The Fires of Summer (first draft)

Haley goes to Axel's cabin when the night falls. He crawls under Axel's soft sheets and curls in on himself, craving the changeling's arms around him, but he knows that's not an option. He knows he won't sleep, so he tosses and turns for a while, unable to get comfortable despite how nice the bed usually is. He eventually ends up on his back, facing the ceiling, recounting to himself the whole adventure. It feels like something out of the books pirates write, of thrilling adventure and bloodshed, except those usually don't have catastrophic betrayal from someone so close.

He wishes more than anything that he could've just had more time. Time won't fix anything that Axel has done, but he feels as though he's been forced to power through so much of his grief without ever stopping to really go through it, like a normal person. As the Archangel of death, that's one of the things he was so passionate about. Grief is the first step to healing. To be robbed of that is a great setback, one that some people might never come back from.

Haley doesn't feel changed. He just feels hurt.

When he thinks of Ellamia, he can't find it in him to cry. It's like there are no more tears left in him for anything, not just for her. He feels completely empty.

In the morning, Haley goes to see Keaberos, as he said he would. The autumn elf is sitting alone in his tea room with a cup in his hands, humming idly to himself as he drinks. Haley feels like he's interrupting a peaceful moment when he steps in, but the autumn elf appears to have been anticipating him, finishing his tea and standing to greet him.

"Take off your shoes," Keaberos tells him, and he does so, understanding that it's polite. "Come on."

They walk through the middle of Keaberos' place, home to a beautiful open garden. A small tree sits in the middle, a little circle of water around it that branches off into each quarter of the garden. Haley recognises a few of the plants from different places in Aldelis, but the most impressive of all is a type of flower he knows only grows in the aether. Their petals are each marked with a replica of the sky they blossomed under. They used to decorate the area that the Archangels shared.

"How did you get these?" Haley asks, stopping to feel the silky petals under his fingertips. They feel like they're made with the fabric of the universe itself.

"Remember how I said I traded flowers with Raphael?" Keaberos smiles fondly as he looks at the flowers. They clearly mean a lot to him.

"That makes sense," Haley smiles too. His brother always was kind, and it's a very kind gift to give something this special to a mortal. "You two seem really close."

"I like to think so," Keaberos blushes a little, then he proceeds along the way. He turns right at the middle of the garden, following the path. "Come on, I'm eager to check up on you. How did you sleep last night? Did the medicine help you?"

"Definitely," Haley answers. His body feels much better already, although it's still a little bit heavy and the wound itself is sore. "I didn't really sleep, though. Archangels don't need to sleep."

"Of course, I should know that," Keaberos chuckles lightly. They head back inside to a room with a chair, a bed (not a floor bed, this time), and a desk. "Please take a seat."

Haley does as he says. A swirl of anxiety bubbles up in his stomach as he looks down at himself. Keaberos does his magic, and sure enough there's another flame alongside his own.

"It looks like it's still alive," Keaberos says. "I don't think it's going to be dying."

Haley has come to accept that this would happen already. He's been imagining the future with them in mind, and considering all the things that will come with having them, all of the things he'll have to prepare for. "There must be something very wrong with Axel for this to be possible."

"It seems so," Keaberos agrees light-heartedly, but as he puts out the flame and sits at the desk, turning his chair around to face Haley, a more serious expression crosses his face. "Haley... what happened between you and Axel? He hasn't been right since you both came back and I know it's more than just his wounds. You can talk to me about anything."

Haley hesitates. He trusts Keaberos, but it feels so soon to be talking about what happened. He sets his hands in his lap and looks past the autumn elf at the wall. The painting there is spread across four canvases washed pale yellow and displays a tree with pink flowers at the ends of its branches. "After he killed Corvus, I found out that Axel killed my wife. When I confronted him about it he blamed me, he said I made him fall for me, and that 'it was the only way', that he waited all his life for me and she was stealing me from him. He used the child against me to get me to stay, and when I tried to walk away he used my Archangel name to force me onto the ship."

Keaberos is silent. He taps his fingers against the arm of the chair. When he speaks his voice doesn't have that gentle quality to it. "Did he even say sorry?"

"No," Haley frowns. "He seemed more concerned with thinking he replaced her, that I'd just be... over it."

"I'm going to kill that man," Keaberos is breathless, his voice loud. "I have tried so hard to help him, to make sure this doesn't happen, but he refuses me at every stage and now look what he's done. He doesn't even have the fucking empathy to say sorry to you, and he brings your child into it like it's nothing? Who does he think he is?"

Haley doesn't know what to say. He feels awful for upsetting Keaberos like this and he shrinks in on himself. "I'm sorry."

Keaberos takes a deep breath. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Haley. I'm just... I can't imagine the pain you must be going through."

He shakes his head. "It's like I can't feel anything at all, Keaberos. Axel bonded himself to me, and I mated to him, and now it's like everything is him and I hate it. I don't know how to make it stop. I just want to be freed."

Keaberos' hands are in fists. "I wish there was more I could do for you. I can't believe he'd do this."

"It's my fault, really," Haley looks away. "I should've said no to the bonding thing. If I hadn't made that stupid choice I wouldn't be in this situation."

"Don't blame yourself," Keaberos says firmly. "You didn't know it would end up like this, or that he'd be responsible for... everything. I'm... I'm going to go talk to him. Would you like some tea?"

"That would be nice," Haley manages a smile. He thought it'd be a relief to open up to someone, but he doesn't feel anything at all.

"Go to the tea room and I'll bring some in soon," he says, opening the panel for Haley to go out. He follows the path back into the tea room, where he takes a seat on the floor.

A few moments later, he hears conversation in the other room, where Axel resides. The conversation quickly escalates into yelling. Haley can hardly believe that it's Keaberos speaking.

"You owe Haley more than an apology," he catches Keaberos saying. "Nothing you do can make this right. You're going to have to live with that for the rest of your miserable life!"

He sits awkwardly, waiting for them to stop, and eventually they do. There's the sound of a panel sliding open and then shut again. After a little while, Keaberos returns, looking as though he hasn't just been yelling at Axel, carrying a tray with a teapot and four cups, as though he's always expecting company.

"The tea is sencha," Keaberos says as he sets down the tray on the table and sits, pouring himself some and then pouring Haley's. On the tray are some hard-boiled sweets.

Some time into their tea break, there's footsteps from outside. None other than Kallisto pops his head in. He smiles brightly when he sees Haley. "You're home!"

"Hello, Kallisto," Haley chuckles.

"I've been so worried about you. Where is Axel?" Kallisto asks.

Evidently, that's quite a sore topic right now. Keaberos' smile doesn't drop as he says, "Don't worry about Axel."

"...Alright," Kallisto hums, clearly taking the hint. "Do you have space for one more?"

"Of course," Keaberos gestures to the rest of his table.

The werewolf takes a seat next to Haley and pours himself some tea, taking a sniff of it before he puts it to his lips. It's still hot and he flinches at the temperature, putting it back down with a hint of red on his cheeks. "Things aren't looking so good for the rest of the land."

"I take it the consequences of Axel's actions are finally rearing their heads," Keaberos says bitterly.

"Greatly. Apparently the royal family are going to be in talks about war. Corvus' five ruling children are all fighting over who should take the throne, even though it's Soren's right," Kallisto explains. Haley figures it sounds like the Sanguises to be fighting over something they shouldn't really be fighting about.

"This land isn't ready for war," Keaberos says quietly. "Athorea is already ruined by it. What are they thinking?"

"Not much, apparently," Kallisto shrugs. "Anyway, what have I missed with you, Haley?"

"I'm going to have a child," he says, "and Axel killed my wife."

"...Oh. So that's why he's a hush-hush topic right now," Kallisto sits back, then he starts to well up with tears. "That's just horrible. I'm so sorry."

Haley realises he should've thought twice before saying something like that to Kallisto. "Oh, hey, it's okay Kallisto."

It's really not, but Haley doesn't want him to cry. He reaches over to pat Kallisto's back and they sit in silence until the man gathers himself and stops crying. "You're going to have a kid? After Axel did that?"

"I sort of have no choice," Haley says, gesturing at his stomach. Kallisto seems to get it, wiping his eyes.

"Will you raise it here? I wouldn't mind helping you take care of it. It's what a member of the pack should do," Kallisto sniffles.

"That's kind of you Kallisto," he smiles. "But yeah. I don't really have anywhere else to go now that I'm a wanted man."

"So you're stuck with us," Keaberos sighs. "I guess that wasn't what you had in mind. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It's nothing I can't cope with," he shrugs. In truth, it's definitely not something he feels like he can cope with at the moment. He's stuck with nowhere else to go. Even if he stayed with Bo and Garrett he'd be putting them in danger just with his presence.

"We'll all be here for you," Keaberos says, sipping his tea.

Seeing it's cool enough to drink, Haley does the same. The tea has a grassy sort of taste. "I know. I appreciate it a lot."

Haley finishes his tea with the others. The news of war is worrying. He doesn't want to raise his child with danger looming over them at all times. He worries for Dawn and Bo and Garrett, too, what war would mean for them. He doesn't know what he'd do if something happened to her or his child.

Later on, when the sky begins to get dark, Keaberos lets Axel go from his place. Axel heads home without saying anything, and Haley dismisses himself soon afterwards, following him back to the cabin and going with him downstairs into the underground base. When he gets to his bedroom he gets into bed and hugs his covers tight to his body. Tonight he finally manages to get some rest, but nothing good awaits him in his dreams.