Chapter 27

"My Lord, Oberon!" Darcy whispered as his knuckles and a knee rested on the ground. He watched as the fairy's boots began to circle him once more, but he dared not look up in fear of what he would see. Of the many different beings he had expected to interfere in his attempts to break the curse, this fairy was the last he would have expected. Suddenly the fairy stopped, standing directly in front of him, and Darcy could not help but cringe at the thought of what would be said.

"Hmph," the fairy said with a hint of irritation in his sad voice. "Of all the many names I have been known by, Oberon is not one I would have ever expected to hear from your lips."

Unsure of what else to say, Darcy cocked his head to the side and hesitantly replied. "That is the name by which the mortals refer to you as. As I am currently mortal, and it was my mortal name by which you have just called me, what other name would you have me use if not that one."

"Eavan…" the fairy spoke gently as he knelt down and placed a hand on Darcy's shoulder. Darcy fought back sudden tears at the sound of his name and he felt a yearning for more. Yet even as the fairy continued to speak, he still could not bring himself to look up. "Yes I called you by your mortal name, but you were in such a state that had I attempted to address you properly before you recognized me can you honestly say it would not have angered you more?"

Nodding, Darcy admitted the truth. He would have been unable to hold in his anger as long as he had, thinking the watcher had no right to use his real name. But although he had many questions, the only one he could voice was, "then what shall you have me call you, sir? For I do not believe myself worthy to utter any of your names."

With a light chuckle, the fairy replied, "I do believe the name you have always called me by will suit just fine. After all, of my many titles, 'Father' was always my favorite."

Unable to resist any longer, Darcy looked up into the aged face of the fairy. Upon seeing the hint of tears in his eyes, Adair reached out and pulled his son into a fierce hug. Darcy was quick to return the embrace and in the comfort of his fathers arms let loose the tears he had held at bay. The last time he had sought such comfort from his father was after Keelia and Tavi's betrayal while he was yet a youngling. Not even when he returned from his last visit to their grove had he sought such comfort. But now, after centuries, he could not bring himself to let go. He had thought to never see his beloved father again, and was afraid that to pull away would cause his disappearance. Adair seemed to sense this and was content to simply hold him, letting a few of his own tears loose.

After a time, Darcy was able to rein in his emotion and pulled back, once again shocked at the difference in his father's physical appearance. However, before he could ask, Adair shook his head and motioned his need to stand. Ignoring the dirt on his breeches, Darcy quickly followed suit, then attended his father to a nearby log. After both men had seated themselves, Darcy turned and began to speak when Adair held up a hand to stop him without looking over.

"I am sure you have a lot of questions, and while I would love to give you the information you seek, you are not ready for all of the answers. Besides, I have one that must be answered before we can continue on." Adair turned to look him in the eye. Darcy could not help but flinch at the intensity he saw there, yet he forced himself to sit straighter, not wanting to give his father any reason to doubt him. Inclining his head slightly in approval, Adair asked' "What do you plan to do now?"

Darcy startled at the question. He had expected…well to be honest he had not known what to expect, but surely it had not been this. Thinking about it, he turned a questioning look upon Adair. "I am not sure what you are referring to, Father."

Shaking his head with disappointment, Adair replied. "I have watched you overcome obstacle after obstacle for nigh on thirteen hundred years. And yet there are times when I wonder if you will ever be more than that petulant prince who refused to see that there is more to the world than himself."

Shame overcame Darcy at the reproof in his father's tone. Adair was well aware of his final conversation with Iliana in their grove and how it was because of his self-centered attitude he had almost lost her forever. Had that been his mistake today? Had he lost his final chance with her because he was too selfish to wait until she had overcome all of her objections? As though reading his thoughts, Adair shook his head while his shoulders slumped. Having never seen his father with anything other than perfect posture, Darcy let out a sound of concern, but was quickly brushed off.

"I am fine, son. Just tired. I am not as young as I once was," he chuckled lightly.

Darcy could not help but join in. "Come now, Father! You have never been young! You were already more than half way through your second millennia when I was born. The time since has been far less than what you endured before."

"There have been fewer years, yes, but time can be measured in many other ways, especially to an immortal. Now before you ask questions, I need your answer. What do you plan to do now? Surely you do not plan on giving up on the Lady Iliana now simply because she refused your hand in marriage for the first time! You have fought harder through much worse."

"No, sir," Darcy said, the dejection clear in his voice. "Before, she may have been engaged to another, but she still declared her love for me even though I had done nothing to deserve it. Miss Elizabeth made it quite clear to me this evening that she could never love me." Dropping his elbows onto his knees, he threw his face into his hands. "I knew it was only a matter of time before she realized I was no longer worth the fight. I have failed her too many times before. She deserves better than me."

"Eavan, I love you, but I have always thought that she deserved better than you." Hurt and anger tore at Darcy's still tender feelings as he turned to look at his father. But Adair did not give him a chance to say anything as he continued on. "It is how I felt about your mother as well. But you were so ignorant and, as a result, constantly insulted her through your naivety. Nevertheless, what Iliana deserves and what she wants are two very different things. You may choose to believe me or not, but she is currently sitting in the Parsonage just as heartbroken as you are right now."

Darcy perked up upon hearing this, and for the first time since he left her presence that evening, he felt a glimmer of hope. "It is not all lost then?"

"It is not all lost, son, it never has been. Even when she was engaged to another it was never lost as you well know. So what do you plan to do next?"

Darcy paused as he ruminated on his options. "I must find a way to defend myself against her accusations. However, I doubt she will admit me into her presence after I treated her so abominably this evening."

Sighing heavily, Adair shook his head. "She needs to hear your defenses, yes, but what she really needs is your apologies. After all this time, have you not learned? You cannot insult someone and then not expect consequences! From what you have told me of all your interactions with her, every argument was begun because you insulted her. Am I correct?" Seeing Darcy nod, Adair continued. "I had hoped that after all these years you would have come to that realization on your own. Tonight was no exception. Could you please explain to me why you felt the need to insult her during a proposal? Why did you say all those things?"

Sucking in a quick breath, Darcy struggled to remember all he had said. As he did so, he once again felt shame and despair overcome his every other thought. "I do not know that I can honestly say," he finally admitted. "While I know that my love would be enough for Iliana, Miss Elizabeth seemed to require more. As she is still fully mortal, I tried to appeal to that aspect of her life. My aim was to assure her that nothing would stand in my way had she accepted my suit. I wanted her to know that nothing society or my family said would affect my regard for her."

With a dark chuckle, Adair spoke, "That is not the way it sounded to me, nor her I can assure you. I had feared that you had lost your mind in there. What could have possibly possessed you to think that admitting you were going against your very judgement would endear you to her? Not to mention that your proposing was irrational! Then admitting that the connection between you both would be reprehensible…truly Eavan, I have never been more ashamed of you."

Darcy felt all the breath pulled out of him. Had he truly said all that? He vaguely remembered wondering if his impassioned speech had been truly him or had it been too influenced by his mortal life. Suddenly seeing things as his father interpreted it, he dropped his face once more into his hands. "I am at a loss as to explain what happened. I fear that in my desire to end this dreadful curse, I quite lost myself. She could never forgive me! I know not how I could forgive myself."

Nodding solemnly, Adair patted him on the back. "She will forgive you because she does love you. It will take time, some distance, and effort on your part, but it will come. You were, after all, making great strides with her on your walks together. I was starting to believe that you would actually make it this time. Remember those walks as she needs more of that from you."

"I pray you are right, Father."

"I am, do not worry. However the question still remains. What will you do?"

Looking up, Darcy clasped his hands together as his elbows still rested on his knees, his back hunched forward. "As I said before, she will not grant me a private audience at this time, no matter how much her heart may want to. Perhaps that is best as I do not often find success with that particular method. I would not wish to insult her further. I cannot trust anyone else to deliver any such message as to portray how regretful I truly am. The only course left to me would be to write her a letter. However, to do so, if anyone were to discover it, could endanger her reputation which would give her greater reason to despise me. This is all assuming she would willingly accept such a letter from me in the first place."

"She will accept it, as deep in her heart she yearns for your explanations" Adair said with a note of satisfaction in his voice. "As for its being discovered, I do believe you are capable of incredible means to guarantee it remains secret from all others." A raise of the brows and a soft "oh" were all the indication Adair needed to ensure that Darcy understood his meaning.

"Now that you have finally answered my question, I will answer just a few of yours. As I said earlier, you are not ready for all the answers you seek. You must discover those on your own; I cannot help you."

Sitting up straight, Darcy turned once more to more directly face his father, eager to begin asking all that he could. But Adair once more held up his hand to halt his eagerness. Darcy waited impatiently as he watched his father gather his thoughts. He watched a myriad of emotions pass over the aged face, and he could not help but wonder how the most powerful fairy could have aged physically when the phenomenon had never before been seen.

As though sensing Darcy's gaze, Adair reached up and rubbed his cheek with a withered hand, before letting it fall down to stroke his beard. Having never seen his father with anything other than a clean shaven face, Darcy was unable to pull his eyes away from the novel sight.

"While I truly wish I could give you more, I hope this information will suffice for now. When a death occurs, a soul must be collected. For centuries, you and the Lady Iliana have managed to avoid a true death by being reborn again in new bodies. After all, you cannot truly die unless your natural bodies die. As that unfortunate event has not happened, your souls are bound to this earth, and continue to find new bodies. However, this unbalances the nature of all things. In order to compensate for your souls not being collected, another life must be paid."

Darcy gasped at this short explanation. "Our bodies? You are saying that we never truly died that day?" Seeing his father's shaken head, he reeled with the possibilities such information implied. "How can this be? I remember arriving at the circle of stones and seeing her dead! The image has haunted me for hundreds of years. And I remember the pain of my own death. Although I have now died many times over, never has a death been as painful as that first."

Cocking his head in confusion, Adair studied his son. "You do not remember, do you?"

It was Darcy's turn to look confused as he replied, "and what is it that I am to remember?"

"I understand now. It all makes sense!" Adair ran his hand through his hair. "You do not remember!" It was not a question this time, but a statement. "That day, it was the darkest day of my life, but I swear to you Eavan, you did not die on that day. Even now, your bodies lie in repose, as if deep in sleep, waiting for your souls to reunite. Whatever it is you remember of that day is all false."

"You might understand, Father, but I cannot! How can my memory be faulty?"

"I cannot answer that for you. That is for you to figure out. In order to break this curse, you must remember what actually happened on that day! If you do not, I cannot begin to imagine what horrors this curse will bring upon the earth."

Puzzled, Darcy wondered how their curse could potentially affect the earth. It was then that he recalled the words spoken to Georgiana, as well the comment that another life must be paid. Realization dawned on him as he looked upon his father in horror. "You! You have been paying your life for us, so that we may continue to live?" Seeing Adair's solemn nod, Darcy felt tears begin to fall again. "Your aging, this is all because of us!"

"I do not blame you, son. I have willingly given of my life because of my love for you. As your father, I could do no less. I only hope that someday you too will have a son so that you might understand why." Darcy could hear the despair that tinged his father's voice, and while Adair might not blame him, he felt the guilt weigh heavily on his heart. "You are my only hope, Eavan. If you reunite with your bodies without having broken this curse, then all will be lost. Keeping you separated from your bodies as long as I could, I have tried to help you along. Yes it is true that I have never directly interfered before now, but I have been there the entire time, hidden from your notice. Had I only known that you were unaware of who actually cast the curse and why, then I would have approached you sooner. Now, it is too late. I do not have enough life left in me for you to have another chance, and when I die, there will be nothing to keep you from your natural bodies. I have seen you both struggle and knew that if I did not help you along, you would once again die and the fate of the world would be in jeopardy."

"How was concealing Iliana from me at the Meryton Assembly helping us? As far as I can tell, it has only made the situation worse."

"You are wrong! And only by remembering will you discover why!"

"I cannot…surely there is nothing wrong with my memories. And to think of that day…"

"You must!" Adair spoke firmly bringing his fist down upon his knee with such force Darcy feared he had hurt himself. "Forgive me, Eavan, but I find I can no longer mince my words." Knitting his brows in confusion, Darcy waited for his father to continue. After several tense moments, he spoke again. "No matter horrific you remember that day to be, I can promise you that the reality was much worse. No, do not interrupt me!" Darcy snapped his mouth shut and nodded an apology. "Because of this, I assume, based off of your earlier words, that both you and the Lady Iliana have buried the true memories deep in your minds. Many things happened that day, but I can only tell you this: the curse was not cast by your enemies."

Darcy's head reeled from this information. For centuries they had believed the curse to have been cast by Gareth or her father, Varen. She had no recollection of his presence that day, and he had arrived too late to save her. Or so they had thought. Was it true that they had recreated that day in their minds to see only what they wished to see? And if the curse had not been cast by an enemy, then who?

Turning once more towards Adair, he tried to formulate another question, but found himself unable to. Finally, he looked away and swallowed his fear as he asked one last question. "You have prevented Miss Elizabeth from regaining her memories. Can I assume that if she were to regain her memories before I have figured this out, then all hope is lost?"

His heart dropped as he watched Adair turn away from him in shame. "I cannot say for sure, but I fear the answer to be yes. Based on the formation of the curse, as well as your many failed attempts to break it, I truly believe your best chance lies in winning Miss Elizabeth's heart is as Mr. Darcy. Think of the words Mr. Bennet spoke to you. I can promise none of his advice was actually his own. Now, I fear I cannot offer any other information as to do so might negate the terms of the curse." Turning back to face him, Adair reached up and put his hand on Darcy's shoulder. "Trust me when I say, that when you remember, you will thank me for my interference. And, as unfortunate as your proposal was, perhaps it may just prove to be the key you need to figure out the solution!"

Snorting in disbelief, Darcy doubted he could ever thank his father for the heartache he felt that evening, nor how such a disastrous proposal could be beneficial. Yet, there was no one else he trusted more than the fairy king. Sighing he nodded. "Very well, Father. I will think of all you have said. I cannot lose her, nor will I allow your sacrifice to have been in vain!"

"I know son, I know. Go write your letter, offering your apologies along with the explanations you feel she needs. Then give her time and distance. You need it as much as she will. It will give you the opportunity to think on what she said this evening, as well as the chance to remember. I will continue to keep watch over her." Adair said softly. Without another word he slowly rose, Darcy quickly following him. "I must go now. I have stayed longer than was wise, and must return to the tree to rest for a short while."

Worry creased Darcy's forehead. "Shall you be alright?"

"Have no fear, my son, I have not lost all my strength. But wielding the power does take it's toll much faster than it used to. I simply require more rest than I did when I was younger."

Darcy found himself unable to return his father's teasing grin. The broken fairy he saw in front of him was a far cry different than the solid man of his memories. He would have given almost anything to accompany his father back to the home tree, and not just to lay eyes on the comforting sight once again. But he knew that even broken, his father would travel much faster without a mortal by his side. "I wish you could stay, Father! Although our conversation has not necessarily been pleasant, just being with you again has been such a balm to my soul."

"As it has for me, son," Adair said with a soft smile. "I have missed you. And I want you to know that despite everything you may think, I am excessively proud of you!"

"Thank you, Father! I cannot begin to say how much your words mean to me. When you arrive home, give Mother my love! Tell her…tell her I miss her, and I'm sorry for all the worry I must have caused her." Darcy's breath hitched when he saw his father tense up. Suddenly he realized that Adair's earlier reference to her had been past tense. Struggling to keep his voice steady, he hesitantly asked, "when?"

Silent tears streamed steadily down the old fairy's cheeks, disappearing into his white beard. "It has been almost eight hundred years, now. There were still a few rogue elves who had thus far escaped capture. I was gone from the tree, and they had somehow managed to sneak past our defenses. It was because of her efforts that no other fairies lost their lives that day. She sacrificed everything, and it allowed the last of the enemy to be caught. Hers was the last death of the war, and I was not there to save her."

Tears had begun to stream down Darcy's face as well. While his father had not said so, he could not help but feel that it was because of him and Iliana that his father had been away from the tree. He was indirectly responsible for his mother's death. He suddenly found that he could no longer look upon his father, so great was his guilt.

"You are not to blame, Eavan!" Adair said firmly surprising him with such insight. "I will not have you berating yourself for events that were beyond your control. Your mother willingly gave her life so that I could continue to save yours. She wanted nothing more than to see you return home, and I refuse to die until I have fulfilled her last wish! I miss her, but I refuse to dishonor her memory by thinking of what might have been. I implore you to do the same."

"Yes, Father," Darcy mumbled as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Good!" Adair took a few steps closer, and raised both hands to Darcy's shoulders. Looking him straight in the eye, he spoke in a low and steady voice. "The war has long been over, the realms have been at peace longer than ever before. But every race prays for your return. You and Iliana had a greater impact on the magical world than you could possibly imagine. Do not disappoint them." As he finished speaking, he pulled Darcy in for another hug, and Darcy gripped tightly in return. "I love you, Eavan."

Darcy had heard those words many times growing up, yet he could not recall the last time he had said them in return. Unwilling to let this meeting pass without expressing his regard, Darcy gripped harder and whispered, "and I love you, Father. I love you with all my heart!"

"Now, now," Adair chuckled as he pulled away, a suspicious sheen in his eyes. "Save some of that pretty speech for the lovely Miss Elizabeth. Treat her kindly, take to heart what she said to you tonight, and win her love!"

"I will, Father. I will not give up on her!"

"Good, good…" was the whispered reply.

As Darcy watched him walk away, he could not help but cry out, "I know you will always be nearby, but shall I ever actually see you again?"

Adair stopped, and slowly turned his head, refusing to look directly at him. "I sincerely hope so, Mr. Darcy." And with those words, he disappeared into the forest, leaving Darcy feeling more alone than he had before.

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It was dark out when Darcy finally climbed the steps to Rosings. It had been several hours since he had last run down these same steps thinking that he was to finally be reunited with his beloved, yet such had not been the case. His steps reflected the heaviness in his heart as he thought of all that had happened that day. To be so utterly rejected by the only woman he had ever loved, and then the emotional reunion with his father - it was certainly more than any one person could handle in just a few hours. Yet his day was not over yet. He must follow the directions given him, and begin now to make amends to Miss Elizabeth.

Upon arriving at the top of the steps, Mr. Cowell hurriedly opened the door. "Mr. Darcy!" he cried, relief evident in his voice. "It is good to see you, sir"

Darcy did not miss the look of shock upon the butler's face when he realized the state he was in. His clothes were covered in dirt from having lain upon the ground for some time, his hair was quite disheveled, and he felt as though his eyes were dry and puffy from the many emotions he had spilt. It was no wonder, he thought, that young ladies were always claiming an indisposition anytime they found themselves overwrought with emotion. To appear in public looking the way he felt, well it just was not done!

Wishing to ease the concern showing on Mr. Cowell's face, Darcy offered up a slight upturned lip in greeting. "I apologize if my absence has caused any concern, and I assure you that despite my appearance I am quite alright."

Doubt was evident in Mr. Cowell's voice as he replied. "Very well, sir. Although I do believe the Colonel was preparing a group of men to go search the grounds for you. I sent word that you had been found as soon as I saw you approach the stairs. He should be here shortly."

"I thank you, Mr. Cowell. But I assure you that a search party was quite unnecessary. My aunt is surely aware that I have been gone from the house for longer periods of time before. Certainly there should have been no cause for her to raise the alarm."

Mr. Cowell shifted nervously, "forgive me, sir, but it was not her Ladyship who insisted on the search party."

Confused, Darcy looked at the butler wondering who had felt the need to search for him when he heard a sudden shout from the other side of the entrance hall. "Darcy!" Fitzwilliam yelled with a look of exasperation. "Where the devil have you been man! And what happened to you?" he added as he took in a look at Darcy's unkempt appearance.

Glancing quickly at Mr. Cowell for confirmation, he realized that his cousin, of all people, had been the one to set up the search party. "I am quite alright, Richard. There is no need for your alarm."

"No need?" Fitzwilliam scoffed, a scowl marring his face. "You stormed out of the drawing room like a crazed mad-man earlier without a single word to anyone! Not only was it quite rude, but it left Mrs. Collins and I to deal with Lady Catherine's ire. She was furious that we had no explanation for your strange departure. Then after they left, I received a note saying you had called on Miss Bennet, only to disappear, while the lady had locked herself up in her room. According to their maid, Mrs. Collins reported that yelling had been heard from the two of you - you should be grateful that the servants there are loyal to Mrs. Collins and not her husband - and afterwards a great deal of sobbing from Miss Bennet."

Darcy's heart clenched at this solid proof of his father's words. He should not have been surprised to discover that she had been more affected by his poor proposal than he had imagined. Guilt nearly tore a groan from him, but his cousin had not yet finished his diatribe.

"So not only did you storm away from both Rosings and the parsonage, but no one could claim to having seeing you since then. It has been nearly five hours since you were last seen, and the only thing every person could agree on was that you were not in a right state of mind! Seeing you now, I wonder that you could doubt we had legitimate reasons for worrying. Not since we were children have I seen you so disheveled. Honestly, I hardly know what to think."

As his cousin finished, Darcy watched Mr. Cowell nodding along. He appreciated that their care for him seemed sincere, yet knew not what to say to reassure them. Running a filthy hand through his hair, he let out a sigh. "Thank you, Richard, for your concern. I am sorry to have let you worry so. I can offer no explanation for my actions this evening, but can only assure you that despite my appearance I am well."

Ignoring the continued looks of doubt and concern, Darcy strode past the two men headed towards the family wing. He was determined that a quick bath and a bite to eat would revive his spirits enough to get through the long night ahead of him. He had not made it far though when a loud and imperious voice rang out through the hall!

"Fitzwilliam Darcy! I am most heartedly ashamed of you!"

Darcy stopped and raised his face heavenward with his eyes closed in supplication for a brief moment before turning to face the angry visage of Lady Catherine. When he turned, he had plastered a pleasant smile upon his face. "My apologies, Aunt. I had not known you were still awake. I trust you had a pleasant evening with your guests."

Lady Catherine's face registered shock ever so briefly before her eyes narrowed. "I would speak to you immediately, Darcy. In private!"

Shaking his head, Darcy sent an apologetic look her way. "I am afraid that any topic you wish to discuss with me must wait until morning. As you can see" he said as he gestured to himself, "I am not currently fit for company and wish to refresh myself before attending to an urgent matter of business. I will be happy to attend you in the morning. Good evening, Aunt!" Bowing he began to turn again, catching a brief look of horror upon the faces of his cousin and the butler.

"I will not be denied!" Lady Catherine called out! "You will attend me now, Darcy!" Turning she stormed into the drawing room not waiting for his acquiescence.

Fitzwilliam and Mr. Cowell watched her disappear from view, then turned as one to see how he would react, eyes wide with wonder and fear. Darcy had never spoken so defiantly to his aunt, and after the many events of the evening it had felt freeing. For a brief moment, he debated whether it would be worth the trouble she would cause him to continue on his way and ignore her summons. In the end, however, he decided that putting off the unpleasant confrontation would not be conducive to the clear mind he needed for writing his letter. With a sigh and a quick shake of his head, he calmly turned and followed her in, closing the door in the face of two very curious onlookers.

When he turned in to face the room, Lady Catherine sat upon her chair, fingers drumming on the armrests, a look of contempt on her face. Unwilling to be be intimidated by her, he remained standing as he casually made his way towards her, but refused to stand directly in front of her. He did not miss the sneer on her face as she evaluated his appearance, and adopted a look of nonchalance on his own. Refusing to be the first to speak, he calmly waited for her to begin, although it was apparent that she wished for his apology.

After several moments of silence she finally cleared her throat. "Well, Darcy, what have you to say for yourself?"

Darcy simply raised an eyebrow. "If your Ladyship would be more specific as to what I am to say I would be happy to oblige."

Her eyes narrowed as she continued. "I will not tolerate such disrespect from you. Now I demand you answer me."

"I was unaware that I needed to answer to you in matters concerning only myself, aunt. Therefore, if there is nothing else you wish to discuss this evening I must beg you to excuse me."

"Not so hasty if you please!" She continued, bringing a fist down upon her chair. Darcy was shocked at the vibration he felt at the act, and despite his desire to leave immediately, found himself quite curious as to why he had finally sensed the life in the wood. Refusing to look at anything other than her chair, he listened as she continued on. "Your actions this evening were disgraceful! To storm out from among my presence while I was entertaining guests without a word was the height of rudeness. You have insulted me by insulting the Collins' and Miss Lucas! You did not return for supper, and when you do finally decide to show your face, you have the gall to appear as though you have been carousing in the fields."

All resolve to remain calm and civil disappeared as he heard her accusation. Clenching his fist in an attempt to keep himself from unleashing any of his anger through magical means, he took a step closer. "It would be wise of you, madam, to not make such aspersions against my character. That you would deign to even mention such a thing to a gentleman shows a decided lack of decorum. I have spent these past weeks pandering to your every whim, much against my own inclinations. I do believe that as my own man I can be afforded some privacy when I have personal matters to attend to."

Darcy watched as instead of backing down as most have done when faced with his anger, she seemed to feed off of it. "I will not be talked to in such a manner! Your mother would be ashamed of you!" This statement was accentuated with another pounding on the chair, and Darcy felt a shudder run through him.

"I beg to disagree. However, that is not the point. I am under no obligation to answer to you. What I choose to do with my time is none of your concern."

"Of course it is my concern! As my daughters betrothed, I have every right to ensure that you do nothing to tarnish her future. I will not tolerate any sort of scandal in her life."

Darcy rolled his eyes, which seemed to only infuriate her more. Before she could begin again, he quickly held up his hand. "I am not now, nor have I ever been betrothed to Anne, and I will never enter into such an agreement."

Three successive pounds on the chair were followed by demands of "How dare you go against your own mother's wishes!"

"Very easily. My mother never once expressed such a desire to me, and my father was unaware of any arrangement. As there is no legal paperwork to be found, you have nothing to force my hand in this matter. There is nothing you can do to change my mind."

"You are determined to see her ruined then!" Lady Catherine spat.

Darcy chuckled at the thought that he could ruin his spoilt and sickly cousin. "I will not be the one to ruin her, for I fear you have already done so." Ignoring the sputtering of his aunt, he continued on. "You have perpetuated this nonsense long enough. Anne will never find a husband as no gentleman would be willing to be saddled with such a shrew as her. She used to be a sweet, and kind young woman, until you decided she was too ill to do anything of worth."

"How dare you! Have you no respect for your elders?"

Letting out a bark of laughter, Darcy muttered under his breath "I could ask the same of you. For you are nothing more than a child in my eyes." Out loud he replied, "I only respect those who return the courtesy. Now, I will bid you a goodnight Lady Catherine, before any more words are said that cannot be taken back."

"I am not done with you, Nephew…"

"Yet I am done with you! While I admit that my departure earlier was not polite, what happened since has been a matter of personal business. As such, I owe you no explanation and yet I am disturbed that you feel the need to question my integrity. I have yet one more matter of business to take care of in the morning after which I will take my leave of you. The only words I will leave you with is that there is no need for you to concern yourself on my behalf."

Without waiting for a reply, Darcy bowed and stalked to the door. He opened it just as Fitzwilliam and Mr. Cowell stepped back in an attempt at innocence. Pausing to lift a brow in question, he was pleased to see that at least the butler showed signs of embarrassment. Ignoring the growing diatribe that continued behind him, he turned to his cousin and asked if he would be accompanying him to London on the morrow. Not wishing to dwell on the reason for Fitzwilliam's hesitancy to agree, he continued on past the two men.

As he approached the stairs that would take him to his room, he heard Lady Catherine begin berating his cousin in his place. Unwilling to let yet another matter of unpleasantness rule his day, Darcy sent out a particularly strong tendril of magic to touch her Ladyship's chair. Once he had as firm of a connection with the wood as he could achieve, he waited for a particularly strong slam of her fists before shattering the chair into fragments. Screams of terror and pain from Lady Catherine, as well as shouts of concern from Fitzwilliam and Mr. Cowell, could not drown out the sensation of relief he felt from the wood. With a satisfied smirk on his face that he had done something today that would please Iliana, Darcy continued on his way.


AN: 22.6.4 Today marks 7 years...7 years ago today I began this story by posting the prologue on this site. I will be honest with you, I had expected to have finished this within a year. To be 7 years in makes me sad and I will admit to feeling shame. However, life happens! And despite everything that I have gone through in that time, some good and some bad, I have never forgotten this story. Even when I wasn't writing it down, I was playing it out in my head ALL. THE. TIME. So I am sorry to say that after 7 years it is still not finished, and I hope you will forgive me.

At the same time, I am glad it has taken me all this time. This chapter alone has changed drastically in that time as the nature of the curse has been polished over and over again until I now finally feel it is perfect! Darcy's calling him Oberon in that manner was planned from the onset of my beginning stages before I had written down a single word, but many other things would not have worked out with the finalized curse. So had this chapter been written back then, it would not be the same story I had hoped it to be. So while I apologize for the delay, I hope the end result will be worth it all.

Now, to those who have stuck with me from the very beginning: I am humbled by you! To see some of my first ever readers respond so quickly to the previous chapter literally melted my heart! To see your familiar usernames in PM's and reviews...just thank you! I owe you all so much! To all the others out there who have joined gradually over this journey, you keep me going! I love to see how many people enjoy this tale that I have pulled from who knows where! I am determined to not fail you! I will finish this story so that you will never again have to wonder if it will come. I will not let this story approach its 8th anniversary incomplete!

With that in mind, the next 3 chapters are written. My final outline has 13 more chapters after this one, including the Epilogue. And while I will not promise an exact date for the next chapter, I will make sure it won't be a long wait. I hope that only having a week between this chapter and the previous one will renew your faith in me!

So again I thank you all, and will only add,
Happy Reading!
Love, Allahteeah