Mist

chpt 10



The Queen gestured for Guinivere to take a seat, settling herself in a

comfortable arm chair, her mind and heart in a turmoil she listened as

the Queen spoke.



 "Many many hundreds of years ago the Daoine Sithe lived more openly

with mankind, sharing knowledge of medicine, exchanging ideas, music,

culture, the relationship was harmonious and lasted for centuries,

those of us who remember call it the Golden Age" her voice was rich

with longing "but there were those who wanted all the knowledge all

the power, in both races, no one is sure how it started, a killing

here a reprisal there, suddenly we were being hunted by men, the most

wisest and powerful of the Daoine Sithe gathered together and it was

decided that they would use their arcane arts and fashion this place,

away from Men, there were those who dissented, among those was my

sister who was in love with a man of your race, she vowed to go to

him and during the fashioning she slipped away, back then our powers

were not so advanced, we could not slip from one realm to the other

with ease, our Father sent soldiers after her but she eluded them"



The Queen sighed, those memories just as fresh now as a 1000 years

ago.



 "Soon after this we heard that those of the Daoine Sithe who had

decided to stay with mankind had been rounded up and slaughtered in a

dreadful massacre, it seemed that once our bretheren had been cut off

from us their powers waned and they were not able to defend

themselves, my Father sent out searchers to my sister's house and

found it burnt to the ground, his grief was such that he sickened and

died, I was proclaimed Queen and set about removing all trace of the

Daoine Sithe from man's memory for many hundreds of years, for ages

were nothing but Minstrels tales, then cautiously we contacted those that we

thought could help us, but still remaining aloof from the rest of man, we are as

you see us, powerful but reluctant to interfere, until now."



 "And why now I can see you asking, 19 years ago there was a

disturbance, our seers and powerful magicians reported to me that

someone was trying to break through our defences, someone powerful,

the only person who could manage that would have been my father, but

he was many hundreds of years dead, as was my sister, my equal in rank

but also many hundreds of years dead, that night I had a disturbing

vision, dream, call it what you will, I saw my sister, holding out her

hand, begging me to help her, calling my name, I woke up convinced she

was out there needing me, I called the most powerful magicians to my

side and they joined with me, we searched for many hours, many

countries, my advisers pleaded with me to give in as I was dangerously

exhausted, but I was convinced she needed me and I wasn't going to let

her down a second time, finally as I was about to give up we found

her, she was being menaced by a pack of Swyth, a wrapped bundle in her

arms, her defences had been eroded by many hours of fighting with her

mind agaisnt the Swyth"



 "The Swyth gave way before our onslaught, and I myself led the charge, my

sister handed me the bundle and then collapsed, she was very weak, fearing for

her life we set up camp in the clearing, she looked at me with loving eyes, eyes

I had not seen for many hundreds of years,  eyes I havent seen since until

tonight, she didnt live to see morning, I cried for her again centuries after I

cried for her the first time, the morning sun touched her still form and that of

the baby laying beside her, the sun woke the baby, my greatest regret is that it

couldnt breathe life back into my sister, I looked at the baby and I admit that

at that moment I hated the child, it was the cause of my sisters death, or so I

thought, if she hadnt foolishly fallen in love with a mortal man then she would

still be alive still with me, I

thrust the baby away from me and told my advisers to see to its'

safety, they told me later that they had fostered the baby out to a

noble, that it would be looked after"



 "You were that baby and I am so very very sorry for my anger, for

depriving you of a loving home, for many many things, all I can do is

hope that you can forgive me, as I cannot find it in me to forgive

myself"



Guinivere was speechless, all those nights she had spent crying for a

Mother and for the family she didnt have, a single glimpse of a

drawing all she had to sustain her through growing up alone, she

opened her mouth to denounce the Queen to pour out her anguish, when

she looked up, the Queen was crying, the face that was so like her

Mothers' tears streamed down that perfect face and Guinivere was

moved, it was not as if she hadn't known love, she had, her Guardian

was a kind and gentle man, and she loved him and he loved her.



She held out her hand, the Queen gently enfolded it in hers, that touch released

Guinivere's tears, her sadness at not knowing her Mother, the sad awful truth of

her mother's death, the years of not really knowing who she was, dimly through

her tears she sensed the Queen kneeling before, her arms outstretched, Guinivere

melted into that hug, with a feeling of coming home she felt complete now, her

sense of the ridiculous came to the fore, she laughed the Queen gazed at her,

wiping the tears away she laughed again, then she said.



"Can I call you Aunty?"