Private Tales Malison Breaker

[Ehlark Haoqi]

“Lesson number one. Do not apologize to fae. It implies you owe them an apology debt. There’s nothing to be apologetic for; they died and I have new parents. Well...” He stopped talking suddenly, his back to her. Ehlark lifted the rag, the sound of water dripping into the bowl strangely mixing with the sound of her clothing sliding off her shoulder in the silence. “I would hope you can bathe yourself,” he added abruptly, changing pace quickly. “You look like you’re grown and that bite looks worse than it actually is.”

He grimaced and leaned in to inspect her shoulder. Touching the rag gently to the wound, he squeezed a soft sluice of water that began to wash away the blood. It couldn’t feel good and her shirt was going to be soaked. It was ruined and ill-fitting anyhow.

“Because my father says you are a guest and it wouldn’t be proper to let a guest in our home suffer untreated.” Even if that guest killed a member of their family, Ehlark added silently to himself. He reminded himself it wouldn’t be the first time they had shared wine with people they hated.

He dampened the rag again before reapplying it to dab away the blood. His long, narrow hands were caring, soft and free of calluses as he pulled her shirt aside. There was a soft whirring sound as the aperture of his gold prosthetic eye constricted.

“Why did Fengli bring you here?” he asked, his tone casual. Ehlark turned back to the basin to rinse the rag and kept his gaze carefully averted.

 

[Skyler]

She shuffled that information silently away.

Do no apologize.

She gulped and clenched her teeth as he worked. Fingers curled into her thighs as she remained quietly seated in front of the elf. She decided not to point out that he'd threatened to bathe her earlier if only because he smartly agreed that she could do it herself.

She was no child.

"A guest," head shook, her tone clear she thought that a joke and didn't believe for one second she wasn't anything other than a prisoner. "You tell me. She...she demanded my younger brother's life for the one she lost," the one Skyler had killed, "and I took his place. I only asked that she kill me outside, so he wouldn't see. Instead, she brought me here. So forgive me if I find it hard to believe I'm something more than a prisoner walking to the gallows."

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

Ehlark listened in silence, his eyes set on his task. But he paused and looked over his shoulder at her. A confused crease set between his brows. Or was it alarm?

"Fengli was going to take your brother and you volunteered yourself instead," he clarified. It was a statement and not a question. Dropping the rag in the basin, Ehlark turned and looked her over with a deepening frown, one hand braced on the vanity, the other propping up on his hip.

"Fengli wasn't going to kill your brother." He shook his head with a bout of cynical laughter and picked up the rag once again. He muttered a string in Faerie while the water dripped and carried it back to wipe away the last of the blood. "Noble of you to take his place, but you just volunteered to be our new brother. Or sister, rather."

 

[Skyler]

"What?" She whirled and hissed as she turned too quickly. Eyes snapped up to Ehlark's. "I didn't..." she assumed Fengli was going to kill him in revenge. Going to kill her. Well, there was still plenty of time for that to happen.

Even if she'd known, though. If she'd let her brother be taken instead, it would've killed her mother. Well, or her mother would've killed her.

And she couldn't have known.

The stories her people told about the fae. About them. And this opulence that she was faced with now. She didn't trust one ounce of it. And if she did trust it, then she'd have to look more closely at what she'd done. That small voice, that whisper was quickly muzzled and pushed deep, deep down.

She pulled away from him suddenly and stood, tugging her shirt up over her damp and cleaned skin.

"I can't stay here. My mother, my brother. They'll die without me." Fengli had known as much. Taunted with her as much. "We don't live like this," hand waved around at the opulence. "That food," she whirled and pointed to the platter of fruit beneath the window on the desk. "That's more than we see in a week. If we're lucky."

She didn't know why she told him. Perhaps because she was tired and angry it slipped her tongue. Perhaps because it could've been her brother here instead of her. Cleaned. Watched after. Well fed. Then again, this place certainly wasn't safe.

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

Regardless of how he felt about her at the moment, Ehlark was patient. He stood back, plopped the rag back into the basin, and propped a hand on his hip. She continued and he looked around the room when she gestured. He was quiet for several moments, then sighed.

"Look, I get it," he began gently. "Really. I do. I remember being afraid and confused and missing my old home. But they are halfway across the world now. You were prepared to die, and they probably think you did. This world and that one must always remain separate, even when a crime is committed. Just…" Ehlark sighed. "Just try not to dwell on it too much today."

Bad advice and he knew it. As if sent by the gods to rescue him from issuing bad advice, there was a gentle rap on the door. Opening, two identical faces peered in. They wore gentle smiles on their pale features, matching green eyes the color of lily pads sweeping in unison to the human girl. They were wearing matching robes -- white skirts embroidered with violets, sage green sashes, and short cyan jackets. They folded their hands and bowed deeply. At the backs of their heads, half of their long white hair was pulled up to form matching styles shaped like butterflies.

"Honored guest," they said together. They picked up two large pots behind them and brought them across the room to fill the wooden tub with steaming hot water. As she emptied her basin, then first turned to Ehlark. She said something to him in Faerie, and he responded in kind.

"I'll be back to finish tending to your wound after you've bathed." And with a polite bow of his own, Ehlark left her to be his aunts' problem.

The aunts bowed as soon as the door closed.

"Please, come and wash. The Lord is expecting you for tea."

"You will want to look your best. We will help you dress."

They both busied themselves setting down bottles of soaps they conjured out of air before they stepped back and adjusted the privacy screen. Though they turned their backs to offer her some privacy, they didn't leave.

 

[Skyler]

Her jaw tightened. He didn't understand. Not really. But she wasn't putting him off as not being an ally. Perhaps eventually. A wary gaze to the two fae as they entered.

Of course she didn't trust any of them.

It didn't make sense. If she was on the other side of the world, why had that other one been hunting there as well? Why had he been that far? And why had he tried for food so far when he had all this? As she saw more and more of this place it only brought up more and more questions. Ones Skyler would have to bottle deeply inside.

Skyler bit back any objections to the bath or her wonder at their...magic. She quietly tugged her dirty clothes off. The boots too and slipped beneath the deliciously warm waters. More appalled at herself for finding some pleasure in it.

When was the last time she'd had a warm bath?

When she was finished and smelling like lavender and something else her nose couldn't place, she quickly stepped into an awaiting towel, hunkering behind that privacy screen that seemed way too thin. A frown drew along her face as she noticed her pile of clothes gone.

"Will they be returned to me? And lord?" She swallowed. Were they dressing her up only to execute her in front of him later? The warm breeze from the window blew gently across her wet skin.

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

The twins waited patiently for her, standing side by side and only bending to whisper softly to one another in their foreign tongue. They only turned around when Skyler stepped out of the bath and addressed them.

"Your items will be mended and set aside for you here in your room."

"New clothes will be made for you."

"Our niece must look her best, even at home!"

They giggled to one another, but it was a sound of joy rather than condescension. Bright green eyes turned back in unison.

"Lord Ialels. Our brother," the one on the right explained.

"You father," the one on the left added. "Now, allow us to assist you."

Each of them held out a hand to guide her back to the vanity where now there was a neatly folded pile of clothing. Unabashed, the pair thoroughly dried her before taking away her towels and urging her to sit.

"Ehlark said he would return, but we will take care of you."

"Our nephew is kind, but he need not worry himself."

Together they bandaged her wounds and cleaned her nails. They dressed her in their strange clothing, layers of soft linen and silks that billowed away from her form like mist. Though they had changed places enough to confuse which of the identical women was which, they softly explained each layer for her so that she could (hopefully) dress herself independently in the future. Laughter was never far away, and they often exchanged a shared look of excitement.

The garments they dressed her in were long and flowy -- perfect, they ensured her, for a young unmarried woman like herself. The skirts began over her bust, a soft blush pink and embroidered with birds and flowers across her chest. The long-sleeved blouse was a gentle seafoam, the flower motif continuing across its back and over her shoulders. It was all ethereal and flowy, just like the twins', but much, much fuller and more finely made.

They set Skyler down at the vanity seat once more to style her hair and look over her face. While one brushed, twisted, pinned her hair half up and away from her face, the other meticulously trimmed her brows between twisted threads until they were shaped fashionably.

At long last, the pair deemed her fit and motioned for her to take a look in the vanity mirror. They tipped their heads in unison to have a look her over themselves as well. She was a very pretty creature, even if the fashion showcased her rounded ears.

After a moment of silence, however, their happy smiles wilted. For the first time in her presence, the pair looked somber.

"it has been an eventful day of much change for our niece," the first said gently.

"Would you like a moment of privacy before going to meet with the Lord?"

 

[Skyler]

Skyler felt color stain her cheeks as they dried her. She didn't think it was worth fighting it. She didn't really have the energy to. And a part of her bitterly thought, good, let them see the skin and ribs. The easily bruising of her skin from malnutrition. Even though she was proud of the little bit of muscle she managed to keep just from her providing for her family.

She could see her stubborn wet hair already begin to curl upwards, never wanting to ever be straight. Her pale brown eyes, pale like liquid honey with tiny flecks of gold lifted in the mirror as they tugged and pulled on that rebellious hair of hers. Dressed her.

She winced as they threaded her brows and grumbled like a grumpy, wet meadow cat.

"Is that really necessary?"

Now she felt like a freshly plucked chicken perhaps ready to be served up for dinner.

But Skyler recognized their kindness. Even as her heart raced beneath the new clothing that felt like a silky-soft embrace. Lord, father?

She found her head shaking in the negative as she tore her eyes away from the stranger staring back at her from the mirror. The clothes still couldn't quite hide the sharp lines of her bones and cheeks, her thinness. Even as she swallowed the lump that was threatening to rise in her throat as she thought of her father. The one who died when she was little, leaving her to fend for her mother and younger brother. The man she'd respected and loved out of all of them. The one that had understood her the most. The one whose death she never quite got over.

The pain just dulled over time although there were still sharp days.

But wait?

No.

She'd go mad if she did.

"No, I'm ready," Skyler managed and stood, teetering in those clothes as she tried to get used to their feel. The swish around her legs. These two were nothing like the stories. The fae that preyed on humans and were nothing but cruel. They'd been...eccentric. But kind and gentle. Mostly gentle. And they'd been the first ones that hadn't quite shown a cast of judgement across their faces. At least, for now.

She'd follow them out, trying to keep herself from gawking on the way. Those bloodstains she'd left were already wiped away and she had to wonder if that's what would happen to her. Would she be erased?

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

The aunts bowed in unison to her decision. They opened the door and ushered her out into the hall. Taking the spiraling staircase again, they led her much the same way out as she had come in.

Returning to the garden, the same regal cwn was seated once more by the pond. His tea and writing utensils were untouched at the moment, however. In front of him Ehlark sat on his heels with his hands curled into fists on his knees. His father was signing to him, but when he saw the girl and his aunts, his eyes slid over and a look of surprise replaced the hard lines of a stern expression. His father took note and turned to look as well before making a small gesture.

Ehlark rose and met Skyler and the aunts before they reached the pond. He immediately took stock of her.

"You've dressed her shoulder." His tone was annoyed, but soft. He gave his aunts an exasperated look.

"You were talking to your father." "Your sister is modest." They both answered together, the words jumbling together. Ehlark drew a long breath and released it with a shake of his head.

"Just as well. Come. Father is ready to speak with you." He held out his hand before realizing she probably wasn't keen on the idea of his etiquette. His hand dropped awkwardly and he turned to walk beside her. The aunts bowed and began back toward the house, leaning in to giggle and whisper to each other the entire way.

"Be polite. Do not raise your voice and do not fidget," Ehlark instructed quietly as they walked. He had set a slow pace and stood close, his voice hardly more than a breath. Their family had incredible hearing.

Lord Ialels sat still and silent. He was writing on a silk screen, his hand guiding the brush to make exact, smooth strokes of deep black ink in columns beside a depiction of a white dog loping between magnolias. He did not look up from his work and Ehlark knelt on a cushion across from him, touching the one beside him for Skyler. The elf waited in silence as Ialels finished the line of text he was working on and gently laid the brush on a stand beside the ink.

When he looked up, he surveyed Skyler for a moment before he raised his hands to sign. Ehlark bit back a grin.

"He says you look very pretty but our fashion does not suit you." He watched his father's hands and translated as he continued. "My sisters think of style first and comfort second. If it would make you happy, I will make sure that your wardrobe includes more articles similar to those that you wore here."

Ialels paused for only a moment to let his changeling finish translating. Ehlark glanced to Skyler before he began again. "My name is Ialels Gheye. This is my son, Ehlark Haoqi. What is your name?"

As if that comment might be received with alarm, Ialels preemptively held up a hand of pause. His smile was soft. Ehlark smiled also.

"It is safe to give your full name. You are with family and nobody will use it for ill here."

 

[Skyler]

Skyler was grateful for the slow pace. She was still learning how to wear...this. She pushed down her nerves even as she approached this new fae. From her experience with the cwn already and the stories she'd been told growing up, she'd expected claws and sharp teeth. Menacing eyes.

Instead, she was in front of a peaceful lord. One who observed sharply. He'd noticed her gait. How she moved in those new clothes. And it slightly unnerved her.

Don't fidget.

She wanted to turn her head and glare at Ehlark. It was like telling a leaf not to blow in the wind.

"Skyler," she quietly admitted. Not like she could protect her family by lying about her name. They already knew where she lived. "Skyler Pantheon."

An uncertain gaze between Ehlark and Ialels.

"Why are you being so kind to me? Aren't I a prisoner here?"

She didn't mean to be so blunt but she was. She was never good at finessing things. It made for a great trader in the markets but a poor diplomat with her mother.

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

It was somewhere in the moment between translating for his father and her answer that Ehlark realized he hadn’t asked her before. Neither had he offered his own name to her. Shame and embarrassment, a warm scarlet, washed across his golden features. His father’s steady look was telling enough, but he made no remark. Instead, he nodded approvingly at the name she offered.

Her question, however, was met with a contemplative pause before Ialels raised his hands once more. Ehlark watched his father unerringly, but there was a lapse between his signs and his son’s translation.

“Fengli intended to bring your brother as penance for the loss of my son, but you have taken your brother's place. In doing so, you are now my daughter, repaying our family for the life you took from us. Though you cannot return to your mortal family again, you are not a prisoner here. You need not fear us or anyone else in this place. This is your new home.”

Ialels paused while Ehlark caught up, but his eyes never left Skyler. There was a slight crease between his brows and he finally looked out across the pond, the first clouds of grief casting a shadow across his pale features. He sighed deeply and sat up straighter. The look was gone.

“I expect you are very confused,” Ehlark continued as Ialels did also. “If you have any questions, I will gladly answer them. But you will be afforded time to adjust.”

 

[Skyler]

His son.

That dog she'd killed was this one's son. But he'd been trespassing. About to go after the only deer her family had seen in months. But she still felt...felt something as she saw that flash of grief on his face. Even if she was hesitant to trust his words, about not needing to fear them or anyone else in...wherever this was.

Her family thought she was dead anyway. Skyler had expected she'd be killed. So never seeing them again?

Could she live with that?

And she had to wonder if there was another way of contacting them. He hadn't said anything about not being able to send letters. She'd ask that later. Maybe later.

"Adjust?" Ashy-golden brows scrunched together. "Adjust for what? What will I...will I be doing here and where is here exactly?" She'd go mad if she was just expected to be dressed and walk around like a doll all day. And maybe she should've just bowed her head and thanked him and walked away. Not push the questions. Get out of his sight before he changed his mind about what she'd done.

But once again, Skyler couldn't help it. And for the first time, her honeyed eyes flickered to Ehlark uncertainly before settling back on Ialels.

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

Ialels nodded. Adjust. She would have to, and there was a lot to be adjusting to. This was, perhaps, one of the most difficult realities of her new life, however. After this boulder dropped on her, the rest was going to be easy to shrug off.

Well. Most of it.

Ehlark let his eyes shift from his father to his new sister. She looked afraid. Frail. Confused. He looked away first, his gaze dropping before drifting back up to his father. This wasn’t the same as how he had come into the fold. He doubted there would be many members of the household having this same conflict between pity and anger; their family was very stubborn, even among cwn, and she had hurt them all greatly. It was a vicious cycle that had been going around for millennia between mortals and fae... but it had never touched their family before.

There was no more time to dwell on that just yet, however. His father signed and he faithfully continued his translations for Skyler.

“Everyone in this family has their role -- no, their purpose,” he relayed as his father corrected him. “If you do not enjoy being idle, then we will find you an occupation that suits you. You’ll be taught etiquette, the basics of our culture, and correct any misinformation you may have learned about the fae. You are fae now -- a Haoqi. Our family name is respected in both Courts, and you will be held to the same standard as the rest of your siblings.”

A higher one, Ehlark added to himself. He, more than anyone else, knew how hard changelings had to work to stand equal to their fae siblings.

The elf stole a glance at Skyler and signed to his father. The two exchanged a few words, blatantly exploiting her ignorance to converse privately for the moment. Finally, Ialels sighed and nodded. Ehlark bowed forward on his cushion before turning to Skyler. He spoke gently.

“Do you have questions, or do you want… do you want to go for a walk?” Ehlark was trying. He waved his hand as if the gesture would help him reel in the words he was searching for. “Or you can return to your rooms if you would like privacy before dinner? Is there something else that would help you clear your mind?"

 

[Skyler]

Eyes of pale gold widened. He said she wasn’t a prisoner and she was part of this new...family. A family that certainly had members wanting to kill her. And she wasn’t allowed to return to her old life. To a mother that had never cared about her. And a little brother she loved dearly.

And learning etiquette? Things about the fae...her jaw clenched. But she didn’t say anything.

“No more questions,” her eyes settled on her new ‘father.’ She’d have to learn to sign. Sooner than later. And she was tired but...she doubted she could rest.

Her back stiffened at the look on Ehkark’s face. He was struggling to be around her. Did she blame him? Anger was easier to take than pity.

“A tour of the grounds,” she stood suddenly, managing to tip her head to Ialels. Albeit awkwardly. Even his gentle demeanor didnt erase the mistrust in her eyes. The wariness that she’d learned in her village.

And she managed not to trip and fall in the long, fabric she was wearing. When they were out of hearing distance, she’d turn suddenly to the changeling.

“Am I safe here?” A blunt question.

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

A tour of the grounds. Ehlark nodded curtly and offered her a confident smile. He could do that. The manor had several gardens, through which he would begin his tour of their home. Then they could make their way by the various housing complexes before the evening meal. Perhaps he could use that time to introduce her to the basic facts of cwn life? How much would be too much today? Ehlark had a lot of serious planning to do if he was going to be responsible for teaching Skyler about her new life here.

The changeling turned and bowed politely to his father, then gestured the way for his new sister. He led her in silence out of Ialel’s garden, and as soon as they were beyond his keen hearing, Skyler rounded on him.

“Am I safe here?”

Ehlark’s initial expression was one of raw pity and guilt before he managed to school it into something less ominous.

“Father has decided that you are our family now. To defy his will would be disobedient.”

He tried to sound reassuring, but she still looked so scared. Ehlark couldn’t bear to be sideways about the truth. If she was really going to belong here, she needed to be aware of her situation. She needed someone to be honest, not sugar-coat the truth.

Ehlark sighed. He stopped on the garden path, stepped closer, and lowered his voice.

“No, you are not safe here. Many of my– Many of our siblings are upset with what you have done. It is not easy being a changeling and you’re starting from a very poor position. For now, no one will directly attempt to harm you, but it may not be safe for you to be alone outside of your room. We don’t want you having any… accidents.” He grimmaced then added, “Father has tasked me with teaching you to thrive here because I am also a changeling. If you feel you are in danger, you can always trust me; I will do all that I can to ensure that you are safe.”

That was reassuring, right? He needed to enlist a few family members to serve as her protectors. The sooner she was established in a pack, the better.

 

[Juniper]

Standing on this hot summer path with brilliantly purple flowers to her right and a sea of yellow to her left with smatterings of a white flowers she'd never seen before was so different from just a day ago. She couldn't believe it had just been a day ago. It felt like a lifetime and no time all at once. When she was in a dark, frigid wintery wood.

When she'd had a mother and two brothers, one absent.

Now she had...kress knew how many siblings. A new father? Living among the fae in this overwhelmingly strange land.

Fingers fussed at one of the sleeves she wore but her amber eyes with tiny flecks of gold locked with Ehlark's. His honesty was refreshing even if it made her breath catch in her throat and her chest tighten as if she'd swallowed a grape wrong. Even through her incredulity and shock, she recognized kindness for what it was. Even if she didn't fully trust the scarlet-haired elf before her. Even if she had no intentions of staying here for that long.

"I don't understand a lot of this," she admitted quietly. Was that laughter she heard further in the flowers? She wasn't sure. "Besides Fengli...are there others I should watch out for? And I don't understand why it-," she winced in apology.

"Why he...your brother was out there. In the woods that day. Do you know?"

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

“No, I don’t expect you do,” Ehlark replied sympathetically. He continued to listen, wincing when she did.

He quickly looked away from her but not before grief swept across his features. He crossed his arms and took slow, measured breaths until he was sure that the tears brimming at the corners of his eyes wouldn’t turn into outright sobbing. He couldn’t face her as he replied, fixing his gaze instead on a patch of blossoms beside the path.

“Ruoqin was with a turnout – a group of cwn from different families – and they lost track of him.”

Ehlark paused. Glancing over his shoulder, he wondered how much he should tell Juniper. All of it, he realized with a painful lurch of his chest. She knew nothing. If she continued to be oblivious because telling her pained him, they would both fail. Juniper had to know.

“He was a strange child, plagued by visions. I think your word for it is clairvoyant. He had... difficulties separating fantasy from reality. He would often wander, so someone was always with him. Sometimes he’d slip away, but never so far from home.” His nails picked at a seam in his tunic. “They should have been watching him,” he said quietly.

Shaking his head, he wiped at his eyes and turned back to Juniper.

“Let’s not talk any more of Ruoqin right now,” he croaked. He cleared his throat and gestured to the path. “Come. I’ll show you the grounds and I’ll tell you about our family.”

Gravel crunched under his boots as he began walking – with or without her.

“I told you before our home is called the Emerald Glade. You can surmise why.” He gestured to the lush greenery everywhere and the home with its jade, tiled roofs. “Most of the Haoqi family lives here. We are a sept, a clan. Our mother passed away last year, making Fengli the Haoqi Matriarch, but father oversees family matters until she chooses a mate.”

They departed from the garden path onto a weathered trail leading across the lawn toward an archway in a pristine, white stone wall. Ehlark stopped before they reached the archway and faced Juniper.

“I must warn you that our mother and father were blessed with a large family. For now, you need only know that you are one of 57 children. About forty of us have remained here at the sept, along with about fifty aunts and uncles who also remained. Our family is large, but not uncommonly so. You will be staying in the manor with father for a while, but much of our family resides in this quarter of the sept.”

Ehlark began to walk on, then stopped abruptly and turned toward her once more.

“First lesson in being cwn annwn: do not run. It excites something primal in them and they won’t be able to stop themselves from chasing you. No matter what, you freeze. Okay?” He waited patiently for her confirmation. There really wasn’t anything more he could do to prepare her. She was already in over her head; no sense sparing her and leaving her ignorant of her situation longer than necessary.

 

[Juniper]

She frowned and shifted awkwardly as Ehlark showed his grief so plainly. And maybe a tiny piece of her heart began to feel...she wasn't sure if she could call it remorse. Perhaps just the weight of unfairness. Unfairness with her father dying. Unfairness at the rift that was between her people and the fae. The way her family and herself were so close to starving every winter.

At a loss that this other family experienced. Even if it was by her own hand.

There were a lot of words that the redhead said that she didn't understand. Mate. That was strange.

"Fifty seven?" Her mouth dropped and the tension she'd been holding for Ehlark's tears turned into a new kind of discomfort. She hurried to catch up. Even though he wasn't fae - he seemed to move like one. And she was just, so very much human.

And malnourished as it was.

But she remained alert. Her head on a swivel as kept her bearings of where the house was. The paths. The forest she'd been brought in. So, she didn't see Ehlark when he stopped abruptly a second time. She smacked full-on into him, chestnut hair pulling free from their braid and falling wildly in front of her face.

"Umpherp," she tried to jerk back but found her feet stumbling in shoes she wasn't used to wearing and began to tip sideways.

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

She bumped into him and Ehlark turned to look at her with a concerned line between his brows. He reached out and caught her arm, steadying her.

“Second lesson: stay aware of your surroundings,” he chuckled. “Puppies won't be paying attention so you have to. Cwn take stomped paws and tails very seriously.” Ensuring Juniper was righted and steady, he led the way onward.

Passing through the arch, they were struck first by the noise, previously blocked by wards. The meadow before them was a cacophony of barks and yips and laughter, some near and others distant. Rolling lawn swept down into a low valley filled with cwn, some participating in structured games or training while others played freely. On the other side of the meadow were three long buildings with walled courtyards, all brimming with even more figures.

Nearest to them, a group of five canid figures sat together, overlooking the activities going on in the valley below. One of them turned their long nose to observe Ehlark and Juniper as they entered. They pawed at the other next to them and gave a low whuff. All five turned to look before three collectively raised up onto their paws and came trotting over.

Trotting, Ehlark noticed with relief. At least they weren’t running headlong at her. He leaned conspiratorially toward Juniper and spoke low.

“Rehr on the left, Bue in the middle, and Jahehl on the right. They're, erm, deputies? There isn't a word for it in the common tongue.” He shrugged apologetically. “Be cool.”

He had no more time for better words of guidance. The three cwn approached. Bue sat first and the other two flanked her.

“Is this our new sister, Ehlark?” she asked, speaking in the common language so Juniper could understand. Bue was very tall. Seated, she stood almost as tall at the shoulder as Juniper. Her coat was long and silky, a great patch of gold spread across her back, and her nose was a dusky pink. She sniffed the air and assessed Juniper with pale blue eyes. “She has no meat on her bones.”

Ehlark laughed, the sound tinged with nerves. “Bue, Rehr, Jahel. This is Juniper.”

“Hi, Juniper!” Rehr barked excitedly. His tail hadn't stopped wagging and he fidgeted, paws lifting and body wiggling. He was much smaller, closer in size to a very large dog than a person. His white coat was broken up by silvery spots around his face, shoulder, and tail, and his eyes were a soft earthy brown. “Do you like to play?”

Bue and Jahel both rolled their eyes, but everyone looked at Juniper and waited.

 

[Juniper]

"Thanks," she mumbled, forgetting his first lesson already and feeling her face warm at his touch. Jun couldn't stop gawking. Especially as they walked through that arch. When she didn't think her slate-grey eyes would widen any further they certainly did.

“Be cool.”

"That's not helpful," she muttered back but her words were absent of any bite. No matter how long she was around it, she didn't think she'd ever get used to these large, white dogs speaking common tongue. And just the fact that they all weren't running her down and biting into her in many pieces for what she'd done to their brother...said a lot. A lot she didn't have time to sit with.

“She has no meat on her bones.”

Juniper's throat bobbed and she forced herself to swallow, not taking her eyes off Bue.

"Food is not plentiful where I come from. You all are...very fortunate." Clipped tone and clipped words as her arms crossed stiffly over a stomach she didn't have. But there was something about Rehr that reminded her of her own little brother. And her gaze immediately softened.

"I don't really get to play much." Between taking care of her family, hunting, and trading when they actually had some coin. She found herself surprised to admit the next thing she was about to say. Maybe it's because she missed her brother so much. "Sometimes my brother and I would sing together. And I'd make up songs for him. What games do you like to play?"

 

[Ehlark Haoqi]

Not helpful. Even if Ehlark had had the time to reply, he couldn’t. Juniper was absolutely right on the matter, but it surmised what he wanted to say in the brief moment they had before their confidence was broken by the cwns’ arrival.

Bue's impression left its mark. Ehlark's hearing wasn't as sharp as his family's, but even he could hear the clipped words. The tension was as thick as butter as Bue stared down her nose as Juniper replied.

Ehlark held back the sound that nearly burst out of him, but the corner of his mouth twitched. Bue did not attempt to hide her sneer at the words. He was still trying to think of something clever when Rehr shattered the moment with his excited query. Bue and Jahel rolled their eyes. Ehlark sighed with relief.

Rehr noticed none of this. His whole body was shaking side to side in time with great wags of his tail. He licked his lips and whined.

“I love singing! Will you make a song for me?” He shook harder, and blurted on before she could reply, “I like all kinds of games! I like Fox and Hens! I really like Paw-Pops! I really really like Catch the Rabbit! Are you a fast runner? Want to play Catch the Rabbit? You can be the rabbit, and I can—”

“NO.” Ehlark, Bue, and Jahel all replied at the same time in very different tones. Bue looked exhausted and bored. Jahel looked offended. Ehlark looked nervous and the changeling laughed awkwardly.

“Sorry, Rehr. I don't think now is a great time for Juniper to play. I am giving her a tour of our home.”

Undeterred, Rehr's ears perked up. “Can I come?” Then, showing the first sign of his awareness of the climate, he glanced sidelong at Bue and his ears laid back. “I will nip anyone that tries to bite her. I am a good guard!”

Ehlark smiled warmly. “What do you think, Bue? Can you spare him from your watch?”

“This once,” Bue sighed. Rehr exploded, jumping up to his paws and yapping and wriggling excitedly.

“And you, Juniper?” Ehlark asked loudly. Rehr froze, mouth agape. He looked from one changeling to the other. “Would you mind Rehr's company on your tour?” Ehlark finished. His gold eye settled on Juniper and he offered her an encouraging smile.

She was in the house of her enemy. The least Ehlark could do to help her feel more at ease was give her control over something. This small choice would, hopefully, be the first of many as a member of the Haoqi family.

|| Juniper ||​

 

[Juniper]

Juniper's eyes darted between the cwn and the changeling.

"I.."

"Well-"

"Uh-"

"Yo-"

Lips closed and pursed. Amusement flickering in her gaze for Rehr. Wariness for Bue and the fact that she might get bitten. The human from a poor family in a small, mountain town looked up again at the sheer number of fae in this field alone. They outnumbered her village, let alone her.

A nervous tuck of hair behind a very rounded ear. Then a slow nod of consent to Rehr and Ehlark Haoqi, stepping next to the redhead as Rehr bounded and bounced circles around them. "You said this was Summer Court. Does that mean it stays warm here all the time? And...are there other courts...around here?"

Juniper had no idea how vast the fae world was.

And if she had a chance of getting out of it.