Faerie Queen: The Consequences of Earth Magic

by:

Lilith Langtree

"You need not fear that we will not be compatible."

I almost choked at that one. "Compatibility is not the problem, Sean. I'm sure you are a great guy and all, but a little over a week ago, so was I."

Author's Note: Due to the enormous response to Faerie Queen for Life here is the sequel. You don't absolutely have to have read FQFL but it would probably help with the details about whats happened to this point.

Story:
A week, that's how long it's been, and I'm about to pull my hair out. Considering my hair now reaches down to my butt, that's saying a lot. How do women do it? I mean I have a dozen or so little flying wanna-dos, in other words Fae, that take care of every little thing for me, from bathing me, drying my hair, paining my nails, plucking my eyebrows. I think you get the picture. Even with all of these annoying little — breathe Shay — even with all of my helpers I still can't get out of my damn bedroom in under an hour! It really makes me wonder what normal human women do to make it through one measly day.

Granted, I'm the Queen. Me, Shay LeFae. Or I should probably use my new name Shaylee Le Fay, umpteen-number-of-Greats Grandson of the evil Sorceress Morgan Le Fay. Except now that I've destroyed her in her bid to kill me, I get to take over her very female body and become Queen of the Faeries — excuse me, Fae. They get picky if you call them Fairy, Faeries, etc.

I even have a Lady's Maid. Yep, straight out of Medieval times. Her name's Brigit, but make sure you pronounce it 'Brih-Jet' or she'll insure you're wearing an annoying lace thong for the day. Lace I tell you! I think I had a rash by the end of that day.

Anyway, Brigit was putting the finishing touches to my make up while her mass of wanna-dos were doing my nails. Apparently I was finally visiting Faerie today. The word had to be put out all across the world that the new 'nice' Queen looked exactly like the old 'evil' Queen before I visited. Even though the inverted pentagram necklace I was wearing protected me from physical and magical attack, from any Fae, it didn't protect me from… oh, let's say a tree falling on me… 'accidentally'.

Morgan had pissed off a serious amount of Fae in her thousand years as Queen, and now I'm wearing her body. See my problem?

I did have the advantage that Morgan hadn't set foot into Faerie in over seven hundred years. She spent all of her time developing her magical skills on Earth. Hold on a sec. I'm making it seem like Faerie is in outer space or something.

Okay, here's the world of Faerie in a nutshell: Umpteen gazillion years ago when God gave Lucifer and his minions a swift kick in the butt down to hell, he shut the doors to Heaven. Everyone who was caught in the middle, on Earth, they became Fae. It doesn't mean we're ex-angels or something, I don't know, I didn't get the full story. Anyway. When the world of man, regular humans, started taking over the place, the Fae created an alternate world, dimension, whatever you want to call it, called Faerie. It looks exactly like the Earth used to look like back in the Medieval Age. Lots of green with the occasional village, castle, whatever. You can access it through thousands of points across the world, places that normal humans can't see because the entrances are covered by magical camouflage called, Glamour.

There, got it?

Now that we're all caught up I'll continue. Morgan was busy being all 'evil sorceress' on Earth and ignored her kingdom. This is a bad thing. Fae are pretty much immortal. They do age. Let me put it this way. The body I'm in right now? Well over a thousand years old. I look twenty-five, tops, on a bad day.

So why did Morgan have to steal my will in order to live another thousand years? Easy. She never visited Faerie. That, my friends, is where the magic is, or was as is the case. It's been dying recently. In Fae years 'recently' is about half a millennium. All because her Queen never visited. It's a symbiotic relationship. When the Queen and the Land are as one then each will flourish. At least that's what I'm told. That's why there was a plot to kill Morgan. It was so a new Queen, or King, as the case may be, could be chosen, return to Faerie and thus return the life to Faerie along with its magic and glory.

Apparently Faerie is in bad shape at the moment. About five hundred years ago things started to happen. The Fae noticed they weren't able to perform their magic as they should, at least not at the strength they should. At this point the most Fae could do was minor magic. The land was withering away, turning to barren desert in a lot of places and it was very hard to even provide food for the populace. Thus a plot was born to kill Morgan and here I am.

What have I been doing with myself for the last week? I've been learning exactly how screwed up Morgan actually was on Earth. She founded a well known company, I'm not going to say the name, that would be telling. Anyway, she built up the company as a true to life evil empire. We have our fingers into every thing from simple things as farming, up to and including political manipulation across the globe. The problem is that you can't simply say, 'okay, no more evilness'. I have some good people on the problem. They'll come to me with the big issues, because it's going to take literally years to pull our thumbs out of this pie without sending the world's economy into a never ending downward spiral. Maybe you've seen some of the results as of late?

So, now I deal with Faerie.

~O~

I'm dressed in Powdered-Blue leathers. Can I get a groooooaaan? I put the full stop to wearing dresses and skirts all the time. I conceded to wear them for a purpose, not for everyday wear. I mean, if I'm meeting a head of state or something then yeah, I can do the flowing chiffon and petticoats, but for traipsing around in the grass or on horseback, jeans will do fine. Except I can't really wear jeans in Faerie. The Fae have a problem with some metals and non-organic materials. It's a rash thing, and I've had more than enough lace-induced rash to last me for a while, thank you. The next best thing is either a skirt, dress, or leathers. And of course, silly me told Brigit to make the royal colors blue; every shade there is. I forgot about Powder-Blue. I'm feeling exceedingly female today.

Brigit has this thing for corsets. I guess she doesn't think my waist is small enough and my breasts large enough or something. Yes, I have breasts. I used to be a male and now I have breasts. The novelty wore off on the third day. What can I say? There's only so much squeezing, kneading, tweaking and fondling a guy can do to himself before it just gets silly. Never let it be said that I was a prude.

So, she's got me squeezed into this tight-assed corset, a very… pretty tavern wench's top and some leather trousers. Actually it's more of a suede. Very soft. I have to go barefoot for the day. Apparently it's all the rage in Faerie. I'm joking. It's to let the Land know I'm back. Direct connection and all. Frankly I couldn't be happier. I've worn enough high heels to last me a lifetime.

I've got on about forty pounds of jewelry. Rings, bracelets, earrings, my dainty circlet of jewels that is supposed to be my daily wear crown, all made metal free. It's not that Fae can't touch metals, they can, well everything except for pure iron or what they call Cold Iron. That's a no no. But things being as they are in Faerie we thought it safest for me to go metal free for now. There was no telling what would happen, or how much magic would actually be flowing through me when I get there. Why cause problems with a metal zipper right over my crotch?

"All done, your Majesty."

I felt my fingers and toes get really warm for a second and knew that the nail fairies were done too. Nail Fae, whatever.

I nodded appreciatively. "Please tell Collice that I'm ready."

Brigit curtsied. "By your leave, Majesty."

I kept at a constant eye roll throughout the day. I just can't get them to stop with the bowing and kissing up. What can I say? They're happy that Morgan's gone and Faerie will be back to normal soon. One of the wanna-do's actually kissed my toe the other day. That was weird, and it took all of my will not to drop-kick her across the room. Not that I could have. Those little Pixies are quick.

Collice is my right hand. Or I should say Countess Collice of Evershire, Justiciar to the Realm, is my right hand. Hey, you should hear all of my titles. It's nauseating, not to mention tedious to listen to.

Anyway, she's old school, fifties style gorgeous. And she smokes cigars. That last one I can't understand. Whatever floats her boat I suppose. She's been my mentor in all things Fae related, and it's a lot, let me tell you. That little nugget I gave you at the beginning of this tale is nothing like what I received this week. My brain is about to explode at the info dump I got on my second day here.

A little knock sounded at the bedchamber door before my friend entered. Her bronze colored gown was gone only to be replaced with this little one piece boob-lifter and leg displayer thing she was wearing that would make Tinkerbelle proud.

"Ready to go Majesty?"

I gave her a sour face at my title and she grinned. "You're going out in public Shaylee. I have to keep in character."

"Uh-huh," I returned with serious doubt in my voice. Sometimes I think she loves calling me these hoity-toity names just to see my reaction. "Where are we off to today?"

"Ireland." Her eyes were glittering in response. Collice looked very excited.

I blinked in response. "Shouldn't we be on a plane or something right about now?" I really wasn't looking forward to a ten hour plane ride to Europe.

"Just your hand on the door, Shaylee." At my inquiring look she explained. "You have homes, businesses, lairs, Faerie Circles, and sometimes just plain old caves across the world that are connected to your bedchamber door. One of Morgan's more ingenious inventions."

"So I just put my hand on the doorknob and say where I'm going, then poof?"

Collice nodded. "Just name your destination and the door will find the closest portal for you to enter. The more detailed you are, the closer you'll be."

"Huh. Convenient." As an afterthought I asked, "What stops people from using that as a backdoor to get to me?"

"Only you can use the doorways, Shaylee. Others can pass through, but once the door is closed only you may open it again."

"Oh, okay. Cool enough." I patted my butt to ensure my wallet was there, only to find smooth leather. I shook my head in annoyance. I still hadn't broken that little manly gesture of repetition from my human life. So I sighed. At least I didn't have to carry a purse. That's one of the little perks of being Queen. Other people held my crap.

A knock sounded at the door and Collice answered. My personal guard entered, led by my Captain of the Guard, Lir. He was dressed in his familiar dark blue leathers which complimented his lighter blue skin color, and his shoulder length navy blue hair. He was armed with weapons of several type, including a long sword, knife and pistol. My guard were armed Robin Hood style including sword, longbow, and arrows.

"We expecting a problem, Lir?"

He bowed formally. "Not at all your Majesty. I believe in being prepared."

Which explained the additional four guards. Normally there were six of the guard, but since we were going to be cut off from the human world I would be alone and we would most likely be outnumbered. It was then that I noticed one additional member in the background.

"What's she doing here?"

Collice leaned in and lowered her voice. "Morgan's batman was under a compulsion at the time of your meeting, Majesty." Collice looked like she was annoyed at what she was thinking to herself. "However, he did perform his job very well, and he's an Ogre. His strength might come in handy."

I looked sideways at her. "Why do you keep calling her a 'he'?"

With a smirk she continued. "Because she is in actuality a he. Morgan wouldn't stand to have men in her presence except for one reason. So she cast a Glamour over him to correct that problem."

"Shouldn't that have faded by now?"

Okay, something I've forgotten to mention before. Morgan's magic pretty much disappeared when she died, but there were enchantments that stayed behind. Major works of hers that were tied to objects, like the traveling door thing, the amulet of protection that I always wore, and others were powered by her sorceress magic which lived on in me. So minor magic like the Glamour on the Ogre should have been dispelled when Morgan died.

"We really have no idea, Majesty. That's another reason the Ogre wishes to serve you willingly and well. He can't be reverted back to his old body without you ending the magic. His wife is really annoyed at being married to a human looking girl."

The Ogre was standing in the background doing his or rather her best to look unobtrusive yet unaffected by us talking about her. Whisper all you want around the Fae. We hear everything. It's a Fae thing.

I stepped forward and my guard cleared a path for me. The Ogre stood tall, for a human girl, almost six feet in height in flat booted feet. I barely stood above five feet tall in my bare feet. When I approached, her back went ridged, and she stared straight ahead at attention. "What's your name?"

Her eyes flickered down to me and she bowed. "Gnack, your Majesty."

I gave her a soft nod in acknowledgement. "Serve me well and you have my promise that I will do my best to return you to your previous body once I figure out how."

Gnack almost sighed, but smiled in relief. "Thank you, your Majesty. I am at your call."

"Good. But we're losing the batman title. It's annoyingly really old fashioned. You'll be my personal assistant. Generally the same duties, but I want you handling other things of a personal nature that I'll explain as we go along. I don't want to take up Collice's time with things that shouldn't fall under her purview as Justiciar."

Gnack bowed again. "As you wish, Majesty."

~O~

On the hill of Tara, in County Meath, on the Isle of Ireland they stood looking around. Rich green grass covered a tall hill that overlooked the flatlands of East-Central Ireland. They stood in the middle of the Forradh or what was otherwise once known as the Royal Seat, the circular fort of the High King of Ireland. There, of course, wasn't any noticeable remains of the ancient fort; only a large semi-spiral impression in the ground noted where the High King made his rule. It now doubled as a Faerie Circle. A dozen or so tourists roamed the area looking at a solitary grave marker and the areas where once stood a thriving kingdom.

"Are you sure they can't see us, Collice?"

Her smile and nod was conformation enough. "Humans see what they expect to see, Majesty. The Glamour that Lir and I cast reveal us to be nothing more than tourists like themselves. We'll cast another when we leave. None will be the wiser."

Gnack walked behind us carrying a largish leather bag that Collice had told her to bring along on the trip. It contained gifts to the town elders that would be passed out during our tour. The guard spread out encircling us, their eyes were cast all around in constant watch for threat.

Lir took the lead, directing us to a large mound of earth standing around sixty feet wide and ten feet tall. There was an open entrance to the mound that he passed through and I followed.

"Prepare yourself, Majesty. It will be like nothing you've experienced before," he said.

That was an understatement. When I moved through the entrance I felt an electric tingling course through me, along with every color in the rainbow flash across my eyes. My equilibrium was suddenly shot to hell and I nearly dropped to my knees if it weren't for Gnack's quick response. Her hands slipped under my arms and steadied me against the sensory assault.

The first thing I noticed when I was able to focus was the air. It was unbelievably clean and fresh, but dry. My toes sank into the dirt at my feet.

"Let her down, Ogre. She needs to acquaint herself with the Land."

I took a breath and nodded to Gnack. "It's okay. Let me down slowly."

Collice had briefed me about what to expect. However, even she didn't know what would happen after so long an absence by Faerie's Queen.

I still wasn't able to focus my eyes. It was like a brown cloud of smog covered my vision, that was until my hands touched the earth beneath me.

I jerked as I felt myself being pulled. Not my physical body, but something inside me, down into the soil. It's like I was a bowl of honey being spread out over the world. Thick and sweet, the Land of Faerie tasted of me relishing in the flavor of magic and life. As much as I spread across the world Faerie spread inside me, returning what it took, like some supernatural dialysis machine. It was like I was the filter. Old life and magic coursed through me and then left just as quickly, new and reborn.

The sensation of life being birthed in the earth was astonishing. I could feel trees budding new leaves, grass forming lush and green, flowers bursting with mounds of pollen exploding in the air.

I could also feel my subjects, my people, gasp with vitality anew as the magic soared through them. Little Pixies giggled, Sprites flourished, Pooka roared. All the creatures of Faerie relished in the energy and knew as one that I had arrived home.

"Majesty?"

Collice knelt beside me, her face dripping with happy tears. I lurched forward and threw my arms around her.

"It's so beautiful, Collice!" I gasped. "I never knew what I wasn't missing."

I realized then that my vision had returned. I loosened my grip on my friend and stared at Faerie. Lush green hills, every shade you could imagine, full trees, a fresh stream of crystal clear water. It was like nature on steroids.

A little twister of water shot up like a geyser extending large and powerful arms spinning round and round. A loud gurgle of laughter sounded and the water splashed back down in the creek.

My eyes widened and Collice laughed. "Water Elemental. It's best we leave them alone for now."

"I think I'll need a encyclopedia or something to keep up with the different kind of Fae there are."

She smiled at me. "There's not that many, maybe twenty or so."

"Uh-huh," I remarked. "Then you gotta list off all their powers, their lot in life, how much they hate me…"

"They don't hate you, Majesty. You just gave them back their power. If anything they'll revere you."

Gnack held out her hand for me and I set mine in hers. That's when I noticed the color of my skin. It was as blue as my clothing. "Oh no," I groaned. "Not powder-blue skin."

"It's could be worse, Majesty," Collice noted. "It could be a sickly yellow color. No offense, Ogre."

That led me to believe that the normal color of Ogre's skin was just that, sickly yellow.

"Majesty, you truly are Fae now."

I quickly looked around at my back and let a breath out in relief. No wings.

"You'll need practice to receive your wings and acquire your Pixie form, Majesty."

I looked back to Collice. "I'm fine without them. Believe me."

Turning into a women, not to mention a blue women, was more than enough for me at the moment. I don't think I could take anymore without needing serious therapy.

"Not just that, Majesty. Your Fae magic has invoked itself."

Now Collice had my full attention. "Magic?"

She nodded. "Every creature of Faerie has magic of some type. Normally several different kinds of magic, but they always specialize in at least one." She looked around the area we were standing. "Your specialty seems to be Earth Magic."

"Earth Magic."

A return nod later and she explained. "We expected Faerie to be renewed but nothing like this. It's takes time for plants to grow even with loving care. But you have restored the area to its previous glory. Made flowers bloom, trees flourish, grass to turn lush and green in the course of mere minutes."

Collice bent down to run her hand over the top of the soft dewy grass. "With Earth Magic as strong as yours you could call upon the very nature of the element itself. Create rocks, metals, dirt seemingly out of nothing. With practice you could grow crops to feed millions, alter the paths of mountains, turn a paradise into desert lands." At a final glance at me she looked thoughtful. "With practice."

"Majesty," Lir interrupted. "We have company."

I followed my Captain's eyes along the creek bed and saw dozens of butterflies heading toward us. Lir was ahead of me by several steps when a hand motion brought forth four other guards to his side. Their hands were on their swords and pistols, but Lir held a single hand high.

The butterflies came to a stop about twenty feet from him and landed on the ground. The next moment they were replaced with Fae of varied shape, size, and age. From the wizened of old to the curious of young.

One of the middle-aged looking ladies stepped forward trying to look around the Guard. "Is it she? The new Queen?"

One of the young ones, barely tall enough to pass the knees of the guards struggled to get by. "Momma!"

Collice's smile turned sun bright. "Lir, let the little ones through." She dropped to her knees as the tiniest Fae took advantage of the guard's turning to dash forward into her mother's arms.

I grinned as I saw three children, two girls and one preteen looking boy hugging their mother. The littlest one was so incredibly excited she didn't care who else saw. "Momma. I gots my wings!"

Collice mirrored her child's excitement. "Let me see, Danu!"

With a step back she squinched her face in concentration, shrunk to a little two inch girl and sprouted big beautiful green butterfly wings. She bounced up off the grass and flew in a very erratic pattern that showed she still hadn't quite gotten used to using her new appendages.

The Little Danu butterfly flittered through the air and seemingly lost control landing, to my shock, dead on my nose.

"Danu!" Collice snapped with embarrassment. "You are molesting the Queen!"

I blew a sharp gust of air out of my mouth that jarred the little Fae off of her perch with a giggle. "That tickles!"

Bringing my hand up to my nose I scooped Danu up in my palm. "You have beautiful wings, little one."

She took off from my hand and circled my head once. "Thank you!"

Collice didn't know whether to be embarrassed or join in the fun, but decided to reign her child in. "Danu, come here."

It took her a second but the little Fae made her way to her mother and shifted back into her big girl form.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty. She's still a handful."

I shook my head. "She's a child, Collice. No harm done."

The bronze color in Collice's cheeks darkened a little, which I know from previous experience meant that she was blushing.

"Your Majesty, I would like to introduce you to my children. You've already met Danu." The littlest girl curtsied very awkwardly, but cutely. Collice set her hand on the back of maybe an eight year old girl. "This one is Epona."

She stepped forward and curtsied with much more practiced grace. "A pleasure to meet you, your Majesty."

I grinned. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Epona."

She had taken her mother's coloring and blushed a deep bronze in reaction to my attention.

"And lastly, my son, Dagda."

Dagda was colored a dark green like his littlest sister and stepped forward with confidence and an air of nobility about him. He swept a deep bow to me and looked up, not quite meeting my eyes. "It is an honor, your Majesty."

I made an impressed gesture toward Collice. "A very well mannered young Fae, Collice. Dagda, I am pleased to meet you at last."

He stepped back and then stood in noble form again.

"Captain Lir, You might want to keep an eye on this one. He'll be charming all the girls at court."

Dagda's eyes widened and he flushed a shade of forest green, especially when Lir nodded in his direction. "It shall be done, Majesty."

~O~

It was later that I met Seamus, Collice's husband. A tall… well, against me everyone is tall. But he was a tall, older version of Dagda. He was just as regal and well mannered as his son and obviously only had eyes for his wife.

I was toured around the large village, meeting with the townspeople and welcomed like I didn't think I would be. We eventually found our way to Collice's home where the girls scampered off to play and Dagda sat beside his father trying his best to seem older than his appearance. I dismissed the guard to roam town at their leisure. Lir made sure they were within yelling distance and stayed behind even after my insistence he relax. I was in no danger here.

It was then that I heard the back door through the kitchen open and close. Like I said, Fae have excellent hearing. At first I assumed that it was one of the girls, but a male voice sounded in the background.

"Seamus, you lazy bastard. Did you hear the Queen finally got off her butt and graced us with her uppity royal presence."

Seamus and Collice's eyes widened. "Sean," Seamus called back. "Shut your stupid gob!"

Hearty laughter was heard from the kitchen. Seamus was up and halfway to the kitchen when the door in between opened in mid-sentence. "Everyone's all agog . I mean it's just…"

Sean stood at the doorway surveying the sitting room. Lir stood by my armchair with his sword halfway out of its sheath, Collice's face firmly planted in her hands, a gigantic grin on Dagda's face, and a infuriated Seamus bearing down on him. Me? I had a somewhat amused smile working its way into curiosity.

"…the Queen," he ended meekly.

"Shall I decapitate him now or later, my Queen," Lir asked in a very menacing voice.

Seamus reached his brother and grabbed him by the upper arm whispering harshly. "I would beg and I would beg quickly."

Sean's eyes didn't leave me, but I saw his jaw tense, set in private defiance. He shrugged off his brother's hand and approached me as if he'd said nothing wrong.

"Far enough, Sean Evershire," Lir warned.

Sean's eyes flicked to Lir's and he knelt, bowing his head. "My sincere apologies, your Majesty. Sometimes I let my mouth get the best of me."

I could see why. Sean was blessed, or I could say cursed with warm pink skin. I don't mean pink like Caucasian skin I mean pink like a warm pastel color, the opposite of manliness. That alone would probably suck the testosterone out by the gallon and into a normal man's system. Either that or he'd be a really happy gay guy. I'm guessing in this instance he wasn't gay.

I pushed myself up and approached the kneeling figure. His arms were bare, full and firm, like he worked for a living. His hair was a darker almost salmon color. It was short in the back and wispy in the front. Messy, but in a good way. Why am I giving you this much detail? He intrigued me.

No matter what people say, the people that disagree with you, that don't like you, are the ones that actually challenge you to do your best. If for no other reason than just to put them in their place, they serve a purpose.

"Stand up, Sean."

I saw the muscles on the back of his neck tense. He really didn't like me. Perhaps it was the whole idea of being ordered around that he didn't like. I'd have to see.

"Come with me. I want to talk to you."

I led the way out of the back of the house when I saw Lir in pursuit I held him off. "Stay back there. If you have to keep me in sight, fine. But I want this to be a private conversation."

His eyes scanned the area and he nodded. "As you wish, Majesty."

A fuchsia faced Sean appeared at the door, being led out by his brother. "Try your best to not be an idiot, brother."

Collice looked a little worried, but she knew me well enough to know I wasn't going to be overly mean. I gave her a wink and turned around. We walked for about fifty yards until we were under the shade of a tree that looked like a cross between an elm and palm. Weird, I know.

"Your Majesty, this isn't necessary. I know I've…"

"Call me Shaylee."

He jarred to a halt. "Excuse me, Majesty?"

"Shaylee, it's a name. My name in fact. Can you use it?"

A small smile rose on his face. "Contrary to my brother's opinion of my intelligence I can say words larger than two syllables."

Oh, a little bite out of this one. "Excellent." I looked up in the tree. "Give me a boost."

"Excuse me?"

I gave him an irritated look. "Am I going to have to repeat myself every time I talk to you Sean? I want to sit in the tree. Give me a boost."

He looked at me curiously so I huffed. "Come behind me, put your hands on my hips and lift me up. I don't weigh that much, trust me."

If I was a hundred pounds even I'd be surprised.

"I know how to give a boost… Shaylee. I was wondering why you don't shift to your Pixie form and fly up there."

Sean moved around behind me and set his hands on my hips, thumbs right under my butt cheeks, and lifted me with no effort whatsoever up to the bottom branch. I grabbed hold of the one above it and started to haul myself up when the branch moved of its on volition and raised me to safety.

I laughed a little. Earth Magic. Sean stood below and gawked a little. I guess it had been a while since magic had been so malleable. He grinned and jumped to the bottom branch flipping himself over with impressive gymnastic skill until he was resting comfortably on the bottom branch.

"Come on," I said eagerly as I waved him up. "It's been forever since I've climbed a tree."

I paused a second as my hands ran over the trunk and I felt the tree shiver in reaction. But then I reached up and climbed as high as I dared. When I came to a halt about forty feet in the air, I looked down to see Sean only about half way up. I think the tree may have helped me a little during the climb. I really didn't even think about doing it like I normally would. I just moved my hands and feet and they instinctively knew where to go to get me up the tree with as little fuss as possible.

Sean seemed to be struggling, not with the climb, but navigating the branches. So I thought I'd try something with my conscience mind. I placed my hand on the trunk and whispered. "Help him."

"Whoa!"

Branches bent like they were made of rubber and set themselves under his feet, making a natural stairway next to me.

He looked up at me grinning at him. "Well, now you just took all the fun out of it."

I tried to look bored, but it came off looking really fake. "You're taking too long. I'd think growing up around here that you might have climbed this tree before."

Sean scrambled up the last of the branches and stopped for a second to look at my bare feet swinging back and forth. I noticed that my dark nails contrasted with my new skin color, prettily.

God I think I'm turning into a girl. Well, more into a girl. Like I actually cared whether or not my nails were a good color in the past.

Wiggling his way across from me, Sean found a lower branch that made us somewhat eye to eye.

I looked down and across the glade to see Lir looking up at me with a frown on his face. "Think they can hear us up here?"

"Doubtful."

"Good," I acknowledged. "I want this to be private."

He was looking decidedly nervous, but in a 'I'm really trying to hide it' kind of way. "Relax, Sean. I don't care about what you said back there."

He nodded once. "Hence my head still being attached to my shoulders."

I giggled… just a little. It was more of a laugh, a chuckle. Really. Okay, a feminine chuckle. Crap, it was a giggle. "I'm not a 'off with his head' kind of Queen."

He looked down at the ground and then back up to me. "Off hand I think you aren't any kind of Queen that I've ever heard of, Shaylee." He paused but before I could respond he added, "A lot of us thought with you being Morgan's relation…well."

"That I was going to be an evil bitch too?"

He gave me a embarrassed shrug in return.

"Sean, are you anything like your grandfather?"

He saw where I was going with that question and reluctantly shook his head.

"Then what makes you think, me the great grand child… like two hundred greats at the beginning of that would be anything like Morgan?"

"You're right of course. My most sincere apologies."

"Accepted." We sat quietly for a couple of minutes enjoying the cool spring-like breeze before I brought up my next subject. "What do you do for a living, Sean?"

"Blacksmith is my trade."

My eyebrows jogged in interest. "Really? I'd think that would be a dangerous profession being a Fae."

"Not so much. I stay away from iron as much as I can, but even then all I need to do is wear protective clothing and I'm safe enough."

"So… weapons?" I guessed at what he produced.

He shrugged a little. "If commissioned. But I'm more of an artisan. I specialize in detail work."

"Really?" I said with interest. "I'd love to see some of your work."

He pointed off in a direction to the left of Collice's land. "My place is right over there. My workshop is in the back. You're welcome any time."

Something in me wanted to see what someone of his nature produced, so I pushed up on the branch I was sitting at and for the life of me can't remember if I slipped or the tree pushed me.

I fell forward with a yelp of surprise escaping from my mouth. Sean caught me.

"God, I'm sorry," I muttered in embarrassment. I looked up and into his dark pink eyes. "I must have sli…" That's when everything went sideways.

A very strong vision of a furnace entered my mind along with the clanging of metal against metal. I was flushed with heat. The air around me was dry. I stood at the doorway to a smithy shop watching a man pounding away at something on an anvil. The only thing he was wearing was dark leather pants and a protective work apron, his back was bare and sweat trickled across his rippling muscles.

Another clang of metal sounded as I approached and set my lips on his back, sliding my hands around his middle caressing his muscled abdomen.

"You do realize, little bluebonnet, that I am making our rings." He said.

"I don't care. I want you." I untied his apron and he slipped it off from around his head.

"Here?"

"I don't care. I want you anywhere."

He turned around and took me in his arms, bending down to kiss me, rubbing his sweat-soaked body against mine. I don't remember how, but we were suddenly unclothed and I was climbing atop him lowering myself onto his shaft. His lips devoured me, trailing down from mine and onto my neck, biting me, claiming me as I claimed him.

Minutes, hours, days passed until I was just as wet and slippery as he was. The heat was unbearable but added to our lovemaking. He made me feel whole, complete, as if I had found the other half of my soul and now could finally be happy after all the lonely years.

Then we peaked. I screamed his name in pleasured ecstasy, knowing that I had a lifetime of this in the future.

~O~

"Majesty!"

A familiar voice called me from the distance.

"Shaylee! Answer me!"

I felt fingers sifting through my hair. "Bluebonnet, it's time to wake up."

I shifted a little, complaining with a slight groan of the still sleepy. That was until I realized I was naked and curled up against a decidedly male person.

My eyes snapped open and I looked up at Sean. "Oh my god."

"No, just Sean Evershire."

I looked down at his nakedness and my nakedness. We were both naked and I was in possession of a very satisfied feeling between my legs.

I groaned in disbelief. "What happened?"

His smile was one of relief, satisfaction, devil-may-care attitude. "We've bonded, Shaylee. Got to tell you, I wasn't expecting that."

I rose up, realizing I was still naked and covered my breasts, as much as I could with my arm while I looked for my clothes.

"Majesty!" the voice came again. It was Lir.

"Shaylee! Sean!" And that was Collice and Seamus respectively.

"Go away!" I responded. "We'll be down in a minute!"

"Majesty are you alright? The tree has closed up and I heard your scream."

I looked around and sure enough the branches were cocooning us with barely any light sifting through. We were laying on a gathering of very smooth limbs cushioned with a mound of leaves. A limb shot forward holding all of my clothing.

"We're fine, go away! Far away. Um, Back to the house away! Piss off!"

I scrambled up and slid on my silk thong. "Apparently you can't wear regular panties with thin leather pants. It'll leave panty lines. Whatever! I wanted to be covered in the worst way. Sean sensed my discomfort and slid in front of me, pressing his lips against my navel. A jolt of pleasure shot through me, but not enough to sway me from my whole clothing goal.

"Quit that." I smacked him and reached for my blouse. Of all the days to go without a bra! "Get dressed."

He looked up at me and I dodged those fuchsia eyes that got me into trouble in the first place. "By your command, Majesty."

He was teasing me. Oh, I knew he was teasing me. I used to tease girls like that in college… when I was a guy!

I hurriedly put my leathers on afterward and clipped my corset up. I looked like a mess. It was very clear that I had my clothes off and of course Sean looked exactly the same as before except he had a really goofy smile on his face.

He reached over to touch me and I jerked back. "What?"

Sean raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I was going to help you straighten your clothes, Shaylee. You are obviously in some distress over the bonding."

"Oh… um, okay."

He tugged at my blouse here and there and tucked a little in one place. After stepping back he looked at my hair and started pulling leaves out. Great.

When he finished I reluctantly thanked him. "Is this bonding thing what I think it is?"

He paused at unfurling one of my curls. "Shaylee, you act as if you don't know…"

"I haven't been Fae for more than a week. I'm brand new to this. I wasn't even blue until a hour before we met."

He looked surprised. "Truly?"

I nodded and looked away nervously. "Again, you have my apologies, my love."

I jerked, as if slapped, at that pronouncement. "We barely know each other. Don't call me that."

He sighed a little. "You have just experienced the first mating ritual of the Fae, Shaylee. It is not by choice, but by destiny that we have found each other. You need not fear that we will not be compatible."

I almost choked at that one. "Compatibility is not the problem, Sean. I'm sure you are a great guy and all, but a little over a week ago, so was I."

Confusion crossed his face. "The past does not matter. You are here and we have begun to mate. There can be no other for either you or me."

I cringed at that. "I need to get out of here. I need some air." Smacking my hand against the tree I said, "Let me down."

The tree unfolded and a branch stairway led in a spiral pattern downward. When I got there Sean was just returning from his Pixie form. I really have to learn how to do that. I didn't even look back and all but stomped my way back to the house.

"Shaylee, if you doubt then look at your trail," I heard him say from behind.

Coming to a halt, I turned around and my gaze fell to the ground. You could tell exactly where I had been because there were little pink and blue flowers sprouting up from the ground winding back to the tree we were in. That isn't the telling part. It was the tree bursting forth, completely covered in the same blue and pink flowers.

A lump caught in my throat. "Stop that!" I snapped at the ground. I took a couple of steps backward, but the flowers didn't listen. "Stop it!" No use. So I ran.

~O~

It wasn't until I got back to my bedchambers, in the human world, that I was able to breath properly. I ordered everyone out of the room, stripped off my clothes, and crawled underneath the sheets.

Emotions clawed at my stomach until I released them into my pillow in louder and louder sobs. I was a guy dammit!
I couldn't be 'bonded' of all things to another guy! What the hell is it with that stupid thing anyway. Just, *plop* you fall into someone's arms and *poof* you're married, mated, whatever. What kind of screwed up Fairy thing was that. And yes, I meant Fairy, not Faerie. I'm officially a Fairy. A chest licking, guy craving, Fairy of the first order.

My body yearned for him. How screwed up was that? I felt so alone and knew exactly how to solve that feeling. I just needed to accept that I'm a baby making machine and…

"Oh, hell…"

"COLLICE!"

~O~

Brigit was wringing her hands and the wanna-dos were cowering in the corner. I was an emotional mess, and Collice was taking her own sweet time like nothing was wrong. The freaking world was ending and she's probably sipping tea with Lir laughing at how silly their new Queen is handling her de-virgining.

I didn't even know how Fae had babies. Did they lay eggs? I mean with the whole butterfly thing, who knew? Was I going to blow up, blimp size, and waddle around bitching about my back hurting?

I’m gonna kill him. Sean's dead with a capital D. Lir wanted to chop off his head… well I've got something better to chop off. Oh yeah.

I groaned and threw myself back into my pillows. Crap, I can't kill him. What if I am pregnant? My children would grow up without a father.

"COLLICE!"

~O~

I was pacing now. Silk robe was on. The wanna-dos were gone and Brigit was hiding out in the elevator alcove still doing the hand wringing thing.

I bet Fae had like a litter of children. Five or six at once. All shooting out and flying around while I'm screaming to push another one out. So there I am, laying there in the hospital bed like a package of Skittles shooting out one after another multicolored baby Fae. Whoop there's a purple one, hey how about green, nope that one's definitely red. Sean's standing over me yelling 'Push! Push! Go for the gold!' *pop* hey there's a gold one! 'Good job my little bluebonnet.'

"I'll give him a bluebonnet! Right upside his pink head!"

Brigit 'eeeped' outside the door. Whoops, said that one out loud.

I heard the ding of an elevator arriving and I stopped pacing. Collice dashed into the room and saw my red eyes and tear stained face.

"Shaylee! What happened?"

My eyes tracked to the door and I glared at Brigit who shut it and made tracks somewhere else.

"Your brother-in-law knocked me up! That’s what happened!" I yelled. "Now I'm gonna have like fifty little M&M's running around here driving me crazy!"

She came over to me and hugged me tight while I bawled my eyes out. God, being a girl is tiring.

When I finally got control of myself Collice stepped away and led me to the bed where we sat.

"Tell me what happened."

I grabbed a tissue out of the box on the nightstand and blew my nose. "We just went up there to talk. I wanted to figure him out, ya know?"

She nodded like a good girlfriend.

"Then when I get up to climb back down, I slip… THE TREE! It pushed me!" That devious little … thing, plant, whatever. "The tree pushed me into him. Can we cut it down? It caused all of this."

"What else happen, Shaylee. Focus."

I shook my head and launched into the episode. Looking into his eyes and then losing myself into the vision. I didn't go into the nitty-gritty, but gave her the highlights. Her eyes widened a the end of each sentence until she was covering her mouth.

"You bonded."

I took a deep breath and then let it out as I dropped back onto the mattress. "I'm doomed."

"Shaylee, do you know how wonderful this is?" she squeaked. "Some Fae go their whole life without bonding and you get it in your first week! It took me four hundred and twenty nine years to meet Seamus!"

She caught her breath suddenly and I figured that she finally realized that I was a guy.

"We're going to be sisters!"

Oh brother. "Hello? Is there anyone in there?" I sat up and grabbed at Collice. "I'm a guy, you ditzy girl! I like women! And I just had sex with a guy. And you know the worst part? I liked it! Saw stars, exploded in all the right places. That was the screaming you heard."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

Collice looked at me for a moment and then pursed her lips with dissatisfaction. She stood up, reached behind her little Tinkerbelle outfit and started unbuttoning. I gave her a puzzled look. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"Proving a point, Shaylee."

With an arched eyebrow I looked at her and the outfit after it hit the floor. Okay, I had no doubt whatsoever that Collice was beautiful. She had a serious hourglass figure, full in the bust and hips with that ultra-trim waist that made grown men cry.

"Go ahead. Take me."

Now I was doubtful. "Don't be stupid. You're married."

She shook her head. "We have an open marriage. It's okay. Take me to bed and ravish me."

I wanted to. I really did. I mean how often does a guy actually get the perfect girl. Except deep down I knew that I appreciated her beauty, not desired it in a sexual way. Oh god. I really am gay now.

Instead of proving my manliness I collapsed back to the bed and covered my face with a pillow.

"See?" I heard her muffled voice. "You've taken Morgan's sexuality along with her body. Morgan wasn't a lesbian. In fact she like men a whole lot. Not for company mind you, but for what they had in between their legs."

I'm doomed.

She stood and walked over to the door. After opening it for a moment she shut it again and returned to the bed to pull the pillow off of my face. Bah, the self-suffocating thing wasn't working anyway.

"I've sent for a healer to bring you a calming draught." She smiled down at me. "You'll get through this, sister of mine."

I cringed at that.

"I'll send for Sean as well. He looked quite distraught when I left. Now I know why."

At the look on my face she frowned. "It is not Sean's fault that you were bonded, Shaylee. It is the way in Faerie. If the tree, as you say, nudged you into his arms, then it is the Land that brought you two together. There cannot be a more honored blessing."

Stupid Land.

A knocking at the door brought forth an elderly looking Fae holding a crystal chalice. They really overdo things here. A coffee mug would have been perfectly fine. I took it and after wrinkling my nose at the smell forced it down my throat. Amazingly enough after I finished the glass I felt much better. Serine as a matter of fact.

I knew I still had troubles, but I was calm about it and didn't think my head was about to explode like it was mere minutes before.

"You're the healer?"

The elderly Fae nodded. "Yes, your Majesty."

She curtsied and I rolled my eyes as usual.

"Can you tell if I'm pregnant?"

Collice bit her bottom lip and nodded at the Healer who motioned me to lay back on the bed. She undid my robe and bared my midsection. Reaching into a satchel she had hanging at her side she pulled out a small vial of clear liquid and put two drops on my belly. After replacing the vial she took one hand and made small counter-clockwise motions against my skin in widening circles until I felt a tingling. I looked downward and her hand was glowing in alternate colors.

Collice was looking at my face, not even bothering to watch the Healer work.

The Healer frowned and then rubbed her hands together and started in on my belly again, this time with both hands. After a moment the tingling started again and I looked down at her hands this time. One was glowing blue and the other pink. Now the healer smiled.

"Your Majesty. You have twins! A boy and a girl."

I know I should be panicking right now. I should be calling for Sean's head on a platter, but I just didn't have the strength. Or maybe it was the calming draught.

"I think you better make sure I have about fifty of those drinks handy for tomorrow."

~O~

I remember jostling awake sometime last night in a slight panic, but something made me calm again. A warmth, a rock in the storm that was my life, something. Then the next morning I found out what it was.

My nose itched a little. I hate waking up to an itchy nose. It's just annoying. So I rubbed away at it and then snuggled in a little tighter to the body I was currently laying half-way on. I opened my eyes and saw pink skin same as the day before, but this time I had my leg securely over and locked onto his and my hand was firmly on his hip trying to pull him closer to me. The problem with this little scenario was that if he was any closer, he'd be inside me and that's how this whole mess started to begin with.

I relaxed my hand slowly and tried to relax my body, but that was slow going. I tried. I really tried to just lay there. Then I remembered I needed to breathe. Letting loose the held breath I had stored up in my tension induced state I inhaled through my nose. It's a meditation technique. Inhale the good air through the nose, exhale the bad air through the mouth, if I remembered correctly.

The thing about inhaling air through the nose is that you smell things that way. Kind of like I smelled the intoxicating scent of the man next to me. A scent that told me that he was mine. I was a part of that scent, rubbed all over him from our love-making the day before. I had marked him as he did me. That's what I was smelling.

Something else that came to mind was fresh meadows, pink and blue flowers, and the barest scent of metal, probably from his forge. I remembered the taste of him. The way his tongue felt against mine and the way his mouth felt against my neck.

"If you keep rubbing me like that, then things are going to go some place."

Damn my hand! "Sorry," I mumbled.

A low rumbled sounded in his chest. I know, my ear was right up against it. His nipple a scant inch from my mouth.

"I didn't say I wanted you to stop, my love. Just giving fair warning."

There it was again. That declaration of his. "You're going to be a father."

His arm encircled me, pulling me tighter into his embrace. "It's part of the bonding, bluebonnet."

That's why Collice had that look on her face last night. She knew. The pregnancy test was worthless because she knew I was already pregnant like she was with her first child.

"What are we gonna do?" I wondered out loud, not really expecting an answer.

"That's the easiest question to answer, my love. One week from yesterday we will be married, and in four additional weeks we will see our first child. It's as simple as that."

FOUR WEEKS!

I shot up in the bed. I shook my head and stuck a finger in my ear to make sure there was no waxy build up. "Um, excuse me. Did you say four weeks… as in twenty-eight days?"

He nodded. "Well it's thirty-five days actually from start to finish, thirty-four if we take away yesterday." Then he realized what he was saying. "Oh, sorry. Do regular humans have longer gestation periods?"

I was starting to go into full panic mode again. "Well yeah! Nine months, hello!"

He looked at me with a face of terror. "Dear god, how do they do it?"

"Painfully."

I tossed off the covers and made a beeline for the bathroom. I had a days worth of sex to wash off. "Wanna-dos! Bath!"

The first thing I noticed when I entered the oversized bathroom was the new tub. The new, two person sized tub. Even the wanna-dos were in on the conspiracy. Little Pixie bitches. I glared while they giggled away. Nobody, and I mean nobody should be this happy on a morning like this.

I let them do their worst and scrub out the errant little pieces of tree branch still embedded in my hair. While I listened to someone else come into the bathroom. One guess who it was and there will be no prize. He slipped into the tub and sighed.

"Suds are a little frou-frou from my tastes, but it's nice."

I glared at him. "Don't let me twist your arm. You weren't invited anyway."

"Bluebonnet, in about three weeks we won't be able to make love because of the baby. Do you really want to waste this time being mad at me for something that's not my fault."

My glare intensified. Pretty soon I won't be able to see because my eyes were so narrowed. "Okay, one. The bluebonnet thing… really annoying. Two, there will be no more love making. I think you accomplished your job in this bonding thing. Three, it's not just one baby. They're twins. We're having two babies."

His eyes widened at the last announcement, and he moved over toward me.

"Hey, what are you doing? Get on your side. Wanna-dos, attack!"

They grouped enmasse and giggled their merry little butts out the door. TRAITORS!

I braced myself for a punch to the solar plexus guaranteed to incapacitate him long enough for me to make my escape. Then the pink bastard kissed me. Awww, that's just not fair.

There's got to be something chemical in male Fae spit or something. It's like female Fae Viagra. After the first taste I couldn't get enough of him. I wasn't as blind as I was yesterday. It wasn't magic pushing us together this time. It was just plain old fashioned chemistry.

I mentally kicked myself for not possessing any will whatsoever when it came to Sean. Well, what do you want me to do about it?

I'm not going to leave my children with out a father, so killing him is out. I'm a proponent of a whole family unit for the children's sake. So kicking his pink butt back to Faerie is out. The final choice that wasn't really a choice at all, was that I wasn't going to enter a loveless marriage. It just wasn't an option. So that meant that I seriously needed to give in to whatever is pushing us together and make it work.

On the plus side, he really knows what buttons to push on me to make me do that inhuman squeaky noise that I seem to make when we make love. Oh the floor's soaked; we were kind of exuberant. Wanna-dos are gonna be pissed. Serves them right.