She looked down at his hand and she found the old ring that he had given
her. She turned the pages back and found that in every one of the pictures
each of the subjects wore the exact same silver ring.
She slammed the book shut and marched out to the stable where Moargan was busy grooming her horse. "Why do you have pictures of my family in this book?" she demanded.
Moargan looked at her and the book in her hand nonchalantly before returning to her chore. "I wondered how long it would take you to find that. Eeiren must have helped you."
Fi looked at her strangely as Moargan stepped passed her and walked back into the house. Annie stood in the kitchen watching the exchange.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Oh, I will, but I must be sure that ye are ready. Are you prepared for the truth, or will ye deny it like your brother or mother would?" Moargan looked her in the eye and Fi suddenly felt intimidated by the towering woman. The look wasn't one of the nice young musician she had met the previous day, but that of a warrior who had fought too many battles and was hardened by them. One of great age and wisdom, who was afraid of nothing, and Fi felt as if she had just insulted her severely.
"I need to know," she said humbly. She suddenly felt as if she was on the verge of great discovery.
"Come and sit, and I will tell you everything. It is a long story, and one that is hard for mortals to comprehend."
Mortals?What does she mean by that? What is she? Annie thought as they followed Moargan to the main room.
Moargan sat down on the stool next to the fire and took the book from Fi. She opened it to the first page and pointed to the painting of the woman. "This is me mum, Fiona O'Saihnnon, of the Tuatha De Danaan (Too-wa day Da- naan). She and me da, the son of the great Nuada, were the greatest of our people. One night at a festival an evil came to our Tir Nan Og, the island of our heritage. They poisoned our food like cowards, killing many of our warriors, including me da,and all of my aunts and uncles.
"While we nursed our ill, the members of the Unseelie Court came and stole our greatest treasures. The Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, that screams when the rightful ruler of our people stands upon it, Nuada's Sword, the sword of our first and greatest king. The holder of this sword cannot be defeated, and every blow it strikes is fatal. The third talisman is Lugh's Spear. It can heal or destroy, but if it tastes blood it must be thrown or it will turn on its wielder. It always drips with blood and never misses it's target. The last is the Cauldron of the Dagda, a cauldron of plenty that was always filled with an inexhaustible supply of food. This food was always safe for my people to eat, and prevented any from going hungry. After losing most of our forces we went into hiding underground in Ireland. Many farmers and villagers welcomed us and offered us sanctuary. We set up a new court in the mound at Tara called the Seelie Court and they crowned a new king whom neither my mother nor I recognized because he was not appointed by the stone.
"We exiled ourselves together and my mother eventually fell in love with a mortal by the name of Sean O'Saihnnon. He was very kind and took both of us in. Mother had two sons with Sean before he fell ill. When he passed we began to be attacked by the Unseelies that had killed my father. They wanted to destroy my mother's children because they posed a threat."
"What kind of threat could little kids pose to these Unseelies?" Fi questioned. She didn't understand what all this had to do with her, but the story was good.
"One child of each generation after me mother in the O'Saihnnon family possess a special gift that they can use to fight the dark forces that would try to destroy them. They can choose to forfeit the gift, but very few have. The evil wants to destroy these children because it is foretold that one of Fiona O'Saihnnon's children will conquer them and return the talismans to their rightful owners, and the Tuatha De Danaan will rise again with their true leader. Without these we will never be able to prosper again, and until then we will not be able to return to our home, Tir Nan Og."
"What happened to your mother?"
"One day we were attacked in the forest when me mother was training me half- brother. She was wounded badly she passed on to the next realm, but before she did she made me swear to seek out each gifted one and protect and train them, if they so chose, in hopes that someday one would fulfill the prophecy."
"All right, you talk like this happened a long time ago. How long ago was this exactly?"
"I was 500 years old at the time, and I'm currently about 1400 now, so 900 years ago, during the Second Crusade I believe. I haven't studied British history since the American Revolution."
"What are you!" Fi questioned.
"The Tuatha De Danaan are a race of Fae."
"And a Fae would be a what?"
"You would call me a faerie."
She slammed the book shut and marched out to the stable where Moargan was busy grooming her horse. "Why do you have pictures of my family in this book?" she demanded.
Moargan looked at her and the book in her hand nonchalantly before returning to her chore. "I wondered how long it would take you to find that. Eeiren must have helped you."
Fi looked at her strangely as Moargan stepped passed her and walked back into the house. Annie stood in the kitchen watching the exchange.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Oh, I will, but I must be sure that ye are ready. Are you prepared for the truth, or will ye deny it like your brother or mother would?" Moargan looked her in the eye and Fi suddenly felt intimidated by the towering woman. The look wasn't one of the nice young musician she had met the previous day, but that of a warrior who had fought too many battles and was hardened by them. One of great age and wisdom, who was afraid of nothing, and Fi felt as if she had just insulted her severely.
"I need to know," she said humbly. She suddenly felt as if she was on the verge of great discovery.
"Come and sit, and I will tell you everything. It is a long story, and one that is hard for mortals to comprehend."
Mortals?What does she mean by that? What is she? Annie thought as they followed Moargan to the main room.
Moargan sat down on the stool next to the fire and took the book from Fi. She opened it to the first page and pointed to the painting of the woman. "This is me mum, Fiona O'Saihnnon, of the Tuatha De Danaan (Too-wa day Da- naan). She and me da, the son of the great Nuada, were the greatest of our people. One night at a festival an evil came to our Tir Nan Og, the island of our heritage. They poisoned our food like cowards, killing many of our warriors, including me da,and all of my aunts and uncles.
"While we nursed our ill, the members of the Unseelie Court came and stole our greatest treasures. The Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, that screams when the rightful ruler of our people stands upon it, Nuada's Sword, the sword of our first and greatest king. The holder of this sword cannot be defeated, and every blow it strikes is fatal. The third talisman is Lugh's Spear. It can heal or destroy, but if it tastes blood it must be thrown or it will turn on its wielder. It always drips with blood and never misses it's target. The last is the Cauldron of the Dagda, a cauldron of plenty that was always filled with an inexhaustible supply of food. This food was always safe for my people to eat, and prevented any from going hungry. After losing most of our forces we went into hiding underground in Ireland. Many farmers and villagers welcomed us and offered us sanctuary. We set up a new court in the mound at Tara called the Seelie Court and they crowned a new king whom neither my mother nor I recognized because he was not appointed by the stone.
"We exiled ourselves together and my mother eventually fell in love with a mortal by the name of Sean O'Saihnnon. He was very kind and took both of us in. Mother had two sons with Sean before he fell ill. When he passed we began to be attacked by the Unseelies that had killed my father. They wanted to destroy my mother's children because they posed a threat."
"What kind of threat could little kids pose to these Unseelies?" Fi questioned. She didn't understand what all this had to do with her, but the story was good.
"One child of each generation after me mother in the O'Saihnnon family possess a special gift that they can use to fight the dark forces that would try to destroy them. They can choose to forfeit the gift, but very few have. The evil wants to destroy these children because it is foretold that one of Fiona O'Saihnnon's children will conquer them and return the talismans to their rightful owners, and the Tuatha De Danaan will rise again with their true leader. Without these we will never be able to prosper again, and until then we will not be able to return to our home, Tir Nan Og."
"What happened to your mother?"
"One day we were attacked in the forest when me mother was training me half- brother. She was wounded badly she passed on to the next realm, but before she did she made me swear to seek out each gifted one and protect and train them, if they so chose, in hopes that someday one would fulfill the prophecy."
"All right, you talk like this happened a long time ago. How long ago was this exactly?"
"I was 500 years old at the time, and I'm currently about 1400 now, so 900 years ago, during the Second Crusade I believe. I haven't studied British history since the American Revolution."
"What are you!" Fi questioned.
"The Tuatha De Danaan are a race of Fae."
"And a Fae would be a what?"
"You would call me a faerie."
