“It's the magic,” he said and shrugged. “It guides us; like a very strong instinct. Fairy magic can be wild and erratic but there's calculation even in its capriciousness. It wants to flourish, as all
things do, and the best way for it to thrive is to magnify itself by bringing two powerful fairies together.”
“So, how did I come to exist?” I lifted a brow and looked over at him. “If its goal is to bring two powerful fairies together, why did it allow my birth?”
We were both sitting with our legs drawn up, our bodies pressed together at shoulder and thigh, and our entwined hands in my lap. It felt comfortable but also strange. As if we shouldn't be at this point yet, but there we were, and I didn't want to move away from him.
“That is a very good question.” Tiernan smiled slowly. “I believe you Extinguishers have been compounding your psychic gifts in a similar manner to us with the fairy magic. You said you were expected to marry another extinguisher. I assume this has been the way of things for several generations?”
“Yes, and it's resulted in some very powerful children,” I agreed; realizing he was right.
We'd been doing exactly as the Fey had; keeping to ourselves and magnifying our power. So, how could I label him an elitist when I was a product of the same type of exclusion?
Actually, I guess I wasn't. I was a product of both elitist groups. I wasn't sure if that made me a double elitist or an egalitarian.
“Your mother was one of those powerful extinguishers,”
Tiernan went on gently. “It seems as if the Fey magic took note of her human gifts and when she came into contact with the right fairy—a man who had magic that would complement hers as well as the power to protect the child born of their union—they were drawn together.”
“Are you telling me that my mother's affair was all a manipulation to produce some powerful fusion of psychic gifts and fairy magic?” I gaped at him.
“I believe so,” he said gently. “It's hard to resist the pull of nature. We all have free will, of course, but nature knows how to twist us until we think we are the ones doing the choosing, when in fact, we're not.”
“So, our attraction to each other?” I didn't like where this was going.
“Means that our magic would blend well,” Tiernan said.
“Stop right there, Seren.” He held a hand up. “I see the anger in your eyes. Don't judge this so quickly. Think about how human nature works for a second. Aren't some men more attractive to women not just because of how they look but because of how they smell?”
“What?” I frowned; my angry train derailed.
“Chemistry, I believe you call it.” He smirked. “It's pheromones; a way of nature telling the woman that this man will make a good father for her children, that their genes are compatible and will not produce mutations. It's when we go against these instincts, whether they be fey or human, that monsters are made.”
“Pardon me?”
“Maybe monster is too harsh a word for what happens when incompatible humans mate,” he conceded. “You get mutations, physical and mental, but we fey are magical beings and horrible things can happen when the wrong magic combines.
Monstrous things. Where do you think the Sluagh came from?”
“You're saying that fairies who shouldn't have mated, did, and they produced those things that tried to kill us?” I gaped at him.
“Yes,” he said. “There are always those who want to go against nature; who find it thrilling to do things not socially accepted. Perversions.”
“A sidhe laying down with a puka; that sort of thing,”
Tiernan explained.
“Wow.” I blinked in shock and then thought about it.
How many humans did things like that? Quite a lot actually. We even had names for all the sexual perversions in the Human Realm, there were so many of them. Why wouldn't they have such things in Fairy?
“How did the Twilight Court get all its...?”
“Courtiers?” He finished for me. “They are not the children of perversions; they are Danu's design. Their parents gave into their instincts, even though the Seelie and Unseelie Courts are at war and—”
“The Seelie are at war with the Unseelie?” I gaped at him again.
“Yes, we don't make it known to the humans.” Tiernan cleared his throat. “The only thing standing between them is the Twilight Court. It's neutral ground; neutral fey.”
“Like Sweden,” I huffed.
“If you wish.” He rolled his eyes. “Although, Sweden was a more apathetic neutral. Twilight stands as a buffer to prevent war; nothing apathetic about it. Getting back to the Twilight Fey; their parents followed their instincts despite politics, and the blended fey were born. Eventually, the Twilight Court was made to give them a home and unions between the Unseelie and the Seelie became even more common, though admittedly, some were not consensual. Battlefield babies, they're called.”
“Products of rape,” I said grimly.
“Yes; that,” he agreed. “Most unions are consensual,
though, and the fairy women who birth those babies do so knowing fully well that they will eventually give their children to the Twilight Court. It's considered a very honorable sacrifice.”
“I... whoa.” I exhaled slowly. “Mother Nature wanted the Twilight Court, and the Fey acceded to her wishes?”
“Yes, but it has become more than just a collection of the blessed children,” he said. “It's become a place of refuge for those of us with nowhere else to go.”
“Like you?” I asked gently.“Will you tell me why you're a member of the Twilight Court?”
“It's not a pleasant story.” Tiernan looked down at our joined hands.
“Tell me anyway,” I whispered.
“My mother was a lady-in-waiting to the Seelie Queen,” he began. “I was walking through court one day and saw the Queen strike my mother. I ran forward and when I saw the Queen's hand filling with magic, I stepped between them. The Queen was so enraged that she magnified the spell.” Tiernan lifted a finger to the scar on his cheek as he continued to speak “She would have killed me, but my mother added her magic to the attack. The Silverlight.
It's a gentle magic but an effective one. It transmutes anything harmful into a benign silver glow. This, combined with my mother's love for me, diminished the Queen's rending magic and instead of being torn to pieces, I received just one cut. I lived, but the magic left its mark; both of their magics did.”
“That's why it's silver.” I admired the swirling lines of his scar.
“Yes,” he said. “Love and hate are forever entwined within my skin.”
“And this is why you had to leave the Seelie Court?” I
“It is,” he confirmed. “My family was ashamed that I had stood against the Queen, even in defense of my own mother.
Mother was forgiven for her intercession since she's actually a favorite of the Queen's, but my scar became a mark of shame upon my family. It was a constant reminder to the Queen that she could be thwarted, and the Seelie Queen doesn't like such reminders. So, I was asked to leave.”
“By who?”
“My father.” Tiernan met my eyes and shook his head. “I couldn't understand how he could allow my mother to be beaten by anyone, even our own Queen. We fought over it, and I left. It was for the best. If he hadn't pushed me into it, I would have been cast out secretly by the Queen's guard in a less pleasant fashion.”
“So, you left and went to the Twilight Court,” I concluded.
“Where I met your father.” He nodded. “Seren, there are very few nobles in Fairy who are actually noble. There's vicious cruelty and devious manipulations; more pleasure than there is love, and more scathing wit than genial humor. Your father is a true nobleman. He's kind and strong, honorable and humorous, and everything I want to be. He replaced my father in my heart long ago, and for me to find his daughter and bring her safely home to him is both an honor and pleasure.”
“Why did you join the Wild Hunt?” I asked; evading his obvious attempt to influence my opinion of a man I didn't know.
“That was also your father's doing.” Tiernan smiled in memory. “He secured me a place in the Hunt. It was a way to regain my honor and it has done exactly that. I've been able to prove my worth and, because of him, I've regained my pride.”
“You should never have felt ashamed of what you did in the first place,” I chided him. “Defending your mother is hardly a
crime. It would have been more criminal to have stood there and done nothing.”
“It is a crime when you defend your mother against your monarch. I was a step away from being labeled a traitor.” His jaw clenched. “Unfortunately, you will learn about all of this. I wish I could protect you from the cruel politics of our realm, but as a princess, it will become a large part of your existence. At least you will be living in the Twilight Court, where the political climate is mild.”
“Living?” I blinked as it finally occurred to me that they expected me to stay in Fairy forever. “I can't stay here.”
“What do you mean?” He blinked at me. “Where else would you go?”
“Home,” I said instantly. “I can't just abandon my father.
He may not be my father by blood, but he raised me. He's my Dad, and I'm all he's got.”
“We'll talk about it later,” Tiernan said evasively. “After you get settled and meet your fairy father.”
“I won't abandon my Dad,” I said more firmly.
“No one's asking you to,” Tiernan reassured me.
Still, an aching knot began to form in my belly, and I knew the meaning of home was about to change for me. I looked up; through the lace of leaves and into the cloudless sky of Fairy as I let the illusion fall away. This wasn't the Human Realm, and I wasn't entirely human anymore. Pretending nothing had changed wasn't going to help me. I needed to face the truth and make a decision on where I really belonged.
“How many fairies want me dead?” I asked as we made our way through the forest to the Twilight Court. A thick vine snaked out from the underbrush and curled around my ankle just tight enough to make me stumble. “Damn it!” I growled and glowered at the vine as it slithered back into the brush. “I'm bigger than you, plant! I can uproot you!”
“Um, no you're not, and no you can't.” Tiernan nodded his head toward the shadows of the forest, and I caught sight of a giant, tear-shaped plant with fronds curling up into the tree branches above.
Vines as thick as my thighs fanned out from its base in all directions and the skeletons of dead animals littered the ground around it. The large leaves parted like the petals of a flower and a humanoid creature slithered out. She was entirely pale green—her skin slick like the inside of an aloe leaf—and completely hairless.
Her arms ended in rubbery vines and so did her legs, but where her arms hung free, her legs were attached to the plant... which was the rest of her I guess.
“I just wanted to greet the Princess,” she said in a thick, wet voice and then smiled; showcasing a mouthful of vicious barbs.
“Your Highness.” She bowed.
“Um, hello there,” I tried to sound cheerful. As one does when speaking to a carnivorous plant.
“We felt your awakening, Princess,” the green lady continued. “All of the Twilight Forest is rejoicing your arrival.
May Danu bless you and protect you.”
“Thank you.” A warmth spread through me at her words and a response rose out of me without conscious effort. “May your roots grow deep and your leaves spread wide above you.”
The lady plant smiled wider and bowed again before she slid back into her leaves.
“How did you know the proper response to give a Lonnegawn?” Tiernan was gaping at me as we walked onward.
“I don't know.” I blinked as I automatically avoided stepping on a large red insect that went running by. Traversing the fairy forest was becoming easier. “I must have read about it in my Fairy Lore class.”
“We never provided the Extinguishers with information on the Lonnegawn.” Tiernan frowned thoughtfully.
“The answer to your earlier question is; a lot,” Aideen interrupted brightly.
“What?” I transferred my attention to her.
“You asked how many fairies want you dead,” she reminded me. “A lot of them do.”
“Aideen.” Tiernan rolled his eyes and then looked back at me. “There are those who share King Uisdean's opinion that a human should never sit on a fairy throne despite their royal parentage.”
“So, even if we make it to the Twilight Court, I'll never be safe,” I said with calm acceptance.
“Once you're confirmed as Princess, the threat will lessen significantly,” Tiernan insisted.
“Lessen but not disappear,” I huffed.
“Killing a fairy monarch or their heir is a crime punishable
by death at the hands of the Sluagh,” Tiernan said grimly. “Even though the Unseelie King can command them, it doesn't make him immune to Sluagh justice. If he kills you after King Keir crowns you as his heir, the Sluagh will kill him and any whom he contracted to assist in your murder. No one will take that risk.”
“I should have just stayed in the Human Realm,” I grumbled.
“You would be dead if you'd stayed in the Human Realm.”
Aideen stopped walking to face me. “You need to understand this right now, Seren. Your father has spent your entire life protecting you. He has remained apart from the woman he loved because they both believed it would be safer to raise you as a human. Everything has been done out of love for you. If King Keir believes you are safer here in Fairy now, then it's because he has good reason to.”
“And you expect me to just take your word for all of this?”
I stared hard at her. “You, who lied and manipulated events to suit some ulterior motive. Why should I believe anything you say?”
Aideen looked stricken; gaping at me like a fish as branches drooped out of her hair, dropping delicate, fluted, green flowers all over the ground.
“Then trust me. ” Tiernan took my hand. “If you can't believe in Aideen, believe in me when I tell you that your father has your best interests at heart.”
“You saved my life,” I said, “and that's earned you a measure of trust, but I'll need to make my own decision about this fairy who claims to be my father.”
“That's fair.” Tiernan gave me a little smile. “I have enough faith in your perception to know you'll see what I do; an honorable man who's obviously your father.”
A swarm of tiny fairies burst from the trees; delicate wings buzzing so fast that they became a blur. They circled us—sunlight
flashing off their tiny, obsidian swords—then came to hover before us. They all wore similar expressions of brash roguery on their faces and intricate tattoos on their bodies. One male pixie flew to the head of the group and sheathed his black sword. His mouth twisted up at one corner; adding to the carefree look of his tousled red hair and jaunty green leather jerkin.
“Tiernan.” The little fairy man held out a fist, and Tiernan tapped it with a fingertip.
“Rath.” Tiernan nodded. “You're patrolling today?”
“Scouting.” Rath looked over at me and bowed. “Your Highness, your ascension has been noted and the Court is even now preparing for your arrival. King Keir has sent us out to scout for you, and I need to report your proximity so you may be escorted in properly.”
“Um, okay.” I blinked at Tiernan.
“She's an eloquent one, eh?” Rath smirked at Tiernan, who shook his head and laughed.
“Be off, impetuous pixie and make known my whereabouts to the Twilight Court,” I intoned dramatically before lifting a brow at Rath. “Was that better?”
“Ah! She has her father's humor as well as his eyes.” Rath bowed to me again. “I shall fly to your service, my Princess!” He made a motion with his hand, and the pixies did a swooping arch in front of us before darting off through the trees.
“Well, that was interesting.” I rolled my eyes.
“You did well.” Tiernan chuckled. “That was the perfect response to a pixie. They love royals who treat them with casual respect.”
“I try to treat everyone with casual respect.” I smirked.
“That may not be the best technique for the rest of the Fey.” He grimaced as we continued walking.
“His name was Rath?” I asked. “As in, a fairy mound?”
“The word rath means royal seat. ” Tiernan smirked.
“Rath's parents had high hopes for him.”
“To what? Be a pain in a royal's ass or just be a royal pain in the ass?” I huffed.
“Either would make them proud.” Tiernan laughed. “Pixies are all a bunch of miscreants at heart.”
“Tattooed miscreants,” I added.
“Well, that is how they got their name.” He shrugged.
“Right.” I nodded as I recalled my lessons on pixies.
“Pixie, from the term pict-sidhe. Tattooed fairies.”
“There it is!” Aideen pointed excitedly, and I looked ahead to where the trees thinned.
A wide meadow, spotted with purple flowers, spread out beyond. In the center of the meadow rose a hill and at the peak of the hill perched a castle. It had a central steepled building surrounded by numerous towers and walls too high to even fantasize about scaling. The stone walls were a grayish lavender color—like the evening sky—and they gleamed in the sunlight. As we stepped out of the forest, a dirt path came into view. It led up to the main gates and down to a road which crossed horizontally in front of us. We headed straight for the path just as a group of mounted, fairy warriors came surging through the castle gates.
We reached the crossroads, and Tiernan motioned for us to stop. It only took a few minutes for the group of fairy riders to reach us. They were wearing hardened leather armor stained dark purple with black clothing beneath it but no helmets. Their
otherworldly beauty was on full display and their long hair streamed out behind them like colorful banners. White, yellow, crimson, green, and even blue; the colors of both hair and skin were as varied as any painter's palette.
I couldn't help but admire them. Most of the sidhe—the highest level of the Fey—were beautiful but when they were armored and on horseback, they especially appealed to my soldier's heart. I doubted even Lancelot himself could compete with a mounted fairy knight in the looks department. The thought had me smiling as they brought their gray horses to a stop just a few feet before us. The knights dismounted and bowed as one; in a choreographed maneuver which appeared effortless. Then a blue-haired fairy man stepped forward.
“Princess Seren, it's an honor to escort you home. I am Sir Torquil, and these are the men of the King's Guard.” He motioned to the men behind him. Then three horses were brought forward by one of the soldiers, and Torquil continued. “We've brought mounts for you as well; my Lord Tiernan, and my Lady Aideen.” He nodded to each of them before refocusing on me. “Please, allow me to help you onto your mount, Princess.”
I glanced at Tiernan, and he gave me a secret grin before he nodded. I went forward, and Torquil went down on one knee so I could use his armored thigh as a step. I climbed up and into the stirrup before hoisting my leg over the saddle. The saddle leather was inlaid with silver in dazzling designs and at both the front and back there were curved silver bars. I settled my weight into the perfectly contoured seat and noted that the leather didn't even creak.
The horse shifted, head tossing in unease, and I laid a hand against her neck automatically. A spark of energy flashed beneath my palm; some kind of reaction between our auras. She shivered against me and then neighed softly. A low murmur went through the knights, and I looked up to see astonished expressions on every face. I shook my head. What, they didn't think a human could
Aideen and Tiernan mounted their own horses; one of the knights helped Aideen but no one offered Tiernan assistance. I smiled to myself; thinking about what would have happened if they had. Then we turned around and headed toward the radiant castle atop the hill. The knights formed a living shield around us so that Tiernan, Aideen, and I were riding in the center of them. Their caution had me scanning the horizon in concern. What would happen if the Sluagh tried to attack us once again? Would it be worse there in Fairy where magic was supposedly stronger?
Then the castle loomed up before us, and I got a closer look at it. All thoughts of monsters melted away as I fell under its enchantment. It was too beautiful to ever be sullied by something like the Sluagh. Surely this exquisite edifice would shame them into hiding. The stone alone was intimidating. As translucent as precious gems, it caught the light within its heart; appearing to glow and pulse as if it were alive. The lowered gate was made out of the same material; columns of stone lashed together with silver bands.
Who made a gate out of stone? It seemed architecturally impossible and structurally unsound. Too delicate to withstand any attack and too difficult to lift. I doubted it would last very long against a single man armed with a pickax, much less an invading army equipped with catapults.
Then I felt the energy rippling off the castle like the vibrations from a struck gong. It was coursing through everything; the walls, the gate, even the ground. That pulsing glow within the stone wasn't a naturally occurring glimmer; it was fairy magic. The entire place was warded with amazingly strong enchantments; enough to make me a little dizzy. We stopped directly in front of the gate; close enough for me to actually see the waves of light thrumming within the thick bars. I looked up at the soaring arch supporting the gate and couldn't see any lifting mechanism or even a housing for the gate to slip up into.
“If you will please touch the portcullis, Your Highness?”
Torquil asked formally.
“Why?” I peered around the courtyard beyond the bars, expecting to see some fairies awaiting our arrival, but it was empty. Where was everyone? This was a big castle to only house a few knights. Maybe no one else cared that their princess was here.
Which was fine by me. I'd never been one to enjoy making a scene.
“This will be final proof of your lineage,” Tiernan explained. “The gate will open at the hand of King Keir's child.
The rest of us must request entrance, but you will always be welcome... if you are truly the Twilight Princess.”
“Call me Twilight Princess again, and I will punch you in the nose,” I vowed and then nearly groaned when the knights around us inhaled sharply.
“Stop stalling,” Tiernan chided with a smile.
“Fine.” I sighed and urged my horse closer; edging her parallel to the gate. I placed a hand on one of the bars with obvious irritation; half hoping that nothing would happen.
The gate disappeared completely in a sparkling explosion of stars, and a rush of sound hit us as the true courtyard was revealed. This one was full of fairies, and they were all gathered near the gate; staring at us in fascination while murmuring among themselves excitedly. I reeled a little from the rush of magic that immediately coursed through me and leaned forward on my horse.
She whinnied, almost as if she could sense my distress, and eased us back a little. I took a deep breath and steadied myself before I looked over to see Tiernan smiling widely.
So, it was confirmed then; I was a stupid, twilight, fairy princess.
I looked down at my dirty combat gear and then out at the assemblage of elegant fairies. I'd never felt so inadequate in all my
life. They were dressed in shining silk and velvet; long hair done up in elaborate hairdos to highlight beautiful faces which needed no make-up for enhancement. Mingling among these elite sidhe were lesser fey but even they made me feel out of place with their strangely beautiful attributes. Cat eyes peered at me from human faces, hooves poked out of the hem of pant legs, horns crowned haughty heads, and fluffy tails flicked beneath full skirts. There were leathery wings, scaled skin, and multi-colored fur; bodies ranging from very small to massive, and fairies who looked more like beasts than humans.
Then the crowd parted and a fairy man stepped through. He was tall with an athlete's build and skin as pale as my Irish complexion. He wore a simple blue tunic over black pants. A sword belt was strapped around his waist and the silver sword hanging from it shone brightly against his dark clothing. His only piece of adornment was a gold ring on his left hand; making him the most plainly dressed fairy there. As he strode forward, his long, amethyst hair flared behind him like a cape; the ends lightening to lavender like the stones of the castle... and the stripe in my own hair.
Torquil eased his horse around mine and led us forward into an empty space within the courtyard. I dismounted onto shaky legs and as I came around my horse, she followed me; trailing her reins across the stones. I stopped to watch the purple-haired fairy as he walked straight up to me, and I felt the horse nudge her nose into my back supportively. I kept having the dumbest thoughts, like how the courtyard stones were impossibly immaculate and how the air smelled as fresh as it had within the forest. I realized that I was on the verge of panic; distracting myself with inanities so I wouldn't bolt. I took a deep breath to calm myself.
I focused more fully on the man approaching me; continuing to breathe deeply and calmly. This was happening, and I had to deal with it. I had to keep my composure and do my best to represent the Extinguishers as well as I could. I would not allow
my first words to a fairy king to be about the cleanliness of his courtyard. As he drew closer, I realized that his hair wasn't completely purple. At the roots, it was actually black; lightening to purple about an inch down before it faded to lavender at the ends.
He stopped right in front of me and that's when I was finally able to see his eyes. They weren't exactly the same as mine.
I must have inherited the green from my mother, even though my eyes were now much brighter than hers had been. This man's eyes were aubergine, which made the silver stars surrounding his pupils seem brighter. Those starry eyes filled with tears and then he grabbed me around the shoulders and pulled me into a fierce hug.
“Seren,” his voice was deep but broken by emotion. “My daughter. I've mourned every day I've had to live without you and your mother.”
He pulled back to look me over again, and I realized that I was crying too. Something inside me recognized him and connected with him immediately. I could almost feel it pulsating between us. His palm came to rest against my cheek, and he smiled through his tears.
“You have your mother's beauty,” he said softly.
“And a little of your hair,” I observed. “I was told about the eyes, but not the hair.”
“Yes.” He laughed. “It seems that we've named you well.”
He skimmed a fingertip along my temple a