Chapter Twenty-Nine
A Day Out With a Witch, a Frog, and, oh yeah, a Prince
"Where are we going?" Phobos asked, weary as Will floated before him, wings shaking in poorly contained excitement.
Given the insane events of the last two days, Will decided they needed a break. Elyon was fine with Will taking Phobos out of the castle, as having him away for a few hours was probably a good thing. Elyon wanted to interrogate the mage later in the day, as the queen still had normal duties to attend to. And given Phobos' injury, she was giving him a day before having him handle any clerical task.
Plus, Elyon wanted time to inform the girls of what happened. Will agreed Elyon should handle things, as she was the one in charge. It was important to remember that. Will was a guest right now. A threat to Elyon and Phobos meant the Guardians had to act, but beyond that, it was Elyon's call.
"We're going out for lunch!" Will excitedly announced, grinning from ear to ear. "And we have a very special guest!" She pulled her hands from behind her back. "Look!"
The little frog in her hand happily croaked, seeing Phobos.
Phobos was surprised, head tilting to the side, seeing his familiar. "I thought Elyon wanted him separate from I?"
Achilles hopped from Will's hand onto Phobos' shoulder, where he settled into the crook, and pressed his little head to the prince. A small smile pulled at the prince's lips as he gently petted the frog's head.
"She's going to come talk with you later about it. But as long as one of us is with you guys, it's fine. But she's hanging onto the circlet for now."
He nodded. "I see."
"Plus, he wanted to see you after you woke up. So I thought having an afternoon out with the three of us would be nice! I promised Achilles a day out before, so it seems like a good time," she explained, finding Phobos and Achilles the cutest sight in the entire universe. Achilles was so damn adorable. Maybe he could come on Earth trips? Now that she knew he was a magical familiar and not some defenseless kid, it might be fun having the frog come along with some simple task.
…Oh, and Phobos could come along, too.
"Achilles!" she reached out, excited, and she was thrilled the frog hopped to her, changing into his human form. She hugged him to her and spun. "Are you ready to go, little dude?"
Achilles grinned widely, giggling as they twirled. "Yes!"
Phobos looked between them and sighed. "I feel I would not be missed."
The Heart flashed in solidarity with the prince.
Elyon adjusted Phobos' bonds to allow Will to teleport him outside the castle grounds. They appeared in a grassy field, with a cluster of trees scattered around them. In one direction, was a raised section of ground that had the oldest tree in the grove growing atop it.
Their appearance scared a few animals, including a grouping of butterfly-winged fairies that were sitting on a nearby patch of marigolds. They flew up, panicked, before reading Will's mind, and hovered mid-air. Will reached out to the dozens of little creatures, and they approached her, curious about her own wings. Little hands poking at the vibrant membranes.
"They are pretty," Achilles said, watching the fairies flutter around her. One landed on the tip of her wing and she stretched it down to him. He looked nervous as he reached out, the fairy watching him.
Fairies were already smarter than average creatures, so having the added clarity of Will's magic made it smart enough to understand the friendly gesture of Achilles. It flew to him, landing on his hand. Excited, he carefully walked to Phobos, showing him the fairy. The prince had been watching her, eyes unreadable, but turned his attention to the kid at his side.
"These are wanderer, or monarch, fairies. They travel to strong places of magic to reproduce and return as long as that place thrives with it." He held out a hand, and the fairy fluttered to him, landing on his outstretched finger. "These are a sign of a healthy magical kingdom."
Will grinned, unable to stop herself. "Guess you haven't seen them in a while."
He sent a mild glare her way at her cheap shot that only made her grin wider. She stretched her wings and flapped hard, sending a gust of wind to disturb the surrounding brush. The fairies all took to the air, flying around them in the current of sweet smelling air. "And look at how many Elyon's kingdom has."
"You are in good spirits, I see," he said dryly, still glaring at her.
Will took to the air herself and scooped up Achilles. "Oh, come on, oh grand prince," she called, flying towards the old tree that towered before them.
Phobos followed at a painfully slow pace, so she passed some time trying to catch Achilles as he hopped through the branches of the large tree. He was shockingly fast, moving easily between forms to dodge her. While she always caught him, he still eluded her longer than expected for one new to magic.
She heard a long, exasperated sigh from the base of the tree that made her fly down. Phobos was leaning on the warm bark, arms crossed, looking quite annoyed.
Oh, shoot! She forgot about him.
"Sorry!" She laughed, flying up to let Achilles, in his kid form, grab on her back. "We got carried away!"
Phobos didn't answer, only sighed again, shaking his head as she floated down into the cavern under the twisted oak.
It didn't take long to get to what she had quickly prepared for their trip, and she was happy to see everything undisturbed as they entered the glass caves.
"Ta-da!" she called, lighting the cave with a powerful beam of pink light. "As promised, Achilles, the abandon dragon burrows! Walls made smooth as glass from years of magical dragon fire!"
Will watched as Achilles looked around in awe at the cascade of iridescent light that filled the wide cavern. The glass-like walls were alive with an array of colors that pebbled across their skin. In the center was a small picnic, sitting on a thick linen cloth with a few soft cushions.
It wasn't much, but Achilles still excitedly rushed over, looking over the setup.
"It's a picnic!" exclaimed Will as she flew next to him. "I thought it might be fun, doing non-espionage related things," she said, sending Phobos a pointed look.
Again, he just shook his head at her.
Her agreement with Elyon included staying fully powered, as technically Phobos' latest action with Achilles was a breach of the queen's condition of them seeing each other. It was from how genuine the little frog was, and Phobos risking his life, that Elyon was giving him another chance.
So Will stayed in guardian form as she settled on a cushion and waved Achilles over. She pulled him to sit on her lap and he curiously watched as she leaned over to unpack the food.
Oh, yeah, Phobos came and sat down, too.
"We have some stuff from Earth in here," Will explained, pulling out some sealed candy and treats. "But they are for after you eat, Achilles. There are some sandwiches and wraps. And some juice and water too."
Achilles leaned his head back to look at her as he said, "I've never had food before."
"What?" she said, confused. She glared at the prince. "You haven't been feeding him!?"
Phobos, who was lounging back against a few stacked cushions, and had opened the one bottle of wine Hay-Lin had packed for him ("He seems like a wine person"), rolled his eyes.
"He eats magic," Phobos explained, pouring himself a glass. "While he can consume food, it is unnecessary for his survival."
"Do you want to eat something, Achilles?" she asked the kid settled in her lap.
He nodded. "Yes." He pointed at the glass in Phobos' hand. "Can I try that?"
At the same time, Will said "No" as Phobos said "Yes."
Horrified, Will hugged Achilles to her as her wings stretched wide. "What? No! He can't have any wine! He's a kid!"
Phobos rose a brow. "He's not a child. He's a familiar. I doubt alcohol will even affect him."
"What! He's like eight! You can't just let him drink wine!"
"Again, he's not a child."
"Look at him!" She said, holding Achilles up by his armpits and shoving his cute, squishy, lovable, chubby face at Phobos. "He's just a tiny little kid! You have to start taking better care of him!"
"I have been providing for my familiar just fine," he said, growing defensive.
"Oh! When was the last time he had a bath? Brushed his hair? Had a good night's sleep?" she challenged, sitting Achilles back in her lap, who was quietly watching them bicker over him.
"He's a magical shape-shifting frog; none of that is needed."
"But it's important! He may not be a normal kid, but he's still young! That type of stuff will help him understand what normal life is like and lets him feel cared for," she explained. Will understood he wasn't human, but he was still learning and growing. Experiencing kindness and love would help him grow into a good person.
"His understanding of the world is not a concern. I will teach him what he needs to know," Phobos pushed back, more annoyed by the second.
Will snorted. "That's not a brilliant argument there, buddy. He needs more than just you telling him to murder the kitchen staff," she countered, anger flaring in her. The nerve of him. "Also, he needs someone else other than someone who spent the last week basically lying to their girlfriend about his very existence-"
Oh, shit.
Will flamed red, realizing what she said, as they didn't actually talk about that yet.
Phobos knew enough about Earth to know what that term meant, and his own anger slipped away as his vivid blue eyes traced her hot face.
She looked away, feeling embarrassed.
"Yes," Phobos said, voice lower, "Considering the importance of that title… that you carry… it was foolish of me to hide him from you. I apologize. You have proven I can trust you many times before now. I believe it is time for me to show you can trust me."
Will looked at him, her heart pounding in her chest at his words.
It was silly, giving a title to what they were, as it was something barely in their control. But, as they sat and ate, conversation less heated, Will felt her heart flutter every time she caught his gaze lingering on her. Every time she saw a smile break across his normally stoic face.
Later, with Achilles returned to Elyon, who was beyond excited to tell the queen about his trip, as she was more than happy to listen to every word, Will checked on Phobos.
He was in the magical library, looking over some old books. He was alone, with his guards outside, so Will didn't hesitate to follow her impulse as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
She kissed his cheek and bashfully apologized. "Sorry about earlier. I… I know we have a lot to talk about still. The picnic was supposed to be fun."
Phobos closed his thick book, something titled 'The Comprehensive Guide to all Known Spells; Volume Three Hundred and Eleven, Nune Boreal Edition' and reached up to place and hand on hers.
"There is nothing to apologize for. These last few days have been problematic," he said, fingers rubbing the back of her hand. "I am just glad it has not caused an impossible rift between us."
She let out a small squeak as she was pulled around, where she landed into his lap. He kissed her, one hand in her hair, the other spread along her thigh, and she eagerly kissed him back.
It was a little disappointing things sizzled out, as he pulled away to return to his reading, content with her sitting in his lap.
"What are you reading?" she asked, trying to ignore the ache between her legs. He just smelled so good it was hard not to think of… other things.
Like straddling the prince in the middle of the library and breaking some more furniture….
He was quiet for a moment, eyes troubled as he looked over a worn page, before nodding to himself.
"In an effort to show I am committed to my promise of openness with you, I will be frank; I am trying to remove my immortality."
Will sat up, alarmed, as she pulled his head to face her. "Wait, what? You are- will you-?"
"Die?" he finished, more amused than he had a right to be. "Possible. Without knowing the spell Weira used, it is a risk. One I am willing to take." A hand was rubbing at her back, but she was far from comforted.
Swallowing, she opened her mouth a few useless times before she managed, "I… Phobos, I don't understand. Do you want too…?"
He chuckled. "No, I do not wish to die. Not… anymore."
Fuck.
Just, fuck.
She had thought he felt that way for a while, but hearing him admit it was something else.
Her hands tightened on his tunic at his admission, and one of his hands came to cover hers as he pressed on, "My life has rarely been my own. Only during my reign did I have some semblance of control and squandered that by forcing a child to pay for sins not of her. Death does not scare me. It is a welcomed reward for all pained existence. What does bother me is outliving…" he stopped, lips tight. Gently, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, hard blue eyes drilling into hers.
Ah, got it.
"Phobos…" she said, not sure what to say. "I think I get it… what you're saying. I just… is it really worth the risk? I'm not going anywhere for a long time," she said, meaning it. "You don't have to rush any of this. And, you know, after yesterday, I'm sure Elyon would help you," she pointed out. "Actually, I'm sure the girls would help with that, too. Wouldn't it be safer, with all of us?" She took her free hand and cupped his cheek, her thumb rubbing his perfect skin. "You have people who care about you now, you know, and can help. Everything doesn't have to be done in secret."
He leaned his face into her hand, and that gentle sign of trust made her heart swell. "I… see that your companions are genuine in their attempts to befriend me, as annoying as that has been," he scoffed, irritated. "And even Cornelia has shown to be… valuable."
Will scoffed in return at that. "Yeah, please tell me you at least thanked her for freaking reattaching your arm, huh?"
At his miffed looked, she knew he didn't, and he went on, "But this type of magic is not what the Guardian's practice. You bend raw magic at will without the need to spell cast. Removing my immortality will require un-weaving an unknown spell. It may take years."
Will nodded, understanding, but still stressed, "But we're here." She couldn't help but frown, seeing his resistance to her statement. "I hope you can see that's a good thing."
The prince shifted, moving his arms around her to hug her tightly to him.
"I do," he said simply, and she worried he said that not because he believed it, but to just make her happy.
Will hugged him tighter, never wanting to let him go.
