“Kymmy!”

Odette spread her arms and wings, rushing over to hug her little cousin. The two spun in mid air, tightening their embrace. Their tails interlinked—a common form of affection between seraphin family members.

Once their feet were back on the ground, Odette took a good look at Kymera. “You look amazing! And I’m not just saying that ‘cause you’re wearing the vest I gave you.”

Kymera stepped back, spun around once and struck a pose; one hand on her hip and her writs twisting above her head. “You did get your amazing taste from me, after all.”

The two laughed and hugged again. “I missed you so much.” Kymera said.

“Missed you more.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all missed each other.” Gryffin said as he aproached Odette, waving casually. “Hey, prima.”

Odette crinkled her nose in disappointment. “Drop the formalities, old man.” She spread her arms again. “Get in here! That’s an order from your princess.”

Gryffin, with a snort, welcomed her into his arms. Odette patted his shoulder proudly.

“There he is.” She tapped his nose. “That’s my Gryffey.”

“It’s good to see you, DeeDee.”

Katia ran over, barking and prancing around the princess. “Katia! Hey there, sweetie!” Odette cooed, cupping the peryton’s face. “Did you get bigger? Oh yes, I think you did!”

Kymera then rushed on over to greet the elderly seraphin woman.

“Babaanne!”

The seraphin smiled warmly, taking Kymera’s hands into her own and the latter then kissed her hand then placed it above her forehead before exchanging cheek kisses.

“My little Sunflower. How was your trip? Did you get air sick? You brought a bag just in case, right.”

Kymera rolled her eyes. “Really? An airship seraphin?”

“It can happen. It happened to your father once.”

“Wasn’t that when you guys were on a boat and Papi ate that clam chowder?

Her paternal grandmother waved a finger at Kymera. “Don’t you sass me, little one.” She pouted sternly, but the smile on Kymera’s face made her walls crumble and she hugged her granddaughter.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Granny Haddassah. Oh, I almost forgot.” she levitated the vase from their luggage. “Abuelita and Abuelito send their love.”

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” She turned the vase around, awestruck by the patterns. “Purple tulips, my favorite. Thank you, tatlım.” She gave Kymera another kiss on the cheek. Haddassah then pointed at Gryffin.

“And you!”

The boy flinched, pointing at himself with wide eyes.

“What are you waiting for? Give your babaanne a hug, you’re long overdue.”

Gryffin took her hands, kissed them, then hugged her close to kiss her cheeks.

“Missed you too, Babaanne.”

Kymera proceeded to greet the seraphin man and sylph woman. “Tío Stephan! Titi Giselle!”

The king and queen squeezed their niece, their warmth resulting in her body literally radiating in a happy glow. Giselle kissed her niece’s forehead.

“Welcome back, little wildcat.” She said, speaking in a light Tir Na Nog accent.

Stephan took Kymera’s hand and spun her around once. “Look at you. The spitting image of your mother.” He kissed her hand. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Tío.”

Stephan offered Gryffin his hand. “And there’s my boy!” They clasped hands and the king pulled his nephew into a warm hug, patting him on the back. Their tails interlinked just like Odette and Kymera’s did.

“How you been, son?”

“I’ve been better.”Gryffin said.

Stephan rolled his eyes, shook his head and ruffled his nephew’s hair. “Come on, this is gonna be great. A new adventure for you and your sister.”

Stephan wore an identical copy of Gryffin’s quartz unciorn pendant, gleaming with rainbow colors from the sunlight. He noticed Gryffin was’t wearing his pendant. Nis nephew nodded towards Kymera, noticing the pendant around her neck instead.

“Something happened to Mom’s necklace, so I thought—”

Stephan patted Gryffin’s shoulder. Gryffin could practically see the fatherly pride radiating off of the king like heat from the sun.

“No need to explain, son.” Stephan then noticed Salem slithering up his leg. The king scooped up the tatzelwurm and rubbed his nose against his. “Hey there fuzz ball.”

While Giselle welcomed Gryffin with a hug and kiss, Stephan called to Vlad just as a couple of more otso arrived to collect the twins’ belongings.

“Hey, Vlad, just drop the luggages in the throne room, we’ll deal with them in a bit.”

“As you wish, my king.” Vlad said with a bow, then looked to his fellow otso, each wearing the back black sus and ties. They all nodded in unison and proceeded to follow the king’s orders.

Kymera aproached the avian standing regally behind her aunt. His hands were folded behind his back.

“Uncle Willy! Or, should I say…”

“Don’t,” he warned. He too possessed a Tir Na Nog accent, though much thicker than that of his god-niece, the queen herself.

Kymera elbowed Gryffin’s side. “Come on, bro. You know how it goes.”

Gryffin tapped his chin, “Oh, you mean…” he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted; WILLEY!”

Kymera too cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “WI-Hi-Hi-Hi-Hi-LEY!”

“WILLEEEEEEYYY!” The twins laughed and high-fived, but William wasn’t laughing.

Kymera gave his shoulder a light tap. “What? Does being a sage mean you don’t have a sense of humor anymore? Admit it, you love the Willy-Call.”

“You are not calling a duck.” Despite his best efforts, William couldn’t stop the tiny smile from creeping up his lips. “Fine. I love the Willy-Call.”

“Alright, enough vexin’ your Uncle, let’s get you all settled.” Giselle said.

Kymera linked her arm with Odette’s as they walked through the palace entrance. “Okay, now you have to tell me everything about what happened on Mount Wukong!”

Gryffin looked around, then reached for his uncle’s arm. “Hey, where’s Uncle Flynn?”

“Last I saw him he was doing some last minute adjustments to his latest project. You know him, once he get wrapped up in something time looses all meaning. Don’t worry, he’ll be—”

A distant explosion startled the family. Stephan’s geode rang and he laughed. “Right on schedule.” He answered the call. “Yup?”

“Sorry about that, big brother. Don’t worry, it was nothing flammable. I’ll clean it in a jiffy.”

“Do that later, Flynnie. The twins just got here.”

“What?! Gilbert, why didn’t you inform me about the time?”

“SQUACK!!”

“Oh, that’s your answer for everything! I’ll be right there.”

Flynn hung up, and Stephan and Gryffin only laughed. “Classic Flynnigan.” the king wrapped his arm around his nephew and the family proceeded to walk down the old, but still lively corridor of the centuries old castle. Odette enthralled Kymera with latest adventure while Gryffin took in the majesty of their family’s castle.

Regardless of how many times he passed through these ancient halls, the majesty and history engraved in every stone and marble never ceased to astonish him. The fact that this very castle was built brick by brick by his own ancestors not only made the castle a historic landmark, but a work of art that had been built from the ground up by some of the greatest leaders and heroes the world had ever known. A permanent reminder to the people of Camelot and beyond of the faeries who fought for harmony and equality for all.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The spiraling pillars seemed to ripple in the multicolored light that came through the stain glass windows, bathing them in a waterfall of color that cascaded across the surface. Hanging crystals with flowers and plants that sprouted from deliberately carved openings designed to mesh with the patterns of the walls, making them appear almost invisible. The ceiling was carved with oval archways, almost reminiscent of the membranes of a pendracorn’s wings. Crystal chandeliers hung in between each arch, the gems creating a melodious chime that made Gryffin’s ears perk up in delight. Even without a live orchestra, the castle was shrouded in the ghostly whispers of songs of the past.

With practice, oreads could locate the faintest of minerals just by walking over a blanket of earth. But every, very few could do what Gryffin could.

The ability to hear the rocks.

Some rocks were capable of absorbing sound for more than a thousand years, maybe even longer. Reads, with enough practice, could grow to learn this skill, but Gryffin never needed to learn it. It was just something he could always do. The echoing chimes of voices and instruments correlating into a ghostly orchestra of ages gone by came to him as clear as a geode call ringing in his ears.

The family walked by several family portraits and Gryffin followed a familiar sound which filled him with nostalgic joy. He stopped in front of a portrait that depicted four young men posing heroically.

Three of the men shared an uncanny resemblance to one another; fiery red hair with hues of orange and yellow, sky-blue eyes and milky white skin with hues of peach. All three could have passed for gender swap versions of Odette. They were all seraphin, each with a distinct color of wings and tails.

Gryffin’s eyes focused on the one in the right. His stance was bold, carrying himself as a leader, and yet he stepped aside to give his brother the center stage. All three of them held up their respected weapons: unicorn horns radiating with light. Male seraphin possessed the ability to summon a unicorn horn to use no different from a sword.

They were joined by another gentleman, one with sylph wings and dark hair, holding up his sword to join with their unicorn horns. Despite his contrasting appearance, he stood alongside them as an equal.

Most faeries commented on how much Gryffin resembled the heroic figures, but he himself had trouble seeing it. They shared the same hair and facial features and even body type, but aside from the green eyes and skin tone he inherited from his mother…Gryffin just couldn’t see that much of a resemblance.

He read the engraving beneath.

Prince Stephan, Prince Jared,

Prince Flynigan, and Tristan Lysander:

“All for one, and one for all”

Gryffin flinched when a hand touched his shoulder. Looking up he saw it was his uncle William. He too stared at the portrait, seemingly trying to find something that he may have missed before. He gently smiled.

“Come along, lad. Lunch is waitin’.” He led Gryffin back to the others, who had gone up ahead of them. Gryffin looked behind his shoulder to glance at the portrait one more time.

“I’m so glad you choose to enroll at the Emrys Institute, me boy.” William said in a rather joyous stone that wasn’t unheard of by Sir William Cygnus, but it was a very common occurrence.

“It’s been a long time since a member of the Embrose clan took an interest in the Sage ways.”

Gryffin smiled. A genuine, relaxed smile. “Thanks, Uncle Will.”

“Don’t look so hesitant, my prince. There is great honor in becomin’ a Sage. After all, wether they admit it ot not, Seelies need us every bit as we need them.”

Gryffin looked ahead where his sister was laughing at something their cousin said and thought back to the words engraved beneath the names of his father and uncles.

All for one, and one for all.

Yeah, he had nothing to feel regretful for. Becoming a Sage was the right call, and regardless of what Kymera feared, he would still be able to aid her on her journey to becoming a full fledged Seelie.

His heart swelled with pride upon the day in which she would kneel before the sword Excalibur and be marked by its holy flames. And he would study and preserve the holy relics that were the pillars of their very way of life. The written Divine Law that every kingdom within all of the seven realms upheld, regardless of culture, status, or distance.

The sound of loud footsteps against the cobblestone floor bounced off the walls and in stumbled a seraphin with spiky red hair, poking out in all directions while wearing a long white lab coat, a grease stained green shirt and a pair of worn out grey pants and old sneakers. His ruby red wings fanning away the smoke that caked his coat. He too wore a unciorn pendant around his neck, matching Stephan’s and Gryffin’s.

“I’m here! I’m here, what did I miss?”

William looked like he was ready to toss himself out the window with his wings tied, while the king and queen just smiled patiently.

A snake with feathery wings and mane perched itself on the seraphin’s shoulder. “Nice entrance. SQUAWK!”

“Tio Flynn!” Kymera and Gryffin rushed to hug him, but then quickly backed away once they picked up the smell of sulfur.

“My apologies. Probably should have changed first.” Flynn said, dusting off his coat with his tail.

“Eh, it wouldn’t be the same without the sulfur.” Gryffin said. Kymera went in for another hug and kissed her uncle in the cheek.

“I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, little one.”

The feathered serpent jumped from Flynn’s shoulder to Kymera’s, rubbing his head against her cheek.

“Hey there, Gilbert.”

“Missed you a whole bunch. Missed you a whole bunch.”

Haddassah aproached her youngest son and started dusting him off herself. “Working late again, I see.”

“Sorry, Mother.”

“Don’t be, Flynnie. You clever, messy, brilliant boy.” She grabbed both of his cheeks and peppered his face with kisses.

“Mom! We talked about this!”

Stephan, in typical big brother fashion, couldn’t resist laughing until his wife and daughter elbowed him in the stomach. Stephan cleared his throat.“Right, um, let’s all catch up in the garden, shall we?”

* * *

The castle garden was more of a private forest than anything. The trees had been locally grown and were older than the twins’ many great grandparents. Their favorite was an old willow tree who’s leaves delicately swayed right above the elaborate gazebo. Littering the gardens were marble benches with spiraling back supporters and cushioned floral seats. A shimmering pond was nestled right next to the gazebo, where the royal family ate their lunch. A family of swans floated peacefully through the waters.

A couple of them honked and waddled over to Princess Odette. The palace staff wanted to shoe the creatures away, but Odette insisted her feathered friends approached her. She shared piece of her fruit, bread and cheese with them. Once they were satisfied they returned to the lake.

Jumping from tree to tree, the pixies sprinkled their pollen dust over the trees and flowers. The monkey-like creatures had glittery, green sequin skin, long limbs with clawed fingers and thin tails that curled upwards into an S-shape, pointed ears, kitten-like noses and large slender green eyes. On their backs were pairs of butterfly wings that came in an array of colors and patterns. As they fluttered, their pixie dust gave life and nourishment to the fauna.

Salem arched his body, ready to pounce seeing one of the smaller sprites tending to a flower bed, but Gryffin scooped him up and pulled him into his lap. Salem hissed in disappointment, his fork tongue flicked, but brightened when Gryffin offered him a slice of his chicken. Katia sat next to Kymera’s chair, chewing on a chicken bone.

The king and queen both sat at the head of the table, Haddassah on her eldest son’s left with William on Giselle’s right. After Odette finished retelling about her adventure in Shambala, the family caught up with one another. Their primary subject being Kymera’s acceptance into Seelie Academy.

Stephan held his cup up high. “A toast to our future Sage and Seelie.” Everyone raised their respected cups. “We’re all very excited for you both.”

“A bit too excited.” Giselle teased, raising an amused eyebrow toward her husband.

Kymera snickered.

“What? There’s not shame in a man being happy for his niece and nephew.”

Flynn held his hand close to his mouth and muttered to the twins, “I’ll send you the video of his reaction.” The twins giggled.

“I heard that, jerk!” Stephan shouted from across the table. Haddassah clapped her hands loudly. “Stephan! Manners. And sit up straight. You too Flynnie!”

“Sorry, Mother.” The brothers said in unison, straightening their postures. Giselle and Odette resisted the urge to laugh, only to stop when Haddassah gave them the ‘Stare’.

That Stare was her greatest weapon. Capable of submitting even a wendigo to its knees. At least, that was what the rumors told.

“As I was trying to say, did your Abuela have a word with you about the Academy, my dear?” Haddassah asked.

Gryffin could see his sister wrestling for dear life to resist the urge to groan and roll her eyes.

“Yes, babaanne. We covered all the bases.”

Haddassah fanned herself. “Good. Save me the trouble. I know becoming a Seelie is a noble ambition, but you must admit it can be extremely dangerous. Not to mention not the most ladylike profession.”

Odette sighed, “Babaanne, please.”

In spite their opposing upbringings, Elseleyda and Haddassah always got along swimmingly, to the point that they had weekly calls that went on for hours. They shared the same resilient, and opinionated minds with wills as unmovable as iron.

The biggest distinction between them was that Elseleyda was, at her core, a woman of action. Though she never dreamed of life beyond the island like her daughter had, she was never one to sit still and actively did her best to always be useful. Be it doing work around the house—more so than her husband who’s speciality was with cars—or participating in the community during her retirement.

Meanwhile, Haddassah was a regal lady through and through. The eldest of twelve sisters. Famous back in their homeland of Hermon as world renowned dancers. Haddassah even taught Odette how to dance, and her sisters were all now either ambassadors and business women.

She had always supporters her sons’ decision to become Seelies after their own father perished when Stephan was only twelve years of age, yet she still made it her life’s mission to groom them into proper gentleman of society. But even after years of saving the world and stopping Unseelies left and right, Haddassah never ceased to hope for the day one of her family members would not chose the profession. Not after what happened to her middle son.

Haddassah reached for her granddaughter’s hand. “Remember dear, if for any reason you decide this is not the life for you, there is no need to feel any shame.”

“I hear you, Granny Haddassah.” Kymera said as politely as she could, masking her frustration. “But, I am in this it for the long haul.”

“Very well, dear.” She took a sip of her Hermon tea, not saying another word on the matter.

Kymera closed and opened her fists beneath the table. No matter how hard or stressful it was, she refused to allow even a microbe of doubt slip in. Becoming a Seelie was all she had ever wanted. Yeah, it could be dangerous, but Kymera wasn’t scared. A life of adventure, travel, and figthing back against dark forces and maybe a few scars was better than a life in quiet complaisantly in Guanina.

William spoke about how thrilled he was that Gryffin would be styling under his wing—sort of speak—and become the first Embrose sage in generations. William was a teacher at the Emrys Institute and was the first person Gryffin called when he said he wanted to study becoming a sage. Giselle said it was the most joy she had ever seen her godfather express so openly.

Kymera swallowed her resentment, the hairs of the tip of her tail poked out in frustration with her own internalized turmoil. She should be happy that Gryffin was becoming a sage. They were just as important as Seelies. Two half’s of the same coin. Sages focused on preserving and teaching the holy texts of the Codex and upholding the Divine Law for The Court of Light, while Seelies did the physical work of figthing against the forces of the Court of Shadows.

Gryffin would be making just a much of a positive change as she was. She was happy…she had to be happy…no matter how lonely it made her feel.