#just a little thought i had in my head watching martyn's last episode
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The winners of the life series all had their own ways of winning:
1. Grian loyalty, playing into every one of Scar's schemes no matter how stupid they seemed. His win came from blood and tears, a descion made surronded by sand and cacti.
2. Scott defiance, he was never going to play the game the way it was designed. Why would he take life needlessly, no his win came from the refusal to do the watchers bidding.
3. Pearl alone, discarded by her soulmate, discarded by the one who pulled her into the nether in the first place. She won with her ties cut, she won not of her own descion but of the one who decided for her.
4. Martyn scavenger, taking time where most convient, stealing kills from right under peoples noses. His win came when even his trusted ally had his guard down, feral and desperate for just a drop more time, even if it left him frenzied and alone.
#the life series#trafficblr#limited life#grian#pearlescentmoon#inthelittlewood#scott smajor#life series spoilers#limited life episode 8#just a little thought i had in my head watching martyn's last episode#they all had their own unique ways of winning their games#god the theories the angst the pain you can pull from this series its magnificent#i live this series so much#i dont think their series would hit the same if it was all scripted#something about coincidences and pattersn reameraging organically hits so different#it leads into some of the most impactful moments#some of the best reactions#because no one knows it will happen till it does#2 years of one of the best minecraft series ever#till the next one o7#and martyn if you end up reading this nice win i was rooting for you from the start#might actually put together a martyn cosplay finally been planning to for 2 years now đ
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Iâm so sorry Iâve been thinking of the property police and I think this may be a little out of character for them but. You know the song âNo more birthdaysâ? Idk why but them and that song have been stuck on my mind on REPEAT. I donât know why. Like..Martyn watching as Jimmy drifts away and feels empty because Jimmy was his best friend! He stayed around him and they lived together. Martyn begging the Watchers to bring back his ball of perfection (I love that lyric in the song so much). Also headcanon Jimmy had braces in Evo :3
Angsty thought but, what if in Evo Martyn only saw Jimmy was a property? (No pun intended ;3) Like A prize he got. He didnât really do much with Jimmy and helped out. Jimmy was off doing all these adventures WITHOUT Martyn. I think Martyn slowly realised that Jimmy didnât need him, he was becoming his own person. Which not true third life proves this I will die on this hill I HATE the flower husbands. Stone me call me a witch and burn me but I hate them. Ranchers are so much better prove me wrong.
Oh god I see why you are associating this song with them, cause we see so distinctly Jimmy growing and getting more independent. I can fully imagine Martyn not wanting Jimmy to keep again and improving.
I do love the braces head cannon if youâve seen sharkful-nenâs young Jimmy drawing, he has braces there and I love it so much. (Young Jimmy hurts me)
Why do you have to mention bad things about Martyn and Jimmy do you want to me to be sad anon (/nsrs). I can definetely see Jimmy treated as like the poster kid of property police a little, heâs the face a little and like he does a lot of the grindy work but heâs not Martyn, he doesnât hold the power he canât even defend himself (just rewatched the episode 5 bit where everyoneâs criticising the property police and Jimmy doesnât say anything)
Iâm going to be honest you lost me a little in the last section but youâre right I hate Flower husbands but in that way weâre theyâre very interesting to me and all I think about constantly. Ranchers are cute we do love them (I am worried when I rewatch double life with my new Jimmy eyes something will happen and I will see something bad in them but for now we love them)
#jimmy solidarity#asks#should probably start a real tag system and this seems like a good place to start#I love becoming a place for property police thoughts#if you have any property police thoughts please tell me I will listen#especially if you are an abusive fh truther#evo smp
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Something about spoilers for Renegade Nell.
At the end of episode two, when the rider emerged, I really thought I recognised it, but wasn't sure what from. Something was ringing in the back of my head, going "Wild Hunt". Probably from a fanfic i read a while ago, whatever, moving on. So afterwards I went and had a look at the wiki page and looked at previews for all the associated characters, and landed on the conclusion that the sickass creature was Herne. I then half forgot about it because of other media; a Shaun of the Dead, a bit of the The Thing with a healthy topping of tiredness. And we get to the next episode the next week; and my dad goes; 'oh yeah, there was that thing on the horse', and I'm starting to think "there's no way she beats it, it's that much bigger, it's more overtly supernatural. She's just going to have to find a way to divert it" and then she cuts the head off.
And I felt... cheated? of seeing the characters try to figure out how to get away from the hill creature.
And then in the royal meeting, when they confirmed that that's what it was meant to be, I can lean over and go; "Wha-hey, that's what I said."
And that makes it all worth it.
Did run through the Horrible Histories Monarchs song to double check which Queen it was.
My times kinda been taken up going through the Life Series's, because I've started watching Cleo, BDubs and Etho since the start of Season 10, I missed Impulse's first two seasons, because I don't think I was watching him until Season 8 and Pearl -ish. I added her halfway through S9 and went, there's too many episodes, I'll wait, and instead watched three perspectives of Empires S1. So I put all by session, in order, and it was 145 videos, and 108 hours... and now at 85 and 34. Like Big B. Martyn annoys me, he hasn't done anything, I'm just annoyed by him. I miss watching Mumbo, but I'm not going back, see previous reason. Am halfway through Last Life, on session 5.
Didn't watch the stream weekend, started at 12:30 am, and I had a shift at 5. Sorry, but no. Also I haven't watched any live livestreams since around the The Deep End smp days, so 2018-9.
I also played through all of The Big Con, which was pretty good, especially for the low price of free. Go and get it, even if you don't like the genre, or look of it, my Epic library's full of games that I'll probably never play, but it's good to have them on the off chance.
Were the two guys in the theatre Garth and Wayne from SNL?
'Nymphs are maybe the most extreme version of this, because of course it is from the word nymph that we get the term nymphomaniac, which I suppose is a sort of fantasy creature in it's own right.' - J.J. McCullough, 4th March 2024 (from a video about little guys)
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Title: (Letâs Stop) Running from Love
Rating: T
Word Count: 3.3kÂ
Summary:Â Phil is ten years old the first time he asks his mother what love is. He doesn't fully understand what her answer means until he meets Dan Or Some of the most important Valentine's Days in Phil's life over the years
A/N: Thank you to the wonderful @yourfriendlyblogstalker for being an amazing beta and putting up with all of my whining and procrastinating
[Read on Ao3]
1997
Phil is ten years old the first time he asks his mother what love is. Theyâre sitting at the kitchen table, filling out valentines for the kids in his class, and itâs got him thinking. Whatâs the point? Why are him and a bunch of other kids going to give each other cards that say things like âYouâre cool!â? Is there anything special about that or does it stop being special once everyone gets one?
When he voices this, his mother just smiles and pats him on the head. Sheâs been doing that a lot lately, just stopping to affectionately encourage all of the strange ways his brain works.
âI donât think anyone really knows- itâs just something nice you all do for each other. What I do know, though, is that love is choosing someone. Itâs when every day you wake up, and you choose to continue giving yourself to that person in whatever way you see fit,â she explains, handing him a valentine with Pikachu on it, folded perfectly in half. He takes it, and puts it in an envelope with Emily Râs name on it.
âSo you chose Dad then?â he asks, because parents are supposed to be the ultimate example of what love is, but heâs starting to notice that not all of the parents he knows live up to that.
âI did. And he chose me back. And to us that means being each otherâs best friends and biggest supporters, even when itâs not easy.â she doesnât know it at the time, but he takes those words and decides right then and there that heâs absolutely going to live by them. They finish the Valentines and heâs tasked with setting the table for dinner while she cooks, but he never stops thinking about what it means to choose someone and to be chosen in return.
2003
Heâs sixteen before he finds himself wondering what love is again. Lily is smart and pretty and actually listens when he spends twenty minutes analyzing the latest episode of Buffy. This must be it, he thinks, this must be how it feels. He spends all of Thursday night trying to think of the right way to tell her- what should he say, what should he say? But nothing seems right.
Martyn is entirely unhelpful in this regard. âJust tell her how you feel,â is the extent of his advice, and maybe that works in movies where everyone knows exactly what to say to express exactly how theyâre feeling, but he has no idea. Eventually he gives up trying to plan and hopes heâll know what to do when the time comes.
The next day at school, heâs all nerves. He sits next to Lily the same way heâs done every day, but something about it feels different. Like heâs been holding his breath this whole time and heâs one second from breathing again.
âDo you want to hang out after school?â Phil asks while theyâre walking together after class, complaining about how much reading theyâve got over the weekend.
âOh, I would, but⌠itâs Valentines Day,â Lily answers, suddenly looking everywhere but him.
âI know, thatâs um⌠kind of why Iâm asking,â he tells her, desperately wishing for the floor to open up and swallow him whole.
âOh. Oh! Wow, thatâs⌠thatâs so sweet, really, youâre so sweet, but I canât,â Lily rambles, stopping and hugging her books tighter to her chest.
âOh⌠Well, thatâs okay then. Letâs just f-â
âGirls!â Lily blurts out, cutting him off.
âWhat?â
âI canât because girls- a girl. Iâm⌠God this is hard. I wanted to tell you, but IâŚâ Lily trails off, shaking her head, but he manages to piece together what sheâs getting at.
âYou canât go out with me tonight because you like girls?â Phil asks, and all of the tension in Lilyâs body seems to fade away at once.
âYeah. Yes. Iâm⌠well, I donât know yet, but Iâm getting ice cream with Rosa from history later, so Iâm excited to find out,â she tells him, and he doesnât think heâs even seen her smile that big.
âYou know, Rosa kind of looks like Willow,â he tells her in an attempt to make her laugh. It works, and she wraps her arms around him for a quick hug.
âThank you for understanding,â she says, pulling away.
âAlways. Just donât forget to invite me to the wedding,â Phil jokes as they resume walking.
âShut up,â Lily laughs, shoving him, and just like that theyâre back to normal. It hurts a little, knowing that he hasnât found the person thatâs going to choose him, but heâll get over that. For now heâs just happy that someone as wonderful as Lily is discovering herself, and that sheâs found someone to do that with.
2008
Nick is⌠Nice. Heâs nice and attractive in that tan, blonde, boy next door kind of way. But if Philâs being honest with himself he wouldnât be here with him on any other day of the year. Jimmy had caught him, watching Titanic on the couch, in his pjs at six oâclock and demanded he come out with him.
âItâs a day of love! You canât just sit here watching tv by yourself all night,â heâd said, turning off the tv just as Roseâs hand comes up to the leave its print in the foggy car window.
âWhy not?â heâd whined, but it was a battle he already knew heâd lost. Which is how he found himself in his best shirt, sitting next to Nick, listening to him shout over the music about the big game next weekend. Jimmy keeps shooting him encouraging looks from across the table, and heâs starting to regret every decision heâs ever made that lead him here.
âI need a drink,â he announces unceremoniously, cutting off Nickâs very detailed description of his workout routine.
Phil orders the most colorful drink on the menu and sits down to nurse it. Heâs being unfair and immature, ditching his date to sulk and drink, but he doesnât go back to the table. Three drinks later, he feels someone sit down next to him.
âIâm a lousy date I know,â he says, but it kind of loses power when he has to shout it in Nickâs ear twice more before he understands what heâs saying.
âOh! Thatâs okay, I probably havenât been all that great either,â Nick shouts back, smiling sheepishly. Phil suddenly feels a wave of guilt and affection, probably brought on by the amount of sugar and vodka heâs just consumed.
âDo you wanna go somewhere quiet?â he asks, before he can think better of it.
â... Sure,â Nick says, so quietly he almost misses it.
They make their way outside, side stepping heart shaped balloons and giant teddy bears. Itâs freezing outside, a blast of harsh February air hitting them the minute they open the door. They lean against the side of the building, arms wrapped around themselves.
âSorry if I was going on back there. Sometimes I donât know what to say, but I also donât want to not say anything, and then I just canât stop even though-â Nick is saying, when Phil kisses him, cutting him off. Heâs not sure why exactly- maybe itâs because itâs Valentineâs Day, or because heâs a little drunk and Nickâs being almost unrealistically nice, or maybe itâs because he doesnât want to spend the night completely alone. Either way heâs standing outside kissing a guy heâs known for two hours, and theyâre gonna need to find a place sans witnesses pretty soon. Â
Fifteen minutes later, Philâs pressed up against his bedroom door, Nick doing things to his neck that are definitely going to leave a mark in the morning. He wants to enjoy this, to just not think about love and romance, and how, to his knowledge, neither of those things have ever start with sloppy, drunken handjobs, but his mind really enjoys betraying him. Heâs there physically the whole time, but he feels like heâs watching a dream from far away. The next morning, he wakes up feeling nauseous and disoriented, as Nick is sitting at the foot of the bed, putting his shoes back on.
âThanks for uh, last night,â Nick says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
âYeah, uh⌠You too,â Phil replies, as articulate as his hangover addled brain allows for. Nick leaves after that, and Phil decides immediately heâd much rather spend every Valentineâs Day alone than having to feel like this. And then he runs to the bathroom to go throw up.
2010
Itâs the night before Valentineâs Day, Phil is hopelessly in love, and heâs sitting in his bedroom alone, looking at his camera. The universe can be relentlessly cruel sometimes. How could it bring him his soulmate and then constantly rip them apart?
Heâs never had a real, proper, Valentine. Someone heâs sure heâd choose over and over again, in each lifetime, in each universe, but now he does. Dan is all of those things and more, and in an awful twist of fate, his family had chosen now to go on holiday in India.
Itâs after midnight there, and Dan has to get up early to go on a family outing his grandmotherâs planned, so Phil  had reluctantly let him go so he could get some sleep. But now heâs been left alone with his thoughts and itâs gonna be at least another four hours before he can get to sleep.
âWe donât have to do anything today, itâs a completely arbitrary holiday. Iâll come see you when I get home and itâll be just as romantic as it wouldâve been to do something today,â Dan had said on skype earlier that night.
âI just⌠I wish you were here,â Phil admitted sadly.
âI wish I was too,â Dan said, sounding equally dejected.
They fell into silence then, watching each other with the faint hope that if they willed hard enough, the universe would pull them through their computer screens, across borders, until they were together. Dan was the first to break the silence, sighing heavily.
âValentine's Day is overrated anyway- we donât need flowers or chocolate to prove we love each other.â
âI donât want to do those things to prove I love you. I know you know that already. I want to do them because I love you. I also wouldnât get you flowers or chocolate because neither of those things are very original gifts,â Phil argued immediately. He liked to think heâd be a little better at Valentineâs than that.
âYou donât have to get me anything,â Dan said, laughing and shaking his head.
âToo late,â Phil replied, before he could think better of it. He hadnât actually gotten a gift, but the thought of seeing Danâs face light up had wormed its way into his head, and he knew almost immediately heâd do anything to make that thought a reality.
âSeriously? I didnât get you anything!â
âYou donât have to get me anything, just be here.â
âOkay,â Dan said finally, barely containing his grin.
âOkay?â
âOkay.â
Then they spent a few minutes being sappy and in love before Phil noticed Dan drifting off and forced him to go to bed.
Phil sighs, thinking of the sight of his adorable boyfriend, all sleepy and soft, and before he even registers what heâs doing, heâs turning on his camera. Heâs got the perfect valentines gift in mind, one thatâs romantic, but not cliche, and also undeniably them. He hits record and takes a deep breath.
âAwrf. Hi Dan.â
âI love you,â Dan says the minute Skype connects the next morning.
âSo, you got it then?â Phil asks hopefully.
âI got it and I love it and I love you and I canât wait to see you,â Dan tells him grinning excitedly, and Phil canât wait until theyâre in the same space and he can kiss those dimples whenever he wants.
âOnly a few more days,â he says instead, because he feels like they both need that reminder.
âHow gross would it be if I said I was counting down the days?â Dan asks, leaning on his hand.
âPretty gross, but I love you anyway.â
2012
âValentine's Day is tomorrow,â Phil says cautiously Monday night. Theyâve just finished dinner and itâs his turn to wash up. He hands Dan the plate heâs just washed, and looks at him.
âYeah, so?â Dan replies, drying it off and placing in on the counter.
âDo you want to do something? We can go to a movie, or get dinner...â Phil trails off, picking up another dish.
âWhat if someone sees us?â Dan asks, voice suddenly small.
Phil wants to argue that of course they wonât be seen, and even if they are, what does it matter? But he knows thereâs always the chance of running into a viewer, and it only seems to grow every day. And no matter what they say, people are only going to think.
âI hate this. Itâs Valentineâs Day. I want to spoil you,â Phil says, sighing in frustration, leaning on the sink.
âHey, come here,â Dan says softly. Phil turns off the tap and turns towards him. Dan puts the dish towel down and wraps his arms around Philâs waist.
âI keep telling you, itâs just a day. Iâve done the big Valentineâs date thing, itâs not that big of a deal. Besides, you do nothing but spoil me. Weâll do something next weekend, okay? Letâs spend tomorrow ignoring work and watching anime all day,â Dan suggests, reaching up to push hair out of Philâs face.
âYouâre my favorite person in the world, you know that?â Phil says, smiling at him warmly.
âI know. You still have to finish the dishes though.â
Phil rolls his eyes, but steps out of Danâs arms and turns back to the sink. Itâs something heâs still learning, but sometimes love is quiet- it doesnât stay all shy glances, dramatic declarations of love, clawing at each other impatiently. It settles down, itâs peaceful, not because itâs boring or stale, but because you donât need all of that to be sure of each other. You just are.
2025
Phil is exhausted. Exhausted, but happy. Itâs been an uncharacteristically nice day for February, which means heâs spent the last two hours chasing around a very excitable dog and an equally excitable Lilah while Dan just watched and recorded. Deciding to raise Lilah has been the best, most difficult thing theyâve ever done. She was so traumatized when they met her she was completely nonverbal, despite being four years old. Sheâs eight now, and slowly becoming one of the most outgoing and energetic kids theyâve ever met.
Now, Lilah is falling asleep on Philâs lap in the middle of one of her favorite Disney movies.
âAre Shang and Mulan going to live together now? Thatâs what people do when they love each other, right?â she asks, yawning.
âSometimes,â Phil tells her, running his hand through her hair.
âDoes love mean living together, like you and Dad?â Lilah wonders, Phil smiles and feels the warmth he does every time she calls one of them dad.
âIt can. Love means lots of things. Itâs not really something you completely understand until youâre actually experiencing it. But mostly it means choosing someone, over and over again, deciding to love and support them for as long as humanly possible,â he explains, as best he can, the same way his mother did for him when he was little.
âLike you guys chose me!â Lilah says excitedly.
âYeah, Li. Exactly like that. We love you very much,â he tells her, but sheâs already asleep.
âShe asleep yet?â Dan asks, leaning in the doorway.
âYeah. Want me to carry her to her room?â Phil asks, looking up at him.
âNot yet,â Dan says, pulling out his phone and taking a picture, before sitting down next to them, and draping his arm around him. Â âI kind of donât even wanna go out tonight. This is way more fun.â
âOh, no, youâre not getting out of this that easily. Besides, the sitter is already on her way,â Phil points out, but leans into him anyway.
âI love that this is our life now. There are so many things I used to dream about that I thought Iâd never experience, and then I met you, and everything seemed possible,â Dan says softly, looking down at Lilahâs sleeping form.
âI love you too. Seriously, though weâre gonna lose our reservation if we donât start getting ready,â Phil reminds him, and Dan rolls his eyes, but still kisses him and gets up to go get changed.
Brittany gets there about an hour later, and Lilah practically runs to the door when she realizes who it is.
âHey, Li,â Brittany says, reaching down to hug her.
âCan we play space princesses?â Lilah asks, excitedly bouncing up and down.
âOf course, Your Highness,â Brittany answers, and Lilah runs off to put on her princess costume.
âSheâs gonna be hungry soon- thereâs dinner in the fridge for her, so just heat that up. She should be in bed by 8:00, but she likes to find excuses to stay up, so if she reads one of her books, she can stay up until 9:00,â Phil instructs while he and Dan bustle around, gathering coats and shoes and keys.
âYes, Iâve got it. You tell me the same thing every time I come here,â Brittany says, laughing.
âWe just⌠We worry,â Dan explains, shrugging his coat on.
âI know. But Lilahâs in great hands, trust me,â Brittany assures them, opening the door for them. Theyâre walking out when she calls after them.
âIs it okay if I FaceTime my girlfriend after Lilahâs asleep? I wouldnât usually, but itâs Valentineâs Day, and sheâs studying abroad- I miss her a lot,â she tells them, shifting slightly.
Itâs almost shocking to hear someone in that exact predicament, not much younger than they were at the time.
âOf course you can, Brittany. Thank you for watching Lilah tonight,â Phil replies, and he can tell by the look on Danâs face he wants to buy a plane ticket right then and there, and send Brittany on her way.
âItâs no trouble. Have a great date!â Brittany calls after them, heading back inside.
âI feel terrible sheâs babysitting on Valentineâs Day. She should be  with her girlfriend,â Dan says as they walk.
âIâm sure theyâre gonna have a great time talking to each other later. Besides, she will be, sooner than she realizes. You of all people should know that,â Phil reminds him gently, knocking their shoulders together. Dan doesnât say anything then, just pulls Phil by the hand, and kisses him deeply.
âWhat was that for?â Phil asks, a little breathless.
âBecause youâre here, and I can. And it was torture when I couldnât. I know itâs been over a decade now, but nothing makes me happier than knowing I can just reach out, and youâll be there,â Dan explains, and they should probably stop standing here, holding each other, but itâs Valentineâs Day, theyâre ridiculously, hopelessly in love, and Phil wants to bask in this moment a little longer.
âI know exactly what you mean,â he says, because there arenât nearly enough words to describe what heâs feeling right now.
Theyâre going to get dinner at their favorite restaurant and play silly games at the table, and then theyâre going to come home to their wonderful daughter and the best dog in the world, and Phil canât believe how lucky he is that this is his life. That in all of the universes and possible fates, he ended up here, with his best friend and the love of his life, and that even now, sixteen years in, they continue to wake up every morning and chose each other. Even without fancy dinners or a fancy house, just that alone is the best Valentine he ever could have asked for.
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Repose
Read on ao3 Â
Word count: 3592 Rating: M (language, adult themes, drinking, mentions of sex, sleeping beauty au)
Chapter 4
It rained the whole way home. Phil watched the water dribble down over the window. He was glad the sun had disappeared behind grey clouds. Itâs exhausting being sad in good weather. Louise was kind enough to let him alone on the drive, except for the occasional pat to the knee when she noticed him wiping a tear. Phil felt so much grief, like he was walking away from Dan forever. Heâd already been through this process and those old wounds stung in a new, deeper way.
When youâre in love with a member of the royal family, you donât have to try to stay abreast of that personâs well being. Phil had actively avoided any news about Dan but he still had constant reassurance that he was was alive and well. Now, there was no guarantee that Dan would be either of those things. If all this curse nonsense was true, one of those eligible women could well be his destiny. The royal decree had been clear, whoever delivered the kiss that woke Daniel from his sleep, had the right to marriage and all that entails. The other possibility was that none of those women were Danielâs true love and he would stay locked in sleep forever. There was a third option as well, that there was no curse and Daniel was just in some sort of unusual variety of coma. He could be lost before they even knew what was happening, and not to sleep, but truly lost. Phil couldnât fathom the last one, but he honestly didn't know which of the first two was worse.
Louise had to get home to Darcy. She gave Phil a tight hug at the curb with promises to check in and reminders that he could call her anytime, day or night. He tried to tell her how grateful he was for her but the rain came down and they were cut short. Phil brushed his teeth and took a shower. He really just stood under the water, trying to feel something other than grief and sadness and frustration. Phil just wanted to climb into bed but it was only 3 in the afternoon and he didnât want to risk causing himself a sleepless night in the state he was in. He pulled on his Star Wars pajamas and went to grab t-shirt from his drawer. He dug to the bottom to find a really old, soft one. When he saw the green pattern, he wondered which shirt it was for a moment until he realized it was Danâs Versace. It had been left behind in the laundry but Phil always thought Dan left it on purpose. He knew Phil hated that shirt. It was hideous and spending over 100 pounds on a t-shirt was just wrong. Now though, as he slipped it on, it felt precious to him.
Phil padded in socked feet down to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. He carried the mug to the sofa and turned on the television. He couldnât be bothered to put in a DVD so he scrolled through amazon video and played Jurassic World. Watching Chris Pratt flex and fight dinosaurs sounded like an ideal distraction. Just as he pulled a blanket over his legs, his phone rang, like actually rang. He almost ignored it, completely unwilling to take on human interaction right now, but he didnât get many calls, it could be urgent. It was Philâs brother, Martyn.
âHey Martyn.â
âHey buddy.â His voice was overly kind.
âWhatâs up Martyn, Iâm kinda busy.â
âYeah I see youâve had a busy day. Youâre quite the hero on Twitter and Tumblr. Mumâs not loving it but I think she is secretly a little proud.â
âExcuse me?â Phil wanted to throw the phone across the room. Couldnât he get one day off from all of that? âWhat are you on about?â
âPhil, I saw the video of you at the castle gate. Itâs pretty impressive, I have to say. I donât want to say Iâm surprised but Iâm surprised. You stood up for whatâs right. The hashtag was bound to happen, itâll blow over.â Martyn talked to someone on his end for a moment. âCornelia says to tell you she ships it.â
All at once, Phil remembered, #Phaniel. He hadnât told his family about Dan, he couldnât. They knew he had had a boyfriend and that it ended badly. Martyn had come to see him in those dark post break up weeks. As far as Martyn was concerned, Phaniel was no different than Phimmy or Philirific. There was a knock at the door, a merciful interruption. It was the first time in his life, Phil had been happy someone was at the door, except all the times Dan had knocked of course.
âThanks Martyn and tell Corn I love her. Iâve gotta run, someoneâs knocking on my door.â
Martyn tried to argue but Phil hung up, pretending not to hear. He got up and hoped whoever was at the door was ready for the stunning outfit he was sporting. It was a courier of sorts, or was it a process server? âPhilip Lester?â He asked, looking down at his clipboard.
âYes?â Phil felt a twinge of nerves, what was all this about? He really hoped he hadnât been sent a stripper as he was really not in the mood. They handed over a rather impressive looking envelope with Philâs name and address written in beautiful calligraphy. The clipboard was shoved into his hands, âSign for receipt please.â Phil was baffled but he signed, hesitating a moment because he almost wrote amazingPhil. The courier nodded a thanks and turned to leave.
Phil closed the door behind him and sat on the sofa. He turned the envelope over in his hands. There was an honest to god wax seal on the back. He peeled it away, opened the flap, and pulled out the letter. The paper felt wonderful in his hands, it was weighty, and soft to the touch. He held it up to the light and saw the fibers of cotton dispersed throughout. The black ink was deep and rich and Phil marveled that the letter was hand written. He expected some kind of royal decree, an order to cease and desist, or maybe even a restraining order, but thatâs not what he read.
Mr. Lester,
It has come to our attention that your presence at Prince Danielâs bedside may have had an effect on his well being. The queen requests your return to discuss your visit with the royal physician. Your continued involvement may or may not be desired by her majesty and any further invitation will be extended at a date and time yet to be determined. A car will be sent for you tomorrow morning at 8.
With regards,
Virginia Richards
Senior Secretary
to her Majesty the Queen
Phil snapped a photo and sent it to Louise, who responded simply, with WTF? After Jurassic World, Phil watched an episode of Black Mirror and ordered Thai food. He went to bed early since heâd be getting up in the morning like a normal adult human, for the second day in a row.
Sleep came easy and he dreamed of dragons and enchanted swords, of thorny vines that wound their way up and over Windsor Castle. He saw pink roses, the color of Danâs lips, bloom between the thorns. Phil, in his dream, approached the gate, his sword dragging behind him, and the thorny tangle unwound and opened to him. He walked through and climbed a winding staircase, dropping his weapon somewhere along the way. Dan lay in repose in a tower surrounded by an artificial night, the moon shone down on his face, and stars drew constellations around him. Phil leaned over to kiss him and Danâs lips felt cold against his. As Phil stood, Danâs arm dropped off the bed, limp at his side. Phil woke with a start and checked the time, 6am. He didnât feel rested, he felt like heâd run a marathon. Nevertheless, he got out of bed and into the shower. He made coffee and forced some cereal down. He took his time dressing but wore his usual plaid shirt and jeans. Phil had no idea what was ahead but he wasnât feeling particularly eager to please. Seeing Dan again was his only incentive to cooperate and he held on to a sliver of hope that maybe Dan was doing better, maybe he could help him.
Louise practically bounced in her seat, Philâs phone in her hand. Opposite her, Phil was stress eating, inhaling pizza. He was already on his 3rd slice.
âYou have him programmed into your phone as Dan?â
âHe told me to call him Dan! What was I supposed to put, Prince Daniel, Duke of Cambridge, future king of England, the one with the nice arse?â
âThatâs more accurate, so yes.â Louise thought out loud, âHeâs clearly into you. You need to seem interested but not overly excited. He probably gets all kinds of crazy attention.â
âWhat do you mean, clearly? We said 2 sentences to each other and I was a bumbling mess. Anyway, he said he hoped weâd be friends.â He started on slice 4.
Louise looked Phil dead in the eye. âAre you serious? So you think a prince who has been skirting gay rumors since he was 16 gave his bodyguards the slip and stalked a super cute guy with a matching haircut because he wanted to be friends? You think he hands his phone number out to strangers on the regular?â
Phil blushed, âGuess not.â Louise hit send and handed the phone back.
âOh my god, you sent it!?"
Phil: Hi Dan, Itâs Phil, from the bakery. Sorry you had to run. Can we pick up where we left off?
The phone vibrated and Phil jumped, slamming it face down on the table with a small yelp. Louise rolled her eyes and picked it up, reading aloud.
Dan: Phil! You texted me! I wasnât sure you would. Does this mean I get to see you again?
Phil put his head down on the table to hide his burning cheeks. He was terrified and giddy and insanely flattered. Louise leaned over and shook Phil by the shoulders.
âOh. My. God. Philip!â
Phil played it as cool as he could, saying heâd love to hang out but he did have a lot to do this week. This was an absolute lie considering Phil had literally no schedule and no one to answer to but himself. Dan told Phil that heâd be spending the next 2 days in Hackney, helping primary school kids plant a vegetable garden, but that Saturday would be a perfect night to meet up.
Saturday night at 8:30, there was a knock at the door. Phil looked in the mirror, repaired his splinges, and unbuttoned his top button. He opened the door and waved stiffly at Dan who waved back in a sweet attempt at breaking the tension. He followed Dan out the front door to a waiting car. A strong looking guy in a suit held the door open for them and they climbed in. Phil recognized him from the bakery and Dan introduced him as Dennis. Dennis did not say hello, but leaned in and handed Phil an Ipad. âStandard non-disclosure agreement, sign with your finger please. And Iâll need to see your ID.â
âNice to meet you too, Dennis.â Phil snarked. He pulled his ID out and showed it to Dennis, then signed the screen. Dennis shut the door and walked around to the front passenger seat.
âSorry about him, he really is a nice guy.â Dan said.
Sometimes, YouTube sent cars to take Phil to events. He tried to pretend this was no different, that there wasnât a bodyguard in the front seat and a prince sitting next to him.
âSo, where are we going?â In an effort to avoid staring longingly at Danâs beautiful face, Phil watched the scenery go by through the tinted window. It was going to take some time to see him as flesh and blood and not the heartthrob Phil had been stanning for months.
âKnightsbridge.â Dan said, âA few of my friends are having a party in this amazing apartment. Youâll love it. There should be food there if youâre hungry.â
Phil liked a very particular kind of party, the kind with a few close friends playing board games and eating pizza. What Dan was describing sounded like Philâs own private hell. Thereâd be weird food heâd never tried, expensive furniture for him to spill drinks on, and loads of new people to judge him for looking awkward and uncomfortable the whole time. Normally, these types of parties wouldnât be a problem because Phil would never be invited to one but now he had unwittingly agreed to attend. He was just going to have to be brave, there was no way he was giving up this chance to spend time with Dan.
They pulled up in front of a smart looking building. Dennis got out, exchanged some sort of secret lad handshake hug with the doorman, then leaned against the hood of the car and lit a cigarette. Phil followed Dan into the building and to a private elevator. Dan punched a code into a keypad on the wall and they went up. And up. And up. Phil leaned on the railing and closed his eyes as his stomach traveled into his throat. He took a few deep breaths to recover from the elevator induced motion sickness and straightened himself up. The doors opened onto an opulent lounge the size of Philâs entire apartment. The longest sofa he had ever seen stretched along the length of two walls, dotted with couples and clusters of people. The sofa was white and Phil vowed to stayed far away from it. A huge wall of windows revealed a balcony with a firepit in the center. Across the lounge, there was a banquet table covered in food. Phil took a step closer to Dan, who leaned in to his ear. âDonât worry, I hate parties too. This is just one of the few places I can be without hiding. Letâs go loiter by the food.â
Phil exhaled and the two of them hurried through the scattered crowd. They grazed on tiny cakes and Dan served up some strong smelling punch. They drank and chatted about nothing and soon the party disappeared. It was just Dan and Phil, not a prince and a YouTuber, just a couple of dorks debating which is the best Mario Kart. Phil refilled their glasses and eyed a small card set on a plate of hors d'oeuvres.
âDan, what exactly is an artisanal pickle? And why does it need to be said that itâs gluten free?â Dan laughed, covering his mouth to keep from dribbling. âDonât ask me mate, Iâm a royal not a hipster.â He handed Phil his glass, moving in close enough that Phil could smell the cherry vodka on his breath. âI need to powder my nose. Be right back.â
Phil watched Dan walk away with perhaps just a bit too much attention, but soon snapped back to realize he was stood alone, at a party, full of posh people he doesn't know. He backed himself into the kitchen and leaned on a counter, staring into his punch. There was a couple making out against another counter but the kitchen was so big, it didnât seem an issue. Phil began absentmindedly playing with a set of crystal salt and pepper shakers next to him, naming them Dan and Phil, and walking them down an imaginary aisle. Just as he said the second I do, someone sidled up next to him and he jumped, shoving the shakers away so fast, one tipped and spilled.
âYouâre amazingPhil.â He was as tall as Phil with a mop of curly hair that hung down into his striking green eyes. Phil was hastily brushing salt off the counter into his hand. He threw a bit over his shoulder to avoid angering any malevolent spirits and let the rest fall to the floor.
âI am. Hey.â He really hoped this guy would walk away but that didnât happen.
âIâm PJ, so good meeting you.â He shook Philâs hand briskly and spoke just as fast. âLove your videos. You came with Dan, yes? Dan and I met in grammar school. Heâs a grave disappointment to his parents as am I, so we bonded right off the bat. Can I pick your brain about YouTube? I find it fascinating.â
âHi PJ, Itâs eh, good to meet you too but I feel like I should see where Dan ran off to.â
âOh Dan? Heâs right over there.â He gestured over his shoulder. âHe got ambushed on his way back from the loo.â
Phil looked over to see Dan talking to a very pretty young woman in tiny shorts and a bolero jacket. Her heels were so high, she could look Dan right in the eye. Her right hand rested on his forearm and the other gesticulated wildly, spilling drops of her drink onto the cream colored rug. Dan caught Phil looking for him and he rolled his eyes and grinned before going back to feigning interest in her non-stop talking.
âSo,â PJ drew Phil back in, âyou guys a thing then?â
âMe and Dan? Oh no. We only just met. Weâre just friends.â
âReally? Hmm. Didnât look like friends over here canoodling in the corner.â PJ crunched a tiny pickle.
âCanoodling? We werenât⌠heâs not interested in me like that.â Phil moved to get himself more punch and PJ followed, standing beside him.
âYou see the girl heâs talking to? Thatâs Iris Spencer. She comes from just the right sort of family and has been educated in all the right schools. If Danâs father could choose anyone for him to marry, sheâd be it.â
âMarry? He not even 19.â
âWell, theyâd wait till after university of course. To call her Danâs ex-girlfriend would be a stretch so letâs just say theyâve spent some time together and sheâs not accustomed to being turned down. Anywho, sheâs been talking his ear off for a good 20 minutes and he hasnât taken his eyes off of you.â PJ slurped from his cup of punch to drive his point home. âHeâs into you.â
Phil kept his head low but glanced up, trying to discreetly watch the interaction. Dan nodded occasionally but his eyes stayed fixed over Irisâ shoulder, across the room, on Phil. Their eyes met and and Phil bit his lip to keep his smile from spreading too wide. He looked at PJ who grinned and slurped again.
âHeâs out of my league.â Phil said, shaking his head softly.
PJ leaned in close and whispered, âPhil, heâs looking at you like youâre a damn buffet and heâs not sure which end to start on. Go. Get. Your. Man.â
Phil sputtered a laugh and looked at PJ with wide eyes. He couldnât argue with that so he tipped back the rest of his punch and stood up as straight as his nerves would allow. He marched right up to Dan and took his hand.
âPhil! This is⌠Oh!â Dan was cut off mid-sentence as Phil pulled Dan along with him, never stopping.
Iris fumed, âOi! Dan!â
Dan looked over his shoulder, âSorry Iris, got a better offer!â They drew some attention as Phil led Dan out onto the balcony. Phil spotted a huge tub of beers and grabbed two. Dan did the same. They followed the balcony around the side of the building and squeezed past a stack of extra patio chairs to find a few feet of blessed empty space. They both sunk to the ground, giggling. Dan popped the tops of his beers on the slats of a chair and handed one to Phil, who held his own two beers up, âGreat minds,â he said as he put them aside.
The clinked their bottles together and Dan opened his mouth to give a toast but paused, âI just realized all the toasts I know are dirty, I donât want to offend you. You got one?â
Phil though for a second, cleared his throat, and said, âIâd rather have a bottle in front of me then a frontal lobotomy. Cheers!â
Dan chuckled and drank. âPhil, Iâm sorry I brought you here. I wanted to go somewhere I could be myself but this scene is garbage, I know that.â
âI dunno. Iâm actually having a really good time, Dan. I met your friend, PJ. Heâs⌠interesting. Heâs actually pretty cool. I donât care where we are as long Iâm...â Phil stopped himself just in time but Dan wasnât gonna let him off that easy.
âIâm sorry, what?â Dan stared at Phil, eyebrows raised, hand over his heart. âPhil Lester, were you gonna say, as long as youâre with me ?â
âNo. I mean, thatâs weird. We just met. I⌠I just...â
âYou were gonna say that!â Dan was getting such a kick out of Philâs utter embarrassment. âYou cheesy mother fluffer. You were playing it so cool, but I broke through, didnât I? Admit it, you like me? You think Iâm fit.â The emphasis Dan put on the word fit had Phil completely flustered. He put his forehead on Danâs shoulder and groaned. Dan laughed a little to loud.
âItâs ok, Phil.â Danâs voice softened, âI like you too.â
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Mirror, Mirror Part 1
Author: Me! :D
Artist: @rupls
Beta: @phansromance
Summary: Dan and Phil get invited to stay at a historical castle with Martyn and Cornelia. Contrariwise, Daniel and Philip arenât invited anywhere, but not many people can say no to a highly trained thief and a dragon. But thatâs totally unrelatedÂ
Part Two
Word Count: (Total) 57K (This part) 31K
Warnings: Fantasy Violence (specifically there are some dead dogs later), and swearing
Authorâs Note:
I have......... been working on this since August of 2015. So it makes sense that not only is it a day late (what are dates?) but itâs also not QUITE done. Lana has been great, but also really busy so xe hasnât quite finished editing everything, and weâre going to keep working on it! So, if you see any mistakes, or something you would change, feel free to send either of us an ask! Thanks so much for reading!
Dan stretched long and lazily, blinking in the bright light streaming in from the window of his room. He laid in bed for a few minutes trying to suss out how long he had slept in and if Phil was awake or not. Upon realizing the angle of the sun and the distinct lack of coffee smell in the air, he decided he was definitely up way earlier than Phil. Yawning one last time, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and shuffled out into the hall. He took the opportunity to peek into Philâs room to check on him. He smiled when he saw his boyfriend still snoring away, hair in complete disarray. He made his way to the kitchen where he went to poking about in the fridge to see what he could make them for breakfast. He decided on omelettes after finding some onion and peppers left over from a few days before.
As if summoned by the scent of cooking eggs Phil stumbled into the kitchen. Or well, he would have if he hadnât run face first into the door jamb. He rubbed his head and grumbled under his breath and properly made his way into the kitchen. All the while Dan cackled at his misfortune.
âMorning, sunshine,â Dan cooed sarcastically. Phil glared and started mixing up his mandatory morning coffee.
âYour eggs are burning,â he said in lieu of a greeting. He smirked behind his coffee cup and watched Dan swear and whip around to try and save his omelette as best he could.
âYouâre the worst,â Dan scowled, pouting at his extra-crispy eggs.
Phil cocked a brow and grabbed the unburned, cheese-free breakfast Dan had made for him. âI mean at least I warned you instead of letting you turn them to charcoal.â
âI deserve so much better, honestly.â
âOf course you do,â Phil agreed breezily, pulling Dan in for a quick good morning peck. âSo, howâd you sleep?â
Dan shrugged noncommittally. âAlright, I guess. I actually went to bed before sunrise so I got a few hours. You?â
âI actually had a super weird dream. I hate I canât remember any more of it than I can because Iâm pretty sure I was flying at one point.â
âYeah, I canât remember much of mine, either. I think I robbed a bank or something, though.â
Phil snorted and grinned. He was clearly more awake now that heâd gotten caffeine and conversation. âYou? Robbing a bank? You sure about that?â
âOh, donât laugh too much Mr Lester, you were driving the getaway car,â Dan snickered. âHonestly, I canât decide whatâs more ridiculous: Me somehow managing to steal money from someone or you managing to drive us anywhere but off a cliff.â
âYou mean you wouldnât want to Thelma and Louise it with me?â Phil pouted.
âSorry, babe, but Iâm not planning on dying with or without you any day soon.â Dan grinned, flicking one of the darker burn spots across the table at Phil.
âWell, then I suppose weâd best avoid robbing any banks today.â
âShit, there goes my plan for the day.â
Phil huffed out a little half laugh and let a comfortable silence fall over them while they finished eating. âHey, do you actually have any plans for today?â Phil asked, grabbing Danâs plate and cup and putting all their dishes in the dishwasher. âMartyn and Cornelia are in town and wanted to meet for a late lunch if thatâs okay.â
âYeah, sure,â Dan shrugged and stood up. âI was just going to spend today editing that gaming video, but Iâm going to need a break around then.â
âI hate to distract you from your super productive day, but do you maybe want to watch a couple episodes of Erased?â
âI suppose you could manage to convince me,â Dan grinned. âMight need to really twist my arm, though.â
Phil rolled his eyes fondly and shoved Dan toward the lounge. âShove off, and get everything set up, itâs your turn.â
_________
Several hours and answered emails later, Philâs phone chirped. On his screen was a reminder that he and Dan needed to start getting ready if they wanted to make it to lunch on time. He wrested himself from the couchâs comfortable grasp and meandered towards his room. popping his head in Danâs room to check on him and remind him of their plans. He was expecting to see Dan hunched over the computer, headphones blocking out all but the loudest distractions. Instead, he found Dan leaning back as far as the desk chair would allow and aimlessly staring at the ceiling. He turned in slow circles and listened to the soft indie music drifting through the air. âHowâs the editing going?â Phil asked to announce his presence, already knowing how well editing was going.
Dan jolted at the sudden interruption, but recovered and smiled at his boyfriend. âAh, well, not great,â he admitted. âItâs just been one of those days, you know? I swear I canât focus on anything for more than two minutes before Iâm back to staring at the ceiling.â
Phil walked over and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. âYou need to talk about it?â he asked, clearly concerned.
Dan smiled and shook his head, grabbing Philâs hands in his own. âNah, I promise itâs nothing to worry about. It just feels like thereâs something really big coming up that weâre not prepared for and thereâs nothing we can do.â
Phil frowned and hummed in thought. âAny idea what it could be? I mean we donât have any super big projects going on and weâve pretty much finished unpacking everything. Is there something we need to do for YouTube that Iâm forgetting?â
Dan shrugged. âI donât think thereâs actually anything itâs just one of those things that you canât really explain away.â
Phil hummed. âYeah, I know those. Well, we can get prepared for our lunch date, so take a break and get dressed.â
âSee you in an hour and a half, then,â Dan joked.
Phil snorted and gently shoved Danâs shoulder. âBetter not take you that long or I will leave you here.â Dan squawked about how heâd better not do that if he wanted a boyfriend for long. Yet, his cries fell on deaf ears as Phil stepped into his room to get dressed.
As usual, Phil was ready to go long before Dan and decided to wait for him out in the lounge. Fortunately, Dan was actually joking when he said how long it would take him to get ready. He appeared not too long after in fresh, neat clothes and brushed but not straightened hair. âYou ready to go?â he asked, digging around in their junk bowl for the keys to the flat.
âYeah,â Phil answered, standing up and popping his back.
âCool,â Dan muttered absently. He ushered Phil out the front door before following him out and clicking the lock. âWhere are we even going, by the way?â
âMisato!â Phil said with emphasis in the last half of the word.
âThat place is good, we ought to go there more often.â
âIt is really good but the tube ride is so long is it worth it?â
âYeah, good point, maybe we shouldnât.â
Phil grunted in agreement and they fell into an easy silence as they walked to the station. Dan seemed lost in his own world of thought, but Phil was very carefully watching him. It wasnât unusual for the two of them to spend more than average amount of time in their relationship in silence. Once you got that comfortable with another person you get quiet. But there was some unspoken thing going on with Dan and Phil could tell. Unfortunately, no matter how long he spent staring at his boyfriend, he couldnât read his mind. He was no closer to finding the source of whatever it was that had Dan so off balance without asking. Something told him that would get absolutely nothing done.
âSo, I never asked, whatâs Martyn doing in town?â Dan asked as they swayed from side to side with the motion of the near-empty train car they were in.
âNot sure, he didnât say,â Phil shrugged. âMaybe heâs wishing you an early birthday?â
Dan rolled his eyes. âPhil, I donât know if you remember, but weâre spending three days up north with your whole family for my birthday next week, so I doubt itâs that.â He quirked the corner of his mouth up into a devious grin. âMaybe he has some salacious gift he doesnât want to give us in front of your mum.â
Phil wrinkled his nose, looking vaguely green at the mere idea of it. âSorry, but even if he is here to give you that weâre not keeping it. Thereâs no way Iâm even risking thoughts of my brother while weâre fucking.â
Dan smirked and bumped their arms together. âI doubt thatâs his goal. Besides, heâd be hard-pressed to get us anything new anyways.â Phil turned absolutely scarlet and Dan bubbled over with giggles. For a man who enjoyed sex as much as he did, Phil was awfully bashful when it came to discussing it.
âYouâre the worst person,â Phil pouted, pulling out his phone to double check their directions.
âShould I tweet that then?â Dan teased, retrieving his own phone from his pocket. âDan Howell, statistically speaking the worst person in the world according to Phil Lester.â
Phil huffed indignantly but otherwise ignored Dan until his phone lit up with a Twitter notification.
Daniel Howell Tweeted: lol so apparently im statistically the worst person. thanks for the update @AmazingPhil
Phil looked up at Dan, who was grinning widely at him, and quirked a brow and went back to typing on his phone. Dan puffed his cheeks at the disappointing lack of response and went back to scrolling. That is until his phone lit up with a notification of its own.
Phil Lester replied: And youâre the one who said to keep the online flirting to a minimum. smh
Dan sputtered and gawked at Phil who was pleasantly smiling at his phone like heâd done nothing wrong. To be fair, he actually hadnât done anything wrong. But it was a well-known fact that nothing made Dan more embarrassed than being called out on his flirting. âI should tell everyone that weâre actually on our way to get super kinky sex toys from your brother,â Dan threatened.
âYou totally should. Make sure you tag my parents and your grandmother while youâre at it.â
Dan narrowed his eyes, trying to ignore the tingling in his cheeks that came from the blood ever so slowly retreating back to where it belonged. âYou win this round, Phil Lester.â
Phil grinned and pulled his pouting boyfriend in by the waist. Glancing around, he rose up slightly on his toes to press a kiss to his cheek. âCheer up, love. The wind will change and your face will be stuck like that.â
âYou know, the more you say that the less I believe your mum actually told you that.â
Phil snickered and shook his head, so Dan went back to ignoring him in favour of his feed. He was actually in the middle of a rather juicy Twitter chain when Phil nudged his arm to alert him of their impending stop. When the car shuddered to a stop they shuffled onto the much more crowded platform. Thanks to years of practice, they made their way to the street without losing sight of each other. âAlright, Mr Map, where is this place?â Dan asked, looking around. Maybe if he searched the sushi restaurant would materialize in the middle of the street.
âAround the corner here,â Phil said with all the confidence of a man staring down at a set of Google provided directions. âAssuming Martyn is early like he always is, weâll get there just in time to order drinks.â Just as Phil predicted, they made it to the restaurant in time to see a waiter taking Martyn and Corneliaâs orders. After explaining to the hostess that their party was already seated, they managed to catch the waiter and request their drinks.
âLong time no see,â Martyn joked, reaching out to shake their hands while Cornelia gave them both quick hugs around the neck.
âIt is always lovely to see you both,â Cornelia beamed. âWe should do it more often; I feel like we only ever get together for work.â
âWe see each other at vacations,â Dan corrected. âSo itâs more like we only see each other for work or when weâre being babysat.â Cornelia snickered a bit, and Dan smiled at them both. âSo, what prompted you to summon us?â As soon as the words left his mouth, Dan blushed while the rest of the table laughed. âThat didnât come out quite like I expected it to.â
âWhat Dan means is, whatâs up, you two?â Phil clarified, bumping against his boyfriend fondly.
âNot much,â Martyn shrugged. âIt seems like the whole YouTube community is taking a break after last year. Weâve mostly been working on some smaller projects for people.â
âItâs letting us meet loads of neat people,â Cornelia added. âThereâs this one lady who runs the tourist department of Hever Castle. She was actually so impressed with the work we did she offered us a complimentary night this weekend.â
âHoly cow, thatâs cool,â Phil marvelled. âI hope you two have fun.â
As he said that Martynâs phone dinged loudly, announcing the arrival of an email. Martyn quickly scanned the email and looked up, pleasantly surprised. âFunny enough, thatâs her now. Apparently, there was a last minute cancellation. Sheâs told us to invite some other people to come with us this weekend. What do you say, a free night in a luxury castle hotel with your big bro?â
âWeâre in,â Dan beamed. Phil raised a brow at his eagerness but Dan just rolled his eyes. âOh, please, you know you want to spend the night in a castle. Plus itâs a great chance to take a break and hang out with Martyn and Cornelia.â
âWell, itâs not like I was going to refuse, but maybe a bit more conversation next time?â
âDonât worry, Phil,â Cornelia grinned. âMartyn and I already know the two of you communicate telepathically; your secret is safe with us.â
Dan barked out one of his signature goose laughs, garnering the attention of the nearby table, but he paid them no mind. âWell, I guess that means Iâd better finish editing that video in the next couple days if we want to upload it Monday.â
âI can help if you get stuck,â Phil offered. âIâm pretty good at Daniel Howell editing if I do say so myself. Theyâd never even notice.â
âWell, I guess thatâs our weekend plans sorted,â Martyn said. âNow, weâve just got to decide on lunch.â
When their waiter returned they ordered their sushi. They spent an hour or so swapping stories. Phil told a rather dramatized version of an incident a lady walking her three dogs. But as he stayed quiet when Dan demonized their neighbours Dan figured theyâd both let it slide. After, Cornelia regretfully reminded Martyn that they had a meeting to get to. Another round of handshakes and hugs later they were on the street to their next destination.
âCrazy how that worked out, isnât it?â Dan asked, squinting up at the suddenly dark sky to see if theyâd make it home before they got soaked.
âYeah,â Phil mumbled in agreement. He didn't need clarification to know Dan was referring to their sudden weekend trip. He felt there was something off about the whole thing, but he shrugged it off, choosing to focus on the good. âCrazy.â
_______________
âHalt!â
Daniel laughed jovially and put on a burst of speed to outrun the guards hot on his trail, quickly losing them in the dark trees. The reasonably large satchel of coins and jewels attached to his belt bounced against his thigh with every step, jingling merrily. Skidding across loose gravel and dirt he darted through the woods until he came to a sudden stop at the sheer edge of a cliff. He grinned, looking over the edge that went straight down to a ravine that ended in a lake several hundred feet down, and waited. The guards soon came tumbling out of the woods to see the dark elf smirking victoriously with one foot over the edge of the cliff.
Philip, I hope youâre ready for this Daniel thought offhandedly. Then with a jaunty wave to the guards and a sarcastic âBetter luck next time,â he took that last backwards step
Falling had always been a very odd feeling for Daniel. On one hand, there was the absolute terror that always accompanied plummeting towards your death so quickly your breath was left far above your head. On the other, there was the absolutely exhilarating feeling of knowing that heâd be fine at the end as long as he had Philip. As predicted after only a few seconds of falling Daniel found himself safely (albeit harshly) landing on the back of a great black dragon.
You shouldnât have done that, Philip nagged telepathically while Daniel panted in efforts to regain his lost breath. Thereâs a line between doing what has to be done and recklessly endangering yourself and you and I both know you crossed that line.
âWhat does it matter?â Daniel whined, flopping back dramatically. âWe got the jewels and everyone is fine so itâs not a problem. I didnât even kill anyone. Youâre just a worry wart.â Suddenly Philipâs back spines shot up a bit, harshly poking Daniel all down his back causing him to shoot up with a cry of pain and rub his back. âWhat was that for, you overgrown lizard?â
If Iâm a worry wart then youâre a dramatic little nuisance. Itâd probably be better for both of us if I found a travelling theatre troupe and left them to deal with you.
âYeah, yeah,â Daniel pouted. âJust take us home. Iâm hungry as fuck. Iâll probably waste away and die before I get any decent food.â
Philip chuckled, a strange sound to come from a dragon as it sounded more like a hissing earthquake than laughter. There was also the minor inconvenience that when he did it smoke unfurled from his nostrils which sent it straight into Danielâs face when they were flying causing him to squawk and sputter. You are the biggest baby I have ever met.
Daniel muttered something about dumb winged snakes but settled back down for the ride. It wasnât very far to the cave they had claimed as their lair (Well, Philip claimed it as his lair. Daniel showed up and made himself at home, a fact Philip never hesitated to remind him of.) but he always enjoyed any time spent riding Philip as it was something he actually didnât get to do all that often. Most of their time was spent in and around their cave with Philip lounging about admiring his hoard, but whenever Philip got a thirst for gold or Daniel for adventure they had to travel and the quickest and easiest way was flight.
However, Danielâs favourite times were when Philip decided he needed to stretch his wings and they would aimlessly fly around for hours. Usually Philip snap that heâd had enough of Daniel and that was the main reason he was leaving in the first place (Daniel honestly couldnât blame him. Dragons were, by nature, jealous and solitary creatures so the very fact that Philip hadnât already eaten him already was a miracle in and of itself,) but every now and then heâd smile at Daniel, all sharp-toothed and welcoming, and invite him along. Theyâd fly and fly with no destination in mind, Daniel clinging to Philip for his life as they soared and dove and flipped and spiralled through and above clouds, both of them loving every moment of it.
After an hour or two Philip would land in some forgotten meadow or on an abandoned beach to let Daniel back on solid ground for a rest and to get his heart rate back down. As always, before long the boy was begging to get back in the sky, much to the dragonâs amusement. There was just something about the way he could feel every last muscle of Philipâs wings beat beneath him combined with the weightlessness he felt and the rush of excitement every time Philip did anything outside of the normal that made Danielâs chest tight with joy.
As if reading his mind, (which, knowing the sneaky lizard was probably accurate) Philip beat his wings extra hard, sending them shooting up before taking a nosedive towards the lake below, pulling up at the last minute to the sound of Danielâs cries of joy. Daniel leaned over Philipâs shoulder as much as he knew he could just to see his own grinning face reflected in the perfectly smooth water they were almost skimming over. He was tempted to reach down and trail his fingers over the surface of the water but he knew from experience heâd just lose his balance and fall in and hitting water while flying at high speeds is never fun. Also, he knew (again, from experience) that Philip would just fly off and be absolutely no help and heâd have to swim to shore and walk home, which was never any fun.
Sensing Danielâs ever-weakening restraint, Philip snorted with an eye-roll and beat his wings hard a few times to get them back up, past the tops of the trees and amongst the clouds. Traveling at night had more than its fair share of advantages in addition to Danielâs sensitivity to sunlight, and Philipâs personal favourite was the fact that his dark body blended in seamlessly with the night sky, meaning they could fly undetected without worrying about tree cover slowing them down.
They flew for almost an hour when the forest started to thin out before finally letting out into the sea. Philip rumbled his delight along with Daniel as he swooped down so they could find the mouth of their home along the craggy shore. When Philip found the cave - about a hundred years ago, long before he and Daniel crossed paths - it had been much smaller than it was now, but after so many years of carving it was more than suitable for a dragon his size and age. In fact, if he kept up work on it, it would be an impressively large lair for when he was an ancient dragon and merely had to worry about guarding the hoard heâd amassed instead of trying to grow it. As it was, it had a main area that was mostly devoid of any indication of his presence to dissuade intruders and two antechambers, one for his hoard and sleeping and the other for everything else. Before it had stayed mostly empty as Philip wasnât fond of kidnapping royals or challenging knights, but Daniel had taken over and filled it with creature comforts. Philip found most of them useless and a waste of space but even he could admit that sometimes that bed Daniel had stolen was more comfortable than a pile of gold. Â
As soon as they landed and Daniel was off of his back, Philip polymorphed into his humanoid shape. He was rather proud of his polymorph shape as it was mostly human, but with very distinguishing dragon features including his wings and tail, and had taken him years to perfect. There was no bigger shame amongst dragons than someone who couldnât control their powers enough to change shape, but it was a well-known belief that if you could do it completely perfect then maybe you werenât a real dragon and deserved to stay human. âSo, what did you manage to get?â he asked eagerly, eyeing the rather small bag in Danielâs hand.
âEh, mostly the usual,â Daniel shrugged, digging around blindly. âMostly a few handfuls of gold pieces, and a few jewels we can sell in town for a very shiny copper piece.â He suddenly grinned and pulled out what he was looking for and held it up for inspection. âHowever, I think youâll be much more interested in this.â
Without blinking, Philip snatched up the offered necklace with a clawed hand and brought it up close. It was made of gold with a small, thin but strong chain with a bright red jewel no bigger than the tip of Danielâs littlest finger. It was pretty, but common and was worth more than most people had seen in their lives, but was far from the most valuable thing in the castle. No, it wasnât the monetary worth of the necklace that had Philip so entranced, it was the craftsmanship. Every link of the fine chain had been forged and smithed into the exact perfect shape so that it fit in with its neighbour and the tiny jewel had been ever so carefully cut so that the light glinted at every angle. Something like this would have taken a master jeweller at least a few days to create, but based on the tiniest imperfections it had to have been done by an amateur, and that was the sweetest bit of all. It had taken someone at least two weeks of dedicated labour to craft this and Philip had stolen it, essentially stealing that time away as well. It was absolutely wonderful. Â
âIs there anything else in there you want for your hoard?â Daniel asked breezily, admiring himself in his big mirror after decking himself out in gold and jewels from head to toe.
âThat crown youâre wearing looks very nice.â
âOh, boo, you great bully of a lizard,â Daniel scowled, taking off the crown and tossing it to Philip who caught it easily. âI never get anything I want.â
âYou know where Iâm putting it,â Philip said dismissively as he dug through the other things in the bag. There was nothing as impressive as the necklace or gaudy as the crown, but there was a fairly shiny cup he was rather fond of. âIf you like it so much you can just get it from there.â
âYou get all moody and growly whenever I touch your hoard,â Daniel complained.
âThat was one time about three months after you showed up. Youâre lucky I didnât just eat you.â
Daniel rolled his eyes. âYou know, you say that all the time, but I actually have a hard time believing it. Iâm pretty sure you wouldnât have the guts.â Philip snarled and Daniel felt the room grow much warmer as he was suddenly and vividly reminded just who his best friend was. Yes, he and Philip had grown very close over the year theyâd been together, but he was still a dragon and a mean one at that. He might not want to hurt Daniel at this moment, but with little to no warning he could change his mind and Daniel could find himself back at the mercy of the world at best or a soot stain at worst. He quickly changed the subject. âWe should go out tomorrow.â
Philip cocked his head curiously. âWhy should we? We literally just robbed them; I doubt theyâre going to have much unless youâre saying you did a bad job.â
âOf course, I did a great job. What kind of elf do you take me for?â Daniel scoffed. âI meant going into Bricstow to buy and sell things. Are you aware of the fact that weâre out of food?â
âConsidering I donât eat the food you do, I was completely unaware,â Phil said. âI donât know why you donât just go foraging or something while I hunt.â
Daniel huffed. âBecause I had to forage and steal food for the first forty years of my life and while I have the money to eat like a king Iâm going to do just that.â
Philip yawned, he could almost feel the first rays of sunlight peeking over the hills. âAlright, fine, weâll go to Bricstow, but not until the day after tomorrow. Weâll have to be out during the day and you get whiney if you donât have enough rest.â Ignoring Danielâs offended protests, he transformed back into his full dragon self and took his new treasures to his room. His hoard wasnât astonishingly large by any means, but it was big enough and only held the very best so it made Philip happy and that was all that mattered.
With a deep rumble Daniel would call a yawn, he curled up in and around his hoard, waiting for sleep to wash over him. However, before it could, he felt a small, warm body worm its way under his wing to rest in the (relatively) soft fold where his front leg met his torso.
And what do you think youâre doing in here?
Oh, like you donât know. You know I meditate better when I know youâre there.
Philip snorted and rolled his eyes, but he ever so slightly brought his wing in a little closer to his body in a protective manner to shield the prone body beneath it. Much as he loathed to admit it even to himself, much less to anyone else, Daniel truly was his favourite addition to his hoard and he planned to keep it that way.
_______________
âMove your lazy arse,â Daniel growled, fruitlessly shoving his whole weight against a fully grown dragon like he legitimately thought that would make the slightest bit of difference.
Philip snorted. Yes, Iâm the lazy one. Letâs ignore the fact that Iâm flying two hours to take a skinny little elf on a shopping trip I have absolutely no interest in because he doesnât want to just make the journey on foot.
âName one half sane person who would make a six-hour walk when he can fly instead,â Daniel argued. âNow, come on. Weâre burning daylight and I hate being up and about at this hour.â
Philip let out a rumble from deep within his chest to show his unhappiness but heaved himself to his feet, much to Danielâs delight. He took his time stretching his neck, his wings, and all four of his legs while Daniel stood to the side tapping his foot impatiently. When he was done he blinked at Daniel to let him know it was time to go.
Grumbling the whole way, the dark elf clambered his way up and when he was settled he flipped up the hood of his cloak to protect from the sun. âLetâs get the hell out of here, shall we?â
With that, Philip weaved his body back and forth like a snake for a moment as if getting used to the way it moved before suddenly darting forward through the mouth of the cave and diving down the sheer cliff face towards the sea below. Right before they crashed into the water, he unfurled his great wings and let the ocean wind lift him up to his cruising altitude before he began to slowly flap.
It was a beautiful, perfectly clear day, and under normal circumstances, Daniel would have been absolutely tickled pink and looking around to see everything possible, but as it was daylight he couldnât do that. Instead, he was huddled up under his thickest cloak, trying his best to both stay cool and keep as much sun as possible off his sensitive skin. He was fine - albeit uncomfortable - when he was out in the sun so long as he had at least partial shade, but when they were flying there was nothing to protect him, so all he could do was suffer through. Philip would never admit it, but it greatly concerned him to see his friend in such distress and he almost subconsciously started flying ever so slightly faster.
Bricstow was the perfect city for Daniel and Philip to sell the treasures they decided not to keep. It wasnât by any means the largest city around, but it was big enough that it garnered a rather large market full of merchants who had learned not to ask too many questions, and it was only about twenty miles away from their cave and through some very dense forest which made traveling there and back in a day easy for them, but rather more difficult for anyone who decided to follow them. There was also a very convenient meadow not too far out of town where they could land out of view of prying eyes, which, after nearly two hours of unfortunately silent flight, Philip was hovering over as he looked for the ideal place to touch down.
âThank fuck,â Daniel sighed as soon as he was on the ground and in the shade of some trees. âI hate flying during the day.â
âYou and me both,â said Philip, who had transformed into his humanoid shape. âNow come on, letâs go get your stuff.â
Together they made their way into town, Philip garnering several terrified glances that he absolutely revelled in. Daniel rolled his eyes and tugged him along to his favourite stall, run by a Kenku by the name of Bofraran. Like most of his birdman people, he was far too interested in gold to ask questions and usually forgot to wonder how an allegedly homeless drow came across the items Daniel had for sale. He underpaid for most of the things he acquired, but all of his deals came with an unspoken vow of silence that he wasnât about to break anytime soon.
âAh, Daniel!â he crooned as soon as they stepped in. âItâs been quite a while since I last saw you, how have you been? Did you come to visit your old friend?â
âCut the bullshit, Bofaran,â Daniel said narrowing his eyes. âYou and I both know why weâre here so stop wasting time.â
Bofaran merely shrugged his feathered shoulders. âNobody ever wants to just talk these days. Itâs always rush rush rush with you folk. No manners. Now, letâs see what we have here.â He peered into the bag and pulled out a few items to inspect closer. There was one ring that he seemed particularly keen on as he started chattering delightedly after looking at it for a moment. âWhy, Daniel, you always do bring me the prettiest things.â
âWe keep the prettiest,â Philip corrected him flatly, perusing the wares set out with disinterest.
Bofaran clicked his beak together in agitation for a moment at Philipâs tone but soon turned back to Daniel, returning to his oily business tone. âIâll give you one thousand gold pieces for the bag.â
Daniel actually laughed out loud for a moment. âTry again, Bof. That ring in your hand is worth more than a thousand. Aim a bit higher this time.â
Bofaran narrowed his beady black eyes. âOne and a half.â
âThree.â
âOne and three quarters.â
âTwo and a half.â
âTwo.â
Daniel pursed his lips and snatched the ring from Bofraranâs talons. âMaybe you didnât hear me; Iâll repeat myself. Two. And a. Half. Take the deal or we walk birdman.â
Bofaran clicked his beak together a bit more, staring longingly at the ring Daniel was rolling through his fingers. After a moment, he sighed and pulled out his chest and started counting out tiny bags of gold. âDeal. Two thousand five hundred gold. Itâs more than Iâd pay for just about anything but that ring will more than bring it back and Iâm fairly certain between you and your dragon friend I donât stand a chance.â
Daniel grinned wolfishly and swept the money into his bag with one arm. âPleasure doing business with you, Bofaran. Itâs always good to see old friends.â
Bofran ruffled up his feathers beneath his baggy robes. âYou would say that after youâve robbed me blind. Now, go. Get out before I get it in my mind to call the guards.â
Daniel laughed right in the unhappy kenkuâs face. âRight, yeah. Youâll call the guards. Will that be before or after you stash away the illegal scrolls and magic weapons?â
âOut!â
Still cackling, Daniel grabbed Philipâs arm and dragged them outside. âCome on, itâs food time. I think I saw someone up here selling foods from the Underdark.â
As expected, a few stalls down there was an old, pretty High Elf woman named Sisar selling all manner of Drow delicacies along with her usual wares. As usual, Philip found most of what Daniel loaded into his bag distasteful, but he did wind up picking out some forest strider drumsticks and some delightfully pungent goat sausage for their meal in town. With their newly bought food, they managed to find a secluded area where they could eat without being disturbed or leaving town.
âYouâre not going to like that,â Philip said breezily, sinking his fangs into his drumstick after giving it a quick charbroil with his flames.
âWhat are you talking about?â Daniel scowled, looking up from his comically black meal. âIâll have you know these foods are a cultural delight for my people.â
âYou say that every time you manage to find someone selling this stuff,â Philip argued. âAnd yet, every time you wind up hating at least half of it. I noticed you only got more than one mealâs worth of stuff for about half of whatâs on your plate.â
As if trying to prove Philip wrong, Daniel grabbed the egg he had bought (some kind of faerzress infused duck egg, if Phil was remembering correctly) and took about half of it into his mouth in one big bite. He immediately regretted this decision. Philip raised his eyebrow as Danielâs face seemed to almost turn inside out at the sudden, unbearably salty flavour that flooded his mouth. âMaybe that particular thing isnât for me,â he squeaked out after fighting to choke it down.
âWell, Iâm fairly certain those are supposed to be a soup starter,â Philip laughed. âCome on, now, you know what you do and do not like, just skip to the good stuff.â
âIâll eat whatever I want!â Daniel snapped. He looked down at the Donigarten Moss Snails he had next up for eating and did his best to swallow down the bile at the back of his throat. âYou know what? Maybe I will skip out on this today.â
âWhy donât you tell me about the stuff you do actually like?â Philip suggested, not unkindly.
Daniel beamed. âI have black velvet ear fungus, which are these dark brown things that kind of look like wood shavings; black truffle rothe cheese from Menzoberranzan, which is super savory and creamy and delicious; and I have some blind cave fish caviar, which mostly just taste like salt, but theyâre good with the mushrooms.â
Philip nodded and did his best to not look sick to his stomach. âYou people are certainly⌠fond of your heritage as far as food goes.â
âHumans are the worst about it,â Daniel shrugged. âI mean, they have food specific to their race and where they came from and even their specific families. I mean, yeah, there are slight differences from place to place with everyone, but from what I remember pretty much everyone in the Underdark ate basically the same thing.â
Philip hummed, but he was quickly losing interest as he had spotted a very wealthy looking orc lady who was carrying an absolutely stunning tapestry bag over her arm. âWait here,â he said to Daniel, effortlessly getting to his feet with a short flap of his wings. He smoothly cut his way through the crowd until he was walking right next to his target. âThatâs a lovely bag there you have, Miss,â he said, charm dripping off every word. âMight I ask you a bit about it?â
The orc looked positively terrified at the sight of a rather large mouthful of very sharp teeth grinning at her. âI-I bought it not long ago.â
âAny idea who made it?â
âM-Malement,â she stammered. âHeâs the-the Dragonborn weaver in Lundy.â
âOh, itâs a shame weâre in Bricstow, I would love to have a bag like that,â he lamented. Then he smiled again, wider and sharper and more dangerous than before. âSay, you wouldnât mind giving me yours would you?â
âBut I-I had to wait two months for him to finish this one for me!â
âEven better,â he cooed, completely delighted. âNow, why donât you give that to me and I wonât have to do something weâll both regret.â The colour quickly drained from her face, and without another word, she shoved her bag into Philipâs waiting hands. âDonât even think about telling the guards about this, yeah?â She nodded quickly, and as quickly as she could she darted down the street. Philip chuckled to himself as he made his way back to Daniel, closely inspecting his find. It wasnât quite two months worth of work, but it was perfectly and expertly made and it was rather pretty.
âFind something fun, did you?â Daniel asked, cocking an eyebrow and immediately taking the bag so he could look through it. Much to Philipâs displeasure. âWhy was this woman carrying around so much garbage?â he whined, dumping it out. âShe has like four gold, but sheâs got a jar of⌠griffon grease?â
âMaybe sheâs a wizard and these are her spell components,â Philip rationalized, looking at a vial of fingernail clippings in mild disgust.
âThe fuck kind of spell needs this horse shit?â Daniel demanded, shaking a bubble pipe at him.
Delighted, Philip dropped the nail vial, grabbed the pipe and started blowing smoke-filled bubbles. âWhatever she had it for doesnât much matter anymore as itâs ours now. Just take what of it seems remotely valuable and leave the rest.â
Daniel frowned, looking over the pile of stuff, before grabbing a teardrop shaped necklace that appeared to be made of an actual teardrop and left the rest. âWell, again, most of this is worthless and I donât much fancy being weighed down, do you?â
Philip shrugged and tossed the necklace and pipe back in the bag. âI only really wanted the bag in the first place.â
âCome on, then, I have a few more things I want to get before we head back home.â
Philip grumbled under his breath, but acquiesced, following Daniel around as he purchased all sorts of boring things like chests with locks, silk rope, clothes, ink and parchment, more armour and weapons, lanterns, healing potions and candles. He was honestly convinced the drow was just spending money to spend it at this point, and to make Philip carry heavy things.
âAlright, I think thatâs everything,â Daniel announced, checking over his list one more time. âTime to head on out, I guess then.â When Philip didnât make yet another sarcastic comment, Daniel looked up to see him staring with complete focus at a tent with a modest sign that said âEstelaria: Fortunes Told.â âOh, you canât be serious.â
Philip turned and scowled at him. âWe came all this way for your trivial things; weâre going in this tent.â
Daniel huffed, and rolled his eyes, but followed Philip inside, leaving their possessions just inside. It was dark and humid within the canvas, and the air was filled with smoke, but the fortuneteller was suspiciously absent. âWell, looks like nobodyâs home. If we leave now I promise not to make fun of you the whole way back.â
âThereâs someone here,â Philip hissed, looking around eyes narrowed and tail lashing. âI can sense it.â
âLook, can we just-â
âYou donât seem to have much faith in my abilities, Drow.â
Daniel whipped around to see a pretty aasimar woman sat at the previously empty table, her chin resting on her folded hands. Her skin was a warm copper tone and she had a pair of purple stars painted onto her cheeks; however, her most defining features were her bright purple eyes and dark purple hair that looked to have the very stars from the sky woven into it. âMy name is Estelaria,â she smiled, offering a gloved hand in greeting. âYouâre Daniel and Philip, I presume.â
âHow did you know that?â Daniel demanded, eyeing her suspiciously.
Philip rolled his eyes. âWell, Iâm no genius, but Iâm pretty sure between her being able to predict the future and us being wanted criminals it wasnât too hard to guess.â He turned to Estelaria with a smile and pressed a kiss to her hand. âNever you mind him. You know children these days have no manners.â
She laughed and withdrew her hand while Daniel scowled. âDonât concern yourself with me; Iâve had more than one doubter come through here.â She grinned and leaned forward to stage whisper conspiratorially, âI havenât had a doubter leave, though.â
Philip chuckled but Daniel just frowned deeper. âIs that supposed to be endorsing your own abilities or a poorly veiled threat on my life?â He was completely and totally ignored.
âSo, what do you charge for a fortune reading?â Philip asked, hands already going towards their coin purse, which Daniel regretted making him carry now.
âOh, for you two?â Estelaria asked with a knowing smile. âAbsolutely nothing.â
Danielâs eyes narrowed further. What kind of person didnât charge for their services? Even if those services were completely phoney, you should still get some coin from it.
Philip, on the other hand, didnât seem remotely phased by the refusal. âSo, how do you predict the future? Crystal ball, tarot cards, palm reading?â
She beamed at him like sheâd been waiting to hear that specific question. âActually, no. I do things a bit differently.â She then revealed her wand, it was red and ended with her signature purple star, and waved it. Suddenly the room grew pitch black before little spots of light all around burst into existence. âI read the stars.â
Philip seemed delighted with the display as he always was when people performed magic, but Danielâs skin immediately began to crawl. The darkness that filled the tent was definitely of magic - very powerful magic at that - and even with his Darkvision, he couldnât see anything not illuminated by the summoned stars. Judging from the power evident in the spells necessary for this he was sure Estelaria could beat him handily, even with Philipâs help, and he didnât like spending extended periods of time with people he couldnât handle in a fight.
Estelaria hummed to herself for a moment as she peered at the twinkling lights around her. âYou two have been busy, I see,â she said, cocking a brow at them. Philip laughed, producing a small flame that filled his mouth, just to be a showoff. âYou arenât really after monetary things, dragon, which I must say I find a bit odd.â
Philip shrugged. âEvery dragon has his own taste.â
âYes, and it seems yours is more handcrafted, preferably magic,â she noted. She turned to Daniel and smiled. âYou, however, are much more direct. Orphaned at a young age and facing prejudice from surface dwellers, you had to fight for every meagre thing you had, and now that you have the means your only drive is gaining as much money as possible and spending it on your slightest whims.â
âYeah, yeah,â Daniel huffed. âThatâs the exact same sob story of pretty much every drow up here. I was just lucky enough to be kidnapped by a picky dragon instead of left to starve on the streets.â
She narrowed her eyes at him. âRegardless of how many shares your story it is yours. But this is all in the past and matters not, for I am a fortuneteller, not a history book.â Daniel snorted, but she ignored him and instead went back to studying her stars. She was mostly silent for a moment as she wandered around her tent, measuring the stars with her hands and muttering, âNo⌠no, that doesnât make any sense.â
This went on for a solid few minutes before Philipâs infamous dragon temper wore thin. âWhat exactly doesnât make sense?â he snapped.
Estelaria blinked at him for a moment. âThereâs only one path written in the stars for the both of you,â she explained. âNot only should there be a separate set of paths for each of you, those sets should have more than one option. I was trained to be read the possible paths and tell you the most likely one and how you could stray from it. This⌠this is unprecedented, impossible even.â
âWhy donât you just tell us what you have found instead of wasting our time marvelling over the things you canât?â Daniel suggested snidely.
She sighed and collapsed in her chair, rubbing her temples. With a wave of her wand, the lights disappeared and the darkness faded. âYouâre about to face your greatest challenge yet,â she said after another moment. âYou will face and triumph over one challenge and you may trick yourself into thinking youâve won, but you have only just begun. You will face battles you canât fight in a place youâve never even dreamed of. You will discover things about yourselves during this challenge that you never knew you never knew. Your pasts are incredibly important and you will learn just how much they have shaped you over the years.â
Daniel and Philip met the otherâs gaze for a half second before Philip loudly said, âWell, that was incredibly vague and useless, and I mean even more incredibly vague and useless than I was prepared for, and I was prepared for a lot.â He bent down and scooped up their belongings. âNow, if you donât mind, weâll be taking our leave.â
âWait!â she shouted after them. âI have one warning for you! One way you can diverge from this path! Whatever you do, donât take the next heist you hear about.â
âWeâll be sure to keep that in mind,â Daniel simpered, already halfway out the door.
When they were back on the road, Philip turned to Daniel, so angry that smoke was furling out of the corners of his mouth. âHow dare she waste my time like that?â he snarled. âFuture sight is a noble art and for her to claim the title with none of the skill is a slander to the profession.â
âYouâre surprisingly butthurt over this,â Daniel chuckled. âI mean, I knew you were the superstitious type, but this seems a little much.â
Philip looked like he was about to snap back a retort when suddenly his face changed to one of curiosity and he cocked his head to get a better sound. When he did begin to speak it was in the shrill, rough voice of a young aarakockra girl. â- I heard there was more gold there than youâd ever dream of having. A magic mirror and everything! The place is empty, too; all for the taking!â
He spoke again, but now with the slow speech of a Goliath. âYes, but how many people must die before the place is marked for what it is - a cursed trap for any and all adventurers.â
This time a male goblin used his voice to say, âOh, do you really believe all that nonsense? The only thing cursed about that place is your own perception of it.â
âYou canât disagree with facts,â the goliath argued. âAnd the fact is that too many people have died going after this. I wonât be another.â
âWell, you are replaceable,â the aarakockara pointed out.
âYouâd leave me behind, Resa?â the goliath asked sounding hurt.
âYes, we can and we will,â the goblin snapped. âNow, are you coming with us to Eadhelmsbrigge or not?â
âI still think itâs a bad idea but-â Philip stopped channelling their conversation as soon as he realized there was no more information to be had. âI know what castle theyâre talking about,â he said smugly.
âYouâre joking,â Daniel grinned. âWhy havenât you said something before now then?â
âI didnât know exactly where it was,â Philip explained. âI knew there was an old castle in the east of Umbria that was full of treasure and allegedly cursed, but I didnât know which one exactly it was. If theyâre going to Eadhelmsbrigge, though, thereâs only one castle there and thatâs Waldorf castle.â
âHow far away is it?â
âAbout a day and a halfâs flight.â
âThink we can beat them there?â
Philip smirked. âYou know we can.â
_______________
âYou know, considering weâre supposed to be going off on an adventure, you sure are making this incredibly boring,â Daniel groaned, flopping dramatically over his favourite lounge chair.
Philip growled at him. âWell, if I didnât have a needy little flesh bag tagging along I would have left by now; instead Iâm stuck here making sure he has everything he needs while he lazes about and bitches at me.â
Daniel snorted and rolled off the couch, not taking a word the irritated dragon said to heart. âLook, itâs just going to be five nights weâre gone. Two to travel there, one to steal everything we can carry, and two to get back. Easy. I donât need you to pack everything Iâve ever owned. Look, Iâve got a pre-packed bag of basically everything I could possibly need.â
âAnd just what do you have in there?â Philip huffed, narrowing his eyes.
Daniel scoffed but started digging through his bag at Philipâs behest. âUh, letâs see, Iâve got a shitload of ball bearings-â
âWhy the hell would you need that?â
Daniel shrugged. âI dunno, setting off traps? Tripping people who might be following you? Iâve used them loads. Do you want to know what else is in here or not?â
Philip pursed his lips. âIâm almost scared to find out, but, yes, I do.â
Daniel grinned and began to list off the things he dug out which included his lock-picking tools, a tightly wound ball of string, a bell, candles, hammer and pitons, and a thick coil of hempen rope. âAll I really need is water, food and a couple medicine packs,â he said, listing them off on his fingers.
âWhat about all your bedding and clothes?â Philip argued.
Daniel wrinkled his nose. âOkay, a change of clothes would probably be ideal, but I definitely donât need blankets or anything. Itâs the middle of summer and I sleep on you all the time anyway. Anything else is just taking up room.â
Philip frowned as Daniel went about gathering up all the rations heâd need for the trip. âIf youâre sure. I just feel like thereâs something going on that we donât know about.â
Daniel snorted. âI swear to Lolth if youâre going to bring up that worthless fortune teller from yesterday I will leave and never come back.â
âWell, I wasnât planning on mentioning her, but with that kind of offer how can I refuse?â
âFuck right off.â
âI am completely serious, though,â Philip insisted. âSomething big is about to happen and Iâm not sure weâll know what to do when it does.â
Daniel sighed and stood up to look Philip in the eye. âLook, everything is going to be fine. Youâre just on edge because youâre superstitious as hell and believe every story of castles being cursed ever. You know whatâs going to happen? Weâre going to get there and because weâre damn good at what we do - far better than most - weâre going to take care of all the traps, fight any monsters we have to and get rich. Itâs going to be great and youâre going to have a cool ass mirror for your hoard.â
Philip rolled his eyes, but morphed back into his dragon form and let Daniel load their things onto his back. When he was done they set off, fortunately under the cool cover of night this time. As it was night there were few people awake and outside to see them and even fewer who could actually make out Philipâs dark form blotting out the stars as they soared overhead. Much to Danielâs dismay, Philip kept the course straight and true, not dilly-dallying to do his usual flips and tricks. They werenât in a race against time by any stretch of the imagination, but they did have a schedule to keep and he didnât see much point in wasting time or energy on unnecessary aerial acrobatics.
This left Daniel rather bored during the two hour flights between breaks and after counting his bag of ball bearings for the fifth time (he had 916 every time he counted) he decided to inflict his misery on Philip. So, tell me more about this allegedly haunted castle weâre about to rob he thought casually. He laid back and made a game of trying to keep his eyes on a single star as the soared past them. The sun was just beginning to make its presence known and the sky was now a couple shades lighter than the inky blue itâd been all night. Fortunately, this meant they were going to be landing probably within the hour; unfortunately, this meant that the stars were even harder to stare at which drastically increased the level of Danielâs game.
Well, I already told you that itâs Waldorf Castle, Philip explained. A couple hundred years back it was owned by the Waldorf family and the daughter married the king, leaving the parents alone in the castle as they had no other children. The story goes that they were really shitty to their servants, so one day the servants all gathered together, stuffed their pockets with as much gold they could carry, and just left. The lord and lady had absolutely no power to punish the servants into coming back, and they were too proud to change their behaviour, so eventually, they wound up dying right there in the castle because they didnât know how to feed themselves.
Serves them right Daniel snorted. Probably had a loaded pantry and everything, the problem was just between their ears. Imagine starving to death in a castle because youâre too foolish to eat while there are actual people just outside your door starving because you wonât give them food.
Itâs just the story Philip shrugged. Thereâs probably another answer, but I havenât found one nearly entertaining enough to replace that one.
Daniel snickered for a moment before asking So, whatâs the treasure inside like? Surely itâs a spectacle to behold.
Mostly just the normal things youâd find in a castle: Clothes, jewels, gold, and the like. The most interesting thing is the magic mirror the lady allegedly has. Nobodyâs quite sure what it does, now or then. Itâs got no functionality other than a normal mirror, but itâs got such a magical aura that even non-magic users like you would be able to feel it.
What good does that do anybody?
None, but there have been years of research put into discovering its use, and if I get it that time belongs to me.
So, tell me more about this curse then.
Philip rolled his eyes and snorted, sending a trail of smoke whizzing above Daniel who was glad he wasnât sat back up. Thereâs no curse. Yes, a dozen or so parties have tried to get in and failed but thatâs no reason to assume itâs cursed. Worst case scenario is that another dragon has taken it as their lair-
We could have has a castle for a lair?!
I could have taken a castle, but I didnât because caves are more like where I grew up, and theyâre easier to hide and protect. Anyway, it could be a dragon, but I havenât heard anything and if theyâre this close to my territory they should have come to see me by now. If it is a dragon itâs a young one, probably just out of the wyrmling stage and after its first lair.
Alright then, no dragons who would actually pose a threat. Got it. Will there at least be traps for me to set off?
Most likely.
Cool. I hope we come across a ghost. Iâd love to fight a ghost.
Not really, you wouldnât.
And why not?
You only have physical weapons. How well do you think punching a ghost is going to go?
You ruin all my fun.
Philip rumbled out a deep laugh from within his belly but said nothing. Instead, after spying a nice clear meadow surrounded by trees for them to camp under, he started to gently dive towards the ground. Once he was on the ground and unloaded, he transformed back to his humanoid shape grinned smugly. âI bet youâre glad I insisted we take those bedrolls now.â
âWell, you were supposed to be a great bloody lizard for me to rest on!â
âThat form would have been way more conspicuous,â Philip argued. âNow, help me set up camp.â
Together they managed to set up a crude, easily dismantled shelter for the day and ate their meal. Finally, Philip collapsed across the pile of bedrolls they had set out (he didnât quite grasp how they worked, but he was happy with his mini bedding hoard) and fell asleep immediately. Daniel joined him after making sure everything was picked up, and just as the first rays of sun peeked over the horizon his eyes slipped closed.
After a few hours of meditation, Daniel looked around and realized that there was absolutely nothing to do, so he closed his eyes again and attempted to sleep. As elves lacked the biological need to sleep, their sleep was different - generally lighter and more fitful - from other creatures, and this was particularly true for Drow who tried to sleep anywhere but the calming darkness of a cave. Thankfully, this quirk was actually far more helpful than detrimental for Daniel this time around.
âPhilip, wake up,â he hissed, elbowing his sleeping friend in the side. Philip quickly startled awake with a slurred, âWassamatter?â to which Daniel replied, âI think somebody found us.â
Philip yawned widely but silenced himself to better hear his surroundings. Everything was quiet for a moment and he was about to tell Daniel to go back to sleep when the sharp crack of a stick breaking jolted him into full alert mode. With a snarl, he rose to his feet, and before he was even stable he fell forwards onto all four dragon legs, his tail lashing back and forth angrily.
âWhoâs there?â Daniel called out to the seemingly empty woods, grasping the handle of his short sword. âWe know youâre there, and maybe if you come out we wonât hurt you.â Philip snorted at this so Daniel corrected himself. âOkay, we wonât kill you.â
âOh, weâre not too concerned about you killing us.â Daniel whipped his head around to see a clever looking goblin emerging from the trees and running his fingers over the blade of a scimitar. Behind him, a Goliath and a young aarakocra followed carrying a greatclub and a light hammer. Daniel quickly thought back to the previous day and realized with a groan that these were the people they had overheard. The goblin smirked at the sudden realization on Danielâs face. âOh, you do remember us. Yes, we knew you were listening, because I just so happen to have a little device that tells me when unscrupulous people are prying.â
âLook, we donât mean you any harm-â
âYou mean to take our treasure!â the aarakocra interrupted, her voice just as high and sharp from her own beak as it had been from Philipâs. âThatâs just as bad!â
âHush, Resa,â the goliath soothed. âDeyoram and I will handle this.â
The goblin nodded. âYes, weâll handle this. Now, if the two of you donât mind, Iâd quite like to see the tail of this one-â he gestured to Philip, â-soaring through the air as the two of you make your way home.â
Philip growled, the sound rumbling in his chest and Daniel smirked. âWell, then it looks like weâll just have to settle this the old-fashioned way.â
Before anyone else could even think of reacting, the aarakocra raised a taloned hand in the air and three glowing darts flew straight from her palm and into Philipâs side. The dragon scoffed at the weak attempt at harming him and breathed a cone of fire at the three challengers. The aarakocra flapped her wings quickly and only caught the very edge of the attack, but the goliath and goblin didnât react quickly enough and were surrounded in flames. As soon as the flames subsided, the goblin let out a ferocious cry and rushed Daniel with his scimitar. However, Daniel nimbly stepped out of the way and brought his own sword down in a vicious slash. The goblin cried out in pain and Daniel was about to make another attack, but was buffeted away with a swing of the goliathâs club.
From her position in the air, the aarakocra levelled her crossbow at Philip and let off a shot, which bounced off his thick hide. He returned attack with his claws, attempting to slash her out of the air. After a few missed swipes, Philip caught her with one of his claws and sent her hurtling straight into the ground. After taking a moment to make sure she was still breathing, the goblin growled and slashed his sword at Daniel again. This time the attack caught him right across his belly, sending him stumbling back with a cry of pain. Gritting his teeth, he attacked, smirking when he felt his sword pierce right through a chink in the goblinâs armour. His victory was short lasted, however, because at that very moment the goliath attacked again with a harsh blow across the back of his head.
The aarakocra groaned and with what remained of her energy she cast another spell that created a cloud of daggers that floated and spun about like a swarm of bees. Daniel would have honestly been very impressed if he werenât too busy being slashed by a hundred knives all at once. Philip had apparently grown tired of the fight because he reared back and shot another cone of fire at their attackers.
When the smoke and fire cleared all three of them were very still and covered in a good amount of soot and none of them were moving, not even when Daniel nudged them with his foot. Smirking he sauntered over to the goblin and rooted around in his pockets until he came across a shiny silver acorn about the size of a date. He quickly pocketed the item, knowing thatâs what had tipped their rivals off to the presence of listening ears; this would definitely come in handy.
âDo they have anything good?â Philip asked, once again on two legs.
âNot that Iâve seen,â Daniel admitted as Philip went about searching the bodies. âI found the goblinâs listening device, but you canât have it for your hoard.â
Philip wrinkled his nose. âDonât think Iâd want it anyways. It may be magical, but those things are fairly common as far as artefacts go.â He also took a moment to nudge the goliath, frowning when they didnât respond at all. âDid we⌠did we kill them?â
Daniel frowned and went over to the aarakocra and held his dagger just below her beak. He waited with bated breath for a moment until a tiny cloud of condensation formed on the blade. âWell, the magic user is still alive, and pretty much every magic user at least has access to a healing spell so once she wakes up Iâm sure theyâll be fine,â he reasoned, standing and sheathing his weapon. Philip looked almost a little disappointed that he hadnât managed to actually kill anyone, but Daniel was relieved. Heâd manage to live 124 years without killing anyone himself (heâd definitely had a hand in more than a few deaths, but he wasnât present for them so they didnât count) and he wasnât too interested in ending that streak.
âWell, come on, then,â Philip yawned. As usual, as soon as the threat was gone heâd gone right back to his lazy sleepy state. âWeâve got a few more hours of daylight before we can actually get anywhere, and I donât want to be even close to these fools when they wake up.â
Daniel grunted his agreement and started helping Philip break down their small camp before they set off on foot, making sure to stay in the shade of the trees. If they just so happened to forget a few healing potions then that was their business. By the time the sun had properly set they had made it to a nice open field great for takeoffs and had eaten their fill for their pre-flight meal. Fortunately, they had made it almost two-thirds of the way to the castle the previous night, and after only a half night of flight, they made it to the surrounding forrest. They spent an hour or so setting up a much sturdier camp than theyâd had the previous night, then had a good meal. They were just getting comfortable when the first rays of dawn started shining over them.
âSo, what all do you think we need to prepare for?â Daniel asked suddenly. âI mean, I know thereâs going to be some traps but do you have any idea what kind? You know more about this place than I do.â
Philip huffed, thinking for a moment. âWell, thereâs not a dragon in there, thatâs for damn sure,â he said eventually. âItâs a lot smaller than most castles, so I donât think thereâs going to be anything too big in there.â
âWill you be able to get in there in your obnoxious lizard form or will you be stuck like this?â Daniel demanded, suddenly a bit more concerned. As a dragon, Philip could take on pretty much anything with no effort, but in his humanoid shape, all of his attacks were much weaker.
Philip shifted uncomfortably, tail lashing back and forth; he was just as - if not more so - uncomfortable as Daniel about fighting like this. âIâm afraid Iâll have to stay like this. If I go in there huge thereâs a good chance Iâll wind up knocking in the walls and collapsing the whole thing right down on top of us.â
âWell, that makes things significantly harder,â Daniel frowned. âBut youâre right, if you canât fit in there then likely nothing else will either. Besides, weâve faced worse challenges before; remember that time you managed to get arrested when we went to Lundy? They put you in adamantine chains and everything.â
âI think you wound up breaking three lockpicks trying to get me out,â Philip chuckled.
âI like to imagine Iâve gotten better at lockpicking by now,â Daniel grinned.
âOh, what about that time you got kidnapped by mermaids?â Philip recalled fondly.
âThat was awful!â Daniel pouted. âMy potion was wearing off and I donât think we even managed to get any treasure from that.â
âI dunno, you came away from it with a nice case of pneumonia.â
âYouâre the worst!â Daniel whined. âNow, lay down so I can lay on you. Iâm so exhausted I think I may actually sleep for a bit.â
Philip cocked a brow, knowing it was unusual for an elf to be so tired they craved actual sleep. Their fight from earlier must have taken more out of him than either of them realized. However, he didnât say anything, just turned into his dragon form to enjoy the last few hours he had before he was crammed into his smaller form and stuck in a tiny castle for who knows how long. As he settled, curled up in and around himself, he made sure there was an elf-sized pocket of space, and as expected it didnât stay empty for long.
Good morning, Daniel he thought lazily as he quickly drifted off to sleep.
Good morning, Philip.
_________
Waking up from a sleep his body actually needed would never stop being a weird sensation for Daniel. When he was just meditating he was very quick to come to his senses when he was done and always felt refreshed and reenergized, but when he woke up from a deep sleep it was like he was moving and seeing the world through a big vat of honey and he somehow always felt more tired than when he went to sleep. The one and the only reason he ever did it, other than light catnaps meant to waste time, was because he knew that the energy he got from sleep would last him longer and make him more alert whenever he was back to full functionality.
Another odd thing was waking up alone when he knew for a fact that he fell asleep surrounded by a dragon. In fact, said dragon was back in his humanoid form checking once again that they had everything theyâd need. âOh, good, youâre up,â he muttered, recoiling the rope in his hands. âYou know, for a creature that doesnât generally require sleep you sure do sleep for a long time. Do you think we should bring torches and or candles?â
Daniel graciously chose to ignore the comment about his sleeping and instead went about eating the breakfast that had been left out for him. âI donât think so. I mean, the both of us have Darkvision, plus you have Blindvision and you can breathe fire.â
âWhat if for whatever reason we get separated and you need to light a fire or something?â Philip argued.
Daniel rolled his eyes. âFine, weâll take a few torches, but Iâm only carrying one. You have to carry the rest.â
Philip scowled, but conceded. âAlright then. Letâs get out of here, shall we?â
âNeither of us is getting any younger,â Daniel shrugged, swallowing the last chunk of bread. He shouldered his bag (which was considered the lighter of the two) and led the way into the woods with a jaunty skip in his step. He hadnât really done much delving into dungeons in his career as a thief; when he was younger he was much more interested in getting food to survive and when he joined up with Philip he just found that he preferred the challenge of stealing from the living. Philip had done more than his fair share of dungeoneering in his time and had an active distaste for it, but they generally had treasure that even he couldnât ignore, plus Daniel always got a kick out of a new adventure.
Fortunately, Philip had managed to land a very short, uneventful walk from the castle, and Daniel waltzed right up to the door and yanked as hard as he could on the handle.
It didnât budge.
Daniel coughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hide the rosy blush colouring his normally purple-grey cheeks. âI, uh, I think itâs locked.â
Philip laughed and stepped forward, taking a door in each hand and effortlessly drawing them open. âYou loosened it up for me,â he smirked, stepping inside.
Daniel followed close behind, still pink-cheeked and muttering something about being a nasty showoff. Inside the castle was almost pure darkness and as he blinked to better adjust his eyes he thought for a half second about lighting a torch before his pride got the better of him.
Fortunately, Philip took matters into his own hands. âTiamet, itâs dark in here,â he swore, squinting. âCanât you do some kind of magic that makes light? I havenât been somewhere this dark in at least a century.â
Daniel flushed lightly. Yes, all Drow children were capable of and taught how to perform the cantrip Dancing Lights, but he had never been much good at it, and his lights were always dimmer than those of his peerâs. It was a bit of a sore spot to this day. âIâm not sure how much help it will be,â he mumbled, deliberately looking anywhere but at his friend. âBesides, itâs still light enough to see. When itâs so dark Iâm blind weâll talk about using it.â
Sensing Danielâs reluctance to continue down that line of conversation, Philip charged deeper into the room. The entrance hall was grand with impressive wooden doors on all three side and a pair of grand staircases curving up to the second-floor landing. If he had to guess, at least one of them led to the grand hall and another to an entertainment room and the last to the kitchens. He turned to Daniel and said, âLeft, right or centre?â
Daniel puzzled over his choices for a moment, wrinkling his nose before finally saying, âLeft.â
They made their way into the room and Philip was delighted to see that he was correct in thinking this was the sitting room. Well, in its prime it had probably been a sitting room, but now it was devoid of anything other than a nearly shredded rug, a couple ugly paintings depicting the previous owners and a nice sized fireplace to keep the inhabitants warm during winter. Apparently, whatever curse was on this place wasnât good enough to keep thieves out of this room.
He pointed out his observations to Daniel who just snorted. âCome on, this room is a waste of time. Letâs get on with the show.â He led the way on through the door to the next room which appeared to be a smaller dining area, probably for meetings and such. Things continued to be unproductive throughout the following rooms of the great hall and the kitchen, but when they made it to the larder, Daniel found something rather interesting.
âHoly shit!â he exclaimed, throwing himself to the ground and digging under one of the shelves. A moment later he sat up with a delighted expression and a jar clutched containing what looked to be an orange sugar crystal in his hands. âThis is mephit honey! This stuff is super hard to come by.â
Philip frowned; he, of course, knew about mephits - the impish little elementals that served no other purpose than to be a nuisance - but he had never heard of them making honey. Humanoids were so strange sometimes. âSurely itâs gone off by now. This place has been abandoned for almost two hundred years.â
Daniel gleefully shook his head. âThatâs where youâre wrong! For whatever reason, this stuff never goes bad; I should know, I carried around a jar for years when I was on the run to have as a treat. Right now you would have a hard time eating it because itâs sugared over, but we can melt it and youâll understand.â
Philip narrowed his eyes suspiciously but took the jar being thrust at him. âAnd you want me toâŚ?â
âBreathe fire on it? Yes, definitely.â
Still not one hundred percent convinced but still trusting, Philip produced a small flame that licked up and around the jar which he was slowly turning. As if by magic, Philip watched as the crystal inside began to melt until it turned back into liquid. âHoly shit.â
âYeah,â Daniel beamed. The jar was still very hot so he left it in Philipâs heatproof claws, allowing him to get a better look at it. To be perfectly honest, it looked and seemed to act like normal honey, but it somehow looked⌠alive. It was a much more orange and red colour as opposed to gold and with the way the light shifted in and around it seemed to glow and swirl around all on its own. âI think this one is from a magma mephit,â Daniel explained. âThat usually has a spicier orange taste. Itâs still sweet and hard like all mephit honey but itâs got different stuff in it. I had a jar of ice mephit honey and it was kind of minty and bitter.â
âDo you want to have some now?â
Daniel bit his bottom lip. âI donât know, shouldnât we be getting this thing done with?â
Philip rolled his eyes and started digging around in his bag for a spoon. âItâs not like weâre on a schedule or something and itâs not like this has to take all night. Have some damn honey.â
Daniel grinned and took the spoonful of honey when it was offered to him and popped it right in his mouth. As predicted, it was sharp and spicy like peppers but had a sour sweetness like oranges. Somehow, it even managed to make his belly and chest feel warm as it went down and he was suddenly assaulted with highly romanticized memories of his time spent wandering the Underdark. âFuck, you need to try this now,�� he moaned, shoving the spoon back to Philip.
Philip chuckled, obviously doubting the endorsement, but as soon as his lips closed around the handle of the spoon his eyes shot open. âMother of mountains, thatâs good,â he mumbled around the spoon still in his mouth, looking like heâd just had a religious experience.
Daniel laughed and took the jar back, ignoring the quiet growl he received. âCome on then. This castle wonât explore itself.â
âWell, weâve done about all we can down here,â Philip said. âUpstairs it is.â
They made their way back out to the grand entryway and up the stairs. Standing tall and proud at the top were a pair of plate armour suits both holding matching longswords. âI wonder why these havenât been taken,â Daniel muttered as he investigated the armour.
âMaybe they just assumed theyâd get better stuff later,â Philip shrugged. âI mean itâs nice armour and all, but unless you suddenly needed armour I donât see why youâd want it.â
âYeah,â Daniel agreed easily, deciding it was time they moved on.
However, the castle apparently the castle had decided it wasnât time to move on. As soon as they stepped off the balcony to investigate there was a loud creaking as a quiet whistle and they both turned around. The armour had suddenly sprung to life and was swaying back and forth like it was being worn by someone made of porridge while the swords were up in the air slashing about as easily as when a master swordsman held them.
Daniel grinned at Philip and pulled out his shortsword. âHonestly Iâm rather glad something has happened on this trip. It was getting dull.â Without waiting for a response he quickly lunged forward to attack the suit of armour nearest to him but completely missed. âUm⌠whoops?â
Philip rolled his eyes and swiped at a sword with his claws. The hit landed perfectly and sent it spinning through the air to hit the other sword which didnât much appreciate getting hit and flew back with a wide slash that Philip was lucky enough to block with the thick hide of his tail.
As if it was only just now understanding what was happening, the suit of armour Daniel had attacked slammed its entire weight against him, sending the drow sprawling to the floor with the wind knocked from his lungs. Following the attack, the sword Philip hit slashed down at him as well, making him cry out.
At the sound of Danielâs distress, Philip glanced over which gave the second suit of armour a chance to attack. The first time it threw itself against him he was able to keep standing, but it attacked again and this time he was sent stumbling back. Fortunately, as it was about to attack for the third time, Daniel swooped in and smacked it away with the flat of his sword and it collapsed in a heap.
Philip growled under his breath, growing tired of this fight. Noticing that the remaining suit of armour and the two swords were conveniently right next to one another, he sucked in a deep breath and let out a blisteringly hot cone of flames. When the flames died down, the only things left indicating there had been anything there in the first place were a few charred - mostly beyond recognition - piles of metal. Philip smirked, pleased with his work. âLetâs get going, shall we?â
Daniel crossed his arms and pouted but followed along. âYou always manage to get the final hit in with your dumb fire breath,â he whined.
âBenefits of adventuring with a dragon, I suppose,â Philip mused, wandering towards the left.
The first room they came across was bare save for the giant bed frame dominating the space. Assuming it had at one point been a bedroom, Daniel frowned, noticing something was off. âPhilip, weâre pointed north, yeah?â
There was a grunt of agreement as he dug through a mostly empty trunk.
âPeople usually put windows on the north wall to keep cool in summer, yeah?â
Another grunt.
âThen why havenât we seen a single god damn window in this place?â
Philip suddenly looked up, what once had been a fine silk scarf in one hand. âWhat did you say?â
Daniel gestured at the wall before them which was flat stone and nothing else. âThere havenât been any windows on this place at all. The great hall, kitchen, hell there wasnât even one in the larder.â
âThat⌠is odd, yes,â Philip admitted slowly. He stepped forward and placed an ear to the wall, rapping on it slightly. âItâs empty on the other side.â
âWell, if itâs leading out to the woods, yeah, itâs empty.â
âNo, thereâs definitely a room on the other side,â Philip argued. âThe stone is warmer than it would be if it lead straight outside.â
âIs it a servantâs passage?â Daniel guessed.
Philip frowned. âNo, I donât think so. Look at the corners of the room. I donât think this wall was put in by professionals.â
âDo you think itâs part of the traps this place is known for? Because other than that armour there havenât been many traps.â
âCould be,â Philip shrugged. âCould be nothing. Weâll have to find the entrance to know for sure.â
Daniel hummed in agreement, shoving a nice enough looking gold candlestick in his bag. They left that room and continued on to the next room, whose door looked much more imposing and regal. âLord and ladyâs room?â he guessed. He reached out to turn the knob, but it refused to budge. âOh, yeah?â he muttered, crouching down and pulling out his lock picking kit. âYou want to keep me out? Weâll see about that.â He fiddled about with the long delicate tools before he heard the ever-satisfying click of a lock being opened. However, as he was about to pull the tools out there came the dreaded clunk of a lock being fastened and the near-silent snap of his tools breaking cleanly in half.
Everything was silent for a moment before Philip said, âWell, that was unexpected.â
Daniel scowled up at him as he gathered his remaining tools. âOh, really? I Â would never have guessed. Next, youâll be telling me that you spit fire during battles or something.â
Philip snarled, but Daniel just narrowed his eyes further, completely unintimidated. âSulking like this will solve nothing,â he said instead. âItâs obviously got some kind of enchantment on it that keeps the lock from being opened. Now, if thereâs a magic lock, there must be some kind of magic key we can find.â
Daniel sighed deeply but grudgingly agreed. The rooms to the left were much the same as the first one they came across, empty save for a few trinkets they took for themselves. Philip found a glass ball full of smoke that swirled around, a golden whistle and an odd stone block that was somehow weightless. Daniel came away with a shard of obsidian that burned his hand when he held it, a set of bone pipes, a solid silver skull about the size of a coin and a multi-coloured stone disk. He planned on selling the skull and pipes in town, but Philip said the obsidian and disk were charged with spells he could potentially use in battle.
They made it back around to the right half of the floor and found a room that appeared to have a second room attached to it. Daniel went to open it until there was a loud grunt and the sound of something very big sitting down on something very small. He turned back to Philip a bit pale-faced and shook his head.
âYou donât want to go investigate it?â Philip hissed quietly.
âNot particularly, no,â Daniel squeaked, quickly shuffling towards the door. âYou can go in and have fun getting the shit kicked out of you by whatever is in there, but Iâm going to be not here.â
Philip rolled his eyes but he, too, saw the error in picking a fight they didnât exactly need to be in. They both made their way back into the hall and up the flight of stairs conveniently right next to where they were. The highest floor of the castle also appeared to be the bleakest . While it was true that the other two floors showed definite signs of wear and theft, they also had a distinct feeling that they at least used to be elegant with the ornate rugs and furniture and paintings. This floor, however, was completely stone from what Philip could see and had never been anything but the bare essentials. âI think we found the servantsâ quarters.â
âYeah,â Daniel murmured back, wandering up the main hall of the floor. When he got to two doors, one on either side of the hall, he opened the right and walked into what used to be the servantsâ sleeping chambers, complete with a chest of belongings. âPhilip, come here! I think Iâve found something!â
Philip came as he was called, but unfortunately, Danielâs call hadnât only alerted him. From the beds appeared a sleepy looking, but very large bugbear. When they finished blinking the sleep from their eyes, they focused on Daniel and Philip and let out a shout of alarm.
Philip leapt into action, hitting the creature in the stomach with his tail, cutting their cry for help off in a gurgle. Daniel quickly pounced on the winded bugbear, both daggers out and stabbed them right in the chinks of the armour. The bugbear roared in pain before bringing the morning star in their hands straight down on Danielâs back twice. The first hit landed painfully, but Daniel managed to drop down to the floor and dodge out of the way of the second attack so it instead landed on the bugbear.
While they tussled Philip took an opportunity to morph his mouth into a much more dragon shape, which he then snapped down on the bugbearâs arm as they reached back to swing at Daniel again. While Philip had it restrained, Daniel drew his sword and with a decisive movement, stabbed it into the bugbearâs side.
âEnough!â the bugbear growled out. âI forfeit, you win! Take what you want and go!â
Daniel and Philip shared a quick glance and a nod before Philip brought a fist down on the top of their head, knocking them unconscious. They glanced up at one another and made eye contact for a moment before they both burst out into snickering. âCome on, show me what they were protecting!â
Philip chuckled and went over to the three small chests gathered in the corner and began to dig through them. However, it seemed that with everything he found he became more and more frustrated. âItâs garbage!â he declared. âItâs all garbage! The most interesting thing in here is a broken sword hilt and a knitting needle that claims to be unbendable, but thereâs no mate.â
âWhat?â Daniel snapped, stomping over to investigate. Philip was right and all three chests were virtually empty and among the few things he did see were empty bottles, a bit of faded parchment, and a tiny cage. âThis is all useless; we canât even sell it!â
âI know,â growled Philip, more than a little displeased. He stood in a huff and hissed at the unconscious bugbear for wasting his time while Daniel went about collecting his daggers from their back. âCome on, maybe thereâs something actually half decent across the hall.â
However, it seemed that they hadnât managed to halt the bugbearâs call of alarm early enough before because just outside were two dire wolves sniffing around trying to find some way to help their now fallen master. Before either of them could react, one of the wolves leapt at Philipâs teeth bared, but the dragon simply grasped it in his claws and sent it skittering down the hall. The second wolf snarled and attacked Daniel who stepped aside and stabbed it with the daggers still in his hands.
âWe donât have time for this,â Daniel snapped, shoving away the first wolf back towards its pack mate. âRoast them for Lolthâs sake!â
Philip nodded then took in a deep breath and let out a bright cone of red-hot fire. One of the wolves made it out of the blast only mostly on fire, but before it could do anything Daniel swept in and stabbed it with his daggers. The dire wolf let out a short whimper of pain before collapsing with the other. Without a second glance, they made it into the other room which was a direct mirror of the other and most likely served the same purpose. Even the chests were in the same spot and they eagerly dove into them to see what they could find.
âOh, this is much better!â Daniel crowed, pulling out a pair of statues. One was of a rather smug halfling, but the other was of some creature straight from his nightmares which he showed to Philip. âOkay, I donât know much about magic, but this one creeps me the hell out so there has to be some kind of magic on it.â
Philip glanced up from the painted egg display he was delicately clutching in his claws and actually flinched when he saw what Daniel was holding out to him. âIâve had one of those used on me. Itâs got some kind of necromancy spell put on it, and judging by the vibe Iâm getting from it, itâs a pretty powerful one. Have you seen this egg? Itâs wonderful!â
Daniel peered in close enough to see that every bit of the shell had been carefully hand-painted with scenes of human suffering in horrifying detail. It made him a little sick to his stomach, but even he could see the time and effort that went into making it and that was exactly what Philip loved more than anything. âItâs great.â
Philip carefully put it in his pack and picked up a vest that looked to be covered in at least a hundred near uselessly tiny pockets, but tossed it back into the box. âWell, I think thatâs all weâre going to get here, yeah?â
âOnwards, then,â Daniel grinned, leading the way back into the hall. Luckily there wasnât anything waiting for them this time and they made it to the overcrowded dining area unmolested. âWhat the fuck happened in here?â
âThe wall collapsed,â Philip said unhelpfully.
Daniel glared at him before going in so he could closer investigate. As Philip had pointed out, the wall had fallen in right near the corner of the room. As he looked around he noticed that the other side of the wall was empty and led into a long narrow hallway. âYou know, Iâm sorry I criticized you for wanting to bring torches because itâs way too dark in here for me.â
Philip smirked at once again being right as he too came to look at the wall. âI guess this was the servants' passage at one time,â he noted.
âI bet it has a way into that room downstairs,â Daniel grinned, already stepping over the rubble into the passage. âHand me a torch.â Philip rolled his eyes but handed over a lit torch. Daniel looked around for a bit before his eyes settled on a pile of rocks that was probably supposed to be the stairs. âWell, I guess weâre not going that way.â
âLeft it is then!â Philip said cheerfully, walking off. Before he got even a couple metres away he stopped and said, âAh. Well, I think weâve finally found the thing that actually turns people away from this place.â
Daniel cautiously stepped forward to see lots of spikes. They were all at least knee high and wickedly sharp, and they completely filled the corridor from wall to wall and down a good five or so metres. âCanât you just fly us across?â
âNormally, yes, but this hall is too narrow for me to spread my wings.â
Daniel frowned a moment in thought before he snapped, grinning. âIâve got an idea. Sit on the floor with your feet flat to the wall.â
Philip narrowed his eyes but did as he was told as Daniel did the exact same thing behind him. âAll right, now what?â
âPush against my back at like a quarter strength and when I say âgoâ take a step with your right, my left foot. Okay? Go!â To both of their surprise, they managed to get the one foot off the ground. âOkay, next one!â Again it worked. âNext!â They somehow managed to actually walk their way up the walls of the narrow hall until they comfortably cleared the spikes. âOkay, now weâre going to go down the hall.â
âAre you sure thatâs a good idea?â
âDo you trust me?â
âAgainst my better judgement, yes.â
âThen we go down the hall.â
It was slow, difficult work, and Daniel actually slipped once, but they did make it. When they were back on flat ground Daniel brushed his hands off with a look of surprise. âWow. I thought for sure we wouldnât be able to do that.â
Philip turned on the young drow and got very close to his face. âIf you do anything like that ever again I wonât have to worry about spikes killing you because Iâll do it myself,â he hissed, and Daniel at least had the decency to look sheepish.
âEverythingâs fine though?â he said cautiously. Philip just growled and he quickly and wisely shut his mouth.
Fortunately, Philipâs attention was grabbed by a set of three gold chests in what should have been the corner tower of the castle. After giving Daniel one final glare he made his way over and tried to open one of them. Unfortunately, it was locked as would be expected so Daniel knelt down beside it and started fiddling with his lockpick set again. With a resounding click, the chest swung open and he moved on, meeting a similar success.
âOh, yes, this is much better,â Philip cooed, pulling a long sword inscribed with runes from its sheath. âI may actually use a weapon if it looks as nice as this.â
Daniel smirked, grabbing a small pouch of fine, black dust. âDo you know what this is? This is Dust of Disappearing This is going to be so useful when we actually have to sneak into someplace.â
Philip hummed in delight as he investigated the armour he had found and thought about how it would look tossed on his hoard. He gathered up the rest of the useful items, including a lantern that turned invisible things visible, a second set of daggers in case anything happened to Danielâs, and a wand used for detecting magic. âCome on; now that I know thereâs useful stuff in here Iâm a bit more excited about the rest of this place.â He started confidently strutting down the hall, but he didnât get more than ten steps away when his foot suddenly slipped out from under him. Eyes wider than they had ever been, Philip fell straight on his ass in the least graceful tumble of any dragon any time anywhere.
âO-oh my fuck,â Daniel positively cackled, leaning against a wall and clutching his sides. âYou should have seen your face!â
Philip scowled, refusing to acknowledge the warmth blooming under his cheek scales, as he carefully scooted along the floor until he was on normal ground and could stand. âOkay, so slicked floor. How do you suggest we get across this time?â
Daniel just grinned and started running towards the slick floor. Just before he hit unstable land he leapt in the air, pulled a tight flip and landed in a power slide which sent him whizzing down the hall. When he got to the end his feet hit friction first and he turned a somersault and landed perfectly on his feet. âIâd recommend doing it just like that!â
Philip grumbled something about show off elves and how theyâd get their comeuppance as he gingerly stepped onto the slicked floor. Clinging to the wall with all his strength he slid forward one foot at a time, slowly but steadily making his way to safety and completely ignoring Danielâs heckling for him to hurry up.
âTook you long enough, old man,â Daniel sneered.
âWell, thatâs certainly no way to treat your elders,â a rough, high-pitched voice said from behind him.
âNo, itâs not,â agreed another, deeper and more gravely than the first.
Daniel whipped around to see what looked like the statues of two hulking dog demons standing in the corner, facing towards one another as if they were gossiping. âDid you hear that? I could have sworn someone said something,â he asked, stepping forward to investigate. âIs anyone behind there? Come out and talk if you think youâre so clever.â
âOh, we know weâre clever,â the high voice said.
âHowever, itâs quite obvious by now you arenât,â the deep one added.
Philip scowled at the statues for a moment before his eyes widened and he shouted, âDaniel, look out! Those arenât statues, theyâre-â
âWeâre gargoyles!â the high voice delighted as the other gargoyle darted its arms forwards to ensnare Daniel in a tight, bruising grip sinking its claws into his sides as he let out a pained yelp. The first gargoyle took its chance to attack Philip while he was distracted with Danielâs situation, managing to get a deep gash across his arm. Snarling, Philip retaliated with a cone of fire right in its stone face causing it to leap back to its partner wailing âThat hurt!â
âDonât make this any worse than it has to be,â the other said slowly and sunk his claws deeper in Danielâs side. âLeave the loot where you found it and get out and weâll let both of you live.â
âYeah! Maybe weâll let you live!â
âYou think you can kill me?â Philip snarled, fanning his wings as far as theyâd go and puffing out his chest. âI think youâll find that I can eat a pair of gargoyles like you for a mid-afternoon snack.â
âThatâs true, but your friend here doesnât seem to be as sturdy as you are,â the second pointed out, nodding at Daniel.
Philip growled lowly in his chest at the now very real threat. He was a dragon for the mountainâs sake! How dare these puny monsters challenge him or threaten his charge? He was about to tell them they had crossed the wrong dragon on the wrong day when his gaze fell on Daniel who had been squirming in the gargoyleâs grasp the whole time. Clever drow that he was he had somehow managed to worm his hand into the pocket he was storing his multi-coloured stone in and had his fingers pressed on the yellow section. Philip turned his attention back to the gargoyles with a smarmy grin. âYouâd be surprised at how he overcomes his lack of sturdiness.â
The first gargoyle wrinkled its face. âAnd just what is that-â
It was very suddenly interrupted by a cube of lightning emanating from Danielâs stone, freeing him and sending the two gargoyles hurtling back into the wall. âLetâs go,â he gasped, grabbing Philipâs arm and dragging him away from the fight. âLetâs go now!â
Philip quickly followed behind him, more focused on shielding Daniel (who wasnât looking so great after three fights and getting captured by stone monsters) from any attacks from behind. Unfortunately, because he was so focused on protecting Daniel and Daniel so focused on just getting away, neither of them noticed Philip stepping on a pressure plate. With absolutely no warning, the floor tilted down into a chute that sent them bouncing against walls as they made their unwitting way down, down, down. As if to add insult to injury (or maybe injury to insult) there were four light hammers on the way down all positioned to perfectly smack both of them right between the eyes.
As soon as they were on solid ground Daniel collapsed face first to the floor clutching his forehead. âThis is the worst day of my life!â he wailed, rolling back and forth.
Philip rubbed his forehead as well, but mostly in sympathy as he knew the damage didnât affect him as much as it did his friend. âI think it may be time to heal up,â he said in a gentle voice even Daniel rarely got to hear. Daniel, in turn, just whimpered a bit and allowed himself to be propped right side up against a wall while Philip dug in his bag for one of the health potions heâd insisted Daniel bring along. âCome on then,â he nearly cooed tilting the blue mixture into Danielâs mouth. As soon as the liquid touched his tongue, Daniel started convulsing but Philip managed to make him drink the whole thing and slapped a hand over his mouth to keep him from spitting it back up.
When he finally swallowed the last of it, Daniel gave a mighty shudder and shoved Philipâs hand away so he could curl up in a ball. âI hate that stuff,â he panted, trying to regain his breath as he recovered from the health potion.
âWell, do you at least feel any better?â
Daniel was quiet for a moment as if taking inventory before he shrugged. âI mean I feel like death but I donât feel like Iâm about to die from getting the shit kicked out of me.â
Philip chuckled and handed him the waterskin to at least help wash the taste out of his mouth. âWell, you up for starting again or do you want to call it quits and go home?â
Daniel shoved himself up and looked around. âCan we even get out?â he wondered. âI have no idea where the worldâs shittiest slide dumped us on our asses.â
Not a moment after Daniel said that Philip noticed a smell on the air: old ashes. âI⌠I think I might actually know where we are,â he said cautiously, following his nose towards the corner. Sure enough, when he found where the scent was strongest he noticed a little hole no bigger than Danielâs pinky in the mortar of the wall. Curious, he stuck a claw in the hole and started scratching until it was wide enough for him to look through. âYeah, weâre right outside of the kitchen.â
âThatâs neat and all and Iâm super interested that you managed to figure out where we are,â Daniel said, far more interested in the treasure heâd found. Most of it had just been gems and coins, but two things had garnered his attention. âListen to this itâs kinda fucked up.â He put a small rectangle box of metal to Philipâs ear, and much to the dragonâs horror he soon heard the scuttering of a hundred spiders. âCool, isnât it?â Daniel grinned, taking it away. âAnd look! This is like a reverse flint. It sparks when wet!â
Philip cocked a brow at his excited companion, again wondering how he always managed to go from being on Deathâs door to rambunctious and eager to start any fight he thought he could win. âThatâs super useful. Too bad you donât have someone who can literally breathe fire, thatâd be really convenient.â
Daniel rolled his eyes. âShove off. I almost died; Iâm allowed to have all the fun I want.â Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a light glinting at the end of the hall. âCome on, maybe thereâs a way out this way.â
Philip nodded and they were almost to the end when they heard someone talking. âDo you smell it, Lucy,â an oily male voice cooed. âCan you find it for me, darling?â There was a deep bark for an answer. âWhat was that? You say we have visitors?â
Daniel froze, back instinctively against the wall. He motioned for Philip to do the same and he did, both of them holding their breath.
âYouâre here, I know you are,â the oily voice said. âI can hear you and Lucy smelled you.â The creature stepped forward and Daniel took a sharp breath in for they were being hunted by an imp - a small, bright red man with bat wings and a scorpion tail. The imp heard Danielâs breath and he turned so their noses were right next to each other. âFound you,â he said with a nasty grin.
Philip went to attack him, but he apparently heard him coming because with a snap of the fingers he was invisible. âGet out here and fight, you coward.â
âOh, donât worry, I will,â the imp cooed. âI just wanted to make sure Lucy got her fair share, too.â Daniel and Philip turned around to see a giant black dog with fire in her eyes and foam around her six-inch fangs. The imp appeared with another snap of the fingers. âGet âem, girl.â The hellhound bonded forward, fangs bared and pounced on Philip, who snarled in pain as she sunk her teeth into his shoulder. Daniel went to attack the beast with his drawn sword, but a sharp sting in his thigh brought him down to his knees. When he turned the imp just grinned at him and snapped out of sight.
âMake him visible!â Philip snarled, slashing at the hellhound with his own claws and teeth. Â
âHow?!â
âI donât know, maybe some fucking magic!â
âRight, right!â Daniel took a deep breath and focused all he had on the childhood memory of learning magic with his peers. He ignored his past failures at performing the spell and concentrated on the spell itself. Suddenly, everything was glowing with a brilliant violet light, including the hellhound Philip had by now soundly bested, and the imp. Who happened to be right in front of him.
âWell, shit,â the imp muttered under his breath.
Daniel just grinned and slashed him with his sword which sent him stumbling towards Philip who took great pleasure in smacking him against the wall with his tail. There was a large puff of smoke that cleared as quickly as it appeared, taking the imp and hellhound with it. âI have to admit, I was impressed with the magic,â Philip grinned. âI thought you said youâd never do magic.â
Daniel sputtered indignantly. âYouâre the one who told me to!â
âI was actually expecting you to use the lantern,â Philip shrugged. âYou know, the one we just got that turns invisible things visible?â
Daniel slapped his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes. âI forgot we had that.â
Philip just chuckled and nudged him gently. âCome on, this way was a dead end. Grab what we can from the chests and letâs go.â Within the chests, he managed to find a shelter orb that would fetch a nice price on the market along with a faintly glowing crystal that wasnât magic, but that he could probably convince someone was.
âThese are for you,â Daniel muttered, distracted, shoving a set of pretty earrings shaped like teardrops at him as he investigated the pair of daggers in his other hand. âHoly shit I think this is a poison dagger.â
âCan I see?â Philip requested. Daniel grunted and handed one over while he went through the rest of the stuff, shoving anything that looked even remotely valuable in his bag. Philip returned the dagger when he was done investigating it and with an impressed nod said, âYeah, itâs definitely poisonous; magic, too. Keep an eye on that thing.â
Daniel nodded and attached the sheaths to either side of his belt, then turned and made his way back down the hall. Things were quiet as they made their way back to where they had been, and on down the hall, but just before they got to the corner, Daniel heard some unfortunately familiar chattering. âQuiet,â he hissed. âThereâs some mephits down in the corner. If weâre careful we can get the jump on them.â
âWhat kind of mephits?â
âProbably magma if the mephit honey is any indication.â
Philip scowled. âIâm guessing fire wonât be super helpful here, then.â
Daniel bit his lip in thought before snapping his fingers and retrieving the multi-coloured stone disk. âYou said this had Ray of Frost on it, yeah? Magma mephits hate that shit.â
Philip nodded and took the stone. âSo Iâm guessing weâre doing a range attack?â
âYeah,â Daniel said, pulling out his sling. He didnât use it often, but he was rather glad of it now. âOn three? One⌠two⌠three.â
As one, they leapt into action, Philip shooting a spell at the one on the left while Daniel shot a rock at the one on the right. Unfortunately, Daniel didnât do quite as much damage as heâd hoped with his sling and the two mephits that Philip didnât freeze near solid didnât enjoy being attacked, and the one in the middle that hadnât gotten hit yet flew straight at Philip while the other shot a cone of flame right at them. Fortunately, Philip managed to step in front of Daniel so he could take the worst of the damage. Â
Before the flames even managed to completely die down Daniel leapt over Philipâs shoulder with his sword drawn, slashing it across the startled mephitâs chest, then ducked down to allow Philip to follow up with a harsh smack with his tail sending it flying back. The third mephit had by now defrosted itself and together the three of them breathed fire at Daniel and Philip. Philip bent forward to shield Daniel with his wings, but one of his legs got caught in the worst of the flames. However, this didnât stop Daniel because he dashed forward and slashed all three of them with one stroke.
As soon as he did two of the mephits began to shake violently and Philip had barely enough time to grab Daniel tight to his chest and turn around before they both exploded. The final mephit shrieked and swooped in for an attack, but Philip held up the stone and shot another Ray of Frost at it, freezing it solid so it couldnât explode.
âOkay, so maybe attacking three fire-breathing elementals with no cover while my fire-proof friend had to jump in to keep me from being charbroiled wasnât the best idea,â Daniel said after a moment of silence.
Philip snorted and shoved him good-naturedly. âIf you crave death so much you could just tell me; that way Iâd at least get a good meal out of the deal.â
Daniel barked out a startled laugh and stumbled off to see if he could find something of value in the mephitsâ nest of three chests. He threw open the middle one and was delighted to find a full set of Sylvan battle regalia including armour, shield, and a scimitar. It was all very pretty and somehow even the leather armour and wooden shield managed to shine with a rainbow pearlescence. He quickly shod his regular armour and posed with his arms out. âWhat do you think?â
âYou look lovely,â Philip said, not bothering to look up and instead focusing on the chest to the left. Daniel was about to get upset over the lack of attention but Philip interrupted him by saying, âDo we have some kind of stick somewhere?â
Daniel frowned and bent forward to investigate the chest as well. He could tell there was definitely something wrong but heâd be damned if he could put a finger on it. âEr, not that I know of? I mean we have a couple of swords, but I donât think those would be very helpful?â
Philip bit his lower lip and squinted harder at the box as if that would help him unlock its secrets. âOkay, so weâre going to back way up and youâre going to shoot both of these boxes with your sling, okay?â
Daniel nodded and once they were a safe distance away he grabbed another rock from the ground and hurled it towards the chest on the left, hitting it with a resounding thunk. As soon as the rock made contact, the lid of the chest flew open to reveal a set very sharp teeth and a long sticky looking purple tongue. It thrashed about for a moment trying to find its prey but when there was nothing to be found it quieted down and went back to looking just like a regular chest. White-faced, Daniel looked up at Philip who nodded and he sent another rock flying at the other chest which did the exact same thing as the other.
When the chests were completely still Daniel whirled around to face Philip. âWhat were those things?â
âMimics,â Philip said gruffly. âThey sit around looking like normal chests but if you try to open one they eat you.â âWhy havenât I ever seen one before?â
Philip shrugged. âWe normally rob places that still have people living in them. Mimics usually only go for places that have been abandoned.â
âWell, Iâm sure as fuck glad Iâve never had to deal with one,â Daniel shuddered. âHow did you even know they were there?â
âI didnât, thatâs the thing. Theyâre impossible to distinguish from a normal chest until they attack; thatâs why I had you attack them first. I just smelled something off in that corner and I wasnât willing to risk it.â He grinned, all of his abnormally pointy teeth showing. âNormally I would have just let you open it so I could see the look on your face when you were attacked by a box, but weâve already had one close call today. How are you doing, by the way?â
Daniel grimaced at the reminder of their fight with the mephits. âWell, considering Iâve been caught mostly on fire twice in the past ten minutes after drinking a health potion that feels more like poison than anything Iâm doing pretty good.â
Philip narrowed his eyes. âAnd on an objective scale?â
âProbably somewhere around a twenty-nine out of seventy.â
Philip snorted out a laugh. âI have no idea where you got those numbers but I think youâre gonna be fine for now.â
âHonestly Iâll say just about anything to keep you from forcing that health potion down my throat.â
Philip thumped him on the forehead. âHowâs this: I wonât make you take it until we come up against something I donât want to fight.â
âYeah, but you want to fight everything.â
âWell, then itâs your lucky day.â Daniel chuckled and Philip smiled and shoved him down the hall. âGo on. And be careful you donât accidentally knock into one of those things.â
Daniel made a face at the mere thought of touching one of those monsters, and with his eyes narrowed at them and his back flush to the wall he scooted past with Philip following behind as normal. He made his way around the corner and let out a deep sigh. âMore spikes,â he warned Philip. âAnd this time theyâre in a pit. Since you didnât seem to care for my solution of getting over them last time, why donât you figure it out?â
Philip snorted. If I recall correctly you carry around a set of pitons. You could just scale the wall like a normal person.â
Daniel pouted but fished the small spikes from his bag. âYou sure know how to suck the fun right out of everything,â he muttered, quickly and skillfully making his way across the pit. When he was on the other side he turned to Philip who was still in the same spot. âWell? What now? How are you getting over here?â
âYouâll see!â Philip called back, grinning. He looked over the pit once more just to be sure he could do what he was planning, then he took a deep breath and ran as fast as he could.
When his foot hit the very edge of the floor he pushed off with both legs with all his strength, sending him hurtling through the air towards Daniel. However, the pit was a good ten feet long and even at his best he had no hopes of clearing it with a mere jump, so when he felt himself start to fall he unfurled his wings as wide as the hall would let him and flapped tucking into a backflip and landed perfectly safe on the other side.
Daniel narrowed his eyes and shoved him in the chest. âBloody show off you are.â
Philip grinned and bowed. âDonât worry, even at my worst Iâm nothing next to you.â Daniel just sputtered, his blush dark enough that it even coloured his grey skin. Philip snickered and pulled him along by the shoulder. âLetâs go the stairs are right there, and I bet we can get out of here if we make it to the next floor.â
Daniel grunted and moved ahead, starting up the stairs. He very suddenly wished he hadnât gone up first when about halfway up the step beneath his foot suddenly gave way sending him tumbling forward and his left foot dropped into a hole lined with wickedly pointed knives all facing downwards. The blades had torn his leather boots to ribbons and he could already feel tiny cuts all the way up to his knee so in a tiny voice he squeaked out, âUh, Philip? Can I get some help please?â
Philip wrinkled his brow in confusion but when he looked down and saw the problem he went a bit pale. âWell, shit.â
Daniel cackled hysterically. âHave I ever told you I fucking hate dungeons? Thereâs never any decent shit in here because everybodyâs already taken it, Â there are traps fucking everywhere, and monsters of every shape and size crawling all over the damn place. I really just want to get this fucking mirror and go home so we can swear to only rob living people. I hate this.â
âI know,â Philip rumbled as soothingly as possible. âI know you hate it and as soon as we get out of here I promise you never have to go in another dungeon for the rest of your life.â He reached down into the hole to grab one of the knives and started wiggling it back and forth to break it. âNow if you just hold still-â
âWhat are you doing?â Daniel screeched, grabbing fistfuls of Philipâs hair. âI swear to fuck if you make me lose my leg I will de-wing you! Youâll never fly again!â
Philip rolled his eyes and managed to snap the blade off its holster and slapped it on the ground. âThere. Happy? Now, hold still.â Unfortunately, the remaining eleven knives didnât go quite as smoothly; Philipâs hand was severely cut up and Daniel got stabbed in the calf more than once, but Daniel was free. Philip took one look at Danielâs leg and winced. âOkay, so you definitely need another potion if you even want to make it to the top of the stairs.â
âI wonât even argue with you,â Daniel panted, eyes screwed up in pain. He grabbed one of his remaining potions and uncorked it with his teeth then proceeded to drink the entire thing. As usual, it took a moment for it to settle in his stomach but when it did he had to clap a hand over his mouth to keep from being sick. However, it did do exactly as advertised and his leg magically stitched itself back together; it wasnât perfectly healed, but it would be enough to get him out of this damn castle and home where he could rest. âHow are you doing?â
âFine,â Philip said, staring at his palm. He focused for a moment on all the magic coursing through his body that kept him alive and directed it to his injuries which started to fade until they were just faint red marks. âAlright, no more games, we need to get out of here. Follow behind me.â
Daniel nodded and Philip marched up the stairs, careful to test every step with his tail before putting any weight on it. They made their way up to the next floor without any issue. Daniel tried to pass him as to take the lead as usual, but Philip stuck out an arm to hold him back and glared. He took a step forward and right onto a pressure plate that sent a hailstorm of ball bearings raining down right on him causing him to lose his balance. He turned and glared at Daniel who had started giggling like this was the funniest thing he had ever seen.
âHoly shit Iâm so glad that was you and not me,â he wheezed between laughs. âI just donât think I could take being on the shit end of another one of these traps without straight up bawling my eyes out.â
Philip growled but his glare lessened as he shakily made his way back to his feet. This was even worse than that time Daniel had dragged him out to that frozen lake so they could slide around on the ice. âWe need to figure out how to get across.â
âYou need to figure it out,â Daniel corrected. âI already know what Iâm doing.â Without another word, he tied his rope around Philipâs waist and ever so gracefully glided across the slippery marbles.
He very slowly started to pull Philip along but the moment he started to move Philip fell to the floor with a loud thump. âJust drag me like this,â he sighed, draping one arm over his eyes while Daniel giggled and tugged him along. Eventually, but not soon enough to save his pride, he was back on his feet. âLetâs, er, letâs go,â he mumbled. Daniel once again tried to take the lead, but Philip grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him back.
This was rather convenient because as soon as Daniel was behind him an arrow whizzed through the air directly where he was standing. Philip whirled around and snarled with his wings spread out to brush either side of the corridor and keep Daniel from view. He narrowed his eyes to see further down the hall and as he did another arrow came at them, but missed by a mile. From the gloom two gnolls emerged, their hulking furry bodies hunched over at the shoulder and saliva dripping from their snouts.
Before Philip had any time to react, Daniel had scrambled up his back and thrown both of his daggers at each of the creatures, piercing each one in the thigh. âCanât you sit back for two minutes?â Philip scoffed, rolling his eyes. He took one look at the gnolls and decided that any time spent fighting them was time wasted, so he took in a deep breath and roasted both gnolls in one go.
âNo fair, you ruined my daggers,â Daniel scowled, investigating the blackened blades that used to be his knives. âI mean, they were the extra ones that we picked up, but I still liked them.â
Philip scoffed and picked them up and put them in Danielâs bag, unaffected by their scorching heat. âOnce they cool off theyâll be fine for throwing. Just donât throw around your good ones like that.â
Daniel scoffed under his breath but sulkily followed behind Philip who found the gnollsâ bag that he presumed they had been stuffing with the loot they had come across. âHey, you know how to use a crossbow, yeah?â Philip asked handing over the weapon. âIâm pretty sure that oneâs got some magic on it, too.â
Daniel frowned but took the crossbow to examine it. âYeah, I know how to use one,â he said, stashing it in his own bag. âI donât like using them though. I much prefer one on one when I can.â
âDonât I know it,â Philip grumbled under his breath; Daniel pursed his lips and smacked him on the back of the head. âWhat is this thing? I saw you looking at one in town the other day.â
Daniel snatched up the long, thin metal tube and grinned so wide his cheeks hurt. âThis, dear Philip,â he said grandly, âis a Chime of Opening. You can use it to unlock anything.â
Philip cocked a brow. âYou think it would work on the main chambers?â
âOnly one way to find out.â He then tugged the bag away so he could look through it himself. âHoly shit, they had the best stuff! Look at this!â
Philip puckered his lips as he investigated the tattered-looking hat in Danielâs hands. âAnd that is?â
âIâll show you.â Daniel slapped the hat on his head and after the resulting puff of magic cleared, Philip found himself looking at⌠well, himself. âTa-da!â the false Philip said in Danielâs voice.
âWell, Iâll be damned,â Philip said, clearly impressed while Daniel took the hat off and returned to his normal self. âAnything else of note?â
âActually, yes,â Daniel said, producing a ring to show Philip. âI think this may be of interest to you?â
Philip inspected the ring in delight. âIf this is what I think it is, it could prove to be rather useful.â
Daniel cocked his head. âWhat is it? I thought it was just a pretty magic ring.â
Philip shook his head. âNo, according to legend these are supposed to be able to summon an elemental that you can command.â
âWell, thatâs going to come in handy.â
Philip nodded and tugged Daniel away from the now mostly empty bag. âCome on, thereâs nothing else of note.â He and Daniel headed down the hall, Philip once again in the front. Oddly enough, there was a curtain covering the entirety of the hall and he glared at it suspiciously. âStep back.â
Daniel rolled his eyes. âItâs a curtain, Philip. Not everything is trying to kill us.â He went to move it himself but Philip snarled and smacked his hand away. âAlright, alright,â he huffed, clutching his hand to his chest. âIâll wait back here while you fight the big bad curtain.â
With a dramatic flourish, Philip tore open the curtains, but absolutely nothing happened. He sheepishly turned around to tell Daniel he was right but was met with only a blank stone wall that definitely hadnât been there before. âDaniel?!â
âHi, yes, hello, Daniel here!â Daniel shouted from the other side of the wall, far more concerned with his own issues at the moment. As soon as the wall had silently slotted down between him and Philip another one had appeared at the end of the hallway and the room they created was quickly flooding with water. âUh, yeah, can you please get me out of here before I drown?â
âIâll get you out!â Philip swore, ramming his shoulder against the wall, which didnât even budge. He went to attack it again but was slammed into the wall. He whirled around only to see Daniel looking at him confusion on his face.
âPhilip?â he asked nervously. âWhat was that?â
âDaniel? I thought you were on the other side of the wall?â
âI am on the other side, you stupid overgrown lizard! And if you donât hurry up youâre going to have to deal with my drowned corpse!â came Danielâs muffled voice.
Philip turned to the Daniel in front of him just in time to see it grin maliciously and slam into him again. âThis is going to be much easier than I thought,â taunted the Daniel Philip now knew was a doppelganger. âYou know, I thought beating a mighty dragon would be much harder.â Philip snarled and shot fire at it, but it dodged with a sly smirk and slammed into him again. âOh, youâre going to have to do much better than that.â
Philip slashed his claws, managing to catch it off guard and hit it across its face. âPhilip! I need to get out now!â Daniel called an edge of panic now in his tone.
Philip slammed against the wall again, still unable to make a dent. âLook for some kind of switch! Maybe thereâs-â he was cut off by a grunt as the doppelganger once again slammed into him from the side. He growled and batted it away with his tail then threw himself at the wall again. âDaniel!â
Daniel took a deep breath and dove down into the water, squinting through the darkness to try and find anything that could help him escape. He emerged several times to get a quick lungful of air and check on the fight, and it didnât sound too good on Philipâs end. Once he made it to the end and saw nothing he quickly swam back just in time to hear Philip get thrown into another wall. âThereâs nothing in here!â
âThen start hacking at the wall yourself!â Philip shouted, slashing his claws into the doppelganger. He attacked the wall again but turned around in time to catch the monster and throw it off before it could hit him again.
Daniel grunted and got out the daggers he had thrown at the gnolls and started trying to chip away at the wall. He heard Philip throw himself at the wall again before the water finally rose overhead, leaving him unable to do much of anything but float and hold his breath.
âDaniel?â Philip called. When there was no response he yelled a bit louder. âDaniel!â The doppelganger took its opportunity to attack again, but Philip caught it in his unforgiving claws. Then with a loud, angry roar, he threw it at the wall separating him and Daniel, which cracked in several places before it suddenly burst temporarily flooding the hall and knocking Philip back. As the water drained away he sat up and saw two Daniel simultaneously sitting up and rubbing their heads.
One of the Daniels blinked at the other for a moment as if trying to comprehend what he was seeing before turning to Philip. âPhilip, listen to me. Itâs me. That guy is the fake, okay?â
The other Daniel just rolled his eyes and stabbed him with the daggers still in his hands. The first Daniel froze for a moment and looked back at the Daniel who stabbed him in shock. Then he began to twitch, flashing from Daniel to Philip then a dwarf, a gargoyle, an elf, faster and faster before it settled on the blue humanoid shape of its true form and died. âWell,â said Daniel, yanking his daggers out of the doppelganger. âI have to admit I wasnât expecting that.â
Philip sat in shocked silence for a moment before bursting out into loud, bright laughter. âNo, I canât imagine you were,â he said, shaking his head. He stood and walked over to help Daniel to his feet. âSo, how do I know youâre the real Daniel, hmm?â he teased.
Daniel arched an eyebrow and said flatly, âMaybe you donât. Maybe I just used magic to make the real Daniel look like a doppelganger when he died. Maybe the Daniel you knew was always a doppelganger. Who knows?â
Philip snorted. âWell, the doppelganger might have had your face, but it certainly didnât have your sharp tongue. Iâm pretty sure even if you are really a doppelganger youâre the one I can trust.â
Daniel dropped his act and beamed at him. âI guess you have me pigeonholed. Now, are you going to make me wait back next time we have to do something or are you going to let me fight, too?â
Philip rolled his eyes. âOkay, fine. Fight everything in this castle and die. See if I care.â
âYouâd care a little bit,â Daniel smirked. âAdmit it. Youâd be pretty put out if I died.â
Philip glared playfully and pointed down the hall. âGo. Unlike you, I donât want to spend the rest of our lives in this castle.â
Daniel proudly took his place at the head and went ahead. When he got to the corner he grinned, noticing that there was a good portion of the wall that had somehow collapsed, leading to the room inside. âPhilip! I think we found our way out!â
âThank Bahamut,â Philip muttered. He stomped forward but froze when he saw what was inside. He turned to Daniel with an infuriated look on his face. âThereâs a troll in there! Why canât anything go our way in this damn place?â he hissed.
Daniel swore under his breath. âIs there any way we can get past it?â
Philip peered into the room again. âI think itâs asleep right now. This is probably that thing we heard earlier when we were going through here.â
Daniel pursed his lips. âOkay, weâre going to try to sneak past it, but Iâm also going to put these ball bearings on the ground around it so if we do wake it up at least weâll have a moment while it tries to stand up.â Philip nodded and they carefully crept into the bedroom and Daniel silently emptied his bag of ball bearings so they pooled around the sleeping monster. They made it all the way to the door which opened with the loudest creak either of them had heard.
Unfortunately, this woke up the troll who jerked and immediately went to stand. Fortunately, Danielâs careful planning paid off and it went tumbling to the ground again and again as it tried to get on its feet. âLetâs go letâs go letâs go!â Daniel shouted, pushing Philip out the door and slamming it shut behind them. With the door closed, he began piling as much stuff as possible in front of the door, finally stabbing the two daggers heâd ruined on the wall into the doorframe to block the door from opening. âHopefully, that will keep it occupied long enough for it to get bored of trying to hunt and kill us!â he said with false cheerfulness as he quickly walked through the door.
When they were both out on the landing Daniel let out a relieved sigh at the familiar sight. Until this moment he hadnât dared hope they would actually be getting out, but now he was sure they could make it home. âCome on, letâs get this stupid fucking mirror and get the hell out of here.â
Philip grunted in agreement and they went to the previously locked door which Dan smugly pointed his Chime of Opening at, causing it to swing open. As predicted, the room inside was grand, far nicer than any of the others they had seen. Thanks to the magical lock, nobody had managed to get inside so everything was untouched since the lord and lady died.
That included the pair of corpses lying on the bed.
âHoly fuck,â Daniel swore, covering his nose with his shirt. âHow long have those been there, you reckon?â
âWhoâs to say?â Philip grunted. He managed to keep his composure a little better than Daniel, but only just. âAll things considered, theyâve most likely been here since they died over a hundred years ago.â
âThen why the fuck do they still smell like this? Surely they should have turned to dust by now.â Philip furrowed his brow in thought, but suddenly the corpses moved, giving Daniel his own answer. âTheyâre ghouls,â he groaned, drawing his sword. âI hate ghouls.â
âYou were telling me on the way over here that you wanted to fight one.â
âI said I wanted to fight a ghost.â
Philip scoffed and shot flames at the shambling corpses. Fire alone apparently couldnât stop them; before the flames even finished dying down the two monsters leapt at Daniel and Philip. Philip was taken by surprise and snarled as one of them latched its teeth onto his arm, but Daniel managed to shove the one attacking him away with his shield.
âI bet ghosts donât smell this bad,â Daniel grouched, stabbing the one that had attacked him and kicking it away.
âYouâd be surprised,â Philip said, swinging around and smacking both ghouls with his tail. One of them exploded into dust upon hitting the wall but the other one let out a shrill cry and attacked again. It managed to swipe its claws against Danielâs arm, but he retaliated with his sword and it too exploded into dust.
Daniel sheathed his sword dusted his hands off. âYou know thereâs something awful behind that door, right?â he said nodding to a door that most likely led to a closet. As the mirror was nowhere to be seen in the room, the closet was the best guess for its location.
Philip snorted. âBased on our experiences so far Iâm thinking thereâs probably two terrible things.â
Daniel smirked, and offered him the last potion in his bag. âYou want this? Iâm doing all right, all things considered, but I donât think Iâve ever seen you look this rough. That doppelganger really did a number on you.â
âDonât remind me,â Philip shuddered. He took the potion and drained it and Daniel was once again bitter over the fact that potions didnât make everyone sick. Philip definitely wasnât completely better, but he didnât look like a strong breeze would knock him over anymore. Daniel counted that as a win. âAlright, open it up.â
Daniel nodded, and magically unlocked the door. Inside was something a bit odd. The mirror was propped up in the back surrounded by several glowing orbs of light in a rainbow of colors. Piles of shields scattered around the mirror, but no armour or weapons anywhere. He was about to point this out to Philip when the door slammed shut, startling them both. Philip immediately tried to force it open by ramming his shoulder into it, but it didnât budge. Daniel stepped forward and tried to use his Chime again, but all it did was produce a pretty ringing sound.
âThis is bull shit,â Daniel snapped, kicking the door. He soon regretted this action and hopped around on one foot while holding the injured one in his hands.
As he was hopping around the cramped room he managed to knock into the mirror. This triggered a response and he watched in slight horror as the shields all formed together into the shape of a large humanoid. He gently tugged on his friendâs sleeve. âUh, Philip, we have a-â
He nervous warning was interrupted as two fists made of shields swung at them. Daniel managed to yank Philip down with him as he ducked to avoid the attack so they were both unscathed. Philip started off with a fire attack, and Daniel followed up with his sword which bounced uselessly off the shield guardianâs shields. The guardian again attacked, this time managing to catch Philip in the chest. Philip snarled and bit down on the guardianâs arm and slashed with his claws.
While Philip had it distracted, Daniel snuck up behind it and stabbed it with his daggers which were once again useless. The guardian swung at them, which they rolled away from to dodge. Philip leapt on it to slash and bite, and Daniel started digging through his bag. He knew his usual weapons werenât affecting the guardian, so he needed to fight magic with magic. He soon found what he was looking for, and with a shout he threw the tiny nightmare statue at the guardian. It bounced off harmlessly and fell to the ground. Daniel was worried for a moment that it hadnât worked, but hellish flames erupted from the ground at the guardianâs feet. Once the flames were gone, the guardian stood still for a moment before collapsing to the ground in a pile of shields.
âThis damn mirror better be worth it,â Philip snapped, marching towards it. He examined the window for a moment then nodded. âIt is actually pretty nice. What do you think?â
âI dunno, thereâs something about itâŚâ Daniel trailed off into silence, eyes locked on the mirror. Visions were flashing across his eyes, visions he couldnât understand. He saw unpulled carriages of metal that roared down streets swarmed only with humans. He saw a man on a hill and music played but there wasnât a bard, just a strange black box. He saw the same metal carriages, only much much bigger that flew through the sky with the birds. Strangest of all, he saw human versions of himself and Philip sat nearly on top of one another as they looked into a strange rectangular portal that showed moving pictures. As he watched the Daniel and Philip on the couch smiled gentle smiles and moved their faces closer-
âDaniel!â
Daniel was snapped from his vision and looked up to see his Philip staring at him in concern. âI donât think I like this mirror,â he slurred, then collapsed to the ground.
âDaniel!â Philip snarled, shaking the drow to try and wake him up. He swore at himself for taking the last health potion and hoisted Dan up into his arms. He ran out of the castle and as soon as he cleared the door, he transformed into his full size and carefully placed Daniel on his back in the safest way he could. He spread his wings and took to the sky, not even stopping to break down their camp. He flew all night, not stopping for rest once just furiously flapping his wings.
He made the journey in just ten hours. The sun had made its way into the sky by the sixth hour and Philip could feel the warmth prickling uncomfortably at his dark scales, but pressed on. He made it to their cave and fell into a heap, completely exhausted. He was so tired he couldnât summon the energy to transform, so he just curled up around Daniel in his dragon form and let the exhaustion wash over him. He was safe, Daniel was safe, and nothing could happen to them so long as they were in the cave.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Phil let out a deep sigh and fell back on Danâs bed watching the other man dart around the room grabbing as much stuff as he could hold and shoving it in his suitcase. âYou really are the worst packer ever, you know that?â he yawned.
Dan paused what he was doing and narrowed his eyes at him. âYou could help you know.â
Philip snorted. âYeah, right. Every time Iâve tried to help you you act like Iâve never packed a bag before. Iâm pretty sure last time you actually smacked my hand.â
Dan winced at the memory and zipped his bag shut. âOkay, well, you donât have to just sit there and watch me. You could call the train station and see if we can get a later ticket.â âI already know we canât,â Phil pointed out. âI deliberately got the latest ticket possible. If we miss this train we wonât be able to leave until morning.â
Dan whipped around and looked at him wild eyed. âWell, shit,â he said before rushing out the door for the bathroom.
âTry not to blind yourself this time!â Phil cheerfully called after him. He hummed to himself and puttered around the room, making sure Dan had everything. Sure enough, he picked up Danâs phone charger and wallet and packed a couple pairs of socks. He stashed the charger and wallet in their travel and zipped the suitcase right as Dan stumbled in. âYou ready now?â
Dan shoved his toiletries bag into his suitcase and whirled around. âYes. Letâs go right fucking now.â Without waiting for a response, he shoved past Phil and out the door. By the time Phil made it outside he was already shoving his bags into the boot of a cab he had waved down. âPhil! Come on, weâre going to miss our train!â
Phil rolled his eyes fondly but complied with Danâs need for speed. âLiverpool Street Station, please,â he ordered the cabby after Dan ushered him in.
âTraffic over there is terrible right about now,â the cabby warned. âItâs gonna take us a good thirty minutes.â
âThatâs fine.â
Dan gawked at Phil. âNo itâs not! Our train was supposed to leave at a quarter to five and itâs already half past!â
âThereâs nothing I can do about it,â the cabby apologized. âIâll get there as fast as I can, but I canât make any promises.â
âDonât worry about it,â Phil insisted. âWe have more than enough time to get there.â
âPhil,â Dan hissed, âif we miss this train because of traffic Iâm going to scream.â
Phil cocked an eyebrow. âWell, first off, if we missed it itâd be because someone didnât pack.â Dan quickly broke eye contact, his ears ever so pink. Phil laced their fingers together so he could press a kiss to the back of his hand. âLuckily I know and love the person in question and our train doesnât leave until a quarter past five.â
Dan snapped his head back around and narrowed his eyes at his grinning boyfriend. âYou, Phil Lester, are a criminal mastermind.â
Phil laughed and dropped their hands. âI prefer to think I learn from my mistakes.â
âThat was nearly a year ago, drop it, you ass.â
Phil hummed, pretending to think about it. âWell, we nearly missed our tour to take you to A&E because you were too lazy to pack. Itâs probably best that I keep that in mind when booking from now on.â
Dan crossed his arms and pouted slightly. âThat was one time.â
âWhat about when we went to New York and you didnât pack socks, your laptop charger, or any money?â
âOkay, fine, Iâm not good at packing. Maybe I should just let you do it from now on.â
âI offered this time.â
âShut up!â Dan slapped his hands to his ears. âI donât want to hear it! I donât deserve this kind of harassment!â
âOf course not, dear,â Phil chuckled, rolling his eyes and looking back out the window. Dan stuck his tongue out at him and the driver chuckled, but the commotion died down quick enough. The ride was mostly quiet spiced with Dan leaning over to show Phil something from Tumblr while the driver asked the typical non-prying questions about their upcoming trip that Phil had to answer ass usual. As the cabby said earlier, the drive did take over a half hour, but thanks to Philâs prior planning, they got there in plenty of time. Dan climbed out of the cab and started to unload their bags while Phil paid the driver and after weaving through the crowded station and showing their tickets to the appropriate people they were sat in the waiting area for their platform.
They were completely absorbed in their phones when there was a soft cough in front of them and as one they looked up to see a slightly nervous young woman smiling at them with a very young boy hiding behind her legs looking at Phil like he hung the moon. âUh, hi,â she said awkwardly. âYouâre Dan and Phil right? What am I saying I know itâs you two I donât even know-â
âYeah, itâs us,â Dan interrupted with a kind laugh, and she looked absolutely relieved to be stopped mid ramble. âIâm guessing you watch our videos?â
âEr, well, I used to?â she admitted, blushing a light pink. âI quit watching you guys about a year ago, sorry.â
âDonât be sorry, tastes change,â Phil assured her. âDo you still want a selfie orâŚ?â
âWell, the reason I came over isnât for actually for me,â she said smiling. She leaned down and grabbed the boyâs hand and pulling him out to stand in front of Phil. âThis is my son, Todd, and heâs the biggest AmazingPhil fan I know.â She looked at Dan and winced. âSorry, Dan, heâs not getting his hands on yours for a while yet.â
Dan snorted. âHonestly, I wouldnât want him to.â
Phil ignored their short exchange and stood so he could crouch down to Toddâs height and smiled his brightest smile at him. âHi, Todd, my nameâs Phil. Itâs nice to meet you.â
Toddâs eyes got bigger and rounder before he bashfully ducked his head and looked up through his dark curls. âHi,â he said in a voice so quiet Phil almost didnât hear him.
âDo you like watching my videos?â
Todd nodded furiously. âI like lions, too,â he said, grabbing the pull in his hoodie and began chewing it.
âI bet Lion wishes he could hear that,â he chuckled. He pointed at Dan who was watching their interaction closely. âDo you know who that is?â
Todd nodded again. âThatâs Dan.â
âYeah, Danâs my best friend. Whoâs your best friend?â
âYou.â
Dan made a strangled noise, but Phil managed to hide his reaction to the adorable answer a little better. âWell, youâre one of my best friends, too, then.â
Toddâs jaw dropped, the string dropped from his mouth to wetly hang where it belonged. He looked up at his mother who just laughed and nudged him forward. âCan I have a hug?â he asked tentatively like he really thought he could possibly be rejected.
Phil laughed and after glancing up to get an okay from his mother he said âYou absolutely can!â He opened his arms as wide as they could go and after Todd flung himself in them he was wrapped up in the best hug of his life.
âI love you, Phil,â Todd said softly and Philâs heart melted and he hugged just a bit tighter. Â When Todd finally pulled away he beamed at Phil like he had single handedly saved Christmas.
After clearing his throat of the lump lodged inside it, Phil asked, âDo you think we could take a picture for your mom?â He had noticed her taking pictures almost the whole exchange and she smiled and mouthed he thanks.
Todd nodded, and after a moment of scrutinizing Dan said, âShould we ask Dan, too?â
Phil chuckled. âWhatever you want, buddy. Itâs all up to you.â
Todd thought it over for another moment before finally deciding, âDan can come.â
Dan bowed grandly, âThank you very much.â A moment later he and Phil were knelt on either side of Todd who had his arms around Philâs neck like a grinning kohala.
âThanks so much, you two, you have no idea how much this means to him,â the mother gushed. âI honestly picked the best guys ever to stan as a teenager. Almost jealous I didnât get to meet you when I was a super fan.â
âWe love meeting people who watch our videos,â Dan said. âPeople of all ages. Also, I donât think I caught your name?â
âOH!â She blushed, and stuck out her hand. âSorry, how rude of me; my wife is much better at this kind of thing. My name is Viviana.â
âWell, the two of you have a great kid,â Phil said, standing and shaking the hand.
âWeâre lucky to have him,â she smiled down at him. âSpeaking of my wife: Todd, honey, we have to go, mummyâs waiting on us. Say bye bye.â
Todd got in one last hug around Philâs knees before taking his motherâs hand as they walked away. With the other he was waving at them and giggling. âBye bye, Dan! Bye bye, Phil!â
âBye bye, Todd,â Dan and Phil said in unison, waving until they saw Todd and Viviana go sit with another woman and Todd climbed into her lap and began to animatedly talk to her.
âCan we have like twelve kids?â Dan sighed dreamily, watching the family.
Phil laughed. âWell, letâs see how well we can take care of a Sim baby and maybe weâll talk about getting a real one. Maybe not twelve, though.â
Dan rolled his eyes, and gently shoved him. âYou know what I mean.â
Phil smiled and laced his fingers around Danâs left hand and brought it up to kiss the ring finger on it. âMaybe weâll get some kind of decoration here first.â
Dan breathing hitched for a half second before he was back to his usual teasing demeanor. âWell, you better hurry up, old man. Neither of us are getting any younger.â
âNo, I guess weâre not,â Phil said, thinking about the little black box hidden away in his props chest. âWeâre really not.â
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Hever Castle was beautiful, and anyone who got the chance to go should really take it, Dan would never begrudge them that. However, it was rather difficult to get to, even when you knew where you were going and what you were doing. When Phil is driving a rental car in the typical South England downpour it was apparently impossible.
âDan, face it weâre lost,â Phil whined like the quitter he was. âLet me pull over and ask for directions.â
âWe have directions!â Dan protested, waving the printed out directions from the website. You must be doing something wrong.â
Phil sputtered indignantly. âIâm doing exactly what you tell me to! Maybe youâre doing something wrong.â
Dan pursed his lips, refusing to admit there might even be a flicker of truth to the very thing heâd been thinking for the past ten minutes. âIâm literally reading off a sheet of paper. Unless youâre trying to imply I canât read, I doubt itâs me.â
Phil groaned and dragged his hand down his face. âYou know Iâm not. Maybe weâre just both really bad at directions. Come on, just let me pull over real quick.â
âGive me five more minutes?â Dan wheedled. âPlease? I promise if things are just worse that we can just ask for directions.â
Phil narrowed his eyes. âWhy is this so important to you anyways? You wouldnât even let me use my phone.â
Dan shrugged. âI dunno. My mum and dad always used to navigate for each other using real maps, and I definitely canât read a map that well so this was the logical second. It just seems really grown up to me, I canât describe it.â
Phil sighed. âWell, asked and answered, I guess. Weâll go another ten minutes and then ask for help.â
Dan leaned over the console and kissed him on the cheek. âYouâre the best.â
âYeah, and donât you forget it.â
âYeah, yeah, whatever. Just drive, okay? Weâre looking for a road called Hever Road.â
âDan, we turned onto Hever Road already.â
âShit. Well, now all Iâve got is âturn left, turn right.â Iâm in hell.â
Phil laughed fondly. âWell, in that case I guess-â
âHoly shit, I think thatâs it!â Dan interrupted, gesturing wildly out the windshield. Sure enough, the rain was slacking off just enough so that they could see through the trees and there was Hever Castle and Gardens looming in the distance. âFuck, I thought weâd never get here!â
Following the road before them, they drove up to the castle, excitement growing steadily. âIâve never stayed in a castle before,â Phil admitted. âI mean, yeah, Iâve visited them, but I never spent the night.â
âI have,â Dan said. âMum and dad send me and Adrien on a bunch of little community field trips to get us out of the house during the summer. Adrien had loads of fun but I was at that age where I obstinately made everything I didnât want to do torture so I thought it was awful.â
âYou mean like your age now?â
Dan narrowed his eyes playfully. âYeah, well, I was going to let you tweet about us staying at a castle, but now Iâm going to.â
Phil sputtered indignantly. âThatâs hardly fair!â
âToo bad! Iâm already typing it out!â
âUgh, youâre the worst.â
âYou know, you say that all the time and I donât think you know what it means.â
âIt means I secretly hate you and as soon as Janet from the shops is ready Iâm running away with her.â
âWonât change the fact that I got to tweet about a castle first.â
Phil looked like he would have normally kept their banter going, but he was too busy pulling up to the valet and rolling down the window. âHi, weâre here under a reservation for Lester? Also, this is a rental car and they said we could just leave it with you and theyâd just charge my card?â
âYes, sir,â the valet said, opening the door so they could get out. âWe have staff who return rental cars for our guests.â
âGreat! Well, Iâll just, uh,â Phil trailed off as a bellhop apparated at the boot and started unloading their luggage onto a luggage cart. He moved to help, but the bellhop was so efficient any assistance was thoroughly unneeded.
âHereâs the keys,â Dan said, mercifully stepping in and taking the keys from Philâs hand. âWe just need to check in at the front desk correct?â
The valet nodded. âYes, and when you know what room you are, just tell Jay here and heâll deliver your luggage.â
âThanks!â Dan beamed, and steered Phil towards the main lobby. This seemed to snap Phil out of his stupor and he quickly informed the front desk of their situation and found out what room they were in and told Jay who led them right to it. The room was spacious and had furniture in it that was probably older than Dan, but the only thing he was interested in was the big cushy bed which he fell back on immediately.
âDan, thereâs a clawfoot tub in here!â Phil called from the bathroom excitedly.
âThatâs cool as fuck,â Dan murmured, doing his best to melt into the luxurious duvet.
Phil wandered out of the bathroom after giving it his customary inspection and crawled in the bed next to Dan. âCome on, donât give in yet. Weâre supposed to be meeting Martyn and Cornelia for dinner, remember?â
âCanât we just skip?â Dan whined. âWeâre going to be spending the weekend with them, I doubt theyâll miss us for one meal. Tell them weâre too busy fucking in a fancy hotel room to go to dinner.â
Phil barked out a laugh and pressed a kiss to Danâs curly hair. âI donât think that will work. Iâm pretty sure weâre going over a schedule so we donât have to spend the weekend in each otherâs pockets.â
Dan flopped over and grumbled into his folded arms for a bit before sighing and sitting up. âAlright, then. Letâs go to dinner with the in-laws.â
Philâs eyes flashed deviously and a sly grin worked its way across his mouth. âWell, we donât have to be there for a couple more hours. Cornelia insisted we get a chance to settle into our room.â âThank god,â Dan sighed, collapsing back down on the bed. âLet me sleep here until I die here.â
âYou know, the bathroom here is really cool,â Phil said conversationally.
âOh, yeah? Great.â
âYeah, itâs got probably the biggest shower Iâve ever seen in person. Itâs like they made it for two people.â
Dan froze as Phil pressed a quick kiss to the nape of his neck. âAnyway,â he continued brightly. âIâm going to go take a shower, you just lay here.â
Dan laid in the bed, still frozen, for a moment and watched Phil practically sashay into the bathroom before scrambling to his feet and following him.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Dan was a great boyfriend, and Phil loved him more than words could say. He was clever and kind, loud and loving, brilliant and beautiful. He enriched Philâs life and improved it in ways neither of them would probably ever fully understand. Phil adored him and wouldnât give him up for the world.
That being said, he was shit at wake up calls.
âCome on, Phillip,â he sang, making sure to pop the âpâ right in Philâs ear. He was currently bouncing up and down on his knees on the bed right by Philâs side, and had started his routine by re-creating a video to the Numa Numa Song.
And some people thought romance was dead.
âPlease,â Phil whined, shoving his face under his pillow. Maybe if he pressed down hard enough heâd pass out and Dan would quit trying to get him out of bed. âPlease just let me sleep I beg.â
Dan had the audacity to snort and even though Phil couldnât see him he knew Dan had just rolled his eyes. âYou wish. They serve breakfast in the gardens and if you think Iâm going to miss out on posting the most aesthetic instagrams of eggs benedict ever then youâre dead wrong. Louise is in Venice and we have a bet on who can post the best pictures this weekend.â
âCanât you just go by yourself?â
Dan snorts, and Phil takes a hot second to be a bit offended before Dan dug his knees into Philâs side, quite effectively forcing him out of bed. When he was on his feet he turned and scowled at Dan who just beamed up at him. âOh, good, youâre out of bed,â he had the audacity to chirp. âThereâs a breakfast being served in the garden if youâre interested.â
Phil huffed, but he was already awake and out of bed, so there was no real point in denying it any more. âSure, Dan. That sounds great. Let me get dressed and we can head down,â he yawned, making his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.
âDonât forget, Iâm posting pictures, and youâre going to be in them,â Dan called after him. âWear that bird shirt you got for the BONCAS.â
âI donât think I packed that. Did I?â
âYou didnât,â he conceded, âbut I put it in there when you werenât looking.â
Phil stuck his head out of the bathroom and looked rather unimpressed and rumpled. âSo, youâre telling me that you didnât have enough time to pack your own suitcase, but you had enough time to make sure I had the specific shirt you wanted for your aesthetic breakfast photoshoot?â
âEvery man has his priorities, Phil.â Dan grinned when he heard a soft âYouâre impossibleâ that he probably wasnât supposed to hear. âHey, make sure you wear your glasses. Everyone thinks you look amazing in them and it will also help the ârelaxed but poshâ vibe Iâm going for.â
Phil shook his head and chuckled but did as he was ordered, and stepped out of the bathroom freshened up and bespectacled. He stepped in between Danâs knees to press a kiss to his forehead, to which Dan responded with a soft, happy hum. âYou know, weâre spending the weekend at a bed and breakfast in a castle. I donât think you can get any more aesthetic than that.â
âLouise is in Venice,â Dan reminded him. âIt doesnât matter where we are, Iâm going to have stiff competition.â
âI offered to take you to Venice before.â Phil would absolutely refuse to admit he was pouting, even under oath.
Dan rested his arms over Philâs shoulders and beamed. âYeah, and I still stand by my decision to stay at home.â
âWhatâs the point of having all this money if you wonât even let me spend it on you?â
âAw, do you want to be my sugar daddy, Phil? I didnât know you were into that.â
Phil sputtered, embarrassed, while Dan giggled at him. âThatâs not what I meant and you know it,â he whined.
"Yeah, but youâre fun to rile up,â Dan agreed, pecking him on the nose. âNow, get dressed. Weâre going to be late.â
Phil hummed and did as he was told and before long he and Dan were headed down to the grounds hand in hand. âIt really is a beautiful morning,â Phil said, breathing in the sweet summer air. He knew it would get hot later, but it was still early enough that the dew was clinging to the grass and the cool of night was still lingering.
Dan closed his eyes and lifted his face towards the soft periwinkle sky. âYeah, it really is.â
Phil tore his eyes away from the scenery to stare at the man stood next to him. He had known Daniel Howell for eight years and he still managed to steal his breath on a regular basis. He thought again (it had been happening with almost concerning frequency as of late) of the small, black box hidden away in their flat in London. âCome on, weâre going to be late if we donât hurry.â
Dan hummed happily and took another moment to soak in the morning sun. âYeah, alright. Letâs go.â
The garden was almost magical in the soft morning light. Each place setting was decorated with flowers picked fresh from the bushes that enclosed the few little tables around. There were already people at all of the tables, but Dan made eye contact with one lady who was sitting alone, and she smiled and waved them over. Dan tugged Phil behind him as he gave the woman a second glance over. Her most distinctive feature was her long, dark purple hair that seemed to sparkle with its own light, and the matching stars she had painted on each of her cheeks. She looked younger than Dan but something in her eyes glinted with something Dan couldnât quite name. âWonât you two please sit?â she asked politely, gesturing to the chairs on the other side of the little round table.
âAre you waiting for anyone?â Dan asked as he and Phil sat.
âMe? Oh, no, Iâm here alone,â she said. âI actually work here, but sometimes I like to partake in some of the activities we have around here.â
âWhat is it you do?â Phil asked.
âI run the tourist department; you know, the website and social media for the castle.â
Phil perked up at that. âThen you were probably the one who talked to my brother! He said he worked on your website recently. Martyn Lester?â
The woman brightened and smiled. âYes, I did speak with him. That means the two of you must be Dan and Phil.â When the two men exchanged confused glances she laughed softly. âMartyn spoke very highly of the both of you, and told me you were going to be his plus two. Forgive my rudeness, my name is Estella Farfalla, but most people just call me Stella.â
âWell, itâs a pleasure meeting you, Stella.â
âAnd you two as well.â
The conversation was briefly interrupted by a waiter asking for their drink orders followed shortly by him coming back to serve their breakfast. Phil went to dig in, but Dan gently smacked his elbow to remind him of the pictures he was meant to take. Stella watched in amusement as they took turns photographing each other and their food and the scenery until Dan was satisfied that he would be able to find and post a picture that would knock Louiseâs socks off.
âSo, you said you work here,â Phil said while Dan agonized over what filter to use. âDo you have any recommendations? We want to get the full experience.â
âWell, as luck would have it I actually started as a tour guide here so I know pretty much everything about this place.â She drummed her fingers on her chin as she looked them over. âIâm guessing you two havenât gone on the tour yet. Correct?â
âNot yet,â Dan admitted. âWe only just got in last night, and we went to dinner then straight to bed.â
She nodded. âWell, the tour is all inside so wait until this afternoon, since it will be raining then.â Dan frowned. âThe weather report said it was supposed to be clear all weekend.â
She shot him a mischievous grin. âMaybe I know something the weatherman doesnât.â
âWhat are you psychic or something?â
She winked and tapped the side of her nose, and Phil looked about like he was going to burst with delight. âAre you, really?â he demanded. âWhat is it you do, exactly? Tarot or tea reading? Iâve dabbled in that before, but I doubt Iâm actually any good at it.â
âYou never know. I think thereâs a lot of untapped potential, Phil.â She turned to Dan who looked markedly less impressed. âAnd what about you? Any interest in the preternatural?â
Dan rolled his eyes. âYeah, last time I had anything to do with fortune telling I had a banana shoved down the back of my neck, so no thanks.â
Stella looked amused, like he had said exactly what she had known heâd say. âYou know, I had a feeling youâd feel that way.â Dan rose an incredulous eyebrow so she finally answered Philâs question. âI do astrology. I decided to lean fully into the whole star theme, you see?â
Phil chuckled. âSo, do you check the stars for the weather every day or was this a coincidence?â
âNot normally, no. I just knew something important was meant to happen this weekend, so I decided to check last night.â
âAny hints on what the big deal this weekend is?â
âOh, I really shouldnât,â she said with a coy smile. âI find that most people start meddling where they shouldnât when they learn too much.â
âI guess Iâll just have to wait, then. I hope I donât miss it.â
âOh, I doubt that will be possible.â
Phil was about to ask what exactly she meant by that, but was interrupted by their waiter coming back. He whisked away their plates and glasses only to replace them with a couple serving plates of cakes and other post breakfast sweets. Dan was delighted and immediately proceeded to take just as many pictures of this food as he did the previous course. When Phil looked up after the final picture was taken, he saw Stellaâs empty chair, looking like it had never been occupied. âShe was nice,â he said to Dan. âA little odd, but still really nice.â
âYou only thought she was nice because you were hoping sheâd read your palm,â Dan teased. âBesides, she was obviously a fake. I mean, come on. Rain? Today? This is the most sun Iâve seen in years.â
At that exact moment a fat raindrop fell directly on the end of Danâs nose, causing him to cross his eyes to get a good look at it. Phil snickered into his hand while Dan wiped his nose with slightly pink cheeks.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Dan glared out the window of their room in abject horror. He was beyond angry. He had checked no less than four different weather updates and they all called for the exact same thing. Hot, but not unbearably so, and sunny. With the A/C in the castle this weekend should have been absolutely perfect. But no. Right now it was pouring rain so hard he could see about ten metres before it was too dark. He checked the weather again. Sure enough, there was still a happy little sun falsely claiming that it was partly cloudy.
âSeriously, what the fuck?â he growled, turning to Phil who was sat cross-legged on their bed towel drying his hair after they were caught outside.
Phil shrugged. âYou know how the weather here is. I would personally find a weekend of perfect weather more unbelievable than a surprise storm.â
âItâs not even storming,â Dan groused. âThere hasnât been any thunder or anything, itâs just a fuckload of rain.â
Phil grinned and lassoed Dan with his towel and pulled him closer. He started gently scrubbing at Danâs sopping curls, ignoring the weak protests. âYouâre just mad because whatâs-her-name was right.â
âHer name was Stella and I still think she was a phoney. People arenât actually psychic, babe.â
âTell that to the rain.â
âLucky guess. Like you said, itâs always raining here.â
Phil uncovered Danâs face and placed a kiss on his scowling brow. âPsychic or no, it is raining and I think a tour would be a lot of fun. Change your clothes and we can go look around. We can kill a couple hours and maybe by then the rain will clear and weâll get to go do the maze.â
Dan was still very clearly pouting, but did as he was told and started rummaging in his case to find new clothes while Phil did the same. When they were both dressed, Dan grinned and offered an arm to Phil, who rolled his eyes fondly but took it nevertheless. They went downstairs, only to see a rather familiar face at the foot of the stairs.
âMartyn!â Phil said happily, letting go of Dan to clasp his brotherâs hand. âYou and Cornelia about to do the tour?â
âYeah. Bummer about this rain, though. We were about to go try our hand at archery.â He shrugged. âWe were lucky enough to still be inside when it started pouring. Crazy weather, eh?â
âYeah, me and Dan were still in the gardens when it started.â
âWell, you two want to join me and Corny? Come on, thereâs someone I want to introduce you to.â Martyn led them to the front desk where purple eyes regarded them with thinly veiled amusement. âGuys, this is Estella Farfalla. Sheâs the person I worked with, and sheâs the one who got us access this weekend.â
âIâm pleased to say weâve already made our acquaintance,â Stella said brightly, handing over the guided tours. âWe met at breakfast in the gardens this morning.â
âYouâre telling me these two woke up for breakfast?â Cornelia mock gasped.
Dan gave her a mildly dirty look while Stella just laughed. âYes, we had a lovely time. Are you two about to do the tour as well?â
âYeah, the four of us are going to give the place a walk around,â Martyn said. âWell, I guess if you three have already met , thereâs no point in delaying. Come on, you two.â
âOh, there is one more thing!â Stella said urgently. âThe tour has you going into King Henryâs room about halfway through, but I recommend waiting until the very end. That room is always my favourite.â
âThanks for the tip!â Martyn beamed. âWell, see you around!â
âGood bye! Enjoy your tour!â
Together they left the front desk and started their tour. As usual, there was a room full of paintings from the Tudor era, along with some sculptures and furniture. Fuck man, idk how to appreciate art. Last time I was in a museum I liked this one exhibit because they all looked like TOS Star Trek props. My favourite piece of art is a pair of wings made out of spoons. Fuck. I could really really use your help here.
What Dan found far more interesting was the room full of miniature towns and houses. They were all in their little display cases and he rather enjoyed peering down on them in their little homes living their little lives. Or, well they werenât living their lives, but they sure looked like they could as soon as his back was turned. Suddenly, his phone let out a chirp, informing him that someone had tweeted. Without thinking, he pulled it out and swiped to see the Tweet. It was from Phil, and it was a picture of him Phil had taken without asking of him looking at the miniature buildings.
@AmazingPhil: Sorry guys. This is how tall Dan really is. We just use editing tricks to make him look like a normal human. Real-not-a-model-town for scale
Dan cut his eyes at Phil who was grinning like he thought heâd told the best joke of the century. âWhen are you going to stop taking secret creeper pictures of me?â
âWhen you stop being the most beautiful thing in the room,â Phil said smoothly, but Dan just rolled his eyes. âBesides, you posted pictures at breakfast, I needed to post something.â
Dan hummed. âYeah, guess youâre right. Come on, I think we were abandoned.â
They walked hand in hand past the room set up to look like King Edwardâs bedchambers for about the third time, as Stella had recommended, and into the drawing room where Cornelia and Martyn were. Cornelia came up to them with a cheerful bounce to her step. âLooks like the rain cleared up. Would you two be interested in coming with us to the lake?â
âNah, I think weâll finish up the tour,â Dan said. âBesides, itâs kind of late, so weâre probably going to head up to the room afterwards.â
âSuit yourself,â Cornelia said with a shrug. âThis isnât really my thing, but the lake is supposed to be beautiful. If we run into each other Iâll tell you if itâs worth the walk. See you!â With a jaunty wave, she and Martyn left, and Dan turned back to Phil, who was investigating a painting. Dan was fairly sure it was a dog, but it was a little too⌠abstract for him to say with any confidence, so he stayed silent.
âSo, what do you think it is?â Well, he had planned on staying silent.
Dan pondered the question and the painting as he stepped up next to Phil. âI, um, I think itâs a dog?â
âThatâs what I was thinking, but it could very easily be an alien in a fursuit if you ask me. We should buy a print and put it in the lounge.â
âWhy stop at the lounge? Letâs put one in every room.â
âWallpaper the flat with it.â
âCover the furniture with specially made fabric with it printed on it.â
Phil chuckled lowly and gently bumped their shoulders together. âYou win. Come on, I think this dog-alien wants me to have its babies.â
âYouâre so fucking weird.â
âYou love it.â
Finally, after wandering the halls for over two hours, they allowed themselves to go into King Henryâs room.
Only to be disappointed.
Phil frowned as he looked around. Sure, it was all very pretty and incredibly well taken care of, but the rest of the rooms had done that as well, some even better. Phil personally would have made the tour end in the room with the costumed figures all about Anne Boleyn. Sure the not-mannequins were kind of creepy and always looked like they were staring at him, but at least they were interesting. And since it was Anne Boleynâs house it kind of made sense for her room to be the main attraction, right? This room, just had nothing special. It had the bed and the curtains and art, but other than a grand floor to ceiling mirror against the wall, there was nothing remarkable about it at all.
âAm I the only one feeling cheated?â Dan asked on a whisper. âI was expecting a bit more, to be honest.â
âMe, too. I mean, I get that itâs her favourite, but I donât see why. This is just a really fancy bedroom.â
Dan snorted. âLetâs at least get a look at this mirror, yeah?â Without waiting for a response, Dan walked over to stand in front of it. His reflection was vaguely distorted, but he couldnât exactly put his finger on how. It didnât make him wider or taller or darker or lighter or rippled in any way, he just looked wrong. âPhil, you have to come look at this.â
âI am.â
Dan looked next to his reflection, and sure enough, Phil was there. He was also distorted, but Dan could clearly see that he was paler with a weird green tinge. âIt makes your reflection look weird. I donât know how or why but- holy shit, Phil, are you okay?â The mirror hadnât actually changed his reflection much at all, Phil just looked incredibly ill. âWhat happened?â
âI donât- I donât know,â Phil said, shuddering. âI just walked over here and suddenly-â He cut himself off with a groan, clutching his head. âLetâs- Can we just go to the room?â
âYeah, of course,â Dan said softly. He wrapped his arm around Philâs waist like he would break in half at the slightest pressure and led him back up to their room. When Phil was laid down, Dan went about closing all the curtains and getting a cold rag from the bathroom. He quietly pulled a chair up next to the bed and started petting Philâs head and wiping away sweat. âFeel any better?â he asked softly.
Phil gave a full-body shudder and curled deeper in the blanket, but when he smiled up at Dan it was as warm and bright as it always was. âIâll survive, I think,â he joked. âYou donât have to stay in here with me, you know. You could go hang out with Martyn and Cornelia by the lake.â
âWhat and get third-wheeled so hard I fly into the sun?â Dan snorted. His smile softened as he looked down at Phil who was blinking slower and slower. âIâll stay right here, if you donât mind.â
Phil chuckled weakly, and opened his arms. âYou know I donât. Iâd mind even less if you got in bed, too.â Dan grinned and crawled into the space made for him and wrapped his arms around Phil in return. He pressed their foreheads together and they just laid there, sharing air for a while before Phil said, âSorry I ruined your afternoon.â
Dan pulled back just enough to raise his eyebrows and give him a Look⢠which caused Phil to giggle. âThatâs such a ridiculous thing for you to say that Iâm not even going to dignify it with a response.â
âYeah, yeah, whatever,â Phil yawned, pulling them closer together. âSleep now.â
âWeâre going to hate ourselves in the morning if we donât change out of these skinny jeans,â Dan grinned.
âIâll hate you right now if you get out of this bed.â
Danâs smile widened so much he feared his cheeks would split. âAlright, but you have to take full responsibility for any and all misery in the morning, got it?â
They slept through the night, Dan remarkably more soundly. All through the night Phil was tossing and turning
âStill not feeling good?â Dan asked the next morning, biting his lip and running his fingers through Philâs fringe. Phil just groaned quietly and pulled the duvet over his head. âAlright, thatâs it, weâre going home.â
âThatâs silly, Dan,â Phil protested. âIâm sure it will go away in a couple hours or so.â
âYeah, sorry, no. You were struck with a weird, sudden illness for no known reason and you didnât sleep it off. Weâre going home and youâre going to the doctor tomorrow. Iâm calling Martyn now.â
Phil sighed, but knew that arguing at this point in Danâs decision making process would just make both of them frustrated. âFine, we can go home, but Iâm not going to the doctor unless this lasts through tomorrow.â
Dan rolled his eyes. âSure, fine. I donât want a boyfriend anyway, so just let yourself die of some random disease. See if I care. Hey, Martyn, listen-â
Phil groaned and rolled out of bed, ignoring Danâs sharp glare. Fortunately, Dan had packed away most of their stuff at some point, so Phil just kind of puttered around gathering their smaller stuff while Dan made phone calls. Dan was over reacting, as per usual. Even just this little bit of getting up and moving was making him feel so much better. He was practically at one hundred percent. Oh, or maybe he wasnât. He slowly straightened from where he had bent in half to pick up a sock, clutching his head. Okay, so maybe not one hundred percent, but it was definitely better than last night.
âOkay, everything is set up,â Dan said, clapping his hands. âThe car will be here in about a half hour and our train tickets have been changed. Do you want me to go downstairs and see if I can find us some food?â
âYeah, that sounds good. Want me to come with you?â
Dan pressed a kiss to his forehead. âNah, Iâm good. Iâll be back up in a bit.â And with that he was gone.
Phil groaned and flopped back on the bed, closing his eyes. Staring at the back of his eyelids, Phil started thinking about his dream from last night. Usually, it was just the feeling of flying and some blurry pictures, but last night it was different. It had the flying, but it also had a very strong feeling of claustrophobia and for some reason all his muscles hurt. Also, everything was pitch black, and he couldnât even make out vague shapes, which didnât help the claustrophobia. However, the most worrisome part was Dan. Usually, Danâs presence in the dream was just a soft, fond constant, but last night some part of his brain was convinced Dan was either dead or dying.
Just then, Dan waltzed back in, carrying two plates of various breakfast pastries, and Phil dropped all thoughts on his dream in favor of grabbing a muffin. Maybe heâd ask Dan about it when they got home
Part Two
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