Chapter 29: 28. Convened

I think Kelly and me were both holding our breath as the heavy wood door swung open. Then into the room stepped what looked for all the world like some stuck-up old butler.

He looked like he was in his fifties, with short greying hair, and some slight wrinkles on his forehead. He was about average height, maybe five-foot-seven or so. I was pretty sure he wasn't quite as tall as Kelly. He had a bit of extra weight around his middle, but not a lot actually.

It was hard to keep a straight face looking at his outfit. He had black shoes, what appeared to be hose or at least long tight socks, then his trousers had short cuffs like he was wearing capris or something. He had a tight white shirt, and a small tight jacket. The pants and jacket were the same light blue as the pennants I'd seen out the window, and accented with purple trim.

Mister Butler approached the bed where Kelly and I were sitting, but he stopped about two meters away from us. Then he gave us a stiff bow and stated, "Lady Tegan, Miss Kelly. Your presence is requested in the dining hall."

I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Kelly spoke up, "What if we refuse?"

The butler guy hesitated, like he wasn't sure how to react to that.

A strong, confident-sounding woman stated from the doorway, "Then you become my responsibility."

Both Kelly and I looked, as a tall slim strong-looking woman entered the room.

She stood nearly six feet tall. I'd guess her age to be mid-thirties. Her short hair was strawberry-blonde, and her eyes were greyish-blue. She was dressed in what I could only describe as a kind of eighteenth-century military uniform.

Her boots and trousers were black, her jacket was the same light blue and purple trim as the butler. Her jacket's style looked more military though, and there were markings on it that suggested she had rank, like an officer. A sword hung by her left hip, and a knife at her right hip.

She gave us a very slight bow, just a little more than a nodd of her head. She didn't take her eyes off us as she did this. Then she stated, "I'm under strict orders not to harm either of you, but I can promise you will be much more comfortable and will feel much more dignified if you attend the dining hall unaided."

I glanced at Kelly, then asked the woman "Who exactly are you two? And where are we?"

"I am captain Siobhan," the woman replied. She nodded to the butler, "And he is seneschal Owen."

She didn't answer my second question, and I assumed that was intentional. There was something else I'd noticed, when the two had spoken. Like a little nagging sensation in the back of my mind, as if something didn't quite fit right.

I kept my eyes on the captain and asked, "What language are we speaking?"

She replied, "Common Fae. The necklaces you're both wearing are enchanted, to ensure you're able to communicate properly during your stay with us."

Kelly's eyes widened as she glanced down at the necklace around her neck. I don't think she'd noticed the language thing, and now she was obviously getting more anxious. She was probably worrying what other spells or enchantments might have been done to us.

I slipped my arm around Kelly's waist and said to her, "We may as well go, it sounds like we're going to wind up there one way or another."

Kelly nodded slowly, and the two of us got to our feet. She put her arm around my shoulders and I kept mine around her waist. It felt like she was trying not to panic, but for some reason I was pretty calm. Maybe it was because we didn't wake up in a dungeon, or because they sent the butler first, while the soldier was back-up.

The seneschal guy said to us, "Please follow me."

He turned and led Kelly and I out of the room. The captain followed behind us at a discrete distance. Close enough to keep an eye on us, far enough back that we didn't feel crowded.

Ours seemed to be the only room on this level. The only thing outside the door was a small landing and the staircase, which went both down and up. The seneschal led us down, and down, and down. Finally we left the stairs and went through a double door, then down a long, wide hallway.

At the end of the hall he opened a large fancy double-door, then stepped aside. He motioned Kelly and I to proceed through.

The two of us still had our arms around each other, and we stepped through together.

The dining hall was a huge, grand room that could have held a hundred people. Right now there was just one large table to the left side of the room. Only three places were set, at one end of the table.

There was one other person in the room, she stood partway between us and the table. She was staring at me and Kelly. Mostly just me.

My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped open as I stared back.

The woman looked for all the world like a slightly older me. Or like an older sister. From her appearance I'd guess she was about twenty-five. And as soon as I saw her, I knew who she was. This was my biological mother, Maeve Brádaigh.

Maeve was the same size as me, barely five-foot-two. She was petite but busty like me. She was wearing a very fancy elaborate gown in blue and green. Her hair was longer than mine, hanging down just past her shoulders. But it was the exact same shade of violet, and her eyes were like mine, aqua blue. She wore some silver jewelry, though nothing too gaudy or ostentatious. There was a fancy necklace, a ring on the third finger of her left hand, and another on the pinky finger of her right hand.

Her expression mirrored my own, except her mouth was closed tight. Her eyes moved up and down over me, taking it all in. She looked like she was fighting hard to maintain her composure.

She moved towards Kelly and I, though her eyes remained on me alone. She stopped a few paces away, and finally tore her eyes off me to glance at the door. "Thank you Owen, Siobhan. You are dismissed."

The two bowed then exited, closing the doors behind them.

With them gone, Maeve suddenly moved to me and threw her arms around me. I was startled, so was Kelly. My girlfriend let go and moved a step or two to the side, so she wasn't in the way.

I didn't resist, I just stood there quietly as Maeve held me tight. Although I didn't resist I also didn't really respond. I didn't hug her back or anything, I just waited quietly.

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Finally she let go with a sigh. She stepped back and said "Forgive me. My emotions overcame my manners. Allow me to properly introduce myself."

She sort of shifted her posture so she was standing tall and proud, which I honestly found borderline amusing. I mean she was the same size as me, so no matter how much she puffed herself up she wasn't going to impress either myself or Kelly.

She took a deep breath, then in a sort of official-sounding voice she stated "I am Lady Maeve Brádaigh, leader of Clann Brádaigh, and Countess of Cathasaigh."

I glanced at my girlfriend again. I was still having a hard time taking this too seriously. On the other hand, Kelly looked more uneasy as our hostess recited her rank and titles.

With her official introduction out of the way, Maeve seemed to relax slightly. I got the feeling she was only slightly less anxious than than my girlfriend. She looked at me and in a much more friendly voice she added, "I am also your mother."

I nodded to her, "I'd guessed that bit. And obviously you know I'm Tegan Vale. And this is my girlfriend, Kelly Connolly."

Maeve hesitated before asking, "Will you continue to call yourself by your human name?"

"Yes," I stated.

She nodded slowly, "I see... Let us eat. We can talk over our meal." She turned and motioned us towards the table.

I glanced at Kelly and she shrugged. We both followed Maeve over to the table. The way the places were set up had Maeve sitting at the end of the table, and Kelly and I would be across from each other. I was at Maeve's right, and Kelly to her left.

I didn't want to have the table in between me and Kelly, and I could tell she didn't like it either so I said "Let's fix this first."

To Maeve's surprise I slid Kelly's place-setting across the table till it was next to mine, then dragged her chair around too. That left me at Maeve's right, but put me between the fae woman and my girlfriend.

With that done, the three of us took our seats.

Maeve remained a little startled by my actions, but she rang a small bell which apparently summoned our dinner. A trio of young women in maid outfits emerged through a small door in the wall behind me and Kelly. They set down full plates of food in front of the three of us, and wine was poured into our glasses.

Before they could retreat I asked the one nearest me, "Can I get something non-alcoholic to drink? Cola if you've got it. Or juice or water."

The young woman looked nervous but bowed, "Yes m'lady, at once." She hurried out after the other two.

She was back a minute later with a glass of something that looked like fruit juice, but I wasn't sure exactly what fruit it was from. It was too pale to be orange juice. Maybe mango or something? The girl fled again as soon as she'd delivered it.

The food looked and smelled amazing. We'd each been served a few slices of what appeared to be roast beef, alongside roasted potatoes and vegetables. A rich-looking gravy had been drizzled overtop, and there were two thick pieces of fresh-baked bread on the side.

It suddenly reminded me how hungry I was. We'd been nabbed before dinner. That was probably a day ago, and we hadn't eaten since then.

Despite my appetite I held off on the food for now, and just looked towards Maeve once more.

She still had her eyes on me, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion.

She finally asked, "Are you always this calm and bold, Tegan? After having been abducted and whisked away to another realm, I'd have expected you to be a little more uneasy."

I shook my head and admitted, "Normally, no. First time I met Kelly's mom I almost wound up crying under the dining table."

To be honest I wasn't feeling calm or bold, so much as I was annoyed and acting a little defiant. By this point I had no fear Maeve was going to harm or kill us, it felt like she wanted to be friendly. However, I still saw her as one of the people who'd messed up my life then abandoned me, and now she was the one who'd kidnapped me and Kelly. So I wanted to be a little hostile and I wasn't going to act timid or nervous around her.

She just stared at me for a few more moments, clearly she had no idea how to respond again. Finally she took up her cutlery and started eating. I waited a second or two then did the same, then Kelly did as well.

The food was every bit as amazing as it smelled. The meat seemed to melt in my mouth, the vegetables had just the right amount of crispness on the outside and were light and fluffy inside. And the gravy was to die for. Everything was seasoned and flavoured to perfection. Even the juice was incredible, a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, while being light and refreshing. I couldn't place the flavour though, it was like something between a pear and a peach.

We all ate quietly for a while. Eventually though, Maeve looked to me and commented, "I'm sure you have many questions, Tegan."

I replied "Right now I just have four. Why did you abandon me on Earth when I was a baby? Why did you kidnap me and bring me here now? Why did you drag Kelly along too? And when can the two of us go home?"

Maeve hesitated, then replied softly "Kelly accompanied you here because my informants told me the two of you were very close, and I would not separate you from your lover. I know that pain only too well, and I would not inflict it on my own child."

I glanced at Kelly. We'd all stopped eating now that the conversation had resumed. I moved my right hand to take her left, so the two of us were holding hands just below the table.

Maeve continued, "I brought you here because this is your home, and because you are not safe among the humans. It's fortunate that my spies found you first. I could not risk leaving you there unprotected."

She paused and took a deep breath, then said "And it was neither I nor your father who stole you away to Earth and hid you among the humans, Tegan. You were taken from me, taken from your home, by a traitor. A man who betrayed us all, to an enemy of our family."

She sighed, "That enemy's dark magic took your father from me that same night. I lost both husband and child at once, and I've been searching for you ever since."

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