I am SO sorry! I have no excuses, but I will try to do better in the future. This chapter was just hard because I had a dozen different ways to take it that mark the future of the story. **
A flash of sparks marked the failure of the fifth attempt to discover the location of his Queen, and the King hissed and cursed.
He could see the place somewhat around the image of the wounded demon, but it wasn't enough.
Whatever protections guarded the hovel were strong, strong enough to ward off his search, but they couldn't hold forever. Certainly the ones he searched for couldn't hide there forever.
It was only a matter of time.
Grabbing another spellbook from the bookshelf, he opened it to a stronger location spell, smiling as he felt something before it failed.
He was getting closer.
**
Never before had Lukas felt such white-hot rage flowing through his veins as he did listening to Matthew's stuttered tale of how he had seduced their father to save their lives. Only the fact that he couldn't seem to work magic in this form kept him from shooting off sparks of fire as Matthew curled over Emil and sobbed his apologies for letting them be trapped in swan forms.
It wasn't Matthew's fault Arthur was insane, nor was he to blame for wanting to see his brothers live.
If anything, Lukas was to blame for not summoning the trolls from the very start. If only he'd been faster...
If he hadn't waited, Matthew might not bear yet another unwarranted burden of guilt.
Except that the pain and Matthew's description of watching them writhe on the ground made it sound like Arthur had been using a sapping death spell. If the Trolls had come before Arthur had stopped, it would have taken little more than a thought to complete the process in an instant, leaving nothing but corpses for the Trolls to steal away.
A wave of icy terror flowed down Lukas' spine at the realization of how close they had come to death, and Lukas pressed himself against Matthew's side, wishing he could tell his little brother exactly what he had done – he had saved them, no matter what shape they were bound to now.
Curses could be broken, transformations undone, but life... life could not be rekindled.
“You shouldn't be so quick to take blame,” Herakles' slow voice is calming and free of judgment as he looks up from Berwald's still form – Lukas was fairly certain Herakles had done something to make him sleep before his wing was set. “You didn't know the Trolls would come. Surely you prefer your brothers alive as birds rather than dead as men?”
Shocked into silence, Matthew nodded, his shuddering sobs quieting as he looked up.
“Don't you think they would agree?”
This time, Matthew's nod came slower, but it did come. Soren and Tino screeched their agreement, while Lukas nodded, looking to the healer in muted approval.
He received a quiet look of understanding, a small smile that seemed to accept his own unspoken gratitude.
Herakles was a good man.
The quiet was broken by Eduard, leaping into the air and honking as a tri-colored kitten mewled pitifully from where it had landed, just missing Eduard in its attack. It was smaller than Eduard, but the way it watched him retreat between Matthew and Soren suggested that it really didn't care.
“Pounce....” Herakles scolded half-heartedly.
“That's my brother!” Tino, however, took the apparent threat to his twin very seriously, extending his wings and hissing menacingly at the small cat, frightening it back to the warmth of its mother beneath the bed.
Matthew looked worried, pulling Emil up against his chest – and out of reach of cats.
“I think, young swan,” Herakles began in a stern fashion, though his eyes were bright with supressed laughter, “that you will have to forgive a kitten's curiosity.” To Matthew, who was watching the cats with wary eyes, he reassured, “My cats will not harm a guest in my home, even a bird-shaped one.”
“You're sure?”
“Yes, though your brave warrior here seems ready to fight off threats of any size.”
As if on cue, Tino ruffled his feathers, folding his wings back against his body with an air of seriousness that seemed to dare any kitten to mess with him as he made his way back to Eduard's side.
Matthew giggled.
He was wearing a timid smile, letting a ruffled Emil back down onto his lap. The sight and sound warmed Lukas' heart, enough that he didn't scold Tino for causing a ruckus in their host's home – it wasn't like the cats could do much damage, especially as only the kittens seemed particularly interested in them and even the largest of those was just Emil's size.
After what Matthew had gone through, what they'd all gone through, it was good to see that he could still smile, even covered in blood – their blood, Lukas had realized with mixed relief and horror upon listening to Matthew's tale – and buried beneath Herakles' oversized cloak.
At least he didn't seem to have been too badly hurt in Arthur's hands.
Now they just had to keep it that way.
Arthur wasn't the type to get over things easily. He'd spent eleven years brooding over the loss of his Queen, and he probably could have gone on until he died of old age if Matthew hadn't caught his eye.
Unless something knocked Arthur out of his insanity, Matthew was never going to be safe.
And anyone who interfered would probably not live to regret it.
Watching Herakles stand at the grumble of Matthew's stomach, fetching a bowl from one of the cupboards and filling it with something from a pot on the back of the stove, his every movement slow and deliberate, Lukas felt a prickle of guilt in his chest.
Herakles had no idea of the danger they put him in just by being here, and there was no way to tell him.
“You should eat,” Herakles told Matthew, crouching down and holding out the bowl in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other. “It will do you good.”
Reaching out to take the offering, Matthew smiled nervously. “...Thank you.”
Herakles just smiled back, “I'll get you something for your brothers.” At Matthew's confused look, he explained that swans were better off eating fresh vegetables than the stew he was feeding Matthew, before standing and walking out the door.
Matthew looked at his brothers with wide-eyed concern, clutching his bowl against his chest as though it might hurt them just by existing. Likely he had been thinking of sharing it with them.
“It's okay, Baby Bear,” Soren honked, gently bumping his head against Matthew's, causing the tension that lined his body to ease away. Then he nudged the bowl, “Eat.”
Even without understanding what Soren was saying, the actions were obvious enough that Matthew only hesitated for a moment before dipping the spoon into the stew and lifting a bite to his mouth.
When Herakles returned with an armful of fresh produce, Matthew had already consumed half the bowl. He stopped eating to watch Herakles pump water into a bowl to wash the vegetables, chopping carrots and celery into small pieces and ripping the lettuce apart with his fingers. The end product, which was placed in front of Matthew in a large bowl, was a delicious looking salad.
“No meat?” Soren whined quite loudly.
“Soren?” Matthew tensed, obviously worried.
Soren was an idiot.
With careful precision, Lukas gauged the distance and unfurled his wing sharply, cuffing Soren's side with a nonchalant ease he didn't really feel. “Idiot.”
Now Herakles was looking a little worried, but Matthew's gaze was warm and fond. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning anymore either, familiar enough with his brothers to recognize that Lukas wouldn't be rough with Soren if something was actually wrong.
With a nod, Lukas walked to the bowl, gesturing with his bill for Emil and the twins to join him. “Save some for Berwald,” he told them as quietly as he could. “We don't want to inconvenience the healer anymore than necessary.”
Nodding their understanding, all three began to nibble at the leaves, and once Lukas was satisfied that they were actually eating, he joined them, followed not long after by Soren.
When he looked up from the bowl, his stomach pleasantly full, Lukas saw Herakles looking through a number of dark-looking books and found himself torn between staying beside Matthew and joining the healer in searching for a cure.
In the end, he didn't move. It wasn't like he had any more idea of what spell Arthur had used than Herakles. He hadn't been conscious while it was cast, after all. And as fascinating as those books looked, Matthew needed him, his tired gaze darting upward between each bite as though reassuring himself that they were all there alive and accounted for.
Pressing himself into Matthew's side, Lukas curled his neck around to rest his head in Matthew's lap. Who knew how long it would be before Arthur came looking for Matthew? How long would they be allowed to rest before having to run?
If they even managed to run. When Arthur came for Matthew, they wouldn't even have the advantage of surprise, not that it had been surprise that had saved them this time.
Arthur had underestimated Lukas' ability, not expecting a self-taught amateur without experience to have a full contract with the trolls – though really, it had been the faeries Arthur had contracted with to serve in the castle that had given Lukas the idea to even look for contract magic to begin with – but he wouldn't do so again.
Not that it mattered, since Lukas' magic was locked away in this form. He couldn't even summon a gust of warm air, much less anything that might save them from Arthur.
“Matthew,” Herakles interrupted Lukas' thoughts. “You said your brothers were all changed together. Are you absolutely certain that all of them were transformed at the exact same time?”
The gravity in Herakles voice had Matthew clutching at Lukas so tight that he could hardly breath, his bowl abandoned on the floor, while the others tensed, turning to face the healer. “I don't-” Matthew began, hesitating as he stared at Herakles.
“It's important, Matthew.” Despite the obvious tension in the way Herakles held the book laying open before him, he managed to keep his voice level and almost calm as he explained. “If it was six consecutive spells, there will be a different remedy than if it was a single spell working on all of them.”
Matthew nodded his understanding and squeezed his eyes tight in recollection, “I- I think it was just one. They- they all started screa- screaming again at- at the same time. I didn't....” The blood drained from his face as his eyes opened, his body shaking like a leaf.
Lukas stroked Matthew's face with the side of his bill, Emil and Eduard quickly joining him in offering a comforting touch. Berwald moved, as though aware of Matthew's distress, but whatever the healer had done to put him out was strong enough to keep him asleep, with Soren and Tino working to calm his troubled slumber.
There was a look of dismay on the healer's face as he looked back over his book, and Lukas felt a chill go down his spine. Perhaps they would never be returned to their human form-
“I'm afraid I've found the cure, Matthew.” Herakles paused, his fingers pressed down against the pages of the book. His eyes were dark and serious, his lips drawn tightly together.
Matthew didn't seem to notice, eyes alight with hope. “You did?”
“You should know,” Herakles began, “that it is rare for a mage to have the power and the will to cast a multiple transformation spell, but once cast its victims are bound together. You must cure your brothers together, or the spell will solidify and there will be no cure for any of them.”
Lukas nodded absently, his mind going back to his studies. It was a basic law of magic that spells could not be picked apart and undone piece by piece, but try as he might, he couldn't think of anything that would cause the healer to look so foreboding. Then he recalled the matter of emotional output. The rage and hatred Arthur had born towards them when he cast the spell would require the cure to be painful, evidence of a true love for those who could be the objects of such hate.
And because there were six of them, whatever Matthew had to suffer would be six times as painful.
“What is it?” He stumbled to his feet, wings outstretched for balance as he moved quickly across the floor. “What does Matthew have to do?!”
“Lukas!” The others called out in a chorus of honks and whistles, while Matthew reached out for him too late.
“What is it, Lu?” Soren followed him to Herakles side.
“The cure!” Lukas honked, tugging at Herakles shirt to get the man to let him look at the book. Lukas didn't want Matthew knowing how to break the curse before he knew just how much Matthew would have to suffer because Matthew would hide any fear or pain if he thought he could help them. Matthew would sacrifice himself for them without a thought, never thinking that they might not want such a sacrifice. “It will hurt Matthew. All of Father's hatred went into that spell, and Matthew will have to bear the pain six times over to prove that he loves us enough to counteract it!”
** Finally. This is very much a transitional chapter, come next chapter things will start happening.
Right!Anon: Yup. I'm trying for a very fairytale-esque villain in Arthur as he slips deeper and deeper into insanity. :)
OP: I am glad you're enjoying the story. I've always loved fairytales – especially making up my own using the bare bones of the original stories.
For pairings, I've actually done some more thinking about the plot and what's happening in the future for this story. I have something planned for France – I'm not telling what because that would spoil it, but it kind of clashes with making him a romantic interest. Right now I'm debating making Matthew end up with either one of the Asians (most likely Japan) or one of the Germanics (either Germany, Switz, or Liechtenstein). Your opinion would be much appreciated in the decision-making process, even if only to decide which family to use.
Honestly, Matthew's the only one for whom a pairing is a necessity, and I'm still not sure I will pair his brothers at all. But if I do, how do you feel about Lithuania as a partner for Finland or Sweden? And one (or both) of the Italies as a partner for the other? Also, would you be terribly upset if I paired Norway with Greece (after the curse is broken, of course)?
I know you said anything would be fine, but I'd rather double check than put in a pairing that might ruin the story for you. :) Especially since it would almost be easier to simply forgo pairings entirely.
Camper!Anon: Thanks for reminding me that there are people reading this! Otherwise I might have dithered over which plotline to go with for even longer. :) It made me smile to see that someone liked my story so much.
Lovely!Anon: I think I'm the late one here... :) The chaos is going to be spectacular once things get started. :) I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!
The Power in Silence - Part 6/?
**
A flash of sparks marked the failure of the fifth attempt to discover the location of his Queen, and the King hissed and cursed.
He could see the place somewhat around the image of the wounded demon, but it wasn't enough.
Whatever protections guarded the hovel were strong, strong enough to ward off his search, but they couldn't hold forever. Certainly the ones he searched for couldn't hide there forever.
It was only a matter of time.
Grabbing another spellbook from the bookshelf, he opened it to a stronger location spell, smiling as he felt something before it failed.
He was getting closer.
**
Never before had Lukas felt such white-hot rage flowing through his veins as he did listening to Matthew's stuttered tale of how he had seduced their father to save their lives. Only the fact that he couldn't seem to work magic in this form kept him from shooting off sparks of fire as Matthew curled over Emil and sobbed his apologies for letting them be trapped in swan forms.
It wasn't Matthew's fault Arthur was insane, nor was he to blame for wanting to see his brothers live.
If anything, Lukas was to blame for not summoning the trolls from the very start. If only he'd been faster...
If he hadn't waited, Matthew might not bear yet another unwarranted burden of guilt.
Except that the pain and Matthew's description of watching them writhe on the ground made it sound like Arthur had been using a sapping death spell. If the Trolls had come before Arthur had stopped, it would have taken little more than a thought to complete the process in an instant, leaving nothing but corpses for the Trolls to steal away.
A wave of icy terror flowed down Lukas' spine at the realization of how close they had come to death, and Lukas pressed himself against Matthew's side, wishing he could tell his little brother exactly what he had done – he had saved them, no matter what shape they were bound to now.
Curses could be broken, transformations undone, but life... life could not be rekindled.
“You shouldn't be so quick to take blame,” Herakles' slow voice is calming and free of judgment as he looks up from Berwald's still form – Lukas was fairly certain Herakles had done something to make him sleep before his wing was set. “You didn't know the Trolls would come. Surely you prefer your brothers alive as birds rather than dead as men?”
Shocked into silence, Matthew nodded, his shuddering sobs quieting as he looked up.
“Don't you think they would agree?”
This time, Matthew's nod came slower, but it did come. Soren and Tino screeched their agreement, while Lukas nodded, looking to the healer in muted approval.
He received a quiet look of understanding, a small smile that seemed to accept his own unspoken gratitude.
Herakles was a good man.
The quiet was broken by Eduard, leaping into the air and honking as a tri-colored kitten mewled pitifully from where it had landed, just missing Eduard in its attack. It was smaller than Eduard, but the way it watched him retreat between Matthew and Soren suggested that it really didn't care.
“Pounce....” Herakles scolded half-heartedly.
“That's my brother!” Tino, however, took the apparent threat to his twin very seriously, extending his wings and hissing menacingly at the small cat, frightening it back to the warmth of its mother beneath the bed.
Matthew looked worried, pulling Emil up against his chest – and out of reach of cats.
“I think, young swan,” Herakles began in a stern fashion, though his eyes were bright with supressed laughter, “that you will have to forgive a kitten's curiosity.” To Matthew, who was watching the cats with wary eyes, he reassured, “My cats will not harm a guest in my home, even a bird-shaped one.”
“You're sure?”
“Yes, though your brave warrior here seems ready to fight off threats of any size.”
As if on cue, Tino ruffled his feathers, folding his wings back against his body with an air of seriousness that seemed to dare any kitten to mess with him as he made his way back to Eduard's side.
Matthew giggled.
He was wearing a timid smile, letting a ruffled Emil back down onto his lap. The sight and sound warmed Lukas' heart, enough that he didn't scold Tino for causing a ruckus in their host's home – it wasn't like the cats could do much damage, especially as only the kittens seemed particularly interested in them and even the largest of those was just Emil's size.
After what Matthew had gone through, what they'd all gone through, it was good to see that he could still smile, even covered in blood – their blood, Lukas had realized with mixed relief and horror upon listening to Matthew's tale – and buried beneath Herakles' oversized cloak.
At least he didn't seem to have been too badly hurt in Arthur's hands.
Now they just had to keep it that way.
Arthur wasn't the type to get over things easily. He'd spent eleven years brooding over the loss of his Queen, and he probably could have gone on until he died of old age if Matthew hadn't caught his eye.
Unless something knocked Arthur out of his insanity, Matthew was never going to be safe.
And anyone who interfered would probably not live to regret it.
Watching Herakles stand at the grumble of Matthew's stomach, fetching a bowl from one of the cupboards and filling it with something from a pot on the back of the stove, his every movement slow and deliberate, Lukas felt a prickle of guilt in his chest.
Herakles had no idea of the danger they put him in just by being here, and there was no way to tell him.
“You should eat,” Herakles told Matthew, crouching down and holding out the bowl in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other. “It will do you good.”
Reaching out to take the offering, Matthew smiled nervously. “...Thank you.”
Herakles just smiled back, “I'll get you something for your brothers.” At Matthew's confused look, he explained that swans were better off eating fresh vegetables than the stew he was feeding Matthew, before standing and walking out the door.
Matthew looked at his brothers with wide-eyed concern, clutching his bowl against his chest as though it might hurt them just by existing. Likely he had been thinking of sharing it with them.
“It's okay, Baby Bear,” Soren honked, gently bumping his head against Matthew's, causing the tension that lined his body to ease away. Then he nudged the bowl, “Eat.”
Even without understanding what Soren was saying, the actions were obvious enough that Matthew only hesitated for a moment before dipping the spoon into the stew and lifting a bite to his mouth.
When Herakles returned with an armful of fresh produce, Matthew had already consumed half the bowl. He stopped eating to watch Herakles pump water into a bowl to wash the vegetables, chopping carrots and celery into small pieces and ripping the lettuce apart with his fingers. The end product, which was placed in front of Matthew in a large bowl, was a delicious looking salad.
“No meat?” Soren whined quite loudly.
“Soren?” Matthew tensed, obviously worried.
Soren was an idiot.
With careful precision, Lukas gauged the distance and unfurled his wing sharply, cuffing Soren's side with a nonchalant ease he didn't really feel. “Idiot.”
Now Herakles was looking a little worried, but Matthew's gaze was warm and fond. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning anymore either, familiar enough with his brothers to recognize that Lukas wouldn't be rough with Soren if something was actually wrong.
With a nod, Lukas walked to the bowl, gesturing with his bill for Emil and the twins to join him. “Save some for Berwald,” he told them as quietly as he could. “We don't want to inconvenience the healer anymore than necessary.”
Nodding their understanding, all three began to nibble at the leaves, and once Lukas was satisfied that they were actually eating, he joined them, followed not long after by Soren.
When he looked up from the bowl, his stomach pleasantly full, Lukas saw Herakles looking through a number of dark-looking books and found himself torn between staying beside Matthew and joining the healer in searching for a cure.
In the end, he didn't move. It wasn't like he had any more idea of what spell Arthur had used than Herakles. He hadn't been conscious while it was cast, after all. And as fascinating as those books looked, Matthew needed him, his tired gaze darting upward between each bite as though reassuring himself that they were all there alive and accounted for.
Pressing himself into Matthew's side, Lukas curled his neck around to rest his head in Matthew's lap. Who knew how long it would be before Arthur came looking for Matthew? How long would they be allowed to rest before having to run?
If they even managed to run. When Arthur came for Matthew, they wouldn't even have the advantage of surprise, not that it had been surprise that had saved them this time.
Arthur had underestimated Lukas' ability, not expecting a self-taught amateur without experience to have a full contract with the trolls – though really, it had been the faeries Arthur had contracted with to serve in the castle that had given Lukas the idea to even look for contract magic to begin with – but he wouldn't do so again.
Not that it mattered, since Lukas' magic was locked away in this form. He couldn't even summon a gust of warm air, much less anything that might save them from Arthur.
“Matthew,” Herakles interrupted Lukas' thoughts. “You said your brothers were all changed together. Are you absolutely certain that all of them were transformed at the exact same time?”
The gravity in Herakles voice had Matthew clutching at Lukas so tight that he could hardly breath, his bowl abandoned on the floor, while the others tensed, turning to face the healer. “I don't-” Matthew began, hesitating as he stared at Herakles.
“It's important, Matthew.” Despite the obvious tension in the way Herakles held the book laying open before him, he managed to keep his voice level and almost calm as he explained. “If it was six consecutive spells, there will be a different remedy than if it was a single spell working on all of them.”
Matthew nodded his understanding and squeezed his eyes tight in recollection, “I- I think it was just one. They- they all started screa- screaming again at- at the same time. I didn't....” The blood drained from his face as his eyes opened, his body shaking like a leaf.
Lukas stroked Matthew's face with the side of his bill, Emil and Eduard quickly joining him in offering a comforting touch. Berwald moved, as though aware of Matthew's distress, but whatever the healer had done to put him out was strong enough to keep him asleep, with Soren and Tino working to calm his troubled slumber.
There was a look of dismay on the healer's face as he looked back over his book, and Lukas felt a chill go down his spine. Perhaps they would never be returned to their human form-
“I'm afraid I've found the cure, Matthew.” Herakles paused, his fingers pressed down against the pages of the book. His eyes were dark and serious, his lips drawn tightly together.
Matthew didn't seem to notice, eyes alight with hope. “You did?”
“You should know,” Herakles began, “that it is rare for a mage to have the power and the will to cast a multiple transformation spell, but once cast its victims are bound together. You must cure your brothers together, or the spell will solidify and there will be no cure for any of them.”
Lukas nodded absently, his mind going back to his studies. It was a basic law of magic that spells could not be picked apart and undone piece by piece, but try as he might, he couldn't think of anything that would cause the healer to look so foreboding. Then he recalled the matter of emotional output. The rage and hatred Arthur had born towards them when he cast the spell would require the cure to be painful, evidence of a true love for those who could be the objects of such hate.
And because there were six of them, whatever Matthew had to suffer would be six times as painful.
“What is it?” He stumbled to his feet, wings outstretched for balance as he moved quickly across the floor. “What does Matthew have to do?!”
“Lukas!” The others called out in a chorus of honks and whistles, while Matthew reached out for him too late.
“What is it, Lu?” Soren followed him to Herakles side.
“The cure!” Lukas honked, tugging at Herakles shirt to get the man to let him look at the book. Lukas didn't want Matthew knowing how to break the curse before he knew just how much Matthew would have to suffer because Matthew would hide any fear or pain if he thought he could help them. Matthew would sacrifice himself for them without a thought, never thinking that they might not want such a sacrifice. “It will hurt Matthew. All of Father's hatred went into that spell, and Matthew will have to bear the pain six times over to prove that he loves us enough to counteract it!”
**
Finally. This is very much a transitional chapter, come next chapter things will start happening.
Right!Anon: Yup. I'm trying for a very fairytale-esque villain in Arthur as he slips deeper and deeper into insanity. :)
OP: I am glad you're enjoying the story. I've always loved fairytales – especially making up my own using the bare bones of the original stories.
For pairings, I've actually done some more thinking about the plot and what's happening in the future for this story. I have something planned for France – I'm not telling what because that would spoil it, but it kind of clashes with making him a romantic interest. Right now I'm debating making Matthew end up with either one of the Asians (most likely Japan) or one of the Germanics (either Germany, Switz, or Liechtenstein). Your opinion would be much appreciated in the decision-making process, even if only to decide which family to use.
Honestly, Matthew's the only one for whom a pairing is a necessity, and I'm still not sure I will pair his brothers at all. But if I do, how do you feel about Lithuania as a partner for Finland or Sweden? And one (or both) of the Italies as a partner for the other? Also, would you be terribly upset if I paired Norway with Greece (after the curse is broken, of course)?
I know you said anything would be fine, but I'd rather double check than put in a pairing that might ruin the story for you. :) Especially since it would almost be easier to simply forgo pairings entirely.
Camper!Anon: Thanks for reminding me that there are people reading this! Otherwise I might have dithered over which plotline to go with for even longer. :) It made me smile to see that someone liked my story so much.
Lovely!Anon: I think I'm the late one here... :)
The chaos is going to be spectacular once things get started. :) I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!
<3 to you all