:: Quinn POV ::
50 years later…
It's hard to believe but though it's been fifty years, Asher and Mauve still act like children on the verge of hitting puberty. They're turning fifty-one this year but they still act like a couple of thirteen year old kids, bickering one moment then conspiring the next.
"I still don't understand why I have to go with you." Asher growled angrily at his twin sister, Mauve. It's not unusual for Asher to be out of patience with Mauve. But lately he'd been more vocal and forthcoming about it.
"What's the matter?" Mauve asked irritably. "You always come with me wherever I go. Why are you acting up now?"
"You're no longer a child, Mauve." Asher hissed back. "I don't need to accompany you every time you leave the house and I don't need you to follow me around either."
"You're such a child, Asher." Mauve spat, hurt by the apparent deflection of her twin brother.
Since they were born they've never been apart and for Asher to want to go on his own and make plans without including Mauve means he's becoming more and more independent.
"Fine," Mauve crossed her arms and turned her head away. "If you really don't want to go with me then stay here. I don't care!"
As crowned princess, Mauve has been visiting the faery kingdom to learn more about the land and the creatures that reside within the enchanted forest. This is her second time to visit the fae realm and she wants to take Asher with her.
After all these years, Mauve's protective instincts, when it involves Asher, have not dulled. If anything, it got stronger. And to some degree, Raziel and I have encouraged her.
Aside from their natural talents our children are powerfully gifted.
Asher has been gifted with the ability of empathy and telepathy. He could feel and read through a person's mind just by a simple brush of fingers or light skin to skin contact. Asher could converse with any creature, telepathically, without giving away signs that he's doing so. His gifts are more amplified than Nuri and Orion's combined. And recently, we've discovered he has the ability to heal injuries.
While Mauve has no such gifts, she's been given the power of sight. Mauve has the gift to peek into a person's past by touch and through her dreams she could see glimpses of the future.
Mauve first look into the future had been of Asher and since she saw something in his future she's been fearful of leaving him alone. Especially now that Asher has been travelling more on his own, exploring different realms and exposing himself to all manners of danger that only needs a second of carelessness to consume him.
We know and understand that Mauve is acting out of pure love and concern for her brother. But sometimes it bothers me that she becomes a bit obsessive. Mauve is always afraid for Asher's safety and ends up suffocating him. Most of their fights have been of Mauve getting into Asher's business, more than necessary. It's like she's afraid of him experiencing anything on his own and it aggravates Asher's propensity for exploring and adventuring.
We've cautioned Mauve never to go overboard. Asher needs to experience life without her meddling and making it easy for him all the time. We warned her that if she pushes too far it might backfire on her.
Mauve explained that knew and she understands it. She promised that when the right time comes she would let Asher go. But right now, she'd be keeping a close eye on him and she would keep him out of trouble whether he needed her or not.
Raziel and I have nothing against Maue's resolve as long as she looks after wellbeing as well. Besides, although Asher mumbles about her meddling ways, he never showed signs of aggression or wanting her to really back off. So perhaps, in time, Asher has to learn how to be independent and be away from Mauve as well.
"Really?" Asher looked at his twin and although they're connected by a bond, more than just blood, after all these years he still couldn't predict or guess what she's really thinking. Mauve is tricky like that. "You'd go without me?"
Time in the fae realm flows differently and the last time Asher went with his sister he thought they were gone for a few months when in truth they've been gone for almost twenty years. And since then, he'd decided never to go to the land of faeries with Mauve.
Asher had been rehearsing this speech for weeks, after he heard Mauve would have to visit the fae realm again soon. Raziel and I couldn't help but laugh when we heard him mimic Mauve's angry voice and thinking out loud of possible scenarios where he should be fearful for his life. But so far none of the things he's imagined happened. I'm pretty sure Asher doesn't know whether to rejoice or take caution that his sister agreed to his way of thinking so easily.
"Yes, of course. You're right, Ash. We're almost adults now and we don't need to be in each other's pocket all the time." Mauve said somberly but there was a glint in her eyes, a hidden mischief that Asher would never guess or uncover unless he learns to look beyond that innocent façade.
Raziel suppressed a laugh when Asher smiled brightly and hugged his twin.
"Thanks Mauve, I knew you'd understand. I promise, I'll be here when you get back and we'll have some fun then."
I had to elbow Raziel so he would quit laughing and not give our position away. I know we're acting like a couple of strange stalkers but Mauve and Asher's spats usually ends with half of Saints' Isle in chaos. So we're watching over this particular conversation to do damage control, if necessary.
Asher was about to walk away when Mauve said, "I just thought you might want to meet Uncle Sy. But oh well, perhaps another time…" She let the sentence hang. It was a purposeful bait aimed to lure and reel in her brother to do her bidding. It was a ploy and topped with a sweet smile, I don't think Asher stood a chance.
I could almost hear the train of Mauve's thoughts as she turned on her heel and slowly walked, purposely, away.
"Mauve, wait!" Asher grabbed her arm and held her back. Mauve suppressed the triumphant smile before turning, dramatically, at her brother.
"How could he be so gullible? Damn it, I thought today would be the day he'd grow some!" Raziel whispered, suppressing a groan beside me and I resisted the strong urge to slap the back of his head.
Raziel fell for that trick a couple times himself. When Mauve wants something she usually uses that doe-eyed look and wistful sigh as a means to attack and conquer. No one from our family could withstand it, seriously. Yes, not even me.
"Uncle Sy is in the enchanted forest?" Asher asked curiously.
"Some water sprites saw him and Puck arrive a few days ago." Mauve answered nonchalantly. "I asked Oberon to summon Puck when we come to visit. Oberon owed me a favor and promised he'd get it done. If Puck is coming to court for sure Uncle Sy is with him."
Sometimes I worry about the fae realm. I don't know how Mauve did it but my mother and Oberon, even some of the top ranked faeries at court, owed my daughter a lot of favors. Recently, she's behaving shamelessly, calling on them to fulfill the debts.
"Are you sure?" Asher prodded.
No one from our family has seen Syrath since he left Saint's Isle about fifty years ago. And although he kept in contact with Raziel and I through the years he never, not once, did he show up in person.
"Are you calling me a liar?" Mauve spat. Her eyes glowing dangerously. If there was one thing she could not condone, it was Asher not believing in her or her words.
"No, of course not." Asher said soothingly.
Both of the children are hard headed as well as hot-blooded, a bad combination to be honest. Their short tempers are easily provoked. Asher is harder to control when enraged. But he has better hold of his emotions than Mauve. My daughter just ignites at the slightest provocations and her anger disappears just as easily..
"You know how much I want to see Uncle Sy..."
Actually, Asher is desperate to see Syrath. He'd been learning dragon magic and as the next Saurian King, Asher has the affinity to all the elements a dragon could wield. Asher has mastered earth magic since Orion and Nuri have been overseeing his training together with helping him develop his empathic and telepathic abilities. Raziel is teaching him how to weave wind magic since he also has an affinity with the element but Asher is far from completing his training.
But what Asher really desires is to learn how to control fire magic and Raziel refuses to teach him unless he knows how to weave water magic. And the only teacher Asher could think of, that is able to teach him water magic, is the most powerful water dragon alive, Syrath Rheinalt.
"I know, Ash." Mauve said. "That's why I asked Oberon to summon them so you could ask Uncle Sy to teach you magic."
And with that, Asher's rebellion was at its end. He tried to go against it but with that short sentence it sealed his fate for the next few decades. Oh well, he could try for his independence again, sometime in the future.
But Mauve was still uncertain when she asked, "Does this mean you're coming with me?"
"You bet I am!" Asher grinned and Mauve couldn't help but grin back.
Truthfully, Raziel and I already asked Syrath to oversee Asher's training. He agreed but only if Asher lives with him while doing so. Since Mauve is traveling to the fae realm we figured it was a good time for them to spend some time apart. But Mauve learned of the conversation and insisted for them to train at the enchanted forest, together, so Asher wouldn't be apart from her.
At first, we were against it. Asher shouldn't be staying in the fae realm for long periods of time. But after much begging and some show of crystal like tears, we eventually caved in. We agreed but with the precondition that Asher agrees to go with her willingly. We never thought Mauve would use a trick to get him to go willingly.
"Are you sure it's fine to leave them like that?" Raziel asked as we watched the children walk back to the house.
"I don't know." I answered honestly. "But Asher has to learn how to deal with Mauve or she'd always walk all over him. I think he's spoiling her too much."
With his empathic and telepathic abilities, Asher could easily read through Mauve's motives if he tried. But not once have I seen him attempt to do so. I think Asher is allowing Mauve the luxury as a way of protecting her and keeping her from doing something that would harm her.
"I don't think he minds her fussing. Not for now, anyway." Raziel sighed. "But Mauve is becoming more cunning with her dealings. I think your mother is teaching her more than just how to be a queen."
I laughed at that. "Well mother said cunning and daring is part of being a queen," I couldn't help but smile at the thought of my cunning and daring mother.
The first time I was conned into visiting the fae realm I didn't know about the difference between the flow of time here and there, just like Asher. Titania came one day and asked me out for tea. Raziel was out with the children and Orion. Since I didn't have other plans I readily agreed thinking it was a good opportunity to get to know my mother.
Once at the fae realm, she amused me with an afternoon outing around the enchanted forest and then refused to allow me to go home for the night. I didn't think much of it back then. I thought it was just one night so I shrugged and sent a messenger to tell Raziel that I'd be spending the night away.
Imagine my shock when I came home the next day only to find an extremely distraught Raziel, ready to burn Saints' Isle to the ground.
Apparently, my overnight stay at the fae realm took weeks in human time. Raziel never found the note I left for him or received any message from the messenger I sent. He'd been worried sick for weeks, not knowing where I was and what I'd been doing, who took me and where, if I was safe or not. I believe Titania is still annoyed with him for bruising her neck and throwing Oberon against the wall. And that little episode was her being petty and extracting revenge.
After that incident, I refused to go to the fae realm alone with Titania and Raziel never leaves me alone whenever a messenger from the fae kingdom arrives to inform us that my mother is coming for a visit.
"Have you told Nuri?" I asked.
"I don't think I need to," Raziel answered. "She seems to know where Syrath is even before we did."
Nuri is one of Syrath's predestined mates. Apparently, unmated dragons get almost half a dozen predestined mates and one true mate. When a dragon's true mate dies he would resonate with one of his predestined mates, the one he has the strongest affinity with, and they would follow the usual pattern of the mating ritual, just like true mates do.
Syrath was fully mated to his true mate before, Alana St.Just, and when Alana passed away it opened possibilities for another partnership for him. But after everything that Syrath has been through, he's been afraid to take a chance again. And he ended up running away from Nuri.
"Why do you think she hasn't gone after him?" I know Syrath's feelings have shifted before he left Saints' Isle. What I can't understand is why he chose to ignore it.
"Nuri promised Syrath that she wouldn't follow him." Raziel breathed out. "I don't understand her reason but she told Syrath she'd wait here, in Saints' Isle, until he decides to come back. Nuri is certain my brother would return. But it's been fifty years and Syrath is still avoiding this place like the plague."
Syrath has been avoiding Saints' Isle because he knows Nuri is waiting here. If he wasn't certain that he and Nuri would resonate with each other, Syrath wouldn't be so afraid to come back. But is it just that? Is it the only reason why he's staying away?
I've spoken to Puck, once, about twenty-five years ago. He came to present Mauve and Asher a gift for their first quarter century. I subtly inquired about Syrath and he obliged me as much as he could. But there was something about it. Something about the way Puck looked when talked about Syrath. I don't know, maybe I'm imagining things. But the look on his face, it's not the expression of someone who's just having fun or entertainment on someone else's account.
Nuri hasn't been the same since Syrath left. She didn't say much about what happened but when Orion tried to comment about it, to get some spark out of her, Nuri just walked away silently. It was surprising because, usually, Nuri would blow up at her father. Orion could easily rile her up.
I could tell Nuri's parents are worried. She became some sort of a recluse after that and the only enjoyment she seems to have is when she's teaching Asher how to weave magic and control his gifts.
I'm worried about Nuri too. When Orion took me in Nuri and I became very close, like sisters. She'd done a lot for me over the years and it hurts to see her this way.
Nuri may be young but on certain things, she tends to overthink and has the propensity for making things more complicated. Fortunately, she's strong willed and resilient. Nuri wouldn't easily give up on something she wants to achieve. She could be stubborn to the point of madness. I guess to some respect, she and Syrath are a lot alike.
"You're worrying again," Raziel whispered, wrapping his arms around me. "I don't like it when you worry."
"Sorry, it's just that…" I turned on his arms and rested my head on his shoulder breathing in his calming scent. "Do you think they'd be alright?"
"Who knows?" Raziel answered, kissing my forehead gently. "We have to trust them to sort things out."
"I know…" I breathed out slowly.
I'm more than happy that Raziel and I found each other. I wish everyone could and would achieve such happiness. It took us a while to get here. We suffered a lot along the way but the journey to here and now was well worth it. But we wouldn't be here without the support of those who love us. I guess it's now our time to be that kind of support.
"I love you…" Raziel whispered in my ear. "I love you so much, Quinn."
More than fifty years and I still get tingles all over my body whenever Raziel says those words to me. I was worried it would wane and eventually, I would get used to it, with time. But what we have between us has been burning brighter and getting stronger with each passing day. Those words have been faithful and true all these years since the first time he said that line to me. And I have a feeling it would continue to be true and faithful for the rest of our lives.
"I love you too, Raziel." I whispered back, wrapping my arms around him. I would love him more tomorrow, to infinity and beyond.