Chapter 159: Extras #3 (pt.2)

"I won't be gone long," I stated. "Honestly I'm sure I'll be back by morning."

It was almost dusk and we were in the meadow in the south forest. My wives were with me of course, and so was my daughter. And Saoirse insisted on coming along to keep Elise company. Which meant we also had a dozen soldiers nearby.

I hadn't bothered with weapons or gear, all I had with me were two skins full of mead and a pound of dried candied fruit, as offerings for the local pixie troop.

Kelly asked, "You're sure you want to go alone?"

"I'm sure," I replied. "I'm just going straight to the Duma. I'll hang around for the night and hopefully Taralynn will come and speak with me, then I'll be back here at dawn."

Neither Elise or Saoirse knew about the family curses yet. Maeve did, and my wives of course. I hadn't said anything about what worried me this afternoon, but I had a feeling Kelly and Keira figured it out.

I definitely wasn't going to say anything to Elise though, I didn't want her to blame herself. And obviously I didn't want Saoirse to know, I didn't want her to worry about our mom.

The fact that Maeve was still alive and well suggested that maybe I was panicking over nothing, but I had to know for sure.

On the one hand I knew the fae didn't really count adoption, or at least among nobility it wasn't counted in terms of having an heir. But on the other hand Elise shared my blood and I was positive she inherited The Morrigan's curse. Elise had to have at least as much pixie heritage as I did, and I wouldn't be surprised if she had more. If The Dagda's curse was in effect on her as well, I had to know. And I needed to know whether or not that would affect my mom.

The sun was just about touching the horizon so I told my family "Look it's nearly time. I'll be fine, the pixies are friendly, I've got offerings for them, and hopefully Taralynn won't be too reluctant to show up for a chat. I'll be back in the morning and we can all have breakfast together."

My wives each gave me a hug and kiss, then I hugged Elise and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Saoirse got a hug too since she was standing there and wasn't quick enough to escape before I grabbed her.

Then the four of them moved back a few paces and watched as I cast the spell.

A few moments later I was at Taralynn's Duma Dé. I didn't actually know the pixies here like I did the ones at the royal Duma. This was Merryweather's original home but they were the only pixie here who actually introduced themself.

I moved to the north-most part of the plateau and set the skins down along with the package of sweets, then I made my way back to the centre of the Duma. I announced, "I am Lady Tegan Brádaigh, I've brought an offering for the pixies of this Duma. I'm just going to sit here for the night and attempt to speak with my ancestor."

There was no response, and the Duma remained silent. The only sounds were from the scrub grass and weeds rustling in a gentle breeze. I sat crosslegged on the ground and waited quietly.

Within an hour it was pitch black. The constant overcast blocked out the stars, and there weren't even any pixies around so there was no light at all. I wound up laying down on the rocky ground as I waited. Fortunately it was the height of summer so I wasn't cold, but the ground was uncomfortable.

At some point I must have dozed off while I was waiting. When I opened my eyes the first thing I noticed was the stars overhead. The clouds were gone, and there was no breeze. The air was still and silent.

I assumed I was still asleep and this was a dream, but that was fine too. I got to my feet and turned around, and there she was.

She looked exactly the same. Even though it was nearly fifty-five years since the first time we met, she hadn't changed a bit. Not surprising I suppose, since she was dead.

"Lady Taralynn," I bowed. "Thank you for coming."

She was frowning at me, and I had a feeling I was in for another one of her lectures.

Taralynn sighed, "Tegan, the last time I spoke with you I warned you against tampering with the Duma again. Did I not tell you that you were forbidden from diverting the world's magic ever again? Now not only have you broken the laws of magic, you've broken laws of nature as well. You made a human into a fae. That is not acceptable."

I pointed out, "Ok you told me I wasn't allowed to take all the world's magic ever again. I didn't do that, I only took half. So I didn't break that rule. And as for the laws of nature stuff, I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything for Elise that the Gods didn't already do for the rest of us."

She didn't look happy about my defence as she replied coldly "Playing with semantics and looking for loopholes is not going to win you any points young lady. And now you're comparing yourself to the Gods?"

"I'm not comparing myself to them," I protested. "Ok maybe a little bit. But The Dagda is my great-great-granddad right? And if he and the other Gods can fae-ify a couple thousand humans, not to mention pixify a few thousand more, then I don't think it's a huge violation of anything for me to grant one single human family-member a little gift of faedom."

She sighed and gave me a dark look. "And that is why you're here now. A year after you've done it and only now you're finally considering what the consequences might be."

That cold heavy feeling was back in my stomach again and I sighed. "I didn't consider it before, because I knew adoption wasn't 'real' as far as the fae are concerned. When it comes to a 'real' heir, only a biological child is considered eligible. And you know as well as I do, I did not give birth to Elise."

"Tegan," my great-grandmother stated with a frown, "Not only have you violated the spirit of my father's order that you not hijack the world's magic ever again, you've also bypassed the curse he placed upon our family. You may not have given birth to Elise but thanks to your magic she shares our blood. In the eyes of the Gods, she is as much a Brádaigh as you are. She is your child. And by making her your child, you've given your mother a granddaughter. Do you know what that means?"

My blood turned to ice and my stomach grew even colder, like it was filled with frozen lead. I could imagine all kinds of ways the Gods might seek vengeance for this, and most of them involved my mother's life.

I shook my head and pleaded, "Don't take this out on Maeve. Please! She had nothing to do with it, you know that. The Dagda knows that! I did it at the Royal Duma, both him and The Morrigan could have intervened if they didn't want me to do it. And you can't take this out on Elise either, she's innocent. If anyone has to pay the price, you know it can only be me."

"No Tegan," she replied with a shake of her head. "That's not what it means at all. It means you've broken the curse. A leader of Clann Brádaigh has now met their grand-child. The Dagda's curse is lifted."

I must have stared at her for at least a full minute as her words sank in. I'd been expecting her to tell me the Gods were going to condemn or even kill my mother. Or that they'd take their wrath out on me instead. From Taralynn's tone and expression I was prepared to hear the worst. I was even prepared to challenge the Gods directly if I had to.

The thing I wasn't prepared for was to be told I'd actually broken The Dagda's curse and freed our family.

I finally breathed a deep sigh, "So Maeve's ok? She's not going to meet some untimely death because of me?"

"No Tegan," my great-grandmother replied. "Your mother is fine. She'll have a long and peaceful life, assuming neither you or your child drives her to an early grave with your antics. Neither Maeve nor yourself, nor your sister or your daughter need to worry about The Dagda's curse any longer. You and Saoirse may raise families of your own when you are ready, and Maeve will be there to share in your joy."

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My expression shifted into a wide smile, and the cold in my stomach faded. I was speechless again for a few moments as a feeling of relief washed over me.

I was still far too immature and irresponsible to have a baby, but it was a tremendous weight off my shoulders knowing that when the time came and I was ready for it, I could have a child without worrying about or risking my mother's life.

"What about The Morrigan's curse?" I asked, when I finally found my voice again. "Saoirse is already free of that right? She's a normal fae. Elise has the purple hair and the small size though, so I'm sure she's affected?"

Taralynn stated, "The Morrigan does not speak to me or through me Tegan. As you've already determined, Saoirse is free of her curse. However I believe it will remain with your line, while Saoirse's children will be spared."

"Right," I sighed. Then I grinned and added, "I guess breaking one divine curse is enough. For now at least."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Tegan? Don't push your luck."

"Sorry," I tried to act suitably chastised. "Thank you Lady Taralynn. I'm grateful for the news you've given me, and for The Dagda's mercy in allowing his curse come to an end. I'll pass this information on to my mother, I'm sure she'll be relieved."

• • • • •

"That is very good news Tegan," my mother stated with a smile. "You don't know how happy that makes me."

I smiled as well, "I'm pretty happy about it too."

Kelly and Keira looked like they both agreed whole-heartedly.

The four of us were in my mom's private sitting room and the door was closed. When I got back from the Duma this morning I let my mom and wives know we needed to have a private conversation.

We all had breakfast together, along with my dad and Saoirse and Elise. Now the two teens were probably up to no good somewhere else in the castle and dad was off doing whatever he did when mom was busy. Probably looking at maps again, he had a thing for geography. And I'd just given my mom and wives the good news about The Dagda's curse being broken.

Kelly asked, "What about the other curse?"

I grimaced slightly, "That's sort of a mixed bag. Saoirse is free of it. I knew as soon as she was born, as soon as I saw her blonde hair she wasn't affected by The Morrigan's curse. I am of course, and so is Elise. And as you can probably guess, Elise has it worse than me since she's another generation beyond. If I have more kids they'll likely have it the same as she does, and any grand-kids of mine will have it even worse."

Maeve frowned as she considered that. Kelly and Keira were both quiet as well.

I added, "Don't look too upset ok? Who knows, maybe I'll figure out how to break that curse too."

My mom gave me a stern look and stated "Don't tempt the Gods, Tegan. You know you got lucky this time, don't act like this was some brilliant scheme or plot to outsmart The Dagda."

"I know," I blushed. "Sorry mom."

After a pause I added, "Do you know what it means though? Elise being affected by The Morrigan's curse?"

"What's it mean, cutie?" Keira asked.

I smiled, "In the eyes of the Gods, she really is my daughter. Taralynn actually said Elise is as much a Brádaigh as I am."

My wives both smiled as well, and Kelly commented "That's good news. And it must feel very validating, knowing the Gods themselves agree that she's yours."

"It is," I grinned. "And it does."

While me and my wives were smiling, my mom wore a thoughtful frown.

"Did Taralynn actually say that?" mom asked. "That the Gods see Elise as your child?"

I confirmed, "Yes mom. Those were her exact words. In the eyes of the Gods she's my child, and as much a Brádaigh as I am."

Mom continued to look thoughtful as she considered that. Finally she nodded, "That is good news Tegan. I'm sure you must be very happy that the Gods have endorsed her as your daughter."

Hearing her say that made me smile a little wider. I'd been worried right from the start how she'd react about Elise, and initially she wasn't too happy. Both because of the whole adoption thing, and because she didn't consider my girl to be a 'real fae'. Now it sounded like mom might be changing her mind.

"Thanks mom. You know I'm grateful you accepted her as my girl, and as part of our family."

"Speaking of," Kelly added as she looked from me to Maeve, "Elise asked if she could stay here for now, while the three of us head back to take care of business on Earth. I hope you don't mind looking after her for a couple months?"

Mom shook her head, "I don't mind. Despite my initial misgivings, and despite the amount of trouble she manages to drag Saoirse into, she's mostly a good girl. And at any rate, Saoirse would never forgive me if I sent her best friend away."

I grinned, "Thanks mom."

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