The Mairean of Time

     Today had been my send off, and now I hid in the Southern Mountains, crouched between some brambles and chewing at my fingernails. Anxiously awaiting the steely fae male. The whole Leaving Ceremony had felt so orchestrated, so forced, that I wondered if it were even believable. I was “to be married” to some lord from Benci that probably didn’t even exist, but the joining would bring our crownlands “great opportunities” and “many blessings from the gods”. I rolled my eyes at the thought, although, I was extremely thankful that it was not actually going to happen. I would stay here, in my home. Pretending to be someone else, and all but forgotten.

     I could think of worse things.

     I heard hooves approaching on the forest pass, and I crouched lower into the thickets, the gold filigree adorning my hair tangling itself in thorns and twigs. Once the rider entered the small clearing, he whistled, signaling to me that it was safe. Alasdair. I struggled to get myself unhooked from the tiny claws that clung to me, and losing the battle, I fell backwards out into the sward. My beautiful, soft-blue velvet gown was now covered in green stains, and the white lace around my sleeves and bodice had been torn.

     So much for first impressions for the Lord of Benci. I giggled over the thought, pushing myself upwards. Wiping at my soiled gown, I made my way over towards Alasdair.

     He smiled in greeting, his hair pulled back from his face and affixed in intricate braids, highlighting his strong features and pointed ears. My nerves began dancing in my belly, and soft shimmers of light sprinkled through the corners of my vision. 

     Not now, Niamh. Don’t go having an episode before we can complete this ceremony, I thought.    

Alasdair held a small cauldron-shaped bowl, the aged copper decorated in runes. He placed it atop the cairn. The one I’d built myself just a few days past. During the full moon. The full moon was said to be a door to the Otherworld, and I could really use some godly interference at the moment. I watched Alasdair as he summoned his magic, lighting a flame in the center of the bowl; it was a peculiar flame, glowing a steady blue instead of the usual dance of colors that signaled a fire. 

     “How are you feeling?” He finally asked, his tone soft.

     “As fine as you could expect, I guess,” I replied, nervously twisting my fingers around one another.

     “Are you ready?”

     “As ready as ever.” I shot him an awkward smile.

     He laughed, a deep, throaty sound in agreement, and then he outstretched his had towards mine. I hesitated before placing my hand into his, large callouses scratching against my delicate, unworked fingers. He unsheathed a small blade. It was similar to a dagger, but it glowed a silvery-blue and was inscribed with more fae runes. “This dagger is carved from the Mother Stone. It does not need to be forged. It is the hardest element in all the realms, and only a fae can carve the stone into such a blade.”

     It was beautiful—like it had been crafted from the gods themselves.

     “The Mother Stones are best wielded against the creatures of darkness. The only thing that can kill some,” he explained, his tone serious. “This dagger will be yours after tonight, but you must keep it hidden and keep it safe—so that it does not fall into the wrong hands.”

     I nodded in gratitude, finding it hard to form words.

     “Shall we begin?” He asked.

     “Yes,” I replied quickly, in an attempt to mask the trembling in my voice.

     Alasdair pulled a piece of jewelry from his scrip, placing it down next to the flaming cauldron. A silver necklace with a large, dark stone attached. He began to speak in Elder Tongue, and the odd blue flame glowed brighter. Alasdair lifted up the Mother Stone dagger in his right hand, and without even flinching, he raked the blade across his palm. “Fuil mo Fhuil.” He recited the words as he held his blood up over the flames, thick crimson dripping downwards. The bowl hissed in reply, and he handed the dagger over for me to take.

     I swallowed my nerves, taking the blade from him. The Mother Stone began to glow in my grasp, and Alasdair’s eyes lit up. “Do exactly as I did,” he directed.

     The dagger began to tremble as I lowered it towards my palm, and with a sharp breath, I drug it across my flesh. The blood pooled before it began to drip down my forearm, so I squeezed my fingers inwards, holding my hand up over the flame. I looked at Alasdair, and he gave me a nod in approval. “Fuil … mo Fhuil.” I fumbled the words—foreign on my tongue—and then squeezed my blood into the fire, that familiar hiss sounding as it dripped and fizzled into the bowl. 

     Alasdair picked up the pendant, dropping it into the glowing flames. A burst of blue shot upwards, and then disappeared just as quickly, as if a gust of wind had stole it away. “Reach in and take the necklace, Princess.”

     I placed the dagger down onto the stones and did as he asked. I expected my fingers to be met with searing metal, but there was no heat. The silver was cool to the touch. I heard a sound then, a gentle whispering, as if the pendant were speaking to me. As if it were a part of me. As I raised it up towards my chest, it lit up—as if I were holding one of the stars from the night’s sky. A cool wind danced through the trees above, and I could feel sweat begin to bead as my hair clung to the crevices around my neck. 

     “This next part may be a bit more … uncomfortable. I will try to make it go as quickly as possible.” Alasdair’s eyes were soft, almost as if he felt pity for me. 

     He began to recite a spell in Elder Tongue, and I reached around behind my neck to hook the clasps together. Once I finally managed to hook the necklace into place, streaks of light shot through my vision, and my chest lurched upwards, arching my back into an unnatural position.     

     Alasdair’s words echoed through me like thunder in the night as I screamed and writhed in pain, the sickening sound of my bones cracking the last thing I heard before darkness seemed to eat me alive.