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Chapter XXVIII: Found

Lucas was just about to exit the basement when suddenly a wall of fire erupted from the ground blocking his path, catching him off-guard and he was barely able to stop himself from running straight into the flames. "Where do you think you're going kid?" A voice asked behind him. Lucas turned around and saw Jonah standing at the base of the stairs arms crossed. Lucas felt his fur bristle at that. It should be obvious where he was going!

"Where do you think I'm going? I'm going to go find Xander!" he snarled at the dingo.

The dingo just sighed and shook his head in an exasperated manner, seemingly frustrated with Lucas' answer, "You know, I thought you were smarter than this. Think idiot, what are you going to do if you find that clearing? Ask the Elf nicely to let the runt go? Do you think that would actually work?"

Lucas frowned at that; as much as he hated to admit it Jonah had a point. He was so wrapped up in finding Xander that he hadn't thought about the Elf holding him hostage... he knew hardly anything about the Fey really, and he had a feeling asking nicely; indeed wasn't going to work. "Honestly, I hadn't thought that far ahead... my plan was pretty much barging into the Elf's lair and demand that he give Xander back..." Lucas replied as he climbed down the stairs, the flames were getting uncomfortable to stand near.

Jonah just let out a barking laugh, his pierced ears jingling as his head moved. This lasted for nearly a minute before he calmed himself down enough to speak. "You really are a dumb ass aren't you? You never demand anything from a Fey ever! They don't take well to being bossed around, especially from a snot nosed brat like you!" He stated cockily.

Lucas could only look down at his hind-paws embarrassed, though thankfully Ian came to his rescue, saving him from even more embarrassment. "Lay off Jonah, he's new to the Hidden World. We haven't been able to tell him about the Fey yet, so I doubt he'd know how to deal with them," the tall wolf said as he walked towards Lucas and hugged him, "But Jonah's right, loathe as I am to admit it...running off without a plan is stupid!"

Lucas blushed deepened, and he looked down feeling incredibly stupid at the moment. But Ian gently lifted his head up and kissed him gently. "But I understand, you're worried about him. We all are, but you're probably the closest to him so it's understandable that you'd want to save him right now. But as Jonah said, you never tell a fairy what to do... it never works. And fighting him is out of the question, none of us are strong enough to fight a fully grown Elf."

Lucas nodded, looking Ian in the eye his expression questioning, "Just how strong are Elves? I know Richard told me a little about the Fey but I want to know more," he queried firmly, "I want to know more about the Hidden World in general, but now isn't the time. Just tell me about the Fey so I'll know what we're dealing with."

Ian just nodded and led him back to the couch. He quickly sat down with Lucas tumbling onto his lap right where he belonged. Lucas seemed a bit flustered at where he was sitting and the resulting blush turned Ian on enough to show just how... happy he was to have Lucas sitting there which flustered the tiny fox even more. However he just lightly nibbled on his black tipped ears before he spoke. "So, where do you where do you want me start?"

Lucas gave a nervous huff at feeling Ian nibble on his ear but held firm not wanting to get distracted by the slow heat rising in his belly. "What exactly are they? Richard said they live in a place called Avalon... what's it like?"

Ian could only shrug at that, he had no idea what Avalon was like as it was very rare for Fey to allow non-Fey in their home and even rarer for said non-Fey to return to their own timeline.

However, feeling he had to give Lucas an answer he told him what he did know. "I actually don't know much about Avalon, very few living Mages do, it's very rare for the Fey to invite a non-Fey into the Seelie Courts...Fairies are a solitary lot. Also, if someone tried to sneak into Avalon uninvited, they could be thrown through time and there's no guarantee that'd they'd be able to return to their own. You see time between Earth and Avalon isn't concurrent, time flows differently. An hour here, can be a week to an entire year in Avalon if you don't have a Fairy with you." That seemed to have confused the fox, not that Ian blamed him. He himself barely understood the time thing.

"That doesn't make sense! How can time flow differently between us? I thought Avalon was just a pocket dimension or something?"

Ian just shook his head; he really didn't understand everything himself so he was hoping to move the topic along. "Honestly, I really don't know how it works. I'm sure Monet _could probably explain it well enough, she seems to know everything _else about the Hidden World, so it wouldn't surprise me if she knew this," Ian replied with a hint of irritation, he still did not understand how that damn coyote knew so much. Luc didn't need to notice his irritation and just tapped his chin in an utterly adorable manner.

"I might have to ask her when I see her again," he mused lightly to himself while still stroking his chin but quickly went to being serious. "Is there anything else you do know about them?" He asked the wolf.

Ian just nodded before nibbling on Lucas' ear very much enjoying the adorable little sounds the fox made when he did so, but he quickly stopped when he felt his penis begin to swell in his trousers. Lucas must've felt that also because his face turned a fascinating shade of cherry-red. "Um yeah," Ian said getting his mind away from his crotch, "The Fey hate being told thank you, they consider disrespectful. They believe it's a sign of forgetting a good deed done, if you have a Fairy do something for you expect them to expect you to do something for them," Ian continued in rehearsed manner, remembering what his father and grandfather told him about the Fey, "They also dislike cold iron since it's toxic to them. Oh, and they can't lie."

That perked Lucas' interest seemingly as his ears twitched and he turned towards Ian, "They can't lie ever?" The fox asked in a curious manner.

Ian considered before he answered, "Nope, it's not in their nature, that however means everything they say is truthful though," he warned. That confused Lucas a bit, going by the weird look he gave Ian. Seeing the obvious question in his eyes Ian answered him as best he could. "While they cannot lie, the Fey have mastered word-craft. They are extremely good at misdirection and lying by omission. So they can't lie flat out but never expect a straight answer out of a Fairy is what I'm getting at," Ian replied, hoping to help Lucas understand.

"I see," Lucas replied stretching, unknowingly rubbing his rump against Ian's crotch as he did so causing Ian to let out an aroused shiver and instinctively buck his hips against Lucas. It took every inch of will power not to grab the other boy and drag him to the bedroom to mate him then and there.

Richard seemed to notice this and let out a delicate cough before speaking, "Um Ian, as much as you like having Lucas sit on your lap, I think it'd be best if he didn't. You're just going to keep distracting you both, and we don't have time for any of this. We've still got to find Xander after all, so save it until after we rescue him if you please." He stated as kindly as he possibly could, he was beginning to get uncomfortable by the couples antics... and somewhat jealous, but he shrugged that part off.

Ian just nodded and reluctantly took the young fox off his lap and placed him beside him but, kept his arm wrapped around Lucas. Satisfied for the moment Richard just gestured for Ian to continue what he was saying.

"They are also frighteningly powerful and knowledgeable in the magical arts. Even if we all attacked at the same time, we probably wouldn't even scratch him...and he could probably kill us all with a twitch of a finger. So an offensive approach would be suicide. No, what we should do is barter with him...the Fey love making bargains. We'll see if we can do something for him in exchange for letting Xander go, does that make sense?"

Lucas just nodded, his mind obviously still trying to process everything he was being told. Ian couldn't really blame him. Even with a full working knowledge of both the Hidden World and the politics that came with it, he had a hard time fully understanding the Fey. He could only imagine trying to understand them without that knowledge.

"Yes I think I've got it down..." Lucas said while he got up and began to pace, his tail lashing out everywhere behind him, "So, in order to get Xander back we might have to perform some service for the Elf who has him...? Lysander I think he called himself. But what could a bunch of teenagers do for him if he's apparently so powerful?"

Ian just shrugged, not having an answer.

Not satisfied Lucas began to pace quicker, "I guess we'll have to find out then, are you guys ready though? I can't just sit here any longer..."

Ian looked towards Greg and then Richard wanting their opinion before he gave his own. When both nodded their assent he felt confident in going on through. "Yes, I'm pretty sure we're ready. Do you think you could ask Noctis if he can show us the way though? It'd be easier for everyone if he did so."

Lucas just nodded before turning towards the dark creature. It... he...? (Ian wasn't sure WHAT gender the creature was if it even had one but the musculature seemed masculine.) Had floated there the entire time in complete silence, which was seriously starting to creep the wolf out. He wasn't sure if he cared much for Lucas' new friend, but he didn't really have a choice it seemed.

Lucas nodded once again, seemingly having a telepathic conversation with Noctis before turning his attention back to the others. "He's agreed to help us, and just asked me to confirm when we're ready to go," the fox said before his ear twitched and he turned back to the beast. Ian was seriously beginning to wish he had telepathy because he was seriously beginning to wonder what his love and the dark beast were talking about, "Oh, and he said to be careful. He says this Elf is a powerful one and he has an anti-magic ward set up around his lair, so we'll be powerless when we enter its field of influence."

"Well, that's not good," Richard said while looking at his paws. "The Elf must've known we were going to go after him... if so, what if we're going into a trap?" He reasoned, "But at the same time, we can't just leave Xander with him. Who knows what he could do to him." He stated before he stood up and faced the beast. "Do you sense anything else besides the anti-magic wards? Any nasty traps that would be waiting for us?' Almost immediately Richard's ear flicked and he jumped backwards a bit. "Bloody hell, that's creepy."

Apparently confused Lucas towards the younger wolf curious on what he was told, "What did he say?" he asked the wolf, who just shivered briefly before responding.

His voice sounded somewhat shaky as he replied, "He said no, he didn't sense any traps, but he also said they could be hidden beyond his senses... but seriously, it's creepy how he just talks right into your head? How do you stand it?"

Lucas just shrugged as if he had no comment, so Ian decided to take control of the situation. "Okay, let's go, we don't have any time to waste," He said before turning towards Noctis. "You'd better not be lying to us. I'm putting my trust in you because for whatever reason Lucas has. Don't make me regret making that decision."

"Worry not child, I'm just as interested in keeping your Mate as you are. He gives me substance and strength so I would like to keep him around."

Ian just shivered at that, as Noctis' cold inflectionless 'voice' rang through his mind. 'Holy Hera, Rich is right... that is creepy.' he thought to himself before refocusing back to the task at hand. He looked towards the beast and sent his thoughts to him. "Um, thanks...I think..."

After that he turned his attention to the others. "What are we waiting for? Let's go save our Changeling!" he said pumping his right paw into his left palm. With the others nodding their assent (even Jonah much to his surprise, though his was much less enthusiastic than the others). With that he ordered everyone to get ready before they headed out. 'Please by Zeus' mercy, let us get Xander back safely.' he silently prayed to himself before getting ready to get his own stuff together...

~~~~

After nearly ten minutes of getting things ready, Lucas found himself in Ian's living room. It had begun to rain unfortunately, so they had to stay inside until they were absolutely sure they were ready. He could feel his nerves begin to eat away at his stomach, but he managed to ignore them...or so it seemed because both Ian and Noctis both seemed to sense his distress. "You alright, Lucas?" The tall wolf asked him as the fox had paced past him for the eighth time.

"Indeed, are you feeling well child? I can feel your distress radiating off of you. As delicious as it tastes I do not think this is the time for such emotions."

Lucas just shrugged and waved them both off, "I'm fine, both of you, I'm just feeling antsy is all. And when I keep thinking about it, I swear I think I've seen that Elf before... But I know for sure the only Elf I've seen was the one who sealed that gate a week ago..." he mused to himself before it all came together in his head. "Of course," he said while snapping his fingers, "That Elf was the same one who Jordan called upon to seal the gate! That's why I found him so familiar! But honestly, what does he want with Xander?"

"Guess we'll find out when we get there, but let's go. I should be able to keep us dry until we reach the trees," Richard said, before he stepped outside. Seemingly unbothered by the drizzling rain he quickly focused his magic and was able to manipulate the water until there was a massive bubble of precipitation floating above him, while everything below it became dry, "What are you guys waiting for?" he asked turning to the others, "I can't keep this up forever you know, come on!"

Lucas was the first step out, pleasantly surprised it indeed was dry underneath the bubble. "That's so cool! I didn't know you could stop rain in mid-air!" Lucas said in awe of Richard's skill.

The wolf just flushed underneath his dark fur and shrugged the foxes compliment off...Though he did seem quite flattered at the same time, "It's nothing really, but I still think we should get going before I lose control of this... I'm not fully used to working with so much water."

Lucas nodded and beckoned the others to come out. Once they did so, the group began to head into the forest. Once they were deep enough into the forest that the rain couldn't make it through the trees Richard dispersed the now gigantic bubble, dispersing the water into thin air without any dropping on them all...Though he seemed quite tired afterwards.

"You okay Lil' bro?" Ian asked in concern as he checked on his brother.

Richard once again shrugged him off dismissively, "I'm fine Ian, it's just as I said, I am not used to controlling so much water at the same time...But everybody's dry right?" he asked, "Because I'd be quite peeved if I just but all that effort for nothing."

Lucas just checked himself. His clothes still felt dry, and judging by everyone else doing the same he assumed they themselves were dry as well. That seemed to satisfy Richard quite a lot. "Okay then, the rain should not be a worry anymore, so let's go!"

Lucas just nodded before directing Noctis to lead the way. "Lead the way Nocte, it's your show now!"

The beast nodded before he began to make his way through the woods. It was a surprisingly difficult hike as things seemed to get wilder and wilder the deeper they delved into the woods. Lucas had wound up tripping and falling over several random roots and vines, scuffing up his jeans. He was seriously grateful he'd had the foresight to change out of his uniform; he'd probably never have got the stains out if he hadn't. Finally, after what felt like ages, he found himself standing outside the ward. He could feel the magic hum through his body. It was far stronger than any other magic he had felt before, and the underlining aura behind it also felt odd. 'This must have been what Fey magic feels like.' he reasoned to himself as the others managed to catch up.

"Why did you run off like that?" Ian demanded once he managed to catch his breath. Unlike Lucas his clothes were mostly unscathed, which made Lucas somewhat jealous, though he figured it made sense. Ian WAS a lot more athletic than him, it made sense that he wouldn't have anywhere near as much trouble going through the woods...Plus he unlike Lucas, he probably wasn't running like mad to keep up with Noctis...

"Noctis wasn't slowing down, I had to keep up..." he answered to the wolf, "Where's Greg, Richard and Jonah?"

Ian just shrugged and pointed his finger on back towards where they'd come before he spoke, "They're a ways back. I ran ahead trying to keep up with you. Greg'll probably be pissed about that, but oh well," he replied while he shrugging it off, "He'll probably yell at me a bit, but I was afraid you'd get hurt or get captured by that Elf if you got too far out of sight. You okay though? Looks like you had a few spills," he asked, pointing towards Lucas' scuffed up jeans.

"I'm fine, had a few slips and falls but I'm relatively undamaged," he told the wolf hoping to ease his obvious worry, "But I sensed the field.... it's right across the way." He stated, motioning towards the vaguely blurry mass in front of him. It almost reminded him of a fog bank that spread as far he could see. "Once we go through there, we'll be powerless... I'm actually kinda scared." Lucas added as he looked down towards his feet. "I don't like having my powers sealed... I just got them."

As if sensing the fox's distress Ian grabbed the fox into a hug and comforted him as much as he could. "It'll be fine Lucas, we'll be okay. I understand you aren't exactly thrilled with having your magic sealed off again no matter how temporary. But it'll only be sealed within the area of influence. We'll get Xander, don't worry," he gently cooed into Lucas' ears as he rubbed the fox's back in an attempt to help him relax.

This seemed to work, as after only a few moments Lucas was making gentle murring sounds as he stretched in Ian's grasp. However they were interrupted when Greg and the other two finally caught up. True to Ian's prediction the feline looked absolutely livid.

"What is wrong with you!?" The tiger snarled as he stepped up towards Ian who had begun to study the ground with keen interest since Greg appeared. Lucas was quick to squiggle out of Ian's grasp and quickly out of Greg's way. "I told you not to run off, and you did so anyway! Why do you keep ignoring me damn it?!" He shouted before turning towards Lucas causing the fox to backpedal a bit. "And you! Why'd you run off like that? You KNEW Ian would follow you! Did you even care? How would you feel if Ian got hurt? I've devoted my entire EXISTENCE to keeping him safe, and that's gotten harder and harder since he met YOU!" Greg shouted out angrily.

Those words stung and Lucas looked stricken by them. He was about to apologize to the tiger for his mishaps, before he heard Ian give a snarl of his own.

"Stand down Greg! You are way out of line." The wolf ordered, his voice as cold as Lucas ever heard it. "Have a go with me if you want, I don't care, but don't you dare go after Lucas you hear me?!"

Greg didn't reply, though he had turned away from Lucas thankfully which relieved the fox greatly, though it looked like the two taller boys were about to come to blows. Before either of them could move a large burst of flame lit up between them, catching them both off-guard.

"Calm down, will you!" Jonah's voice rang just as he entered the clearing, Richard close behind. "Normally I'd be the last person to stop a fight, but this isn't the time. Save it until after we get the runt okay? Then you two can duke it out to your hearts content!"

Richard only nodded in agreement, looking between his brother and friend, seemingly torn on which side he should take if any. The two just continued to glare and snarl at each other before they both turned away in a huff.

Seeing as the situation had been taken care of by now Richard felt comfortable to speak, "So why'd you stop here Lucas? Is something wrong?"

Lucas just shook his head still reeling somewhat from Greg's outburst. Once he composed himself a bit he pointed on ahead, "I sensed the field, about five meters ahead. From what I can tell it encircles a surprisingly large area, at least 55 meters..."

"You can tell all that just by standing here? Incredible!" Richard exclaimed, obviously impressed. Which confused Lucas somewhat, he had just assumed the others would have sensed it like he did.

"You mean you can't? Weird... but yeah, I sense something beyond it also... I think it might be the Elf... but it doesn't feel like I remember it..."

"I can sense the field yes, but certainly not how much land it covers or anything within it... your magic sense must be off-the-charts!" Richard replied fascinated. "You said the clearing was surrounded by Dryad trees right? You might be sensing them... though I've never met a Dryad before, so I wouldn't be able to tell you what they felt like."

Lucas just nodded. He vaguely remembered someone telling him about Dryads... or Tree Nymphs as were their formal names. They were tied to their trees and would die if it was destroyed. Maybe it was Jordan who told him that? "Possibly, but no use standing out here, we'd better go ahead and get Xander now," Lucas said as he stepped forward into the field.

He felt an icy feeling overtake him as he stepped through and just as fast as it began it ended. 'That felt weird... is that what an anti-magic field feels like?' he thought to himself, just as Ian and the others stepped through, each having similar reactions.

Almost immediately after recovering from the brief shock Jonah frowned in concentration as if he was trying to summon some flames, but nothing happened, not even smoke. "Blimey, this really is a magic-blocking field... I don't like this..." the dingo mumbled, mostly to himself. "Let's get the runt and go, having my flames sealed makes me itchy."

Lucas only nodded and continued on, it was strange... the entire area was flooded with Fey magic. After hiking through the woods he came across a startling sight, on the other side of the way several creatures stood near a small pond, they looked female and had the same Elven beauty that Lysander had, though they felt nothing like him from Lucas' senses. They were around his height, with skin the colour of bark and wild green hair done in elaborate braids held with vines. Their ears were pointed much like an elf but not near as long. They also had stunning green eyes.

The creatures were giggling and babbling in some alien language he couldn't decipher. It didn't sound like any earthen languages he knew of. One of them was braiding another's hair while another was playing what looked like a small harp. Another figure was asleep on the grass next to the one with this instrument. That figure was lying on another women's lap. She was humming a hauntingly beautiful melody while she gently combed the figures brilliantly red fur with a wooden comb. The sleeping one stood out from the trio by being much furrier and obviously masculine in features compared to the Elven beauties.

"Xander!" he cried out, startling the trio. They quickly turned their heads towards the young fox, obviously startled at his outburst. They just stared at him in shock, almost as if they were amazed that a non-Fey was inside their sanctuary. However the spell was quickly broken and the women scattered off towards the trees surrounding the field vanishing once they reached them.

Lucas just stood still, surprised at them just vanishing, but once he recovered from his surprise he quickly rushed towards the prone fox. Even after having been thrown from the ladies lap, he hadn't moved, so he just reached the boy and touched him. He was jolted back slightly, Xander's entire body felt of Fey magic, and no matter how hard he shook his friend he didn't stir. 'What's wrong with him?' the fox asked himself as he continued to shake Xander. 'He's not waking up!'

"Lucas! Wait up!" He heard Ian's voice shout as he got closer to the fox. Once he reached him he quickly sat down next to him and looked at Xander. "Is he...?"

Lucas shook his head while continuing to try and shake the other fox awake , but to no avail. "No, he's alive... he just not waking up. It's like he's be-spelled or something. I feel Fey magic all over him." Lucas let out with a sigh. "I don't know what to do... part of me thinks we could take him to Allison, but I don't know how much experience she has with these kinds of things." As he said that, the rest of the group caught up to them Richard was the first to reach the trio an obvious look of concern on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he himself lowered his body to the ground. Jonah and Greg however did not sit both seemingly on guard in case something happened.

"I don't know, I think Lysander be-spelled him or something, he won't wake up or respond to me. But from what I can tell his heartbeat and breathing is normal."

Richard just nodded as he reached out his paw onto Xander's forehead. "Let me see..." he said as he squinted in focus. After a few moments he removed his paw from Xander's forehead and sighed. "He's be-spelled alright, some kind of sleeping spell from what I can tell. A damned powerful one too... I don't think even Monet could unravel it." he said, forehead creased in worry.

"The young Water-Mage is correct; the child is be-spelled." A soft voice came from nowhere catching the boys off-guard. Lucas quickly swivelled his body back and saw a familiar Elf standing behind them, his unnaturally beautiful face in an unreadable expression.

Anger filled Lucas' veins at seeing the man...The one who caused this entire farce. Before he knew it he was full out snarling at the Elf. "You! What did you do to him!" He shouted, gently handing Xander to Ian before getting up on his hind-paws. "If you've hurt him, I swear..." before he could finish his sentence he was broken off by a gentle chuckle from the Elf.

"You swear what? Young Mageling. You have power, I can tell that, but you have no idea how to use it properly. As it stands you don't stand a chance against me. And I believe you know this," the Elf-Lysander stated.

Lucas just snarled again refusing to show the bastard a hint of weakness. "I don't care! Let Xander go!" he shouted at the Elf.

Lysander just sighed as if tired of Lucas' antics, but then a tiny smile spread across his pretty face. "I'm impressed, you know you don't stand a chance but you still are willing to fight. I'm not sure if I should call you brave, crazy or stupid or possibly all three. Tell me child, are you truly willing to risk your life on a person you just met?" he asked.

Lucas thought for a bit hesitating, he had promised Erin he would come home alive, if the Elf truly decided to kill him, Lucas knew he'd have no chance, but at the same time, what kind of friend would he be if he just left Xander to save his own hide? He'd be no better than Thomas... with this in mind he got himself in a fighting stance.

"I don't care how powerful you are... I can't leave Xander here... I promised him that I'd look after him and I intend on keeping that promise! Why did you take him away anyway? What do you want with him? Did you actually know his father, or was that a mistruth?"

The Elf just sighed but answered his inquiries. "I took the boy because I want to keep him safe and free from the harms of your world. I saw that the boy has suffered plenty in his young life... I want to keep him from being hurt even more." That caught everyone off-guard.

"Why do you care for the runt so much? You've never met him. Why go through all this trouble to help someone you never met?" Jonah asked him coolly.

Lysander just gave him an icy glance obviously unhappy with the dingo's rudeness and when he spoke his voice was even colder.

"If you must know, the boy, Xander is my grandson... But I wouldn't expect an 'abomination' such as yourself to understand the concept of family."

"Wait... you're his grandfather... that means..." Richard said in surprise.

"Yes, Xander's father was my son... his name was Hyperion... I knew he was spending a large amount of time outside Avalon, but I had no idea he had seduced a young female Fur... a girl of the name Rayne Rose... though I believe she has since changed her last name to Phillips."

The name immediately clicked in Lucas' mind, "Xander's mother..." he let out, "You're talking about his mom aren't you? So she had no idea his dad was an Elf?"

Lysander just shook his head. "No, she did not. When I heard he had sired a child with the girl I was furious! He knew of our customs and our laws, and yet he ignored them and wound up breaking our biggest law, never sire a Changeling... and yet here is living proof of my son's folly. He ruined not only his own life, but the poor girl's as well. She was only nineteen when she became pregnant and she was banished from her family not to ever return. Because my Son's selfishness she lost everything." He said, his voice tinged in sadness, "I had to watch as he was executed for his mistake. I'll never forgive him for that."

"That's so sad..." Ian said in a gentle voice. "Poor woman, what your son did was unforgivable." Lysander just nodded, not making a move to defend his son's honour. "But if you see Xander as the proof of your son's folly...why did you take him instead of letting him stay in our world?"

"Because young one, blaming a child for the circumstances of their birth is wrong. The boy did nothing wrong... I sense great pain in his heart and I wish to undo that pain, the world of the Furs is no place for a young Changeling, despised and mistrusted by Mage and Fey alike, unsure of who they are. He'd be much safer here asleep until he can fully leave this world behind and join me in Avalon."

Lucas just shook his head, unsure of what to think. 'On one level I can understand his reasoning, Xander has suffered a lot... but at the same time he has his whole life ahead of him... not letting him live that life is selfish.'

"That's selfish," Lucas said aloud, softly. "He might be your grandson, but you have no right to keep him asleep, he needs to live. He deserves that much, he's started school and he's got us, so please Lysander, let us take him home."

Lysander gave only a raised eyebrow, seemingly impressed at the fox's defiance. "You perplex me young Mageling, you've barely known my grandson for a week, if that. You have no real connection to him outside that, but here you are, here begging to take him back. Why do you care so much about the boy? Surely you haven't known him long enough to make a genuine bond with him, and yet you are willing to put yourself at great risk to rescue him."

"I've already said why I'm here, I promised him that I'd help look after him, and I always keep my promises. What kind of person would I be if I didn't try and find him? What you said may be true, but I still promised him that," Lucas reasoned in a soft tone, "So please, please let him go, he needs to have a normal life. We can provide him with that."

Lysander remained silent, obviously deep in thought. Lucas waited in bated breath for his reply, not making a sound as to disrupt the Elf's thoughts. Eventually the Elf let out a sigh as if he made his decision.

"You drive a hard bargain young one, I can tell you are fully sincere in your intentions, and I respect the bravery you showed towards me, I will let you take him home, however, I still reserve the right to summon him to me if I wish to and intend to show him how to use Fey magic. Are those terms acceptable for you?" he asked, his voice wry. Lucas just nodded, satisfied.

"Very well, you can awaken now my grandson, your friends are here to take you home," he said kindly towards Xander, and he immediately began to stir letting out a small yawn as he did so.

"Xander!" Lucas shouted as he ran towards the fox and Ian and quickly settled next to them. "Are you alright? How are you?" he asked, stuck between worry and relief.

Xander just looked at him with confused, sleepy eyes and just yawned.

"I'm okay... just tired... but where am I?" he asked somewhat disoriented at his surroundings. "Last I remember I was talking with grandfather... or at least he told me he was my grandfather... next thing I know I'm here." He said, before turning and looking towards the Elf. "You are my grandfather, right? You didn't lie to me did you?"

Ian just let out a small chuckle at that and patted his head gently. "The Fey can't lie Xander, especially Fey as high ranking as he is."

Lysander nodded his assent to his saying before giving his own input. "The young Light-Mage is correct child, I cannot lie...or at least I cannot lie directly. But you can trust me that I would never mislead you on something like this." Lysander said solemnly.

Xander just looked at him for several moments, obviously sceptical. But hearing him say that, and Ian vouching for him Xander had no other option but to believe them both. "If you both say so, but why did you practically kidnap me? I don't get it, why'd you take me here of all places?"

"Because I wanted you to be safe, be somewhere were nobody could harm you..." the Elf answered quickly, "I sensed that you'd been through so much pain that I wanted to keep you from experiencing more pain. I wanted you to sleep until you could stay with me in Avalon, but your friend here..." he said, while motioning towards Lucas. "Pointed out how selfish that idea was for me, preventing you from receiving a full life," he said, voice crackling with some unknown emotion, "So I've decided to let you return with them, but I also want to be a part of your life. I've missed seventeen years already and I don't want to miss any more of it."

"You stood up to an Elf Lucas?" Xander asked the fox in amazement." Lucas just nodded. "You're crazy you know that? He could've killed you! And you risked your life for me... I don't get it." Xander continued in a confused tone.

Lucas could only smile and patted Xander's head as Ian had done earlier. "Maybe I'm a bit crazy yeah, but I did promise to look out for you eh?" Lucas said jokingly, causing Xander to let out a chuckle.

"You did, but I didn't think that promise included arguing with an Elf... but Ian, can you help me up? I'm tired of lying down."

Ian did just that and scooped the young fox up and placed him on his hind-paws and held him for several moments as he reclaimed his balance. Once Xander felt he was steady enough, he moved away towards the Elf. "While I still think it was uncool of you to kidnap me I understand your motives, and I'd love to have you in my life. It'd be nice to have an actual blood relative care for me," Xander said before he embraced the Elf taking everyone by surprise. "So thank you Grandfather, for wanting to be part of my life."

"It is no problem child, I will summon you soon, I wish to start teaching you Fey magic, it would help balance you."

Xander just nodded in his grandfather's grasp mumbling, "I'd like that Grandfather, thank you..." he said before letting go and turning towards the others. "And thank you, all of you. You guys risked everything to save me and I appreciate that, but I don't know how I could ever repay all of you."

Lucas just sighed before giving Xander a hug of his own, quickly followed by Ian, Richard and even Greg, though Jonah kept his distance from the group hug. "It's no problem Xander, it's what friends do. Now, let's go home..."