After Lauren said goodnight to the children she and Bo's conversation with one another was brief. Bo seemed pre-occupied and Lauren was too exhausted to press the matter. Afterwards, Lauren, took a long, hot shower. She wanted to take a bath but feared she would fall asleep in it she was so tired. One of the advantages of the Seneschal was their ever-presence to prevent such things. Lauren found she had missed both the Seneschal and the infinity-sized pool tub she and Bo had back at the Presidium. Lauren suddenly blinked at that last thought. When she first met the Seneschal over six months ago she was very tentative around them. Bo would have characterized it as borderline fearful, but Bo wasn't there to challenge her thought on it. But there was no denying it, Lauren recognized the Seneschal exactly as they had been described: an integral part of her every day life, and she missed them.

Lauren put on a white camisole, greyish pajama pants and slippers and headed downstairs. Elena had a gorgeous, four-foot tall, 20-inch wide, glass-sculpted cask that held the Coalia wine that came from her outdoor crops that was filled at the end of each day. It had flower leaves and fruit that floated to the top and bubbled like a chemistry set. There was a tap at the bottom. Lauren took one of the one-liter glasses, the size of which Lauren swore was made for a Viking and poured herself some wine. Elena said the glasses were a gift from her Uncle Bearnard whom Lauren had first met when they visited Ebon. "That explains the size," Lauren thought to herself. Nevertheless, Lauren found the set impressive and wanted a set of her own back at the Presidium.

During the first couple of days at Elena's home it was just Lauren, Elena, and the House Staff who tended the fields outside Elena's home. In the evenings, Lauren, Elena and the House Staff would prepare dinner outside, lay it out buffet-style and socialize with the House Staff, Response Team, and some of the neighboring locals under a mixture of fixed and torch lighting. Each night, Elena would bring out portions of the meat she had hunted after they first arrived and would take turns with the House Staff to cook it out on the grates. Their evening dinners reminded Lauren of the evening at the Clubhouse when The Regnant and her sons cooked for everyone. Tonight's dinner involved some of the Ducal Staff and Regional leadership to compare notes and findings on the spread of the soil contamination.

Lauren went and sat outside in a settee that faced outward towards the evening sky and took in the late night breeze. She did not hear Elena approach behind her with a glass of wine in her hand.

"Lauren?" Elena prompted. Lauren looked up.

"Hi!"

"May I join you?" Elena asked.

"I actually would appreciate the company." Lauren replied. Elena went and sat on the edge of a settee next to Lauren.

"As opposed to the company we just hosted this evening?" Elena said. Lauren smiled.

"I'm always amazed how you consider hosting 50 people a night just a simple gathering."

"It's not often I return to Ashal so when I do I make it a point to spend as much time as I can with the House Staff."

"Does the rest of your siblings follow the same guideline?" Lauren asked.

"You should see it when Atia returns to Nehes. A great many Ranoruks live there. She spends nearly her entire visit in her Ranoruk form."

"Wow!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she eventually decided to live out her days there."

"Really? You all seem so close to your parents."

"I meant when..." Elena started, but stopped when Lauren raised her hand slightly.

"Forgive me. I understand now." Lauren replied.

"Tough call this evening with the family?" Elena asked.

"Not with the children, no. They were actually quite lively."

"Bo then?"

"She seemed…pre-occupied."

"From your earlier talk?"

"Maybe. Perhaps." Lauren replied distant in thought.

"I should leave you to your thoughts." Elena said as she was about to stand back up.

"I didn't want them in my life." Lauren said.

"What?"

"My parents. That was what the earlier call was about. Kenzi discovered my parents were alive."

"I'm not following."

"Honestly…." Lauren replied then drifted off. Her eyes teared up. Elena took in a breath. Then set up on her settee and crossed her legs.

"Okay, then Dr. Lewis. Time for me to be the doctor. My ears are open. That's the correct thing to say, right?" Elena replied. Lauren looked at her and then chuckled.

"No judgements." Elena assured. Lauren stared at her for a few moments.

"I promise." Elena reassured.

"Don't make any promises you may not be able to keep." Lauren replied.

"Any promises I make I keep." Elena replied with all seriousness.

"Okay." Lauren said then set up on her settee, put her wine glass down, faced Elena and matched her posture.

"I feel like we are doing some sort of Yoga." Lauren commented.

"Yoga?"

"It's a form of Pi-Man-Ya." Lauren explained.

"You shall have to show me this Yoga one day. But for now, let's focus on you. So tell me doctor, what has you concerned?" Elena replied Lauren couldn't help but to blurt out a laugh.

"I realize I may sound comical..."

"No. no. It's just…well…"

"Well what?"

"Well, six months ago I was rather terrified of you all. Who you are, your abilities…"

"And now here we are."

"And now here we are."

"As Antony loves to say, let's not dawdle!" Elena said. Lauren perked up and took in a deep breath.

"Well, where shall I begin?"

"Where else? From the beginning."


Lauren went back as far as she could remember of the stories her family told her of their French and Icelandic origins. Her father's side was Icelandic. Her great-grandparents, Tryggvi Geirsson and Rùna Nýidal, born in the late 1800's, raised cattle in the Nýidalur Valley where Rùna's family had come from. They had four sons: Lárus, Friðrik, Brynjarr and Sigurður Tryggvisson.

Sigurður, the youngest, married Groa Indriðidóttir and together worked on his parents farm while Lárus, Njáll, Brynjarr had, by this time, moved off the farm to pursue their own lives and families. The increasingly cold climate throughout parts of Iceland had devastating, and in some cases deadly impact on both land on life. For Tryggvi and Rùna, it was both. Rùna developed a respiratory cold and died from its complications. Tryggvi died shortly after her from coronary heart disease aggravated by his angina due to the cold weather. Groa nearly died herself from the same respiratory cold as Rùna, and while she was bedridden Sigurður did what he could to save the farm. When the cold spell had subsided, the damage was so sweeping there was nothing left to rebuild so Sigurður and Rùna left Nýidalur Valley, and joined Lárus and his wife, Svanhildur in Stóri Núpur until they could determine what to do next as world events took hold.

In 1939, Germany had invaded Denmark, and Iceland's neutrality was being threatened by the United Kingdom as the UK wanted to use Iceland as a foothold to deter further German aggression. Sigurður, Groa, Lárus and Svanhildur had all heard about the new opportunities in America and figured if Sigurður and Groa wanted to leave they had to do so quickly before the ports were cut off by the UK. With what little monies Lárus had, he gave Sigurður and Groa enough to travel to Reykjavík and buy their way onto the next ship bound for America.

The next ship bound for America was already docked and in the midst of a resupply while its passengers mingled along the dock when Sigurður and Groa reached port. It was inside a dockside eatery where Sigurður and Groa, met and befriended an Irish couple, Fearghas and Meadhbh Mac Cnáimhín, who were also bound for America.

Fearghas and Meadhbh had explained that while America welcomed immigrants, there were factions who did not. Since Ellis Island registered immigrants based off a ship's manifest, when Fearghas and Meadhbh Mac Cnáimhín purchased their tickets, they had papers prepared to list themselves as Fergus and Maeve McNiven, the more common form so as to "Americanize" their names, and strongly encouraged Sigurður and Groa to do the same. Sigurður and Groa became panicked. They were headed to the New World with no job contacts, armed with only passable English, and only with the little money Lárus had given them. They didn't have a way to adjust their travel papers and time was running out. They were afraid.

Sigurður had left Groa with Fearghas and Meadhbh while he walked the docks deep in thought as to his next steps. Then a fortunate, yet tragic circumstance happened.

Along his walk Sigurður happened upon a remote part of the docks where he saw a group of deceased bodies covered with sheets lined up, awaiting final disposition when the idea struck him. Sigurður went up to the bodies, quickly screened each name tag, zoomed in on two of them, grabbed a nearby wagon, put the bodies and their bagged up belongings into the wagon and wheeled them off into a side alleyway. He then quickly searched both the bodies and their belongings, and pocketed their IDs, their papers, and any other identifying information. He then wrapped the bodies tightly, weighted both bodies down with nearby bricks, wheeled them off to an obscure part of the dock, quickly said a prayer, and then dumped the bodies over. He waited until he saw the bodies sank far enough and then headed back to Groa.

When he returned to Groa he showed her the papers. At first, she was shocked at what he had done but he was more concerned about leaving Iceland at a time when Iceland was about to become involved in a growing World War. When Fearghas and Meadhbh re-boarded the ship Sigurður and Groa followed behind them and when Sigurður presented their new papers he held his breath. Apparently, the onboard ship's existing manifest had not been changed and they were allowed on board.

From that moment forward, Sigurður and Groa were no longer Sigurður and Groa Tryggvisson. They were now Gareton and Edna Beattie.

After they all arrived in New York City, Fergus and Maeve invited now Gareton and Edna to join them with relatives that lived in Maine and worked as fishermen.

After World War II, Edna became pregnant with their first child and soon thereafter their second child. In keeping with Icelandic tradition of a sort, they named their first born Gareton Sigurður Beattie, Jr. and his younger sister, Edna Groa Beattie not only after themselves but also in honor of the original Gareton and Edna Beattie who died trying to reach America. Gareton, Sr. and Fergus made a fortune in the fisheries business and invested their monies into every expanding endeavor they could to include the railroads.

When Gareton, Jr. and Edna came of age the Beatties and the McNivens were considered two of the wealthiest families in America. Lauren recalled that Gareton, Sr. would send money back under an alias to all of his siblings, and when the war was over, had invited them to America for visits, and ended up forging a business partnership that expanded the Beattie-McNiven interests all the way back into both Iceland and Ireland. The Beatties and the McNivens remained the closest of friends until their deaths.

Her mother's side hailed from French aristocracy who could trace their lineage back to the days of the Merovingiens. They were a wealthy family of aristocrats and educators whose influence wove throughout the royal and elite circles of French society. Cote-Les Mare-Occitania Immobilière, her family's company managed their wealth that stemmed mostly from the sale and transportation of luxury goods throughout the international trade markets and later expanded into banking and real estate. Lauren's great-grandparents, Casimir and Dieudonnée Desmarais, were political influencers who guided their family's business interests through the political tides of the early 1900's. They had one daughter, Cécile who married Léandre Prideux, and they had two children: Lauren's mother Livia and her sister Josiane.

Her mother's side was also one of the founding patrons of Sorbonne University that dated back to 13th century, and a patronage that remained to this day. It was at the Sorbonne where Gareton Beattie, Jr. and Livia Prideux had first met in 1968, fell in love, and married two years later. After they married, Livia moved to Maine with Gareton and had Calvin shortly thereafter and Lauren, then Karen, two years later. Livia kept up with her family's influential connections and expanded her social and political reach within the New England jet set.

Throughout her life, Lauren's family traveled regularly between France, Iceland, Ireland, London, Canada, Spain and Africa due to both personal and professional interests. It made both Gareton and Livia proud when both Calvin and Lauren followed their father in the sciences,and while they began their medical and scientific education in the United States, they both finished their education at the Jussieu Campus at the Sorbonne.

Lauren adored her older brother Calvin and followed him about continually. She didn't know exactly where Calvin picked up his extremist ecological views, as she had her own regarding open, unregulated scientific experimentation, but she trusted her brother and what he wanted to accomplish. Calvin advocated for his views on campuses, with social groups, at lecture halls and at societal parties, but one day Calvin decided words were not enough, and talked Lauren into a plan of action.

As a matter of protest, they targeted a pipeline facility they thought was empty, but it wasn't, and the result were the deaths of 11 people, including Calvin, from a series of pipe bombs Lauren had made but entrusted to her brother to detonate. Her parents were horrified when the International Criminal Offences and Criminal Intelligence Bureau informed them of the news and presented a warrant for Lauren's arrest. Lauren fled.

Lauren knew she had to dump her identity and establish a new one so she took the name of her great Uncle Lárus as a first name, and Llywelyn, her Aunt Josiane's last name, in the common form, as hers. Josiane's marriage to Taffy Llywelyn, a Welshman and a rather ordinary man with average prospects, was both a familial and societal scandal. Lauren, however, loved them both.

When Dr. Karen Beattie fled France she was no longer Dr. Karen Beattie but Dr. Lauren Lewis.

At 25, Lauren first went to Middle East and worked on humanitarian missions to reset her world-view, and her life and discovered she loved missions work. She briefly worked with a military detachment where not only she harnessed her skills as a field doctor, but also garnered some basic military combat skills. It was during one of those humanitarian missions in Afghanistan where she had met Nadia Rimoes. Nadia was there to capture a photographic series on the activities around the country. They quickly fell in love, but Lauren felt she needed to move again, and Nadia decided to join her. They traveled to several more countries before they landed in the Congo, and that is where Lauren first encountered the Fae.


"And the rest, as they say, is history." Lauren finished.

"That is quite the family history."

"To say the least."

"So really your name isn't even Beattie."

"It could be argued."

"And Bo knows none of this?" Elena asked incredulous.

"None of it."

"How is that possible?"

"Moving from one crisis event to another allows for a certain amount of things to fall though the cracks, or allow the passage of time to one's dirty work. But the truth of the matter is Bo and our children are my life, and I want nothing or no one to interfere with that." Lauren replied tears gushing to her eyes again.

"But it sounds like life is about to interfere."

"I know." Lauren replied with a struggle.

"Do you wish to see your family again?" Elena asked.

"I'm afraid that they don't want to see me because of my brother…" Lauren trailed off as she brought her hand to her mouth. Elena took a deep breath and reached out across to Lauren and rested her hand on Lauren's knee.

"As you know, we Prescottis are pretty big on family so this will come as no surprise when I say you should try. After all, they may be worried sick about you, wondering about your well-being. Not to mention if they ever find out they're grandparents."

"And that the love of my life is supernatural being who will inherit a 200-billion Fae Realm and take over all of human existence?" Lauren countered with a glint of sarcasm.

"From what you've just told me sounds like your parents are intelligent enough, and ambitious enough, to understand."

"The ambitious part for sure." Lauren said. Elena smiled which made Lauren smile a bit through her tears.

Then the area around them shook.

"What was that?" Lauren said.

"Not entirely sure." Elena replied as she stood up.

A few moments later the area shook again. The House Staff ran in.

"Your Serene Highness, Dr. Lewis, are you alright?"

"Yes, is everyone okay?" Elena asked.

"The staff is fine, Your Serene Highness." One of the House Staff replied.

"Call Jusso!" Elena said into the air. The air shimmered and Jusso appeared before them. He was in his Ducal Offices as his Dyaks moved about quickly behind him.

"Your Serene Highness? I take it you are calling about the quake?" Jusso prompted.

"So you felt it as well?" Elena asked.

"Reports are coming in from all over Ashal." Jusso replied.

"What do the geologicals indicate?" Elena asked.

"Geologicals are clear." Jusso replied.

"Hmp. Then it could only be one thing." Elena said as a matter of fact.

"Your Mother." Jusso said assured. Elena nodded.

"Keep me updated." Elena said.

"Yes, Your Serene Highness." The call ended.

"Your Mother?" Lauren prompted.

"Yes. Call Mother!" Elena called into the air. Astadar Dyak Gabriella, one of Ari's chief personal aides answered.

"Your Serene Highness." Gabriella greeted with a bow of her head.

"Gabriella? I was looking for my Mother. We just felt a quake."

"It seems all of the Presidium felt it, Your Serene Highness. Report are coming from all over the Realm." Astadar Dyak Gabriella replied.

"Is my Mother alright?" Elena asked.

"it was not The Queen Consort, Your Serene Highness. It was Her Serene Highness Atia." Gabriella replied.

"What?" Elena said astonished.

"She had a mindquake." Gabriella replied.

"Atia?" Elena asked again like she didn't hear Gabriella right.

"Yes, Your Serene Highness. Their Majesties are with her now." Gabriella replied.

"Is every safe? Bo? My children?" Lauren asked.

"Everyone is safe, Dr. Lewis. Apologies, but you will have to excuse me." Gabriella replied.

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Gabriella." Elena said.

"Your Serene Highness," and the call ended.

"That was a mind quake?" Lauren said astonished.

"Yes. My mother is partial to them, but none of us have ever exhibited such symptoms like that." Elena replied.

"Her Majesty's mind is that powerful that she can shake an entire plane?" Lauren asked incredulous

"Yes." Elena replied.

"I need to put in a call to Bo. Check on the children." Lauren said and then turned and headed upstairs to her bedroom.

The Seneschal answered the call at Bo and Lauren's private chambers.

"We just heard…and felt the mind quake. Are Bo and the children okay?" Lauren asked.

"Everything is fine, Milady. The children are still asleep." The Seneschal replied.

"The quake didn't wake them?" Lauren asked surprised.

"No, Milady. They slept right through it." The Seneschal replied.

"Okay." Lauren said still surprised. "And Bo? Where is she?"

"Her Royal Highness is responding to a situation that has developed. We expect her to return soon." The Seneschal replied.

"A situation? How long ago?"

"Several hours ago." The Seneschal replied.

"What was the situation?"

"We are not entirely clear, Milady." The Seneschal replied.

"Is she aware of the quake?" Then Lauren rolled her eyes. "Of course, is she! She's on the Presidium plane. Did she check in? After the quake?"

"Yes, Milady and has already inquired after both you and the children." The Seneschal replied.

"Well, where is she?" Lauren commented to herself. "Will you please find her? I need to speak with her." Lauren asked.

"We shall pass that message along to her immediately." The Seneschal replied and the call ended. Lauren stared at the empty space for a few minutes and then returned downstairs.

"How is everyone?" Lauren asked.

"Everyone is fine. Dakari and Jock are at Presidium Medical with my parents sitting with Atia. Antony, Ariella, Rimma, Julian and Maxima are helping Regent Saladin reassure the Realm. They are looking for Emilia though. Can't find her or her Bas." Elena said with concern. "What about Bo and the children?"

"The children slept through it." Lauren replied.

"Really?" Elena said amazed. Lauren smiled.

"That was my reaction as well." Lauren replied.

"And Bo?" Elena asked.

"The Seneschal said she was responding to a situation." Lauren replied.

"What situation?" Elena asked.

"They did not say except to say they would convey my message that I needed to speak with her." Lauren replied.

"What do you think that means?" Elena asked.

"Knowing Bo, absolutely no good." Lauren replied.