NOVEL NEXT 32. Counselled
"Of course," Maeve nodded. "It is easier to cross over at sunrise, I will have your letters sent tomorrow at dawn."
Kelly looked happy to hear that, and I smiled "Thank you."
The three of us were walking along the top of one of the castle walls, enjoying the fresh air and the mid-day sun. Maeve and several of the staff and guards were initially shocked at my scandalous lack of formal attire, but I told my fae-mother I was more comfortable like this than all bundled up tight in some fancy dress.
I got the feeling though she'd be arranging for Kelly and I to talk with a dress-maker or something, so we could come to some arrangement where the two of us were comfortable, but also properly attired.
The outer wall of the castle completely encircled the inner buildings, and passed through the tall towers. So we could tour all the way around the structure and get a view of the surrounding estate while we talked.
There was sadness in her voice as Maeve pointed out the great forest to the west. We knew that's where her husband, my biological father stalked at night. Then we saw the forest to the south. To the east and north it was mostly farmland. We could see a village to the east, and she told us there was another to the north, but it was a little too far to see from the castle wall.
She mentioned, "This is all part of the Brádaigh estate, by the way. Everything you can see from the castle, everything you can see from the top of the tallest tower."
Kelly asked, "What does that mean, being part of the estate? Does that mean it belongs to you?"
Maeve nodded, "Yes. In total it's around forty-two thousand acres. Including the forests, the farmland, two villages, and there's a lake to the south as well. It belongs to me, and some day it shall belong to Tegan."
My eyes went wide and I had to fight to keep my jaw from hanging open.
Kelly looked shocked too, but she recovered quicker. "Is that the whole 'Countess' thing? You rule all this because you're a Countess?"
"No," Maeve shook her head. "This is just my personal estate. The title is because I am in charge of the county Cathasaigh, in which the Brádaigh estate is located. The county is much much larger, over twenty thousand square miles, It is home to hundreds of villages and towns, and dozens of estates."
Even Kelly was speechless for a few moments at that. Finally she asked, "And that's all yours?"
Maeve smiled, "No Kelly. I don't own the county, I just rule it."
We were all quiet again for a few moments as we continued our circumnavigation of the castle wall.
Eventually Maeve commented, "I understand you've begun reading some of our books on magic, Tegan?"
I blushed, "Uh, yeah. I hope that's ok?"
"Of course," she smiled. Then she sighed slightly, "Normally age twenty-two would be considered much too early for one to begin their magical studies, but your development was accelerated due to your time disguised as a human..."
Kelly caught the sadness in Maeve's voice and asked "Why is that a bad thing?"
The fae woman sighed again, "As I'm sure you are aware Kelly, humans and fae age at different rates. Tegan's physical growth and development occurred at a human pace while her disguise was in effect. To us here, she appears to be just past her first century."
I figured Kelly didn't know this part, but I'd read it this morning in that book. "It means my lifespan is shortened by that amount of time. That's why changelings are usually recovered around age sixteen. That's the trade-off. You can fast-forward your kid past the annoying childhood years, aging them at a human rate, but the cost is their lifespan is shortened by that amount of time, in fae-years."
Maeve nodded sadly, "Every year Tegan remained concealed as a human, was costing her more and more years of later life."
"Fuck," Kelly sighed.
"It's ok," I shrugged. "I mean, I grew up thinking eighty years was a full life. Telling me I might only reach a thousand instead of twelve-hundred is kind of meaningless."
Maeve shook her head "There is another cost right now, Tegan. While you appear to be a fae just past her first century, you are far behind in what someone of your apparent age should know. Someone your age should have five decades of training behind them, with magic, the sword, the bow. And of course knowledge of our culture, our history, and..." she glanced at how I was dressed. "And other aspects of decorum. As it is, you're uneducated in all those subjects, which puts you at a considerable disadvantage."
She sighed once more, "People will look down on you, and some will take advantage."
I grimaced, "Ok I don't know anything about using a sword or bow. But Kelly's started giving me lessons already in some of the other things. I know it's not a lot, but I've had a couple months of training, including some magic."
She looked at me with one of those patient smiles parents give their toddler. "I'm sure Kelly has given you a good primer Tegan, but that's two months against fifty years. You have a long way to go yet. At this rate it may be another decade before you're ready to start casting your first spells."
I bit my lip and glanced at Kelly. From her expression I could tell she still wasn't sure it was a good idea to let on I could work magic.
This time Maeve caught the glances between us. Or perhaps she did last night as well but chose not to comment on it. She looked between us and asked, "What is it? You are obviously hiding something from me. I won't demand you tell me, but I am asking."
I decided a half-truth was better than trying to lie, and admitted "I can already work some magic. Kelly's taught me a few spells. I can do a glamour, and a charm spell. And she taught me how to block some spells to defend myself, though I've only practiced that with her."
Maeve looked surprised, "You've learned these spells, and you can cast them? Show me, please."
I glanced at Kelly again, then cast a glamour. I wrapped myself in an illusion of Kelly, making myself look like a perfect double of my girlfriend.
Maeve took a step back and stared, eyes wide. "It took me years to master that spell! How long have you been practicing this?"
I shrugged, "She taught it to me about five weeks ago?"
Even my voice came out sounding like Kelly's. My girlfriend's expression was a cross between a proud teacher and a slight cringe at seeing me mimicking her.
I let the illusion flicker then vanish after only a minute or so.
Maeve continued to stare at me for a few more moments, then finally said "Impressive. We still need to begin your other training though, Tegan. You need to learn swordsmanship, and we have to see if you've any aptitude for the bow."
I sighed, "Maeve, you know I'm not planning on staying here, right? Kelly and I are both going to return to Earth. That's our home."
My fae-mother's expression shifted to a sad frown. "I told you, it's not safe for you there. I have no doubt Eileen has spies searching for you. If you return there, it's only a matter of time before they find you."
"I know. Kelly and I are going to stay and deal with the threat here, head on. Once that's taken care of, we'll go home when it's safe."
Maeve gave me another one of those condescending smiles. "That's very ambitious of you both, but you don't know the first thing about Eileen, or what she's capable of. You don't know where she lives, or how to get there. You know nothing of our culture, or the dangers you might face if you were to try and reach her."
I sighed. "I get all that. But I also know you've got Liam in your dungeon, and I know there's something keeping him loyal to her. And I suspect he's got more secrets up his sleeve. If we can get him to talk, that'll be the first step at figuring the whole thing out."
Kelly added, "It's worth a try, isn't it? I mean, what's the alternative? If we can't find a way to defuse the situation with Eileen, what else could be done about her?"
Maeve pursed her lips and frowned.
After a few moments she stated, "I could raise an army and lay siege to her home. I could raise about five thousand fae within a fortnight, and be at her doorstep inside a month. She'd have very little time to prepare. It would take two to four months to crush her, and probably cost fifteen hundred dead and injured."
Her tone was as hard as her expression. It was strange seeing this small attractive purple-haired woman talking about such a brutal and deadly subject.
"The only reason I have not done so already over the past two decades, is that killing her wouldn't have brought back either my child or my husband. And after I destroyed Eileen, her family would undoubtedly declare war on me. That would draw in other noble families in the region. While I am confident of victory, it would likely take a further five years for the conflict to run its course, and the loss of life could reach into tens of thousands."
She shook her head, "It would destabilize this part of the realm and it would be a black mark on our family name. That is why I'd rather focus my attention on my child's education and training. Once you have the skills and knowledge to protect yourself Tegan, Eileen and her spies will no longer be a danger to you."
Kelly and I were both shocked, and kind of pale after hearing all that. It certainly made a few things clear to me. I had to stop thinking of Maeve and other fae by the ages they appeared to my human-raised eyes. Maeve was something like three hundred and fifty years old now, and her rank and titles weren't just for show. She obviously knew about strategy and warfare, and she also had the wisdom to know it wasn't worth the cost.
It occurred to me that maybe I should just let her know what my magic skills really were. Otherwise I might wind up being stuck here a few decades regardless, if she wasn't willing to let me leave till I'd been 'properly trained'.
After a few moments thinking things over, I said to Maeve "Ok. I think me and Kelly need to talk about our situation and figure out what we're going to do. If you could have those letters sent to Earth in the morning and delivered to Kelly's family, we'd really appreciate it."
Maeve nodded, "Of course Tegan. I understand this is all a significant shock to you both. Take all the time you need. If you require anything, just ask and the servants will accommodate you. And if you wish to speak with me, tell them and they'll let me know."
With that, she left Kelly and I as she went off to do whatever it is fae Countesses do with their time. I assume running an enormous castle and estate, and a whole county, probably took up at least some of her day.
Kelly and I were still unfamiliar with the layout of the castle, but we wandered around and eventually managed to find our way back to our suite.
We sat down together at the little table. She was looking uncertain again and I sighed.
"Are you sure you don't want to just go home?" I asked, watching her expression. "It sounds like even following our plan and trying to face Eileen head-on could take a long time. There's no need for you to be stuck here. I mean..." I felt my stomach twist slightly as I said it, "It sounds like this could take months. Or maybe even years..."
Kelly took a deep breath, then let out a deep sigh.
"Let's give it a week or two." She gave me a sad look. "I want to stick with you Tegan. But I'm not sure I'm ready to spend years here. We might have a better idea what we're up against in a week or two. Then... I guess I'll have to re-think things."
