Excalibur

The King Fails to Prove Himself

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.