I silently appealed to Ken for help with a look that must have been a bit desperate, because he laughed softly and shook his head. I sighed and looked back at Sparkle. “You’ll have to explain to me what that means, exactly. I’m afraid I’m still trying to acclimate.”

Sparkle looked at Ken. “Hello, spirit! What does she mean?”

At least I wasn’t the only one turning to him to find clarity. That made me feel a little bit better.

Ken bent a little to be closer to Sparkle’s level, his expression sad. “Mistress Caley has been away from the House all this time, Sparkle. She only just arrived a couple of days ago, and knows very little about the world beyond what mortals see.”

Her eyes widened. “Ohhh!” She smiled up at me. “Then I can help teach you! Mistress Chessie promised I’d get to teach you things while you were growing up. I didn’t understand what she meant until now.”

Ken hid a coughing laugh behind his hand, and I thought about what he’d said about Fairies not having a strong grasp of time. He wasn’t kidding. But at the same time, I couldn’t find it in my heart to either correct her or try to explain it to her. Her hopeful, beaming smile and eager energy was just too earnest. “I…I’d appreciate that, Sparkle.”

She actually, literally started to glow where she stood on my palm, her smile radiant as she clapped her hands and bounced on her toes. “Yay!”

“I don’t entirely know what you’re going to do for me, but…”

“I’m your companion!” Sparkle exclaimed excitedly, buzzing in a tight circle above the palm of my hand before landing on her toes again. “I’ll go everywhere with you, keep you company, and watch your back, just like I did for Mistress Chessie!”

“Won’t people notice you?” I asked curiously.

“Nope!” She beamed at me. “I see you’re wearing Mistress Chessie’s collar and the Master Key. I can ride on the Key, just like I did for her!”

Before I could ask what she meant, she bounced off my hand and did a little pirouette in mid-air, shedding honest-to-goodness pixie dust. I swear, tiny glowing purple and white motes that drifted down from her wings as she spun. And, as I watched, she shrank down until she appeared to be smaller than the Master Key, before darting straight at me again. I felt the tiny impact as she reached her destination, and when I drew the Key out on its chain, I saw that there was now a tiny silver fairy entwined with the body of the Key.

She really did look like she belonged there; silent, unmoving as a statue, and as exquisitely detailed as the Key itself. I couldn’t even tell if she was breathing.

Heck, I wasn’t sure she needed to breathe, for that matter. I had a lot to learn.

Then, as quickly as she had become a part of it, she peeled away from the Master Key and resumed her original size and natural coloring as she alighted on my palm again. I was impressed, and it must have shown on my face, because she beamed up at me proudly.

“See?” She asked with undisguised glee, practically vibrating with her excitement. “I can go everywhere with you!”

“I see. That’s very impressive.”

“Oh,” she replied expansively, “that’s nothing! I can get big too! Like, human teenager big! But it’s a lot harder. I’d do it for you, though!” She added that last quickly, as if trying to give me the impression that there was nothing at all she wouldn’t do for me. I was beginning to suspect that was, in fact, the case.

With that revelation, and her comment about being able to grow as large as a human teenager, came a sudden and shockingly clear vision of what my childhood might have been like if my mother hadn’t died, or if my father hadn’t sent me away. I would have grown up thinking all of this was perfectly normal, with this charming, beautiful creature as a playmate.

Would she have grown with me? Become a friend, or even a sister of sorts?

I could see it as clearly as if I were living it, the two of us as teenagers, sitting on the window seat in my bedroom and giggling about something behind our hands.

The feeling of loss that accompanied the vision was almost crushing in its intensity. It had been a very long time since I’d come to terms with being an orphan, and growing up without a family…or, at least, since I thought I had. I guess that isn’t something you ever put behind you completely. Now it came crashing back down on me in its full intensity for the first time in several years.

“Mistress?” Ken’s voice broke through to me, obviously concerned, followed by Sparkle’s equally - startlingly - worried echo of “Mistress?” a moment later.

My vision of what might have been faded, and I realized that I was clutching one of the bedposts for balance. I was a bit light-headed, and my cheeks were wet with my tears.

I blinked my eyes a few time to clear them and wiped at my cheeks as I said, “I’m okay…”

I was shocked by how shaky my voice sounded.

“I think you should sit down,” Ken said, gently but firmly, as Sparkle zipped back and forth in front of me, almost wild in her concern. Ken’s ephemeral hands gently guided me to sit on the edge of my bed as he asked, “What happened?”

“I…” I trailed off. How was I going to explain it? How could I explain it? Did either of them even have a frame of reference with which to begin to understand? Heck, I wasn’t sure I did.

As always, as I was rapidly growing to rely on, Ken instinctively seemed to understand. “Mistress, may I have your permission to look?”

“To…look?” I asked blankly, not understanding.

“With your permission,” he explained, “I can look into your mind and see your memories. I was going to explain this to you later, as it will aid in speeding up your training. In this instance, however, it will allow me to see what happened without you needing to try to explain it.”

“Is that a normal ability for a ghost?” I asked.

He smiled gently. “No, Mistress. But then, I’m hardly a normal ghost. In this instance, it’s something your father arranged before he died.”

“Oh.” I considered it for a long moment, going over his wording carefully, then nodded slightly. “All right,” I said, “you have my permission.”

“Thank you, Mistress. You might feel a little tingle.”

He leaned forward and touched his fingertips to my temples. For a moment, all I felt was his usual cool, faintly tingly touch, and wondered when - and how quickly - such an oddity had become ‘usual’ to me. Then a faint, almost electric sensation emerged as the tingle spread into my head a little.

It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling; quite the contrary, really. There was something rather pleasant and calming about it. I felt my shoulders, which I hadn’t realized were hunched with tension, begin to slowly relax.

Ken made a soft, thoughtful sound. “Mistress, if you’ll forgive me for suggesting it, I believe you may have some abandonment issues, and a feeling of resentment towards your parents. Your father especially.”

I looked up at him and, in a tone that fairly dripped sarcasm, said, “You are a beacon of insightful wisdom, oh spirit.”

Sparkle giggled.

Ken smiled. “Okay, I had that coming. I suppose it’s not a surprise to you, then. What you experienced was your mind’s way of trying to vent some of those feelings, like a steam release valve. I imagine they’ve been building up rather intensely since you learned about your father’s death, and perhaps especially since you arrived here. After this, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had some rather intense dreams, or even nightmares, tonight.

I sighed a little. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“No, I suppose not,” Ken said with obvious regret. “Still, if you’ll allow it, I may be able to do something to alleviate or even prevent them.” His fingers glided down to caress my cheeks gently, his expression concerned. “You’ll need to be well rested when you start your lessons, after all.”

It took me a moment to realize that he was teasing me gently. It wasn’t something I was used to. I gave him a rather shy smile as I replied, “I suppose it’s worth a try. Only a fool would say no to attempting to prevent nightmares.”

Sparkle fluttered over and came to rest on my right shoulder, such a slight weight that I could only really tell she was there because that’s where her voice came from. And, I realized after a moment, a gentle pressure…not a physical pressure, but a warm ‘there’-ness that hadn’t been there a moment earlier, like I was sensing that glowing purple aura of hers.

Which I probably was.

“She’s all right, then?” Sparkle asked.

Ken smiled and nodded as he straightened. “Yes, Sparkle, she’s fine. Just a bit overwhelmed, which isn’t particularly surprising.”

The little fairy blew out a relieved breath and plopped down on my shoulder. I actually felt her sit down, and could feel her little feet bumping irregularly against my shoulder very lightly. She was probably kicking her feet a bit. “Good! Then we can help her not be overwhelmed!”

I smiled, absolutely charmed. “Thank you, Sparkle. I’d appreciate that to no end.”

Sparkle made what could only be described as an inordinately pleased sound, and the purple glow emitting from the area of my right shoulder brightened just noticeably. I could almost hear her thinking, “Yay, I’m helping!”

“So,” I said to Ken, “will you explain how it is that you’re able to…to read my thoughts and memories, and apparently help protect me from having nightmares?”

For the first time since we met, a look of reluctance settled on Ken’s face. “I can, Mistress, but - if you’ll forgive my saying so - I don’t think you’re ready just yet to hear the explanation or understand it.”

“You could order him to tell you,” Sparkle offered helpfully. “He wouldn’t be able to refuse.”

That gave me pause. I knew that Ken was a servant…my servant, specifically, though that was still sinking in. I was so completely unused to anybody doing anything for me that I guess I was still having trouble accepting the idea of having a servant.

But until that moment, it hadn’t occurred to me to wonder just how much control I actually had over him. I looked at him curiously. “Is that true?”

Ken nodded. “Quite true, Mistress. I am bound to you as much as to the House, and must respond truthfully to any directly asked question. Likewise, I must obey any order given directly by you. I can, of course,” his lips curved into an impish smile, “first suggest that it might not be the best course of action and give you time to rescind any such question or order. But yes, given a direct question or order from you, I must follow through with it to the best of my knowledge and ability.”

Shock rippled through me and my mouth dropped open a bit. Not only because I’d just now discovered something of the depth and breadth of control I had over Ken, but because I could not find even the faintest trace of resentment in his voice or expression.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” I asked, both stunned and incredulous.

“Should it?” Ken asked. “I have no reason to believe you would randomly give me senseless orders. Nor have I seen any evidence to suggest that you would fail to heed my advice when given if I felt an order - or a question - was in some way inappropriate or might have an undesirable outcome. In this case, I believe that you are not prepared - either psychologically or intellectually - to understand what I allowed to be done to me. I assure you, it was entirely voluntary, and that it won’t be long before you have the framework in which to understand it.”

I sat back a little, propping myself up on my hands and tipping my head a bit as I examined Ken more closely. Had he gained more definition? Yes…I thought I could see traces of smile-lines at the corners of his eyes now, and a hint of color - green, maybe? - was starting to show in his shirt.

“I…suppose I hadn’t thought about it that way,” I said slowly. “But I know I’d be bothered if someone had that much control over me.”

Sparkle giggled near my right ear. “You’re a mortal. Of course it would bother you. Your free will is what defines you. But in the spirit’s case - and mine! - being defined by your will is our nature. It’s what we are.” She bounced off my shoulder and hovered in front of me at eye level, beaming happily, wings buzzing softly. “We are yours.”

Ken nodded his agreement. “Precisely so.”

“Why my will?” I asked, struggling to understand.

“Well, in my case,” Ken said, “it’s because a long time ago I bound myself to serve the House and your family.”

“And I’m of the Fairy Folk,” Sparkle said, zipping in a little circle, “who are the lesser children of the Sidhe.” She pronounced it ‘she’, and it took me a moment to realize she was speaking about the creatures from Celtic mythology.

“We’re from the Spirit World,” Sparkle continued, “and are thus both more and less malleable than mortals, and are defined by the Purpose given to us by our leaders rather than by anything silly like free will. Since Mistress Chessie claimed me, she defined my Purpose, which was to serve whoever wore my ring. Which is now you!” She bounced in place in mid-air, as if standing on her toes on a solid surface, though I had no idea how she accomplished the feat. “Your will is my will, Mistress!”

I looked at Sparkle. “Does that mean if someone took your ring from me, they’d…own you?”

She nodded seriously. “Oh yes, Mistress. But you needn’t fear that. Mistress Chessie enchanted my ring so that nobody but her or Master James could ever take it off her hand.”

“As her daughter,” Ken interjected, “that enchantment will also be effective for you.”

“So nobody could ever steal me from you,” Sparkle said with unshakable certainty. “Never ever ever.”

I opened my mouth, closed it again, then sighed and said, “I…don’t really understand.”

Sparkle giggled.

Ken smiled gently. “You will in time, I promise. I think that’s enough revelations for today, don’t you?”

I nodded firmly. “Definitely. I need to sleep on this.”

“An excellent idea, Mistress,” Ken agreed. “Why don’t you get ready for bed, while I do my evening check of the House.”

“Which reminds me,” I said, sitting up and bending to untie my sneakers. “Do I need to worry about drawing the blinds?”

To my surprise, it was Sparkle who answered, zipping over to zoom back and forth in front of the window. “Oh no, Mistress. You can see out, but nothing can see in. In fact, unless someone outside is expressly told that the windows are there, they won’t even be able to see them.”

I paused to digest that for a moment, one sneaker dangling from my fingers. I shrugged mentally, chalked it up to magic, and moved on, adding it to the growing list of things I’d likely understand later. “Thank you, Sparkle.” I took off my other sneaker and rose, unbuttoning my blouse as I walked to the closet.

Ken, evidently content that I was in good hands with Sparkle, departed on his mystery rounds. Yet another item on the ever-growing ‘find out more’ list.

I had dropped my blouse in the laundry hamper just inside the closet door and was starting to unzip my jeans when I realized that Sparkle was perched on the dresser, watching me. I lifted an eyebrow.

She beamed. “You’re very pretty.”

That was, I suspected, a complete explanation for her behavior. There didn’t seem to be anything even remotely lascivious in her steady gaze…she was just innocently admiring and appreciative. I sighed a little, shrugged mentally again, and resumed undressing.

When I went to retrieve my usual boxers and t-shirt night clothes, I found that the House had once again been at work enhancing my wardrobe. The few pairs I’d brought with me had been replaced by matching sets of similar garments in silk, in a variety of colors. I shook my head, decided I’d pegged the needle on my Weird-O-Meter for the day, and just chose a set in forest green.

They were, I had to admit, both more comfortable and quite a bit more luxurious than what I was used to.

I climbed into bed and burrowed into the quilt. “Sparkle, could you get the lights?”

“Of course, Mistress!” She zipped off the dresser, where she’d been sitting on the edge and kicking her feet, and zoomed over to the light switch by the door. She made a big show of it being a huge effort for her to move it - or maybe it was, I wasn’t really sure - before the lights clicked off.

That left me in the dark, with the only real light in the room cast by the low, flickering flames in the fireplace, and the little globe of soft purple light that was Sparkle by the door.

I’d been so tired the night before that I’d simply collapsed into sleep. But tonight, with my head spinning from all of the day’s revelations, there was a faintly sinister aspect to the shadows cast by the firelight. Glancing left and right, the carved figures of the fairies in my bed’s headboard seemed to shift and move strangely.

Then Sparkle shot from the doorway towards my bed, leaving a rapidly fading streak of purple glow in her wake. To my astonishment, she veered upwards and slipped into the spherical bird cage hanging from the center of my bed’s canopy. There she made herself comfortable in the little shallow basket suspended in the middle of the cage, which until that moment my mind had evidently refused to acknowledge.

Once she’d settled down, she took a deep breath and let it out…and her glow expanded without actually growing brighter, until the whole room was suffused with a pleasantly faint, strangely soothing, gentle glow. She didn’t actually light up the room or even provide enough illumination to see clearly by, but her radiance didn’t cast any shadows. In fact, it seemed to drive the shadows back, reducing their flickering and shifting and making them quite mundane again.

Sparkle was the perfect night-light. I wondered if that was something she’d learned to do for my mother.

I felt myself calming and relaxing beneath her glow and smiled. “Thank you, Sparkle.”

“You’re welcome, Mistress.” She sounded happy and sleepy.

She was serving her Purpose - capital P intended - and had been praised for doing so, I realized. Of course she was happy. My brain then associated that thought with a memory from my childhood…successfully learning the Alphabet, Sister Sarah’s appreciatively praise, and the warm, happy sense of accomplishment I’d had.

Having achieved what I thought was a profound insight into the way Sparkle’s mind worked, I fluffed my pillow and settled in to wait for Ken to return and do whatever he needed to do to keep my dreams peaceful after the tumultuous day.