by Jana LaPelle
Alaric groans behind me, “I’m right here.”
Tarron smiles down at me, his grin borders on wicked intent before saying, “Anything for you, mo solas.” He brushes his unruly sandy blond hair out of his eyes and winks before striding away to the pavilion tent to change.
“Seriously, I’m right here.” Alaric murmurs.
Laughing, I turn, “You were the one that wanted me to play nice. Come with me my handsome Elf-Man, I want to check in on our beautiful babes.”
I hear Lugh over my shoulder question, “Is it always like this around here?” His tone is light and full of mirth.
Dagda claps him on the back, “Welcome, my old friend, welcome back to the land of the living. Yes, it’s like this most of the time, even if we are just having a meal together or strategizing or training. This group is full of life and love and hope and light, and they are exactly what The Realms need to bring change to The Otherworld. Alaric and Ashlinn will lead us all. The gods and goddess of these realms will choose a side, and a war will be fought. A war between the light and the dark and we represent the light. Those that follow The Morrígan will fall to darkness and will seal their fate.”
Under my breath, I whisper, “I wish I could be as sure of that.”
Alaric leans down and says, “When the time comes Ashlinn, we will be ready.”
Before we get to the cradle Lachlan lets loose a healthy cry, the fox in the cradle with him is lapping at his pudgy little toes and legs in an effort to soothe him. I have a feeling that the twins will never be lonely as long as these two pups are around. Looking up at Alaric, I say, “You know that we are going to have to name these two foxes and come clean with everyone about why they’re here.” I reach in and pet Lachlan’s now constant companion before picking up my active son. His legs are kicking, and his arms are wavy in the air reaching for me. His cherub features break into an infectious grin at the sight of me, and I can’t help but pepper his face with smacking little kisses, and a tiny giggle erupts from him. “Your máthair loves you so much.” Holding him up in the air I blow raspberries on his belly, and he squeals in delight making me laugh. Dagda steps up and takes Lachlan from me and begins tickling his tiny feet. Looking around, I notice for the first time that my parents aren’t here, and I wonder where they are. “Dagda, have you spoken with my mother? I wonder why they’re not here?”
Dagda laughs before answering, “Well it would seem that your mother has finally acquired her panther when accepting her mating to your father. She was convinced that due to her not being born of flesh but rather by fire that she would not be granted an inner feline and did not prepare for that as a possibility. From what I can gather from Rhespen, Danu is quite beside herself, because she is in heat. I do believe that she will soon understand what you were going through that very first meeting with her here at the Keep.”
The thought of my somewhat uptight mother finding herself in that particular predicament has me joining in with Dagda’s laughter on the matter, “Well, it’s about damn time. I want a brother or a sister so I can spoil them rotten.”
Dagda laughs and hands Lachlan back over to me, “I can’t wait to hear Danu’s response to that. Go on, take the babes swimming. Alaric, Declan, and Lexie look like they are waiting for you and don’t worry about what is to come. Alaric is right. When the moment arrives, you will both be ready. Our creator has faith in you. You should have faith that he knows exactly what he’s doing.” With those words of wisdom, he walks away.
Holding Lachlan up in front of me I kiss his little nose and say, “Come on my little Elf-Man, we’re going swimming. I think you and your sister and your cousin Sammy will like playing in the water.”
Chapter 20
(Alaric)
The afternoon passed rather quickly. My heart melts again as I remember the babe’s enthusiasm once we got them in the lake, their little arms splashing in the water, their legs kicking and their squeals of delight echo throughout the recesses of my mind. By the end of the afternoon they were utterly tuckered out but refused to give into sleep, and at the rate they are going will be crawling soon, I hope that I’m around to see that happen. We sat on the shore sunbathing the rest of the day and catching up with everyone as our two little ones continued to root around. The kayak races were over before we knew it, Ēolieus and Khatar were both named the victors because it was just too close to call. Those two have entered into a brotherhood that rivals Tolin and Torin’s. On the other hand, corn hole has become a quick favorite amongst everyone, they found it competitive and fun and not as easy as they thought it would be but easy to replicate in our realm. In retrospect, Lexie’s afternoon has served not only to provide a fun and relaxing day, but to further strengthen the bonds that bind us all. By bringing us all together in this type of outing, it has solidified our ties to one another. It was genius really. I’m not sure that Ashlinn has caught on to that as of yet or will, but I for one am thankful for Lexie’s thoughtfulness and insight. Since returning to our chambers, Ashlinn has been busy taking care of the twins. She has lovingly gone about bathing them. Their little limbs and faces are now sun-kissed, and their eyes are heavy. All the energy from earlier is quickly being replaced with fatigue. Their two new shadows are ever present and are quickly becoming integrated into our lives. Ashlinn’s right we will have to name the two pups sooner rather than later.
Leaning against the doorframe, I watch from the doorway of the nursery that connects from our room while Ashlinn quickly goes about changing the two into their evening wear. They are so tired that they continue to drift off not fighting Ashlinn as she dresses them, their little arms limp as noodles. Lillie is in an adorable sleeveless blue, and white gingham print dress with a matching headband and Lachlan is in a matching sleeveless romper. My world is complete with them in it, and I can’t imagine ever facing another day in my life where they don’t exist, the pure torture of that thought is one that I quickly banish.
Since Ashlinn’s vision from earlier, I have not allowed myself to think about it further, until now. I close off my link to my kindred, knowing that she is still busy with the twins at the moment and will not notice my absence. As I enter our outer chambers, I make my way over to my desk and with haste, pull out some of my stationary and then take up my writing quill and quickly pen a letter to Ashlinn. Blowing on the thick parchment to help the ink dry I quickly fold the letter and stuff it in an envelope and address it to Ashlinn Ryllae Faerondarl, mo grhá is gaire, my dearest love. Next, I light a matchstick and heat the red wax stick tip to melting and seal the envelope shut pressing my crest into the molten wax. I only have a few moments before Ashlinn calls out to me for help with the twins. The wax quickly dries, and I tuck the letter away in the inside pocket of my sleeveless waistcoat for later. I tidy my desk and hear Ashlinn in the other room calling out for me. I quickly school my thoughts and reach out through our link, “Coming, love.”
“Maybe I should have let these two sleep, they’re so tired Alaric. I just thought that they should be with us tonight.” Her indecision is evident, and I can tell that she is torn.
Walking back into the nursery I pick up the miniature me laying sprawled on his back sound asleep and cradle him in my arms before addressing Ashlinn’s concern, I can’t help the smile that ignites when I look upon my son’s peaceful face, “Ash, you’re right about having them with us tonight, the earlier that we begin integrating them into their roles, the more quickly they will adapt to their role for The Realms. So that starts tonight and on certain occasions. They should understand at a tender age what their station is. There will be times that it will not be appropriate to involve them as children but tonight we dine with friends and allies. Tonight we will learn about Cú Chulainn’s resting place. We will formulate a plan and put it into action. If we can’t stop The Morrígna from raising Lainn, maybe we can prevent them from whisking him away. We only have bits and pieces of what is yet to come. We should not be too quick to judge what you have seen at face value. There
could be more to it. Would you not agree?” She closes her eyes for a moment before lifting those warm whiskey-colored eyes to mine, a gaze I crave to see every morning and every minute of every day.
Sighing she says, reluctance in her tone, “Agreed.”
I take her in, in all her glory. Tonight she is dressed in a midnight blue gown adorned with a thousand tiny sparkling crystals, it’s strapless and reminds me of a dark starry night. The sheath is long and flowing and hugs her curves in all the right places making my blood heat for her. Her caramel and golden streaked hair is intricately woven and hangs down her back in long thick waves and I long to run my fingers through her silken tresses. The woman standing before me is regal and exceptionally beautiful, I hardly recognize the girl that I rescued in The Mortal Realm. She’s still in there, beneath the surface, insecure at times in her lack of knowledge of all things fae, but she is headstrong and determined and I long to take her in my arms. My mind made up, I decide to indulge my whim and issue a promise, “Before this night is through, I will have a dance with my kindred. Maybe more than one, I can think of nothing better than to spend my night with you in my arms twirling you around the ballroom dance floor, or the library for that matter. Once our children are down for the night, I intend to take you in my arms and to our bed where I can explore every single inch of you. But until then we have guests waiting for us. Come mo grá, gather our beautiful daughter up. Let’s not keep everyone waiting.”
Her eyes hood and I can see a longing ignite in their smoldering depths, her lips twitch, and a tiny smile brilliantly lights up her face, “Elf-man, that’s a promise that I will not let you forget. You and I will dance tonight to the music below and in the company of friends and family. But I look forward to the tango between the sheets with you tonight with rapt anticipation. Come, let’s do this, I’m eager to discover the secret to Lainn’s resting place. The sooner, the better, then we can put the whole sordid mess behind us. At which point, we can focus on finding the Spear of Lugh. We have all the other Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann with that one exception. I really think that it is the key element to our winning this ever brewing war.”
“I’m wounded Ash, you don’t think that me wielding the Sword of Light can overcome the Spear of Lugh?”
Laughing she looks up at me as we hit the bottom step and make our way toward the banquet hall, “I didn’t say that, Elf-Man. I just believe in stacking the deck in our favor. Wouldn’t you agree?” Her eyes are sparkling that beautiful amber hue, and for a moment I’m saddened that neither of the twins got her eyes. Instead, they have mine and all my coloring. We will have to rectify that the next go around. As if I will have any say as to the genetic gene pool that our next child will be privy to, but if our creator has any say, I would think that he would want to replicate her unique beauty in a miniature Ashlinn.
As we enter the banquet hall, everyone is in attendance, decked out in their finest. Millie waves us over and directs us to the cradles that have been sat up for the babes. With kisses to their foreheads, we hand them over so they can be settled, not sure how long they will sleep. Lexie is at Ashlinn’s side with Sammy and the two strike up a conversation, and I take that moment to step away and find Jasmine, “Come find me, okay,” Ashlinn nods and smiles, waving me off. I scan the room spotting Jaz and Cam, and make my way toward the couple.
“Hey, Alaric, what’s up?” Camoryn is quick to greet me.
Looking over my shoulder, I see that Lexie has Ashlinn occupied and I take my moment, shutting down my link to my kindred, I switch my focus to Camoryn and Jasmine, “I need a favor.”
Camoryn instantly becomes serious, “You have only to ask, my friend.” And there you have it.
Jasmine scrutinizes me with her crystalline blue eyes and pipes in, “What’s going on Alaric? And why do I get the feeling that you don’t want Ashlinn to know about this favor.”
Looking over my shoulder again, I smile when I see Ashlinn engaged in a lively conversation with Lexie and Millie. It’s now or never. “You’re right Jaz. This is something that Ashlinn does not need to know about until the time is right.” I pull the letter addressed to Ashlinn from the inside pocket of my waistcoat and finger it for a moment. This feels right as I hand the letter over to Jasmine who looks down on it and back up at me questioningly.
“Alaric, this is addressed to Ashlinn. Why are you giving it to me?”
“There will come a time in the not too distant future when Ashlinn will need to read this letter if something were to happen to me. I will either ask for the letter back, or you will know that the time is right to hand it over to her. Until that time you must not utter a word to Ashlinn. Do you understand?”
“Why not talk to Ash tonight? Why not discuss what is in this letter with her? Why wait?” Jasmine is quick to ask.
“Jasmine, please trust me when I say that when the time is right, you will understand. As her dear friend, you will know when that time is, she will need you and Lexie and these words that I have written to her. I believe it will be crucial that she receives this note from me. Can I trust you and Camoryn with this task? It is of the utmost importance. If all goes well, I will ask for the letter back after Cú Chulainn’s resurrection, if not then you will know when to hand this note over to Ash. So will you keep my confidence?” I knew Jasmine would push back, but I’m running out of time as I sense Ashlinn moving this way.
Jasmine studies me for a moment before nodding solemnly and handing the letter over to Camoryn who quickly tucks it away inside his vest pocket. Jasmine leans in, and I duck down to hear her hushed words, “You can trust us with the task at hand. I have to ask, what do you think will happen that night? It must be pretty bad if you have prepared a letter for Ashlinn.”
Cam leans in, “I’ve got your back, Alaric, always.”
I smile and say, “Cam, just like me, you have a Keeper to protect. That night you will be protecting Jasmine. Just like I will be busy protecting Ashlinn, there will be quite a number of souls that will not be able to see the light, they will be confused and tortured. Ashlinn will be distracted, as will all the Keepers, they will be busy, and it is our duty to protect them so that they can tend to their charges.” I abruptly cut our conversation short and turn to greet Ash and Lexie with a smile. “Hey you two, glad you could join us. Have either of you seen Lugh yet?” I glance over to Cam who nods his understanding and Jasmine who has begun to fidget feeling the weight of the task that I have charged her with.
Ashlinn narrows her eyes as she takes in our little group but before either of them can answer, Dagda and Lugh make a rather grand entrance alongside Tarron, and I can’t help but think that the three of them are trouble in the making. I take Ashlinn’s hand and place it in the crook of my arm before guiding her toward the entrance to the large room. “Come mo grá. Let us go greet our guest of honor.” I sense that those in attendance this evening are gathering behind us in our wake. The musicians have taken up playing a soft ballad in the background as we make our way through the crowd to Lugh.
Ashlinn is the first to speak, “Lugh, we are truly honored that you are here with us tonight. Welcome.” Her smile is contagious as the three males before us light up in her presence. Tarron’s moniker for my kindred comes to mind, mo solas.
Lugh’s face lights up as he addresses us, “It is I who am honored to be here. Thank you both for making me feel at home. Today has been a most welcome change, and I hope it is a sign of good things to come.”
I look to Dagda, and I see a look on his face that I’m not sure that I have seen before, he’s happy, but it’s something more, and I have to wonder how close Lugh and Dagda were before Lainn died. As I think back on it, Danu and Dagda both knew so much about his life and Lainn’s. He called him brother, but I get the feeling that there is more to their relationship. Smiling, I reply, “Lugh, you are always welcome at Glenndale Loch Keep. I hope you find your accommodations to your liking.”
“But of course, I have always enjoyed my sta
y here in the past, but that is longer ago than I care to remember.”
I give a nod, and we all make our way toward the dining tables, and the meal gets underway. Ashlinn is seated to my left at the head of the table Lugh to my right, Dagda to his right and Tarron is seated across from Lugh to Ashlinn left. Our first course is plated before us, and we enjoy a tasty shrimp bisque paired with a slice of hearty bread. Everyone enjoys a comfortable familiarity and conversation around the table quickly takes off.
Ashlinn is quick to engage Tarron, “So Tarron, I believe that now is the perfect time for us to discuss the little problem that you have with a particularly nasty faction of your horde. The púca,” She glares at our friend over what’s left of her bisque and for the briefest of moments I take pity on Tarron.
“Ashlinn, I’m sure that whatever transpired with the púca that reside in the stone forest can’t be that bad.”
Oh well, here we go. Tarron has just set her off, so I intervene, “Tarron, I’m not sure that you understand the gravity of the situation, you should know that the púca seriously overstepped-“
“Overstepped?!” Ashlinn is quick to interrupt me, “That’s what you’re calling it now?” She glares at me before turning her attention back to Tarron, “I’ll tell you just how that faction of your horde overstepped,” saying the later indicating with her fingers in air quotes as she directs her anger over the actions of the clan toward Tarron. I watch him as he visibly flinches as Ashlinn points her finger at The Horde King and I sit back to watch her in action, “You, my dear friend, have a problem with the púca that will demand a firm hand from you. They are particularly cunning and wicked little creatures with a nasty bite, and they expect you to back them in their endeavor to drain me of my essence in the hope of increasing their numbers. I suspect the evil little wench was lying about that. Their numbers looked just fine to me when we were racing for our lives to escape the stone giants and their swarm. They descended on us with a vengeance in an effort to get what they wanted. Me.”
