Solstice War - Gathering

[willysilver]

The Solstice was upon them. When the sun went down the magic began to swell, the veil between this world and the Other Side thin as vapor. Mortals could sense it, even, though they may not have a name for it. They gathered together, not realizing the animal instinct of safety in numbers.

But all around the city, from the dark parts, fae began to come together as well. Unseelie filled the city- boggarts and Red Caps and things unseen for many a year with bright eyes and sharp teeth. But they were tricksy, dangerous and malicious but no worse than they ever were. The real threat, the ever present danger this year, were the Milesian that crawled out of the sewers and tube tunnels to prowl they city. They were hunting tonight. They had eyes black and soulless, eyes too wide for their white, gaunt faces. Larger than their eyes were their mouth. The smile of needle fangs glinted in the street lights. Long arms ending with spidery, spindly fingers reached and clawed at passers by from the shadows.

There was a war in the city tonight and the nature of the foe, the Milesian, meant no bound mortal needed to be near any battle. Death would come to one or the other if a killing blow came down.

But there was hope. Seelie fae prowled the city as well, fighting for Light and Air. Even the Queen had seen fit to step through with her sword and shield. Such was the threat to the Fae way of life that the Milesian presented.

The longest day of the year dawned but the sunlight did nothing to frighten off the dark forces. The longest day of the year simply meant the things that went bump in the night were attacking in the light.




(Tag in, tag around! Open all week so check back. Have fun with your adventures. If you don't want any Milesian, there are plenty of Unseelie, too. Day or night, whichever works for you.)

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[willysilver]

"Very well," the brother said with a nod. There was no compassion is his tone or eyes. He simply beckoned Fin closer and in a flash the group was gone from the streets of London.

The palace was busy with servants rushing too and fro, helping injured warriors with their wounds. As soon as they arrived an army of Phouka who all wore the same face as the one who was now free in London appeared to carry away the dead.

"You may go with him," the fae told Fin. "Mourn in your way."

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin nodded dumbly, staring at Will's lifeless body, and stopping a pair of phouka who approached to take him.

"Don't! Don't... Don't touch him," he said quietly, his voice wavering slightly as he dropped to his knees beside the fae. The phoukas simply moved onto the next, leaving the young trooping fae with the fallen prince.

"You wanker," he whispered. "I begged you- I said I didn't want to break our bond... You had to keep pushing. You had to..."

Finlay trailed off, his breath catching as he fought back a sob. He didn't want to cry, not here. Not surrounded by strangers who knew about as much about love as a gnat knew about polka. He didn't want to cry. ...But his heart didn't care what he wanted, and the tears came slowly, rolling down his cheeks as he breathed hard through his nose and tried to hold them back.

Once there was a crack in the dam though, it was all over. Bent over Will's body, Fin had no say anymore as the agony heartache broke loose. Shoulders shaking, chest heaving, the young fae came apart.

[willysilver]

Servants and phouka and battle weary fae moved around the pair, but the force of Fin's grief kept them away. It offered them a moment of privacy, even in the crowd.

Fin's wish was more powerful, even than death. Willy had known it would be. Immortality by bargain would carry a steep price, he knew, but he'd said nothing about such things to Fin. He had thought it would only trouble the young fae.

Fin's tears soaked his shirt and his skin was damp. For far too long it was a tableau of a man grieving his love. But then something curious began to happen.

Willy began to glow with a faint, blue light. The savage wounds he bore from the teeth and claws of the Milesian began to knit closed. There were so many of them, though. As his body healed the light grew brighter. Brighter still. Faint blue light became as white hot flames, forcing Fin back with the energy of it.

And when the light faded, Willy opened his eyes to see the ceiling of the palace. He shifted a bit, testing out his body. He had never died before and the entire experience was deeply upsetting.

He blinked once more and sat up.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Shocked, and honestly a bit terrified, Fin scrambled away. Eyes wide, the young fae found himself stunned silent, and his hand scrambled for his blade- Only to find it gone. ...Dropped, most likely, during the attack.

[willysilver]

Two phouka were passing but stopped to watch the spectacle. It was powerful magic, the like of which they had never seen. When Will sat up they ran away to tell what they had seen.

Willy began to touch himself, his arms and neck and belly. His flesh was solid and warm and he could feel his heart beat with his hand on his chest. He looked over to Fin, the first real sight of this new life, and he smiled softly. His eyes were the same emerald as ever, and when he spoke his voice was unchanged.

"Your wish was a powerful gift," he said. "Though I feared it may not be enough to keep me by your side. We see now it was folly to worry."

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin remained silent at first, keeping his distance and swallowing hard.

"Why... Why do you look different?" he asked, voice shaky when he finally spoke. "Are you? Are you alive? Are you still you? Are you..."

He had so many questions, and they all tried to tumble out at once.

[willysilver]

Willy felt no different, and so at Fin's words he reached up to touch his face. It felt different, and when he touched his hair that was certainly new. Light fingers explored slowly, until he was satisfied.

"Am I displeasing?" he asked. "I feel as I ever have..."

He thought for a moment and tested his magic by conjuring a chrysanthemum in the palm of his hand. "I appear to be well, Fin. Come...come closer.

[prince_of_nymphs]

It was silly, Fin knew it was Will, could feel it, but- This face, this form, it didn't feel warm the way the last had. It didn't feel like his Will. He didn't feel drawn in the way he once had.

Finlay moved closer, but some distance remained.

[willysilver]

Willy twisted and put his feet down, then stood up. He was immediately light-headed and sat back down hard. Scuffling footsteps came through the doorway and there were now five phouka and a fae with white hair and an aged face. He came in to see for himself what the phouka had reported.

"Death had taken you," he said, moving past Fin to Willy. "Your mother will be best pleased the news was wrong."

"No, Ioan," Willy said, smiling at the familiar, kind face. "I believe that death took me. But Fin...this is Fin...he made a wish some time ago. I believe that is what brought me back."

The old fae began to inspect Willy, looking into his eyes and touching him here and there.

"Such strong magic," he tutted. He looked at Fin. "You wield great power over him now. I do hope you intend to use such power wisely."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I don't intend to use it at all," Fin insisted quietly. Will seemed to be taking this all so we'll, but Fin knew death, he'd been in its presence. He was finding it hard to just accept this for what it was.

And the face, he was having a pretty hard time with that too, honestly.

"Will I... Maybe we should get you looked at. ...Back home, I mean."

[willysilver]

Willy knew there would be a feast. There would be music and tales of valour and foods to delight the senses. He knew that was tradition and a nostalgic part of him wanted to share it all with Fin.

But he was so tired.

Home sounded most pleasant.

"Yes, I think," he said. "Tell my mother I send my regards, Ioan."

Again he tried to stand and fell back down. It was on the third try, with the steadying hand of the old fae, that Willy managed to keep his feet.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin dragged himself to his feet with significantly more ease, lingering near but still not touching. Unease sat in his gut, weighing him down, leaving him much more cautious than usual.

"Pardon my ignorance and all that, but how do we get back from here?" he whispered, the words meant only for Will.

[willysilver]

"There are many doorways in the palace. We can use one to get back to the city," Will replied quietly. Ioan walked away now that Will was on his feet, bidding his farewell in a strange, ancient language. The prince waved a hand goodbye.

"Come. I know one near here," he said, sounding much more confident than he was. He was a bit confused, and he felt wobbly, but he was determined to get home.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin followed, but hung back slightly, tense and shaken as he wandered along behind the other fae. He couldn't explain it, but he just wasn't ready to be close yet.

"How do you feel? Are you in pain?" he asked.

[willysilver]

"I am not in pain, but I feel out of sorts. Nothing feels right, not even my eyes," he replied, waking slowly as if he were taking his very first steps. Everything about him felt off and he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

"I believe we will find the door we need this way," he said as a few more phouka went passed, all whispering to themselves. These were dressed in armor, their hair wild from battle.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Right," Fin said softly, wrapping his arms around himself and trying not to stare at all the Phoukas. ...Winter would think this was heaven.

"You look really different," he said quietly, sure he'd said that already, but finding himself stuck on it. ...He couldn't explain why, but this was different from the last time he had changed faces. That had been a choice. This was just- Unsettling.

[willysilver]

"I feel different," Willy said, reaching up to touch his face, then feel down his neck and across his chest. "I am sure I just need to sleep, though. It will all be better in the morning."

He held to that hope, not realizing that it already was the morning.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I'm not sure this is the sort of thing you just sleep off, Will," Fin warned in the most soothing tone he could manage just then. "I think, um... Well, we'll worry about it after you've been looked at and had some rest."

[willysilver]

Will turned to look at him then. There was no easy smile, no light in his eyes. He looked terribly weary.

"Alright," he agreed. "Worry later is a good idea."

Then he moved on to a corridor of doors, each too close together to go to an actual room. Willy touched a few, then decided on one and opened it. On the other side of it was an alley. Bins stood together with rubbish in bags heaped in them and around them. A rat was chewing on a bit of pastry.

"Here we are," he said and beckoned Fin closer. "This is home."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Lovely," Fin said, looking down at the rat and stepping over it back into London.

"Is it over now?" he asked, finally falling into step with the other fae, rather then lingering behind. "The war, I mean- Is that it? Was that the end for now?"

[willysilver]

"For now, yes. With the dawn came the end. The Unseelie will return to the land of Air and Darkness. The Milesian, I do not know. I do know the veil has closed and if they try to come through it was be nearly impossible. The world is safe, I believe."

He walked through the alley as he spoke and then stepped onto a sunlit sidewalk. Willy looked up at the sun, closing his eyes to feel it on his face.

"We should get a taxi..." he said, wobbling as he stood.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I'll get us an uber, alright?" Fin offered, pulling his phone from his pocket and tapping away. "You'll be home soon, Will. You'll feel better after you rest."

He texted Hex while he was at it, begging the other man to meet them at his and Will's flat.

[willysilver]

Willy moved to the edge of the building and leaned heavily against it. Soon there would be a car, and soon after that, bed. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. He could feel the icy fingers of the Milesian on him, the sharp teeth, the cursed magic. He longed to sleep, to find his way back, even temporarily, to the peace he'd felt before he'd awoken in the palace.

Fin's phone buzzed and Hex sent a short message that he'd be there within the hour, whenever he could get a car. Just a short message, to the point.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin was much more chatty, fingers flying over the keys as he glanced up at will, then looked back down at his phone again, tapping away.

Will was hurt
Died
Came back
New face
Don't like it- freaking out a bit tbh
idk what to do Hex

Their uber pulled up, and Fin glanced at Will again. "Um, this is us, okay?" he said, nodding at the car and waiting for Will to get in first.

[willysilver]

Willy climbed in and immediately settled into the corner and closed his eyes again.

Fin's phone buzzed with Hex's reply.

He died?

New face?

Mate that's fucked up.

I'm in the Uber, brt