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It’s late. The sun has long since settled beyond the sky, making way for a moonless evening. Bloom sits next to Sky on the couch in her suite. Stella and Terra are shoulder to shoulder, and Aisha faces them from the other side of the coffee table. Musa and Sam cuddle on the floor across from Sky and Bloom. On the coffee table sits several decks of cards, each teenager with a hand of them, and a pile of sweets in the middle.
“I fold,” Bloom groans, and she drops her cards face down onto the table.
“Same,” Sky snorts, followed by several mutters of the same from around the table. Sam and Musa grin as she sweeps the sweets towards them. “You know, we should really have a rule about not using your mind reading while we play poker.”
“It isn’t mind reading,” scoffs the fairy. “I just feel your regret as soon as you turn your cards over.”
“Yeah, ‘cause that’s different,” Terra grumbles, and her roommate sends her a stilted glare. “Stella doesn’t cheat with light magic! She plays fairly. You should have to put on your earphones when we play. Or wait…would it block out our emotions if we all wore earphones and you didn’t?”
“Terra,” Bloom laughs. “I don’t think that’s how mind magic works.” The earth fairy purses her lips but nods, chagrinned, before she picks the cards up off the table and begins shuffling. “So, question, since you all obviously know more about the fairy world than I do,” the redhead pauses briefly. “Do fairies wear wedding bands?”
Sky stiffens beside her, retracts his arm, and looks at her with a bewildered expression. She nearly topples over with laughter. “Why d’you want to know that?” He whispers.
“Relax, Sky. I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m just wondering.”
“Well,” Terra pipes up, chipper as usual. The cards fold over each other as she bridges them together expertly. “Not really. I mean, they can, but it’s not really a tradition here. Marriage is different for fairies.”
“So,” Bloom begins. “Hypothetically speaking, if I saw a fairy with a ring around her finger, then I shouldn’t assume she’s married?” Everyone leans in, then, suddenly very curious as to where the changeling is going with her line of thought. She notices and snorts once. “What?”
“Who did you see wearing a ring, Bloom?” It’s Stella who speaks up, her voice full of royal authority and airy at the same time.
“Well, I’m not even sure it was a ring. Just a flash of light that caught my eye, but it had me thinking anyway.”
“Okay, and who was it on?” Aisha rolls her eyes while she speaks into her cup. Terra turns to Stella to let her cut the deck. “You didn’t answer that part.” Bloom looks uncertainly around the room.
“Headmistress Dowling.”
“Aunt Farah?” Sam chimes in. His voice is louder, higher than usual, and it has Musa leaning away from him. “No way!”
“Aunt Farah?” Bloom raises an eyebrow, doesn’t miss the way both Sky and Terra pass warning glances to the boy on the floor. She whirls around. “Is she your aunt?”
“Eh, sort of.” Sky shrugs. “Not by blood, but since Silva and the Harveys and her are very close, she helped raise us when we were kids.” He looks down at his hands. It feels almost wrong for this information to be out, now. The adults have always been secretive about who knows of their closeness to the children. Should someone want to hurt them, it would only make it that much easier to do so.
“So, she isn’t married.” Bloom states.
“Not a chance,” Terra laughs. She begins passing out the cards one by one around the table. “I mean, have you seen the woman? She works more than anyone I’ve ever met. I rarely see her leave her office if there’s not a class to teach or an emergency to handle.”
“Not during the day,” the redhead clarifies. “But what about after school hours?” The three look at each other in a silent sort of communication. “Come on, guys! You’ve never seen her dating anyone?”
“To be fair,” defends Sky. “We were all homeschooled by Aunt Rose, so we really only spent the weekends in Alfea.” This news startles Bloom. She didn’t know that Sky lived with Terra and Sam as a child. They’re closer than she’s ever realized. He may not have a father, but he’s never been lacking in family.
“So, Silva and Dowling lived here during the week? And then you would stay here on weekends?”
“Pretty much,” the specialist nods. “We would always have sleepovers in Aunt Farah’s suite. Uncle Saul and I would build forts and sleep in them in the living room, and Aunt Farah would make tea and biscuits for us.”
“So, you’re saying the only times you ever spent with Silva as a surrogate dad were in Dowling’s suite…and you slept there.” Bloom rolls her eyes internally. There’s no way he’s that blind.
“Well, I mean, Uncle Saul had his own suite across the hall. If Aunt Farah was out of town, we’d sleep in there.” Even Sam and Terra are looking at him with wide eyes, their mouths opening and closing like fish. “You don’t think they’re…No, Bloom. They aren’t. I promise you that.”
“I feel like we would have known that,” Sam adds with a nod. “We saw them a lot. They would come over for family dinners once a week.”
“Oh gods, they’re married!” Terra gasps. Sky and Sam snap their necks around to face her. Her eyes are wide. The cards have fallen from her hand and lay scattered over the table and floor. Her mouth hangs open. “How did we not see this?”
“Terra, I think we would know if the people that raised us were married!” Argues the specialist. He leans back into the soft pillows of the sofa, tosses his head back. There has been literally nothing to insinuate that Farah and Saul were married. He’s never even seen them kiss, except for that one time when they were trapped under mistletoe during the winter holiday. Still though, that had just been to get out from beneath the magical bind that held them there. It was tradition. He remembers his Uncle Ben laughing into Aunt Rose’s neck as Silva groaned and Dowling blushed scarlet.
From his left, Stella stands. Several cards fall from her lap and onto the floor. “Well, why don’t we go ask them?”
“What?” Terra shrieks. She grabs for Stella by the skirt, but the light fairy is much quicker to bounce backward and run for the door. She’s out of the suite before the rest of them can blink, and suddenly, Musa is standing and running after her, followed closely by Aisha and Bloom. Sky stares at Sam and Terra before they too are leaping to their feet to try and stop the princess from making a massive mistake.
The girls are screeching for Stella as they sprint down the corridors and leap over the stairs that spiral down onto the first floor. Their footsteps echo loudly off the stone, reverberate off the walls with their panicked shouts. Sky manages to catch up at the bottom of the stairs, Sam not far behind, and Terra skips to a stop at his side. What they see has them groaning in dismay.
Stella stands in front of the Headmistress’ door with her fists pounding against the wood. “Headmistress Dowling! Headmistress Dowling! It’s important!”
“Fuck,” whispers Sky. “Bloody fucking fuck.” This is not going to be good, and he is positively, absolutely not excited for the earful he’ll get tomorrow when Saul finds out they’ve accosted the Headmistress in her private rooms over some silly conspiracy theory.
The door swings open and Silva steps out. His eyebrows are raised in worry and lines of anxiety draw wrinkles over his forehead. “What the hell is the meaning of this?” The Headmaster whispers loudly. Sky stops short in front of him, and their eyes meet briefly before the boy is trying to look anywhere by his face. Saul ushers the kids away from the door. “Sky? Terra? Sam? Is everything alright? What’s happened? What’s going on?” Images of Burned Ones running through the halls, of Sam dying on a table in the courtyard, of Terra crying and Sky being attacked run endlessly through his mind. He braces forward and scans the corridor with panic in his eyes.
“Nothing, Uncle,” Sam is quick to assure the man. “Stella’s not thinking right, is all.”
“Okay, well your aunt is sick with a cold, so I would really appreciate it if you lot went back to your suites.” He glares between Sky and Bloom. “Your separate suites.” It isn’t enough to deter the princess, however, or the young fire fairy because they leap at him with questions.
“Why are you in Headmistress Dowling’s suite?” Stella asks accusatorily.
“Are you two married?” Bloom deadpans. From behind Saul, a flash of light blue silk and wool appears.
“What is the meaning of this?” Farah snaps. “Sky, Terra, Sam. Girls. You should all be in bed. It’s nearly two in the morning.” She flashes her eyes over the lot of them, can feel the anxiety bubbling up from her niece and nephews as well as Musa and Aisha. It makes her stomach fall. “What’s going on? What’s happened?” She steps fully out into the corridor, then. In the light of the hallway, they can see that her shoulders are wrapped in a thick, wool-knit blue blanket. Her nose and cheeks are tinged pink, and her eyes are glassy. She wears a simple floor length, white cotton robe over a silk pajama set. “Is everything alright?” Saul snorts behind her, leans over, and wraps his arm around her waist. She looks at him questioningly.
“Fine, love. You’ve got some of the brightest minds I’ve ever seen.” He says it in such a way that the kids all feel as though they are not actually some of the brightest minds he’s ever seen. In fact, with the smile he bites back, they all feel quite dense. “They’ve gone and figured it out, our secret,” whispers the man. Farah doesn’t understand, turns her head over to look at him with her eyebrows knit together and a small pout on her lips. “That we’re married.” He gasps it out, plays shocked a little too well, and it has her instantly laughing. She leans forward and buries her face in his chest. They chuckle together, and their shoulders shake in tandem.
“Wait,” breathes Sky. “So, you are married?” The two stop laughing then, look at each other, only to start laughing even harder. They’re gasping for breath, Farah between short coughs that she hides in her hand, and Saul with his forehead now pressed into her loose hair. It’s quite the sight to behold. The kids look on, stunned into a silent sort of confusion as they watch their teachers laugh deliriously.
“You mean,” Silva gasps, “That we adopted you together.” He pauses again, tries to catch his breath, but between the snorts coming from his wife and his own chuckles, it seems rather futile. “W-we adopted you together. You were,” he coughs again through a disbelieving laugh. “You were the ring bearer at our wedding, Sky! Terra and Sam were bloody flower girls!” Farah wheezes, has to take a deep breath, and then coughs lightly. Still chuckling, she motions for the group to enter their suite. This is going to be a long explanation, she can tell, and both Headmasters keeling over with laughter in the middle of the corridor in the wee hours of the morning isn’t going to suffice.
The group follows them both in the suite as they all mutter to each other in confusion. How could they have missed this? How could they have been this daft? They shuffle in through a small corridor, through an arch, and into a wide-open space. The walls are a deep navy blue, lined with intricately carved crown molding. The left wall is exposed stone—the same kind that covers the outside of the school—and in the middle is a large fireplace. A dark, worn leather couch sits facing it, opposite two matching chairs and a whimsical looking coffee table, all of which sit on a light blue antique Oriental rug. Plants sit on the mantle of the fireplace, and their leaves trickle down either side. Past the seating area, two windows sit on the far wall. They’re covered in burnt orange drapes that span from ceiling to floor. Potted plants litter the parquet hardwood underneath. Between the two windows is a wrought-iron table with two chairs. Saul moves quickly over to them and drags them in front of the fireplace between the others.
Farah disappears through an archway behind the seating area, into what Bloom can tell is an equally as whimsical kitchen. The countertops are made of twisting dark oak, and the cupboards are a mossy green. Again, plants hang off nearly every surface, and she watches as the Headmistress flitters around the kitchen with a kettle and several teacups on a tray. She realizes she’s staring when Terra grips the bottom of her jacket and pulls her into a seat. The others have already sat down, are looking around the room anxiously. Never have they entered the Headmistress’ suite, nor did they think they were ever going to. Only Sky, Sam, and Terra look relatively comfortable. Aisha scootches closer into Terra on the couch, clearly slightly disturbed. Bloom looks at Sky, who sits in the leather chair next to her. Musa sits in front of Sam, between his legs as he leans back into the other leather chair. Beside her, Stella fiddles nervously with her ring.
“So,” Silva starts as he leans back into the corner of the right side of the couch. “Fancy ourselves detectives, do we?”
“That’s enough, Saul,” comes the scolding voice of his wife from behind him. He winces when he turns to her. She carries a large silver tray, which she sets in the middle of the coffee table. On it are nine white teacups filled with tea and several plain biscuits. “They’re obviously shocked.” She hands him a cup, grabs her own, and sits next to him. His arm stays draped over the back of the couch. He doesn’t move it to secure it around her waist or draw her nearer.
“How long have you been married?” The young earth fairy decides to break the tension, but she’s unsuccessful because her question comes out a more bewildered than she means it to. Farah smiles down at her.
“What’s it been, fifteen years, Saul?”
“Beats me,” he shrugs, sipping from his teacup. The kids reach over to the tray, then, grab their own cups of tea and drink in an attempt to avoid the awkwardness that has washed over the room.
“You don’t keep count?” Stella throws in. Farah shakes her head.
“Not really. We’ve been together since our first year at Alfea, and well…” the woman trails off, smiles wistfully at her husband.
“It’s hard to keep track of anniversaries when you’re fighting a war, and I suppose it just became a habit,” he offers, smiles when she nods gratefully at him.
Sky swallows thickly from next to Bloom who reaches out and takes his hand in her own. “Silva, when you,” he looks down at her hand around his own and squeezes. “When you said you both adopted me…what did you mean?” The man on the sofa removes his arm from the back of it and leans forward, both elbows braced on his knees.
“Exactly what I said, Sky. Farah and I adopted you when Andreas died…well disappeared.” He smiles. “You don’t think I’d adopt you and my wife wouldn’t.” Sam blows out a loud breath of air.
“Yeah, that’s weird to hear, mate.” Farah glowers at him playfully, and the boy raises his arms in mock surrender. “It is! Pardon me for thinking it strange to suddenly find out that the aunt and uncle I thought were both terminally single have actually been married to each other this whole time! It’s a little freaky, I won’t lie.” Musa elbows his shin, and he huffs out in pain. Farah casts her a grateful look, and it has the younger mind fairy chuckling quietly.
“So,” continues the young specialist, “Aunt Farah adopted me too?” He looks at her, eyes hopeful and confused at the same time. His lip quivers a bit at the stark realization of what this means for him.
“Yes,” Farah nods. She smiles slightly, still confused as to just how he hadn’t known this. “It’s on the adoption records.” She points to a frame hanging on the wall, and Sky leaps up to grab it. His eyes scan over the papers again and again. At the bottom of the page, in delicate writing, sits her signature next to Saul’s. The boy plops back into his seat, his legs numb and his breath short. Farah looks around uncomfortably. Perhaps they shouldn’t be having this conversation around all his friends. It feels oddly too private to have so many eyes watching them like this. “Maybe we should have the conversation alo—”
“No!” Sky shouts out. He apologizes quickly when he sees her startled expression. “Sorry, I just mean—well they’re the ones who figured it all out. I’d like them to be here.” Farah nods, leaning forward to refill her teacup. She coughs a little, sniffles, and leans back into the couch. Saul leans back with her, though he still doesn’t move to touch her. It irks Terra a bit from where she watches them on the opposite side of the sofa.
"How come you’re not like a normal couple, though?” She gripes, and her aunt and uncle turn to her with questioning glares. “Not that you’re not normal! It’s just…you don’t seem like a very touchy-feely married couple, y’know? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen you hold hands.”
“Ah,” starts the older man. “That would also be habit. Rosalind had a no fraternization policy in the battalion, so we had to hide our relationship for a long time.” Farah tenses up next to him at the mention of her old mentor. “Besides, she’s not really one for public displays of affection.” He grins, then, when his wife turns on him quickly.
“Me? What about you? You’re the one who always wants to seem scary to the first years. I’d be fine with holding hands, but no, it’s always, ‘They’ll make fun of me, love.’ Or ‘Can’t having them think I’ve gone soft, Farah!’” Saul tilts his head back and cackles at her impression of him, but he knows she’s right. But then, he’s tried on several occasions to cuddle her in the halls, and she’s always pulled away from him any time students are near. He squints his eyes at her playfully, an accusatory spark lighting up the bond they share. “Okay, but that’s not fair. That’s in front of my students, and I’d have to feel their reactions to it all day long.” She waves a hand in front of her glassy eyes. Saul hums contentedly and nudges her with his shoulder. “How did you figure it out, anyway?”
Terra grins, launches herself into the story of the failed poker game, which has Musa grinning up at Farah with a proud look in her eyes. “Well, that one there kept winning for some unknown reason, and then Bloom, out of nowhere, just asks if fairies wear rings when they’re married, and then she tells us that she saw you wearing a ring. Believe me, we were all like ‘No, she’s absolutely not married, Bloom!’ but then we thought about it. Sky still didn’t believe it, but then Stella jumped up and ran here to ask and now here we are!”
“You saw a ring?” Farah looks at Bloom strangely, then down at her own fingers which have no such ring on them. She mulls it over for a moment, her lips rolling behind her teeth. “No, no you saw the rune.”
“The rune?” The fire fairy questions. “I can see runes? Can you see runes?” The Headmistress nods.
“It’s rare, but some fairies are born with the ability to see bonds and runes, especially when they’re powerful.” Musa looks over at her, and her eyes flash purple for a brief moment.
“So then, you’re quite powerful, Headmistress Dowling?” The woman looks uncomfortable then, never one to boast about herself so openly. Saul snorts beside her and nods his head.
“Most powerful fairy I’ve ever seen,” he quips, leaning into her. Aisha chimes in then, for the first time since they’ve started this conversation.
“Why do you have a rune, Miss Dowling?” The water fairy scans her brain for anything she can remember from the texts the Headmistress lets her sift through while she works. “Aren’t those especially rare? I mean you’d have to be…” She pauses, looks the pair over. “Oh.”
Bloom leans in, the mystery too tempting for her to not dwell on. “Oh? Oh what?”
“We have a soul bond, Bloom,” Silva offers. “It’s some weird old magic, I don’t really understand it.” Farah elbows him. He absolutely does understand it, but he’s trying to get her to explain the whole thing for him. “C’mon love, you’re such a nerd, and you actually like talking about it.”
“Fine,” she sighs. “A soul bond forms between two people, two soulmates, upon their union.” The rest of them look at her in mildly horrified disgust. “No, no, not that kind of union. Gods, teenagers. I swear. Upon their marriage.” Her husband chuckles next to her. The same thing crosses his mind every time she says the word, and he can’t blame the kids for thinking the same thing. The word is loaded with all sorts of innuendos. “Anyway,” continues the woman. “Runes can appear during the ceremony when one of the two, or both, are…well…powerful magic wielders.” The older fairy grins over at the man next to her. She smiles at him, mutters something under her breath to which he responds just as quietly.
The kids look over the pair, sat on the couch, comfortable, speaking as though no one else is there. It’s refreshing to see their Headmasters so content. Bloom doesn’t think she’s ever seen Dowling smile this wide. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen Silva smile, for that matter. He looks softer, kinder in this light. It suits him.
She can feel Sky struggling next to her. He traces over the words of the adoption papers with his fingertips. His eyes are shiny, and Bloom can tell something is going on in his head. She nudges him quietly and smiles softly when he tips his head up to meet her eyes. “What’s goin’ on in there, Sky?” She points to his head.
“I just…” mutters the boy. Everyone turns to him then. Farah and Saul both lean forward, a bit concerned as the way his voice thickens. He looks at them both then, sees the concern swirling in their eyes as they watch him. “I’ve had a mum and a dad this whole time, and I didn’t know it.”
The tea Farah is holding sloshes over edge and onto Saul’s lap as she rushes up. He mutters annoyed but brushes the liquid onto the carpet as he also moves to his feet. Sky stands as well, feeling an intense need to hug them both. Farah’s arms wrap around his shoulders as she yanks him towards her. Saul claps his back once, but then Sam is rushing them with Terra not far behind, and he is forced into a strange group hug. No words are said, but they stand there for a few precious seconds as they soak up what this means for their little family.
Saul pokes his head over their shoulders and nods at the other girls, who leap to their feet and tumble into the mess of joined arms. They all giggle, even if they’re sniffling through tears because of the raw emotions running rampant through the room. The Headmaster looks over and catches his wife’s eye.
“Hey, wait a minute.” He gasps. “Is that how you always win at poker?”
“Oh, shut up, Saul,” she laughs, and the others join her. The warmth that spreads through her chest has her forgetting about her run in with the flu. It is true, she thinks, love is the best medicine. Saul reaches his hand around to grab hers, gives it a soft squeeze. How did they ever get so lucky?