Chapter Text
Time passes, as it always does, after Halia. Hulkenberg insists that they don't linger now that the army is here, so the whole group—Strohl included now—board the gauntlet runner, and by midafternoon are on the move again.
It's Junah's idea to start heading for big cities. Will is pretty sure that she mostly just wants to see the Kingdom's cities for herself, but she insists that she's thinking strategically.
(Hulkenberg likes when they think strategically)
She says that since they can use the teleporter now, but only to go to places Will knows, it makes sense to get him familiar with cities all over the continent.
Hulkenberg had agreed, and so they head South, toward Brilehaven.
-//-
More is, slowly, getting used to travel. He's never been much of a survivalist, but every other person in this group he's fallen in with is a bit of an expert. With varying levels of patience, they teach More to make and break camp, light fires, and stand guard.
He's still not sure if they trust him completely—Gallica excepted, which More is eternally grateful for—but they've stopped giving him suspicious looks, and started working with him. More can live with this, he decides. And if he's being honest, this is…
It's nice. They're on a crucial mission to find information to break the King's curse, but in the meantime, More finds himself warming to this odd group of strangers. He hasn't realized how alone he'd been before meeting up with them, and now that he has the chance, he finds himself starving for conversation and connection.
With Grius, he talks about practicalities. Travel plans, weapons, and Grius's politely horrified concern that More has absolutely no experience with the latter. More has never so much as picked up a sword, and under the circumstances, Grius has deemed this unacceptable—so far, More has managed to avoid embarrasing himself with any kind of combat lessons, but he's fairly sure it's only a matter of time. Grius has a point, he knows, that it's dangerous to be out in the wilds like this, unable to defend himself.
With Louis, he nearly always limits himself to the weather, the condition of the road, and banalities about the quality of their gear or their food. Once in a while, and only ever at Louis's cue, they discuss More's book.Not often, though. More has the impression that Louis can't (or maybe won't) make himself open up to others easily. And since he's still clearly struggling to completely trust More…
Well, he can wait.
And with Gallica, More talks about all the things he holds back on with the others. Most days she sits on his shoulder as they walk, which makes it easy to talk with her as they walk. They talk about the King, and what she'd seen of him for herself over long years in the sanctum, and what More remembers from their time together in the past. But they also talk about smaller things—about the unusual places they pass, or the little details of their travel, or whatever else enters their minds. If More were to defnitively claim one friend on this trip, it is a comfort to know that friend would be Gallica.
For days after their first meeting, they walk through woods, avoiding contact with other people whenever possible. This stops when they travel through a town that's large enough to have heard rumors of a human attack somewhere to the South. After that, they stick to the roads, and take carriages whenever they can. It's not quick or cheap, but they all agree that they'd rather not be cornered by a human while they're on their own in the woods.
Their first destination is the Mustari people. Altabury is also an opion, but they're ill equipped for the cold, and no one knows how difficult it would be to find a Mustari there that might have some advice for them.
So, to the islands they go. It's the best plan they have, and they can decide on a next step after that if they don't find anything to help them among the Mustari.
And the best place to find a ship out to the islands, they all agree, is Brilehaven.
-//-
Will ends up alone within an hour of getting off the gauntlet runner at Brilehaven.
It's probably fine. The last few days have been a lot, and he's not the only one that's still dealing with it. Having space somewhere peaceful and very far away from humans is going to help everyone.
Also, he's found a bookstore.
It's his first one, technically. Visits to Grand Trad have always been pretty strictly betwen the castle and the Cygnus house. And he hasn't really had a reason to have money, because as far as anyone knows he never goes anywhere that he could buy anything, so he's only really started getting used to money since leaving Grand Trad. And since they've only been in smaller towns since leaving…
First bookstore. It's been a really good experience, except for the part where everyone else got bored and went to find soemthing else to do.
(He's supposed to be sticking with Rella, Junah, and Strohl while Hulkenberg and Neuras go for supplies, but…)
(Well, they're probably still in the neighborhood)
The bookstore he's found is just off the bustling main docks of the city, where a lot of the so-called lesser tribes live. The clemar and roussainte live farther away, in parts of the city that obviously flood less often, higher up and away from the water. Will had avoided those neighborhoods on instinct, because they're not going to be happy about an elda showing up, and had found his way to a paripus shop instead. The old man behind the counter had smiled when Will came in with dozens of questions, patted him on the back, and steered him toward a reading nook where he could sit down with the books he's interested in until he decides what he wants to buy.
Will decides pretty quickly that if the worst part of their time since leaving the capital is the human attack, then this is probably all the way on the other side of the scale. He likes being being here, in the slightly musty smelling paripus shop, surrounded by books that have clearly been loved already before they ever made their way here, and are ready to be loved again. It's started raining outside, a steady drumbeat against the front windows, and the sound of a living, breathing city outside makes it an easy place for Will to let his guard down.
It's… been a long time since he's been able to do that. Even before fleeing Grand Trad, it's been a long time since he could really say he felt safe there. He's had to hide his tribe, and when he hadn't, he'd faced dirty looks from inside the castle, and kicks outside. It's not safe to be an elda with their guard down, just about anywhere that's not surrounded by friends.
The rain beats on the windows. The shop is dry, and full of books. Will's eyelids are heavy.
It's kind of funny, but the last time he'd really, totally let his guard down…
(He lets his eyes close, just for a second. He's not sleeping, he's not, but—)
(But suddenly, vividly, like a dream, he remembers being small. Small, and sitting with his dad for the last time, as the only book he can't bring himself to read was pressed into his hands)
(He remembers his hand on the book, his dad's larger ones on top of his…)
O, child…
Someone grips his hand, and the pressure merges confusingly with Will's dream. His heart leaps, hope for something he doesn't even want to want unfurling for just a second before reality breaks in on him, and he opens his eyes.
Oh.
Oh, no. As sure as he is that he hadn't let himself fall asleep, he's somehow had his eyes closed for long enough that the light outside has changed, and there's someone standing over him, frowning in vague concern.
Will snatches his hand back and jumps to his feet, confused and disoriented.
"I'm sorry," the man—a clemar with thin horns, dressed in black—takes a step back, palms out in apology. "I saw that you were asleep, and you looked like you were about to take a tumble." He gestures between the reading nook and the floor, and says, "I thought you might want to be woken up."
"I wasn't sleeping," Will says quickly. And even if he was… well, he'd never admit it. He can feel his face heating up, and quickly turns away to pick up the books he'd been looking at before he… closed his eyes.
He's still working on that when the man says, "You're an elda?"
Will hesitates, but there's no point in lying about it. He doesn't even have his horns on him, they're back on the runner. Anyway, he's allowed to be here. The shop's owner hadn't complained at all when Will showed up. "Yeah," he mutters.
"What's your name?"
Will hesitates. He doesn't like the way the man had asked that, or the overly interested way he's studying Will's face. Why would any clemar care about some random elda? "What's yours?" Will asks. A little rudely, but to be fair he's frantically trying to think of a good fake name.
The man doesn't seem to mind Will's question, though. He smiles, and says, "More."
Will hesitates in stacking books, his mind flashing to the book the King had given him. It has to be a coincidence, but he doesn't think More is a very common name. He's never heard of anyone else with the name.
He takes a risk, and asks, "Are you an author?"
The worst the man can say is no, after all. He might do it in a rude or dismissive way, because he's clemar and Will is elda, but the worst he can say is, still, no.
But More says, "I am," and smiles a little self consciously. "Have you read..?"
"Oh," Will says. "I actually… no, I haven't." He's actually carrying the book with him now—he's carrying all his most important things, because he's had to run once already, and things like that aren't easy to forget—so he fumbles for his pack and opens it to pull out the novel the King had given him the last time they saw each other. "I… someday," he says, voice small. "But it was given to me by…" He hesitates, because he can't say the King without completely blowing his cover. "By my fahter," he says instead, slowly. "The last time I saw him, he gave it to me. And then he left, and it's just… it's hard to…."
He trails off, already feeling embarrassed by how much he'd overshared. He'd just wanted to explain to More that it isn't anything about the book itself that's stopping him from reading it, he's just…
"I understand," More says, and to Will's surprise he actually smiles. It's a reassuring expression, one that Will very much wants to believe in. "Books are more complicated than just words on a page, aren't they?" he asks. "They carry the story the author wants to tell, but also the stories of those who share them with us. I'm sure your father's intentions would mean just as much to you as mine do, if you were to try and read the novel."
"Yes!" Will says, lighting up. The warmth of being understood, of someone recognizing the same spark of connection that he does in stories, drives away the uncertain hurt that the King's memory always brings up. "You can't always know other people the way you want to, but even if you're alone, you can always read books."
More's smile is genuine, and he says, "They can be a connection to people that are very far away. People you may not even have met." Very kindly, he says, "Perhaps your father, someday."
Will's own smile falters, just a fraction, and he says, "I think maybe it already is, and that's the problem."
"Ah," More says, nodding. "Well, that's understandable."
"I'll read it someday," Will says. "I will. Just… not yet."
"I hope you do," More says. "I would love for you to read my story. When you're ready."
Will has never met an author before, so he's not sure if this is a typical attitude for one of them to have toward their books, or if More is just like this. But either way, this whole conversation leaves something warm blooming inside his chest. It's not like he doesn't have friends on the gauntlet runner with him. He's actually pretty lucky with how many people he's had since leaving Grand Trad that don't care that he's elda. Not just friends that he's known since he was little, but new friends too. Neuras had come with them, and had never cared about him being elda, or a prince, or anything else. And Strohl is someone that doesn't see all people as a second thought (after gauntlet runners), and had made the choice to come with them anyway.
But there's something about More that feels different from a friend. Even the very good friends that Will has known for most of his life.
"There you are!"
Will jumps a little as a new voice seems to dart right into the conversation, but then realizes it's coming from a fairy that's just flown over from some other part of the crowded bookshop. She flies straight for More, landing on his shoulder and opening her mouth to say something. But she doesn't get a word out before spotting Will. Her eyes go wide, and she asks, "Did you find him?"
"Oh," More says. "That's right." He smiles at Will and says, "We never finished introductions."
Will stiffens, not liking where this is going. There are plenty of reasons that a stranger might be looking for him, and basically none of them are good. And actually… when they first started talking, More had said, "You're an elda?" like he was looking for one. And since Will doesn't know of any other elda anywhere, it's… maybe not outside the realm of possibility that he's looking for him? Him and also his fairy, which is really cool but probably he shouldn't be waiting to find out more of what's going on.
He should probably be leaving, very fast, because… because why are More and the fairy looking for him? Why do they want to find an elda boy?
They're both still waiting for an answer, a heavy expectation in the air, and Will…
He grabs his bag and runs, abandoning all the books, and this shop, and the warmth he'd felt from More's words. More shouts something after him, and so does the shopkeep, but Will ignores both of them and shoulders the door open. As soon as he's outside he draws his sword, magla humming under his hand, and drops it in the same moment he leaps up and onto it. He's had plenty of time to practice riding his sword lately, especially since Strohl had showed up and he has someone new to show off to.
By now it's second nature to set his feet wide along the length of the blade, to keep his knees bent and his center of balance as low as possible, swerving around increasingly annoyed people on the crowded streets.
He doesn't see anyone else in the group on his way back to the runner, but of course Neuras is there when Will goes running down to the engine room to look for him.
"Neuras!" he calls. Then "Neuras!" again, because sometimes it takes a couple tries to get Neuras's attention when he's really working on something.
"Eh?" Neuras pokes his head around the side of the something-or-other he's tinkering with. He's wearing a pair of enormous magnifiers over his eyes, but pushes them up his forehead to look at Will. "What's that?"
"I ran into someone in the city," Will says. Distantly, he's surprised that his voice is steady when he says it. He doesn't know what More wants from him, still, but he'd come really close to being found. Maybe, comapred to the human attack, this just isn't enough to make him shake. "He was looking for me. Or—for someone elda, anyway. I dropped everything and ran, but I don't know if they're still looking. Or if there's more of them."
"Oh," Neuras says, eyebrows shooting up his forehead. "Well, we'll have to get ready to leave right away, then."
"Probably," Will says. He takes a deep breath. Another one. Realizes he's calm. He's getting used to this. "Is the gauntlet runner ready to go?"
Neuras chuckles, and the fact that he can laugh reassures Will that he's not too weird for how calm he feels. "Oh yes," he says. "I learned my lesson at Halia, don't you worry about that! I won't be taking the old girl completely offline again." He pats the nearest wall of the engine room, and Will nods. "Okay," he says. "I'm going to just—I'm going to wait for everyone else to get back, so we can be ready to go."
He runs back up to the deck, clambering up the ladder and waiting impatiently for the rest of the group. It doesn't take long—Rella, Junah, and Strohl had apparently been close enough to the bookshop to catch a glimpse of Will speeding past on his sword, and had come hurrying back to see what's wrong. And Hulkenberg isn't much longer after that, walking back in with a complaint that Neuras had abandoned her to their errands as soon as they got what he needed for the runner. Will tells her the whole story, almost in one breath, before she can get the complaint all the way out.
And of course they're out of Brilehaven and on the road within ten minutes. Speeding away from More as fast as they can possibly go, short of teleportation. And as Hulkenberg points out, there's no reason to broadcast that they can do that if someone is actively looking and watching. Not as a first resort, anyway.
(And Will feels…)
O, fate saddled traveler…
(He stuffs down an unexpected feeling of loss, to be rushing away from More and his kind smile)
(He doesn't even…)
(He doesn't even know him)
Hulkenberg makes Will tell her everything that had happened. Makes him describe More to everyone on the gauntlet runner, and probably would have made him describe the fairy too if he'd stuck around long enough to notice more than oh, that's a fairy. She tells everyone very sternly that they'll have to be more careful from now on. They'll have to watch out for More, and for anyone else that might be looking for Will.
So it's a while before Will is able to break away from the group. And he doesn't even think to check his bag at first, not until he goes for his copy of More's book, just to hold it in his hands.
And that's when he realizes that in his rush to leave the bookshop behind, something has fallen out of his bag.
-//-
More, Gallica, Grius, and Louis stand (and in one case float) around the desk in one of the rooms they've rented at the inn. It's late, after dark, and More and Gallica have already told the story of running into the elda boy at the bookshop three times. Louis has already lost his temper at both of them for letting their first lead slip away, and has needed to be led away by Grius to calm down. Now they're gathered together again. Everyone is quiet, looking at the only clue the elda boy had left behind.
"Well if we had any doubt," Grius says at last. "This is enough to lay it to rest. That was the Prince you two saw."
"And allowed to get past you," Louis grumbles, but everyone ignores him.
"You're sure?" More asks.
"Oh yes." Grius leans forward, and picks up the half circle of metal on the desk. More might have guessed it was a kind of crown, except that a pair of remarkably realistic looking clemar horns have been grafted to the outer edge. "I was there when he got his first set of false horns." He nods across the desk and adds, "Louis was the one that gave them to him."
"And it couldn't be another elda…?" Gallica asks hesitantly.
"They're the same design," Louis says, voice flat. "It's not that easy to find something that will sit right. He must have had new ones made as he grew, all based on that first pair of horns."
There's another several moments of silence. Grius flips the horns around in his hands a few times, then puts them back down again. Eventually, More asks, "So what do we do now?"
"I saw a gauntlet runner leave the city this afternoon," Louis says. "Moving fast, even for one of those machines. We can't know for sure the Prince was on it, but if he ran from the two of you, it follows he'd leave the city just as quickly."
"And we can't follow," Gallica sighs. "Not as quickly as a gauntlet runner can move."
They all know it. Following the Prince by foot, the way they've been traveling up until now, isn't an option.
So what do they do?