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Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Dafydd looked at his hands, swollen and red from his work and aching in the chill breeze. He never could have imagined his life would have turned to something from a minstrel’s tale. He certainly had never imagined he would be so alone.

His childhood had been filled with his family, as unconventional as it was, always nearby. From his sister to their friends- their foster siblings sent to learn from their father, someone had been near; to help, to teach, to protect...

He sighed, gingerly standing from the pain in his back as he looked around the cave that he had lived in for roughly a year and a half. He had lost count of the days, as attested by a pile of discarded sticks, each small, slim and marked with seven notches.

He grabbed his basket, crude and roughly woven but it was the work of his unskilled hands. It served its purpose well enough. He set his knife into the basket as well, its blade thin and worn and he despaired of what he would do when it finally wore out.

Setting out on his course, he carefully left his sheltering cave and followed the shore of the lake before heading into the forest. He moved along the familiar game trail, careful to leave no trace of himself as he went. Who knew how far that man’s influence had spread over his father by now or what tale he had given to explain what had taken place.

Hearing a creak, Dafydd dropped to the ground and peered through the underbrush. A pair of hunters stalked through the forest and Dafydd was relieved to see long spears for boar instead of bows. Once the hunters passed, Daffyd resumed his journey and at last reached his destination: a hidden meadow veiled in shadow.

It was small, with the branches of the trees that marked the edges nearly touching in the middle and leaving the clearing in a perpetual twilight of shadow. It was here that he found his quarry in profusion and he knelt to begin his strange harvest.

He had known of this plant before, it was a nasty weed that farmers burned from their fields and usually only grew in shadowy spot. He had never imagined that so many lives would depend on it as they did now. It was called Fay Nettle: it had a long stalk of dark hunter’s green that was covered in purple flowers similar to foxglove that smelled sweet but beneath it had tiny sharp barbs that twisted as they stuck into the flesh.

Dafydd grimaced as he grasped it, causing the barbs to pierced into his hand and cut the base with his knife, tossing it into his basket with practiced ease before moving to the next and the next after that. Every day he came to gather the plant and then commence his labors as he had for the last year and a half.

He paused looking at his hands for a moment, remembering how much they had ached all through the long winter and he rejoiced in the fact that it was spring at last. The cold had made his very bones ache as he had shivered by a meager fire. He needed to build up more of a stockpile of wood, of nettles, and of food for next winter. He knew that now and would not forget.

He returned to his harvest, barely making a dent in the plants that filled the shadowy clearing as he slowly filled his basket. Once his task was complete, he carefully made his way back to his cave on the shore, taking care to be watchful for the hunters or the boars that they sought.

When he reached the cave, he took his basket down to small pool of water that he had formed by blocking a section of the stream that flowed to the lake. He carefully drew out a portion of fay nettle that had soaked in the water for about a week and replaced it with the nettles from his basket. Once he carefully weighed the plants down with rocks, he took the soaked nettles and moved them to a flat stone nearby.

With a peeled switch he began to lash the nettles over and over, as hard he could. Over and over for time uncounted he beat the nettles until he dropped the switch panting for breath. He peered at the result of his labor: the nettle stems broken revealing the inside containing fine threads.

He took the threads with shaking hands and returned inside the cave. He set the gathered threads into another crude basket, putting his empty basket next to it before sitting and catching his breath. So little yield for all his work, and still so far to go.

He glanced a hidden basket tucked into the shadows at the very back of the cave where it was less likely to be seen. The meager items it contained were beyond precious to him, worth more than his life itself. He couldn’t fail his family a second time.

He slowly stood and left his cave again, he needed to gather his food for the day before turning to his work again. Thankfully the season was proving bountiful and he was slowly storing food as well as nettles in case there came a day he could not go out to gather that day along with for the next winter.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

...mist drifted ashore from the lake and twined about the ankles of the people gathered on the shore. Dafydd was glad there was no frost tonight, winter had barely left and the fields would soon be planted. Furious whispers between them trailed off as he approached with Nolan.

He looked at his friends- no, family. For they were family, even though he shared blood only with his sister, Cathlynn.

“Lynn?”

“Dafydd, good! I was worried Nolan wouldn’t be able to sneak you out.”

Dafydd frowned, looking at his sister as wisps of her red hair stirred in the faint breeze. “What’s going on?”

Sean moved to his side, “Dafydd, have you noticed your Father acting odd since he came home with his new steward?”

Dafydd frowned, Father had always been standoffish as far back as he could remember. Lynn and the others had tried to tell him that it had not always been so but then he could not remember much of his mother beyond faint impressions of warm arms and a soft voice.

He did not remember her passing away or the change that everyone said had come over their father. Even the fostered teens had commented and marked the changes to their educations.

He just remembered quite clearly the look of disdain, if not downright hatred, that Father would sometimes send his way. He had been told by many people that he looked very much like his mother had; that he had her blond hair and her grey eyes.

“He has been….a bit more distant than before I suppose.”

Reilly put a hand out and rested it on Dafydd’s shoulder. “Has the new steward spoken to you? Or tried to get you alone?”

Dafydd froze, remembering Aiden doing just that. The man had been watching him since he had arrived with Father. Just the day before, Aiden had requested to speak with Dafydd as he had been on his way to his tutor. Brian had interrupted and drawn him off to his lessons, then a ride afterwards.

Just the moment of hesitation was enough for Lynn. She began to curse and turned to stomp back to the keep only for Sean to grasp her wrist. “Lynn, wait! We are all here. We need to discuss what to do and have a plan of action.”

Sinead scoffed, “What we need to do is get out of here! I don’t know what the two of them are plotting but it's nothing good!”

Cathlynn let out a huff of annoyance and turned back. “Fine. We need a plan. We have a month until I am officially of age and can take over the duties of Lord. How do we keep that man from manipulating Lord Church further?”

Nolan ran a hand through his hair, “We need to stall for time. What can we do to help?”

Sean stroked his chin, a twinkle in his eyes that spoke of mischief there, “Brian? Could you write a letter? In your father’s hand?”

Brian looked at Sean, raising an eyebrow as he fiddled with his long braid. “I suppose I could….What do you have in mind, Sean?”

Sean pointed at Brian, “Write that your father would like to have you visit. Mention that he would like to meet the friends you talk about so much. Invite us to visit-”

Cathlynn snarled, “We are not abandoning our home, Sean!”

Sean held up his hands, trying to sooth her anger. “I’m not saying we actually go. We have the letter arrive, and Lord Church has to respond. Since he does nothing without his new steward’s imput, it will distract them for a bit. Brian, perhaps hint that he might come and get us himself. He usually goes to the market inland, right?”

Brian looked thoughtful. “He usually does. The traders there bring the finest horses. Some as far as from Arabia.”

Sean beamed and turned to Cathlynn, “See Lynn? We make him think Brian’s father is coming- a short stop, possibly taking at least Brian home- then we distract him for a little while. At the very least, we can try to get Brian’s father to actually visit. Have Brian take Dafydd to his home; you know he’d be safe there.”

Dafydd jolted at the mention of leaving the keep. He had never left home before and the idea would have been frightening at the best of times let alone having it being discussed in a secret conclave with dark hints of danger in the twilight.

“No! Lynn! I don’t want to go! I won’t leave you!”

Cathlynn looked at him, her expression torn. “I don’t want you to leave, Dafydd, but….things aren’t safe here. Not anymore. Not since Father brought that man back.”

“Now, now. Perhaps we can discuss the hostility you are feeling, Lady Cathlynn.”

At the unexpected voice, Dafydd found himself being shoved behind Nolan while his family ranged themselves in front of him, keeping themselves between him and Steward Price.

Cathlynn snarled, “What do you want? Now you spy on us?”

Nolan tilted his head slight and hiss softly, “Dafydd, run! Go! Get out of here! He can blame us, not you.”

“Your little ‘plot’? It hardly deserves the term. However, it is at an end. You have been distractions long enough.

Dafydd looked at his family before darting off, racing for the shelter of the forest at their back and the caves that littered the hills. He paused when he reached the woodline, a single glance back that would haunt him the rest of his life-

With a jolt, Dafydd awoke from his dream, his memory, which he had been lost in. If only he could dismiss what had happened as just a dream but he knew better. He pushed off the thin, tattered blanket he had managed to acquire and went to the basket he had hidden to the back of his cave. Inside sat a finished shirt and most of a second one made from the stinging fairy nettle.

Reaching under the shirts, he pulled out a single long white feather.

His fault.

They could have fled if they weren’t protecting him.

Now it was his turn to rescue them.

He wouldn’t fail them again.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Dafydd paused as he raised the flail to the nettles, shading his eyes with one swollen hand as he looked out over the waters of the lake. Could today be the day? The days had lengthened and grown hotter as spring faded into summer. Each day Dafydd’s skin burned pink and red, constellations of freckles appearing as his skin finally tanned and stopped peeling.

He gave a soft sigh before returning to his work. He had moved his small loom and spindle outside to allow him to keep watch on the lake. As he spun the fine fibers of the fairy nettle into prickly thread, his mind wandered while his fingers set about the repetitive task.

He raced through the forest, nothing seemed familiar or friendly in the pitch darkness of this nightmarish night. Not a sliver of a the moon shone down and the stars seemed shrouded from sight. In his blind flight, he never saw the slope until he tumbled down the embankment.

The sound of laughter like silvery bells rang in his ear as he looked up in a daze. An ethereally beautiful gowned woman and a preternaturally handsome man in armor stood before him. They were both unnaturally tall and towered over Dafydd even when he nervously stood.

The woman was dressed in purest gossamer; her long black hair was as dark as the night sky with lights that twinkled like stars tossed among the gleaming ringlets, while her skin seemed to glow like moonshine. The man glowed in the darkness, his skin dark like fine oak well seasoned but a red haze like a banked fire or a closed furnace in a smithy surrounded him and his eyes were like balefire- gleaming red, gold and blue at once.

“This is to be a champion, my dear? He is but a child! See how he trembles before us?” The man scoffed dismissively, shifting and causing his armor to creak and rustle metallically.

“My lord, armies have trembled before you alone. He is young, true. His heart however is true and his courage great. He deserves the chance at the very least. Is that not right, Delta?”

A third person entered the clearing, a staff in one hand wearing a long green robe like that of a scholar. His pointed ears and glistening bright green eyes bespoke his Elven nature. “I believe so, my Queen. He has great promise indeed. Surely, my lord you would recognize the bravery of his sibling and companions if you will not recognize his own. Are they not deserving of redemption from the curse place on them?”

The man looked thoughtful before giving a sharp nod. “So be it. Bravery such as his companions should be rewarded. He shall have his chance. Set him his task, my lady and then return swiftly. The revels of the court are less for your absence.”

With a flip of a cape of deep red that glistened disturbingly like fresh blood, the man faded into the shadows and was gone. The woman, the Queen, looked down at him with a bemused expression. She reached out and took his hand in one of her larger ones.

“Such soft hands, those of a lordling indeed. Well that shall have to change. What would you do to save your family from the curse placed on them?”

Dafydd started, looking at her with wide eyes, “Anything! I’d do anything to save them!”

She laughed, a hint of cruelty in her tone. “‘Anything’ is a dangerous promise to make, young one. Be glad I am merciful.”

Dafydd drew back, wary of the tone in her voice, “Merciful?”

“Oh yes. I won’t force you to be my slave or demand you serve the court...in any manner I wish. Instead a task. To release your companions from their curse, you must make a shirt for each of them.”

“Make them shirts? Of course, I can do that-”

“Ah! Not so fast little prince. Not just any shirts, but shirts that are entirely of your making. You must spin the thread and weave the fabric, as well as sew the shirts themselves.”

Dafydd wasn’t sure how to do those things but… “I’ll learn! Please! If it will free them, I'll do it!”

“So eager! Good for the task is still too easy a task to break such dark magic. The shirts will not be made of flax or wool. There is a plant know as Fairy Nettle. It has purple flowers like foxglove but is covered in barbs. You will gather that plant and use it to create the shirts to free your sister and your adopted siblings.”

Dafydd winced, he knew that plant. He had tried to pluck it once as a child and had howled at the pain as the barbs had dug into his hand. Nolan had held him in his lap while Brian had dug the barbs out, while Lynn had fetched a salve to apply. “I’ll do it. Please. I can’t fail them again.”

“Still so impatient, little prince. There is a final condition to the task before you. From the moment you agree to this task until it is complete, you cannot speak a word nor laugh aloud. Nor may you write or signal by any means your story or why you labor so.”

Dafydd gaped. To be stripped of his voice? Not able to ask for help or assistance. He suddenly pictured Lynn’s rarely heard laughter, Sean’s twinkling eyes, Nolan’s warm hugs, Sinead’s smirk, Reilly’s witty jokes, and Brian’s gentle hands.

“My Lady...They are my family. I..I will do it. I can’t do any less.”

She grinned and was a beautiful and terrifying as the sea during a storm, “The task is set and the bargain is struck. Delta, see to him.”

With that and a flare of her skirt she turned and was gone in a blink of Dafydd’s eyes, leaving him alone with the Elf she called Delta.

“Follow me. I will lead to a suitable place for you.”

Dafydd opened his mouth, about to thank him when the Elf fixed him with a piercing look.

“Remember your task. My Lady failed to mention a consequence if you failed your task. At best, your siblings will simply remain swans- with a swan’s short life. At worst, however, your failure could mark their deaths.”

Dafydd’s eyes widened in fear. He had not considered that! He could doom them with a simple slip.

The elf nodded as the sober truth settled over him. “However she also failed to mention that twice a year, the spell on your siblings will wane. Only for a single night, twice a year. On the Solstice, when the day is longest and again when night reigns. That being said, it will take a year for the spell to loosen for the first time. I will do my best to guide them to you. Remember, when they visit your geis remains. Not a word or gesture or letter.”

The thunk of the spindle dropping broke Dafydd from his reverie. He stared down at the spindle and sighed as he wound the thread around the shaft before setting the whorl spinning again, his calloused fingertips barely feeling the sharp barbs that bit at his flesh.

He gazed out at the lake and sighed, wondering if this might be the Solstice yet. Even if he couldn’t speak to them, he wanted his siblings with him. He wanted Nolan to hug him; he wanted Cathlynn to ruffle his hair and call him her baby brother. He wanted Sean to teasingly call him Summer child again; he wanted Sinead to wrestle with him. He wanted Brian to tend to his hands and Reilly to tell him jokes.

He turned back to his spinning, gathering the thread around the shaft and spinning the whorl over and over again. Finally he had spun all the thread he had prepared and carried the mostly full spindle to the loom set in the shade by the cave’s opening.

It had taken him months to get the hang of the tasks set for him. He had spied on the farmsteads scattered among the forest glens and villages. Turning a spindle was harder than it looked but he had lingered in a tree, listening as an aged grandmother taught her granddaughter. He had learned faster than the little girl but had picked up pointers as the lessons continued.

As he set up the threads for the warp, he remembered sneaking into a weaver’s workshop to study how to weave. He had peered at the loom and the half-finished projects as well as the newly started ones. He had regretfully stolen a few skeins of thread to practice on- which he was grateful for after mangling the warp and weft horribly the first few times.

Now he had the basics down and could turn out the crude panels that formed the very basic shirts. Two long panels to make front and back and then two more for crude sleeves. Honestly they were shirts in name only and more like crude smocks.

A shadow passing overhead made him look up from his weaving and he let the shuttle drop from his hand as he stared. His heart leapt into his throat as he watched as with a graceful glide several swans landed on the lake’s surface. He counted frantically as the glided on the water- one, two, three, four...five.

Who was missing?

Fear seized him. Had he been too late? So much could happen to a swan in the big world.
With a sigh of relief he watched another swan glide down and join the others on the lake. There, all six. They were safe. He would see them soon, hopefully.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Dafydd hurried to finish his work, weaving as much as he could before the sun started to go down. He rushed to cast his net into the lake and pulled the net onto the shore, releasing the fish into the little pond he had created. He didn’t know how hungry his siblings would be.

He could hardly wait to see them again. It had been nearly a year and half since he had last seen his beloved family in their proper form, since the night they had been cursed.

As the sunlight waned, he gathered branches and prepared a fire on the sand. He didn’t want to miss a second with them. As he started roasting fish on skewers around the fire, he missed the actual moment the change occurred. Instead it was a pair of hands scooping him up that revealed his family had arrived.

“Dafydd!”

Nolan spun him around before pulling him into a tight hug that he eagerly returned. When he was set on his feet, he was pulled into another hug by Brian and then by Sean. Reilly patted his back and Sinead ruffled his hair.

When Sean loosened his grip, Dafydd turned and saw Cathlynn watching him from a few steps away. He darted from Sean and clung to Cathlynn, his arms wrapped around her tightly. He could feel his tears welling up, hot and painful in his eyes before running down his cheeks and staining her shirt. He had missed her so much.

Her arms wrapped around him in return, rubbing his back softly as she had when he was little and still afraid of thunderstorms. He could feel his tears running down his cheeks and his breath caught in his throat as he swallowed down the sobs that threatened to burst free but he dared not let loose in case it could be counted as breaking his geis.

A warm hand on his shoulder made him sniffle and look back at he saw the others looking at him worriedly. “Don’t cry, Dafydd. We are here. We’re ourselves again. The spell’s broken.”

Dafydd’s heart broke at Sean’s words and his tears began to fall again.

They didn’t know.

Oh gods. They didn’t know.

Reilly stepped closer, standing next to Sean before looking Dafydd in the face from where he stood wrapped in Cathlynn’s arms. “Sean’s wrong isn’t he? We are ourselves but the spell is not broken is it?”

Nolan frowned and gently tilted Dafydd’s face towards himself, looking him in the eyes. “How long do we have? Do you know?”

Dafydd just shook his head. He didn’t know and couldn’t speak, couldn’t even give them hope.

Nolan frowned at his silence, letting go of his chin. “Dafydd?”

Cathlynn took his chin in her hand, turning his head to look at her. “Dafydd?! Say something? What’s going on?”

He weakly opened and then closed his mouth. He tried to look to the side, uncomfortable with not being able to tell everything to his sister. He had never had to keep something from her before. She had always been his confidant before.

“Dafydd?”

“God’s blood! Dafydd, what is all of this?” Sinead’s strident voice broke the tense silence and drew all eyes towards her. Her... and his loom with the day’s weaving still on it and visible in the flickering firelight.

Nolan walked over to the loom and looked at the fabric curiously, reaching out to touch it but drew back with a soft gasp. “This cloth is full of barbs! Dafydd, why in the world are-”

Sean looked from where Nolan stood to where Dafydd was still held by Cathlynn. “Dafydd? Talk to us. What is going-”

Brian moved to the loom peering at the cloth beside Sinead. “I don’t think he can, Sean.”

Cathlynn released Dafydd’s chin. “What are you talking about, Brian?”

“Can’t you tell, Lynn? Dafydd isn’t speaking, or rather can’t speak. A curse placed on us. A bizarre task. We are trapped in a tale and it would seem Dafydd has to be the one to free us.”

Sinead scoffed, “Did you hit your head, Brian?”

Brian sighed. “No. I did not. Think about it. We were cursed. Look at Dafydd. Really look at him. It’s most likely been at least a year since we were ourselves.”

At his words, five sets of eyes locked on to Dafydd and he squirmed nervously at their gaze. He had no idea what to do, what would violate the terms that the Queen of the Good Neighbors had set.

Sean put his hand to his forehead and moved it towards Dafydd, attempting to measure him. Reilly snorted, “He definitely grew Sean. There’s not need to measure him.”

Cathlynn however stared down at him, worry evident in the lines of her forehead and the way her lips pursed. He managed a weak smile, reaching up to gently cup her cheek. It proved to be a mistake as he heard a gasp from behind him and Cathlynn took his hand in hers, staring at it in horror.

He looked at his hand objectively for the first time in months. He hadn’t realized they had gotten so bad. The skin was a ruddy red and swollen from the barbs, his joints ached from the pain of the barbs and his fingertips were thickly calloused from the constant spinning of the barbed thread. Despite the calluses on his hands, the skin was cracked in places and blood was slowly seeping.

Cathlynn’s eyes hardened and she around the small group. “I don’t know what is going on or how long we have to be ourselves if Brian is right. However, we can’t leave Dafydd like this. We treat this as if the worst case scenario is true. Brian, you are the one who listened to the storyteller’s most. How long would you guess we have from the old tales?”

“You can’t be serious?! This is nonsense!” Sinead snarled, stance declaring her hostility and outrage.

Nolan sighed, “What other choice do we have, Sinead? I hope it isn’t true either. It would make sense to go with the worth case scenario.”

Sinead scoffed, “its rubbish, nothing but stuff and nonsense! How can you take this seriously?”

Reilly looked at her, “Because a year ago you would have said the same of curses and yet we all now know that those are all too real. Brian? How long?”

Brian moved to Reilly’s side, curling around him as he had in the past. “It depends on the tale….but….well, possibly as short as just this night. We might change back when the sun rises.”

Sean squawked, “So soon? Why even change us back for such a short time?”

Reilly looked up, squinting as he gazed at the stars peeking through the wisps of cloud that covered the sky in swirls and clumps. “I might be wrong, but...I think it’s the solstice. That’s one of the days of power, isn’t it Brian my love?”

Brian nodded from where his head rested on Reilly’s shoulder. “It is. Solstices and equinoxes. Imbolc and Samhain as well. When the veil between worlds is at its thinnest.”

Cathlynn frowned before looking back down at Dafyyd and her expression softened for a brief moment before shifting back to determined. “So. We act as though we only have tonight. Brian, can you tend to Dafydd’s hands? Nolan, check and see what supplies he has….”

She paused frowning as she looked around. “Where do you even live? Or were you waiting for us here?”

Sean peered around curiously in the twilight before exclaiming, “Look! There’s a cave! Is that where you have been living? Come on Nolan! We’ll see how you’re set up while Brian checks your hands.”

Nolan and Sean headed towards his home and he started to follow them but Cathlynn kept ahold of him. He turned to look at her curiously, not sure what to do in such a situation. Cathlynn looked down at his damaged hands before looking him in the face. She reached up and gently brushed his hair back, giving it a small ruffle.

“Oh Dafydd. This is not what I wanted for you.” She sighed and looked at him again before straightening. She turned towards the others, “You are too skinny, Dafydd. Sinead? Once we know how he is set up, you and I are going raiding. He’s going to need more food at the very least. Look how skinny he is!”

Sinead looked pleased at her words, cracking her knuckles. “Good! At least I’ll be doing something. Dafydd! What have you got to carry our loot in?”

Dafydd shook his head and gave her a lopsided smile. He didn’t think his little baskets would hold the amount she no doubt had in mind.

The crunch of the gravel announced Nolan and Sean’s return, but the stricken expressions on their faces made it clear that they had found the contents of his cave unacceptable.

Cathlynn frowned, “How bad?”

Sean scowled, “Scraps and rags. And...well. Show them Nolan.”

Dafydd froze when he realized that Nolan was holding the basket that held the finished shirt and the half of the next that he had already made. Sinead peered inside before giving it a poke and withdrew her hand with a yelp.

Brian moved closer and looked inside with a thoughtful look. “So that’s what the cloth is for? Shirts?”

Sinead snorted, “Who would want a shirt made of barbs and coarser than sackcloth?”

Brian gave her a coy glance, “You for one.”

“Me?”

Brian nodded, looking away from her and at Dafydd. “One shirt done and a second half done. Think about it, this is not pleasure work! Just look at Dafydd’s hands!”

Reilly looked at his partner thoughtfully, “What are you suggesting?”

Brian reached out and took the basket from Nolan. “I suspect that this is the key to our freedom. I won’t ask you Dafydd. I also suspect that is why you haven’t spoken.”

Cathlynn drew Dafydd to her, her grip tight as she clutched him to her. “What are you thinking?”

“There is a tale...many tales of those cursed into being animals like we are. In most of them there is condition that must be fulfilled for the curse to be broken. I think this is our conditional key to freedom.”

Sinead huffed angrily, “So what...we are doomed to be swans forever?”

Nolan put his hand on his sister’s shoulder, “Let him finish, Sis.”

Brian gave a small smile before passing the basket to Dafydd, who clutched the basket to himself. Brian nodded to himself, “I think that Dafydd is trying to win our freedom. A shirt of...barbs? One for each of us; his blood and tears and silence in the making.”

Cathlynn snarled, “No! This is…. He doesn’t deserve this! Look at him! Look at how much he’s wasted away already! This work will kill him!”

Dafydd gave a sharp snort, turning and putting his fingertips to her lips before drawing her into a hug, clinging to her tightly.

Brian sighed, “He loves you. He loves us all and acts out of that love. Besides, his silence even now is proof that the bargain is already made. Who knows what might happen if the deal is broken?”

Reilly gave Brian a gentle hug and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “There is no use in worrying about what might be. Cathlynn, what can we do tonight? If this is all we get for now, let’s do all we can for Dafydd before it ends.”

Cathlynn nodded. “Sinead and I will go see if we can raid some of the villages near here. Hopefully they will suspect each other or the Good Neighbors for anything that goes amiss. Nolan, you and Sean see what you can do about Dafydd’s...home. Reilly, can you and Brian tend to Dafydd? His hands are the worst but there might be more wounds and injuries he’s hiding.”

With that, they spread out into their groups. Cathlynn and Sinead disappeared into the forest and were soon swallowed from sight by the faint mist that began to rise from the lake. Brian guided him next to the fire and waited until Dafydd had eaten three of the fish that had been slowly roasting.

Sean and Nolan began to discuss how to improve the cave before getting starting. Dafydd tried to see what they were doing but Brian distracted him by using to slender twigs to begin plucking out the barbs that had buried themselves in his flesh. Reilly held him still as Brian dug out more and more, making him wince and try to pull away.

Dafydd tracked the passing of the night by the moon as it rose above the horizon and climbed higher in the clearing sky. He tried to save everything that was said and how each of them looked. Saving up memories to last him until the next solstice when his family could be with him again.

Cathlynn returned with Sinead and both carried packs that they had not had when they left. Each had a wicked smirk and were chortling as they whispered between them. Sean and Nolan were finishing up in his cave and took the packs from Sinead and Cathlynn before disappearing back into the cave.

Soon everyone was seated around the small fire eating roasted fish and sharing tales from happier times. Dafydd curled against Cathlynn, resting his head against her shoulder and taking comfort in the warm arm slung around his shoulder.

It made the change so much harder when it hit. With a suddenness like a bolt of lightning from above, they froze around him. Each reacted differently: Brian and Reilly clung to one another; Nolan gripped Sinead’s shoulder with one hand while he grabbed at his chest with the other; Sean grabbed at his stomach next to Cathlynn and Cathlynn tightened her grip on Dafydd, looking at him until the moment that the curse hit fully.

Dafydd found himself surrounded by six swans for a moment before they ran, wings outspread, back to the lake. Dafydd would be lying if he said his heart hadn’t broken at the moment. With a sigh he turned to return to the cave only to freeze, as tears welled up in his eyes.

Sean and Nolan had dragged some of the fallen trees into place before the entrance, creating a front wall to keep out the wind and worse weather. He had to stoop under a branch a little to get inside but he honestly liked how it was harder to tell there was a cave behind the pile of dead wood piled up.

Instead there were further signs of his brothers’ handiwork: A small crude bed made with a rough frame of small branches interwoven together and the inside filled with pine straw with all of it covered with a panel of canvas that was topped by a thick wool blanket.

The bounty brought by his sisters was evident as well: both packs were hung from the wall as well as two well-made blankets with closed covers. He peeked into the packs and saw hard cheeses still in their wraps as well as what looked like a salted ham or two. He shook his head and hoped that their pilfering wouldn’t lead anyone back to him.

With a sigh, he settled in on his new bed to take a nap before beginning his work anew with fresh determination.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 5

Dafydd hitched his pack higher on his back. He glanced back warily. It was getting later in the fall. This year had been harder than the one before. There had been little rain and while he had enjoyed the fair weather, the crops had not grown as well. The villagers from the three nearby towns had flocked to the lake and set up little camps to catch fish to store for the winter to make up the difference.

He had drapped more branches across the entrance to his cave that would hopefully keep anyone from finding their way inside. He had taken his most precious things: the three shirts that he had managed to finish so far and the start of the fourth that still a rough smock without sleeves as well as his spindle and a bundle of thread he had yet to spin. It would hopefully keep him occupied until he could return to his cave home.

There had been fewer fairy nettle plants this year as well. The drought meant the plants he harvested did not grow back as fast and he had had to forage farther to keep at his task. Even now, he feared having enough to last him through the fall let alone the winter. He didn't know how he would face them when they returned next solstice if he had no work at hand.

His siblings had visited twice more since their first joyous reunion and each time they had done what they could to make him more comfortable. He had a small fireplace in the cave now even if the fire had to be small and the smoke tended to linger near the ceiling. It had made the winter more bearable for certain and the bone deep ache had not settled as hard on his aching hands as it had the year prior.

The visit at winter solstice had lasted much longer to his delight and he had savored every moment of his time with his siblings. With a strong storm outside his cave, he had feared they would not change or be far away when the time came for them to return to him. He had felt such fear when he had heard the crude flap that kept the worst of the storm out open but it had faded to joy when his sibling rushed into the relative warmth of his cave.

Seeing his sparse supply of firewood, Nolan and Sean had alternated darting out to fetch more from the forest and he had a good stockpile that had lasted for most of the winter. The others stayed close to him and reminisced about the days past sharing happier memories of days past.

He could remember their protests as he had tried to continue his work while he listened, Cathlynn trying to still his hands as he had spun his spindle. He didn’t want them to have to suffer for a single moment longer than they had to. He had relented finally and he had leaned against his sister as they had spoken of better times in the past and reminisced on past pranks and happy memories.

The visit during the summer had gone much as the last one had, with Cathlynn and Sinead sneaking off on a raid, Reilly and Brian tending to his hands while Sean and Nolan made improvements to his cave. They managed to use mud daub to seal the front of the cave tightly, remembering the freezing drafts that had crept in during their last visit and the cave was much more comfortable.

He sighed as he walked through the woods, taking care to avoid the more traveled paths and roads he kept his eyes out for places he could gather more supplies. He made a mental note of several nut trees and still-ripening berry bushes. He would hopefully be able to return to the cave soon and could harvest them for supplies then.

Spying a clump of mushrooms, he stopped to examine them trying to determine if they were safe to eat or not. After a few moments, he decided not to risk it and continued on his way. He saw a gap in the trees ahead and he made his way towards it hoping it might be a clearing where he could gather more fairy nettle.

Instead he found himself gazing down on a long sandy beach and the sea beyond it. Moving down to the beach itself and began to check the hillside for possibly caves he could stay in for a little while.

He had not gone very far along the beach when he heard something moving behind him. When he turned around he saw a blue roan horse running free along the surf. Dafydd frowned, wondering how a horse could have gotten free and made it all the way out here.

With a sigh he moved towards the horse intending to catch it and try to return it where it belong. It might go a ways to repaying his debt to the villages around him for the supplies his siblings had stolen for him twice now.

He had no sooner touched it however then his hands seemed to stick to the horse’s hide. It reared high and he somehow ended up tossed up onto the horse’s back. He clung as tightly as he could as the horse began to run faster and faster beyond what he had thought a horse could gallop.

His hands were white knuckled where they were buried in the horse’s mane when the horse suddenly veered to the right and began to race towards and then into the sea. The spray soaked his legs and soon the horse was swimming deeper and deeper.

Dafydd tried to pull away once again but the horse threw back his head, seemingly looking at him. Suddenly the horse began to roll, dunking Dafydd as he went under over and over. Dafydd could see spots before his eyes as his lungs began to ache from holding his breath.

He tried to gasp a breath the next time he surfaced but the horse twisted again and he choked on a mouthful of seawater instead. Suddenly something slammed into him and his hands finally came free from the horse’s hide.

He found himself adrift amidst the ocean swells with no sign of land that he could see to orient himself. Something warm and smooth appeared next to him and he clung desperately to it for a moment before it began to pull him along.

The rising swells slapped against him and he swallowed more seawater as he tried to catch his breath. He looked around trying to see something, some familiar landmark or even a star that he use to find his way. He noticed there was no sign of the horse anywhere around him and he worried it might have drowned.

Even if it were supernatural, it was sad for something to pass on alone and unnoticed.

He was so distracted searching for the horse or a sign of land that the flotsam nearby that was driven by the rising wind and more lively sea slammed into him without warning and his would be rescuer was knocked away. Dafydd found himself sinking down into the depths before all he knew was black.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Epsilon barked in frustration as the landsman slipped from him and began to sink again. He dove down and pushed him to the surface again. He let out a loud bark, trying to call others of his clan to assist but there seemed to be none in the area.

He couldn’t really blame them. They had all sensed when Gawain had entered their territory and while they would usually band together to drive an intruder out, Gamma- while technically neutral between the courts- still often did favors for the Unseelie Court. They allowed his cruel sense of humor an outlet and didn’t care how he tormented those they sent him after as long as the job was done.

He did have to wonder what the youth had done to draw the ire of the dark court though. They would rarely send out the dastardly pooka for just any mortal, unless he insulted a higher ranked fay or a fay noble.

Regardless he dragged and pushed until he reached the soft sand of the closet shore. There he wriggled and tugged until he got the young man above the tide line. There was a village nearby and the fishermen would soon be down to begin their days. He slipped out into the water, hiding behind a rock that sat in the low surf.

“You should not have interfered, Epsilon.”

“Gamma. You know this is my clan’s territory. What brings you out on such a stormy day?”

“A...contest is occurring. One of more importance than some would imagine. Do not interfere again if you are wise.”

Epsilon watched as the pooka moved out of the surf and towards the youth sprawled on the sand with his small pack but had to hide a smile when a large man on a horse rode into view and Gamma retreated back into the surf again.

As he watched the large man scooped up the youth, placed him onto his horse before mounting and riding away. At least the boy was safe now, Epsilon thought as he turned to go back to his clan and perhaps catch a few fish along the way.

He left without noticing the grimace on Gamma’s face or the way that he was seething as he stared after the two on horseback.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Matthias frowned as he adjusted his grip on the smaller man sat before onto his horse. Even now, he had not stirred or made a sound since Matthias had lifted him from the beach. If it were not for the pulse had had found at the stranger’s wrist, he would have thought the man dead from whatever wreck had washed him onto the shore.

Finding a victim of a shipwreck was the last thing he expected to do when he had ridden out from his estate in an attempt to clear his head from the latest round of bickering involving his neighbors and their on-going, and slightly petty, feud.

The young man Matthias had rescued had not so much as stirred in the slightest by the time that the two had reached Matthias’ keep and the town that surrounded it. The sight of his unexpected companion naturally elicited looks of surprise and curiosity as they approached the gate of the keep itself.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the stables, he reigned in his horse and slid off its back still holding the rescued young man. He carried him towards the central building and called for his servants to fetch the village healer as well as preparing one of the guest rooms at once.

As he carried the young man up the stairs, Matthias never noticed the many eyes that were watching the unlikely pair or how one pair narrowed speculatively.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Beth moved away from the door of her shop, turning back towards her counter while her mind was busy and she gave a thoughtful, “Hmmmm.”

Tucker looked up from where he had been polishing a few of the torcs, “What’s all the excitement? Did those nobles start fighting again?”

“No, something much more interesting.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. The Lord just rode by with a half drowned man on his horse.”

Tucker paused in his polishing and stared. “What?”

“He had a guy sprawled over the saddle horn and barely conscious. That’s not the important part, Tucker.”

“Then what is?”

Beth grinned predatorily. “The guy he had over the saddle horn positively reeks of fay magic. He might be our ticket out of this place and back into the court at last!”

Tucker gave a less than impressed look, “You’re fay, you can go back to that nightmare. I don’t want anything to do with it!”

Beth looked over at the young man and had to admit he had a point. His time in the fay lands had left him changed as well as left him with a young son to care for- and a large ‘friend’ who followed him home.

Speaking of…..

“Uh, I do not want to point fingers but I believe Tucker broke the door to the very nice house the chickens live in. Oh! And I found five eggs! And the chickens only bit me maybe a dozen times.”

“Michael!” Tucker groaned as he rubbed at his eyes in a weary fashion. “How did you manage to break the door?”

“I did not break the door! It is very rude to blame someone for something you did!”

Beth sighed as she moved to break up the impending argument. She would have to pull some strings with her contacts in the keep to learn more about the mysterious stranger who had arrived so dramatically with the area’s lord.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Eta peeked into the room that the visitor had been settled into, curiosity brimming. It was so unusual to have an unexpected guest! The humans who worked in the castle were whispering about it since he had arrived.

Lord Matthias had sent for the finest healer in the area and settled him into one of the better guest rooms in the keep. It was into this room that Eta was sneaking, using her power to slip through a small crack before finding herself in the bedroom.

To her surprise, she saw Iota had somehow arrived before her. ‘How did he do that?’ she wondered curiously.

“Iota? What brings you here? You don’t usually leave the workshops?”

Her brother looked at her and pointed to the bed stand where a young man was sleeping. “Him. Can’t you feel it? The magic coming off of him? He doesn’t feel like a fay but he is surrounded by court magic.”

Eta blinked in shock at his words. “Court Magic? Oh dear. You don’t think they are up to something do you?”

Iota laughed, “The Courts are always up to something, you know that! I don’t think they sent him here though. I think he might be part of an entertainment or a wager.”

Eta hummed, “Hmm. Or both. I think you are right. Poor thing.”

She walked over to the bed and leapt onto the bed to look at the young man. She gave a tentative test of the magic cast onto him and she tutted in annoyance at what she read there. “This is very unfair. An improbable task as well as a silencing geis!”

Iota frowned in distaste. “Sounds like the court to me. Well, I’m no good with things like geis. I can however help with his task. I noticed his spindle broke in the bag he had been carrying. I’ll have it fixed up in no time. He never has to know it was ever broken in the first place.”

Eta beamed, “That is such a great idea. I’ll cast a silencing spell so just in case he starts getting feverish, he can’t say things that might get him into trouble. It wouldn’t be fair! But with the Court, you know they won’t care. That and tend to his hands! Look at the state of them!” ‘

Iota nodded distractedly as he set about his repairs and Eta set about hers. A brownie’s work was never done!

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Dafydd stirred weakly as he began to wake up. To his shock he saw that above him was a ceiling and not the raw stone of his cave home. Where was he? How had he gotten here? He slowly tried to sit up, but his arms were slow to cooperate.

“Try to lay still. You are still weak. You’ve been ill with fever for the last few days. You had us quite scared for a while.”

Dafydd froze at the voice and two young women, one in a subdued brown dress, the other in a plain grey stepped into view. The woman in brown seemed to be the one who had spoken as the one in grey began to check Dafydd’s temperature and peered into his eyes with soft clucks of her tongue as she went.

The woman in brown simply observed, assessing how recovered he was while he was tended to. Once the woman in grey finished fluttering around him, she stepped back submissively and nodded to the woman in brown. “He seems much recovered now, ma’am.”

The other woman inclined her head and moved closer. “I am Constance. I am the Housekeeper and Chatelaine of Augusta Manor. You are our guest for the moment. For the time being, focus on recovering. We will talk more later.”

Dafydd looked to the side, unsure of what to do. He couldn’t say anything without jeopardizing his family.

The woman in grey coughed slightly, “Ma’am?”

“Yes, Elizabeth?”

“I don’t believe that is possible, Ma’am.”

Constance frowned, her brow furrowing. “We will discuss this later, Elizabeth. Continue with his treatment then return your duties.”

With that she turned and left the room, leaving Dafydd alone with the young woman apparently named Elizabeth. Elizabeth turned to him and smiled shyly. “You are healing well. The fever seems to have broken. You are very lucky Lord Matthias found on the shore.”

Dafydd frowned at her words, trying to remember what had happened. He had been at his cave…but had left for a few days while the villagers harvested fish from the lake. Then…the horse on the beach- no, not a horse. A pooka. He had almost been drowned by a pooka-

The shirts!

He tried to sit up and looked around the room as fast as he could. He saw no sign of his bag and his heart raced in horror at the realization he would have to start over. How would he break it to his family that they would be cursed for even longer?

Before he could panic too much, the women lifted his small pack and set it at the foot of the bed he was lying on. “Is this what you were looking for? We haven’t gone through your things, if that is what you are concerned about. Although, I must admit, there have been many curious to learn more about you.”

David stared at the pack and weakly clutched it to his chest with a desperate joy. It was safe. The shirts were hopefully safe. He would not have to start over again.

He barely heard the door shut as he began to try to undo the ties on his pack to check on its contents.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Constance looked at Elizabeth expectantly, “Explain what you meant.”

Elizabeth cleared her throat looking at the others seated around the table in the smaller council chamber: Lord Matthias, the head of the guard Collin, Constance as the chatelaine and surprisingly Nina the master trader.

“As I stated earlier, Miss Constance, I don’t believe that the young man that Lord Matthias rescued can speak. I believe he is mute.”

Collin frowned, his face so similar to Constance that it was clear that they were siblings, “Mute? What makes you think that?”

Elizabeth looked at her hands in her lap shyly, she hated speaking such high ranking people like this. “Well…when he was first brought in he was deeply unconscious and then he had a fever for several days on top of that. Yet despite all of that he didn’t make a sound beyond breathing heavily and coughing a little. Usually people speak or mumble during either but he did not.”

Nina nodded, “I had someone on a caravan with who took a fever. You could hear him groaning and shouting from four wagons away.”

Constance looked thoughtful, “It was quiet in manor while he was ill. Do agree Lord Matthias?”

Lord Matthias was as hard to read as usual and gave a small nod of his head.

Constance straightened in her seat. “Very well. So now that he is recovered, what are we to do with our…guest. Nina, have you heard of any ship that might have sunk in our area? If we can find where he came from then he can return home.”

Nina gave a shake of her head, “Nothing like that. I’ll keep my ears open when we head south in a few days though.”

Collins nodded, “Good. We can find something to occupy him until he can return to his home.”

Constance frowned, “I’m sure I can find something for him to do. How soon will he be able to be up and about?”

Elizabeth paused thoughtfully, “A few days more at least. After that he will need to rest often but his strength should begin to return after that.”

Constance hummed for a moment, drumming her fingertips on the desk idly. “I see. Perhaps in the kitchens? I’m sure the cooks could use help with peeling vegetables or scrubbing things.”

Lord Matthias cleared his throat and drew everyone’s eyes to him. “Ask him what he can do.”

Constance gave a nod, “A sound idea, my lord. We’ll ask what he is capable of doing. He should be able to nod at least, correct Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth smiled wanly, “Yes, of course. While mute, he does appear to have all his wits about him.”

Constance nodded decisively, “Very well. That is what we shall do.”

As the group rose from their seats and began to leave, Elizabeth couldn’t help but overhear Constance whisper to her brother, “Where ever he ends up, he needs to be watched.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Dafydd smiled softly to himself as he opened the door into the mews and listened to the soft sounds as the birds inside began to stir. He knew that they had heard him come in and would be expecting their breakfasts before he groomed them and then cleaned up the straw under their perches.

He was glad to see that the ladies were all finally finished recovering from their molts at last. He had been helping the Master of the Mews tend to them since he had arrived a few weeks ago and several had been very finicky as they finished their molts.

He settled the basket he carried onto the ground and gingerly reached into the basket with one hand as he undid the hood on Diana, one of the Rock Falcon’s that belonged to the lord here. He offered her the mouse he held and watched as she snatched it up and gulped it down.

He continued around the room, feeding all the predatory birds one at a time. He made sure the hood of each was secured before moving on the next. Once they had all been fed, he fetched the basin from the hall and a bucket of water.

Once he set up the small bath, he moved the birds one at a time to the basin. He removed the hood and let the birds splash in the bath for a little while before returning them to their perch. He made sure that they were on shorter leashes on their perch than before to allow them to groom and preen their wings. He had to be sure they would attack one another after all.

Once grooming was completed, the hoods went back on. Soon all the raptors had been fed and groomed and Dafydd began the task of cleaning the straw from the bottom of the mews. It was nasty work with all the droppings and cast offs mixed into the straw along with bits of yesterday’s meals. Birds of prey were not the neatest of eaters after all.

First he raked the biggest drifts into one big pile and then used the shovel to gather the soiled straw and dump it into the basket by the door. He then swept the remaining straw up and placed that too into the basket. He then dragged the basket down the stairs of the mews and out to the midden heap.

When he returned it was time to spread the new straw, making sure that there was a good amount under the perches but not too much that it wasted some of it. He had quickly figured out how much it took to spread under the perches and it was much easier than it had been.

With that done he began to examine the leather tack for all the birds. He set out the fine oil for the leathers as well as the polishing cloths. He had checked over the spare hoods for all the birds and was beginning on the gloves when George the Master of the Mews arrived.

George was a stern taskmaster when it came to the birds in his care but was a kind and genial person in general. He bore a large scar across his face from where a falcon had lashed out with its talon while on a lure.

It was a good reminder to always to be careful around the falcons and raptors when their hoods were removed.

He didn’t want to end up like George.

“Good morning, Dylan.”

Dafydd gave George a small smile at the greeting and the use of his ‘new’ name. The people of the manor here had decided that since to their knowledge he needed a name, he would be called Dylan.

“Looks like you got everyone fed and cleaned up. Good job on the floor. Leave out anything that needs to repairs so I can take it to the tanners for repairs.”

Dafydd gave a nod to show he understood and let George examine the falcons before taking them out with lures to exercise them. He finished the many gloves and moved onto the jesses with their shining bells.

He had always enjoyed falconry and spent a lot time in the mews at home. He had had a splendid merlin of his own named Whirlwind. He wondered what had happened to her as well as the rest of his siblings’ birds.

He was polishing the bells on the jess he was holding when the door opened and George came back in with Lord Matthias, speaking of the condition of the birds and how their tempers were holding from being inmewed for their molts.

Dafydd was struck by how tall the other man was as he stooped a little to duck under the door lintle. The man was as broad as he was tall with dark hair and striking eyes as amber as some of the falcons. Despite his size, there were few among the staff of the manor who had anything to say against him. Indeed most insisted that their lord was both fair and generous to a fault.

This last was usually directed towards his neighbors on either side. Apparently they had been in dispute that bordered on a feud for the last several years. He wasn’t quite sure what it was all about, it had been so well rehashed amongst those already here that there was no need to go over the basics again but he gathered it had something to do with a wall the separated where their territories met up at some point.

Apparently since Lord Matthias’ land lay between theirs for the most part, save for the land to the south where their lands touched, his manor had become a sort of neutral territory while they tried to settle the issue.

Most of the people of the manor and the town outside agreed that they wished they would finish it up already. Any entertainment in their arguments had long past and all that was left was annoyance. To make matters worse, each time they arrived their group of retainers always started to snipe at one another and attempt to bait each other into fights. Their spats invariably led to messes that would have to be cleaned up or repairs that would have be made and which, of course, the instigators could not be found to do themselves.

As Dafydd watched, Lord Matthias gently stroked the chest of his falcons Diana and Artemis. The rock falcons had some of the loveliest plumage with a high sheen and good coloring that made Dafydd want to see them in the air.

He was surprised when the lord turned towards him with a curious look. “Is Dylan settling in here?”

George beamed, his bright eyes sparkling. “Oh yes. Dylan knows his duties know. He takes good care of the birds and always makes sure that they are well settled.”

Lord Matthias gave a small nod, “Good.”

With just those few words, Lord Matthias left the mews and Dafydd was alone with George and the birds again. Dafydd finished up the jess he had finished oiling and polished before he stood to retrieve the next one for inspection.

“Leave that one for tomorrow, Dylan. You’ve worked hard today. You saw to the birds by yourself this morning and did a fine job while I was detained in town. There is still an hour or two until the evening meal, go out and enjoy yourself.”

Dafydd was startled by the offer and he looked at George curiously, cocking his head and raising his eyebrow to ask for confirmation.

“Yes I am serious. Go on. You are a young man, go walk the town or relax in your quarters.”

Dafydd put the jess he had picked up back into the pile he had not attended to yet and tidied up the area where he had been working before heading to the door, where he cast a last look over his shoulder to be sure that George was in earnest. George was already busy seeing to the raptors again and just flapped a hand at him to go.

Once he was out of the tower, Dafydd made his way to a small side gate he had found while building his strength back up by walking the halls of the manor with Miss Elizabeth. The gate let out into a small herb garden that opened onto a broad meadow. Slipping out the side gate, he made his way through the meadow and from there down the path to the seaside.
The sight of the sea, the waves lapping against the sand and the soft susurrus of the surf, made him tense a little, flashes of fragmented memory trying to surface of his near drowning. Pushing himself away from the memories, he made his way toward the a cliff that formed in a bank to one side. There was a small cave near a large boulder and that was his destination.
Inside the small cave, he had set his spindle and was in the process of making a new hand loom. He needed to resume the task that had been set on him to free his siblings from their curse. He had nearly four shirts finished. The fourth just needed sleeves added and it would be finished leaving just two shirts to be completed.
He had been lucky when he found the cave, it had much of what he would need. A small trickle of water flowed down a wall to pool in a small depression before draining out through a spot in the wall. In the depression a few stalks of fairy nettle that he had found by chance were soaking and would soon be ready to be broken up for their thread.
He had spun most of the thread he had already had before his attack that brought him to this strange place. He would need to try and find more fairy nettle to stockpile for the winter so his work would not be delayed. He had no idea if his siblings would be able to find him here, where ever here was in relation to his cave home but he was hopeful that they would be able to visit him when the winter solstice came.
He took up his small pack that he brought with him those many weeks ago and set out to try and gather more of the fairy nettles he so desperately needed. He made his way towards the forest that grew above the cliff and back towards the manor. He soon found himself in cool dark shade, the only sound the crunch of fallen leaves beneath his feet. The leaves had changed colors and begun to fall, carpeting the forest’s floor in a multihued splendor that would soon fade to dull faded brown.
A flutter to one side drew him to a halt and he saw a pheasant rush off in flight away from him. He gave a small smile, it seemed that game for the raptors of the mews were in good supply here. It explained why so many were in residence there for a manor of the size here.
He continued pausing to gather a few berries clinging to their brambles as well as a few nuts that had started to fall. He would have to remember to come back in a few weeks. He was sure the cooks would enjoy having a few more nuts in the pantry. Roasting nuts and snacking on nutmeats were a common winter pastime in most places after all. It would also serve as an explanation for why he wandering out here if he encountered anyone.
Hearing further rustling as he walked he caught fleeting glimpses of rabbits several times, as well as quail, grouse and more pheasants. Dafydd wondered if he could set snares here, the small game would made a small but no doubt welcome addition to the table of the manor in the dead winter to help spread stockpiles farther and break up the monotony of salted meat and fish.
The loud sound of a branch breaking brought Dafydd up short in his rambling. He looked up to find a large figure coming towards him. The man wore a blue tunic that was stained in places with leggings that were tattered near the bottom and at the knees. As the man came closer, he beamed brightly and raised a hand towards Dafydd.
“HELLO! I have not met you before! It is always nice to meet new friends!”
Dafydd blinked at the exuberate reply and had no idea what to do. He finally gave a small smile and raised his hand to return the greeting.
“Have you come to gather firewood too? Miss Beth says we need firewood and I am here to get firewood.”
Dafydd raised his eyebrow as the man’s arms were empty and did not appear to be wearing a basket on his back to carry firewood. He slowly moved a little closer to the strange man. The man beamed and waved energetically.
“Are you lost? It is very easy to get lost in the forest. Do you know the way home?”
Realizing the man was most likely lost himself, Dafydd gestured toward the east where the manor should lay. The strange man turned in that direction and wrung his hands, “That way? I mean of course it is that way.”
Feeling sympathy for the man who was noticablly younger than he first appeared despite his size, he took pity and he gave a small tug to the man’s shirt sleeve before heading back towards the manor and the village. Perhaps he could still find some fairy nettles that he could come back for after seeing the young man home.
The young man followed him with a broad smile and a stomping tread.
“Yes! We can go home together! It is getting dark after all! That is when the fairies come out! Fairies are not always nice!”
Dafydd shuddered as he thought to himself, ‘No. Fairies are not always nice.’
Unaware of Dafydd’s thoughts, the man continued to chatter as they two walked seemingly not realizing that the other man contributed nothing to the conversation, one sided though it was. Dafydd smiled as he listened to the man, Michael as he learned, talk about his home and those he lived with.
When they at last left the tree line, they were at the edge of the meadow by the manor and the town lay clearly visible before them. Michael continued to talk as he walked and Dafydd decided to see the young man home having realized that the man most likely was fairy touched with his odd moments.
Michael led the way to a good sized building in the town, with a shop on the bottom and what appeared to be a home on the next level. There were several outbuildings behind the main within a fenced in yard. Michael knocked on the door and a young man with dark skin opened it.
“Michael! There you are! Where did you go?! You were supposed to get the firewood from the woodbox for the forge!”
“Well, if you had not gotten me lost, Tucker, I would have gotten it sooner!”
The man, Tucker groaned, “Just get inside Michael. We’ve been waiting to eat until you came home and Liam is getting even tetchier than usual.”
Then turning his gaze on Dafydd, he grinned. “Thank you for getting him home. We were worried.”
Dafydd gave a nod and then turned to head back to the manor. Dinner would soon be served in the main hall and then he would head to his bed in the male servants dormitory. He had never thought that much about where the servants at home had stayed but now he had new admiration for the work they did and the conditions they lived it.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Tucker shut the door as the odd young man left the yard and turned to see Michael sitting at the table and looking anxious for his dinner.
He sighed, “Hang on Michael. I’ll go get Junior and let Beth and Liam know that you are back so we can eat.”
Leaving the young man at the table, he headed to the outbuilding that housed Beth’s work room and found her laying out her tools for scrying.
“You can stop, Beth. He’s back. If you’ll grab Liam, I’ll get Junior and we can eat. The stew has been ready for a bit.”
Beth looked over her shoulder and began to pack up her things back into the cupboard she kept her tools in. She wrapped the mirror back into its black silk and made sure to put the crystals back into the charged water to cleanse them of any negative energy.
“Is he alright or did he get hurt again?” She asked with a sigh.
“He seems fine. A man brought him back. Not sure who he was, he didn’t say anything.”
Beth paused in her packing, “Young man? Blond? Grey eyes?”
Tucker looked at her curiously, “Yeah, how did you know?”
“That’s the young man that was rescued by the Lord. The one that is supposedly mute.”
“Supposedly?”
She nodded as she closed the cupboard and locked it securely. “Yes. I spoke to my contacts in the manor. According to Eta, he is apparently caught up in a fay wager. He was given a task and isn’t allowed to speak until its complete. No forfeit was set but I can imagine it would be a harsh one.”
“Aren’t they always?” Tucker muttered bitterly.
Beth’s face softened from its usual stern expression as she remembered Tucker’s own forfeit. “It seems that way.”
“Still, it gave me Junior. I guess I can’t complain too much.”
Beth gave his back a smack, “Look at the bright side, Tucker. You are out of the court, your son is with you. You are…yourself again. And the one who lured you away shouldn’t be able to find you with the spells I put on you and Junior.”
Tucker sighed, giving a weak smile, “True enough. Still, helping me escape with Junior and Michael is what got you stuck with me and Liam….”
Beth gave him a cold look, “I’m going to get him back to himself. See if I don’t!”
Tucker’s smile became crooked, “I don’t doubt it. Why don’t you grab Liam now and I’ll meet you at the table.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8
Dafydd carefully lifted the section of cloth he had woven off of the loom. He sighed at it came free cleanly. He was always nervous when it came time to remove the cloth sections from the loom, a single misplaced cut could ruin months of work.
He was so close now.
He had been here at Maine Manor for over a year and had managed to continue his work in secret. He still worked in the manor’s mews and came down to this sea cave every night to further his work.
With the section he had just taken off the loom, he would add a sleeve to the fifth shirt and would need only one more to finish it. He only needed one more section to finish this shirt and then four more to make the final shirt. Five sections in total left then after he sewed this together.
He would need to find his siblings though since he had been at the manor, although he had come down the sea each solstice, they had not arrived. He worried for them desperately, there was just so much that could be fall swans in the world: snares, foxes, wolves, dogs, hawks, starvation in winter, hunters in fall or storms to drive them from the sky.
There had been other changes as well, he thought with a soft smile.
During the long winter, he had gone out and set snares in the forest to cover his trips to the sea cave. As he had suspected, the cooks had been delighted with the rabbits, pheasants, quail and the occasional grouse that he brought back. Most of the game went to the head table for the nobles and any guests to enjoy.
He had not expected to be thanked by the manor’s lord for doing so.
Still when the lord had left the mews after conveying his thanks, George had chuckled at the surprised look on Dafydd’s face. He then went on to explain some things that Dafydd had been unaware of.
Things like the fact that Lord Matthias was only 5 years older than Dafydd, a mere twenty-two. Or that he had taken over the estate when he was 15 after his father had fallen in battle. That Lord Matthias had restored his estate to its present state from his father’s negligence.
The spring that followed had seen the first of the hunts with the birds in their care. George had let him come along on the hunts to care for any of the birds that might be injured or upset. He had been nervous to be out with the hunters- after all it was still clear to see that Lady Constance, the chatelaine, still did not trust him and neither did her brother, the captain of the guard, Collin. Despite their side eyed looks and thinly veiled comments, he was allowed to go.
George had walked up beside him and asked, “So Dylan, where did you find all the pheasants and quails that you brought in this winter?”
Dafydd had given a small smile and began to walk towards where he had set his snares. The rest of the hunting party had followed behind him and he had to admit that he had been pleased with the amount of game that they had been able to bring back.
He had slowly learned that Lord Matthias had a deep love for falconry. It had been a favored pastime of his since he was a boy. As a result, Dafydd began to see more and more of the Lord in the mews. Lord Matthias like to escape to the mews to get some peace and quiet.
Dafydd certainly never minded having him there. Lord Matthias merely tended to his two rock falcons that were his pride and joys. Sometimes it seemed as though Dafydd was forgotten and Lord Matthias would speak softly to the falcons about his day or some trouble he had had to deal with that week. Or so he had thought at first.
He had frozen in place when Lord Matthias had looked over his shoulder at him, “Thank you for listening to me Dylan.”
Dafydd ducked his head and blushed, since he hadn’t really been listening as he didn’t want to eavesdrop even on someone talking to himself.
“Are you happy here?”
Dafydd looked up at the words, blinking his surprise before giving a shy nod of his head.
“Good. Until we can find your home, I’m glad you are content.”
Dafydd had nodded again with a small smile on his face before returning to oiling the leather glove he was tending to.
From there their interactions had continued and grown. At first it was simple questions while Lord Matthias visited with his falcons but it expanded to Dafydd being in charge of their care on hunts and then while in the mews. George had laughed and slapped him on the back before tending to the rest of the falcons, merlins and other raptors in the mews.
Dafydd had forgotten the joy he had felt when flying a falcon. The rush as he launched the bird from his glove to set them on the lure or on prey. The way the falcon dove through the air so gracefully that it became a dance or poetry in its beauty.
“You have a knack with her, Dylan.”
Dafydd glanced back towards the man speaking and smiled at the praise while he lifted his glove for the falcon called Diana to return to him. He slipped her hood back over her head and stroked her chest to calm her before offering her to Lord Matthias.
“No, you are doing a good job. I enjoy seeing her fly for you.”
Soon Dafydd found himself accompanying Matthias even when the falcons did not leave the mews.
He had been walking from the manor on the way to his sea cave to continue his labor when he had run into the man returning from a walk of his own. Upon seeing him, Matthias had intercepted him and joined him on the walk down to the seaside.
“You come here often, don’t you?” A curious look was given in his direction.
Dafydd gave a slow nod as he let his gaze search the horizon where sea met sky. No sign of swans in any number still. His heart clenched in worry as all the fears began to repeat their haunting refrain in his head again.
“You seem upset. I’m sure your memories will return.”
Dafydd looked to the side. He hated lying in general and having to lie was distasteful to him. There had been no choice however with his geis on him. He had been forced to feign having no recollection of most of his memories.
“I’m..glad that I rode this way that day.”
Dafydd looked at him again and smiled, giving a small nod of his head. He was very glad as well.
Soon they had begun to spend more and more time together during the day. Lord Matthias had simply become Matthias to him. He usually invited Dafydd for his afternoon walks following lunch on most days. Dafydd enjoyed his company and Matthias never seemed to mind when he stopped to gather plants they found along the way, some for the kitchens and some for other purposes. He always kept an eye out for more fairy nettle but it seemed to scarcer here than it had by his old cave home.
He slipped off alone after dinner most nights to work on his task, slowly seeing freedom and release with every skein of thread and every inch of progress on his loom. Soon he would have his family back and then…then he could think of other things.
Things like the flutter he felt in his stomach sometimes when Matthias would be with him. Or how nice it felt when Matthias had taken his hands in his much larger ones when Dafydd’s hands been particularly bad after spinning threads the night before and had gently tended to them.
He looked down and saw that he had finished stitching the sleeve into shape and just needed to attach it to be done with his work for the night. Soon, he promised to himself and to his siblings where ever they may be, soon!
oOoOoOoOo
Beth looked over her shoulder as she made her way down towards the shore. She smiled as she saw she was still on her own. She needed to renew the spell she had cast on the sea cave that was being used by the bound man.
She doubted he was even aware of the spell that kept most people from even noticing the cave. He certainly didn’t seem aware of the fay magic that swarmed around him like flies that made any fay aware that he was bound to court’s entertainment.
She reached the cave and stepped within, curious to see how the progress was going. She saw a clean loom and a mostly finished crude shirt that needed only a sleeve to be finished. Bundles of fairy nettle hung from outcrops above and sat in a small pool of water soaking. A bundle of thread was set next to a skein of thread that was a fine as gossamer and glistened dully like a cobweb in sunlight.
It seemed that progress was being made in good speed considering the one working it was only able to slink off to it at night. Dylan, or whatever his proper name was, looked as though he would win his wager with the fay courts. Giving a nod, she stepped back outside and recast her spell over the cave.
She gave a few tests of the spell to be sure it would hold and turned to head back to the town. She had to keep an eye on Liam and the others. Her heart, or what passed for one, ached at the thought of Liam. Liam- Alpha! He was her betrothed and had barely known her when she found him lost and starving in the woods.
She had known that they were running a risk by backing Tucker against the Prince but the promised reward if they won- the prestige in the court alone was attractive. They had in the end won but they had broken one of the rules or rather Alpha had bent one of the rules. Everyone bent rules but this time he had been caught out.
The punishment had been done before Beta had returned to the court after seeing Tucker, his son and Michael back to the mortal realm. Instead of returning to find her betrothed waiting and celebrating their victory, she had found him missing and was given only faint clues as to where he had gone.
He had nearly died. Fay were never meant to live as humans! Most had no idea the work it took to keep a mortal alive, paying scant attention even to their pets preferring to leave that to lesser fay or mortal servants and slaves. She was forever grateful that he had managed to find a stream to keep him from dying of thirst before she found him.
She was determined to try and use the current wager Dylan was involved in to try and get Alpha restored to himself. She saw glimpses of the fay he once was from time to time in the human he had been turned into. Liam was Alpha’s basic traits: scholarly and sarcastic with a biting wit. She both recognized him and missed him at the same time. She missed being Beta instead of Beth the jeweler.
A sound behind her made her turn around and she saw a seal upon the beach. She knew at once that this was not a normal seal, the magic strong around him as he put off his sealskin and stood on the sand.
“Beta? Is that you?” He called out cautiously.
“Epsilon, what brings you here? Your people rarely come ashore.” Beta moved towards him, curious as to what would bring a selkie ashore let alone bring them to search out her.
“Something dark is stirring. I first felt the ripples last year and they have not gone away. I’ve caught Gamma in my waters several times since then and seen him come ashore here as well.”
Beta frowned, “What could interest that trickster of a pooka he-,” she paused as realization hit her. “He’s after Dylan.”
“Dylan?”
“He washed up here about a year ago. There is thick fay magic around him and I am fairly confident that he is part of a wager on the court. There is a geis on him and what appears to be an improbable task.”
Epsilon’s eyes widened, “A young man? Hair of gold?”
Beta nodded, surprised that he knew that. “Yes, how did you know?”
“I saved him from Gamma last year! Gamma was attempting to drown him. I couldn’t let that happen in my clan’s territory.”
Beta narrowed her eyes, “So Gamma is involved then. That means that the Unseelie court is likely behind him and tricks.”
“It is likely. They usually are the ones who pay him for his tricks.” Epsilon shook his head and looked at Beta earnestly, “Be careful. I don’t like how the currents are shifting. Nothing good comes of Unseelie games. Especially for you, with Alpha-“
“I’ll take care of Alpha! They aren’t touching him.”
Epsilon took a step back, “I believe you. Just be careful-,” he was about to say more when they heard footsteps approaching. Epsilon swiftly drew on his sealskin and dove back into the sea leaving Beta by herself on the beach as Lord Matthias and Dylan came walking down the path to the sea.
Beta moved quickly to hide herself away from their sight using her magic. Safely cloaked from them, she waited for them to pass by before heading home herself. It was then that she noticed that Lord Matthias had taken one of Dylan’s hands in his as they walked.
Struck by the sight she moved a little closer and took in the expressions of the pair. What she saw there was startling. How had anyone missed this? How had no one realized that the two were growing closer not just as friends but also the promise of something more developing?
This would bear watching. The stakes of the game may have just gotten higher.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Gamma grumbled as he made his way through the court, his gaze drawn to where a symphony of screams and cries of agony rang from the current entertainment. Reluctantly pushing on, he reached the room set off from the main hall and walked inside.
Sigma was waiting inside with Omega, the two of them standing at a table and examining a map. Gamma approached and peered down at the depiction of a very familiar island.
“Did you find the boy, Gamma?”
Gamma crossed his arms over his chest, “No. I know roughly where he is but not exactly.”
Omega cackled, “Did a slip of a boy manage to escape you? Here I thought you never lost a victim.”
“I wouldn’t if it hadn’t been for that damn selkie!” Gamma snarled, his lips curling back to bare his teeth at the redcap.
“Enough.” Sigma’s voice broke up the argument before it could continue. “Gamma. Where, roughly, is the mortal?”
Gamma pointed on the map to the stretch of beach. “He came ashore here. Roughly he is in the village or the manor that are nearby. I can’t get close to them, there is too much iron.”
Sigma frowned. “Maine Manor? His presence had better not interfere with my plans. I’ve worked too hard to get things to this point.”
Omega peered at the spot on the map. “When do we get to make our move? Tensions are so high as it is, all it will take is just one spark and it will erupt.”
“Soon, tell Hargrove to prepare for the next few ‘incidents’. Once everything is ready, we can easily take all four territories.”
“Four?” Gamma asked with a raised brow.
“Do you honestly think I will share an inch of my new kingdom with a mortal?” Sigma asked with a sneer.
Omega chuckled darkly, “He’s already said that I get to play with him when the time comes. I dislike the way he tries to order me about when I bring his orders.”
Gamma grinned, “Would you be willing to share?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 9
Dafydd looked at Matthias and then down at their linked hands. Matthias had grown to be very dear to him in the time he had spent together at the manor. He glanced to the side at the beach and the waves crashing down.
Two years had passed since the day Matthias had found him and saved him by bringing him back to the manor. Two years had seen them become close friends and now their relationship was closer than any he had had save that with his siblings.
Matthias had asked him to join him on their usual afternoon walk and while they had strolled, he had taken Dafydd’s hand in his as he had in the past. Now at the shore he gazed at Dafydd with a tender look, he had cupped Dafydd’s cheek with his other hand.
“Dylan…you are my friend. You know I treasure your friendship and I don’t want to lose it.” Matthias looked away for a moment before turning back to Dafydd. “Dylan…I want to court you, if you will allow. I…I love you.”
Dafydd’s heart raced and he looked at Matthias in surprise. He had nothing to bring to such a courting. Matthias had no way of knowing that Dafydd was the son of a Lord himself, no way to know he was of equal social standing. He didn’t even know Dafydd’s real name.
But….
But Dafydd felt the same.
Dafydd looked Matthias in the eyes and stood up on his toes to press a shy kiss to Matthias’ lips. Matthias blinked down at him, stunned joy on his face. Dafydd could feel himself blushing at the action, he probably hadn’t done it properly. He only had caught glimpses of his sister and his foster siblings- seeing Reilly sneaking little pecks onto Brian to make him blush or Sean trying to steal a kiss from Cathlynn.
He wondered if they would like Matthias. He rather thought that they would.
With a pang, he wished he could introduce them to him. Let him meet Cathlynn and Sean, Nolan and Sinead, Reilly and Brian.
Matthias tilted his head and gave him a soft smile before bending down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips to match the one Dafydd had given him. Sharing a soft smile as they broke the kiss, they turned to walk along the shore hand in hand.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Matthias could tell that the people of the manor were not sure what to make of his wonderful mood. He had finally asked Dylan to allow him to court him and he had agreed. His heart sped up as he recalled the sensation of that first shy kiss Dylan had given him.
He could hardly believe that they had only known one another for two years but despite the fact that Dylan was mute, he had never felt like someone understood him like the smaller man did. Not only that but Dylan had given him a solution to the ongoing feud between Lady Kimball of Chorus Manor and Lord Doyle of Armonia.
“I will be occupied for a while. My neighbors are coming back.”
Dylan looked at him curiously, raising an eyebrow to pose his question.
“Yes, the same ones. Them and their blasted wall.”
Dylan’s expressive face made it clear through his furrowed brow and quizzical tilt of his head that he would like more information.
“That’s right, you were not here when the feud began. To simplify: Lady Kimball’s livestock keeps wandering into Lord Doyle’s lands and eating his crops. There is supposed to be a wall between their lands but it has fallen in disrepair. Each insists that it is the others job to repair it. Now because the wall has not been fixed, her livestock wanders off, his crops get eaten and he refuses to give back her livestock until she pays for the lost crops.”
Dylan looked at him aghast.
Matthias had to chuckle, “Yes. I know. It really is over something that ridiculous.”
Dylan had shaken his head ruefully before pausing and looking thoughtful. He then reached between where they sat on the surf and picked up small stones. He then used them to demonstrate-
“-both will repair the wall. The wall was more than one stone thick. Lord Doyle will build his half and Lady Kimball will build hers. They will be back to back one another. That will make it broad and high enough to keep livestock in Lady Kimball’s lands and keep Lord Doyle’s crops safe. Lady Kimball will pay for the damages to Lord Doyle’s crops and Lord Doyle will return her livestock safely.”
Both Lord Doyle and Lady Kimball looked at him in shock. One of Lady Kimball’s aides, Andersmith he believed, was taking notes and appeared to be sketching plans for the wall. Once he finished he slid the diagram towards the center of the table for both to see.
Lady Kimball looked at the diagram and gave a thoughtful hum. “It does seem like a sound plan.”
Lord Doyle examined it as well. “Yes, well, it does have the ring of fairness.”
Matthias sighed, “Good. I’ll come with you to see the work started and to serve as witness that the damaged crops are paid for and that all the livestock is returned.”
Lady Kimball and Lord Doyle reluctantly shook hands then left the council chamber. He couldn’t help but notice the almost outraged looks on the bodyguards that accompanied the pair. He supposed he couldn’t blame them. Ending the feud meant that their services would no longer be required most likely.
The downside of this was that he was going to have to leave for a few weeks- no, it would be longer. The council on the mainland would be starting soon and he would be required to attend as would his neighbors. It would easily be a month or two before he would be able to return if the council had nothing too divisive on the table, perhaps longer if there was a matter to resolve.
This is not how he wanted his courting to begin.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Dafydd sat on the small mat he had brought to his seacave now that the weather had turned cold. Thankfully snow had not begun to fall yet for the year and he could still make his way to the cave to work on his task.
Matthias had left to oversee the start of the wall repairs- he still could hardly believe something so small had nearly started a feud!
He smiled and looked down at his loom. He had only a little more to weave and this section would be complete. He was so close now. The main part of the final shirt was done and the first sleeve would be finished with the section he was working on. He would just need to add the final sleeve and if he could just find his siblings the curse could be broken.
He glanced out of the cave and saw that there was still some time before he would need to return to the manor. With a burst of energy, he returned to his weaving and managed to finish the last section of weaving and carefully cut it free from the loom.
Lifting the sixth shirt from the basket he had kept it in, he slowly sewed the section into a sleeve and then attached it to the main shirt. He admired the sight of the final shirt before settling it back into its basket next to the leather pack that held the other five finished shirts.
He had to hold onto the hope that his family would find their way to him this midwinter.
Satisfied with the work he had managed to get done for the day, he turned to leave the cave and head back to the manor. However he had barely taken a few steps out of the cave when he was suddenly thrown onto the ground.
He tried to lift his head to see what was going on but all the could see was the sand of the beach. He was yanked onto his knees to see the angry faces of Lady Constance and Sir Collin as well as one of the men that he had seen following around one of Matthias’ neighbors.
The man darted past Dafydd and into the cave, before coming back out with the leather pack and the mostly finished shirt. “See! Proof of his witchcraft! Who knows what bedevilment he intended to work with this!”
Sir Collin scowled at the sight while Constance recoiled with her lip curled before she turned towards Dafydd, “We took you in! Sheltered you! This was all a plot wasn’t it!? Who do you work for!”
Sir Collin drew her back and gestured for whoever held Dafydd to pick him up. Dafydd found himself pulled up onto his feet. “Thank you Felix. You have given us timely warning. We will need to summon the magistrate and try him for his crimes.”
The man scowled, “Even though we caught him in the act? With proof of his witchcraft at hand?”
“The law must be followed. He will be tried and sentenced as it dictates.”
Constance began to stomp back towards the manor and Sir Collin gestured for the rest to follow. Dafydd found himself being dragged along through the meadow and then into the manor itself.
Sir Collin lit the way down a set of stairs that Dafydd had never needed to venture down and Dafydd found himself thrown into a dim cell. Dafydd pushed himself up from where he had fallen and moved into the corner of the cell. This couldn’t be happening, he had been so close to breaking the curse. So close for this nightmare to end.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Tucker looked up at the sounds coming from outside the shop. It sounded like pandemonium out there. What could be going on?
“Beth? You might want to get out here!” He called towards the back of the building where she had been working on a special order from Lord Matthias.
Beth came up, wiping her hands on a clean cloth, “What is going on Tucker?”
“I don’t know but something big is going on outside.”
Beth headed for the door, opening it and stepping out into the street. She found most the town was in the streets along with a lot of those who worked within the manor. She headed towards one of the people she recognized as a cook from the manor, “Donut? What is going on?”
“Oh hey Beth! You guys didn’t hear?! That mute guy who worked in the mews, Dylan? Apparently he is a witch! Felix showed Sir Collin to this cave where he was doing his witchcraft!”
Beth froze. No one should have been able to find that cave with the spells that she had cast over it. How had it been found?
“Really?” She asked, pretending to be skeptical of the find.
“Oh yes! Apparently he was brewing nasty potions and making hexes! It’s so scandalous!”
Beth sighed, it seemed rumors were already flying that made the situation seem much worse. She would have to make sure that Eta or Iota kept the items safe. Hopefully, she could get him out of this somehow.
She went back into the shop, heading towards the back where her workshop lay. Tucker followed her, “What’s going on Beth? What’s with the crowd?”
“Dylan got taken to the dungeon. Accused of witchcraft. We have a few days at least until the magistrate can arrive since Lord Matthias is gone.”
Tucker paled, “Oh god. That poor guy! Did they trace that magic you said was around him?”
“No. They shouldn’t have been able to find that cave, let alone that magic as mortals. Something is off about this.”
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Dafydd stared at the darkness beyond the small window set in his cell. It was the only way he could count the days that were passing while he was locked away. He had tried to count using his meals before he realized that there was no order to them. It was seemingly random with one meal on one day but three meals on another. Watching the shifting light was a more reliable means of tracking time.
He could only hope that Matthias would return and save him in time to free his family.
The cell he was being held in had little inside it. There was a pile of hay in one corner and on the opposite side was the necessary bucket which was emptied only every few days. So far he had seen few signs of rats or mice but he that didn’t mean they weren’t here.
The door opened, and he sat up from where he had been leaning against the wall. The sight of Sir Collin and the man who had grabbed him on the beach made him slump back down. He had hoped for a moment that it was Matthias returning.
Sir Collin glanced between him and the strange man, “You have five minutes, Felix. While we are grateful for your discovery, this is still very unusual.”
“I appreciate you allowing me this chance.”
Sir Collin closed the door, leaving Dafydd alone with the stranger.
“So you’re the one who just had to go and ruin our plans for this little island. Do you have any idea how long we had been setting this whole thing up? Do you? Oh well. Now we have to go another- bloodier –route.”
Dafydd looked at the man in shock. What was he talking about?
The man smirked, “Oh, that’s right. We haven’t met, have we? Not really, anyway. I’m Felix and I work for someone who told me all about you, Dafydd.”
Dafydd jolted at being called by his proper name. He stared at Felix in shock, unsure of what was going on.
Felix moved into a semi-squat, looming over Dafydd. “See, my boss knows about you and your…task. Its why I’m allowed to talk to you since, after all, you can’t. Not if you want to try to save your sister and those friends of yours.”
Dafydd looked at the man in horror, unsure of how anyone would know about his task or his geis.
Felix laughed at the expression on Dafydd’s face. “But while you ruined our plans to get Kimball and Doyle at each other’s throats, we can at least get rid of one lord. After all, Matthias will be racing back here when he hears that you were arrested. The messenger bird was already sent a few days ago. And as soon as he does, well, he won’t make it very far. So just sit tight in your cage and be a good bit of bait. Your time will come soon enough. I got a gold coin riding on your screaming when the flames start roasting you.”
With that the man stood, looking down at Dafydd with a smirk. “How does it feel to know you fail so completely I wonder? Good night Dafydd. Sweet dreams!”
Felix walked to the door, knocking on it three times. The door creaked open a bit and he slipped out of the cell, leaving Dafydd in darkness.
oOoOoOoOo
Eta scurried from the cell, racing towards the edge of the manor. Normally a brownie would not leave their dwelling but this was an emergency! She reached the normal boundary and steeled herself before edging away from the manor and towards the sea.
She was trembling by the time she reached her destination and made it to the shore line. She could only hope that her calling spell had reached the one she needed. She gave a sigh of relief as she saw a sleek form break from the waves and shift into a larger form once he reached the tide line.
“What brings a house fay to the sea? I assume you are the one who called?”
Eta nodded, “You are the one who saved the man! He is in trouble!”
“I can’t do anything for land troubles. I am of the sea as you are of homes.”
Eta reached out, grabbing his arm. “I know that! It is the sea, and on water that has to been reached!”
She pointed to the castle. “They caught him working on his task! They accuse him of witchcraft! I have seen them preparing a pyre in the courtyard. Please, there are others! Others with the same bindings, which are bound to him by his love and the task. He has made six shirts, mostly. The final is nearly done. If you can find them, let them come now or the task will never be finished.”
Epsilon looked at her, eyes wide. “Ripples in ripples it seems. I’ll do what I can.”
With that he slipped form her grasp and dove back into the sea. Eta could only hope it would be enough and raced back home to recover from leaving her domain.
oOoOoOoOoOo
The day of the trial came both swiftly and too slowly for Dafydd. Each day he had hoped Matthias would come and save him. Each day faded like one before. He could hear people outside his window and what he heard terrified him.
They spoke of the magistrate arriving. They spoke of a pyre for the witch.
It was thus he was dragged from his cell and into the great hall of the manor. The tables that normally filled the hall were gone and the benches that the whole town seemed to fill had been arranged to form an aisle he was pulled down until he stood before the high table on its dais.
A grim faced man was seated at the center of the table with Sir Colling and Lady Constance on either side of him. On the edge of the table was his leather pouch, the flap open and a shirt sleeve falling out.
“You are summoned here before this court to face sentencing for the crime of witchcraft. With the fate of your very soul on the line, how do you plead young man?”
Dafydd looked at the man and shook his head.
The grim man frowned, “Answer the court!”
Sir Collin cleared his throat a little. “The..man may not be able to. Our healer felt he might be mute. Whether this is true or merely a spell to lure us into thinking him less dangerous is unclear.”
The judge looked at Sir Collin in shock, “If he can’t talk, how can he give testimony in his defense?”
A voice from behind Dafydd made him crane his neck around. “What defense? He was caught red handed making those hexes! What testimony could he give!? Burn the witch already!”
Felix!
At his words, the villages all began to echo it, “Burn the witch! Yes! Burn him! Burn the bloody witch!”
“Order! Order in the court! There will be order of the court will be cleared!”
The outcry continued to grow until finally the townsfolk were cleared from the room. Once it was done, the judge looked at Dafydd again.
“I ask again, young man. What defense have you for having such…things?”
Dafydd could do nothing but spread his hands and shake his head.
“Since the accused can provide no defense, and with the evidence so compelling, I have no other option than to declare him guilty of the crime of witchcraft. He shall be put to death by burning in three days’ time. May god have mercy on your soul. Take him back to his cell.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 10
Three days had never passed as quickly as it did now. Dafydd stay slumped in the corner where he could gaze out his cell’s window. His heart raced as he thougth of how he had failed his family. They would be trapped forever as swans. Doomed to be picked off one by one by nature, predators and hunters.
When the day came, Dafydd was shaking. His untouched bowl sat by the door as had the others that had come before it. His appetite had left him long ago. When the door opened and Sir Collin stepped in, his eyes narrowed at the uneaten food and then looked Dafydd over with a curled lip of disgust.
He sent two people in to grab him, both wearing black hoods on their heads. Dafydd found himself hoisted up and then dragged out the room. He didn’t bother to struggle, he knew there was nothing he could do. If he tried to run, then he would just prove his supposed guilt. He could only hope that Matthias might even now come and save him, though his hope had all but faded away.
He was pulled through the manor, the servants scurrying out of the way of the guards before hissing and jeering at Dafydd as he passed. When they passed out into the town, it became worse: the people threw rotten plants and stones at him, several spit on him and one managed to get past the guards and punch him. The guards did nothing to stop any of it, they just continued to drag him through the streets and to the meadow beyond.
A barren circle had been cleared in the dead dry brush of the meadow. There in the center was a large pile of kindling and logs with a small platform with a post atop it. It was to here that Dafydd was dragged and the guards began to tie him to the post.
Dafydd was surprised when his hands were left free, his waist bound to the pole with the knots away from him. His heart sped up as his pouch was put in his hands by one of the guards and he held it to his chest tightly.
If only.
If they came now, he might be able to save them at the very least even if he couldn’t save himself. He had to hope they would come in time.
A priest stepped forward, standing before the pyre and dipped a flail into holy water, flicking it over the piled kindling. He called out for those gathered to bow their heads and began to pray. Dafydd scanned the crowd, hoping to see someone that he knew, someone who might help him.
The priest continued to pray, calling on god to purge his supposed evil from the place and protect them. Finally the priest dipped the flail into the holy water again and flung more holy water onto the pyre.
Dafydd’s heart was racing as he saw the judge move to the foot of the stacked wood and gaze up at him sternly. “The accused had been tried and found guilty of the crime of witchcraft. Let the sentence be carried out-“
Riding up towards the gathered mob of people baying for blood was a large figure on horseback riding full gallop. As the figure grew closer, additional figures appeared behind them seemingly trying to catch up to the lead rider.
As the group finally grew close enough, Dafydd felt his heart soar when he realized that the lead rider was Matthias. When Matthias reached the edge of the crowd, he dropped from his horse and began to move through the crowd towards the pyre.
“What is going on here?!”
Before Matthias could get very far, Dafydd sudden spotted Felix at the base of the pyre. Felix held a burning torch and smirked at Dafydd before burying it deep into the heart of the pyre.
From two sources came a sudden shriek: one from Matthias at seeing the pyre catching fire but the other came from above. Dafydd jerked his head up and he could have laughed with joy at the sight of the six swans diving towards him. He grabbed the shirts and flung them up one by one as they twisted about the pyre as the flames began to grow large enough to lick at the base of the stake.
Cathlynn. Sean. Nolan. Sinead. Reilly. Brian.
One by one each swan caught a shirt over their neck or in their beak and then landed. The terrified townsfolk shrieked and backed away from the swans, calling out that they were demons and the witch’s familiars.
Dafydd threw the last, unfinished shirt into the air, struggling to breathe as smoke filled the air and watch as it was caught by the final swan who landed and flipped it onto their back. He coughed harder as he strained to see his family in the dark smoke.
A glow surrounded the swans and when it dissipated there stood four men and two women who immediately moved between the pyre and the crowd. Dafydd saw them and gave a small smile as he coughed weakly, his head reeling and blackness took him.
oOoOoOoOoOo
The curse left them in a semi-state, like being a shade. It always seemed unreal and the change back into themselves left them dazed and uncertain for a moment. Cathlynn would never forget that first midwinter they had arrived at Dafydd’s cave and found no one there. There was no sign of her little brother and no sign of anyone having been there recently.
They had huddled together in his cave and tried to focus on the fact they were themselves and together but the absence of Dafydd had cast a pall over the long dark night. When dawn came and they were forced away, her last thought had been one of worry for her little brother.
Twice more when they reached their days of freedom they had returned to the cave to find no one about. Dafydd had not returned and they had whispered of their own darkest fears: of their father’s steward having found Dafydd; of the villagers they had raided finding him and dubbing him a thief; being injured; Dayffd falling ill all alone; taken by raiders or slavers.
It had been two years since they had seen their youngest sibling, who had given up so much in his desperate attempt to free them from this curse. Two years was intolerable.
This however was worse.
To finally be free, to be human once again for good was what they had been longing for over these long five years! They had never expected their freedom to come at so high a cost! Cathlynn had come to herself and the thing she could make out was the roar of a crowd. Looking up she had felt her heart stop at the sight of her precious baby brother tied atop a flaming fire.
Sean and Sinead seemed to feel the same, leaping up onto the pyre and cutting Dafydd free of the ropes binding him before pulling him to safety. Cathlynn felt a dark rage growing in her heart at the sight of Dafydd lying limp in Sean’s arms.
How dare they?
HOW DARE THEY!?!
She looked over her shoulder and motioned for everyone to gather around. They were getting Dafydd away from these murderers! She froze as she looked her adopted family draw closer and was surprised to see while most of them remained as they were when they were human. Reilly however was staying shockingly close to Brian and a closer look revealed that one arm was still a swan’s wing.
“Is he alright?” Nolan reached out brush a lock of hair back behind Dafydd’s ear and she could hear the tremble in his voice.
Each of her adopted siblings shared the sentiment and they soon encircled the pair protectively. The majority of the mob had moved back, but enough remained close to make her on edge as she tried to figure out where they should go to get Dafydd free of this place.
A large man pushed his way through the crowd and stood in the empty space between them and the mob. His eyes were locked on her brother and on him alone. He finally tore his eyes from Dafydd and locked on her instead.
“Thank you for saving Dylan. Give him back to me.”
Cathlynn snorted, “Why? So you can finish the job? I don’t know who Dylan is but you are not getting near my brother.”
The man looked taken back, “Your brother? Dylan is your brother?”
Cathlynn stopped herself from snapping back and looked the man over assessingly. He was well dressed- obviously a man of means- and was both broad and tall. “Who is Dylan?”
The man pointed at Dafydd, “He is Dylan. Is he alright? Please, give him back to me.”
Another man pushed his way through the crowd with a woman who looked enough like him to make their relationship clear reached the man. “Lord Matthias! My lord, he has bewitched you! Come away from these minions of evil!”
Lord?
“We are not evil! We just want to take our brother and leave. Let us depart and we will do so in peace.”
The lord looked upset. “No! He’s not well! He needs a healer!”
Nolan touched her shoulder, “Lynn, he is pretty hurt. He could use a healer and the sooner the better.”
A soft cough drew her eyes back to Dafydd who was coughing weakly in Sean’s arms and blearily looking around.
“Dafydd, stay still. You’re hurt!” Nolan tried to coax Dafydd into resting.
Seeing Dafydd moving, the stranger called out to him. “Dylan! Are you okay?!”
Cathlynn was surprised to see Dafydd try to look at him, reaching out towards him and struggling to be put down.
Sean set Dafydd on his feet but kept an arm around him just in case. Dafydd staggered toward Cathlynn, stumbling and hanging off of her for a moment to get his balance. She steadied him as best as she could, cupping his flushed cheeks and seeing smears of soot and ash had added little black specks to his skin.
Dafydd looked at her with a small smile and hugged her weakly. She ruffled his hair and clutched her to him. He leaned against her and returned the hug for a long moment before he pulled away and turned toward the so called lord.
Dafydd reached out towards the man and gave him a smile that was shy and sweet. Cathlynn narrowed her eyes and looked at the strange man suspiciously. What had he been up to with her little brother?
Suddenly Dafydd froze in her grasp before lunging at the other man and knocking him to the ground. The male sibling who had been trying to pull the man away yelled in outrage, “How dare you attack Lord Matthias!”
What more he might have said would never be known as Dafydd dropped to the ground as well with an arrow in his chest just below his left shoulder. Cathlynn darted forward to catch him, cradling him in her arms.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Matthias felt helpless as he raced closer to his home. The messenger pigeon had brought his the news of the accusation against Dylan and his heart had frozen in fear. He had set out at once for his home, praying he would make it back before anything could happen to Dylan.
Reaching the island had taken longer than usual and he had leapt onto his horse as soon as they were docked at the port. He immediately set out at a ground eating gallop and had felt hopeful when his manor came into view.
It was quickly dashed however when he saw the crowd gathered outside the manor and heard the chants and jeers of ‘burn the witch’. Matthias had felt his heart stop when the torch was buried into the pyre and he dismounted as fast as he could and pushed his way towards Dylan.
He slowed and then stopped when he heard and then saw the swans flying around Dylan as he was tied to the stake in the midst of the pyre. One by one, Dylan through a shirt and once each swan bore a shirt then they landed before then changing in a flash of light back into humans.
Humans who refused to let him near Dylan.
The woman with red hair and flashing green eyes had insisted that there was no Dylan there, only someone named Dafydd. Dafydd-Dylan, whomever he was, was still coughing and lying weakly in one of the mens’s arms. Matthias reached out to hold his beloved and growled as the red headed woman hugged Dylan and seemed disinclined to release him from her hold.
The sudden sensation of being knocked over however was startling. He cursed when he suddenly realized that he tackled by Dylan and as he was getting up, he realized that Dylan had been shot in the chest with an arrow.
He turned his head and snapped angrily, “Go fetch the healer. He is hurt badly.”
Collin stared at him in shock, looking between Dylan-Dafydd and his current protectors. He could understand the man’s shock after all six people appearing out of nowhere was a shocking thing indeed.
Their fear became even more apparent when he realized that one of the men still had a swan’s wing in place of his arm. Matthias had no idea what to make of any of this, the charge of witchcraft seemed to make more sense than any before.
As soon as the arrow had been loosed, he had ordered his guards to find the man and bring him in for justice. They had hit his Dylan, and most likely had been aiming for himself. Neither of these things were acceptable.
His guards soon reported that they had been able to capture the archer. They only clue that they had was that they had worn a black and green hood with slashes on each cheek.
Matthias wasn’t sure who could fit that description but thanked the man anyway. The next order of business was the matter of Dylan/Dafydd and getting him into a hospital or into someone’s house for the night.
He turned to the red haired woman, “Please, let me take him into the manor where the healer can see him.”
The woman flatly looked about to refuse when she suddenly saw how badly Dylan was and how deep the arrow had been lodged in him.
“Fine,” she spat. As she and the others followed on. “Just know if you hurt him we will kill you.
“That is fine. Let’s get him seen to.”
The rest of the group followed the red haired woman back to the manor and Dylan was gently set down on the mattress in the healing ward. Miss Elizabeth had gasped when she saw him before rushing about to get various medicines and compound to help him get better.
Matthias sat holding Dylan’s hand in both of his, marveling at how small Dylan’s hands were yet how capable he was. It was remarkable. Now he just needed Dylan to wake up.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Beth had returned home and immediately begun to get in touch with her contacts in the courts and in the manor. She was trying to make sense of the readings when Tucker walked up behind her.
“So what’s the verdict, Beth?”
“Go away Tucker.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll beat you to death with your own skull.”
“That’s not physically possible.”
“You would be surprised.”
Tucker rolled his eyes and headed towards the door. “I’m heading to get something special for Junior. I’ll be back shortly.”
Once Tucker had left and Beth was sure that she was alone, she opened her working cupboard and pulled out a special talisman. She slowly added her power to it and coaxed the spell into working.
“You must be desparate indeed to risk using that spell, Beta.”
Beta turned and saw an elven scribe looking at her with a cool look. “Hello Delta. What can you tell me about the wager that was just won?”
Delta looked at her carefully. “You chose well this time. However, even with you selecting it is not enough for the prize you seek.”
Beta snarled at his works, about to break the talisman in her rage.
“That being said, they are willing to offer another bet. If you are brave enough to make the wager…”
“What is the wager?”
“You help with the events that are about to unfold here. If the court wins, then they will restore Liam to himself and allow both you and Alpha to return to the court.”
“And if I lose?”
“Omega has demanded that you be given to his court- as a plaything.”
Beta’s eyes narrowed and she growled. “I am no one’s plaything.”
“Either you go or they want Alpha, Liam, to go in your stead. Choose carefully.”
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Cathlynn did not trust anyone here. They had tried to kill her baby brother! Her precious summer child with his hair like ripe wheat. He looked so much like their mother that it made her heart ache sometimes.
She had commandeered a chair beside Dafydd’s bedside and held his hand while on the other side the large Lord of these lands sat and held the other. She wasn’t sure what the man’s intentions were, or why he seemed so concerned for Dafydd.
As soon as he was able to travel they were leaving this place. Dafydd was far too thin and his frame was filthy. How dare they treat him like this.
Behind her, the rest of her foster siblings were arrayed. Nolan and Sinead were back to back and keeping watch over the room and everyone who entered.
Reilly had curled around Brian, using his cloak to hide the fact that Brian still bore a swan’s wing in place of his left arm. The two had always been close and their love had only grown stronger as they grew older. Their family’s lands were next to each other and it would be a good match on every level. She was happy for them.
Sean had been attentive to her, bringing her food and drink so she didn’t have to leave Dafydd alone very much. He was a good man, with a love for horrible puns and jokes but a heart of gold. She was very aware that her father had considered them a decent match but she was not going to give him up to spite her father. She loved Sean, even with his faults.
A soft cough was the only warning they had as Dafydd blinked himself awake and his eyes darted around the room. Cathlynn was surprised to see that his eyes glowed with warmth not only when he accounted for each of them but also when it landed on the lord.
“Dafydd, you did it. You save us. The curse is broken.”
The lord looked at Sean confused at his words. “Cursed? That is why-?”
Nolan nodded, “Yes. We were cursed into being swans. Dafydd under took a task to break the spell on us.”
Dafydd gave them a weak grin and slowly blew a kiss in their direction.
The lord gazed on Dafydd with a tender look. Cathlynn was about to order him to leave, to let them spend time with their family in privacy when Dafydd tugged on the lord’s hand.
Matthias bent closer and Cathlynn sputtered when Dafydd leaned up and softly kissed the man’s lips while he softly blushed.
Sean whistled, “Looks like our little Dafydd has grown up without us.”
Dafydd blushed harder, hiding his face in his hands while the lord gently rubbed his back and pressed little kisses into his hair.
Cathlynn looked at the two of them and shook her head, “It seems we have a lot to talk about.”
THE END