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Trinity

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The day after our family dinner was the open ceremony banquet for the Yule festival. We all got dressed and ready and were planning to attend with all of my guards and knights there with us. The Council was invited as well, and they were to be seated at Athair mòr's table like I did last year.

This year, I was here as family, as well as an official guest, so we were sitting at the Queen's table. We also had the twins with us, and all four of us were wearing the crowns that Athair mòr and Reece had made for us.

OK, I will admit that Reagan and Rika looked so freaking cute with their crowns on. They were just so adorable and perfect that I couldn't believe it at all. They were also so cute in their specially made clothes for the Yule festival.

Rika was wearing a pretty purple dress that shimmered when she moved.. And the shoes she wore were a pretty pair of silver ballet flats that seemed to shine and sparkled with every step, regardless of the light.

Reagan was looking like a proper little man in his pristine little black suit. He had a deep, forest green dress shirt and a navy blue tie. His tiny little toddler shoes were just like Reece's, black Italian leather that was perfectly matched to the outfit.

Reece matched Reagan, almost perfectly. His outfit and Reagan's had been perfectly planned. And when I saw Reece carrying Reagan, and that adorable little face of my son that I could tell was the spitting image of his father, I couldn't help but nearly cry at the sight of it.

My dress was similar to Rika's. Mine was long and flowy where hers was a baby doll dress meant for someone a lot shorter than me. Aside from the shape and structure differences the dresses were the same. Oh, and the shoes were different too, mine were a pair of shimmering silver stiletto heels that seemed to shine when I walked as well. Mine also had beautiful straps that wound up my legs. They made it hard to walk but I loved them.

I will never forget what Reagan told me though, while we were walking toward the banquet hall.

"Mommy, my clothes ugly." He left out a word but otherwise it was quite the well thought out sentence.

"No they are not, baby." I soothed him. "You look very handsome."

"Rika has pretty clothes. She sparkles. Mine boring."

"Ahh, I get it." I smiled at him. "I know you want a more colorful outfit. Mommy will ask for one for you next time. You will sparkle with sissy, OK." He grinned at me and looked very happy.

"OK!"

That had been so adorable. I will never forget a single word of that exchange. But now, it was time for us to start our meal.

I noticed that Trevor was sitting in the Consort's chair this time. And a look over at Athair mòr showed me that Daciana was sitting at his side. Everyone was so happy right now.

"Welcome, one and all." Aunt Glory was addressing everyone in the open courtyard for the banquet just like last year. I know she was hoping this Yule celebration would turn things around compared to how they were last year. If I was basing it off of the muted silence of everyone that was looking at her then I wouldn't hold my breath about that.

"This year has not been easy on us." She continued to address the crowd. "We have seen many hardships and lows, as well as frightening things. Let us try to forget about that while having fun this month. However, I want you all to stay on your guard." She was telling them to have fun but to stay safe. It was definitely a warning they should take to heart.

"My Queen, if we're to stay on guard, then I want to know. Who is that man in your Consort chair?" Jasper, one of the nobles, asked with a seriously disapproving look. "And furthermore, who is that woman that is very cozy with the Prince?"

"Both of those are very good questions." Aunt Glory nodded at Jasper. "The woman sitting by my brother is his mate. He was just recently mated to this lovely Gypsy woman. We should all be happy for them and proud to have her as a member of the royal family."

"And does that mean that the shifter is your mate?" Jasper asked. He didn't look angry, just slightly disapproving.

"That he is." Aunt Glory beamed at them all. "This is Trevor Jacoby, an Alpha bear and my new mate. I met him for the first time last night, and I was overjoyed when I realized that I had found my mate."

"We cannot have a non-Fae king." A voice rang out from the distance. "That is just not right."

"I assure you, if Danu had a problem with it, then she would not have given him to me as a mate. This is the way that the Gods and Goddesses have intended it to go."

"How can we have a non-Fae king?" another voice rang out.

"Does this mean that all future Fae will only be half Fae?" Someone else asked.

I could tell that this was getting to Aunt Glory. She wasn't saddened by it; quite the opposite, she was getting angry. I wanted to stop a larger scene from happening, I needed this to stop escalating, quickly.

"I don't see a problem with it." I stood up and spoke before Aunt Glory got mad. "I myself am a tribrid. I am a Wolf, a Witch, and a Fae all in one. And I personally have been blessed by the Goddess Nehalennia, the God Thoth, and the Goddess Danu."

With that there was a lot of chatter. No one seemed to be believing me.

"No."

"Impossible."

"Mother Danu would never do that."

"Lies."

I wasn't going to let them get to me though. No matter what they said.

"You can see it for yourselves." I told them as I pointed out the three marks that were in full view on my chest. "These marks here were the ones given to me by Danu. I was invited to see her in the celestial plane. I spoke to her and saw her. She was beautiful and wise, and she didn't at all think that having a mixed heritage was bad."

"Did mother Danu truly feel that way?"

"She was that accepting?"

"I guess she would have to be, since mating with a wolf or other shifter has resulted in my children."

"Mother won't abandon us?"

"I am still skeptical."

"This is not what I expected."

There was a mixture of a lot of different words and voices that were thrown at me. I barely caught them all, but I heard some of it, and they were both positive and negative. However, no one was actively trying to protest to the Queen anymore.

That left them all in a state of shock. And, thankfully, we were able to get the banquet back on track. I am also happy to say that there were no other incidents that happened that night. Thank the Goddess that nothing happened there at all.