As Judal opened his eyes, he was struck by the most intense feeling of déjà vu.

Twilight hung in a glistening gradient of purples and blues in the sky above and the sweet smell of saffron laden with fresh dew tickled his nose. They woke some distant memory he couldn't quite grasp, just as the horizon marked with great forests and distant mountains framing the setting sun painted a portrait he swore he had seen before. More stars glittered in the darkening sky than he could count, winking to life as the sun faded.

With each new star Judal became a little surer that he knew them, by name and by constellation, as if he had spent all his life staring at this sky. If he closed his eyes, the far off babbling of a brook and the rustling of leaves took him back, far away into a memory just out of reach. Even the playful tugging of the breeze as it toyed with his braid felt like it belonged to some old friend.

The sense of déjà vu faded and then relief flooded him in a rush so powerful it was dizzying. In that moment he swore that he had been struggling to return here all his life, even if he had never known it. Sidhe felt like home, though he had never been home before.

It was a feeling so overwhelming that it brought him to tears. The sensation was strange in retrospect; his eyes didn't burn, and he neither shook nor sobbed, tears just rolled down his cheeks one after the other. His senses were electrified and numb all at once, unsure how to process this immense feeling of belonging. A weight had been lifted off him that he hadn't even realized was there.

"Seelie." Belial hissed. "Of course we had to land in Seelie."

"Better than UnSeelie, at the moment." Hakuryuu sighed.

He turned back to the open gap between realms, gazing through it one last time. In the center of the undulating distortion a sliver of the courtyard could still be seen. Hakuryuu stared at it and allowed himself to feel the small ache of yearning to return to that simple existence he had shared with Judal. The gap narrowed, until it could no longer be seen, then then tear sewed itself neatly shut.

Hakuryuu inhaled and when he exhaled he released the feeling of longing with it. They would have quiet days again, hours spent in silence just lying together. But first, his mother had to die.

"How far are we from the rebellion's new encampment?" he asked, turning back to his vassals.

Zagan regarded the open plain they stood in thoughtfully, running his fingers through the butter yellow grass.

"Not far." he said, after a pause. "Though we are not particularly close either. Two day's journey, if we were to encounter no impediments."

"In which direction?"

"West of here."

"If I had a sense of where we were that might mean something to me. Where are we?"

"Seelie." Belial repeated sarcastically.

The prince shot him a disdainful look, then glowered at his second vassal when he sniggered.

"I can tell the border isn't far. Seelie's power wanes beneath us, but what lays beyond I am not sure. Which part of the wilds will we be entering, Zagan?"

"Does it matter? Belial and I will be accompanying you as far as the rebellion encampment, and you know of our reputation. It is why you fought so hard to win our favor, o prince."

"I know you will protect yourselves and me, but that is no longer enough."

"If you cannot place faith in this fool to heed your desire to protect your lover, then rest your belief in me." Belial said. "As I once said; if he is yours, then he is mine as well."

Hakuryuu considered this a moment, then nodded. Belial loathed to repeat himself and hated more to surrender to the will of another; his loyalty had been leagues more difficult to earn than Zagan's. But once gained, he was an ally more powerful and loyal than any could imagine. If he would twice claim his prince's lover, of whom he disapproved, as worthy of his protection, then he truly meant it.

"We should go." Hakuryuu said, glancing around. "It is not safe to remain here. Be ready to call the wolves once we cross the border, I do not wish to delay our rendezvous any more than necessary."

After saying this he realized, with some amusement, that his lover had probably never seen a dire wolf up close and certainly had never ridden one. Knowing Judal, he would be absolutely enthralled with the large canines and demand one of his own.

"I know walking is going to be tedious," he said, turning to address his lover. "But bear with it for a little while, Ju—Judal?"

Judal started, twisting around to look at him as if he hadn't realized he was there. Immediately, Hakuryuu was aware of the tears on his cheeks and the distant expression on his face. His lover was looking right at him, but he felt miles away.

"Judal, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"What?"

As if coming out of a dream, Judal blinked rapidly. He seemed to realize he was crying and reached up to rub at his eyes, hastily wiping his cheeks with his sleeves.

"Yeah—I mean no! No, I'm fine. I'm totally fine. Sorry, did you say something? I kind of…"

He trailed off, clearly not sure how to verbalize whatever had just happened to him. Hakuryuu reached out and pulled his hand from his cheek, only to replace it with his own. As he expected, Judal tilted his head into his touch.

"It may be an effect of the journey." Zagan postulated, drawing their gazes. He shrugged his broad shoulders, faint smile curling his mouth. "Who knows! I have never brought a changeling across the realms before, have you? Perhaps it has merely worn him down a little."

Judal stared at Zagan, searching his expression for some hint of deception. Though the vassal's mouth said one thing, he had the distinct impression that he knew far more than he was letting on. But his visage remained placid, even under scrutiny.

Hakuryuu seemed less than convinced by this explanation. He grappled with the desire to question his lover further, but when he met his eye again, it faded. Judal was a great many things, but a liar was not one, even before the faerie curse of honesty claimed him. If, or when, he wanted to talk about whatever had brought him to tears, he would.

"Come on." said the prince gently, as he took his hand from his lover's cheek and entwined their fingers instead. "We should start moving before it grows any darker, it would be unwise for us to journey too long past nightfall."

"Right." Judal squeezed his hand, adopting a familiar lopsided smile. "Lead the way!"

The journey westward began by cutting across the plain diagonally towards a line of thin trees fluttering with bright orange leaves. It was a fair distance from where they began, enough so that Judal was convinced they wouldn't make it before dark. The setting sun cast long shadows over the grass as the party, led by Zagan, made their way through the field.

It was not until the trees were practically upon them that Judal realized they had traveled far more quickly than he had assumed they would. He was sure their pace had been without haste, and the sun didn't appear to have moved more than a centimeter or two in the sky. The space seemed to have simply folded itself underneath them so they were deposited right where they wanted to be, he had just been too focused on the trees to notice.

Up close, the shivering leaves revealed themselves to be hundreds of thousands of butterflies, all congregated on wiry branches. Their wings were stunning, ranging from a soft apricot to a deep auburn, the edges jagged and lined in black. None of the butterflies moved when Zagan lifted one of the branches and ducked underneath, pausing on the other side with the branch still raised.

"Mind your head, these are carnivorous." Hakuryuu murmured as he slipped under the branch.

Judal followed, peering curiously back at the butterflies.

"What kind of meat's in a tree?"

"Pixies, probably."

The vicious insects only infested the first few rows of trees, soon their orange wings faded into emerald leaves and the ground beneath their feet became fragrant earth. Moss climbed the trunks of trees and mushrooms ballooned around upturned roots, while the trees themselves grew in scattered spacing which created no discernable pathway. Zagan seemed sure of where he was going, though, and Hakuryuu was sure of him, so Judal felt confident ambling along after his lover with their hands entwined.

To Judal, walking was anything but tedious. Everywhere he looked there was something new to see, or something fascinating to see again. Fluorescent mushrooms being eaten by glittering beetles, russet squirrels with three tails chasing each other across the canopy, branches twisting and interlocking into geometric shapes. There were leaves in shapes he'd never seen and trees he couldn't name, animals he glanced at and then promptly forgot the likeness of for reasons he wasn't sure.

A lightning bug flew into his face and he realized that it was in fact a minute, human-esque fae surrounded by light. The tiny figure smiled cheekily and darted off to join a hovering circle of its fellows, who were all emitting a faint humming sound. As the light faded, more and more of the miniature fae appeared with their flickering lights, weaving through the treetops and swooping in close to observe the travelers.

Neither time nor space behaved as they did in the mortal realm; who could say how long they had been walking, or how far they had gone. The forest floor faded from dirt to grass and back to dirt again, the trees fluctuated in size, shape and color, and a lingering scent of passion fruit filled the air. They climbed over boulders and skipped over streams, followed a dry riverbed until it became muddy and sometimes seemed to be going back the way they came.

Judal felt as though he could keep walking for hours. He wasn't sore, wasn't tired, wasn't out of breath; in fact there was a spring in his step and he felt full of energy. He leapt up onto fallen logs, teetering back and forth as he walked along them, still holding his lover's hand. Hakuryuu indulged his whims and curiosities with an iron grip on Judal's hand, never allowing him further than an arms' length away.

When night fell a swath of silence came with it. Darkness oozed from between the trees, and beyond their line of sight the forest was all blackness and quiet. A feeling of unease settled heavily onto them as eyes belonging to unknown creatures winked from the shadows. Judal could feel himself being watched from all sides and hastened his steps to keep close to his prince.

Zagan led them under an archway of tangled vines and they emerged into a grove surrounded by pastel trees, all glowing amidst the darkness. Their bioluminescence made the swaying grass shimmer and overhead the canopy was a cloud of pale pinks and blues painted in gorgeous bell shaped blossoms. The flickering pixies dipped in and out of the flowers, returning from their venture all sticky with yellow nectar they licked from their tiny hands.

"Holy shit…" Judal breathed.

Hakuryuu watched his lover's awed expression from the corner of his eye, smiling faintly.

"We rest here." he announced, giving both his vassal's pause. "I trust Seelie's night more than the wild's, and it has been a long day."

He said this still looking at Judal, who noticing his gaze, perked up.

"I can keep going!"

"Spirited." Belial muttered as he slid past.

The prince chuckled through his nose and finally released Judal's hand, only to slide his arm around his waist instead.

"I am sure you could, sweetling. But for tonight, let me savor the wonder in your eyes before you see any of the ugly things that lurk out there."

"I mean, the yaksha was pretty ugly."

"Yaksha?" Zagan frowned at his prince. "My prince, what kind of dealings did you have with a yaksha?"

"The kind where I flayed him to little pieces." Hakuryuu dismissed. Judal laughed.

Belial's magic was little more than a whisper in the air, soft enough to be missed if he were not so close by. He trailed the edges of the clearing with his fingers running along the trees, countless eyes blinking and rolling as he stared into the darkness. Creatures of bone had begun to surround him again, though their skeletons took on shapes and sizes far different than the ones Judal had seen.

At some point he slipped between the trees and disappeared, though this seemed to concern neither the prince nor the remaining vassal. Zagan pulled fresh branches from the trunks of trees as if they were made of clay, molding and curving them however he liked. Between the two thick boughs he laced sturdy vines and blanketed the netting in downy white moss, embellishing with a canopy made of a single massive flower with translucent petals.

Hakuryuu had slipped from Judal's side as he stood transfixed watching this, only to return once the hanging fixture was complete. He seemed satisfied with it and waved Zagan off before taking his lover's hand and guiding him to their bed.

"This is incredible." Judal said. He buried his hands in the snowy moss, wondering at how soft it was. "Am I going to be able to do stuff like this?"

"Eventually, if your proclivity leans towards the manipulation of nature and living things." Hakuryuu replied, hoisting himself up beside him. "And if not, I can always make something similar."

"Not just the same?"

"Even identical things are rarely precisely the same."

The prince's wooden fingers tucked a lock of his lover's hair behind his ear, brushing against his jaw as they retreated. He smiled at him, warm and sincere, the way that made Judal's heart flutter like some painful cliché in his chest. It was impossible to resist that smile, he had to kiss it straight off his mouth just to stop his heart's bird-like twittering.

Hakuryuu laughed against his mouth, returning the kiss affectionately.

"I take it that your first day in Sidhe has not been unbearable, then?"

"I mean, I haven't seen a dragon so that's kind of a bummer." Judal sighed dramatically. Hakuryuu rolled his eyes. "But aside from that, it's been… kind of surreal."

The prince nodded, though they both knew he couldn't begin to understand how different this was for Judal. His whole life had been spent amidst shifting geography and impossible geometry, strange creatures and indescribable wonders. He was almost callous to the awe that came with these fantastical things.

"Despite the potential danger, I had hoped we might end up in UnSeelie's lands." Hakuryuu admitted. "There are so many parts of my home I wish to show you. Places I wish to take you. Things I want you to experience…"

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, right? I'll follow you anywhere you lead me, Hakuryuu."

"I fear I will lead you to some very unpleasant places."

"That's fine, as long as you let me stay by your side."

A familiar flash of desire lit the prince's eyes. He looked away for a moment, but only long enough to reached up into the boughs above them and pluck something that hung among the flowers. The fruit lingered in his grasp, held carefully in his palm as he lowered it into sight. It was a peach; Judal's favorite.

"For you, Judal." Hakuryuu cooed, rolling his lover's name off his tongue as if to make it sound how spun sugar looked.

Judal accepted the fruit without hesitation, holding out his hand so it could be placed delicately into his palm. It was covered in soft fuzz and its outside was the palest shade of pink dusted with rose near the stem. A perfect example of his favorite food, and he was sure Hakuryuu knew it.

He flicked his plait over his shoulder and leaned against his lover's side, tucking his head against his shoulder. The peach turned in his hands, unassuming and lovely.

"You know," Judal hummed. "I read once that if you eat faerie food you can never return to the world of men. Food will be ash in your mouth and water will taste like mud. If you take what a faerie gives you, you're bound to their world forever."

"Is that so?"

"So I've read."

He let the peach rest in his hand and sat up straight again, casting his gaze to his lover's eyes. Glacier and ocean depths stared back at him, sparks of white flickering around his pupils.

"Some speculate that it doesn't just bind you to the world of fae, but to the one who gave you the food in particular. Is that right, Hakuryuu?"

The prince wore the ghost of a smile on his mouth, and his eyes danced with flickering magic.

"That depends what's been done to it." he replied.

The lovers stared at one another for a pregnant moment, then Judal turned his head and bit into the peach.

It was absolutely divine. The skin snapped beneath his teeth and gave way to lusciously soft meat underneath, while juice spilled from between his lips. He sucked, trying to catch the nectar, but it had already slid down his chin and over the fruit. Oh, it was sweet, and tart enough at the end to make the perfect contrast on his tastebuds. The first bite filled his mouth and made him feel so sated he couldn't imagine taking another, but he had to.

The second bite was even better, more juice spilled into his mouth, coated his bottom lip in sticky syrup he licked away with an equally sticky tongue. The third scraped the pit and he groaned at the thought that this may ever be done, for it was so delicious he wanted to keep eating it forever. Each bite that followed was another sensation, another taste, another blissful excursion into the perfectness of what grew in Sidhe.

Hakuryuu watched him as he ate, utterly fascinated. He stared at how his jaw worked as he bit and chewed, tracing the rotations it made as he turned the fruit to pulp and swallowed it. The mess of nectar over his chin and fingers woke hunger that would not be abated without his lover's skin beneath his lips. Each mouthful Judal took made the prince burn, itching to do things he really ought to ask permission before doing.

Judal was well aware of the eyes on him, he knew the heated gaze so well by now that just knowing it was there made warmth pool in his belly. He moaned with contentment as another bite slid deliciously down his throat, and he heard Hakuryuu suck in a breath. The peach was almost gone, but he savored every bite as he had the first.

When there was just the pit, Judal contemplated for a moment if he might eat that too, before dropping it from between his fingers. Hakuryuu, at the end of his patience, could wait no longer.

He pounced upon his lover, groaning and whining as if Judal had been denying him something for hours and hours without reprieve. His greedy mouth pressed wet kisses over the changeling's chin, soft tongue cleaning the stickiness from his skin. Laughter bubbled from between Judal's lips, which then became gasps as his lover's teeth dug grooves over his pulse and down his neck.

"Hakuryuu!" he inhaled sharply as firm fingers snuck beneath the hem of his shirt. "Is it really the time-?"

As if he were the peach and Hakuryuu were intent on devouring him, his teeth sunk into Judal's earlobe. The changeling whimpered delightedly, already squirming his way into his prince's lap.

"You will find, sweetling," Hakuryuu huffed against his ear, drawing his shirt up over his abdomen. "That for fae, the better question is; when will it not be the time?"

Judal laughed breathlessly and allowed himself to fall back onto the bed of moss. His lover's body quickly covered his own, and their chortles were lost between pants and gasps for breath. The peach pit rested in the grass below them, and as the night wore on it sunk into the earth, emerging as pale shoots at dawn's first light.

Notes:

I feel awful that this chapter is nearly two weeks late. I had no intention of taking another week off, nor to miss this Monday's update, and I really have no excuse. All I can say is that I have a lot on my plate right now, and unfortunately my laptop is beginning to go and can no longer connect to the internet, which makes the fact I don't actually have internet where I currently reside that much more difficult to contend with. Projects have been getting away with me and eating up a lot of my time as well, and I really hope they're all worthy it when they're done.

I'm really sorry everyone. I'll try to be better in the future.

For the time being I think I need to let you all know that while I will be updating weekly, I think I may miss my Monday updates for another week or two. Serendipity will return to its normal schedule soon, I promise, but i need a little time to get all my ducks in a row.

Thank you so much for sticking with me even during this. If you feel so inclined, there's a link to go buy me a coffee on my profile, which I could sorely use right now.