Fey Hearted

by N. E. Conneely

  Pearl grumbled when Rose stood up but then rolled into the warm spot she left behind and seemed happy enough.

  Rose hurried through her morning routine. Silverlight had been doing most of the cooking, and that was hardly fair. In her family everyone pitched in.

  Thinking about her family renewed the ache in her heart. She could see her parents, coffee in hand, quietly reading the newspaper with Bach playing in the background. That was a morning ritual she would never witness again.

  Leaving her family would be so much easier if she could just see them and know they were all right. With all the magic in this place, there had to be a way to see how they were coping with the change. It was one thing for the fey to say that life would go on for her family, but Rose would find it easier to believe if she had some proof.

  Pearl settled onto Rose’s shoulder, and she reached up to pet the dragon. It was no use dwelling when there was a full day ahead of her. She headed toward the kitchen and could hear Silverlight humming as he set out breakfast.

  “Good morning.” He smiled when she appeared. “Orange juice or tea?”

  “Juice, but I can get it.”

  Silverlight gave her an approving nod as he sat down with his breakfast.

  Rose joined him at the table. “What’s on the agenda today?”

  “A lot of the same stuff as yesterday, but I think Everblue and Rebecca are going to join us in the gardens.”

  “It’ll be fun to see them again.”

  Silverlight nodded. “I want you to be happy here.”

  “I am happy here, but I’ll be happier if you finish telling me the plan for the day.” Rose grinned.

  “More of the same. Magic lesson, garden, basic creatures and plants, lunch, and weapons work.”

  “Basic creatures and plants?” Trying to remember all the new flora and fauna would be enough to make her head hurt.

  “Yup. You’re stuck with me explaining everything I know about every creature and plant we encounter. Once I’m done with you, you’ll start lessons with fey who specialize in specific types of creatures.”

  “Oh. What if I’m not good with creatures or plants?” The houseplants she’d bought in the human world had rarely made it through their first six months.

  Silverlight dropped his eyes to Pearl, who was daintily taking a dried cranberry from Rose’s fingers. “While I can’t say how the flora and ordinary fauna will take to you, thus far magical creatures have approved.”

  “Sure, but it’s just Pearl.”

  “And Cobalt. Not to mention Esmeralda. She wouldn’t have risked Pearl’s company if she wasn’t interested in you.”

  Rose was quiet as she finished her food. Until now she’d assumed Pearl was friendly and prone to accompanying the new arrivals through their first few days, but his comments put a different spin on things. If it was unusual for Pearl to spend this much time with a human, then Rose should feel honored.

  Pearl nudged her hand, so Rose opened it, showing her that there were no more cranberries. The dragon sneezed and leaped onto the table, where she buried her snout in the bowl of berries.

  Rose looked up at Silverlight, an apology forming on her lips, but he was scooting the other bowls out of Pearl’s way with an amused smile. Pearl swished her tail, giving Rose’s cup of orange juice a thump. It tilted, but Rose caught it before any spilled.

  “Happens all the time,” Silverlight said. “No matter how many times we tell them to be careful, they keep doing this.”

  “Pearl and Cobalt seem to be at least as intelligent as most dogs. Considering the trouble normal critters get into, I imagine training magical creatures isn’t all that easy.”

  Rose watched Pearl slurp the last two cranberries out of the bowl. Then again, it was entirely possible that Pearl was as smart as Rose. Just because a creature acted simple didn’t mean it was, and with magical ones, there were even more reasons to be skeptical.

  When she looked up, Silverlight caught her eye. “Don’t think we haven’t tried to lay down ground rules, but they are magic so there’s not much we can do.”

  “What do you mean they are magic?”

  “Fey use magic and are, to a small degree, magical beings. Dragons and the like are magic. We call them elemental fey, and they are the most concentrated form of magic around. They shed magic into their surroundings, releasing the power we manipulate to do tasks. No matter how lovable and playful they are, you shouldn’t forget that magic gives them abilities and insight. They don’t communicate with us, but they know things.”

  When he said it like that, she remembered Waterfall mentioning the elemental fey the night she had been brought into the fey world. “Could they communicate with you if they wanted to?”

  Silverlight sighed. “It depends. There are three types of fey. The ones like Alda, Bronzeblade, George, and me. We are simply called fey. Then there are the elemental fey, like Pearl, the unicorns, and other creatures of the like. Lastly, there are the kin fey, or simply the kin. They are part-human, part-elemental. They can talk to us—and do on the occasion when we cross paths—but they have been very clear that they consider themselves more elemental than fey. I think that’s part of the reason they live outside of town.”

  It seemed like a subtle difference to Rose, but from Silverlight’s voice, she could tell that the inhabitants of this world took the distinctions very seriously. “When will I meet a kin?”

  Silverlight tilted his head as he considered. “I don’t know. They seldom come to Veles.”

  Rose nodded and returned to her previous question. “What about the elemental fey, like Pearl? Do they ever talk to the fey?”

  “No, but they’re magic.” Silverlight shrugged. “I assume they could do much of anything if they wanted to.”

  Rose nodded as Pearl crawled into her lap and, for all appearances, went to sleep. If Pearl was magic, maybe there was some meaning in her company, though Rose didn’t have the energy to ponder it at the moment. However, it did bring a different point to mind. Since Pearl was somewhat tame but free to do as she wished, it begged a question.

  “Do the fey keep pets or farm animals?”

  “We have some working animals,” Silverlight answered, “and a few have ended up as pets after injuries, but we don’t typically domesticate creatures.”

  It went unsaid that there was more danger associated with taming animals in this world. After all, creatures that could breathe fire, double in size, and use magic would be a lot more of a challenge than ye old dairy cow.

  When Rose and Silverlight finished breakfast, they cleaned up the kitchen and then moved into the workroom for a magic lesson where Rose continued learning the basics. After that they headed to the gardens. Everblue and Rebecca were already there, picking kale off plants that were over four feet tall.

  “Good to see you, Everblue,” Rose said.

  “Likewise.” He thumped the kale stalk with his foot, and leaves fell into the basket.

  “Save some for me,” Silverlight called over his shoulder as he trotted over to the lean-to.

  Rebecca smiled and waved. Rose waved back before getting a basket and joining her.

  “How have you been?” Rose asked.

  Her smile faded. “All right. It’s different, you know?”

  “That can be good, though. So far it’s been good for me.” Rose kicked the stalk as Everblue had and maneuvered her basket to catch three kale leaves.

  “There’s so much to learn, and I miss my home.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “Sixty-eight days.” There was definitely some bitterness in that answer. Rebecca moved her basket but didn’t position it properly, and a leaf toppled to the ground.

  Rose picked it up. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.” She took the leaf from Rose and set it in her basket.

  “I miss home, too.” Closing her eyes for a moment, Rose pushed away the lurking memories. “That’s normal, I think, but I think it’s worth it. We are liv
ing a life other people only dream of, and their dreams don’t capture even a fraction of the magic or joy.”

  “Maybe so, but sometimes I think…” Her voice trailed off.

  Rose waited, but she didn’t finish. “You think what?”

  She toyed with a leaf. “I wonder if I made the right choice.”

  “Of course you did,” Rose reassured her. “They wouldn’t have given you the option to stay unless they believed you belonged here.”

  Rebecca held up her basket. “I’m full. I’ll be back.”

  Rose nodded, hoping she hadn’t upset her new friend. Turning back to the kale, Rose saw Silverlight and Everblue watching Rebecca walk away. Silverlight looked puzzled, and Everblue was frowning. When they were alone, Rose would tell Silverlight about what Rebecca had said. Everblue needed to know that she was having trouble with the adjustment.

  However, when Rebecca returned, she was smiling. “What’s your favorite thing about this place?”

  Rose went along with the change in conversation, not wanting to upset her further. “Oh, the creatures. Definitely. One of the dragons, Pearl, has been spending a lot of time with me. And some nights I can hear a fevian outside. What about you?”

  “The food is amazing.”

  “It really is. And the clothes are so comfortable.”

  “I know,” Rebecca exclaimed. “I didn’t expect that.”

  The rest of the time in the garden passed with friendly conversation. Rose reluctantly said her good-byes when Silverlight told her they needed to be going.

  Once they were well out of earshot, Rose said, “I’m not sure Rebecca is happy here.”

  “I am sorry.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Yes.” He sighed. “We had hoped that meeting you would help her find peace with her decision to live here. It pains me to see Everblue struggling to help her find happiness. He’s been my friend for many years.”

  It went unsaid that he could end up in Everblue’s situation, with an unhappy fey hearted making his life miserable. She wasn’t sure what to say. Hearing Rebecca’s doubts had shaken her a little, though she’d tried to ignore it. She was no longer certain that this life would be as happy as she’d envisioned, but from the little she’d seen, Rebecca wasn’t doing anything to make the best of the situation.

  Rose frowned. “I thought all fey hearted were happy here.”

  “Didn’t you hear George when you signed the blood contract?”

  She shook her head.

  Silverlight was quiet for a long time. “No, not all are happy. When you signed the blood contract you were accepting the magic. For a few—so few that it last happened more than five hundred years ago—the magic rejects them. They are returned to the human world with no memory of their time here. However, the magic cannot or will not ensure their happiness upon their return. I do not know if their family’s memory is restored. We’ll see my father later this week when he comes for dinner, and he’ll explain it better.”

  Rose tried to absorb the new information. She hadn’t realized that there was a way to go back home. Though it didn’t sound like a good way to return. Missing all memory of the time here would make it difficult to adapt. Even if her family did remember her, they would have to relearn how to be a family with that chunk missing from everyone’s life. No, it would be better to stay than to end up home in that situation.

  Silverlight turned toward the Commons. They dodged the same herd of goats from the day before as they played on the path. When Rose and Silverlight returned to a normal walking pace, she resumed her reflections.

  She was responsible for her own happiness, and for better or worse, this was her home and her reality now. Nothing was going to change that. As much as Rose missed her family, they were out of her reach and she was out of their lives. For the rest of her days they would only live in her heart, and that had to be enough. Rose wasn’t going to be like Rebecca. She was going to embrace this life and find the joy it in that she’d been unable to find in her former life.

  Chapter 12

  The next few days followed the same general routine—lessons, gardening, lunch, and weapons work, with a few other lessons tossed in here and there. She was adjusting well, but she still felt as if her legs were going to fall off during the walk home from the hoplon each day. Her arms weren’t in much better shape, which she discovered when she was in the shower after training one afternoon. She was so sore that even lifting her arms to wash her hair was difficult. The only thing keeping her going was the rumble of her stomach. One thing weapons work was great for was working up an appetite.

  For all that she thought she’d hate weapons work, she was falling in love with the sword after only six lessons—the way it felt in her hand, the sound as it swished through the air, and how there would always be more to learn. Watching Silverlight and Bronzeblade was always educational, too. Just today she had watched a bout between Alda and Silverblade, and she’d noticed how Alda compensated for her shorter reach with speed and athleticism.

  Sadly, the evening was far from over. On the way home, Silverlight had reminded her that his father would be over for dinner and to teach her some of the fey history. Rose hoped he was a lively storyteller, because she suspected that she’d be headed toward sleep as soon as her belly was full.

  Walking into the kitchen, Rose saw that the table had been expanded to make room for Waterfall, and an assortment of dishes was already laid out.

  Silverlight’s father got up from the table, hands out, smiling broadly. “How is our newest fey hearted?” He gave her a hug and looked her over, nodding approvingly.

  “Tired, and hungry, but otherwise good. Your son has kept me busy since I arrived.” Those words brought back the memory of that first night and the choice she’d made. Rose swallowed hard, pushing the feelings away. This wasn’t the time to dwell.

  “Yes, he’s been telling me about your studies. Alda seems to think you’ll make a fine swordsman.”

  Rose blushed. “That’s flattering, but it seems early to make such statements. After all, I’ve only been at it for less than a week.”

  Waterfall raised an eyebrow. “Alda has trained a great many people and has uncannily good judgment.”

  Rose just nodded. Good judgment or magic? That was the real question.

  “Come sit back down, Father. We’re both starving, and she’s too polite to sit while you’re standing.”

  Waterfall winked at Rose. “I don’t know, son. I’m enjoying this discussion.”

  Silverlight rolled his eyes. “You aren’t fooling me. You won’t let her go hungry.”

  “Spoil my fun, why don’t you?” Waterfall took a seat next to his son.

  Rose settled in across from them and filled her plate. The conversation died down as everyone ate, but when Waterfall finished he turned to Rose. “Silverlight tells me you haven’t had a history lesson yet.”

  Since she couldn’t talk around the mouthful of baked potato, she shook her head and shot a look at Silverlight. She thought he would do something since she was chewing, but he gave a one-shouldered shrug and popped a piece of cheese in his mouth. Rose quickly swallowed her food.

  “No, I’ve been too tired to stay awake through evening lessons. Silverlight gave me some books, but I haven’t opened them,” Rose admitted sheepishly.

  Waterfall smiled. “Not surprising. Silverlight has been keeping you busy. However, it is important that you understand some of our history.”

  “I suggest you hurry,” Silverlight said. “As long as she’s eating she’ll stay awake.”

  “Clearly,” Waterfall said dryly. “Once upon a time, many years ago, in a land far—”

  “Really, Father?” Silverlight interrupted. “Really?”

  “Oh, fine.” He sighed and resumed talking in a more serious tone. “As fey, since time eternal, our task has been to live in harmony with the land. We heal what damage we can and tend to the needs of the elemental fey. They are our first duty. They are the source of ma
gic, and it is believed that this place would cease to exist without them. How they or the fey came to this place is unknown.”

  “He’s always slow telling this,” Silverlight mock-whispered to Rose.

  Her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, taking in Silverlight’s mischievous look and Waterfall’s half smile.

  “Very well. I’ll hurry this part of the explanation.” He settled back into the chair. “While we are sure of our more recent history, the old history is far from certain. As the story goes, a long time ago fey were frequent visitors to some parts of the human world. There are tales of our involvement in some battles and helping one or two kingdoms select their ruling lines. While there is documentation of fey involvement, the extent is debated. What is clear is that since time before memory, the fey have inhabited this land and been able to travel between the two worlds, an ability the humans do not share.

  “We believe that the fey and the humans inhabit different, but closely related, planes of existence on this planet. The things the humans do to their earth have an effect on our side, and the reciprocal is true, as well. We do our best to mitigate the effects of pollution and other calamities. There are also great similarities in weather, as well as other convergences. The fey know of no other worlds, planes, or dimensions that we can access. Since that has been studied for thousands of years, there is a tendency to think that we would’ve found other places if we could get to them. The prevailing theory, however, is that we aren’t close enough to another world to get in.”

  Rose nodded. That made sense.

  “Silverlight tells me you have inquired as to why we seek out the fey hearted. I do not have a good answer,” Waterfall said with a shrug. “The exact cause vanished from our stories. It’s been so long since we began bringing fey hearted like you into this world and making them part of our society. It is rumored that we were once more closely related to the elemental fey, perhaps part of the kin fey… But however it occurred, we discovered that humans who accept magic, like you, did slowly become fey. When the magic accepts the fey hearted, they are slowly infused with more magic, and they gain a longer lifespan—hundreds of your human years—and the ability to manipulate magic, and they typically find an area they wish to specialize in. But it can take time.”