The carriage bumped along, and I nervously smoothed out my skirts.

“It’ll be alright.” the fey ambassador, Tristan, smiled reassuringly at me.

“I know. I just can’t help but be anxious.” I managed a weak smile. “I’m used to the fey palace, no one blinks twice at me being there, Uncle Asher being king and all, but…well, this will be my first time at a human palace. They’re not overly fond of fey folk here either, are they?” Asher and his husband had always insisted I call them both uncle, given that Asher was my father’s close childhood friend. My father was the brother of a duchess, anyways, so it wasn’t that odd that he’d be close to the fey king, much less that his children would call him Uncle.

“Well, they’re used to your Uncle Tristan here, at least.” he winked a warm brown eye at me, brushing a stray, dark curl back from his face, and then sighed, “But you’re not wrong. It took a little while for them to adjust to the idea that I wasn’t there to cause mischief. I’m hoping that they’ll warm up to you quickly, since I’ve proved to be non-problematic.”

“I hope so too. I grew up mostly among humans, after all.” I shrugged. “And my mother is human, of course.”

“Of course.” Tristan smiled, nodding. His bright, pristine white smiles always contrasted somewhat drastically with his dark brown skin. “Lear surprised everyone when he came back and announced he’d married a human! But Winna is perfect for him.”

“Yes, they’re a perfect pairing.” A fond smile found its way to my face as I thought about my parents. My papa always flirted so outrageously with my mama. It was embarrassing, as their child, but I also knew it was proof of how much he loved her, and her blush and toleration of his flirtatiousness always told me how much she loved him, since my mother wasn’t taken to nonsense.

“They’re still doing okay?”

I nodded, “They decided to finally do some traveling.”

“Is that safe?” Tristan asked, frowning, aware that my mother’s family had demons who could sense them, and would chase them down, if they ever left the protective bounds of the area that my mother’s family had lived in for centuries.

“Yes!” I smiled, “Between dad, Dern, mom, they were finally able to put the protective runes on an amulet for mom to wear so she could leave home without being chased by shades! They had a little help from the research workshop at the palace, but Asher was happy to lend their resources, given he and dad are childhood friends.”

“That’s wonderful!” Tristan broke into a beaming smile, “You and your father never had to worry about that though, right?”

“No, our fey blood is enough to hide the smell of the goddess’ blessing from the shades, thankfully.” I shrugged. “I do have an amulet with me now though, just in case.” I pulled the small amulet that I wore on a delicate chain from beneath the neck of my dress for him to see before tucking it away again. “But I’ve been out and about with dad in the feylands plenty of times before they’d figured out how to make these. The pendant is just an added precaution, given he’s not by my side at the moment.”

“You being out and about on your own must be eating him up.” Tristan laughed.

“He wasn’t best pleased when I told him I wanted to work as your assistant for a while, but mom suggested that, since I would be here instead of home, they should take the opportunity to finally travel some. He eventually agreed to it. My uncles and their families can take care of the cottage, and more than cover for mom’s absence back home now. Since they accepted the gift from Marna, they can now heal just as well as she can.”

“Do they have amulets for traveling purposes too?”

“Yes. Mom and dad and Dern made sure everyone in the family had one.” I nodded. “But they all have proper businesses to run, so they weren’t as interested in traveling. Not right now, anyways.”

“I see.” Tristan bobbed his head.

Diana maowed from where she was settled down on the carriage cushion beside me.

“Yes, that’s true. It’ll probably be good for her.” I agreed.

The fey ambassador smiled, “What’d she say?”

“You know my mom’s other cat, Lou?”

“Yes, of course! It might have been a while since I visited the cottage, but I could never forget such a silly creature!” Tristan snorted.

“Well, the last time you were there, she was just a normal cat. She’s a familiar now.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. She was getting pretty old, and despite mom’s magic helping her stay healthy, cats can only live so long. We were all terrified of losing her, so mama asked Marna for a favor, and the goddess made Lou into a familiar as well so we didn’t ever have to miss our silly kitty.” I smiled, reaching out to stroke Diana’s silken fur. The diluted grey tabby began to purr loudly. “Diana said that this will give mom a chance to train her silly sister up a bit more, since they’ll have lots of time together.”

“Oh, well good!” the ambassador nodded knowingly. “I’m sure it’ll help to have two familiars, since there are a lot more of you who might need one, now.”

“Yes, Marna said that as well.” I nodded, remembering how happy we’d all been the day Marna had immortalized Lou. She’d been very tired and not getting around much anymore, in her old age, but after Marna had done her magic, Lou had perked right up and was as silly and energetic as she’d ever been when I was little, though not any smarter.

“So, do you miss your sister, Diana?” Tristan asked, grinning a little.

Diana maowed, then yawned.

“She said she does, despite how silly Lou is!” I giggled.

Diana looked at me and slowly blinked her glorious, sea-green eyes at me.

I couldn't keep from smiling and leaning down to kiss her sweet forehead, “I love you too, Miss Annie!” The powerful cat familiar had helped my parents take care of me since I was born, sitting by my cradle while mom worked on salves, or at her loom, since dad was often gone on missions for Uncle Asher. Then when dad was there, we’d sit on his lap, me on one knee and Diana on the other. Lou would sit on mom’s lap, since she always required a good deal of attention just on her own, and dad would read from the ancient, dusty books that chronicled my family’s history.

Given how prevalent the goddess-given cat was in my life, it seemed only natural that she’d accompany me, even if only for my parents’ peace of mind, though I knew mama probably missed her oldest and dearest friend very much. Diana had seen many generations of my family come and go, and had likely kept an eye on my mother as a child, much the same way she had me.

Now Lou would help watch over my family as well, always ready to make us smile or ready for kisses or cuddles.

Tristan pulled my mind from its wanderings. “How is your aunt doing?”

“Oh, she’s fine!” I told him, then grimaced, “She’s the reason I have so much luggage. I’d have been happy to come with just a couple of suitcases and anything that Diana needed, but Aunt Sibyl found out I was going to be working in a palace and insisted I needed a wardrobe to match. I’m like my mom, I tend to prefer simple clothes, but she said it just would not do for her niece and declared heir to dress so plainly when in a palace, even if I’m just working as your assistant.” I smiled wryly, rolling my eyes a little. “She was so excited about it that I didn’t protest too much. Dad agreed with her, and mom just thought it was funny. She said to just let Aunt Sibyl have her fun, and I realized there was no harm in it.”

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“I think I agree with your aunt. You might be my assistant, but you’re an ambassador for fey folk in your own right, and you’ll also be a duchess yourself someday, it only makes sense for you to dress nicely.” he nodded approvingly.

I grimaced, “Well, I’d hope to not let on that I’m anyone special, because I’m not. I’m just the daughter of a healer and her soldier. I don’t want anyone to think I’m hoity-toity, or anything. I was raised in a small village, not a palace. Though I’ve been to the fey palace plenty now…I just…I want to succeed on my own merits, not just because my aunt is a duchess who doesn't have any kids and likes me enough to make me her heir.”

“Ah, I see. Your secret is safe with me.” Tristan nodded knowingly, “Although maybe consider telling the king.”

“I’ll…play it by ear. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Who you tell what about yourself is your choice.”

“Thank you.” Even though I’d grown up in a home with every single amenity I could ever possibly want or need, and had never wanted for anything, I’d been helping my mother with her work as soon as I was able to, and knew I’d have more in common with the other assistants and servants than the higher-ups and royalty, even just in personality. That was the case even in the fey palace, despite the fact that I called the king Uncle Asher.

We rumbled along in silence for a bit.

I broke the silence, remembering I had a message for my new boss, “Oh, Uncle Arden and Aunt Marrina said to tell you hello, and that if you ever wanted a beach vacation, you’re more than welcome to visit them!”

“That’s a nice thought!” Tristan laughed, “How are they doing?”

“Very well! Mom and dad might stop by and see them during their travels. Mom said she liked the idea of a beach vacation, since she’s never seen the ocean before, and dad said he really liked the idea of mom on a beach vacation.” I rolled my eyes a little. “I suspect he just wants to see her in a skimpy bathing costume.”

Tristan chuckled, “Yes, he would, wouldn’t he? Is Marrina’s family still living near them?”

“Yes. They decided to pack in the nomadic lifestyle, and have settled in one of the nearby mer-villages. They couldn't bear to be parted from one another again.”

“I don’t blame them.” he shook his head. “She and Arden are doing well?”

“Yes, very!”

“When I was at their wedding, when you were still really little, I could tell that they would be happy together.” Tristan nodded approvingly.

“They are.” They’d had two ceremonies, one at the beach so Marrina’s family could be present, and then one a while later at the temple of Marna near the cottage, because mom still hadn’t been able to leave the protection runes carved into the mountains around our home at that point, and Marrina and Arden had wanted both my mom and dad to be present, even if it was technically their second wedding.

Marna had surprised us all by making an appearance once the ceremony was over. The goddess had kindly brought word to my mother of a friend who had passed recently, telling her that she'd made it into the heavens, and was happy there. The memory of my mother crying over that news was a bit hazy in my memory, given I was only about four at the time, but I did still remember it. Bekka had been like an aunt to me, and I remembered being sad when I'd come back from my first trip to the feylands with my dad, only to find that my Aunt Bekka was gone.

Then Marna had offered her mark to Marrina and Arden, who’d both eagerly accepted. They were now officially linked to my family one way or another. I knew this meant a lot to Arden, who had thought of our cottage as home since before I was born, and considered my family his family.

I really did have a lot of family that I wasn’t actually related to. That was okay, the more the merrier, as mom always said. Our blood relatives didn’t mind either, and had, as far as I could tell, happily accepted Arden and Marrina into the fold. They were pretty likable people though, and I doubted anyone prickly would have been so easy to welcome into the family.

We fell silent again as the carriage rumbled on.

“Is it much further?” I asked, my anxiety rising again.

“No, not much. I’m sorry you had to take a train so far, I know that’s not as comfortable as a stateroom on a boat, or as fast as a dragon.”

“Yes, but it was faster than the boat, and more comfortable than riding a dragon.” I smiled, shrugging a little, “And it was comfortable enough. Dad made sure I had a first class cabin. There weren’t any dragon services that came to this area, I assume because of their long-standing wariness towards fey folk?”

“Yes, that’s the case.” he sighed, shrugging a little, “But the train does work well enough, I guess. I usually come and go by boat, but you’re right, it does take a lot longer.”

“The train trip wouldn't have taken as long as it did, but there aren’t any stations near home, so I had to make my way to one another way. I had too much luggage for Windscale to take me, otherwise she would have.”

“How did you get to the station, then?”

“Carriage, mostly. Took forever.”

“By yourself?”

“No, mom and dad came with me as far as the train station and saw me off before setting off on their own adventures.”

“Good, I’m glad you didn’t have to make the carriage trip alone! Not that you can’t take care of yourself.” Tristan nodded approvingly, and Diana maowed quietly in agreement.

“I certainly can! But, before I forget, dad wanted me to give you one of these.” After a moment of digging through my reticule, I withdrew a hinged compact mirror, holding it out to my companion. “Here.”

“A mirror?” the ambassador arched an eyebrow at me as he accepted it and opened it to see what it was.

“Yeah. I have one too.” I smiled, holding up another one that looked identical, except mine had my name engraved on the back in an elegant script, courtesy of Dern. “Dad and mom have one, Arden and Marri have one, all the other members of dad’s squad, and some of the higher up military personnel have one as well. Oh and Asher, of course.” I told Tristan, aware that he still didn’t understand, but wanting to know if he’d catch on without me having to explain.

He frowned, “I…can tell they’re important, if those folks have one…but why do you have one? No offense, but you’re kind of the oddball out there, other than Marrina and Winna.”

I grinned, deciding to put him out of his misery. “Mom uses dad’s, and Marrina shares Arden’s. They’re communicators.” I told him, showing how to activate the device by depressing the rune-etched gem on the back. It glowed with magic, and the face of the mirror suddenly displayed names, written in a script. I selected Tristan’s name on the list, and told it to connect to his.

Tristan’s mirror buzzed lightly in his hand, chirping like a bird, and he jumped a little in surprise, “Oh!”

“Here.” I showed him how to answer, and my face appeared on the screen, my voice now carrying through the mirror as well.

“Well! Whatever will they come up with next?! This is incredibly useful!” Tristan laughed, clearly delighted with the device.

“They finally got them working properly last year. Asher said this was a good opportunity to send one to you. It won’t ruin your agreement to avoid using magic while at the palace here, will it?”

“No, this would be okay. We’ll run it by Delric, that’s the king, just in case though. But I don’t expect he’ll have any trouble with it.”

“Good. It can do more than communicate, too! It can transport people to and from wherever one of them is located, since it uses magic based on mushroom rings. Dad and Arden have used that function it a few times now, but it's limited to only being able to take one person at a time."

“That’s incredible though!”

“It really is! It made him realize that, if something really bad happened, he could come to wherever I was in an instant, as long as I have this with me.” I waved my mirror at him, then stowed it back into my reticule. “I imagine we would need to get permission from the king before doing something like that, though.”

“Yes, I’d say so.” Tristan nodded as he examined the mirror closely. “I thought these designs were just decorative, but they’re runes, aren’t they?” he pointed at the mirror’s ornate cover.

“Yeah.” I smiled, “Some of the runes we’ve discovered that my mom’s family used have proved to be very interesting. The workshop at the palace has been able to make some truly wonderful things with them, like these communicators! But they do require someone with the mark of Marna to activate properly. That’s why dad had me start going to the palace frequently, he could still go on missions, and I could stay and help in the workshop. It’s very interesting.”

“I wondered why he had started bringing you! I knew he wasn’t keen on you being there a lot.”

“Well, I also wanted to help. It’s nice to be useful. Mom would have gone herself, but the amulets weren’t ready until this year. They require a lot of magic to make. Diana and Lou went with me sometimes.” I told him, then smiled, “It was always funny when I took Lou. She always got distracted and we had to chase her down. She’s such a silly cat!”

“That she is!” Tristan laughed.

Suddenly, the carriage rolled to a stop, and the door was flung open by the footman, who announced, “We’ve arrived, ambassador.”

“Are you ready?” the fey ambassador smiled kindly at me.

“No, but I can’t back out now!” I managed a smile, and took a deep breath.