Lightning flickered and thunder rumbled above our heads.

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Rowan muttered, throwing a concerned glance up at the sky.

It was really too dark to see anything, but we’d seen thick clouds set in before sunset, so it didn’t surprise me that it was starting to storm.

A few minutes later, I felt a few drops of rain, which soon quickened into a downpour.

“Great.” I sighed.

“Let’s take a break and see if it’ll pass.” Arden said.

“Alright.” Rowan made for the shelter of a nearby tree, with the fey soldier on his heels.

We huddled close to its trunk, and Arden helped me slide off Rowan’s back.

“Well see if we can sit it out. Walking in the rain sucks.” Arden settled on the leaf-strewn ground beside me.

“It sure does.” Rowan agreed.

“I hope it doesn't get too muddy.” I muttered. “I hate mud.”

“You’re a mermaid!” Arden laughed.

“From the ocean, Arden!” I rolled my eyes at him, “It’s all sand there, not mud!”

“Ah, fair point.” he laughed. “I, on the other hand, am not overly fond of sand. It’s coarse and rough and gets everywhere.”

“Yes, it does!” I giggled a little. “I miss it, though. It’s been a long time since I was around any sand.”

“I’m sure.” Arden smiled sadly.

“I miss my family first and foremost.” Rowan said, sounding thoughtful.

“I mean, me too.” I shrugged. “Sand is just something that I miss that I didn’t realize I would miss, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah. I miss…weeding our garden. It’s hot, dirty work, really, but…it meant I was keeping the garden in good shape so I could better provide for my family, you know? And I miss it.”

“I miss my room. Our little moveable house was small, so I had to share with my big sister, despite our age difference. We both didn’t like it at the time, but what I wouldn't give to be back there.”

The centaur looked out at the rainy night around us, “I miss the way the rain sounded on our roof. It was so relaxing and would put me right to sleep.”

“Not that you need help falling asleep!” I giggled.

“No, that’s true.” He snorted.

“For me, it was the sound of the water moving outside the house. Or falling asleep to the rocking of the house as we moved to another place.”

“That sounds very nice.” Arden murmured.

“It was.” I nodded.

We fell quiet for a little while. The rain continued to fall, occasionally slipping through the leaves to splatter down onto us.

I soon heard Rowan’s snores, and smiled, “Rowan’s out. Not that I’m surprised.”

“He really can sleep anywhere, can’t he?” Arden grinned.

“Yep!” I snorted, then sighed, “Even if it doesn't stop raining, I know we can’t stay here too long.”

“No. I hate to say it, but we really should go on through the night. This rain should do a lot towards covering any trail we’ve left.” Arden grimaced.

“I can sing again, invigorate you two. Hopefully it’ll help you get through the night.”

“Would you? I think we could manage it.”

“Of course. I wouldn't have offered to do it if I didn’t want to.”

“Thanks, Marrina.”

“Anytime.” I smiled at him, reaching out hesitantly and slipping my hand into his. “You should rest too. I swear I won’t fall asleep this time.”

“I’m tired, but I’m too…restless to rest. We’re so close to our destination, you know?”

“I understand.” I nodded.

At that moment, lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder crashed almost immediately after. But for a moment it wasn’t thunder, it was the crack of a whip above my head as Bellows shouted obscenities at me.

I cringed, curling into myself, putting my head in my hands as a squeak of surprised terror escaped me.

“Marri! Marri!” Arden’s voice was distorted, like he was talking to me through water. His gentle hands touched my arms, “Marri! What’s wrong? Just breathe for a minute!”

At that, I realized I was gasping and sobbing, rocking back and forth.

Arden’s arms surrounded me gently, “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I-I…I-I…”

“Shh, it’s alright.” He pushed a waterskin into my hands and pulled off the cap, murmuring, “Drink.”

I raised the waterskin with trembling hands and drank a couple of big gulps. Finally, I was able to take a deep, shaky breath and murmured, “Th-thank you.”

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Arden asked, tone deeply distressed as he took the waterskin and set it aside.

I wiped my face, now feeling a little embarrassed with my unexpected freak out. “Th-the thunder I-I…it just…it startled me and sounded just like a-a whip and…” I shuddered.

“Ah.” his tone was sad, but knowing. “I’m so sorry, Marri.”

I leaned into him, setting my head against his chest. He tightened his arms around me, but was mindful of my injured sides. “I-I didn’t mean to scare you. I-I didn’t mean to freak out at all, it just…happened.”

“It’s okay, don’t apologize. Trauma is like that, I expect.”

“I-I guess. I just…it’s embarrassing.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s okay.” he assured me.

We sat there like that for a while, him just holding me.

Finally, he sighed, “I…I hate it that you were treated so poorly.”

“I know.” I murmured.

“I hate it because my mom, she…was in a similar situation.” his words were halting.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t talk about it a lot, although I’ve accidentally gotten close to mentioning it a couple times already with you, you’re so easy to talk to, but it…it still hurts to think about.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” I murmured.

“I…I want to, if you’ll listen?”

“Of course I’ll listen. I…I want to know about you. Even…even the sad things.” I mumbled.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

The half-fey soldier’s fingers brushed through my hair, but he didn’t speak for a moment. Finally he said, “I know.” he managed a half-smile. “It’s just not a nice story.”

“I expect it’s not. I have plenty of not-nice stories.” I reminded him.

“I know that. And I don’t want to heap another unpleasant story on you.”

“I appreciate it, but…I’m pretty strong, Arden.”

A quick grin flashed across his face, “Don’t I know it!” But then he sighed, his smile fading. Arden took a deep breath, “Well, I grew up in the feylands. Not far from the palace. I lived in a nice manor and had mostly what I needed, I guess.” he paused, “My mom was…not there by her own will. The man who fathered me, cause you can’t call him a true father by any stretch, kept a harem. They’re not illegal, but they are frowned upon and pretty heavily regulated within the feylands, now. All members have to be willing.” Arden paused, “It’s…largely because of my mother’s case that those laws came about. Lear helped get them into effect.”

“That’s good.” I murmured.

“Yes.” he smiled slightly.

I pushed away a little so I could look up at him, asking haltingly, “So your mother…she…was a lot like me?”

“Yeah. Except it was a different kind of magic that kept her in place. Bellows used the runes on the band because a circus travels, out of necessity. My father trapped my mother within the bounds of the manor with a spell, and also cursed her with immortal youth. That doesn't go over well for humans.”

“I think I’ve heard that before. Otherwise it would be done more often, I expect.”

“I mean, if they’re not naturally magical, like Winna is. Can cause a lot of issues, specifically mental ones.”

“Right.” I nodded.

“Well…I didn’t truly understand the situation that my mother was in until I was a teen. Since I'm half-fey, I aged faster when I was young, of course. So, I was still a kid, but not super young anymore. I was allowed to come and go as I pleased because the elf who fathered me didn’t give two shits what his little half-human bastard did. But my mother couldn't leave the house." His voice was rough with emotion. “You see, he never thought I’d amount to anything, being just a filthy half-breed, so he didn’t restrain my comings and goings. But he saw my mother as his property, and as such, she wasn’t allowed to leave the house. Although to be fair, he probably saw me as something of a possession too, just one he didn’t care about, given I was only half-fey.” he paused, taking a deep breath, continuing. “Anyways, once I was old enough to understand the situation, I realized that all of my many ‘aunts’ that lived with us were all just members of my father’s harem. Some were there of their own accord, others were captives, like my mother.” he stared out into the night, falling silent for a few moments. “She didn’t have a good life.”

“No, I imagine not.” I whispered.

“I wanted to save her, but for so long, there wasn’t anything I could do. No one would help me because my father had power, and it was difficult to stand against him. I’d have just busted her out, like I did you, but breaking a spell like he’d put on her would be a difficult feat, one I wasn’t able to do. Or rather, not alone, anyways. And if I did, he’d have hunted us forever.” he paused, for a few moments before moving on. “ Eventually, once I was old enough, I joined the military because I had no prospects otherwise in life. Half-fey folk aren’t always treated well in the feylands, and very few people want to employ them in any kind of meaningful work. There was every chance I’d wind up in a bad situation, if I didn’t figure out a purpose. Or rather, that’s how it was at the time. Things are better for us, now, but could still be improved upon. Anyways, I joined the military, and was glad to find it suited me. Whenever I had some leave, I visited my mother. She was…worse every time. After a while, she really wasn’t the mother that had raised me anymore. My mother was sweet and cheerful and kind, despite her circumstances. She grew quiet and pale and frightened as the spell stretched her life out far too long. I don’t think she recognized me most of the time.”

“I’m sorry.” I murmured softly, my heart aching for Arden and his mother.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Still…” I frowned. “What happened to her?”

“Well, the palace heard whispers of a rebellion to overthrow the king, and it turned out that my father was a pivotal member of that rebellion. It had to be stopped, of course, given it was treason, and I was only too happy to help. I didn’t even have to go undercover. I just went back home. My good-for-nothing father didn’t even realize I was in the military at that point, I don't think, or maybe he’d have been more careful. I know that he absolutely didn’t think anything of me being there because I visited my mother there whenever I could, so it was just like any other of my usual visits, to him.” He gave a wry smile. “My mother, of course, didn’t know anything. There was no way she could have, given her mental state. None of the few human members of the harem could help, which was fine of course. The flipside was that I had some fey aunties who were only too happy to help.”

“Ohh! How come I feel like I’d like them?” I giggled a little.

“Because you would.” he stroked my hair back, still smiling a little. “They told me everything I needed to know, and what they didn’t know, they found out, and what there wasn’t proof of, they got their hands on what I needed.”

“Good for them!”

“I was very grateful and proud of them. I still am, honestly. They risked their lives. Had he caught them spying, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill them…Anyways, with their help and our squads undercover work elsewhere on the matter, we had enough proof that we got permission to raid the manor to find the rest of what we needed. One of my aunties who’d been there for a long time, and was a favorite of the elf who fathered me, was able to give us permission to enter because good old dad saw her as an actual member of the household, despite the fact she was there against her will. We couldn't have gotten in otherwise. Lear let me take the lead on the raid, since he knew it meant so much to me.” his smile was now a wide grin. “I body-slammed that son of a bitch who fathered me to the ground. It felt good. Really good. I…wanted to…just end him, Lear would have let me, but it…seemed better to use him as an example. So he’s rotting in a dungeon now, and will stay there until he dies some unpleasant death.”

Fey deaths tended to be pretty unpleasant, given we didn’t get old and die, that left murder, accidents or misadventure, and sickness. None were typically fun ways to go and were, unfortunately, more common than one might think, especially in the feylands, from what I understood.

“Good!” I laughed, then asked, “And your mom?”

“Lear also let me free her myself. Or rather, he supplied the sheer amount of power we needed to break the spells on her, and I directed it. It was…very kind of him. He knew how much it meant to me, to free her myself. I’d long wanted it, but hadn’t been able to do it. It was like she woke from a dream. Of course, the clock started to tick for her again immediately. It was like she had just been frozen, and lived out the rest of her life in peace and comfort, aging as she would have had she not been subject to the curse that lengthened her life so unnaturally. She could still remember it all, of course, and it…stayed with her until the end.” he sighed. “I couldn't take away all the terrible memories, but I at least got to see her free. And I got to see her return to being more like the mother I’d known in my childhood, which was more than I’d ever hoped for.”

“She’s…gone?” I asked softly.

“Yeah. It was time. A very peaceful passing from old age. Not that I don't still miss her every day.” he sighed.

“I understand that.” I sighed, setting my head against his chest again. “I miss my mama every day too.”

“Well, your mom is probably still alive. All of your family probably is.”

“I hope so.” I sighed. “Do you have any siblings or anything?”

“Just half siblings.” he said. “I only keep up with one or two.”

“And your aunties?”

“Some of the ones who were there willingly went to jail as well, since they were complicit. The ones who were humans have all passed, though there were only two others, I think. But it’s only natural that they’d have passed, now. And then my fey aunties who were also kept against their will, well, I keep in touch with them.”

“I wish I could meet them.” I smiled.

“Why not? You’re going to be free. What’s stopping you?”

“You’ll take me to visit them?” I looked up at him, hopefully.

“Of course. They’ll love you to death.” he grinned at me.

I giggled, “I think I’ll like them.”

“Some of them even live together in an inn that they co-own and run.”

“That sounds amazing!”

“It’s a cheerful place. We’ll go there sometime, they have bathtubs for you to soak in, so you’d be fairly comfortable there.”

“Do you go there often?”

“If I’m in the feylands, that’s typically where I stay these days. I don’t really have a home in the feylands anymore, although Lear would always let me crash at his apartment there. But now he’s married to Winna, he doesn't keep the apartment, and instead will stay at my aunts’ inn as needed, it’s pretty close to the palace, and otherwise he tries to come home.”

I frowned, “Aren’t the feylands really far away? That’s quite a trip…”

“We have a mushroom ring portal set up. It took a little convincing, even for Lear, since they can be dangerous, but it’s set up only to go between a specific spot in the fey palace gardens to the mushroom ring that Lear has set up by Winna’s cottage. And it only responds to his magic, or the king’s, really. Maybe one or two of the generals’ too, I don’t know. Anyone can go through it, once it’s activated, but Lear pretty much is the only one who opens it, at least from this end.”

“Oh, that’s cool! I’ve heard of fairy rings, but never seen one before!”

“Well, you’ll get to see one. I have a feeling Lear will need to take you back to the feyland with him, if we want to get any help tracking down where your family might be.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well…that’d be something.” I sighed, then asked, “Will you come with me?”

“Of course. I’ll take some leave and we’ll track down your family. Rowan’s too.”

“Good.” I curled my fingers into his shirt, and he squeezed me gently.

We sat there for a while longer. I breathed in his scent. He smelled like a mix of spices and citrus, somehow. It was very nice.

“I think the rain is letting up a little.” he muttered.

“Yeah, sounds like it.” I shifted, pulling away. “We should go.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll wake up Rowan.”

“Alright.”

After a quick song to wake the centaur, I sang a nice, invigorating song for them again, and we were able to set out.

This time, Arden carried me again so we could run for a while, since they both felt up to it after my song.

“Will that break set us back too much?” I asked loudly, making sure Arden could hear me over the rush of the wind. The rain wasn’t coming down hard now, but given how quickly we were moving, it pelted hard against my skin.

“No, I’d accounted for breaks! Running again will put us ahead. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to, but I think having that little rest really helped, so maybe the rain was fortuitous.”

“Well, good.”

After a while, I got annoyed with the rain hitting my face so hard, but didn’t want to ask them to slow down over something so silly, especially since I knew it was doing it to them too, so I turned my face and pressed it into my half-elvish companion’s chest.

Sleep overtook me and my mind strayed into dreams.