Aidan and Riona walked in silence. The dank darkness of the forest was oppressive. Riona stepped close to Aidan's side as if a shadow. Their breath misted and mingled in the cold air, barely visible in the thin moonlight that leaked through the thick canopy of trees. The young woman began to hum to herself, quietly filling the silence. To Aidan's surprise, they recognized the tune.

"Where did you hear that?" they asked sharply, regretting their tone immediately.

"M-my Mother," Riona responded repentantly. "She's...Dead," she said, not volunteering any more of an explanation.

"Forgive me," Aidan replied awkwardly.

"No-no, I just..." she hesitated, "No one ever asks."

"Had you no other parent?" Aidan could barely hide their curiosity.

Riona shook her head.

Aidan thought that was the end of it, but she continued, "there were rumors of a druid, but..." her voice drifted off as she glanced at them beneath her lashes. "Until now I mightn't've...well—"

"Believed it?" Aidan interjected.

Riona nodded again.

The pair walked in silence for a moment.

"Your parentage, is that why you live outside the village?" Aidan questioned, feeling a prick of guilt when she did not answer right away.

"I live outside the village because that's where I want to live," she said, quiet yet firm.

Aidan lost track of how many miles they had put between themselves and the coast. Riona's expression was inscrutable, her mind obviously elsewhere. Aidan gnawed on their lip, searching for conversation.

"Are you feeling alright?" they finally asked weakly.

Riona blinked slowly and then inclined her head to look up at them."What?"

Aidan took in a breath. "Well, most people-after something like that-well, it's not every day that-I..."

Riona's grey eyes flicked across Aidan's features curiously as they fumbled for words.

"I'm fine," Riona's voice was quiet and cold.

Aidan swallowed. "Yes well—"

"I can take care of myself," Riona said, still holding them in her unflinching gaze.

Aidan stared back. "Clearly." They let the conversation drop. "We should seek shelter," they said, rapidly changing the subject.

"Where?" Riona gestured to the damp forest around them.

Aidan took Riona's hand and led her from the path and into the trees. They could feel her trepidation, like a bristling cat.

"You are safe with me, Ríoghnach," Aidan promised.

She said nothing. A few yards into the thick of the trees, they halted before a large circle of white mushrooms.

"A fairy circle!" she exclaimed in sudden delight.

Aidan smiled at the sudden joy that washed over her features. "Is that what you call them?"

Aidan watched a pale blush rise on her cheeks.

"Step inside," they urged.

Riona cast Aidan a wary glance. "No."

Aidan cocked one eyebrow in surprise. "Why?"

Riona flexed her thumb in front of her face.

"One," she intoned, Cornish accent flaring dramatically, "that's a fairy circle, which you aren't supposed to get into on your own much less in the company of one of the Fae. Two," her pointer finger now jutted out, "I amn't stupid."

Aidan licked their lips. "What exactly do you believe is going to happen?"

Riona blinked in surprise, sensing the seriousness of the question. "Well..." her voice fell off, and she looked down sheepishly, "Depends on who you ask, but most folks seem to think you'll be trapped, carted off to wherever it is your people come from or—" Riona stopped when she noticed Aidan's hurt expression.

"Druid's made them," they said softly, "that much is true. But," Aidan took a deep breath, "we made them to protect travelers, not entrap them."

Riona's mouth parted in surprise.

"Step inside," Aidan said again.

Riona swallowed thickly, but nodded and did as she was told, letting out a small gasp as she passed the perimeter of white caps. Aidan joined her and felt immediate relief. Inside the circle, the air was warm, but not close. The ground beneath them was a velvet moss, and the light of the moon seemed, not brighter, but clearer.

"It's beautiful," Riona said breathlessly.

A small smile passed over Aidan's lips. "I think so too."

Riona drew her cloak tighter about her shoulders.

"Rest," Aidan ordered.

"What about you?" she countered.

Aidan shook their head. "I am not tired, besides that, we are not out of danger; someone must keep watch."

Riona's brow knitted together in concern, but she curled up near the center of the ring. Whether it was from Aidan's stoic presence or the magic of the circle or both, she was asleep in mere moments. Smiling softly to themself, they leaned back on their hands, gazing at the few stars that slipped through the grasp of the leaves above.

***

Aidan waited for Riona to wake in the dim light of a new morning. The grass outside the fairy circle was covered thickly with dew, but inside it remained warm and dry. With a deep sigh, they sat up, their bones heavy with lack of sleep. A familiar feeling.

"Morning." Riona's soft voice turned Aidan's head.

She rubbed the flat of her hands against her eyes. Aidan withdrew an apple from the pack and tossed it to Riona, who nodded her thanks and then bit into the crisp flesh.

"Willn't you break your fast?" she asked over a full mouth of fruit.

"Just as I require much less sleep, I also require much less food," Aidan replied airily.

Riona licked the juice from her lips and sniffed."In truth or habit?"

Aidan was taken aback by the question. There was a long pause before they answered."Both."

Riona ate down to the core, and Aidan cleared their throat. "It is time we move on."

Riona stood, tossing the remains of the apple over her shoulder into the undergrowth behind her. Aidan turned and headed back toward the path they had been following the night before. Riona trotted behind with a quizzical expression; her demeanor had shifted entirely overnight.

"Where we going?"

"Londinium."

"Why?"

"There is someone there."

"I imagine there are quite a lot of people there."

The quip forced Aidan's eyes to dart toward her. Her lips tugged upward with the hint of a playful smile.

"Indeed," Aidan recovered their chill tone, "and one among them with whom I have business."

"What kind of business?"

Aidan paused mid-stride with a sigh and turned."Riona."

The young woman looked up at them expectantly.

Aidan felt something stir in their chest and reconsidered. "The less you know, the safer you are."

Riona pursed her lips slightly at that. "I've been in danger since we met."

Aidan rolled their eyes. "I had nothing to do with the Saxons, that was providence."

"What's going to happen to me?" Riona asked softly. Her tone suddenly serious and timid.

Aidan opened their mouth, but it took a moment for a reply to form. "Let us cross that bridge when we reach it, shall we?"

A small flicker of fear lapsed momentarily across Riona's expression.

Aidan reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Peace, Ríoghnach, I will not abandon you."

Riona nodded but did not meet their gaze. Together they moved on, both lost in thought for a long while.

"Beyond 'Fairy Circles,' you do not seem much afeared of the forest," Aidan finally chimed.

"I come here for herbs," responded Riona matter-of-factly.

"Where did you learn your herblore?"

"Why do you need to know so much about me?" Riona asked slyly.

Aidan huffed. "Fine, walk in silence."

There was a long pause before Riona answered. "My Mother."

Aidan hesitated. "When did she die?"

"Six years ago," Riona's voice was surprisingly steady.

"You've been alone then?"

Riona nodded.

An uncomfortable feeling filled the pit of Aidan's stomach. "Have you no questions for me?" they asked.

"None you would rightly answer."

Aidan felt a pang of guilt. "Riona—"

"I understand," she cut them off.

Aidan rubbed a knuckle against their temple and sighed.

"Do you want me to fix your hair?" Riona asked.

"What's wrong with my hair?"

Riona smirked. "Y'look like a shorn sheep."

Aidan ran a hand through their ragged locks. "I suppose I do," they admitted scornfully.

Aidan observed her as she trotted beside them, keeping up with their long loping legs. "Any other talents you have hidden away?"

"Maybe," Riona flashed them a smile.

Aidan rolled their eyes and swallowed any further questions.

The sun rose high up over the forest as the day drew one. The already thick air grew humid, and Aidan's throat parched. Riona halted and set down her pack. She withdrew a leather flask of wine and proffered it to Aidan.

"Drink."

Aidan gripped it and took a long sip. The wine was strong, and their empty stomach jerked in response. Aidan handed the flask back quickly. "Thank you."

Riona nodded and drank. She returned the wine to her pack, and together they continued on.

Soon, the pair came to a fork in the path and paused. At the split in the road stood a shrine, old and half crumbled away. Still visible in the chiseled stone was a young female face with one hand raised, releasing a bird into the air, and at her knees a swaddled babe. Dried flowers lay scattered about the statue like offerings, mingling with a few gold coins and the remains of wax candles.

"Branwen," Riona said softly.

Aidan made a neutral noise in their throat.

Riona knelt before the statue and reached out, brushing her fingertips against the cold stone. Her fingers tugged gently at the roots and vines that encroached on the shrine, teasing them away. She murmured an old prayer under her breath as she worked.

Aidan blinked in surprise. "Are you religious?" they remarked as Riona straightened up and smoothed her dress.

"No," she replied, her eyes still fixed to the shrine.

"Then why—"

"Do you know the tale of Branwen?"

Aidan took in a slow breath. "She was caught between two worlds, and her loss was greater for it."

"Death of a broken heart," Riona whispered. She glanced up at them, "I'm surprised you know of her."

"Who do you think told those stories to your people?" Aidan asked more than a little bitterly

Riona considered the remark with an arched eyebrow.

"Which way?" she asked finally, indicating the fork in the road.

Aidan's gaze flickered back and forth between the split paths. "If memory serves me correctly," here they glanced at Riona, "we would take the right."

"Lead on."

Night fell upon them. Riona's steps grew weary, but Aidan pressed on. They too felt the heavy hand of exhaustion, but there must be more distance between themselves and the village. Riona stumbled in the dark and cursed.

"You may be invincible, druid," she said, voice thin, "but I amn't."

Aidan stopped. "I apologize," they said coolly, "but we must keep going."

"Can we eat at least?" Riona replied.

Aidan sighed and gave in. The two of them sat down along the edge of the path, their backs pressed to an old gnarled tree. Riona's hands dug into her pack and withdrew some of the salted pork. She tore off a chunk and positioned it beneath Aidan's nose. Aidan leaned back slightly.

"No, thank you."

"Eat," she demanded.

Aidan glanced at her from the corner of their eye and took the pork, tearing into it unceremoniously with their teeth. Seemingly satisfied, Riona ate her portion.

"I do not need a keeper, you know," said Aidan reedily.

"Could've fooled me," Riona said through a full mouth.

"Maybe I should have left you to the Saxons," Aidan replied.

Riona snorted. "Maybe."