“You have got to be joking.”

“It’s true.”

“Who in their right mind-”

“Lady Agnes, please remember that they couldn’t be in your head. They had no way of knowing your more… lively side.”

Aggie rubbed her eyes, effectively smearing the shoe polish.

“The Ruling Family described me as a ‘mild mannered, politically driven, and scared of bees’?” Her right eye twitched as she watched Arlen’s bemused expression.

“They did, yes.”

“When did you figure out that I was somewhat different?”

“Roughly around the time when you mentioned running away. Give or take a few minutes.” He smiled and raised an eyebrow at his Mistress as she let out a snort and took another deep drink of her water.

The alcohol had left her with the occasional dull thudding by her temples, and the water seemed to be helping. Though nothing was helping her hearing her character assessment from The Ruling Family.

Arlen was finding Aggie’s hurt pride more than a little amusing, when a gentle cough behind them, made them both immediately turn at attention towards the source of the sound.

Arlen gaped at the Fey man he recognized immediately from Declan and Bonnie’s inn. He wore the same elaborate clothes, and was standing with his hands clasped behind his back in a casual manner.

How long had he been standing there?

Arlen turned his gaze to Aggie, who was staring at him with her cheeks burning.

Oh.

This was also the Fey man from Tork’s house whom had paid Aggie a visit.

He deduced this quickly, and when he turned back to watch what the Fey man would do, was surprised to see that he was staring far more intently at himself than at his Mistress.

“It is good to see you both are well.” Chay bowed low to them, and by the time he was standing upright again, Arlen had no doubt that they were now immersed in a glamour.

The tables around them all somehow appeared more distant and blurry, and

fireflies appeared around them, lighting the gentle darkness that had come over the evening. Somehow, despite the evening air having already been warm, it rose in temperature by a few degrees, and the air smelled of jasmine flowers.

Arlen observed all of these soft changes, as he fixed the Fey man with a blank expression, and waited. He didn’t like the trickery that was already coming in to play.

“Lady Beatha, I enjoy your disguise enormously.” Chay smiled charmingly at Aggie, and Arlen noticed that while she didn’t say anything, she was clenching her fists. Chay then turned his handsome face towards Arlen, somehow setting off warning bells in his head that sharpened his senses.

“Though we spoke briefly, I do not believe we have been properly introduced. I am Chay. A full-blooded Fey, and you are…?” Chay bowed gracefully, but shallowly. He was treating Arlen very… casually.

Arlen didn’t respond, only watched the Fey, and waited for him to reveal his purpose in seeking them out.

“I didn’t call for you.” Aggie blurted out. She was managing to stay still, and the red in her cheeks was toning down, but there was still very obvious discomfort in her posture. Arlen knew that she would no longer be affected by Wonder, but she was a young woman after all, and Chay was…

Well Chay was an attractive magical being from another world.

“I’m aware Lady Beatha that you did not summon me. However, after our encounter I began to wonder if it might help Arlen here to meet me.” Chay’s eyes lingered on Aggie’s face for a moment before turning his gaze over to Arlen.

Arlen still wasn’t speaking or moving, and was watching every subtle movement the Fey was making. Chay did his best to mask his mild disappointment at the lack of conversation, but the slight tightening of his lips let Arlen know his non-reaction was not sitting well with the Fey.

“You see Servicer, there will be a time when you will want to come to my world. When that time comes, I considered that knowing your escort would be comforting to you.”

Arlen’s eyes narrowed. That was a flimsy reason to drop in unexpectedly. Chay was trying to bait him for another reason.

The two men stared at each other in silence, the seconds ticking by slowly, as Arlen continued waiting for the true purpose to come to light.

“For the fuck of an ass, we will be here all night! Chay, what do you want?” Aggie broke the silence. She seemed to be overcoming her shyness the longer Arlen and Chay stared at each other in tense silence. There was something about being obviously deceived in her first encounter, and seeing who Chay’s true target was, that made Aggie finally dismiss the majority of her awkwardness.

Chay turned and looked at Aggie bemused.

She was a fun human.

“I am simply trying to be of service to-”

“The point.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I will toss your bell into rotting fish guts if you don’t get to the bloody point.”

Arlen’s right eye twitched.

What bell was she talking about?

Chay sighed. She had taken some of the fun away, but he found himself enjoying her obviously hurt ego a teensy bit.

“I’m here and offering my aid because I am very curious about you.” He pointed lazily at Arlen, a cockish smile lighting his face.

“Why?”

It was the first word Arlen had spoken, and he already wondered if it was too much.

Chay grinned wider, annoying the Servicer effectively.

“Tell me, Arlen; Who was your mother?” Chay gently clasped his hands in front of him, and waited as Arlen folded his arms across his chest.

“Why does my mother matter?”

“You had a mother?” Aggie’s question broke the strain between the 2 men, as they turned slowly to stare at Aggie.

“I don’t know how Servicer’s are made. I kind of wondered if you hatched from an egg or-”

Chay let out a loud laugh as Arlen ignored him and fixed Aggie with a calm expression.

“No, I have a mother. Servicer’s have women and men chosen specifically for the reproduction of more Servicers. My mother gave birth to 13 children in total. I am her eldest. She was one of my teacher’s and counselors in my training as well.” Aggie raised her eyebrows in surprise.

His mother was a breeding machine? Aggie began to wonder more and more what the Servicer’s actually deemed to be ‘slavery’.

“Did you get to meet your father…?” Aggie asked instead of going off on a rant on the injustice of The Ruling Family.

“Some Servicer’s do. Some of the parents are reassigned to their duties after a child is conceived or born. I believe 4 or 5 of my siblings got to meet their father’s. I did not.”

“Did you ever ask your mother whom your father was?” Chay had jumped into the conversation, his tone toying. He was clearly enjoying the buildup to whatever it was he was trying to accomplish.

“No. I was told he was sufficient in politics and in etiquette. My mother had a stronger background in law and poisons than he did, but those are the qualities I was trained in as a result.” Arlen only addressed Aggie when he answered Chay’s question. He hated to admit that even he was becoming curious as to what the Fey man was getting at.

“I see, and did you ever get the chance to meet the Servicer who worked with the Thief of Souls?”

Aggie saw Arlen’s eye twitch.

Who was the Thief of Souls?

“I did not meet him, no.”

“He was also supposed to be quite adept at politics you know…” Chay gently stroked his hairless face, and pretended not to notice Arlen’s mouth twitch.

“Are you saying that Arlen’s father was the Servicer for the Thief of Souls?” Aggie jumped in, once again growing impatient with how long it was taking for Chay to get to the point. He seemed to really enjoy the theatrics that came with being mysterious.

“All I’m saying is that perhaps Arlen should pay his mother a visit, and inquire about his parentage.”

“Or you could save us the boat fare and just tell us.” Aggie pointed out flatly.

She was beginning to agree with Tork, the Fey were annoying.

Chay fixed Aggie with an exasperated expression as he sighed, slowly walked over to her, and bent down so that his face was closer to eye level with her.

“No need for hurt feelings my Lady. I truly do find you attractive-”

Arlen kicked him in the stomach from his spot on the bench hard enough to leave the Fey gasping and crouching on the ground. His arms were still crossed across his chest, and Aggie jumped in surprise.

“Maybe let me do it next time?” Aggie muttered to Arlen as they waited for the Fey to regain his breath. By this point, Chay looked more than slightly annoyed as he stared from the ground up at the Lady and her Servicer.

As he glared at them, he slowly began rising to his feet while they watched calmly. He debated disappearing in front of their eyes and leaving them with a slew of questions, but the Lady’s blunt way of talking, and the barely contained bomb of emotions that was Arlen made him stay.

The interaction (barring the injury), was actually proving more enjoyable than he had hoped. So he released his frustration, and smiled like the sun at the 2 of them.

“Chay, do you have anything useful you want to share?” Aggie asked pretending that her cheeks weren’t turning pink again as he smiled at her.

“Stupid attractive male…” She thought reluctantly.

“I think if I am guessing right, I am already giving Arlen something quite useful. You’ve always known haven’t you Arlen? That you aren’t quite like the rest of your kind, hmm?” Chay shrugged his shoulders as Arlen gave him a dark look.

“When you’ve spoken to your mother, let me know. Lady Beatha here will know how to be in touch with me.” Chay smiled at their angry faces, and began to lift the glamour surrounding them. As he began to allow the pull of his world to draw him back into its warm embrace, Ora re-entered the courtyard and locked eyes with him.

Chay’s smile dimmed slightly, but he waved to her before fading away from sight entirely.

Ora was beside them in a second, as Arlen fixed Aggie with a frown.

“My Lady, I’m going to have to insist you tell me more about your encounter with that man.”

Aggie’s cheeks burned brighter for different reasons now, as Ora sat between them, and pulled out a pad of paper she hadn’t had an hour ago.

She scrawled across the paper 5 hasty words, and lay the pad down on her lap for the others to see.

“What was Chay doing here?”

Aggie’s eyes widened as she stared at Ora in shock.

How did the Beast Awares know the Fey unless…

Aggie stared at Ora calculatingly.

Perhaps Ora had been the one whom had slept with the Fey, and perhaps that was why Tork had such a fierce dislike of them.

As the questions built up on her tongue, ready to explode from her lips, she saw Arlen’s face, and they died unspoken in her mouth. He was staring at the ground where Chay had recently been standing, and was frowning.

Aggie had never seen him look so rattled, and for some reason that was deeply disconcerting to her.

*

The crowned Prince was still barely coherent when Tork, Ora, Quib, Aggie, and Arlen had gone to the Doctor’s home to pick him up.

The Doctor lived on the opposite end of Rockfell, but was known to be the best at what he did despite having no magic in his blood, and was respected for his discretion.

He explained how he had flushed the drugs out of the Prince’s system, but that the Prince had not been properly fed or watered in weeks, so he was especially weak. He was also still prone to intense headaches and vomiting.

Tork hadn’t been thrilled to hear that, but was the first to lend an arm as they guided the Prince from the Doctor’s clean white washed walled mansion, to the dusty cart that sat outside the doorway.

The Prince’s bright blue eyes had flecks of bright green in them, and when those eyes saw his transportation, he broke out in a cold sweat.

“M-My father sent you?” He asked weakly as Tork loaded him into the cart, and propped him up on a bag of flour.

“He did. He will be wanting you home as quickly as possible. I apologize for the discomfort your majesty, but if we move quickly, it means you will be home sooner.”

The Prince didn’t appear to have any strength in him to object or complain, for the moment his head hit the sack of flour, his brilliant eyes closed once again.

Aggie watched from her spot on the edge of the cart bemused as Tork finished paying the Doctor, and returned to the cart.

“Beatha you’re on vomit duty!” He called back innocently. Aggie grimaced, and glanced at the young man’s pallid coloring.

She didn’t like the amount of work her new position was clearly going to require.

He certainly didn’t look like a Prince anymore; with a stained dirty white tunic, brown dusty trousers, and scuffed leather boots, he was hardly the ideal picture of royalty.

Still…

He was a handsome man, perhaps only a couple of years younger than Aggie. He stood roughly 6’2 (when able to stand on his own 2 feet), with a lean muscled body, and soft waving light brown hair that was similar in color to his father’s.

The resemblance didn’t end there either. His defined jaw, and sculpted mouth pointed to definite familial relation to the North King, but there was also softness in his cheeks, and the occasional dark freckle on his face, which suggested he also took after his mother.

The Queen of the North had died when the Prince was only 12, but she had been known to be such a striking beauty, that even the Southern King allegedly had hung a picture of her in his castle.

Aggie briefly wondered if the Prince missing his mother was perhaps one of the reasons he ran away from home.

As the cart jostled up the steep incline away from the ocean, Aggie breathed in the cool salty breeze that reached them. She missed the comfort of her room at home, and the freedom of reading whatever she wanted. She hadn’t realized until that moment, that she also missed the smell of the water, and the glean of the sun on the waves.

Aggie wondered to herself if she would ever truly find the peaceful place she sought, or if she was doomed to spend her life in and out of inns and violent situations.

On the other hand, she had to admit, the idea of being in a safe job as a seamstress, or as a vendor seemed somehow more depressing.

At least she was out in the world, instead of caged in stone rooms.

Aggie sighed, and leaned against the cart as they slowly was pulled out of Rockfell.

Aggie didn’t know what the future held for her, but she was content in the moment to enjoy the smell of the ocean, and the warm sun on her face.

Arlen was beside her, Tork was driving, Ora and Quib sat on the back end of the cart blocking the Prince from view, and it felt as though it would be a peaceful day.

Aggie liked the thought of some quiet, as she tried to ignore the flashing images of bloodied throats and eye sockets from her mind.

Yes, today had to be more peaceful.

***

Chay stood at the border of the North and South Kingdom, and regarded the crowd of people walking quickly towards his position.

He glanced behind himself at the empty rolling hills, and sighed.

He needed more time.

Or rather, they needed more time.

He knew Beatha and Arlen would be stubborn, but sometimes willful individuals delayed the best laid plans.

Slowly, Arlen closed his eyes, and ignored the cries of surprise off in the distance as the ground began to quake beneath his feet with growing violence, and the sky above grew dark.

The first drops of water fell from the sky, at the exact same time water began filling a large crack that now clearly separated the North and the South Kingdoms.

Chay let out a breath to steady himself as he called more to him, he could hear the pounding of hundreds of feet coming towards him now. They could see that he was putting one hell of an obstacle in front of them.

“More.”

He thought the word, and felt the rumbling around him grow so violent, that he began sinking into the wet mud as gallons and gallons of water filled an even wider trench bed.

He began to grow faint and dizzy, but he knew it wasn’t finished yet, so he continued to pull. Every droplet, every whisper of moisture in the air he called, and sent them to flood the trench that was now a mile wide, and several leagues deep.

Just as his vision went fuzzy, he could hear the angered cries from the far off bank of the river he had created.

He smiled to himself, almost imagining a scream echoing through the mountains to the North of Aidan O’Malley’s castle.

“They better go soon…” Chay felt his world pull him back into its loving embrace, as he slowly drifted away from the Earth he had frequented for nearly a 150 years.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to return for weeks at least, but he hoped that he had done enough, and thought a gentle farewell before his vision went black.

“Until then…”