Courting Life
Chapter 9: Family
A/N: This took longer than expected to write, and it skips around a bit, but at last it's here and I hope you enjoy!
Also, if you're interested, I've started another fic called Managing which is Harry/Lucius. Check it out if you like. :)
"He . . . he looks like Nethanar and I do," Trichon said, frowning. "However, he is older, old enough to be Írdir . . ." he trailed off looking at me and seeming to wait.
I looked at my father who nodded and smiled, then at my mother you beamed, her eyes sparkling almost as if she was holding back tears, before letting out the breath I hadn't even realized that I had been holding.
"He look very much like yourself and Nethan, Tri," he said as he stood, "because he is your brother also. His name is Írdir, and he has come home to us at last."
"My son has been found and has come home to us," Mírdaer repeated, raising a hand, which just barely trembled, to cup my cheek in his palm.
Standing so close to my father I realized that, while from a distance we had looked incredibly similar, looking at him closer we didn't really look very much alike besides our hair color and our lithe builds. My father was a good head taller than myself, and had eyes that seemed to be a mixture of blue and grey with just the slightest upturn, high cheek bones, and evenly tan skin, he was also tall with the typical pointed elf ears. He looked fairly young as well which confused me as I knew that he was at the very least about thirty-five years old, however he didn't look older than his mid- or maybe even lower-twenties.
My father, during the time in which I was looking him over closely, was observing me as well with a slight frown, his hand which had been resting on my cheek now on my shoulder.
"There seems to be some kind of, of glamour over you, my son," he said. "Would you mind very much if I were to remove it?"
I shook my head negatively. "No, of course not . . . father," I replied, the word feeling odd in my mouth.
He brought his hand up, placing his palm over the center of my forehead and closed his eyes, his lips moving quickly. A white light flared up all around me and with a sudden jerk in the pit of my stomach I gasped, my eyes flying open before I even registered that they had been closed in the first place, my sight slightly blurry. My legs began to feel weak and as they began to shake someone moved to support me, allowing me to lean against their side as they wrapped an arm around my midsection.
It seemed like much longer than I knew it actually was before everything came back into focus. I smiled gratefully at the person at my side supporting me, who turned out to be Húron. "Are you alright, your highness?" he asked quietly.
Slowly, I nodded. "Yes," I replied, frowning slightly thinking that my voice sounded off, not even bothering to worry about the title he had used for the moment - there were more important things to think about. "Yes, I believe I am alright."
My father commented, "Your voice is different, a bit higher."
I looked at him, my frown deepening at having my thought being confirmed. "Is the glamour gone?" I asked as Húron led me, a bit unsteadily on my part, to an empty chair.
"Oh yes," he replied with a nod as I leaned heavily against the back of the chair. "You may wish to take a look at yourself, I am afraid that being told will not do the changes revealed justice."
Not a second later a mirror appeared hovering a couple of feet in front of me causing me to blink in surprise. It hadn't occurred to me that elves would have magic different than witches and wizards, but having a mirror appear without use of a wand or spell made me pause to consider the fact before deciding that I would think on it more later.
Having pushed my surprise from my mind I took a look at myself in the mirror. Despite what my father had said about my appearance changing I was still taken aback by the person staring back at me.
I looked . . . smaller and, for lack of a better descriptive word, almost feminine. I was certainly shorter, by a good amount - maybe a handful of inches - that much was obvious and my hair was also longer, not too long but just past my shoulders, and had just the slightest wavy curl about it as it framed my face. My face had also changed, my cheekbones were higher my nose smaller and my eyes, previously a simple green color, much like Lily Potter's made been, looked a lot larger and with the contrast of pale skin, dark lashes and my long dark hair stood out like emeralds with glints of silvery grey, a beautiful mix of my parents' eyes. When I tilted my head to the side my eyes widened, seeing the definite point of my ear through my hair; immediately I brushed my hair back behind my ears.
"Oh," I breathed.
"Hm." I looked up at the humming noise, realizing that my mother was standing beside the mirror with the baby still in her arms, a considering and thoughtful look on her face. "From your appearance I would guess that Fanor was correct in what he told us after you were born, you do have the typical features of a submissive; a few simple tells," she said thoughtfully. At my confused look and raised eyebrows she added, "It is nothing to worry about, honestly. We will explain everything to you later, however for now, how would you like to meet your brothers and sisters?"
I nodded immediately. "Of course," I replied, excited at the prospect of meeting my siblings, yet also nervous about what their opinions of me would be.
She beamed at me and motioned me forward, shifting the infant in her arms and revealing a small tuft of curly hair which looked to be black or possibly a very dark brown color. "This is our youngest - for the moment that it. Her name is Bainith, however we have taken to calling her Bain, the twins call her Benny," she added, smiling fondly at the toddlers still playing on the floor, both with brown hair a slightly darker shade than our mother's. "The twins are the next youngest. The oldest is on the left, that is Arthor and the youngest on the right is Arion." When their names were spoken the twins looked up at us with curious bright blue eyes as if silently asking what they had done to be spoken of, to which I smiled and gave a small wave causing them both the giggle and wave back enthusiastically before going back to their toy.
My mother laughed and I smiled a bit shyly in return before she continued. "Then is Thianith, or Tia as we more often call her," she went on, pointing to the younger of the two girls sitting at one of the tables who nearly looked like a younger, female version of myself with eyes a paler color green than mine and hair that fell in perfectly formed curls, partially pulled back with a sparkly clip. She, like her older siblings, was watching me closely - having stopped her drawing for the moment - and waved when she was introduced, smiling brightly at me.
"Across from her is Duvainthel, or Vainia, our oldest daughter," my father broke in. Vainia grinned and saluted me with the quill she had previously been writing with, she looked very much like Thianith but her hair was a lighter brown and her eyes a bit brighter in color.
"Over at the piano is Nethanar, or Nate as we call him, and Trichon is the oldest after you," my mother finished, her eyes now back on me after introducing the two oldest other than myself.
I was wide-eyed as I looked around the room at my family - the men who had retrieved me having moved back to give us a show of privacy as they had not yet been given permission to leave. From the two boys that looked so like myself, to the baby in my mother's arms and to my parents themselves I was honestly struck speechless, this was my family - my real family - who I had only just met and I couldn't seem to find the words, despite trying.
Clearing my throat I said finally, hearing the roughness despite the now higher pitch, "I am not sure what to say, only hours ago I had thought I was an only child - by different parents who hated me for something that was not my fault no less. I am afraid that saying 'hello' and 'I am very happy to meet you all' just simply isn't enough. While I am in slight shock I really am happy to meet all of you and I hope that I can live up to any expectations you might have for me."
"There are no expectations son," my father assured me, stepping forward and resting a large hand on my shoulder. "We thought that we would never see you again, despite our tireless and seemingly useless searching, but when we discovered that you were alive . . . all we wanted was for you to return to us, to live with us and allow us the chance to know you, nothing more." There was an almost pleading look in his eyes as he looked at me while saying this and there was only one answer I could give.
"Of course," I said, smiling. "There is nothing in the world that I would like more than to be given the chance to know all of you and live the life I might have lived had I not been taken from you. There is one thing however that I would like to ask," I added after a small pause.
"Anything," my mother said.
"When I was brought to the Courtesan's Castle, I chose a name for myself wishing to rid myself of any ties to the Potter family. I would like to keep the name that I chose as my own, if you allow it," I requested lowering my eyes, afraid that I had angered them.
My mother said softly, "You may keep your name, it is a part of you now and something that you chose which holds fond memories. I wouldn't ask you to give up something so important to you. I would like to ask what name you chose if you wouldn't mind?"
I looked up at her, my eyes bright. "Thank you," I said. "And, it seems ironic now, but I chose the name Fay."
She inclined her head with a big smile. "Pleased to meet you Fay."
* C * L *
My arrival in the palace caused a great stir among the elves and faeries living there, in the capital, and in all other towns and cities - the heir had returned.
The weeks after I arrived were a whirlwind of activity. There was a lavish suite of rooms in one of the towers, fittings for an entirely new wardrobe "befitting my station as heir to the throne," as Trichon told me as he rolled his eyes. I had become increasingly closer with my oldest brothers who, while still a bit hesitant about a stranger coming into their lives who was their lost sibling whom they had never met, they were slowly warming up to me and making me feel welcome, sharing palace gossip and information, just little facts for the most part.
The real knowledge came from my endless hours spent with tutors who taught me the basics of Elvin and Fae societies first, before moving to what I personally needed to know as heir, in order to rule when I married, and in the library researching anything that had been mentioned which I didn't understand.
I quickly developed a routine much like the one I had while training to become a courtesan. I woke, dressed, ate breakfast with my family - something that had quickly become apparent was that all meals, except for when a state event was happening, were eaten as a family - did physical training with my brothers and Vainia, as well as Húron, Malgelir, and Inuon which included anything from hand-to-hand fighting and weaponry to archery and horseback riding. Then was a rest period before lunch with the family, and hours of tutoring, as well as searching the library - which quickly became one of my favorite things to do when I had the spare time. I had a lesson before dinner every other day with either Nestor or Maeron, who taught me about different healing techniques which, they said often, were always good to know - just in case. Then dinner, again with the family, although we were often joined by different elves, often at least one of the group that retrieved me joined us, obviously being fairly close with my mother and father.
After dinner we all made our way to the library where we sat together, those of old enough to have tutors often doing assigned work or reading, sometimes we would simply talk and Tri would play the piano which I had quickly learned he could play beautifully even at his young age as well as just about any other instrument you could think of. We would stay there until darkness had long fallen before returning to our rooms for the night.
It was almost two months before my parents told me at last what my mother had meant the night we met. After dinner my siblings had gathered around the piano while Tri played, keeping them distracted as my parents gently guided me away for some privacy, Bain held carefully in my mother's arms like always, sleeping peacefully.
"Fay," my mother began, lowering herself onto the seat of an armchair, careful of Bain, "do you remember the day you arrived here and your father removed the glamour from you, I said something?"
I nodded. "Of course, you said that Fanor was correct, that I had the typical features of a submissive, but that you would speak to me about it at another time," I replied, sitting in a chair opposite my parents.
"Yes," she said. "Your father and I have decided that it would be best to tell you what I meant now rather than later." She looked to my father.
My father cleared his throat. "You see Fay," he began, continuing what my mother had been saying. "You know about witches and wizards, how wizards are able to conceive and carry children if they are both powerful enough, correct?" I nodded, having had it explained to me a number of times. "Well, with faeries and elves it is similar, however, not all males can conceive and carry. There are two classifications for males - females are solely submissive if you were wondering - which are dominant and submissive. The dominants are unable to carry while submissives are, and when children are born they are often brought before a spiritual who tells the parents what the child will be when they mature, usually within the first week weeks, sometimes days. Being a submissive does not mean that you are a woman Fay, you are still male, however you have certain - attributes which allow you to carry and softer, more delicate features.
"After you were born your mother and I brought you to Fanor, a very close friend of both of ours, and he told us that you would be submissive," he continued. "Now, being submissive as our heir, simply means that you must marry a man, or men, who will be the dominant partner, or partners, and rule as consort, while you are King. It is as simple as that. You will be treated no differently, unless when with child, except by your dominants."
I nodded, my face a bright shade of pink from my embarrassment.
"The reason we wished to tell you of this now rather than later, is that with your approaching birthday, a few months from now, you will be considered fully matured, thus dominants will wish to attempt to court you," my mother added. "We had hoped, however, that if you were not opposed, we would arrange a possible marriage in order to ally ourselves with another race - wizards to be exact. Before you were found, we had planned to do the same for Nate, him being a submissive as well. If you are opposed, we can continue with plans for Nethanar to marry a wizard and you may choose whomever you wish," she added seeing my wide-eyes expression. "The choice is yours entirely Fay."
Letting out the breath I hadn't even realized I had been holding my mind kicked into overdrive, running through everything that my parents had said in the past few minutes.
"How . . . how is a person chosen by the wizards to marry for a purpose such as this?" I asked slowly, deciding to ask one question at a time and trying to remain as calm - outwardly at the very least - as possible.
"Negotiations will be set up between the wizards and ourselves," my father answered, resting his hand over my mother's. "There will be multiple meetings between us, introducing multiple suitors as options for you. Ultimately, you will feel it when the correct person has been found. All people will have a draw about them for you, however those with the strongest pull to them will be the ones chosen, not unlike what it is said mates feel upon meeting, however neither elves nor faeries normally have specified mates."
I paused before something occurred to me. "You said 'ones'," I said. "As in more than one are possible?"
He nodded. "It is very possible with your levels of power, that you will need more than one consort."
"Levels of power?" I repeated in confusion, having heard the saying used before yet unsure what the meaning of it was.
"Yes, we all have a type of power, some place where we fit naturally and feel the most comfortable," my mother replied. "For example Nestor and Maedor, twins who are very much in tune with healing yet one physical and the other mental and spiritual. Also, Tia is a seer as I am sure you have already heard. As she is still young she doesn't understand much of what she sees, mostly expressing her visions through her drawings, however Fanor does his best to help channel her visions, encouraging her drawings and other expressions of them. It is not often that she realizes that what she has seen it, in fact, a vision of some kind," she added.
"Your power will not necessarily be expressed through something along the lines of what wizards refer to as 'magic' - in fact that is very rare; often it is simply a talent, such as Trichon's gift with music and Vainia's intelligence," my father said. "I, for example, am able to do what would be referred to as 'magic', yet in a different way. I do it without use of a wand or other channeling instrument, I simply visualize what I wish to happen and it does, unlike wizards who use spells and wands."
I nodded. "How do I find my . . . talent? How will I know?"
Both of my parents shrugged.
"It will, more than likely, be something obvious, something that has shown itself all along but you never realized that it was special," my mother said. "Knowing what you do now, you will know when it happens next more likely than not."
That didn't exactly help me, but there were other things that I needed to ask. "About the feeling you said that I would get," I said. "Is it possible for the dominants to have already felt something? Or for me to feel something as well?"
"It is possible, yes." My father nodded. "Why? Have you felt something for anyone?"
I nodded. "Yes, when I was at the castle, there were two brothers that immediately we had a sort of pull to one another," I answered. "One of them is married to a witch, though they have been attempting to dissolve their marriage since they married, possible even before they married."
"Hm," my father hummed thoughtfully. "How did the pull feel? Was it simply physical attraction?"
"No." I shook my head negatively. "It . . . I can't really describe it actually. Of course I recognized that they are incredibly attractive and powerful men, however for me, after I met them, I couldn't seem to stop thinking about them, they were never far from my mind. Other men visited the castle, but they never seemed to stay in my mind the way that the two of them did, if that makes any sense to you at all?" I finished, my statement becoming a sighed out question.
They both smiled at me, with a certain look in their eyes after hearing me talk about the Lestrange brothers. Until talking about the way that I had been feeling about them, the way that I reacted to them, I didn't realize that there really was a draw felt to them and the way that they had been acting whenever we met led me to believe that they felt something similar.
"Well, if you agree to our arranging a marriage," my father said.
"And of course tell us who the brothers whom you have been speaking of are," my mother chimed in with a smile.
"Then we can attempt to arrange your marriage with the brothers, as well as dissolve the marriage between the one who is married and the witch whom he is married," my father continued smoothly after my mother's interruption, glancing over at her and raising an eyebrow when he did.
Slowly, I nodded. If I did not agree to the arranged marriage then I would just marry someone else that I don't know. Marrying Rodolphus and/or Rabastan would have happened anyway if I had not discovered who I really was, so why not? I thought. "I agree to you arranging a marriage with the wizards for me," I said. "The brothers who I felt the pull to are Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange; Rodolphus is married to a witch named Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black."
"We will do everything we can Fay," my mother assured me. "As long as the brothers are agreeable, there should be no problems."
* C * L *
"Why is everyone looking at me that way?" I whispered uncertainly to Inuon who was walking beside me.
He looked at the people around us, unconsciously moving his hand to his side where I knew a dagger was strapped, out of sight under his loose white shirt. "Perhaps they are curious?" he suggested. "You are the heir that has been missing for over fifteen years, they probably wish to get their own impressions of you now that you have returned seeing as one day soon, you will be their King."
During our mourning sessions the past few months Inuon - who was much younger than the other men I had met who were good enough to be in the army's elite, only two years older than myself - and I had grown fairly close. We had taken to wandering through the capital's streets when we both had the time, which we currently did.
I had noticed the people we passed staring at us not long after we had walked through one of the massive gates in the wall between the palace and the city and it was making me slightly uncomfortable.
"Yes, however this is not the first time we have walked through the city," I said. "Most of them have seen me before, I have even spoken with a good number of them!"
Inuon shrugged. "I am not sure," he admitted. "Perhaps you could ask someone?"
I shook my head, sighing as we walked on. "It is not that important, maybe another time."
* C * L *
Sitting in the library with my family all around me, all of us silent and engrossed in something or other was usual. I currently held Bain, giving my mother a chance to do some paperwork. Bain's dark blue eyes looked up at me, the light of the torches on the walls giving them golden touches as she held my finger in one of her tiny hands, waving it about and making soft, content noises.
"Fay?"
I startled slightly when a voice spoke at my side and looked over into pale green eyes. "Tia," I breathed. "What is it?"
"I have been . . . seeing something," she said, a slight crease forming on her forehead as she frowned, her small hands coming to rest on the arm of my chair as she leaned against it. "It it the first thing that I have been able to distinguish as an actual vision. You are in it - I have seen it repeatedly in the last few months - as well as a few other men. They have brown hair and brown eyes, they look very much alike. You are happy."
"Thank you for telling me this Tia, it is reassuring, I mean that honestly. I have been worrying over what would happen between the three of us lately as there has been no response from the wizards, at least not to my knowledge, and you have put my worries somewhat to rest. Is that all you have seen?" I asked, smiling gently at the five, almost 6 year old.
"Yes," she replied, yet her frown deepened. "Although, there is something that always follows the vision. I do not know what to make of it Fay, it is just . . . a huge grey dog running under the full moon - perhaps it is a wolf, I do not know; sometimes there are more than one. If I see something else, I will tell you Fay," she said.
I nodded. "Thank you Tia," I murmured, resting my free hand over top of both of her's.
She stood there for a moment smiling at my thanks before she turned shy, her eyes falling the the floor. "Can I sit with you Fay?" she asked timidly.
Surprised at the request I shifted Bain into the crook of my arm and nodded to Tia who quickly took the nod as an okay to climb into my lap and snuggle against my chest.
"Fay?" she whispered.
I hummed, wrapping my arm around her small frame.
"I am glad that you found us, and I am glad you are my brother," she whispered before giving a small yawn, her eyelashes fluttering as her eyes closed. "My drawings are much happier since you came."
Smiling, I rested my head against the top of her's, keeping a watch on Bain who seemed to be close to falling asleep as I replied in a soft voice, "I am glad that I found you too. My life has never been so happy."
"S'good," she mumbled. A moment later her breathing even out as she fell into the arms of Morpheus, and not long after she did Bain followed with her little hands both clutching at my hand and her short little breaths puffing against the inside of my wrist.
