Winna looked up from her embroidery, and grinned broadly, crying, “They’re back!”

“Oh? That’s sooner than I expected!” I blinked, looking towards the door.

Mira hurried to the window. “I don’t see them yet.”

“They’re back, don’t worry! I can feel it whenever Lear passes back into the borders of my homeland here. Can’t really sense anyone else, though…”

“Well, he’s your husband, so it makes sense. And also one of your goddess’s marked children.” Ena shrugged.

“Fair point. I wonder if it’d work with my brothers or any of their kids.” Winna said thoughtfully. “Not that any of us Starlings actually leave the area. Last time I did, it almost ended in disaster.”

“Oh?” I frowned, “How so?”

“There’s a type of demon that hunts my family.” the human mage grimaced. “There are protective runes carved into the mountains around this area, and it hides us from them, and any other enemies of Marna’s children.”

“Goodness!” I blinked, “That’s frightening!”

“Yeah, I’ve not been in any hurry to leave again since that happened!” she laughed a little, then sighed sadly. “I had an aunt that left the area once. We soon stopped hearing from her. I suspect she was killed by those same demons.”

“Protective runes.” I mused. “Couldn’t someone carve them onto a pendant, like the disguise one that Arden wears?”

Winna shrugged, “Dern and Lear have been working on something like that. The runes are very different from what Dern is used to, and Lear isn’t a specialist in them by any means. But when they have time to spare, they’ll go and investigate the runes. It’s a fairly large mountain range, so it’s taken them a while, but they’ve almost completed their research.”

“Well, maybe someday you’ll be able to have a pendant or a ring or something, and you can go on a vacation with little miss Sage and Lear!” Ena giggled.

“Maybe.” Winna nodded.

“So Lear doesn't attract the demons when he’s out and about?”

“No. He’s fey, and that seems to mask the presence of Marna’s mark on him.” Winna shook her head. “Which gives me hope for Sage and any other children we have, maybe their fey blood will be enough to mask it for them too.”

Our conversation was interrupted by the door being flung open. It banged loudly, and caused both Diana and Lou to jump, then maow in annoyance at Lear and Arden as they entered, followed by a whole crowd of fey folk.

Winna immediately set down her embroidery and ran to throw herself into Lear’s arms. “I’ve missed you!”

“I’ve missed you too.” He sighed contentedly.

“You guys weren’t gone for as long as I thought you’d be!” I told Arden as he crossed over to me. I held out my hands, wanting a hug.

The white-haired half-elf knelt and leaned into my arms, his own coming up around me. “The circus had moved on to a closer location.” He squeezed me gently, pulling my mouth to his for a few moments. “I’m glad it didn’t take long.” he murmured when he broke away, low tone making my heart pound.

“Me too.” I managed to reply, reaching up to brush his hair from his eyes. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” he smiled, getting up to sit beside me on the couch.

Winna approached the group crowding the little cottage. “Alright everyone! I’m so, so glad you all made it here safely!”

The group cheered, and Diana maowed annoyedly.

“She says to keep it down, cause there’s a baby sleeping down the hallway.” Lear translated, grinning a little, causing Ena, Winna, me, Arden, and Mira to giggle.

“Sorry, Annie.” Winna sighed, still smiling. “Anyways, we’ll get some food going soon, but in the meantime, please find a place to settle down and just relax. I know there aren’t enough seats, but the porch is open too, just don’t leave the door open because Diana here” she motioned at her familiar, “won’t run off, but Lou,” she motioned at the very silly grey tabby, “doesn't have nearly as much sense, and I want to keep her around.”

There were general noises of agreement and nods.

“We’ll also try and find places to sleep for as many folks who want to stay here, but anyone who wants to is welcome to stay at Wulf’s home. I expect some of you will have to share rooms, but you will at least have rooms there.”

“Yes, we’ll be happy to host some of you.” Wulf spoke up.

“It’ll be nice to have guests.” Rina murmured, smiling.

Wulf’s father, Jarl, nodded, stroking his beard, “Yes, I expect we do have room for them all. Can feed em all too, no problem.”

“Thank you so much.” Winna bowed to him.

“It’s no problem at all.” Jarl waved away the thanks, a little red in the face, but not displeased.

“So yeah, just take a little while to rest and recuperate, and we’ll have some food ready soon!” Winna clapped her hands, then turned to Ena, “Do you mind to help me cook?”

“Not at all!”

“Don’t forget, I can help too.” Lear cut in.

“I didn’t forget, I was counting on it.” Winna replied.

The fey captain leaned down and kissed her briefly, “Good!” he smiled, “Sage is sleeping?”

“Yeah. You can go get her if you want to, though.”

“I think I will.” he grinned, then disappeared down the hallway.

“He’s a cute papa!” Ena giggled.

“Yeah.” Winna smiled.

“Did you guys have fun while we were gone?” Arden asked.

Lou hopped up onto my lap, and we immediately both reached down and began to pet her.

“Yes, but it’s better with you here.”

Arden smiled, “Yeah, Winna’s cottage is very peaceful, if not a little boring sometimes. It’s a nice change of pace from the busy streets of the fey capital though.”

“I imagine. Do you have to go there often anymore?”

“Not really.”

“You have your own room here now, huh?”

“Yeah.” he smiled.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Do any of the rest of your squadmates ever stay here?”

“Sometimes, yes, but I’m the only one who really lives here full-time. I’m glad Winna and Lear are willing to put up with me.”

“Arden, honey, you’re no trouble.” Winna cut in, smiling over at him from the kitchen.

“I’m still grateful you let me stay.”

“We’re happy to have you.”

“Speak for yourself!” Lear said, coming down the hallway with his newborn daughter in his arms, “I’d rather have you all to myself here.” He grinned wickedly at his wife.

Winna rolled her eyes, but flushed a cute shade of pink. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I try!” her husband cackled, then bent and kissed Sage’s little forehead, cooing at her in fey-speech as he settled down on the armchair. After a little while, he looked up, “So, Arden.”

“Yes?”

“I told Asher I’d send you back in my place if you were here when I got back. Obviously I had to wait for the mushroom ring to recharge, and for obvious reasons.” he motioned at the fey folk populating the cottage. “But now that things have settled, and the ring is likely ready to go again, I should probably send you on your way.”

“Did you not finish whatever mission you had to go on? Not that it’s not totally understandable, you needed to be here. They should never have pulled you away with Winna that pregnant.” Arden shook his head.

“I didn't, but…well, I think I should leave it to Asher to explain.” Lear smiled a little, casting another glance around the room, not wanting to say too much with so many other people present. “But it’ll be right up your alley, I think.”

“Alright.” Arden nodded.

“Will I have to stay here?” I asked softly, a little dismayed at the thought that I’d be parted from him so soon.

“No, there’s no reason why you can’t go with him. There’ll be merfolk and experts on merfolk back in the feylands, so I think you should go with him.” Lear said, shrugging a little.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to figure out where your family is, with their help. Or at least narrow down the area where they might have been when you got separated from them.” Arden said.

“That’d work, cause if we can figure that out, all we’d have to do was wait long enough and they’d come back around eventually. We traveled the same route every year.” I told them eagerly, then frowned a little, “Well, unless something made them change their route…”

“Don’t worry.” Arden reached out and squeezed my hand. “We’ll track them down. Even if it takes a while, we’ll do it.”

“Once you’ve helped Asher to his satisfaction, I’ll make sure you’re approved for some leave to do that.” Lear said.

“Thanks, cap, I appreciate that.” Arden smiled.

“Maybe Rowan should come with us?” I glanced over at my friend, who was sitting comfortably on the ground nearby.

“Actually, it’ll be easier for me to get to my homeland from here. We didn’t live in the feylands.” the centaur shook his head.

“Then I guess we’ll be saying goodbye soon.” I murmured.

I’d be saying goodbye to all of my circus family. The sadness of that thought hit me hard.

“Don’t worry. We’ll stay in touch, I promise.” Rowan said.

There was a general chorus of agreement from around the room, and tears came to my eyes. “Good. I’d hate to lose another family.”

“You won’t have to lose anyone, I promise.” Arden took my hand and squeezed it gently.

“Okay.” I managed a smile.

-

We were quiet for a few moments.

“I’ve always wondered about that.” I muttered.

“About what?” Arden asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Well, my family doesn't, or didn’t, live in the feylands. Neither does Rowan’s. I was born outside them and have never been. I guess that’s very common?”

“Yes.” Arden nodded.

“Tip and I aren't originally from this area, but neither me, nor him, or our Mira, have ever been to the feylands.” Pima chimed in. “Nor do we ever intend to, I think. We like it here.”

“I’ve never stopped to think about it much before, but we’re all still beholden to the law of the fey throne, right?” I asked. Now that I was free, my mind was no longer concerned with whether or not I’d eat, or be whipped, or jeered or yelled at, in a day, and I was able to muse about all sorts of other things that I’d never really given much thought to before.

“Yes.” Lear nodded. “The jurisdiction of the fey throne is recognized to cross the bounds of all countries, kingdoms, and realms.”

“Isn’t that kind of complicated?” I frowned.

“It is.” the fey captain shrugged, “We’re bound to the laws of the fey crown, but also to the laws of whatever land we’re in. Although they very rarely clash in any big way. Fey laws are somewhat loose because it allows the law of whatever land a fey person is in at a given time to be more specific.”

Arden cut in, “Slavery is illegal here, and Asher has made laws regarding the kind of captivity that Marrina and these folks were stuck in. So how was Bellows able to get away with what he was doing? Especially when the laws of this land are pretty specific, and don’t really leave that much wiggle room.”

“I suspect Bellows was claiming to provide room and board as payment, and leaving out that his ‘fey employees’ weren’t allowed to leave. And Meeks would have vouched for him, too. It would have been enough, I think.”

“That’s not the spirit of the fey laws regarding slavery though.” Arden frowned.

“True.” Lear nodded. “But he toed the letter of the human law, and was able to get away with it, since the government of this land never got in touch with Asher to complain about what he was doing. Frankly, I don’t think anyone ever gave it much thought. It was a circus, something of awe and wonder! Who would believe, or would want to believe, that it was run almost entirely on the backs of enslaved fey folk?”

“If the human government had found out exactly what he was doing, and had gotten upset, could they have arrested him?” I asked.

“Ahh, this is getting a little into the nitty and gritty parts of fey law. Fey folk are hard to arrest by any human means, just because we’re usually so much faster and stronger. So if a fey person starts to cause enough trouble that the human government wants them to be out of the country, or subdued by some other means, the human government has to get in touch with the fey throne. I suspect that, if Bellows had continued on with what he was doing, he’d have eventually been reported.”

“Once a human government has lodged an official complaint about a fey person in their realm, that’s where we come in.” Arden explained. “We research, investigate, and intervene in the way we think is best.”

“If a peaceful solution doesn't seem to be possible, we use more drastic means.” Lear added. “Thus our assassination missions. They’re not all that common though.”

“Oh. That’s…complicated.”

“It is.” Lear nodded. “That said, we do basically anything the king asks, including protecting fey interests from outside forces. Which is what Arden was doing on his last mission.”

Arden grimaced, “I made a mess of it, too. Got caught, but they didn’t know I was fey.”

“That’s alright. You still completed the mission, and your cover wasn’t blown.”

“At least there’s that.” he sighed, shaking his head, still seeming dejected.

“Arden, not every mission is a success. And that’s okay.” Lear told him, then smiled wryly and added, “In fact, you and I both have done surprisingly well out of the missions we’ve both technically failed.” Lear’s smile widened to an earnest grin, and he looked at me, explaining. “I found Winna after I failed to eliminate a fey man who’d been causing a lot of problems for a human city just over the mountains from here. He somehow clocked that I was on his trail, and ambushed me. I was poisoned, but managed to escape in cat form. I made my way over the mountains, wanting to get some distance between me and the fey person I was supposed to have killed, in case he realized I wasn’t dead, which put me in Winna’s territory. She’s got a third-sense for cats, of course, and found me, took me in. The rest is history.”

I gently squeezed Arden’s hand and giggled, “And you found me!”

“Are you talking shit about me taking in cats again?!” Winna’s good-natured voice carried over to us from the kitchen.

Lear grinned again. “Of course! You’re such a crazy cat lady!”

She popped out of the kitchen and mock-scowled, “You should be happy I like cats so much, otherwise I might have just let you stay outside in the cold!”

“I’d have been fine.” the fey captain snorted. “We’re not nearly so affected by the weather, even in animal form. But I am very glad you found me.” he bent and gingerly kissed his sleeping newborn daughter. “My life is much better for it.”

Winna came over and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling and bending over to kiss Sage’s small forehead as well. “Mine too.”

Seeing that kisses were being given out, Lou maowed loudly in protest that she wasn’t receiving any, prompting us to laugh, and Diana to roll her lovely blue-green eyes and maow back somewhat sassily at her very silly sister.

“Silly cat!” I giggled, scooping Lou up from my lap and smothering her with kisses, as she wanted. She purred loudly.

Arden, not wanting Diana to feel left out, reached out and stroked her silky fur. “You’re so sweet, miss Annie.”

“Is she called Annie sometimes because Diana has Ana in it?”

“Yep! Diana, Ana, Annie!” Winna giggled, going over and kneeling by her sweet little cat familiar. “Of course, they both have lots of nicknames. Annie, Miss. Queen Anne. Some far less flattering ones, too! Like fat miss!” Diana maowed in annoyance at that, and Winna grinned, continuing, “Lou’s nicknames are all silly. She’s my Lou, my Loopy, Loopy-Lou, Poopy, Poopy Cat, and Butt-face, when she’s being particularly annoying!”

Lou said nothing in her defense, but continued to purr loudly in my arms.

“You and those nicknames.” Lear rolled his eyes, but was smiling.

“Cats have to have a lot of names. It’s only natural.” Winna shrugged. “If you’d turned out to actually just be a cat, you’d have wound up with a bunch, after I’d thought of an actual name for you.”

“Of course.” the fey captain snorted.