50. | as constant as a star (big bang) part 2
50.
"Shh, be quiet. You're going to wake him up."
"You're going to wake him up with your stupid flappy wings!"
"I don't need an obnoxiously chatty frog telling me that I'm loud, thanks."
"Excusez-moi?"
"You guys, he's moving," comes a third voice, and Archie opens his eyes to the sky above. It's night, and the stars are bright above him, and David's first thought is that it's really pretty.
And then he realizes he's lying on the ground outside and he has no idea where he is. He sits up quickly and looks around for whoever had been speaking before, but there's no one around. There is a broken-down castle beyond the lake he's next to, but beyond that he can't tell where he is or --
Oh, wait. This must be the castle on the edges of Murray, right before it joins to the forest next to Tulsa! It's almost directly in the middle of the curve of the lake that poured into the Great Ocean and has served as sort of unofficial boundary line for years, ever since the Great King's sons had split the kingdoms in two, thousands of years ago.
It's falling apart, but Archie thinks he can see some potential in it. It has huge arches and towers that reached into the sky and is just huge and beautiful and grand.
And this is all completely irrelevant because he still doesn't know how he got here.
"Is he just going to stand there?" someone whispers, and Archie whips around to face the person --
And there's no one.
"Hello?" he calls after a moment, casting his voice softly, actually hoping no one is there because he's getting kind of freaked out. He suddenly wishes, more than anything, that Cook was here.
Cook. Of course, Cook will come find him! Cook is probably looking for him right now, and --
And then Archie remembers what he said to Cook before he left, the way he probably had hurt his feelings. And there's -- Cook probably doesn't even know he's missing. Maybe he won't even care that Archie is gone. Feeling overwhelmed, he doesn't notice there's something moving on the ground until his pants are jerked on roughly.
Archie looks down, and it's a bird. It's not one he's seen before, though, sort of like -- what were they, those birds from the north? -- a penguin. But not exactly, it's beak is different and it looks like it can fly.
"Um, hi," Archie tells the bird, feeling stupid, and then looks up to see if there's anyone hiding behind that tree over there, when the bird replies, "Hey, what's up?"
"Oh my gosh!" Archie stumbles backward and falls down, staring in horror at the bird, who waves its -- her, it sounded like a girl -- wing at him.
"Don't scare him, Syesha," someone else says, and there's a rustling in the bush before a turtle emerges slowly, blinking at him with big -- his eyes are blue, that's weird.
"Jason, her default is scary," comes another voice, and there's a soft thud as a frog hops off a log and glares at the bird -- Syesha. The turtle, Jason, seems to sigh, and Archie is this close to being freaked out but okay, actually, he's heard stories about magic, and how it's supposed to be strongest around this castle. So maybe talking animals aren't that weird? And anyway, they don't seem to be vicious or anything, they're just a frog and bird and turtle. Archie can totally defend himself against them.
"Shut up, Danny!"
"Um, guys?"
"When are you two going to stop bickering? I mean, that whole flower thing happened like, a week ago." Jason shakes his head slowly and Danny rolls his eyes.
"She knew I was going to use that flower to attract a prince so I could woo him and make him kiss me and be human again! I don't even know what she was doing with that thing, anyway!"
"I was making a nest for a friend," Syesha squawks, fluttering her wings in annoyance. "Which is better than pretending that I was bewitched and turned into a slimy little frog! Plus, there's no one around to woo, what are you even talking about!"
"Um," Archie tries again.
"I was too bewitched, and you're gonna be sorry when I'm a prince again and like, banishing your breed from my kingdom." Danny huffs and hops so that his back is to the group.
Jason sighs, and there's quiet until Danny turns around abruptly and says, "And there is someone to woo! Him!"
He points at Archie, who jumps at being acknowledged (finally). He blinks at the three of them, who look up at him as if just realizing he's there.
"Jeez, sorry, man, we didn't mean to ignore you," Jason says, dipping his head in what Archie takes to be an apology. Archie raises his hands and smiles.
"Oh, um, no, that's fine. I was just wondering if you knew where Murray Castle is? I should really be trying to find my way back there--"
"Oh no," Syesha murmurs. "You don't -- you don't know?"
Archie stills, feeling something dark curl at his spine. "What are you talking about?"
"The thing is," Danny says, sounding a little sad, "You can't leave. You're -- you're a prisoner here."
"I don't know -- what are you guys talking about?" Archie asks, backing away from them and feeling his heart start speeding up.
"It's -- he did something to you," Jason says. "That guy who brought you here? And he was talking to that chick--"
"About you being stuck here, at the lake, and he's --"
Syesha is cut off by the rustling of leaves, and she gasps and flies into the tree above them. Jason slips quietly into the water, lifting his head so that his eyes are above the surface, and Danny hops back onto his log and lets out a loud ribbet that fills the area while Archie tries to see through the oncoming sunrise at who is coming.
"Who are you?" he asks, when he makes out a figure, and there's a soft laugh. Fear spreads through his body and the person steps into the clearing and that's --
"You're Simon Cowell," Archie says, voice barely above a whisper, and Cowell grins sharply.
"So you know me. Good, that leaves the boring introductions out of the way. I think you're a pretty smart boy, so let me explain this to you. You have one option to your safety and the safety of your people: marry me."
Archie jerks in shock and stares at the man. "What? What are you even talking about?"
Cowell sighs. "Must I do this? Look, either marry me or I will take your kingdom by force. If you marry me, no one has to die and nothing bad has to happen to anyone in your family."
"I--" Archie swallows once, hard, and then squares his shoulders and says, "No. My family is safe or you would've already done something. If you really wanted to take my kingdom by force, you would've. I'm not going to marry you."
"Oh?" Cowell seems amused. "But you haven't heard the best part! Until you agree, you are trapped here, little prince."
"I don't see any fences or boundaries," Archie says, feeling bold. Cowell's smile grows wicked and Archie feels his confidence fall away.
"No. But there is a spell over you, David of Murray. And -- oh, well, I think you'll understand. Just wait."
Archie glares at him, and there's an awkward moment of silence, Cowell squinting into the wind, and Danny lets out another obnoxious ribbet, and Archie says, "This is really stupid, okay--"
"A moment, if you will," Cowell says, still sounding as if he's having the time of his life, and Archie stands on the steps by the lake and glares at him, wishing he had something to fight him with and --
He's so preoccupied with wishing he could hit Cowell with a stick that he almost doesn't notice the glow rising from the lake where his feet are, or the way he's suddenly standing in the lake even though he didn't move. Cowell is waving his hand, so Archie blames him.
"Oh my gosh," he whispers as the water around him turns golden, so bright it seems purple at the tips, and it begins to rise around him and engulfs him and --
Archie opens his eyes and cries out, "What did you do?"
But it comes out as a -- he sounds like -- Archie glances down at the lake and stares into the face of a swan, muddled on the early morning surface of the lake. His feathers are smooth and white and his beak curves gentle and he is a freaking swan.
"This is what will happen every day until you marry me," Cowell says, no longer sounding amused. He sounds serious and deadly and Archie has never hated anyone, was always told that it was wrong, but he hates Cowell with everything in him. "You must be in the lake every night when the moon rises above the lake or you'll stay a swan -- forever. It won't matter where you are when you are human -- you will turn into a swan no matter the distance or nearness unless you are in the lake. So you see, you can wander away all you want, little prince. But you won't make it back to your kingdom as Prince David. Think carefully."
He leaves Archie floating on the lake and heads in the direction of the castle. Archie lets out a shuddering breath and flaps his wings in panic and almost flips over from lack of balance, but manages to catch himself.
"Oh, kid, it's not gonna be that bad," he hears, and Jason swims next to him and offers what could be a smile. "It'll work out."
"Don't let that jerk get you down!" Syesha calls from above, and flaps her wings encouragingly when Archie tries to kick his way to the shore (it takes several awkward moments of Jason diving and nudging him to do so). "We'll find a way to get you back to normal and you can get home."
"Yeah, and there's got to be people looking for you!" Danny chirps. "You're a prince! You must have had a boyfriend!"
Archie lowers his head and thinks of Cook. "Um, yeah. But I don't think -- we got into a fight before I left."
"He'll come for you," Danny says surely. "Believe that."
Archie stares at him, at all three of them, and feels the beginnings of hope. "Yeah."
.
"David," Queen Beth says, rushing along behind Cook, "Darling, calm down."
Cook just keeps walking down the corridor with a trickle of people following him, from his mother to his brothers to random servants and dukes and duchesses and all of them talking, talking, talking at him.
"Cook," Carly says, "Calm down, please, we know that you're upset, but--"
"No buts, Carly," Cook interrupts. "Archie's been taken and it's up to me to find him."
"You don't even know where to look!" Andrew protests, "Or even who's taken him! That stable boy didn't see anyone, and there are no witnesses--"
"But I did see something!" someone says, and Cook stops. The crowd behind him parts to reveal the stable boy, who cowers under their stares but steps forward tentatively when Cook looks at him. "Your Highness, I did see something," he says again. "When I caught up to the prince's horse, there was a sound, and I thought I saw a man in the clearing -- but then it took off, and it flew away, and it was huge and big and I think it was some sort of magic--"
"That's preposterous!" someone says. "Magic does not exist except at the Great Castle. What you're suggesting is--"
"Some sort of being that can change shapes," Cook says quietly. The group holds its breath as Cook contemplates that.
"David," his mother says, and he snaps, "Mother."
There's a pause and he continues, more gently, "I'm going to the library."
The search in the library takes three days before he finds anything, and by then Cook's the only one convinced Archie is still alive. The Archuletas are in mourning and the Cooks send condolences their way, still feeling the sting of losing their king only last year. Everyone's quiet and morose and the state of the Tulsa Castle is somber until Cook steps into the ballroom on the third evening and snaps a book shut to get everyone's attention.
"I know what has him," he announces, and his eyes flash brightly. "It has all kinds of different names, but this book prefers the Great Animal. It's this creature, this creature that can change its shape at will. But it's still just an animal, and it can be killed."
His mouth firms and the nobles of his kingdom stare at him, shocked; his mother clutches at her throne and watches him sadly, and his brothers stare at him carefully, and Cook is fucking tired of it all, wants Archie back more than he's wanted anything in his entire life.
"I'm going to kill it, and for that I need to practice. Mother, I'm going to need the servants."
.
"So," Danny continues, "I'm just minding my own business, you know, being pretty and all, and--"
"Oh my god," Syesha interrupts, "we've heard this story a billion times already. I think Archie's heard it a hundred times in the four days he's been here. You're a frog. Get over it."
"Nobody asked you," Danny retorts, crossing his legs awkwardly, and even though Archie doesn't like insulting anyone, he's kind of tired of hearing this story. He's infinitely grateful when Jason says, squinting into the sunlight, "Why don't we concentrate on getting Archie out of here, instead?"
"Oh," says Archie, feeling a little embarrassed, "Um, I mean, I really do want to get out, but you guys don't--"
"We're your friends, aren't we?" Syesha wants to know, and Archie would be smiling if not for this stupid beak.
"Yeah," he says.
"Friends help their friends get out of life or death situations," Danny says, and then adds thoughtfully, "I think."
"They do," Jason says firmly, and settles onto a cool rock to study them all. "So, any ideas?"
"Oh!" Syesha says, waving a wing in the air, and Jason says, "That do not involve shitting on Cowell's head."
"That's not it!" Syesha squawks indignantly. "No, I think we should go check out the castle and find a map! You know, so we could find a way to your prince, somehow, and get him back here! If we got the most direct route, we should be able to make it back to the lake before nightfall."
"That..." Jason say slowly, "is actually a very good idea."
"Ha!" Syesha crows triumphantly, and Archie shakes his head and wobbles a little bit, still unused to the strange...longness of it.
"But won't we get caught? I mean, Cowell has to be--"
"Hey, c'mon," says Syesha, "We'll be super stealthy."
"This sounds stupid," Danny decides, staring at Syesha with disdain. "It's a sure fire way to get yourselves killed, I think."
"Danny," Jason begins, but Syesha cuts in hotly with, "You got a better idea?"
And Archie can tell they're going to get into (another) fight, so he quickly says, "Um, I actually think it's probably the best idea we've got, so."
There's a pause in which they all consider each other, and then Danny shrugs petulantly and Jason nods his head, eyes crinkled and Syesha flutters into the air cheerfully, shouting, "That's the spirit! No fear!"
The plan is executed with little to no forethought, though, and ends with Jason crashing through a window to land in the moat outside, Syesha cackling as Danny clings to her feet for dear life, and Archie frantically flapping his wings to keep aloft with the heavy map dragging his feet down.
But Paula, Cowell's helper, ends up crumpled in a dazed heap at the bottom of the staircase she was chasing the animals down, so that lifts Archie's spirits a little.
.
Johns surveys the field outside Tulsa Castle that's currently holding several upset servants and an unrepentant and unapologetic David Cook and sighs. Cook's been using this field as a practice for days now, shooting harmless arrows at the staff and occasionally the unlucky passerby.
"I don't understand--" he tries to say, but gets cut off by Ryan Seacrest forcing a bow into his hands.
"His Majesty wants to practice against someone," Seacrest says brusquely, but his eyes gleam and he clearly finds the whole thing hilarious. Johns does not.
"Fuck that," Johns declares, and hears his mother call from the patio where she and the rest of the noble women are having tea, "Watch your mouth, Michael!"
"C'mon, Johns," Cook calls, tossing a fresh batch of blue powder into a different quiver, one that supposedly is Johns'. "It's just friendly competition." He looks over at him and quirks a small smile, and that's -- Johns hasn't seen Cook so much as do that for about a week now, and it's that thought that makes him sigh deeply and take the bow from Seacrest.
Cook's smile grows a little, and the kitchen staff start screaming while the butlers grimly square their shoulders. Johns simply slings the quiver over his shoulder and tries not to humiliate himself.
.
"So," Syesha says, nodding her beak at the map they've spread across the ground, "that's the best route. We follow that river and then hang a sharp right at the bend and we should be straight on for the castle."
"And ... what?" Danny asks, examining himself in the reflection of the water. "You flap your wings around and put on a show and everyone claps? Brilliant."
"Um," Syesha starts, but then falls silent. "I actually don't -- hmm."
Everyone goes quiet, thinking, until Archie hums suddenly and says, "Oh! The Queen, Queen Beth, she had this ornament she wears in her hair all the time -- it's like an heirloom or something. I could -- I could pull it out of her hair and fly off, and I know everyone would follow."
Everyone agrees that this is an awesome idea, and even Danny can't find fault in it, so it's agreed -- tomorrow they set out and lead Cook to the castle and the lake, so that they can find a way to stop all of this.
.
Archie can't decide if he likes the nighttime or not. He becomes human again, but there's a lingering bittersweetness about it, the knowledge that when the sun comes up he'll be a swan again resting firmly in the back of his mind.
Still, it's easier to watch the stars when you can lay back against the grass, and he stares at them intently, looking for answers that won't be spelled out no matter how long he searches. He tries anyway, scouring the sky for pictures or signs or -- anything.
Cook is coming, he tells himself. Cook will rescue him. And Archie -- he loves Cook. No matter his faults, no matter how stupid he can be, Archie is going to always love Cook. Maybe he always has. Archie closes his eyes, breathes deep; he can hear Syesha chirping in her sleep, and the croaks of Danny from under a log. Jason is silent under the sprawling roots of a tree, and David flexes his fingers and wishes on all the stars in the sky to be with Cook again.
He opens his eyes and watches a star fall in the direction of Tulsa.
.
Cook is adamant. "Tomorrow," he says firmly, prepping his gear. "We're going tomorrow and I'm going to hunt the fucking thing down and find Archie. I'm done waiting."
His brother watches him quietly, and Johns lounges on his bed, the easiness of his posture belied by the tense line of his shoulders as he watches Cook clean a long, wicked hunting knife. "Dave," Andrew starts, then bites his lip. "It's been almost a week," he says in the end. "We haven't heard anything, and -- mother, she wants you to take over, you know that."
Cook takes a deep, shuddering breath, and looks out the window. The stars are bright tonight, he notes absently, and takes another breath for good measure. "I know what mother wants. But I can't -- not without Archie. I'm going to find him, Andy. Tomorrow."
It's quiet except for the scrape of the blade sliding into its sheath, and then Johns rises from the bed and puts a hand on Cook's shoulder. "I'm going with you."
"I don't--" Cook starts, but Johns' fingers tighten their grip and he quiets.
"If you won't accept any other help, just let me go along. I'm shit at shooting anyway, but you shouldn't be alone." Johns jaw is set and Andrew doesn't look like he's going to discourage him, so Cook nods, a little relieved. "Good. See you in the morning."
"See you," Cook says, already turning back to his weapons. Andrew hesitates in the doorway, but then turns and leaves as well. Cook looks back out the window and watches a star fall.
.
Basically?
They collide at the halfway point and it all goes to hell.
.
"So," Johns says casually, twitching when a stick cracks under his heel, "you said it could -- it'll shift shapes? Like, what are we--"
"It can be anything," Cook murmurs quietly, eyes casting around the forest gloom. His fingers are easy on his bow and arrow but Johns can see the narrowed set of his eyes even in the semi-darkness and swallows.
"Awesome," he mutters, wincing as a leaf crunches after his foot leaves it.
Cook looks over his shoulder and offers a grin, and Johns is -- no matter what everyone says, no matter how impossible it is, Johns hopes fiercely that Archie is alive. Because small, insincere smiles are all that Cook ever shows anymore, and they're saved for moments like this, ones where normally Cook would be laughing at Johns, or grinning at the prospect of hunting something, or just smiling at being fucking alive.
But Cook is lost without Archie, and Johns doesn't know how to find him. He's pretty sure he won't, and that's why he's here, risking his life and sanity (seriously, why are things in the forest so fucking loud if the whole point of being in this goddamn forest is to hunt shit). Cook needs Archie, and Johns wants Cook back.
He's so caught up in thinking that he nearly runs into Cook's back, and when he opens his mouth to question him, Cook shushes him softly. "There," Cook whispers, head tilting forward, eyes gleaming. "Ahead, d'you see?"
Johns looks, and the gleam of something golden snatches through the trees, captures his gaze and holds it. It's a swan, and it's headed straight for them.
Cook swings his bow around and notches an arrow, and Johns fumbles for his own, fear rising like bile in him. This is it.
.
"This is it," Syesha trills happily. "We're gonna get that prince on you like snotty on Danny, don't you worry about a thing." She flaps her wings cheerfully and Archie dips his head in reply, too nervous for words. His stomach is tripping all over itself in excitement, and he's worried about everything, about this not working, about possibly messing everything up and ending up a swan forever, about seeing Cook for the first time in forever.
He wonders if his eyes are the color Archie remembers, but thinks his memory lacks the right shade.
"Archie," Syesha prods, flying closer to him to get his attention, "it's gonna work! I promise, okay? We got this, seriously. No fear!"
Archie flies on for a second, thinking hard about the curve of Cook's mouth before he pressed it to Archie's, and then says, "Yeah. No fea-ah!"
The arrow narrowly misses him and Syesha shrieks in surprise, both of them veering sharply apart in the wake of the attack. They both cast their eyes to the ground and spot two humans, both wielding arrows, and
one of them is Cook
and Archie feels his heart stop and start again at the look on Cook's face, the fury and determination and the fire in his eyes that's honestly kind of scary, but it's Cook, Cook is there and oh my gosh they have got to get out of here.
"Turn around!" he shouts to Syesha, already swinging around, and another arrow flies far too close to his right wing. "We can't just sit here, he's way too good a shot, we've got to head back!" He angles himself higher and Syesha follows. Archie looks back and sees Cook is following as well and wonders what Cook is doing, hunting a swan and a puffin. But as long as Cook is following, and Archie gets to the lake before the moon rises, he doesn't really care.
(Much.)
.
There's a lake in the clearing ahead, and Cook is out of breath by the time the swan finally settles onto it, the setting sun falling behind the old castle. Cook recognizes it from the stories about the creation of the two kingdoms, but ignores all of that. All that matters is that the swan, the Great Animal, is going to die, here and now.
It drifts serenely across the surface of the lake, its eyes serious on Cook's, gaze piercing, and he falters. There's something familiar about that look, the way it focuses on him so neatly. He's made Johns stay behind a little ways for his safety and also to get help if Cook doesn't come back in an hour, but he suddenly isn't worried. There's something about the swan that makes Cook hesitate, and that's all it takes.
The moon, already high in the sky, reflects upon the lake and the water rises up in a wash of gold and purple and white, surrounding the swan and engulfing it. Cook's arrow swings up, following the column as it narrows and grows taller, but he's already lowering it again before the water settles down. The bow drops from his fingers and onto the ground beside him, clattering a little against the stone steps, and the ripples finally fade from the surface.
He stares for a moment, mouth dry and fingertips numb, and Archie's mouth lifts a little, sheepish.
"Hi," Archie says shyly, and Cook's running forward, crashing through the water to drag Archie into his arms and kiss him hard. It's less of a kiss and more a meeting of lips, hard pressure and touch and softly murmured words escaping into open mouths, but Cook just grips tighter and twists the angle until it gentles, until Archie stops trying to talk to him and just kisses back, until he feels his own hands release their tension, until his heart finishes putting itself back together.
"Knew it," is the first thing he says when he pulls back. "I knew you were alive, I did, and I looked for you Archie, believe that." He watches Archie's face carefully when Archie nods, mouth still turned up in a smile.
"I know," Archie says, smiling at him in the thin light from the crescent moon. "I know."
.
Cook is totally not pleased when Archie explains that he can't go back with him due to the whole under-a-spell thing. "The fuck," Cook says flatly.
Archie winces. "Look, okay, there's a spell -- if I'm not in the lake at night when the moonlight touches the water, I'll stay a swan forever. The only way -- Cook, are you listening?"
"Not really," Cook says absently, reaching for his arrows, "I'm actually going to go find this bastard and put so many arrows in him people will mistake him for a fucking practice target."
"Cook!" Archie says, dragging on Cook's sleeve before he can go try to find Cowell, "c'mon, listen, seriously. Cowell is really, really powerful, and you could -- I don't want you to get hurt, okay."
Archie's voice is pleading and that's kind of embarrassing, but he's seen what Cowell can do, knows the kind of things he can become, and the idea of Cook getting hurt because of him -- he can't handle that. So he pulls harder, until Cook looks at him.
"There's another way to break the spell," he tells Cook, stepping close and lowering his voice. "We broke into the castle and got a map, but Danny--"
"Danny?" Cook says, looking confused, and Archie glares at him reprovingly. "Sorry, continue."
"He looked through a spellbook while we were distracting the woman who helps Cowell, which was really nice of him since he didn't want to come at all. But anyway, it was the spell Cowell cast on me, and it can be broken--" Archie breaks off, looking a little bit hesitant.
"It can be broken...?" Cook trails off meaningfully, and Archie ducks his head a little.
"By a vow of everlasting love," he says, blushing a little, because how kitschy can you get, right?
Cook mouths the words. "A vow of everlasting -- but you already know I love you! I love you, you know that, right?"
Archie goes pinker, but his eyes gleam brightly in the moonlight. "I do know," he says softly, and his hand slides down Cook's arm where it's still been clenched tightly to intertwine with his fingers. "But you have to prove it to the world."
"The world," Cook repeats, and closes his eyes and thinks. Archie looks at him, takes in the faint pink on his cheek from a sunburn, the shadows under his eyes, the way his mouth curves naturally. He bites his lip and ignores the way warmth is spreading throughout his body, because they have bigger things to worry about right now, and kissing Cook again is not one of them.
"Okay," Cook says finally, opening his eyes; they're dark with intensity and Archie shivers a little. "My mother has been wanting to host a party to introduce me to new future prospectives -- I don't know why," he says before Archie can open his mouth. "Since I'm never marrying anyone but you." Archie's mouth closes and he grins a little at Cook, who rolls his eyes. "But mother is adamant about me taking over, so I've told her I would allow the party if I didn't find you soon."
"Aaaaand," Archie says, drawing it out, "you've found me?"
"Yeah," Cook nods, leaning down and pressing his mouth quickly to Archie's like he can't help himself. He draws back before Archie can lean into it, which. "I did. But we'll still have the party -- the entire kingdom, people from all over the world will be there. And you can show up and I'll make a vow of my everlasting love for you right there, in front of the world."
Archie blinks.
"Ta dah?" Cook says, grinning, and Archie shakes his head at him, smiling.
"You make it sound so simple," he says, pressing closer -- he hasn't been near a person in so long, and this person is Cook, who absolutely destroyed his personal boundaries, and he can't help himself, okay.
"Maybe because it is?" Cook suggests, and the quirk to his smile tells Archie that Cook knows what he's doing. "Jesus, I've missed you," he continues, lowering his forehead to Archie's. Archie closes his eyes and leans into his touch and concentrates on the sound of their breathing, uneven and close, flooding his mouth and fanning across his cheeks.
"You should go," he says after a moment. He opens his eyes and Cook is watching him, eyes darker than he remembers. He tries to commit the color to memory but knows that when he sees him again, it will be different. The thought kind of thrills him.
"Yeah," Cook says noncommittally, and Archie laughs a little, quietly, and makes himself lean back. The air between them is somehow colder than the air everywhere else, and Archie has to remind himself that soon, they won't have to be apart.
"Go," Archie says, bringing a hand up to Cook's face and smiling at him. "We'll be together soon, okay?"
Cook closes his eyes and presses his face into Archie's hand, humming a little. "Okay. Tomorrow night. Come tomorrow night."
Archie makes a face. "Isn't that kind of soon? The party--"
"--has been in the making for several weeks now. Some people don't have the faith I do," Cook says, and he shoulders his quiver absently. "I'll tell mother that I'll make a decision at the ball and she'll just put the final pieces into place."
Archie nods, and finally lets his hand drop from Cook's. "Alright. Tomorrow."
Cook stares at him, and in a desperate moment (Archie thinks back to their first kiss, which was only a few weeks ago but feels like forever) leans forward, pressing their mouths together and leaving Archie with nothing more than an impression of heat before he's pulling back.
He leaves without saying anything, which is probably for the best; Archie has to clench his hands to keep from following Cook out of the garden and forgetting the stupid, ridiculous spell. He doesn't, and the animals come from their hiding places.
"Da-yum," Danny drawls, hopping up onto a log and giving the clearing Cook disappeared into an appreciative look. "You know how to pick them, Archie."
Archie blushes, but Syesha's already tearing into Danny for being insensitive, and Jason comes to rest beside Archie, settling into the grass as Archie sinks down into a sitting position.
"His plan," Jason says slowly, "it should work. If we understand the spell right, the vow should undo the spell."
"It should," Archie agrees, and excitement buzzes in his stomach, fizzes throughout his veins -- until a familiar footfall sounds. The animals quiet and Archie stands up again, fists clenching.
"Before you say anything," he tells Cowell, feeling brave enough right now to be rude, "the answer is, as usual, no. I will never marry you. Bye."
Cowell seems amused, but then, he rarely seems anything else, as if everything Archie does is adorably useless and unmindful. "I applaud you on your attempt at bravado, dear prince, but tonight we have something else to address. Let's instead discuss your recent visitor."
Archie refuses to let the shock register on his face simply because it would refute what Cowell has said, but he does flinch a little, which is all Cowell needs. "I don't know what you're--" he starts, but Cowell bends over and picks something up -- Cook's bow.
"Quaint," he observes, and Archie's stomach roils in fury and fear. "Let me guess -- he assumes to save you by declaring his love for you at the ball being held tomorrow."
"How did you--" Archie begins, but is interrupted by Paula appearing at Cowell's elbow and waving her fingers cheerfully at him.
"I'm good at gathering gossip," she says, mouth innocently upturned but eyes cold and narrowed. "I hear it's been in planning for weeks, and just moments ago I happened to hear voices, so of course I had to find out what was going on! It was really a quite touching scene, prince."
She falls silent when Cowell raises a hand and smiles at Archie, and Archie wouldn't ever hit a girl, but he's considering kicking her.
"This is all exceedingly boring and mundane," Cowell says, still idly examining Cook's bow. "To keep things short and to the point, I'm growing tired of waiting for you, little prince."
"Caught on, have you?" Archie says, anger disconnecting his brain and mouth, and Cowell raises his eyes to meet Archie's for a moment. Then he chuckles.
"I was told you were the submissive sibling, too," he muses, and continues with, "Obviously you won't be going to the ball tomorrow. But here's the real bit that will catch your interest, or I assume it will, presuming you aren't adept at deciphering the older Latin bits of the spell page you stole from me."
Cowell pauses a moment, just staring at Archie, and Archie feels something cold settle into his lungs, and with every shallow inhale it floods his body further. "If your true love declares his love for anyone but you, you will die," Cowell finally says, and Archie can feel the pieces fall into place, he knows what's going to happen and -- he feels his knees go weak but resolves to remain standing no matter, no matter that he can actually feel his heart breaking.
"You can't stop me from going," Archie says, defiant. His nails are biting into his hands, and he knows that Cowell is much more powerful than him, but he can run, he can make it to the castle and Cook will prove his love to the world and nothing is going to stop that from happening. He's done being a weak, submissive prisoner and no threats or spells are going to keep him here.
"I admire your stoicism in light of what will occur," Cowell says, sounding almost like he means it, "but, I must wonder if, in your haste, you and your prince charming realized that tomorrow? There will be no moon for you to change into a human." He casts his gaze at the sliver of moonlight available tonight, and he's right, tomorrow is the new moon, no, and Archie's heart sinks with his body as he feels his knees hit the ground.
"No." He doesn't mean to say it out loud but it slips out, and Cowell smirks at him.
"Indeed. Well, no matter. I feel it would be better to keep you locked up either way. Time to sleep, little prince."
He raises a hand and Archie tries to resist the pull of unconsciousness clouding his eyes, the darkness rising to cover his vision, but can't. He closes his eyes and tries to picture Cook one last time, his smile and eyes and warmth, but the black pushes it all away and he's gone.
.
"What the fuck," Ryan says when Cook raises his mother from the dip he'd twirled her into. "Why are you so excited about this ball all of a sudden?"
Beth laughs a little and glides away to oversee what color flowers are being placed around the room ("White," she tells the florists, "David wants white!") and Cook turns to Ryan, mouth twisted in what Ryan suspects is utter joy.
"I'm just looking forward to the party," Cook tells him, mouth still curved -- Ryan would normally probe more, because he loves gossip and the more details the better, but the thing is, His Highness hasn't been smiling at all since Prince Archie disappeared, and anything that makes him happy again, well, it's enough for Ryan.
He's so over dealing with morose royalty. It's bad enough he has to deal with them being themseleves on a daily basis already.
"Are you..." he hesitates, staring at Cook's smile, but then continues with, "Are you expecting anyone?"
Cook just gives him an unreadable look and tells the maestro to pick something soft and graceful to play, something like a swan. Then he practically skips out of the room, leaving a trail of confused servants and musicians in his wake.
Ryan thinks succinctly, what the fuck.
.
Archie wakes up and he's a swan, so it must be day again. "Oh my heck," he mutters, and the whistles of his swan voice echoes around him -- he realizes he's in some kind of well or something, because he's floating on the water and it's nothing but stone wall all around him.
"Awesome," he says, because the door way up at the top of the tower is accessible, sure, but not something he can open. He hates not having opposable thumbs. Or hands period.
He spends a few minutes moping a little, which he feels is understandable. Then he starts to dive, looking for a way out of the tower from below. There could be a few holes from erosion left around the base of the well, but there are also alligators swimming around in the moat -- he hasn't spent much time over near it, but Danny likes to taunt them, so he knows they exist. The presence of alligators in a moat seems sort of contrived to Archie, but he's not the evil sorcerer, so he's not gonna question it.
He dives around in a circle for a while before he sees a rock that looks a little loose. He comes up for air and then dives again, determined to push against it somehow, but it moves on its own and then drops in, sending Danny tumbling through it himself. Archie's eyes widen and he surfaces with the frog, who's cursing and shaking his little hands around and saying, "I hate alligators, dammit!"
"Danny!" Archie says, wishing he could snap and get Danny's attention back onto the problem at hand, mostly which is what is he doing. "Where are Syesha and Jason?"
"They're swimming around," Danny says dismissively. "Can we talk about how I'm the one always forced to do the suicide missions? I think as royalty I should be excused from anything that risks my life. Or my good looks."
"Oh my gosh," Archie says, and dives back down to make the hole a little bigger because clearly stuff is going down and Danny isn't going to be any help. He isn't surprised to find Jason already at the hole, digging with his sturdy feet, and shoots him a grateful smile while behind him Syesha flies through the water, laughing at the alligators furiously swimming after her.
When the hole is big enough he squeezes through it, feeling Danny tucked against his side, obviously hoping for a ride back out -- Archie allows him to grab onto his foot and flaps quickly through the water as the alligators' attention divert to him. He's not made for speed swimming, though, and he's still awkward, so it's with the sharp teeth right on him oh my gosh that he breaks free of the water and collapses onto the shore by the moat, coughing, though it sounds high pitched and weird as swan noises.
"This is not my idea of fun!" Danny shouts, dripping wet and angrily stalking away from them to dry himself as Syesha collapses on the ground and laughs and laughs. Archie offers a small smile to Jason, who leisurely watches them all as he drips onto the ground, and tries to catch his breath.
"It's almost sunset," Jason tells Archie, who nods, still panting. "You've got to get there soon, before the sun sets, so you can stop him."
They both know that with all the time lost it will be a close call, but Archie's already getting ready to fly, drying his wings out and flapping frantically. He can already tell the sun is sinking, and he's terrified of what might happen.
"We'll be here," Jason says quietly, and Archie realizes Syesha and Danny have stopped fighting momentarily to look at him. "In case something goes wrong, we'll be here to help you find your way back, okay?"
"Okay," Archie says, and he smiles at them -- he hopes the effort gets across despite his swan form's lack of facial muscles, and takes to the air.
.
The ball is so fucking boring. The sun is starting to set outside and there are girls and guys everywhere, trying to kiss up to him and get to him, but he only has eyes for the door. As soon as the sun sets and Archie becomes human and gets here, it's going to be the end of it, the end of all those weeks of worrying and missing him and being alone.
He shifts in his formal clothing (he hasn't had to wear this since -- since Archie came for the summer, fuck) and it itches a little. Absently he wonders what happened to Johns, but assumes he's around here somewhere. He's been embroiled in plans for the ball all day with mother, and his mind is too distracted by seeing Archie again to really commit to anything.
The sun sets and the girls and boys only get more daring, perhaps as the alcohol starts flowing more freely. He's really, really not enjoying this, but his mother looks hopefully at him and he plasters on a smile. Soon, Archie will be here. He keeps reminding himself of this, but it's starting to wear thin and he's becoming worried.
"No, really," he assures a girl, "I do not want my head petted, I swear." She pouts and he's about to fucking storm out, but a knock on the door silences everyone and they all turn to face it. Cook can practically feel his face light up and is glad no one is looking at him to see it.
"Was there...was there someone else?" his mother asks Ryan, who blinks in confusion and a bit of annoyance.
"No, Your Majesty," he answers, going to answer the door. "I have no idea who this could--" he draws the door open and cuts off abruptly. The person on the other side of the door is quiet and slips around him, and fuck, yes, it's Archie. He looks gorgeous, somehow in a beautiful suit and eyes bright and smiling right at him. Cook moves forward, barely aware of the crowd parting around him, and ignores the whispers that spring up as he reaches Archie.
"I was afraid you--" he starts to say.
"Shh," Archie says, bringing a hand up to press against his mouth. He stares at it, and Archie drops it, still smiling. "I'm here now."
And yes, he is, and the band strikes up behind them and they fall into a gentle waltz almost without thought -- Archie's eyes are dark and staring up at him intently, his mouth a soft curve. Cook can feel the warmth of his hands on his shoulders and the heat of his hip under his palm, and he's here, this is real, and before he knows it the song is drawing to a close.
He stops them from moving and has to tear his eyes away from Archie's (who's been so quiet, but Cook assumes he's taking it all in) to address the kingdom and the people all in the room with them, watching speculatively this whole time. He smirks at them.
"Hey. Everyone better be listening, because I have something really important to say, okay." He turns to Archie, who's back to beaming at him. "In front of every one of you, right here and now, I'm going to prove my love for the person I choose to be with for the rest of my life."
.
Archie flies as fast as he can, and the moonlight looks strange upon his wings -- he's never been a swan at night before, and everything looks different, blurred somehow in the scenery as he rushes by from high above. The castle is growing in the distance, and he can hear the music from here, can practically feel the glow of the lights on his feathers.
As he draws near, he hears the echo of Cook's voice rise up and say, "I'm going to prove my love for the person I choose to be with for the rest of my life."
Archie's heart seizes up in a panic, and he rushes to a window to look in and -- there, there's a person who looks just like him, his hand clutching Cook's, who grins at him softly. Archie taps his beak against the window frantically, but no one takes notice.
"In front of the entire world," Cook says, and Archie flies to another window, hoping to catch his gaze -- the other Archie inside turns Cook's head to him, smiling innocently when Cook looks at him questioningly --
nonononononononono
"I make a vow of everlasting love to you," Cook says, looking at the person who isn't Archie at all, and Archie's heart shatters into pieces as Cook finishes quietly, "David."
He feels himself drop out of the sky, but doesn't notice anything beyond the pain in his chest.
.
Cook feels everything is a bit anticlimactic, you know, having broken a powerful spell and everything, but then the lights go out and the front doors bang open.
There's a man there, humming under his breath, and Cook steps in front of Archie instinctively, hand rising to cover him.
"Who are you?" he asks, but it's not a question -- he thinks he can guess.
"Hello, prince charming," the man smiles, and his accent is thick with sarcasm. "Wonderful job you did there, pledging your love to someone who wasn't the little prince."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Cook says flatly, hand going to his sword. "I just -- right here, in front of the fucking world I made a vow of everlasting love."
"Sure you did," the man agrees, and his smile grows dark. "But rather, think of it as a vow of death." He raises his hand and a lance of lightening shoots from his fingertips to hit Archie, who falls to the ground facedown.
"Archie!" Cook yells, dropping next to him and turning him over -- but it's not, fuck, it's not Archie at all, it's some coyly smiling woman who flutters her lashes at him and says, "Hello, Prince Cook."
He drops her to the ground and spins around to face the man, who's examining his nails with interest. "What the fuck--"
"Too bad," he says, "That you went and did that. Now the little prince is certain to die."
Cook feels the blood drain out of his head, leaving him dizzy with shock -- behind the man, Cowell, it has to be, there's a swan flying hurriedly away from the castle, dipping lower with each flap of its wings.
"Archie," he whispers, and runs from the castle with the sound of Cowell's laughter ringing around him.
.
Can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breathe--
It's more than just having your heart gone -- it's like it was never there, like the love you felt was just a lie and everything you've ever known was wrong, wrong, wrongwrongwro--
he said he loved me
But the spell doesn't make allowances, doesn't take into account the meaning behind the words. All it knows is that his true love didn't make his vow to the right person, and now Archie is left to weakly flap his way down to lake, wings dragging the surface before he collapses on the steps leading out of the water.
He registers his body becoming human again, registers the sound of feet, of Cook shouting (Cook's voice is like a fire against his skin, painful and hot and too much, and he closes his eyes) and it's so much easier to just stop thinking, to stop hurting, to
.
Cook trips over a root and goes sprawling to the ground, but the pain of his knees jarring into the concrete is nothing compared to the fear and panic racing through his veins when Archie slumps down, still and silent. He scrambles to his feet again, sword hitting his hip sharply as he sprints to Archie's side.
Archie's eyes are closed and his chest isn't moving.
"Hey," Cook says, reaching out to rest his palm above Archie's heart (the only reason he can't hear or feel it is because his own is beating so loudly, he thinks, that's it, that's the only--), "Come on, wake up, Archie, let's -- you need to wake up now, okay? Okay?"
Archie remains still, almost serene. He's not breathing, and Cook's vision clouds, goes blurry and dark; his breathing grows shallow, his fists clench in Archie's shirt.
"I meant it for you," he whispers. "I said that -- the vow I made, it was for you!" He looks up, angrily blinking back his tears, and shouts, "Do you hear me? I made that vow for him!"
"Touching," a voice says, sounding amused. "Shouting to the heavens as if your cries will bring him back. You know, this whole thing is turning out to be really quite dramatic and predictable. Are you going to angrily scream at me next?"
"Fuck that," Cook snarls, standing up and drawing his sword, "Let's skip to the part where I fucking kill you."
Cowell grins sharply, his teeth seeming to elongate -- his eyes grow bright and skull lengthens. He's transforming, Cook realizes, tightening his grip on his sword -- transforming into some kind of winged beast, some kind of flying monstrosity. Cook is so angry, so fucking torn over Archie's death that he doesn't even feel fear, doesn't feel anything but rage.
"Still sure you want to kill me?" Cowell questions when he's done transforming, teeth glinting in the moonlight that rises above them, and his claws curl deeply into the dirt.
Cook doesn't answer, instead raising his sword and slicing at Cowell's arm -- Cowell dodges easily, flying high above him and laughing a loud, raspy laugh. "Such a typical prince charming," Cowell chuckles, and dives at Cook, claws extended.
Cook drops to the ground, but a claw catches him in the shoulder and he hisses in pain and shock as they tear through the muscles -- the cut is deep and starts to bleed sluggishly, but Cook stands up again, ignoring it. "Fuck you," Cook says, and it's weak and stupid but he feels it more strongly than he's ever felt anything (except for how he felt for Archie, Archie who's laying on the ground, motionless, lifeless--)
Cowell's mouth curls in something resembling a smile, teeth bared and white, and he flies into the air, flapping his wings hard against the currents until he's high above the treetops and -- gone. He's gone, and Cook whirls around, sword held aloft as he peers through the slowly brightening gloom. Sunrise is coming, Cook thinks, and that's when Cowell smashes through the trees above him and grabs hold of him in his claws.
Cook's arm is pinned so that he can't move his sword, and he struggles vainly as they fly into the air, hovering in the branches of the forest. The claws on Cowell's lower feet dig into Cook's shoulders and he winces as the first wound is deepened. He feels the switch in vertigo as Cowell swings him back, and the shock of being airborne is quickly overrun by the pain of being flung into a tree -- he grabs hold of the trunk before he can fall from the branch below him, steadying himself before he turns around, sword flashing in the light.
It sinks into Cowell's arm and slices through the swing across his face, making him roar with pain and fury and at least he no longer looks amused. Cook bares his teeth in a grin and then grimaces as he's knocked by a flailing wing down to the ground, branches catching against his clothes and slowing his fall so that when he crashes into the ground, the air is only knocked out of him, not beaten out of him.
"Stupid boy," Cowell snarls from where he's landed on the ground near him. "You really thought you could kill me. You really thought you were going to win -- what, exactly, would you win? Revenge for your little prince? Even killing me will only leave you with his cold, dead--"
Cowell is cut off as an arrow imbeds itself in his chest, right through his heart -- he looks down at it, shocked and open-mouthed, and Cook turns to his right to see Johns standing a little ways off, dripping wet and annoyed. "Fucking shut up, would you?" Johns asks irritably, wringing water out of his tunic. "I've been lost in this godforsaken forest all fucking day, and then some hag was chasing me around, and I fell in the goddamn moat with motherfucking crocodiles, crocodiles, really, and I am just fucking done with this."
Cowell opens and closes his mouth, sparks dancing along his skin. The glow in his eyes flickers a little, and he looks at Cook, mouth curling in a sneer. "Technically," he says, "You didn't win."
"Totally fine with that," Cook says, walking closer. "But." He smiles and plunges his sword into Cowell's head, between his eyes. "You did lose."
The sparks along Cowell's body grow thicker, until they consume his entire form and curl in on themselves -- when Cook can see past the flashes left in his eyes, there's nothing left. The sun is visible on the horizon.
Cook tosses his sword on the ground and walks slowly back to Archie, who hasn't moved since the fight started. He's pale and lovely and -- Cook bites his lip, leans down and presses his forehead to Archie's and prays, thinks anything he can that could work, hopes with everything he has. He moves his mouth in words that don't make sense but that mean the world to him, the words he wants to give Archie.
"Please wake up," Cook breathes, and pretends the air that rebounds off of Archie's mouth didn't come from him. "Please, fuck, I need you. I love you -- I love everything about you. I love, I love the way you turn the pages in the books you read, and I love how you hate to sacrifice pieces in chess, and I love how your face looks so peaceful when you sing, and I love the way your eyes tell me everything I need to know about your day. I love you, Archie. David. Please. Please."
He closes his eyes and ignores the burning against the back of his eyelids. He's not going to cry, because that would mean that there's nothing left to hope for, and he's not --
"Cook," he hears, "You're crying on me."
Archie's voice is weak and soft, but when Cook opens his eyes, Archie is smiling at him, eyelids parted to show hazy eyes. Cook blinks at him, and more tears fall on Archie, who makes a face, but Cook is pressing his mouth against Archie's before he can complain again, pushing him into the concrete and raising his hands up to frame his face. Archie returns the pressure as much as he can, which admittedly isn't much, but Cook can't think past the buzzing in his blood, the ecstatic giddiness consuming him, so he doesn't mind.
"Fuck," he hears himself say brokenly, "I thought you were gone, Archie."
"Nope," Archie says, still smiling softly at him, "Couldn't leave the kingdom in your hands, could I?" He laughs a little, and the sound just personifies everything Cook is feeling right now, so he kisses him again.
"That's beautiful, that's touching," Johns says from somewhere behind them, "But could we -- hey, guys, could we possibly go back to the castle now? Yes? No? C'mon, now -- Cook, fuck, wait, the guy just came back from the dead, let him up for air! Hey, don't have sex in front of me! Seriously!"
.
"And that's the end of it!"
"What? No, I've still got to tell -- I mean, there was the wedding and ... and stuff! I should talk about--"
"I think we know what goes on there, okay? Unless you want to share the details."
"Oh my gosh, seriously. It's not like, um, not like you don't already know."
"Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe you could remind me?"
"What are you -- c'mon, Cook, seriously, we've got to -- there's going to be a meeting with Ryan in a little while, I was just -- nnnh."
"Ha. Go on, say it, finish it out. And they both live ... ?"
"Happily -- Cook! -- ever after."
"Beautiful story, Archie. You should write a book."
"Like you'd -- oh! -- let me out of this room to do it."
"Point. C'mere."
"Shh, be quiet. You're going to wake him up."
"You're going to wake him up with your stupid flappy wings!"
"I don't need an obnoxiously chatty frog telling me that I'm loud, thanks."
"Excusez-moi?"
"You guys, he's moving," comes a third voice, and Archie opens his eyes to the sky above. It's night, and the stars are bright above him, and David's first thought is that it's really pretty.
And then he realizes he's lying on the ground outside and he has no idea where he is. He sits up quickly and looks around for whoever had been speaking before, but there's no one around. There is a broken-down castle beyond the lake he's next to, but beyond that he can't tell where he is or --
Oh, wait. This must be the castle on the edges of Murray, right before it joins to the forest next to Tulsa! It's almost directly in the middle of the curve of the lake that poured into the Great Ocean and has served as sort of unofficial boundary line for years, ever since the Great King's sons had split the kingdoms in two, thousands of years ago.
It's falling apart, but Archie thinks he can see some potential in it. It has huge arches and towers that reached into the sky and is just huge and beautiful and grand.
And this is all completely irrelevant because he still doesn't know how he got here.
"Is he just going to stand there?" someone whispers, and Archie whips around to face the person --
And there's no one.
"Hello?" he calls after a moment, casting his voice softly, actually hoping no one is there because he's getting kind of freaked out. He suddenly wishes, more than anything, that Cook was here.
Cook. Of course, Cook will come find him! Cook is probably looking for him right now, and --
And then Archie remembers what he said to Cook before he left, the way he probably had hurt his feelings. And there's -- Cook probably doesn't even know he's missing. Maybe he won't even care that Archie is gone. Feeling overwhelmed, he doesn't notice there's something moving on the ground until his pants are jerked on roughly.
Archie looks down, and it's a bird. It's not one he's seen before, though, sort of like -- what were they, those birds from the north? -- a penguin. But not exactly, it's beak is different and it looks like it can fly.
"Um, hi," Archie tells the bird, feeling stupid, and then looks up to see if there's anyone hiding behind that tree over there, when the bird replies, "Hey, what's up?"
"Oh my gosh!" Archie stumbles backward and falls down, staring in horror at the bird, who waves its -- her, it sounded like a girl -- wing at him.
"Don't scare him, Syesha," someone else says, and there's a rustling in the bush before a turtle emerges slowly, blinking at him with big -- his eyes are blue, that's weird.
"Jason, her default is scary," comes another voice, and there's a soft thud as a frog hops off a log and glares at the bird -- Syesha. The turtle, Jason, seems to sigh, and Archie is this close to being freaked out but okay, actually, he's heard stories about magic, and how it's supposed to be strongest around this castle. So maybe talking animals aren't that weird? And anyway, they don't seem to be vicious or anything, they're just a frog and bird and turtle. Archie can totally defend himself against them.
"Shut up, Danny!"
"Um, guys?"
"When are you two going to stop bickering? I mean, that whole flower thing happened like, a week ago." Jason shakes his head slowly and Danny rolls his eyes.
"She knew I was going to use that flower to attract a prince so I could woo him and make him kiss me and be human again! I don't even know what she was doing with that thing, anyway!"
"I was making a nest for a friend," Syesha squawks, fluttering her wings in annoyance. "Which is better than pretending that I was bewitched and turned into a slimy little frog! Plus, there's no one around to woo, what are you even talking about!"
"Um," Archie tries again.
"I was too bewitched, and you're gonna be sorry when I'm a prince again and like, banishing your breed from my kingdom." Danny huffs and hops so that his back is to the group.
Jason sighs, and there's quiet until Danny turns around abruptly and says, "And there is someone to woo! Him!"
He points at Archie, who jumps at being acknowledged (finally). He blinks at the three of them, who look up at him as if just realizing he's there.
"Jeez, sorry, man, we didn't mean to ignore you," Jason says, dipping his head in what Archie takes to be an apology. Archie raises his hands and smiles.
"Oh, um, no, that's fine. I was just wondering if you knew where Murray Castle is? I should really be trying to find my way back there--"
"Oh no," Syesha murmurs. "You don't -- you don't know?"
Archie stills, feeling something dark curl at his spine. "What are you talking about?"
"The thing is," Danny says, sounding a little sad, "You can't leave. You're -- you're a prisoner here."
"I don't know -- what are you guys talking about?" Archie asks, backing away from them and feeling his heart start speeding up.
"It's -- he did something to you," Jason says. "That guy who brought you here? And he was talking to that chick--"
"About you being stuck here, at the lake, and he's --"
Syesha is cut off by the rustling of leaves, and she gasps and flies into the tree above them. Jason slips quietly into the water, lifting his head so that his eyes are above the surface, and Danny hops back onto his log and lets out a loud ribbet that fills the area while Archie tries to see through the oncoming sunrise at who is coming.
"Who are you?" he asks, when he makes out a figure, and there's a soft laugh. Fear spreads through his body and the person steps into the clearing and that's --
"You're Simon Cowell," Archie says, voice barely above a whisper, and Cowell grins sharply.
"So you know me. Good, that leaves the boring introductions out of the way. I think you're a pretty smart boy, so let me explain this to you. You have one option to your safety and the safety of your people: marry me."
Archie jerks in shock and stares at the man. "What? What are you even talking about?"
Cowell sighs. "Must I do this? Look, either marry me or I will take your kingdom by force. If you marry me, no one has to die and nothing bad has to happen to anyone in your family."
"I--" Archie swallows once, hard, and then squares his shoulders and says, "No. My family is safe or you would've already done something. If you really wanted to take my kingdom by force, you would've. I'm not going to marry you."
"Oh?" Cowell seems amused. "But you haven't heard the best part! Until you agree, you are trapped here, little prince."
"I don't see any fences or boundaries," Archie says, feeling bold. Cowell's smile grows wicked and Archie feels his confidence fall away.
"No. But there is a spell over you, David of Murray. And -- oh, well, I think you'll understand. Just wait."
Archie glares at him, and there's an awkward moment of silence, Cowell squinting into the wind, and Danny lets out another obnoxious ribbet, and Archie says, "This is really stupid, okay--"
"A moment, if you will," Cowell says, still sounding as if he's having the time of his life, and Archie stands on the steps by the lake and glares at him, wishing he had something to fight him with and --
He's so preoccupied with wishing he could hit Cowell with a stick that he almost doesn't notice the glow rising from the lake where his feet are, or the way he's suddenly standing in the lake even though he didn't move. Cowell is waving his hand, so Archie blames him.
"Oh my gosh," he whispers as the water around him turns golden, so bright it seems purple at the tips, and it begins to rise around him and engulfs him and --
Archie opens his eyes and cries out, "What did you do?"
But it comes out as a -- he sounds like -- Archie glances down at the lake and stares into the face of a swan, muddled on the early morning surface of the lake. His feathers are smooth and white and his beak curves gentle and he is a freaking swan.
"This is what will happen every day until you marry me," Cowell says, no longer sounding amused. He sounds serious and deadly and Archie has never hated anyone, was always told that it was wrong, but he hates Cowell with everything in him. "You must be in the lake every night when the moon rises above the lake or you'll stay a swan -- forever. It won't matter where you are when you are human -- you will turn into a swan no matter the distance or nearness unless you are in the lake. So you see, you can wander away all you want, little prince. But you won't make it back to your kingdom as Prince David. Think carefully."
He leaves Archie floating on the lake and heads in the direction of the castle. Archie lets out a shuddering breath and flaps his wings in panic and almost flips over from lack of balance, but manages to catch himself.
"Oh, kid, it's not gonna be that bad," he hears, and Jason swims next to him and offers what could be a smile. "It'll work out."
"Don't let that jerk get you down!" Syesha calls from above, and flaps her wings encouragingly when Archie tries to kick his way to the shore (it takes several awkward moments of Jason diving and nudging him to do so). "We'll find a way to get you back to normal and you can get home."
"Yeah, and there's got to be people looking for you!" Danny chirps. "You're a prince! You must have had a boyfriend!"
Archie lowers his head and thinks of Cook. "Um, yeah. But I don't think -- we got into a fight before I left."
"He'll come for you," Danny says surely. "Believe that."
Archie stares at him, at all three of them, and feels the beginnings of hope. "Yeah."
.
"David," Queen Beth says, rushing along behind Cook, "Darling, calm down."
Cook just keeps walking down the corridor with a trickle of people following him, from his mother to his brothers to random servants and dukes and duchesses and all of them talking, talking, talking at him.
"Cook," Carly says, "Calm down, please, we know that you're upset, but--"
"No buts, Carly," Cook interrupts. "Archie's been taken and it's up to me to find him."
"You don't even know where to look!" Andrew protests, "Or even who's taken him! That stable boy didn't see anyone, and there are no witnesses--"
"But I did see something!" someone says, and Cook stops. The crowd behind him parts to reveal the stable boy, who cowers under their stares but steps forward tentatively when Cook looks at him. "Your Highness, I did see something," he says again. "When I caught up to the prince's horse, there was a sound, and I thought I saw a man in the clearing -- but then it took off, and it flew away, and it was huge and big and I think it was some sort of magic--"
"That's preposterous!" someone says. "Magic does not exist except at the Great Castle. What you're suggesting is--"
"Some sort of being that can change shapes," Cook says quietly. The group holds its breath as Cook contemplates that.
"David," his mother says, and he snaps, "Mother."
There's a pause and he continues, more gently, "I'm going to the library."
The search in the library takes three days before he finds anything, and by then Cook's the only one convinced Archie is still alive. The Archuletas are in mourning and the Cooks send condolences their way, still feeling the sting of losing their king only last year. Everyone's quiet and morose and the state of the Tulsa Castle is somber until Cook steps into the ballroom on the third evening and snaps a book shut to get everyone's attention.
"I know what has him," he announces, and his eyes flash brightly. "It has all kinds of different names, but this book prefers the Great Animal. It's this creature, this creature that can change its shape at will. But it's still just an animal, and it can be killed."
His mouth firms and the nobles of his kingdom stare at him, shocked; his mother clutches at her throne and watches him sadly, and his brothers stare at him carefully, and Cook is fucking tired of it all, wants Archie back more than he's wanted anything in his entire life.
"I'm going to kill it, and for that I need to practice. Mother, I'm going to need the servants."
.
"So," Danny continues, "I'm just minding my own business, you know, being pretty and all, and--"
"Oh my god," Syesha interrupts, "we've heard this story a billion times already. I think Archie's heard it a hundred times in the four days he's been here. You're a frog. Get over it."
"Nobody asked you," Danny retorts, crossing his legs awkwardly, and even though Archie doesn't like insulting anyone, he's kind of tired of hearing this story. He's infinitely grateful when Jason says, squinting into the sunlight, "Why don't we concentrate on getting Archie out of here, instead?"
"Oh," says Archie, feeling a little embarrassed, "Um, I mean, I really do want to get out, but you guys don't--"
"We're your friends, aren't we?" Syesha wants to know, and Archie would be smiling if not for this stupid beak.
"Yeah," he says.
"Friends help their friends get out of life or death situations," Danny says, and then adds thoughtfully, "I think."
"They do," Jason says firmly, and settles onto a cool rock to study them all. "So, any ideas?"
"Oh!" Syesha says, waving a wing in the air, and Jason says, "That do not involve shitting on Cowell's head."
"That's not it!" Syesha squawks indignantly. "No, I think we should go check out the castle and find a map! You know, so we could find a way to your prince, somehow, and get him back here! If we got the most direct route, we should be able to make it back to the lake before nightfall."
"That..." Jason say slowly, "is actually a very good idea."
"Ha!" Syesha crows triumphantly, and Archie shakes his head and wobbles a little bit, still unused to the strange...longness of it.
"But won't we get caught? I mean, Cowell has to be--"
"Hey, c'mon," says Syesha, "We'll be super stealthy."
"This sounds stupid," Danny decides, staring at Syesha with disdain. "It's a sure fire way to get yourselves killed, I think."
"Danny," Jason begins, but Syesha cuts in hotly with, "You got a better idea?"
And Archie can tell they're going to get into (another) fight, so he quickly says, "Um, I actually think it's probably the best idea we've got, so."
There's a pause in which they all consider each other, and then Danny shrugs petulantly and Jason nods his head, eyes crinkled and Syesha flutters into the air cheerfully, shouting, "That's the spirit! No fear!"
The plan is executed with little to no forethought, though, and ends with Jason crashing through a window to land in the moat outside, Syesha cackling as Danny clings to her feet for dear life, and Archie frantically flapping his wings to keep aloft with the heavy map dragging his feet down.
But Paula, Cowell's helper, ends up crumpled in a dazed heap at the bottom of the staircase she was chasing the animals down, so that lifts Archie's spirits a little.
.
Johns surveys the field outside Tulsa Castle that's currently holding several upset servants and an unrepentant and unapologetic David Cook and sighs. Cook's been using this field as a practice for days now, shooting harmless arrows at the staff and occasionally the unlucky passerby.
"I don't understand--" he tries to say, but gets cut off by Ryan Seacrest forcing a bow into his hands.
"His Majesty wants to practice against someone," Seacrest says brusquely, but his eyes gleam and he clearly finds the whole thing hilarious. Johns does not.
"Fuck that," Johns declares, and hears his mother call from the patio where she and the rest of the noble women are having tea, "Watch your mouth, Michael!"
"C'mon, Johns," Cook calls, tossing a fresh batch of blue powder into a different quiver, one that supposedly is Johns'. "It's just friendly competition." He looks over at him and quirks a small smile, and that's -- Johns hasn't seen Cook so much as do that for about a week now, and it's that thought that makes him sigh deeply and take the bow from Seacrest.
Cook's smile grows a little, and the kitchen staff start screaming while the butlers grimly square their shoulders. Johns simply slings the quiver over his shoulder and tries not to humiliate himself.
.
"So," Syesha says, nodding her beak at the map they've spread across the ground, "that's the best route. We follow that river and then hang a sharp right at the bend and we should be straight on for the castle."
"And ... what?" Danny asks, examining himself in the reflection of the water. "You flap your wings around and put on a show and everyone claps? Brilliant."
"Um," Syesha starts, but then falls silent. "I actually don't -- hmm."
Everyone goes quiet, thinking, until Archie hums suddenly and says, "Oh! The Queen, Queen Beth, she had this ornament she wears in her hair all the time -- it's like an heirloom or something. I could -- I could pull it out of her hair and fly off, and I know everyone would follow."
Everyone agrees that this is an awesome idea, and even Danny can't find fault in it, so it's agreed -- tomorrow they set out and lead Cook to the castle and the lake, so that they can find a way to stop all of this.
.
Archie can't decide if he likes the nighttime or not. He becomes human again, but there's a lingering bittersweetness about it, the knowledge that when the sun comes up he'll be a swan again resting firmly in the back of his mind.
Still, it's easier to watch the stars when you can lay back against the grass, and he stares at them intently, looking for answers that won't be spelled out no matter how long he searches. He tries anyway, scouring the sky for pictures or signs or -- anything.
Cook is coming, he tells himself. Cook will rescue him. And Archie -- he loves Cook. No matter his faults, no matter how stupid he can be, Archie is going to always love Cook. Maybe he always has. Archie closes his eyes, breathes deep; he can hear Syesha chirping in her sleep, and the croaks of Danny from under a log. Jason is silent under the sprawling roots of a tree, and David flexes his fingers and wishes on all the stars in the sky to be with Cook again.
He opens his eyes and watches a star fall in the direction of Tulsa.
.
Cook is adamant. "Tomorrow," he says firmly, prepping his gear. "We're going tomorrow and I'm going to hunt the fucking thing down and find Archie. I'm done waiting."
His brother watches him quietly, and Johns lounges on his bed, the easiness of his posture belied by the tense line of his shoulders as he watches Cook clean a long, wicked hunting knife. "Dave," Andrew starts, then bites his lip. "It's been almost a week," he says in the end. "We haven't heard anything, and -- mother, she wants you to take over, you know that."
Cook takes a deep, shuddering breath, and looks out the window. The stars are bright tonight, he notes absently, and takes another breath for good measure. "I know what mother wants. But I can't -- not without Archie. I'm going to find him, Andy. Tomorrow."
It's quiet except for the scrape of the blade sliding into its sheath, and then Johns rises from the bed and puts a hand on Cook's shoulder. "I'm going with you."
"I don't--" Cook starts, but Johns' fingers tighten their grip and he quiets.
"If you won't accept any other help, just let me go along. I'm shit at shooting anyway, but you shouldn't be alone." Johns jaw is set and Andrew doesn't look like he's going to discourage him, so Cook nods, a little relieved. "Good. See you in the morning."
"See you," Cook says, already turning back to his weapons. Andrew hesitates in the doorway, but then turns and leaves as well. Cook looks back out the window and watches a star fall.
.
Basically?
They collide at the halfway point and it all goes to hell.
.
"So," Johns says casually, twitching when a stick cracks under his heel, "you said it could -- it'll shift shapes? Like, what are we--"
"It can be anything," Cook murmurs quietly, eyes casting around the forest gloom. His fingers are easy on his bow and arrow but Johns can see the narrowed set of his eyes even in the semi-darkness and swallows.
"Awesome," he mutters, wincing as a leaf crunches after his foot leaves it.
Cook looks over his shoulder and offers a grin, and Johns is -- no matter what everyone says, no matter how impossible it is, Johns hopes fiercely that Archie is alive. Because small, insincere smiles are all that Cook ever shows anymore, and they're saved for moments like this, ones where normally Cook would be laughing at Johns, or grinning at the prospect of hunting something, or just smiling at being fucking alive.
But Cook is lost without Archie, and Johns doesn't know how to find him. He's pretty sure he won't, and that's why he's here, risking his life and sanity (seriously, why are things in the forest so fucking loud if the whole point of being in this goddamn forest is to hunt shit). Cook needs Archie, and Johns wants Cook back.
He's so caught up in thinking that he nearly runs into Cook's back, and when he opens his mouth to question him, Cook shushes him softly. "There," Cook whispers, head tilting forward, eyes gleaming. "Ahead, d'you see?"
Johns looks, and the gleam of something golden snatches through the trees, captures his gaze and holds it. It's a swan, and it's headed straight for them.
Cook swings his bow around and notches an arrow, and Johns fumbles for his own, fear rising like bile in him. This is it.
.
"This is it," Syesha trills happily. "We're gonna get that prince on you like snotty on Danny, don't you worry about a thing." She flaps her wings cheerfully and Archie dips his head in reply, too nervous for words. His stomach is tripping all over itself in excitement, and he's worried about everything, about this not working, about possibly messing everything up and ending up a swan forever, about seeing Cook for the first time in forever.
He wonders if his eyes are the color Archie remembers, but thinks his memory lacks the right shade.
"Archie," Syesha prods, flying closer to him to get his attention, "it's gonna work! I promise, okay? We got this, seriously. No fear!"
Archie flies on for a second, thinking hard about the curve of Cook's mouth before he pressed it to Archie's, and then says, "Yeah. No fea-ah!"
The arrow narrowly misses him and Syesha shrieks in surprise, both of them veering sharply apart in the wake of the attack. They both cast their eyes to the ground and spot two humans, both wielding arrows, and
one of them is Cook
and Archie feels his heart stop and start again at the look on Cook's face, the fury and determination and the fire in his eyes that's honestly kind of scary, but it's Cook, Cook is there and oh my gosh they have got to get out of here.
"Turn around!" he shouts to Syesha, already swinging around, and another arrow flies far too close to his right wing. "We can't just sit here, he's way too good a shot, we've got to head back!" He angles himself higher and Syesha follows. Archie looks back and sees Cook is following as well and wonders what Cook is doing, hunting a swan and a puffin. But as long as Cook is following, and Archie gets to the lake before the moon rises, he doesn't really care.
(Much.)
.
There's a lake in the clearing ahead, and Cook is out of breath by the time the swan finally settles onto it, the setting sun falling behind the old castle. Cook recognizes it from the stories about the creation of the two kingdoms, but ignores all of that. All that matters is that the swan, the Great Animal, is going to die, here and now.
It drifts serenely across the surface of the lake, its eyes serious on Cook's, gaze piercing, and he falters. There's something familiar about that look, the way it focuses on him so neatly. He's made Johns stay behind a little ways for his safety and also to get help if Cook doesn't come back in an hour, but he suddenly isn't worried. There's something about the swan that makes Cook hesitate, and that's all it takes.
The moon, already high in the sky, reflects upon the lake and the water rises up in a wash of gold and purple and white, surrounding the swan and engulfing it. Cook's arrow swings up, following the column as it narrows and grows taller, but he's already lowering it again before the water settles down. The bow drops from his fingers and onto the ground beside him, clattering a little against the stone steps, and the ripples finally fade from the surface.
He stares for a moment, mouth dry and fingertips numb, and Archie's mouth lifts a little, sheepish.
"Hi," Archie says shyly, and Cook's running forward, crashing through the water to drag Archie into his arms and kiss him hard. It's less of a kiss and more a meeting of lips, hard pressure and touch and softly murmured words escaping into open mouths, but Cook just grips tighter and twists the angle until it gentles, until Archie stops trying to talk to him and just kisses back, until he feels his own hands release their tension, until his heart finishes putting itself back together.
"Knew it," is the first thing he says when he pulls back. "I knew you were alive, I did, and I looked for you Archie, believe that." He watches Archie's face carefully when Archie nods, mouth still turned up in a smile.
"I know," Archie says, smiling at him in the thin light from the crescent moon. "I know."
.
Cook is totally not pleased when Archie explains that he can't go back with him due to the whole under-a-spell thing. "The fuck," Cook says flatly.
Archie winces. "Look, okay, there's a spell -- if I'm not in the lake at night when the moonlight touches the water, I'll stay a swan forever. The only way -- Cook, are you listening?"
"Not really," Cook says absently, reaching for his arrows, "I'm actually going to go find this bastard and put so many arrows in him people will mistake him for a fucking practice target."
"Cook!" Archie says, dragging on Cook's sleeve before he can go try to find Cowell, "c'mon, listen, seriously. Cowell is really, really powerful, and you could -- I don't want you to get hurt, okay."
Archie's voice is pleading and that's kind of embarrassing, but he's seen what Cowell can do, knows the kind of things he can become, and the idea of Cook getting hurt because of him -- he can't handle that. So he pulls harder, until Cook looks at him.
"There's another way to break the spell," he tells Cook, stepping close and lowering his voice. "We broke into the castle and got a map, but Danny--"
"Danny?" Cook says, looking confused, and Archie glares at him reprovingly. "Sorry, continue."
"He looked through a spellbook while we were distracting the woman who helps Cowell, which was really nice of him since he didn't want to come at all. But anyway, it was the spell Cowell cast on me, and it can be broken--" Archie breaks off, looking a little bit hesitant.
"It can be broken...?" Cook trails off meaningfully, and Archie ducks his head a little.
"By a vow of everlasting love," he says, blushing a little, because how kitschy can you get, right?
Cook mouths the words. "A vow of everlasting -- but you already know I love you! I love you, you know that, right?"
Archie goes pinker, but his eyes gleam brightly in the moonlight. "I do know," he says softly, and his hand slides down Cook's arm where it's still been clenched tightly to intertwine with his fingers. "But you have to prove it to the world."
"The world," Cook repeats, and closes his eyes and thinks. Archie looks at him, takes in the faint pink on his cheek from a sunburn, the shadows under his eyes, the way his mouth curves naturally. He bites his lip and ignores the way warmth is spreading throughout his body, because they have bigger things to worry about right now, and kissing Cook again is not one of them.
"Okay," Cook says finally, opening his eyes; they're dark with intensity and Archie shivers a little. "My mother has been wanting to host a party to introduce me to new future prospectives -- I don't know why," he says before Archie can open his mouth. "Since I'm never marrying anyone but you." Archie's mouth closes and he grins a little at Cook, who rolls his eyes. "But mother is adamant about me taking over, so I've told her I would allow the party if I didn't find you soon."
"Aaaaand," Archie says, drawing it out, "you've found me?"
"Yeah," Cook nods, leaning down and pressing his mouth quickly to Archie's like he can't help himself. He draws back before Archie can lean into it, which. "I did. But we'll still have the party -- the entire kingdom, people from all over the world will be there. And you can show up and I'll make a vow of my everlasting love for you right there, in front of the world."
Archie blinks.
"Ta dah?" Cook says, grinning, and Archie shakes his head at him, smiling.
"You make it sound so simple," he says, pressing closer -- he hasn't been near a person in so long, and this person is Cook, who absolutely destroyed his personal boundaries, and he can't help himself, okay.
"Maybe because it is?" Cook suggests, and the quirk to his smile tells Archie that Cook knows what he's doing. "Jesus, I've missed you," he continues, lowering his forehead to Archie's. Archie closes his eyes and leans into his touch and concentrates on the sound of their breathing, uneven and close, flooding his mouth and fanning across his cheeks.
"You should go," he says after a moment. He opens his eyes and Cook is watching him, eyes darker than he remembers. He tries to commit the color to memory but knows that when he sees him again, it will be different. The thought kind of thrills him.
"Yeah," Cook says noncommittally, and Archie laughs a little, quietly, and makes himself lean back. The air between them is somehow colder than the air everywhere else, and Archie has to remind himself that soon, they won't have to be apart.
"Go," Archie says, bringing a hand up to Cook's face and smiling at him. "We'll be together soon, okay?"
Cook closes his eyes and presses his face into Archie's hand, humming a little. "Okay. Tomorrow night. Come tomorrow night."
Archie makes a face. "Isn't that kind of soon? The party--"
"--has been in the making for several weeks now. Some people don't have the faith I do," Cook says, and he shoulders his quiver absently. "I'll tell mother that I'll make a decision at the ball and she'll just put the final pieces into place."
Archie nods, and finally lets his hand drop from Cook's. "Alright. Tomorrow."
Cook stares at him, and in a desperate moment (Archie thinks back to their first kiss, which was only a few weeks ago but feels like forever) leans forward, pressing their mouths together and leaving Archie with nothing more than an impression of heat before he's pulling back.
He leaves without saying anything, which is probably for the best; Archie has to clench his hands to keep from following Cook out of the garden and forgetting the stupid, ridiculous spell. He doesn't, and the animals come from their hiding places.
"Da-yum," Danny drawls, hopping up onto a log and giving the clearing Cook disappeared into an appreciative look. "You know how to pick them, Archie."
Archie blushes, but Syesha's already tearing into Danny for being insensitive, and Jason comes to rest beside Archie, settling into the grass as Archie sinks down into a sitting position.
"His plan," Jason says slowly, "it should work. If we understand the spell right, the vow should undo the spell."
"It should," Archie agrees, and excitement buzzes in his stomach, fizzes throughout his veins -- until a familiar footfall sounds. The animals quiet and Archie stands up again, fists clenching.
"Before you say anything," he tells Cowell, feeling brave enough right now to be rude, "the answer is, as usual, no. I will never marry you. Bye."
Cowell seems amused, but then, he rarely seems anything else, as if everything Archie does is adorably useless and unmindful. "I applaud you on your attempt at bravado, dear prince, but tonight we have something else to address. Let's instead discuss your recent visitor."
Archie refuses to let the shock register on his face simply because it would refute what Cowell has said, but he does flinch a little, which is all Cowell needs. "I don't know what you're--" he starts, but Cowell bends over and picks something up -- Cook's bow.
"Quaint," he observes, and Archie's stomach roils in fury and fear. "Let me guess -- he assumes to save you by declaring his love for you at the ball being held tomorrow."
"How did you--" Archie begins, but is interrupted by Paula appearing at Cowell's elbow and waving her fingers cheerfully at him.
"I'm good at gathering gossip," she says, mouth innocently upturned but eyes cold and narrowed. "I hear it's been in planning for weeks, and just moments ago I happened to hear voices, so of course I had to find out what was going on! It was really a quite touching scene, prince."
She falls silent when Cowell raises a hand and smiles at Archie, and Archie wouldn't ever hit a girl, but he's considering kicking her.
"This is all exceedingly boring and mundane," Cowell says, still idly examining Cook's bow. "To keep things short and to the point, I'm growing tired of waiting for you, little prince."
"Caught on, have you?" Archie says, anger disconnecting his brain and mouth, and Cowell raises his eyes to meet Archie's for a moment. Then he chuckles.
"I was told you were the submissive sibling, too," he muses, and continues with, "Obviously you won't be going to the ball tomorrow. But here's the real bit that will catch your interest, or I assume it will, presuming you aren't adept at deciphering the older Latin bits of the spell page you stole from me."
Cowell pauses a moment, just staring at Archie, and Archie feels something cold settle into his lungs, and with every shallow inhale it floods his body further. "If your true love declares his love for anyone but you, you will die," Cowell finally says, and Archie can feel the pieces fall into place, he knows what's going to happen and -- he feels his knees go weak but resolves to remain standing no matter, no matter that he can actually feel his heart breaking.
"You can't stop me from going," Archie says, defiant. His nails are biting into his hands, and he knows that Cowell is much more powerful than him, but he can run, he can make it to the castle and Cook will prove his love to the world and nothing is going to stop that from happening. He's done being a weak, submissive prisoner and no threats or spells are going to keep him here.
"I admire your stoicism in light of what will occur," Cowell says, sounding almost like he means it, "but, I must wonder if, in your haste, you and your prince charming realized that tomorrow? There will be no moon for you to change into a human." He casts his gaze at the sliver of moonlight available tonight, and he's right, tomorrow is the new moon, no, and Archie's heart sinks with his body as he feels his knees hit the ground.
"No." He doesn't mean to say it out loud but it slips out, and Cowell smirks at him.
"Indeed. Well, no matter. I feel it would be better to keep you locked up either way. Time to sleep, little prince."
He raises a hand and Archie tries to resist the pull of unconsciousness clouding his eyes, the darkness rising to cover his vision, but can't. He closes his eyes and tries to picture Cook one last time, his smile and eyes and warmth, but the black pushes it all away and he's gone.
.
"What the fuck," Ryan says when Cook raises his mother from the dip he'd twirled her into. "Why are you so excited about this ball all of a sudden?"
Beth laughs a little and glides away to oversee what color flowers are being placed around the room ("White," she tells the florists, "David wants white!") and Cook turns to Ryan, mouth twisted in what Ryan suspects is utter joy.
"I'm just looking forward to the party," Cook tells him, mouth still curved -- Ryan would normally probe more, because he loves gossip and the more details the better, but the thing is, His Highness hasn't been smiling at all since Prince Archie disappeared, and anything that makes him happy again, well, it's enough for Ryan.
He's so over dealing with morose royalty. It's bad enough he has to deal with them being themseleves on a daily basis already.
"Are you..." he hesitates, staring at Cook's smile, but then continues with, "Are you expecting anyone?"
Cook just gives him an unreadable look and tells the maestro to pick something soft and graceful to play, something like a swan. Then he practically skips out of the room, leaving a trail of confused servants and musicians in his wake.
Ryan thinks succinctly, what the fuck.
.
Archie wakes up and he's a swan, so it must be day again. "Oh my heck," he mutters, and the whistles of his swan voice echoes around him -- he realizes he's in some kind of well or something, because he's floating on the water and it's nothing but stone wall all around him.
"Awesome," he says, because the door way up at the top of the tower is accessible, sure, but not something he can open. He hates not having opposable thumbs. Or hands period.
He spends a few minutes moping a little, which he feels is understandable. Then he starts to dive, looking for a way out of the tower from below. There could be a few holes from erosion left around the base of the well, but there are also alligators swimming around in the moat -- he hasn't spent much time over near it, but Danny likes to taunt them, so he knows they exist. The presence of alligators in a moat seems sort of contrived to Archie, but he's not the evil sorcerer, so he's not gonna question it.
He dives around in a circle for a while before he sees a rock that looks a little loose. He comes up for air and then dives again, determined to push against it somehow, but it moves on its own and then drops in, sending Danny tumbling through it himself. Archie's eyes widen and he surfaces with the frog, who's cursing and shaking his little hands around and saying, "I hate alligators, dammit!"
"Danny!" Archie says, wishing he could snap and get Danny's attention back onto the problem at hand, mostly which is what is he doing. "Where are Syesha and Jason?"
"They're swimming around," Danny says dismissively. "Can we talk about how I'm the one always forced to do the suicide missions? I think as royalty I should be excused from anything that risks my life. Or my good looks."
"Oh my gosh," Archie says, and dives back down to make the hole a little bigger because clearly stuff is going down and Danny isn't going to be any help. He isn't surprised to find Jason already at the hole, digging with his sturdy feet, and shoots him a grateful smile while behind him Syesha flies through the water, laughing at the alligators furiously swimming after her.
When the hole is big enough he squeezes through it, feeling Danny tucked against his side, obviously hoping for a ride back out -- Archie allows him to grab onto his foot and flaps quickly through the water as the alligators' attention divert to him. He's not made for speed swimming, though, and he's still awkward, so it's with the sharp teeth right on him oh my gosh that he breaks free of the water and collapses onto the shore by the moat, coughing, though it sounds high pitched and weird as swan noises.
"This is not my idea of fun!" Danny shouts, dripping wet and angrily stalking away from them to dry himself as Syesha collapses on the ground and laughs and laughs. Archie offers a small smile to Jason, who leisurely watches them all as he drips onto the ground, and tries to catch his breath.
"It's almost sunset," Jason tells Archie, who nods, still panting. "You've got to get there soon, before the sun sets, so you can stop him."
They both know that with all the time lost it will be a close call, but Archie's already getting ready to fly, drying his wings out and flapping frantically. He can already tell the sun is sinking, and he's terrified of what might happen.
"We'll be here," Jason says quietly, and Archie realizes Syesha and Danny have stopped fighting momentarily to look at him. "In case something goes wrong, we'll be here to help you find your way back, okay?"
"Okay," Archie says, and he smiles at them -- he hopes the effort gets across despite his swan form's lack of facial muscles, and takes to the air.
.
The ball is so fucking boring. The sun is starting to set outside and there are girls and guys everywhere, trying to kiss up to him and get to him, but he only has eyes for the door. As soon as the sun sets and Archie becomes human and gets here, it's going to be the end of it, the end of all those weeks of worrying and missing him and being alone.
He shifts in his formal clothing (he hasn't had to wear this since -- since Archie came for the summer, fuck) and it itches a little. Absently he wonders what happened to Johns, but assumes he's around here somewhere. He's been embroiled in plans for the ball all day with mother, and his mind is too distracted by seeing Archie again to really commit to anything.
The sun sets and the girls and boys only get more daring, perhaps as the alcohol starts flowing more freely. He's really, really not enjoying this, but his mother looks hopefully at him and he plasters on a smile. Soon, Archie will be here. He keeps reminding himself of this, but it's starting to wear thin and he's becoming worried.
"No, really," he assures a girl, "I do not want my head petted, I swear." She pouts and he's about to fucking storm out, but a knock on the door silences everyone and they all turn to face it. Cook can practically feel his face light up and is glad no one is looking at him to see it.
"Was there...was there someone else?" his mother asks Ryan, who blinks in confusion and a bit of annoyance.
"No, Your Majesty," he answers, going to answer the door. "I have no idea who this could--" he draws the door open and cuts off abruptly. The person on the other side of the door is quiet and slips around him, and fuck, yes, it's Archie. He looks gorgeous, somehow in a beautiful suit and eyes bright and smiling right at him. Cook moves forward, barely aware of the crowd parting around him, and ignores the whispers that spring up as he reaches Archie.
"I was afraid you--" he starts to say.
"Shh," Archie says, bringing a hand up to press against his mouth. He stares at it, and Archie drops it, still smiling. "I'm here now."
And yes, he is, and the band strikes up behind them and they fall into a gentle waltz almost without thought -- Archie's eyes are dark and staring up at him intently, his mouth a soft curve. Cook can feel the warmth of his hands on his shoulders and the heat of his hip under his palm, and he's here, this is real, and before he knows it the song is drawing to a close.
He stops them from moving and has to tear his eyes away from Archie's (who's been so quiet, but Cook assumes he's taking it all in) to address the kingdom and the people all in the room with them, watching speculatively this whole time. He smirks at them.
"Hey. Everyone better be listening, because I have something really important to say, okay." He turns to Archie, who's back to beaming at him. "In front of every one of you, right here and now, I'm going to prove my love for the person I choose to be with for the rest of my life."
.
Archie flies as fast as he can, and the moonlight looks strange upon his wings -- he's never been a swan at night before, and everything looks different, blurred somehow in the scenery as he rushes by from high above. The castle is growing in the distance, and he can hear the music from here, can practically feel the glow of the lights on his feathers.
As he draws near, he hears the echo of Cook's voice rise up and say, "I'm going to prove my love for the person I choose to be with for the rest of my life."
Archie's heart seizes up in a panic, and he rushes to a window to look in and -- there, there's a person who looks just like him, his hand clutching Cook's, who grins at him softly. Archie taps his beak against the window frantically, but no one takes notice.
"In front of the entire world," Cook says, and Archie flies to another window, hoping to catch his gaze -- the other Archie inside turns Cook's head to him, smiling innocently when Cook looks at him questioningly --
nonononononononono
"I make a vow of everlasting love to you," Cook says, looking at the person who isn't Archie at all, and Archie's heart shatters into pieces as Cook finishes quietly, "David."
He feels himself drop out of the sky, but doesn't notice anything beyond the pain in his chest.
.
Cook feels everything is a bit anticlimactic, you know, having broken a powerful spell and everything, but then the lights go out and the front doors bang open.
There's a man there, humming under his breath, and Cook steps in front of Archie instinctively, hand rising to cover him.
"Who are you?" he asks, but it's not a question -- he thinks he can guess.
"Hello, prince charming," the man smiles, and his accent is thick with sarcasm. "Wonderful job you did there, pledging your love to someone who wasn't the little prince."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Cook says flatly, hand going to his sword. "I just -- right here, in front of the fucking world I made a vow of everlasting love."
"Sure you did," the man agrees, and his smile grows dark. "But rather, think of it as a vow of death." He raises his hand and a lance of lightening shoots from his fingertips to hit Archie, who falls to the ground facedown.
"Archie!" Cook yells, dropping next to him and turning him over -- but it's not, fuck, it's not Archie at all, it's some coyly smiling woman who flutters her lashes at him and says, "Hello, Prince Cook."
He drops her to the ground and spins around to face the man, who's examining his nails with interest. "What the fuck--"
"Too bad," he says, "That you went and did that. Now the little prince is certain to die."
Cook feels the blood drain out of his head, leaving him dizzy with shock -- behind the man, Cowell, it has to be, there's a swan flying hurriedly away from the castle, dipping lower with each flap of its wings.
"Archie," he whispers, and runs from the castle with the sound of Cowell's laughter ringing around him.
.
Can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breathe--
It's more than just having your heart gone -- it's like it was never there, like the love you felt was just a lie and everything you've ever known was wrong, wrong, wrongwrongwro--
he said he loved me
But the spell doesn't make allowances, doesn't take into account the meaning behind the words. All it knows is that his true love didn't make his vow to the right person, and now Archie is left to weakly flap his way down to lake, wings dragging the surface before he collapses on the steps leading out of the water.
He registers his body becoming human again, registers the sound of feet, of Cook shouting (Cook's voice is like a fire against his skin, painful and hot and too much, and he closes his eyes) and it's so much easier to just stop thinking, to stop hurting, to
.
Cook trips over a root and goes sprawling to the ground, but the pain of his knees jarring into the concrete is nothing compared to the fear and panic racing through his veins when Archie slumps down, still and silent. He scrambles to his feet again, sword hitting his hip sharply as he sprints to Archie's side.
Archie's eyes are closed and his chest isn't moving.
"Hey," Cook says, reaching out to rest his palm above Archie's heart (the only reason he can't hear or feel it is because his own is beating so loudly, he thinks, that's it, that's the only--), "Come on, wake up, Archie, let's -- you need to wake up now, okay? Okay?"
Archie remains still, almost serene. He's not breathing, and Cook's vision clouds, goes blurry and dark; his breathing grows shallow, his fists clench in Archie's shirt.
"I meant it for you," he whispers. "I said that -- the vow I made, it was for you!" He looks up, angrily blinking back his tears, and shouts, "Do you hear me? I made that vow for him!"
"Touching," a voice says, sounding amused. "Shouting to the heavens as if your cries will bring him back. You know, this whole thing is turning out to be really quite dramatic and predictable. Are you going to angrily scream at me next?"
"Fuck that," Cook snarls, standing up and drawing his sword, "Let's skip to the part where I fucking kill you."
Cowell grins sharply, his teeth seeming to elongate -- his eyes grow bright and skull lengthens. He's transforming, Cook realizes, tightening his grip on his sword -- transforming into some kind of winged beast, some kind of flying monstrosity. Cook is so angry, so fucking torn over Archie's death that he doesn't even feel fear, doesn't feel anything but rage.
"Still sure you want to kill me?" Cowell questions when he's done transforming, teeth glinting in the moonlight that rises above them, and his claws curl deeply into the dirt.
Cook doesn't answer, instead raising his sword and slicing at Cowell's arm -- Cowell dodges easily, flying high above him and laughing a loud, raspy laugh. "Such a typical prince charming," Cowell chuckles, and dives at Cook, claws extended.
Cook drops to the ground, but a claw catches him in the shoulder and he hisses in pain and shock as they tear through the muscles -- the cut is deep and starts to bleed sluggishly, but Cook stands up again, ignoring it. "Fuck you," Cook says, and it's weak and stupid but he feels it more strongly than he's ever felt anything (except for how he felt for Archie, Archie who's laying on the ground, motionless, lifeless--)
Cowell's mouth curls in something resembling a smile, teeth bared and white, and he flies into the air, flapping his wings hard against the currents until he's high above the treetops and -- gone. He's gone, and Cook whirls around, sword held aloft as he peers through the slowly brightening gloom. Sunrise is coming, Cook thinks, and that's when Cowell smashes through the trees above him and grabs hold of him in his claws.
Cook's arm is pinned so that he can't move his sword, and he struggles vainly as they fly into the air, hovering in the branches of the forest. The claws on Cowell's lower feet dig into Cook's shoulders and he winces as the first wound is deepened. He feels the switch in vertigo as Cowell swings him back, and the shock of being airborne is quickly overrun by the pain of being flung into a tree -- he grabs hold of the trunk before he can fall from the branch below him, steadying himself before he turns around, sword flashing in the light.
It sinks into Cowell's arm and slices through the swing across his face, making him roar with pain and fury and at least he no longer looks amused. Cook bares his teeth in a grin and then grimaces as he's knocked by a flailing wing down to the ground, branches catching against his clothes and slowing his fall so that when he crashes into the ground, the air is only knocked out of him, not beaten out of him.
"Stupid boy," Cowell snarls from where he's landed on the ground near him. "You really thought you could kill me. You really thought you were going to win -- what, exactly, would you win? Revenge for your little prince? Even killing me will only leave you with his cold, dead--"
Cowell is cut off as an arrow imbeds itself in his chest, right through his heart -- he looks down at it, shocked and open-mouthed, and Cook turns to his right to see Johns standing a little ways off, dripping wet and annoyed. "Fucking shut up, would you?" Johns asks irritably, wringing water out of his tunic. "I've been lost in this godforsaken forest all fucking day, and then some hag was chasing me around, and I fell in the goddamn moat with motherfucking crocodiles, crocodiles, really, and I am just fucking done with this."
Cowell opens and closes his mouth, sparks dancing along his skin. The glow in his eyes flickers a little, and he looks at Cook, mouth curling in a sneer. "Technically," he says, "You didn't win."
"Totally fine with that," Cook says, walking closer. "But." He smiles and plunges his sword into Cowell's head, between his eyes. "You did lose."
The sparks along Cowell's body grow thicker, until they consume his entire form and curl in on themselves -- when Cook can see past the flashes left in his eyes, there's nothing left. The sun is visible on the horizon.
Cook tosses his sword on the ground and walks slowly back to Archie, who hasn't moved since the fight started. He's pale and lovely and -- Cook bites his lip, leans down and presses his forehead to Archie's and prays, thinks anything he can that could work, hopes with everything he has. He moves his mouth in words that don't make sense but that mean the world to him, the words he wants to give Archie.
"Please wake up," Cook breathes, and pretends the air that rebounds off of Archie's mouth didn't come from him. "Please, fuck, I need you. I love you -- I love everything about you. I love, I love the way you turn the pages in the books you read, and I love how you hate to sacrifice pieces in chess, and I love how your face looks so peaceful when you sing, and I love the way your eyes tell me everything I need to know about your day. I love you, Archie. David. Please. Please."
He closes his eyes and ignores the burning against the back of his eyelids. He's not going to cry, because that would mean that there's nothing left to hope for, and he's not --
"Cook," he hears, "You're crying on me."
Archie's voice is weak and soft, but when Cook opens his eyes, Archie is smiling at him, eyelids parted to show hazy eyes. Cook blinks at him, and more tears fall on Archie, who makes a face, but Cook is pressing his mouth against Archie's before he can complain again, pushing him into the concrete and raising his hands up to frame his face. Archie returns the pressure as much as he can, which admittedly isn't much, but Cook can't think past the buzzing in his blood, the ecstatic giddiness consuming him, so he doesn't mind.
"Fuck," he hears himself say brokenly, "I thought you were gone, Archie."
"Nope," Archie says, still smiling softly at him, "Couldn't leave the kingdom in your hands, could I?" He laughs a little, and the sound just personifies everything Cook is feeling right now, so he kisses him again.
"That's beautiful, that's touching," Johns says from somewhere behind them, "But could we -- hey, guys, could we possibly go back to the castle now? Yes? No? C'mon, now -- Cook, fuck, wait, the guy just came back from the dead, let him up for air! Hey, don't have sex in front of me! Seriously!"
.
"And that's the end of it!"
"What? No, I've still got to tell -- I mean, there was the wedding and ... and stuff! I should talk about--"
"I think we know what goes on there, okay? Unless you want to share the details."
"Oh my gosh, seriously. It's not like, um, not like you don't already know."
"Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe you could remind me?"
"What are you -- c'mon, Cook, seriously, we've got to -- there's going to be a meeting with Ryan in a little while, I was just -- nnnh."
"Ha. Go on, say it, finish it out. And they both live ... ?"
"Happily -- Cook! -- ever after."
"Beautiful story, Archie. You should write a book."
"Like you'd -- oh! -- let me out of this room to do it."
"Point. C'mere."