything else that indicated that this shelf was moved often. He knew the tunnels were fairly abandoned, or used primarily by staff members, but there would be good and bad reasons to keep one that led out of the castle in easy access, especially in such an unguarded place.

“I don’t think it’s on a hinge,” He said disappointedly, stepping back, “I think we’re going to just have to try and pull it out ourselves.”

Ocie frowned, “Why can’t we just use the breeze to get it to move?” Rae stared at her, trying to figure out what she had just suggested, and when he failed to answer she turned to him, her expression quickly morphing to one of disbelief, “Oh come on, please tell me you know how to control the breeze to move stuff. Aren’t you like, the magic person here?”

“Well, yes, but I focus mainly on End magic, since, you know, we’re in the End. I’m very limited on what I know about other magic and it’s mostly based on artifacts. I certainly haven’t found an artifact that can control the wind!” He countered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ocie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose briefly before motioning for Rae to move over. He complied, and watched as she cast a spell with practiced ease, followed by the shelf lifting slightly off the floor and hovering until it dropped gently in front of the shelf next to it.

Rae stared at it, nodding slowly, “I just remembered you’re from the East Islands. This makes sense now.” Of course it made sense that someone from a kingdom made entirely of islands that relied on boats for travel and trade would know magic involving the weather. And given the fact she was apparently the ruler —  a fact he kept forgetting — it made even more sense for her to know it.

Ocie laughed, “Remind me to tell you about my home when we get out of here.”

“Will do,” Rae nodded, already very interested to hear what she had to say, “Could you watch the door for me? I want to try the spell I mentioned and it’s going to take all of my focus.” She nodded, and he waited until she rounded the corner before pulling out his notebook. He quickly flipped to the right page, pausing for a moment before propping it up on the shelf to the left of the newly made gap.

The metal grate covering the tunnel wasn’t huge, definitely big enough to get through if you ducked but maybe only a meter or so in either direction. The holes in it were fairly wide though, and he figured when the time came he could probably pop it off with magic, so he didn’t bother taking it off just yet.

Instead, he looked towards his book, reading back the spell. It was one that he’d seen a visitor to court cast a few times, and while they’d helped him write down the runes for it, he’d never had the chance to test it, especially in a circumstance like this. He took one last deep breath, steadying himself, then slowly carved the runes into the air in front of him.

A small floating blue light appeared in front of him, and he grinned. It seemed to just bob in the air, so Rae quickly cast the next part of the spell, closing his eyes, where instead of seeing dark, he now saw a somewhat blurry version of him. He saw himself smile as he realized it worked, that he was seeing through the creature he’d summoned.

He knew his time was limited though, so he quickly made the creature float towards the grate, slipping through a hole and racing down the tunnel. For the most part, it was dark, with no signs that anyone had been through there in a long time. Then, there was light, a literal light at the end of the tunnel, and he shot towards it, watching as the small creature burst out into the open.

He shivered almost instinctively, even though as far as he knew the creature was unaffected by the cold, and he certainly couldn’t feel it through them. He looked around, thankfully recognizing one of the smaller roads that was often used for deliveries looming over the small valley the entrance was in. It was on a more secluded side of the castle, close to the lake that bordered one edge, and just away enough from the more populated areas that it would be a perfect meeting spot for Jamie and Ghosty to reconnect with Will and Ocie.

His control over the creature was lessening the longer he went, so he took note of a few more things, including the grate covering this side of the tunnel, and then let go, letting the creature fade as he opened his eyes back in the storage room. He took a moment to gather himself, grabbing his book off the shelf and tucking it back in his pocket before walking the short distance around the corner until he saw Ocie again.

She turned to him from where she was leaning against a shelf, “Did you do it?”

Rae nodded, “I think this is going to work perfectly. The exit is on the north side of the castle by the lake. I’ll have to draw up a map or something later, but for now, mind helping me get the shelf back in place?”

Ocie hummed, standing and following him back around the corner. With a quick wave her magic activated and the shelf was soon back in place, with nothing to indicate that it had been moved recently. Together, they made their way back out of the room, Rae pausing in the doorway long enough to extinguish his spell, letting the room fall into shadows behind them as the door swung shut.

Chapter Text

Rae sighed as the door down to his study closed behind him. He was glad to have finally checked out the tunnel properly with Ocie, it helped solidify that they had a way to get Jamie and Ghosty out, and maybe even he and Centross if needed later on. They’d also discussed Will and Ocie’s plans regarding the Winter festivities, and he’d found out that they were planning on going to one of the festivals in town for the first day.

While he was sad they wouldn’t be at the one in the castle, he also knew it would make more sense for them to be in the town for a few days leading up to it too, since they planned to get Ghosty and Jamie out the day before all the celebrations started. It did mean he’d have to try and find a time for them to come back down to the study to finalize the plan, but hopefully that wouldn’t be too hard.

He rounded the final corner of the stairs, stepping out into the study. As he walked towards his desk, Ghosty emerged from the hall, smiling at him when he looked up. “Hey, how was the fitting?”

Rae grinned, “Really good. They always do such amazing work. One of them also surprised me with something Jamie apparently helped them with.”

Ghosty raised an eyebrow at him, and he took that as a chance to pull the very tightly folded cape out of his pocket. It did make him glad for the past version of him that decided his cloak needed two giant pockets sewn into it. He let the cape unfold, holding it up for Ghosty to see.

“Wow, that’s really pretty,” Ghosty commented, walking forward to gently grab part of it, admiring the embroidery.

“It is, isn’t it?” Rae replied, taking the chance to admire it again himself. It was even prettier in the slightly lower light of the study, the flickering of the eternal candle light causing the shimmer of the fabric to really show. “It’s also enchanted to be warm, so it’ll act like my cloak despite how thin it looks.”

Ghosty hummed, “I’m guessing that’s where Jamie helped?”

Rae nodded, lifting one of the sections of embroidered runes and showing it to him, “It’s really impressive, actually. It makes sense, but I don’t think I've really seen it attempted, since there were already methods of making warm clothing for the climate, but it makes so much sense for dressier clothing like this. Past balls would have been way less miserable with this sort of thing.”

Ghosty laughed, meeting Rae’s eyes in a way that made his heart skip, “I don’t envy you for this weather. I snagged this jacket in a small town almost as soon as we reached the snow, and I’ve still been freezing. Will is more used to the cold since they get a lot of cold winds off the coast, and he kept making fun of me and Ocie whenever we were shivering.”

Laughing, Rae remembered the second half of what he’d done since leaving the study, “Speaking of which, I ran into Ocie after my fitting. We managed to check out the tunnel I mentioned, and I think it’s going to work.”

“Oh neat. So you know where it leads?” Ghosty asked, helping him fold up the cape. 

Rae tucked it back into the pocket of his cloak, pulling out his notebook from the other one and flipping it open to the page he’d doodled while walking with Ocie, “It opens on the north side of the castle, by the lake. The only entrance nearby is one used for deliveries, and no one should be coming in or out of it during the festivities, so it should be fairly easy for you two to sneak out through it.”

Ghosty nodded, looking at the hastily sketched drawing of the castle. “Oh I know that entrance. That’s how I got in.”

Rae turned to him, “Is that how you did it? I’ve been wondering. Was it really that easy to just slip in with a delivery?”

The way Ghosty’s expression instantly turned to one of guilt was almost laughable, and Rae just turned to him with a dead set expression, “What did you do?”

“So, I, may have, uh, knocked out one of the travellers while they were staying in town, and you know, some of them wear big masks up over their faces to help with the cold, and I had an artifact that could change my voice, so…” He trailed off, but Rae got the point.

Rae sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Ok, good to know. That actually reminds me of another question I’ve been meaning to ask. If Ocie and Will were going to come in as diplomats anyways, why did you sneak in, and were you trying to get caught??”

“Do you want the answer you want to hear, or the truth?” Ghosty asked.

“Truth,” Rae replied, already regretting asking.

“Well, the original plan was for me to act as their servant, but then the Queen sent them a letter while they were in town saying only they would be allowed in, and all servants would be of the End, so that was a no go. Technically, I was supposed to just stay in town, but it was also my mission, so I figured if I snuck into the castle and just met up with them, it would be fine? As for getting caught, if it was anyone but her , I would have been fine. I didn’t even know she was there until her illusion fell and suddenly I was surrounded.” Ghosty explained.

Rae sighed. He knew about the Queen’s preference to have her own people serve foreign powers, for almost this exact reason. It also made him feel a bit better that Ghosty had, in fact, not been trying to get caught, because that would have been truly idiotic. “Well, that’s better than I expected, but now you’ve got me thinking about other things.”

“Like what?” Ghosty asked.

“Like what was your mission in the first place?” Rae responded, beginning to pace slowly back and forth, “Obviously there are a lot of options, but why the need to have Ocie and Will be so formal and not just sneak in as servants? And you mentioned it was your mission, so it has to have been from the Overworld and King Fable, but also I would have thought that I would have caught onto it a bit or been asked about things relating to it because of how much time I’ve spent with all three of you, but I have nothing.”

Ghosty was silent, his face growing serious as Rae spoke. He was playing with the hem of his jacket with one hand, working it between his fingers. “I… can’t tell you everything,” He started, meeting Rae’s eyes with his brows furrowed, “But… ok, well, have you ever heard of the story of the Lost Prince of the Overworld?”

Rae frowned, but nodded, “Yes, it comes up a lot at official events because nobles love to gossip. Why?”

Ghosty sighed, reaching up to tug at the white strand of his hair nervously, “Well, it’s been rumoured that the Queen and King know who took him, but have been unable to get him back so far. But, given that that’s the mission the King sent us on, and we’re here, I’m sure you can guess.”

“So… you came to see if you could, what, find him?” Rae asked, his heart beating faster.

“Pretty much,” Ghosty nodded, “Though it’s been no use. Not a single person here has heard anything about him. I know it’s hard, given Enderian did a number on what people remember about him in the first place, but we were expecting anything, even just gossip.”

Rae hummed, stopping his pacing in front of his desk, his face turned away from Ghosty. “I’m surprised there’s no gossip, especially if they’re sure he’s here.”

Ghosty laughed, but in the way that it was more of a drawn out scoff than anything, “Right? I don’t suppose you know anything, do you? From what I know he would have gotten here about 4 years before you did, and I think he’s a few years younger too.”

He shook his head, though his mind was racing. He knew there was no one else in court who was younger than him, and he knew the Queen, and not to mention Perix, had a million side projects they were always working on. But he’d been to Perix’s lab, and the Queen’s personal cells; if there was anyone of importance there, he’d know. Especially a prince.

“I can’t say I have. I’m not very involved with the court, and I may be the Queen’s ward but-”

“You’re the Queen’s ward?” Ghosty cut him off, his eyes going wide, “I didn’t know she had a ward.”

Rae frowned, “Uh, yeah. Sometime during the war I either got separated from my parents or they died, and I ended up with her. I think she said it was a small village along the northern coasts of the Overworld, and the only reason I wasn’t killed was because my mark matched hers. Now, obviously, I’m here for other reasons, but that was the initial reason.”

Ghosty was looking at him oddly, but nodded regardless. He stayed silent, though Rae could tell from the look on his face he was deep in thought. “We should get Ocie and Will back here. We need to talk about the plan more, especially since you and ocie were able to actually check out the tunnel.”

Rae blinked, briefly thrown off by the change in topic, “Of course, I already talked to Ocie and they’ll be here tomorrow late afternoon. I don’t know if Centross can make it, but you know he’s always around so that part’s fine.”

“Yeah, he is here a lot. Doesn’t he have his own room with the rest of the guards?” Ghosty asked, chuckling a little at the question.

Rae laughed, glad the conversation was turning to a more positive note. It wasn’t entirely surprising that he got to make fun of his friend as part of it, but it was new that he wasn’t here for it. “He does, but he doesn’t like many of the other guards. He has a few he’s friendly enough with that they help him get through the long campaigns the Queen sends him on, but he’s also anti-social enough that he prefers to avoid almost everyone when he can.”

“Centross? Not liking people? I never would have guessed,” Ghosty replied, faking surprise that quickly split into a grin. Rae rolled his eyes. He’d had to watch as Centross basically refused to acknowledge Ghosty while he was staying in the cell, and it was only because Centross recognized Ghosty was likely going to be able to help them get out that he gave in and actually started talking to him.

Centross still occasionally grumbled about Ghosty being “too much people,” but Rae could tell they were becoming closer. It was nice to see Centross starting to trust more people. And if he was being honest with himself, Rae thought it was nice that he himself was able to trust more people.

All the conversations with Will and Ocie and even Ghosty may have been just that, conversations, but it was the way they all looked at him like they were equals, like he was a person and a friend, someone to be cared for and not just someone who held information that may be useful to them. The Queen used to look at him like that, back before it all. But now that sort of look was reserved for Jamie and Centross, and recently, the other three. It was nice.

"Yeah, surprisingly, Jamie is the social one of our little group,” Rae laughed.

Ghosty grinned, “Ours is Ocie. Maybe that comes with being raised doing it, but she likes people. I’m alright when I need to be, but Will tends to stick to himself.”

Rae nodded, having had similar thoughts about them already based on the short amount of time he’d known them. “There always seems to be at least one, right?” He said, smiling softly.

“Definitely, but Ocie seems to come from a family of them, I swear,” Ghosty replied, shaking his head half heartedly, “Her sister is one of my best friends, and I swear she knows everyone. She’s mentioned her youngest is like that too, but I never got to meet them, her oldest is more around where we are; social but not overly so.”

Rae frowned, “Is that the friend you said made your bag? I didn’t realize she had kids.”

Ghosty looked at him oddly, but nodded, “I can’t believe you remembered the bag, your memory must be pretty good. Uh, magic interference aside,” He finished, panicking slightly at the implications of his words.

Laughing, Rae just waved him off, “My memory is definitely above average, normally.”

Ghosty’s shoulders untensed, dropping back down as a small laugh escaped him, “Anyways, yeah she has two kids that she adopted. She was travelling when magic hit and ended up settling down to try and take care of them after she found them. I think the End raided the village she was staying in though, and one of her kids got separated from her. She’s been trying to find them for years.”

Realization hit him, and he had to wonder for a moment how well the stars must have aligned for something like this to have happened. He looked at Ghosty, studying his face for a moment before setting off towards the hall, specifically Jamie’s room. He knocked on the door, smiling at them as they opened the door, “Hi, sorry to bug you. What’s your mom’s name again?”

They raised an eyebrow at him, “Strawberri, but me and Easton always called her Momboo, why?”

“Just couldn’t think of it and it was bugging me, thanks,” Rae replied, waving before walking back out towards a very confused looking Ghosty. He stopped in front of him, doing a quick check over his shoulder to make sure Jamie had closed their door again, “Your friend’s name wouldn’t happen to be Strawberri, would it?”

Ghosty gaped at him, “Uh, yeah, how did you know? And why did you go talk to Jamie?”

For someone clearly smart enough to be trusted with higher level missions, Ghosty sure was clueless sometimes, “Because that’s Jamie’s mom’s name. You know, the mom we keep talking about trying to find for them once we get out?”

He frowned, looking like he was going to say something else and then stopping as his eyes went wide, “Oh, so Jamie is… oh yeah that makes sense. You know I was gonna say I can see the resemblance but then I remembered they’re adopted. They do both seem to like flowers a lot. I know Jamie mentioned their favourite flower is a pink tulip, which is kind of her signature flower too. But wow, Jamie is her kid. ”

Rae couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, “It certainly sounds like it. You mentioned your friend is Ocie’s sister right? So that also makes Ocie Jamie’s aunt?”

“Huh. I guess it does,” Ghosty replied, “Should we tell them?”

“We could, but I think if we’re going to, we should do it at the same time. I know Jamie’s been really missing their family, and even if they never met Ocie before getting brought here, they’d probably like to know at a time when they can actually talk to her.” Rae replied, leaning against his desk and crossing his arms over his chest.

There was a slight tug in his chest, and he hated it, but he was a little jealous. He always knew Jamie was going to find their family, no matter what, and he’d promised to help, but they’d had a starting point, they knew their names. And even with that, a family member had found them first, even if neither of them knew it. He still had no clue where to start with his.

Shoving the feeling down, he turned his attention back to Ghosty, who was nodding along to what he had just said, “I think Ocie would be the same. Not that it would be all that safe to tell her anywhere else, but if she can’t immediately talk to Jamie she might explode.”

Rae laughed, “Adopted or not, there is a bit of a family resemblance.”

The conversation shifted, moving back to future plans as well as a few odd stories Ghosty thought of to tell him about his friend. It was comforting, almost, to get to hear about the woman Jamie wanted to reconnect with. And the way Ghosty described her, it only made Rae hope that maybe, even if he couldn’t find his own, maybe he could have a place in the little makeshift family they seemed to already have.

Chapter Text

Rae sat at his desk, looking over some notes he’d taken on a few different artifacts. A request had been sent to him that morning by the captain of the guard, asking for help with a small issue they were having. So, wanting to keep his cover, he’d dug out one of the many notebooks he had and started flipping through it, hoping he’d come across something useful by the time everyone was gathering to talk about their plan.

He’d made a log of all the work he had to do before the festival, and a few things he knew he should make it look like he’d started for after. He wanted it to look like he ran, but just in case something went wrong he didn’t want to get behind on the work too much, or, of course, give the Queen reason to think he was planning to run if it wasn’t successful.

The thought of what she would do if she knew made a shiver run up his spine, and he thought back to his first years in the castle. The Queen had started off, well, he wouldn’t necessarily say kind, but she at least acted like she cared. When it was clear he wasn’t going to just do what she wanted, she’d tried to resort to her usual methods of dealing with rogue soldiers and the likes. It hadn’t worked. But he sometimes wished it had.

He’d learned a lot over the first four years in her care. Mostly, what made her mad, and how to tell when she was. How to make himself invisible in a room, to not draw unwanted attention to himself when she was discussing things, especially when Perix came and he could tell her news wasn’t pleasant. She may not have been able to control him, but that didn’t mean he went unaffected. She was known as one of the strongest magic users for a reason, after all.

The sound of a door opening stirred him from his thoughts, and he looked up, finding Ghosty emerging from his room with a book he’d lent him tucked under his arm. Ghosty grinned at him as he made his way down the hallway, pausing in the middle of the room, “Mind if I sit out here and read? My room’s a little too quiet.” 

“Go ahead, I’m just finishing something for the Captain. Will and Ocie should be here soon,” He replied, his thoughts still lingering on their previous topic. Ghosty frowned, but didn’t comment. He looked around the room, then moved towards the closest shelf, sitting on the floor and leaning against it, flipping his book open to a bookmarked page.

Rae turned back to his work, scanning a few more pages before finally finding something he thought might work for the problem he’d been presented with. He pulled out a separate piece of paper, copying out the bare minimum amount of information about it that would be needed to use it. He noted which shelf it was on, pushing back his chair and walking towards the shelves.

As he walked, he couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped him. He was going to miss how many things he had here when they left. It would be impossible to bring even a fraction of it all with them, but he’d have to look through and pick out some he thought would be helpful for their journeys. His notebooks were a no-brainer, and he could do a lot of the basic magic bits himself, like lighting a fire, but it would help to have a little assistance in that area on occasion.

He found the shelf fairly quickly, pulling out the small broach that matched the doodle he’d done next to the log. A large percentage of the artifacts they gathered were some form of jewelry or another. He’d heard a few guesses that the metal was more susceptible to magic when it hit, but personally he just thought that magic was attracted to shiny things.

It certainly seemed to like more important people, since many of the stronger magic users were already in positions of power before they got their magic, but maybe that was simply his own musings. He sat back down at his desk, rummaging through one of his drawers and pulling out a small envelope. He folded up the new page he’d copied, tucking it inside along with the broach and then sealing it. He’d have Jamie deliver it tomorrow, or maybe he’d use it as an excuse to walk around a bit and do it himself.

His attention was drawn over to Ghosty, who was shifting awkwardly against the shelf as he read. He looked like he was trying to hide his discomfort, though Rae knew from his own experiences that those shelves were not comfortable to lean against for more than a minute or two.

“If we were staying longer I’d try and get more furniture down here, I’ve never felt my lack of chairs more than I have in the last few weeks,” He said, laughing a little. 

Ghosty turned to him, setting his bookmark back in the book and laughing a bit himself. “You don’t say? I mean, this shelf makes a perfect back rest.”

Rae rolled his eyes, “You could have sat against the wall you know.” He motioned to the wall opposite of where Ghosty sat, most of which was occupied by the cell, but the window was high enough it wouldn’t have interfered at all.

“Yeah, but the rug doesn’t go all the way to the wall and it’s too cold to sit on the stone,” Ghosty argued. He’d fully given up on his book now, closing it and setting it on the ground next to him. Despite this, he didn’t move from his spot, not even leaning away from the shelf, like he was determined to prove his point.

“Do you at least want a pillow of something then?” Rae asked, slightly exasperated.

Ghosty shook his head, “Nope, I’m good. It’s not like I’ll be here much longer anyways. You said Ocie and Will were coming soon, yeah?”

Rae looked up towards the clock, about to respond when the chime went off, same as last time, letting them know their fr- the others had arrived. Rae shut off the chimes, standing from his desk and helping Ghosty to his feet before turning the corner of the shelves and waiting for them to appear at the bottom of the stairs.

They appeared a moment later, Ocie looking annoyed and ever so slightly out of breath upon reaching the bottom and stepping out to make room for Will behind her. She met Rae’s eye across the space, making her way towards him and Ghosty with a small huff, “I swear I’m fairly fit, but those stairs are a bitch.”

Rae laughed, “Good thing you won’t have to use them much more.”

“Not the only thing I’ll be glad to be done with,” She replied, and if Rae hadn’t known what it was like to spend a long period of time in the castle he may have questioned that more, but he knew more than enough about what she meant.

“Ghosty and I were just talking about my lack of chairs, so I was thinking of grabbing mine from my room really quick,” Rae said, not really sure how else to transition the conversation.

“Oh I’ll grab mine too,” Ghosty said, “Though I call dibs on your desk chair, it’s comfy.”

Rae rolled his eyes, sharing a look with ocie before turning and walking back towards the main space. He and Ghosty left the other two there to go search for the chairs in their rooms, him stopping to knock on Jamie’s door while Ghosty got Centross, telling both of them to grab their chairs too on their way out.

Soon they’d managed to create a ring of chairs around Rae’s desk, with Ghosty having claimed the desk chair as promised and Centross taking the stool, insisting everyone else could have a chair instead. Rae had tried to get him to take a chair, but he was stubborn, so Rae had ended up on a chair next to him and Ghosty, with Ocie across from him with Jamie and Will on either side of her.

Reaching awkwardly below him, Rae opened a drawer, pulling out the rough sketch he’d done of the castle in order to show the others where the tunnel went. He unfolded it, spreading it out on the desk for them all to see. “So, good news for those I haven’t had a chance to talk to yet, the tunnel looks like it’s going to work.” He said, glancing towards both Will and Centross in particular.

He figured Ocie would have talked to Will, but he figured she probably just covered the basics. “It leads out close to the water, on the far side from the main gate into the castle, which means it’s less guarded. The bridge near it is only ever used for supplies coming in and out, which shouldn’t be an issue the night before a large celebration. All trade will be put on pause for a few days to clear the roads for people travelling between the castle and the capital.”

Will nodded, “That includes the days before and after, right? We have a similar thing with the summer festival, though that tends to be because the streets are literally full of people and no carts can get through.”

“Yeah, though less officially I think,” Rae confirmed, “There’s really only one road between the castle and Hythermia so I don’t think a lot of merchants even bother for about a week following the ball.”

“Oh, speaking of, we need to finalize details for the trade agreement,” Will said, “I know it seems odd now since it was a cover, but my father gave me permission to actually initiate a short term agreement if needed and I’d hate for the Queen to get suspicious.”

Rae hummed, rifling through the desk again to try and find the notes he’d been taking about the agreement. “I meant to bring that up again, I had a few thoughts about it depending on which way you want to go.”

Centross shifted in his seat, “Is it a good idea to go through with it? I mean, getting powerful items out of the End would be great, but bringing more in would be a not great idea, right?”

“That’s why I have options,” Rae replied, motioning to the smaller notebook he’d grabbed, having flipped to the last page he’d been writing on. It was at least a third of the way through the book, which was impressively low for him, especially since they’d been discussing the trade for a good few weeks.

It was strange to think that Will, Ocie, and Ghosty had all been in the End for nearly two months. It felt like so many things had been happening, between getting to know Ghosty, working with Will and Ocie, Centross returning, not to mention his usual work for the Queen and the added load she seemed to be trying to give him. It was a lot, and he was looking forward to a time when he could hopefully just breathe.

“Speaking of options,” Ghosty spoke up, “Are we going to try and go straight to the Overworld? If we get caught onto quickly then the obvious path is to the Overworld, since it’s the closest border.”

Ocie frowned, “I think it’s worth a shot. My sister still has that old cottage just outside a town on the border that we could try and get to. The village is technically on Overworld land but under End control, but we stopped by on the way here and it doesn’t seem like the End is trying to hold onto it too tightly.”

Rae raised an eyebrow at the statement, wondering silently if it was the same cottage Jamie had grown up in and mentioned to him fondly before. The more he thought about it though, the more he also had to wonder how the sister of the ruler of the East Islands had ended up living in such a small town in the first place.

“How does your sister have a house there? I would have assumed she primarily lived on the Islands, or, you know, stayed with other important families during travels.” He asked, partially for the sake of his own curiosity and also as a possible lead in to getting Jamie and Ocie to realize their connection.

“Oh, she actually didn’t, for a while. She ran away when she was 17,” Ocie replied with a small shrug, though she was trying to hide a frown as she said it, “From what she’s told me, she lived in the village for a while until the End attacked, then she ran. She actually adopted a few kids while she was there, though she lost one during the attack. Her and her other kid eventually ended up in the Overworld’s capital and we were able to reconnect.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Rae saw Jamie tense up, their eyes growing wider as Ocie spoke. He could see the question on the tip of their tongue, and when their gaze briefly slipped over towards him, he gave them a small nod, which seemed to be all the encouragement they needed. “Ocie, do you know what her kids' names are?”

They asked it like they’d already come to the conclusion Rae knew was correct, but like they wanted to give themselves space to be wrong.

Ocie nodded, “Easton is the older one, they’re the one I’ve met, and the other’s name was Ja- oh.” Her eyes went wide, the realization hitting her as well, “Ohhhh. OH! Oh my god! Wait, am I thinking the right thing here?”

Jamie laughed, “I mean, unless your sister’s name isn’t Strawberri, or there’s another woman who adopted two kids named Jamie and Easton in a village on the border between the End and the Overworld, then, yeah?”

Ocie practically jumped up from her chair, taking the two steps towards Jamie as they stood too. She paused for barely a second, then wrapped her arms around them, hugging them with a laugh as they hugged her back.

Jamie pulled back and started to say something, then almost immediately seemed to remember what they’d been doing, looking over towards Rae. “Is it ok if we go talk for a minute?”

Rae grinned, nodding, “Of course. I assume you’ll be in your room?”

They nodded, eyeing Rae for a moment, almost accusingly, “Did you know?”

His grin only grew bigger, “Ghosty and I may or may not have figured it out yesterday and were waiting to either tell you guys or help you figure it out.”

They squinted at him like they wanted to protest, but Rae could tell they were eager to talk to a member of their family for the first time in forever, even if it was one they’d never met. Rae gave them a look, one he hoped promised that they could talk more later, and a moment later Jamie nodded, turning and dragging Ocie behind them as they walked towards their room so they could talk a little more privately.

Rae grinned after them, then turned back to the others who remained, “Well, I think we should consider what we do if we can’t go to the Overworld the direct way. I doubt we’d be able to get a boat, so the other option would be the Nether.”

Will hummed, “Isn’t the terrain that way a lot worse? I’m not saying it’s not an option, but I feel like it would only slow us down. Besides, If Ocie and I don’t leave via the main road we may draw unwanted suspicion.”

“That’s fair,” Rae replied, frowning slightly, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“We could always split up if needed,” Ghosty suggested, “Maybe if we think we’re being followed, Will, Ocie, and Jamie go across the border to the Overworld, and then the three of us can head towards the Nether.”

Centross frowned, “Rae and I could handle ourselves, you wouldn’t need to come with us. Especially if you need to report back to your king.”

Rae had almost forgotten that they were all here for a mission, despite having talked about it with Ghosty recently. His heart sank a little at the idea that they may have to part ways, but he knew that if it meant he wasn’t endangering anyone else with his actions, of course it was the best plan.

“I’m sure you can, but I’ve been through the Nether before, and I’ve visited the capital as a diplomat of the Overworld, and I doubt that the border won’t be watched at all, even if it’s harder to cross.” Ghosty argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

Centross’ frown deepened, but he didn’t say anything in response. Rae imagined he would have sunk in his seat more if he wasn’t sitting on a stool with no way to do that without risking falling off.

The topic quickly changed to discussing more about Rae and Centross’ plan, which they hadn’t quite settled on beyond doing it after everyone had left the ball on the final night. After that, Ocie and Will would formally leave the castle the next day and meet back up with them in town, where they would decide whether or not to split off based on if anything seemed amiss.

Jamie and Ocie reemerged at some point, both grinning as they reclaimed their seats. Rae was happy to see Jamie looking hopeful for the first time since he’d met them, and he couldn’t blame them. They had a plan, a real solid plan, to get out, and the main thing they’d talked about after they got out had been finding Jamie’s family. Since that had been easier than either of them had ever imagined, he could only hope finding his own would be as easy.

They all said their goodbyes, knowing Ocie and Will were headed into town that night. In two days, Jamie and Ghosty would join them, and in 6, they’d all be leaving, hopefully for good.

The count down was on.

Chapter Text

He’d never been annoyed at the repetitiveness of his days before all of this started. If anything, it was nice to know what was going to happen and when. He woke up in the morning, sat at his desk and got some work done. Jamie would wake up sometime in the hour or two he was working and go off to get food. They’d talk, Jamie would run any errand he needed them to run, and they’d spend most of the day just working and talking.

Occasionally, he had meetings, but normally he was given notice to those or they were regularly scheduled, like his meetings with the Queen that happened every two weeks. That had changed recently though, with her calling him to participate in other meetings such as the planning one he’d attended the other week. He still wasn’t sure what caused that change.

As it was, he was at his desk per usual, trying to finish up the last report he’d need to hand in to the Queen tomorrow morning. The difference being that Ghosty and Jamie were both sitting on the carpet in front of his desk, chatting softly. 

He’d had another, well he didn’t know if he should call them nightmares or not, because they’re more like, flashes? of his own memories, but there was something eerie about them so maybe nightmare was an appropriate word. Instead of Jamie knocking on his door though, it had been Ghosty.

He’d come in, not asking a single question other than how he could help, and sat with Rae as he worked through the lingering panic that it had left him with. Part of him disliked the vulnerability it showed, but the larger part of him was just happy for a familiar face as he’d finally gotten control over his breathing again.

After that Ghosty had insisted he was going to sit with him while he worked, so that he wasn’t alone. Jamie had been quick to join in on the sentiment once Ghosty filled them in, which had led to them dragging out a variety of pillows and blankets from both of their rooms and Rae’s to create a comfortable place to sit.

Jamie had wrapped one of Rae’s favourite blankets around their shoulders, and he couldn’t help the soft smile that formed as he watched them out of the corner of his eye. As he worked, he could just make out parts of their conversation, though one sentence caught his attention more than the rest.

“Can you tell me something from the Overworld?” Jamie asked, their excitement almost making them look like the kid they were. Rae smiled to himself as he looked back down at his report.

Ghosty laughed, readjusting his spot amongst the blankets as he thought. “What do you want to hear?”

Jamie shrugged. “I don’t know, I don’t remember it very well.”

“How about a story then? Have you heard the one about the lost prince?”

Jamie shook their head, and Ghosty smiled at them fondly before starting.

“A few decades ago, before magic arrived, the land the Overworld stands on was once a kingdom of its own. It was ruled by two great kings, and when they passed, their daughter took over. Her name is Isla. Queen Isla is a kind and compassionate woman, and one day she was fortunate enough to meet a man just as amazing as her. His name was Fable.”

Jamie gasped, recognizing the name. Rae frowned at his desk, he knew he and Ghosty had discussed the prince, but he couldn’t help the air of familiarity that ran over him as he began the story.

“Queen Isla and Fable courted for years, leaving the kingdom to wonder when they would just get married already. After three years, they finally announced their betrothal. The wedding was a grand event, with diplomats from all over visiting, and the kingdom seemed like it was in excellent hands. They welcomed their first child the following year. Our crown prince.”

“Prince Sherbert, right?” Jamie asked.

Ghosty nodded. “Yes, and let me tell you they are quite the force to be reckoned with.” he chuckled. “Anyways, a year after they were born, the family decided to take a small vacation to the seashore. Though on this trip, they were attacked. The king and the prince were quickly gotten to safety, but no one could find the queen.”

“Though he wanted to continue to search for her, the king eventually knew he had to leave it to the guards. After all, he had a child and a kingdom to take care of. Two long years passed with no sign of the queen, and many thought she was likely dead. And then, one day out of the blue, there was yelling throughout the castle, guards bursting in on a cabinet meeting to announce that she was back, the queen was alive.”

“What happened to her?” Jamie asked, eyes wide.

“I’m getting there, don’t worry.” Ghosty replied. “The king rushed to her of course, and the second he laid eyes on her he knew it was truly her. And then he noticed the bundle in her arms. He brought her inside, fussing over her and dismissing the servants once they made it to their chambers. And then she told her side of the story.”

“As it goes, the queen recalls falling after they got separated, and waking in a bed in a house she didn’t recognize, but there had been a gorgeous woman sitting by the fire, who had smiled warmly at her the second she woke up. She admitted that she didn’t remember anything at that point, not even her name. The woman had given her a nickname, Orchid, and introduced herself as Enderian.”

Rae’s quill scratched hard across the page as Jamie gasped. Ghosty turned to Rae with a questioning look, which he quickly shot back a reassuring smile to. Seemingly satisfied, Ghosty continued with his tale.

“With no idea of who she’d been, Queen Isla stayed in the port town, living with Enderian, and eventually they became extremely close. Though, she was starting to get her memories back, and despite Enderian insisting she had no one looking for her, Queen Isla wasn’t as sure. As fate would have it, soon after she would see a sign in town with her own picture on it, a sign asking for any information about the location of the lost queen.”

“I thought you said this was about a lost prince?”

“Well yes but there’s a lot of background information before I can get to that part. As it was, seeing that sign made the queen remember everything, like a dam had swung open. That evening she went back to the cottage, wanting to share the news with Enderian who she assumed would be happy for her. Instead, Enderian turned angry, and soon it turned into an argument, in which Enderian admitted she’d known the whole time.”

Rae’s heart was beating faster in his ears, tears beginning to sting in the corners of his eyes as it started to click as to why the story sounded so familiar.

“The queen ran, packing a small bag and what few coins she could find. Almost a month into her journey, she discovered she was pregnant. Her travels had to slow at that point, especially towards the end, but finally, almost a year later, she arrived back at the castle. And that is where the two sides meet. King Fable immediately forgave her, and willingly accepted her son as his own. The family was reunited, and that was all he could ask for.”

Jamie frowned. “I’m guessing there’s no happily ever after following that?”

“Not yet, at least.” Ghosty confirmed, “Now, everything was fine, for a time. The princes were growing, the kingdom was flourishing despite growing hostility from the west, where the Nether now sits. And then magic appeared. Most describe that day with either fondness or fear. For the royal family, it was closer to fear. An incredibly strong wave found its way into the castle. The king managed to see it, throwing himself in front of his kids just as it hit them. The force of it made him one of the strongest magic users on the continent, but it nearly killed him too. The wave was so strong, it's said that both of the princes were hit, though less seriously, despite their father’s protection.”

Jamie opened their mouth, then paused, sighing at themselves. “I was about to ask if the king lived, as if I haven’t heard a million conversations about him.”

Ghosty laughed, “Hey fair enough, sometimes you just get caught up in the story.” His smile turned mischievous, “But in case it wasn’t clear, he did live.”

Jamie smacked him.

“As it was, all three of them, as well as many others, had physical changes when the magic hit them. The king’s eyes turned molten gold and seemed to leave a trail of it wherever he went. The princes’ changes were less known, though now obviously those close to the royal family know about prince Sherbert’s. It was shortly after this that Enderian struck. Using her new powers, she quickly took over the kingdoms of the north, forming what is now the End. With an army at her command, she came to the king and queen demanding her son.”

“Wait, does the younger prince have a name? You haven't given him one yet.”

“Again, I’m getting there. The queen and king refused to give up the prince, and they were willing to go to war to protect him, as well as their land, which Enderian had tried to claim in her tirade. That’s part of the reason it got renamed to the Overworld, too, King Fable used his abilities to gain the advantage over the End army, and many people felt the old name no longer fit with the new era that was upon them.”

Tears were now falling freely down Rae’s cheeks, and he was half certain his quill was about to snap in his hand.

“The other reason, was because of Enderian specifically. She knew she was losing, so one night, she snuck into the castle, bewitching anyone in her path on her way to the royal family’s bed chambers. They grabbed the young prince, so silently that no one even knew they were there, and then, from the center of the castle, Enderian used her powers to remove any memories of the prince, any names associated with him, his face, his voice, anything that might help them try and find him in the future. And with that, she and her men disappeared into the night. The queen and king tried for years, even going as far as sending spies into the End court, but there has been no word of him ever since.”

Snap. His quill broke, drawing the attention of the other two from across the room. Jamie’s eyes widened when they noticed their mentor, pushing themselves to their feet and running over, Ghosty not far behind. “Rae? Are you ok?”

Rae shook his head, turning slowly to meet Ghosty’s eyes. “He’s gone.” He said softly, voice cracking.

Ghosty frowned, “What do you mean?”

“The prince in the story. Queen Isla and King Fable’s son is gone. Queen Enderian made sure of that years ago.” he said. “I- I didn’t realize when we talked about it, but I did know him. He’s gone.”

Ghosty’s face fell, though it almost seemed more like concern than sadness over his mission. He felt Jamie wrap their arms around his shoulders, squeezing him tightly and resting their head on his. His tears fell harder, a fresh sense of mourning overtaking him as he was reminded of pain from years ago.

“I, I’m sorry to hear that,” Ghosty said, his voice soft, “Did you know him well?”

He nodded slowly, half reaching up to grab Jamie’s arm, if only for the small comfort it brought, “Probably better than anyone else in this castle. Not that many people even bothered.” His answer was simple, and he could tell Ghosty was itching to ask him more, to get more answers about a mystery that apparently had been plaguing the Overworld for years, but he refrained. Rae could imagine Jamie was shooting him a death glare over his head to keep him from saying anything, they’d certainly done it before.

Though maybe it would have been better if Ghosty had asked something else, because now the quiet of the room was no longer peaceful, any nice part of it sucked out the second Rae started to recognize the story. Now it was suffocating, closing in on him in an all too familiar and not welcome way.

He gently shoved Jamie’s arms away, giving them a weak smile as he stood from his desk. He closed the notebook he’d been working from, picking up the now ink stained version of his report and tossing it in the desk drawer. He’d have to rewrite it later, but for now, he just needed to get out of there without making them worry more than they were.

“Are you ok?” Jamie asked softly, having not moved from his side.

Rae nodded, however small the movement was, wiping at the tear tracks still lining his face, “I just need some fresh air I think.”

They frowned, “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, it’s alright. I’m just going to take a walk. I’ll be back shortly,” he replied, then, before he could second guess himself or be convinced to stay, he brushed past them, ignoring Ghosty’s feeble attempt to reach out to him and rushing towards the stairs. 

As he climbed he scrubbed the last of the tears from his face, trying to slow his heart enough to look presentable when he reached the top. When he emerged, the hall was empty save for a single servant walking by. She looked at him, seemingly recognized him, and gave him a soft smile before continuing on her way.

His head was too busy to know where he was going but it seemed like his feet had decided, walking through hall after hall before things began to look familiar again and he realized he was outside of his formal rooms. He paused at the door, sparing a glance around before slipping inside, heading straight for the back wall and the space that lay beyond it.

Warm air greeted him, and his eyes closed for a second as he let it wash over him. When he opened them again, he nearly collapsed. Sometime in the last few weeks, one of the sections of flowers had been replaced, leaving what used to be a patch of poppies to now be full of orchids.

He fell to his knees next to the bed of flowers, reaching out slowly to cup one of the flowers in his hand, gently rubbing one of the petals between his fingers. Orchid. For years, the only name he’d ever been given for her, and now… Now it was somehow worse than he’d ever thought.

And just like that the tears were back, followed by the panic and the pain and everything as it all crashed back over him. Sobs wracked through his body, laboured breaths barely getting any oxygen into his system. His throat went dry as his breaths turned to hiccups, his body shuddering with each movement.

He brought a shaky hand to cover his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut, which almost made it worse as memories, not of her, never of her, but of Enderian came flooding into his mind.

Times before it had all gotten so much worse, where he’d thought for maybe a bit that she truly cared about him, and not just what he represented to her, not just what she claimed was stolen from her despite her being the true thief.

He knew she’d already messed with his mind at that point, but at the moment, he hadn’t cared. He’d sat by her side, staring out a window and watching the snowfall as she told him about Orchid. And that was maybe what made it worse. He’d fallen in love with the idea of a woman named Orchid only to find out it was another scar left behind by Enderian.

His breaths started to slow, no longer painful in the same way, despite the lingering ache deep in his chest that he doubted would go away for some time yet. Staring down at the flowers in front of him, he couldn’t help but mourn, not only for the illusions that had been shattered but also for his old self.

Because he hadn’t lied to Ghosty. The boy Isla and Fable had raised no longer existed. Instead, he’d been replaced by the shell Enderian had created, with whatever pieces he’d managed to find or that had been filled in by the few relationships he was able to hold.

He thought back to Ghosty’s words, about how Enderian had removed anything to do with him when she took him, and as much as he hated it he decided then that he couldn’t ever tell them. Jamie had found their family, and maybe for a time he could take comfort in that, but the more he thought about it the more certain he was that there was no happy ending to his story.

He would get out, he would see his friends safe, and happy, and then he would go. Maybe Centross would tag along, his longest friend by his side, but he knew he couldn’t stay anywhere near the Overworld castle. He couldn’t do that to himself. He couldn’t live with a family that may never remember him, and even if they did, would never recognize him as the boy they were looking for.

And he wondered, for what had to be the thousandth time, how Enderian, how his mother in blood but never, never, in name, had managed to take so much from him without an ounce of regret.

Chapter Text

He wasn’t sure how long he just sat there, enjoying the warmth of the garden and the quiet the secluded space brought. He’d grown to love the life that had been brought into his study by each new person that came, but there were times where he missed when he could send Jamie away and spend the day for himself.

His breaths no longer caught in his throat, and though he was sure his eyes were red, all the tears had dried. He was sure it would hit him again later, and keep hitting him, but for now, he just existed. 

Some time later, maybe ten, twenty minutes or so, he wasn’t entirely sure, he decided he should probably head back. He didn’t want to worry them by being gone too long, especially in the state in which he’d left. He stood, pausing to brush the remnants of dirt off of his knees and cape before heading for the door that connected the garden back to his room. He stopped in the doorway, saying a silent goodbye to the space, knowing this would probably be the last time he saw it.

As he crossed towards the door back out to the hall, he did a quick check that everything else was in place. He wiped his sleeve over his face to clear any lingering tears, took a few deep breaths to help the way they were hiccuping in his throat, and prepared himself to look every bit the nobleman everyone kept trying to convince him he was.

His hand rested on the door handle, and he braced himself, pulling it open and slipping into the hall. He pulled the door closed behind him, turning to head back towards his study only to be caught off guard by another figure in the hall.

"Oh, Lady Perix, I didn't see you there," he greeted, giving her a small nod.

“Sir Morningstar. Finally making use of your actual chambers, instead of that dingy little study?” She replied coldly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Ah, just visiting the garden, actually,” Rae said, already feeling uncomfortable in this conversation.

She snarled, “As yes, your personal garden. Just another sign of her majesty’s favouritism towards you.”

Rae frowned, “I’m sorry?”

“Don’t act so naive, it looks terrible on you,” Perix said, rolling her eyes, “Between this and her recent interest in involving you in court issues, not to mention that fact that she thinks you are fit to be heir. It’s clearly favouritism, it certainly isn’t because of your commitment , or, rather your lack thereof, to this kingdom.”

He froze, and not just from the ice in her tone, “She — what? I’m sorry, I think I’m misunderstanding you, I am certainly not her heir.” He tried to recall all of his recent conversations with the Queen, trying to see if there was something he’d missed, Little things, sure, but this? No, no he would have remembered this.

Perix scoffed at him, stepping closer and practically pining him to his door, “There’s no way you’re that dense. It’s no secret that she wants to put you in my position. All these years I’ve worked, I’ve played the game, I’ve been loyal, her second in command, seated to take over should anything happen to her, and you waltz in here, and just because you are her fucking bastard of a child, you get everything that I’ve worked for. And it’s not like it’s deserved, no, because you are a pathetic excuse of a man, such a coward, hiding away in that pathetic study. The only people you know how to talk to are the servants. You, King. Ha, what a laughing stalk you would be.”

He stuttered, trying to get the words to form in his mouth but they just stuck, and she wasn’t done yet. Perix turned, taking a step away only to turn back to stare straight through him again, “You are lucky you look like the Overworld bitch, otherwise you would have been gone years ago, especially if I had any say in it. Her majesty has no room to play family with the operation we’ve been running, and yet here you are . Her desperate attempts to convince herself she won that battle, when all she did was make more problems for me to deal with. You are pathetic , not even worth being able to call yourself her son.”

If he hadn’t just spent the better part of an hour sobbing to the point where his throat was dry, Rae was certain he’d be crying again. Her words picked through him, cutting open scars that had long since scabbed over and slashing new daggers through the bits of himself he’d managed to pick up and put back together.

She paused, watching him with clear distaste in her eyes, more bitter than he’d ever seen before, “Look at that, you can’t even respond to defend yourself. It’s a wonder you’ve lasted this long.”

Footsteps growing louder around the corner stopped whatever insult she was going to throw at him next, and he silently prayed for anyone, even the Queen, with enough authority for Perix to respect, to come around that corner and allow him to escape.

As luck would have it, it was none other than Centross who rounded the corner, seeming surprised to find the two of them there. He spared a quick glance at Rae, a touch of concern slipping through his mask, before he turned back to Perix, giving her a small bow, “My Lady. The Captain sent me to find you. Something about wanting help with something you’d given her.”

Perix scowled, fully stepping away from Rae in order to face Centross, shifting back into her air of being above everyone else in the room, “Very well, I will go see her,” she paused, turning to face Rae and allowing her scowl to return for a moment, “I hope you will not forget my words, Sir Morningstar, I meant them to the fullest."

With that she walked off, and it wasn't until the clicking of her heeled boots fully disappeared that Rae allowed himself to relax. Centross was at his side in a second, his close presence very much welcome and a comfort as he tried to calm down.

“The hell was that about?” Centross asked, anger in his tone.

Rae shook his head, looking up and down the hall nervously, “Not here, not where anyone could overhear,” he half whispered. He didn’t want to be caught off guard again, especially not by the only other person who frequented this hall.

Centross nodded, “To the study then?”

“No, I- not right now.” Rae replied, frowning slightly.

“Library it is then,” Centross said, not even questioning Rae’s words, which he was very grateful for, “Been a while since we’ve been there. Do you think our table is still there?”

“Probably,” Rae replied, focusing enough to push himself off the wall. He looked to Centross before walking down the hall, his friend at his side as they made their way towards the library.

He gave a small smile to the librarian as they entered, which was returned as they paused to look at them before returning to their work. Rae led them through familiar shelves, towards the back of the room, until they reached a corner, where a table lay between tall shelves, with a thin window letting light into the space.

Rae pulled out a chair, slumping in it, glad to finally be out of view. He knew the librarian and had used this spot enough times to know they’d deter people away as best they could, though of course if the Queen was looking for him they’d have no choice. Still, it was the little things, the little connections he’d managed to hold onto throughout the years.

“Alright, so now will you tell me what happened?” Centross asked, taking his usual seat across from Rae.

He sighed, trying to figure out how to even begin with everything that had happened, not even just that day but in the last hour or so. “I’ve told you that the Queen is… that I’m,” he started, struggling to get the word out.

“About your biological relation? Yeah you have, why?” Centross said, thankfully filling in what Rae was trying to say.

He nodded, “Yes, that. And I’ve mentioned that the only name I know my mother by is Orchid, since that’s the only name the Queen would ever give me?”

Centross frowned, but nodded. Rae was silently thankful to the past version of himself that had decided to trust Centross with this, because it made this explanation that much simpler. “Well, Ghosty was telling Jamie a story today, and… it involved Enderian. And Orchid. And Orchid’s… actual name.”

Centross’ eyes grew wide and he leaned back in his chair, “So you know her name then? Which means you could find her easier?”

“That’s… the problem,” Rae replied, biting his lip and trying to avoid eye contact, “Her real name is, uh, Isla. As in, Queen Isla. Of the Overworld.” He finally looked up, watching as Centross took in the information he’d barely processed himself, and waited silently for him to say something, anything, in response.

“Shit.”

Rae laughed at the sudden exclamation, though he quieted when he saw the suddenly mischievous look on Centross’ face.

“Does that mean you’re like, doubly a prince? Does this mean I can actually call you ‘your highness’ now?” Centross said, grinning as Rae rolled his eyes.

“If you call me that, I’m banning you from the study,” he threatened, “You’ll have to actually share a room with the other guards.”

“Oh the horror,” Centross replied, placing a hand over his chest dramatically. “Jokes aside, is that why you were up by those rooms? I can’t imagine that was an easy thing to process.”

Rae nodded, looking towards the window, “Yeah, yeah it was. Ghosty and I actually talked a few days ago about his initial mission and why they were all even here anyways, and he said he was looking for the ‘lost prince’ of the Overworld. I didn’t put it together then, but when he was telling the story of the lost prince, because apparently there’s a whole fairytale about this, the pieces… clicked.”

Centross leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, “How did he react? I mean, I assume you told him, you’re not exactly the most subtle when something catches you off guard, which I imagine this did.”

“I didn’t, actually,” Rae replied, “I actually told him Queen Isla and King Fable’s son was dead, and had been for years. It’s not technically a lie, the Queen made sure to get rid of most of who I was before I got here, so I doubt I’d be anything like they remember even if I did see them again. I’m not the prince they’re looking for.”

Centross let out a long sigh, fixing Rae with a piercing stare that he could see out of the corner of his eye, “We are going to have a much longer talk about that later, and that is a threat. In the meantime, ok, so you kinda ran the fuck away from whatever situation that was, ended up in your fancy rooms, then what did Perix want?”

He turned back to Centross, trying to decide if this was worse or better than the first half of the story, “Surprisingly, it’s related. Did you ever consider there may have been another reason the Queen wanted me to get married?”

“Uh, no? I was a little bit busy being pissed at her for forcing it on us in the first place, why?” Centross said, dread leaking into his features.

“Apparently,” Rae started, biting his lip nervously as he met Centross’ eyes, “She wants to name me as her heir. Officially. As you can imagine, Perix isn’t too happy about that one. She told me that in many, many words.”

“I’m gonna punch her.” Centross said, pushing back his chair and standing, though he didn’t actually move to step away from the table, “No, scratch that, I’m gonna fucking murder her. How dare she say that to you? It’s bad enough the way she treats you normally, but this? Nah fuck that, no one gets to talk to my brother like that.”

“Centross,” Rae started somewhat exasperatedly, though he paused when the words caught up to him, “Did you just call me your brother?”

Centross froze, eyeing Rae out of the corner of his eye, “What, uh, no. That would be stupid. Tell me more about what she said, about you uh, being the heir or whatever,” he said, waving his hand around as he retook his seat.

“Can we not, actually? I’d rather forget about it if I can. I’m just glad you showed up when you did.” he said, playing with the sleeve of his shirt. He knew he should actually, fully, talk about everything, that was the healthy thing to do, but he hadn’t been doing that for years anyways, so what was a few more days at least?

“Alright then. I’m not forgetting about this though,” Centross warned, reaching up to run a hand through his hair and turning to stare off towards the shelves to his left.

Rae was fighting the urge to dig out his notebook, knowing he hadn’t grabbed it on his way out of the study. He knew he wasn't going to be able to get this off his mind until he wrote it down. He looked up at Centross, expecting to say exactly that and suggest they head to the study, only to find his friend grinning towards something that he couldn’t quite see.

He caught his eye, raising an eyebrow questioningly. Centross grinned back, standing from his chair wordlessly and disappearing for a moment before reappearing, a deck of cards and a board in his hands. Rae laughed, recognizing the crib board from the many times they’d used it while sitting at that very table, though it had been a while.

He laughed, “I can’t believe that’s still here.”

“Wanna play a round?” Centross asked, setting the board on the table.

Rae shrugged, watching as he slipped the cards out of their little wooden box, “Sure, why not. I could use a distraction.”

Centross grinned, shuffling the cards and setting the deck down between them. He picked up part of the deck, waiting until Rae had also lifted a portion of the remaining cards, before they both turned over their choices. Centross revealed the jack of spades, while Rae turned up the nine of diamonds, leaving him with the first crib.

He gathered the cards, his hands moving by themselves as he shuffled them, dealing them both six cards and setting the rest in the middle. He lifted his hand, organizing them and quickly picking out a jack and a five for his crib and holding onto a three, a nine, and a pair of sixes. Centross tossed his two cards onto the crib and split the deck again, revealing another three as the top card.

Rae grinned, waiting for Centross to play his first card to lay his on top. They went back and forth, counting points on a pair of threes and a few ‘go’s between them. Centross lay down his hand, smirking as he marked 16 for his runs and pairs. Rae rolled his eyes, knowing it was just like him to upstage what he thought was an amazing hand to start with.

He counted 14 for himself and then reached for the crib. He raised an eyebrow at the pair of nines but counted out four more points on his side of the board, leaving him behind Centross by three points. He scowled playfully at the board, “You know, you could at least pretend to go easy on me.”

“And where’s the fun in that?” Centross replied, gathering the cards to deal his turn, “Not my fault you’re rusty at the game.”

Rae rolled his eyes, “And it’s not my fault no one else plays with me.”

Centross laughed, dealing the next hand and turning his focus to his cards. Rae sighed down at his cards, his hand this time much worse than the first one. He’d have to get lucky with the card up for it to be worth much no matter which one’s he put in the crib.

He glanced up towards Centross, whose poker face was unfortunately pretty good, and tossed his cards into the crib. “You know,” Rae started, trying to be casual, “I don’t mind if you call me your brother. That’s kind of what I consider you anyways.”

Centross tossed his own cards in the crib, raising an eyebrow as he waited for Rae to cut the deck, “Yeah?”

Rae hummed, cutting the deck and turning up the queen of diamonds, which did not match his hand full of low hearts in the slightest. It only got worse as they played the round and he saw Centross’ hand, as well as the joyful smirk when he laid it all out, revealing the jack of diamonds, two queens, and a king.

“You’re such an ass,” Rae muttered, watching as he took his points for the hand and the crib and then gathering the cards up to deal the next round.

Centross laughed, “Not my fault I’m being dealt good hands.”

The next few hands went by quickly, with Rae being able to catch up just enough between bits of banter until they were both less than ten points from winning, and it was his deal again. He dealt the cards, setting the rest off to the side. He hid a grin, knowing he had enough points to get out as long as Centross had a low scoring hand.

The cut card wasn’t helpful, and from the look on Centross’ face, he didn’t like it very much either. They started the round, with Rae taking the first points.

“You know,” Centross started, laying a card down to start the next round, “It certainly wasn’t the best circumstances, but however it happened, I’m glad you’re in my life, Rae.”

Rae smiled, about to echo the sentiment when he realized all of the cards Centross had played. A four, five, and a pair of sixes were spread out in front of him, and he had that stupid, smug grin back on his face, “Oh, and I just won.”

“Oh you absolute dick,” Rae laughed, reaching across the table to whack him on the arm. Centross tried to dodge, trying to whack his hand away. Rae finally landed a solid smack on his shoulder and sat back, satisfied.

They gathered the cards, Rae passing the ones he’d grabbed the Centross, who returned them to their box and grabbed the board. He stood, disappearing through the shelves again for a moment and then returning. Instead of sitting though, he stood by the end of one of the shelves, leaning against it.

“At least one of us should probably go down to the study,” he said, a rare softness in his eyes that Rae felt lucky to witness every time he saw it.

Rae sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. Can we at least take the long way?”

“Whatever you want,” Centross shrugged.

He waited another moment, then stood from his chair, crossing the small distance to stand beside Centross before they both started to make their way out of the library. Before they left the safety of the shelves though, Rae leaned towards him a little, keeping his voice low as he muttered, “You know, if I ever actually reconnect with my family, you may have to fight Sherbert for the title of best brother.”

Centross looked at him, a laugh on the tip of his tongue and his competitive nature flaring in his eyes, “Bet.”

Chapter Text

Rae grabbed another book from one of the lower drawers of his desk, passing it across to Jamie, who passed it to Ghosty, who was standing inside of the portable storage space. He could just make out Ghosty’s exasperated expression before he ducked down again, reaching for the final notebook in that drawer.

“Why do you have so many notebooks?” Ghosty asked as he took the next one from Jamie. He paused in the door frame (for lack of a better word) of the closet, looking at Rae.

He raised an eyebrow at him, “My entire role here is research, did you think I wouldn’t have a lot of notes about it? This is 8 years worth of material, give or take a year or so.”

“And you’re bringing them all, why?” Ghosty questioned, despite the fact that he continued to make sure all of the notebooks were carefully stored away, alongside the food Jamie had slowly been snagging, and the various other supplies they’d spent the last few weeks accumulating.

“Do you want all of my knowledge of magic to be left here for them to use?” Rae asked, digging three notebooks out of the last drawer. He passed them to Jamie, who seemed generally amused at the conversation, and went to pass them to Ghosty when they caught sight of one of the covers, laughing at it.

“Hey, is this the first notebook I bound for you?” They asked, passing the other two to Ghosty but holding onto the third. It was a fairly simple design, a dark sky-ish purple with the design of the little dipper laid over it.

Rae smiled, nodding as he watched them turn it over in their hands, “Yeah, my first personal notebook.” They’d made him a few more since, whenever he filled the previous one, and each had varying constellations on the cover, though of course, the first was always going to hold that special place in his heart. 

His eyes widened, remembering the cloak he’d gotten a few days prior, “Oh, I’ve been meaning to thank you for your help with the new cloak I got for the ball, I was told you figured out the magic for it.”

They grinned, passing the book to Ghosty with one more fond glance before turning to Rae, “Yeah! They gave it to you?”

“A few days ago, when I ran into Ocie there. I looked over the runes, it’s really impressive. You did really well with it.” He said, smiling as their grin only got bigger as he spoke.

“I’m so happy you like it! I mean, obviously Lorein did all of the designing of the actual cloak, and the embroidery, which is fantastic. All I did was give her the runes, and I’ve had a great teacher to help me learn how to do those,” they said, ducking their head slightly.

Rae laughed, quickly walking around the desk to hug them. There was a small clack as the necklace he wore hit against something else metallic through fabric and he frowned, not remembering Jamie having any necklaces, especially any they wore often. 

“Did you get a new necklace?” He asked, stepping back from the embrace.

Their eyes widened, “Oh yeah! I forgot about that. It’s just something I've been working on and didn’t want to leave behind.”

Rae hummed, smiling at Ghosty as he emerged from the pocket space. He could just see the stacks of supplies they’d put together behind, all prepared for the time they’d have to spend on the road with no guarantee of being able to stay in any towns until they passed the snow line and therefore left the End.

“Do we have everything?” Ghosty asked, looking towards Rae. 

He did a quick check in his head, trying to think of anything they’d forgotten and finding nothing. “I think so. We said you two would meet them around 9 right? So we should head out soon?” He glanced towards the clock on the wall, which read about half past 8.

Ghosty nodded, turning to close the pocket space and tucking the pendant under his shirt, out of sight. “Yeah probably. And you’re sure the illusion will work?”

“As certain as I can be,” Rae replied, reaching into his pocket and revealing an earring he’d enchanted. He passed it to Ghosty, who quickly swapped one of his own out for it. He nodded, and Rae activated the spell, watching as the image of a guard in full armour covered Ghosty’s figure.

If anyone asked, they would say it was Centross under the mask, since they’d planned for Centross to be purposefully absent while they were moving around. Though, Rae didn’t know enough about illusionary magic to change his voice as well. They had artifacts that could change voices, but none that were close enough to Centross.

Part of him wished he’d spent more time studying it, but then that sinking feeling would return to his chest and he’d remember why he never did. He wanted nothing to do with anything connected to her if he could help it. This was as far as he’d go.

“That’s a little freaky,” Jamie commented, stepping towards Ghosty and poking him in the chest.

“Hey! What’s that for?” Ghosty asked, batting at their hand.

They shrugged, “I wanted to see if the armour felt real. It doesn’t, it just feels like your dumb jacket.”

“My jacket is not dumb,” Ghosty grumbled, crossing his arms firmly over his chest. Jamie raised an eyebrow at him, then turned to look at Rae, who couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.

“I’m not getting involved in this,” he said, recognizing the look in their eyes, “Now come on, we don’t want to be late.”

He did one last scan of the room, making sure he wasn’t missing anything he meant to send with them. He’d be here for a few more days so if anything did come to him he could always try to bring it with him, but it would be a lot harder. Satisfied, he started to make his way towards the stairs, Ghosty by his side.

He made it barely past the first set of shelves before realizing Jamie wasn’t following them. Rae paused, turning back to look at where they still stood in the middle of the room, just turning and staring at the walls. They paused when they noticed Rae, giving him a small smile, “Sorry, I just sort of realized I’m never coming back here. It feels weird.”

Rae laughed, “Yeah, it is, isn’t it. This space is going to feel so empty in the next couple days. And then neither of us will ever have to see it again.” He watched as they did one last spin, then jogged the short length of the room to catch up to him and Ghosty. They all made their way over to the stairs, trying to calm their nerves as they made their way up into the main part of the castle.

Beside him, Ghosty tensed. It was his first time being out of the study since he’d gone down there, and Rae could only imagine how strange it felt. The hall was empty, a servant disappearing around the corner at the end of the hall the only sign of life they saw as they began to make the short trip towards the supply rooms.

As they reached the stairs they slowed, Rae ushering Jamie and Ghost ahead of him. They ducked down the stairs, Jamie in the lead and calling an all clear before Ghosty followed suit. They grinned at him as he came around the final corner, expecting to see Rae behind him but not seeing him there.

They stepped back towards the stairs, climbing the first step and calling up, “Rae? Are you coming?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Rae called back, “Just thought I saw something.”

Jamie frowned, but didn’t say anything as their mentor descended the stairs, though they noticed the strained edge to his smile when he finally came into view. If he noticed their concern, he didn’t say anything, simply pushing past them to lead them towards the paper supply room.

They trailed after him as he pushed open the door, holding it for them and Ghosty to walk through before letting it fall shut. Jamie watched as Rae cast a series of runes with practiced ease, quickly filling the usually shadowy room with light. They started towards the back of the room, locating what they thought was the right shelf and turning to look at Rae and Ghosty.

“Ghosty, stay with him in case something goes wrong. Call me if something goes wrong.” They waited until both of them nodded before making their way back towards the front of the room, positioning themselves near the door in a way that they’d be able to hopefully intersect anyone who came in before they spotted the other two.

From there they could barely hear Rae and Ghosty, which worked well for being able to hear into the hall better, but also left them a little in their own head. As they stood guard, their mind drifted to wondering what it would be like once they were no longer a prisoner in this castle. It hadn’t all been terrible, and they made it through it, though that was entirely thanks to Rae.

They knew they’d been lucky to find their family before they even escaped, even if it was only an aunt they’d only heard stories of before. And, from how it looked, with how close they knew Ghosty and Rae had gotten, they really hoped that once they were able to find their mom and sibling, Rae and Centross would stick around.

Rae always said they gave him hope for surviving in the castle, but it went two ways. There were many ways it could have gone for them when they arrived at the castle, and though he’d never told his mentor, they’d seen the fates of some of the others that were brought in at the same time as them. Jamie knew they were lucky, they just wished it didn’t have to be parallel to others being unlucky.

Vaguely, they heard voices in the hall, and they straightened, leaning to try and hear them better. They hoped it was just some servants coming down to grab materials, the same way they often did. The voices became clearer, and their eyes went wide when they finally caught a bit of what was being said.

“-m sure it’s nothing, he just seemed… off. Not like I’ve seen him before.” The first voice said, sounding like they’d paused a bit down the hall, likely in front of one of the other doors.

“You said he was accompanied by two others? Any idea who they were or why the three of them would be headed down here?” The second voice asked, growing fainter for a moment, likely as they ducked into one of the other doors.

“His assistant was one. I’d assume the other was Sir Mistvale, though he was wearing his visor, which seemed odd in of itself.” the first voice said again, basically confirming Jamie’s fears that whoever they were, they were looking for them.

They pushed off the wall, ducking around the corner of the shelves quickly. Ghosty noticed them almost immediately, walking to meet them part way in an attempt to not disturb Rae, who was currently trying to get the metal grate off of the tunnel. “Two people in the hall, I think they’re looking for us.” Jamie explained, briefly telling him what they’d heard.

“Shit,” Ghosty said, turning to Rae, who had paused in his work, and explaining the situation. Jamie glanced towards the door, trying to watch in case it moved or sounded like anyone was getting closer. They heard Rae swear under his breath, and watched as the lights dimmed back to their usual level followed by a clang a second later as the grate finally popped out of the wall.

“Jamie, come on. You two need to go before they get here,” Rae called.

Jamie looked back towards him, sparing one more look towards the door before turning and heading for them. Ghosty had already climbed through the hole and into the tunnel, but Jamie paused. They looked at Rae, then threw themselves at him, hugging him tightly. “Are you sure you’ll be ok? You could just come with us.”

Rae smiled softly, “I’ll be ok. We have a better chance if I wait. It’s only a few days, I’ll see you soon. Now go, we don’t know how long we have.”

They wanted to linger, but they knew Rae needed time to close the tunnel behind them, so they quickly ducked into the tunnel, accepting Ghosty’s hand to help them balance. They turned, watching as Rae lifted the grate back over the hole and started fastening it. He smiled at them, taking a step back once the metal was in place.

Jamie heard the door open. They heard the sound of footsteps start to enter the room, and they saw the way Rae’s eyes went wide. He stepped back further, preparing to move the shelf. Jamie could just make out the shadows of two figures approaching around the corner as the shelf fit back into place, locking them and Ghosty in the darkness of the tunnel.

Voices came through the wall, but Ghosty tugged them away, so they didn’t get to hear any of what was said. The know in their stomach didn’t leave though, and despite knowing they needed to cover ground as quick as they could, they couldn’t help but wish they could have stayed long enough to hear if Rae was ok, or maybe, if they’d had more time, make one more attempt to convince him to come with them then and there. It almost felt like a wave of something rolled over them as they began to walk, but they ignored it, pushing forward in an attempt to not turn back.

Ghosty’s illusion faded as they walked, the magic growing weak the farther they got from Rae. He wouldn’t need it once they were in town, since the only people who knew who he was besides their little group were the Queen, the she-devil, and a handful of guards. He’d be able to walk freely, and so would they. What a weird concept.

Slowly, light began to filter into the tunnel, and the other side came into view. The grate was already off, and Jamie could just make out Ocie’s familiar figure leaning against a tree opposite the opening. Both them and Ghosty sped up their steps, grinning as they emerged from the tunnel into the growing moonlight.

Ocie rushed forward, pulling both of them into a hug. Will turned from his position closer to the road, where he was likely keeping watch, giving them a small wave as Ocie released them.

“Did everything go ok?” Ocie asked, watching Jamie with a worried expression.

Jamie nodded slowly, “Mostly. I think someone saw us and was trying to figure out what was happening, but I didn’t recognize the voices. We were in the tunnel and hidden before they got there though. I just… don’t know if Rae’s ok.”

Ocie frowned, throwing a concerned look towards Will, who also looked concerned despite Jamie not being able to see his expression through the mask. “I’m sure he’s ok. He knows how to take care of himself. And, we’ll be able to check in on him in two days, so we’ll find out soon.”

They sighed, nodding and reaching up to grab at the necklace they were wearing, fidgeting with the chain as Ocie and Ghosty quickly moved the grate back into place. Once it was secure, they climbed the small hill to where Will stood. Two horses stood next to him, and they quickly mounted. Jamie climbed up behind ocie while Ghosty rode with Will.

Jamie gasped as they caught sight of the lake, the moonlight glittering over the ice which was so much closer than they’d ever seen it. It wasn’t snowing for once, which meant they got a clear view of the sky as they rode. They couldn’t help but stare at the trees, the lines of the hills on the horizon that moved with them.

And that was when it hit them that they were… free. And that came with its own ache all over again. The life they’d known for the past four years, waking up to hearing Rae’s quill scratching, running around the castle, talking to the kitchen staff, long hours spent discussing anything and everything in the privacy of the study. That part was over.

But it meant something new, something exciting, and they just really hoped Rae would be able to join them like they planned, because they could only imagine what it would be like for him to finally leave after over a decade, when it felt this amazing and breathtaking after only four years.

Ghosty smiled over at them from the back of Will’s horse, leaning over when they slowed as they approached the town, “It’s a weird feeling, isn’t it? To finally be free after seeing the same few walls for so long?”

Jamie nodded, watching in awe at the sparkling lights of the city as they made their way through the streets. By the time they reached the inn they were staying in, the remaining adrenaline from their escape was wearing off, and they could feel themselves begin to drift.

Ocie slid off the horse, smiling softly up at them and helping them off the horse. They left the horses with a stable hand and went inside, climbing the stairs where Will pulled out a key, which revealed a room about as big as the open area in the study. It wasn’t much, but it was different. And different was a good thing. As they flopped on the bed Ocie had offered to share with them, their mind wandered to all the different things they’d get to see, and they just hoped the family they left behind would be there to see it too.

Chapter Text

Jamie shifted in the bed, keeping their eyes firmly shut in hopes that their body would let them get just a bit more sleep, even as the sunlight poured in through the thin curtains. They sighed, giving up and pushing the blankets off, silently cursing the fact that they’d been sleeping in a basement for the past four years and hadn’t been woken up by the sun in some time.

A quick look beside them confirmed Ocie was still asleep, and across the room they could see neither Will or Ghosty had moved either. They stood from the bed, squinting in the bright light and making their way towards the small bathroom attached to the room as quietly as they could, closing the door slowly to try and not make too much noise.

The light in there wasn’t any better, with the thin curtains doing so little to block any of the light they didn’t even need to bother turning on the overhead light. It was both nice and overwhelming, in the way that it was familiar but distanty so, and they had a feeling the next few days, months even, were going to be repeatedly filled with that feeling.

They opened the door to the bathroom, trying to be quiet as they re-entered the main space, only to find Ghosty sitting up on his and Will’s bed, his notebook in hand. He smiled up at them, glancing beside him at Will before standing. He met Jamie in the middle of the room, motioning towards the door out into the hall before heading over to it.

Jamie followed him, stepping out into the hall as he shut the door behind them. “Sorry, did I wake you up?” they asked.

He shook his head, “No, you’re alright. The sun is just very bright in the morning. I’m guessing that’s what woke you up too?”

They nodded, glad they hadn’t woken him up. The walls here seemed a lot thinner than the ones in the study, and while they’d shared a bed with Rae on nights where either of their nightmares were really bad, they didn’t know how lightly anyone here slept.

“Do you want to go grab food?” Ghosty asked, gesturing to the stairs at the end of the hall that led down to the main floor of the inn. “Ocie mentioned they open the kitchen pretty early, so we can probably find something while we wait for them to wake up.”

Almost as if on cue, their stomach grumbled, and they looked up at Ghosty with a small smile, “Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Ghosty laughed, reaching out to wrap an arm around their shoulders as they made their way downstairs.

They’d briefly passed through the space the night before, but now, in the early hours of the morning, the inn lit up. There was the odd person or two sitting at one of the tables, each nursing a cup of coffee or something stronger, and an older woman who stood behind the bar. She smiled at them as they entered, setting down the glass she’d been cleaning.

“Mornin! Anything I can get for ya?” She asked cheerfully.

Ghosty smiled back at her, “Coffee would be great. What do you have for breakfast options?”

“Just a bit of everything I think, local delicacies and all that lot. Though we do have the normal batch of muffins and sandwiches for those who aren’t accustomed.” She replied, eyeing them both as she added the second part of her statement.

Ghosty hummed, “I’ll take a carrot muffin if you have them.”

The woman nodded, then turned to look at Jamie. “Can I have a blueberry muffin and some chorus juice please?” they asked. 

The woman raised an eyebrow at them but nodded, “Sure thing. Go find yourselves a seat and I’ll bring it over in a minute.”

Ghosty thanked her, waiting until she had disappeared into the kitchen before turning towards the rest of the room. Jamie eyed a seat in the corner away from the windows and headed towards it, leaving Ghosty to trail after them. They sat with their back to the window, leaning back against the booth as Ghosty slid in opposite them.

“What’s chorus juice?” Ghosty asked.

Jamie raised an eyebrow at him, “How do you not know what chorus juice is? It’s just juice made out of chorus fruit. It’s a little bitter, but the blueberries here are always super sweet so they balance each other out. It’s also, like, one of the only drinks that the castle carries that the servants have free access to.”

Ghosty frowned, “I thought Chorus was a family, not a fruit. Am I missing something?”

The woman appeared before Jamie could answer, setting a mug of coffee in front of Ghosty and the juice in front of Jamie, with their respective muffins on plates. They muttered a small thank you, smiling up at her briefly before she wandered off again. When they looked back over at Ghosty, he was eyeing the weirdly purple coloured juice in their cup.

They laughed, grabbing the glass, “Both, by the way. There’s the Chorus family and the chorus fruit. Don’t ask me which came first though, that’s a Rae question.” They took a sip of the drink, pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t as bitter as the stuff the castle kept in the kitchens.

Ghosty gave the juice one more odd look before shrugging, reaching for his coffee and turning his attention to his breakfast. They talked as they ate, watching the room slowly fill as other people came down from upstairs or even in from off the streets, brushing off the cold as they stepped into the warm atmosphere of the inn.

Finally, Jamie spotted Ocie and Will as they came down the stairs. They waved at them, watching as Ocie noticed them and nudged Will before heading over to join them. Ocie slid in next to them, grinning across at Ghosty as Will slid in next to him.

“You two certainly got up early,” Ocie commented, “I don’t remember you being such a light sleeper Cas.”

Jamie frowned at the name, looking across at Ghosty only to realize the other was rolling his eyes, “Just because I slept through you pounding on my door once after being up all night does not make me a light sleeper. The sun woke us up.” Ghosty said, looking towards Jamie to corroborate his story and seeing their confused expression. “Is everything ok?”

They nodded, “Yeah, just, uh, Cas?” they said, unsure of how to really ask. Obviously, they knew Ghosty wasn’t his real name, well, that wasn’t entirely true, they’d kind of forgotten it wasn’t, but either way it had caught them off guard to hear him referred to by any other name. Assuming Ocie has been addressing Ghosty, of course.

Understanding flashed across Ghosty’s face. He laughed, sticking a hand out across the table towards Jamie, “I think a small reintroduction is due. Hi, my name is Caspian Solcrest, nice to meet you.”

Jamie took his hand, laughing at the theatrics of it, “Nice to meet you too, I’m Jamie…” They trailed off, turning to Ocie, “Do I have a last name? Momboo never told us hers but I’d assume you have one.”

Ocie nodded, a small grin on her face, “Pine. Our last name is Pine.”

Jamie nodded, turning back to Ghosty, “Jamie Pine.”

Ghosty- uh, Caspian, grinned even further, giving their hand one last firm shake before dropping it and returning his hand to his mug. They talked for a moment before Ocie and Will got up, going towards the bar to get their own food before returning to the table.

Their food was dropped off shortly after and Caspian and Jamie returned to their conversation to give them a moment to eat. Jamie took another sip of their drink, which Ocie eyed curiously. She swallowed her bite of food, half motioning to the cup as she spoke, “What’d you get? I don’t think I’ve seen anything that colour before.

Jamie looked at her in disbelief, then turned to Will, “Please tell me you’ve seen chorus juice before since neither of these two seem to have.”

Will laughed, nodding much to their relief, “I’ve even tried it. I don’t know how you’re drinking it though, I thought it was awful.”

Ocie raised an eyebrow at him, glancing over towards Jamie and giving the cup a suspicious look, “I was going to ask to try some, but now I’m worried.”

Jamie nudged the glass towards her, inviting her to try it. She eyed it for a long moment before finally picking up the glass, not even stopping to smell it before tipping some of it into her mouth. Her nose wrinkled as she lowered the glass, passing it back to Jamie as they tried not to laugh at her expression.

“Why is it so bitter?” She asked, reaching for her own drink to get rid of the taste.

Jamie shrugged, picking up the glass and taking a big sip, if only to slightly mess with her, “The stuff they make at the castle is actually like, way more bitter than this. You might want to get used to the bitterness though, they sell and serve a lot of chorus based things for the festival and banquet.”

She eyed the glass again, “Yeah? Is that from personal experience or rumours, because I’m really hoping for the latter right now.”

“Both,” Jamie replied with a small laugh, “The one time I came down for the festival it was everywhere, and Rae always complains how half of the courses they serve at the banquet involve chorus fruit, not because he doesn’t like it, but just because it’s a lot.”

Will gave a knowing nod from the other side of the table, “I feel like a lot of the larger banquets are like that. Not chorus fruit, of course, but when you’re feeding a lot of people and it’s not reserved to nobility, the staff tends to lean towards whatever is available in large amounts.”

“Well, if I’m going to have to eat my weight of that stuff tomorrow, I might as well get a taste for it today,” Ocie sighed. She turned to Jamie, “Want to explore the festival with me today? The guys have a few things to do but I wanted to check out the celebrations.”

Jamie tensed slightly, but nodded, “Sure, sounds fun.”

Ocie grinned, turning her attention back to her food. Across from them, Will and Caspian were talking quietly. Jamie mostly tuned them out, barely catching more than something about clothing. They’d felt strange all morning, and maybe it was Ocie mentioning the festival, which was surely well under way outside by now, but they’d sort of realized why.

They didn’t have the most pleasant memories of the festival, though they also didn’t have very many. They’d only been once before, but it had been enough for them to decide to stay in the castle the following years. Rae had started a little tradition for them after that, since he had nothing he had to do on the first day of the festivities, where they’d go to the gardens attached to his formal rooms and have a picnic. The two of them would pick flowers, read, and talk about anything they could remember about their families.

Now that they were both so close to getting their families back, it almost felt weird that they wouldn’t get the chance to do their silly little tradition. It also felt weird to be away from their mentor. Despite the slight resentment they’d held for him when they first met because they’d blamed him for what had happened to them, they’d grown so close in the years Jamie had spent in the castle. Rae had become family, and it felt weird to be spending a day where they’d usually discuss family without him.

Ocie nudged them, and they realized that at some point while they’d been zoned out she’d finished eating and Will had left the table. They quickly spotted him up by the bar, talking to the woman who had served them earlier.

“Will’s just paying, but we can run up and grab our coats if you’re ready to head out?” Ocie said, gesturing vaguely towards the stairs with a slightly concerned look on her face.

Jamie nodded, waiting for her to stand before sliding out of the booth. They said goodbye to Caspian, trailing after Ocie as they made their way back up to the room. Ocie crossed the room to grab her jacket and a scarf off of the desk, which was half buried under what Jamie assumed were Will and Caspian’s jackets.

They walked to the side of the bed, grabbing their thin jacket off of the chair next to it and shrugging it on. They turned, finding Ocie staring at them.

“Is everything ok?” Jamie asked uncertainly.

“Is that your only jacket?” She asked.

Jamie nodded, wrapping it further around their body, “I’ll be fine though, I’m used to the cold.”

Ocie frowned, looking like she wanted to protest but Jamie shot her a pleading look, silently asking her to just drop it. She eventually sighed, moving back across the room towards the door, but she didn’t look all too happy about it.

They passed Will and Caspian on the stairs, Ocie pausing to say something to Caspian before they continued on. The inn had somehow gotten even more full in the few minutes since they’d left, and Jamie could see even their table had been quickly snagged by another group. Ocie pushed open the door out onto the street, squinting against the harsh light.

Jamie stepped out behind her, blinking to adjust to the light before scanning the street. Between the lamp posts they could see strings of banners, triangles of fabric in various shades of purple lined up. The crowd pushed past the inn, moving towards what Jamie assumed was the centre of town, where all the booths would be set up.

They looked over at Ocie, waiting to make sure she was ready before stepping into the crowd, letting the bustle of people move them forward with Ocie close behind them. Once they began to recognize the outskirts of town square, they stepped away, tugging Ocie with them until they were out of the flow, sheltered under one of the few coverings that had been set up.

It looked just like they remembered, with booths set up in a ring, as well as doors to shops decorated to show which ones were open for the day since it was too cold to leave them propped open. In the centre a small group of musicians played, and a space was left empty around them, occupied only by a few stray couples who stopped to dance.

Ocie was staring at it all with the same wonder they had the first time they’d been down here, though their own wonder was now tainted by sour memories. She wandered towards one of the booths, Jamie trailing behind her, and began looking at the various trinkets that were laid across the table.

The merchant said something to her, pointing out a few different items, all of which she examined happily. Jamie drifted, moving towards the table next to the one Ocie had chosen. This one was piled with various books, all with covers more ornament than anything they’d ever seen.

They shivered, tugging their jacket closer around them. Someone else walked up to the table, speaking to the merchant about one of the books. Jamie looked back over towards Ocie, finding that she’d moved to look at something on the table on the other side of the one she’d been at. They started to walk towards her when their gaze fell past her and they froze.

Jamie ducked, pressing themselves against the nearest table, tucking between patrons as they tried to figure out what to do. Ocie wasn’t that far away, but he was looking this way, and would surely notice them if they tried to just walk over to her. They glanced up at the lady stood next to them, who was admiring some of the pieces Ocie had been looking at earlier.

Slowly, they reached out, gently tapping her arm and trying to sound less shaken than they actually were, “Excuse me, sorry, could you help me?”

The lady looked over at them, smiling softly at them in a way that made them a little glad they looked younger than they actually were, “Of course darling, what do you need?”

They pointed past her to Ocie, “Could you get my aunt’s attention? Sorry, I didn’t want to try and push past the crowd to reach her.”

She looked over at Ocie, then turned to Jamie, giving them a small nod, “Certainly.” She turned back towards Ocie, calling out softly and waving until Ocie looked up at her, a small frown etched on her face until she spotted Jamie next to her. Jamie gave her a look, trying to silently convey the message that she needed to get over there.

Ocie looked back towards the woman, smiling at her and accepting her help as she nudged her way back through the crowd. It had grown busier in the short time since they’d arrived, so it took her a moment, even with the woman’s help, to make her way towards them. When she got in reaching distance, Jamie wrapped her in a hug, quickly whispering something in her ear before letting her go.

Ocie gave them the smallest nod, turning to the woman who had helped them, “Thank you for helping my nephew, it’s so easy to get separated in these large crowds.”

The woman smiled brightly, “Of course, it was no problem. I have a few of my own and they’ve long left the house but even at your nephew’s age I made them stick with me for that exact reason.”

“You can never be too safe,” Ocie replied, pausing briefly before continuing, “Do you know anywhere we could sit and eat? I think we need a little break from the crowds.”

She nodded, looking around for a moment before pointing to one of the shops tucked behind a few of the booths, “There’s a lovely little bakery over there. The owner is a sweetheart and it’s usually less crowded than the big sweets shop.”

Ocie followed where she was looking, then turned back to her with a big smile, “Thank you. For the recommendation and the help.”

The woman laughed, “Of course. Enjoy the festival!”

By then Jamie was growing a  little impatient, having had to sit there and watch as he got closer while they chatted. They happily pulled Ocie through the crowd the second they could, off in the direction the woman had pointed them in. A bell dinged above the door as they entered, the warmth of the building rushing over them as it shut behind them, trapping the cold out with it.

The display case was lined with a variety of treats, most of which had some form of purple tint to them. Ocie looked at them then headed for the counter as Jamie looked around the room, picking a table away from the window and taking the seat that looked out into the street.

Ocie came over a minute later, a small plate of treats in hand which she set on the table. She sat, glancing around the small store before raising an eyebrow at Jamie, “Care to explain?”

Jamie sighed, nodding, “I mentioned I’ve come to the festival, yeah? Well, I only came once. Apparently, if you’re a servant who was or is technically still a prisoner or whatever the heck I was, you can’t just leave the castle. So, if you want to come down for the festival, you have to sign up and be under strict watch. Rae encouraged me to go the first year to have some fun.”

“I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” Ocie asked, reaching for one of the cookies on the plate.

They shook their head, “Not unless you count almost dying as it going well. I- well, uh, I’d really rather not talk about it, but the man who was in charge of watching us is one of the most vile men I’ve ever met. And I saw him.”

Ocie paled, mouth half full of cookie that she half choked down in an attempt to clear her mouth, “I’m sorry what .”

“Like I said, not a great time,” Jamie said, grimacing, “If he saw me, he’d know I got out, and…” They trailed off, but from the look in Ocie’s eyes it was clear she was able to follow the unspoken part of their sentence. It was funny how she was able to do that even though she hadn’t known them long. They’d certainly never been the best actor of the trio of them that lived in the study.

“You’re really worried about him, aren’t you?” Ocie asked, setting down her cookie. Her face was soft, and if they hadn’t already known she was their aunt they would have thought the look reminded them of Momboo.

They nodded, “He’s family. He always promised that if we got out he’d help me find my family again, but I can’t leave without him, because he's family too. I just… what if she makes him forget again? What if I’m not there and something goes wrong? What if it’s already gone wrong?”

Ocie took a deep breath, looking away from them towards the window. Jamie stared down at the table, their fingers finding the edge of the coat and pulling at a loose thread. Ocie sighed again, looking back towards them and reaching a hand across the table, carefully taking their hand in hers.

“He’s going to be ok. We’re going to see him tomorrow, and in two days he’ll be here. Rae’s tough, I can tell, and I don’t even know him as well as you do. Whatever happens, I’ll make sure you get to see him again. You’ll both be safe, I promise.”

Jamie met her eyes, finding some peace in the determination that filled her eyes. It reminded them that they weren’t alone anymore. It wasn’t down to them, Rae, and Centross to find a way out. They had help, they had friends, they had family. It would work out.

“Thank you,” they half whispered, smiling softly at Ocie.

Ocie squeezed their hand, giving them a small smile in return before turning her attention to the plate of snacks with a sigh, “We should probably try and make our way back to the inn. If I’m going to suffer through trying all these chorus baked goods then the boys are too.”

Jamie laughed, staying put as she got up and walked towards the counter. The employee took the plate, packing up the treats and handing it back to her. Ocie turned, giving Jamie a look and heading towards the front of the shop. Jamie stood, joining her just before the door. Ocie slung her arm over their shoulders, nudging the door open with her other arm and stepping back out into the cold.

They shivered, glancing around for any sign of the man that they’d seen earlier and finding none. The two started to make their way back down the street, and Jamie stayed tucked under Ocie’s arm, worried, but not as worried as they were before.

Chapter Text

Ocie frowned at the darkening streets outside of the carriage as they rode towards the castle. Will sat next to her, in one of the two fine suits she’d gotten the seamstresses to make upon finding out about the celebrations. It was a light grey, with gold accents to match his mask, and it matched with the dress she wore as well, which was a pale blue skirt with a grey bodice and gold accents.

Despite having taken their horses to and from the castle a few times, Will insisted they take a carriage up for the banquet, and the ball the following night, as to keep up appearances. She’d gone along with it, knowing very well that he had more knowledge of courts and procedure than she did. After all, she was a figurehead monarch at best. She’d given up her power to a council long ago.

Other carriages trailed behind them, a few other lords who had only just arrived in town, or other smaller figures who lived in or around the capital and weren’t staying in the castle. At the very least it did make their arrival stand out less, as they’d be one of many who would be returning to town after dinner and wouldn’t be expected to stick around the castle and socialize.

The carriage slowed, and her door was opened by a footman, who offered her his hand to help her get down. She gave Will one more look before accepting it, picking up her skirt as she carefully stepped down onto the stone pathway. Will climbed out behind her, taking a moment to straighten his suit as she smoothed her skirt.

He looked at her, a hint of a grin peeking out from behind his mask as he offered her his arm, “Shall we?”

She rolled her eyes but took his arm anyway, nodding. He led them up the steps, following the path laid out by the staff until they caught up with the other guests in a large room. She’d never been to this part of the castle, but based on the layout of the ones she had been in, she assumed there were doors that would lead them into some sort of dining room when it was time to eat.

For now though, her least favourite part of the evening; socializing. It wasn’t that she didn’t like people, she would actually consider herself fairly extroverted, when she wanted to be. She just didn’t like how high and mighty many of the noblemen were, and the fact that a fair amount of them were quick to dismiss her as just Will’s “partner” rather than talk to her as her own person.

She thought back to her own partners and the struggle to get them recognized for their own achievements, even after she passed off her power to the council. She tried to make a point to not do the same to other leader’s spouses whenever she got the chance, but it was a small fight in the grand scheme of things.

Ocie glanced around, trying to find any sign of familiar dark hair and finding none. She frowned, wondering if Rae was just somewhere she couldn’t see or if he hadn’t arrived yet. Will had drifted from her, seemingly pulled over by some noble she didn’t know the name of. She decided to wander the room, see if there was anything, or anyone, worth paying attention to while they wanted for the meal to begin.

The room was slowly filling, though if she had to guess, they had been some of the last to arrive. She still didn’t see Rae, though now that she was looking she also couldn’t see the Queen, Lady Perix, or many of the guards. Some of the lower level knights stood around the room, but many of the higher ranks, Centross included, weren’t anywhere to be seen.

She stood by the wall, watching the room with practiced indifference. She spotted Will, laughing softly to herself at how uncomfortable he looked, surrounded by a swarm of End noblemen, most likely all of which were hoping to gain favour with the crown prince of the Aether. Just as she decided maybe she should go join him if not save him, a woman approached her, giving her a small curtsy.

Ocie eyed her curiously, giving her a small nod. She wasn’t sure of the lady’s rank, but she was fairly certain even her fake identity was above most of the people in this room, so better safe than sorry.

“Apologies, my lady. I hope I’m not bothering you,” the lady said, looking towards her but not at her. Ah, stupid End policies about not looking people in the eye because of the Queen.

She shook her head, pressing on what she hoped was a kind smile, “Not at all. I’ve simply been observing the crowd.”

The lady nodded, glancing out towards the rest of the room, “I can’t imagine you know many of the people here. It does make for a rather dull evening.”

Ocie hummed, turning back to observe the crowds, “You could say that. Are you familiar with many of the guests tonight?”

She saw the lady’s lips press into a line from the corner of her eye, “My father was. Though in the last few years, many of the other noble families have started to cut ties with those in the more southern regions of the End by her majesty's request.”

“That is… the Chorus family’s old lands, correct?” Ocie asked, trying to remember the bit of information she’d studied before coming here. She was suddenly very thankful she’d decided to do it when the lady nodded again.

“Yes. Many of us have stopped attending these events, but I think it’s important to maintain tradition where we can.” She continued, seemingly half in her own world as she spoke. There was a deep sorrow in her expression, and Ocie made a note to look more into the End’s history once she was back home. Maybe there was something worth knowing in it.

“So most of those in attendance are from the other two regions?” Ocie asked, having already put that together but just hoping to continue the conversation.

The lady nodded, “Yes. We are in the Shulk’s old land, so there are the most of them, but you will find others as well. I don’t believe I’ve seen Sir Morningstar though, he’s an odd case in reference to the old divisions.”

Ocie nodded, surprised she’d brought up the topic she’d wanted to breach without her being the one to do it. “So I’ve heard. He’s from the Overworld, isn’t he? I remember him mentioning it during our discussions.”

“He is. The Queen is too, originally. A few of the other nobles are still wary of his place in the castle because of how vague the Queen is about his origins, but, and I must admit maybe I shouldn’t be saying this, many of us believe his ties to the Overworld are greater than simply being his place of birth.” She replied.

Ocie froze, thoughts drifting to a conversation she’d had the other day with Will and Caspian under candlelight in their room in the inn. She wondered briefly if the lady knew what she was implying, and who she was implying it to. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught what she could have sworn was a small smirk playing on the lady’s lips.

The lady turned back to her, offering her a small curtsy, “I should be off, I have others I should speak to before the meal begins. I hope you enjoy the banquet, my Lady.” 

With that she disappeared back into the crowds, so quickly Ocie wouldn’t have been able to follow her even if she hadn’t still been frozen in her thoughts. She shook her head, trying to figure out what to do next. Across the room, Will caught her eye, and something in her expression must have been enough for him to excuse himself from the men around him and make his way over.

“Is everything ok?” He asked upon reaching her, reaching over and resting his hand on her upper arm.

She nodded slowly, frowning slightly as she tried to pull her thoughts together, “Yes, just had an odd conversation. I’ll tell you more later, but she mentioned that she hasn’t seen Rae either, which seems weird, does it not?”

“It… does,” Will agreed, “Any sign of Centross either? Maybe we can ask him where Rae is.”

Just as she went to tell him she hadn’t seen any sign of him either, a trumpet went off. The doors to the room swung open, and in walked a line of guards, all in uniform with their ranks pinned to their chests. Behind them walked Lady Perix, all done up in her own set of armour, a long deep violet cape flowing from her shoulders.

And behind her, was the Queen. Dressed in a midnight black dress that cascaded towards her feet, extra fabric trailing after her as the doors were shut behind her. The room fell silent, heads ducked respectfully. Queen Enderian scanned the room, smiling at her guests, “Ladys, Gentlemen. I thank you all for coming to our banquet tonight. Dinner will be served in about ten minutes, but please, feel free to find your seats.”

At her gesture, the doors to the next room opened, revealing a room full of many smaller tables, with one long one at the head of the room. The whole time the Queen had been talking Ocie had been searching, and yet even now she couldn’t find any sign of Rae. She did spot Centross however, and quickly tugged Will in his direction as guests began to funnel into the next room.

Almost like he sensed them, Centross paused before the doorway, turning back just as they reached him. Ocie nodded at him, and next to her Will did the same. He gave them a small smile, bowing quickly, “Lord Will, Lady Owen. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Ocie plastered on a fake smile, “The pleasure is ours. I was curious however, if you had seen Sir Morningstar? I was hoping to get a chance to speak to him tonight.”

Centross’ face fell, and he quickly glanced around the room before moving so that his back faced the door, blocking their little group from the rest of the room, “I haven’t had a chance to speak with him since I last saw his apprentice. I was hoping you had had more luck than I.”

“We’ve only just come back from town,” Ocie replied, her heart sinking in her chest as she spared a look at Will, who looked equally concerned under his mask.

Centross sighed, running a hand over his face and looking distantly over her head somewhere, “I would love to discuss this more, but I fear we won’t have the chance during the banquet.”

Ocie frowned, “Agreed. We are returning to town tonight or I’d suggest the usual case.” She kept her voice low, wary of the other bodies in the room.

Her words seemed to give Centross an idea though, the way his face lit up ever so slightly, “Say, some of the other guards have been bugging me to join them in town tonight for a few drinks after the event. Where are you staying? I can’t say I know many of the good places to get a drink in town.”

He trailed off, but Ocie was nodding, having caught his intention, “The Shell inn, the food so far has been wonderful, so I have little doubt the drinks wouldn’t be the same.”

Centross smirked, “Wonderful. I may have to suggest it to the others. Now, I believe we should be seated. It was lovely talking to you.”

“You as well,” Ocie replied, giving him another small nod before taking Will’s arm, the same way she had on their way in. Will gave Centross one last look before leading them both into the dining room. They quickly found their chairs at a table towards the head of the room, along with another two pairs of nobles. She was silently glad they weren’t at the head table, though she couldn’t help but notice the empty chair next to the Queen once everyone was seated.

The first course was served, with a swirl of servants entering the room, laying plates down so quickly she could have blinked and she would have missed it. Each course was much the same, with staff appearing and disappearing before she could even look for them, and despite it all, the seat next to the Queen stayed empty.

It was clear by now that it was intended to be Rae’s seat, which only made the knot in her stomach worse as the night progressed. She caught Centross looking towards the seat a few times, and each time his gaze found hers with a frown. A million possibilities ran through her head, and it was only Will’s reassuring glances that kept her sane throughout the meal.

His mask had been titled up to allow him to eat more easily, his smile carrying to his eyes each time he looked at her. Of all the people she’d expect to be next to in a mission like this, he would have been one of the last on the list, but she had to admit, it was nice to have such a familiar face on the roads, and especially in the last few weeks when neither of them had been able to see much of Caspian.

Thinking of Caspian made her thoughts drift back to him and Jamie. She considered briefly if she should lie to them, saying that Rae was ok, but that felt too cruel. It would be important that they both knew the truth if there was a change in plans. She hoped there wouldn’t be, but the empty chair at the high table was taunting her.

Before she knew it, no plate was set down after her previous one was taken, and everyone had turned their attention towards the high table. Queen Enderian stood from her seat, scanning the crowds. “With that, we conclude our evening. I want to thank each of you for coming, the Drakon family for honouring us with their traditions, and I look forward to seeing many of you at the ball tomorrow. You are all dismissed.”

Chairs scratched around the room as guests stood. Will readjusted his mask, giving ocie a small nod before they stood as well, following the flow back towards the other room. As they passed, they saw many people stop to talk, though a few, like themselves, continued towards the door. Ocie caught Centross’ eye once more, giving him a nod before turning to continue down the hall.

They waited silently on the front steps for their carriage, neither of them daring to say a word until they were seated and on their way back to town. Ocie sighed, leaning back against the cushioned seat and watching the terrain go by outside the window.

Will sighed beside her, leaning back as well and removing his mask entirely, “Well, that was… something.”

Ocie huffed, “You could say that again.”

“We’re going to have to tell them that we don’t know if Rae is ok, aren’t we?” Will asked, looking over at her.

“Yeah, I don’t think we should keep it from them. We might need at least Cas’s help tomorrow.”

Will was silent for a moment, turning back to look out his window. He turned back to her, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips, “Dibs not telling Jamie.”

Ocie sat up, glaring at him as he laughed, “Hey! No fair!”

“Your nephew, your problem.” Will said with a shrug.

She rolled her eyes, reaching over to punch his arm playfully, “Fine. But we tell them after we talk to Centross. We should probably bring Caspian along for that by the way. Dibs not telling him.”

Will stuck his tongue out at her playfully, but nodded, “Yeah, I figured I had that coming. We can go up and change and then tell Jamie we’re going to go get drinks. I think Caspian was planning to take them to the library that we found while we were out so they might want to stay up with a book anyways.”

Ocie hummed, remembering that conversation from earlier in the day. “Ok, so we go up, change, drag Cas down to the bar, fill him in, and hope Centross shows up? Sounds like a fool proof plan.”

“Oh come on, when have any of our plans ever been fool proof?” Will asked, his tone light.

She laughed, catching the lights of the city appear outside the windows as the carriage drove the last couple blocks. “Well, no matter what happens tonight, remind me not to wear heels tomorrow. My feet are killing me.”

Will rolled his eyes at her, “As long as you promise to not argue with me about it if I bring up this conversation.”

She eyed him, grinning, “No promises.”

He laughed, just as the carriage slowed outside of the inn. A footman appeared at her door, opening and helping her down. Will paused momentarily to speak with the driver, passing him some money for the night, before joining her at the door. She gave one last look at the street as the carriage pulled away, bracing herself for a night of long conversations before stepping into the inn.

Chapter Text

Centross tried not to flinch as one of the other guards bumped into him, the back of the cart they were sitting in far too tight for the sheer energy radiating off of them. Still, he had to applaud them for being able to enjoy the celebrations for what they were. He knew many of them had been to town the day before to enjoy the festival, and had only gone back to the castle because they had to, hence why they were now all going back to town.

He also knew a few of them were eyeing him weirdly. He hadn’t joined these sorts of things since his first few years as a guard, and even then, only once, maybe twice. And that was all before he met Rae. If it wasn’t for that very man, he wouldn’t even be going now, but it had been three days since he’d seen him, and he really needed to talk to Will, Ocie, and Ghosty about it.

The cart stopped somewhere on the edge of the city and the others started piling out. One offered him a hand down which he ignored, jumping down and looking around the area they’d stopped. It was on the south side of the city, which meant he’d have a while to go if he wanted to reach the inn Ocie had mentioned.

Behind him, many of the others had started to form small groups, beginning to wander off through the streets, likely to head towards their favourite pubs, or whichever ones they knew would get them drunkest for the least amount of money. He expected them to all just leave him be, but even after he heard most of them wander off, he knew there was still a small group of them there.

He turned, surprised to find some of the guards he knew better than the others still waiting around. He looked towards the unofficial leader of their little group, raising an eyebrow at him questioningly.

The guard gave him a small bow, pausing halfway like he couldn’t decide if the action was appropriate for the moment or not, “Sire. We were wondering if you would like to join us. We know you don’t often join these things, and I’m sure you could figure out your own path, but we thought we’d offer.”

Centross caught himself smiling a bit, watching as two in the back of the group shoved at each other playfully. Briefly he wondered if he would have been this close with any of the others had he not discovered what he had. Maybe, if he wasn’t so aware of the cruelties that went on behind hidden doors, cruelties he’d committed with his own hands for one reason or another, he would be more like them.

He shook his head, letting the smile slip into place in the dim light of the street, “Thank you, but I’ll pass. I have plans to meet with an old friend. I hope you enjoy your night.”

The leader gave him a small smile in return, giving him one more awkward nod/bow before the group turned, slowly disappearing down the streets, leaving him by himself. He watched them for a long moment, then turned, sighing as he set off towards the inn.

By the time he reached the thick stone building, snow had begun to fall slowly, painting the almost empty streets in a fresh sheet of white, broken up only by the steps made by people wandering from pub to pub or back home. He pushed open the door, a blast of noise reaching his ears as he entered the lively atmosphere of the inn.

He took a moment to clear some of the snow off his shoulders and his boots before making his way towards the bar. He ordered a drink, leaning against the wood while he waited and scanning the room. Many of the tables were full, people laughing happily and talking as they drank or shared food.

In the corner though, he spotted them, red eyes making contact with his across the room. He gave Ghosty a small nod, turning to take his drink from the bartender and pay before making his way over. He stopped in front of the booth, keeping his face neutral as he looked at the small group, “Seems you three have the open seat in the whole inn. Mind if I join you?”

Ghosty raised an eyebrow at him, but moved over anyways, making room on the bench next to him for Centross to slide in. He sat, setting his drink on the table. Across from him, Ocie was eyeing him weirdly, and he could tell Will was also tense, despite not being able to see the man’s face.

He locked eyes with Ocie, “Is he up to date?”

Her eyes flicked over to Ghosty, but then she nodded, “As up to date as we are. Though, none of us really have any idea what’s been happening.”

“I can’t say I know all that much more than you do,” Centross said, shrugging, “Best I got is a lot of guesses and a shit ton of maybe’s.”

He heard Ghosty let out something akin to a snort from beside him. “How about you tell us what you do know then, and we can figure the rest out? Because from what they’ve told me, sounds like there isn’t much to go off of.”

Centross rolled his eyes, reaching for his drinks and taking a long sip while he considered where he should start. He debated if it was worth mentioning any of the conversations he and Rae had had following the Queen’s little stunt she’d pulled on them, but decided against it. If it came up, it came up. No need to mention too much detail right away, especially to people he still barely trusted.

“Last time I spoke to Rae was the morning you guys left,” he started, glancing over at Ghosty, “After I finished being weirdly absent elsewhere in the castle, I was heading back to the study when I got stopped by a servant who had a note for me from Rae.”

He dug a hand into his pocket, pulling out the note in question and laying it on the table for them to see. “It’s written in code, but it essentially told me to not go back to the study. Obviously, I was concerned something had happened so I went anyway, but he must have put up a barrier because I couldn’t get through. I even tried the back staircase and that one wouldn’t let me through either.”

He could see the worry on Ocie and Ghosty’s faces. Will has working his sleeve between his fingers, peering over the table like he was reading the note over and over again despite its short contents.

“Did you try to find him?” Ghosty asked, “Or, I don’t know, see if anyone else could get past the barrier thing?”

Centross frowned, “Yes. I didn’t ask, but I saw the captain of the guard go down at one point. And I looked in all of his usual spots other than the study and he wasn’t in any of them. But it’s not like I could just ask if anyone had seen him, so there wasn’t a lot I could do.”

Ocie looked up from the note, looking at him curiously, “Why couldn’t you ask if anyone had seen him? You two are known to be friends right, it wouldn’t have been strange.”

“Do you not remember the rule we mentioned the first time you two visited the study?” Centross asked, raising an eyebrow at her, “No one can ask for his location due to past issues, so no one could tell me even if they had, and me asking would have only possibly made things worse.”

Somewhere off on the other end of the room a loud cheer erupted, and he couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him at the irony of the timing. He couldn’t blame them in the slightest for celebrating when these few days were meant for just that, but it was such a stark contrast to the mood in their small piece of the room.

He sighed, turning back to the others, “So what happened with the plan? Anything that could give us a hint as to what happened?”

Ghosty frowned next to him, sharing a quick look with Will before answering, “I didn’t think so. I mean, it didn’t go as flawlessly as I had hoped it would, but we got out alright. Jamie seemed concerned, but I figured that was just them being nervous. Now though, with all this, I’m not sure.”

“Were you caught?” Centross asked, trying to figure out what he was alluding to.

“Not exactly,” Ghosty replied, “I think Rae was seen, but Jamie never told me what they heard, just that there were two people in the hall who seemed to be looking for us. I went into the tunnel before they did, but I heard the door to the storage room open right before Rae got the shelf back in place.”

Centross’s eyes widened, and he had to stop himself from glaring at the man sitting next to him. He paused, taking a deep breath to try and calm down a little before looking back at the group, “Ok, so this is definitely not good. Even if they didn’t see you, if Rae was acting odd and one of the two people was a member of the guard, they’d likely report it to the Queen. Which means he’d have to be extra cautious. It does explain him basically locking me out of the study though.”

Ocie frowned, “So what do we do? Is there anything we can do?”

“Yes and no,” Centross replied, all sorts of ideas already filling his head, “Our best bet would just be to try and talk to him during the ball tomorrow. I don’t know for certain why he wasn’t at the banquet, but there’s no way the Queen will let him miss tomorrow. Not when-” He stopped, cutting himself off.

“Not when what?” Will asked

He sighed, deciding it was probably easier to explain, to an extent. He didn’t have to tell the whole truth, he wouldn’t betray Rae’s trust more than he had to even when it could save him, but  he figured part of the truth would be enough. “Unless I’m wrong, the Queen is going to announce that Rae and I are… engaged, tomorrow.”

Ocie’s mouth fell open, and he heard Ghosty nearly choke on his drink. Will seemed to recover the quickest, though his surprise was still evident in his tone, “I’m sorry what?”

Centross rolled his eyes, though noting the way Ghosty seemed to have paled significantly, “Rae is the Queen’s ward. I am the son of the noble family that helped Enderian start her reign. She wants Rae to have proper ties to the kingdom, but doesn’t want any of the other noble families to gain an advantage. Plus, she knows we are at least acquaintances. Hence, marriage. Apparently.”

“So it’s like an arranged marriage sort of deal?” Ghosty asked, recovering from his choking.

He nodded, “Yes. And the Queen will want both of us present for the announcement. Rae wasn’t certain he wanted to go through with it, even for the deception, but if he’s trying to stay on her good side he’ll have likely agreed to it. Since Lady Perix will also need to be present for the ball, we can be sure that the real rae shows up, or at least have an easier time seeing through the illusion of someone else pretending to be him and go search for the real him.”

If it were up to him he’d just search for Rae himself, since he still didn’t fully trust any of them, but he knew this was something he couldn’t do alone. There were too many moving pieces for him to keep track of all by himself. Of them at least, he did somewhat trust Ghosty. He’d seen the way he and Rae interacted, and knew that they’d become fairly close. And while he didn’t necessarily trust his own judgement, he was inclined to trust Rae’s.

Ocie shifted in her seat, “So how do we do it? I know you’ve spent a lot of time around him, and Perix, but how are we supposed to tell if it’s really him or not?”

Centross looked at her, frowning slightly, “Do any of you know morse code?”

Will shook his head, but to his relief both Ocie and Ghosty nodded. Centross nodded, a small amount of tension leaving his shoulders, “We have a code system. If we want to double check we’re talking to who we think we are, or want to start a longer message, we tap each other’s code name with one hand.”

He grabbed his drink, moving it to the side and raising one of his hands onto the table so they could clearly see it. He tapped three times, paused, then slid his finger over a bit before sliding it back without lifting it up. “Rae’s code is SM. Three dots, pause, then two dashes.”

Ghosty nodded, watching as he repeated the motion again, “Why SM? Wouldn’t it make more sense to be his initials?”

“That’s the point,” Centross replied, lowering his hand again, “His initials would be easy to guess for the code, so we made them based off of old nicknames for each other. That way even if someone figures out what we’re tapping, they wouldn’t know how to reply properly.”

Ghosty nodded again, an impressed look on his face, “What’s yours then?”

Centross paused, trying to remember it. It wasn't like he was the one who ever had to tap it. He lifted his hand again, tapping three dots, pausing, then two more dots, followed by a dash, and another dot.

Ocie raised an eyebrow at him, “SF? What does that stand for?”

He smirked, “Like I said, old nicknames.”

Ghosty let out a noise that was half laugh half sigh, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table in front of him, “So how do we do this then? You said you tap the other person’s code, but none of us have codes, so there’s nothing for Rae to tap back. Unless he does initials, but he’d only have one each for us, and technically the wrong one for me.”

“Ah, but you do have codes,” Centross said, just a little grateful for Rae’s insomniac tendencies. “Rae and I were talking one night and he suggested we make them just in case. The plan was to have them, then that way if they were needed we both knew them, but if we didn’t, you just wouldn’t have to know.”

Will hummed, “How much of that was boredom versus actually planning ahead?”

“Almost entirely,” Centross replied, earning a laugh from the others at the table.

Ocie met his gaze, a curious look in her eyes, “So what are ours? You said yours were all based on old nicknames, but what were ours based on?”

Centross took a sip of his drink, giving himself a second to remember the context behind them. Since Rae had been the one to come up with the idea, he’d also been mostly responsible for coming up with the names. He knew they all had reasons, and to be honest Will and Ocie’s were easy to remember, but Ghosty’s had been part of a conversation he hadn’t been there for.

“Yours is OL,” He said to Ocie, tapping it out quickly as he said it, “Will’s is MO, and Ghosty’s is LO. Ocean Lady, Masked One, and Lost One.”

Beside him Ghosty groaned, leaning forward until his head was resting on his arms. Ocie had burst out laughing, and he could hear Will laughing quietly from behind his mask.

“Oh my god you're kidding me,” Ocie said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye from her laughter, “You’re never escaping that.”

Ghosty groaned again, lifting his head just enough to shoot her a glare, “It was one conversation! I didn’t think he’d remember it!”

Centross glanced between them, sparing a look at Will who was still shaking silently with laughter, “I’m not even going to ask. Going back to the original conversation. Basic plan for tomorrow should be to just try and find Rae, confirm it’s actually him, then try and get him somewhere slightly more private so we can figure out how much of our original plan needs to change.”

Ocie calmed herself from her laughter, turning back to him with a more serious expression on her face, “Will and I can definitely try and talk to him during the ball. It wouldn’t be strange for us to want to follow up with him for the trade agreement. Let us know if you get a chance to talk to him before that though, alright?”

Ghosty sat back up as Centross nodded at her, “I think I should be in the castle. They’ll have extra help coming in anyway so it shouldn’t be hard to hide, and with how much of the situation is unknown, it’ll be good for me to be there as backup.”

Will and Ocie shared a look. Will looked back at Ghosty with a small shrug, “I mean, you are technically in charge here, so if you want to then we won’t stop you.”

“Just don’t get caught this time dumbass,” Ocie added.

Ghosty rolled his eyes grinning despite the clear insult. He turned to Centross, “So, what should we expect? You’re the one who’s been to the ball before.”

Centross sighed, leaning back in his seat. He gave them a brief rundown of the formalities, along with telling them some of the more common dances that would take place. He was thankful that both Will and Ocie seemed to recognize most of them, remembering that they were both raised in courts.

By the time they finished many of the patrons had left, leaving a still busy but definitely quieter inn. Centross stood from the booth, saying goodnight to the others before returning his glass to the bar. He headed for the door, sparing one last look at the group gathered in the booth before pushing open the door and stepping into the frigid night air.

He spent most of the walk back towards the meeting point going over everything they’d discussed. He tried not to let his thoughts slip too far to the point where he began worrying about things out of his control, but it was hard when the fate of his closest friend was currently unknown.

He paused in the street, tipping his face up to the falling snow. Rae had done many things for him over the years, most of which he could never repay. He just hoped he’d be able to do this one thing for him without fucking it up.

Voices came around the corner and he turned towards them, finding that same group that had invited him to join them earlier in the night. Most of them were stumbling in their steps, using each other to support their weight, though their leader seemed the most conscious of them all. He met Centross’s eye with a small grin, carefully guiding his friends towards the waiting cart before crossing the distance to join him.

“Did you have a good night sir?” he asked.

Centross eyed him, watching silently for a moment before allowing a small smile to show on his face, “Yes, I did. I see your group did as well.”

The guard laughed, “Yeah, some a little more than they maybe should. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure they’re all good to go tomorrow. I’d hate to make you look bad because they don’t know what to quit.”

Centross let out a small chuckle, looking over at the group again, who were slowly and clumsily helping each other into their seats, “It’s no skin off my back, don’t worry. It’s nice to see you have each other's backs though, not only in combat but in this. Relationships like that are like gold. Hold onto them when you can.”

“Yes sir,” the guard replied, giving him a half hearted salute, a lopsided grin on his face. He looked back towards his friends, cringing as one of them missed their footing while trying to get onto the cart, “I should probably go help them.”

“You do that, I’ll be over in a minute,” Centross replied. He watched the guard go over, carefully guiding his friends up into their spots before climbing up himself. He saw them laugh, leaning into each other and simply enjoying each other's company. Others were joining them now, other groups of guards who had gone out on their own adventures in town slowly regrouping for the trip back up to the palace.

He sighed, turning to look back over the snowy streets of the capital for one last moment, trying to memorize the way the light hit the snow, causing it to sparkle in the dark, before turning and heading for the cart.

Chapter Text

Will shivered as he stepped down from the carriage, readjusting the sleeves of his suit jacket to sit as far down on his wrists as they could, before turning to offer Ocie a hand as she stepped out behind him. Her own outfit didn’t provide much more warmth than his did, with a wide neck that almost reached her shoulders and sleeves that fell just past her elbows. Fabric wrapped around her legs like waves, in shades of blue that got progressively darker as it got closer to the bottom. A simple mask sat over her eyes, which she adjusted quickly, glancing around them.

He offered her his arm once she was down, which she took, flashing him a small smile before they climbed the steps towards the castle for the second time in as many days. His outfit complimented hers, with a mostly white jacket and almost silver shirt, both littered in golden embroidery so detailed he wondered how the hell the castle seamstresses had managed to get it done amongst everything else they were working on.

The crowds were bigger as they entered the main hall this time, though no one was talking or mingling. He and Ocie joined the line, trailing after rows and rows of guests in every shade of purple, white, and grey that could possibly exist. He caught sight of a set of large doors, thrown open as people moved through them. A little further, and he could hear the steward, or whoever it was, calling out the names of all the guests before they made their way into the room.

He worried for a moment, because he hadn’t prepared any sort of card because he was used to his own court where he wasn’t announced the same way, but then he felt ocie press something into his hand. He glanced down, finding a small piece of paper, with the words “Lord Will and Lady Owen of the Aether” printed on it in the hand writing he knew she preserved for official documents.

He glanced at her, smiling gratefully. He almost made a comment about her fake name but decided against it, knowing she’d just saved him a lot of trouble, and figuring it was better to not risk anyone overhearing it. It did make him think of the first days they’d been here though, back when all they were doing was continuing to follow a trail so dead they knew it was likely a lost cause before they even arrived.

Of course, they all wanted to find something about the lost prince. Will had the vaguest memories of him from when they were kids, but there was always just a gap wherever the prince should have been, just like anyone else who should have been able to remember the prince.

Caspian had mentioned a conversation with Rae though, one which basically confirmed what they all knew going into this. The prince was gone.

They weren’t going home empty handed at least, if everything went to plan. They may not be able to save the prince, but if they could help Rae, Centross, and Jamie escape, he’d consider this mission a success. He glanced towards Ocie again as they moved forward, knowing she’d felt the same even before they found out Jamie was her nephew. If anything, that had just confirmed even more for him that this mission had been a success.

They reached the door. Will passed the steward the card, which he read quickly, giving Will a small bow before turning to announce their arrival. In the brief moment Will got to look over the room, it was mostly field with awe. The roof was pitch black, with thousands of lights filling it, and a much bigger one that looked like the moon sitting at the far end of the room, just above a raised platform where he spotted the Queen, accompanied per usual by Lady Perix.

As they descended the steps into the room though, he was surprised to realize there was a third figure on the platform, and even more surprised when he realized it was Rae. He nudged Ocie as they reached the floor, though a quick glance to his side confirmed that her eyes were already on the third figure up on the platform.

Rae stood off to the side a little, in an elegant outfit composed of a white button up, dark pants, and a vest and jacket that looked like they’ve been stitched out of the same material as the sky, a deep purple colour broken up only by a few details in a lighter more lavender colour. A simple, thin looking cape rested over his shoulders, and Will couldn’t help but wonder how he wasn’t cold in it, even with all the bodies pressed together in the room. He also wore a mask that covered the entire left side of his face, without a gap for even his eye along the smooth purple surface.

They moved around the room, settling somewhere along the edge by a wall. Groups were forming, and he recognized many of them as the pairings from the night before. A low rumble of conversation filled the room for a few more minutes as the last of the guests trickled in, and then, the grand doors shut. The crowd drew silent at once, attention turning to the Queen as she stood.

She said a few things he didn’t bother paying attention to, just welcoming them and something or the other about the traditions of this ball. He knew from conversations with Rae that the ex royal family that used to host the ball were not in good standing with the crown, so it wasn’t a surprise they were barely mentioned.

As she finished speaking, doors opened around the room and servers came in, each balancing trays of drinks and small snacks. They picked their way through the crowds, quickly becoming commonplace as couples moved to take up the center of the room, bowing and curtsying as music began to play.

Ocie turned to him, looking like she was about to say something when one of the servers approached them. He wore a simple black tie outfit without a jacket, and had a simple black mask over the top half of his face. He gave them a small bow, “Would either of you care for a drink?”

Will shook his head, and saw Ocie do the same from beside him, though there was something more familiar in her gesture. “Have you seen Centross?” She asked quietly, eyeing the other guests around them. Will’s eyes widened, wondering why on earth she would ask so blatantly in front of a random servant, until he looked closer and saw familiar red eyes peeking out from behind the mask.

Caspian shook his head, “I saw a bunch of the guards in the far corner by the platform, but I haven’t seen him specifically. I’ll head that way and see if I can’t send him your way though.”

Ocie nodded, hesitating for a second before taking one of the glasses off the tray. Caspian gave them another quick bow, then ducked away, continuing his way through the crowds. Will stared after him, marvelling at his ability to just slip into place. He knew that Cas had been planning to be in the castle, but he couldn’t figure out how he’d managed to disguise as a staff member under such short notice. His friend never ceased to amaze him.

“How did you know it was him?” He asked Ocie, watching as she took a sip of the drink she’d taken.

She frowned at it, muttering something about chorus fruit before turning to him, “He did the tapping thing. I barely even noticed it, but then he winked once I tapped back at him so I was fairly sure.”

“Oh, makes sense,” he replied, turning to look back over the room. His eyes drifted towards the platform, finding that there was no longer anyone there. He frowned, scanning the room to see any sign of any of the three who had been up there. He found the Queen and Rae not far from where he and Ocie stood, making their way around the room. Perix, however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Do you remember Rae's code?” He asked Ocie, wishing he’d paid better attention to the patterns when Centross had shown them, or when Ocie and Caspian had gone over them the night before.

She frowned, but nodded, “Yes, why?”

He nodded towards the Queen, who seemed to have spotted them in the crowd and was now making her way towards them, Rae trailing behind her. “Because we’re about to need it.”

He smiled at the Queen as she approached, offering her a low bow as Ocie curtsied next to him. He was careful to keep his eyes just off of hers, having heard the stories many times before. “Your majesty.”

She regarded him, a small smile playing at her lips, “Lord Will. I hope you and your partner have found everything to your liking so far.”

Will nodded, “We must thank you for inviting us to join the celebrations this year, they’ve been wonderful. And of course, our time in the castle has also been well spent.” He spared a glance over to Rae, who was looking at Ocie with a small frown on his face.

The Queen hummed, drawing his attention back to her, “Yes, I heard the trade agreement has gone well. I look forward to finalizing it before you two depart tomorrow.”

“As do we.” Will replied, silently hoping she wouldn’t try and continue this conversation much longer because he was growing increasingly uncomfortable in her presence, even without having to look into her eyes. He had a strange moment then when he realized that the few times he’d seen paintings of the Queen, and the little he could see now reminded him of Rae’s eye, and he had to wonder how much of it was coincidence that they had very similar magic marks.

To his surprise, and slight delight, the Queen didn’t say anything further, just humming quietly as she seemed to look him over once more, before turning and continuing on her way through the crowd. He briefly caught Rae’s eye as he moved to follow the Queen, and all he could see was pure confusion with a hint of fear, flashing so briefly Will almost missed it, and then Rae too was gone.

He turned to Ocie, finding her frowning as she watched them go. Will shifted, drawing her attention to him before speaking. “Anything?” he asked, hopeful but unsure of himself now after actually seeing Rae.

Ocie’s frown deepened, “It’s him, but it doesn’t seem fully like him? I don’t know it was strange. He… I tapped the code, and he tapped mine back, but then he almost seemed to realize he’d done it and seemed confused? He tapped… it was so fast I barely caught it all, but I think he was asking how I knew about the codes, and I tapped back Centross’ sign, which only seemed to confuse him more. I asked if he was ok, and he said he didn’t know now.”

“Well that’s not great,” Will said, his own frown finding its way onto his face. “What do we do now? Should we find Centross?”

She sighed, looking out over the room. He found himself looking towards the spot where he’d seen many of the guards before. He couldn’t pick out Centross specifically, but they’d probably be able to find him if they headed in that general direction. He couldn’t spot Caspian either, though he knew he’d be a lot harder to spot given the whole point seemed to be for the staff to not stand out in the crowd of elegantly dressed guests.

Ocie lifted her glass up again, draining the last of the drink with a slightly sour expression, “That’s probably not a bad idea. We can at least update him, if he doesn’t manage to find Rae himself in between now and us finding him.”

The music playing in the room switched, and there was a burst of movement around them as various couples moved either on or off the dance floor, and it was with a small laugh that Will realized he recognized the opening beats of the music playing. Judging by the small smile Ocie wore as well, he guessed that she did too. He caught her eye, grinning slightly and bowing to her just a little dramatically.

“May I have this dance, my lady?” He asked, grin only growing wider as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Only because it’ll be easier than going around,” she replied, though her expression was playful as he led them out onto the floor. Once all the couple had gathered, the band seemed to start again, and soon they were one pair out of many guiding each other through the familiar steps to the dance.

Ocie laughed as Will spun her, her skirt wrapping around both of them in one movement and unwrapping in another, floating around her with barely a moment to settle before it was moving again. The space around them echoed their movements as couples danced, ladies laughed, and the music swelled to its height.

As they moved, Will spared a glance to the platform, finding the Queen had once again returned to her perch. Lady Perix had reappeared, and he couldn’t help but wonder where she’d disappeared to. He didn’t spot Rae at first, but once he did, he was a little relieved to spot him standing next to Centross, tucked against the wall by the base of the platform. Out of view unless you were specifically looking for them.

They spun again, and this time he caught Caspian’s eye, just barely realizing it was him and giving him the faintest of nods before they were moving again and he lost track of him in the crowds.

The music swelled once more before fading out, a small round of applause making its way around the room as the couples bowed to each other. A few stayed, waiting to see what would play next, but Will quickly led Ocie out of the way, headed towards where he’d last seen Rae and Centross.

They made it about three quarters of the way towards them before they were sidetracked. Will recognized the Captain of the guard from the first time the Queen had introduced them, and from the night before. He was surprised though, to find her heading towards them.

She stopped in front of them, bowing respectfully. Will was worried that maybe they’d been found out, but when she looked up at them again she was smiling, an action that seemed entirely friendly save for the slightest bit of tension not quite hidden by the mask over her eyes.

He tried his best to pay attention, relieved when Ocie took over most of the conversation herself. The longer they stayed the more he wanted to get away from all the people and all the noise, but he knew they had a mission to finish first, and this certainly wasn’t helping.

While Ocie and the captain spoke he caught sight of Centross again, now separate from Rae. He watched as a server approached Centross, the briefest flash of recognition on his face telling Will that it was Caspian. They spoke quickly, then Caspian was off again, and Centross headed towards the platform.

The Queen watched him approach, giving him a small nod before standing from her own seat. Once again, the room fell silent, all attention shifting to the Queen. From somewhere in the distance, the clock chimed midnight, and Will vaguely remembered Rae mentioning announcements happening around then.

The Queen looked over the guests, her head held high. “Ladies, Gentlemen, and other distinguished guests,” She started, addressing the crowd, “Tonight, on the final night of our Winter’s festival, I have not one but two announcements for you all.”

Will shifted on his feet, sparing a glance towards Ocie. From what Centross had said, they knew one of the announcements, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine what the second one would be.

“Since the beginning of my reign, I have tried to assure you all with a clear vision of what I had planned for the kingdom, not only in my reign but in the time after. Many have asked the question of an heir, and tonight I am finally prepared to give you that answer.” She said, and in an instant Will heard whispers racing through the crowd. This was certainly not the announcement he’d been expecting.

The Queen gave the crowd a moment before continuing, her grin only growing as the crowd fell silent again, “I am here to tell you all, on this night full of tradition, that my ward, Sir Rae Morningstar, is the one and only heir to my kingdom.” She gestured towards Rae, who stepped forward, bowing towards the crowd.

Will stilled, and he felt Ocie freeze next to him. He spared a glance at her, and from her expression he was pretty sure that she also hadn’t known that Rae was the Queen’s ward . There was something else in the way that the Queen had worded the phrase, but he didn’t have time to ponder that too closely as the Queen continued.

“And for the second announcement. In three months' time, I would like to invite you all to the castle once again, to celebrate a union between Sir Morningstar and Sir Mistvale. It is an honour to be able to connect a family who has supported me for so long to someone under my care. And with that, dear guests, please, enjoy the rest of your night.”

Centross had stepped forward to join Rae when the Queen said his name, though now that she was done he leaned closer to Rae, saying something that made him frown. Will watched as the two of them walked off, heading for a small door at the side of the room and disappearing behind it.

He turned to Ocie, “I heard that correctly, right?”

She nodded, slowly, as if she didn’t quite believe it herself. “Yeah. I have so many questions right now. Are we… you don’t think?”

“I don’t know what I think,” Will admitted, “I think we have to assume that everything is what we think it is. Come on, I saw them go this way, we should probably try and catch up.”

Chapter Text

Caspian ducked through the kitchen, avoiding various servers and chefs and all other manner of people while trying to tie the apron he’d swiped around his waist. It was a dark grey, contrasting with his dark shirt and pants and deep purple vest to make him blend in with the crowd around him.

He jumped out of someone's way, apologizing quickly before moving forward again. Apron in place, he grabbed at the mask he’d taken as well, fixing it over the top half of his face just as he joined the lines of servants that were forming to take trays. It had been fairly easy to slip in among the chaos, following the rows of workers as they moved through the castle halls.

Finding the uniform had just been a matter of finding the right room, which ended up being a big empty room near the kitchen that he didn’t know the use of, but it was lined with uniforms of all sizes and workers of all sorts getting ready to go. They’d also had a variety of masks, which he’d been expecting only because Centross had mentioned it was a masked event, and he’d quickly been able to locate one that covered his eyes since he knew from past experience they’d stick out a little more than he wanted to here.

The line he was in moved forward as trays began being distributed. Instructions were being yelled that he only half listened to, taking a tray of drinks and trailing after the others as they wove their way down the hall, splitting off into smaller groups. A door opened somewhere in front of him and all of a sudden he was in the main hall, a large space with a roof so high he almost couldn’t see it, save for a large image of the moon that seemed to float suspended in empty space.

Guests lined the edges of the room, and open space in the middle filled with twirling couples. To one edge, he spotted the throne, where the Queen sat, her platform lifted just enough for her to be able to oversee the crowds without towering over them completely. By her side, per usual, was Perix, but to her other side, stood Rae.

Caspian let out a small sigh of relief, glad to see he was alive at least. Someone shifted near him, and he realized he’d stood still too long, moving along to join the other servers as they wove through the crowd, offering people drinks along the way. He spotted Will and Ocie not far from him, bent towards each other as they spoke. Ocie’s dress spilled in waves of blue fabrics around her, and he couldn’t help but awe at the fact that she’d managed such a nod to her own kingdom while representing another.

Beside her, Will was dressed in a more formal version of the suit he’d worn the night before, the fabric so light it was almost white, with traces of gold embroidery littering every edge and a slightly deeper gray cloak hanging off his shoulders. The pair stood out from the sea of purples, blacks, and silvers that lined the room, though they didn’t look out of place, even as he saw many people’s eyes catch on them as they scanned the room.

He approached them, giving a small bow while tapping Ocie’s codename against his leg. He watched her notice it, meeting his eyes for a second before tapping his code back at him as he offered them a drink.

They talked, then he made his leave, weaving back through the crowds towards the other end of the room where he’d seen the guards assembling when he’d first entered. Centross was easy enough to spot once he got over there, not only because of his rather simple looking mask or the permanent frown that seemed to be on his face, but because he was standing along, slightly off from the rest of the group as he sipped on a drink.

He greeted him the same way he’d greeted the other two, with a small bow, offering him a fresh drink while tapping the code against his leg. Unlike Ocie, Centross managed to hide any sign that he’d seen Caspian’s signal except for the fact that he returned it. He glanced around them, then, so subtly Caspian almost missed it, nodded his head towards the door near them..

Caspian gave him a small nod, dismissing himself and spending just long enough in the crowd to get rid of the last two drinks on his tray before heading for the door Centross had pointed out. He stepped out into the hall, slightly relieved to be out of the chaos of the ballroom. He spotted Centross quickly, standing by one of the large windows nearby that overlooked the frozen lake.

He moved to stand next to him, his tray tucked under his arm. Centross eyed him, tapping his signal again, which Caspian returned, realizing he must have learned something if he was being this careful before speaking about it. “Anything new?” he asked hopefully.

Centross sighed, lips pressed thin as he nodded, “Rae blocked his memories.”

Caspian froze, turning to him with wide eyes, “...what? You mean like he did that one time when he came back from meeting with the Queen?”

“Yes, except this time I don’t think he had time to write a list,” Centross continued, frowning, “The list isn’t necessary for the spell, but it helps define the exact memories he’s trying to hide, and gives us a clear way to break it.”

:And without it?” Caspian asked, already dreading the worst.

Centross turned, meeting his eyes for the first time since they’d stepped into the hallway, “Then we have to hope he picked a trigger word or phrase that we can guess, and soon, otherwise we’re going to have a hell of a time getting him out of the castle.”

“Have you spoken to him yet?” Caspian asked, already trying to go back through their conversations for any word or phrase that would stand out as a possible key.”

He nodded, “Briefly, which is how I know about his memories. I mentioned you and he had no idea who I was talking about. I put the pieces together. He also confirmed the announcement about our engagement, which at least means I’ll have plenty of reasons to stick with him tonight.”

Caspian hummed, glad that at least that part of their planning hadn’t been for nothing, “So what do we do? If you can’t guess the phrase, how do we get him away? I assume we’re not just going to leave him here?”

“No way in hell,” Centross replied instantly, “We’re not getting this close just to not make it. Look, I doubt we can do anything before the announcement, but after, meet me in the hall to the right of the stage. I can pull Rae away like I want to talk to him, and we can get a chance to talk to him more. If we can’t guess it, then I may need your help carrying him after I knock him out.”

He frowned, caught off guard by the bluntness of the statement, “You wouldn’t actually, right? We want him to come willingly, don’t we?”

Centross sighed, “Best case scenario, yes. It would be incredibly helpful to have his magic as help to get him out, but again, I’m not getting this close to getting him out only to fail at the last second. I’m saving my friend.”

Caspian fell silent, knowing Centross was right. It was why he tended to prefer to do missions by himself, that way the only one he had to worry about was him. He’d been really worried when Ocie and Will decided to come with him, even if it had been at Fable’s request that he not go alone, but he couldn’t help but think of the what if’s of if they had to leave someone behind.

As it was, all three of them were likely to get out. The mission would be considered a success in that they found answers and got out safely, no matter what happened with the others. But he knew he would consider it a failure if he couldn’t follow through on his promise, so he knew exactly why Centross didn’t want to break his, either.

“Alright. We get him out no matter what.” he said finally, with a certain resolve in his voice.

Centross looked at him, the faintest of smiles slipping onto his lips for a moment before disappearing again. “Thank you, Ghosty. I’ll see you after the announcement.”

He started walking back towards the door, but before he could get too far, Caspian called out to him, “Centross, wait.”

Centross paused, turning back to him with an eyebrow raised.

“It’s Caspian. Not Ghosty. For the record,” he added, shrugging slightly.

The smile returned to Centross’s face, and he nodded, turning back towards the door and slipping back into the ballroom wordlessly. Caspian sighed, moving to follow him when the sound of footsteps made themselves known. Panicking, he pushed himself into a small alcove by the window, half shielded by the curtain.

Two guards approached, stopping just before his hiding spot and turning to look at the doors Centross had just disappeared behind. “Remind me again how we got stuck going after one of the best soldiers in the army?” the taller one asked, annoyance clear in his voice.

The shorter one snorted, “Because we drew the short straws. Look, if the boss lady is right, he’ll be too distracted trying to save his “fiance” to even notice us. Easy peasy.”

Caspian’s eyes widened, and he had to slap a hand over his mouth to stop any noise from coming out.

The taller one shifted, turning and stopping just short of where they’d be able to see Caspian, “If you say so. I don’t get why she had to change the plan though. It’s not like the scientist has ever been an issue before. Now all of a sudden she decided he’s a threat and needs to be taken out?”

The shorter one smacked his arm, eyes darting around the hall, “Quiet, dumbass. Don’t talk so loud. The missus will have your head if you ruin her plan. We just gotta keep Sir Mistvale occupied long enough for them to snag the scientist and no one needs to be any the wiser.”

The taller one huffed, muttering something that Caspian couldn’t hear over the pounding of his heart. The guards switched to talking about food, desert, maybe, and moved further down the hall. Caspian slipped from his hiding spot, dashing across the hall and into the ballroom again. He needed to find Centross. Or Rae. Or heck, even Will and Ocie. Really, he just needed to tell someone that apparently they weren’t the only pens there for Rae that night, and the other group didn’t seem to have positive intentions.

He ducked through the crowds, trying to find his friends. He spotted Centross and Rae fairly quickly, and was relieved to see they were together at least. They stood together by the side of the stage, talking frantically as he assumed Centross tried to trigger his memories. He scanned the rest of the room, finally spotting Will and Ocie dancing among the other guests. Will caught his eye for a moment, nodding slightly, before turning again.

The song ended and he saw Will and Ocie leave the dance floor, heading towards the other two. He moved towards them, which meant he saw the second they were stopped by someone in a very fancy looking uniform. He ducked past them, reaching Centross just as Rae was walking away from him.

He bowed slightly, tapping the code with more urgency than was maybe necessary, but Centross replied to it nonetheless. “Stick with Rae, like don’t leave his side if you can.” he said, speaking as quietly as he could to avoid being heard by unwanted ears.

Centross frowned, “I was planning on it, but why the warning?”

“I heard something in the hall after you left,” Caspian explained, “I don’t think we’re the only ones going after him, but we’re the only ones with positive intent.”

For what must have been shocking news, Centross managed to keep his face neutral, simply giving Caspian a small nod as he glanced towards the stage where Rae had gone. “Then we better make sure we get him first. Go, I think the Queen is about to make her announcement.”

Caspian gave him another small bow, more for show than for anything else, before making his way back through the crowd, heading for the door Centross had mentioned so he’d be ready when he was needed.

Just as Centross had guessed, only seconds after he reached the door the music stopped and the Queen stood. She looked over the guests, her head held high. “Ladies, Gentlemen, and other distinguished guests,” She started, addressing the crowd, “Tonight, on the final night of our Winter’s festival, I have not one but two announcements for you all.”

Caspian frowned, wondering what the second one could be about.

“Since the beginning of my reign, I have tried to assure you all with a clear vision of what I had planned for the kingdom, not only in my reign but in the time after. Many have asked the question of an heir, and tonight I am finally prepared to give you that answer.” She said, and Caspian’s heart began to race.

The Queen gave the crowd a moment before continuing, her grin only growing as the crowd fell silent again, “I am here to tell you all, on this night full of tradition, that my ward, Sir Rae Morningstar, is the one and only heir to my kingdom.” She gestured towards Rae, who stepped forward, bowing towards the crowd.

Caspian felt his breath catch in his throat. Rae had mentioned that he was her ward but… Thinking back to their conversation about his reputation outside of the End, he couldn’t help but wonder if Rae had known then. He had to wonder if he really knew him as well as he thought he did.

“And for the second announcement. In three months' time, I would like to invite you all to the castle once again, to celebrate a union between Sir Morningstar and Sir Mistvale. It is an honour to be able to connect a family who has supported me for so long to someone under my care. And with that, dear guests, please, enjoy the rest of your night.”

The second she was done he saw Centross reach for Rae, whispering something to him. Caspian took that as his cue and stepped out into the hall, stopping short when he found two guards standing outside of it looking like they were about to burst in.

They also seemed surprised to see him, though they recovered quickly, and one of them scowled at him, “Get lost, we’re in the middle of something here.”

Caspian raised an eyebrow at them, knowing it was covered by his mask but hoping it came through anyways, “I apologize. I was actually asked to meet another guard out here after the announcements. I wasn’t aware anyone would be out here.”

The same guard’s scowl deepened, and he glanced at his friend before looking back at Caspian, “I’m sure you and your boyfriend can find a different hall to go make out in.”

“I would hardly call Sir Mistvale my boyfriend, seeing as he just announced his engagement,” Caspian replied, noting the surprised looks they wore at the mention of Centross. If he were to guess, these two were part of the same plan the other two were, and he had maybe thirty seconds before Centross, and Rae, would come through the door behind him.

Thinking quickly, he looked over one of the guards shoulders, really hoping they were stronger than they were smart as he bowed at no one. Both of the guards turned to see who he was addressing, and he took the opportunity to bash the tray still tucked under his arm over their (luckily uncovered) head. 

The guard fell to the floor, the other one spinning on him with wide eyes. He swung at Caspian, which he dodged, sending his foot into the guard’s gut which made him double over. He managed to bash him on the head as well right as the door behind him started to open. On the off chance it wasn’t Centross, he ducked around the corner.

He heard someone sigh, then before he could think to move further down the hall Centross appeared, a somewhat stunned looking Rae behind him. “Did you have to knock them out?” Centross asked, looking almost amused at the two unconscious guards.

Caspian bit his lip, “I may have overreacted slightly. To be fair, I didn’t know how long I had to talk myself out of the situation. I could have just saved all of us for all you know.”

Centross eyed him, “I think you’re growing on me.” He turned back to Rae, looking like he was going to say something when suddenly there was a shout from within the ballroom. Caspian winced, remembering the two guards in the other hall. “We should go.”

Centross turned to him, giving him a look that screamed ‘you think? ’ before turning back to Rae, “Look, I’ll say it again even if I’ve been saying it all night. We’re getting out. Now, it would really help if you had your memories, but I’ll settle for your cooperation. Please Rae . We can make it.”

Rae was looking at Centross,, though now that Caspian was closer he could tell something was up. The man in front of him looked… broken, in the simplest terms. Despite the mask covering half his face he could still see so much in his eye. This was a man who thought he was alone, that he’d never escape, that had no hope left in the world. It was not the man Caspian had met and befriended, and if he thought about it, maybe more.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts before stepping forward until he stood next to Centross, “From what I understand, you don’t know me right now. But I know you, ok? You could have easily let me become one of Perix’s experiments when I first got here. You could have easily decided you’d had enough and given me in at any point in the two months I’ve been here. But you didn’t. And I know, despite the missing memories, you’re still the person I befriended.”

Rae was watching him now, though his gaze flicked back towards Centross on occasion. Whatever look Centross was giving him in return must have been encouraging though, because Rae spoke for the first time that night that he’d been able to hear, “I want to believe you, I do. But… I know I tried. I know I tried and failed and that’s why I blocked everything. And that wasn’t even enough.”

He reached up, slowly pulling the mask off of his face. Caspian gasped, and he could hear Centross have a similar reaction next to him. His mask gone, they could see the damage around his left eye. A series of scabbed over cuts covered his face, with at least three going over the eye itself. And his eye… where there had once been a green eye with a pupil like a cat’s, always shimmering faintly with magic… now it was glassy and grey. He didn’t ask, but he would bet that Rae couldn’t see through it anymore.

Centross moved first, reaching forward and pulling Rae into a hug that he readily accepted. When he pulled back, his face was determined, “This is exactly why I need you- why we need you to trust us. We can get out. We can stop this from happening to you ever again. You just need to trust us, please .”

Caspian heard another yell through the door, and he knew their time was limited before someone was going to come across them, whether it was a guest or another guard working with the two still unconscious at their feet. He looked to Rae, hoping his intent was audible in his voice, “Rae, I told you, over a month ago, that when I first got here I expected to maybe make an ally out of you. And I’ll say it again because I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try, but you put everything you are into what you do and the people around you and it’s incredible to see, but would you please just trust us and let us do something for you?”

For a second he thought it wasn’t going to work. In fact, for a second he thought his words had had the opposite effect of what he’d been going for when Rae suddenly frowned, looking down towards the floor.

But then Rae’s head shot up and he stared at Caspian with wide eyes, his expression panicked but also relieved. “Ghosty?”

Caspian thought he could’ve cried as he hurried to nod, recognizing that they’d done it. His memories were back, “Yeah, hi. Hi!”

Rae laughed, reaching out and pulling him into a hug, “You came back for me.” he muttered.

Caspian nodded against his shoulder, pulling back, “Of course I did. I promised I’d get you out.”

“Speaking of,” Centross said, looking just as relieved as Caspian felt despite interrupting them, “We like, really need to go. Like, now.”

His point was only echoed in the next series of noises that came from behind the door, growing louder by the minute. Caspian almost had to wonder what the hell was actually happening, but his attention was quickly drawn back as Rae started nodding.

“Yeah, yeah. We can talk more later.” he said. He looked between Caspian and Centross, a familiar sense of determination and hope once again in his eye, “Let’s get the fuck out of this castle.”

Chapter Text

Having your memories suddenly crash back into your head is an experience Rae wouldn’t have wished on anyone, simply for how overwhelming it feels for the first few seconds before everything begins to settle, but in that moment, he couldn't be more happy to have experienced it. In an instant every detail of Ghosty fit into place, and suddenly the man in front of him wasn’t a stranger.

Rae wasn’t sure if he regretted the hug or not, it may have been a bit sudden on his part, but Ghosty had seemed ok so he tried not to think about it too much. Especially as more yelling seemed to come from behind the closed doors that separated them from the ball room. He glanced down at the two guards Ghosty had knocked out, then looked back up at his friends, who both looked antsy to get out of there.

“Where are the others?” He asked, trying to remember if he’d seen them that night or not. He hoped they weren’t stupid enough to have brought Jamie, but he imagined Will and Ocie would be there.

“Somewhere in the hall last I saw them, Ghosty said, looking towards the door with a slight frown, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to go look for them though. They can meet us back at the inn later.”

Centross nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, which had been uncovered so that he could easily pull it out, “Yeah there’s no way in hell we’re going in there. They’ll be fine. We need to head for the kitchens, even after an attack that’ll still be a weak point for security and we need to get the fuck out of here.”

Rae glanced at Ghosty’s server outfit, wondering how the hell the castle hadn’t been subject to more attacks over the years if he’d been able to slip in so easily. Then again, maybe the reputation of both the Queen and P-, her second in command, was enough to keep would-be intruders at bay.

He nodded, trying to bring himself out of his thoughts, “Ok, let's go.”

Ghosty frowned slightly, but thankfully started to follow him anyways as he moved past him, following mostly his muscle memory to lead them to the kitchens. They barely made it to the end of the hall before there was a sudden increase of sound as the doors to the ballroom flew open, large crowds of people in various stages of disarray spilling into the hall.

Rae’s eyes widened and he made a grab for the nearest person to him, which happened to be Ghosty, grabbing his arm and making sure Centross was also close before picking up his pace, desperate to stay ahead of the panicked masses.

The familiar uniforms of the guards, both those important enough to be at the ball and those who hadn’t been in attendance quickly made themselves known, with feeble attempts at orders being shouted over the noise, guards grabbed people out of the crowds and usher them away.

One spotting Rae, her eyes going wide with recognition. She tried to reach for him, but he ducked away from her, only urging Ghosty forward faster as they went. He could hear her call his name from somewhere behind him but he pushed on. 

Ghosty started leading at some point, leading them away from the door he would have usually used to reach the kitchens and taking them to a smaller side entrance. The noise only increased as he shoved the door open, the three of them slipping into the boiling atmosphere as bodies brushed past them and the smell of food was so intense it was almost nauseating alongside the nerves that were running rampant in his stomach.

Rae froze, and Centross slammed into him from behind, the door falling shut behind him. He started to say something but Rae couldn’t make it out, too overwhelmed. Centross said something over his shoulder, and next thing he knew, Ghosty had grabbed his arma s was carefully trying to guide them through the kitchen, keeping his head ducked in hopes that the chaos would be enough to stop them from being noticed.

He saw the second one of the cooks noticed them, looking over from where they’d been arguing with another member of the staff, his frazzled expression turning to surprise when they met Rae’s eyes, lingering on his left eye just long enough to remind Rae it was still uncovered. They glanced around them, then made their way over to their small group. Ghosty tried to push them further but the cook had experience in the space and quickly caught up.

They grabbed Rae gently, ignoring the warning growl Centross sent their way. The cook gave him a grim smile before turning his attention back to Rae, “You won’t make it if you go out the main door. I know of a side tunnel you can use. You won’t be seen, I promise.” He kept his voice low, despite the fact that he likely wouldn’t have been heard over the roar of the kitchen regardless.

Rae spared a glance at Centross, who was on high alert, even as he glared at the cook, and then at Ghosty, who seemed confused. Ghosty met his eyes, and Rae knew he’d follow whatever choice Rae made on this. He turned back to the cook, setting his gaze and giving him a small nod, “Lead the way.”

Relief flashed across their face, then they turned, keeping a hand on Rae’s arm as they led them through the crowd. Ghosty and Centross stuck close behind him, trying to not get separated in the commotion. The cook led them to a door, barely stopping as he used his shoulder to shove it open and bring them inside.

The room they stepped into was lined with shelves, though rather than the thick wooden shelves of the room used to store paper and ink, this one had metal shelves and an inherent chill that ran deep beneath his skin despite the warmth radiating from his thin cape. It was as if two magical presences were fighting for dominance, leaving him shivering yet warm at the same time, like ice and fire both ran through his veins.

He shivered, ignoring the concerned look Centross shot him at the action. He instead tried to focus on the cook, who had let go of his arm and paused in the middle of the room, biting their lip and scanning the room, “There should be a button around here somewhere. The door is magically sealed to keep this room at the same temperature, but they have a door out they use for deliveries.”

Ghosty and Centross set to work trying to help them find the button, but Rae stayed where he was, watching the cook until they turned to meet his eye, raising an eyebrow at him in a silent question. “Why are you helping us?” he asked, because he’d been asking himself that even as the cook had first offered to help and still couldn’t figure it out.

The cook’s face softened into a smile, “Is it enough to say because I can?”

Rae let out a small huff, shaking his head even as he fought off a small smile of his own.

They grinned, looking past Rae to the door they’d come in from, “My mother has worked in this castle since she was a child. She remembers the days before the Queen took over. She always said that the kingdom may have been made of ice before that, but the ice in the Queen’s heart made it actually feel cold for the first time. I don’t speak for just me when I say you have been like a light in the dark for many of those who remember the before times. If getting you out of here means a chance to bring back the old ways of the three kingdoms, any of us would gladly do it.”

They reached for their arm, lifting their sleeve to their elbow, revealing a small tattoo on their forearm of the sun, the moon, and a star. Rae vaguely recognized it as a symbol often used to represent the three kingdoms of the north before they were merged to form the End. “Not everyone is happy to just sit and let the Queen and her second take over, and they, we, believe that you may just be the solution, but we know it isn’t possible with you here. Anyone that bears this symbol is an ally to you though, in any way that you need it. We don’t expect you to be any sort of great king, but those of us in the castle have seen the type of person you are, and it’s someone we respect greatly and want to help, even if we get nothing in return.”

Rae was frozen, his brain running too quickly for his mouth to keep up with. He could feel tears forming, and from the look on the cook's face they knew at least some of what he was thinking, but before Rae could even try to form the words to thank them, Centross shouted from across the room, “I found the button!”

He brushed the tears from his eyes, sparing one more glance towards the cook before they headed over to where Centross was. Sure enough, on the wall, half tucked behind a pile of carrots of all things, was a dark stone button, with an inscription he recognized as Ender.

Rae moved forward, brushing the inscription with his fingers, reading it. He glanced back at his friends briefly, then turned back to the button, pulling the magic from within himself and pressing it. It pushed into the wall, sitting flush and staying there, even after he moved his hand. He frowned, having expected something to actually happen. He tried to read the inscription again to see if he’d missed something, when suddenly Ghosty yelped, leaping off of the wall he’d been leaning against.

The wall began to move, splitting in half and retreating into the floor and ceiling, revealing a rather wide passageway that travelled a few feet before ending at a wooden door. Rae let out a small laugh, moving towards the passage. Centross moved ahead of him, reaching the door first and pulling it open just enough to peak out. He turned back to Rae, trying to hide his surprised expression, “We’re not far from the stables. This is… perfect, honestly.”

Rae turned back to the cook, finally finding the words and hoping his entire meaning was conveyed in the two words, “Thank you.”

The cook gave him a small nod, leaning in the opening as Ghosty slipped past them. Centross gave them a small nod as well before pulling the door open again, glancing around before pushing it wide enough for them all to slip out. Rae lingered for a moment after him, but Ghosty gently shoved him towards the opening, so he turned, stepping out into the snow that somehow felt warmer than the room they’d just been in.

The three of them quickly headed for the stables, and Rae moved towards the familiar stall, grinning when he saw Blackberri. He swung the door open, leading Blackberri out to where Centross and Ghosty were already waiting with their own horses. Centross’s was familiar, but Ghosty’s must have been just one of the random spare horses kept here.

In what was supposed to be one swift movement but ended up being about three less swift ones, Rae pulled himself up onto his horse, trailing after Centross as he led them towards the door. The second they cleared the building they were off, racing through falling snow in the pitch black of night.

There wasn’t much time to talk as the castle disappeared behind them and the glow of the city grew ever closer. Almost instantly Rae could tell something was wrong, with many armour clad figures atop horses roaming the streets by the dozens when most of them should have been concentrated at the castle on a night like this.

Rae slowed by the tree line, Centross stopping just in front of him and Ghostys stopping once he was next to the pair. Centross was frowning, which only confirmed Rae’s suspicions.

“Stay here,” Centross said, looking at them half over his shoulder, “I’m going to see if I can figure out what’s happening.”

He wanted to protest but held back, watching as his friend quickly disappeared into the streets, his horse making it easy to cut through the growing crowds.

Ghosty brought his horse parallel with Rae’s, his own frown on his face as he looked out towards the city. “How big of a plan was this?” he muttered under his breath.

Rae frowned, turning to him, “How big was what? Do you know something?”

“Barely,” Ghosty replied, not taking his gaze off of the city and the street that Centross had disappeared down, “I overheard some guards talking about attacking you, which was why Centross got you out of the ballroom so quickly and why we wanted to get out of there so bad, but I thought it was maybe a small effort. This doesn’t seem small though.”

Subconsciously his hand drifted up towards his eye, his left one, and the raised skin that sat by it as a result of recent events. Perix’s words, from both the time she’d found him in the hall, and more, spoken in private over the last few days, came to mind again, and he couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that she was involved, in some way or another.

If the Queen hadn’t stopped her before she’d gone too far, would he even be here to have reconnected with his friends? How far was she willing to go?

“Do you have a piece of cloth or something by chance?” He asked, gesturing vaguely to his eye when Ghosty looked at him confused.

Ghosty looked down, unstrapping his apron from around his waist and offering it to Rae. He took it, staring at it for a moment before sighing and tearing at it, wrapping the thin fabric around his head to cover the left side of his face. He glanced at Ghosty, who was still looking at him a little weirdly, but he didn’t comment on it so he assumed it must look at least somewhat acceptable.

Before he could consider this further, Centross reappeared, a small figure tucked against him on the back of his horse and another horse trailing him with two passengers of its own. Rae felt relief flood through him as he recognized Jamie, Will, and Ocie, though he quickly grew concerned again at the state of Ocie and Will, who both had rips in their clothing and a few small cuts to go along with them.

They slowed, and all four descended from their horses, with Rae and Ghosty following barely a second after. Jamie launched themselves at Rae, hugging him tightly and melting closer into him as he held them just as tight. He could hear the other begin to talk but he only half listened, desperately needing the hug at the moment.

“What happened? We heard a lot of crashing,” Ghosty asked, directing the question to Ocie and Will.

Ocie frowned, “So much. The second you two left, these guards came crashing in through one of the doors and ran towards the stage. They seemed confused but when the Queen demanded they get off they started going off about how she didn’t deserve her throne. At that point, about a half the guards seemed to start to head towards the stage to grab them, but then another part of them started fighting back? It turned into a  big mess really quick. The ones who still seemed to be loyal to the Queen seemed to gain an advantage, but then the Queen seemed to notice Rae was gone, which sparked a whole other disaster. We tried to follow you but the second the doors opened everyone was pushing to get out.”

Centross nodded, “We saw that part. Barely managed to get away from them before we got trampled.”

“How did you get out?” Will asked, “Even with all the chaos I think both sides were looking for Rae. We thought something may have gone wrong.”

Rae could feel Will’s gaze on him, probably staring at the makeshift bandage, but he ignored it, even as he loosened his grip on Jamie and joined the conversation, “I was spotted, and almost grabbed, but it was fine. But what do we do now? I don’t think I should risk staying in town, and I definitely don’t think we can take the main route out of the End, at least, I can’t.”

“Well whatever you do I’m coming with you,” Centross said immediately, moving towards him slightly.

“Me too,” Ghosty added, looking determined.

Jamie looked up at him, “I don’t want to leave you again. But I also want you to be safe.”

Rae’s eyes softened, and he looked back up towards Ocie and Will, “I have a feeling I can’t stop either of those idiots, but would Jamie be safe if they went with you?”

Ocie nodded, meeting his gaze with her own determined one, “Of course. I won’t let anything happen to them, if you do the same for him.” She said, nodding towards Ghosty.

He nodded, looking back down at Jamie. He knew they understood, and he pulled them back in for another hug, hoping that all of his promises, all his hopes for a future where they’d meet again, somewhere far, far from the End, would come to pass.

“Stay safe, little cub,” Rae whispered, just loud enough for Jamie to hear.

“You too, science man,” they replied.

Jamie pulled back first, offering Rae one more small smile before moving over towards Ghosty. They pulled something from their pocket, giving it to him before moving again to stand in front of Centross. To his surprise, Jamie hugged Centross, and Centross returned to action, his face softening.

Ghosty meanwhile pocketed the item Jamie gave him, moving over to Ocie and Will and talking briefly before giving them hugs of their own. Wordlessly, the two groups split again, with everyone mounting their horses and Will briefly assuring them they’d be able to make the short ride back to the inn with three of them on one horse.

Ocie leveled a look at Ghosty, the dark hiding most of her feelings except for the slight waver in her voice as she spoke, “See you in the capital. If you take more than a month I’m sending a search party.”

Ghosty grinned, “I’d expect nothing less.”

Before their goodbyes could be dragged on any further, Centross turned his horse, drawing the other two to copy the motion, and with one last glance at the others and the city behind them, they set off, with nothing but the stars as a witness as they wove through the dark forest.

Chapter Text

It was hours before they even dared to slow their pace, the morning sun peaking well above the trees, reflecting off the snow and somewhat ridding them of the lingering chill of the night. Centross had remained in the lead, guiding them silently across the landscape that was both cold and unfamiliar.

Smoke rose above the trees, drawing their attention. They shared a look, and Centross turned, leading them to the edge of the tree, revealing a village, awake and going about its day. Rae knew they needed some supplies, maybe a change of clothing given they were all still dressed in their formal wear. Preferably, he also needed something better that the scraps of the apron Ghosty had given him.

After a quick discussion, they decided it was best for Centross to go, as he was more familiar with the culture, and looked the most normal in his outfit since it was essentially just his guard uniform. It was unlikely news would have spread quickly enough for them to be worried he was going to be recognized, but he promised he’d be quick either way.

Rae took his horse’s lead once they’d all gotten off, holding it tightly alongside his own. Exhaustion was creeping at the edge of his vision but he fought it off. As much as he wanted to sleep, or even just sit somewhere other than on the back of his horse, he knew they needed more distance between them and the capital. He especially knew they couldn’t risk lingering at the village, they’d be found too easily the second the news reached it.

For a second his eye ached again, in a way that it hadn't on the day of the ball. He couldn’t see out of it, and the skin around it was numb, tinged with the magic that had been the cause of the injury. He knew it would stand out, not only because of its location but because despite its newness, it would be easy to tell it was a magical injury, and a powerful one at that. People would know, even if they didn’t fully understand.

He shook his head, shoving down the memories of his own screams and pointedly ignoring the concerned looks Ghosty was throwing him. He kept his eyes trained on the street where Centross had disappeared, feeling an odd sense of deja vu for a moment that happened only a few hours ago. For a moment he wondered if history was going to repeat and Centross wouldn’t return alone, but he knew his friend. He wouldn’t lead anyone back to them that wished them harm.

The fabric around his head started to itch, not in the usual sense, but more so in a deep, bone deep itch, that begged it to be removed. He reached up, taking it off, continuing to ignore Ghosty, whose stare felt even more intense than it had moments ago.

Ghosty sighed, shoving a hand in his pocket and keeping the other on the reign of his horse. Rae watched him from the corner of his eye, unsure what to say to him now that the adrenaline was slowly leaving his body. He hadn’t had a chance to ask why he was so quick to come with them, and beyond that, he couldn’t figure out how to word how relieved he was that he had.

“I don’t know how you aren’t freezing right now,” Ghosty said, breaking the silence with a quick glance towards Rae, eyeing his thin layers.

Rae huffed, reaching for the edges of the cape and wrapping it further around him. “Enchanted cape, remember?” He replied, having mostly forgotten it himself except for the fact that he’d been warm the entire time they’d been sitting there. 

“Ah, right.” Ghosty said, pressing his lips and looking down at the ground, a small frown on his face.

He cursed himself internally, trying to think of something to say when he was interrupted by steps approaching them. His head shot up, sighing as he caught sight of Centross, though he frowned when he realized his friend was empty handed, which he shouldn’t have been had he been successful in his mission.

Centross was also frowning, and while it wasn’t unusual to see him with that expression, it seemed worried in a different way than normal, which made Rae nervous in turn. “What happened?” he asked, his hands fidgeting with the horses’ reins.

Centross shifted on his feet, avoiding Rae’s eyes, staring past him at the horses before finally letting his eyes slide and meet his gaze, “Well, the Duke of the Chorus region has, formally, requested to see you.”

“What?” Rae breathed, trying to place everything in his head. Had they really made it that far through the End in a few hours? “As in, one of the former kings, that Duke?”

Centross nodded, pressing his lips together, “Yes. One of his guards spotted me fairly quickly and cornered me. Somehow they knew I must be with you and said the lord requested your presence, or else he would be forced to inform the Queen of your location.”

Rae swore, his mind racing. “What did you tell them?”

“That I wouldn’t make a decision without consulting you,” he replied, “They said to meet them on the west side of town within the hour, or…”

“Or?” Ghosty piped up, raising an eyebrow at them, “What’s saying we have to listen to the order? Even if it does come from a Duke?”

Centross gave him a look, “Do you really think we or our horses can go fast enough to outrun anyone they might send after us without any rest? We’ve all been awake for over 24 hours, and riding hard for the past few. If we’re lucky, the Chorus family will hold firm with their distrust of the Queen and might provide us some valuable resources, and time, before we set off again.”

“And if we’re not?” Rae asked, a slight waver to his voice, his mind already running over the possibilities.

“Then I will fight like hell to get us out of there. We’re not getting this far only to fail.” Centross replied, a determined expression set on his face, though years of friendship let Rae see the cracks forming in his demeanor. He was just as tired as they were, and he knew if this didn’t go their way it was very likely they’d be headed back to the capital, and it wouldn’t end well once they were there.

Rae turned to Ghosty, trying to gauge his opinion on the matter. Ghosty caught his eye, raising an eyebrow but not saying a word. Rae gave him a look, which Ghosty returned with a small, determined nod. Rae sighed, turning back to Centross, “Let’s see what he wants with me.”

Centross nodded, stepping forward to take back the reins of his horse, swinging up into the saddle with a small huff and waiting for the other two to do the same. When they were all steady, Centross set off, leading them around the border of the city at a leisurely pace. It did nothing to help the rising anxiety in the pit of Rae’s stomach, but he knew the horses were almost at their limit, as were they.

The guards were easy to spot, with armour that leaned a little more of a white colour than the lighter purple the Queen had taken on alongside her reign. Two of them sat on sturdy horses, watching the group as they approached. One of them gave Centross a quick nod, locking eyes with Rae and dipping into a slightly deeper nod, before motioning to their partner and turning their horse.

The trio followed them a ways through the trees, along a path barely visible with the layer of snow on the ground and the thick trees lining either side, evergreen branches closing them in on every direction except up. The sun was rising, barely visible over the tops of the trees behind them, lighting the path in front of them and casting long dark shadows on the ground.

Over the tips of the trees, the tall spires of a castle came into view, though without even seeing the rest, Rae knew it wouldn’t be like the one they had come from. There was a reason the Queen had chosen the Shulk castle as her home, and it was evident when most of this castle's height was revealed to be from the hill it sat atop.

The gates were swung open wordlessly as they arrived, the guards there nodding respectfully to the guards they were following. It was almost comical as he watched their eyes widen upon spotting Centross, only to widen impossibly more when they noticed Rae riding behind him. Maybe it was the fact that he was used to being unknown, but he found it chilling that they seemed to know who he was. Or maybe he really did just look like both of his mothers.

Another guard approached them as they dismounted, repeating the nods to his fellow guards and fully bowing towards both Rae and Centross, before shooting a confused look at Ghosty. “His Grace is most pleased that you have decided to join us. He invites you to use our facilities to freshen up, get a bit of rest, and has requested that the, uh, three of you join him for a meal afterwards.

He heard Ghosty scoff quietly behind him before replying, “We would be honoured to share a meal with his Grace, but I do agree that we could all use some rest first. We’ve been on the road for a while.”

The guard nodded again, giving him a small smile as he motioned for a few lingering servants to join them. “Your horses will be taken to our stables and taken care of, and you can follow this young lady to the spare rooms. When you are ready to eat, find a guard and they will escort you to the Duke’s private dining hall.”

Rae nodded, smiling stiffly. The guard excused himself, leaving them with the servants, who looked at Rae without meeting his good eye, despite his attempts. His heart sank, but he tried to move past it as they turned, guiding their group up a set of stairs and down a few halls before stopping outside a few doors.

They were all given separate rooms, but they were right next to each other, which helped him relax ever so slightly. At least if something happened they’d be close; he hadn’t ruled out the possibility yet.

He watched the servants leave down the hall, having left them each in front of their doors. He turned to say something to Centross but cut himself off with a yawn. Centross gave him a knowing smirk, “Go change and get some rest. I’ll make sure everything is alright while you sleep.”

Rae hesitated, but nodded after a few seconds. He looked towards Ghosty, who looked about ready to fall asleep himself, though he threw him a small smile when their gazes met. He knew he didn’t have to worry about them, not that it stopped him from doing so, so with a final nod he slipped through the door to his room, hearing the echoes of the other doors opening behind him as he let his fall shut.

The room was simple, much grander than he thought necessary and certainly much bigger than he’d prefer. If there was a word for the reverse of claustrophobia that’d be what he was feeling, so used to the coziness of his own room. Still, it wasn’t as big as his formal rooms at the castle so he took it for what it was.

He drifted towards the bed, intending to simply fall asleep but found a small pile of clothes folded up at the base. He unfolded them, revealing thick dark leather pants and a sturdy long sleeve shirt, coloured a light blue that echoed the sky after a fresh snowfall. There was also a roll of bandages, along with a note saying there were some basic medical supplies in the bathroom and that a doctor could be available if needed.

The ink looked fresh, so he assumed that that part had been added after they’d met up with the guards, seeing as they likely wouldn't have known about his eye before that. He grabbed the bandages and clothes and headed for the bathroom. 

The first thing he did was remove the bit of apron, wincing when it tugged against his skin. One of the smaller cuts around the main one had opened sometime during their ride, the small amount of blood drying against the thick fabric of the apron. He opened one of the cabinets, finding what he needed and turning to look in the mirror.

He winced. There, just like he’d known there would be, was a long thin, almost silver scar that stretched across most of the left side of his face, two more slightly smaller ones crossing over it, all colliding right over his eye. What was left of it almost matched the silver of the scars. What was new however, was the purple tinge that seemed to be spreading from the wounds. Not the purple of a bruise, he knew that colour all too well from his first years in the castle, but a more solid, magenta ish purple.

As quickly as he could, he cleaned the one that had reopened, taking the fresh bandages and wrapping them as neatly as he could, until his eye and the entirety of the scars were covered. He sipped out of his fancy clothes, leaving them all in a folded pile in the corner, figuring someone could come grab them later.

The clothes that had been left were much comfier, and with the exclusion of the enchanted cloak that he’d decided to keep a hold of, a lot subtler too. The shirt was a little loose, but compared to the vest he’d been wearing for much longer than he’d intended for how stiff it was, it was a nice relief.

He debated briefly if it was appropriate to attend a meal in the clothing they’d given him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care about that at the moment. All he really wanted to do was sleep, he could worry about what to wear to dinner later on.

Checking once more that the bandage was still secure, he left the bathroom, crossing the main room and hanging his cape on a nearby chair before falling into the bed. His eyes drifted shut and he quickly felt himself slip into unconsciousness, hoping it would be peaceful at the very least.

It felt like barely a minute later when his eyes snapped open again and he shot up, trying to blink away the image of Perix looming over him as tears rolled down his face. His door shot open, Ghosty stepping in with a panicked look, though he relaxed when he caught sight of him. Rae watched him as he crossed the room, sitting on the end of the bed with a soft, knowing smile.

“Bad dream?” he asked.

Rae nodded, trying to calm his breath. He stared at Ghosty, trying to memorize every detail of his face in an attempt to distract his brain, something he’d done a number of times with Jamie and was now thankful for since he didn’t know how long it would be before he’d see them again.

Ghosty reached out, offering his hand, which Rae gladly accepted. They sat in silence for a long moment as he caught his breath. He lifted his other arm, brushing the tears away from his eye as his heart finally slowed.

“Better?” Ghosty asked, in that same soft, kind tone as before.

He nodded again, checking that his bandages hadn’t moved with the sudden panic. To his relief, they felt secure, though Ghosty was now staring at them with a small frown. A new level of panic rose to his chest, because he knew he should tell them what happened, but all he really wanted to do was forget it. And besides, they had other things to worry about right now, so he quickly switched the topic before Ghosty could ask. “Is Centross up?”

Ghosty met his good eye, frown deepening slightly, but he nodded, “I don’t think he was even planning on sleeping but I convinced him I’d keep watch while he did, Still think he only got about an hour. He’s almost as bad as you.” The last bit was said with a joking tone, but it still made his heart sink nonetheless.

It must have shown on his face because Ghosty winced, “Not that that’s a bad thing, obviously, it would just have been nice for him to get more rest while we’re relatively safe. Speaking of, though, I was just about to come see if you were awake, which, clearly you are. We thought we should go see the duke soon.”

Right, the duke. He’d never actually met the duke, only his grandson, and that hadn’t exactly ended well. He had to hope that the duke wouldn’t blame him for his grandson’s death, or else they were doomed.

“We should, yeah,” he replied, “I’ll go change back into my formal wear, unless they left anything specific for it?” He looked around the room, not spotting anything besides his cape. It was both a relief and a disappointment, because it meant no one had been in the room while he slept but also that he’d have to put the ball outfit back on.

Ghosty stopped him as he tried to get up, shaking his head, “Actually, the head guard came to speak with us while both of you were asleep. He said the duke didn’t intend for this to be a formal occasion and we could all just wear the clothes that were left for us. Although I did ask if they could find me a bigger shirt, this one is a little tight.” He tugged at the fabric on his chest as he said it, drawing Rae’s attention to it. He blushed a little and turned away, trying to refocus on the conversation.

“If- if you're sure then, uh, yeah lets uh, let's grab Centross and go, I want to leave as soon as we can.” He managed, finally getting off the bed and heading to the door before Ghosty could stop him. He could have sworn he heard laughter behind him but he ignored it, emerging into the hall and quickly crossing it to the room opposite of his.

He knocked briefly, ignoring the amused look on Centross’s face as he opened the door. “Ready?” he asked, not even sure if he was ready himself.

Centross gave him a look, but nodded anyway. “Yeah, let’s go see what he wants.”

Chapter Text

The second they stepped into the dining hall he felt out of place. He was used to feeling out of place in formal settings, but normally that was a more internal feeling and had less to do with what he looked like. A shiver ran through him and he tugged at his cape, glad he’d decided to grab it before they had found a guard to lead them here.

Ghosty and Centross stood awkwardly beside him, all three of them stopped just inside the beautifully ornate room. It was smaller than most of the dining halls Rae had been in, even smaller than the room the Queen used to host meetings for her innermost council. The guard had said it was the duke’s personal hall, but still, he’d expected it to be more… grand.

The guard who had led them there stepped further into the room, motioning for them to follow. He pointed to the seat to the right of the head of the table, motioning for Rae to sit. Ghosty took the chair next to him, and Centross was guided to the one across from them. The seat at the end of the table remained empty, the guard saying something about the duke arriving shortly before disappearing back out the door.

Rae spared a glance across the table, raising an eyebrow at Centross who shrugged, then looking towards Ghosty, who was distracted adjusting his shirt. Footsteps interrupted his thought before they could form, and he quickly stood from his seat, the other two following suit right before the doors swung open.

In walked a man, with stark grey hair braided and tied back, with warm brown eyes like logs on a fire, and even deeper brown skin, a small but kind smile passing over his lips as he met Rae’s eyes. Rae gave him a small bow as he approached, waiting for him to take the seat at the head of the table before sitting back down.

“You don’t need to look so afraid my boy, I mean you no harm,” The Duke said, looking at Rae.

Rae nodded, still nervous to meet his eye, “Of course, your Grace. You can understand why I might be wary though.”

The Duke scoffed, “I expect nothing less from someone living under that woman. She is a formidable leader, if a little driven by her hatred. I can tell she has not passed down her anger at least.”

He felt a blush creeping up his cheeks, ducking further. Luckily, Centross spoke up, drawing the Duke’s attention as servers entered. “If I may, your Grace, how did you know we were coming through? We ourselves didn’t know until late last night that we would be headed in this direction.”

“Quite simple really,” the Duke replied, turning to smile briefly at the server who set his plate in front of him, “I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen for ages. I will not reveal my source for their safety, but I was informed of some changes in both yours and Sir Morningstar’s behaviour that led me to believe now was the time. I will say, I’m surprised to see that young assistant of yours is not with you, are they alright?” He directed the last bit at Rae, who quickly swallowed the small bite of bread he’d taken.

“Yes, they’re safe. I can’t say I expected you to know of them though.” Maybe he was just too used to the nobles he saw more often, or maybe he should have expected the Duke to know more about those he was close to since he practically said he had spies in the castle already. He suppressed a shiver, trying not to let his discomfort show. He still wasn’t sure to think of the Duke, or even what the Duke thought of him.

The Duke let out a small chuckle, shaking his head and looking down at his plate, “Your thoughts seem to go nearly as fast as my grandsons did. I can see why the two of you got along.”

Rae winced, “About that, I’m so-”

The Duke raised his hand, making Rae pause mid sentence. “You are not to blame for what happened to him. He chose his path, and had the two of you been successful I would have been happy for him. I only wish she had allowed us to keep his name. It would make grieving him that much easier.”

Rae nodded, slowly, choosing to look down at his plate rather than try to make eye contact with anyone. He could feel eyes on him, and he knew both Centross and Ghosty probably wanted to make sure he was ok, but he wasn’t sure how to feel right now, so he simply looked down, focusing on his food. It was good, especially considering how long it had been since he’d eaten, so it wasn’t hard to do.

Thankfully, the Duke struck up conversation with Centross again, the pair discussing the royal guard, Centross’ family, as well as a few other things he didn’t quite focus enough on to understand. Ghosty piped in every once in a while, when the conversation turned away from the End, and Rae couldn’t help but wonder what the Duke thought of him. It didn’t seem like they’d been expecting Ghosty, especially given the earlier question about Jamie.

Something touched his hand and he almost jumped, glancing down to see it had been Ghosty’s hand. He met Ghosty’s eyes briefly, receiving a questioning look. He hesitated, but nodded, gladly accepting the hand, a sense of relief washing over him. It was steadying, something familiar to focus on while he tried to turn his attention back to the conversation at hand.

Centross and the Duke seemed to have moved on, talking about the group's plans, where they were going next, something they hadn’t had much of a chance to discuss. “I wish I could offer you all a longer refuge, but I’ve had word come in that the Queen has already noticed your absences, and I have no doubt she would send people to search here as one of her first stops.”

“We appreciate all that you’ve been able to give,” Centross replied, saying the words they were all thinking, “We didn’t expect to have any peace until we had left the kingdom, so this has been a gift, truly.”

The Duke smiled softly, shaking his head, “Still. I’ve had my men assemble some clothing and food for you at least. I imagine you weren’t able to bring much with you, even if this was far planned. I will assure that everything is brought to you once we are done here, but it would probably be in your best interests to be back on the road within the hour.”

Rae looked down at his now nearly empty plate, noting that they were all mostly done. Maybe he should have savoured it, he didn’t know when his next hot meal would be after all.  The servers entered again, gracefully scooping their plates out from in front of them before he could even blink.

The Duke stood, waiting for them all to follow suit, then turned to Rae, that same soft smile on his face that hadn’t seemed to leave the entire meal, “If I may, I was hoping to have a moment to speak to you alone? I understand if you would not wish to part from your companions though.”

Rae glanced across the table at Centross, trying to gauge his thoughts on it for a moment before looking back to the Duke, still ever careful to not meet his eyes. He regretted for a second that he’d dropped Ghosty’s hand as they stood, he didn’t want to turn all the way to look at him and it would have been nice to get an idea of what he thought about this. He also missed the steadiness of it, but he pushed that down in favour of responding. “Of course.”

The Duke’s smile grew, “Wonderful. My guards can escort your companions to gather the materials we have set aside for you while we talk. It should only take ten minutes or so.”

He could see Centross’s hesitance, but something Ghosty did must have been enough because he simply sighed, turning to give a small bow to the Duke before turning to follow the guard out of the  hall, Ghosty close behind him. Ghosty shot Rae one last look before they went out the door, and he did his best to return it with a confident smile, though he was sure Ghosty could see the worry beneath it.

He waited another moment until the sound of their steps faded before turning his attention back to the Duke, trying to contain the tightness of his chest. “What did you want to speak to me about, Your Grace?”

The Duke shook his head, beckoning for Rae to follow him through a simple door on the opposite side of the room where the servers had come in from. He tugged open the door, revealing a small hallway, which spilled out into a gorgeous study, with thick wooden frames against the walls and a large sturdy desk that stood in the middle of the room.

“I didn’t want to say it in front of the others, but I was wondering if you were planning to go find your mother once you’ve left the kingdom?” The Duke asked, his back to Rae as he made his way over to the desk, bending over slowly to look through one of the drawers.

Rae froze, “My mother?”

The Duke paused, turning to look up at him with an eyebrow raised, “Yes, Queen Isla? Apologies, I assumed you were running to something, not just running away.”

“I am. I think,” Rae stuttered out, caught off guard, “I thought…”

“That no one was supposed to remember you were her boy?” The Duke supplied, turning back to look through his desk again, “Enderian, for as powerful as she is, would have to erase decades worth of memories from me for that to happen. You look too much like old Raemond for me not to make the connection, and she was much too far when she cast her spell for it to have enough of an effect.”

Rae frowned, stepping further into the room, “So… you knew this whole time? Can I ask why you didn’t tell me?”

The Duke looked up at him but didn’t stop his search, “Well for one, I assumed you knew. And for another, I did try. I made sure my family was aware, and while I myself have not been welcome at the capital for some time, my family was. My grandson befriended you in hopes that he could help you escape, and he had my full blessing to do so. I did not factor in that Enderian would be so cruel as to force herself through the memories of her own flesh and blood.”

He went to apologize again but stopped himself, remembering the Duke’s response from earlier. Instead, he tried to focus on a different part of what he’d said, “You mentioned someone named Raemond, who is that?”

His smile turned sad as he finally stood from where he’d been searching through the drawers, setting a simple brown paper package on the desk. “Your grandfather, well, one of them. He was the Morningstar heir before Isla, and we took to our thrones around the same age. It was unfortunate he and Everett passed a few years before your brother was born, they would have loved you both.”

Rae ducked his head, an aching numbness climbing through him, something he’d come to associate with mourning a family he’d never known. He had a chance with the others, if he chose to take it, his mother, his brother, his… step father? But he’d never get a chance to meet his grandfathers, and now, if he didn’t fix what the Queen had done, their names would potentially be lost too. In the memories of most, the name Morningstar meant nothing to them. He’d taken it with him all those years ago when he was taken.

The Duke pulled him from his thoughts, tapping the top of the package gently, “Well, as much as I’d love to have the chance to just sit here and talk to you, I really only asked you here for this.”

Rae frowned, “May I ask what it is?”

“May? I was rather hoping you would,” The Duke said, smirking slightly. “There are some parts of this that you will have to discover yourself, but I will tell you this. This is a powerful tool, or a powerful weapon, depending on who uses it. For generations, it was used as a symbol of cooperation between the three kingdoms, because no one kingdom knew the entire process of how to create it.”

He stepped back, eyeing the package warily, “if it’s so important, a-and potentially a weapon, why would you want to give it to me?”

The Duke smiled, pushing the package gently towards the end of the desk, “Because I trust that you will use it well. And, selfishly, I believe you may have the intelligence and magical knowledge to truly figure it out. Part of Enderian’s campaign wiped out the last craftsmen from Shulk, or what used to be their lands, so they can no longer play their part in creating these. I wish to see the craft continue, if possible.”

Rae looked up at the Duke warily, staring at him for a long moment before reaching for the package, sliding it off of the desk and into his arms, surprised by how light it was. The paper was rough beneath his hand, and it crinkle with the movements, like whatever was inside wasn’t quite solid. “What’s it called?”

“An Elytra,” The Duke answered softly, watching him fondly. 

There was a knock at a door behind Rae’s back and the Duke’s head snapped up, smile quickly replaced by a frown as he called for whoever knocked to enter. Rae turned, seeing who looked like the Duke’s captain of the guard, who gave a small bow to them both before turning to the Duke.

“The Queen’s men were spotted about an hour east of town. I estimate that with the time it took the scout to get back they will reach here within the hour.”

The Duke frowned, nodding before turning back to Rae, his smile returning, though it was sadder this time, “It seems our already limited time has been cut even shorter. We must get you back to your friends and on your way at once. I will try to delay her men as long as I can, but we must give you as much distance as we can.”

Rae said nothing, simply clutching the package closer to his chest and following the Duke and his guard as they left the room, winding down the halls with a sense of urgency to their steps. They led him into a smaller wing of the castle that seemed to open up into a stables, something he would have been more jealous of if he hadn’t been so focused on their goal.

Ghosty and Centross appeared as they rounded the corner, horses loaded and ready to go next to them. He saw Centross’s shoulders relax as he caught sight of him, and he did his best to give him a small reassuring smile. The Duke, who continued to surprise Rae with how mobile he was despite his old age, was already moving around the stable, talking with his staff and assuring that everything was ready for them to leave and for their unexpected guests that were the Queen’s guards.

Centross shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the Queen’s guard, and Rae was reminded that when they first arrived he’d been wearing his very well known armour. Now though, he had a few simple pieces of armour on, all unmarked, and not nearly as fancy as his usual set, but it would work much better for the subtly they were going for.

Rae slid next to him, “Everything ok with you guys?”

Centross glanced at him, watching the Duke and the captain carefully,  “Yeah, you?”

He nodded, “I’ll tell you more later.”

Ghosty shifted around the horses, joining them. He motioned to the package rae was still holding, “What’d you get?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Rae replied, looking down at it again and shifting his grip on it, “The Duke’s description was very vague.”

Ghosty went to respond but was cut off by the Duke turning to them, clasping his hands together and smiling despite the tenseness to his expression, “It was an absolute pleasure hosting you three, and I sincerely wish we could have had more time, but we are running out by the second. Sir Mistvale, you received the map I set out for you, correct?”

Centross nodded, reaching for where Rae saw it tucked at his waist.

“Wonderful,” The Duke continued, “Then I wish you well.”

The three shared a look, then turned. Rae mounted his horse, watching as the other two followed suit with practiced ease. Centross took the lead, guiding his horse out of the stable, with Ghosty following him and Rae at the back. Just as he was about to leave the stable, the Duke called out and he paused, turning back to look at him.

“Oh, Sir Morningstar. Don’t forget what I said, alright? You will go far, if you don’t get in your own way.”

Rae gripped the reigns tighter, nodding, before turning to continue following his friends. Snow had started to fall while they were inside and he shivered, glad he’d kept his cloak on him as the cold flakes began to hit his skin. Ghosty glanced back at him, a questioning look on his face, which he answered with a determined nod. Ghosty yelled something to Centross that he couldn’t quite hear and they set off faster, horses pounding through the snow and the trees, setting away from the castle and the town until he couldn’t see the lights behind them anymore.

It felt like hours before they finally stopped, the snow having stopped not long into their journey and the trees finally thinning as they approached a river, a thin wooden bridge stark against the white landscape. Rae slowed, getting off his horse and leading him towards the bridge. The trees on the other side held no snow, almost like a barrier had been formed between the two sides, and the winter couldn’t quite reach over the rushing water.

He glanced back at Ghosty and Centross, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. One look at Centross confirmed what he already knew. This was the border. Once they crossed, they’d be in the Nether. He took a deep breath, then took a single, shaking step onto the bridge. Then another, and another, and another, until his footsteps crunched with the sound of fallen leaves on the other side.

And as he looked around at golden trees and new terrain, at his friends, shrugging off their thick coats at the newfound warmth, only one thought came to mind.

This wasn’t the End.