#daeglan faires

[sparrowwritings]

Writing Challenge Day Nine: Abusive

Day Eight -- Masterpost -- Day Ten

WARNING: EX-VICTIM OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP/EMOTIONAL ABUSER GETS INTO A BIT OF A DOWNWARD SPIRAL HERE. SOME DEPRESSION LIKE SYMPTOMS HAPPEN BUT SHE HAS A SUPPORT SYSTEM AND IT’S HAPPIER IN THE END I PROMISE.

Something so little shouldn’t have meant so much, but as Matilda stared down at the shattered remains of the mug she burst into tears. 

Daeglan, who had rushed into the kitchen the minute he heard shattering glass, took one look at his girlfriend’s state and hugged her tightly. “There, there, it’s just a mug…”

“But it’s my fault it’s broken…” Her voice was already hoarse. She stood there limply, the solid weight of Daeglan’s arms keeping her from falling onto the shards. 

“Okay so you dropped it. That’s fine. Everything is just fine.” He kept his voice steady and calm--a rock that she could cling to even in the darkest depths of her mind. “No one was hurt, only a thing got broken. You’re just fine, Mat.” She turned around and buried her face in his chest with a sob.

Even three years after Ch--after He had left her behind, there was still a trace of Him that was almost impossible for Matilda to get rid of on her own. Even with Daeglan’s help, she still had days where she felt as if everything she was doing was wrong, and that she’d be punished for it with frosty silences and isolation. Her therapist (something else fairly new in her life--she finally took steps into seeking professional help with her problems) had warned her that such sudden bursts of emotion were normal. Expected, even. 

“Trauma isn’t something you can just cure,” Dr. Resen had said in their most recent session. “And losing even an emotionally abusive relationship is reason enough to have grief over what was lost. Having sudden bouts of emotion that are unrelated to what immediately happened is what’s known as a ‘grief burst.’ There is no way to predict when they will happen, but the fact that you’re having them in an environment where you feel safe is a good sign, I feel.” He’d adjusted his glasses. “Now this is more my professional opinion than it is strictly medical fact, but I believe that you having these bursts around your partner means that your mind feels safe enough to process the feelings you have related to your ex. You were stifled in your previous environment, and now that you have been given a place where you can express yourself, your body is reacting to it by letting you feel far more intensely than before. You’ve made excellent progress, Matilda.”

Right now, she didn’t feel like she’d made any progress at all. Matilda felt stuck, pulled deeper and deeper into hopeless despair and the quagmire of painful memories and mistakes. Only Daeglan’s warm embrace kept her from drowning. 

After a while more of sobbing, her breathing slowly calmed. *Nothing’s quite like a good cry when it comes to letting the emotions out.* She thought as she breathed in her boyfriend’s natural scent. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before Matilda gave up and returned the embrace. From the way he squeezed her a little tighter, she was sure that he’d gotten the message.

“I’m thinking we order pizza tonight.” His voice was still in her ear as a comforting rumble. Nothing at all like the sharp, almost hissing sounds of her ex’s disapproval. Daeglan’s words were just enough to keep that very same voice inside her head quiet, if only for the moment.

“Pizza sounds good. After we sweep up the floor. Don’t want the boys hurting themselves.“ She murmured back to him, feeling so very tired after all of those tears. Even if she’d felt like cooking, Matilda wasn’t sure if she could in her current state.

“We can do that in a minute.” 

The two stayed in the same position for far longer than a minute, but neither of them minded.

[sparrowwritings]

Writing Challenge Day Twenty-four: Two

Day Twenty-three -- Masterpost -- Day Twenty-five

Sometimes the first try just doesn’t work out.

Matera’s first romantic love was gradual--a growth from friendship to something more with the slowness that comes from inexperience on both sides. Those who knew him would also describe the two’s pace as glacial. Not that such things were a concern for her. She was the Goddess of the Home, after all. Steady (if slow) progress was still progress, and she had all the time in the world to devote to him.

She didn’t see the signs that he wasn’t good for her because she didn’t know to look. Once he learned of how to travel to different worlds, he would spend far more time away from Matera’s side than with her. He kept her placated with souvenirs and brief moments of affection, but his visits became briefer and briefer regardless of how much love and attention she gave him.

Eventually, he just stopped returning. Soon after, the son that they’d had together took his own path into unknown worlds. 

Her next few decades were spent in a state of heartbreak. She roamed Carégarn, helping those that needed it but otherwise keeping a distance from painful reminders of what she had lost. Matera’s main consolation was in watching the life around her as she wandered. Being reminded that life continued on despite her deep sadness soothed her.

And then she met Daeglan. Well, more accurately he met her. 

The first time was when he was just a boy and she had disguised herself as a baker. He had a very precocious crush and visited the bakery at every opportunity. Matera didn’t do anything to encourage or discourage this. She listened to him ramble on about the things boys care about and gave him free pastries when he didn’t have any coin to pay with, but that was nothing. She was convinced that he would fall for someone much closer to his age once he’d grown out of his infatuation with her.

When already-wild rumors started to mature into accusatory ones, she had to leave that particular town. 

Decades later, Daeglan met her for the second time in his life though he’d barely remembered her at the time.

Matera had been strolling through the marketplace of a large farming community, thinking about finding a place to stay for longer than her travels usually allowed when a boy had attached himself to her skirts. After a moment or two of hysterics from the small child, his frantic father came by soon after and gladly took the boy from her. He introduced himself and Jerran. She gave her actual name in return, though she couldn’t fathom why she wanted him to know in the first place. Certainly she’d given a false surname, but the impulse struck her as odd even as they parted. 

It would be much later that she would recognize that the seeds of romantic feelings for Daeglan Faires had been planted in that second fateful meeting. 

Sometimes the second try is actually the best one. You learn from the mistakes of the first, and use those lessons to help make the next attempt better.

For Matera and Daeglan both, this was absolutely true.

[sparrowwritings]

Writing Challenge Day 27: Fan

Day Twenty-Six -- Masterpost -- Day Twenty-Eight

Jerran laid on his back on the tiled floor while the fan blew cold air over his very sweaty body. Across the kitchen, Daeglan was in a similar state while sitting in a chair. The temperature had hit record highs and the air conditioning unit was out. It was all the males could do to survive while waiting for the technician.

Matilda, on the other hand, was perfectly fine.

As if the temperatures were normal, she was going about her usual activities for the weekend: namely, putting together lists and schedules for the various organizations that she volunteered for when she wasn't busy with Jer's school's PTA. On occasion, she'd pass by the too-hot men and give kisses or cold drinks to help them suffer less. It only lasted a short while, but it was greatly appreciated.

"Dad?" Jer called weakly while he rolled over onto his stomach. He shivered as the cool of this set of tiles touched his bare skin.

"Yeah, son?" Dae responded just as weakly. He took a small sip of the ice cold drink that had been left next to him. The ice was already half melted, even though Matilda had given it to him a minute or so ago.

"D'you think mom has magic?"

It took Dae a lot longer than normal to think about an answer. He blamed the heat, though he too wondered the same thing. He hadn't seen enough evidence of her having magic to know for sure if she did. Matilda herself insisted she didn't, and he believed her, but coming into powers later in life had been documented to happen. "Why d'you ask?" He asked back instead of answering.

"Cuz if she does, I wanted her to make it less hot." Jerran spread his limbs out as far as they would go, leaving a cheek on the floor.

Dae grunted his approval. "Or fix the A/C."

"Or give us some snow!" Jer's arms waved in the air a little.

"Even if I had magic I don't think I'd do that." Matilda stepped carefully over her step son's limbs. "I'm fine, after all." Both Dae and Jer snickered. "I am, though!"

"You'd be at home in an oven," Daeglan grinned.

"Or a desert!" Jer contributed.

"You two think you're funny, huh?" Matilda mock warned before she started splashing cold water on them both.

The indignant yelps, followed by a chase was well worth the minor 'revenge'.

[sparrowwritings]

Writing Challenge Day 23: Warm

Day Twenty-two -- Masterpost -- Day Twenty-four

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Matilda giggled as facial hair of her tickled the side of her face. Strong arms were also wrapped around her waist as she continued to mix the ingredients of dinner together. 

Daeglan responded by burying his face into the side of her neck. “Trying to absorb the warmth,” He responded. She could feel more than hear his voice, quiet as it was at the moment. Looking outside, she noticed the dark grey sky and wondered if the weather was calling for snow. 

Mat naturally produced more heat than her boyfriend did. This was a fact that hadn’t been noticed until very recently--when they two had started spending more time in his home than her own. Luckily winter was approaching, so the ex-military man had been taking full advantage of her living heater status. Jerran, his 5-year-old son, had also been taking to using Matilda to warm up. In the past few days she’d learned that napping on the couch was an invitation for everyone to join her in them. She also learned--once again--that both of the Faires could be pretty clingy when they wanted to.

Not that she minded. Matilda had been flustered at first, but the attention and physical affection was much appreciated.

Even if it meant she had to take longer to cook as of late. “I’ll still be warm when I’m finished here, Dae.” She giggled as he held her a little tighter. “So unless you want feta cheese all over your sweater, I think you’ll have to let me go.”

“I can take that risk.” Daeglan mumbled. 

“What about when I have to put the layers into the pan? Or set it into the oven?”

He gave a slight whine. “If I have to I’ll move...” In this moment in particular it was hard to remember that he’d been through any hardships in his lifetime. He sounded like it would take a herculean effort to separate from his girlfriend, when in reality it only took one thing in particular. 

With a gentle sigh, Matilda put the bowl she was holding on the counter in front of her and turned around her boyfriend’s arms to face him. “Just one kiss, then I have to go back to making the lasagna.” 

She’d barely made it through the sentence before Dae had pressed his lips against hers. They were slightly chapped, probably from the weather, but not unpleasantly so. Mat let herself relax against him for just a moment before finally pressing her fingertips against his shoulder and separating from him. He gave her a wide, lazy smile as his arms fell away from her. She couldn’t help but smile back.

“It’ll just be a few more minutes.” Matilda teased as she started to prep the pan. “Surely you won’t freeze in that amount of time.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see, then.” Came the automatic response. 

[sparrowwritings]

Writing Challenge 11: Booklet

Previous Day -- Original Post -- Next Day

“You know you don’t need to keep your face in that tourist info thing the whole time, right?” Daeglan called from where he was walking a few steps ahead. “You’ll run into something at this rate. Or someone.” 

Robert looked up from his reading and adjusted his glasses to get a better look at the other man. “I’m well versed in reading and walking, thank you.” 

“He used to do it a lot when we were kids,” Matilda chimed in. She was currently holding Dae’s hand as they walked side by side. 

“What, that’s changed since then?” Daeglan asked sarcastically. They both laughed while Robert rolled his eyes. 

It was the first vacation that the Sophos family had been on together in a very long time. It was also the first to include Daeglan Faires and his son Jerran. Robert had brought up the idea of going to the historical city of Capital during his summer break, but Matilda had argued that all three siblings go. It had taken considerably more convincing for her to get her older brother to agree to bring Daeglan and Jerran along. He’d finally agreed when she had mentioned that their younger brother needed someone to play with while the adults were busy looking at the ruins and artifacts that the city housed. The fact that Matilda was currently dating Daeglan was just a side benefit. Or so Robert had been assured. 

Right now, he was getting a little tired of being witness to the two of them being a couple. All the more reason to keep his face in a booklet for the whole trip, in his opinion.

7-year-old Caleb and 5-year-old Jerran, who had both been preoccupied with the display in a shop window, sprinted ahead to chase after the pigeons that plagued the city. Matilda let go of Daeglan’s hand to go after them. As he watched her leave, Robert couldn’t help but notice where the other man’s eyes were going. It reminded him all too well of the LAST man to look at his sister that way, and what had resulted from it. The booklet wasn’t very large, but he managed to close it with a loud enough thump to get Daeglan’s attention.

“I’ve been meaning to speak to you for a while now, Daeglan,” Robert began, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. There was a smudge on one of the lenses, much to his annoyance. “About your relationship with my sister.” 

Daeglan’s face went from confused to cautious in an instant. “What about it?” His tone was defensive, and he drew himself to his full height. When faced against such a physically stronger, severely scarred, and larger man, any other person might have been scared for their life. Instead, Robert chose to take his glasses case out of a pocket and use the cloth inside to wipe the lenses clean. It was best to avoid eye contact for the moment, anyway.

“Are you aware that she had been in a serious relationship before you both started dating?” Robert could feel Daeglan’s bright blue eyes bore into the side of his head. “There is a point that I would like to get to with this, I’d appreciate it if you would humor me for a moment.” He held the silver frames close to his face and squinted at the glass. The lens was still smudged. He tried to clean it again.

Daeglan was quiet for a moment before he answered. “She didn’t give me a lot of solid details, but it’s clear that he wasn’t good for her.” Near sighted as Robert was, he still could tell that he was no longer being watched by the other man. A brief glimpse through his glasses focused the shape of Faires’ face and showed it to be gazing into the middle distance. “It’s--we’re--” He sighed. “There’s times when she’ll make a mistake. Something really small, usually. And Mat’ll just, apologize for it over and over again like she’s expecting something bad to happen to her if she doesn’t. It’s only been recently that she’s let me show more than just a little bit of affection in public. Apparently the other guy--I don’t remember his name and honestly I don’t want to--didn’t like it? And she just kinda took it to heart? It’s just, really upsetting to think about.” 

Robert, having finally managed to remove the smudge, returned his glasses to where they belonged on his face. When they were settled, he gave a curt nod. “Without going into specifics, you’re right on all accounts.” He absently tapped the cover of the booklet while glancing up at Daeglan. “So you can understand my concern when Matilda insisted on bringing you with us on our vacation. 

“He--and I shall similarly not name him--had been a frequent guest of ours when we went on trips with our parents. After our father died and our mother...” Robert had to pause and turn away, as he always did went talking about his mother, but he continued, “Became unfit to raise our brother, he left as soon as Matilda had gained legal custody of Caleb. She’s done a fine job of raising him, but the emotional toll on her was quite heavy. Her burden seems to have greatly lightened since she met you.” Robert directed his dark blue gaze onto Daeglan’s bright blue one. “If my sister returns to the place where she was before she met you, there will be consequences.”

Slowly, realization took over Daeglan’s face. “Wait, is this your version of the ‘if you break her heart, i’ll break you’ conversation? Really?” A smile played at his lips. “I honestly didn’t know you had it in you, Rob.” 

Ignoring the nickname, Robert crossed his arms. “I wasn’t talking about my own ability to harm you should Matilda come to harm, though I would do everything in my power to make certain you’d suffer.” Daeglan looked like he was about to laugh. Robert didn’t blame him. After all, what was a history professor to do against an ex-military man? “I was talking about how devastated she would be should she be betrayed in that way again.” 

The laughter vanished from the taller man’s face and was replaced with sheer panic.  “I can’t--I wouldn’t--I swear I would NEVER--She means too much to me for me to--” Robert raised up a hand to stop the babbling. He started smiling, despite himself.

“This response is one of many reasons why I’ve decided to trust you. You’ve shown nothing but kindness and caring for Matilda. I might have been annoyed by the displays of affection you both have given each other, but they have all been real.” His smile grew a little wider. “It’s clear that you love her enough that you would rather die than see her truly upset. I say this having been called ‘the most love blind idiot in the known universe’ by a colleague.” 

Daeglan, who had been in a state of bewilderment, snorted. “They were right if you only just NOW noticed that.” 

“I can safely assure you that I noticed before this moment.” Robert glanced up the street, where Matilda was leading the energetic boys back down the path by their hands. “If it helps matters, I do wish to spend more time getting to know you, Daeglan. Part of my hesitance in doing so did indeed come from previous experience, you understand.” 

Daeglan looked where Robert did and his expression softened. “Completely.” Just before the three got close enough to hear the conversation he added, “You know you can just call me Dae, right?”

“I didn’t wish to do so without permission.” Robert paused. “Though I would like to say that I prefer Robert over Rob.”

“Gotcha.”

The vacation was a lot better for everyone after that.

[sparrowwritings]

The Bakery

So I made this in October of 2016 and I did something different than how I normally do. I tried to write it as a stream-of-conscious story, and I feel like it worked okay, though I wasn’t satisfied with the quality by the time I was finished. It takes place in my fantasy world of Carégarn, but because I wasn’t satisfied I didn’t feel like it was good enough to put on the blog I made dedicated to it. 

But this is a blog for my writing so I’ll put it here anyway. This involves my characters who so happen to be gods on their world and @thedovahcat ‘s mortal character Daeglan.

It started with the bakery.

At first glance the shop was ordinary, almost plain. But Daeglan knew better. For you see the bakery’s owner was the kindest, nicest, warmest--dare he say SWEETEST and most magical woman he’d ever met in his 12 years.

She had chestnut brown hair cut to her shoulders and chocolate brown eyes. If he ever dared to look into them, though, HE melted inside. She always smelled of sugar and flour, though Dae rarely saw either on her person. Her face and body were a little rounder than that of most of the townsfolk, but that suited her just fine. Daeglan didn’t know her full name; she insisted on being called “Ms. Baker” by children and adults alike. She smiled easily, but her widest and most genuine ones were reserved for him whenever he walked into her shop.

Every day, he would visit for a pastry and a chat with Ms. Baker. He’d done this since he had first laid eyes on her at the age of 8. Even if Dae didn’t have any money, she’d still give him something small and sweet to eat as long as he’d assured her that he’d been well behaved. Ms. Baker was one of the few adults that would take him seriously when he spoke, even if he was telling a wildly exaggerated story. She was also one of the few townsfolk who didn’t make fun of him for nearly gouging out his eye with a pair of scissors when he was 10(he really shouldn’t have run with those). It was as if she thought of him as an adult already, and that was the best feeling in the world.

Daeglan was absolutely sure that he was in love with Ms. Baker.

Every night he wished he had the courage to tell her about his feelings, and every day he failed to do so. Dae’s mother absolutely knew about his crush and would tease him for forgetting to give her free pastries from the bakery. Dae’s father, on the other hand, was skeptical of the young woman. He wasn’t the only one. Sometimes the boy would pass by townsfolk and overhear them discussing her. There were quite a few rumors surrounding the young woman, especially because she was unmarried and did not make any effort to change that. Daeglan didn’t care, however. How could someone so nice have a dark secret, after all?

It was on a cloudy afternoon that Daeglan walked into the bakery to find someone completely new inside. He couldn’t tell if they were male or female, but they had bright blonde hair, and wore a blue and green outfit that somehow matched the same shades in their mismatched eyes. Where Ms. Baker was round, they were thin. They reminded Dae of a clown, but something about them made him very uneasy. They were sitting on the counter with a smile as if they owned the shop, and Ms. Baker, for once, was frowning. He wasn’t sure what he’d just walked in on, but it clearly wasn’t something good.

The clown person noticed him first. “Ah! And who is this young lad?” Their voice was chipper, but still hard to identify as male or female. Ms. Baker turned to the door and Daeglan could see her face go through several unidentifiable emotions before settling on an apologetic smile. “Daeglan, this is my cousin, Kit.” She indicated the clown vaguely. “She’s just passing through,” Ms. Baker added with a pointed look towards her cousin. Kit didn’t seem to notice, opting to wave cheerfully at the boy. He nervously waved back and made his way to the counter. He didn’t WANT to be near her, but he had to be in order to properly speak to Ms. Baker. Dae held a silver piece to her.

“One please,” he said, pointing to one of the display bread rolls. She stared at the coin for a long moment as if she didn’t know what it was for. It took Kit snapping her fingers a couple of times before Ms. Baker snapped to her senses and retrieved the bread for him. Dae glanced up at Kit. No wonder he’d thought that she was a clown, she had painted on green and blue triangles onto her cheeks like a performer. Her grin was also a little too wide and toothy to be a regular person’s. Somehow the wide smile stretched further as he stared. Dae decided that his time was better spent looking at Ms. Baker’s much more pleasant form.

“What brings you here today, Dae?” Ms. Baker asked as she handed over the roll. It wasn’t anything different than what she normally asked, but he could feel the tension left over from whatever the cousins had talked about before he walked in. Dae had been planning on giving her his gift closer to when he finally had built up the courage to express his feelings, but it seemed like she needed some cheering up. He could always get her something else, later.

“Um. I got you something.” The boy took his present out of his pocket and laid it out on the counter. It was a bracelet made of bronze. A simple swirling pattern was engraved all around the outside. It had taken him months to save up enough to buy it from the merchant that travelled through town every so often. He felt his face burn as he started to sweat.

She picked up the bracelet and examined it fully. It only then occurred to him that his gift might not fit her. If he’d thought to look at Kit, he would have seen her highly amused expression. As it was, Dae was too distracted by Ms. Baker to pay attention to the newcomer. After what seemed to him like an eternity she finally slipped it over her hand. Just when he thought it would get stuck, the bracelet eased onto Ms. Baker’s wrist as if it had been made for her. She smiled at him and it was the first true smile he’d seen from her that day. “This is a very nice gift, Daeglan. Thank you very much.”

Dae’s heart was going to burst if it kept beating the way it was doing right now. He smiled sheepishly back, well aware that face was turning strawberry red. “It it’s, you know I saw it a-and I thought about you and...um, y-you’re welcome.” It was a miracle that he could even be understood through his joy and nervousness. Ms. Baker crooked a finger at him.

“Come here, Dae.” Daeglan swallowed and obeyed. He wasn’t expecting much more than the simple verbal thanks. While he’d certainly had very specific and embarrassing dreams involving Ms. Baker he didn’t imagine she’d do anything like that in reality...would she? Before his racing mind could get much farther, the baker gave him a kiss on the forehead while putting a loaf of bread in his hands. Dae’s face darkened to the color of cherries. All of a sudden he couldn’t think about anything anymore. “Now run along home, please. There’s still some things I need to...discuss with my cousin. It was nice to see you, though.” He automatically nodded and left the shop, his head too full to process anything other than the request in her words.

The very next day she had vanished. According to the townsfolk, Ms. Baker had left just as quickly as she’d arrived. Daeglan was too distraught to pay attention. His love was gone, and he wasn’t sure about much of anything anymore. His mother had assured him that one day he’d meet someone closer to his age and that he’d be head over heels for them. His father was less sympathetic, stating that he knew something must have been going on with the baker woman the entire time. There were other factors that contributed to Dae changing his name to Faires later in life, but this was one that he would not actively remember.

---------

Matera really liked this town. It was charming in its own little way. The population wasn’t so big that she couldn’t remember the folk that walked into her humble bakery regularly, but it also wasn’t so small that she couldn’t watch people walking by. Being around children again was especially nice. She’d always had a fondness for them, but after her son’s abrupt escape from Carégarn Matera had sought out a chance to interact with them to calm herself.

It was either that or spend a few decades alone in utter despair.

The ruse was simple enough. A bit of magic freely given by the resurgence of faith in the gods was enough to maintain the inventory, and any money she made went to the local sellers for the actual ingredients. Certainly Matera was odd to the townsfolk. The rumors surrounding her were thankfully more focused on her lack of interest in marriage than in her appearance or her personality. She could hide among them for a few years yet before needing to move on. Or so she hoped.

This hope was especially high because of a certain regular customer of hers. Daeglan had been coming into her bakery every day since she’d first seen his wide-eyed stare of awe when he was much younger. Matera humored the child and his obvious attraction more for her sake than his. She loved her family and she adored those who worshiped her, but it was something else to be admired for nothing more than being there in one’s life.

Nothing and noone would ever be able to replace Scorroh, but Daeglan’s innocent crush was quite charming in its own right. Matera hoped to be able to watch him grow out of it and fall in love with someone...well, MUCH closer to his age than her.

The chance of that died the minute Kitchren had materialized in the bakery, leaning on the countertop with a wider grin than usual. At first Matera thought that her cousin was there looking for trouble. Then the lanky clown spoke and she knew it was because trouble had found HER first. Kit was using her ‘you’re in a lot of trouble and I can’t wait to tell you all about it’ tone. “So I hear tell that there’s a baker in a town in the middle of nowhere--”

“Kit, what--”

“--who bakes lovely if quite simple treats--”

“Can you just--”

“--who has QUITE a few stories whispered about her.” Kit gleefully began counting on her gloved hands while Matera pinched the bridge of her nose. “She’s a mage with a dark past. She’s run away from a bad marriage. She was betrothed and left to find her true love. She fought in the war and left everything behind her. And this is the best one: She’s not human because she hasn’t aged in the five years she’s been living here!” With this last revelation, Kitchren splayed her hands to her sides and shook them merrily.

So that was it. Matera had forgotten to age herself during her time here. She’d been hoping that no one would have noticed. She sighed. “And you just NEEDED to come and tell me this.”

The clown sat herself on the counter. “But of course! You were too busy playing shopkeep to notice or care, so I took it upon myself to care for--”

“I understand,” Matera pointed a finger at Kit as her temper flared. “That you known are the Queen of Lies for good reason. You would do well to not be obvious about your lying right now.” Instead of taking her cousin’s tone of voice as the threat that it was, the clown laughed.

“You caught me there. Your brother was worried about you.” Kit rolled her mismatched eyes. “I’m sure he said something about your emotional state and when the mortals would eventually demand answers but I really wasn’t paying attention to that in particular.” She waved a gloved hand dismissively. Matera frowned. “Though he did make a fair point by saying that five years in one place is far too much time in mortal terms. It’s time to move to...well perhaps not GREENER pastures, but certainly a new place.”

While Matera mulled this over, the bell to the front door rang. Daeglan walked into the shop, greeted by the blue-and-green clown. What followed was a series of calculated actions with him compared to her much more free interactions of the past. She knew he could sense this, and he made it obvious by giving her the bracelet. It was simple, and didn’t fit without a little magic manipulation, but Matera knew that the boy had given the gift in earnest. She had to give him something back just as earnestly. A kiss and a loaf seemed to do the trick. While he was stunned silent, he was eager to please and obeyed her readily. As soon as the boy had left, Matera frowned once more.

“I’m going to have to break the boy’s heart.” Kitchren, as amused as ever, chuckled her agreement.

“You were going to have to anyway,” The clown pointed out. “Even if the gap between you was only decades wide, he’d grow out of it anyway. They always do.”

“I know.” Matera sighed. “That doesn’t mean I wanted to leave this suddenly.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Kitchren waved again. “Mortals are flimsy in most ways and humans even moreso, but you have to admire their ability to bounce back from such things. In the meantime I’ll leave you to your preparations. I’ve got more mischief to get to.” With that, she vanished.

The next couple of decades passed in a blur. Matera moved from town to town, staying when she could and blessing those she found worthy of such a thing. She could finally understand her cousin Artad’s desire to keep travelling and rarely settle. It was not a life she could sustain, however. Matera became tired of not seeing the same faces twice, of having to learn the local culture, of not being able to sleep in her own bed.

It was because of these that when she reached a town with a large farming community she decided to stay. Matera wasn’t sure what she would do, but anything would be better than returning to her true house and feeling Scorroh’s absence there. Cider would be fine. Rotin was not the best of caretakers, but at least he would not be alone in raising his little brother.

She had been deep in thinking about her brothers when the little boy started clinging to her skirts. Matera looked down, only to lose her breath. The boy could not have been older than five. He had a mop of untamed brown hair, slightly dirty cheeks and a pout that seemed too big for his small face. It was his eyes that caught her attention, however. They were a bright blue, and gleaming with unshed tears. Even from this “introduction” she knew that he was nothing like Scorroh had been when he was that age. The similarities still struck her.

Matera knelt on the dusty ground to make eye contact with him. With her softest voice she asked, “What’s the matter, dear?”

His voice was so small, so upset. “I lost my dad. He said he’d be back in a few minutes but I can’t find him and now I’m lost and and and--” Finally the dam spilled over, cutting lines into the soil on his face. Matera started to gently shush him, patting at her skirts for the pocket that held her handkerchief. Before she could, the boy latched onto her dress front and started to bawl into the material. She gently patted his back as he did so, not minding the growing wet stain.

It was when he’d finally finished crying that a panicked man dashed past them, only to double back once he’d realized who was there. “Jer!” the man scooped the boy into his arms and held him tight. Matera merely smiled and stood to dust off the road dirt while father and son talked over each other. The man was familiar. She thought it was because she half recognized the scar on his face. It was nice to see a man so devoted to his son, though, so she did not think too hard about the subject.

After a few minutes of chatter that the man noticed her and slightly bowed. “Thank you so much for finding him, ma’am. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t.” His eyes went from her face to the wet spot on her dress. He smiled sheepishly. The boy, Jer, noticed as well and hid his face in his father’s shirt. “And for, uh, handling the waterfall.”

Matera smiled. “It was nothing, really.”

The man scratched the back of his head, still easily holding his son with his other arm. Again, there was that sense that she KNEW him from somewhere. “I feel bad for putting you in that position, though. I’ve got to thank you somehow.”

Matera thought about this for a moment. “Well, I’ve been travelling for a while and I’ve finally decided that I wish to stay here.” She indicated the area around her. “I don’t suppose you know if there’s a spare room at the inn I could stay at until I’ve found a job?” He nodded.

“I can get the old man to let you stay for a few days at least. After that you’ll either have to pay or find someplace else, I’m afraid.”

“That will be enough for now, thank you…?”

“Oh I’m so sorry about that.” With the arm not holding his son, the man held out a hand. “Daeglan Faires. And this is Jerran.” Jer looked at Matera and nodded.

All at once she remembered. He had been the boy that had visited her in the bakery so long ago. He’d given her the bracelet that she still cherished. And now here Dae was, living in the town that she now wanted to live in. He’d changed his surname and had a family and now her she was in his life again.

Matera would have wondered if the gods were playing a cruel joke on her, except that she was one of them. Despite the epiphany, she managed to smile and take his hand in hers. “Matera Cook.” It was a surname she’d used on occasion while travelling. She hadn’t intended on using her real name, but it was too late to take back her words. Daeglan raised an eyebrow. “My parents were...shall we say very blatant with their naming.” It wasn’t entirely a lie.

“I can see that. Here, let me show you the way to the inn.” He hesitated a little, glancing at their still entwined hands but made no move to let her go. “And ah, I hope we can find each other again in much less tearful times.” Matera smiled at him, letting him take the lead and also not letting go.

“I’d like that.”