Excalibur's Seven | ✓ [LGBT]

~ 14 ~

THE WORLD SHIFTED AND swayed beneath his feet, his heart thundering in the base of his belly. There was a lump in his throat big enough to choke him. Kit didn't know what he'd expected Herwerde to show him, but a son was most certainly not it.

He struggled to find anything to say. "Uh... hi... Lionel. I'm..." He looked up to Herwerde. "Am I 'dad?' Do I have to be 'dad?'"

Herwerde looked almost amused at this. "You can be whoever you want to be to him, he's your kid."

"Okay then." He swallowed, awkwardly jutting a hand out to the child. "You can call me Kit."

Lionel took his hand, and didn't let it go even after Kit shook it. "Hi, dad."

"No no, just Kit, Kit is fine."

"Okay. Hi, Kit," he said. He moved his big beady eyes up to Morgana next, but the Unseelie looked like he was looking straight into the face of a deadly beast. "Who are you?"

Morgana tried to regain his composure. "I'm your worst nightmare. You'd be wise to never talk to me, touch me, or even look at me. Understood?"

Lionel didn't look the slightest bit intimidated. After all, children has no concept of danger unless it was a big, howling monster.

"Who are you?" He was pointing to Selene now.

Selene looked just as shocked as Kit did. She was shaking her head like she didn't believe it. "I'm Aunt Selene," she said as politely as she could.

Before he could ask anyone else, Giselle knelt before him, catching his attention. "Hello, Lionel," she sang. "I'm Giselle."

He reached up to touch her iridescent wings, pulling a giggle from the faerie's lips.

"So, are you just leaving him with us?" Kit asked, staring at Herwerde with disbelief.

The Lord looked away. "Something happened to his mother, I don't know what. He came looking for you at the castle, and he's lucky it was me who found him. I didn't know what else to do with him, but I knew you two could protect him."

Kit laughed, but he wasn't amused. "I'm sorry, Herwerde, but I know nothing about children. I don't know how to deal with them, I don't want to accidentally send him into danger. See, we're on a very important quest and I--"

"I wouldn't underestimate this child, Kristofer," he interjected. "He found the castle on his own and I have no idea how."

He stared at Lionel. "How do you know he's not dangerous, then?"

"Your Highness, please, he's a child. What could be so dangerous about him?"

Kit had his fair share of books that didn't match their covers by now, but if Herwerde was sure about this, well, he trusted his judgment.

"And besides, that Seelie has already taken a liking to him."

Kit turned to see Giselle giggling and playing with the boy, delighted to be in the presence of a child. That was something about Seelies. They loved children. Adored them. They were the ones most likely to pluck them right up from the woods and take them home for entertainment, whereas Unseelies preferred to mess with them to get what they wanted.

"Are you sure about this?" Kit asked, looking to Herwerde again.

The Lord didn't break his gaze from the child. "I have no idea, Kristofer. But it's all we've got."

* * *

There were seven of them now, all sharing one room at an inn. Giselle hadn't left Lionel's side since she'd attached herself to it at the start, which at least kept Kit from having to deal with him. She'd assigned herself the role of babysitter and he was more than happy to let her keep it.