I chewed my lip, anxiety writhing in my stomach and chest. “Well, I can ask my boss not to put me on the schedule for a little while, but I do have bills to pay. I-I don’t want to get kicked out of my apartment. I was lucky to find it. I-I don’t have anywhere else to go if I lose it.”

“You don’t have family you could go to?” The fey man cocked his head to the side.

“I-I went no contact after college.” I mumbled, looking down at my hands. “I got tired of being called a liar or crazy by people who should have loved me. Michael and his family are the only people from my past I keep contact with. But I can’t impose on them. Not again.”

It was quiet for a few moments.

“As all of this is my fault, I’m willing to subsidize your bills until you can get back to your normal life.”

I blinked. He was offering to pay my bills. My face heated with shame. “I-I can’t let you do that. It’s not…it’s one thing to take me to a doctor for my hands, but paying my bills...I-I’m an adult, that’s my job.”

“It’s not wrong to accept help.” he said mildly, looking out the window. The warm morning light was dramatic on his sharp, attractive features. “And again, it’s my fault you’ve been put in this situation. It wouldn't be any kind of burden.” Fen waved his hand around the room, motioning at the opulence surrounding us.

Tears flooded my eyes, unbidden, and I looked away, covering my face with my hands. I’d only ever been a burden to the people around me. My family, Michael’s family, my coworkers. And now this beyond gorgeous, rich rich fey man was looking me straight in the eyes and saying I wasn’t one.

“I-I feel like one.” I mumbled, wiping annoyedly at my eyes, trying to banish the tears. I knew he was only saying it because he was so rich that my expenses were probably negligible to him, but it was still something of a shock nonetheless.

Fen produced a handkerchief, “Here.”

“Thanks.” I muttered, accepting it and wiping my face with it instead. “What's it going to take for me to be able to leave here?”

“I think we might be able to enchant something that would mask your presence in the outside world, but I expect you’d have to have it with you constantly, so it would need to be something you can wear. Possibly an item of jewelry, like a necklace or a ring. Those are easily enchanted, and not very noticeable.”

“Oh. That wouldn't be so bad.”

“No. But preparing such an item will take time. It would need to be spells similar to the ones that protect this manor, and those took time. It won’t take as long as these did, given how large of a space this house and estate takes up, but it’s still not an easy task.”

“I should let my boss know if I’m going to be gone for more than two days. Maybe I should just quit. But it’s a good job, and the pay is very fair. I don’t know if I’ll get it back if I do quit.” I sighed, shaking my head.

“I can help until you’re totally back on your feet, Mercy. It’s no trouble. Any funds will be put directly into your bank account.”

“What if the IRS comes calling?”

Fen thought for a moment. “I could hire you at my business in some capacity. That way you’d be on the payroll properly, and all the appropriate taxes will be withheld.”

“You have a business?” I blinked. Although it probably shouldn't have surprised me. He was clearly extremely wealthy. Now that I had a little more information about him, I guessed was that he was some minor baron or viscount, if he was royalty of some kind. Anything higher up might not have the spare time to also be a CEO.

“It’s the family business, but yes.”

“Is it one I’ve heard of?”

“Probably not. We do things behind the scenes. It’s called Idylwilde Incorporated.”

“Yeah, can’t say I know it. Is that your last name, Idylwilde?”

“Yes.” he nodded. “I don’t think I know yours?”

“Collins. Kind of boring. But it works.” I'd wanted it to be boring when I'd picked it, to balance out my slightly odd first name, and I thought it suited me well enough.

“Mercy Collins sounds nice though. Comforting.”

I shrugged, “I guess.”

It was quiet again for a few moments.

“Oh, I meant to ask…Faerie has electricity and WiFi and cell signal?”

Fen snorted, “Yes.”

“How?!”

“We built cell towers and the infrastructure for connecting to the internet alongside you lot. It was important to stay up to date with human technology if we wanted to be able to interact in a relevant way with you and interact with you.”

“But it’s another world! How is it still linked to my world? Like, I shouldn’t have cell service to make calls here, but I do.” I brandished my phone and its full bars at him.

“We are magic, Mercy.” he shrugged.

“Right. So…technology and magic can work together?”

“Yes, if you know what you’re doing. And we do.”

“I see.” I frowned, “Do the phone and internet companies know about Faerie? In order for them to have their towers and whatnot here?”

“Not exactly. We’re getting into what my company does. We facilitate trade and business between the human world and Faerie, among other things.”

“I can see how it would be needed.” I murmured.

“It helps us stay more seamlessly integrated into human society. Or at least, those of us who choose to go to your world. Not all of my people come and go between Faerie and your world, since it does take a certain level of magical ability to make the jump, and even more to take someone else with you.”

“That makes sense.” I mean, I guess it did. What did I know? “Faerie isn’t what I would have pictured the home-world of the fairies would be like, based on my knowledge of fantasy.”

“Reality is often stranger than fiction.”

“You got that right.” I sighed.

We fell silent for a little while.

“I should get in touch with my boss and ask him to take me off the schedule for two weeks.” I muttered.

“I think it would be wise.” he nodded, “If…if I think it’s going to be more than that, I’ll let you know, and we’ll hire you at my company.”

“If you’re going to hire me, I want to actually work. I don’t just want to freeload.” I told him determinedly. “I can do office work, I’ve done it before, so…put me to work for real, even if I have to be here.” I motioned at our surroundings. “Is there some kind of office building here?”

“No, our offices are entirely in the human realm, but you could work here, if you wanted. We’re set up for easy remote work.” Fen replied.

“I see. Are there fast food chains and stuff here?”

The fey man snorted, “No, we’re not that integrated with your world.”

“That makes me glad, for some reason.”

“We’re still very much what a human would think of as a fantasy world, we just do have electricity and the internet and phones for convenience. Although not all homes or buildings have either of those things, just those of us who want them.”

“I get it.” I nodded as I started to text Carter. “This text will go through without problems?”

“None at all.”

“And no roaming charges?”

“None.”

“Good.” I nodded, hitting send. “I’ll text Michael too and see how things are, see if anything crazy happened after we left.”

“Axl said that the spirits dissipated after you left, since the others were uninteresting to them.”

“I hope so.”

“He said nothing was amiss by the time he left, and he had a mirror to look and see if there were any spirits around.”

“Were those just normal mirrors?”

“No, they had spells on them, made to reveal spirits. But sometimes you can catch glimpses of spirits in mirrors. It’s like something catches the corner of your eye, but you don’t really see it.”

“I just actually see the spirits, so I wouldn't know about that.” I sighed.

“Of course.”

“If I were a normal human, I’m sure I’d be like ‘oh yeah, I know what you’re talking about’.” I laughed a little, then frowned as I sent my text to Michael. “I wonder how freaked out Thomas was. I barely had time to think about him at all before we left last night.”

“He was quiet, I think, from what Axl said, just trying to understand. Michael explained as much as he could."

“I guess I’ll text him as well.”

“Thomas is Michael’s brother, correct?”

“Yes. They’re old friends. Michael is my best friend, but I’ve known his big brother for a very long time too. As I’ve said before, their family are the only people from my younger years that I keep in touch with at all.”

“Understandably so.”

“Their mom and dad always welcomed me, and never even called me weird. Which meant a lot, since I really was a weird kid, on top of being able to see things that no one else could!” I laughed a little.

“They seem like kind people.” Fen murmured.

I shook myself, “Sorry, I’m not trying to trauma dump here. I’m sure you don’t care.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“On the contrary, I’m extremely interested.” he shook his head, “You’re the first human to be able to see us properly and use magic in…gods, I don’t know how many years. Not since I was very, very young.”

“There have been humans like me before, though?” I asked, surprised.

“Yes and no.”

“Which is it, yes or no?” I rolled my eyes at him.

“None in your world. There was once a tribe of humans who could use magic in Faerie, and they were native to Faerie, but they died out when I was very, very young. So young that I never even met one, as far as I can remember.”

“How old are you?”

“Very old.” was all he said.

It was quiet for a little while.

“Will you tell me more about these humans?”

“I don’t know all that much about them. We may have some books in the library though.”

“You have a library?” I gasped, thrilled at the prospect of having a proper library to explore.

“Of course.” he glanced at the clock, “If you want, I’ll take you to explore it after breakfast.”

“Yes please!” I clapped my hands eagerly.

“I take it that you like to read?” His tone was dry.

“I double-majored in art and English! And I’ve published a novel.” I told him proudly.

“Oh? What book?”

“You probably haven’t read it, it’s just a YA novel.” I shrugged.

“We’ll have to get it for the library here.” he told me.

I laughed, “Don't feel compelled to. It didn’t sell very well, which is why I still have to have a part-time job.”

“All the same, getting published is getting published.”

“Yeah.” I looked down at my hands, smiling. Fen seemed to get it, and that was nice.

“What kind of art do you do?”

“Embroidery. It was a textiles degree.”

“I think you’ll fit in here better than I’d have expected. My people are very fond of the arts.” he sounded thoughtful.

“That’s a nice change. There’s a reason why ‘starving artist’ is a phrase in my world.”

“I know. It’s not the norm, here. But, well, our art is magical just by the nature of who we are as a people.”

“I’m sure. Mine probably isn’t nearly as good.”

“You should still show me some. Would you like me to have some supplies brought for you? It would give you something else to do.”

“Honestly, that would be great. And maybe some paints, too? It's not my specialty, but I do enjoy it."

“Sure."

There was a knock at the door, “It’s me!” Rose’s voice called.

“Come in!” I called.

Rose entered, carrying a tray of breakfast. “I thought I’d find you here, sir!” she greeted Fen.

“Yes.”

“I’m glad I brought enough for two. Now have a nice good breakfast, and let me know if you need anything okay?”

“Thank you, Rose.” I smiled at her.

“You’re welcome, dear.”

“Thanks Rose.” Fen said quietly.

Rose bowed to him, then left.

“She’s so nice.”

“She is.”

“Axl and her seem like an odd pair, though.”

“Axl isn’t as scary as he looks.”

“That’s what Rose said.”

“You’ll get to know him during your stay. He’s friendly.”

“What about your other friend?”

“Who?”

“The one with the cat ears? Is he ever around?”

“Aren?” the fey man seemed a little taken aback.

“Is that his name? I called him the Lion.”

“What? Why?”

“Because of the ears and the tail. I called you the Vampire.” I told him, then laughed as Fen glowered at me, “What? I didn’t know your name, and it fits! Pale with fangs! And a scary aura.”

“I guess.” he muttered, pouring himself a cup of tea and taking a plate. “Aren is here very occasionally. He’s one of my employees."

“I see.” I nodded.

“As to my nickname, I don’t look like a vampire." Fen protested mildly.

I laughed, “Well, I was just being silly, really, given I didn’t know either of your names.”

“They’re not like what you think of in your world as vampires.” he said quietly.

“They’re real?”

“Yes. They don’t exist in your world though.”

“Oh.” I blinked. “What other fantasy creatures are real?”

“Dwarves and giants.”

“Elves?”

“No.”

“Dragons?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent!”

“Not so excellent if you get burned. Dragon fire is impossible to heal, even with magic.”

“Ouch.” I grimaced.

“Indeed.”

“Orcs and goblins?”

“Yes.”

“Hm.” I was drawing a blank. “Well, that’s interesting."

We ate quietly for a little while.

“If you do work for me, you’d have to work with Aren some, so I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to introduce you two properly before, just in case.” he said slowly, but didn't seem keen on that, for some reason.

“It’s not a big deal, he was just the only other fey person I know about to even ask after.” I shrugged.

“I see.” he nodded, seeming to relax a little. I wondered why asking about Aren had seemed to annoy him so much.

“So are you just a business owner? Is that why you have a huge house and servants and bodyguards?” I asked, wanting to know if it was rude to just outright ask if he had a title.

“This is just one of my houses.” he said mildly.

“Oh?” Definitely rich rich.

My expression must have amused him. “Humans never know how to react to finding out I’m wealthy.” he snorted.

“Well, when you’re poor like me, you wouldn't know how to react to it.”

“No, I guess not.”

Well, I might as well just go ahead and say it. “I think you’re some kind of royalty, on top of being rich.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“So there are titles in Faerie?" I asked, taking a bite out of my toast.

“Yes. The same as in your world.”

“Are you titled?”

“Yes.”

“Born or earned?”

“Both. I was born into the title, but earned it by proving I was the one most worthy of inheriting it.” he told me.

“Well, that’s interesting.”

“I guess.” he shrugged.

“I’ve never known anyone from royalty before.” I mused. “Of course we don’t have royalty back home. Well, not by name. By status, sure.”

“Of course.”

“You fall into our definition of royalty that way, too as rich as you are. Or rather, as rich as I think you are.” I motioned at the room around us.

Fen merely shrugged.

“You’re not hoity-toity though.” I said thoughtfully.

“I’ve been around humans enough that lack of decorum is more my norm, now. But when I’m out in fey society, I have to act as is expected of me.”

“We probably wouldn't be allowed to speak if we weren’t in the privacy of your own home, would we?”

“No, we could speak. There is propriety to be observed, though, and some of your mannerisms would stun my people. That said, you’re my guest, and that makes things a little different.”

“Right.” Now I was curious, “What’s fey society like? I mean, as far as propriety? Is it anything like Victorian times?”

“Yes, more like that. Except men and women can be alone together, we’re not uptight like that. But also, you don’t really marry ‘down’, for lack of a better term if that makes sense?”

“I understand.”

“It’s ridiculous, but that’s just how things are.” he waved his hand absentmindedly, then asked, “You’re curious about things here.”

“Of course.” I shrugged, “I’ve never been to a world other than my own before. Besides, I've always loved fantasy in fiction, and now I’m living a fantasy story.” I told him. “Maybe I should base my next story on my own life, change some details.”

“I guess it would be interesting, at least as interesting as finding a human who can use magic is to me.”

“Could I learn how to use it more?”

“I think that’s a wise decision. Maybe we’ll figure out a way for you to be able to minimize your magical signature.”

“That would help, wouldn't it? I could go home if I could do that?”

“I would hope so, but I think you’d need some sort of backup for when you’re sleeping. We’ll see how it goes.”

“Alright.”

It was quiet for a bit.

-

“Fen?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for helping me.”

Fen blinked. “Don’t thank me. This situation is entirely my fault. It’s my job to fix what I’ve messed up. It’s the least I can do.”

“I mean, I agree, but you’ve been much nicer to me, and you could have just cut me loose and let the spirits have me.”

“I have more honor than that." he shook his head, then admitted, "And far more curiosity."

“All the same, I’m grateful that you’re helping me, and treating me like a guest in your home rather than someone you resent because of the situation.”

“I’m just relieved you don’t resent me.” he paused, looking down at his teacup. “And I am sorry for being so cruel at first and causing all of this trouble.”

“What’s done is done.” she shrugged. “You’re forgiven.”

“Humans really are amazing.” he snorted, shaking his head. “I’ll probably only wind up causing more problems, but thank you, all the same.”

“How would you only cause more problems?”

“I’m fey, it’s what we do best. Especially where humans are involved.” Fen shrugged. Truly, humans were remarkable, in some ways. So quick to forgive.

When they’d finished eating, she picked up the dirty dishes and silverware and put them on the tray.

“You don’t have to do that."

“Why make Rose’s job harder?” she shrugged, “She’s been very kind to me. Besides, I’ve worked in the service industry, and it’s always nice when someone goes out of their way to help out a little, even just like this.”

Fen shook his head. She was too kind. Faerie would chew her up and spit her out if he let her loose among the general population. Good thing he had no plans on doing so. Although she did seem curious about his homeland, so perhaps he’d figure out a way to take her around town at least once before she returned to her home.

“So, about this library.” Mercy turned, clasping her hands in front of her.

“I’ll show you.” The fey man stood, waving for her to follow. “Come with me.”

“Thank you!” she giggled, hurrying after him.

Fen led her through the halls of his current home. She stared, in awe of her surroundings.

“This place really is huge.” she murmured.

“It’s not the largest of my properties, but the building is pretty big.” he shrugged.

“You have a bigger house than this one?!” The young woman seemed flabbergasted.

“Yes.” he snorted, amused with her reaction.

“I can’t picture it.” she mumbled.

He wasn’t about to tell her that the one he was thinking of, the largest of his properties, was the fey palace, which was his childhood home. Something in him was loath to reveal that he was the High King. Mercy had already guessed, rather astutely, that he was royalty, but he was hesitant still, lest it change the way she thought of him. Not that he was sure why he cared what she thought of him. He really didn’t care what most people thought of him, except for like Rose, Axl, and a handful of other people he’d known most of his life, but he’d known her for a very short period of time, barely even two or three days, and yet he definitely wanted her to like him.

It was likely just because he was curious. He wanted to know everything he possibly could about her. In order to figure out how it was that she could see through glamours and see spirits, as well as what made her able to use magic, of course. Yes, that was it.

The young human woman wasn’t all that bad to keep company with, either, much to his surprise. Though perhaps that was just him looking past any annoyance due to the sheer force of his curiosity.

“Here’s the library.” he threw open the double doors that led to the enormous room.

“OH!” Mercy gasped, stopping in her tracks. “Oh my gosh!”

Then she was giggling and running back and forth between the stacks of books, clapping her hands and jumping up and down in a happy little dance, making many happy noises. Though her sudden excitement and happy celebration at seeing the library shouldn't have surprised him, it did.

Then, as if remembering he was still standing there, she froze, and turned, clasping her hands in front of her, very red in the face. “Uh, sorry. That was stupid.”

Fen blinked. “I fail to see how it was stupid. You were happy, I gather.”

“Really happy.” she muttered, looking down in embarrassment.

Someone had mocked her for her happiness before. “It’s not a crime to be happy.” he shrugged. “I’m pleased you like it. Feel free to read whatever books you’d like to.”

“Can I take them back to my room?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you! I-I’ll be careful with them!”

“I’m sure you will.” He shrugged, “Pick out a few and I’ll have a servant take them back to your quarters. And then, since it’s a nice morning, we can walk in the gardens.”

“Oh! That’d be nice!” Mercy nodded, eager once more.

Fen found that he was enjoying playing tour guide. “I’ll just show you around the place. Would that be alright?”

“If you have the time and you don’t mind. I’d like to see the rest of your home.” she nodded.

“Alright, then.”

“Thank you, Fen.” she said softly.

He blinked, “You’re welcome.”