Swan Song

Is He Made of Tin, or Stuffed?

As the small group entered the castle, they were filled with dread. Lock immediately realized why Merlin had been so hesitant to come.

The power filling the air was unlike anything he'd felt before. Even being in the presence of Vanitas himself paled in comparison to this.

"What...is she?" Lock asked, looking at his mentor, who had a grim look on his face.

"You've noticed Nimue's affinity for water, yes?" Lock nodded. "She's one with water because, a while ago, Azteca became unstable as a realm. Some of the darkness the Fallen Earl created managed to sneak inside and rattle everything. To stop it from being taken over, two humans and two fairies had to become one with the elements. It was a requirement of the seal I cast."

They passed through a door, which was being guarded by two empty suits of armor. Allen shivered upon seeing them, and Arthur hid behind him.

"Nimue, as you might have guessed, became one with water. It is the weakest of the elements. Morgan herself became fire." As if on cue, the torches on the walls lit themselves, and Glen smirked.

"Let me guess," Allen said. "Fire is the strongest?"

The old man shook his head. "Not quite. That would be air, but the fairy who bonded with it hasn't been seen in a long time. We've nothing to fear from him. Still, power would be second, and I'm afraid that should he-" He gestured toward Glen. "-side with Morgan in a battle of magic, we would be soundly defeated."

Lit leaned close to Lock, then whispered, "That won't happen if we kill him here."

"Not happening," the boy whispered back, pushing the fairy's face away. Allen scowled at the scene.

"Why not? You've got your knight in dusty armor back."

Allen looked down, then muttered, "It's not that dusty."

"We don't know what will happen once Glen dies," Lock said. "Len might go back to being a book."

"It's more like he was inside the book, really."

"No one cares."

"Merely pointing it out."

"Point a blade at your wrists."

"Shut up!" Merlin growled, silencing the two. Allen attempted to casually put himself between Lock and Lit, but wound up tripping and knocking into both of them, making them hit Merlin, making him hit Glen, causing him to fall into the door in front of him. The group all fell inside the throne room, inside of which Morgan stood.

She looked the group up and down as they got up. "Impressive."

"We're humbled by your compliments," Lit replied, bowing politely.

"I didn't mean your embarrassing display just now," the young woman explained, looking at her brother. "I was talking about my brother, the boy who stole my crown from me."

Lit pointed at her head. "You seem to have found it again."

Morgan slowly waved her arm through the air, and the tracker fell down, asleep.

Allen was even more on alert than before, stepping in front of Lock.

"You realize I'm not the one who's gonna need saving if it comes to a fight, right?" the former preacher reasoned, but his boyfriend wasn't having it.

"I'll risk it."

Glen walked up to Morgan, then proceeded to kiss her deeply. Both Lock and Allen grimaced, whereas Arthur blushed, looking down.