Alex woke up the next morning to find Dave gone from his side of the bed. That side was cold, which told Alex that Dave had been up for sometime.
Alex got up and took a quick shower in the bathroom that was part of the master suite and got dressed, as she was hungry. It was no wonder she was, considering last night activities. Alex heard voices once she opened the massive bedroom door, which was much heavier than most modern doors, which meant sounds did not penetrate Dave's suite of rooms unless they were really loud.
"Oh, here she comes now," came Dave's voice and Alex didn't think to wonder how Dave knew she was up, she was still half asleep despite her hot shower. Last night had been one of the best nights of her life hands down and Dave had been absolutely insatiable.
Alex had learned years ago that she couldn't drink or eat anything with caffeine in it and Dave had explained the reason behind this, once she knew what he was. Caffeine, coffee, a lot of teas and chocolate would send them into a kind of dreaming state which could become permanent if they weren't careful. Alex had just believed she was allergic to anything with caffeine in it and she hadn't wanted to risk it after the first time she had drank a cup of coffee as an adult. She had to find other ways to wake up since caffeine was forbidden. She thought it was a strange thing to be allergic to, but it did happen where somebody was just extra sensitive to caffeine and so couldn't have it in any form. Of course, she was partly human as well, but she was enough like Dave in that way that caffeine caused her to go into a dreaming state. It was like a drug and so she had been intelligent enough to avoid it ever since.
That had apparently been a smart decision, even though she hadn't known it was so dangerous to her.
"Alex this is Aisling Friseal," Dave pronounced her last name with an accent. "She is your grandmother."
"My grandmother?" Alex asked staring at the woman, as if she had three heads. It was true that the woman did look like her with her color eyes, the same hair nose and chin.
"Yes, mo mhilis," The woman answered her voice musical. "Your mother was my daughter and she was taken captive by a lord of the Unseelie. We searched for her for many years, but finally, we felt her death nearly 40 years ago. The Unseelie who killed her met his death at my hand. We discovered that she had a child and that she sacrificed herself to make sure you were safe, as we questioned the sidhe that held her captive for so long. We tried to find you, but we failed in that too as the human world was a strange place to us so it was like looking for what is that human saying..."
"Needle in a haystack," Alex supplied and Aisling nodded.
"That sounds right," Aisling agreed. "Once the illusion my daughter placed you under was finally broken we sensed your blossoming power and tracked it here."
"So if I'm understanding you correctly you're my grandmother and you've been looking for me for many years," Alex said.
"That is correct. I had lost hope that you were still alive until last night," Aisling confirmed.
"What about my grandfather," Alex asked working out what Aisling had told her in her head even as she spoke.
"I'm afraid he has since passed, as he was human and though humans live longer in Underhill, the stress and the worry of his daughter's disappearance eventually caught up with him. He had a massive heart attack after he heard the news that his daughter was dead. There was nothing even our magic could do, even that of a healer."
Alex instantly felt grief for a man and she had never met, but she shook that off to think about later once their guest was gone. There were more important matters to discuss now. Alex who was still reeling that she had any blood related relatives and actually cared about her existence and the look Dave shot her told her that he knew it.
"Why don't you stay for breakfast?" Dave offered to Aisling who nodded gratefully.
"That's very kind of you, milord," Aisling told Dave.
"I understand that you have been looking for Alex for decades but you must also understand that we have just gotten married in the human fashion. It's what her adoptive parents insisted on so technically, we're on our honeymoon. While you have a right to get to know Alex, it's also her decision, as all she knows about her past was that she was abandoned by her mother. She knows that her mother didn't have any choice in the matter, but that doesn't mean she hasn't gone nearly 40 years with no one blood related to her that she knew about."
"That's true," Alex agreed. "Dave and I have gotten to know each other over the last year, but as for you, I don't know anything about you or about Underhill, other than the few things Dave has told me. I thought I was human until Dave told me what he was and explained about how I was at least partly sídh as he could sense my simmering power once I had gotten to know me a little."
"We met at a party," Dave told Aisling. "Alex just happened to be best friends with the daughter of the hosts."
"It is good to know that you were not entirely friendless doing your childhood," Aisling said.
"No, I wasn't," Alex agreed. "I did have other friends they just weren't as close as Eliza was."
"Breakfast should be here momentarily," Dave said.
"Dave has his own chef, because as he explained kenning something doesn't taste exactly the same at least usually," Alex said.
"That's true," Aisling agreed. "Some things can be OK and they taste right, most things not so much, which is one reason that our species enjoys going out among the human so much."
"So do I have any blood siblings," Alex asked.
"Yes, you do," Aisling said chuckling goodnaturedly at Alex's question. "Your father and I did manage to have more, but then I'm sure you know a human and a sidhe have a better chance of having children then to full-blooded sidhe...
"You give me hope that Dave and I can have children," Alex said taking Dave's hand. "My adoptive parents really want grandchildren and they're not gonna be around for centuries."
Alex didn't bother to mention what her parents had threatened her, as her grandmother didn't need to know about the many battles she had fought with them.
"Both of us really want children," Dave added and Aisling nodded understanding that desire very well.
"And not just because my adoptive parents want me to have children, but because I have been wanting them for a long time. However, I never got close enough to any man for them to propose and I'm not sure I would have accepted if they had."
"That overwhelming desire for children is definitely a Seelie trait Aisling told Alex.
"Yes it is," Dave agreed. "I never managed to have children with any of my lovers before Alex, but then, they were full sidhe so that's not surprising.
"You are about a quarter human but still it is very possible to have children," Aisling said.
"I can see my parents demand that I divorce Dave if we don't have children within the next couple of years," Alex said, "and that's not something I'm going to do."
"Why would they do such a thing," Aisling asked shocked.
"Because carrying on their family name is important to them as they are quite wealthy and my father comes from a long line of men. I told him I would adopt just like they did me if Dave and I don't manage to have children. My father would preferred to have children of his blood though and yes, I'm well aware that technically, I'm not related to him.
"Humans are just weird," Aisling shook her head. "Sidhe don't care about that kind of thing and each child is precious no matter who the parents are."
"That's true," Dave agreed, "though our dark cousins don't agree with that philosophy."
"Bah," Aisling made a sound of disgust. "Who cares what they think? The dark one kept my daughter prisoner for years before she escaped, because she was pregnant. I doubt she was well treated just because she was half human, even if the dark ones know that they have an easier time having children with one who is not full sidhe they don't care."
The food was delivered by several servants who were also Sidhe who had sworn fealty to Dave long ago. Dave offered them protection from the dark sidhe and other evil forces so long as they served him faithfully.
Alex thought it was a good arrangement, as she had since learned that there were many forces out there that would kill them without somebody strong to protect them. The sidhe that served Dave or any lord didn't have strong magic or at least not the willingness to go off on their own and build their own realm. Most of them were young and were content to serve someone like Dave so long as he treated them well. As for Dave, he was a generous lord so long as those who have sworn allegiance to him were faithful.
There were many delicacies, that Aisling had never had before and she only wished she could replicate them with magic.
"I wish I could replicate this with magic," Aisling said, as she took a bite of a soufflé filled with ham, cheese and spinach and then another of quiche.
"I agree with you there, which is why I employ a chef in the first place," Dave said. "Someone who knows how to turn ingredients into food that taste good. I enjoy human food great deal, which is one of the reasons I live in this realm though not the only one."
"So is your chef human or sidhe?" Aisling asked.
"He's half sidhe, actually," Dave said. "I could never employ someone who was completely human unless they already knew about Seelie. Of course that's not to say that there are some humans that are kind hasn't kidnapped because they are being mistreated by their human families."
"True," Aisling agreed, as she took another bite of her breakfast.
Alex had learned that the sidhe often kidnaped children from human families that were abusive. If the family treated their children well then they didn't have to fear them being replaced by a homonculus who would then die from some illness or get into an accident. The rescued child was then taken back to Underhill and released back into the human world once they were grown.
While it was more difficult to kidnap an abused child without someone spotting them or being picked up on a video camera nowadays, it did still happen, especially in isolated areas where there were no working cameras or the country.
"I've done that myself, though not in a long time since I've been living here in the human world ever since the 13th century. I've watched civilization greatly change in that amount of time."
The talk was casual until breakfast was over. Alex was not used to eating so much at one meal, ever since she had gone off to college. She usually just had a bagel with cream cheese or eggs and toast. Unfortunately, she had to skip anything with caffeine as that would've woken her up more efficiently then other methods.
"So where do you want to go from here?" Alex asked Aisling.
"I would like to get to know you my granddaughter," Aisling said. "It's an opportunity I never imagined I would have."
"That can be arranged so long as we set some ground rules," Dave said. "One, there is no trying to get her to go to Underhill with you. Two, any meetings will take place in my presence at least for now. Any underhanded tricks or manipulations and my sufferance will come to an end."
Dave went over the other rules and Aisling nodded not protesting, which surprised Alex.
"That's more than reasonable," Aisling agreed. "You're actually imposed far fewer restrictions than I imagined."
"I'm not unreasonable," Dave told her. "You can tell Alex so much about her heritage and her family, which I'm sure is something she'll appreciate."
"Dave is absolutely correct, as I know absolutely nothing about my blood family," Alex agreed giving Dave's hand squeeze. "That I actually have any blood family is still such a shock that it's gonna take me awhile to get used to the idea. I love the family that adopted me, but that isn't the same as having those that share the same blood."
"I understand and I suspect I would feel much the same if it was me that knew nothing about my heritage," Aisling agreed.
"You're welcome to visit at any time," Dave said. "I know you're anxious to get to know your granddaughter."
"I am," Aisling agreed, "but I also understand that you were just married in the human way. I hope she knows that human ceremonies don't hold power for a sídh."
"Dave and I have already discussed that," Alex assured Aisling.
"Yes, we did and I agreed that if I wanted out of the relationship that I would tell her, but only after her parents have passed away. I told her that I would be honest with her."
"If it was just me, I would've been perfectly happy for us to just become lovers and not worry about marriage, but with my parents alive this was the best option. They are very old-fashioned and thought I should've married years before I did. I doubt they'll be around more than another 10 years, as they are in their 70s. If Dave wants to end the relationship at that time then I won't object."
Aisling was nodding at this as most sidhe never got married just became lovers. That way there was nothing legal binding them from breaking off the relationship. To get married meant being totally committed to another, which meant they would be legally bound to each other and could not break it off, except when one of them died, which was why the Seelie usually only took lovers.
No matter how much it hurt Alex thought, but didn't say.
"You don't need to worry about that Mo grá," Dave told her giving her hand a squeeze.
Dave showed Aisling out and told her that she was welcome at any time.
~~~Dave and Alex~~~
"That was a surprise," Alex said once, Aisling had left.
"Yes, it was," Dave said gravely. "It shouldn't surprise you though."
"Why not?" Alex asked curiously.
"Because most of our kind have at least some family, though not necessarily one that cares depending if we're talking light sidhe or dark sidhe," Dave explained. "That someone in your family was looking for you, but couldn't find you, due to you being cloaked is not really a surprise. You heard what Dug and I talked about the spell you were under and it turned out that we were right about that."
"I was," Alex acknowledged, "and you were right, you and Dug both. I must have stared at myself in the mirror for five minutes, as I was getting dressed. I look so different from my human self that it still astonishes me. I'm still not used to the pointed ears or the slanted eyes, not to mention the color."
"It'll just take time to get used to your new appearance at least when you're not wearing a glamour something you need to learn how to do if you want to go out into the human world. It shouldn't be too hard, as it should come naturally now that your magic has awakened."
"That's something I need to practice, as I do have a job and while I'm on my honeymoon right now, I do go back in two weeks."
"You don't necessarily need to work you know, not anymore," Dave said.
"Maybe not, but I mostly enjoy it," Alex acknowledged, "and it gives me something to do to stop from being bored. Keeping myself busy is going to be even more important now than it was considering I'll live for a long time."
"That's true," Dave acknowledged. "I run a vast empire from behind the scenes and that certainly keeps me busy enough, not just here in the human realm but in Underhill too."
The two moved to the couch in the living room area and simply sat together enjoying each other's company immensely. During this time, Dave tried to teach her how to return to her human appearance.
Alex managed to change to where she looked human. Her ears became completely rounded, her eyes a dark brown instead of purple and the shape of them became less slanted and last of all the shape of her face became less alien and more human.
"That's very good considering you just came in to your power late last night and I kept you way too busy to even try changing your appearance," Dave said once Alex had managed to glamour herself to look like her old self.
Dave produced a full length mirror with a thought and Alex didn't comment and just got up to look at herself. She did indeed look like her old self and that was good.
"You need to see if you can keep it up for the rest of the day, as you need to maintain it for hours at a time," Dave said. "It's easy to forget and let it drop at least at first. It'll become a habit in a short amount of time, but you need to practice as often, as you can before you go back to work."
Alex took Dave's advice to heart, because she knew she was still new to having magic, as she'd gone without it her entire life.
"I'm glad we don't have to worry about someone coming after you," Dave said after a few minutes of silence. "Your grandmother took care of that for us, even if unfortunately, your grandfather died of a heart attack shortly after he heard of his daughter's death."
"Yeah, it's too bad I'll never get a chance to meet him, get to know him," Alex agreed.
"Humans might live much longer Underhill and can live for centuries, but that doesn't mean they are immune to things like heart attacks or strokes," Dave said.
"So do you think my grandmother's intentions are honest?" Alex asked the question she was nearly afraid to, but did so anyway. She had come to trust Dave's opinion, as he had always been honest with her as far as she knew.
"I do," Dave assured her. "She never would have been able to enter my home if she had any ill intentions to anyone that lives here. This place is positively bristling with every type of ward you can imagine. Ones that sense ill intent or ones that will stop an intruder in their tracks. I won't say it's not possible to get past all the protections that I have on my home, but someone is more likely to trip one of the many traps that are installed."
"Ward?" Alex asked.
"They're like invisible shields. I have magic users working for me. Ones that are particularly good at protection magic. A good ward will block out all kinds of things with ill intent not just our dark cousins. There are many types of fae, not just Seelie or Unseelie," Dave explained.
"You know I would love to meet my cousins that my grandmother mentioned," Alex said, "but that's for later."
"You'll meet them at some point," Dave said, "but this was only your first meeting with your grandmother whom you didn't even know you had. It's gonna take time to build a decent relationship with your family. On the other hand, you have that time."
Alex nodded in acknowledgment, because she knew she was going to be alive long after her adoptive parents had passed on, but that would've been true, even if she was completely human.
~~~Dave and Alex~~~