Things started to settle at the compound after Uncle Winston’s visit. Nellie had been forced to promise not to do anything rash regarding the possibility that the Regere knew where Rhys was. She was unsure what that encompassed and made a note to ask the Regere about her father when the opportunity arose.

It was creeping to mid-June with no word or visit from the Regere. Not even Morgan received calls or letters from his father, although his mother wrote often. He lazily read through that week’s letter, his chin propped on his fist.

“She sends her love,” Morgan said blandly, folding the short letter away.

The group of them sat around the den with notes from home. Each letter was at least a page front and back for everyone else, some of the contents not being well wishes or lamentations judging by some of the expressions Nellie saw around her.

“I told her to keep the dog out of my room,” Brody grumbled from his beanbag.

“Was it your models,” Arch asked, his eyes locked on his own letter.

“He ate Notre Dame and St. Peter’s!”

Nellie smiled sympathetically as her mind flashed back to when Ash was ripping her pillows and bedding daily. She scanned her letter for the parts about Ash as a pang of loneliness struck her.

“Oh,” Lilac said. “Looks like my parents want to visit.” She hummed, sucking on her pinky nail. “Two weeks might be too short notice to put in a room request….”

“Our families are allowed to visit,” Ava asked.

“Yeah, of course they are,” Fin said, frowning. “This ain’t a prison or anything.”

“Mrs. Adams likes a month of notice to get everything perfect,” Brody said. “Mr. Javernick doesn’t care as much, and it is his house. Ask him, Lilac, and let him get Mrs. Adams’s wrath.”

“Oh, Brody, you can be so wicked,” Lilac giggled. Brody’s dark complexion deepened on his cheeks. She skipped off with her letter to her chest.

The mentions of Ash were few and far. Nellie noted to press for more regarding her smoke wolf. She hoped Nathalie was not ignoring him too badly.

The smell of smoke caught Nellie’s attention. Itzel’s letter was starting to smoulder at the corners. Her dark eyes shined with tears.

“Itzel,” Arch warned, grabbing her wrist. He easily looked over her shoulder, scowling. “Blast, I can’t make sense of it.”

Morgan went over, spoke something to Itzel in a quiet voice, and nodded as she answered.

“Release her, Willoughby,” Morgan commanded. “She’s just homesick. Her Conservatory has a new litter of iemisch that she’d been looking forward to.”

Arch let go. “English is difficult, but you’ll need it if you plan to join the Auctorita,” he said. “A common tongue is important. Isn’t that so, Calix?”

“I can help,” Calix offered. “I know how to learn it.”

“Why is it English,” Nellie asked. “The Regere lives in Portugal.”

“Portugese isn’t an international language,” Morgan said before Calix or Arch could answer. “We live in Lisbon, but that isn’t the center of the Auctorita. That’s just where my mother’s family is.”

“Makes it easy for us,” Arden said from the seat he was sideways on. He stuffed his letter in his pocket and swung himself upright. “Training dummies?”

“Sounds good,” Brody said.

Calix left a minute after Arden and Brody, presumably to go shoot targets. Fin settled to write his responses to his letters. Arch excused himself to the library to finish up a history assignment.

Ava suggested they go to the greenhouse before their required lesson. Nellie eagerly agreed and they set off, without Morgan much to Nellie’s chagrin.

There were three greenhouses on the property, the largest looking as if it was converted from a boat house. This greenhouse held a small pond with a waterwheel and several stone and wooden benches scattered about.

Lilac was kneeling in the wet muck by the pond. She was carefully searching the water with her fair hands, smiling dreamily when she pulled up a wad of sopping, dark leaves.

“Are your parents coming,” Nellie asked, sitting on the nearby stone bench.

“They are,” she said. She plucked apart the mess in her hand. “I hope the fern flowers bloom while they’re here.”

“Are you… checking them,” Nellie asked unsurely.

Lilac’s smile widened uncomfortably. “This is muthkwey.”

“For healing,” Ava whispered to her.

“If only I was a witch,” Lilac lamented. “Some of these are beyond me.” She tossed her clump of leaves back in the pond. “Off to the belladonna.”

“Poisonous,” Ava whispered as Lilac sauntered by.

She knew that much—belladonna was a popular poison across fiction—but let Ava have it. She hunched over the arm of the bench to smell a cluster of white flowers, glad to find them pleasantly fragrant and not pungent.

Ava had gingerly taken Lilac’s spot by the water, eyeing the plants below wistfully.

“I’m surprised Lilac’s parents are coming,” Nellie said offhandedly.

“It’s great, right? They must be forgiving each other.” She tapped the surface of the pond to create a ripple. “Or it’s just that absence makes you want to see them thing. I miss my parents.”

“You guys like each other though,” Nellie pointed out.

Nellie had made more of an effort to get to know the others since Uncle Winston allowed her to stay. She had been reluctant to ask about their lives outside of the compound, particularly their families, fearing it would open her to questions about her own. The image she created of everyone else having a loving set of parents was not true for all of them.

Silas had found Lilac in a shelter. She had run away from home a week prior after years of misunderstanding between she and her parents. They had screened her for autism, sent her to counselors and doctors, all because she could sense something they could not, and that she had no name for. They kept trying to find out what was wrong with her, when–as Silas surely explained to them–nothing was.

“I think I'm going to go ask Mr. Javernick if I can invite my parents,” Ava said. “If they can come the same week as Lilac's, that'd be awesome.” She frowned. “Well, it’ll be tricky for Dad on such short notice, but Mom should be okay.”

There was not much reason for Nellie to stay in the stuffy greenhouse after Ava left–except that it reminded her a little of the Everglades–so she departed for the stables. She hurriedly entered the stone building, the smile falling from her freckled cheeks.

Hodge was gone.

His stall door was open with half the shaving mucked into a wheelbarrow. She timidly peeked in as the scratch-scratch of the mucker reached her ears; her shoulders relaxed when she saw it was Fin. Disappointment seeped into her chest.

Fin jumped a mile. “Ay Dios mio! Don’t sneak up on me like that, Nell!” He clutched his chest. “You knocked the Spanish outta me.”

“Sorry… Hodge isn’t here?”

“Guess Penny grabbed him at dawn and took off,” Fin said, returning to his mucking. He wrinkled his nose as he deposited a lump of greenish poop in the wheelbarrow. “This is the closest I could get to him.”

“Suppose she was in a hurry,” Nellie said dully.

She crossed to the equipment room to grab the spare mucker. It was not like she and Penny were friends. They met the one time and there was about a decade between them. She just jumped to the assumption they had a bond seeing how they fought a dragon together.

“Penny never says bye,” Fin said, watching her. “I’ve been here a year, and I think I've only spoken to her twice. Same with Cal, and he’s been here for four years.”

She hummed recognition to what Fin said, but kept quiet otherwise. 

Silas told her back when he spoke to her and Nathalie about her coming to the compound that he urged Penny to join the Auctorita, and she refused. He told her she was the daughter of his friend, and that friend–Keena Fox–was friends with Rhys. Nellie confirmed as much with ‘Fox’ popping up in passing several times in Rhys’s letters to Nathalie. This was all information that sat too close to things she was supposed to keep quiet.

“Your dad’s a Knight with the Order of Ferblanc, isn’t he,” Nellie asked.

“In the Southwest USA chapter,” Fin said, puffing out his chest. He deflated and eyed her dubiously. “Why?”

“There’s no way he knew mine then?”

Fin smiled softly, shaking his head. “Sorry, Nell. I know he went to Rome as a cadet, but that would’ve been way after your dad’s time.” His hands tightened on the mucker as he stared at the cobbled floor. “He was young when he… transgressed.”

Nellie nudged him. “And mine was old.”

“Yours left the Order first,” Fin said pointedly, clearly looking happier. “But, I’ll take you as a member of the My-Father-Broke-Vows club any day.”

They had just finished sweeping the last remains of the shaving when Arden skidded into view, sweating and dirty from his swordplay.

“Oh good… you’re still here,” he said, panting. “Mrs. Adams said to prep the extra large box in the back.”

“You mean she told you to do it,” Fin said.

“But seeing that you’re already….” Aden turned and bolted. “IOU!”

Nellie left Fin with Arden’s chores. She had just reached the patio when Mrs. Adams appeared with her large cowbell. Nellie only just covered her ears when Mrs. Adams waved it over her head to signal to the kids roaming the grounds it was time for lessons.

The Montauk monster was not interesting by itself—hairless, chubby, with a pointed almost beak-like jaw with its teeth exposed that ate decay, garbage, and rotting roots—but the reaction to one washing up on a public beach in the 2000s made learning about it more tangible than old stories of manticore or cockatrice from hundreds of years ago. Prior to the one that washed ashore, people had referred to them simply as gremlins.

“It took six years of small interviews, national interviews, and the occasional article to get the fallout under control,” Mrs. Adams said, stumping back and forth with her cane. “It is now generally accepted that the gremlin was a diseased racoon that somehow got out in the ocean, died, halfway decayed, and had all the fur stripped off in the process. Then, there is the school of thought that it was a hoax all along, which was a most acceptable narrative.” She whacked her cane against the giant projected image of the dead Montauk monster. “These incidents were one reason why there was little resistance when the Auctorita was formed. Keepers and the Order of Ferblanc had too much else to worry about. Yes, Miss Herle?”

Nellie lowered her hand. “Why is there all this effort to keep the Realm secret?”

“Partly so people like me don’t burn at the stake,” Arch said.

“Your input is unneeded, Mr. Willoughby; I am in charge of lessons,” Mrs. Adams said stuffily. “But, he does make a point. People in great numbers don’t act rationally, and dislike anything different. Mages are different. The separation keeps them safe. As for the creatures, some are quite dangerous and that could cause panic, but others have a… mysticism to them, which could cause greed, or other negatives. Take unicorns, as the example. Who can tell me about unicorns? Mr. Jones, yes?”

“Unicorns are hostile and can be dangerous to anyone except a virgin maiden,” Brody said. “People would get hurt trying to get near them. And, alicorn is a powerful healing material, so people would hunt them for it.”

“The creatures could very well be at a higher risk if the Realm was common knowledge,” Mrs. Adams said, nodding her approval at Brody’s explanation. “A mage could defend themselves, with or without magic. They’re human, and thus have reason. Trying to change the hearts and minds of people who discover a creature is dangerous, or has something valuable to them, that is impossible. Our single lives are just not long enough to do it. The rhinoceros is still hunted, yet we know their horns do nothing, and billions of dollars have been spent over the decades to stop it.” She turned off the projector and used a small remote to brighten the lights. “That’s enough of that for the day. Fifteen minutes, and then to algebra. Mr. Faust, see to that box stall. You can’t unload chores onto Mr. Cabrera. Miss Maebry, Miss Wagner, a moment.”

Nellie left with Morgan. She had wanted to get him alone for days, but thought asking Ava to go away was rude and suspicious, and she did not see asking Itzel to clear off going well. The young mage often hovered around Morgan with him being the only fluent Portuguese speaker at the compound.

“So… nothing at all from your dad,” Nellie asked.

“You know it’s only my mother writing me,” Morgan said, eyeballing her. “I suspect he went to headquarters.”

“Where is headquarters,” Nellie asked curiously.

Morgan furrowed his brows. He looked equally annoyed that Nellie was asking and irritated that he could not answer the question quickly or simply. He shrugged.

“It’s complicated,” he said flippantly.

“You’re just in the dark for everything, aren’t you,” she muttered. She sighed, turning away from his smouldering fury. “He told me that he knows where my father is. I was just wondering if you heard anything.”

He lost a bit of his edge, and dragged his feet as they moseyed towards the outdoors.

Morgan would be no help on information about Rhys. The Regere had a high, thick wall between his son and his position. Silas would have been a good source, but Nellie was not confident that he would divulge anything. He was more fervent about keeping her safe after Uncle Winston’s impromptu visit.

“Perhaps you should write my mother,” Morgan said offhandedly. “I highly doubt she’d know anything useful, but who knows.”

“That wouldn’t be too weird?”

“Have you met yourself,” Morgan scoffed. “Writing a letter is the least of your weirdness.” He rolled his eyes blatantly as she frowned at him. “You are using this camp to gain some skill so that you can hunt dragons, are you not? Or are you just playing pretend? Ready to go back to Tennessee and pass a test for some school? It’s abnormal no matter the choice.”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Nellie said wryly.

“I’m submitting my letter to Mrs. Adams before curfew tonight,” Morgan said. “It makes no difference to me if you write her or not. I know where my father is.”

“Do you?”

“A better idea than you do,” Morgan seethed.

They glared at each other, hackles raised, and then stormed off in opposite directions.

---

The box of Rhys’s letters had been a tight fit. Packing an extra pair of shoes would have been more practical given how she often needed to dry her sneakers out, but sitting on the end of her bed scanned the letter where Rhys first complained about Brue felt better than dry shoes.

Nellie stole the photo of Rhys at his graduation from the photo album before Uncle Winston brought it back to Nana and Granddad. She traced the blond wave on top of Rhys’s head and absentmindedly felt the ends of her wavy, auburn hair.

She tore a large corner from her spiral notebook–full of notes from classes, mostly creature related–and wrote: Do you know where Rhys is? –Nellie

She scurried into the dark hall in her bare feet. The floor creaked as she tiptoed. The weak light from the wall sconce elongated and twisted her shadows. It felt foreboding making her way to Mrs. Adams’s office even though it was still before curfew.

Morgan was about to knock on the office door. He stopped with his fist raised and looked hauntingly at her.

“Here,” Nellie said, handing him the rip of paper.

He folded it, tucked it into his letter, and knocked.

“Master Morgan. Miss Herle.” Mrs. Adams looked to Nellie’s feet. “Shoes or slippers, Miss Herle. Bare feet outside your room is inappropriate.”

“Sorry,” Nellie mumbled, scrunching her toes.

Mrs. Adams took the letter from Morgan and stared at Nellie expectantly. The poor lighting in the hall deepened the lines and wrinkles on her face giving her a face that looked painted black and white.

“Oh, I don’t have my letter written yet,” Nellie said. “I was just… walking. With Morgan. He’s afraid of the halls at night.”

“I am not,” Morgan protested.

Mrs. Adams seemed to feel his protest was too strong to be genuine, her sharp eyes softening slightly as they passed over him.

“See him back to his room then,” Mrs. Adams said. She went rigid once more. “And don’t forget the rule about bare feet again.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Morgan said once they got back to the second floor.

They stopped outside Morgan’s room. It was at the start of the hall, next to Arden’s room and across from a full bathroom with a claw-foot soaking tub. Nellie had stolen away to that tub twice despite preferring showers to use the fizzy bath bombs.

“I’ve been looking into dragon lore,” Morgan said. He shuffled his feet. “Just in case you got curious.”

Nellie crossed her arms and leaned against his doorway. “I don’t even know where to start all that… I wish Penny stuck around a minute so we could talk.”

“She’s after her own mother; I doubt she’d be much help.”

“But she’s been hunting dragons for who knows how long, so could at least tell us which stories she and Ira have looked into,” Nellie said. She smiled weakly. “Want to have a cousin only day in the library tomorrow?”

Morgan tried to conceal his happiness, but his smile was too wide to pass off as forced or polite.

----------------------------

This was mostly a 'get to know' chapter. The kids can write everyday if they want, but letters are handed out once a week and sent out once a week. Mostly because half of them are international, so it's just easier. They all do a phone/video call a week too. They don't have calls and letters on the same day.

I mentioned way, way long ago that Rhys's vows he took when he joined the Order of Ferblanc were similar to the vows monks take. That includes celebacy. Fin's father broke his vow, was reprimaned (he was too new to be demoted), but his broken vow resulted in Fin, so he has to fulfill his duties as a Knight, but also the duties as a father the best he can. Fin knows his father, has a good, respectful relationship with him, but is ultimately being raised by a single mom since his parents aren't allowed to be married.

There was little noise coming from within Rowlett’s Mechanic Shop as the sun waned overhead. The white-washed concrete building stood out among the dusty road before it and the open field of tan, swaying grass behind it. Two barn doors fixed on metal tracks were rolled open at their widest, and just above them were the freshly painted red letters that bore the shop’s name.

Within the shop, rows of shelves, stacks of metal, and parts of every kind lined the walls. Short windows butted against the tall ceiling and lined the back and side walls to let in air and additional light into the room. The occasional metal clang was surpassed only by short bursts of the rhythmic clicking of a ratcheting wrench.

All the while, there was not a single word uttered from the two men working within the shop, building the silent tension between them and thickening the air.

The older man, with his tanned skin contrasted against his short, peppered hair and a dirty white work shirt, was frowning so much the wrinkles of his face were tugged downward. His bushy brows were furrowed over narrow eyes, and the dark brown irises within glanced across the stuffy room at the second man. Despite his short stature, he more than commanded his presence in the room thanks to his wide shoulders.

The younger man was also tan-skinned, but he was tall and thickly built. The hair on his head was black and shaggy, while dark hair ran down his muscular arms and peeked from the top of his own dusty work shirt tucked under a pair of overalls. His youthful face was lightly weathered from spending his teenage years in the shop; but, while he did appear disgruntled, his dark eyes held much less contempt than the man at his back.

“How was your visit with Ms. Stephanie last night?” The older man, at last, broke the weighted silence.

The younger man paused his work as he tightened his grip on his wrench. “It was fine.”

“Y’all datin’ yet?”

Hudson scowled, thankful his face was turned away. “No.”

Timothy straightened his short posture, pressing his hands on the panel of the tractor between them. “What do you mean, ‘no?’ She invited you to–”

“No, Paw,” Hudson shot over his shoulder. “I told you–I ain’t interested in her like that. ‘Sides, she’s real sweet on Adrien–”

“So, you’ve lost another one.” His voice was cool, yet acidic.

Hudson shut his eyes and attempted to redirect his mounting anger in a deep breath.

The silence returned, and the two continued their work. Timothy was still clanking around in the tractor’s chassis, while Hudson remained near the motor to check for loose nuts.

“I'm startin' to wonder if it's the clutch goin’ out.” The older man scratched his chin. His eyes darted to his son when there was no response. “Hudson!”

The younger mechanic jumped and straightened up. “Oh,” he blurted, looked at the wrench in his hand, and returned his gaze to the tractor motor. “The struts?”

“The clutch! Pay attention, son; your head’s in the clouds today!”

He grunted and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, Paw.”

“Henry can’t get any work done without his tractor, so we need to get it fixed!”

“Yes, sir–here, lemme check it.”

The two men switched places, the older supervising the younger to ensure he was performing his duties properly. Sure enough, Hudson went straight to the gear box to inspect the inner workings.

Unfortunately, despite his son’s accurate work,Timothy’s frown only lengthened as he stood idly by. “What about Lillith? You two’ve always been close. She’d make a fine wife.”

The wrench nearly slipped from Hudson’s hand as he turned to face his father. “Paw, you know I don’t see her that way.”

“Then maybe you ought’a start!” He snapped.

Hudson froze, his expression a mixture of outrage and shock.

The older man thrust out his hands. “Don’t look at me like that! I don’t know how you’re expectin’ to continue on our legacy if you don’t quit dilly-dallyin’ an’ get married!”

The younger man averted his eyes. “Paw, maybe I’m just not–”

“I’m not gettin’ any younger, you know–and neither are you!” He interrupted. “One of these days this shop is gonna be yours, and how are you gonna pass it on if you ain’t got kids to pass it on to??”

“It’ll get passed on to someone else in town, just like how Grandpa took it over from the Romano’s–”

“Who else in this town would take it over? Everybody else’s kids are following their parents’ trades.”

“I don’t know; but I’ll figure somethin’ out by then!”

“‘By then,’” Timothy repeated mockingly. “So, you’ll pass on your problem to somebody else’s family?“

Hudson scooted closer to his father. “Is it so hard for you to think I wouldn’t follow exactly in your footsteps? That I wouldn’t check off all the boxes you think I oughta check?“ He shook his head as if perplexed, “I am not you!“

Timothy’s initial surprise from Hudson’s outburst had faded into a caustic sneer. “Boy, is that abundantly clear.“

The son winced, his eyes piercing into the floor.

“I guess I’d better accept that our line will end with you!!”

The wrench clattered on the floor. “Is that really all I am to you?“ The young man stepped forward, seething. “Just a–a person to fill a hole??”

Timothy did not speak as a mixture of outrage and regret smouldered on his face.

Hudson grimaced and walked out of the shop.

–

“And, this is why in Romans…” 

William’s practice sermon was cut short as a figure stepped into the open doorway of the chapel. He set down his Bible onto the podium, recognizing the tall, bulky silhouette. “Hudson.”

The man in question said nothing as he stepped inside and started up the aisle. He passed the rows of wooden pews neatly lined within the small chapel’s white-paneled walls and thin stained glass windows. His form hunched further the closer he got to William until he slowed to a stop at the front pew.

William frowned, noticing Hudson’s haggard expression. He also quietly slipped out from behind the podium and gestured to the pew beside them.

Hudson slipped onto the wooden bench, hot tears already stinging his eyes long before William had begun to speak.

“Another disagreement?” He asked gently.

“My life is a disagreement,” the man muttered caustically.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Paw would.”

William frowned and leaned on his thighs to match Hudson’s slouched back. “You know, despite everything he says, he cares about you. Ah,” he held up one of his hands when Hudson’s head darted in his direction to retaliate. “Just listen to me for a moment.”

He grimaced and drooped back forward.

“You know as well as I do your father has become very shop-oriented these days. He lives and breathes that shop, and he’s always concerned about its future. So, at times, he may see you as a part of that shop too.”

“A part that needs replacin’,” he scowled.

“A part that he wants to hone and protect.”

Hudson’s dark eyes slowly slid to William’s pale blue.

“He wants to make sure you are all set to continue his work; whether that’s training you in all he knows, or making sure you have a future in place.”

“But his future ain’t gonna happen,” Hudson scowled. “He wants me to ‘hurry up and get married’–but to who??” He huffed in annoyance. “The girls in this town are great an’ all, but… I don’t see any of ‘em as romantic partners. An’ most of ‘em already have their eyes on someone else anyway–or they’re too young to be courtin’ a lug like me…”

William remained still as Hudson worked through his thoughts.

“Is there somethin’ wrong with me?” He turned his head toward the older man ever so slightly, tears again stinging the corners of his eyes.

“Absolutely not,” William asserted.

“Then why can’t I…” A tear fell from his eye and he opted to leave the sentence unfinished as he wilted in his seat.

“If I may attempt to stand in your father’s shoes,” the preacher continued carefully, “I think his biggest concern is not you, or your actions, as much as it is his sense of control.”

The mechanic’s eyes lost their focus.

“Timothy prides himself on being able to fix anything that comes in the shop. He has full control over his tools and his work. But, he does not have control over you–and that’s a struggle for him as much as it is for you. So, while I will admit he could use so much more patience and kindness in this matter,” William set his hand on Hudson’s knee, “I do believe all of this is him trying to make sure you are okay.”

Hudson rolled his head backward against the pew. “‘Cept he doe’n’t have any patience or kindness–none whatsoever!” He huffed in distress. “He just–he can’t understand that I’m diff’rent than he is! He can’t understand how I can look at somethin’ another way! And he’s never understood it!” He gnashed his teeth. “Gosh, William–if this is really how he’s tryin’ to help me, he’s doin’ the complete opposite!”

William watched Hudson’s expression scrunch and turn away.

“He makes me feel useless.” His words moaned into the empty chapel.

The preacher allowed the silence to return before continuing. “I’m sorry, Hudson.”

“Just ‘cause I don’t wanna court nobody here… just ‘cause I don’t have a way to start a family…”

“You never know what will happen,” he tried.

“There ain’t no one left!” Hudson darted his head back to face him, tears again running down his cheeks.

William bit his lip. With each generation, Westfall’s inhabitants were slowly dwindling. Children were not being born in numbers they used to, leaving a shallow pool of young men and women to choose from. And there was an even greater chance this generation would bear even fewer children.

Hudson sighed, heavily wiping his face in his hand. “I’m sorry,” he admitted through his fingers.

“Don’t be; I know this is very hard on you.”

“I’d like to think things’ll work out. I keep prayin’ every day that they do. But Paw… he’s never gonna be happy.” He let his broad hands fall to his lap. “Not if it i’n’t how he wants it.”

“Then, what you need to focus on is how to make you happy,” he pointed a finger at Hudson’s chest. “You can’t control what other people will think, but you can control what you think.”

Hudson’s eyes were still focused on where William’s finger had pointed.

“I want you to try to look for peace where you are.”

“That’s not gonna be easy when there’s not peace in the shop,” he frowned.

“That will be the biggest struggle; yes,” William returned his hand to Hudson’s leg. “But you can find peace knowing you are doing everything the best you can.”

The mechanic was beginning to tremble again. “But, am I?”

“What do you mean?”

He squashed his lips into a frown and shook his head. “Do you think I should just... marry Lillith??“

William blinked and tried to stifle his smile. “I’d certainly ask her first.“

Hudson’s face turned to him, and his expression hesitant.

William’s smile warmed and he patted his leg. “Hudson, I would only do that if you want to. Don’t let someone else push you into something you don’t feel is right.”

The young man huffed a sigh and leaned over his knees. “My momma would’ve understood.”

Another pang tugged at William Bauer’s heart. It had been a little over ten years since Josephine Rowlett died from complications in childbirth. It ripped a gaping hole in the Rowlett family and was only the beginning of the great divide between father and son. Josephine had always acted as their bridge; without her, Timothy no longer knew how to cope with a son who was so much like her.

“She would have,” he admitted softly. “And I hope–and I will pray– that one day, your father will too.”

The chapel again fell into silence as Hudson wrestled with his thoughts and William sat by his side. It had not been the first meeting to discuss Hudson’s feelings of inadequacy under Timothy’s watch, and he knew it would not be the last. 

William could only hope that his words were true: one day, the great divide would be mended.

-----

Part 2 of Worthless/Useless is now Hudson's struggle with marriage expectations. In as much as Westfall does not have arranged marriage, the marriage pool is so small at this point, it ironically almost ends up that way. Anyone eligible has probably already had their eyes on someone else as they've grown up, and Hudson just hasn't been looking at anyone else that way. I understand because I was the same way 😅

Unfortunately this frustrates Timothy who can't relate/understand why Hudson doesn't. William was a close friend of Timothy (before Josie's death shuttered him away from everyone) so he also understands Tim's mindset, but he can absolutely see how this frustrates Hudson. It's very much a mess, just like Gemini and her family. Also, these shorts take place when both Hudson and Gemini are 21 years old.

But, spoiler alert, although you may already guess, things finally begin to mend between Hudson and Timothy in the main story - not just because Hudson finally finds a girlfriend, but also because certain circumstances (and people) get Timothy really thinking about everything and realizing how harsh he was. He, at least, is given a chance to make things right :)

The sandstone walls of the two-story home almost seemed to glow in the afternoon light, soaking in the rays of the bending sun before the shadows of the neighboring homes could creep in. The air outside of the home was peaceful–save for the occasional puff of smoke in the front garden. The young woman crouching in the grass continually plucked dandelions from the ground, only to catch them on fire with a smouldering gaze.

Inside the home, a woman in a purple patterned dress and a golden sash across her chest sighed as she turned from the window. She walked across the foyer; a tall room that spanned both stories and allowed the second floor to look out at the front door below. On the ground, surrounded by off-white tile, was a wide woven rug in a variety of blues and greens.

“We have to go through with this, Rhas,” she stepped up to a man in a dark blue tunic with her head bowed. 

“I know, Soleil,” Rhas’ voice was low. His arms were tucked stiffly against his sides and his hands clasped together at the golden cloth tied at his waist.

“There are only so many young men left whose families would bother to accept her, and the Sanborns are willing.” Soleil’s fingers reached up to her shoulder to brush through her long brown hair. Her short, curled bangs, on the other hand, were stark white upon her forehead–the tell-tale mark of an Aravasti. “They even have a younger son who could be a great match for Polara when she comes of age.”

“I understand, but…” the tall man sighed through the rest of his statement. He set a hand on his forehead between strands of white hair that covered the crown of his head. The rest of his hair was short and dark. “I just fear the same thing will happen again.” 

“Yes; I would hate to lose the Sanborn’s trust.” The woman’s eyes returned to his. “But this is a risk we must take; one we will have to continue to take until she finally realizes–”

The front door creaked open, causing both to fall silent and guarded as they watched a figure step in from the clouded light outside.

The older woman was dressed in a dull gray dress topped with a red shawl. She adjusted her glasses as the door shut behind her. “Talking about my granddaughter, I see?” She offered almost sarcastically.

“Antonia,” Soleil blinked. She and Rhas glanced at each other before Rhas stepped forward and Soleil awkwardly turned away. 

“What makes you think that?” the man tried.

Antonia cocked an eyebrow. “I met Gemini on the way in. She said you had sent her outside so you could talk in private. I filled in the gaps.”

Rhas sighed. “We’ve made another match for her.”

“So soon? You know she will decline.”

“Mother,” Rhas bit his lip, “Gemini is already well past the age of marriage. We’ve allowed her all the time we could–but now, her time is up. She must realize it’s time to accept a match!“

Antonia shook her head. “She’s not going to.”

Soleil locked eyes with her mother-in-law, only to exhale and redirect her gaze to the hallway.

Rhas held out his hands, tugging the sleeves of his tunic. “So, you expect us to give up? To leave Gemini to her own... whims,” he searched for the word, “and remain unmarried?”

“She is far from the first Aravasti woman to push marriage aside,” Antonia’s white curls contrasted the deep tan of her skin, and they brushed across her forehead as she rolled her head. “While it is indeed customary, the matchmaking process is not a requirement.”

“But, it is a way to ensure our daughter will be taken care of outside of our home!” Soleil, at last, returned to the conversation as she stepped in behind Rhas’ shoulder. “We are doing this to help her!”

“And you believe if isn’t matched now, she will never have another chance?” Antonia raised an eyebrow.

“If she isn’t matched now, there will not be any young men left!” Soleil tried again. “We can’t exactly barter when we have an Igne to marry off.”

Antonia narrowed her eyes. “You speak as though your daughter is nothing more than an unwanted trinket.”

The woman stiffened as her husband’s eyes bulged in shock. “We simply do not wish to keep her somewhere she clearly does not want to be,” she clarified with a hint of contempt in her voice.

“I do wonder why she feels that way.” Antonia, on the other hand, did little to hide her sarcasm.

Soleil was noticeably distressed as she deflected her gaze to her husband. 

He again took another step forward to shield her. “Mother, we are Gemini’s parents, and we will decide who and when she marries. Every Aravasti should be matched at the age of twenty–no matter their power, and we’ve given Gemini a full year beyond to accept this!“ Rhas huffed out half a laugh as he shrugged his shoulders. “I agree with Soleil–by the time Gemini decides she’s ready, where are we supposed to find a single man her age?”

“You never know where travel may bring her to–”

“So, if she were in your care, you would allow her to continue to bend and break our customs?“ Soleil heatedly interrupted the older woman. “You would allow her to forgo marriage? You would allow her to end her line??”

Antonia threw up her hands and snapped, “Why would she wish to continue a line she is constantly told is worthless??”

Silence smothered the air from the foyer. It lingered far longer than any of the three wished it to, but no one knew how to break through the heaviness and continue.

The clicking of a doorknob upstairs broke the standoff.

“Grandmama, is that you?” The lithe form of a teenage girl appeared on the landing that overlooked the foyer. Her light brown hair was long, reaching to the middle of her back. Her long bangs were white as she idly tucked one side behind her ear.

The older woman looked up, but she was eclipsed by her much taller son when he turned around.

“Polara, could you please go back into your room? We’re discussing important family matters,” he nodded.

Polara’s face fell. “But... I was going to play chess with Mama Antonia.” She attempted to bend her neck to see over her father’s shoulder, but when she met his stern eyes, she bowed out and returned to her room. The doorknob again closed with a click.

“Believe me,” Antonia began once Rhas turned back around. “I am grateful daily you did not have to grow up with the stigma of being an Igne,“ her voice was soft, and yet piercing. “However, I was hopeful you would understand what your daughter is going through because of the power she was born with, considering your mother was born the same way,” she raised her green eyes to meet her son’s. “Clearly, living under your wife’s influence has left you unable to.”

Soleil heatedly dropped her eyes to the floor. Rhas remained muted and still.

“Neither of you can’t seem to realize: the reason your daughter is bending and breaking customs is because she sees no point in following them. The second her power was revealed to be Igne, everything changed for her. It doesn’t matter what she does–she is still treated with contempt!“

“Thank you, Mother,” Rhas growled and corralled his wife with his arm.

Antonia took a step closer when the two tried to bypass her to get to the door. “And I hope you realize she is torn between desperately wishing to make you proud of her and knowing that she never can!“

“Thank you, Mother!” He repeated louder, stiffening as he loomed over the much shorter woman.

Antonia’s mouth closed in a frown, but she did not move or look away.

Instead, Rhas and Soleil exited the house, leaving Antonia Inova alone on the woven rug in the foyer.

– 

“Gemini,” Rhas called to the young woman at the edge of the sandstone house. “It’s time to go.”

Gemini turned toward her parents, holding a dandelion in her hand. She was dressed in a black tunic over tan pants and a blue scarf tied at her waist. Her head was crowned with white hair, while shoulder-length brown hair spilled out from beneath it.

She blew the dandelion seeds toward her parents–only for them to spontaneously combust into a flurry of embers.

Soleil darted forward and grabbed Gemini by the hand, crushing the dandelion’s stem in the process. “Stop doing that.” Her words were stern and bitter.

Gemini remained largely blank-faced as her mother released her and started down the path to the street. She eyed her father through her blue-rimmed glasses as he waved her on.

“I told you to dress nicely; is that the best you could do?” Soleil called without turning around.

“Does it matter?” Gemini huffed as she followed behind them. “What are we even doing, anyway?”

The question was never answered as the three continued down the street in silence. They turned corners, walked across a foot bridge, and started down a hill to approach the village square.

Gemini’s footing began to slow. “Wait a minute,” she muttered, noticing another family standing beside the great stone fountain. “No–no, this is not another matchmaking–”

“Gemini,“ her father was quick to take her by the shoulders. His tall form bent toward her as his voice was low enough so that only she could hear. “Please, just give him a chance. I know you don’t want to do this, but you are running out of time and options.”

“But, I don’t–”

“I know you don’t–but just give him a chance!“ He gave her shoulders a squeeze.

The young woman was still frowning in discomfort as her father released her and returned to his wife. Soleil’s expression was piercing when Gemini met her gaze, and her frown grew even more pronounced.

“Ah, the Inova family!” A jovial voice distracted all three to the moment they had walked into.

Rhas put on a smile and reached out his hand toward the stocky man before him. “Orion,” he said as they greeted each other with a brief handshake. “It is good to see you and your family.”

“Hello, Soleil,” Orion Sanborn’s wife nodded with a light curtsy. 

“Marilynn; good to see you,” Soleil’s painted smile was wide. “Don’t tell me this is Ares!”

Ares was a tall, ruddy young man with red hair. Only a small streak behind his left ear proved his Aravasti heritage. His white shirt was neatly tucked into dark gray pants, and he stood almost too perfectly straight and still. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Inova,” he said politely.

“He’s grown like a weed!” Soleil laughed with a hand on the young man’s shoulder, “Are you sure he isn’t a Terra?”

“I’m a Nox, ma’am,” Ares shrugged.

The adults laughed pettily.

Gemini winced.

Orion smiled at his son before turning to the young woman in black. “And here is Miss Gemini! It’s good to see you again!”

Gemini did not fake a smile like the rest of the group. She simply stared at Orion without saying a word.

The man gave a nervous laugh. “A woman of few words, eh? Ares is not much of a talker, either. But here,” he put a hand on each of their backs and pushed them closer together, “you two should get to know each other!” With that, the man turned and continued conversation with the other parents.

“Yeah, I can definitely get to know you in the three minutes I’ll get to decide if I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Gemini muttered under her breath as she crossed her arms.

“Don’t sound too excited to be here,” Ares responded under his breath, eyeing his parents as they scooted aside.

Gemini cocked an eyebrow. “And you are?”

“Not particularly, but who am I to disobey my parents,” Ares said matter-of-factly. “If they feel we will be a good couple, I’d have to think we would be.”

Gemini cocked her head. “Really,“ she offered more as a comment than a question.

“Of course! And, listen,” Ares set his hands on his hips as he glanced aside, “I know I’ve not been the best person around; over the years, my brothers and I... well, we weren’t all that nice.”

Gemini blinked. “Yeah.”

“For that, I do apologize. And, I’d like to think we can move past all that and make this work,” he held out his hand and laid it upon her still-crossed arm. “I will do my best to be a good husband and give you whatever you need.”

She looked at his hand almost suspiciously. “What do you think I need?”

“What any other wife would need,” he said, letting his arm fall when it was clear Gemini was not taking it. “I’ll care for you and provide for you while you take care of the house. You can tend a garden, and I can bring home dinner and help you cook…”

Gemini nodded as she followed his blandly spoken words. When he finally stopped talking, her green eyes locked onto his. “And if we have kids?”

Ares faltered. “You... you want kids?”

“I don’t know. I’m just asking.”

“I mean... I had just assumed…”

“Assumed what?” Gemini was now the one encroaching into his space. “Isn’t the point of this process to have kids so that your line of power lives on after you?”

The ruddy young man shook his head and lowered his posture. “Okay, Gemini; let’s be real. Yes, you’ve got strong Nox blood, and I’m full-blooded, which is why our parents matched us together. If we had kids, they’d most likely be Nox as well. But, despite it all, you could still have an Igne baby,” he chewed the words, “and would you really want to bring another Igne into the world? I mean, you’d just be setting it up for failure.”

The truth, at last, was spoken. The feeling of utter disappointment–and ever-growing rage–left Gemini’s expression falling into hollow darkness.

She jumped when she felt Orion’s hand bump against her back.

“Well! I do believe it’s time, is it not?” He said, glancing between the two members of the potential couple.

“Oh, yes, sir,” Ares straightened up and reached into his back pocket. 

Members of the village who had entered the square during their discussion watched in rapt attention as the matchmaking proposal began.

All four parents followed the movement of the ring from Ares’ pocket as he brought it forward between his fingers. He began to crouch, and his knee just barely touched the cobblestone pavement.

“Gemini Inova, will you–”

“No.”

The square turned deathly still. Even the wind appeared to die out when Gemini spoke her singular word.

Ares blinked in confusion while Marilynn and Orion glanced at each other in shock.

Rhas almost nervously turned to his daughter. “Gemini…” he hissed under his breath.

Soleil was much less discreet. “I’m sorry,” she held up one of her hands as her voice trembled with anger. “What did you just say?”

Gemini’s blank expression broke as the diamond-shaped power mark glowed hot upon her chest. “I said no!!” She shouted, heat and embers immediately swirling around her feet. “Is this loud enough for you??” She shot a glance toward her mother with eyes glowing white from her wildly pulsing power.

“Gemini Inova,” she spat caustically, “you have disobeyed this family for the last–”

The Igne shrieked a cry into the air, and the fire billowed higher.

Ares scrambled back to his feet and threw up a dark, wisping shield to protect his parents from Gemini’s ever-growing heat. The ring clattered across the stone street as every passer-by scattered out of sight.

Rhas had done the same, but his wife disappeared into a whirlwind before he could grab her arm.

All the while, the glowing streaks of power that pulsed down Gemini’s bare arms seemed to drip with flame as her fire flared and roared around her. “I will not be set up in some stupid ritualistic barter just so you can wash your hands of me!!” Tears sizzled on her cheeks as they dropped from her eyes. “And I refuse to be pawned off to someone who doesn’t care anything about me!!”

Orion and Marilynn peaked around their son’s dark power, eyes wide and mouths agape.

Ares shook his head slowly in dismissal.

Rhas shut his eyes and prepared for what was to come.

Soleil’s eyes pierced through Gemini’s fire, but her daughter would not yield.

In one last brilliant swirl of flame, Gemini was gone.

–

Antonia and Polara glanced up from the sitting room when the front door opened. Soleil’s steps were heavy as she trod across the rug of the foyer and disappeared into the hallway. The door was still swinging on its hinges when Rhas’ hand stopped it and stepped inside. He gave one look to his mother before blankly turning away and following his wife.

Antonia sighed and took her next move on her chess board.

Polara bit her lip. “I guess it really was that bad,” she said softly.

“You doubted the way your sister came in smelling of fire?“ Her grandmother eyed her.

“She... kinda does that a lot these days.”

Antonia hummed and watched Polara take her bishop.

Soleil returned, dragging a large faded green trunk behind her. She released it, allowing it to clatter loudly on the woven rug in the foyer.

Polara leapt at the sound, almost knocking over the chess board. 

Antonia’s eyes slowly rose from the trunk to Soleil’s smouldering expression.

“Take her.” She growled. “Get her out of my house.”

Antonia stood as Polara cowered in fear. “What?”

Soleil turned on her heels and nearly ran into her husband as he stepped into the foyer.

“Rhas–what–”

“You are Gemini’s guardian now.” Rhas said softly. “You may take her to your home this evening.”

“Rhas,” Antonia pleaded with a hand outstretched, but her son shook his head and turned away.

Polara curled her legs beneath her. “They... they can’t do that,” she whispered. “Can they?”

The elder Igne shut her eyes and exhaled a deep breath.

“Grandmama, they can’t do that,“ the young woman slipped from the cushion she had been sitting on and tugged at Antonia’s dress. “They can’t send Gemini away!“

“My Lara,“ Antonia set her hand on Polara’s light brown hair. “Please don’t ever let them take away the love you have for your sister.”

Polara huffed a half-sob, though she froze when her grandmother crouched closer to her ear. 

“I will make sure we have many times to play chess together at my home–so you can visit her.”

At last, the teenager nodded and returned to meet her grandmother’s eyes.

Antonia then stepped away from the unfinished chess game, around the green crate, and up the stairs to alert Gemini of their departure.

-----

I started writing this (and the companion piece "Useless" that centers around Hudson) about 2 years ago; and it really made me realize just how similar Hudson and Gemini were in regards to marriage expectations. It's no wonder the two found such comfort in each other 😅 I then promptly forgot I had written these until I was looking for a different older file and here they were.

I don't really get a lot of opportunities to show Aravast in Westfall since the only pieces would be in flashbacks, aside from Gemini discussing their culture. This also got to be the first time I ever wrote Gemini's parents. They are largely disappointed when Gemini turns out to be an Igne, and that only grows when she continues to buck every other "norm" in Aravast. Her dad simpathizes the most, but her mom overpowers this - especially when their next daughter becomes a Zephyr like she is. Thankfully, her grandmother understands everything, and while Gemini has already spent much of her time there, this marks the beginning of the 2ish years she's fully under her care. 

I would kinda like to put this somewhere in Westfall, but I don't want the whole thing to be flashbacks and dreams... and it has a 'part 2' with Hudson and I'm not sure how to frame them both in that context... so they will live here for now :D