SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY! I have excuses, but you probably don’t care to hear them, so I’ll leave you with an apology and permission to email me pointy stick wielding pixies should I ever get this distracted again. I’ve got a lot of stories, so you have to kick me in the ass and rant a lot to get me into the mode.

Nightshade-013: Ahaha, yea.... I have a knack for cliff-hangers cuz I write so much. XD ZICMB will be updated soon; I’ve just been focusing on writing more recently... and I’m sick. -points at stuffy nose- Almost friggin passed out in the shower this morning, I’m still seeing dots.

Queen of the Storms: Not exactly, but I’m glad you’re enjoying the story. (lol)

: I do too... ‘cept, I didn’t like the original very much at all. XD Ah, well, it’s better-ish now.

Everyone else: Thanks for all the support! I know some of you might be -upset- once you realize what I’ve done, but it’s for the best.... and I’ll make up for it somehow, you greedy beggars. (poke) I would thank ALL of your individually, but I got lazy and my arm threatened to fall off if I even considered it. ’ Gah.

Oh, and for those of you who were interested in why Maggie’s speech is so odd, he has an odd kind of lisp. He doesn’t have a specific problem with letter sounds, his tongue just gets tied every few words cuz he talks fast and speaks before he really has what he’s going to say worked out.

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“What?! He looked like he was gonna go into a fit if he didn’t get out!” Tyler defended, arms flapping at his sides as he chased after his fuming lover. Honestly, let a guy take a decent nap and he gets nothing but trouble for it. “Come on! You can’t be mad at me for this!”

“You don’t seem to grasp how urgent this is, Tyler.” Whin grit out, shooting his mate an aggravated look. No. No, he was not mad at his mate. Tyler did nothing wrong, though it would have been helpful if he had been woken when Cien left. No, Whin was mad at himself for forgetting just how rebellious Cien got when he was cornered into things.

“Well, maybe if someone talked to me more about these things, I would! I can’t read your mind, you know!” Tyler snapped back. If Whin thought he was going to get away with being nasty, he had a whooole lot of unpleasantness coming to him. Arrogant bastard.

“Just help me find hi- YOU!” Whin whirled as a familiar servant tottered by, practically carrying the mostly limp form of a familiar redhead. “What are you doing?!”

Maggie stopped and stared over his shoulder as the angry prince stomped over to him. “I’s bringing teh elfy to teh nurses...?”

“NO.” Whin leant over Cien, the smaller elf watching him blearily. “Hn. Take him to his room. This is Cien Triel. Do you know where to find his room?”

“Yeeeees.” Maggie rolled his eyes. Of course he knew, servants always knew the rooms of the castle- if not always the actual people in the rooms. Silly prince should know that. “I’ll haves him in his room real quicks easies.”

“You do that.” Whin sighed, rubbing at his forehead. He turned to Tyler as the servant slowly disappeared round a corner. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to bring the guests to his room-“

“’We’?” Tye raised an eyebrow, hands jamming down onto his hips as he squinted up at Whin. “I don’t think so. I’ll be in my room eating my late dinner and having a wonderful time until you finish up your business and apologize for being an ass.”

Tyler stormed down the hall, stopping only when he reached the farthest turn off. Just for good effect, he shot a dirty look over his shoulder at the staring prince before disappearing round the corner.

---

Cien sighed as he was helped into bed and tucked in, the servant taking care not to jolt him too much. When the fairy actually went to leave, Cien clung to his arm, frightened. None of his past attacks had been that painful and this one hadn’t just died away. There was still a sharp stinging sensation every time he moved that left his limbs tingly and numb as if they’d fallen asleep- he was scared to be alone.

“Okies.” Maggie crooned softly, not wanting to upset the hurting elf- the prince would probably be livid if he came to find his friend bawling over something silly like being left alone. “I’ll stay for a bits, but yew gots to settle down.”

Cien nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. It did nothing to still his trembling and the breath came out as a pained sob. Cien wanted to ask, to call for Whin, somebody, anybody to help, but his throat and tongue felt dry and swollen. Looking up at the fairy pleadingly, Cien hoped the servant would do something, maybe get him some water? He felt so dehydrated all of a sudden and water would be so nice....

Maggie took one look and nodded, knowing what he was silently being asked. What good was he as a servant if he couldn’t understand a wordless request? Untangling his arms from clinging fingers that didn’t even seem to realize they were gripping him, Maggie made a quick run to the room’s adjoining bathroom, finding a small glass cup to the side of the sink.

Cien accepted the drink gratefully with the servant’s help, unable to hold the cup without spilling as his hands trembled. The liquid burned on the way down, but Cien swallowed eagerly and it was finished in seconds.

Maggie leant forward, unable to hear Cien’s hoarse whisper. “Did yew says ‘more’? Yew wants more waters? Alrighty, I’s be right backs.”

oOo

Ben was a happy little unicorn.

It was lovely to be out of the forest and into the sunshine- and the grass! Royette always had the best grass, all juicy and green with a bit of crunch. Ben’s hind legs skipped slightly as he trotted to a nice little tree and he settled down in a patch of shade.

Not many elves or servants wandered out into the back fields, apart from the occasional caretaker when they decided a trim was in order. The rest of the time, Ben had it all to himself and that was how he liked it. Hardly anyone at the castle knew he was there, even though he’d always tagged along during Cien’s visits. He made sure his elf friend never gave him away.

Rolling onto his back, Ben kicked long legs into the air, nickering as a butterfly fluttered around the shifting limbs. When he rolled over again, white fuzzed hands landed on the grass. He bent his knees, pulling them up slowly as he sought to steady himself on hoofed feet.

“Well, well, well... isn’t this interesting.”

Ben stiffened at the unexpected, unfamiliar voice, his eyes whipping to the side to meet gleaming green. A tall, tan man stood not a foot away, short, red hair glowing orange in the sunlight.

“You don’t see unicorns around here often.” Fincall continued, grimacing as he tilted his head back, the bright light stinging his eyes. Running a hand up into his hair, he blocked the sun with his arm. “What brings you out of the forest?”

Ben snapped his mouth shut, just realizing it had dropped, and ducked to the other side of the tree. His face burned. Changing on a whim worked well enough in his own company, but clothes weren’t part of the process- At the moment, he was a very naked unicorn boy.

‘How did he sneak up on me?!’ Ben couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen someone coming, or heard, or.... or at least noticed something. He peeked around the side of the tree, squeaking when he came nose-to-nose with the elf.

“Not much of a talker, eh?” Fincall grinned good-naturedly, holding out a hand. “Don’t be shy, I’m just the resident trainer.... I’ve seen the body of every species you can imagine and you can be sure most aren’t nearly as pleasant as yours. C’mon, I’ll find you something to wear.”

OoooooooO

Nieni: Yup, this is a short chapter cuz I’m gettin’ back into the groove. A story is like a couch that way. Gotta sit on it a bit till it fits just right.

Sorry for any mistakes, I didn't really check over this. Figured I'd kept you all waiting this long and it's already short, might as well post while it's fresh.

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