Guinevere's Grail | ✓ [BOOK 2]

~ 2 ~

She took his hand and leaned over, placing his palm over her cheek. It felt nice to have him back like this. It was a relief to know that he still loved her, that this didn't change, even after everything.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

They had their moment for a minute, then Morgana turned his attention back to Kit.

Giselle followed his gaze. "Kit, would you go let them know? Astyr first."

He nodded and turned for the door, heading outside to tell the others.

"Astyr?"

She looked back at Morgana with a gentle expression. "She came. She was looking for you."

Her heart dropped to her stomach then, when she remembered why Astyr was there in the first place. Morgana didn't miss the face she made.

"Giselle, what's wrong?"

She swallowed, gripping his hand before meeting his eyes. "Um. She came with news. It's--it's bad news but I can't have you panic, okay?"

"Just tell me."

After a deep breath to clear her head, she finally told him. "It's Faerie. Something's going on, they're all sick and no one knows why. But it's... it's your sick. The one you have."

"There's a remedy," Morgana said. "There's a way to help it, why can't they just do that?"

"It's killing them too fast, and there's not enough of what they need," she said. "And besides, you, me, and Astyr are the only ones who know how to make it, but your mother has no way to spread the word without me there."

Morgana looked to be on the verge of tears and tried to sit up.

"Morgana, please--"

"No, we need to go, we need to help them," he said. "I'll be fine, they need help."

"Stop," Giselle said firmly. "Stop. We're getting help from the druids and your mother, we're trying really hard to find a solution, okay? We can't go back yet, the plague is contagious."

"I'll be fine, I can't get it."

"Yeah, well I can."

That shut him up.

"Your mother can't get it, but she can't help on her own. She needs me, but I can't go to Faerie until I know we have a solution," she said. "At the very least, we need to guarantee that I can be down there safely."

He looked frustrated. "Let me help, then."

"I'll have to talk about that with the others."

Right on cue, the door swung open. Astyr was the first inside, rushing to Morgana's side and pulling him into an embrace. The others filed in after that.

Astyr pulled away and Morgana looked over the others. His eyes were searching.

"Where's Chalice? Are they late?"

Giselle's heart sank, and Kit and Eurion looked like kicked puppies.

"They're gone, Morgana," Giselle said over a breaking voice. "Titania... she brought the Summer army with her. The Princess..."

Morgana closed his eyes. "Oh," he said, barely above a whisper.

The room was silent for awhile.

"Where are we, anyway?"

"We're in Fells," Giselle told him.

"You did mention druids, I should've guessed," he said. He pulled on the chain again, then looked up at the others. "Can I get out of this awful bed, please?"