by Jana LaPelle
"The wards hold, and nothing looks out of the ordinary. Several of the sprites here are going to remain on the lookout for anything suspicious and alert us if needed. I suggest we all hit the rack and get some sleep. It's been a long couple of days. The time here is messing with me." He says.
"That's exactly what we need to do. It's getting late and tomorrow will be here before we know it." Alaric says as we make our way upstairs. Tolin heads toward his assigned room. Alaric and I head to my room. Once inside I grab a pair of sleep shorts and a cami and head into the bathroom, I change quickly and set about to brush my teeth. Once again see my reflection. Just seeing myself is confirmation that I'm not dreaming, and all of this has actually happened. I smile at my reflection and then pull my hair out of the ponytail that I had put it in early this morning. Quickly I brush my long mane; it's more than twice as long and thick as it was before. I'm not really sure I know what to do with it, so I just leave it down tucked behind my newly acquired elflike ears. As I exit the bathroom, I see that Alaric has stripped down to his boxers and I swallow hard. I can't help myself as I gawk at his impressive looking body, all corded muscle and lightly tanned. His muscles bunch and flex with just the slightest movement, and I just stand there transfixed to the spot, mesmerized as he moves to pull down the covers to the bed, readying it for us. My god, how is it possible for someone to be so undeniably beautiful, his physique is not something that I have ever encountered, and I find that I'm speechless.
He looks up at me and sees that I’m kind of drooling over him in his boxers and smirks, “Come here, tonight we sleep. You and I both need the rest. There’s much to do tomorrow. Come on beautiful.” I take his hand as we both crawl into bed together. This is definitely a first for me, and I don’t know what to do.
He senses my discomfort and pulls me in close to him as he says, “I really like your sleep clothes, the chocolate brown silk and pink lace are a pretty tantalizing combination. Who knew?”
I chuckle as I relax into him. My head on his chest, the rhythmic beating of his heart is calming, and he wraps his arms around me and pulls me in. "We'll talk about the whole perimeter issue tomorrow when Lexie gets here; I'm just so exhausted I can't keep my eyes open a moment longer."
He kisses the top of my head, and as I drift off, I think I hear him say, "I've got you, Ash."
Chapter 12
(Ashlinn)
The sensation has become familiar to me now. It’s as if my subconscious has a mind of its own, and I'm pulled away. Damn it all to hell, I really wanted some sleep time tonight, not floating around outside my body. I'm not sure why I'm being pulled away from Alaric. My ethereal body flies at a high rate of speed and then once again I find myself in the beautiful secluded meadow, and the tree is just as I last left her, I now know that she is the Tree of Life. It's twilight here, and the largest moon I've ever seen is rising to light the meadow and reflect off of the water in the lake. As the sky darkens from shades of violet to purple to midnight, there's a spectacular display of stars popping out in the night-time sky. I make my way towards her, and as I come up on her, I see an exceptionally beautiful dark-haired female step out from behind the tree. Her stature is petite, but her presence is huge, and I find myself taking a knee with my head bowed as she approaches. The long flowing copper-colored gown she wears flutters about her in the gentle breeze of the meadow. Like me, her complexion has a slight sparkle to it, and her eyes are almost the same color as mine except they have deeper shades of brown. It's then that I see some similarity in our looks; her hair is a dark mahogany brown and on her head interwoven within her hair is a simple but beautifully designed circlet style coronet.
“Rise, my daughter, you should never bow to me. It has been too long since I’ve laid eyes on your beautiful countenance. You were just a wee babe then. You are more beautiful than I could have dreamed.” She says as she takes me in.
"Who are you? I feel that I should know you, but I do not." I say climbing to my feet feeling underdressed in my sleep ensemble. I'm out of my element and wishing Alaric was here with me now.
"I am your mother, child. I gave you the best chance at survival that I knew how by sending you to the Mortal Realm. If you had of stayed with me, it would have meant your death, and you are too important to all the Realms for that to have happened." She says matter of factly as if that explains everything.
Her unemotional response to me doesn't sit well; my mother would have pulled me into her arms and told me that she loved me and missed me. But then I don't see this woman as my mother as I tilt my head in observation of her, so I snap, "As much as I would like a family reunion, my time here is short. What is it that you want with me? You are the reason why I'm here, correct?" I ask.
She sighs, “I see that I have upset you. That was not my intent. Daughter, you need to be back here in Faerie in two days’ time to begin your training. That should give you more than a week or so in the Mortal Realm to wrap things up and put your affairs in order.” She says, again devoid of emotion.
I wish again that Alaric was here, his presence calms me. I can see this woman is someone of importance, but she has just pissed me off. “You’re so very insensitive.” I snap. “In the morning I am burying my mother. The mother that raised me, the mother you sent me to so that I could be raised as a human child. Forgive me if I act like the human I was raised to be when I say that my grief is overwhelming! I have lost every one of my family with the exception of Alexia in the last week. My mother was amazing, and she was my rock. I will take as long as I need to "wrap things up." I say with air quotes, as a feel a familiar calming presence behind me approach, and I continue my tirade. "You, I don't know. You may be my biological mother, but that is where the connection ends. You obviously have no sympathy or concern for my feelings on the matter at hand. If you did you would not be so heartless." I fume, and about that time I feel Alaric from behind me place a calming hand on the small of my back, and I lean back into him and then turn into his embrace, turning my back to her.
I take a moment to calm myself as I hear Alaric say, "Goddess." He inclines his head in greeting with a grim look on his face.
Wait. What? Goddess? I look up at Alaric with a questioning look on my face. “I’m sorry, did you say goddess?” I ask.
“Ashlinn, I believe it’s time to formally meet your mother, High Queen Danu, and the mother goddess to all of Faerie.” He says as he relinquishes me to go down on one knee in reverence to his queen, head bowed, all the while still holding my hand.
I look back and forth between the two, still not really sure what just happened. I pull him up to his feet, "What are you saying?" My head continues to look back and forth between the two. I try to take in the fact that this woman is the equivalent of Mother Nature, and a High Queen to boot, and I have just gone off on her. "Well hell," I mutter under my breath. "I don't know what the protocol is here, do I bow, do I curtsey, what?" I ask as I rub my free hand over my face and my anger deflates.
"Ashlinn, just be yourself. She's your mother as well as all the other things. She is my High Queen, and therefore I must show her the respect she deserves." He says as he turns to my mother. "That being said, my Queen, you really should cut Ashlinn some slack. It has only been twenty-four hours or so in the Mortal Realm since her difficult awakening. In that time, she has had to come to terms with the loss of her family, make funeral arrangements, arrange meetings with the estate attorneys, take in the fact that she is not who she thought she was, and come to understand that she and I are kindred and share a mate bond. No offense but your timing on dropping yet another bombshell on her is less than perfect. Could this not have waited?" He demands. He's clearly angry at this point as he places his hand at the small of my back gently stroking back and forth to try to reassure me.
Her response is to serenely smile at the both of us as she inclines her head towards Alaric, “Prince Alaric Rhys Faerondarl, nice to see you again. I expect th
at you will see to it that my daughter’s virtue remains intact until the binding ceremony. Anything less will not do. I see that you have not been entirely honest with my daughter about your station in Faerie. Maybe you should be less concerned with how and when I drop bombshells on Ashlinn, and be more concerned with the timing of your own." She says icily with a wicked smirk. Clearly, she is not a fan of Alaric.
"That's enough." I snap, "Obviously our first meeting has been strained, to say the least. As far as Alaric and his station, it is something that I had all but figured out. He is trying to give me time to absorb all that has been thrown at me in such a short period of time, and I do not fault him from waiting to explain his station." I feel him relax next to me. "Now please explain why I need to be back in Faerie in two days' time as our time here draws to a close. I need to know what awaits me here." I say, taking Alaric's hand trying to reassure him that all is well between us.
Danu takes notice and is clearly frustrated with the fates that my kindred is Alaric. I have to wonder who she would have preferred to match me with because obviously, it's not him. Not that it matters because I will not let anyone or anything come between us. "I will meet you three days from now at Glenndale Loch Keep to begin your instruction followed by your training. That should give you a day to settle in before my arrival. I assume that is your preference, Prince?" She asks. He inclines his head in agreement as she continues, "If I deem your Keep not to be adequate for her safety and training, then she will be relocated to a place of my choosing."
"Excuse me? I'm standing right here, and I expect to be a part of any decision that is made in regards to my "safety and training." I will not be treated as an object that can be shuffled around at your bidding." I glare at her and her arrogant attitude.
“As you wish daughter, I hope that in the days to come that we can make peace with one another. I find that I’m clearly out of my element here. It was never my intent to belittle your time with your mortal family, and I apologize if I seem heartless in that regard. I have the utmost respect for the woman who raised such a willful young woman. I wish that I could have thanked her for the care she took with you. I am most grateful to her. May she find peace in the Overworld. I would like the chance to start over with you daughter and would be most grateful if you would consider giving me the opportunity to get to know you. Please take it into consideration. For now, you must return, morning approaches in the Mortal Realm and our time here is up." She says as she steps back under the tree and vanishes. About that time Alaric and I are both quickly pulled back to the Mortal Realm. We wake in each other's arms as dawn approaches.
Chapter 13
(Alaric)
Ashlinn is very quiet, and she moves to set up, pulling out of my arms. I can tell that she's upset by the turn of events from last night. I pull her back down to me and gently kiss her lips as I look into her eyes. She looks tired with slight dark smudges under her eyes, and it's obvious to me that she needs rest. Rest that she should've gotten last night, rest that's not coming with the events that are about to take place today. I catch myself swearing under my breath. "Damn it. She couldn't leave well enough alone. If she had only waited a few more hours, you could have gotten the sleep that you need to get you through today. Come here." I say and hold her close. "I should've told you. I just worried about how you would react to all of it, and now it's out there swirling around in that head of yours with everything else that has been put on you. Once we get to Faerie, I'm going to contact my uncle, The Dagda. He can run interference with Danu. I think we may need his assistance." I take a deep breath and look down at her and kiss the top of her head. "Say something beautiful; you're so quiet."
She sighs heavily and says in a whisper, “I love you. Thank you for defending me. I can’t believe she’s my mother. She’s so cold and unfeeling, not at all what I expected. Not at all like my Mom. I miss her now more than ever.” She says, and I feel her warm tears hit my chest. Before I have a chance to react, she sniffles and says, “I told myself no tears today. Today I want to celebrate my time with my family and my mother here in this world, and that’s what I’m going to do. I just wish I didn’t feel so exhausted. It’s like I didn’t get any sleep at all.”
I swear again and look at the clock, although I don’t need it, to see that its five forty-five and dawn is on the horizon. It’s time to get up and get ready for the day. “Hey, how about I get up and get showered, and you can rest for another thirty minutes, that should give you plenty of time to get ready for everyone to arrive. I’ll go down and see if Millie and Hank need any help with breakfast while you’re getting ready.”
Ashlinn gives me a smile and says, "Sounds like a plan." Then she closes her eyes, and I can tell that she is out again. A testament to how very exhausted she truly is. As I gather my things, I hear her soft breaths escape her mouth in little puffs that are utterly adorable. I quickly step into the bathroom, shower, and get myself together, pulling on a dark gray suit paired with a light pink button up shirt and matching dark gray tie. I make my way back out to the bedroom, look at the clock and decide to give her an hour instead of thirty minutes. We don't have to leave for the services until close to eight-thirty, that will still give us time to eat and talk. I quietly shut the door behind me. I'm greeted with Nemus and Tolin both heading my way both dressed in a suit and tie, and we make our way downstairs to the kitchen. It's shortly after six in the morning, and we are greeted by Millie and Hank both dressed for the upcoming services.
I quickly let everyone know about what transpired overnight and have Millie call over to Lexie's to let them know that we are pushing our time to meet back to seven-thirty. Millie putters about the kitchen putting on coffee and tea, preparing several different types of quiche, and homemade blueberry muffins. Before I know it it's close to six forty-five, and I make my way up to wake Ashlinn. I find that she is still sleeping. I softly sit down by her side and tuck her long caramel and golden highlighted hair behind her elven tipped ear. Smiling I watch as it twitches. As she feels my touch, I lean in and whisper, "Ash, time to get up." She opens those beautiful whiskey-colored eyes and smiles. "Hey, time to get up sleepy head. It's six forty-five. I pushed back our meeting time to seven thirty so you could get at least an hour of sleep. Millie just about has breakfast ready." I say as she stretches and sits up.
"You shouldn't have, but thank you. I feel a little better now. Give me about thirty minutes, and I'll meet you downstairs, we have a lot to discuss." She says, and with that, she makes her way to the bathroom, and I head back downstairs.
Chapter 14
(Ashlinn)
As I hop in the shower and get myself ready for the day, I can't help but think what a bitch my birth mother has turned out to be. I sigh heavily, as I dry my hair which takes surprisingly no time at all. Before my hair would have been frizzy and unruly but now I find that it takes very little effort to tame. It must be an elf thing or maybe a demigoddess thing? I have no idea. I again pull it into a high ponytail and then braid a section of it wrapping it securely around the base of my ponytail giving it a more polished look. I pull on the little basic black dress and zip it up in the back. It's sleeveless and fitted with a scoop neck in the front, and deeper scoop in the back. It's then that I notice that I fill out the top a lot more than I did before, and I'm a just a little embarrassed by the cleavage that I'm sporting. The skirt is fitted to just below my hips and then flares to just above my knees. My mother loved this dress and insisted that I purchase it, saying that every young woman needed a basic black dress in their wardrobe. I smile to myself and wonder what she would think about my new look. I look down and see that my pendant on my necklace is nestled between my breasts. Mom had a pair of matching earrings made some time ago, and I decide to wear them today, I rarely wear them because I'm fearful of losing them. They are an almost exact replica with the diamond and amber inlaid stones and dangle from my ears. I slip on my black peep toe stiletto heels and survey myself in t
he mirror. My eyes look huge in my face, and I realize that I will never need to make my face up again. There's no need; my lashes are so thick it looks as if I'm wearing eyeliner. They are so long and thick, that mascara is no longer a necessity. I decide on just a bit of lip gloss, and I’m done. I think she would be proud to call me daughter. With yet another heavy sigh, I make my way towards the hall and the stairs to meet up with everyone to get this day underway. I feel old beyond my years as I think about all that needs to be done and all that needs to be discussed, and all I need to learn. About that time my stomach rumbles loudly, so yeah, I can’t wait to see what Millie has prepared for breakfast.
Rounding the corner, I see Alaric first. He's so handsome in his suit and tie. As I take him in, I notice that he is seriously checking me out and I can't help the blush that creeps up my cheeks and the smile that curves my lips. I walk up to him and take his tie in my hand and pull him down to whisper, "Like what you see?"
He chuckles and says, “You could say that. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. You are very handsome yourself.” I say. I pull back as the aroma of breakfast hits me and look at the spread of food and exclaim, “Millie, you made all of my and Lexie’s favorites!”
About that time the front door opens and Lexie and her crew walk in. She looks reserved, quiet, and withdrawn. At that moment she is my number one priority. I step toward her and pull her into a tight embrace and whisper, “We can do this, together.”
She shakes her head, “But you’re going to leave me here. I had plenty of time last night to think about all that we learned. You’re not from here. Not from this Realm and you are going to leave. I don’t want you to leave me behind when you go.” She says in a whisper.
