Burning Iron and Honey Sweet Promises (TNTDUO/Quackbur)

Chapter Three

It had been a struggle to balance everything he had brought with him down the ladder and into the cellar. He had an entire meal worth of food, along with his bottle of healing water and a small healing spell bottle. So long as the Unseelie King had it concealed on his person, the fae would be able to draw on its power to heal himself. At least, he would be able to for a couple of months, until Wilbur would have to replace the bottle with a new one. But until that point, it would be very effective. Hopefully.

Q perked up immediately as soon as Wilbur entered the room, "Lapis? Why do I smell thyme and honey?"

"Because tonight is your lucky night, Q" Wilbur revealed the meal he had prepared, "I was able to prepare some thyme-roasted chicken and honey glazed potatoes. So, you actually get to eat a full meal."

Wilbur had struggled to cook the food without getting caught. Most people might not have been able to tell what contraband ingredients had been put into the dish, but he knew his overprotective and paranoid father would've worked it out far too quickly. That would have left Wilbur trapped, forced to explain exactly why he wanted to prepare a meal perfect for a fae. Even if Wilbur successfully lied his way out of that situation, he'd have Technoblade babysitting for a couple of months at least. Which would have left Q on his own.

Still, a part of Wilbur felt like the effort had been completely worth it. The look on the Unseelie fae's face when he entered the room, the look of absolute delight he gained - like a child who had gotten everything he wanted for his birthday. He wasn't sure why, but he liked that he could catch the fae off guard like that. Maybe it was just because the fae was rather easy to please, especially when compared to the other hunters who barely acknowledged his existence unless they wanted a protection ward or blessed weapon. Wilbur just liked the change of pace.

"What's wrong, Q? Usually you have some witty comeback prepared for me" Wilbur teased.

"You're just full of surprises" the fae said in a tone Wilbur couldn't place.

Wilbur tried to play it off, "It's nothing, really. Oh, wait! Before you eat, you should probably drink this."

"What is it? Another tonic of yours?" Q asked.

"It's just water. But special water. Water that is good for you" Wilbur answered.

The King of the Unseelie Court eyed him with a look of pure skepticism, but relented and relaxed so Wilbur could properly give him the drink. The Healing Water Enchantment had to be consumed quickly after the spell had been casted, as after too long the magic would slowly start to fade and the enchanted water would just become regular water. Wilbur still felt plenty of magic from the bottle, but he wasn't one who wanted to take chances. Q needed to drink it sooner rather than later, or else he might not get the full benefits from the water. Which would have rendered Wilbur exhausting himself a huge waste.

"That wasn't just water" the fae eyed him suspiciously.

"Sure it was," Wilbur said, "What else could it have been?"

Q leaned forward, "You're a witch."

It wasn't a question.

"Me? No, I'm not a witch" Wilbur scoffed, though it sounded fake even to his ears.

"I'm not going to use it against you, Lapis. Even if I would, how could I?" the fae deliberately rattled his chains, "I'm very secured down here."

The witch contemplated over that one for a moment. While it was true that the fae was unable to do anything with the information of Wilbur's abilities, that still didn't entirely negate the risks that came with a fae knowing someone was a witch. But witches had gotten a terrible reputation amongst other humans in the first place because some of them worked with the fae. So, perhaps the fae never targeted witches just for being witches. Perhaps there was something else about the witches they targeted, and it only looked like they targeted witches because no one really had all the information.