"So you could imagine what a disaster it would be if I were ever turned into a harbinger," Ordephus rambled, rolling his shoulder after landing harshly on it. They had a short encounter with a minor harbinger near the gates of the Seelie Kingdom, but it was quickly taken care of. It turned out they still had pent-up, restless energy after their journey through the Garden of the Damned a few days prior. "And even if my theory is wrong, do we really want to test it out?"

"No," Noctifer responded idly, humoring the legend rather than actually listening to him. Sensing the disinterest, Ordephus gave him a miffed look.

"You're not even listening to me, are you."

"I hear words, but no."

Ordephus rolled his eyes skyward at that but continued to voice his thoughts on various subjects as they picked their way through the paved streets. They should have felt relieved to be back in civilization, but Noctifer couldn't help but want to walk faster. It had been nearly a week—according to Ordephus who somehow knew how to tell the time in a place with no sun—since they've left Iver and Argent in the tower. Iver was resourceful, but a week was much longer than the estimated days. They weren't even sure if the boy was still alive. It was apparent the other felt the urgency as well, for he only stopped to tell a guard to inform the Faerie King of their return and that they would be waiting at the doors of the Eten'eslr. Whatever the Eten'eslr was in the first place. He didn't voice his question, however, since he was sure he was about to find out within the hour at most. So, he wordlessly followed the legend who had also—finally—grown silent. They soon arrived in front of a wall that looked to have a door, except for the fact that there didn't seem to be a way to open it at all.

"Faerie magic," Ordephus said simply. "It'll only open for a seelie. The Eten'eslr is probably the only thing keeping them from turning into an unseelie, you see, and its nectar is poured into the water source directly from the flower. It's quite clever, actually, but I won't bother you with the logistics since someone doesn't care enough to listen."

"You do tend to ramble and get sidetracked," Noctifer replied in defense. "So the Eten'eslr is a flower, and its nectar is the Dew of the Gods you were speaking of?"

"Mhm. When taken in large amounts, it could cause you to hallucinate and eventually die from overexertion." If he noticed Noctifer's incredulous look, he didn't comment on it as he continued, "But in regulated amounts, it's very effective against poisons and can heal a variety of other things."

The conversation quickly came to a close as they heard someone approaching. The Faerie King took even strides towards them, although still followed by a haughty aura as he stopped before them. Noctifer found it odd how the King had arrived alone—no guards or even servants within sight, he realized—and he wore no crown. Suppose it made sense that he wouldn't always be in court attire, but the warrior didn't know if it was ignorance or an insult that the King didn't see a need for extra protection.

"Since we're here," Tolum began, holding out his hand. "I believe you have a gift for me."

"Not a gift, but an exchange," Ordephus grinned slyly, taking the golden apple from his bag that was sealed in a glass orb, although not handing it over quite yet. "Don't even bother."

Tolum shrugged before moving to the door. "It was worth a shot."

At first, it appeared nothing happened as Tolum laid his hand against the door, but that was when Noctifer noticed a light slowly traveling upwards. It looked as if it were carving through the stone, forming a now-functional set of doors. Even the vines had receded, rustling little, white, sweet-smelling flowers that drifted down from above. For Ordephus—he stole a glance at his companion—By the gods, is everything in this kingdom so frivolous? He almost expected the room beyond to be equally as garish, but instead, he was greeted by a simpler sight.

The room was still just as white and pristine as the rest of the palace, made of the same marble and decorated with the same gems, but there was no extra splendor in sight. The floor was grass instead of stone, and spring poured into a basin that quickly overflowed into an assortment of channels. This was the seelie's main source—or only source—of water, Noctifer realized, and in the center of it all stood a single flower. It couldn't have been any larger than his hand, and its delicate petals glowed a soft, iridescent blue. What looked to be drops of gold dripped into the water steadily as the flower stooped slightly over it. No wonder the seelie were so protective over it, Noctifer thought, since their survival depended on this single, fragile blossom.

Tolum gave him a wary look as he followed Ordephus into the dimly lit room. The King himself stayed near the door. It was obvious the legend and the Faerie King knew each other from previous encounters, but to him, Noctifer was a wild card. Noctifer understood this, and only walked in a few steps, letting Ordephus do the rest. They both watched as Ordephus pulled a small vial from his bag, inspecting and prodding it with magic—mana, Noctifer observed, since it didn't hold the same unnatural feel as the lifeforce. With a nod of approval, he held the vial under the petals, catching each drop of golden nectar.

It was an awkward few minutes as they all silently waited for the vial to fill. Tolum finally spoke up as Ordephus pulled out a second, inspecting and holding it under the Eten'eslr once the first was filled.

"We didn't agree on you taking a second," he said, annoyed.

"We didn't agree on a set number, either," Ordephus countered, sending a smug smile over his shoulder. "You're losing your touch, Tollykins."

"Don't call me that," the seelie snapped, his wings rustling in indignation.

"I'll call you whatever I like." Ordephus returned his attention back to the vial.

Tolum huffed and lowered his wings. There was no point in arguing about something so trivial. "Why do you need so much? You look perfectly fine to me." Noctifer saw him glance at Ordephus' neck. His hair was pulled back as usual, but it fully exposed the bandage that wrapped around it. A look of genuine concern crossed the seelie's face, which surprised the warrior, but it was quickly replaced by indifference. "Besides any flesh wounds, but nothing severe enough to need the Dew of the Gods."

"I'm trying to heal a child."

There was a slight pause. "Yours?"

"No. A dragonkind who inhaled the Draekor's Poison."

"I told you it was a bad idea making it."

Ordephus shot him a glare. "You didn't say anything about it back then."

"Not to your face, of course. You would have killed me like the rest of them," Tolum said matter-of-factly. Noctifer didn't quite know the context, but he knew a low blow when he heard one. But to Ordephus' credit, he simply rolled his eyes.

"Then that doesn't count."

"It does to me."

"Still an annoying brat, I see," Ordephus grumbled to himself, corking the second vial and standing. He pocketed the two vials of the Dew of the Gods, not quite trusting the bag given by the seelie, before walking over to Tolum. The seelie's hand was already held out, and he set the golden apple in his waiting palm. "You can get it out of the glass yourself."

"The wrath of the Seelie will fall upon you if you've poisoned this," Tolum said, working to reseal the door once they were all back out in the hall. It only took a few moments for everything to return as it was. He paused, however, and almost turned to Ordephus tentatively. "Dephus?"

The old nickname caught his attention. "Yes?"

For a moment it looked as if Tolum was about to tell him something. Something important, judging by his expression. But he seemed to change his mind at the last second, scowling as he turned away.

"Never mind. Get out of my kingdom." With that, he brushed past them to walk in the direction he had come from.

"You're not even going to show us the way out?" Ordephus said with a teasing grin, and the seelie's wings twitched in annoyance.

"You know the way just fine," he called back, not even bothering to turn around. "And don't bother coming back."

"I suppose I deserved that," Ordephus chuckled to himself when Tolum was out of sight and began walking in the other direction. Noctifer followed, hoping the seelie's statement was true.

"He was different from when he was in the Court," Noctifer noted.

"Of course he was." There was a slight pause between his sentences as Noctifer felt the red energy surround them, but it was light enough to be ignored. Had the legend cast a silencing spell on the area? "The Seelie Court still thinks we are mortal enemies. Not to mention, they would immediately dethrone him if they found out."

". . . Care to explain, or is this another 'we must wait for Iver' scenario?" He glanced over his shoulder. "He was still verbally hostile to you, even if it was subtle."

"As I said, I deserved that." He turned into a hallway that narrowed significantly, and the walls were filled with intricate carvings and designs. "He still hasn't forgiven me for killing Agkaneel, but neither have I, so I won't bother defending myself. Neel was the one who practically raised us half-dragon children and was a large source of comfort to Tolum when their tyrant of a father demanded too much of him." He stopped and sighed, turning to a random portion of the nonsensical artwork and began scanning it. "We've somewhat made amends over the years despite that. We're the only ones left, after all."

Finally finding what he was looking for, he pressed his fingers against a Symbol of Ordephus that was hidden in the stonework. The same white flash and the weightless feeling returning, Noctifer blinked to find himself back in the outcrop that they had originally teleported to from Weststar. Ordephus pulled one of the vials to inspect it, seeing if it was still there, and nodded in satisfaction before walking down the worn path once again.

By the time they had arrived back at the workshop portion of the tower, it was clear Iver had put it to good use. It looked as if he had recently brewed a potion and had fiddled with other pieces of equipment. The counters were less organized than before, and there was a medicinal scent in the air. Ordephus didn't care in the slightest and immediately entered the bedroom. There he saw Argent, still in bed and unconscious, and Iver who was sitting peacefully nearby with a book in his hand. The elf jumped when he had entered, but immediately relaxed when he saw Noctifer next. It was apparent Ordephus was too preoccupied to notice Iver's disturbed look that he shot in the warrior's direction, and Noctifer could only sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. But the legend's obliviousness could be excused this once as the situation was still urgent.

"Sorry it took longer than expected," Ordephus began, waving Iver over to help him give Argent the golden liquid. "Did anything happen?"

"No," Iver replied, swiftly setting the book aside and going to his aid. The boy's life was still at stake. "He woke up, in fact, and I was able to give him some of the nourishment potion and water, but the fever soon overtook him once more."

"Is he still able to swallow anything?"

"With help."

Noctifer stayed back as they propped the boy up, Ordephus sitting behind him to keep him upright while Iver laid his hand lightly against his throat. It glowed faintly as he concentrated on controlling the muscles of the throat, making sure none of the liquid had spilled into his lungs. It was a precarious task—Iver was already quite low on mana, so he had to make sure every bit of magic was used effectively—but necessary if they could ever hope the boy would recover. Everyone let out a collective breath when the vial was emptied, and Iver gave a nod of approval. The Dew of the Gods had worked, and he could already feel the fever lowering. Together they laid the boy back down, making sure the pillows kept his head angled up. That was when Noctifer approached, standing by Ordephus' side while Iver settled at the foot of the bed, staring at the legend unsure.

". . . Darin?"

Ordephus snorted. "That's the second time you've questioned my identity."

Noctifer gave a long-suffering sigh, resisting the urge to hit the legend in the head. "That's because of this, wizard." He gave a harsh tug on Ordephus' ponytail, causing the other to tilt back far enough to have to step back with a yelp, before smacking him in the face with it.

"Hey!" He scowled before flicking his hair back over his shoulder, only to see it flit white in the corner of his eye. With wide eyes, finally realizing why Iver was so confused, he looked at Noctifer. "Oh."

Noctifer stared back at him in disbelief. "Have you gone senile?"

"We did establish I was a madman from the start," the other shrugged, to which Noctifer nodded sagely.

"That we did."

"Yes, about that," Iver interrupted, motioning to Ordephus once he had their attention. "Can someone please explain to me what in all of Amaredeia is going on?"

"Uh . . ." Ordephus gave a sheepish grin. "Surprise?"

"Surprise?!" Iver sputtered. "That is all you have to say? Surprise? You mean to tell me we have been traveling with Ordephus all this time? But you—but the boy is—"

Noctifer moved to pat the frazzled elf on the back with a chuckle as the other pressed his fingers to his temples. "Don't worry, he's still Darin and is surprisingly weak for his status."

"I'm going to ignore that," Ordephus stated, sending Noctifer a glare before shaking his head. "But I do have a hefty amount of explaining to do." He smirked once Iver was able to look at him again. "Do you need tea or alcohol for this?"

Iver gave a dry laugh, falling back to lie across the bed and covering his eyes with his arm. "The alcohol is tempting, but I want a clear mind for this."

"Tea it is."

Word count: 2489