When I wake the next morning, I find Meghan sprawled out on my chest, tightly gripping onto my shirt. I gently brush the hair that's fallen over her face during the night. Puck is sat by the mouth of the cave, whistling quietly and I gently detangle myself from Meghan, laying her gently down and covering her with my coat before going to sit next to Puck.
"Good morning Sleeping Beauty," he quips with a smirk. I glare and shove his shoulder but for the first time there's no real anger behind the actions – we're getting along like we used to. Almost as if Ariella is following Meghan's footsteps and reminding us that it's stupid to duel each other at every given opportunity.
"How's our guest?" I ask, glancing back to the sleeping form of Snowdrop, who is still covered in the vines and leaves courtesy of Meghan.
"She dropped off after I threatened to turn her into a mouse if she didn't stop whining about how she deserves better than this." I snort.
"She does know this is a lot better than being goblin food right?"
"Apparently not. I'm not too concerned about her though, by tonight she'll be locked away in Tir Na Nog and I never have to see her again."
"Lucky you." I mutter, my gaze trailing back to Meghan.
"How are you going to work this one then ice-boy?" Puck says, following my gaze and train of thought exactly. I run a hand through my hair and sigh.
"There has to be some deal I can come to with both Mab and Oberon. Neither will be willing to let us stay in just one place for the entire year but, if necessary, I'll stay in Arcadia with Meghan."
"You'd do that for her? You'd be weaker there though Ash and you know it. Not to mention the heat would drive you insane." Puck says, raising an eyebrow at me.
"In the same way that she'd be weaker in Tir Na Nog and the cold would drive her insane Goodfellow; it goes both ways."
"Look, before you go telling Mab that you're leaving Court forever and starting yet another war, why don't you suggest staying 6 months in each court. It's like you said Ash, this goes both ways." I pause, thinking it over. It makes sense and honestly, I don't care where I am as long as Meghan is with me and is happy.
"You think they'd go for it?" I ask him. Puck shrugs.
"Who – Mab and Oberon or Meghan?" I chuckle a little at that.
"All of them."
"Meghan will go wherever you go Ash you know that. As for Mab and Oberon, they'll eventually come to the conclusion that it's better to share the two of you than keep you in one court. They'll get used to the idea." I offer Puck a small smile of thanks as Meghan stirs behind us. I feel her as she starts to wake up and realises that I'm not there.
"Morning Princess," Puck calls quietly, adding a couple more logs to the fire, despite it not really needing any more. I guess both of us are more worried about Meghan than we're letting on. She pads up behind us, settling in the gap between us with a yawn. I smile and tuck her hair behind her ear.
"Did you sleep well?" I whisper in her ear. She nods and brushes a light kiss to my cheek that turns my stomach inside out.
"You know it's a good job I haven't eaten anything yet," Puck grumbles, dodging when Meghan swats at his arm.
"You're just jealous," she retorts, resting her head on my shoulder. Luckily, before Puck can reply, an onoxiously loud moan comes from the back of the cave.
"Looks like we're setting off then," I mutter, just loud enough for Puck and Meghan to hear.
"Will you let me out of these things?" Snowdrop suddenly screeches, causing a couple of birds to shoot out of the trees they were nesting in in alarm. We turn to look at her, unable to hold back our laughter at the sight of Snowdrop thrashing around on the floor, encased in the tight vines and leaves from the night before. Puck flicks his hand dismissavely and the vines disappear.
"Well," Snowdrop says standing and brushing down her dress, despite it not doing anything to improve the condition of her outfit. She stands behind me although I don't turn round, instead listening as Puck persuades Meghan to eat some breakfast. I frown a little at that – surely she should have gained a little appetite back by now?
"Prince Ash!" Snowdrop says impatiently, drawing me out of my thoughts. I sigh.
"What do you want Snowdrop?"
"I want to know when we will be leaving. And where the half-breed will be staying during our journey." Meghan tenses a little in my arms at the implication of this and I rub her arm soothingly to reassure her that nothing is going to happen.
"You will be riding one horse and Meghan and I will ride the other. She will be staying with us for the duration of the journey." I say, my voice ice cold, not that Snowdrop seems to notice.
"Did you not see what she did to me last night?" She asks in horror.
"Yes. You had asked for a blanket and she provided you with one. It was a kindness that I would not have given you. And you have no right to talk about the person who saved your life in that way."
"What do you mean saved my life? The half-breed can barely last an hour in Tir Na Nog, she is completely incapabale of saving anyone." A tear drops onto my hand and my anger boils over. Luckily for Snowdrop, Puck gets there first before I kill her. Without even realising he'd moved, he hits Snowdrop hard in the face, causing her to fall over. Meghan whimpers quietly although I can tell she hates to show this weakness in front of Snowdrop.
"Has Mab not taught you to have any respect for your superiors little girl?" Puck snarls, throwing Snowdrop into the wall. I pull Meghan to her feet.
"Come on, lets go get those horses ready." I whisper, leading her away from the fight. When we reach the horses, I pull her into my arms tightly, trying to hold back my rage as a sob escapes her. "Don't cry Meghan," I tell her, stroking her hair. "Don't cry, not over that spoilt brat. She's not worth it."
"She's right though," Meghan sobs, her voice muffled against my shirt. I sigh and repeat what I told her yesterday and will continue to tell her until she believes it again.
"No, she's not. You are strong Meghan. And even after everything you are the kindest person I have ever met. No one I know, not even Ariella, would have saved Snowdrop and then let her say all of those things. You have a much better temper than I do; if Puck hadn't got there first, I would have hit her." Meghan pulls back at that, her eyes red. She peers over my shoulder towards the cave.
"She'll be okay right? Puck wouldn't badly hurt her, would he?" I smile as she proves my point.
"I'm sure Snowdrop will be fine. If anything, we'll have a quiet ride home." She smiles.
"And I get to stay with you, right?" I bend down and kiss her lightly.
"Haven't you heard? I'm not letting you out of my sight again."
By the time Puck has finished, the horses are ready to go and I'm trying to catch Meghan. After my last remark, she seems to have taken it as a challenge to hide from me. I never understood why humans found the game of hide and seek so much fun. There is no real chasing involved, no adrenaline pumping like you get in a real hunt but in the last twenty minutes, I've started to see the appeal. In any case, Meghan is enjoying herself and seems to have forgotten about the fight in the cave. There's a rustle to my left and I grin.
"You're going to have to try harder than that Meghan," I say as I head over to the bushes and pull them aside. Nothing. I narrow my eyes, realising that she must have just used her glamour to rustle the leaves a little. "Very funny Meghan." I say, listening for the giggle I know is coming. I head back to the center of the clearing, listening intently for her. I almost miss her – almost. I catch her round her waist as she tries to run behind me, spinning her round a little.
"Got you." I whisper in her ear. She laughs breathlessly.
"Sorry to interrupt you lovebirds but we've got a long ride ahead of us. If we want to get back before dark, we'd better be going." Puck says leaning against a tree, that irritating smirk etched on his face. Meghan sighs a little in disappointment as I let her go and we walk over to where Puck is waiting.
"Where is she?" I ask, nodding in the direction of the cave.
"Composing herself." Puck replies as we share a smile. Meghan reaches out and takes Puck hand, inspecting the blood drying on his knuckles.
"You're hurt," she accuses.
"Nah, I'm fine Princess. Just a scratch, don't you worry about it." She looks doubtful but lets it go when Snowdrop appears. She doesn't say anything, just heads to one of the horses and lifts herself up on to it.
"I'm guessing that's our que to leave," I say, leading Meghan over to the remaining horse and helping her up. "You flying on ahead Goodfellow?" I ask, getting on behind Meghan.
"Definitely. Someone's got to warn you about the trouble you're blindly wandering into." Meghan turns to look at me, fear dancing in her eyes and I curse Puck.
"He's joking," I reassure her. "We were fine getting here and we'll be fine getting back." She nods, but is still tense. I glare at Puck.
"Now look what you've done." He offers me an apologetic shrug before exploding in a flurry of black feathers and flying off into the trees. I kick the horse gently in the side, not sparing Snowdrop a backward glance as we follow Puck, knowing she'll follow if it means getting back to civilisation.
It's a long journey back. Snowdrop doesn't say a word the entire journey but Meghan questions me about some of my experiences in the Wyldwood. It passes the time and keeps her calm so I'm happy to oblige her, although I do embelish some of the stories slightly to please my own ego. Say what you want about Puck, he did teach me about creative truth telling. Finally, after hours of travelling, we reach the Unseelie city. I can feel Snowdrop's sullen mood improve and Meghan's good mood deflate slightly and I brush a kiss to her ear in sympathy. The Unseelie Court does not hold many pleasant memories for Meghan, although I'm hoping to change that.
Puck is waiting for us outside of the Palace. "Mab wants to see us all," he says, helping Meghan down off the horse. Two groomsmen appear and lead the horses away as Snowdrop joins the group.
"Well lets not keep her waiting." I say, leading the way towards the throne room. The doors open, revealing the throne room to be full of both Seelie and Unseelie. Needless to say you can cut the tension in the room with a knife.
"Ash," Mab says from her throne. "You're back. And you've found the missing fey. Where were they?" I bow to the fey rulers and the others follow my lead.
"In a goblin camp about a days ride from here my Queen. Puck, Meghan and I killed off a number of them but their numbers were too large for us to handle on our own." Mab's eyes widen a little at the inclusion of Meghan but she doesn't mention it.
"I'll send some guards out to finish the job." She says before turning to Oberon. "With the return of our fey, I assume you will be departing for Arcadia?" Mab asks him. Oberon nods.
"We will leave in the morning." That is clearly a dismissal on our part but there is something I want to discuss with the rulers.
"Queen Mab, Lord Oberon, I have a proposition for you." I begin, feigning composure.
"What is it Ash? What do you need?" Mab asks, smiling at me dangerously. I have to tread carefully.
"I wish to know what will happen to Meghan and I at the departure tomorrow."
"You will stay here."
"You will come with us." The rulers say at the same time before turning to each other to argue it out.
"He is my son Oberon, he will remain here, as will the girl."
"She is my daughter, she will come with me, as will the Prince." Oberon retaliates.
"This is my proposition," I say interrrupting them before another war is declared. "Meghan and I will leave with the Seelie Court tomorrow and will remain in Arcadia until the Exchange. When the Sceptor of the Seasons is brought back here, Meghan and I will come with it and remain here for the six months until it is given back to the Seelie Court. This way, both of you get what you want and Meghan and I stay together." Mab looks like she wants to argue the point but Oberon steps in before she has the chance.
"Very well. I agree to these terms if Queen Mab does as well?" Mab looks like she wants to do anything but agree but she has no choice now.
"I too, agree to these terms." I share a grin with Meghan. "Now leave us be, I have some other matters to discuss with Oberon before the Seelie depart tomorrow." We bow again and leave the throne room, Snowdrop stalks off without acknowledging any of us which suits me fine.
"So, it looks like you're going to get to know this place quite well Princess." Puck says.
"Looks like it," Meghan says, taking my hand.
"This is okay with you, isn't it?" I check, sighing in relief when she nods.
"As long as I'm with you, I don't care where I stay." She pauses. "We can still go though, right?" I smile and nod.
"Nothing will stop us from taking that trip Meghan, I promise."
"Robin Goodfellow?" A timid voice asks from the door behind us. We turn to see a small Seelie fey, well her face anyway, the rest of her body is hidden behind the door.
"Lord Oberon has requested your presence." Puck sighs.
"Honestly. You'd think getting kidnapped would entitle you to a day off." Meghan laughs.
"That was your day off Puck." He chuckles.
"Well, I'll see you later lovebirds. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He heads back into the throne room, where he'll probably stay for the rest of the night.
"What do you want to do now?" I ask Meghan.
"Nothing." She mumbles making me laugh.
"You can't be tired already." I tease.
"Maybe." She says sheepishly.
"Do you think you can stay awake just a little longer? There's something I want to show you." Her eyes gleam with the prospect of a surprise and I lead her down the hall towards the stairs. As we start to climb I warn her,
"There are a lot of these, do you think you can make it?" She huffs a little.
"I can make it." She says. "I might not make it back but I'll make it there." I chuckle.
"Well, it's a good job I'm here then. I wouldn't want you to be stuck up here all night." We stay like that as we climb flight after flight of stairs, teasing and joking with each other until, finally, we reach a plain wooden door.
"Finally!" Meghan says, leaning against the wall as she tries to catch her breath. "I was beginning to wonder if there was anything at the top of these stairs." I push the door open and lead her through.
"Hardly anyone comes up here. It's the reason I like it so much; I can hide from the Rowan's and Snowdrop's who reside at Court." We're stood in the observation tower, a tall tower with windows that cricle all around us, showing us all of the Unseelie City.
"Wow." Meghan says quietly, dropping my hand and walking over to one of the windows. Below us, the Unseelie City lies, glittering in the dark sky. From up here, you can almost forget that the Unseelie are savage creatures and are probably torturing someone right now. From here, everything is peaceful. "I can see what you like it here." Meghan says. I walk over and wrap my arms around her waist, resting my chin on the top of her head.
"There are a few places here like this, I can show you them when we're next here."
"I'd like that," Meghan whispers, leaning against me. I'm not sure how long we stay there, it must have been a good few hours, just watching and talking about non-important things. Things that we haven't previosuly had time to talk about.
"What's your favourite colour?" She asks me softly.
"Blue." I reply, equally softly.
"Like the cold here?"
"No, like a certain girls eyes." I whisper in her ear making her smile. "What's yours?" Although I know the answer even before she says it.
"Silver." I chuckle lightly.
"What?" She asks indignantly.
"Nothing." I reply, a smile still on my face. I can't remember ever feeling this happy at home and I know that as long as I have Meghan, this feeling won't ever go away. I'm about to ask her another trivial question when she yawns softly, her head nodding forward. I smile and pick her up, carrying her down the stairs and back to my room. I lie her down on the bed, easing off her boots and tucking the quilt around her before taking off my shirt and boots and settling in next to her, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her against my chest.
"Ash?" She mumbles.
"Mmm." I say, brushing her hair off her cheek.
"I love you." It still amazes me the power those three words have over me when she says them. I bend over and kiss her cheek.
"I love you too Meghan. I love you too."
And that's it! Everyone is back safe and sound and relatively happy (if you take Snowdrop out of the equation anyway. I don't think anything in the entire Nevernever will make her happy!) Lots and lots of Meghan and Ash fluff for you all to enjoy. There will be a sequel at some point about Meghan and Ash's journey around the Nevernever - there's a lot of possibility for fluff in that don't you think? That thought makes me extremely happy! For now though, this is it. Thank you for all of your reviews - let me know what you think about this last chapter and I will see you soon after I take a well deserved break. (Torturing characters is hard work you know!) See you soon guys, mysweetcupcake xxx
