Bertha Brady sat in her rocking chair, with her fire poker across her lap. She was completely still in the damp morning light, and her eyes were trained at the door.

She was waiting.

He was going to come back again today, soon.

She could feel it in her bones.

He had come every day since she had last seen Lady Agnes Beatha, and knew that the Duke's divided attention was helpful to the young runaway.

The first day she had heard his calm, rational replaying of the night of the engagement dinner, and she had let him prattle on without interruption for nearly an hour. She did this, hoping that by doing so, Agnes and her comrades would have reached the King’s settlement.

At the end of the hour, when Bertha’s nerves had been frayed thin, she had calmly asked him to leave, and he had. Looking dejected and weary.

Then, he had showed up the next afternoon, talking of idle happenings, dancing around the events that surrounded him and his young bride. After another hour, she had once again dismissed him. This time, he had left cheerily, knowing that he would return again to see her.

She also knew Sean liked the element of surprise, so she sat waiting in her rocking chair, already dressed for the day. The fire was stoked, and she had already downed a cup of tea in preparation of Sean O’Farrell marching over her doorstep.

And that was exactly what happened.

Right as Bertha was debating whether or not she could get away with making another cup of tea.

Sean O’Farrell strolled in, looking more tired than ever, and smiled at her, as though he were that 17 year old boy all over again. Despite it being decades later, with a lack of hair, and extra pounds on his frame, he had the same twinkling in his eyes. It was uncanny enough to make Bertha feel some small spark of hope for him.

He stood in her doorway, smiling, and holding a loaf of bread in his hands.

“Shall we break fast Bertha?”

“No.”

“I’ve bought this from one of the villagers, fresh from the oven.”

“You must’ve woken up Daisy.” Bertha murmured, thinking about the young village baker with her golden hair.“She was already awake, believe it or not!”

“Not.”

Sean sighed, and seated himself down at the round table, and placed the loaf of bread in front of him. He waited to see if Bertha would move from her chair, but she didn’t. He looked at the table, and idly dusted some crumbs off its surface that had flaked off from the loaf of golden bread he had bought.

His previously jovial expression turned more serious, and Bertha braced herself for what was to come.

“I won’t be able to keep coming love.”

“I know.” She watched him tiredly, somehow the weight of the years felt so much heavier.

“I have things to do.”

“I know.”

Sean finally risked looking at her, and smiled sadly.

“Bertha, I will never make you return. I know you are disappointed in me, but I’m afraid I need to keep going. It’s… bigger than you or I.”

“Your need to have a son?” Bertha said before realizing it, noting with surprise the amount of bitterness in her voice.

Despite it being Bertha’s outburst, Sean blushed and fidgeted in his seat.

“Ideally, yes.” He answered uncomfortably, now avoiding looking at her.

Bertha gripped the fire poker in her lap tighter. She felt like screaming. Screaming, and throwing the heavy wrought iron thing at him… All these years… This was what she had to show for it.

“Sean Finnegan.” His old name was like a slap to his face as he winced, and finally, slowly, lifted his gaze to Bertha. Tears in her eyes, and her hands over her poker.

“He is probably dead and gone. You swore to me. You swore after the death of Theresea, that at this time, we could let it go. That when the land had seen peace, and the new King’s son was safe, that it would be our turn.” Tears spilled out of her eyes.

“You lied.”

“Bertha… we don’t know that he’s gone, his abilities might have made him survive-”

“HORSE SHIT!” Bertha was on her feet, her heart pumping, her hand gripping the poker tightly.

“That man would be over 90 by now!” Bertha towered over Sean, but despite her rage, the Duke didn’t cow in front of her.

“Bertha, you saw what he could do. You saw the destruction he lay to the North Kingdom. It was sheer bloody luck that we stopped him!”

“But you did stop him!”

“Then why did Theresea and my 2 boys die? Coincidence? Really? Given that it happened exactly as it said he would?” Sean was slowly rising from his seat, his own frown in place.

“He didn’t murder Sarah.”

“Because I made sure Sarah was never a threat!” Sean pounded his hands on Bertha’s roundtable as tears sprung to his eyes.

Bertha’s gaze was alight with flames as she continued staring at Sean.

“Sean, he can’t possibly still be alive, and if he is, he can’t possibly give a hoof on whether or not you marry Agnes Beatha.” Bertha’s chest was rising and falling steadily, and Sean’s jaw was set. The two stared each other down for several minutes, and eventually, the tension in Sean’s shoulders faded, and he looked to the floor.

“Bertha, you refused to marry me when I stopped believing in any God. Then, we decided we would go forward anyway.”

“Then you broke our engagement.”

“When he threatened any wife or child of mine who wasn’t pure human with death!” Sean exclaimed raising his face again, his face pained with memories of the past.

Bertha let out a breath, and stopped herself from going over to comfort him.

It was the same argument every time, and nothing changed.

“Sean, we’ve made our choices. I suppose this is where those decisions have taken us.” Bertha sat down wearily, and put the fire poker within arms reach. All of her previous fury dissipated, as the crushing hopelessness weighed down on her.

“You need to leave.” She fought off more tears, and remained composed in her tone, though Sean wasn’t managing quite as well.

He stood up, tears running down his face, and his hands shaking at his sides.

“Bertha please… I can’t… I can’t not have you with me when… It’s just-”

“Sean, it’s never going to change. Look at us. We’re the fools that always thought we had time.”

Sean stumbled backwards as though she had struck him, and he continued stumbling backwards until he managed to flee the small cottage with his broken heart.

***

Arlen had frantically searched the crowded streets for a full hour, before he had finally found Aggie. He had paused, out of breath from the running and panic, beside an alleyway that unlike some of the beautiful side streets in the settlement, looked to be neglected. There were piles of garbage and broken glass littering the entire darkened road, and there were only 2 side doors that exited to the street. They both appeared to be leading into local shops that fronted their allotted 2 stain glass windows in their storefronts.

What had caught Arlen’s eye, was a small men’s boot poking out from behind one of the piles of trash. Arlen let out a small breath, already knowing it had to be Aggie by the glean of high quality leather he had paid for. He slowly walked down the alley to see her sitting on the ground, dirt smudging her face, her hair tied back messily, and a particularly glum expression on her face.

She didn’t even have to lift her eyes to know who was standing in front of her. Regardless, of knowing that she had her Servicer present, she didn’t say a word.

Arlen sighed, took his time sitting down, and leaned his back against the wall opposite hers.

He closed his eyes, and waited.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long.

“Arlen?” Her quiet voice carried over the din of horses, wagons, and chattering people from the main road Arlen had turned off of.

Arlen opened his eyes, and stared calmly at Aggie.

“The Fey seduce people all the time, don’t they?” She was refusing to meet his gaze, and was staring at her boots with flaming cheeks.

Arlen was quiet for a moment, and pulled his knees up closer to his body before answering.

“Yes. You’ll recall how I mentioned they come to our world for the sole purpose of procreation.”

Aggie was quiet for a while longer, clearly trying to quell her embarrassment.

“I didn’t do it. I was close, but I didn’t.” Aggie breathed out, and tried to let her own words comfort her.

“Given that being a full-human puts you at more risk with regards to them, that is admirable, my Lady.” Arlen gave her what he imagined to be a small reassuring smile.

“I know you said that humans who have never seen the Fey before experience Wonder…”

“The full effects of Wonder only take hold in the first encounter. At that time, the pure magic that emanates from them, tends to be the most potent to someone never exposed to it.”

“What does… What does it do to me? Put me in a trance…?”

“Not at all. It simply opens the door to illuminate the rest of the world.”

Aggie gaped at her Servicer, clearly not understanding what that meant. Arlen didn’t wait long to continue his explanation after seeing that particular expression.

“Imagine, you grew up facing one direction, and saw nothing but a grassy meadow your entire life. Then one day, someone turned you around, and you could then see the ocean. Another half to your world.” He paused as he stretched his olive toned hand in front of him staring at it.

“You’ve read about the Fey, but that is not the same as seeing them. Experiencing their presence for the first time, and experiencing their magic- which doesn’t exist anywhere in your body, shocks the mind. You more or less shut down, and restart with this new awareness.”

Aggie had 2 creases between her eyebrows as she processed this new way of thinking about the Fey, but was still mystified.

“I know humans can do magic, but is it not the same as the Fey’s powers?” She asked her eyes moving closer to Arlen’s face.

“No. Human magic is completely different from the Fey’s. Human magic pertains to other humans. Seers, healers, mind-magickers… They can only cast spells on a human, or beings with human blood flowing in them. Fey magic is limited to glamour and nature.” Aggie perked up; her interest was piqued.

“Could I do magic? Are there a lot of people who can do magic?”

Arlen smiled tiredly at her, and shook his head.

“No, and no. Sorry my Lady. Only pure-humans can do magic, and though you are a pure human, we would’ve already known if you were capable of magic. Your powers, at the very latest, would’ve become evident by the time your cycles began.”

Aggie blushed again at hearing a man mention her cycles, but she did her best to move past it.

“So, why would Chay want to lie with me in particular?” She asked slowly, consciously avoiding telling Arlen about the Fey's interest in him.

“The rumors.” Arlen stood back up, wiping the dirt from the alley off of his trousers.

Aggie was about to ask which rumors, when he offered his hand to help her stand up.

“There are rumors that, it is possible should a full-blooded Fey, and full-blooded human create a child together, that that offspring could glean the full powers of both worlds from both parents.” Aggie began walking down the alley side-by-side with Arlen.

“What about Beast Awares? Can they do any magic?” Aggie slowed her pace before they entered the street, knowing that she wanted the quiet and privacy the unsavory surroundings currently allowed.

“Every ounce of magic in them goes towards their conscious thoughts, ability to understand languages, and to communicate in these languages. Their ability to curb their animalistic forebearers comes as a result of these new traits. In the Southern Kingdom, there are rarely any Fey or Beast Awares seen. This is because in the Southern Kingdom, much of the populace believes that-”

“-The Beast Awares could snap at any moment, and tear all of us apart like animals.” Aggie finished his sentence knowingly.

She had asked her governess why there weren’t more Beast Awares once when she was a little girl. Most of the population had minimal Beast Awares blood in them, or were in fact full-blooded humans, so hearing about other races at the time had interested her greatly.

Arlen nodded encouragingly before taking back the explanation.

“The Fey have been used for their magic, and imprisoned in the past, so they keep to the North. This decision was reached to avoid a war that could burn the continent to the ground between the Southern Kingdom, and the Fey. That is why you haven’t seen any Fey being before the past few days.”

Aggie nodded, and continued thinking deeply, as Arlen waited patiently, glad that she was asking about these matters.

“What about the Beast Fey?” Aggie asked suddenly. Arlen’s eyebrows twitched upward in surprise.

Despite her being uninformed about the Fey, she had heard about Beast Fey.

“Beast Fey are rare, and troubled creatures.” He began slowly. “They are regular beasts that the Fey have partnered with. It is not that strange for them, as the Fey have a connection with nature, and an understanding of them that is beyond humans and Servicers. However, without any introduction of human blood, there often are… discrepancies.”

Aggie tilted her head to the side, and waited as Arlen searched for the right words.

“Sometimes you have a Beast Fey that is born with magical abilities akin to the Fey, but they don’t have control or conscious thought over them, and they are often eliminated as a result.” Aggie pondered this fact for a moment before asking;

“Is that how the monster’s like the Cockatrice were created? How was human blood integrated into the Fey and Beasts?”

Arlen slowly began to venture onto the street with Aggie at his side. The crowds seemed to be thinning around the luncheon hour, and so they had an easier time maintaining their conversation without being jostled around.

“No, monsters are simply beasts with extraordinary supernatural abilities, that aren’t bound by Fey or human magical tendencies. Sometimes, their thinking processes are complex, and sometimes they aren’t. The Cockatrice is not stupid, but it would not have conscious thought or deductive reasoning- like crows for example.”

Arlen paused by a local street vendor that was selling sausages and fresh bread, and bought their joint lunch with a handful of copper pieces.

They continued their stroll back towards Tork’s home at a leisurely pace, talking and eating as the rest of the world rushed by them. Oblivious to the demands of time, Arlen eventually answered Aggie’s other question.

“Many centuries ago, half-Fey and half-humans mated with Fey Beasts, and since as a result Beast Awares are stronger, they can survive more. They adapt more, and they can have their pick of species to mate from, meaning the era of only humans and Fey ruling the world, is over. We now share the world with the booming population of Beast Awares.”

“I… have a question. It isn’t a good one though.” Aggie spoke haltingly as they turned down yet another quiet street, and continued down in its shadow.

“So far my Lady, your questions have been wonderfully insightful, please ask.”

Aggie thought for a few moments carefully on her wording.

“Is there any… reason, that people believe the Beast Awares will turn violent? Or is it a rumor?”

Arlen could hear the nervousness in her voice, and saw her eyes dart around them. He too, dropped his voice so as not to be heard.

“They are not likely to go on a rampage, no. However, they have poor impulse control at times. They sometimes make important decisions with no thought, only feelings, or they latch onto ideas, and lose themselves too easily to them. Take Tork for example.”

Aggie was suddenly incredibly alert. Tork had poor impulse control?!

“He has made no mention of the gold you promised him in taking us here. He hasn’t said anything about Bertha Brady ordering him to watch over us. He took the orders without question, but not because he is stupid. It is because he does not possess the will power to say ‘no’. Especially if he grows attached.” Aggie knew Arlen was merely trying to explain to her the differences between Beast Awares and humans, but she still felt offended on their behalf.

The Beast Awares she had met, had all been very controlled and very personable. Even if it seemed strange that Tork was accepting, and becoming more and more accommodating of herself and Arlen.

“Tork has, on an unconscious level, become attached to us. Much in the same way, and I do apologize for this comparison, but much in the same way as animals can become attached to Masters or Mistresses. He probably justifies it someway or another, but the reasoning is more than likely to be… vague. The more developed the Beast Awares the less likely, or often this happens. I do not believe Tork becomes attached easily, but when he does, I think he is an incredibly loyal comrade. Never treat him as anything less, regardless of the reasons.”

Aggie’s expression was fierce as she nodded in agreement.

She shoved the last of her sausage into her mouth, and finished off their impromptu lunch. Arlen had given her a wealth of information she had never bothered to ask or learn about before, and she found that her head was aching dully from the flux of information.

“It’s all so complicated.” Aggie sighed as she began to think of more and more questions about the Beast Awares. Politics had been tedious, but now races with all of their strengths and weaknesses played a part as well. She understood both sides of the arguments she had been privy to her whole life far better than before.

On one hand, Beast Awares were physically incredibly strong, had feelings, could think and reason, but on the other hand, they could be swayed easily by emotions. However, so could many humans. Maybe it happened less often, but it did happen.

Despite the plethora of arguments and opinions Aggie was slowly forming, a fresh set of questions came to mind.

“What about Servicers?” Arlen’s gaze sharpened as they neared the side door to Tork’s home.

“What about my kind, my Lady?”

“What abilities other than fast learning and… magic bonds, do you possess?”

Arlen fought the smile that was trying to work its way to his mouth.

“My Lady, nothing would give me greater joy than enlightening you to my kind. However, I do believe we now have to face Tork. He will be quite worried at the length of our absence.”

“He’ll probably not care too much, and just mutter how we’re ‘Stupid fucking humans’.”

This time Arlen did chuckle out loud before opening the gate for Aggie.

“Remember what I said about his attachment Mistress. You may be surprised.”