Judal whined pitifully as the warmth of his lover's body deserted him. He frowned, disgruntled, as he was jostled awake by Hakuryuu sitting up. The first light of dawn greeted him when he cracked eyes open, a pale glow illuminating Hakuryuu's profile as he stretched. Sunrise just barely crested the treetops and the sky seemed to match Hakuryuu's scarred eye; impossibly blue and endless. His wooden hand fell to Judal's shoulder, intent on gently shaking him into wakefulness.
"I'm up," Judal mumbled. "I'm up."
The hand slid up, cupping his neck briefly before carding fingers through Judal's dark hair. Judal sighed and tilted his head into the touch.
"Do that again."
Hakuryuu gave him an amused smile, but did as commanded and ran his fingers through his hair again. Judal hummed contentedly.
"Sleep well, sweetling?" Hakuryuu asked.
"Dreamed, I think. Not sure of what..."
"Better not to dwell on it." advised Spartos's voice from somewhere to their left.
He had sat up at some point and now yawned, one arm rested lazily on his drawn up knees. His hair laid flat and even, having not suffered at all despite its grassy pillow.
"If you lose a dream it is best to leave it lost, at least for the time being."
"Philosophy," Alibaba groaned as he stretched. "This early?"
"Common sense. Did you retain nothing of your childhood lessons, prince Alibaba?"
"Philosophy and insults. Maybe I should go back to bed and dream up a better morning."
The combination of Judal's mirthful laughter and Hakuryuu's scoff woke Pisti.
Though she had been the last to wake, Pisti was the first on her feet, lifting both hands up to the sky with one last powerful yawn. One by one the others followed suit, easing up from their mossy beds to stretch and hiss as the morning sun rose higher into the sky.
Hakuryuu ran his fingers through his hair and tied it back in a loose bun. He couldn't help smiling faintly when he caught his lover scowling at the state of his own hair. Judal's hair wasn't quite so easy to tame, so he had deigned to leave it in the same plait as the day before. Sleep had made it loose and wispy, which on him just looked intentional.
It seemed to be a consensus that their morning would be without the tension and wariness of the day before. Their faerie host hadn't killed them yet, so it didn't seem worth it to be on edge so soon after waking.
Judal nudged one of the stones he had used to make the protective circle aside and the barrier gave an audible snap as it broke. Aladdin's mellow magic faded in around them as the last of the circle's power dissipated, sinking easily back into the space it had been pushed from. Experiencing it for a second time reminded Judal of having a thick blanket thrown over him; comforting, but just this side of smothering him.
Aladdin called a cheerful greeting over to them, drawing their attention across the clearing to where he sat before a spread of clay plates and bowls. The dishware was all heaped with food; succulent fruits halved, pitted, dried and soaked in honey; fowl plucked and roasted but sitting whole on platters adorned with tart vegetables; fish steamed and falling from their bones; hunks of meat tossed with cheese and herbs; fragrant bushels of spices to be chewed.
"Fair morning!" Aladdin greeted as they sat themselves about the small feast. "Sleep well?"
"Dreamt of philosophy." Judal replied distractedly. His eyes were set on a plate of halved peaches floating in water scattered with some kind of fragrant petal.
"What a confounding subject for a dream."
Aladdin flicked a finger and the plate slid closer to Judal, inviting him to partake.
"I hope you don't mind," he continued, this time addressing the pair of princes as they took their seats. "I borrowed your companion to help me prepare all this. I find things are always more pleasant when discussed over food."
Hakuryuu raised a subtle eyebrow at Alibaba as he took the seat immediately to the faerie's right.
"As long as you plan to return her." he said, pointedly ignoring Hakuryuu's unspoken questions.
Morgiana chose this moment to reappear, a large, sealed jar hefted over one of her shoulders.
"Return who?"
"You!" Aladdin laughed. "Assure your friends I've not bewitched you."
Morgiana cocked a brow.
"I do not think I am the one you would trouble yourself ensnaring."
Alibaba popped a date in his mouth, further ignoring Hakuryuu's narrowed his eyes.
Certain it wouldn't be considered impolite to begin eating, Judal took a bite out of one of the halved peaches. It was gorgeously succulent and the skin had taken on a faintly floral taste. The meat pulled easily from the pit, spilling sweet nectar he had to suck from his fingers. When he placed one of the petals on his tongue the bright taste of spring dew blossomed in his mouth.
Hakuryuu, who had chosen to sink his teeth into the body of a small fish, nudged a plate of glistening hunks of red meat towards him. The fish was mostly raw, it had stained pretty red on Hakuryuu's lips and tongue. The meat Judal had been offered was just as bloody. After popping the first cube of it into his mouth, he found he didn't mind the taste of raw flesh.
They began to indulge in the faerie's generous breakfast offerings, all equally hungry and willing to cast aside their doubts for a good meal. As they tucked in, Aladdin broke the seal on the jar Morgiana had carried over. An aromatic smell that reminded Judal of snow and whispers wafted over them, grasping their attention.
"May I?" Aladdin asked and held out a hand. Spartos, surprisingly, was the first to deposit his empty goblet into it.
Aladdin dipped their goblets into the jar and pulled them out nearly full of a milky wine. Upon closer inspection one could see that it swirled with what appeared to be pure light. Spartos drank without preamble and the others followed his example, though Hakuryuu did so more cautiously. Judal followed his lover's lead and sipped, cupping his chalice between two hands.
It was alcohol, unmistakably, though it tasted nothing like anything Judal had had before. At first, it was like drinking water, sliding down his throat in cool rivulets that begged to be drunk with the thirst of a parched man. The flavor came next, filling his mouth with the subtle sense of open sky and quiet twilight, like the breeze rolling over empty hills. It was sweet, refreshing, and decadent. He could taste the shimmering threads that ran through it on his tongue, feel them twisting down through his innards to his belly.
"Is this moonshine?" Hakuryuu asked, sounding startled, and perhaps a bit awed.
"Yes it is!" Aladdin said proudly, drawing his back up straight. "I collect the moonbeams and distill them myself."
Judal licked his lips, looking down into his drink. Moonbeams, he was drinking liquid moonbeams! It made so much sense, the taste was exactly the feeling one got when standing under the cool glow of a full moon. But to think, such a thing could be drunk! Sidhe was wonderful.
"This batch is somewhat newer, so it hasn't had too much time to age. I thought a weaker drink would be good, since you fae don't always handle your moonshine too well."
"This is fantastic!" Pisti chirruped, tilting her head back for another drink. "Better than the stuff Spartos brought back!"
"This is my first time having it." Alibaba admitted grudgingly, from behind the rim of his goblet.
Morgiana tore into a large, crimson fish, and Judal ate another peach. The sweetness complimented the moonshine, which made him want to drink more. So he did.
"Careful," Hakuryuu's fingers landed lightly on his wrist. "Moonshine is potent, like he said. Pace yourself."
It was true he could already feel the effects of the drink, but it wasn't the same as getting drunk off mortal alcohol. He didn't feel silly or woozy, in fact he felt calm. Fae had an unbreakable bond to the moon, consuming its rays of light made him feel more centered. Except, he had to be a little drunk, because he was almost certain that Aladdin hadn't been shining a few minutes ago.
Judal looked at Hakuryuu. There was a silvery-blue glow wrapped around him, softening the edges of his figure so he seemed to melt into his surroundings. It trailed behind his hands as he moved them, danced in the abyss of his pupils.
"What?" Hakuryuu asked.
Judal smiled.
"You're glowing." he said fondly.
Hakuryuu's cheeks colored. With an almost bashful smile, he reached out to brush a lock of Judal's hair back from his face. There, his fingertips lingered, trailing over the curve of Judal's cheek. His fingers were cool, even though the day was warm.
"So are you." he smiled. "It suits you."
Judal wondered what he saw. Was the glow about him faint, or more of a strong shimmer, like the essence of winter that hung around Hakuryuu? What color was it? And did it, like Hakuryuu's, shift around his being like a living thing? Hakuryuu's glow moved strangely, at times not quite lining up with the rest of him.
"I do miss moonshine, when I am far from home." Spartos sighed, staring down into his goblet with obvious pleasure.
"Ahh, elf-made moonshine... Always with an aftertaste of earth and elderberries, if memory serves."
"It is aged beside our wines."
"Elven wine!" Aladdin cried. "Oh, how I miss it. Almost seems worth the effort of venturing out to trade for a barrel or two, now and again. Nothing like a good elven wine."
"Well, if that is what you require..."
Aladdin laughed, eyes sparkling mirthfully as he ate a slice of mango.
"Almost, I said. Afraid it won't be quite that simple, swaying me to your cause."
"Had to try."
Aladdin tipped his cup in Spartos's direction in acknowledgment. He drank the remainder of his moonshine, then dipped his chalice back into the jar to fill it again.
"Now," he said. "I think you ought to start by telling me just what your cause is."
All eyes turned expectantly to Hakuryuu. He dragged his tongue over his teeth and took a sip of his moonshine, in no rush to present their case.
"I have come to ask you to consider allying yourself with our rebellion against the Queen of UnSeelie court." he began. "Your power speaks for itself, and would be of great help to us in the coming confrontation."
"Why?" Aladdin asked bluntly.
"The Queen, my mother," Hakuryuu bit out. "Has ambitions beyond herself. She cannot be satisfied by the destruction she's already wrought, the lives she's already tainted. She wants not what she has, but more. Her aim is to eliminate Seelie in its entirety, I believe."
Aladdin hummed and drank more. Hakuryuu's brow twitched.
"She threatens all of Sidhe."
The faerie snorted.
"Prince, do you know how many beings have "threatened all of Sidhe" in my lifetime? Yet, here it is, as it always has been and always will be."
Hakuryuu's jaw tensed, but he held his composure.
"I know my mother, Aladdin. Her threats are never idle; if she is preparing for a one-sided war then she has already found a way to destroy her opponent."
"As she did your father and brothers?"
Judal's head whipped around at the same time as Alibaba sucked in a sharp breath. Hakuryuu's eyes were cold and empty, a vast nothingness of frost that threatened to consume the stars shimmering in Aladdin's irises. The faerie regarded him calmly. When he spoke, his voice was soft.
"It was a tragic thing, and you did not deserve to witness it. You have my sympathy."
Hakuryuu sat stock still for several long moments, then gave a sharp nod. He drank deeply from his cup, leaned back on one hand so his fingers dug cruelly into the earth.
For what felt like the first time, he wouldn't meet Judal's eyes.
"Doesn't the fact it's a Queen make a difference?" Pisti spoke up, drawing attention from the Prince. "I mean, surely the Queens of the past have never tried to outright eradicate each other?"
"I have no doubt of the UnSeelie Queen's cruelty and disregard for the lives of others, I'd go so far as to call her the coldest Queen that Sidhe has ever seen. But you've yet to give me any proof that your perceived threat is a genuine one."
Judal tore his eyes from Hakuryuu and looked at Aladdin instead. He thought he made a fair point, albeit a startlingly human one. Most of the fae they had encountered seemed happy to follow Hakuryuu's word as law without questioning his reasoning. Even he hadn't bothered asking Hakuryuu for any "proof" of his claims. Why would he?
There was movement in his periphery as Hakuryuu sat straight again, appearing to have regained his composure. He had settled the old ghosts in his heart for the moment. There would be time enough to grieve them when this was all over.
"Mother has never pretended to like Seelie court, or its Queen. Her entire reign, she's been spreading dissent among our people, widening the gap between courts into a chasm."
"We're an outlier." Alibaba said, indicating his old friend. "We met before the King died, and she was more..."
"He had enough power to keep her in check."
"Yes, that."
"Hating one court or the other is hardly cause for alarm," Aladdin pointed out. "And your mother has yet to start any wars."
"Not out of any kindness, I assure you." Hakuryuu said darkly. "Mother prefers to ensure her victory before setting foot on any battlefields. By the time she declares war, she already has the means and opportunity to win."
"Hence, our current concern." Spartos interjected. "The whispers of her intentions to destroy Seelie may have started within the UnSeelie halls, but they have reached the borders of Seelie now. They may be faint, but considering current circumstance, I doubt they will remain that way."
Hakuryuu picked up from here;
"After I brought word of her intent to eradicate Seelie to their Queen, mother sent her most loyal knight after me. He and his followers attacked the base we had established, but his target was me. I was forced to flee to the world of men, or be killed, and in my absence my mother used my disappearance as an excuse to start her war."
"My king is being accused of having kidnapped him." Alibaba explained. "If he doesn't produce Hakuryuu by the next moon, she'll have cause to march on Seelie. But if Hakuryuu does reappear, she'll just accuse him of being a traitor."
"And if he returns to her side trying to undermine her rule, the court will just turn against him." Aladdin surmised idly.
"She armed her knight with iron." Judal piped up, surprising himself as much as everyone else.
He hadn't thought he had anything to contribute, but maybe he had been wrong. The iron bolt, which had been left behind in the mortal realm, had been nagging at him for a while. For something that fae couldn't handle, it had been artfully crafted and remarkably well-weighted. It was too intentional to be a coincidence.
"When I met Hakuryuu he had an iron bolt in his side, and it wasn't just a hunk of metal. It had been shaped and sharpened, like someone actually made it that way on purpose. I'd never seen anything like it, so there's a good chance it was made here in Sidhe, not brought over looking like that."
"Which means she's forging iron." Alibaba growled. A tongue of flame flared along the knuckles of his clenched fist, only to disappear swiftly back into his skin.
Hakuryuu's expression grew darker.
"My mother is too volatile. For the sake of Sidhe, she needs to be stopped."
Aladdin refilled his goblet of moonshine. Restless silence fell over the grove as the faerie drank, until finally he set the drink aside.
"And?" he asked, as if to indicate that Hakuryuu should continue. The prince's brow furrowed; hadn't that been more than enough?
The faerie laughed sharply.
"So, you want to face down a Queen, but you know you don't have the capability, so in your desperation you come to me?"
The way he spoke was how one might talk to a child; amusement bordering on mockery. Hakuryuu couldn't help but bear his teeth in a snarl, biting back the venomous beast his tongue threatened to become. It wasn't just him either. Alibaba's face had morphed into a scowl of displeasure and Morgiana's eyes had narrowed dangerously, the closest she came to a frown of her own.
Spartos, well aware of the mounting tensions, interjected.
"Yes, we seek to challenge a Queen," he said. "And her very court behind her! Would it not, then, be wise to have an ally whose strength might match hers?"
For the first time since they had met, Aladdin's skylight eyes grew cold. His teeth clicked shut with a tick that seemed to echo, more frightening in its simple unspoken fury than any fire Alibaba may have boiling on his tongue. Any tension between the faerie and his guests dissipated, only to be replaced by a raw and overwhelming hush.
None of them spoke, they hardly dared to breathe.
"Oh, yes, a faerie such as I may match a Queen." Aladdin hissed from between his lips. "And do you know why that is, o fae?"
His head swiveled suddenly, until both eyes fixed onto Judal. The question, though spoken to the group at large, hit the changeling like a physical blow. Startled and momentarily shaken, Judal's voice eluded him, so he shook his head.
"It is because we are not beings. We are magic. It is us. We are a form, a vessel, through which magic itself is born and grows. Nothing separates us from the universe surrounding us, for we are one and the same, given voice."
Aladdin tipped his head back and drained his goblet.
"A fact," he continued. "That has done us no good and earned us no allies among the brethren of our offspring."
Something in that statement sent a ripple of unease through the air. Spartos's jaw inexplicably tensed, which Judal noticed only because of how calm he'd seemed up until then. A glance around betrayed their companions as well. No one seemed to be able to look at their host, no longer avoiding his eyes as much as him altogether, almost as if they were ashamed.
Judal frowned, not used to seeing the proud Hakuryuu averting his gaze for anyone's sake. He wanted to reach out for him, drag his hand down the tense line of his back, but he didn't get the chance. Aladdin was smiling, and his eyes had locked on Judal again.
"I take it your companions have failed to tell you about the hunting."
It felt quite a bit like he and Aladdin were the only two people there and Judal didn't like it one damn bit. He stayed silent, not trusting the quality of his voice or whatever words might decide to come leaping out. When backed into a corner, he tended to become vicious, not subdued.
"I thought not." Aladdin hummed.
Aladdin blinked, only once. Somehow, Judal could tell it was an invitation to avoid this conversation. He stared stubbornly ahead.
"In the Beginning, there were the faerie, and from them came the fae." Aladdin said. "At first, the fae followed their faerie architects as leaders, great guides who would show them how to tame the lands they came to know as Sidhe. The first Queens of Sidhe were faerie."
The memory of Alibaba's words from days before floated through Judal's mind: If you go back far enough, everyone has faerie in their bloodline.
"Soon enough, the fae outnumbered the faerie. They built kingdoms, courts, towering cities in the mountains and soon covered all of Sidhe. The faerie lived alongside them. For a time." Aladdin's eyes grew so dark they were nearly black, empty pits that led only to an abyss. "Then the fae turned against them. They grew jealous and spiteful, their respect for their predecessors turning to hate."
It suddenly clicked in Judal's mind. He could hear it again, the angry hiss of magic buzzing against his eardrums, the same as it had been when he had first been taught about faeries. This was it. This was what Sidhe had been trying to tell him, in its own incomprehensible voice.
"They began to hunt us, as if we were wild game. A faerie's power is vast, but even we may fall when we are so vastly outnumbered. It went on for centuries. Depending on the fae you ask, it may not have ended." Aladdin took a breath, drawing it in and exhaling it with the smallest shiver. "They took our wings as trophies."
And then the faerie rolled his shoulders, and from behind him appeared the fabled wings themselves, unfolding from the air in a gossamer wave. They were translucent, shimmering with the ephemeral beauty of pure and ancient magic.
To describe them was difficult, because their shape was unlike any living creature. Their iridescent quality and paper thinness was like a butterfly, but they shaped themselves like some carefully crafted mix of bird and dragonfly.
They were directly in proportion to Aladdin's body. From the tip, they faded from a gentle saffron to a rich royal blue as they reached his back. Were there markings, or patterns emblazoned on their surface? It was hard to tell, for each time one blinked they seemed to shift slightly and awe anew, as if they had never been seen.
Everything about them was made for Aladdin, and Aladdin alone. Only he could possess these wings. Every joint and nerve had been placed just so, just for him, and no one else.
The thought of someone peeling those wings from Aladdin's back was nauseating.
Judal was the first to tear his eyes from the faerie's wings. He looked to his lover and when Hakuryuu met his gaze there was an apology there.
"I told you," he said softly. "Sidhe is as much ugliness as it is beauty."
"Mortals are uglier." Judal declared automatically, and his voice rang firm and strong in the silence.
Suddenly, his goblet of moonshine looked incredibly inviting. Judal couldn't remember refilling it, yet it sat there nearly brimming, begging him to drink it. So he did. He drank every drop of the faerie liquor, until he could swear he saw moonlight behind his eyelids.
When he opened his eyes again, everyone was staring at him, and Judal felt like he could see them all clearer than ever. The magic around his companions twisted and spun, bright as stars and in stark contrast to the still, steady brightness of the glow about Aladdin. The faerie's expression was unreadable.
"So," Judal said. "Anyone here ever hunt a faerie?"
The reaction was immediate. Morgiana and Spartos reeled back as if physically struck. Pisti turned paler than he'd thought possible, and everything from Alibaba's fists to his shoulders burst abruptly into white-hot flames. Hakuryuu didn't move, neither did Aladdin, but they wore similar expressions of stunned horror.
Judal glanced around, waiting for an answer.
"Never." Spartos breathed, finally. Pisti nodded emphatically beside him.
"Of course not!" Alibaba snarled from between his teeth.
Morgiana merely stared at him, but her answer came across all the same. If someone were to suggest anything like faerie hunting in her presence, they'd be the ones getting hunted instead.
Hakuryuu stared at him intensely.
"It is a barbaric practice." he said. "And an unforgivable act."
"Well then, that settles it, doesn't it?" Judal said simply, as if it really did.
"Does it?" Aladdin echoed.
It was Judal's turn to level his eyes on the faerie. He didn't meet his eyes exactly, but he came damn close, which seemed to make Aladdin sit up a little straighter. Maybe it was Judal's imagination, but he thought the faerie looked mildly impressed, for a moment.
"Look, history is always awful for someone somewhere somehow." Judal drawled, determined to choose his next words carefully. "What's that got to do with us?"
Beside him, Hakuryuu sucked in a quick, almost inaudible breath. Judal knew he'd just come dangerously close to disrespect, but that was a gamble he felt willing to take. When Aladdin pushed, his first instinct was to push back. Aladdin seemed to like that.
He was staring at Judal with the same look he'd given him at the base of the mountain, an unmoving stare that pierced straight through Judal's being to his core. It was like Aladdin was waiting for something in him to give so that he could watch him crumble, and when nothing budged his eyes grew hard. Aladdin tilted his head and smiled, though it looked like it had been painted on crudely by a child's hand.
"Fae are more than capable of holding grudges against whole races, whole courts, for the smallest slights. What do you think we, their predecessors, are capable of?"
"Yes, I get it, lesson one; everyone in Sidhe is spiteful." Judal dismissed. "But isn't that more reason for you to help us?"
The only indication Aladdin gave that he was surprised was a single blink. Judal shrugged in response.
"I've never met Hakuryuu's mom, but from what I've heard about her she sounds exactly like the kind of bitch who would totally condone hunting faeries. I mean, hell, she probably has! Right?"
Hakuryuu blinked three times, rapidly. He couldn't tell if Judal was spinning this yarn with pure luck, or if Sidhe was really having an effect on him this quickly. The changeling was toeing a dangerous line between daring and insult with finesse that Hakuryuu doubted he himself could pull off. Not in this situation, anyway. This kind of challenging approach to negotiating had to be done with someone you could read well enough to dance just at the edge of their anger without ever actually feeding the flames.
Aladdin had already succeeded in making Hakuryuu lose his temper more than once, and here Judal was, having the verbal equivalent of a bull fight with him. If Aladdin charged at the wrong moment, Judal would get speared through. Whether it was ignorance or confidence, the changeling seemed totally unperturbed.
Hakuryuu nodded, and hoped that was the answer Judal wanted. From the way his eyes shone, it was.
"So, if working with us means you get a crack at her, isn't that kind of worth it?"
From across the half-eaten breakfast spread, Alibaba caught Hakuryuu's eye. He raised both eyebrows in wordless question and all Hakuryuu could do was tilt his own in response. He had absolutely no idea where Judal's self-assured bargaining was coming from, and absolutely no idea if it was working.
But Aladdin's gaze had gone from cold to critical, and that was something. There was a small furrow forming on his brow, which gave him an appearance of childlike confusion. If a child was also ages old and capable of magic more powerful than half of Sidhe.
"Why involve yourself in all this, changeling?" he demanded of Judal. "Has Sidhe bewitched you so much that you're willing to lay down your life to try and protect it?"
In response, Judal laughed and said; "Not really."
Hakuryuu stared at his lover's profile, openly gawking. He wasn't the only one.
"I'm not really devoted to anything, and I only sort of understand the politics. If I'm being honest, I don't totally understand the implications of what's going on."
Judal cast his eyes back at Hakuryuu and smiled.
"I'm just here because it's where I want to be and what I want to do." Judal said, directing his words straight at Hakuryuu. "Whether that's right or wrong doesn't really matter to me."
If Aladdin had been anything but a faerie, Hakuryuu would have dived across the space between him and his lover and kissed Judal square on the mouth. He considered taking his chances and doing it anyway, just for the chance to taste the last of that proclamation on his tongue. Maybe it wasn't an oath, or a binding contract, but it was a kind of promise and it was meant for him.
Judal grinned. Stars Hakuryuu wanted him.
"So you are going along with this," Aladdin said. "A rebellion, which can only lead to war, just because?"
Judal laughed again and looked back at the faerie.
"Why not? It may be my world, but I only just got here! Carrying around all that responsibility sounds like way more work than I signed up for."
"Yet here you are."
"Yeah, because I want to be!"
The look Aladdin gave Judal could have meant anything, but Hakuryuu could have sworn it looked a little bit exasperated, and very fond. He held that look for several long moments, then abruptly sighed and fell backwards to rest on his elbows.
"Oh, fine!" he sighed again. "Fine, I'll join your crusade. All this tranquility was starting to get boring anyway, it's about time I got back to the battlefield."
"J-just like that?!" Alibaba spluttered, totally thrown by the turn of events.
Aladdin rolled his eyes and turned his head to smile at Alibaba, whose cheekbones went pink.
"Sure." he said, and this time the fondness on his face was clearly recognizable. "Why not?"
"Because you hold a grudge against faekind?" Morgiana offered, speaking up for the first time.
Aladdin waved a hand absently.
"It was a long time ago, and what's done is done."
Which, Judal noted thoughtfully, wasn't a definitive no. It was possible that Aladdin's feelings on the matter of the faerie hunts weren't as far in the past as he was implying, but that was a concern for another time.
"With respect, Aladdin, I would like your word." Hakuryuu said, leaning forward slightly.
Aladdin let out a childish groan and dropped his elbows out from underneath him, so he was lying flat on the grass.
"Yes, alright! Sun and moon, you're serious."
He lifted one arm in the air and drew his finger in a lazy circle. With the moonshine still in his system, Judal could clearly see the faint trail of light that followed the finger as it moved.
"I, Aladdin, give my word to aid you in the cause you've proposed to me," he spoke in a languid, sing-songing voice. "Provided that you in turn will do one thing for me."
Hakuryuu's eyes narrowed at the stipulation.
"Which is?"
Aladdin smiled up at the sky.
"Trust me."
Hakuryuu and Alibaba exchanged a look, then did the same with Spartos. Asking a fae to trust you outright was like asking a moth to fly directly into an oil lamp with the promise that they wouldn't catch fire. Under the right circumstances, it was completely possible, but it definitely wasn't likely.
Hakuryuu weighed his options and decided that trusting an ally, however old and wily they may be, was a lot safer than trying to confront his mother without at least one faerie on their side.
"I will trust you, Aladdin." he said as graciously as he could, forcing his end of the promise off his tongue.
Aladdin spun his finger in the air again, and Spartos echoed Hakuryuu's promise. Then Pisti, then Alibaba, then Morgiana, and finally a sixth circle was drawn in the air for Judal. Hakuryuu could see his lover struggling to pull the words from behind his teeth, no doubt wanting nothing more than to twist them so he had some kind of loophole, since that was precisely what Hakuryuu had wanted to do. In the end, he managed to get it out.
The seventh circle Aladdin drew came with no words, but completed the set they had started. A wave of warmth flowed over the seven of them as their oaths took hold, forming an invisible tether between all of them. Judal could recognize the feeling of it, and realized with some surprise that he'd felt the same pull behind his ribs since the day he'd met Hakuryuu. So that was the cord that represented Hakuryuu's debt, then.
"Please, feel free to carry on with breakfast." Aladdin said, tucking his arms behind his head. "I, for one, am going to take a nap."
And with that, their journey to earn the alliance of a faerie ended in success. It was an anticlimactic end to the whole thing, which left them all looking awkwardly at their half-eaten meal, not quite sure what to do with themselves.
Judal leaned heavily into Hakuryuu's side. The prince accepted his weight and wound an arm around him, dropping a kiss onto the shell of his ear.
"Well done, sweetling." he whispered.
Judal smiled, and only Hakuryuu was close enough to see just how shaky it was.
Notes:
Happy December everyone! The holidays are just getting started, NaNoWriMo has just ended, and I'm iback/i! If you combined two of those three things, you get several chapters of Serendipity, waiting in the wings, ready to be posted on a weekly or bi-weekly basis again! I know, it's been a year since I've updated on a regular schedule and you're all hesitant to believe me but I swear it's true!
I haven't forgotten about getting the first arc to print either! I'll be working out the kinks in that plan this month, so that hopefully I can have them available for everyone still interested somewhere early 2019!
On a more personal note, I want to thank everyone for sticking with me. I'm in a way better place right now than I was when I started this story, and it means so much to me that people have been patient with my erratic life and how it's affected my writing. Moving forward I'm hoping to be able to dedicate myself to Serendipity again like I used to, and continue to bring you guys the best of this world.
See you all next week! Drop me a comment if you feel like it, I always love to chat!