Zukaang-Enchantment Chapter 3

Title:   Enchantment

Chapter 3
“Mischief Managed”

Rating: Teen

Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender

Ships: Zukaang (ZukoxAang), Sibling!Ty
Laang (Ty LeexAang), Irko (IrohxZuko)

Warnings: Violence, some blood

“Talking” 'Thinking' <Telepathic Communication>

        “We need to talk.”  Ty Lee glanced guiltily at Aang from where she was sitting on the plush carpet in front of the fireplace in the library.  Zuko was sound asleep upstairs, the rune to ensure that no nightmares bothered him traced onto his forehead.  Mariposa was curled up beside him.

                “Um, about what?” Ty Lee had decided to play innocent.  Aang sighed heavily.

        “About Zuko.  I told you we would talk about this later.”  She leaned back on her palms.

        “You and Arthur both swear that he's not Dark.  I just don't see how it's possible.”

        “Just because his father's Dark doesn't mean that Zuko is.  He's had other influences in life, like his mother and uncle.  Judging by how much he talks about his uncle, and the love in his voice whenever he does, I would say that his uncle is a major part of his life, and a wonderful guy.  That influence could be enough to to outweigh his father and sister.  In fact, I'd be surprised if Zuko wasn't completely Light.”  Aang paused for a moment, internally debating whether to reveal that he'd read Zuko's mind.  “From what I saw in his memories, his mother was quite different from Ozai.  How those two ended up together is beyond me.”  Ty Lee had to admit, however reluctantly, that Zuko had always been a bit of a Mama's boy, and after her death, had always seemed to avoid his father as much as possible.  And to hate him.  That still didn't change the way he was, though, or the fact that he'd stolen her brother from her.

        “How could you choose him over me?” she burst out.  Aang looked at her, confused.

        “Huh?  When? What are you talking about?”

          “Earlier! You chose him overme normal">!  I'm your little
sister.”  Aang frowned at her.

        “You were in the wrong, Ty Lee.  I told you we would talk about it.  You shouldn't have attacked him like that.”

        “I didn't attack him.”

        “Accusing him of using his looks and a false sob story to get close to me and trick me into helping him is attacking him.”  Ty Lee flushed angrily and sat upright, folding her arms across her chest.  Aang sighed.  “I admit that I reacted badly earlier, and I apologize.  But that doesn't change the fact that you owe Zuko an apology for your behavior, and that you're being unreasonable.  You're judging him because of his family.  Give him a chance.  Please?”  He leaned over and kissed her cheek.  “Good night, sis.  I have to up early to take Zuko into Red Lodge to call his uncle, so I won't see you in the morning.  Sleep well.”  

        “Night, Aangy.”  Aang smiled as he headed upstairs.  At least she wasn't still mad at him.  Getting Ty Lee to give Zuko a chance would probably take a little more effort, though.

        After checking on Zuko to make sure he was still sleeping peacefully, he padded down the hallway to his own room and quickly changed into his pajamas. They would have to leave around dawn to reach Red Lodge before Sunshine's was completely packed, even using the All Paths spell.

        Waking well before dawn, Aang showered and dressed, choosing his clothes carefully.  He needed something that wouldn't make him stand out in Red Lodge.  He then headed back to Zuko's room to wake him up.  He found Mariposa pawing at Zuko's cheek while meowing loudly.  Zuko kept trying to hide under the blankets, grumbling.  Aang smiled and leaned against the wall.  Mariposa was doing a fine job of waking up the other teen.  He decided to give her a few more minutes before interfering.

        Zuko burrowed under the blankets, trying to evade the damn cat's paws.  “Go 'way,” he growled.  Why was this stupid cat bothering him?  It wasn't even dawn yet.  He still had time to sleep before going to Red Lodge with Aang.  The cat pursued him into his woven cave.  He glared at her.  “Go.  Away.  Furball.”  Blue eyes narrowed, and a cream paw shot towards his nose.  He heard rich laughter, then the cat disappeared backwards.

        “All right, 'Posa.  That's enough.  I'll get him up.”  The blankets were pulled away, and a cheery voice said, “Wakey-wakey, sleepy head!”  Zuko glared up at Aang, who smiled crookedly at him. “You do want to call your uncle, right?  We'll have to get going soon.”

        “It's not even dawn yet.  Let me sleep.”  Zuko tried to pull the blankets back over his head, but Aang easily held them out of his reach.  Damn tall teen.

        “It most certainly is dawn.  If you look out one of your windows, you'll see an absolutely gorgeous sunrise.”  'Almost as gorgeous as you are,' he thought.  Zuko looked...wow.  Aang's pajamas hung off one shoulder, baring a lovely expanse of creamy skin along with a scar or two.  His silky black hair was sleep tousled, revealing a few hints of pinkish red color near his left eye, along with a sliver of the eye itself.  Was that what Zuko was hiding with his hair?  Pink dusted cheeks, sleep-lidded eyes, and slightly parted lips completed a highly pleasing picture.  Aang was suddenly glad his clothes were so loose.  Hopefully they would hide his reaction to seeing Zuko like this.  Aang blinked then flushed.  Zuko saw him staring, and self-consciously reached up to pat his hair, ensuring that the hateful scar was still covered.  Unthinking, Aang reached out to stroke it out of his face gently, stirring it briefly.  Zuko blanched and jerked away, left hand clamping over his scar.  Aang took a step back, feeling guilty.

        “I...I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to upset you,” he said softly.   Zuko nodded slightly and looked away.  “Erm, I'll be going now. Give some privacy to get dressed and all that.”  Mariposa followed him out of the room, sitting besides his feet as Aang waited in the hallway.  “I wonder what he's hiding under his hair.  Have you happened to see it, by any chance?”  Mariposa answered in the negative.  “Ah, well.” The door opened a few minutes later to reveal a fully dressed-but still sleepy looking- Zuko, hair still slightly damp.

        “How far did you say it was to Red Lodge again?”

               “About six or seven miles as the crow flies.  It's mostly downhill though, and I'll use a spell called All Paths to make the trip shorter and easier.  Aang looked at Zuko's sneakers and frowned slightly.  “We'll have to find you some hiking boots before we go.  Your feet will be be one big blister in those shoes.”  They headed downstairs, to where the Brownies were already busy.  Clematis gave them both a breakfast cookie to tide them over until they got to town.  Aang headed to the closet where hiking boots were kept, Zuko trailing after him, nibbling on his cookie.  It was excellent, loaded with fruit, nuts, and oatmeal.

        While Aang looked for a pair of hiking boots in Zuko's size, Zuko noticed a small black cat with a single white toe coming around the corner.  His head was down and his tail was drooping so low it dragged along the floor. Zuko crouched down and extended his hand to the cat, hoping to cheer him up a little.

        “Here, kitty kitty,” he cooed,  The cat looked up, revealing gold eyes, perked up immediately and raced over to rub against his hand and start purring.  “My name's Zuko. What's yours, kitty?” he asked as the cat  began climbing his arm to his shoulder.  The cat chirruped at him.

        “He says his name is Shinto,” Aang told him straightening with a pair of hiking boots in his left hand.  His right hand still held his mostly untouched cookie.  “These should fit.”  Shinto trilled then mewed.  Aang looked amused.  “He says that your his job.”

        “His job?”

        “Yes.  All the cats here have jobs.  Shinto's littermates have all found theirs. So he's happy to have found you.”

        “What's Mariposa's?”

        “She's a Queen-which means she's one the cats who isn't spayed and has kits-and she helps take care of other kits.”  The boots fit Zuko almost perfectly, and they were soon on their way, Shinto curled contentedly in Zuko's bag.  He poked his head out to look around occasionally.  They walked in silence for about half an hour or so, until Zuko decided to ask some more questions.  Aang explained about Light, Neutral, and Dark; how Light focused on healing, protection, freedom and life; Dark sought death, pain, misery, and chaos; and Neutral focused on trying to maintain the status quo and balance between Light and Dark.  He also explained that, ideally, there was balance (or near balance, anyway) between the three forces.  That any magic users could use Neutral spells, Light magic users couldn't use Dark spells, Dark magic users couldn't use Light spells, and Neutral magic users could use all but the strongest Light and Dark spells.  And that most combat magic, which Aang was terrible at, was Neutral.  Only the nasty spells were Dark.

        Zuko decided to ask about magical creatures next.  “Are trolls real?”  Aang affirmed that they were.  “Dragons?” Yes. “Mermaids?” Yes. “Werewolves?” They were called Weres, and they were more than just wolves.*  “Fairies?” They were called Fae, and what did Zuko think the Brownies were?  Aang was currently explaining more about Fae.

        “The Seelie, or Bright, Blessed, are the 'Good' Fae.  Well, as good as Fae get, anyway.  At least they're not outright malicious, like the Unseelie. They'll still do serious damage if you offend them though.  They place a high value on physical aesthetics, and will banish any member who doesn't meet their standards.**  They have a stringent Code of Honor, and will go to great lengths to repay any debt they owe, or any insult paid to them.  If you know a Fae's True Name, you can control them, so they guard those ferociously.

        “Unseelie are the 'Bad' Fae.  Unlike their Seelie cousins, they're not mischievous, they're downright malicious.  They hate humans, and anything Light.  In fact, a lot of Unseelie Fae's primary diet is human flesh.”  Zuko shuddered. “A Seelie Fae won'tintentionally harm you unless you've insulted it, but an Unseelie Fae will happily injure, maim or even kill you just for fun.  They have a Code of Honor just like the Seelie Court.  

        “We should stop for a few minutes to rest.”  Aang's abrupt change of subject momentarily threw  Zuko.  “Not so long that our muscles cool down and cramp up on us, but long enough to get our breath back.  Aang wasn't out of breath at all, despite having been scrambling ahead, clearing fallen branches off the path and holding overhanging ones out of the way for Zuko, all the while chatting away, answering Zuko's questions.  Zuko, on the other hand, was most definitely out of breath.  He was fit, but he wasn't used to this much exercise at one time.  They must have been walking for several miles.  Aang produced two stools out of his bag while speaking, and he placed them down on the ground and gestured to the taller one.  Zuko sat down with a grateful sigh.  Aang sat down on the shorter one next to him.

        “How much farther is it to Red Lodge?”

        “No more than a mile and a half.  We're about three quarters of the way there. We should have stopped earlier, I'm sorry.”  Zuko rubbed his sore muscles unconsciously.  Aang observed the gesture.

        “Would you be comfortable if I massaged your legs a bit?  It might help your muscles relax, and make them hurt a little less.”  Zuko nodded shyly.  “If you think distressed thoughts, you'll probably summon a unicorn or two to ride.  That will make the rest of the trip easier for you.”  Aang massaged Zuko's left leg skillfully, keeping one eye on Zuko as he worked.  Zuko was stiff as a board. “Relax. If you begin to feel uncomfortable, tell me and I'll stop,” he murmured.  Massage wouldn't do any good at all if he insisted on remaining this stiff the entire time.  Zuko slowly relaxed.  Aang's hands felt wonderful, and his touch was completely impersonal and professional.  He worked with the air of one who was completing a job.  But, he was friendly, too, smiling at Zuko every time their eyes met.

        Zuko glanced up when he heard the feminine voice, assuming it was a unicorn, like Aang had mentioned.  It wasn't a unicorn, though, at least not one he could see.  He couldn't see anything at all, in fact.  He mentally shrugged, figuring it had been a trick of the wind.  Then he heard it again.  It definitely said 'Zuko'.  He was certain of it.  

        Aang finished his efforts on Zuko's left leg, and stretched briefly before starting to walk behind Zuko so he could begin work on his right leg, freezing when he heard the voice.  He recognized the slithery, raspy sound for what it was.  A Fae using a Glamour.  He could hear the woman's voice it was imitating, layered oddly over its real voice.  No Seelie had a voice like that.  He frowned.  What was it doing here?

        “Zuko...Zuko. The Wizard lied to you, Zuko.  Don't trust him.” Zuko's eyes widened.  He knew that voice, had heard it in his dreams for years.

        “Mommy,”he whispered.***

        “Yes, Zuko. Leave the Wizard, Zuko.  We can be together again.  But you have to come to me.”  Zuko stood up as if in a trance.  Aang wrapped both arms around him, realizing what the Fae wanted, realizing too late what had happened while he was focused entirely on Zuko.  Shinto complained loudly at being squished between Aang's chest and Zuko's back.  He squirmed his way out of Zuko's backpack and up onto his shoulder where he clung, digging his claws into Zuko's shirt.

        “Its lying, Zuko.  Its not your mother, it's an Unseelie Fae.  Don't listen to it!”  Aang glanced over his shoulder, hoping that he could tug Zuko backwards, maybe get out of range of the Fae's Glamour.  But  it was the Fae Realms.  The leaves were too bright a green, just a little too big, the shape just a little off.  The flowers were too colorful, the trees a little too twisted.  This was Aang's fault.  He should have been paying more attention.  He should have noticed the Magic in the air, should have noticed that the Fae were opening a door between their Realms and his Forest.  But he'd focused wholly on Zuko, arrogantly, stupidly assuming that nothing would happen. Not here.  Not in his Forest.  Not while Aang was here, or so close to the Castle.

        Zuko was struggling desperately now, the Fae goading him on.  Aang pressed his hand over Zuko's heart, murmuring the spell to Mark Zuko, claiming him as his own.  Between that and the Protection Ward he'd put on him earlier, Aang desperately hoped that it would be enough to protect him.

        “Shinto, stay with him.  Don't let them separate you two, all right?” Shinto mewed in agreement, just as Zuko broke free and bolted off the path, disappearing into the Fae Realms with Shinto clinging to his shoulder.

        <Sage?  We ran into trouble.  A Fae lured Zuko into the Fae Realms.  I'm pretty sure it was Unseelie.  I'm going after him.  We're about five miles north-northeast of the Castle.>

        <Aang, wait, don't!  Give us a few minutes.  We'll join you there.>  Sage received no response and realized that Aang had headed into the Fae Realms.  She had to notify Arthur immediately.  He would contact Roku and explain the situation.  A mortal under the protection of a Wizard being taken into the Fae Realms was a serious situation, and a Wizard Apprentice following him made it an emergency.

        <Arthur! Clematis! Thorn!  Emergency!  Meet me in the kitchen at once!> she shrieked.  Ty Lee was just an Apprentice, and she wasn't as advanced as her brother.  Aang was almost ready to assume the position of Wizard, meaning that Roku could retire soon.  She would have to stay here, while more experienced heads-and magic users-handled this. Clematis banged out the back a heartbeat later, followed quickly by Thorn.

        “Arthur's coming.  What's happened?” Clematis demanded.  Arthur burst out the back door as she finished speaking.

        Sage repeated what Aang had told her quickly.  “He's pretty sure Zuko was taken by Unseelie Fae.  We're going to have to assume the worst so that we can be prepared for it.  Arthur, notify Roku.  He'll have to cut his vacation short.  Thorn, gather everything we're going to need.  Arthur, help him when you've filled Roku in.  Sister, you and I will come up with a plan.  The men nodded solemnly and  disappeared into the Castle.

        Zuko had made a serious mistake, and he knew it.  He had followed what he thought was his mother, but it turned to be what he could only describe as a monster.  Sharp teeth and claws, scaly skin, and reptilian eyes and body.   It laughed mockingly at his horrified expression.


        “Stupid human Knight.  So easy to fool.  Oh, Zuko, Zuko!” it said in his mother's voice.  Zuko flinched.  “Our King will be pleased to have a Knight's blood for his wine.  Grab him and bring him to feast area.”  This was directed to two slinky humanoid females.  Coming up on either side of them, they  each grabbed an arm.  Zuko flinched away from their touches.  Their hands were cold as ice.

        “Such a pretty Knight,” once cooed, stroked a long-nailed finger down his cheek.  “Can't we play with him a little first, Gwyddion?”

        “No,”the reptile-thing -Gwyddion?-snarled.  What was it Aang had said about Fae and their names?  That you could control one if you knew its names?  “Did I not just say that his blood is for our liege?”  The things holding Zuko pouted.

        “We won't drink any!  We just want to play,” they whined.

        “I SAID NO!” roared Gwyddion.  The woman-things shrank back, baring sharp teeth.  Zuko shuddered at the sight.  

        A small voice whispered in his ear, “Don't worry.  Aang will rescue us soon.  And I'LL keep us safe until then.”  Zuko jumped in surprise, looking at Shinto in shock.  The already small cat looked even smaller, in an indescribable feline way.  Zuko quickly looked away, realizing that these things hadn't noticed him yet.  Having his kitten was a comfort, especially since Zuko could somehow understand him here.  One of the things holding onto him looked at him suspiciously, but apparently didn't see Shinto.

        “Jumpy, pretty Knight?” she purred.  She stroked her free hand down Zuko's chest, making Zuko shudder in revulsion, then abruptly lunged away with and ear-curdling screech.  “He burned me!  The Knight burned me!”  Gwyddion whirled around, features warped with rage.

        “I told you not to-” he broke off.  “He burned you?  How? Knight Errants don't have Magic!”  Knight Errant?  That's what Aang said people who had a weapon affinity were called.  Did that mean that Zuko wasn't a Mortal, after all?  That he might be a part of Aang's world?  He'd have to ask Aang.  If he lived through this, that was.  The woman-thing who'd stroked Aang's chest held up her hand-well, what was left of it, anyway.

        “Then explain this,” she hissed.  The reptilian looked at her arm then at Zuko with narrowed eyes.  He strode towards Zuko, grasped the collar of his shirt and tore it open clear to the hem, claws scraping his chest.  Zuko shrank back, terrified.

        “Well, well. Our human has a little surprise for us.  He is Marked property of a Wizard. Warded, too.  You did not see fit to mention this, little Knight?”  Zuko stared into those horrible eyes, fear twining his insides into a Gordian Knot.  Marked property of a Wizard?  That could only be Aang.  He must have done that to protect Zuko.  Hopefully Zuko would be able to thank him. He shrank farther away from Gwyddion mutely, part of his mind debating the odds of escape if he bolted.  The uninjured woman-thing's grasp was loose.  He could probably break free.  But where would he go?  He hadn't seen much of the world besides New York City and the suburb where he lived, but he could still tell that he wasn't in Montana anymore.  He felt Shinto's head bump against his scarred ear, reassuring him.  “Grab him.  Gently.  And avoid that Mark.  Our liege will have to find someone...expendable to spill his heart's blood,” he said, eyes on the injured woman-thing.  The woman-things reluctantly obeyed, grabbing his arms much more gently than they had previously before dragging him in the direction they'd been going before.  Zuko glanced over his shoulder.  Shinto had said that Aang would rescue them, but how would he ever find them?

        Damn it.  Why couldn't Zuko have been taken by a Seelie Fae?  This would be so much easier then.  If it had been Seelie, then the kidnapping probably would've have been motivated by mischief, or because it admired his looks.  Either way, Zuko wouldn't be in physical danger, and it would have been easy to get him back.  Since it was Unseelie, he might have to use force, running the risk of starting a war with Unseelie Court.  Worse, they might harm Zuko the moment he tried to claim him back.

        He stopped when he found a splash of blood on the ground.  Zuko's?  He prayed it wasn't. Crouching, he poked it experimentally with a finger.  It was thick and black, but still warm.  Definitely not human, then.  He sniffed it, recoiling at the rancid smell.  Oh, no.  A Baobhan Sith?  It could be completely unrelated to Zuko's abduction, but Aang doubted it.  If a Baobhan Sith was involved, then Aang had to hurry if he  hoped to find Zuko alive.  He picked up his pace, following the trail of light-visible only to Wizards and Brownies-that he'd worked into the Mark to lead him to Zuko.  The Fae Realms were huge, and Aang wasn't a tracker.  It would be easy to get lost, and that would be fatal for Zuko.

        He was moving at a sprint by the time the Realm began to darken, an unnatural twilight falling, the trees twisted into tortured shapes, the flowers and colors completely gone.  Deep down, he knew that he would have a better chance of succeeding with diplomacy if he entered the Fae Court with dignity, as opposed to racing in flushed and out of breath.  The fact the he was wearing the loose, plain shirt and pants he usually wore under his robes would detract from his image enough as it was. Aang hated the thought of another delay, but it was necessary.  He had just come to a halt a short distance away from the cobweb draped entrance to the Unseelie Feast Area when Shinto uttered a loud screech.  All thoughts of a dignified entrance forgotten, he surged into to the Feast Area just in time to see a Baobhan Sith missing a hand cut Zuko's throat, screaming as the the Ward on Zuko's back caused the action to rebound on her threefold.  Zuko's blood spilled into a jewel encrusted goblet.  Guilt and horror froze Aang in place for a heartbeat.  No.  The Ward was supposed to protect Zuko, to prevent anyone from harming him.  And he was Marked property of a Wizard.  The Fae Code of Honor should have prevented them from touching him.  At all.  Shinto's heartrending wail of grief broke Aang out of his shock.  Dimly, he recalled that there was a spell that would restore life.  But it had to be performed very soon after death, and Aang didn't know that spell. There was a spell that would stop Time, that would keep Zuko's Soul from passing on before Arthur got there.  Aang didn't know that spell either, but there were other ways to open the door to his Magic. Spells were the key to the lock, but the lock could be picked, or the door simply kicked open.  He just wouldn't have as much...finesse with the results, and would probably end up freezing the entire Court instead of just Zuko.  A little voice chided him for using so much magic, a remnant from when he was little and just learning to use his magic.  He ignored it.  This was important.  The Unseelie King, the only one besides Aang who was unfrozen, studied him impassively.

        “Little Mortal.  Why have you come uninvited into my Realm?”  Aang knew that the son of a bastard was trying to get a rise out of him, to provoke him into attacking.  He was too angry to care.


        “You know damn well that I'm a Wizard Apprentice.  Just as you knew Zuko- the Mortal you just murdered- belonged to me. The stupid Dullahan had always been like this-ignoring whatever information wasn't convenient for him.  The King's haggard features twisted in a faint smirk.

        “I had no knowledge that the donor of my wine wasn't free to claim.”

        “Then you're a fool.”  The Fae King stiffened in outrage.  “An old, useless, fool  The Unseelie Court would be far stronger with such dead weight as its King.”  The Dullahan slowly rose to his feet.  This impudent pup's insults would not go unpaid.  He didn't even know that his 'Mortal' had been a Knight Errant.  He would be more than able to justify his actions today.  Whichever Wizard this pup belonged to would not be happy, but that would be an easily overcome obstacle.

        Aang smirked.  Taking the King's life would be justified even without the ancient Dullahan attacking, but didn't feel comfortable killing him while he was sitting down.  Creating a vacuum bubble around the King's head was simple, especially with Aang's Air Affinity.  The hard part would be overcoming his naturally gentle, healing nature long enough for the Dullahan to suffocate.  A quick glance at Zuko was enough to take care of that.  He stared coldly, not feeling even a twinge of pity or guilt as he watched the King first drop his head, then claw desperately at in a desperate attempt to breath.  Aang tightened the bubble, molding it to the Fae's head.  He knew that the bubble's collapse would give the King a brief flash of hope, that it was cruel to do so.  Aang just didn't care. He watched the King's eyes bulge, watched his grey skin take on a deep purplish-blue tinge.  He stared impassively as the King's mouth gaped wide, straining for air, his struggles growing weaker and weaker before finally stopping.  It was only when all trace of Life had vanished that Aang's rage shattered and faded away.  He staggered,
weak-kneed, over to where Zuko was kneeling, slumped over the goblet, supported by another Baobhan Sith's grip on his hair.  Aang collapsed to his knees beside the other teen, wrapped his arm around Zuko's ribs and began to sob hoarsely, not noticing that his Magic was leaking out in his tears as they slid down Zuko's neck, along the edges of the gaping wound.

        Lunaria was waiting where Aang and Zuko had gone into the Fae Realms, when the rescue group arrived, pawing at the ground anxiously. She had sensed their distress from halfway across the Forest and galloped as quickly as she could to where they were, but she was too late.  They were already gone.  “I can't sense Zuko anymore,” she whinnied.  “He's just gone.  We have to hurry!”  Arthur began opening a portal to the Fae Realms.

        “Can you pick up anything from Aang?”  Sage asked. Lunaria concentrated as hard as she could.

       “He was worried...then angry...now he's really sad.  And scared.”  She looked at the forest again.  She could smell the Fae who had taken them.  Two blood-drinkers, and a flesh-ripper. Just the residual smell made her muscles twitch with the urge to run, run far and fast.  But she couldn't.  There were two virgins, two virgins that she loved, in danger.  She had to save them. They needed her.  Once Arthur was finished with the portal, he stood and took a half step back as the hole in reality shimmered into view. The sound of weeping drifted out.

        “This will take us directly to where they are,” Arthur said, then his brow furrowed in concentration.  “Wait-why is everything so still?  Aang doesn't know how to stop Time, does he?  I thought that we didn't teach that to our Apprentices until they're ready to be on their own.”

        “He doesn't.  He probably could have managed it without spell, though.  He's powerful enough.”  Clematis stepped cautiously through the portal.  It was always best to be cautious when dealing with Unseelie Fae.  Lunaria leaped through right behind her, freezing briefly before charging headlong into the clearing just ahead.  Sage, Thorn and Arthur stepped through the portal, Arthur fussing for a few seconds to insure that the portal would stay open and would not permit anyone who was not with them to cross back through.

        “No!” Lunaria wailed.  “Zuko!”  Clematis took in the scene as the unicorn raced to Aang's side.  Zuko was on his knees in front of a golden goblet, Aang kneeling beside him, weeping.  A small black cat was on one shoulder, balanced on his hind paws, one fore paw extended like he was trying to grab something. The Fae King was dead on the ground, a huge Boggart standing next to the throne with a smug expression on his face. There was a Baobhan Sith standing behind Zuko, fingers in his hair, the bloody remains of another one close by.  Clematis winced at the sight.  She probed delicately at Aang's power levels, to see how much longer he could hold Time stopped.  She paled when she realized that he was on his very last dregs of Magic, and that meant his hold on Time was about to vanish.

        “Arthur-” she began, just as Time restarted.  The Boggart was the first to react, its smug expression vanishing as it saw the dead King.  Then Zuko drew in a gasping breath, causing the Baobhan Sith to release his hair and step back.  Aang's head jerked up in shock at the sound, and it dawned on Clematis why Aang had been crying, why Lunaria hadn't been able to pick up on Zuko's emotions. Zuko had been dead.  The Fae had killed him, and Aang...Aang had somehow brought him back.   He'd probably killed the Unseelie King, too, which meant...oh muffins.  Aang was now King of the Unseelie Court.  This was a disaster.  They had to do something, immediately. The Baobhan Sith solved the problem for them.

        “Gwyddion?  You killed the King?!”  The Boggart looked at her, mouth open to protest, then it closed it with a snap.

        “Yes.” It narrowed its eyes at them.  “What are you people doing here?  How did you get in my Realm?”  It noticed Lunaria, and smiled toothily.  “At least you brought me an unicorn as a gift.”

        <Arthur!  Can you stop Time so that we can get out of here alive?  And maybe wipe their memories so that they don't remember us?>

        <Yes.  I can only remove their memories of us from after Time restarted, I can't remove their memories of the boys being here from earlier, though.>

        <That's going to have to be good enough,> Clematis sent just as Aang passed out from exhaustion, Lunaria going down on her front knees to catch him as best as she could.  Once Arthur had Time stopped he carefully removed all trace of the group from the memories of the Boggart and the Baobhan Sith.  It would appear to them as if Aang and Zuko had simply vanished, leaving the Old King  dead and a Boggart as his successor.

        While Arthur was doing his tasks, the Brownies carefully transferred Aang and Zuko onto Lunaria's back.  Both boys were deeply unconscious, and Sage sat behind them to ensure that neither of them slid off on the way back to the portal and the Mortal Realms where they belonged.

        “How are we going to handle this?” Sage asked quietly once they were back in their Forest. “Zuko having...died?”

        “If he remembers, Aang will have to tell him everything.  If Zuko doesn't remember anything, then why distress the child by telling him that he died when he has no memory of the event?” replied Arthur.

        “Is that likely?  Zuko not remembering anything?”

        “I would think so.  I've never had cause, personally, to use a Resurrection spell, but Merlin told me that the Resurrected rarely remember having died and come back.  Of course, Aang didn't use a proper Resurrection spell, so that might have an impact on whether Zuko remembers anything or not.  Aang is going to have to take precautions against the Fae regardless.”  Arthur looked at Lunaria and the  growing herd of unicorns behind her.  “Will you keep these two safe until they reach Red Lodge?”

        “Yeah!  Of course we will!” one of the unicorns said happily.  Sage and Clematis nestled the boys up against the sides of two kneeling unicorns.  Clematis quickly fixed the tear in Zuko's shirt.

        “We should head back to the Castle now, make sure everything is all right there.  We'll need to update Roku as well,” Thorn said.  “Lunaria, make sure Aang knows to safeguard against the Fae while they're in Red Lodge.”  She nodded happily.

        Aang woke up slowly, with a pounding headache, and to the sounds of happy unicorns.  He was definitely beginning to remember why Roku had drilled into him to never, ever use all of his Magic.  A face loomed into his vision.  An unicorn, with lovely violet eyes, a small horn, and silky white fur.  She must have migrated from farther South.

        “My name's Lidia.  I love you.”  Aang smiled at her.

        “I love you, too, Lidia.”

        “We're to keep you safe until you get to Red Lodge.”  Aang nodded as he carefully sat up, looking around at his surroundings.  They were back on the path, surrounded by a sizable herd of unicorns, right where they had headed into the Fae Realms. The stools that they had sat on were even still there, Zuko's on its side.  He looked around  for Zuko, relaxing when he saw him sleeping against the side of another unicorn, an older one than Aang's, who had her head curved around to rest against his hand.  Shinto was sitting on Zuko's hip, making nervous biscuits and peering at Zuko's
face.

        “Shinto?  How are you doing?”  Shinto looked at Aang with wild gold eyes.

        “I don't know!” he wailed.  Aang shifted to his knees with a wince and reached over to stroke Shinto's head gently.  “He was gone, and now he's here, but what if he goes away again?”

        “Zuko's not going to go anywhere, buddy, I promise.”  Aang couldn't help but feel like a liar as he said it.  After all, he had promised Zuko that he would keep him safe, and look how that had ended up.  But the little kitten calmed down considerably at his words.  Shinto raced up Zuko's side to cuddle under his chin.

        “I promised him I'd keep him safe,” he mewed in a tiny voice.  Aang's throat tightened up.

        “So did I.  We're going to have try a lot harder from now on, aren't we?”  Shinto looked gratefully at him, then squeaked when Zuko shifted slightly.

        “Oh!  Aang, Arthur gave me a message for you,” Lunaria blurted suddenly.  She stopped, looking a little blank.  Aang knew it could take a few minutes for her to remember the message.  It was in there, she just might have to chase it around a bit.  “Um...oh, yeah.  You are to take precautions against strangers.”  Aang
was a little confused.  Why would Arthur warn him about strangers?  He was seventeen, he'd learned the lessons about 'stranger danger' well over a decade earlier.  “Ooh, Zuko's waking up!”  Lunaria pranced in place a little with happiness.  “I'm so glad he's okay!”

        “Why wouldn't I be all right?” Zuko asked a little grouchily.  “Why am I outside?  And why are there unicorns everywhere?!”

        'He doesn't remember what happened,' Aang thought.  'Crap, what should I tell him?'

        “Do you remember leaving the Castle to head to Red Lodge so you could call your Uncle?”  Zuko looked blankly at him for a moment, then enlightenment dawned in his gold eyes.

        “Yeah...we stopped for a rest, and you were giving me a leg massage...”  Zuko trailed off, blushing as he looked away.  “Did...did I pass out or something?  Is that why all the unicorns are here?”

        “Yes,” Aang said, relieved.  It wasn't exactly a lie, after all.  “They're going to give us a ride the rest of the way into town.”

        “Yay!  Which one do I get to carry?” one of the younger unicorns said excitedly.

        “Are you sure that they'll be okay with that?”

        “Zuko, giving a ride to a virgin will send them over the moon with bliss, trust me.”  The unicorns began to argue over who would get to give them a ride as they spoke.

        “I want to carry Zuko!”

        “No fair!  He slept against you.”

        “Me!  Me!  I can carry Aang!”

        “You're too little.  I'll carry him.”

        “But I wanna carry him!”

        “Ladies!  You can take turns carrying us to Red Lodge. Whoever doesn't get to carry one of us on the way there can give us a ride on the way home, okay?”  The unicorns nodded.  “Zuko, pick a unicorn, any unicorn.”  An unicorn with silvery-white fur and blue eyes raced forward.

        “Me, me me!  My name's Violet.  I love you.”

       “OK, um...”

        “You don't have to say it back, Zuko,” Aang whispered to him.  “They say that when they're meeting a virgin, since they love all virgins.”  Aang looked around, and chose a large, majestic unicorn named  Sansa.  “Hello again, Sansa.”

        “Hello, Aang.  I love you.”
 
        “I love you, too.  Thank you for the lift.”

       “Of course!  Anything for you, Aang.”


*A/N: Kim Harrison (excellent author, especially if you like stuff like Enchantment) also has Weres in her books.  Her's are just wolves, though, and special spells are required to shift into anything else.

**These are what Aang encounters in Fairy Tale.

***Zuko was about seven when Ozai killed Ursa.