Page 89 of Fae Tithe

“The Fae, they… they changed me and—” Eleanor began.

“Elly?” an excited voice called.

“Is that you?” a second asked.

Eleanor whipped her head around to where Max and Zac stood in the doorway of the shed, identically dusty from their afternoon chores of caring for the ponies. Joy flooded her from head to toe, her limbs shaking with relief as she saw her adopted brothers, happy tears falling freely. The two boys broke into a sprint towards Eleanor, bowling her over in their exuberance.

“Ouch!” she gasped, the wind nearly knocked from her. “Be careful!”

The bump made her long hair splay over the ground, revealing her ears, which Eleanor had been hiding beneath her waves. Everyone froze, and she could not help but feel a flush of shame at her new appearance.

Rose’s eyes began to silver again at the sight. The Changeling pushed herself back into a sitting position. Max reached to touch the pointed tip of one of Eleanor’s ears, and Zac gripped his fingers into Biscuit’s coat.

“Does this mean you’re a Half-blood, like us?” Max asked, voice quiet, as he tucked his long, blonde curls behind one of his ears.

Eleanor gently brushed the pointed tip of his exposed ear and gave him a weak smile. “Not quite, but close, I think. You were born with yours, and I was changed into this,” she explained, gesturing her hand to her face.

Zac blinked his hazel eyes at the comparison, before tucking his own hair back, exposing his own pointed ears.

“Has your magic come in yet?” Max asked. “Mine just started.”

He released his curls before waving his grimy fingers over the ground. A daisy sprung into existence for a blink, before withering away into desiccation.

“Mine too,” Zac chimed in.

He removed his hand from Biscuit’s coat and tapped one fingernail to the dirt beneath him. The small pebbles lifted a short distance from the ground, hovered in the air for a moment, and then abruptly dropped.

“I think so,” Eleanor said. “There was a green light from my fingers, and now he listens to me.” She gestured over her shoulder with her thumb in the general direction of Goliath and the cart he pulled.

Rose blinked, turning her gaze between the three of them, before focusing on the direction of the Changeling’s gesture. “Faedammit, El, he’s huge! What did your mother bring home now?”

“It was me this time,” she admitted, pushing herself to her booted feet and dusting off her leggings. “Goliath is special. He can run all day without stopping or tiring.”

Eleanor turned to where Lance had stopped the Seelie Stallion. She smiled and rolled her eyes. Lance insisted on lifting Helena out of the cart and her mother bickered she was more than capable.

“That’s not changed, then,” Rose sighed as she pushed herself to her feet. “Always bickering or love birds, there’s no in between.”

“Aunty Len!” Zac shouted, bouncing to his feet in excitement.

“Uncle Lance!” Max followed.

“Wait!” Eleanor hissed through her teeth. “Mum is… Mum is hurt. Something happened to her when she… she got rid of the King.”

“She… what?” Rose’s jaw dropped open.

“I’m sure she will tell you all about it, but for now, we have to be a bit gentle with her. Got it, boys?” Eleanor said firmly.

The Changeling turned her gaze back to her mother and father. Helena had conceded. Lance lifted her out of the cart and placed her softly onto the ground. Her mother’s legs shook for a moment, and she gripped onto the Merman’s side for support. Lance threw his arm around Helena’s shoulders. He helped her slowly over to the rest of the family.

“Hey boys!” Helena waved at the twins. The pair had grown in their absence, and they were nearly her mother’s height, their half Fae heritage fuelling a growth spurt. Helena did not have to look down anymore to meet their hazel eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

Zac and Max were well-behaved, just like Eleanor had asked, giving her mother a sweet smile in return.

“We missed you too,” Max grinned.

Eleanor watched Rose closely, her stomach churning nervously, as her aunt opened and closed her mouth at the sight of Helena. Biscuit’s whole body wagged as the dog made his way over to the Merman and sat on Lance’s feet, giving a contented huff through his wet nose.

“I know. I look fantastic, don’t I?” Helena chuckled weakly.