The shrill cry of a horn broke the morning stillness, jolting both Judal and Hakuryuu awake like they'd just been slapped in the face. Hakuryuu managed to jerk free of slumber with some grace, probably used to this kind of rude awakening. Judal, however, whined groggily.

"Wha' th' hell is that?"

"Speak!" Hakuryuu barked at the front of the tent, ignoring the question.

The blaring stopped and was replaced by the clipped voice of an unknown man.

"King Sinbad has requested the presence of the Prince of UnSeelie! I am to escort you to him as early as is convenient to you, Prince Hakuryuu!"

Hakuryuu hissed through his teeth, running one hand through his sleep tousled hair.

"Of course he has." he grumbled. "Come on Judal, time to wake up."

Breakfast was waiting for them on the tent's singular table. While Judal fought to rouse himself from his groggy daze, Hakuryuu poured himself a glass of nectar from a small pitcher and downed it like a shot. He grimaced, set his glass down, and sat down to their simple meal.

They ate quietly, but it was a familiar and pleasant silence. The bread still steamed when torn open, and the butter and honey melted into the soft inside to make a gooey, comforting mess. What space was left in their bellies was filled with tart yellow berries and salted strips of meat. Judal found the nectar to be incredibly sour and nursed his glass, only to find himself fully awake and energized by the end of it.

With their meal done, they set about dressing and making themselves presentable. Hakuryuu combed his hair in a few quick, fluid motions and twirled it up into a dignified bun. He then tossed the comb to Judal, who neatened and plaited his own hair while his lover dressed. By the time he was done with his hair, Hakuryuu had begun to don his armor, and with Judal's simpler attire they ended up dressed at about the same time.

"Here," Hakuryuu said after glancing Judal over. He reached for the tail of his braid and held it between wooden fingers, from which slim shoots began to sprout.

The vines tangled themselves elegantly into Judal's braid, bursting with a single pale blossom at the nape of his neck. He reached up to run his fingers along the delicate petals.

"Is this for me, or for you?"

"Does it matter?"

They shared a brief smile inlaid with words that went without saying, then stepped out of the tent.

Just outside there stood a tall fae with a sharp nose and stern, dark eyes. Though he already stood at attention, he managed to pull himself even straighter at the sight of Hakuryuu.

"Prince Hakuryuu-" he began, only to falter when his eyes landed on Judal.

For a bare moment, something akin to disgust twisted the man's face. The expression could not have lasted longer than the time it took to blink, but Judal found himself acutely aware of it. How his brows furrowed, mouth curved into a sneer, eyes hardened and cold. As if Judal were something foul enough to repulse him with merely a glance.

"With all due respect, my king requests the presence of the Prince."

Hakuryuu arched his brows. His expression betrayed nothing, whether he had seen the soldier's shift in visage or not, and his voice was level when he spoke.

"I do not think king Sinbad unkind enough to reject my lover's presence at his table. Certainly not unwise enough."

The soldier's chest visibly swelled as he inhaled sharply through his nose, puffing himself up like an intimidated amphibian. Hakuryuu continued to regard him with cool indifference.

"With all due respect, Prince Hakuryuu," the man said, words coming out in short, sharp bursts. "King Sinbad should never be forced to share the table with a- a- mortal!"

Judal blinked, registered the insult, and felt something cold and brittle inside him snap. An untapped wellspring of anger burst inside his ribs and filled his chest with hot, suffocating rage that he didn't know what to do with. He wanted it out, he decided, and the second he thought it, it shot out of him like a physical force.

It was. It projected from him in an invisible, yet tangible mass that slammed into the soldier, shocking a pained cry as he crumpled under the punishing force of it. He fell to his knees, wheezing and clutching at his abdomen like he'd been struck.

Everything happened in a split second, no longer than it took Judal to blink. In fact it was so fast that it took longer for him to process what had transpired than for him to realize he'd been insulted.

Insulted? Was being mortal an insult now?

( Yes. hissed something cold inside him. Judal agreed. )

"I would lower yourself further, if I were you." Hakuryuu said coolly. The soldier faltered, half bowed but clearly desperate to regain his footing. "If you were not under king Sinbad's hand, I would be taking your vile tongue from your mouth for daring to speak to my Judal that way. Perhaps your king will be gracious enough to give me the pleasure."

The once prideful man cowered as Hakuryuu strode past him, Judal pointedly at his side.

"We won't be needing an escort." he tossed airly over his shoulder, leaving the man to grovel in the grass.

So it seemed like yesterday had been something of a false start.

As they strode purposefully through the camp, Judal's skin couldn't help but to crawl under the eyes that followed them. The anger from before may be gone, but something still prickled against his nerves, an itch under the dermal layer he was incapable of scratching.

Sans a few sparks of magic, Judal was for all intents and purposes still a mortal. Though Hakuryuu's immediate friends and family had seemed accepting, it seemed their judgment was shared by very few. So long as he wore this skin over his true self, all he was going to be seen as was human.

Stars but being looked down on was maddening. Worse, not being able to do anything about it. Losing this outer shell was going to take time, and no one seemed to know how much. Until then, he could only wait.

Judal had never been a patient person.

If Hakuryuu noticed his festering agitation, he made no indication of it. The prince walked with the purpose and pride of royalty, following a path through the camp that led them to a large tent made of sheer, white silk. Guards were posted on either side of the entrance, mingling more than standing guard. On the left, men and women dressed in warm colors that reminded one of spring, and on the other dressed in cool, dark shades of a snowstorm. Seelie and UnSeelie, Judal assumed.

They bowed when Hakuryuu passed and remained so as Judal crossed the threshold at his heels. A tent offered little in the way of a barrier, but he could feel the magic in it. Someone had layered thin veils of magic atop the glossy silk, like lace strewn over a tabletop.

The tent was already occupied by a smattering of fae, all of whom looked to Hakuryuu when he entered. Some bowed, others tore themselves from previous conversation to greet the prince, and others lingered in the shadows to observe. Hakuryuu met each of them with practiced cordialness, which bled into cool calmness when he introduced Judal. Some of the fae barely glanced at him, while others stared openly, but none had the gall to say anything their eyes betrayed.

Hakuryuu grew swiftly sick of the quick exits from conversation, thinly veiling distaste. If any of the fae so eager to clamor for his attention bothered to give Judal a second glance they would notice how magic seeped from him like steam from fissures in the earth. He was far more than a pretty mortal, eyes alone could see that.

"So he returns!" laughed a voice dripping in sarcasm. "Lovely little plaything and all."

It was like the stars were testing his patience to see how much self-control he had left after his time in the mortal realm. First the soldier, and now this man.

Hakuryuu's teeth ground subtly.

"Olba." he bit out.

Olba cocked his chin up in reply. He was a young man, his pointed ears jutting out rather than up, with wild hair braided tight against the right side of his head. Judal didn't think he looked very impressive; he had the air of a man posturing to appear above his station, which took balls considering he seemed to be vying for a cock fight with the UnSeelie Prince himself.

"Do tell me Prince," Olba drawled as he sauntered up to them. "Was the halfling part of the plan, or was he just a pleasant bonus to your respite, while we carried the weight of your crusade?"

The air around Hakuryuu became very cold, very quickly.

He had greeted at least five different people by that point, none of whom had been any kinder about Judal, whether they'd been verbal about it or not. Maybe it was a coincidence, and this just happened to be his breaking point, but this felt like history. Black, angry history that one or both of the men involved had tried to scrub out.

Not hard enough, apparently.

And being insulted was getting really old.

"I'm a changeling, thanks." Judal snapped, before Hakuryuu could reply. "And you are? Besides very poorly dressed."

Olba jerked slightly, like he'd been slapped. He clearly hadn't expected the prince's "plaything" to address him, let alone fire off an insult. Shock quickly became anger, but before he could open his mouth a familiar figure appeared over his shoulder.

"Do us both a favor and don't, Olba." Alibaba sighed. "Judal's already half-crippled one person today, and sun knows I don't need Hakuryuu all riled up before the meeting even starts."

His tone was warm, but held a lick of fire with each flick of his tongue. Judal could almost see the flames behind his lips. Alibaba held himself openly and smiled with real kindness, but the hearth was lovely too, until you were stupid enough to put your hand in it.

Olba ducked his head.

"My apologies, my prince, I-"

Alibaba waved a hand.

"Go take your position, we can talk about it later." he smiled brightly. "Glad you could make it, Judal."

He nodded to Hakuryuu, then stepped away to take his seat at the wide table in the middle of the tent. The few fae left mingling began to take their places as well, settling in an order that seemed predetermined without a word having been said. The head of the table was left empty. Alibaba settled to one side of the remaining seat, beside a sharp eyed redhead, while Hakuryuu sat opposite him.

Judal took the seat to Hakuryuu's left. He tried not to bristle visibly when several fae stared, clearly waiting for the newcomer to be corrected. When he wasn't, an inaudible murmur seemed to circle the table. Moments later, Kouha appeared and took the open seat beside Judal, insulating him between two UnSeelie royals. The inaudible murmur circled again, accompanied by furtive looks.

Though he didn't understand it, there was a message being sent here. If he had to take a wild guess, it wasn't common for strangers to be placed on the same level as royalty. And definitely not "mortal" ones.

Suddenly, a man appeared at the head of the table. It was entirely possible he had been there the whole time, though just as likely that he had only just walked in. He stood there now, either way, surveying the table with a benign expression.

"I see I am once again late to my own meeting!" he announced. "What a terrible habit. Ja'far, you must remind me to break it."

At his shoulder, Ja'far rolled his eyes.

"I have, king Sinbad."

In unison the table rose to their feet before the king. Each fae trained their eyes pointedly apart from the king's own, standing with straight backs and unreadable expressions. Only Hakuryuu stood slowly from his seat and looked at the man with the respectful contemplation of an equal.

"I was not expecting to see you so soon after my return, king Sinbad." Hakuryuu said. "Though it is good to know there has been a leader in my absence."

"As soon as I heard that you were back among us I made for the camp." Sinbad grinned. "They say you come back to us with your loss undone and a changeling at your side. Have I heard correctly?"

Hakuryuu's mouth quirked at one corner as he shifted his weight so the king might see Judal beside him. He placed his wooden hand against the small of his lover's back, possessive yet encouraging.

"Allow me to introduce my lover, king Sinbad. Without him at my side, I have little doubt that I would have been far less fortunate while in the world of men. And he is, as you have said, a changeling."

The hand on Judal's back flexed slightly, prompting him to speak.

"I'm Judal." He bowed his head. "It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

He was suddenly very glad that Hakuryuu had spent a lazy Wednesday grilling him on how to address and introduce oneself to fae royalty.

Sinbad grinned broadly, seemingly delighted by the introduction.

The king extended his hand and, reflexively, Judal rested his own in his upturned palm. Judal immediately had to fight the urge to yank his hand away again when Sinbad raised his knuckles to his mouth and fluttered a kiss over his skin. Hakuryuu's fingers were pushed hard into the bare skin of his back, and would likely leave marks in their wake, which was just about the only reason he didn't physically recoil.

Somehow, he lasted the thirty seconds it took for Sinbad to raise, kiss, and release his hand without making a face or squirming away. That was an accomplishment, as far as he was concerned.

"The pleasure is mine, Judal." Sinbad hummed. "I appreciate the care you have put into returning the Prince to us. And, regarding that..."

Sinbad motioned with his hand and the gathered fae all settled back into their seats. Hakuryuu gripped Judal's hand briefly, as if wanting to imprint the sensation of his skin over the king's kiss. He pulled away after a moment, but not before Judal had squeezed his fingers affectionately.

"I wish I could give you the time to reacquaint yourself with the rebellion, Hakuryuu, but I am afraid time is of the essence." Sinbad said. "There is much to be done, and it will not be long before the Queen learns that you are very much alive and once more within the bounds of Sidhe."

"If she does not know already." Kouha interjected.

A scowl passed around the table that even Judal shared in.

"We must do what we can in the time we have." the king agreed. "There is no predicting what she will do once she becomes aware of us again."

"There was talk of a more secure stronghold to base ourselves from, before my leaving. I assume the locations discussed then have been compromised?"

"Almost entirely, Prince Hakuryuu. We deemed it best to pursue none of them." said the redhead beside Alibaba. He had an incredibly calm voice, with an almost hypnotic lull to it.

"There is, however, a place." said Ja'far. "At the moment it is occupied by rather unpleasant intruders, so we are doing our best to quickly cleanse and secure it to ensure the safety of our people. Preparations should be completed soon."

Sinbad nodded.

"That is good to hear. The sooner we can begin to ward ourselves against scrying and location magic, the better. The wards around this camp will hold under only so much scrutiny."

"And what is to be done in the meantime?" someone from down the table asked.

"Nothing, of course!" snapped a woman. "It would be foolish to reveal ourselves with any grand schemes now! Not to mention dangerous to Lord Kouha and Prince Hakuryuu."

Hakuryuu scoffed under his breath.

"So we sit on our hands until we have a safe hole to hide away in? I did not begin this venture in the pursuit of idleness."

"There's some way to be proactive, right?"

Judal assumed he had been ignored, since conversation continued without anyone acknowledging that he'd spoken, until Alibaba caught his eye. The golden prince smiled, then said;

"Come on, Sinbad, we all know you've got something up your sleeve. Out with it, king, what have you been plotting?"

A hush fell over the table's occupants as all attention returned to the king. Sinbad's mouth was smiling but his eyes danced with something vibrant and unruly, as though something wild lurked just beyond his composed exterior. He regarded the table for a moment, eyeing them each in turn and lingering on some.

"Considering the ramifications, were our cause to fail, I think it best that we treat this as if the courts were truly at each other's throats once more. And with that being said, I believe our next step ought to be bridging contact with one of the faerie."

There was an immediate uproar. Judal looked wildly between the table's occupants, the sudden shift in atmosphere completely lost on him. Each fae wore a different expression; a few terrified, some almost angry, Kouha, chattering a mile a minute. The air was electric with confusion and, unmistakably, fear.

Hakuryuu had leaned forward in his seat, elbow on the tabletop and hand covering his mouth. Judal could tell that his visage went unchanged, but his eyes… Something in them was different. The white sparks that came and went danced about his irises in a snowlike flurry, and the air around him had begun to chill. A faint tremor passed down his pointed ears.

He seemed excited.

"You seem to have one in mind, king Sinbad. Is it-"

"Forget who it is!" Kouha interjected. "I thought it was you who proposed we play the long game?! Acquiring a faerie at this stage- If we were to be rejected-!"

"I don't mean to question you, but I think Kouha is right." Alibaba agreed, brow knitted with worry. "Unless you've already got that guy agreeing..."

Ja'far shook his head with a faint look of frustration.

"No. We managed to contact him, but he declined the advance."

"However," Sinbad said. "He did point us in the direction of one of his kin he thought might be willing to come to our aid, given the right set of circumstance."

"What will it take?"

"Hakuryuu!" hissed Kouha. "Be reasonable, you cannot be thinking of going along with this!"

"And why not?"

The tone of Hakuryuu's voice shifted with volume. When he spoke, it was with the crisp clarity of a winter morning, which seemed to command the attention of every fae present. Perhaps even moreso than Sinbad's had.

"Whatever my mother has planned," he went on. "It is something entirely unknown, and for that reason alone we should all be very afraid. She has at her disposal the entirety of the UnSeelie army, as well as the power of her vassals, charges, and whatever else lurks in her shadow. We are not prepared. We cannot even begin to match her, as we are now."

Sinbad nodded solemnly in agreement, as did a few of the table's occupants.

"A faerie will put us at enough of an advantage to allow us some freedom to take risks." he said "They will be a complete unknown, and strong enough to account for whatever manpower we lack. Barring your mother sending all of UnSeelie after us, that is."

"I would not put it past her, but let us assume for now that she will not."

"Well is sounds ludicrous to me." Alibaba announced, dropping his chin into his palm. "But if Hakuryuu wants to go for it, I guess I'm in too."

Hakuryuu offered his friend a grateful look, which was answered with a bemused grin. Alibaba liked to avoid trouble where he could, but it always seemed to find him anyway. Or perhaps, as Hakuryuu had long suspected, he didn't really avoid it at all, merely pretended to.

"Then it is decided."

Ja'far stepped forward and pulled from his sleeve a small bottle filled with sand, which he uncorked and tipped over the table. As the sand fell into a pile, it began to shape itself into the form of a detailed mountain peak, then the land at its base.

"This is the mountain the faerie calls home. It is a few days journey from here, but from what I have been told they live atop it rather than on the mountain. The climb will be a journey in itself."

"We can cut the time by riding continuously until we reach the mountain." Hakuryuu mused, already beginning to chart a course in his mind. "The ascent concerns me somewhat, I do not think it wise to go alone."

"I agree." Sinbad nodded. "For that reason, I would like to offer two of my generals to accompany you. Spartos hails from a clan of mountain dwellers, and Pisti's affinity for beasts is unparalleled. I think them uniquely suited to this venture."

The redhead who had spoken earlier inclined his head to Hakuryuu, as did a petite blond several seats down who had gone almost unnoticed due to her size.

"I don't think king Sinbad needs to offer me." Alibaba teased from across the table. "You know I'll just follow you even if you tell me not to, Hakuryuu."

"I would be insulted if you did not, old friend."

"And what of Judal?" Sinbad asked as he cast his gaze fully on the changeling.

All attention turned to Judal, who sat silent for an awkward moment before realizing they were all waiting for him to respond. After being ignored earlier, he'd just assumed he wasn't supposed to speak. ( It wasn't like he could follow the conversation anyhow. )

"I mean," he said. "I didn't come here to sit around in a camp."

Several mutters of disapproval were interrupted by Alibaba announcing;

"I think he should come!"

Hakuryuu quirked a brow at him, wordlessly requesting he elaborate. Alibaba grinned.

"Come on, out of everyone in Sidhe, I think a faerie is probably among the most likely to know things about changelings no one else does! Since Judal has no idea where he came from or how long it's going to be until he comes into himself, it would be a good opportunity."

At the mention of learning things about himself, Judal visibly perked up. He didn't quite understand the implications of what a faerie was, or how it was different from any other fae, but he got the impression it was important. If it was someone who could help him understand his situation better, he was even more eager to accompany Hakuryuu.

"I believe he is right." Spartos said. "Even if our invitation is declined, they may be willing to at least answer a few questions. It would be wise to consider bringing a gift of some kind, in that case."

"In any case. I doubt the faerie will even entertain you without some kind of tribute." Kouha huffed.

He seemed to be among the few who still looked uncomfortable with this plan of action. There was no point in arguing further, the UnSeelie Prince had already decided to go along with it and it had been proposed by a king, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

A look passed between the cousins that went unread by any of the observers. As family, Kouha and Hakuryuu had their own way of communicating both with and without words, and though no conclusion seemed to be reached in that split second, Kouha's shoulders relaxed.

"We leave tomorrow at dawn." Hakuryuu declared. "Be prepared by then."

"You are dismissed."

NOTE:

As some of you may have noticed, the update schedule in the summary has changed. For the time being updates will be every two weeks on an unscheduled day, hopefully around Monday or Tuesday. I'm hoping this will allow me to better play catch-up, as well as help me manage my time a little easier. I apologize for the inconsistency, hopefully once my RL situation calms down a bit we can get back to weekly updates.