Private Tales Beyond the Veil

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
She'd said what she'd thought she'd said. Coughing until she'd dislodged the liquid from her windpipe, the shuck looked in shock between Yaste, Trahaearn, and Joseph.

"I'm pregnant?" she squeaked. She couldn't look down, didn't dare to. The room erupted into a mixture of emotions; Trahaearn groaned and rubbed his face, Yaste stirred her soup in silence with a knowing grin on her face, and Joseph--

He grabbed her face and kissed her, and the happiness coming off of him was almost too much to bear. Her face was a mangled mess of smiling and cringing.

"I don't know." She was laughing but almost crying as he exclaimed happily and hugged the hag, who giggled in delight.

"Of coursse sshe iss," she said between hisses of laughter. "You did not know? Foolissh children."

Joseph turned back to her with another kiss and she laughed in bewilderment, but she was struggling to be quite as happy as Joseph. There was a lot happening and the news came on the heels of some information that was difficult to swallow. But she was trying. Joseph's confession, the story of why and how he had taken his fae magic... She couldn't bear to ruin this for him. It just didn't seem real, wasn't fully sinking in just yet.

Pregnant. She finally dared lay a hand over her stomach, paying no mind to Trahaearn and Joseph for a moment. How long had it been? Though she had been naive about certain aspects of it at first, she'd been aware of the cycles of life and how it all worked. But it was different for faeries, and she was a member of the greater fae. It was supposed to be hard for the likes of her to conceive, hence why they were so few and far between.

And yet, if the hag said it was true, it surely was. She was fae like her, after all, and couldn't lie. She was still reeling and nearly missed what Joseph was saying to the hag, but after a beat of silence, it registered.

"Not anything," she cut in firmly, giving Joseph a look of alarm. Clasping his hand in a tight grip, she hoped to caution him. Offering anything to a fae! What was he thinking? She might ask for their own child, for all he knew.

As if she knew what the shuck was thinking, Yaste giggled. "I will ansswer for a ssmall cosst," she said sweetly, stirring the pot once more. "Give me your happy dreamss tonight ass you ssleep, and that will ssufficce."

The shuck frowned, glancing at Joseph. Harmless enough. "Just our dreams? The temporary kind?"

Another giggle. "Jusst one night'ss dreamss," she assured her. "No trickss. There iss power in your heart'ss truesst wisshess revealed to you and you alone. I merely want the magick of thosse unsseen things."

"That's fair," she agreed, and she felt the tingle in her ears.

Yaste sighed deeply, rubbing the pointed ears that were nearly hidden by her wild hair. Her thin mouth curled into an eerily wide grin beneath her long, pointed nose. She turned those pales eyes not on Joseph, but on her.

"Taking your name back iss a trial you would endure well enough on your own," she began. "But with the jahïl, it iss a tassk neither of you can ssurvive. Your body will weaken, overwhelmed by the magick flowing through you to create that new magical life. It will be of your very essencce -- a part of you taken and reformed into ssomething new and dark."

She set the spoon aside and sank into a stool, watching the shuck closely.

"Without a name, it iss a tassk that you yoursself will not ssurvive. You may carry the hïl to a point where it may ssurvive, but it sseemss that you have very little time left." Her eyes fogged over for a brief moment. Yaste hummed to herself before blinking and returning. "Very little time, indeed. Sshould you wissh to live, you will need a heart."

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph's happiness was irritating. All of this, excitement was draining him. The ups and downs that were near constant now, leaving him unsteady and wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed. His only comment to Joseph was a quiet, and curt snorted word.

"A girl."

He listened to them speak to the hag more, and shook his head when Joseph foolishly misused his wording. Trading for their nights dreams, they received a new set of possibilities as the woman peered into nothing, glimpsing the fates of the one she had made a deal with.

All of the words meant the same in the end. Mal needed a heart. He waved his hand at them.

"We are changing our plan. I will tell you more in the morning. For now, enjoy your time. I am going to sleep." Trahaearn spoke quietly, his expression bland save for the glare he still directed at Joseph for a split second. Too exhausted to listen to any more of the bleating, he walked through the front and closed the door behind him.

He looked up to the stars, his body begin g for sleep as his steps became just a bit heavier. The confident swagger changing to a slow drift, and had the walk to the lean to been any further, he may have very well made it halfway and called the day done.

He did make it however, even if it seemed to take a whole other day to complete the walk. He was spent physically, his emotions having burnt through all of his energy for the day. Worst of all, the riddles of the hag, the lock of hair in his pocket, Mal being pregnant, all of it had been suddenly presented. He blinked as the pile up of information threatened to frazzle him, as though he wasn't already to that point.

He found a soft spot to lay his head into, closed his eyes and dozed off quickly. The visage of a little girl with blonde curls dancing in a field, filling his dreams as a smile appeared.
 
Joseph listened raptly to the hag's words. She could have his dreams, for they would be happy tonight indeed. He didn't quite understand why no one was as happy as he was. Perhaps understanding Trahaearn, as this was the nail in the coffin to him losing Shuck forever to Joseph. Joseph held little pity for him. If he wished to be bitter over this, he could be as bitter as he liked. The hag seemed....amused, and cautionary. Joseph had the wisdom to listen. Shuck would have regained her name just fine had she not been carrying the babe. Now that she was, the magic would destroy it if she didn't have her heart....so her heart they would have to get first. Joseph nodded in understanding. That piece of information was critical. Revenge could come later. What was another six months of travel to a court that had lasted millenia?

Then Trahaearn's words. A girl. Joseph frowned at him. How could the man possibly know? Then again, it could be something from that bond the man had with his love. If he spoke the truth it would make him only the more joyful for it. A little girl. A beautiful little girl with Shuck's beautiful skin, hair, and eyes. All he wanted to gift the child was his wit. He sent up a silent prayer that the girl wouldn't be crippled. The gods couldn't be that cruel, not after all he endured.

He went to Shuck and kissed her. "We will find your heart, my love." he told her firmly. "It will buy you time to find your name. You will not disappear. I swear to you, I will not let you die." His voice was full of conviction. She held everything now. His love. His child. All he'd ever wanted for again, and thought the gods hated him too much to obtain a second time. He kissed her again, passionately. "You've made me the happiest man in the world." he told her softly, smiling. If they weren't guests, he would have made love to her there and then. He was filled with love and adoration. He put his hand gently on her belly. "I'll take care of you. I promise."
 
She couldn't make sense of Trahaearn's comment, a girl, before he departed. She raised a hand in farewell. "Good night," she called, watching him go without another word. There were things she had hoped to ask him tonight, but there was already so much and underneath the strangely annoyed and hostile response to the news he seemed... sad? He'd been sad when he'd taken the hair, too. She wondered what it all meant.

But there would be no answers until tomorrow. She turned back to Joseph as he kissed her, and she smiled for him, even if it didn't quite reach her silver eyes. There were a lot of things hanging over her, but she wanted to be happy with him for now. So she mustered her remaining energy to give him a more honest smile as she brushed the hair out of his face and kissed him back. She'd never seen him this happy, she realized.

"I know," she whispered when he laid his hand over her stomach. Yaste had politely turned her back, sitting on her stool and idly stirring the stew, and and it was in that private moment with his hand placed over her abdomen that it truly began to sink in. They had made a life, and she hadn't even known it. She placed her hand over his.

"Gods, I'm pregnant," she breathed out loud, looking down at their hands.

Right on cue to ruin the moment, her stomach grumbled, reminding her of the snack that had been interrupted by the No-No Man earlier that day.

"And you are hungry," Yaste was saying. She held out a bowl already full of stew, and the shuck blinked. The hag only smiled knowingly. "Eat," she was saying as she filled a second bowl for Joseph. "I am a creature of the night; I will be in the wood until the wee hourss, but you will be ssafe and comfortable here in my home. Pleasse, take my bed for the evening. Äreg igu has a long journey. Resst. Ssleep. Dream."

With that, Yaste stood and opened the curtain to the bed's alcove, gathered up a basket, and waved as she slowly marched out of her home. The shuck smiled at Joseph after she had gone, and tucked into two more cups of tea and two bowls of the stew before setting her spoon down and leaning back into her chair.

"No more," she said with a sigh, putting the bowl down on the table. Between the fire and the blanket and Joseph's occasional happy kisses, she was happy and cozy. So cozy, in fact, that she eyed the bed with sleepy, half-lidded eyes.

"To bed, then?" she asked him with a warm smile. Without waiting for his answer, she peeled herself out of her blanket and went to sit on the bed. She bent to remove her boots, however, and hissed as a tight muscle in her back protested. She reached back and touched what must have been a bruise.

"I had almost forgotten I fell into a burrow today." Whether or not Jospeh appreciated the humor, she laughed softly to herself and began unrolling her heavy socks.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph looked down at their hands, smiling. She had seemed so stunned by the news...and now happiness had begun to show itself a little more honestly on her face. "You'll love being a mother. I always loved being a father." Joseph told her gently. "She'll be as beautiful as you. She doesn't need any of this." It was a joke, but he gestured to his face anyway with a wry smile. Ye gods, if the poor girl got the Meier ears she was done for. He settled down to his own bowl of stew with a knowing smile. He couldn't stop smiling. He was so happy, and distracted. He kept looking at Shuck, giving her an adoring look or a smile before tucking back into his food. He ate lightly; he didn't need much food and he needed his love to eat. She was eating for two now.

He cleared up their dishes, putting them in a neat stack to one side. He'd clean them in the morning, but for now they had the house to themselves. The hag had offered them her bed, and it seemed Shuck was eager to curl up in it. Joseph settled next to her on the bed and frowned at the hiss. "Here." Joseph helped her out of her boots and socks, then undid his own. He unstrapped his brace, happy to let the limb breathe after such a long day. He settled behind Shuck and kissed the back of her neck, his hands going to massage her shoulders. His thumbs rubbed away the knots between her shoulders, his fingers rolling up the muscles of her neck and the tops of her shoulders. "No more burrows for you. You've got the most precious cargo." he chuckled.
 
Joseph moved to help her, and she didn't argue. She wriggled out of her pants and pulled off the vest, folding the items over the back of the chair. Before lying down she took a moment to give the rest of her a thorough inventory. She'd suffered a few scrapes and dings here and there, but for the most part she was just sore from the tumble. If it weren't for the larger scrape on her arm and the bruised muscles in her back, she wouldn't have been able to tell she'd ever fallen into a tunnel.

Lying down, she rumbled happily under his kiss and the feel of his hands beginning to roam over her. Her rumble turned into laughter.

"I'll do my best," she assured him. Lying her face into the single pillow, the shuck sighed deeply and rolled more onto her stomach as he began to massage her abused muscles, groaning when his thumbs hit a particularly stiff spot. She melted like butter under his hands. "Oh, right there."

// Joseph Meier //
 
Joseph yawned as he woke. It was late in the day. Both of them had been so tired from the journey, and they had needed to make love and cuddle. He sat up, arching his back and running his fingers through his hair. He'd kill for a bath, and the nearest one was that stream they'd crossed. Well, there was nothing for it. He also needed to get them a bit of breakfast, and he wanted to have a gift for the hag when she returned. He kissed Shuck lazily, put on his brace and clothes, grabbed hers, and headed out to find the stream.

His bath was less a bath and more splashing water on the dirtiest parts of him. He washed his clothes and Shuck's, finding a rock flat enough to work all of the dirt from the road and their adventures out of the fabric. Gods, it was getting colder. Winter would be upon them soon. He shivered, working faster to get their things clean and wring them out. He left them to dry in a sunny spot, and shifted into a wolf.

Hunting, at least, was still plentiful. He gorged himself on muskrats, voles, and one unfortunate otter that he'd spotted before the creature could slip away into the stream. He liked hunting. It felt so natural to the form, like handling an exquisite blade. He caught a brace of rabbits, a pheasant, and a turkey still fat from summer he planned to gift to the hag. It took a bit of finagling, but he threaded a thin strip of green bark from an aspen tree through their punctured throats, slung them up over his back, and grabbed their damp clothes.

It made for a slow trip back. He put their clothes by the fire to dry, and cleaned the rabbits. Three of them, one for each. The turkey was carefully laid on the kitchen table with holly sprigs, and wild sage and rosemary he'd found. It looked like a respectable funeral for the bird, or a decent offering for the hag's hospitality.

Joseph washed his hands, got dressed, and sat back to rest. When Shuck awoke there would be three spitted rabbits over the fire, fresh tea, and clean clothes waiting for her.
 
Trahaearn woke earlier in the day than the others had, roughly about noon from what he could see. His sleep had been peaceful, and the dreams welcoming as a relief from the day that had transpired. A hand to his pocket reassured him that the lock of hair was still there, though his mind pondered on how he would feel later given what their new task was. After tending to the stable, throwing out the horse droppings with a makeshift shovel he had found, he stretched and made sure the tack was in order. Tying his sword to Mal's saddle along with the curl of blonde hair, he stretched and prepared for his shift into dog form.

After several satisfying pops, he changed, and left the sanctuary of the hags fence. Venturing far enough away from the hut, he chased the scents of several game. Most of his attempts at securing his own breakfast successful, save for one wily turkey that escaped him by taking to the air and landing high into the trees. He gave a snort to it, more than satisfied with the deer, a few raccoon, and even a stray beaver that was upstream of the creek. After feasting, and promptly cleaning himself in the stream, he began his trot back to the cottage.

On his return, he did not shift back to human for long, only to open and close the gate. being sure to latch it before shifting back to dog form, pawing the door open and finding his place underneath the table as Joseph moved about. Pulling himself into a tight circle beneath it, doing little more than move out of the way when he became an obstacle. He remained deathly quiet while listening to everything.
 
Joseph was in for a quiet day. He cleaned up around the place, washing their dishes, drying the meat that wasn't eaten, and generally tidying up for the hag when she returned. He was grateful for her hospitality, and wanted to show her. He eyed Trahaearn as he came in as a dog and curled up under the table. Not much was going to spoil his good mood today. He smirked at the other man. He had an air about him this morning that was strangely...victorious. He was moving on, starting a life with Shuck. They had a daughter on the way now. As far as he was concerned, Trahaearn was officially on the outskirts of this relationship.

"The lock of hair....your daughter?" he asked, putting away their bowls from the night before. "I figured, with the creature being attracted to children, that's what it was." He looked at Trahaearn. If anyone understood loss, it was him. Now that he was secure in his relationship with Shuck, he couldnt resist poking the bear when it came to Trahaearn's emotions. "We haven't studied Mal in a few days. I need to keep up on it, and if I'm asked, I have to know everything she'd know."
 
When Joseph asked about the lock of hair, his eyes lazily drifted to the other man. No outraged response or chuff of laughter. An allusion to the No-No Man about it possibly being attracted to Selmi made his hackles rise for a brief second at the thought. He pondered about withholding the information from the man, but thought better about it. We are pulling that skeleton out of the closet after all, Trahaearn thought to himself as he laid his head back onto the stone floor.

"If, this subject comes up in court, your only answer to it will be anger. Anger, like losing a child to a stranger, or watching them pass before your eyes with nothing to stop it. That will be the only way, you answer that question. But-" Trahaearn paused for a brief moment, allowing himself to take a deep breath before opening that wound in his heart. "It was our daughter."

His voice held nothing but sorrow at the last words. His eyes closing slightly as he pushed himself to reveal even just a little bit about that mess.

"You will recall that I said Mal removed her heart after the last pet brought her pain. The last person that joined us was a little girl of three years, one that she had stolen and made her own. Fae pregnancies can kill healthy and unstressed mothers you see, I have seen it happen. Magick is required to make the babe, and the more magick that is needed, the more likely the fae's mortality." But the hag already spoke of this, so you know well what I mean, Trahaearn thought to himself before continuing.

"We lived like that for twenty years. The court was peaceful, which is a terrific feat mind you for the Unseelie court. Selmi was a well kept secret, and the few who knew thought she was simply a pet, which we happily let them believe since it was necessary for her safety. If they had known otherwise, things might have turned out differently-" Trahearn paused, his breath held tightly as a doggy frown appeared. "And might have gone just the same with someone else. I'm sure he wouldn't have touched Selmi had it been known that she was our daughter. But there is always others willing to do worse. We were younger then, and less wise. And I thought she could love me." His eyes fell upon the man.

How little this man knew of the predicament they were in now due to his ignorant choices. He claimed knowledge of the fae, and yet still seemed so willing to throw all of them into the fire with his hasty words. Having the stolen magick only added a heaping load of kindling to it. They had to bury this pissing match now, else it came back to bite them in ways neither of them could imagine.

"But it is apparent she did not love me enough, since she cast her heart out. As it seems she forgot about it, I am not about to drudge up the past to her. She tried to forget about it then, so why should I remind her of it now, with what brief joy there is for her in this moment." His eyes closed at the last word, a heavy sigh coming from him. "You should at least know that much, since it is Selmi's grave we have to rob for Mal's heart."
 
Joseph folded his arms across his chest. So he was right. A child, but one his beloved had stolen. While Trahaearn could only think of his own pain, Joseph's mind went in another direction. What of the parents whose small babe had suddenly disappeared? It was his own worst nightmare at one time that one of his own children would be stolen by the fae for an uncertain fate. The pain of those parents must have been incredible, a wound far deeper than any other loss or grief. That Mal would have done that to anyone, and that Trahaearn would have gone along with it, only made him dislike the other more.

He listened, quietly, with pursed lips. "You stole a human child." he said slowly. "And after a short and secluded life, she died. That was no daughter of yours, Trahaearn, but some other parents' pain that feel so much deeper than your own. She might have been raised by you, but she was not yours, and could never be....she did not choose to go with you. She was stolen. It's the nightmare of any human parent that they might lose a child to the fae, and you and Mal made that nightmare a reality. I feel no pity for you. That child could have lived a longer and happier life if she were not stolen. You are just as guilty for going along with such a horrific plot."

Joseph looked down, sighing. It added fuel to his dislike of Trahaearn, but nothing he could allow to breathe. "Things have changed. With a daughter of her own, she won't feel the need to cause any other parent pain. And I know you've learned your lesson enough , hard though it was." he said quietly. "I can't forgive you for it, but I at least know now how to deal with it if it's asked about."

He shifted then, into Mal. He'd perfected the form over the past week, and it was easy to slip into. "Shall we get to work?" he asked coldly.
 
Joseph bit back, which wasn't entirely unexpected. Even having lived with all that he had done, that story was short and to the point, lacking all of the details that painted a beautiful picture in comparison to the quick sketch that he had given the other man. The man ignored all of the details, squarely planting all of this on his shoulders. It tickled him that the man seemed to despise everything he was, everything that Mal had slowly shaped him into. A small smile appeared on the dogs face.

"So headstrong about getting her name back, and yet you think what you have is going to be enough to change someone that has been alive for well over five millenia? Everything about me grinds against you, yet you ignore all the signs that are clearly painted for you. What do you expect to happen when she regains her name? Sunshine and rainbows? That everything will just go the way you think it should go because you are happy and that is all that fucking matters? You have not drawn any lessons from the past, and continue to flounder into the future." Trahaearn spoke softly, his words hushed but slow.

He stood finally, sauntering to the door and stopping just inside of it, his head turning back to Joseph.

"Selmi came from a family that did not love her, did not care for her. She was returned to her family after twenty years here, were she lived as a veritable princess, never wanting for food, love, attention, or the warmth of a mothers arms to hold her. The child called Malice her mother. She lived a long and lonely life when she returned to the mortal world. Husbands dying one after the other, and all of her children simply left her alone to die. She passed away, lonely, forgotten, and loveless." The dog quietly shuddered at the last words.


"If you cannot forgive me, then you cannot very well forgive your precious shuck. Unless you are content to blame the axe for felling the tree, rather than the hands that guided it. I cannot argue with Mal when she gives a command, and Mal gets what Mal wants. She wanted the child so she could love her, and make a family." His tone continued in the low hushed voice before he chuffed at the man. When the question for practice came up, he shook his head.

"No. We have a longer road ahead of us now, and you should enjoy your little world while it lasts." Trahaearn replied as equally cold before leaving the cottage.
 
"I am not as spineless as you, content to watch the sins of the world go by as long as they are done by someone you swear fealty to. When she gets her name back she will be changed. A single storm can change millenia of landscape, how is she any different?" Joseph snarled back at him. "I forgive her all of her past sins, for she can't remember them and would surely be disgusted by them now. She wants none of that old life back. I wish you nothing but the death you gifted Selmi. Alone, loveless, a miserable corpse of a man walking around until it has the gods-given sense to just lay down and die." He spat after him, shutting the door to the cottage. He shifted, but not quite yet into himself. He stayed a woman for a little while longer, anger seething in his chest. Trahaearn he would get rid of as soon as he ceased to be useful. Miserable creature. He wouldn't piss on him if he were afire.

He waited for Shuck to awaken, quiet and mulling over his own thoughts. Doing chores kept him busy. Chopping wood helped him get some of his anger out, as did doing dishes and mending some of the hag's things. It was strange how easy he slipped back into the lifestyle he'd known. It made him homesick. All of this faerie nonsense...he needed the world to make sense. He missed his own family. His brothers had scattered far and wide over the winds and gods only knew what had become of them.
 
The darkness gave way to splotches of light that swayed and flickered, focusing slowly until she was staring up through quivering grass against a cerulean sky. The sound of laughter roused her, and she sat up. A meadow, lit by the golden afternoon sun, billowed in the wind. Insects buzzed between wildflowers and the rolling hills gave way to trees that shimmered in the distance.

Laughter rose up behind her and she turned, raising her hand to block the sun that threatened to blind her. But through the light she could make out the silhouette of a man and child, running and playing. She watched them, oddly afraid to call out and disturb the pastoral vision. Her chest tingled and thumped, and she laid her hand over her breast to feel a queer, erratic fluttering. It felt... warm, bright.

She simply watched them, unable to do anything else. The man growled playfully before leaping, shadows curling around his body as he changed into a great dog that whuffed and laughed as it frolicked through the grass, giving chase. Giggling in wild delight the girl ran, her hair a curtain of gold that bounced behind her as she skipped ahead of the dog. After what seemed like an eternity of chase the man changed back, sweeping the girl into the air and spinning her. Their laughter mingled as he pulled her into a hug and showered her face with kisses before setting her on the ground. He took the child's hand and they turned toward where she watched them. The light shone between their bodies and obscuring their faces, but she could see they were smiling.

"Järeg!" The girl raised her arm and waved to her, and her chest fluttered again. It stunned her, and she felt her eyes burning as she raised her hand to wave back.

But the man smiled and said something just outside of her hearing to the girl and turned her away. She looked up at him with an equally bright smile and a nod, and the two began to walk away.

"Wait," she called. They didn't look back, just kept walking. Scrambling to her feet, she felt her heart begin racing as she jogged after them. The tall grass snapped against her legs, and though they were just walking, she wasn't gaining on them.

"Wait!" But no matter how hard she ran after them, they got further and further away.

"Mama!"

She blinked and whirled around at the sound of another child's voice. The scene shifted and the meadow changed. It was no longer green and lush, but golden waves of grain. The light was cooler, and the air was no longer filled with the warm buzz of insects but the gentle hiss of the grain as it brushed together. And there, waiting for her was a black dog and a girl with dark hair. One of her hands was tangled into the dog's shaggy fur, and the other raised to wave at her.

She didn't understand. Turning to look back over her shoulder, the other two were gone. Her chest twisted, ached and thundered. They were gone.

"Come on, mama!"

Eyes stinging with tears, she turned back. The setting sun cast a halo around the pair, obscuring the face of the girl. The dog stood and shifted into a man with dark hair whose smile shone from the shadows over his face.

"Let's go home," he called. That warmth flooded her chest again, soothing the raw ache. A smile fluttered across her lips and she stepped toward them.


The shuck's eyes fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the darkness. She was staring at a wall of stone and the folds of a worn quilt. The scent of wildflowers and the hiss of wind through grass lingered in her mind and she frowned. Had she been dreaming? A flash of sunlight flickered in the back of her mind and was gone. She'd dreamed -- she could have sworn that she had been dreaming about something, but what was it?

Sitting up she laid her hand over her chest, but there was nothing, only a heavy silence.

She turned toward the curtain, which was mostly drawn over the alcove. Yaste's voice and the smell of cooking meat and herbs finally came to her from the other side, pressing out the lingering scent and sound from her sleep. Crawling to the end of the bed, she swung her legs out slowly and pulled back the curtain.

"Ah, äreg igu hass awakened from her sslumber at lasst," she said with a broad, pointed smile. "Did you have lovely dreamss?"

The shuck looked at the hag, her brow creasing. "I don't have dreams," she said slowly. But she was so sure she'd dreamt something.

Yaste chuckled. "Then whosse dreamss have you given me?"

A long, bony finger pointed to the shelf along the alcove wall. On the top shelf was a bottle with a bundle of grain and wildflowers. The shuck only frowned deeper, her mind grappling with the mystery.

"But you have sslept for a long time," she said, lowering her finger and turning back to the fire. Picking up a fork from the table, she transfered a slab of cooked meat onto a plate with hard-boiled eggs and potatoes. "You'll be quite hungry. You've not et for a day now. The jahïl will be wanting for ssome ssustenancce."

Yaste pressed the plate into her hand then fussed, tucking the quilt around the shuck's legs and tucking a stray hair behind her long ear.

"Shu bïl läpïkäd will return ssoon. I imagine you all will be leaving me today. Eat your food and grandmother Yasste will brussh and braid your hair for you."

By the time Joseph returned from wherever he was, she had plowed through the large breakfast (barely resisting the urge to lick the grease clean from the wooden plate) and was nursing her third glass of tea. She sat on a stool in front of Yaste, who sat in the chair plaiting her long, silken hair. In spite of her own haggard appearance, the hag had a skilled hand, meticulously combing out every inch of her ink-dark hair before weaving a single simple, but elegant, braid. It was relaxing and she was smiling peacefully into the fire with a hand idly resting over her stomach.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph's day was long but not necessarily unproductive. He didn't need Trah for all of his work. He practiced what the man had told him about how Malice carried herself. Like a lioness, regal, with every step purposeful and powerful. He needed to be able to drag a room behind him and command all eyes upon himself. Between chores, he practiced shifting into a shuck directly from his image of Mal. It wasn't easy. Shifting directly between forms was hard without losing himself, and without practice it could become dangerous. Boggart magic was hard to control, especially in this place. Shift from one to the other and it could buck against his control. Becoming himself again was a necessary step that centered the magic.

Other than that, he did chores. It was easy to slip back into this routine, even if it did make him a little homesick. Shuck was resting, and he checked up on her every now and then. He filled a glass of water by her bedside, or changed the sheets and had a long, exhausting portion of washing at the stream. Living like this was hard, but it was peaceful. It was one of the things he liked about it.

His dreams wavered between homesickness and worry. Trah's words and the hag's warning hung over his head, and filtered into his dreams. That night, laying next to Shuck, was the worst.

He sat beside Shuck's bedside, holding her hand as the final stages of labor completed. The midwife was there, in a small, humble and quiet place he would have picked out for her. Somewhere in the woods, a cottage much like Yaste's, in a comfortable bed. Time ticked away when he held her hand, soothing her through the pain. Tense moments of encouraging her to push, and listening for the screams of a babe. The sounds brought joy to him, and he kissed Shuck, but the screams of the midwife were next.

A bundle was thrown down almost violently onto the bed, and Joseph hurried to collect his daughter. He drew back the cloth, and his breath caught in his throat. Both legs twisted beyond recognition, bruised and malformed. Screams and shrieks of pain coming from his daughter, her useless legs kicking and spasming. Nothing would stop the screaming or help her pain. There was nothing he could do for her but sit with her, holding her to his chest as she wailed.

Joseph sat up sharply in a cold sweat. He looked over at his lover, sleeping soundly, and put his hand on her belly to reassure himself. No. There was no guarantee it would turn out that way. His mother had told him he'd screamed endlessly as a child, his bad leg stunted and black with bruising. The midwife had to snap his ankle and attempt to straighten it. His gut twisted at the thought. There was a reason he was the youngest child, and his parents had stopped after him. He got dressed and headed outside to begin chores, the nightmare slipping away from him.

When he returned to the room, white swaddling cloth was crumpled on a shelf next to a collection of wildflowers and wheat. He'd sworn he'd seen nothing like that in the house, and whenever he looked at it the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He resolved to ignore it. Yaste was here, and so was Shuck, awake and eating like a dragon.

He went to kiss her good morning, smiling at her. He joined his hand at her stomach, nuzzling into her neck affectionately. "You're beautiful." he told her, kissing her cheek. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
 
The senseless ranting of a man that would not stare fate in the eyes and accept things as they were fell on deaf ears as the dog plodded away. A single storm could very well change the landscape. It would take more storms to tear apart the mountains that had been built long before even Trahaearn had existed, than Joseph had time to make them.

Joseph's dear, gentle, and untainted shuck may not have wanted that life back, but there was no doubt in his mind that nothing of her would be left when the name was heard. And all of the terrible debt garnered would be swiftly collected by Malice upon her return. Traheaarn did little more than think of Joseph as a floundering man child, whining and wailing about how it would be. His words always rang with the just you wait and see sound to it at the end. He disregarded the ignorant one, and walked far enough away to not be readily called back to the cottage, but plenty close to see it with his eyes.

He kept to the woods along the path and stream, just out of sight of the cottage. When the man went inside to sleep for the night, Trahaearn shifted, opening and latching the gate behind him, cleaning out the stable before falling asleep in his human form.


Before the sun rose, Trahaearn woke, dreams pleasant once more but his mood still dour and sharp. He removed his makeshift backpack from it's temporary home, retrieving the sword and lock of hair. Tying the sword to his dog bag, he placed the lock of hair inside a change of clothes, bundled them tightly and pressed them into the bag. Laying it down, he shifted, and carefully set about putting the bag on himself. It was quite a show, watching a dog try to slide into a backpack by itself. After a few minutes, and sure that the bag would not slip off of him, he bound over the fence and prowled the perimeter.

Again, like yesterday he hunted up his own food, devoured it greedily and kept well away from the cottage, mindful of anything else that lurked about. Joseph stepped outside and began his chores. Trahaearn lazily watched him from the underbrush, mindful of where the man went. He kept out of sight, even after the chores outside where done and Joseph had gone in. He did not return directly to the inside of the cottage, instead quietly undoing the latch on the gate without shifting back to human form. Entering before promptly locking it behind him, sneaking around and into the stable. He leaned against the wall carefully and as quietly as he could, all the while listening.

And waited.
 
Yaste hummed a quiet tune. The shuck had heard lots of people singing in her church, and though this tune was familiar, she couldn't quite place it. The lilting tune eluded her, dancing just outside of her mind under that dark, looming thunderstorm. It was frustrating, but there was a calming element to it.

Perking up when she saw Jospeh, she cast him a brilliant smile. "Joseph," she called in greeting, but it soured in her mouth, memories making her smile waver. She dropped her eyes back to the fire. The warmth returned to her smile as he kissed her cheek and slid his hand over hers. Flattery, of course. She slid her fingers up through his, twining them and holding him there for a moment. Pondering his inquiry for a brief moment, she shook her head.

"No, thank you," she said as she looked up at him. Her silver eyes were bright and her skin was luminous. The deep, restorative sleep had driven away the dark circles under her eyes and she sat upright and steady.

"Have you ate already?"

Yaste made a sound of satisfaction and laid the long, even plait over the shuck's shoulder.

"Ssuch beautiful dark hair," she said softly, her knotty hands petting it as if she were a beloved pet. "My hair wass oncce thiss fine, when I wass a maiden ssuch as yoursself."

The shuck looked over her shoulder, her eyes curious for a moment before she smiled. She wondered how old this fae must have been and her smile dimmed as the thought turned toward herself. How old was she? Trahaearn had said they had been in a contract together for over four thousand years, including the portion she'd been away. She looked up at Joseph suddenly.

"How old are you?" she asked. Her brow was drawn and her sharp silver eyes watched him seriously.

She knew so little about him. Gods, she knew almost as much about herself as she knew about him. Here she was, pregnant with his child and working toward a future with him, and she didn't even know how old he was or where he hailed from or what he'd done to make a living before she'd swept him up in this adventure. A twinge of guilt made her chest tight. Selfish woman. No, he refused to be like Malice.

// Joseph Meier //
 
Seeing her look so healthy made his heart happier. She looked so much more rested, so much brighter. There were no dark circles around her eyes and the silver in them sparkled. Her skin looked so much better, back to its creamy charcoal tone. He saw her smile falter a little bit, but put it out of his mind. He lifted their joined hands and kissed her fingers. He had learned so much about her past from Trahaearn, though very few details of it. It was strange to him how little he cared. It almost sounded like Trahaearn was describing another version of her, someone lost and far away. No, what mattered to him were the memories and the family they were building together now.

It made her question all the more odd. He raised an eyebrow at the suddenness of it. She was serious. "Thirty-two." he told her. "I'll be thirty-three next Autumn. Just after the harvest festivals. Why? I'm not leaving you of old age quite yet." He settled next to her, admiring her braid. That would keep her beautiful hair from getting matted or tangled while they were on the road. When she pulled them out, it would ripple the lovely tresses. Joseph glanced at Yaste. "You're very skilled. My mother always bemoaned having no girls; she liked weaving too."
 
Thirty-two. She frowned sharply. It seemed like so little. Even she had been in this current state for two hundre-- no, four hundred years, she corrected herself. That wasn't something she was going to worry about right now.

"I just didn't know," she admitted. "I'd never asked." Her voice was quiet, the guilt clearly bleeding into her voice.

Yaste tutted and waved a hand as if banishing the thought. "Oh, but sshe reared a fine blussh of boyss. Her daughterss would have been a plague upon mankind." She hissed in a fit of giggles to herself as she rose from the chair, hobbling across the room.

The shuck glanced back at her, petting her braid. Had she seen something about Joseph's mother? She turned to give him an assessing look.

"Yaste says we might be leaving today? I didn't mean to sleep so long. We should talk to Trahaearn to see where we're going. I was supposed to talk to him about something else, too, but I can't seem to remember what it was about."

Her smile was strained. She knew there was something, but whatever it was dangled just out of her grasp. Perhaps he would remember? It wasn't the first thing she'd forgotten -- her mind threw back to the morning at Kitty's she'd forgotten Joseph, even briefly. Was that why she was missing two centuries in her timeline at the cemetery? It made a shiver run down her spine and underscored the need to get her heart back.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph could hear the guilt in her voice. He chuckled and kissed her. “Age doesn’t matter to me. I like older women.” He joked. “You’ve got me for a long while yet as humans go.” He looked up when Yaste said something about his mother. He should have been more surprised, but the old hag seemed to know far more than she let on about all subjects, not just the people in front of her.

“Fine pack of brutes with tempers to match hers, you mean.” Joseph smirked at Yaste. He patted Shuck’s hand and stood up. “I figure I should get the horses ready then. You’ll feel better once you have your heart. Maybe you’ll remember what you needed to speak with him about?”

He didn’t dare remind her of the lock of hair, not with what he knew now. It would only pain her to know. As far as he was concerned the grave they were robbing was some stranger that was forgotten to the sands of time. He packed up their things, looking over at Yaste. “I hope my offering was adequate? Your hospitality has been more than we could have ever expected. Your kindness speaks volumes....and you’ve given me the happiest news in a decade.”
 
He heard them talk, the only bit he cared for was when Joseph's voice mentioned horses. He stood, and allowed himself a moment to stretch and limber up before running to the back fence. He hopped the fence easily and circled around until he was directly in front of the house on the path back to the road. Plopping down at the beginning of the bridge into a half moon shape as he watched the front door. He was still wary of dealing with Joseph, and only stared at the man when he came outside. It would wait for them both to leave the hut, with its strange little pack and sword strapped to it. He was ready to be away from this place.
 
She nodded to his reassurances. He was right, as he usually was. Sighing, she lifted her tea to finish what was left of the cup. She felt good -- better than she had since before they'd visited Heinrich. Rising, she found her clothes and dressed, unabashed in front of the hag, who was at her worktable busying herself with... something while she spoke to Joseph. The shuck couldn't see and therefore didn't really know what she was about. Grinding, by the sound of the mortar and pestle.

Dressing, she was seated to pull on her boots when Joseph addressed Yaste. The hag didn't stop her working, giggling briefly.

"You are too kind, honored guesst. Your giftss and kindnesss have excceeded any I might have assked for," she said slowly as she transferred the mortar's contents into a jar. She used her finger to get every last bit.

"I have one final gift," she told them as she fastened a lid onto the hand-sized jar. "A parting gift from grandmother Yasste. Äreg igu will need her energy, and thiss tea will help. Drink it thricce daily, only sstirring it clockwisse. It iss made for you alone; do not sshare even a drop."

The shuck had been standing next to Joseph, patiently waiting for her opportunity to express her gratitude, blinked and took the offered jar with a look of surprise. "Pä gaba ölïr dï, elï krïtshä," she protested. This is too much, kind grandmother. Yaste tsked.

"Klogaba ölïr dï!" she argued. Not too much! She gave the shuck's arm an affectionate pat. "Your motherly aura hass been a balm to my ssoul. I sshall be happy until the end of my dayss, bassking in the glow you've brought to my home."

Yaste's smile was warm, and the shuck smiled back reluctantly.

"We will not forget your kindness," she said, bending to give the hag's cheek a kiss. Yaste giggled.

"Enough of that. Away with you now." Waving her hands in a shooing motion, she ushered them out of her home, giggling to herself all the while. Shuck glanced at Trahaearn where he waited by the bridge but followed Joseph to the stable. She tucked her tea safely into her things and led her horse through the gate after him. Mounting and looking back, she waved at Yaste, who stood in the open gate. In the morning sun, she didn't look menacing at all. The pale disc of her face, pointed nose, and wide eyes reminded her, strangely, of an owl at that moment, and the hag's mouth curled into a knowing smile.

Dropping her hand from the wave, she turned to Joseph and Trahaearn with a bright smile.

"Lead the way, warlock."

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
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When they came outside to mount the horses, Trahaearn approached the hag, and lifted his paw to her. Her hand over his paw, he gave it an attempted peck, before he spoke to the fae.

"When we travel this way, we will be sure to stop by once more two spend a few days in your company. This I promise." Trahaearn offered to the woman for her hospitality.

"Yes, Lady Malice." He spoke before he scampered away from them, taking them back to the road without even glancing back at them. Promptly turning them back the way they had been travelling.
 
Joseph waved to Yaste as well. She'd given him a taste of home, of how he wanted his life to be again. In the middle of the woods, quiet, unassuming, and peaceful. He had wandered the world for far too long now. It was time to return to basics, and something that made him happy. Basking in his lover's motherly glow, taking care of her, making love and cleaning the place had all been something of a restorative to his own soul. It felt good to do chores again, to hunt and pluck game and cook. It even felt good to sit down and wash dishes. He thought about the instructions for the tea. So she'd need to drink two cups. The tea itself, then a cup of water in the same cup to ensure she didn't waste even a drop with the earth or a river. Instructions like this were to be taken seriously.

He raised an eyebrow when the man started steering them back the way they'd come. He wanted to question, but he thought about it a moment. So if this girl Malice had stolen stayed in the fae lands for twenty years, then returned to the human world...the plains they'd passed through, the forests, hell even the small village they'd first made love in would have been a decent spot for a human with no knowledge of the human world to settle. Somewhere close to Alliria, he'd guess. So, the direction made sense. He sighed. Now they'd have to pass through the same lands all over again!

He looked apologetically at Shuck. "Trahaearn knows where your heart is, but unfortunately...it's back the way we came." he explained. "He should be able to steer us right to it. The site is important to him."

It was going to be a long, thankfully boring road. He was looking forward to that hideous little hamlet again. Maybe he'd talk to Matthias about her pregnancy, even though he loathed the man. Maybe Oscar would be hanging around town, if he hadn't been chased out of the place yet. As much as he disliked Oscar's relentless optimism and laisse faire view on life...the man did come in handy. Gods only knew what his story was. He seemed to flit in and out of people's lives without regard or care. No one ever left Oscar without a good lovemaking session, coins in his pocket, or at the very least some interesting stories.
 
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