Chapter 4: Training

A Chapter by S. V. Thompson

When Irial arrived at my home the vibe between us wasn’t awkward like I thought it would be. It was calm, like we have known each other forever. We went to my meadow and sat across from each other Indian style. I wore a pair of jean shorts and a plain green v-neck shirt, flip-flops, and finally my new necklace. Irial wore a pair of jeans (I swear he had endless jean pants) and a black shirt the said in sassy script ‘The Goonies’ and had a skull and crossbones on it. Oh, and his biker boots. Hmm, no leather jacket today.

“Ok,” he said, “We’ll start with Fae history.”

“Ok, but I already know some of it from my mother’s diary.” I told him.

“Then we’ll recap and I can answer any questions you have, ok?” he asked.

“Ok.” I said again.

“It all began with Niamh (Nee-av) and Cian (Kee-an). Niamh was a Light Fae Queen and Cian a Dark Fae King. Over time they began falling in love, but their love was a secret one as well as forbidden. Cian wanted to make their love public and stop sneaking around but Niamh said no, she was afraid of what the public would think. This made Cian angry. He wanted to be with his love but she denied him. Niamh and Cian began drifting apart. Niamh was scared of Cian’s anger and Cian just kept getting more hateful. Niamh knew " from her Oracles " that she was to die but she didn’t know who would kill her or when. So she prepared for the worst. She told of her life to a trustworthy friend and of what she planned to do, which is why we know of this today. Niamh had a prophecy written. It says,

‘On the hour when the moon and the sun are one,

The savior shall defeat the Dark,

Break the curse,

And save the Sidhe from eternal damnation.

You will know her by her flame colored hair,

And her sacrifice.’

Shortly after writing this Cian’s temper finally exploded. In his fit of anger he unintentionally murdered his only love. Niamh was crossing into the Mortal World and when Cian’s army attacked. Cian stabbed her through her heart with silver believing she was a Fae villager trying to become human. When he saw her face and realized his mistake he let out a ferocious cry of sheer pain. His heart obliterated, he called off the attack and disappeared. A local witch cursed him to live until his anger vanished. Now he is trying to exterminate Niamh’s line so Darkness will rule. Your mother and you are the last of Niamh’s descendants.” Irial said.

I was fascinated and a little sad by the story.

“So if my mom is Queen, am I Princess?” I asked.

Irial shook his head and said, “Darcey left before she became Queen, so technically speaking you are Queen.”

“What do you mean, ‘technically’ wouldn’t I already be Queen?” I asked confused.

“No. you have to be 200 years old.” He said.

“200!” I exclaimed. “How old are you really?” I asked curiously.

He smiled and said, “I am 189 and the Prince of a neighboring Light Fae Kingdom.”

“Then why are you here? With me.” I asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? I am to court you, marry you, and become King of the Fae World.” He said.

“Wait, wait, wait. Back up. Start with the Fae World thing.” I said.

At this point I was still confused. I mean, what was he talking about?

“The Fae World is broken up into 3 parts. The Dark Kingdom, your Kingdom, and my Kingdom. The Oracles met and decided it was time to force the Prophecy into action. For millenniums Cian has terrorized all that is good in the Fae World. Hence why the Prophecy needs to be activated. The Oracles have decreed that my Kingdom and yours needs to be combined to create one single force of Light Fae’s. By doing this we can fight Cian.” He said.

“But I thought you had to be 200 to inherit the Kingdom?” I asked, yet again confused.

“You do.” He smiled and reached out and cradled my hand, “But if you and I marry, we will both have the Kingdom.”

I blushed and ducked my head.

“Why do you do that?” He asked in a curious tone.

“Do what?” I asked puzzled.

“Hide yourself from me. If we are to be married, I want you to tell me how you feel and certainly do not hide from me.” He said, dead serious.

“Ok.” I whispered and looked into his beautiful and hypnotic gaze.

He leaned in and gave me a slow sweet kiss. When we broke away from each other he smiled brilliantly and I reflected that wondrous smile as well.

“Now we begin your Training.” He said all of the sudden.

“Where do we begin?” I asked excited.

~~~~~

Irial and I trained for hours. I learned how to control the element Earth first. It seemed like it took me forever to move the Earth and create shapes. Producing fruit was the easiest and growing plants as well. Even remembering made me frustrated; but now that I think of it, Irial was really helpful. He said that I must practice on my own so I concentrated on the memory hoping I could make something out of the loose Earth at my feet. I closed my eyes bringing the memory forward…

You must focus Aislinn. If you don’t

You will never accomplish it.” Irial

was saying.

Yeah, easy for him to

say. With him so close to me I

couldn’t focus. I could feel his body

heat radiating behind me and smell

his scent in the breeze.

“Ok. We’ll

try something different. Think of your

meadow. It’s just you. You can feel

the warm summer breeze, hear the

rustling of the grass and leaves. The sky

is clear, not a cloud in sight and in the

distance you can hear birds chirping. You

can also feel the dirt beneath you. Now I

would like you to shape that Earth into

anything, whatever comes to mind.” He

told me.

I thought of a sun, the ones I

used to draw as a child " you know, a

circle with spikes coming out of it.

“Great!

Now make some clouds and birds.” I heard

Irial order distantly.

I pictured it all in my

head.

“Now open your eyes.” He said.

was just like I pictured in my head! Every

last detail!

“I did it!” I exclaimed and turned

around.

“Yes, you did.” He said with a

mischievous smile.

He slyly stole a kiss

Then said, “Let’s try other shapes now.”

I pictured my meadow just as he told me then let a random shape form. When I opened my eyes I saw a perfectly symmetrical heart made of dirt before me. I hurriedly scrambled the heart hoping no one saw it. It must have happened because I thought of the kiss.

~~~~~

I smiled to myself as I saw the black " haired girl destroy her heart. So, she was in love with the Princeling. I wonder if he knows that….probably not. This makes killing her all the sweeter. Her sapphire gaze met mine unintentionally but I crouched further in the shadows so she couldn’t see me. Then she looked away not seeing me. Stupid girl, you should listen to your senses. I hoped Master would be pleased with me for Tracking her down.

~~~~~

That was weird. When I was erasing my heart I got the strangest feeling - like I was being watched. I felt a chill race down my spine and felt the hair on the back of my neck rise up. I quickly glanced around. I saw something move in the forest. My eyes probed the dark shadows, searching for what disturbed me. I saw a rabbit jump out of the forest, look at me, then disappear back in it. That must have been what was watching me but as I walked back inside I still felt like I was being watched.

~~~~~

That was close " too close. Master would have been very angry with me if the girl saw me; as it was, the viewing was going to be painful.

~~~~~

I teleported back to Master’s castle in the Fae world.

“Did you find her?!” Master demanded.

“Yesss.” I slurred.

“Come.” He said.

I stumbled up to his chair.

“Sit.” He ordered.

He placed his callused hand on my forehead, as soon as he touched me white-hot pain exploded through me. If I wasn’t already sitting I would have collapsed. The pain was agonizing, like I was burning form the inside out. Master let go of me and I whimpered and fell to the floor.

“So little Ash is in love with the Prince Irial.” He mused.

I nodded, trying to stand up.

“Good work Eoin (O-in). I want you to continue to watch the girl, while I plan to kill Darcey and Draven.” He ordered.

“Yes, Master Cian.” I mumbled and prepared myself to live in the forest a while.

“Oh and Eoin, if she sees you my wrath will be ungodly.” He said menacingly.

~~~~~

The next day started out much like yesterday. Irial met me in the meadow again. This time he had black jeans on and a white button-up shirt on. And his boots, no jacket today either. His hair was loose as usual but he had some inky, wavy strands that refused to stay still, they flew in the light breeze. His gray gaze smoldered as it took me in. I chose a black tank-top with rips on the stomach and a green tank-top underneath, and a really torn up pair of shorts. I kind of looked like a Monster can " but I wasn’t. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun.

“Hello, Mo Ghrá.” He said.

I rolled my eyes at the now familiar nickname.

“Hi, Iri.” I said.

He raised an eyebrow and said, “Iri?”

“You have a nickname for me, so I have one for you.” I said matter-of-factly.

“True, but my nickname for you is romantic. You just shortened my name.” He said with a hint of a smile.

“Oh, really?” I said as I cocked my hip out and put my hand on it.

“And what does ‘Mo Ghrá’ mean then?” I asked.

“I shall tell you when we marry.” He said.

“Uh huh, that’s what I thought, you won’t tell me. Anyway what is planned for today?” I asked.

“I assume you’ve mastered Earth?” He asked.

I nodded in reply.

“Then we will start Air today.” He said. “I want you to think of the weather, how the sun shines, the rain pours, the wind whistling between trees, and the snow sinking from the sky. Focus only on the weather. Today is obviously nice because of the sun shining down upon us. Now think of tomorrow. Is it going to rain or is the sun going to be out?” He asked.

“Neither, it will be foggy and overcast.” I said, sure of myself.

“Good job. Now I want you to create a slight breeze.” He ordered.

I thought of how nice the wind feels on a hot summer day. To my surprise the breeze came and tugged a few curls from my bun.

“Ok, now I want you to create a massive gust of wind that could knock me over.” He said.

I thought of windmills turning fastly, tornadoes, and trees swaying. At the time I was standing in front of Irial and when I thought of the forceful wind I was shoved into Irial’s chest. His arms automatically locked around me and he looked down. I put my hands on his chest to catch myself.

~~~~~

Aislinn crashed into me because of the wind she created. I caught her unintentionally. Her warm hands sat on my chest. I looked down and saw her enormous blue eyes looking up at me. When the Oracles ordered me to marry the tiny beauty in front of me, I was angry. But when I met her and first saw her innocent blush, I knew she was mine. She truly was Mo Ghrá. I leaned in, giving her plenty of time to back away, and touched her soft lips to mine.

~~~~~

My lips parted ever so slightly and I darted my tongue out and licked the seam of his lips. He responded by caressing my tongue with his. He suddenly brought his hand up to the back of my head. I felt his fingers tangle in my hair. He crushed my mouth to his and tilted my head, deepening the kiss. The passion roared between us like we were on fire. I tightened my arms around him; I never wanted to let him go. Eventually we broke apart and we were both gasping like a drowning man. I leaned my head on his chest and tried to calm down.

“What are we going to do tomorrow?” I whispered into his chest.

“Well for the rest of today work on Fire. Tomorrow I’ll take you to school and back and then we’ll work with Water.” He said, his voice slightly unsteady.

“Ok, let’s start Fire now.” I said.

“Fire should be fairly easy for you, sense you’re already full of it,” he winked, “but seriously, think of a pitch black night and you’re sitting in front of a fire. You can see the flames dancing in the cool air, see them lick at the wood, and you can feel the heat radiating from it. You can smell the smoke, and hear the crackle of flames on wood. I want you to think of that and create a flame from nothing.” He said.

I concentrated on that mental picture he gave me. I heard him move then felt his hands on my shoulders. He was behind me.

“Now open your eyes…” He said.

I did as he said and immediately saw the fire. It was hovering about an inch away from my palm. Curiously, I ran my finger through the flame. It didn’t burn me, but I felt the heat of it.

“I did this.” I said in complete awe.

“Yes, you did. And very well I might add.” Irial said with pride in his voice.

He brought his arm around to point over my shoulder and said, “Do you see that log sitting in the clearing?”

“Yes.” I said.

It was more like a fallen tree branch if anything.

“I want you to shoot flames from your hands and light it on fire.” I just looked at him.

“Trust me.” He stated.

“Alright, but it’s your fault if something bad happens.” I told him.

“Nothing bad will happen.” He said.

I pictured the log being on fire and the flames shooting from my palm. I quickly opened my eyes to see if it worked. I saw the flames dance from my hand and hit the log. It truly looked unreal. I looked down at my hand and saw the single flame. I made a fist then opened it and the flame was gone.

“Now extinguish the fire using air.” Irial said.

I concentrated on putting an air-tight bubble around the fire. With no air the fire died down.

“Good job Mo Ghrá! We have extra time; do you want to master Water?” He asked.

“Yes! How do I start?” I asked excited.

“Think of the Sea. How the water sounds when it crashes on the rocks, the smell of the sweet Ocean Spray, watching the waves bob up and down, and feeling the warm water licking at your feet. Now create that.” Irial said.

I did as he said, I thought of a ball of water hovering above my hand. I saw it appear out of nowhere. It was so cool!

“Good, now throw it at a tree without moving your hand.” He said.

It was super easy controlling the Elements, all I had to do was think of an action and it happened. The water-ball flew towards a nearby tree and splattered across it.

“Ok, now this part is tricky. I have to put your head under water so you can learn to breathe under it. Trust me.” He said slowly, like I might not understand him.

“I do trust you Irial. Let’s do it.” I said well…trustingly.

He nodded and formed a water bubble around my head. My hair came free of its bun and floated around me in thick black ropes. I swear I probably looked like Medusa. I thought ‘Air’ and suddenly I could breathe. I smiled and nodded at Irial to tell him I was doing it. He then threw the water-ball into a nearby lake. My hair fell down and stuck to me like unwanted glue. I was thoroughly soaked. I must have looked funny with my shocked expression because Irial doubled over laughing. Feeling spiteful I formed a huge water-ball and threw it at him. I had the pleasure of seeing his astonished face before he was dripping with water.

“Ha! Now we’re both wet.” I said with a grin, feeling proud of myself.

“You should not have done that.” He said dangerously.

I took a step back and lost the smile, instantly worried. While he was talking I wasn’t aware of the massive wave he was making behind me. When I finished taking that one step, it crashed down upon my unsuspecting head. Now I was dripping. I couldn’t contain my laughter any longer, I began giggling uncontrollably. My giggles caused him to chuckle. Together we laughed and had a water war. We calmed down a little while later and were now just sitting in front of the river watching the sun set. Irial had his arm curved around my shoulder. He claimed it was for body heat but I knew he just wanted to have his arm around me. I laid my head on his chest and curled my legs up to my chin.

“What are you thinking?” I heard his voice rumble from deep inside his chest.

“I’m wondering what you would call our relationship.” I told him.

“Technically I believe you are my fiancée, but that might freak out the natives so we’ll say that you are my girlfriend and I am your boyfriend. That is, if it’s ok with you?” He asked.

“I’m ok with that.” I said but I still felt a little doubtful.

We sat in silence for a little bit then Irial said urgently, “Oh! I almost forgot. Stand up with me. I know the Oracles have decreed our marriage. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be special. Since you are a Fae with human customs, I think we should join in both ways. Would you bond with me in the way of Trumates?”

I nodded, shocked. He got down on one knee and reached into his pocket. He brought out a ring box.

“I know this doesn’t mean much now but you are Mo Shaol, Mo Ghrá, Agus M’Anam. Will you marry me?” He asked.

With tears in my eyes I said, “Yes!”

It was more romantic then I could have hoped for. I knelt down with him and gave him a hug and a steamy kiss. I felt him slide the ring on my finger when I let him go. I got my first full look at the ring and it was beautiful! There was a large diamond in the center and a bunch of little diamonds surrounding the big diamond. By this time the moon was rising and the way it bounced off of the diamonds made them glitter.

He gave me a rough kiss that left me breathless and said, “We must go back I’m sure your parents are expecting us.”

“You’re right, let’s go.” I said.

He helped me to my feet and hand in hand we walked back to my house.

~~~~~

When we got to my house my parents were outside waiting for us.

“I am sorry I did not formally ask you Mr. Callahan but,” he slung an arm around me as he spoke, “I have asked your daughter to marry me and she said yes. Could we have your blessing.” Irial asked.

“Aislinn, come talk with me. Alone.” My mother emphasized.

I threw an apologetic look at Irial and walked towards my mother. We went inside the house and up to my room. I curled up on my bed and mom sat across from me on the bed.

“Are you sure about this?” She asked softly.

I looked into her emerald eyes and said, “I’m sure mom. When I’m with him I feel different. Like I’ve known him forever.”

I sighed and looked down at my hands. “It’s hard to explain. I just know its right to be with him.” I said.

Abruptly I was enveloped in the smell of freshly made bread, she was hugging me.

“I’m so proud of you Aislinn. Embracing all of this. And I am truly happy for you and Irial.” She said tearfully.

When we broke away I noticed she was crying a little.

“Don’t cry mama, I’ll always love you.” I said and whipped away her tears.

“I know sweetheart, it’s just that you’re growing up so fast! Anyhow, show me the ring.” She said.

I showed it to her and asked, “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“It is darling, I can tell he cares for you.” She replied.

“Really, you think so?” I asked hesitantly.

“I know so.” She said confidently.

“Oh, Irial and I want to have a Trumate ceremony too.” I said shyly.

“That’s great! But again, are you sure?” She asked.

“Yes, I’m sure.” I said.

“We’d better get back to your father and Irial. Who knows what’s happening.” She said.

~~~~~

I watched as Aislinn and her mother disappeared into the house.

“So you are to marry my daughter.” Her father mused aloud.

“Umm, yes. It was destined.” I said uneasily.

“It may have been destined, but you don’t have to marry her in the way of humans.” He said.

I took a deep breath. This was very dangerous territory; if I didn’t answer correctly I could lose his trust and therefore Aislinn. So I said what I thought.

“I truly believe I am falling in love with your daughter. I’m not marrying her for the sake of her feelings. I marry her because I want her to be mine in all ways, I plan to take her as mu Trumate as well.” I said.

~~~~~

When I came outside I heard Irial saying, “…I want her to be mine in all ways, I plan to take her as my Trumate as well.”

My father saw me but did nothing to give my presence away.

“You will protect her?” My father asked.

“With my life.” Irial answered.

“Is this true?” I asked Irial in my mind.

He turned around and looked at me.

“Yes, Mo Ghrá.” He replied to me telepathically.

I rushed into his open arms. When I was in his embrace, I felt safe and warm. Particularly when I was enfolded in his fresh rain scent. At some point my parents went inside and Irial and I were left alone. We ended up sprawling on the porch swing. He was on the bottom and I was on top of him. I had my arms wrapped around him and my head on his chest. I yawned, exhausted from the day.

“You’re tired?” Irial rumbled.

“Yes.” I said.

He began massaging my scalp, making me even more tired.

“Would you like to hear a story?” He asked.

I nodded, halfway asleep.

“Once a long, long time ago, all people had four legs and two heads. And then the gods threw thunderbolts down and split everyone into two. Each of them had two legs and one head. But the separation left both sides with a desperate yearning to be reunited, because they each shared the same soul. And ever since then, all people spend their lives searching for the other half of their soul.” He said.

By the end of the story I was already asleep but I thought I heard him whisper, “You are the other half of my soul.”

But I couldn’t be sure.

~~~~~

She looked so peaceful asleep. I almost didn’t want to move her. I gently untangled myself. Even though I barely moved she still grumbled then was silent. I smoothly picked her up and brought her inside. The instant she was in my arms, she curled up into my chest. Draven saw me and motioned me up towards her room.

When I got to her room I put her in her bed and kissed her forehead then breathed, “Is breá liom tú.” in her ear.

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