Veil

I pulled the blankets closer against the chill as I rolled over to stare out the window. Fat snowflakes danced outside the window. It had been years since I last saw snowfall and the child in me decided a walk in the snow would be fun.

I rolled out of bed and pulled on my winter clothes, before shoving my feet in sheepskin slippers. Dressed, I headed down to the dining room to see about some breakfast and something warm to drink. The smell of coffee welcomed me as I made my way there.

"Good morning," I greeted Abby, the B & B owner, and the other guests as I took a seat at the table amidst a chorus of 'mornings.'

Abby smiled as she set my breakfast in front of me, "Good morning."

I filled my cup from the carafe as Abby finished distributing the laden plates. "I'm thinking of going for a walk this morning, what route would you suggest?"

Abby paused and turned towards me. "A walk in the hedge maze outback. Stay clear of the woods, to the west."

The tone of her answer piqued my interest. I was sure I'd seen a pathway into them, and if they were so dangerous, why was it not blocked? "What's wrong with the woods?" I asked.

"The Fae reveled there last night. I saw their lanterns and heard their music."

I just nodded. Superstitious nonsense. I bet it was the moonlight reflecting off ice she saw and the wind that blew the storm in she heard. To be honest, some part of me hoped it was the Fae as she claimed. So, the woods it would be.

I finished my crepes and coffee and headed out for my adventure in my winter gear. I headed for the maze first, staying close to its outside edge until I could break off towards the woods.

I entered an area out of site of the house and picked my way towards the path. I tested the ground in front of me for pitfalls with a stick I found. The snow and trees absorbed any sounds as I trekked through the drifts.

The lattice of bare branches grew denser the further in I walked, casting the path in dappled shadow. The snow thinned until I walked on the detritus that blanketed the path. A pinhole of light ahead drew me forward. Where did the path lead?

The exertion kept me warm as I continued my walk. The light dimed further, as a few errant snowflakes found their way through the tight knight branches. Evidence the storm renewed.

I know I should've turned back, however, something whispered keep going. Why did it comfort me rather than frighten me? I picked up my pace, no longer a stroll but a brisk walk.

The opening grew as I continued forward. My heart beat faster and a smile grew across my face. What would I find?

My back started to tingle between my shoulder blades, as the light grew larger and brighter. My footsteps grew silent on the dense forest carpet. I could hear the tinkle of ice breaking free from branches or was it chimes?

The air felt heavy as I came to the opening. I pushed forward the air caressing me as I stepped into the sun. The sunlight reflecting off the snow caused me to squint. A small hillock stood before me, blanketed in new snow.

The sky above was a muted ice blue ringed by dark heavy clouds. Gusts of wind blew the falling snow into the opening. A small cave before me shone with the warm glow of a fire and laughter issued from it.

The tingling between my shoulders became an intense itch as I found myself moving towards the cave. I paused halfway between it and the edge of the wood.

What was I doing? Faerie stories warned against such things. Yet here I was. I took a deep breath and turned away from the inviting fire. What I saw sent a cold wave through me. My tracks ended a few steps from the woods.

I looked down to see I stood on top of the snow. How could that be? I knelt and grabbed a handful of snow. It was soft powder.

I ran back to the path only to find the air unyielding. I could not return to the path that brought me here. I circumnavigated the tree line, trying to find a spot the yielded to me.

I found myself back the opening to the path, still unable to enter the woods. The itching on my back progressed to burning and my clothes became painfully restricting.

I shed my coat and layers of tops. I fell to my hands and knees, my breath coming in heaves, as my back felt like it was full of living things.

I screamed as my skin split, warm sticky fluid running down my sides. I expected to see the snow turn crimson, yet what dripped was clear. I watched butterfly like wings unfurl in my shadow.

I regained my feet and turned back towards the hillock. Smiling faces peered from the cave, and slender arms beckoned me. I shed the last of my human clothes and walked skyclad towards the door to Faerie.

"Welcome home, daughter," a silver haired faerie took my hands.

Warmth enveloped me as I gazed into her cornflower eyes. "Was I a changeling?"

"Nay, child," she shook her head, "I was caught by a man and bore you to him. He failed to keep the guise on me, and I returned to Faerie soon after your birth."

"What if I don't want to stay?"

"After a year, you may choose to return to your old life or accept he you were promised to."

"But how long will that be out there."

"Who is to say, an hour or so, or more than a lifetime."

"And if I decide, now, that I'm not going back?"

A lithe male in green robes moved forward. "Then to our marriage bed you go, my bride."

"Do I have any other choice if I stay?" I asked my prospective bridegroom.

"I think you know the answer," he replied.

I admit, as I stood exposed to him, that I wished to gaze on him sans his robe. I felt the heat of arousal in my lower belly. "Did you promise me to him, mother?"

"Nay." She held out an acorn, "Peer inside."

I bent my eye to the crack in its shell. "I saw myself with the green robed Fae."

"I see." I knew nothing of this new world except what stories told me, yet I felt more at home in these few minutes under the hill than I ever felt anywhere.

I reached out to my bridegroom. "I am home."

His grip was warm and firm as he took my hand. He pulled me to him, and with all the Fae in that chamber bearing witness, shed his robe. And there, standing before the fire he entered me, joining us together.

Our true names sounded in my thoughts, and I knew he heard them too. We were bound. Two halffae that found their way home and conceived the first child that would be born in Faerie in over a millennia.

We are the hope of a future as the Fae had lost the ability to breed amongst themselves. Others like us will follow.

Finis