I will be forever grateful for this.
“Say your farewell here, woman,” he said, his voice gruff. “And if you touch her or if you cry out, your own leanaí will be laid to rest in this cave too.”
“Eire!” my sister Caer gasped. “What have you done to her, Faelan? Has she been poisoned, is there no cure?”
“‘Tis the long sleep. She and her children will never awaken. Say farewell, but remember what I said. I’ll put your own children in this cave if you tell anyone what I have done.”
“My children? But they’re your children too—”
He struck her and Caer fell, weeping.
“You have until the moon sets behind the mountains. If you’re not back in our camp by then, your children will be drinking the Wine of a Thousand Years.”
He turned and left us then, and his footsteps sounded like the stones being laid on my burial cairn.
Six
Quiet reigned. There was no sound of my heartbeat or my breathing. Cold seeped into my flesh and settled in my bones. It felt like the Ice Giants had returned and covered me in a river of frozen water.
Then a sweet fragrance swept over me.
Roses.
My sister was preparing me for my death.
Her tears fell as she covered me with rose petals. From time to time, she mumbled to herself, and I couldn’t distinguish her words. Not until she raised her voice, singing and praying.
‘Twas the banshee voice she was using and it trembled through my bones like fire.
“Ye shall not die, my sweet Eire. Nor shall your sons, Benen and Ambros. There shall be sleep and rest, until you be safe. This cave will be sheltered and protected by my own spell and none will be able to break it.”
A shower of rose petals fell upon me and I heard her wince. Then something fell upon my lips, thick and rich, carrying a coppery scent.
She had plucked herself with the rose thorns and her own blood had fallen upon my lips. She was using the Old Ways of the Leanan Sidhe. Even though we were not of that Clan, their blood magic was the strongest of all.
“My blood shall feed you, dear Eire. It shall sustain you, Benen and Ambros. I will raise up loyal Duine from an honorable house to serve you, for a millennium and more. As long as you sleep, they shall tend and feed you, and you will know them by the roses they bring as an offering. Their blood shall sustain you. You will not see their faces or know their names, but they will serve the great Queen Eire until that day when her strength returns. Kingdoms will rise and fall, but the kingdom of Eire will prevail. The moon may grow weary of her journey across the heavens, but the Duine house that serves you will never tire of their service to you. And on that final blessed day, dear sister, you and your sons shall awake. Your destiny shall continue. You will prevail against your enemies, my sister. You will survive.”
My heart was lifted.
“You will recognize your Guardians by the crest on their tunics, for they shall proudly wear a wreath of roses in your memory.”
But my sister had one more thing to add to her spell. Something that surprised me as much as her husband’s betrayal.
“You shall not awaken until the time of your true love has come.”
She had kept her oath to her husband. She never touched me and she left before the moon set over the mountains. I know because Faelan never returned to the cave, carrying his own children in his arms.
My sister protected both my House and hers.
I will miss her until the stars fall and the great and horrible Faery Cavalcade carries me away.
Seven
The winter frost came, bringing a dusting of snow that covered us. The skin of my sons grew as cold as ice and I worried that I would lose them, that even if I survived this curse, they would not. I couldn’t open my eyes or speak, but I could feel the swift passing of the sun as it spilled long beams into the cavern each day.
Then, one day, I felt a warm, soft fur pelt covering the three of us.
“We come to serve you, my true queen,” a man’s voice said. He sounded old, and I imagined he had deep wrinkles and a long white beard. The moment he placed the furs upon us, I silently blessed him and his house.
A gentle hand parted my lips.
Drops of blood fell into my mouth.
The sweet fragrance of roses came next.
“The women in my house shall tend to your garments, for they will fade and tear in time,” he said. “I promise that no man will violate you, no blade shall harm you or your boys. No Milesian silver will ever cross the threshold of this cave. We will be your guardians, from now until the end of time.”
If I could have wept at his words, I would have. All I could do was call down a blessing upon him.
And then he was gone.
The sun and the moon were my constant companions, though they seemed to only flicker for a moment in the long passing years. My guardians came and fed both my leanaí and me. Just as the first man had promised, from time to time a woman would enter the cave, speaking gentle words as she changed our worn-out garments with fresh clothing.
Their many sacrifices warmed me and gave me hope.
“Live and prosper,” I spoke silently to each and every one of them. “I shall never forget you, though I don’t know your house or your name.”
Sometimes they spoke back to me, as if my words rang out in their mind.
“Thank you, Seanchaí. We are honored to serve you.”
Snow changed to spring rain, sunlight melted into moonbeams, and the days faded into years until I lost count. At times, loneliness would overwhelm me and I would curse Faelan for what he had done and then one of my Guardians would appear, as if they had heard my despair.
They were my angels in this darkness.
Mortal creatures, with but seventy years or so, they cared for me, the immortal one. During this time, I realized that I loved the Duine even more than my own Fair Folk. I dreamed and I hoped that there would be peace in my country when I finally awoke. Maybe I wouldn’t have to flee. Maybe I could stay here and just be Seanchaí to my beloved Duine.
This dream was born when one of my Guardians became my friend.
He kept his true identity a secret, calling himself merely Cara Maith—a good friend. His voice was rich and deep, and as melodic as a song. He told me stories as he tended to me and my boys. I learned what clans were in power and which had fallen, I found out that the Milesians had never been defeated. Instead, they married the Duine who lived in this island kingdom and now the Milesians’ had descendants everywhere.
Every clan but a few had taken the knee to these rulers. Cara Maith’s house refused and, as a result, they lived hidden in these mountains, hoping for their faery queen to return.