"Preposterous!" the King scoffs. He glares at Kevin. He glares back. "You can't just... change your name! That's not how it works!"
"And yet, I can speak once more," he says. "Cadeyrn av Oberon died seventy years ago, and you are the one who killed him."
The King grits his teeth. Alice takes a hesitant step towards him.
"Kevin," she says and he turns his attention to her. "What do you mean, the box is empty."
"I mean the Heart was indeed in that box when we found it, but it is not there anymore," he says. The King is fuming silently. "The box is iron, which means a Fae can't touch it with their bare hands. So I took it out."
"Isn't that cheating!?" she exclaims.
"It has not been reclaimed," says Vanessa. "Just relocated. But... where did you put it, to keep it alive outside the box?"
Kevin places his hand on his chest. The second heartbeat in his chest echoes out of him, filling the clearing with it's steady rhythm.
"Oh," says Alice.
She walks over, her steps slow and deliberate, almost like she's in a trance. She lifts her hand to his chest. Her finger touches the front of his shirt, a barely there whisper.
BABUMP
He takes a deep breath, steels himself against the pain.
BABUMP
A warmth spreads from the point of contact, a pulsing ache following it.
BABUMP
It feels weird as the Heart pushes through. It leaves behind it a throbbing emptiness.
BABUMP
He gasps as the weight drops from his chest. She gasps as it falls into her hand.
BABUMP BABUMP
The Heart is reclaimed.
BABUMP BABUMP BABUMP BABUMP
Vanessa gasps, grips the front of her coat. Alice curses under her breath.
"It's okay, Nessa," she says as she hurries to her side with the Heart. "I've got you!"
Vanessa is doubled over, breathing hard. Alice kneels next to her, holds up the Heart. She pauses. A wave of panic washes over her features.
"What... what do I do?" she mutters. She whips her head around, looks at Kevin with wide, desperate eyes. "What do I do?!"
He is at a loss of words. He... he doesn't know. They've gotten this far, he didn't think there would be any more problems! Vanessa is looking worse by the second, her breathing labored.
The King laughs. "Well now!" he says, grinning like a maniac. "I might've lost my new playthings, but at least I get the satisfaction of watching one of them wither up and die."
"You really suck, did you know that?" Sam says.
"Putting a Heart into a Fae, that's simple," he continues, ignoring them completely. "But putting a Heart back into a human..."
"Sam, can you do something?" Kevin asks, grabbing a hold of their sleeve. They shrug apologetically.
"I do have stuff for an emergency operation, but... I don't think even I can put a Heart back like this. Not fast enough anyway."
"No... No!" Alice shouts. "I refuse! I will not end like this!"
"Um, Alice..." Sam starts, but she cuts them off.
"No!" she screams. Tears are welling in her eyes. She's clutching the Heart close to her chest, holding Vanessa close with the other arm. "No, no, no!"
"Alice!" She stops crying, looks at them. "Your pocket is glowing."
She sniffles, glances down. A soft light emanates from her pocket and she slowly slips her hand in. She pulls something out; a small vial with a glowing substance inside.
"Where did you get that?" the King asks. His voice is thin and his face is pale.
"She gave you a bottle of Starlight?" Kevin whispers, more to himself than her.
She stares at the bottle. Nothing else exists for her at that moment but it and Vanessa. She takes a deep breath and pops the lid of the vial.
All the light escapes. It bursts out like an explosion and surrounds the two of them. It dances around them, a gentle ebb and flow as it circles them. The Heart starts to glow. Vanessa's chest starts to glow.
Alice whispers something under her breath, too far and too quiet for anyone else to hear but her and Vanessa. Vanessa smiles. She smiles too.
Then she presses the Heart to her chest.
All the light congregates into the Heart, like an implosion, and for a moment it's too bright to look. When the light finally subsides, the Heart is gone and Vanessa is breathing easier. Slowly color starts to return to her cheeks. She smiles.
"Thank you," she says. Then she kisses Alice.
Kevin can feel himself relax. Weeks, if not months of tension sliding off of him and suddenly it's all he can do to not start crying. The relief is short lived of course, when a slow clap makes the King known once more.
"Congratulations, girls, you have beaten me," he says. He doesn't look happy about it, but neither he or his men have made a move to stop them.
"And now we can go," Alice says. She sounds only slightly hesitant.
"Sure, of course," he says. "A deal is a deal, after all. Go on, get out of here."
He looks at Kevin, grins. A shiver runs down his spine.
"Get going then," the King says. "I'll find someone else to play with once you're gone."
"Damien..." Kevin breathes. There's twinge in his heart when he realizes he basically forgot about Damien.
He's still on the ground, though he's sat up at some point. His hands are folded on his lap, tied together at the wrists. He shifts when he hears Kevin say his name, but he doesn't look up, his eyes downcast.
"What are you going to do with him?" Kevin asks.
"I don't know yet," the King says. "But it won't be pleasant, I'll tell you that."
Kevin grits his teeth. Glares at him.
"What do you want?" he asks.
"The real question is, what are you willing to give?" A wicked grin spreads on the King's face. "For the life of the man who showed you the ugly truth of the world? The one who corrupted you, the took you away from me and your family?"
Each word stabs him in the heart, again and again.
"The man who ripped you from your comfortable life and basically turned you into a fugitive." The King pauses, gives him a pitying look. "The man you used to love?"
There is a heavy lump in his throat. He can't look him in the eyes anymore, can't look at anyone.
"Tell me, do you think he loved you back?" the King asks, pouring salt into wounds. "It seems he's been working with Vanessa for quite a while, but he didn't deem it necessary to come see you... Almost like he doesn't actually want to see you..."
"Just shut up. already!" Sam scoffs and grabs a hold of Kevin's shoulders. He hadn't realized he was shaking until their hands steady him. "Focus, Kev. He's trying to rile you up."
He takes a shaky breath. His head is pounding.
"Be that as it may..." the King says, giving Sam a dirty glance. "What are you willing to give, Cadeyrn? Oh, excuse me, of course I mean Kevin."
Something shifts in Alice, but Kevin is too distraught to notice. His mind is racing, all the feelings muddling up. Rationality tries to scream at him, but it's drowned out by the overwhelming guilt. What is he willing to give? He doesn't know... Alice's willingness to do anything for Vanessa has been inspiring, but he's not sure he has what it takes...
"Could I..." Alice's voice cuts through and brings him back to present. "Could I make a deal for him?"
Everyone is silent for a moment.
"Alice, no," he says. "You can't do that."
"You just got out of your previous deal, and now you want to jump right into another?" the King asks. He sounds amused. "Aren't you a feisty one."
"Is that a no?" Alice asks. He barks out a laugh.
"Go ahead, tell me what you're thinking," he says.
"Alice, are you sure...?" Vanessa whispers, holding tight onto her shoulders. She gives her a reassuring nod.
"You said that names hold a lot of power here," she says. The King's eyes widen a bit. "Does that include human names?"
"Yes, of course," he says, trying to keep his voice level. "Not as much as a Fae's name over them does, but a decent amount none the less."
"Alice, please," Kevin says. Can't go and sell her name to the King, not now! Not after they just got Vanessa back! Not for his sake...
"Okay, here's my offer," Alice continues, ignoring his pleas. "I will give you the name that my parents gave me, if you promise to not bother us four, Vanessa, Kevin, Sam, and me, or Damien ever again. You or the members of your court."
"That's a high price for the name of a nobody human," the King says.
"I beat you in your own game," she says with a shrug. "So not much of a nobody any longer."
He considers it. Kevin's heartbeat is loud in his ears. Could... could this work?
The King looks Alice up and down. She keeps her stance and gaze steady, which Kevin gives her immense credit for.
"You know what," the King says with a sly smile. "I'll take you up on that deal. Come on then, Kevy, come get your man."
Kevin blinks, glances between the King and Damien. He takes a step forward, but when no one else makes a move, he sprints across the clearing and kneels by Damien.
"She just committed suicide," Damien is muttering. "She committed suicide, and you just let her."
"Shh, Damien," he murmurs. "It's going to be fine."
He pulls out a pocket knife and cuts the bindings on Damien's wrist, before slipping his arm over his shoulders and hoists him up.
"You let her..." his voice is small and broken. Kevin hushes him, starts to help him walk across. "I'm sorry..."
They make their way slowly back across the clearing. Sam is already waiting with their medipad out.
"Alright, now that that's done," the King says as the bot starts to check Damien over. He holds out his hand towards Alice. "Your name, please."
She nods, takes a deep breath. "My name.... the name my parents gave me..." He leans forward with anticipation. "Is Eric Anthony Williams."
The King blinks.
"Excuse me?" he says.
"The name my parents gave me is Eric Anthony Williams," she repeats.
"Don't lie to me," he says. His voice is rising dangerously. "I know your name is Alice."
"Oh, sure, but that's not the name my parent's gave me," she says and smirks. "The name my parents gave me is Eric. Anthony. Williams."
His face is turning red again. "You... tricked me."
"Oh, no, not at all, I did exactly as I said I would. Well, have fun with my deadname, I know I haven't!"
"I'll get you yet!" the King shouts as the five of them enter the cabin. "One day, I'll get you back!"
"As long as you don't bother us!" she calls over her shoulder and then the door slams closed.
"Holy shit," says Sam.
"I'm so glad that worked!" says Alice.
"That was cutting it way too close," says Vanessa.
"Um..." says Damien and they turn to look at him. Everyone but Kevin, who walks over to the wall and starts to trace the portal sigil so the can finally go home. "So what should I do?"
"My invitation to visit still stands," Vanessa says, with a smile. "I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon, but I don't mind."
"I do!" Alice exclaims and snakes a hand around Vanessa's waist. "We have about a year of lost time to make up for!" Vanessa giggles lightly. "But Kevin has a lot of room, don't you Kevin?"
He knows that she's grinning, he doesn't even need to turn around. He can feel his ears start to burn.
"I suppose..." he says. "We have some lost time to make up for too."
"Yes..." Damien says. "I suppose we do."
Kevin presses his pendant against the wall and the swirling portal opens up once more. Alice sighs happily and looks at Vanessa.
"Let's go home," she says. Vanessa smiles.
"Yes, let's go home."
__________________________________________________________________
IT'S FINALLY OVER!!! Except that epilogue that Matleena promised. Also, as I've been writing this, I realized that there's a LOT of backstory with Kevin and Damien that I've kinda thought out but couldn't find a place to include so... I'm not saying I will write a prologue/prequel, but like... it's a possibility? :DD
Anyway, that wraps it up for me for this year! Happy holidays and a wonderful new years (let's hope the next one will be better than this was lmao!)
Pie out.
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