KANE MISSED TRANQUILITY.

The siblings' constant squabbling plagued him day and night. Or, at least, he thought they did. It was hard to tell time. Some days lasted so long Kane couldn't wait for them to end. Others passed within the blink of an eye, leaving him reeling.

Silver assured him that in his world, barely half a day had passed. But in Hiraeth it had been a little over a week. It was mind boggling.

Also, as it turned out, Kane going to war wasn't just something Tempest said for shits and giggles. Not that he thought she ever said anything for shits and giggles. She was hot but she was no comedian. Kane couldn't recall a single moment where she smiled whenever she returned to the castle.

Tempest never smiled but Silver always did.

Silver smiled a whole lot while he mopped the floors with Kane's ass.

Apparently, being a badass king with boss level skills in a past life didn't exactly help him in this life at all. The fae blood within him did many things. But it didn't make him as quick and agile as his full blooded counterparts.

Silver joked that the human genes must have diluted that part of him. He laughed then.

Kane slammed into the ground with a groan. Silver stood above him, victorious, with Arian grazing his throat. The bastard had the audacity to smile.

Kane certainly wasn't laughing now.

He groaned, flopping around like a fish out of water. "Arthur was a great warrior!" Kane exclaimed, tossing Caliburn to the side with a huff. "He killed giants and evil witches and monsters and went on a ton of adventures. How can I be this bad?!"

Silver hauled Kane up by the arm, giving him a good pat on the back. "Even Arthur had to start somewhere. Try again."

Kane relented, taking hold of the sword and circling Silver. They traded blow for blow with Silver's attacks being precise while Kane's were awkward. He dropped Caliburn more times than he could count. Tiny cuts marred his bare upper body. He couldn't focus, always falling for Silver's attempts to distract him. By the time they'd finished their sixth bout for the day his frustration was more than he could take.

Kane sighed, collapsing on a bench and eating the human food the brownies fetched for him. His eyes followed after the invisible steps, eager to catch another glimpse. It was cool to see them for the first time, flitting in and out of visibility. Although, he had to admit, he was a little disappointed that the brownies weren't sentient chocolate dessert servants like he imagined.

"It amazes me that the world is ending yet humans still find the time to make decent chicken nuggets."

Kane swatted Silver's hand away. "Mine."

"You have twenty and you can't give me one?!"

"You can eat everything here and yet you're coming for my food?" Kane asked through a mouthful of nuggets.

Silver smirked, toying with a branch of ripe berries. "You can eat everything here too."

"Mhm and then Hiraeth will become my new home that I won't ever be able to leave for long." Kane sipped his drink. "How about, no."

Silver sighed, faking dejection while he ate from the branch like a sex starved heathen. "I think I liked you more when you were clueless."

"I wasn't that clueless."

"Says the guy that willingly got into my unmarked taxi after knowing me for all of ten minutes."

Kane crammed a hot nugget into Silver's smirking mouth. The tall fae choked, eyes bulging while Kane laughed. "You said that was fate."

"Meh. Fate shmate," Silver mumbled, fingers tiptoeing towards the sweet and sour sauce. "You still got in."

Kane sucked his teeth, sliding the last of his food towards Silver without another word. The slender man devoured the instant meal and drink in the blink of an eye.

"Y'know, if the world wasn't ending, I could totally see you making money as a mukbanger."

Silver raised an arched brow while meticulously wiping his greasy fingers clean. "Well, maybe if you save enough of it, I can give that a try later on."

Kane tilted his head to the side. "You wouldn't come back home?"

"Does it look like I'm welcomed here?"

Kane gnawed his bottom lip, recalling the less than friendly treatment Silver received. "Still, people would be nicer if you helped save the world, right?"

Silver shook his head. "Why would they? It's not like I'm saving Hiraeth." Silver's fingers wove an intricate braid into his long hair. "I'll always be the guy that betrayed his family and the fae will never forget that. We hold grudges, y'see. Plus, I'm still bound to the taxi. I'll have to return once our quest is over."

Kane hated to see how uncharacteristically serious Silver was. The slight tick of his strong jaw allowed a stoic expression to wash over his face. It was oddly sobering to see him so blank that Kane couldn't help but try to lighten the mood.

"Well, what if I want my Merlin to stay by my side?" he asked, watching a stray french fry be pulled away by an invisible force from the corner of his eye. "They'd have to let you go then, right? Like, hello. Once and Future King," Kane said, pointing at himself with a goofy smile.

Silver's fluttering fingers paused. His eyes grew soft even though his smile didn't return. "I don't think that would work. However, please let me know when you make such demands so I can come and watch. It would certainly be a good show."

Tempest barged into the great hall adorned in silver armor. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail. There was a bruise blooming underneath her right eye but the rest of her appeared to be unscathed. Tempest strode towards them, her boots pounding against the stone like thunder.

"We've been given permission to pass into the Otherworld," she said in lieu of a greeting. "Pack a bag. Your first battle is tomorrow." Tempest ignored Kane's stammering, turning her heavy stare on Silver. Unspoken insults flashed within those dark irises. Yet she voiced none of them and instead said, "Death is in the hall. He wants a word with you. Go. Now."

Silver straightened up, casting an apologetic smile Kane's way before leaving. The annoyance brewing within him overflowed. Kane didn't bother containing it. Like Silver said, he was chopsy.

"Would it kill you to speak to him nicely?"

If Tempest's glare had the power to kill then Kane was certain he would be six feet under right now.

"Yes."

Kane took a deep breath, attempting to placate his rising temper. He'd grown to like the older man. Sue him. It was really fucking hard not to when Silver was, well, Silver.

It was enough for Kane to overcome his thirst for the beautiful fae before him and say, "I don't like the way you speak to him."

"I don't care what you do or don't like."

"I'm starting to think there isn't a damn thing you actually do care about."

Kane blinked. Clarent was at his throat. He gulped. Tempest's eyes pooled like black ink as she dug the tip of her blade into his skin, breaking it. Kane gasped. He knew it was in his best interest not to anger her further.

His mouth failed to get the memo, however.

"So, is this you proving my point, or?"

Tempest's jaw clenched. "Pick up your sword."

"Make me."

Tempest laughed, hollow and breathy. She shot forward like a coiled snake. Her small hand gripped Kane by the back of his neck, forcing him to his knees. He thrashed, embarrassment curling within him when she dragged him with ease. Tempest threw him towards Caliburn and Kane scrambled forward.

"Pick it up," she said. "You wanna run your mouth? Fine. Back it up. Last more than one minute and I'll consider your request."

Kane huffed, fingers curling around Caliburn as he stood on shaky feet. "Everything is a deal with you people."

Tempest stood tall, reflecting the perfect stance Silver failed to drill into Kane. She raised her sword then charged. Kane raised Caliburn in self defense, eyes widening when the blow had him staggering. He grasped the hilt with both hands in an effort to stand his ground. Light emerged from his blade, illuminating Tempest's obsidian sword.

"One week of training and this is all to show for it." Tempest shook her head. "Disappointing."

"You could always help," Kane said through gritted teeth.

Tempest hummed, twirling away from him in the blink of an eye. Kane fell forward. Her foot shot out, tripping him. His knee slammed into the ground. He grunted, swinging wildly. Tempest easily deflected the attack without breaking a sweat. Her unimpressed face lit a fire in Kane. He lunged for her.

"Can you dance?" Tempest asked, breathing evenly as she darted to the side to avoid Kane's rage. The broadside of her blade swatted Kane on the back. He glared at her, internal flames rising once he saw her bored gaze trailing over him. "Probably not."

"I can dance just fine," he hissed, using the point of his sword to knock hers away.

"Hard to believe that."

Kane rolled his eyes. Silver had asked and said the exact same thing. Sword fighting was like a dance blah blah blah.

Kane danced well thank you very much! He just didn't go around doing it with a damn sword!

Tempest lashed him with three backhanded hits using the flat edge of her sword. Kane jerked to and fro like a puppet while she slapped him around. She snickered. "Great dance."

Before he could defend himself she swept his legs out from under him. Kane crashed into the ground. Tempest used Clarent's sharp tip to raise his chin. He froze when she nicked him again, drawing a drop of blood.

His breath caught in his throat when she leaned closer. Her lips ghosted over his. For a second Kane thought she was going to kiss him. But then her empty eyes met his and she moved past his parted lips to whisper in his ear.

"Thirty seconds. You failed."

Tempest sheathed Clarent, leaving a panting Kane on the floor like a discarded doll.

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QOTD: Why do you think Death has come to see Silver? Thoughts on how Kane's training has gone so far with Silver and now Tempest? How do you think Kane will fair in his first battle?