by Jana LaPelle
Millie has sat the table, and everyone passes their bowls around to get a helping of the delicious smelling stew and homemade bread. As everyone gets settled candles are lit, and lights are dimmed, Ashlinn, to my left, takes my hand in hers. Lexie is on the other side of Ash and Declan is on Lexie's left. He has not left her side for more than a few moments in the last twenty-four hours, and I suspect that Lexie may be more than she appears. She just may be Declan's kindred, but I will ponder that later.
"If you're ready I'll begin," Nemus says with a heavy sigh.
The Histories
"All religions in the Mortal realm hold some similarities, and you may find that our histories are not so different from yours. In the beginning, there was one God, one omnipotent being, a giver of life, a creator. The first realm that he created was the Overworld, or Heaven as you may be more familiar with, and in the Overworld, celestial beings were created to serve his will. He created nine orders of angels." Nemus pauses thoughtfully and then continues, "It is said that once all was right in the Overworld, God set about creating the other three realms the Otherworld or the Faerie Realm, the Mortal Realm or Earth, and the Underworld or Hell. The Overworld and the Underworld are reserved for those souls that have passed on from this life. The Otherworld and the Mortal Realm are reserved for the living. In his infinite wisdom, he also created the Tree of Life that is connected to all four realms, and without the Tree of Life the foundation that has been laid to balance the four realms would be broken, and the Mortal realm and the Otherworld would slowly die." Nemus at this moment mutters something under his breath, and then waves his hand palm up over the table. An image appears showing the four realms as if on a compass and the Tree of Life is in the center. “Now the great creator has connected the four realms to the four elements as such:
As the diagram floats above the table, I hear Ashlinn say, "Well snap. When looking at it like this, it all makes sense. But the Tree of Life, is there something wrong with her? When I saw her before, she didn't seem well to me?" She asks.
"I'll get to that," Nemus says. "Now, the Mortal Realm and Faerie were once open to one another and had close ties as they co-existed together. As the mortals began experimenting with technology, the two worlds became distant, until only a few in the Mortal Realm knew of the existence of the other, even though everyone in Faerie knows of the Mortal Realm. Humans grew away from the beliefs of majic and the majical creatures of the Faerie Realm as technology began to take root, and the fae that remained in this world began to remove themselves and moved back to Faerie."
Jasmine gets excited at this point, “So that’s why I didn’t feel any dryads in the woods when we came through the portal!” she exclaims.
"Yes, that is why. There are some dryads left here, but they will soon seek to move to Faerie if the Mortal Realm continues as it has. Now that I have established the realms and we are all comfortable with the balance of life I'll move on to the deities, the god, and goddesses that exist between the realms.
"Once the other three realms were established, God decided to close the portals to the Overworld and the Underworld so that all who sought entry would truly be souls passing from the Realms of the living to the Realms of the afterlife. In order to maintain order, God took from his elite angels and asked them if any would like to oversee the two worlds as gods or goddesses. A select few were chosen for this task. These angels were deemed worthy by God and were sent to the Mortal Realm and the Otherworld to oversee the development of the two worlds. During this time a war in the Overworld took place, and God's most esteemed angel Lucifer, fell from grace as did many of his followers. They were sent to the depths of Hell to reside forevermore as the Fallen, along with the demons of their own creation. As the Mortal Realm continued on their path utilizing mortal technology, the gods that were sent to oversee these two realms withdrew to the Otherworld and are known as the Tuatha Dé Danann. Many deities now reside in the Otherworld, and conflicts have arisen in the past as they realize that they are now restricted to reside in one realm and not two.
“As things continue to evolve in the Otherworld the Fomorians seek to challenge the gods and goddesses of the Otherworld. They want to rule it in their own fashion and in doing so The Morrígan, who now leads the Fomorians as their queen, has found a way to poison the Tree of Life.” Nemus quietly brings the history lesson to a close as everyone around the table allows the lesson to sink in.
Chapter 11
(Ashlinn)
“What? Wait. Is that it? That can’t be it.” I exclaim.
Alaric puts his arm around me and pulls me to him, “Patience, Ashlinn. We also have much to discuss in private.” He says pressing a kiss to my temple.
“But, there’s so much more. What about the Tree, she needs us, she needs our help! And who are the Fomorians and who is The Morrígan?”
"Yes, and we'll all be there to help her, all of us together, the goddess, Danu, has intervened for now, and the Tree of Life will not falter, not yet. We've been given a reprieve for now. You have family to tend to before we can move forward. Tomorrow will be here before you know it and I worry that you may not be prepared for all that entails." Alaric says with a grimace.
The reminder about tomorrow is like a physical blow, and I’m at a loss for words. I guess I would be okay if tomorrow never came, but we all know that’s not going to happen. His words bring me back to the reality that I have not wanted to face since my awakening. My family is not coming back.
“Lexie, are you staying here tonight?” I ask quietly. Suddenly realizing that I had not thought to ask her what her wishes were.
"Ash, I'm going back to my home, I talked it over with Declan, and he's okay with it. We'll meet back here in the morning. Declan and Torin will go with me, leaving Tolin and Nemus here. I've had a bit more time to come to terms with everything that has happened in the last week. I'm not saying that it will be easy walking into the house without them, because it won't be. Not for a long while. It's going to be terribly quiet and lonely there, but for tonight I need to be surrounded by the comfort of my room, my things, and all of theirs." She says somberly.
“Do you need for me to come with you?”
"No, I'll be okay. I promise." She says, pulling me into a hug. "You have other things to focus on for now."
“Okay, but I’m sending Jasmine with you to keep you company, she’ll only be bored here because Alaric and I need time to talk and figure things out. Jasmine, are you okay with that?” I ask looking her way.
"Yes, my lady," Jasmine says with a curtsy.
"Crap on crackers. Jasmine, you confuse the hell out of me going back and forth between being snarky, and then this "my lady" crap. I wish you would just cut it out." I snap, "I'll not have you acting like I'm some sort of princess, I can assure you that I'm not. I may not be the human I thought I once was, but I will not have you bowing to me like that. We're friends. And it makes me uncomfortable." I finally mutter.
"I'm sorry Ash, I promise to work on being my insufferable, and snarky self when at all possible. I'm very happy that you think of us as friends." And then, with a twinkle in her eye, and a smile on her face, she flutters over to Alexia and says, "You ready? I'm more than happy to come with you to keep you company tonight, we can get to know each other a little better if you like, and if not, I can just be there if you need to talk."
“Thank you Jaz, I feel better already. Lexie, you sure?” I ask, and she nods her okay, "If either of you needs anything we're just a short walk or call away."
We make our way through the house to see them off, agreeing to meet up here tomorrow bright and early at 7:00 am. Once they're gone, I turn to Millie, and she informs me that the guys have been shown to the two guest rooms and that she and Hank will close up for the night as it's getting late.
“Should I be concerned? Lexie and Declan seem to be inseparable. ” I look to Alaric.
"No. She should be fine; sh
e's in good hands. Declan is an honorable elf, and I suspect that the two may actually be kindred." He says seriously.
“Really? You know we really need to talk about what that means. Has it only been less than a day since my awakening? It feels so much longer than that.” I say reaching out to take Alaric’s hand, “Let’s go back to the kitchen, we can sit by the fire.” I say, pulling him after me. “I have so many questions, are you ready?” I inquire with a smile.
"It's getting late Ashlinn; maybe we should postpone this until tomorrow? You're going to have a long day with everything that needs to be done." He says, pulling me in the opposite direction toward the stairs, as if having second thoughts about our discussion.
"We can do this here, or we can do this upstairs but be sure we're doing this tonight. I have too many questions that demand answers, and you have them. So, make no mistake, we'll stay up all night if that's what it takes to satisfy my curiosity. What? Why are you looking at me like that? You said we would talk and that's exactly what we're going to do." About that time, Tolin strolls into the kitchen.
“Hey, sorry to bother you, just thought I would grab a snack before I head out to secure the perimeter. Have to keep up this amazing physique.” He says with a wink gesturing to his pecs.
“What? Secure the perimeter? Why does anyone need to secure the perimeter?” I ask with air quotes and turn to Alaric. “What the hell is going on? What are you keeping from me?” I demand.
“Ummm, I’m going to go?” Tolin says with a great deal of uncertainty.
"Calm down Ash; it's just a precaution; Torin will be joining Tolin to ensure that the wards Nemus put up are holding," Alaric says.
“Just a precaution against what? The Fomorians? The Morrígan? What wards? What are you not telling me? Spill it, and I mean now." I snap. "I just let Alexia go home, is she safe there? I need to know what we're dealing with and now. I can't lose another member of my family right now. She's all I have left." I say barely containing my anger at not knowing what the hell I'm dealing with.
“Tolin, secure the perimeter and then report back here to me. Ash, I need you to calm down as we have much to discuss. I had hoped that maybe this evening I could give you a reprieve, but I now see that I shouldn’t have sought to protect you from this, and I apologize.” Alaric says with remorse, taking my hand.
"Okay, we're going to start with what a kindred is and what it means to be kindred. Then we'll move on to our bond, and after that, we'll move on to the "securing of the perimeter" and how all that factors in." I say with more aggravation than necessary. "Seriously, I can't believe you were trying to keep this from me. You had to of known that I would find out about this!" I exclaim angrily.
He stalks toward me, so very serious, and says in a low growl, “I will always put you first, and I will always protect you, don’t be angry with me for that.”
I jab a finger into his chest and say, “Start talking then, I need to know what is going on and why you feel the need to protect me from this.” I gesture wildly around knowing that I’m behaving irrationally, but I can’t help it.
Alaric runs his hands through his hair as he begins, "Ashlinn, we are a mated pair." He takes my hand and leads me to the back door, and I willingly go, "To be kindred means to be mated, we are soul mates." He says as he leads me to my favorite place by the brook, "I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you as a babe that we were destined to be together. Your mother, or, who I suspect to be your mother was not very happy. I was chosen to be your Guardian, and only your Guardian, for the journey ahead. Then when I looked upon you, well; I cannot describe how I felt at that moment." We walked to the small bridge, all the tiki torches aflame lighting our way, and the setting was somewhat majical as he continues. "It almost brought me to my knees. Unlike humans, once we find our kindred, we never look back because, at that moment, all is right in the world. It didn't matter that you were just an infant, as we looked at one another our bond kicked in. Your tiny little arms reached out to me, and once you were placed in my arms, you settled against my heart and our bond began to strengthen. Unfortunately, as your Guardian, I was tasked with hiding you in the Mortal Realm until the time of your awakening. Then a very powerful enchantment was placed on you so that you would appear human and grow up as a human child. It was important to the goddess that you remain hidden. During this time, all I could do was keep tabs on you. You were never to be without your talisman; your awakening was supposed to be a smooth transition, not like what you experienced earlier this morning." He pulls me into his embrace, and I willingly go to him, needing to be near him.
I take a few moments to take in what he has said and then lift my head to observe my surroundings. I love the night sounds. The cicada and tree frogs engaged in their serenade; fireflies are everywhere with the soft light of the tiki torches, and the dim lights from the house gently bathed the clearing in a romantic light. I sigh heavily and have to ask, "Were you terribly disappointed when you realized that you would have to wait for me to grow up? I can't imagine what you thought when you realized that your kindred had just been born. I don't even know how old you are. I figured we were roughly the same age, but that's not the case. You have an authoritative air about you, but it just really sunk in that you're really much older than I am. I must seem so young and immature to you." I say, hanging my head uncertain of myself.
Alaric places a finger under my chin, and gently pulls my head up until I'm looking in those cerulean blue eyes, "Make no mistake, I have never once been disappointed that you are mine. You were a beautiful babe, and you have grown into the most amazing young woman. You're mine, and I'm yours, and things happen for a reason. For you, eighteen years have passed but in Faerie time runs slower. For every day in the Realm of Faerie, fourteen days pass in the Mortal Realm. Although I would travel here from time to time to check in on you, only a total of a year and a half has passed in Faerie since you were placed here to grow into the young woman you are today."
“Shut the front door!” I exclaim. “I think I need to sit.”
Alaric chuckles, “It really was a stroke of genius for the goddess to send you to the Mortal Realm. It enabled you to grow up at a natural rate but still be there when Faerie needed you as a young adult. I am more than thankful for that decision. Millie and Hank made sure to keep me informed as did Talilia, and quite a few others. I have been there for all of your Earth birthdays going unnoticed as Nemus glamoured me, but I was there." With a grimace, he says, "I was even there to see you off for the prom."
“Oh. My. God. Really? How embarrassing. You do know that nothing happened, and I was home before midnight, right?” I say with my head in my hands looking through my fingers.
"Yes, that is the only reason why he still breathes," Alaric says with a smirk.
"Now I know why I've never really felt drawn to any of the guys in school. My prom date and I were just friends after all. All the girls would go on and on about this guy or that, and I could have cared less. It's always been you that I've been missing. So this pull that I feel for you, how does that work?" I ask as I settle into him, the longer we're alone together; the stronger the pull has become.
Alaric looks down at me, and with a slight frown, he says, "What we're feeling is the mating bond. Sooner rather than later it will demand that we seal the binding. The longer we resist, the stronger the pull will become. I would like to bind with you first before the bond insists on our mating. But the pull to you has increased for me in just the last several hours. It's become so very intense I'm not sure how long we can delay the inevitable." He pulls me close, and I melt into him understanding his need to be closer.
I breathe him in, looking up at his chiseled face, he takes my breath away. I reach up on my tip toes and cup his cheek in my hand and say, “Rational thought aside, I know you to be my mate, my kindred, and the half that makes me whole. This I know to be true and I feel the pull as you do. It is so very strong. Wil
l it always be this way? I’m so distracted by it I have trouble concentrating on anything else. That can’t be good. I don’t want this feeling to ever, ever leave me, but how can I worry about anything else when all I can think about and concentrate on is you?”
Alaric sighs heavily, "The only way to lessen the pull of the bond is to seal the bond and the only way to do that is to become one with one another." He says as a blush appears high on both cheeks. At that moment I know that he is uncomfortable talking about this.
Hiding my smirk, I say in a mocking gasp, "You mean sex?!"
Alaric lets out an uncomfortable chuckle, “Yes.”
“My handsome Elf-Man, you have had sex before, correct?” I ask fully expecting him to say yes.
Alaric looks away from me and with a heavy sigh says something that I really didn't expect, "Actually, no. Since I was very young, I've always believed that I would meet my kindred. I have been waiting for you." He says softly with a smile.
At that moment, I can't help myself as I catapult myself into his arms, "I'm not sure that I deserve you. You waited for me?" I say as I snuggle into his arms. "I love you," I whisper quietly not caring if he returns the sentiment. "I know that we have more to discuss, and I was pretty insistent about it earlier, but I'm okay with doing that tomorrow while Lexie is here. For now, I'd like to head up to bed. Will you stay with me?" I ask shyly.
Alaric studies me for a moment, his feelings for me transparent on his handsome face as he says softly, “I love you too Ash. It feels like I have waited a lifetime to hear those words from you. I will always be by your side from this point forward. So you’re okay with us discussing the “perimeter” tomorrow?” He asks with a smirk.
“Yes. Now that I’ve calmed down I figure that TNT will report anything out of the ordinary.”
“TNT?” he asks.
"Yep, my official nicknames for Tolin and Torin. Genius if I do say so myself." I say with a smirk, but stumble on the path heading back toward the house, my energy finally giving out. "I'm suddenly exhausted. I think I need some sleep." We make our way through the house as Tolin strolls in the front door.
