Madeline had been a bit nervous when she'd pulled up to the gate of Aedon Castle. The guard, a rather pleasant young man, waved her through with a smile when she'd confirmed her name. She drove through what looked like a medieval town towards the castle in the center, trying to keep her eyes on the road before her and not gawk.

She hadn't been lying when she'd told Jacen that most of the locals thought the castle complex was a cult compound. Gran was probably the only one who didn't, but then, she thought it had something to do with the Underground. Madeline had laughed and told her that she read too many fantasy books. Gran simply shrugged, then made Madeline promise to share all the details of her tour.

She'd pulled up to the front of the castle, noting a rather lovely fountain tinkling merrily in the center of the roundabout that led back to the gate. To her delight, Jacen was standing on the steps leading to the entrance, his sunny smile warming her and sending tingles of delight all through her body. He bounded down the steps towards her car as she parked, opening the door for her and handing her out as if she were a princess alighting from a carriage. Again, she got the impression that he wanted to kiss her hand, like a knight in shining armor.

"Since I promised you a tour, I thought we'd do that before we had lunch," he said with a smile. "If that's all right."

"Oh, yes. I was hoping you'd say that."

With a sly smile, he tucked her hand into his elbow. "I told the cultists to put away their candles and hide the robes. So, you don't have to worry."

Madeline laughed in delight. She loved his humor, how he could find amusement in almost everything around him, including himself. It was funny, she'd almost convinced herself that he couldn't possibly be as handsome as she remembered. She was right… he was even more so.

He led her into the foyer of the castle, which to Madeline's unpracticed eye looked about what you'd expect a medieval foyer to look like. There were some furniture pieces of heavy, carved wood, stained dark and polished to a velvety shine. A large, sweeping staircase led to the upper floor, but Jacen pulled her to the left archway from the foyer.

"This way is the kitchen and dining hall. I think you'll find them interesting."

He was right. The kitchen was huge, which wasn't a surprise given the size of the castle. But what was interesting was that there were a mix of ancient and modern appurtenances. A bank of large industrial refrigerator/freezers lined one wall, along with a state-of-the-art range of gas burners and several wall ovens. There were even three microwaves, mounted one on top of the other. In the center of the kitchen was a huge island with three sinks and what looked like a hot water faucet specifically for pasta. Above the island was a rack filled with pots and pans of every size. A tall shelf held baking sheets and casserole dishes. All along the island and next to the range were ceramic containers filled with kitchen utensils, each with a corresponding knife block. The island itself had a huge number of drawers, all filled with kitchen gadgets, no doubt.

On the other wall was a huge fireplace with pairs of heavy iron brackets mounted, obviously to hold spits for roasting meat. There were several hinged iron hooks meant to hang pots and cauldrons from, said pots stacked on a shelf unit of its own, near the fireplace. There was no fire burning in it now.

"This is… amazing," she said as she looked around. "It's like I'm seeing two different time periods, layered upon each other." She stepped closer to the fireplace. "Do they ever use this thing?"

Jacen shrugged, "Sometimes. They hold feasts now and then, and the meats that they roast are beyond compare. From what I've been told, there is a good ventilation and heat exchanging system so that it doesn't get unbearable in here when they do use it. But for the most part, they use the modern stuff."

There was a huge pantry full of dry goods, with a large door on the far wall. "That leads to the root cellar. I'll take you there if you'd like, but there's not much to see besides piles of potatoes."

Madeline laughed, "No thanks. I get the idea." She noted a rather large table and chairs in the kitchen, off to the side.

Jacen followed her gaze. "That's for the kitchen staff, so they can eat their meals. But… when there aren't as many guests, like now, everyone pretty much eats here as opposed to the dining hall."

"Do they have a chef?" she asked.

"Not at the moment. I mean, they have one on staff who comes when there are guests. But not right now."

"But you're a guest…" she said quizzically.

"Oh, I don't require anything. The house staff rotates cooking duties, sort of like firemen do when they have to sleep at the firehouse. Symon… that's the one who met you at the gate… he makes a killer chili."

He went over to one of the refrigerators and pulled out a bottled water, handing it to her with a smile. "Now… this you have to see."

He took her hand and gently pulled her toward a set of double doors towards the back of the kitchen. As she went through them, her mouth dropped open.

On the far side of the enormous room was a raised dais, upon which was a long table and at least a dozen ornately carved chairs. Lining the room, leaving the center clear, were tables and benches. From what she could see, this room could probably seat hundreds of people, maybe even a thousand. Above the dais hung a huge banner with a cross on it, but the cross was stylized, not one she would have associated with any knightly or religious order. There were huge, wheel-shaped candle holders suspended over the room, although there were also electric lights. Ringing the room, near the ceiling, were banks of windows, currently letting in a flood of sunlight.

This room was definitely what she would have pictured a castle dining hall to look like. For some reason, she imagined crowds of people dressed in medieval finery, dancing in the center of the room. "So… I assume this is where they have their feasts…"

Jacen nodded, "Yes. But also where they have a lot of corporate meetings."

The rest of the ground floor was comprised of perfectly ordinary looking offices, some bathrooms (which had modern plumbing, which Jacen laughingly pointed out) and a rather large library. Madeline spent quite a bit of time in here, her eyes roving over the books with interest. She was amused to note that there was an entire set of Sarah Williams' 'Underground' series, in pristine condition, along with Harry Potter, Dune, and The Lord of the Rings. Other books were historical treatises, some technical tomes and even a section of hard sciences.

There was also a ballroom, decorated to resemble something out of Versailles. Huge gilt-framed mirrors, baroque furniture, and elaborate crystal chandeliers gave the room an almost fairy-tale aura. She could picture walking in here, wearing a sparkling gown, and dancing until the stroke of midnight.

And Jacen as the handsome Prince…

The first, second and third floors had various bedroom suites, all with their own bathrooms, which was quite fascinating. Each suite had a sitting room, or 'solar', as Jacen called it. Some suites were just a sitting room and singular bedroom, others had several bedrooms attached to the central solar. Jacen had a room in one of these, a solar with four other chambers attached to it. His room was what she expected, furnished with a huge four-poster bed, a large stone fireplace and a heavy wardrobe and dresser. On a small table next to the bed was a laptop. He saw her looking at it and chuckled.

"Yes, we have Intranet here. We have our own servers, too. Every room has a hub to connect with. The home theater you saw downstairs? You can stream anything, movies, television, whatever."

Huh… 'we' have Intranet here… as if this was his residence…

With a wry twist to his brow, he threw open the doors to his wardrobe, revealing a collection of shirts, pants and accessories. "See?" he said with a smile. "No cult robes." She laughed heartily as he took her hand and led her out. "You can go wherever you like, love. There's nothing that's forbidden to you. But I thought you'd like a tour of the grounds as well."

"That would be lovely," she said. As he led her down the stairs and out the front doors, they passed a couple of the men on staff. They all smiled at her, nodding to Jacen as they passed by.

Now that's interesting. It's almost like… he's their boss or something.

They were also… rather intimidating. Everyone that she'd seen so far was tall, like Jacen. Ireland didn't have a shortage of tall men, but every single one she'd seen here was no less than six feet. They wore interesting outfits, almost like the uniform of a military unit, but in black. They were predominantly Northern European, but she saw one whose ancestors hailed from Africa and another that was clearly Asian. That made sense, as it was a global conglomerate that owned the place. What stood out was that the African and Asian both spoke with the same British/Celtic mixed accent that Jacen had, but without the American echoes. Almost like they had been born in the same place themselves.

She didn't have time to ponder that as he drew her into the 'town' that encircled the castle. "The original CEO, back in the 1980's, he had a fascination with old historical sites," he told her. "He bought this compound and restored it, probably with the idea of making it a corporate headquarters. Or maybe some sort of resort. Recreating medieval life. So you'll see things like a real blacksmith shop, stables, the whole bit. Although… the stables do have horses and a staff to care for them, even now."

It was quite amazing, really. The 'town' was more of a small city, with all types of shops, homes, warehouses and even taverns. It looked like it was just sitting here, waiting for people to just move in. "So… do these buildings have running water and electricity too?"

"Oh, yes," said Jacen with a laugh. "But they all have the medieval equivalent as well. It has a rather modern sewer system, or should I say, a septic system. I don't know much about how it works, but it's said to be environmentally friendly. Like I said, they'd thought to make this a resort way back when, so they wanted it to have as much realism as they could."

As they walked through the deserted 'streets', Madeline looked at him quizzically. "I know they farm the fields out there," she said as she indicated the compound walls in the distance. "They hire local farmhands and split the profits with them as well as paying them a generous wage. I guess I just don't understand why they'd keep this place. It's almost… well, not a cult compound, but… almost like a doomsday settlement."

Jacen's expression flickered a bit. He took a breath, then nodded. "Perhaps it was. Maybe they thought they'd establish a headquarters here, or maybe they thought it would be a good place to run to, if Armageddon came calling. It was the 1980's. Most of the movies and media from that time was obsessed with the idea of World War III and nuclear holocaust. When that didn't pan out, they probably thought it would make a good resort. I don't know."

"And yet, they have you writing 'local color' to attract more of their employees."

"Yeah, I think… well, they want to put the place to some use, I'm sure." He started leading her back towards the castle. "Now, I want to show you the best part… the garden."

Jacen was right, the garden was just… magical.

Maybe it was because it was Spring, and the green of new growth combined with the riotous colors of the flowers gave it an almost mythical look. The scents drifted on the air, jasmine, roses, and blooms she couldn't even name. Jacen had pointed out the lights in the trees, telling her that at night, the garden took on an almost fairy-like quality.

He led her to a circular wrought iron table with matching chairs. Upon the table was a lovely repast, with grilled fish and vegetables and what looked like a fresh fruit salad and whole wheat rolls. There was a bottle of white wine chilling in a bucket, and what looked like fine china and crystal arranged in two place settings.

Jacen seated her first, then took his place across from her. As she settled her napkin on her lap, she gave him a look filled with curiosity. "So… who cooked this? You said there wasn't a chef…"

"Gorden, I believe. At least, that's what he told me this morning, that he'd be making lunch today. I don't think you've met him yet."

"Okay… but then who brought it out here?" she asked. "I didn't see any servers or… even women. Why no women?"

For a moment, Jacen looked flummoxed, then a bit sheepish. "All right… I confess. Gorden knew I was trying to make a good impression, so he cooked a fancy lunch for us. He and the other guys set all this up while we were in the town."

"That was nice of them," she said with a smile.

"It was, really. I think they're all matchmakers at heart. Anyway, as to women… some do come here. Wives of the upper echelon mostly. The men who staff this place do it on a rotation. You can only stand to live in the sticks for so long…"

Madeline laughed at this, "I suppose it is rather slow-paced at that."

"Most of the guys are single," said Jacen after taking a bite of fish. "Every now and then, one will come out and bring his wife. And of course, when there are events being held, the staff is pretty much equally split amongst men and women. This is sort of the off-season, though. So… just the caretakers for now."

They ate companionably, chattering to each other about inconsequential things. He'd asked her to tell him about her occupation, leading to her rambling on about her degree in hospitality management and her two jobs, one at the hotel in town and one at the Beetlebrow Pub. She had been a little embarrassed at first about how she'd run on, but he seemed to be genuinely interested, asking her pertinent questions and absorbing her answers.

She'd gotten so carried away that when she'd glanced back down at her plate, she almost jumped. Laid across it was a long-stemmed red rose. She looked up at Jacen in surprise, a delighted grin spreading across her face. He'd followed her gaze to the rose, his cheeks reddening a bit when his eyes met hers. How he managed to slip it on her plate while they were conversing, she'd never know. But she found the gesture to be so… romantic.

One thing was sure. Jacen Danaaru was dangerous to her heart. It wouldn't take much to get her to fall in love with him. Not at all.

In fact… she had a feeling it was already too late.

One Week Later…

Jacen glanced down at the speedometer, taking care not to go over the stated limit. He could just imagine explaining to his mother that he'd gotten a speeding ticket…

He knew how to drive, of course. He even had a car of his own here Above, but it was a sports car, one well beyond the means of a humble travel writer, and thus he took one of the Estate vehicles. He chuckled to himself, remembering the storm his mother had wrung over his head when she realized what kind of car he'd acquired. Even Dad was a little concerned, at least until he'd tossed him the keys and told him to take it out for a spin. He came back from that ride with sparkling eyes and a huge grin. That grin got even wider when Jacen told him to consider the car just as much his, and to take it out as he pleased.

He could feel his heart tripping a little with the excitement of seeing Madeline again. While women were not much of a mystery to him anymore, at least not at this point, she herself was an absolute wonder. It wasn't just that she was utterly lovely… he had a feeling that he'd be just as drawn to her even if she hadn't been so pretty. But she was intriguing, funny, smart and oh so adorable. Everything about her was just… wonderful.

You're repeating yourself in your own head, Jace. Get a grip.

She was on his mind constantly. Even in his combat lessons with Randel, he'd find her popping into his head. That had earned him quite a bruise on his chest, when he'd gotten all dreamy and failed to block Randel's swing. Jacen blamed it on a sleepless night, an excuse that Randel didn't buy for a minute.

He found himself imagining what it would be like to show her his true home. She'd loved the Estate so much, he could just picture the delight on her face when she saw Caladh for the first time…

She doesn't even know what you are… she thinks you're human…

He ignored the nagging voice in his head and turned his attention back to the road. She'd invited him to attend a Celtic music festival that was being held in Solace Park. This festival drew in people from as far away as London and had a variety of traditional Irish foods along with a plethora of whiskies and beers. He'd been looking forward to it all week.

He pulled into her apartment complex, eyeing the building a bit dubiously. One thing he didn't like about modernity… the architecture was terrible. Very boxy and utilitarian. While the Goblins weren't exactly the most artistic beings in the Underground, at least their architecture had a little flair to it. It was sad, in a way… humans had created some of the most beautiful buildings on Earth Prime. Ankor Wat, the Taj Mahal, Notre Dame, those fairy-tale castles in Austria… and yet as they advanced, they seemed to leave beauty behind in favor of function.

Madeline greeted him with a smile as she opened the door. She looked extremely fetching in her long, flowered skirt and black off-the-shoulder sweater. Her apartment was small, but neatly kept. There was a tiny but functional kitchen, a dining nook and sitting area with a television mounted over the gas fireplace. She had a bookshelf in the corner, stacked with what he assumed were her textbooks from university, along with a mix of fiction and books on contemporary politics. He looked over at her curiously, "I would have thought you'd have your books on your reading tablet… yet…"

She moved over to the bookshelf to stand next to him. "Oh, I do. But there's something about a real book. You hold it in your hands, it has weight, and… I don't know… I just like them better."

"Ah, so that explains why you were there to clobber me in the head with the bookshop door," he teased.

"Normally, I would say yes, but that time I was on a mission for Gran," she answered. "There was a book she was looking for, and the proprietor was able to locate a copy for me. I was reading the back of it when I opened the door, that's why I didn't see you. And you? How is it that you were there to become my victim?"

"Same as you… looking for a gift," Jacen said with a smile. "Who knew that I'd come out of it with so much more…"

Her eyes went soft as he'd said that, before they grew mischievous. "A knot on your head?"

"That too," he said, laughing.

The Park was walking distance from Madeline's home, and they strolled there arm in arm. There was a good-sized crowd by the time they arrived, and from the look of things, the crowd was getting larger by the minute.

Madeline had drawn him over to a particular food vendor, this one selling a type of meat pie. He bought several, then they acquired some Guinness and parked themselves on a small grassy space, relatively close to the makeshift stage. As he bit into the meat pie, he made a mental note to see if the cooks back in Caladh could make something similar. It was delicious, and the Guinness complemented it perfectly.

The music was quite good, and Jacen found himself singing along now and then. Madeline looked over at him, her expression a mix of surprise and delight. He wasn't sure what surprised her more, that he knew the words to the songs or that he had a decent singing voice.

There was dancing too, and Madeline got another surprise when he'd swept her into an Irish reel. He wasn't sure if it were the Guinness, the music or her beguiling scent with its hint of tea roses, but he was absolutely intoxicated with her.

They'd stayed until the musicians were packing up, then walked back to her apartment, singing 'Devanney's Goat' and giggling together. As Madeline was using her key to open the door, Jacen realized that he'd made a rather fundamental error. He was in no condition to drive back to the Estate, and didn't think that their relationship had reached the stage where he could comfortably ask to sleep on her couch. He'd have to transport himself back to Caladh, maybe send someone for the car tomorrow…

These thoughts went right out of his head when Madeline locked the door behind them, then kissed him. For a half a second he was stunned… he wanted to kiss her, no doubt, but he hadn't thought she was ready for that yet. He'd spent the last few hours trying to work up his courage to kiss her, only to have her take matters into her own hands. As their kiss deepened, their hands began to wander, and he found himself plunged into a pool of sensual delight with the feel of her lips on his. This was a sensation unlike any he'd ever felt before, as if he wasn't just kissing her lips, touching her body… no, he was touching her soul, and she touching his…

How long they'd stood like that, Jacen would never know. Before he could stop himself, he bent and swept her up into his arms, never taking his lips from hers. She moaned in delight, kissing him voraciously and running her fingers through his hair. Vaguely noting the hallway to her bedroom, Jacen carried her in and kicked the door shut behind them.

Madeline awoke with a feeling of utter contentment, the kind she hadn't ever experienced in all her life. Never before had she felt so… cherished. So desired. Granted, her experience was somewhat limited… a romp or two at the end of Secondary and the disastrous relationship she'd had in her first year of university… but she'd never had a lover that was so… considerate. Gentle. A man who took his time pleasing her in every way possible before even starting to seek his own gratification… it was extraordinary. And never, not once in all the times she'd made love, had she ever felt this connection between body and spirit that she'd felt with Jacen.

Smiling to herself, she turned over to face him… only to find that she was alone in the bed. His side was rumpled, proving he wasn't just a figment of her imagination last night. And… on the pillow beside her lay a single red rose.

She felt the stab to her heart, despite her resolve not to feel it. Another rose. How nice.

She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She tried to rationalize the hurt she was feeling. Maybe he had somewhere he had to be… maybe that's why he didn't even wake me to say goodbye…

She steeled herself, trying to calm her nerves and keep her breathing at a measured pace. It didn't do much good, she still felt like she was going to cry.

Dammit. I knew this was a mistake. How could I be so stupid?

Well, so be it. She could lay here and wallow in misery or get her ass up and face the day. With that in mind, she threw back the covers, leaving the rose on the pillow. She pulled a robe over her nakedness and padded out to the kitchen to get some coffee going.

Except… she could smell the coffee already.

Before she could even register that, she rounded the corner to the kitchen and stopped short. Jacen was at the stove, putting some bacon slices into a pan. He glanced up at her when she came in, his sexy grin sending all kinds of shivers through her system.

"I'm sorry, love… I didn't mean to wake you. I was trying to get this done so I could take it to you…"

Breakfast in bed. He was making her breakfast in bed.

Ach, but you are an idiot, Madeline… you need to get a grip and not suspect the worst all the time.

"Well, I suppose I could just go back to bed and pretend I didn't see any of this. Or… just help you finish up," she said, a joyous smile spreading across her face. "I didn't know you could cook…"

He chuckled, "I go camping a lot with my uncle and his… brother-in-law. My cousin. They're both about my age, so we've hung out since we were little. Those two are a disaster when it comes to food preparation, so I had to learn, or else starve."

Madeline looked at him, a bit puzzled. "Brother-in-law and cousin at the same time?"

Jacen's expression was a little flummoxed. Then he laughed, "My uncle is my mother's brother. He's… a lot younger than her. My cousin is… not blood related, but his dad was adopted by my grandfather… my father's father. So, he's my cousin-in-spirit, you could say. My uncle married my other cousin…" He stopped a moment. "That sounds even worse. Okay, look… it's not…"

Madeline laughed at his attempt to explain. "Jacen, relax. I get it. Your uncle on your mother's side married the daughter of your dad's adoptive brother. Is that what you were trying to say?"

He laughed softly, "Yes. And mucking it up spectacularly. I made it sound like something right out of the Hapsburgs."

While Madeline understood the reference, it was still a little… odd. The Hapsburgs were a royal dynasty from almost a thousand years ago, who made it a standard practice to intermarry amongst themselves to keep power in the family. The results of that policy were disastrous. But… it wasn't exactly common knowledge to the everyday person.

Yet another Jacenism. I'll never get tired of being surprised by him.

She took a deep, appreciative sniff of the bacon cooking, "Mmmm… I think I could get used to this. Flowers on my pillow… breakfast in bed…"

"Flowers?" he said, a bit of a puzzled look on his face.

"The rose you left me on the pillow. I don't know how you manage to hide those things and keep them fresh the way you do."

Jacen's eyes flickered for a moment before he slipped an arm around her and grinned at her slyly. "Magic. It's magic."

"You're magic…" she breathed.

It was another two hours before they went back to the kitchen to finish breakfast.

Author's Notes:

It might have seemed odd to point out the two Othánas that were clearly not of Celtic origin, but I wanted to demonstrate that at this point in time, the Labyrinth was getting numerous wished-aways from all over the world. This was intentional on the Labyrinth's part and was facilitated by the original fairy tale spreading out, then with the Internet/Intranet. Sarah's books contributed to the legend gaining traction, too. By the time of this story, there is no corner of the world that isn't at least vaguely familiar with the Labyrinth tale.

While I didn't get into detail on this in previous stories, the residents of the Underground view humans as a singular species. The ethnic variations that we make so much of here mean absolutely nothing to them (if anything, such variations are considered exotic and desirable). The point I was trying to hint at here was that anyone, from anywhere, has the potential to be an Othánas or Fae. They just have to be wished away properly.

And… I wonder where the flowers are coming from?