Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I want to take a walk in the garden,” Ren said. Everyone glanced at her, but it was her nurse who replied. 

“Sure, princess. We could take one of your books to read, if you like? The weather is good.”

“Yes, go,” Alucard said. “It looks like it won’t rain.”

“I don’t want to go alone with the nurse,” she protested. “I want my aunt and uncle to come with me. I haven’t been with them for a while, after their last visit.”

Alucard glanced at Lila and smiled. He found it funny when Ren called Lila her aunt. He considered her family, of course, but he knew she found it weird. 

“What do you say, aunt Lila? You in?”

Lila glared at him, trying to hide her blush. “I have something else to do.”

“Come on, Bard. She requests your presence and wants to spend time with you. Don’t you, Ren?”

“Absolutely,” she stood up and got in front of Lila. “Would you do me the honor of coming on a walk with me, Delilah? I’d be delighted by your presence.”

“Who am I to say no to such a request?”

“Flattery will get you anywhere,” Alucard teased, and Lila rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t it, uncle Kell?”

“Don’t ask me. My flattery has the opposite effect on her.”

“Poor you,” Alucard patted his shoulder and stood. “But I guess you have other qualities other than looking like a wet cat. It’s fine.”

“I don’t look like a wet cat,” Kell protested. “Whatever that means.”

“You look grumpy and lame –”

“Saints,” Lila sighed audibly. 

“Luca! Please, stop. It isn’t good to talk to my uncle like that,” Ren said. “You should apologize.”

“But I didn’t –” Alucard began, but Lila sighed again and muttered to just do it. “I apologize if I hurt your feelings, master Kell.”

Kell glared at Alucard and Lila rolled her eyes. “Come on, princess. Let’s go. Hurry up, Kell.”

“You don’t look like a wet cat, uncle,” Ren said once they were alone. “And Esa is white. You are ginger like my rabbit Miros.”

Kell couldn’t hide a smile, and he and Lila exchanged a glance while they walked. She was smiling too. 

Oh, kids and their innocent humor. 

“Aunt Delilah,” Ren called next. “Will you hold my hand?”

“Aren’t you old for that?”

“I will hold your hand,” Kell offered, and Ren gladly accepted. He frowned at Lila.

“I’m only four and half years old,” the child said. “I’m not old. My papas are old and they hold hands. I saw you hold hands with uncle. Aren’t you old?”

“You do have a point, princess,” Lila conceded. “You may hold my hand. But just for today.”

Ren grabbed her hand and grinned at both. She looked ecstatic to spend time with them, and this made Lila happy as well, for some reason. She didn’t want to indulge in the princess’ desires, but she was, after all, just a child. A child who considered her family. A child whom she would protect if she were ever in danger. 

Chapter Text

Lila wrote a list of supplies for the ship and placed a stone on the parchment so she would remember about it in the morning. Kell had found the black rock while they were walking on a beach, and she had wanted to keep it. 

“This brings back memories,” he had said wistfully. 

Perhaps that’s why I like it, she had thought. It reminds me of  what brought us together.  

She went to Kell. He sat on the armchair by the fire that faced her, and he had fallen asleep with his arms crossed on his chest. Despite the guarded posture, his face was serene. He looked unbothered and at peace. 

Lila wasn’t a poet even though she enjoyed poetry enough. If she had been, she would have described the way the flames dancing on his skin made him look like he belonged elsewhere. Not heaven or hell – she didn’t believe in those things – but a secret third thing. 

She sighed. She remembered when she had watched him sleep, after he had saved her from Holland’s attack. She had taken him to her room and had removed his tunic to check his injuries. She had stared at his body and had been surprised that he didn’t have many scars compared to her. 

If he had opened his eyes while she had been observing him, he would have assumed she was a freak. But Lila had been just curious, and she had to make sure he wasn’t dying in her bed. 

Things had changed. Kell had toughened up and his once pristine skin bore the evidence of the seven years that had gone by since that night. Years filled with pain and loss but also love and happy moments together. 

“You are staring,” he whispered. So he was just pretending to sleep. 

“Old habit,” she shrugged, but didn’t move away from his face. Instead, she brushed his cheek with a finger and sat on his lap. “You are not a monster.”

He frowned at first, then a hint of a smile graced his face. It made him look younger, and she wished he’d smiled more. She wanted to make him smile more. 

“Then what am I, really?”

There were dozens of ways she could answer. A petty prince. A decent fighter. A cautious magician. My other half.

“Handsome,” she replied. “And sitting on my favorite chair.”

He laughed softly, and Lila thought she saw a spark in his eyes, but maybe it was just the fire. “I could stand and leave it to you, but I don’t want to.”

“I don’t want you to. And I sat down anyway, didn’t I? I bound you to the chair.”

He nodded, but his smile vanished too soon. “Say that again,” he pleaded. “What you think about me.”

“You aren’t a monster,” she offered, but she knew what he was asking. 

He wanted her to tell him how she felt about him with words instead of actions, which was rare. She rested her head on his shoulder and let him believe she wouldn’t say it. She waited a few minutes. Maybe he had dozed off again and wouldn’t hear her say it. “You are handsome to me,” she whispered.

He pressed a kiss on her head to let her know that he had heard it. Lila bit her lip, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. Kell didn’t belong to heaven or hell, but he surely belonged in her arms.

Chapter Text

Lila should have heard the rabbit coming. But her eyes were shut and the air was clear and the sun was shining, and the warm embrace of Kell’s arms around her mixed with the scent of the rose bushes behind them messed with her senses, and she did not. 

“Miros, don’t scare Delilah!” Ren exclaimed. 

“I’m not,” she bit her lip, leaning back into Kell, “scared of this thing.” 

“It is fine if you are scared,” Ren offered, but she didn’t make a move to pick up the rabbit. “Do you like rabbits?”

How to put it without sounding harsh? “I just think rabbits belong elsewhere. Like in the kitch –” she said, and Kell snorted behind her. She elbowed him. “In the –”

“In the garden? That’s why it ran here?”

Lila frowned. “Among many things… Not on my lap at least,” she groaned, and glared at the thing on her legs. The rabbit didn’t seem to want to move even though she was bouncing her leg.

Kell took Miros off her and offered it to Ren. “Here’s your rabbit, princess.”

“Thanks, uncle Kell!” She thanked him. “Miros, don’t scare Delilah again. Next time, you have to introduce yourself to her first,” she said to the rabbit after waving at them and leaving with the nurse.

“There won’t be a need for introductions,” Lila muttered once Ren was out of earshot. She leaned into Kell’s side again. She needed comfort after the rabbit attack. 

“Why not,” Kell interjected. “Miros could shake your hand with its paw.”

“You wish,” she huffed. “The less I see the rabbit, the better.”

“What did the rabbit ever do to you?”

“Animals unsettle me,” she conceded. “And I unsettle animals. It is better if we ignore each other and go on with our lives.”

“I don’t believe the rabbit was displeased with you,” he said. “On the contrary. It wanted to get to know you better.”

“It should get in line, then.”

“If you want, I could wear my mask,” he offered. “I could pretend to be a rabbit and jump on your lap.”

“You don’t have to pretend to be a rabbit to jump on my lap,” she smirked at him, and he grinned. “Let’s do it later.”

“Miros! Not again!” Ren boomed.

This time, Lila was prepared. “Let’s do it now,” she decided. She grabbed Kell’s hand and they ran. 

The rabbit ran after them, and so did the princess. 

After this stunt, Miros would have to grovel to make her acquaintance. 

Chapter Text

The first thing Kell registered was the pounding in his skull. It was uncomfortable, but still bearable. As he massaged his temples and opened his eyes to a red gossamer sky, he remembered parts of the night before.

All the alcohol he sipped with his brother, which was to blame for his migraine. Some bits of their talk, which were part of the reason he had agreed to it. He began drinking in moderation after an embarrassing accident years ago, but last night – last night, drinking was a need. And he couldn’t help but throw his self control into the Isle.

I should’ve been more careful, he scolded himself. He decided to ignore that plaintive voice; it partly belonged to a stranger.

The bed had not changed after all those years. It had the same pillows, the same silk sheets lined with golden velvet. It still fit him, but somehow, it did not.

Kell covered his face with the heels of his hands and sighed. He wished he had spent the night with Lila at the tavern.

She must have been happy to have the whole bed for herself, he thought, just as he turned his head and found her resting on the other side of the mattress.

She despised the palace, hated it more when they referred to her as mas arna. She wasn’t anyone’s lady, maybe not even his. And yet, instead of lying in their chosen bed alone, she still came to his. She was free to choose and she chose to stay with him.

Kell felt dizzy and smiled at the woman he loved.

He wanted to reach out. He wanted to brush strands of hair from her face with his fingertips. He wanted to kiss her on the lips to wish her good morning. He wanted to hold her close as she nuzzled her nose on his chest while still half asleep. He wanted to get closer and feel her body pressed to his.

He wanted to feel closer to home, but his hand faltered.

The royal in him whispered that Lila was sleeping so peacefully, so soundly, and he should let her rest.

It was such a rare occurrence on the ship. She often woke up before he did, and she hardly relaxed when they were about to dock somewhere.

He could tell she felt the responsibility of being in charge of all those people and of that ship that she prized so much, even if she tried not to show it.

She was still a captain ashore, but without her men around, she could try to give herself a break.

The voice in the back of his head was right. There was time to do all those things he had imagined. He would let her rest as long as she wanted.

And so, he watched her sleep. He observed the rise and fall of her shoulder, and her hand splayed in the space between their bodies as if she longed to reach out to him in her sleep too but couldn’t.

He realized at once that the bed might feel wrong, but Lila’s presence made this wrong feel right.

He allowed one last glance at her, and then he silently crawled out of the silk and went to face the music.

Chapter Text

“Is my ship alright?” Alucard wondered after he and Lila grabbed two glasses of liquor and went to the balcony to talk.

“You’re still talking as if it’s your ship, when it isn’t anymore,” Lila tsked and raised her eyebrows.

Alucard laughed. “It may have changed name and who is looking after it, but the frame is the same,” he said. “We spent years together. Of course I’m attached to it. The ship is like a real person to me.”

“So that’s who I am to the ship? Someone who is in charge until you get it back?”

“You know that’s not true,” he looked at Rhy, who sat in a corner of the room with Kell. “I trusted the ship in your hands because I knew you were capable and because you cared for it as much as I did,” he said sincerely, which made Lila smile with pride. “Have you been treating it well?”

“I feed it wood every night,” she joked. “You know, this way its belly is always full and it won’t try to plan a mutiny.”

“I hope you don’t give it too much or else I wonder how it’s supposed to digest all that wood? It might feel ill and defy your authority,” he humored her.

“Let me worry about it,” she said. “By the way, the ship is fine as long as you don’t count that I smashed the desk in the captain’s quarters in half?”

“You did what?” he wondered, eyes wide. “Shit, did you have fun with Kell on the desk?”

Lila sipped her drink, but didn’t reply.

“I really liked that desk,” he said. “You didn’t actually break it, right? You’re bluffing.”

“Took you long,” she cackled.

He heaved an audible sigh of relief and drowned the rest of his drink. “How are things? Have you found anything?”

“No,” she replied flatly. “But I will.”

“You just have to keep looking,” he offered, and she glanced outside of the balcony. “Maybe what you seek isn’t in London.”

“Perhaps,” she shrugged, “it’s a good thing I can travel between worlds.”

“It definitely comes in handy.”

“What is it?” Rhy asked. “You are staring.”

“I’m thinking,” Kell said. “They are just in my line of vision.”

“They are pretty far from you, though,” his brother replied. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

“Look, I get it. They seem comfortable together, and they probably are, however,” he looked at Kell, who was frowning, “it’s a different kind of comfortable than what you two have. That’s camaraderie.”

“Are you an expert in this now?”

“Please,” he raised his eyebrows. “I have experience.”

“Your random hookups don’t count as relationship experience,” Kell objected.

“Maybe they don’t, but, brother,” he lowered his voice. “Listen to me. I am aware it is a difficult concept to grasp, but you have to have faith. That’s the baseline for any relationship.”

“I think you read too many books while I was away,” he shook his head.

“See? You have little faith, and it shows,” Rhy sighed, defeated. “You’re dismissing my advice because you don’t trust me either.”

I don’t trust myself either, he wanted to say, but he didn’t. He was sure his brother knew. He glanced back at Lila drinking with Alucard, and felt a tinge of jealousy when he saw her chuckle.

“She looks different with him,” he said finally.

“And you’re obsessing too much over it. I know you can’t help it – the comparisons. I used to be like that too, but you’ve got to have –”

“I get it,” Kell interjected.

“You don’t. I already see what you’re thinking in that messy head of yours. Your foolish brain will kill you someday, brother, and I am too young to die,” Rhy said bitterly, and Kell rolled his eyes. “She seems to act differently because she does. They are friends, but she cares for him in a different way than how she cares for you. You two are,” he turned to him and paused dramatically. “You should know what you are to her, unless you are blind. The deep sea of feelings she harbors for you. I see how she looks at you when you aren’t paying attention. She shows a side to you, and to you only, that others don’t see. Not even my consort. It doesn’t matter how sharp and handsome he is,” he finished.

“You got wise,” he simply replied. “And Alucard is not sharp. He is an ass.”

“Just like you. I’m glad to surprise you every now and then, brother,” he retorted, just as Alucard and Lila strode towards them.

“She’s all yours, Kell,” Alucard said, and Rhy winked at his brother and then left the room with his partner.

Lila grinned at Kell, and her smile loosened the anxious knot in his chest.

“Come with me?”

“Where to?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she offered him her hand, and he didn’t hesitate to lace his fingers with hers. “I just want to get out of this stuffy palace for a while.”

“Come with me,” he told her with the hint of a grin. “I know a place you will like.”

He had to give it to Rhy because he was right. Even if his heart hung in the balance and he was terrified of losing her, he needed to trust her.

Chapter Text

“Come with me,” Kell had said, and she had offered him her hand, trusting him.

She didn’t want to go somewhere in particular, she just wanted to leave the palace. But when Kell took her to the stables, she gave him a questioning look.

“This isn’t our destination,” he quickly told her. “Just a small detour.”

Lila looked around and scrunched her nose at the smell coming from one of the stalls they had just passed.

“I thought we would be walking.”

“It’s easier this way” he said.

She wasn’t really sure about that.

He stopped in front of one of the stalls and opened it before a servant could do it for him. Lila stayed a few steps behind, her lips pursed.

He took out a white mare and mounted it, extending his hand for her to take so she would join him, but she recoiled even more.

“Why the horse?”

“Why not?”

Lila bit her lip, crossing her arms on her chest. “I don’t like it.”

“I know,” he replied, and she glared at him. “But this is the only way to travel where we are going. Unless you’d rather take the royal carriage?”

She cursed before taking his hand begrudgingly as he watched with a hint of amusement. Then she adjusted herself in front of him, caged between his arms.

She had no doubts that he would keep her safe, but she was loathing and liking this at the same time.

Kell gave the cue to the horse and it set off. She didn’t mind where they were headed as long as they arrived all in one piece.

The white mare kept a steady pace, and this gave her the chance to look at the scenery around them and try not to hold her breath too much.

She thought they had reached their destination when a mantle of green obstructed their way like a wall. Not that they couldn’t get past that if they wanted to, of course, but she was sure Kell hadn’t taken her that far to climb trees. Even though that would be fun, maybe.

He stopped the horse, and she began rethinking about this idea. Before she could comment, he kissed the back of her neck, and warmth spread through her.

He had slowed her down with that peck, but she wasn’t mad about it.

She couldn’t wait to get off the animal, but he was faster. He raised his chin and locked eyes with her, reaching out to her.

Lila glared at him, instead of grinning, but she accepted his help anyway. He then took the reins and secured the horse to the trunk of a tree.

“Where are we?”

“It’s a secret,” he told her quietly, claiming her hand again.

She let him guide her through the green, curious to see what lied behind that natural barrier.

They stepped out into a small meadow, and she couldn’t believe her eyes. There were wild bushes of flowers all around the path of grass in the middle, and in one corner, the shadow of the trees made it the perfect place to rest and enjoy the silence.

“We are in the garden of the palace,” Kell revealed.

“I’ve never been here.”

“That’s because this place isn’t easy to find,” he explained. “The trees hide it well.”

“It’s quite cozy,” she commented. It smells like you.

A smile tugged at his lips, and he took her under the shade of the tree. She sat down between his legs, her body slightly facing his. She pressed her cheek on his chest and he wrapped an arm around her.

She loved when they indulged in this dolce far niente. Just enjoying each other’s company. She could pretend for a while that it was just them in the entire universe, and Kell’s magic wasn’t broken.

Lila peered at him. She thought he had dozed off but he opened his eyes, as if sensing her gaze on his skin.

“Stay still,” she demanded, seeing something that he clearly didn’t see. Kell obeyed with a frown, and then she slapped the side of his neck lightly.

“Lila,” he protested, but she was smiling proudly at her hand.

“Caught it,” she said, and showed him. “You had a bug on your neck. I got rid of it.”

“You could’ve left it there.”

“It could’ve bitten me,” she argued.

Kell rolled his eyes, and scratched the side of his neck. “Well, looks like it bit me.”

She observed closely. His alabaster skin had turned a darker shade of pink, a remainder of the bug. She leaned in and kissed him there without thinking.

“I think it bit you somewhere else too,” she pretended to examine his skin.

This time, she kissed his lips.

“This was my secret place,” he confessed awhile later. “I discovered it by chance when I was still a child. Rhy doesn’t know about it.”

“I guess it’s not secret anymore,” she observed.

“I guess not,” he conceded. “But it is a secret I am willing to share.”

Lila beamed at him and set her head back on his chest.

Now this is our secret.

Chapter Text

"Tell me why you are here again,” Kell hissed at Alucard, who had decided to put himself between him and Lila as they walked back to the Grey Barron.

“I just wanted to spend more time with you, is that a crime?”

“Yes,” Kell and Lila said in unison.

They exchanged a glance and a hint of a smile which lasted longer than intended. It was rare that she agreed with him when Alucard was concerned.

Alucard snorted. “Oh, please. Spare me your shameless eye fucking. You can do that when I'm gone.”

“I’d rather be spared by your presence,” Kell complained. “You should be at the palace with my brother. In case you haven't noticed, someone has been trying to murder him lately.”

“What if he asked me to escort you safely to the ship and see you off?”

“Then I'll argue with him next time I see him,” Lila cut in. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need someone to watch my back.”

“Yeah, no. You don’t,” Alucard chuckled. “But maybe Kell does.”

Lila’s nostrils flared. Of all the things he could have said as a punch line, he chose the jab that he knew would hurt Kell the most.

Kell clenched his fists and scowled at his brother’s consort, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he sauntered off at a brisk pace and disappeared into the crowd.

Maybe she should’ve slapped Alucard. It could’ve cheered Kell up.

“Was that necessary?” she questioned after Kell was far enough, but she could still see his copper head among the peasants.

“It’s not my fault he can’t handle humor,” Alucard tried to justify himself. “I just stated the truth.”

“Your truth is full of shit,” her expression hardened. “We both know you only came to have a chance to look how I’m keeping my ship.”

Alucard shrugged, offering her a smirk. “You would have never agreed if I asked you.”

“No,” she said firmly, feeling the spark of magic on her fingertips.

“Slowing me down with magic will draw too much attention.”

“You think?” she challenged.

He grinned, but his smile soon turned into a scowl when he couldn’t walk anymore. She had stopped him in his tracks using wind magic. The wind was pushing him backwards.

“Saints, Bard. This is a low blow,” he bellowed, but he could just hear Lila’s laughter as she walked away to catch up to Kell.

Kell managed a little smile when Lila reached him, and warmth filled his chest.

He had expected her to stay behind with Alucard and leave him alone with his chagrin. His brother’s partner irritated him even more when he reminded him of his situation. He wondered if Alucard enjoyed his pain, and maybe he did.

“I should have locked him in the basement,” Lila told Kell.

“It would have sufficed to ask my brother to lock him in their chambers,” he offered. “Keep him entertained.”

“Well, it’s too late now. But I slowed him down.”

The harbor was in sight, and Lila couldn’t wait to leave Alucard behind. Knowing him, he would want to take a tour inside with the excuse of greeting her crew. And see that she hadn’t destroyed the desk in the captain’s quarters. He annoyed her.

They almost approached the Grey Barron when she sensed something was wrong. The ship was partially hidden behind another one, but when it finally appeared in their view, Lila couldn’t help but curse under her breath.

“Casero, you’re here,” Stross hurried to them after they went on board, a worried expression on his face. “I have bad news.”

“How bad are they?”

“Bad enough to delay our departure of one day,” he said. “The sails need to be changed.”

“Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Alucard interjected from behind them. “It was probably last night’s storm that did this.”

Stross inclined his head to greet his previous captain, and Lila shot Alucard a glare. She wanted to throw him overboard.

Kell surveyed the damage on the sails and shook his head. “Doesn’t look like the damage of wind and thunder,” he observed. “But more like the work of a professional.”

“Do you believe magic did this?” Alucard asked.

“Pay attention to the holes,” Kell said. “If it had been accidental, the tearing would be different. If you look closely, you can see that whoever did this didn’t put much effort to make it look casual.”

“You aren’t wrong,” Alucard gazed up at the sails. “There’s still a faint whiff on magic lingering. The damage definitely looks deliberate. Good job, Kell.”

Kell rolled his eyes.

“Who could have done it? No one knows our ties to the crown,” Lila commented.

“No, but they would think it is linked to the crown if they saw Kell. He is impossible not to notice.”

“Are you claiming that they ruined the sails because of me?”

Alucard shrugged with a grin. “I’m not saying it. You are.”

“No one is implying anything,” Lila warned, scowling at Alucard. “Someone could have followed us or watched us when we got here. It is possible they recognized Kell, but what I want to know is why the fuck did they ruin my sails?”

“That’s a good question,” Alucard answered. “What if it’s to slow you down?”

“Why would someone slow us down? It would be better for us to be gone, wouldn’t it? In case someone wanted to do –” Lila’s voice was cut off by Kell’s groan.

He looked in pain, and they both waited expectantly. Alucard looked ready to storm off to the palace.

“The red ring is burning,” he explained with a pained expression. “I need the basin.”

They went to Lila’s cabin and Kell called to Rhy. He replied instantly, a frown marred his face.

“Is everything okay?” Kell asked. At the same time Alucard shouldered him to question: “What happened?”

“The nurse can’t find Ren,” he said gravelly. “Before you ask me if we have looked everywhere, I’ll tell you that yes. We did look everywhere, even in the cells. She disappeared.”

“What does it mean she disappeared? She can’t be possibly gone!” Alucard’s voice rose.

“Well, she is,” Rhy massaged his temples. “I can’t find Nadiya anywhere either. And no, before you ask, they aren’t in her workshop.”

“We should separate and look for her in the city,” Kell suggested. “I’m sure she –” a loud boom coming from the ship interrupted him.

“What was that?” Lila inquired, glancing at Kell and then Alucard.

Before anyone could answer, they rushed above to check. Perhaps intruders had been hiding on the ship, just so they could ambush them when they least expected, and none of the crew had noticed.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Lila said severely.

“You are here!” Alucard heaved a sigh of relief.

Tav and Raya flanked little princess Ren and queen Nadiya as if they were thieves instead of royals. They both donned black cloaks, to try to pass as commoners. When Ren saw her father, she ran straight into his arms.

“They were shooting at the broken sails,” Tav explained. “I just wanted to stop them.”

Lila noticed the objects in the queen’s hand. They looked quite like the fireworks you fired when you needed to ask for help at sea.

“You can go,” she ordered. She didn’t speak again until it was just the five of them on the deck. “You have some explanation to do. Did you destroy my sails?”

“It was an accident,” Nadiya responded. “Something didn’t work out in the formula. They are just magical fireworks.”

“And why were you testing your magical fireworks on my ship?”

“Yeah, why are you here? It isn’t safe outside of the palace,” Alucard said. “You made Rhy worry. Why didn’t you tell him you were coming here?”

“I apologize, Luca. It was my request,” Ren replied quickly. “I wanted to see uncle and aunt before they left and salute them with colored fireworks, but I know that you and papa would have said no. So I asked mother, and she said yes. I apologize for the mess the fireworks created,” she added, directed at Lila.

“That is so sweet, but your mother should have said no,” he frowned at Nadiya, hinting that they would discuss this in private later. “I should take you back now. The harbor is most crowded at this hour and it would be dangerous if someone saw you.”

“I could take you back,” Lila offered. “Let’s move to my quarters.”

“Aunt,” Ren called for Lila’s attention when they were below deck. She almost didn’t turn, but then she remembered the child was talking to her. “Are we going back with magic?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “You better hold on your father’s hand tight.”

“How does it work?”

“Like this,” she said, grabbing a knife from a pocket in her coat and cutting her finger.

“Bard,” Alucard warned, but Ren didn’t seem to be triggered by blood.

Kell frowned, but he didn’t call her out for being gory in front of a child. He was too lost thinking how she was, after all, the only one who could use antari spells without consequences on that ship. His heart sunk, but he tried to ignore it.

Lila was able to carry everyone back to the palace safely, and Ren apologized to her again.

“I’m sorry for damaging your sails, Delilah,” she said. “I just wanted to say goodbye to you and uncle in a way you wouldn’t forget. I never know when we are going to see each other again.”

“I’m sure we won’t,” Lila assured her with a smirk. Beside her, Kell rolled his eyes. “Especially the holes in the sails. They had character. But don’t try that again, princess.”

“We will return soon,” Kell told Ren. “I can’t promise when, but we will.”

The child smiled. “Can you give me a hug to seal this promise?”

He nodded, the corner of his lips turned up. He lowered to her level and they exchanged a hug.

“It is time to retire to your chambers, princess,” the nurse said.

“Wait,” Ren raised her hand. “Aunt, can I hug you too?”

“I –” Lila’s face went blank. “Why?”

“As an apology, and because I want to,” she replied sincerely, but the nurse cleared her voice. “I mean, I would be happy if I could hug you.”

“Be quick,” Lila conceded, kneeling on the carpet so that the child would be able to reach her.

The little girl didn’t seem to mind her blunt tone, nor the lack of her arms around her. She didn’t exchange the hug, but after all, Ren had asked to hug her. She didn’t ask for a hug.

“Thank you, Delilah!” she exclaimed. “I hope to see you soon. Goodnight!”

And then she was gone.

“I guess we might as well sleep here,” Kell said once they were back in his chambers.

“Yes,” Lila said, throwing herself unceremoniously on his bed.

He settled close to her and she snuggled up to him. “Why did you agree to use your magic?” Kell wondered.

She shrugged, looking away. “I was feeling generous,” she said.

“Whatever you say,” he pulled her close, pressing his forehead to hers. “The princess is really fond of you.”

“Are you jealous?”

“She is fond of me too,” he whispered. “But she looks up to you.”

“Maybe because I’m taller than her,” she said. “And I know more magic than her father.”

Kell sighed. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Chapter Text

Lila and Kell had a long and exhausting fighting session in the Basin, and it drained her energy to the point that she had needed to replenish her stomach with lots of food to recharge. And now she needed to lie down for a bit because she felt full.

It wasn’t like her to eat a lot. The years she spent on the streets without a home had taught her how to survive with one meal a day if she was lucky. And life at sea didn’t allow you to waste food. But at the palace, she liked to indulge into it, if she was in the mood. After all, it was free.

And as much as it haunted her to think about it, she was a guest of the royal family. Heck, Kell might act like a privateer all he wanted, but he was also a prince.

“Where are you going?” he asked once she rose from her chair.

“Hmm,” she said. “Your room. Want to come?”

Kell blushed slightly. “I might as well,” he replied. “I don’t intend on going back to practice.”

“Neither do I,” she admitted. “I don’t want to do anything.”

“We don’t have to do anything,” he suggested.

I just want to be with you.

Lila smiled, feeling at ease. “Just what I was thinking.”

The sofa in Kell’s bedroom could barely fit one body, let alone two. But it didn’t matter. They were used to resting in a narrow space on the ship. And they were used to being in peaceful silence, just lying in each other’s arms, just feeling each other’s warmth. They just wanted to be as close as possible. And wholehearted closeness didn’t need words.

She lay on the red blood velvet first, her spine pressed to the backrest so he would have enough space. He put his head on her chest and they wrapped their arms around each other.

The sound of their heartbeats lulled them to sleep, and they fell into a deep slumber in the safety of each other’s arms.

Chapter Text

Lila stood in front of the mirror on the dresser. Holding a knife in her hand, she was about to give herself a haircut.

“I can help with the hair,” Kell said. 

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Do you want to cut my hair?”

“If you want me to.”

“Come here, though.”

He was taller, and she could have just stood in front of him while he tended to her hair. But Kell grabbed the spare chair by the bed. “Sit here,” he demanded. “And let me take care of you.”

Lila grinned, unable to hide her eagerness. She sat down on the battered chair and he began to work. He cut a few strands of hair, but she watched them fall at her feet with a frown.  

She tilted her head to the side to interrupt him.

“Sit still.” 

“It’s not enough,” she admitted. “The hair.”

“Then tell me how much is enough.”

She shifted on the chair and gazed up at him with a serious expression. “This is,” she took his knifed hand and leveled it to the side of her face.

“Your chin?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

Kell grabbed a fistful of Lila’s hair and cut again. She waited for the next to come but he stood still. “What are you waiting for?” she inquired.

“I thought you would say something,” he said. “I wanted to do it right this time.”

Lila smiled, even though he couldn’t see her. “This is right, Kell.”

This time, it was Kell who smiled, even though she couldn’t see him. He didn’t answer. He continued cutting more of her hair until he reached the other side of her face so that the length was almost equal. It wasn’t perfect, but he couldn’t do much with a knife. 

He put the weapon away and ran his fingers through her hair to see if there were sides he needed to fix. A shiver of pleasure ran through Lila when Kell’s calloused fingertips brushed her skull. 

His hand got lost between her short strands, and he massaged the back of her head fondly. Lila’s shoulders rose and her lips parted slightly to release a soft sigh. It was a welcoming rush that she still hadn’t gotten used to. It was part of being taken care of, and she could never have enough of it. 

“I’m done,” he announced, hands still tangled between her brown hair, moving in slow circles.

“Are you?” she drawled.

“Do you want to see?”

“It is fine,” she replied. “Hair grows back anyway.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “But I want it to be to your liking.”

Lila nodded and tapped her feet on the floor. She felt the loss of his hands when he went to retrieve the mirror. He gave it to her, and she moved her head from left to right to observe what he had done. Not that she minded how he had cut her hair. But it seemed important to him. 

He wanted her to be satisfied. He wanted her to be happy.

“It’s what I wanted,” she said. “Thank you.” 

Kell’s face lit up, and they smiled at each other in the mirror. “Anytime,” he answered softly. He brushed his hand through her hair again and then he went back to the bed to resume cleaning his daggers.

Chapter Text

Delilah Bard was bored.

She walked through a long corridor flanked with marble statues and inspected the names of the previous Maresh royals who had preceded Rhy. 

The sound of steps in the distance alerted her that someone was coming. Guards, most likely.

She smirked, and sneaked into the alcove between two bearded kings. It was large enough to fit three, but Lila, dressed all in black, had the favor of the darkness. No one could tell that she was lurking there like a ghoul ready to scare them when they least expect it.

It was two men, chatting amicably, a glass of water in either of their hands. She called on her magic, and soon the water began to swirl in the hair, taking the shape of a sword. The soldiers halted, a stifled scream escaped their mouths. Lila didn’t have to look to see that they had unsheathed their own weapons, ready to slash at whatever was blocking their path. And that was when she let it go, the liquid returned to its original state and it fell on the floor before them as if it had always been there. 

“Did you see that?”

“Of course, I did. Got scared for a moment that it was an ambush, should we tell the king’s consort?”

“Let’s not bother him now. Tomorrow.” 

Lila let them go, grinning as they passed by her hidden spot but didn’t spare her a glance. 

Scaring people was fun, and someone else had decided to round the same corridor as the guards. More guards? she wondered, but then she recognized the stride. The palace guards were silent, but they moved like soldiers, their steps keeping a monotone rhythm as they walked. Rhy Maresh was a king, and he had been taught how to move gracefully his whole life. Each step was carefully measured. 

Rhy wasn’t carrying anything, thus Lila decided to surprise him the old way. Once he was close enough, she appeared out of the dark and jumped in front of him. 

His shoulders shook and he sighed, a hand coming to hold the side of his jacket, but he recollected himself quickly. “Hello to you too, Lila,” he said, “were you looking for something?”

“Not at all,” she shrugged.

“Well, then,” he removed his hand from his chest, “I’ll leave you to whatever it is that you are doing.” 

He left her alone, and she retreated back to her hiding place. She heard someone else approach as soon as she hid again. 

Kell’s gait would be almost like his brother’s, if it wasn’t that he was also a bit of a fighter, and now, even a bit of a privateer, on the top of being a magician who used to slouch a lot and tended to drag his steps. Kell made a specific noise when he moved, albeit more muted as of recently. He had learned how to walk more stealthily, and it was also thanks to her. 

Kell walked slowly, hands in his pockets as if he was strolling in St. James’ park and he was looking for a quiet place to sit and rest. She supposed he was bored too, but he chose the wrong hallway to hang out.  

With a smirk, Lila leapt out of the dark again, expecting to find a distracted Kell gazing at the marble floors. Instead, she found herself face to face with him. 

“Boo,” he whispered softly. “Caught you.”

“Thief.” 

“Of what?”

“My line,” and my prank. She snorted.

“Voices carry in this hallway,” he explained. “Next time, stay silent.”

“You shut up, Kell,” she said, and kissed him. 

She stopped when she heard new steps in the distance. This hallway carried noises indeed. She tilted her head to the side at Kell, took his hand and dragged him in the dark alcove. 

She couldn’t see who it was from her position, but Kell could. He pressed his finger on her palm, and wrote letters without ink on her skin. He didn’t have to go far because she soon knew who was about to walk by their hideout. 

They jumped in front of Alucard, who, distracted by a book he was reading, shrieked.

“What the hell?” he exclaimed. “Are you four?”

“You got scared,” Kell said, amused.

“Go to bed,” Alucard replied, glancing at Lila before walking away, “have fun there.”

Neither of them liked to be told what to do, but for once, they decided to follow Alucard’s advice.

Chapter Text

Lila cursed as a cold rush of water from above slapped her face. She had just argued with Kell about something she knew was silly and had left the tavern. He didn’t try to stop her, and she strode away briskly. She wanted to find shelter in another bar and get a fresh drink to quell her anger and anxiety. 

She didn’t like arguing with Kell, but they were both stubborn. 

The rage of the storm, along with her electrified nerves, clouded her thoughts and her hearing.  

She dodged the blow just in time, avoiding a kick in her guts. There wasn’t anybody in the streets but the group of thugs. She wasn’t sure if they had randomly chosen her as a target or they had planned this. But there was no time for questions as they crowded around her and soon, they blocked her in a dead end alley. Nothing unlike she hadn’t faced before. 

She smirked at the challenge, the recent disagreement with Kell fueling her attacks. Lila thought this was the best way to blow off steam, and welcomed the punches with glee. 

Lila threw down a man with a knife to the neck, but failed to see another who approached her with a metal bar. The rain was too thick for her already corrupted sight to see clearly, and he hit her squarely on the ear. 

She hadn’t had time to scream. She could only shudder in surprise as the thug shoved her to the wall. Lila hit the other side of her head on the slick stones, and a wave of nausea hit her. But she couldn’t attend to it.   

The man grabbed her by the shoulders but she headbutted him, recoiling in pain when the blow resonated through her skull, amplifying her pain. He fell to the ground, and she stabbed him in the chest. He was the last one.

She looked at the bodies scattered around her, cluttering the already narrow alley. Her head was pulsing wildly, as well as her heart. She heaved a long sigh, one of relief, and retreated under a balcony. She passed a hand through her short hair and it came up red, the water mixed with blood crawling on her cheek and neck. 

She needed a drink. She thought she’d earned it. Yet, something was wrong. 

She stopped in her tracks, gasping. The rain fell in sheets, and she realized with shock that she couldn’t hear the sound. She couldn’t hear anything, not even her own breathing. 

She wasn’t sure why it took her so long to acknowledge it. Perhaps, the adrenaline – she touched the wall next to her for support. She knew there was a way out of this. She hadn’t become deaf, on the top of being already half blind. She wouldn’t accept it.

She glanced around. Her hearing was temporarily compromised, and she couldn’t let her guard down. She had only her good eye to rely on. She bit her lip as the pounding in her head continued, but she didn’t want it to stop. It was the only sound she could hear.

She slumped on the cold cobblestones, feeling the hardness of the stone wall behind her. She needed to tether herself to reality. She hated that she couldn’t do anything but wait. 

She stood when she saw a tall figure at the mouth of the alley. She thought it was another thug, sent to check if the job had been done. But when the figure ran to her, Lila smelled roses on the air, instantly filling her lungs with relief. 

Kell glanced at the bodies on the ground and then his eyes fixed on her. It wasn’t hard to speculate that she had been attacked. He tried to gauge whether she was hurt, but he didn’t touch her. Lila longed for his touch for comfort, so she grabbed his hand. It was warm. 

He was drenched as well as she was. “I’ve been looking for you,” he said, though Lila didn’t hear it. “What happened?” he added, his fingers grazing her chin. 

She opened her mouth to speak, to pretend she was okay, but nothing came out of her lips. The tears verged at the edge of her eyes. I’m so glad you are here , she thought. She walked toward the main road, fingers still laced in his. A cat chose to pass in front of her just then, and Lila shrieked, squeezing his hand. She clung to the wall like a scared animal, heart beating louder in her chest.

She turned, finding concerned eyes staring at her. He raised one hand to her face, and touched her ear. Lila bit the inside of her mouth even though he had been gentle. That was all he needed to know that she was more hurt than she appeared.

He took a dagger from his coat, glancing at her briefly, expecting another fight. But she didn’t stop him, didn’t want to, and he did what he had to do with swiftness and care.

The world came back at once after he uttered the antari spell that she couldn’t hear. She heard Kell putting his dagger away and the shuffling of her boots on the cobblestones. The steady rhythm of rain falling in a puddle by her feet. The cat that had scared her earlier meowing at another one, then a hiss. They were about to argue about something silly, perhaps. Nothing important.

“Are you okay?” asked Kell. It had been hours since she’d last heard his voice, and she had missed it.

Thanks to you , she thought. “I’m tired,” she replied instead. 

His expression softened. “Let’s go, then,” he said. “I’ll draw you a hot bath.”

Lila managed a smile, and they left the alley behind. 

Chapter Text

“Well, we can’t do anything about it but wait, can we?” Rhy asked, his amber eyes leveled on the pumpkin sitting on Kell’s favorite battered chair. “Is he going to stay like that for good ?”

“Nadiya said no, unfortunately ,” Alucard replied, a hint of a smile on his face. His daughter Ren held one of his hands. “She is already preparing an antidote in case he doesn’t get back to his shape after two hours.”

“How can he drink an antidote if he is–?”

Lila’s entrance made Rhy shut up. She narrowed her eyes at the three people crowding Kell’s bedroom.

"Are you looking for Kell?” Rhy wondered before he could help himself. Stupid question to ask if they wanted to hide the fact that his brother was now edible.

"Yes,” she nodded, “have you, perhaps, seen him?”

Her eyes landed on Alucard, who could barely hide a smirk. “We haven’t,” he said. “Sorry, Bard.”

“Then why are you all here?”

Rhy and Alucard glanced briefly at each other, and the king shrugged. “Ren wanted to tell him something and we came with her. But he isn’t here. Who knows where is he ,” his voice rose on the last word.

The princess regarded his father, who nodded as if to prompt her to say something. But Lila wasn’t listening. She caught some colored candies on a table nearby. Some were black, others were orange, others red. She took a black one, smelled it, and turned to the small group of people before she put it in her mouth and chewed on it.

“Damn, these are good,” Lila commented as three pairs of eyes watched her, a mix between worried and entertained.

“Bard, if I were you, I –” Alucard began, but Ren interrupted him.

“Delilah, I swear it was an accident!” Ren told her. “I went to mother’s workshop because I was bored and stole the candies. I gave them to uncle because they reminded me of him.”

She grabbed another one. “Sorry if I’m eating them, but they are –” she stopped abruptly, eyes widening in surprise. Before she could realize what was happening and halt it, Lila Bard had turned into a black cat.

“Nadiya will be so pleased by this,” Alucard said, amused, pocketing the candies just in case.

Lila hissed, and showed her canines. But alas, she couldn’t do anything but wait.

Nadiya, at least, had been correct. After two hours of being a pumpkin, Kell turned human again.

He glanced around his room, confused. The last thing he remembered was eating the candies princess Ren had given him, and then sitting on his battered chair. Perhaps, he had fallen asleep.

The clock on the wooden table nearby signaled that it was way past the time Lila had arranged to go out with him. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to wake him – 

A black cat leaped out of nowhere on Kell’s lap. “Who are you?” he asked. In response, the kitty pushed its head towards him, nuzzling his chest. Then it put a paw on his tunic and booped him. Kell reached out and petted it, noticing it had brown eyes. “I think you might be Ren’s,” he cooed.

Not so long after, the black cat transformed back into his partner. Lila sat on his lap in place of the cat, his fingers tangled into her short brown hair.

“I think you might be wrong,” Lila said, grinning. He frowned. “The candies you ate,” she began, “were made by the queen. They turned you into a pumpkin.”

Kell’s eyes widened. “That can’t be true,” he told her. But still, he couldn’t remember the past few hours.

“I was a cat, you know. I was conscious,” she confirmed. “I wanted to eat you because of my feline instincts, but I resisted.” He raised an eyebrow. “I was joking. Not about the pumpkin part, though.”

Kell sighed, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. And then he started to laugh loudly, and Lila joined him.

Chapter Text

Lila stood in front of a long mirror rimmed with gold, back turned so she could fasten the tiny dozen buttons without any help. Seven years ago, someone had helped her get ready for another ball. The disguise had made her see another side to her, the one that she only enacted when she was in the mood – which was rare. Her heart ached.

She had found the makeshift wardrobe filled with racks of dresses by accident. She had known about the masquerade ball, of course. The king had already invited them to choose an outfit from the frills, but Lila had just shrugged, her mind elsewhere.

“Aren’t they pretty?” 

She had heard the steps coming, but hadn’t bothered to hide. It wasn’t like she was an unwanted guest. She had offered princess Ren Maresh the same shrug she had offered her father. “I guess,” she said, “aren’t they too big for you?”

The princess had narrowed her eyes in thought. “It appears so,” she nodded, “but they are right for you.”

“They are not right for me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t wear dresses.”

“You could try one on,” she had proposed. “Perhaps you will change your mind. Papa Luc says that only idiots never change their mind.”

“Then I’m an idiot,” Lila had chuckled.

“This is a masquerade ball,” Ren had countered. “You must wear a disguise! A dress is a disguise. We could play pretend! You could pretend to be me and I will dress as a captain like you.”

Lila hadn’t been so sure about that. And she had wanted to tell the princess that the requirement for a masquerade ball wasn’t necessarily a dress, but a mask. After the princess had left, she had sneaked back in and found a velvet black dress with sparkly stars on the lower side. It reminded her of the gossamer ceiling in Kell’s bedroom.

Kell. What would he wear?

To keep her dress a surprise, she was in one of the guest bedrooms.

She imagined him getting ready too, wondering where she was. Wondering if she had decided to ditch the event, since she didn’t have to attend. The guests knew the nature of her relationship with Kell and the king and his consort. They likely expected her to be there. But Lila had never cared about doing what people expected. She was her own person, and if she hadn’t felt like going, she knew that Kell would understand. But she wanted to be there.

She groaned, and almost wanted to get one of the knives stacked on the table nearby to slice this dress of her skin. But she had just fastened the last of the buttons, and as tempting as it might have been, she was set on attending.

Lila looked at her ring, the one the queen had made that Kell also wore on the same finger. This would be the first royal event with him after she had decided to wear it. And the first after his magic had been mended. She wasn’t sure why she thought about this, of all things. More reasons not to miss it.

The clock chimed the hour, at the same time she clasped a silver pin on her brown hair. The last thing she put on her face was her horned mask. She was fashionably late. She thought she had done a good job with her outfit, and it was the thought that counted.

It didn’t take long to reach the hall where the event was held. People walked in and out, all of them quite predictable in their attire – the women wore long dresses and the men fine coats, and most were wearing a mask. She was predictable too, depending on the point of view.

She stayed at the edge of the ballroom and spotted the king and queen attending to their duties. She saw Alucard speaking to someone as well, but Kell was nowhere to be seen after careful inspection. For a moment she thought that he had forfeited the event. He wouldn’t, she thought, and turned to inspect the other side of the room. She found herself face to face with him after turning a marble column close to the doors leading outside.

“I thought you wouldn’t come,” he said.

“Better later than ever?”

“Yes,” he nodded, “better save the best for last.”

She grinned, her face already flushing with heat even if she hadn’t drunk anything yet. She came closer to him, placing a hand on the side of his coat. He gazed down, and widened his eyes when he spotted the flower on her wrist.

She had frowned when she had seen it in his chambers, then remembered that people who attended together were supposed to wear matching flowers. At least these manacles can be destroyed, Lila had thought ironically when she had grabbed it.

“I nicked it from your room,” she confessed.

“Always a thief,” he offered her a smile.

“This looks good on you,” her hand brushed his chest. He wore a coat that she had never seen before.

“I found it yesterday while I was thinking about a privateer coat,” he said. “I thought about taking yours.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Now who is the thief?”

“I would have asked,” he said apologetically.

“You’re dressed as a privateer.”

“Do I look the part?”

“Enough,” her fingers grazed his neck affectionately. You’ve played this part in the last few years, she added. You got quite good at it.

Kell opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he saw someone coming toward them.

“I finally found you!” Princess Ren beamed.

The princess had really been true to her word and dressed as a captain. “Nice outfit,” she commented.

“Yours too,” the child gave her a wide smile. “You look like a princess,” she added. Lila felt self-conscious but tried not to touch her neck. She didn’t reply. “Doesn’t she, uncle Kell?”

“Enough,” he echoed her answer. Lila tried to appear neutral. What had she expected? But then again, she hadn’t aimed for– “to make the other royals be envious.”

“It’s true,” Ren said, looking around. “Everyone is staring at you, Delilah.”

Lila had tried to ignore the stares and the murmurs when she had entered the crowded hall. “That’s because they never saw me in a dress,” she said, mocking. “I’m their source of amusement.”

“Amusement?” The princess wondered. “Aunt, you are beautiful. Papa Luc also told me so.”

Lila could never answer because Ren scurried away.

“I have to give it to him,” Kell took her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. “You are –” he leaned in so only she could hear, “lovely. Stunning. Endearing. Exquisite. I want to–”

Lila stood there, face and body engulfed in flames at the promise had just whispered in her ear. He made his point by adding a trail of kisses behind her ear.

After a while, she couldn’t wait to be alone with him, and Kell took Lila to his chambers. Their chambers. And as Calla had assured her years ago, he just knew how to take off a dress.

Chapter Text

“It never snowed in Red London,” he sighed. “And every winter, Rhy complained to me about it. He once asked me to make it snow for a change, but I wasn’t sure I could do it,” he paused, “I asked Tieren.”

“Did you make it?” she asked casually.

“Sort of,” he glanced away, reminiscing. “There is a small lake in the gardens of the palace and I used that water to make the snow.”

“Oh.”

“It melted after a few minutes and Rhy never asked me again,” he continued with a shrug.

(In which these two Smiles meet - One shot #2)

“Create a dog made of ice!” Ren bellowed at Alucard.

“Just one,” he managed a smile at the child.

“Why not more?” she asked.

“Your father has duties,” he told her. “He doesn’t have time to play with magic like someone else here.” He barely glared at Lila and then at Kell. She shrugged, but Kell was speaking to Rhy and didn’t turn. “Don’t play coy, Bard,” Alucard said as he turned the water from his glass into the shape of a dog. “You told Ren that I could do these tricks and she keeps asking.”

“I’m not here to entertain the child.”

“No, but,” he raised an eyebrow, giving the ice dog to Ren, “you’re a show-off. You like to entertain.”

“True,” she cocked her head, “but only on my terms.”

“Perhaps now that uncle Kell can do magic again,” Alucard raised his voice a bit, “he could entertain Ren? After all, if Lila is the occasional jester, Kell is the buffoon.”

“And you’re in charge of the entire circus,” Kell replied sourly.

“Nah, that would be me,” Rhy interjected. “But he sure does help.”

Alucard rolled his eyes. Ren’s ice dog was already melting, dropping water on her leather shoes. “Can you do it again, Luc? Just once.”

“I’ll do it,” Lila offered, getting a frown from Alucard.

“Brother,” Rhy began, “do you remember when I asked you to make snow?”

“How could I forget? It melted as soon as it reached the grass,” he said. “But I was twelve. Maybe I needed to practice more.”

“Magic has limits,” Alucard said. “Even for you.”

“There’s only one way to know, isn’t it,” Kell replied curtly, standing from his chair. He stretched his hands as if he was getting ready to fight someone. “We need to move to the lake. Everyone, come here.”

Kell walked to the closest tree, and they reappeared by the lake’s edge in the palace gardens a moment later.

“It would’ve been easier to walk,” Alucard muttered with a sigh. He had landed with his boots in the water. “Arrogant show-off,” he snorted at Kell.

They could’ve walked, sure. But after Kell’s magic had been mended, he found any chance to use it. Nothing made Lila happier than seeing Kell healthy and feeling more like himself. And if he wanted to be a show-off, so be it. In that, they were the same.

“Snow isn’t easy to make,” Kell began, leaning down toward the mirror of water to fill a glass he had taken from their previous location. “But not impossible.” The water started turning more solid, but not solid enough to turn to ice. “See?” he showed little princess Ren.

“That’s fluffy,” she said. It dissolved quickly into water as soon as she squeezed it. “It’s gone.”

“For a good reason,” Alucard raised an eyebrow. “We’re not in the perfect climate for snow. For the time it will take to turn water into snow, it will melt.”

Kell went closer to the source and used air magic to drag the water up, and then he majestically turned it into snowflakes. It was a pretty spectacle. Too bad that they didn’t last long, but they lasted long enough for the princess to go under the cascade of ice and smile.

And so, he did it again. It seemed to be going even better this time around, and Ren and Rhy looked ecstatic. The splash noise behind him made him stop. Lila had fallen into the lake.

“Christ,” she grunted, her clothes half drenched. She refused the hand Kell offered to help her up.

“You okay, Bard? It’s not like you to fall on your back.”

“In fact, I didn’t,” she squeezed the fabric of her coat to try to dry it a little. “It was Kell.”

Kell frowned. “How could I? I didn’t even touch you.”

“You did not, however,” Lila turned serious, “I felt a pull shove me backwards. It was the same thing I felt when we wore those binding rings the first time.”

“That’s not possible,” Kell said.

“Perhaps you just fell, Lila,” Rhy said with a shrug. “The terrain is uneven. And you were by the edge, after all.”

“Or perhaps,” Alucard began, “it’s because of that thread of yours that you donated to fix Kell. It might have linked your threads of magic and now you can draw on each other’s magic.”

“That’s not possible,” Kell repeated. “Do you see it?”

“Not true,” Alucard interjected. “May I remind you that you are the first human being that received a magic transplant? And no, I don’t see it. Your threads have the same color. It may have given you a link to Lila’s magic after she donated it to you.”

“It could be like the bond we have, Kell,” Rhy said. “Except you can use magic again because of Lila’s thread. What if now you can draw on your powers just like you could do with the antari rings or the bracelet set Nadiya had created?”

“How did nothing happen until now?”

“Well, that’s because earlier,” cut in Lila, “you could have relied on a lot of your power to make the snow. You drew my magic without knowing.”

“Maybe,” insecurity still tinged Kell’s voice.

“There’s only one way to know, isn’t it,” Alucard said.

“I could try to draw magic from him,” Lila suggested, glancing at Kell, as if looking for permission.

He nodded. “Go on.”

Lila focused, trying to sense Kell’s magic just like she used to do when they wore the binding rings. It took her a few moments, and she didn’t know how she did it, but she sensed a thread of Kell’s magic – perhaps the one that used to be hers – and pulled. She made it snow this time, and Kell fell into the lake after she pulled a little too hard.

Lila smiled at Kell, who passed a wet hand through his hair. “I hoped it would work both ways,” she said excitedly. She offered him a hand, and he didn’t hesitate to accept it.

“I felt it,” Kell said, “you took my breath away for a moment before I fell. I say we should practice. Manage to control this, or else –”

“Or we’ll fall on each other’s ass during an ambush? Yes, definitely,” Lila agreed with a grin. “Princess. Do you still want us to make snow?”

“Please,” Ren said with a grin.

“Yes, please,” Rhy echoed.

Alucard just stayed in the hopes that Lila would make Kell land on his ass again.

Chapter Text

Lila took a bottle out of her chest and headed above deck. Kell followed her, thinking that she wanted to celebrate arriving safely to the port after departing from Red London a few days earlier. This had been her first voyage as the captain of the Grey Barron.

But Lila went down the ship’s ramp. She said she wanted to christen the ship and had completely forgotten to do it before they left. Kell just frowned. This ship had likely been christened several years ago, but he could understand why Lila might have wanted to do it.

The ship had changed name. It was like it was beginning new life. Doing this ritual is said to bring good luck, even though he wasn’t superstitious and believed Lila wasn’t either, so it wouldn’t matter. But perhaps he had misjudged her.

“The bottle is supposed to be full when you christen the ship,” Kell admonished, when he noticed the bottle was half full. And he thought he wasn’t superstitious.

“Says who?” Lila asked with a snort. “Here,” she offered him the bottle.

Kell brought it to his lips and drank, blinking. “This doesn’t taste like champagne.”

“Because it isn’t.”

“What is it?”

“Rum,” she admitted. “I didn’t have champagne.”

Instead of fussing like she probably expected him to, Kell smiled. “Like a true pirate, captain.”

“Why do you think I chose this?” she smirked. He knew how much she enjoyed being called captain. “Want more before I crush the bottle?”

“Only a sip,” he said. “If you have it too.” She nodded. Kell drank, then she passed the bottle to Lila and she took a long gulp of alcohol. “Indirect kiss,” he said afterwards, leaning his face closer to hers. Lila grinned.

“Alright, I am ready,” she announced.

“Let’s do it together,” Kell said before she could destroy the bottle.

Lila cocked her head to the side. “Come closer,” she said. “Fal chas,” she muttered. Good Luck. They put each other’s hands on the top of the bottle and threw it at the wood. The glass shattered, spilling the remaining contents into the dark waters.

She turned to him and brushed her finger over his cheek. Then she put it in her mouth with an amused expression.

“What was that?” Kell asked.

“Blood,” she said,making him frown. “Let’s go back to my quarters.”

“Yes, captain,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Kell touched his shoulder and gritted his teeth.

The throbbing pain made him queasy but not only because he had recently been beaten. Not even because of the open wound where the blood had barely began to dry. That throbbing felt more like disgust, and the injury spread throughout his upper body, down to the depths of his guts.

He was sore. He was tired. He was… You disgust me. His eyes met his reflection in the mirror. His blue eye was bloodshot, and a faint purple bruise marred his cheek. You are so fragile, he told himself. Unable to keep up in fight without your fucking magic.

Had it ever been his to begin with? He knew it was still there. He could call it this right moment if he wanted to, but it wouldn’t be the same. He wasn’t the same. He was useless. A waste of space. A burden. He was cargo that the Grey Barron was forced to carry and that only occupied precious space until it reached its final destination... Was he?

He clutched his dark tunic and ripped the fabric. The dried blood had stuck it to his skin and he flinched when the material separated from his tender flesh. He examined the gash in the glass. He would have to fix himself soon if he didn’t want to get the would infected.

So far, his survival instincts had always won over the will to escape from his emotions. From the pain. It was because of his bond to his brother, but also...

His heart beat wildly in his chest even though the fight had ended minutes ago. It hurt. It reverberated through his sternum as if someone was pounding on it. He lay his palm flat on it, trying to slow it down, supporting himself on the basin and let his eyelids drift closed.

He started counting the beats to retain control. One. Two. Three...

He could feel it. It was there. This… agony. His suffering and self-loathing clawing its way inside of him, eating away at his skin from the inside out. It was like a fever and it was spreading. A tendril of sweat ran down his spine and he let himself be swallowed by the feeling as his body hit the floor.

When he opened his eyes again, something felt different.

It wasn’t just the light in the room, which he didn’t recall lighting up. It was this ache in his heart. It didn’t seem as badgering as it was before. It felt as if a burden, even slightly, had been lifted off his body. His shoulder and back, however, still needed to be tended.

Lila stood by the wall in front of his door after he cleaned himself and changed his clothes and finally ventured outside of his room.

His hardened expression softened at the sight of her. Warmth spread in his body, dampening the grief some more. He wondered how long had she been there, waiting for him.

“Everything okay?” Lila asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice.

He reached for her hand and placed it on his heart. “It will be,” he muttered.

He chose to believe it. He had to believe it would be alright again.

Chapter Text

“When you said you’d draw me a bath, I didn’t think you’d do it literally,” Lila said, widening her eyes at the bathtub Kell had arranged in the middle of his chambers. “I thought I would have to go to the baths.”

Kell raised his eyebrows. “Why? Just because I grew up as a prince,” he said, “it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to do such things.”

“Fair,” Lila advanced. “So you never used the baths?”

“I like my privacy,” he said. “And these days I would think twice before setting foot there. Rhy loves to spend a lot of time with Alucard,” he raised an eyebrow at the mention of the king’s consort.

“Ah,” she chuckled. “I could make sure they stay away if you want to go.”

“Did you want to go to the baths?”

“Someday,” she replied.

“But not today”, Kell said, throwing the last bucket of water into the tub.

“No, today, I,” she paused, “I’d rather stay here. I like my privacy as well.”

Kell nodded and then he left. She wanted to tell him that he could have stayed, if he wanted. She didn’t mind him staying. But he had probably interpreted what she said about privacy as: I want to be alone now, now leave. Which was not what she meant.

He had healed her and her hearing wasn’t compromised anymore. She was fine. They had argued a few  hours earlier and she was sure that it was already behind them, and that they were okay. And yet.

Lila took off the red robe she had taken from Kell and got into the bathtub, letting the hot water cover her lithe body. It smelled like flowers. It smelled like him. And though it embraced her, the liquid wasn’t him. She touched the side of her head where the thugs had hurt her. The wound might have healed, but her fingers still came smeared with dried blood. 

Everything around her was too silent. Too similar to the forgotten cul de sac where she had been cornered under a heavy rain she couldn’t hear, only feel on her skin. Where she had believed she would have to relearn how to live.

These chambers were familiar, warm. Full of light. Nothing like the dark alleys of this London. And even though she knew Kell was close, she didn’t want to be alone. Not that night. 

She called for him, and he showed up in the room in a heartbeat. “Has the water cooled off?”

The question made her smile. “Come here,” she said. “Sit down.” It sounded almost like a demand, but she did not care. He took a seat on the armchair he loved so much, which was close to the bathtub. He could stare directly at her from there, and her face turned warmer.

They exchanged a long glance, until he spoke. “There’s blood,” he muttered, “on the side of your ear and neck.”

She didn’t need to check. She already knew it without looking at herself in a mirror. She had just been too distraught to take care of it. “It comes with the territory,” Lila made a bitter chuckle, looking away. She was suddenly interested in her stiff and wet hands. 

“Can I help?” 

She made a weak nod. Kell stood and took a yellow cloth from the water, pressing it on the side of her face slowly. His fingers worked tenderly as usual, brushing her skin as if it was made of porcelain. She closed her eyes and let herself drown into his touch. She felt a tug in her chest at being handled with such care. His hand moved on to her neck, on her shoulder blades. If his magic hadn’t healed her, she was sure his devotion for her would have. She heaved a sigh. She was glad to have him in her life.

“I couldn’t hear,” she whispered.

“I didn’t say anything,” he replied.

“No, I mean,” Lila paused, thinking about the irony of his answer, “back in that alley. They worked me over pretty good. ”

“They did,” she heard the shuffle of feet behind her, and he brushed her back with the cloth. “You were in distress.” 

Not a question. Even in the dark, he had noticed it. Not that she had tried to hide it. She couldn’t have – she was aghast. Paralyzed. Fear had taken hold of her whole body, and she hadn’t known how to go back to herself, hadn’t known what to do. She had been preoccupied that the damage they did to her couldn’t be undone. She knew she would have found a way if it turned out to be like that, like she always did. But she wouldn’t have been human if she didn’t feel at least an ounce of fear.

“I couldn’t hear a thing,” she repeated. “And then you found me. I thought you went back.”

“I told you I was looking for you,” he said. 

“Why?”

He dropped the cloth in the water. He moved on the side, and their eyes met briefly. She thought he was done, but he picked up the pitcher with water and went behind her again and slowly spilled it on her hair while his fingers passed through it, trying to wash away the remainder of the evening. The rivulets of water trailed on her back, making her shoulders rise as well as the hairs on her skin. 

“Are you cold?”

“No,” Lila replied. “I spent enough time in the tub. I am tired.”

Kell grabbed the robe she had borrowed from the floor and helped her put it on. She got out of the tub, and gave him a questioning look when she saw him staring as if he was deciding what to do. She wanted to ask why he was stalling, and in response, he took her in his arms. “You said you were tired,” he stated simply. 

Lila did not protest and let Kell carry her to bed. She had argued with him enough for the night. And she was grateful that it was ending with her still in one piece despite the bloody confrontation. She would have survived even without her hearing, although she would have had to adapt again. That didn’t happen, but she was still thinking about it. She wished that a good night’s sleep would help her, just like Kell had. He had found her and had healed her. He didn’t know, but he had given her a new life yet again. 

As she watched him sleep, she thought she was so lucky to be loved by him so genuinely. She wondered if she would ever tell him with words how much he meant to her. How he made her feel safe. She squeezed his hand and closed her eyes. For now, she hoped that her actions spoke louder than words.

Chapter Text

Kell’s limbs felt stuck. He believed it was the wine he had consumed the night before making him feel so heavy. He didn’t usually drink, lest he lose control of himself and do some stupid things like step out on his balcony without any clothes on and yell that he was the king of England. He had been close, one time.

He stirred, hoping his muscles would loosen a bit. He rubbed at his eyes, which were stuck like cheese on bread. 

He didn’t want to leave his bed, but he wanted to go back to Lila. If his magic wouldn’t make him double down in pain every time he used it, it would have taken less than a breath to shorten the distances between them. He sighed in frustration. 

He wondered if she, too, had been waiting for him to return. If she hadn’t been able to fall asleep because the bed, like she had said, would have been empty without him. 

Kell glanced to his side, and found the answer to his questions. Found that Lila had cut the distances, and she had come to him. He grinned, unable to hide his joy. Seeing her sleeping on his bed was enough to send his heart into a frenzy. 

Her dark brown hair covered the side of her face, aiming towards her pointed chin like a blade. He could see her rosy mouth, flattened in a thin line, her jaw tight. 

Her long and slender fingers grabbed at his white tunic, as if she was always ready to snap on attention to fight with someone or to run away because of danger. And take him with her. 

He envied her confidence and strength. He just wished she was more at ease when she wasn’t on her ship.

The more he observed Delilah Bard, the more he thought she was beautiful. His hand longed to touch her skin, to move those hair behind her ear. And so he did.

She woke up, then. Her eyes blasted open as if a bomb had roused her, her grip tightening like a vise around his shirt. Her reflexes were so sharp but she didn’t take long to remember where she was, and with who, and loosen the grip. That there was no threat. Only love. 

“Hello,” Kell whispered, boring his mismatched eyes into hers. She was using his arm as a pillow. 

“Hello,” Lila echoed, gaze softening at the sight of him.

“You are in my bed,” he acknowledged, pulling her gently towards him. “And my arm is tingling.”

“Only your arm?” teased Lila, whose body molded into his, his limbs almost fused with hers.

The warmth spread across Kell’s face, the evidence of his self-consciousness. If only, their proximity only made him throb more with want, and she could probably feel it. But it wasn’t the time, and he knew her well. She was trying to distract him from the questions she was aware he was going to probably ask. There were answers he was dying to learn.

“You could have had a whole bed to yourself,” he said. “Yet, you choose to take up space on mine.” 

“Come on, now,” she prodded him with a finger on his neck, a rush of excitement rippled through him. “Don’t be picky. I do not take a lot of space.” 

“I’m not the picky one,” Kell mused, eyebrows raised. “After all, you ditched stiff sheets for silk ones.”

It was small, but he caught the side of her mouth twitching, a glint in her good eye. “You forgot the comfortable mattress,” she pinched his bicep.

“How dare I,” he scoffed. He nudged her closer to him, caging her into his embrace.

Lila relaxed into the crook of his neck, hand splayed on his back. If there was an inch of space left between them, she had erased it. Like chains, they were woven into each other. They were in each other’s custody, and weren’t keen on letting each other go. 

Soaking in their private bliss, time didn’t flow. Neither of them dared to move, as if it would have ruined the spell, the stillness. Reminded them that they had matters to attend to, outside of those wooden doors lined with gold. 

So, they didn’t. 

“I could have had the bed to myself,” Lila broke the silence. She held it there for a while again, and Kell thought she was done speaking. “But it wouldn’t have been the same.”

“How so?” he asked, wondering if the time to confess had come.

“You weren’t there,” she replied, sounding petulant that he had dared to fall asleep on his bed.

Kell beamed, and held her tightly if possible. “Well, good thing that you found me,” he kissed the top of her head. 

“I would find you anywhere, Kell Maresh,” Lila said, almost threateningly, digging her nails into his back. 

“You would,” he agreed, then let the blanket of silence fall over the room again. 

The world would wait.

Chapter Text

Lila hadn’t visited Kell after Tes was finished with him. 

She thought that staying in his chambers would have been enough to reconcile the void that had formed in her stomach. But as many things she had taken for granted in the past, it didn’t. Just a wall and a door separated them. He was within reach. Close, to a distance she considered safe. 

Yet, as the hours went by and as others left to go to their rooms to sleep, she resolved that the only way to fix this was to go to Kell and grasp the nettle.

Walking to Rhy’s room felt like being on the top of a cliff, the only way out was to jump. When she opened the wooden door, her boots had just metaphorically parted with the ground, and she was mid-air.

Lila knew she could either crush her bones on the waiting rocks below or land into the water safely. She braced herself for the impact.

“I’ll leave him to you, Lila,” Rhy told her before he left to go rest for a while.

Rhy hadn’t left. He hadn’t wanted Kell to be alone.

Lila sometimes lingered long enough on this thought to get mad at herself for not being like Rhy and Kell. She wasn’t the kind to watch over someone the whole time and consume herself with anxiety as they waited for a small change, and she would probably never be. She’d rather keep herself busy instead, and she was aware that was another way to lie to herself that she wasn’t scared that Kell wouldn’t wake.

Tonight, though, she would try to sit with that fear for a while, and with the discomfort of seeing the person you loved being in a moment of stasis – in between. In balance, just like how magic should be. She would sit with patience, as she had for the latest seven years. Tonight, she would wait and hope that both she and Kell landed safely in the water and didn’t drown.

Lila sat down on the upholstered chair next to the bed and stared at Kell. He rarely got out of bed late and he worked hard on the ship. Even when they both suffered food poisoning after their stay in a foreign town, he didn’t stay in bed for longer than necessary. If he didn’t rise at dawn, it was because he spent those extra hours with his arms wrapped around her.

She longed to crawl on the bed and do that, but her body didn’t cooperate. The only thing she could bring herself to do was take his hand in both of hers, hoping he didn’t mind the cold of her skin. He looked so defenseless and so still, it was unbearable to see. It brought back memories of his screams, after his magic had frayed like the wind tearing a sail apart during a storm.

But she had bargained with herself. Just as she dared herself to only use an element before a fight, so she had challenged herself to stay and watch him.

Lila would never admit it to anyone, but that day had been the loneliest she had in a long time.

Alucard had tried to distract her and convinced her to play some tricks for the little princess, but it hadn’t worked.

Lila was familiar with loneliness. Being alone had never been an issue. But after years in Kell’s company, she couldn’t deny that he had made her a little dependent on his presence and of those she considered family.

Kell had made her scared of losing him. She wasn’t sure she would be the same person on her own, after spending so much time with him. He was there, yet she was already missing him.

She held his hand a little tighter. “Please, stay,” she murmured. 

Lila had willed not to fall asleep until he would wake. And she had been great at that until then – or so she thought. She had consumed a lot of coffee, sure that it would help her be more alert. But it had the opposite effect. She felt drowsy. Her eyelids threatened to close and her body was heavy; it begged her to rest.

Kell would have wanted her to sleep. But he was unconscious, and she rarely listened to his advice even though sometimes he was right.

She wasn’t sure when she gave in to sleep. When she opened her eyes, nothing had changed, and the panic set in before she could stop it. There she was again, mid-air, after jumping from the cliff.

She was falling, falling, falling. She thought her heart might burst out of her rib cage and explode. She was about to hit the rocks and break her bones.

Like loneliness, Lila wasn’t used to worrying. It didn’t matter how strange the odds, she was confident she would beat them. This time, her nonchalant attitude didn’t seem to be working.

Her common sense had taken a dip into the blue and she found herself desperately searching for his pulse without success. Frantically, she released his hand and put a finger under his nose, but she didn’t feel the steady release of air on her skin.

Something broke inside of her. The hole that had been gaping at her belly got bigger, ready to swallow her completely, to turn her to nothing. A guttural sound escaped her mouth and she put her face on his chest. Her last resort. But even that –

“Don’t fucking leave me,” Lila begged, grabbing his shirt in her hands. “Please, don’t leave me, Kell. Don’t you fucking dare!”

“Lila,” Rhy put a hand on her shoulder. “Lila. What’s wrong?”

Lila turned to glare at him. She hadn’t heard him. On another occasion, she would have probably pretended to be okay. That it was nothing. Instead, she pleaded. “He is not breathing,” she said, voice strained. Tears streaked her face and she wasn’t able to stop them.

She had eventually hit the rocks.

“No,” Rhy said gently, and sat on the edge of the bed. “If Kell had truly,” he paused a moment, “stopped breathing, I wouldn’t be here with you. But this is not a dream, Lila. I am alive, albeit in a codependent kind of way. And so is my brother. Kell is alive.”

“No,” she said, unable to say something more.

“Impossible,” Rhy shook his head and took Lila’s hand. He put her palm over his heart. “Feel the beat.”

Lila stopped. She listened. Focused on her hand rather than the beat of her heart. “I can hear it,” she said.

“See? What did I tell you?” Rhy smiled. “The effect of drugs is already wearing off. My brother is going to wake up soon. If he doesn’t, I’m going to slap him myself until he opens his eyes.”

“Yes,” she agreed.

“Um, Lila darling,” Rhy began. “You should take a break and rest. I will look after him. I will call you when there is any change. I promise.”

“You better,” she nodded weakly, powerless to say more.

Rhy grinned and leaned in, wrapped Lila in a hug. “He is going to be okay,” he whispered in her ear. She decided to believe him.

Lila went back to Kell’s chambers. She snuggled on his pillow, where hours ago she had placed his beloved coat. It smelled like him and she held it close to her body like a lifeline. Only then, she fell asleep.