by Jana LaPelle
Smiling at the elderly witch beside me, I pull her into a hug. “I love you, Morgwais. I know that you are dark fae, but what would I do without you? Will you stay until Lillie and Lachlan are born? I know that your place is with The Horde King but …” Tears well up in my eyes and I swear internally because I hate my newfound penchant for tears at the drop of a hat.
Morgwais gathers me into her arms gently and places a kiss on my cheek, and I find that I’m openly weeping and she comforts me by saying, “Me wee lass, our destinies be intertwined. I be with ye always, for as long as me lives. The Horde King and ye and yer kindred will be forevermore tied together, it be a family bond. Ye have nothin’ to worry about.” Laughing she says, “These two wee babes? They be needing a firm hand. They be needin’ Morgwais and maybe a wee lass named Millie?”
The twinkle in her eyes leads me to one conclusion. She has seen the future and Millie is in it. I turn to Alaric as I settle myself down for my meal and say, “Millie and Hank are coming back to Faerie to help with the upbringing of these two and Lexie’s babe.” Looking back at Morgwais, I notice that the twinkle in her eyes has faded as she takes in our Father and I could swear that there is a quick shake of her head before she nods to him and backs away. My gaze swings to our Father, and with a brief incline of his head, he acknowledges Morgwais from across the room before turning toward my mother. I can’t help but think that it was an odd interaction.
Surveying all that have gathered, I glance across the room, I see that my mother and The Dagda are getting reacquainted with their father. Both are kneeling before him, and my mother is openly weeping. It is indeed a humbling sight to see them coming together once again, and I blink back my tears. Damn hormones.
I look up at Alaric, and he smiles and says, “Eat, we will let them catch up and then we need answers.”
After everyone settles down and takes a seat, and after a few bites I lean back into Alaric and say to our host, “I think it’s well past time that we discuss what just happened.”
“Ashliel-“
“Ashliel? Are you telling me that my daughter is Ashliel? How is it that I did not know this, did not sense this? Dagda, did you know? What is going on here?” My mother demands.
Suddenly, I feel uncomfortable before asking, “Mother, please, I’m sorry. Are you unhappy with this turn of events? I assure you that I have no recollection of my previous life. Whatever that life might be, I have no idea why he insists on calling me Ashliel.”
My mother’s face softens as she comes to me, “Baby girl, come here.” My mother opens her arms and standing, I go to her willingly. “First and foremost, I’m so happy that you are okay and that you and the twins are thriving. Especially after what took place earlier today, you should know that I’m not upset with you. It’s just that… Ashliel and I were very close before. Well, before I chose to become a goddess of The Otherworld.” Directing her attention to our father she asks, “Christian, has Ashliel been born to me as my daughter?”
The room grows quiet, and everyone looks to our creator. He looks from my mother to me and back again, “Danu, she has no recollection of her previous life. That is not how we planned how this would go down. She should have acquired her memories upon her ascension, but she evidently made a last minute decision to not receive her past memories. In this life, she is your daughter and only your daughter. She knows nothing of your time together prior to your leaving her behind in The Overworld. She does not remember me as her father, only you and Rhespen… and that is as it should be. She is and always has been, wise beyond her years, I would say.”
I hug my mother close to me, and she returns my embrace, unshed tears shining brightly in her eyes, “My baby girl, Ashliel, you chose me. I’m so honored to be your mother. Ashlinn, I’m so grateful that you are mine, I love you so much.” I feel my father, Rhespen come up behind me and we are all pulled into an embrace that I welcome.
Pulling away, I look pointedly at the casually dressed man that I now know to be the father of us all and say, “For my benefit, would you please begin addressing us by the names that we currently answer to? I think that for everyone present it would it be very much appreciated.”
He inclines his head, “As you wish Ash, now there is a lot to go over, and I have places that I need to be and things to oversee. I’m very busy you know.” He says with a twinkle in his eyes and a bit of a smirk on his face. “Given that you have no recollection of your purpose, we have much to discuss. Come, child, sit, eat, and we will get to it. Everyone, please make yourselves comfortable there is room for everyone and plenty to eat.”
Everyone settles in and looks expectantly, albeit, a little uncomfortably towards our maker. And he begins, “When I created The Tree of Life, I knew that there would come a day where She would be challenged. After my chosen angels had taken up their new mission as gods and goddesses of The Mortal and Otherworld Realms to oversee and guide the souls of the living, I decided that I needed a backup plan for The Tree of Life because I knew there would come a day when she would fail and she would require assistance. Ashlinn, you and I had many extensive discussions in The Overworld about the necessity of a soul to step up and bear the weight of overseeing The Circle of Life. After a time, you came to me and asked if you could take up the mantle and assume the burden for all The Realms. Upon further discussion, plans were made, and once all was in place you willingly gave up your angelic existence, and your soul was placed here in The Soul Reliquary that exists in this realm, for safe keeping until the time was right for you to be born into The Otherworld. I know now that you do not recall these discussions, but I hope that this rings true with you.” He sighs before continuing, “At this point it matters not, you and Alaric have ascended and will bear the mantle together.”
“What do you mean? We bear the mantle together?”
“From this day forward, you and Alaric will oversee the transference of souls. You, my dear, have ascended to become the Keeper of Souls and Alaric is your Guardian and has become the Guardian of Life.”
“Okay, that’s a bit overwhelming. What are we supposed to do?”
“Look within yourself, Ashlinn. The knowledge imparted to you through your connection to The Tree of Life is there, just waiting for you to tap into it. All living souls are ushered from this plane of existence to another and sometimes back again.” Sitting back he allows this information to sink in, looking around the room as if to gauge our reaction to his words. Taking Alaric’s hand in my own I squeeze it gently, needing that physical connection as we wait for him to continue. “You, my dear, have recently ascended to fulfill your destiny and become The Goddess of Life, Mother Keeper of Souls, Queen of Taisclainne Anam, this is your Realm. You and Alaric together rule this small but crucial Realm of existence. Everything you see here is yours to rule and command.”
“What? I’m sure that I heard you wrong. Isn’t my mother, Danu, The Goddess of Life?”
Smiling he says, “No, my child. Danu is The Mother Goddess to the Tuatha Dé Danann. It is fitting since she has always been destined to become the mother of The Goddess of Life. You Ashlinn, you have ascended to become The Goddess of Life. Can’t you feel it? Souls ushering to and from? After today you will begin building your Order, The Order of the Sentinels of Life. Don’t worry. You will grow into your role as will your children. Lillie and Lachlan will become the firstborn Keeper and Guardian pairing. Keepers will always be female and will always be paired with a Guardian. Is that too much information?”
Alaric is the first to recover from our information dump, “Let me get this straight. You’re saying that we just ascended to become god and goddess of this realm? That our sole purpose will be to see to The Circle of Life and that it continues as it should? What else will we be responsible for? Does the prophecy hold true? Will we be responsible for defeating the evil within the land?”
“Yes.” Sighing heavily he continues, “There are those of my children that will fall and have fallen from my grace. It will be an
epic battle. Not unlike the battle that took place in the Overworld except that this fight will be fought in The Otherworld. Lucifer led the first rebellion in the heavens, and his fall from grace brought about his dominion over The Underworld. Some of my children that took up the call to leave The Overworld and do my bidding in The Realms of the living have become disgruntled, complacent, and greedy. Simply put, they want more. They have lost their way, lost sight of their mission and can no longer discern right from wrong. If they continue their course, they are destined to fall. Once they do, what they don’t realize is that they will become one of Lucifer’s own. Where they were once full of light and promise they have now allowed themselves to be ruled by the darkness that is in us all. The Morrígna will not take long to recover from today’s defeat. They will enlist the help of those that have fallen and will attempt to wake the dead. They are looking for a way to permanently open a portal to The Underworld and will stoop to using dark majic to accomplish their end goal. You both will have some time to recover. Time is relevant. Ashlinn, I believe that you have an innate ability to recognize when things are about to go to hell in a handbasket. Trust in that feeling, trust that sense of urgency. It will never fail you.”
“What do you mean? Wake the dead? How is that even possible? I thought you permanently closed the portals to The Realms of the Afterworld? I have so many questions. I really don’t even know where to begin.”
Everyone starts talking at once, and things become rather chaotic as we all attempt to assimilate everything that has been imparted to us. As everyone continues to talk, our father stands, clearing his throat, gaining our attention once more, “I believe that is enough information at this time. The how’s, why’s, and when’s of what is to come are not for me to impart. I will be back on the morrow to continue your education of your role moving forward, for the both of you. Until then I invite you to explore this realm, The Taisclainne Anam and visit The Soul Reliquary. You and Alaric should make this your home away from home. You will be spending a great deal of time here. Oh, and by the way, from here on out you will be able to trace from place to place just as you have seen The Dagda and Danu. See you tomorrow.” With a smile, he vanishes. The room is so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
Chapter 4
(Ashlinn)
Slumping back against Alaric, I’m suddenly exhausted. The Dagda is the first to recover, smiling he says, “It was good seeing our Father. That being said, our mission remains the same. We need to stop The Morrígan and her sisters. We need to find out with whom she is forging alliances and we need to build our army. After today’s victory, I have no doubt that they have suffered setbacks and it will take some time for the three to recover and formulate a plan B. We, on the other hand, need to push forward. Alaric, you and Ashlinn will need time to grow into your new role as our newest and youngest deities. That, we intend to give you, you were both very important before and now even more so. Trust that we can handle the task at hand son until you are ready to step into your role in The Otherworld, to lead our army.”
Alaric’s arm around me tightens, and I lay my head on his shoulder and look up at him. He’s looking at Declan as he addresses Dagda, “Uncle, you will need to work with Declan. He is my second. Tarron, I trust that you and Dagda will work together to continue forging the alliance we need between your horde of dark fae and the light fae that stand with us. It is now more important than ever to have you and The Horde fighting by our side. Ashlinn and I are very thankful and blessed to have you all in our lives and to have your support. Now, everyone let’s finish eating, and we can go explore and catch up.”
I can’t stop my eyes from closing as I slowly sink into a state somewhere between sleep and consciousness. I feel Alaric shift, and I say, “No Alaric, I just want to rest my eyes I need to be surrounded by everyone. Please, I want to stay.” He scoots his chair back and pulls me into his lap, and I’m cradled there as I snuggle into him. My kindred kisses the top of my head and pulls me in close. I always feel so safe and protected in his arms. I hear the conversations around me carry on and the sound of it and knowing that all my loved ones are safe lulls me into a deep and restful sleep.
(Alaric)
She’s exhausted. Hell, I’m exhausted, and I’m not nurturing twins. Today’s turn of events has been revealing, and I know that there is more to come, more for us to learn and more for us to accomplish. Dagda, Declan, Tarron and I make plans for the coming days while Danu, Morgwais, Lexie, and Jasmine begin planning a baby shower celebration. They want to make it a welcome home as well for Ashlinn back at the Keep, and I agree, knowing she needs this. All the while my beautiful mate sleeps in my arms.
“It’s getting late, don’t ask me how I know in this realm, I just do. Everyone is welcome to stay, and I request that you do. Ashlinn will be terribly disappointed if you do not. From the looks of this place there are plenty of rooms for everyone, so please, make yourselves at home. We will see you in the morning.” Standing, I think of the room we woke in earlier, and suddenly we are there. The fireplace is lit, the window and balcony doors are open, and a slight breeze stirs and lifts the curtains around the windows. Laying Ashlinn down, I look around the room and discover a door, curious I find a large bathroom outfitted with state of the art shower fixtures, a huge sunken tub, the thing is as large as a small pool, and it is full of warm water that circulates continuously. Smiling, I walk back into our room and locate a wardrobe. Inside are changes of clothing for both of us. I prepare the bathroom and trace down to the kitchen to bring up something for us to eat, and I’m back in an instant. I’m seriously going to like being able to trace to places that I’ve been to before.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I lean in and whisper, “Mo grá, I have a surprise for you. Wake up beautiful. That’s right, I want to see those beautiful whiskey-colored eyes. There she is. Welcome back.”
Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she looks around and back to me, “How long was I out?”
“About an hour or so, it was getting late anyway. Everyone is staying the night or twilight or whatever. I thought you would like to take a soak with me, I have food and drinks and an enormous sunken tub that is just begging for us to enjoy it.”
Smiling up at me she stretches. I miss her panther. “I miss her too. I was just getting used to her and the shift but she is content, and that is all that matters right now.”
“Come mo grá, you and I both need this.” I watch as she climbs awkwardly out of bed. Her first thought is that of Lillie and Lachlan, and I watch as she cradles her baby bump that is now more pronounced. Honestly, she looks much farther along than her mere two months. She looks up at me, shyly before she begins removing her clothing. I round on her and pull her into my hold, “Please Ashlinn, don’t be self-conscious. Not with me. Not now, not ever. Okay?”
She sighs and says, “Alaric, look at me, how can you find me attractive? My belly is swollen, as are my ankles and feet.”
“Ashlinn, you have no idea how much I love just the sight of you. You are the epitome of life itself. Standing here before me, you represent all that is dear to me, you are everything to me. Come on beautiful, there is an enormous bath waiting for us.”
“If you say so,” she grumbles.
“I say so. Come on mo grá, you are going to love this. Once we have a good soak, you will feel better.” Picking her up I sit her on the bed and gently remove her boots, then her socks, pulling her to her feet I help her remove her pants and top and pick her up and carry her into the large bathroom. The room is now bathed in candlelight, and rose petals of red and white are floating in the water and are strewn around the edges of the tub. I watch her face for her reaction, and I’m surprised to see her eyes fill with tears. “What is it Ashlinn? Do you not like your surprise?”
She buries her face in the crook of my neck and clings to me, I feel her hot tears run down my chest just before I hear, “I love it. I love you for being so very thoughtful. What did I ever do to deserve you? I don’t k
now why I’m crying. Damn hormones. I hate this. Here lately I’m a blubbering mess.”
“Come on Ash, let’s wash those tears away. I’ll wash your hair, and you can relax.”
“Only if we can talk about what happened earlier. I need to know, how do you feel? Are you okay with everything that has happened? You seem oddly complacent and at peace.”
Holding her hand we walk down into the pool of water, it comes up to my waist and a bit higher for Ashlinn, which is perfect. I hear a sigh escape her lips as she leans back to wet her hair. The temperature of the water is relaxing. Smiling, I say, “Lay back. Let me get your hair.” Not sure where to begin, I take my time with her long beautiful mane as I work the shampoo into lather and massage her scalp. “Ashlinn, I knew the moment that I laid eyes on you that we were going to be in for one more of a life together. I always knew that I was meant for more and between the two of us, I sense that you are having a harder time of accepting our new status than I am. Why is that mo grá? Since you accepted this as your mission a long time ago, I would have thought that you would finally feel as though you had come full circle and accomplished your end goal.” I continue rinsing her hair and finger combing it in the water, delighting in the sheer silky feel of it in my rough, calloused hands.
“That’s just it, Alaric, I have no recollection of my previous life, and I feel as though everyone expects me to just jump in and embrace this new role as if it were tailor-made just for me. But that’s the thing. I have no memories of preparing for this. Nothing. What if I screw up? This is a big deal, Alaric.”
I finish with her hair and sit her up so that we’re face to face. There are seats in the center of the tub where she is perched, and I sit beside my kindred, pushing love and confidence to her through our bond. Framing her face with my hands, I pull her in for a gentle kiss before saying, “Ashlinn, none of us are perfect. You would never do anything intentionally harmful to anyone. Your heart is good and pure, and that is why you are perfect for this role. That is why your father and creator felt like you would be able to step into this position. You worry too much.”