A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I was gone for half the week, then the bunny was being ridiculously stubborn...
Chapter 10: Happily Ever After
The journey back to Sunside Manor was fast, as they had not traveled far. They were greeted by three frantic mechs; Mirage, who was panicking and flustered, rushing back and forth on the front lawn, Hound, who was trying to calm the blue and white mech, and Trailbreaker, who was trying to settle them both.
"I know something's happened, Hound!" Mirage was saying, hands waving at his sides. "Something's different! The curse... We can leave if we want! I just proved it! They're dead! I just- Bluestreak?"
The gray mech blinked, then laughed as he was practically tackled by the slim former noble. "Mirage? What's wrong?"
"Oh, Master Bluestreak, the curse is broken! We can leave! I was sure that it was because the Lords were killed... Oh, Primus!"
Sideswipe chuckled lowly as he stepped up and rested a hand on Bluestreak's shoulder, arm gently brushing against the twitching doorwing, very much not half wolf. "Nope. Not dead. At least, I don't think we are. What do you think, Sunny?"
"I think you shouldn't call me that."
The red Twin cast a playful smile at Mirage. "Yup. Pretty sure. But anyways, we've got guests-"
"Oh, oh, come, this way! I'll tell everyone to get a nice dinner prepared, and rooms must be organized..." the blue mech muttered, attention immediately diverted, and turned around to rush back into the manor.
A few chuckles were shared through the company. Prowl stepped up next to his brother and shot him a questioning glance.
"He's... Well... Hound said his carrier protocols activated for me?" Bluestreak answered the unspoken question with a wry glance of his own. "I guess it kinda carries over?"
"No, he's usually like that," Trailbreaker said, shaking his helm. Then he stiffened, optics hardening.
A small, silver mech had sidled up next to Prowl.
"Trailbreaker, this is Jazz," Bluestreak said slowly, stepping forward, doorwings twitching.
"He-"
"Hey, mech," the small mech interrupted as he pushed past the Praxians standing in front of him. "It weren't anythin' personal. Ah was jus' helpin' mah bondmate get his bro back."
"I-" Trailbreaker started, but Bluestreak interrupted.
"Bondmate!? Prowl-?"
"It is a long story," the black and white said, shifting slightly. "I will tell you later?"
Bluestreak eyed his brother. "Fine. But you are telling."
"Indeed. However, it seems you have a tale of your own to tell."
At this point, Sunstreaker cut in. "We can do all the telling we want, but let's move inside. I don't like the look of those acid clouds, and we have plenty of space, energon, and berths, for all of you." The last part he said to the whole company, and there were many murmurs of excitement at the prospect of god energon followed by a night in a warm berth.
Slowly, the mechs filed into the manor house, easily following Trailbreaker and Hound's direction to the party room. They gathered in small groups, talking and laughing and drinking. The few more seriously injured mechs went straight to their berths, while those with smaller injuries simply treated them and stayed with the company.
The Lords of the house, the two Praxians, and the small, silver, visored mech gathered at a small corner table to talk among themselves. Prowl demanded that Bluestreak tell his story first, and the gray mech did so, with occasional comments by Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.
"He broke the curse when he said he loved us," Sideswipe ended quietly, a faint, almost shy smile on his face. Sunstreaker settled an arm around Bluestreak's waist, and the red Twin leaned against him on the other side.
Prowl's blank expression had melted into a soft, fond smile. "I wish you three all the best. You do seem to fit together. Though this is rather... sudden."
Bluestreak smiled back. "Thanks, Prowl. But you and Jazz isn't sudden? I wanna hear about this bondmate of yours," he said, smirking in a decidedly Sideswipe-like manner.
The black and white Praxian's doorwings drooped slightly, but perked back up when Jazz leaned into him, chuckling.
"Our story's prolly jus' as interestin' as yers, Blue boy," the silver mech said with a grin.
"Indeed. Our story, though, does not simply start with us. It starts in a kingdom on the edge of the Great Rust Sea, where a city grew, and grew wealthy..."