Chapter 30: 29. Clashed

Both me and Kelly sat stunned after Maeve dropped that news on us. I guess I'd let myself forget that kind of scenario was a possibility. Even though Kelly told me back in August that it was one of the reasons changelings happened, and Kelsey had mentioned a similar rumour among those her father had heard.

I think I'd discounted it because it made it easier for me to push the whole topic of my biological parents out of my head. By picturing them as some callous jerks who'd messed up my life then abandoned me, I could avoid thinking about the possibility of having to deal with them at some point. I made them villains in my mind, so I didn't have to think of them as family.

Now that little illusion had been shattered. While I still didn't actually know this woman sitting to my left, I could suddenly imagine the pain and anguish she must have felt over the past twenty-two years. Since waking up here I'd been worried how my mom on Earth would feel when she realized I'd vanished, but Maeve had been living with that pain for basically my entire life.

Kelly and I were still holding hands under the table, and I felt her give my hand a gentle squeeze. She obviously realized what I was going through, as Maeve's news sank in. I'm sure the emotions were obvious on my face.

Finally I took a deep breath and looked at Maeve, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I had no idea. I thought it was something you two had done to me."

Maeve picked up her glass and had a deep sip of her wine, then shook her head. She said softly, "You couldn't have known."

The three of us were quiet again after that. We'd all pretty much stopped eating and for me at least, it felt like what remained of my appetite vanished when Maeve delivered the news of my original abduction.

She and Kelly sipped their wine, and I finished my juice.

Eventually Maeve rang her little bell, and the three young servants came and collected the dishes. I noted Maeve only managed to eat about the same as myself, we'd both left half our food on the plates. Kelly did better, as usual.

Once the main course had been cleared away, the girls returned and topped up Maeve's and Kelly's glasses, while I was brought a full fresh glass of juice. After that, dessert was served.

We'd each been given a plate containing a decadent-looking chocolate sponge, drizzled in cherry syrup, and topped with freshly-whipped cream. Once again it looked and smelled divine, and even though I wasn't actually hungry the dessert set my mouth watering.

It tasted even better than it looked, but I was still only able to manage a few mouthfuls. Finally I just settled back in my seat and sipped my juice.

Maeve ate a bit more than myself, but like me the fae woman reached her limit before long. Kelly actually finished hers, I think she enjoyed it that much.

We all sat quietly for a little while longer, then finally Maeve stood up and suggested, "Let's retire to a more comfortable room, then we may continue our conversation."

Kelly and I wound up walking side by side with arms around each other again, as we followed Maeve out of the large dining hall. She led us through another hall, a doorway, up some stairs, and eventually we wound up in a room about the size of the bedroom Kelly and I had first found ourselves in earlier.

It was furnished with about a dozen large comfortable-looking chairs, set up in groups of four. Each cluster of chairs surrounded a small table. In the middle of the wall opposite the door there was a large fireplace, with a good-sized fire burning. The walls to the left and right were hidden behind large bookcases, filled with hundreds of books in all shapes and sizes.

There were some small, narrow windows up near the top of one wall. They were too high too see through, but they did let some light in. And the fading tone of that light told us it was probably dusk now. I figured it was around a full day since we'd been kidnapped. Keira and Amy would have realized me and Kelly were missing when we didn't show up for our regular weekly get-together.

Maeve motioned for Kelly and I to sit, while she moved to a bell-cord in the corner and rang for a servant. Then she joined us and said, "We'll have some after-dinner drinks, and continue our conversation. It's rather more relaxed I find, than the dining hall."

Kelly and I took a couple chairs near the fireplace, and before I sat down I pushed my chair up alongside hers. Maeve took a seat across from us, with the small table between her and the two of us.

We only had to wait a half minute before a servant appeared at the door. This time it was a man, he was dressed like a butler. His outfit wasn't as fancy as that seneschal guy's, and he looked younger, like in his twenties. I assumed that meant he was a junior butler or something like that.

Maeve asked him to bring after-dinner drinks for the three of us, but I spoke up and asked for more of that juice.

After the junior-butler bowed and left, Maeve asked me "Do you not drink alcohol, Tegan?"

I shook my head, "Only at home, and then not much."

She nodded slightly, accepting that. Though I could see a little flicker of pain in her eyes at my mention of home. I'm sure it was a reminder for her that to me, home was someplace else.

The butler guy returned after a minute or so with a tray. He set down small wine glasses before Maeve and Kelly, and a juice glass for me. He also had a decanter and a pitcher on the tray. From the former he poured some kind of alcoholic drink for Maeve and Kelly, and from the latter he filled my glass with more of that same juice. Finally, a bowl of what looked like mixed nuts was set on the small table between the three of us.

He took the tray and set it on a side table against the wall next to the door, then he just sort of stood there by the door as if he was part of the furniture.

Maeve ignored him, so me and Kelly did the same even though it felt kind of weird. We all had some more of our drinks, then finally our hostess spoke again. I think she was trying to make casual conversation, as she looked to me and talked in a somewhat relaxed tone.

"I've never actually been to Earth myself, although I have read accounts of the place." Maeve commented, sipping her little drink. "I know their customs and ways are quite different than what I am familiar with here. Tell me Tegan, as I am curious. What was it like to be raised on Earth as a human girl?"

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I sighed, and I could feel my cheeks colouring slightly. I felt something between embarrassment and irritation as I replied, "I have no idea. I wasn't raised as a girl."

Maeve just stared at me for a few moments. Finally she blinked once and asked, "Excuse me?"

I frowned slightly and tried not to sound too uptight about it as I replied, "My uh, the human I replaced, I don't know what the correct term is. He was a boy. I was disguised as a boy, raised as a boy. I spent the first twenty-two years of my life believing I was a man. I've only been 'Tegan', only known I was a girl, for the past two and a half months."

Kelly gave me a sad look, and reached out to take my hand again and gave it a gentle squeeze.

I realized my emotions had shifted from upset and embarrassment, to anger. I hadn't really faced that before, but it just hit me. I was angry for what was done to me and how it messed with my sense of identity, my sense of self. Angry for the childhood I missed out on, the experiences of growing up as a girl that had been stolen from me. All that was gone forever, and I was suddenly angry about that loss.

Maeve was still staring at me, her face had gone slightly pale. There was a look in her eyes that I couldn't quite place, but I think it may have been outrage or anger.

The three of us were silent for a few moments, then she turned toward the butler who was still stood next to the door pretending to be a coat-tree or whatever. She glared at him and demanded angrily, "Have captain Siobhan bring me the prisoner immediately!"

The young man's eyes widened and he paled slightly, but quickly bowed. "Yes m'lady."

Then he turned and scurried out of the room. I could hear the sound of running as he took off down the hallway.

The three of us waited in an uneasy silence now. Kelly was still holding my hand, and Maeve looked like she was trying to keep her emotions under control.

After about ten minutes, we heard a group of people approaching. The sound of booted feet echoed through the hall and grew louder as they neared. I could also hear a sort of metallic rattling noise that I couldn't quite place.

Captain Siobhan entered the room first, her left hand rested lightly but obviously on the grip of her sword. She stepped to the side, positioning herself so she was somewhat close to Maeve, between her and the doorway, but a step or two to the side so she wasn't blocking her boss's view.

Behind her, three men entered the room. To the left and right were two soldiers. They wore tall black leather boots, dark trousers, and what looked like large loose chainmail tank-tops over their light blue tunics. They both wore belts, with both sword and dagger hanging from them. Both were also carrying some kind of short spear, wooden poles about six feet long, tipped with another foot of sharp pointy metal. They were both sort of average height, and looked to be in their late twenties or early thirties.

Between them stood the prisoner. He was a gaunt, bearded, scruffy-looking man. He was tall, nearly six feet, but obviously malnourished. It was hard to guess his age, but I figured around mid-thirties. He was barefoot, wearing only a simple linen shirt and trousers. His clothes were dirty and threadbare with age. Heavy iron shackles and chains hung from his wrists and ankles, and an iron collar was secured around his neck. His skin had a sort of dusky tone, his hair and beard were dark, as were his eyes.

Maeve rose to her feet. She fixed an angry glare on the prisoner and half-shouted, "For two decades I've had my spies scouring the human world for my daughter! And you never once thought to tell me you had her hidden as a boy!?"

For a small woman, Maeve was actually kind of terrifying when she was angry. Though maybe it was less about how she looked and sounded, and more about how everyone else in the room, tall imposing armed guards included, all flinched and winced when she shouted. They were all scared of her.

Like everyone else, the prisoner flinched and recoiled when Maeve was shouting at him. Unlike the others, as soon as she stopped he acted relaxed.

He looked at her with a slightly cocky grin and shrugged, "Must have slipped my mind, m'lady."

Maeve seethed, I think she was actually grinding her teeth together. Meanwhile the prisoner turned and fixed his gaze on me, his eyes slowly moved up and down over me.

I thought by now I was used to being gawked at by annoying men, but having this guy stare at me left me feeling disgusted. It was even worse knowing that he's the one who kidnapped me as an infant then turned me into a guy and abandoned me on Earth.

He was still leering at me as he asked Maeve, "So now you've found the little miss, I assume that means I'm free to go? No hard feelings, water under the bridge, all's well that ends well?"

"Captain Siobhan," Maeve stated through gritted teeth. "Take him away. I want him beheaded at sunrise. Have his remains fed to the dogs."

"Yes m'lady," the captain gave a curt nodd, then she and the other soldiers dragged the prisoner back out the way they'd come.

It felt like my blood had turned cold. Things suddenly shifted from unfamiliar and strange, to completely surreal.

This small woman, my biological mother, had just ordered a man brutally murdered, and everybody was acting like that was just a normal thing you did over after-dinner drinks.

Kelly was still holding my hand, and she looked as pale and uneasy as I felt. She gave my hand another little squeeze and I did the same for her. I think we were both kind of horrified at the moment.

Maeve meanwhile was back to acting like nothing even happened. She sat back down across from us and had a sip of her drink, then calmly asked "Now that that unpleasant business is behind us, what else shall we discuss?"

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