A Nymph Without Mercy
Epilogue

“Lilianna!”

The little girl continued running, her small bouquet of posies stillclutched in her hands as she hurried away from the following man, straighttoward Mairi.

She could not help but smile at the sight her bond-mate, his doubletrumpled and his scowl already giving way to a more amused expression. No matterhow Mairi tried to explain to her poor Garrick that their seedling was behavingperfectly well given her nature, he always fretted and worried and would notallow her to climb as high in the trees as she so clearly would have preferred.

“For you, Amé!”

She knelt upon the cool grass before her little nymphling and took theproffered flowers with a gasp of delight. They were perhaps held a bit toofirmly, their petals protesting the slightly too-rough treatment, but her heartwarmed thoroughly at the gift all the same. “They are beautiful, Lilia! Didyour adar help you replace them?”

She nodded furiously holding out her forefinger for her mother to touchwith her own, their bond relating quite effectively just how satisfying herouting had been, although her wide smile and wild curls could have expressedher happiness just as easily.

“Your child is a menace, Mairi, and I suggest we give her to Johan andhis wild beasts to finish raising, for I think she is beyond our ken.”

Mairi rolled her eyes, used to her bond-mate’s dramatics when it came totheir little one, and knowing how hypocritical in his criticism of Johan’s beasts when one of their descendantsbounded about his heels.

Never had Mairi seen him so unnerved than when one day she had askedJohan about how his dogs had come to be his companions.

“When first I came here, I frequently became lost in the many corridors.On one of these... excursions, I heard a low whine in one of the less frequentedwings. Evidently a dog had been locked in there on order of the previousmistress, and they had not seen fit to belay the instruction even after herdeath. I can assure you, those who agreed to be a part of such a dastardlyscheme were dismissed immediately without a reference.”

Johan sighed and grew thoughtful, the memory obviously holding pain aswell as fondness. “Pretty bitch she was too, and she was the mother of my goodfriends here.” He smiled down at the dogs lounging about his feet, their talesthumping rhythmically against the floor as he patted each of their heads inturn.

Before Mairi could even comment upon the tale, Garrick released a chokedgasp before fleeing the room.

She had found him some time later, becoming lost herself in the seemingmaze of their castle home, before finally discovering him in the tower room hehad once shared with his beloved Cara.

“Garrick, what is wrong?”

He did not even raise his head to glance at her. “I left her. All thattime she was locked away, frightened and alone, and instead of searching everyroom I thought her dead.”

Mairi sank down in front of him, taking his hands in hers. “You couldnot have known.”

He snorted and shook his head bemusedly. “She was my only friend. Surelywe had enough of a bond that I could have felther.”

She nibbled her lip, knowing that she must be careful lest she onlyfurther his self-reproach. “Sweet Garrick, you forget yourself. While itheartens me that you have grown so used to our bond, you must remember that youwere only a young boy at the time, with no knowledge of such connections beingpossible.”

And her heart ached for him when she saw the tearstains on his cheeks.“I abandoned her.”

That she could not allow. With no small effort she coaxed him intoaccepting her into his lap, and after she physically wrapped his arms about hershe held him close and whispered in his ear. “You no more abandoned her than Idid my own people. I have no doubt she missed you, for none could not havingknown you. But Johan is a kindly man with a fondness for animals. She was caredfor and loved, Garrick, of that we can be certain.”

He had held her for a long while after that and eventually they haddiscovered the rest of Cara’s life. It took a great deal of persuasion onJohan’s part before she allowed him into her affections, but eventually trustwas nurtured. And although he often caught her looking toward the forest and hefeared she might flee after whatever most held her heart and loyalty,eventually the pups that came drew her attention away from such things, and herinstincts as a mother demanded she remain to tend to their care.

“But she did not forget you, my lord. Of that I know.”

Although Mairi knew that it would never be the same and he wouldcontinue to mourn the years he was denied with his first friend, there was somesmall comfort in knowing she had not been so callously disposed of in a momentof vindictive rage.

And eventually after their seedling came and Lilia had first seen thenewborn puppies that were now some three generations after her bond-mate’sCara, Garrick had relented and opened his heart to another runt of thelitter—one that was this time loved by all who knew her.

Mairi laughed as Linnet’s wet nose was pressed against her cheek ingreeting before she returned her attention to her nymphling. “And what did youdo to upset your adar so?”

Lilia dropped her hand away and tugged at her skirt, watching her baretoes disappear beneath the lowered hem. Only recently had they begun placingher in any dress longer than her ankles. She had been too young and her stepstoo unsure for it to have been practical before now, but as was becomingabundantly clear with each day that passed, their seedling was steadilyapproaching her sapling years.

“Adar doesn’t like when my dress is wet.”

Garrick finally approached, his scowl firmly in place although within amoment’s focus on their bond she could feel his own gentle fondness towardstheir daughter. He leaned down briefly to press a kiss upon her cheek, and evenafter their many seasons together she relished his mode of greeting. “I believe, little leafling, that Iprotested your desire to swim in your gown and then use me as your linen inwhich to dry yourself.”

She shrugged, her ashen hair bouncing lightly at the action. “But you’redry!”

Mairi pursed her lips to keep from laughing, knowing that Garrick musthave taken her to wade in the shallows of the lake. Even without havingaccompanied them she could easily imagine her nymphling’s cheerful giggles asLinnet splashed and shook water all over her young mistress. It was the samespot they had visited when first they had arrived at their new home, and theyspent many of their noondays in the summer season there, tucked away in theshelter of the forest before they followed the little stream back as it filledthe moat surrounding their home.

“Now, Lilia, it is terribly naughty not to mind your adar. You know that do you not?”

She nodded, appearing properly chastened before turning from her motherto wrap her still damp form about her father’s leg. “Sorry, Adar.”

He released a longsuffering sigh before scooping her into his arms. Heshowed far more physical affection towards her than a dryon mate would have, but she had come to learn that was simplyone of the many differences they shared betwixt their two peoples. While herkind were staid with their young, he preferred to provide constant remindersthat she was loved and adored by her parents.

And Mairi found she could not begrudge the action.

But she still felt it necessary to teach her of her nymphlin ways, asthere was no denying that she favoured her mother’s kin aside from her everdarkening hair and eyes that changed just as frequently as her father’sdepending on their surroundings.

Of course, the very process of reproduction had been a testament totheir willingness to trust that the other spoke truly. She could not imagine aseedling taking three full seasons to germinate in its mother’s womb.

Yet according to Garrick, that was typical of most human women.

“But that is so long!”

They were reclining in their bed, the sun just beginning to break overthe trees as it sent warm streams of light onto the rugs below. It was the endof summer and they had only been in their home for a short while. She had likedthis room best as soon as Garrick had shown it to her, as the windows werelarge and open, the bed soft and welcoming.

She could ask for nothing more of a chamber.

It was the same room he had first brought her to for the first of manychristenings, and while he had promised her any other that caught her fancy, hehad seemed almost relieved by her adamant refusal, and she had quickly pressedhim for a reason.

“Had you chosen one of my parents’ rooms I would have relented. But Iwill admit that I did not relish the thought of sleeping in one of theirbedsteads.”

Mairi did not ask which rooms were theirs or why they had separatechambers at all, for she knew that imagining what had occurred behind thosedoors would only leave her feeling sad and angry.

So instead she reaffirmed her favoured room and the servants had quicklyreadied it for their new master and mistress.

It was obvious from the way Garrick dismissed any of them from a room whenhad he need of it that her bond-mate was unaccustomed to living with people. They had their own sleepingquarters and he had even gone so far as to ban them from the family corridorunless to clean, but Mairi quite enjoyed the company.

The large castle did not seem so empty and forlorn when there were maidsand fetching boys milling about, and she had even made friends with a few ofthem, once she had assured them for almost a month that nothing would befallthem for speaking to her as more than a mistress.

But she was grateful when they relented for her bond-mate, even withJohan’s extensive assistance, often was called away to tend to some businesswith a tenant, leaving her to dine alone.

Until finally she had experienced quite enough of the empty dining halland made her way to the kitchens, plate and cup in hand and a fretful servinggirl trailing behind.

The cook and kitchen maids had frozen at her entrance, and looked at oneanother fearfully.

Finally the portly cook stepped forward, wiping her hands on her apronalthough Mairi could clearly see they were already clean. “Is something not toyour liking, m’lady? I would be happy to prepare something else.”

Mairi shook her head and made her way to the long table where shepresumed the servants took their meals. “The food is delicious, as always. ButI am afraid my husband has been called away on a matter most urgent and I am...lonely.”

Garrick had told her that most mistresses kept a firm delineationbetween themselves and those under their employ, but as she looked at thekitchen staff they must have seen her friendlessness for they all relaxed slightlyand offered rueful smiles. One of the kitchen girls stepped forward despite thequelling glance the cook gave her and sat down a short ways along the bench.“Certainly you are, m’lady. A man is a wonderful thing but he in’t anotherwoman to chatter about with.”

Garrick had not been overly enthused by her burgeoning friendships, butultimately he relented—but not without first sighing and waiting for her tokiss him for a good long while before offering his approval. “I expect that ahappy wife is worth more than any sense of decorum.”

She rolled her eyes before giving him a triumphant smile and kissing himonce more. “You think rightly, my mate.”

Frequently she could be found there, giggling with the maids before thecook would huff good naturedly and remind her that there was work to be done—towhich Mairi would blink and although at first she would depart, searching outinteresting corners of the manor to occupy her time, she eventually beganasking if she might learn how their food was made, the many ingredients thatonce resembled recognisable bits of nature turning into far different concoctions.

It was all very fascinating.

Garrick did not seem to mind her pastime, so long as he was able totaste her labours upon his return home.

But it had been on midsummer’s eve that she felt the quickening.

At first she did not recognise it. Much like their bond itself, she hadbeen told of what would transpire but it was something else entirely to trulyexperience it.

It began as simply a feeling, a presence that formed within a corner ofher mind.

And as the days passed, that feeling blossomed into an awareness thatnearly left her breathless.

For despite her bond-mate’s worries, his hesitance at even discussingthe possibility of a seedling, she knew that one grew and flourished withinher.

Garrick had been in his study, his brow furrowed as he concentrated on astack of parchment before him.

That was one thing that their bond had not provided her. While it tookaway most of her native tongue and gave it to her mate, it had not in turnsupplied her the ability to read the strange letter marks that apparentlycommunicated language. He had offered to teach her, citing that much enjoymentcould be had from hand written tales, but she had declined.

From the way he always appeared when reading whatever business occupiedhim at his desk, she thought she would be much happier without such a skill.

“Garrick?”

He gave one last scowl and slashed through something upon the missivewith a flourish of his quill. “Have I ever thanked you for demanding I allowJohan to remain? I think I would have escaped to the cottage by now and leftthis dreadful industry behind if I bore full responsibility.” He sighed oncemore before finally raising his head to look at her.

She had been unable to contain her tears, the overwhelming feeling oflife and love bubbling forth uncontrollably.

Garrick immediately rose and came toward her. “Mairi, what is thematter? Are you hurt?”

A foolish enquiry as their bond would have alerted him to such anoccurrence, but she could not replace the will to correct him.

“Do you not feel it too?”

That was one detail that she had no knowledge of. Her bond with her adar had been strong, but she did notknow when precisely it had begun being forged. Was it after the birth whenfather first held seedling? Or would it happen sooner?

He wiped away her tears with his thumb, his brow once creased withfrustration now crinkled with concern. “Feel what, dear-heart?”

She took a deep breath, her smile uncontrollable. “Our seedling.”

He blinked.

He gaped.

He swallowed.

“How... we have discussed this. There is no way to know for certain ifwe are... compatible.”

She laughed at his shuttered expression, going up on tiptoe to coax hisworried features into one of exuberance. “Then you shall have to trust me to know, sweet Garrick. For I do. Andit is ours.”

He accepted her touches but still he did not hold her, did not murmurhis enthusiasm as he showered her with kisses.

And the first inkling of dread echoed through her.

Except it was not hers, but his. And she grasped his hand tightly,unwilling to allow this feeling to fester within him, not even for a moment.Not when their little one was growing, and their bond strengthening.

Not when she already loved it with her entire being.

“You will tell me what it is. What troubles you? I believed you alsodesired a youngling!”

He nodded and took a step backward, and with her grip unrelenting aroundhis palm she followed him until he was once more seated at his desk.

“I did... I do. But what if...” His eyes finally met hers and she sawthe swirling depths of doubt and worry.

She sighed and pushed at him until he allowed enough room upon his lapfor her to settle against him. She found that no matter how difficult it was tospeak to him sometimes, to truly understand the occasionally dark and harrowingrecesses of his mind, it always felt a bit less daunting when she was seatedupon his lap.

“Share with me your burdens, my bond-mate. I do not ask you to carrythem alone.”

He smiled at her ruefully before bringing her into his arms, his faceburied in her hair, his lips whispering against her ear. “What if our kinds areincompatible? What if it is horribly deformed? What if it...dies.”

Her breath caught even as he uttered the word. Her people were notimmune to death coming for their little ones. Sometimes a tree failed to sproutand mother and father would weep and mourn the loss of one they already caredfor so deeply.

She did not know if their new-growth would have a tree. She did not knowif it would eat and have to wear foot bonds like her parents for there was nomagic to protect their delicate soles.

All she knew was that at this moment, the new life taking root withinher was hale and healthy.

And her bond-mate had such a tender heart and she loved him dearly forit.

“Life is full of uncertainties, Garrick. We can either live in fear ofthem or embrace what happiness we can. You are a learned man and perhaps arewise to be cautious, but I would hope that you would enjoy this with me—all ofit. For whatever time we have with our precious one is a gift and I hope youwould not squander it.”

He had held her for a long while after that, his hand finally driftingto cover her middle, his breath short. “Truly? We are to have a child?”

His voice was small and hesitant, and she knew then that he was simplyafraid—afraid to love and have his heart broken should he lose it.

“Truly, my sweet Garrick.”

She could not have asked for a more attentive bond-mate. He employed afew of the tenants’ children to scour the forest for the freshest of later summerberries, determined that she should eat well and heartily during the course ofher pregnancy.

He did not seem to understand her lack of discomfort.

“Why should I be pained? Our seedling has no wish to hurt me.”

The very idea was preposterous.

Her bond-mate chuckled lowly, although there was still an undercurrentof confusion. “Of course our child shall love you best, little nymph. But I amgiven to understand that most women experience some distress while they arewith child.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And what maiden have you been so acquainted withthat you should know of her body during her child’s growth?”

He looked even more amused. “Do I detect some jealousy from you, wife?”

She bit her lip, wondering if it was wrong to accuse him unfairly—evenif his bewilderment did sufficientlyindicate some knowledge of the female form. “If I am disallowed from showingother men my ankles, you are not permitted to know of women’s bodies. Mine isyours to enjoy, and you would do well to remember it.”

He grinned at her roguishly, his hands coming to cover her swollenmiddle as he pulled her against him as they lounged upon their comfortable bed.“As if I could ever forget such a thing when you are near.”

The speed in which their youngling developed was one thing that Garrickhad gently told her to keep hidden from the members of staff. Her belly hadexpanded rapidly, her skin stretching easily to accommodate their little one.She expected to give birth by late autumn, as few seedlings ever made theirappearance in winter.

A part of her wished that her sisterlings were near, as she was certainthat Eldared would have made excellent use of the fine spring and mild summerto bring forth their own young one. It would have been nice to give heroffspring a playmate, one that would know the joys of singing with the treesand scuttling about with woodland creatures and other seedlings their own age.

But instead she reminded herself firmly that she was precisely where shewas meant to be, and if she had not been with her sweet Garrick she would nothave a seedling to fret over in the first place.

“Why must it be a secret?” She would like to learn more from her kitchenfriends about the ways of human women, as they were odd and rather fascinatingwith all of the supposed cravings sheshould have experienced as well as the dreaded swollen ankles that were evidently only cured by a good soak or thetalented hands of an unusually doting husband.

She rather thought it would have been worth the experience simply toallow Garrick opportunity to fuss over her.

Garrick had sighed and kissed her temple before resuming his work on herhair. The beautiful dressing table had been one of his first gifts to her, thelooking glass a delightful device that she still did not fully understand. Withit he had provided delicate hair combs and an abundance of ribbons, all withthe promise that he would tend to her hair diligently.

“As a proper mate should,” he had told her firmly.

Not that she would ever argue if he wished to pay her hair moreattention.

In the beginning his attempts at plaiting had been rather lopsided, butwith great determination he eventually became quite proficient at the task.

And now as his deft fingers wound through her hair, his touch skimmingacross the bared skin of her back as he worked, she could not help but shiver.

“I know you care for them, Mairi, and I would not deny you theirfriendship, even if that was a possibility.” She could not stifle her grin athis harangued expression. He gave a light tug at her hair in mock disapproval,his eyes betraying his ruse. “But not all will understand that you aredifferent. Some would claim you a witch, that magic runs through your veins andthey will seek to hurt our child. Fear can cause people to do terrible things,and I will not allow the risk—not when you or our babe could be in jeopardy.”

She stared at him through the mirror, her eyes wide. None had questionedher beyond asking if she was a foreigner. It had not occurred to her that theirsafety could be compromised should she answer wrongly.

She swallowed. “They should not be near when the birth takes place. I donot know if things are different for your women, and I would not risk themnoticing differences.”

Those differences became abundantly clear when the time came for their littleone to be born. She awoke that morning with a vivid knowledge that it was time,and she smiled, kissing Garrick’s sleeping cheek before lounging back upon thepillows.

Garrick grunted lowly before opening one eye. “And what has you sopleased, my lady nymph?”

She sighed, already imagining stroking her forefinger across the tinyreplica of their seedling’s, the bond already so strong between them growingall the more unbreakable. “We shall meet our little one today.”

His reaction was not as she expected.

He appeared nearly frantic, asking if she required a draught for thepain, or perhaps even a physician to assist her.

She looked at him incredulously. If he was so concerned about theservants’ gossip regarding the birth, how should they explain it to one of theirmedical men?

“Your women have pains during childbirth? That seems so tedious whenthey have so many babes!”

On a few occasions Garrick had taken her with him to greet the tenantsand introduce them to their new mistress. Many farms had upwards of five saplingsmilling about, something unheard of within her own homeland, at least not soclose together in age.

She had never seen her Garrick so troubled, but the process was asnatural as breathing. She was not frightened of the gentle urges, and in truthshe was more concerned of her bond-mate’s distressed pacing than of any of thebirth itself.

For as she knew it always would be, her little nymphling was born, alllarge eyes and seeking fingers, happily meeting her amé’s for reassurance that she was indeed welcomed within thisstrange new world.

Mairi held her to her breast, tears of contentment pooling as she pouredevery ounce of love she could through her newest bond. “We greet you warmlyhere, my sweet one. Should you like to meet your adar?”

Garrick stood beside the bed, looking so terribly unsure. And with agentle tug at their own bond she garnered his attention, and she smiled up athim. “I hope you do not take so long to accept her as you did me. She may notbe as tenacious as your dear wife. Not for some years yet.”

He sniffed, and this time it was not from claiming false indignance, butto quell his own tears. But when first his skin met that of his daughter’s sheknew that he too felt a new bond take refuge in his heart, and she was so veryglad of it.

“What was your mother’s name?” he asked, his voice soft.

“Lilianna,” she answered, unable to tear her eyes away from the twopeople who now filled her own heart so completely.

“Hello, my little Lilia. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Her bond-mate was the best of fathers. Over the course of the twoseason-cycles since their seedling had been born, he proved so whollyattentive. Even within the first day it was apparent she favoured Mairi’s kin,as she required no nourishment and did not make use of the little trianglecloths that Garrick had commissioned, still mysterious to her as to what theirfunction should have served.

Garrick had explained that for human females their breasts would fillwith milk, providing sustenance for their babes. But Mairi’s did not swell andLilia grew and toddled and showed no signs of needing any form of edibles.

Which meant she too had a tree.

Mealtimes became a strictly private affair so that the servants wouldnot be aware that their little nymphling did not eat. They taught her to takeportions and proper manners, just as Garrick had done for Mairi when first theysettled at Endelmoor.

Yet Mairi could not help but ache for her daughter, knowing she wouldnever meet the tree that supported her very life.

On this day, however, Garrick had taken Lilianna with him on an adventure as he called them, where theywould meet and mingle with their ancestral trees and improve her nymphlintongue. It pained Mairi greatly that she could participate so little in theendeavour, and while she had begun to recall some of her native language, itnow was the stilted effort of one learning from the beginning, not the familiarreinstatement of something that was lost.

But what she was most grateful for was that ever since they came here,she had begun hearing the trees for herself. Not always clearly, but evenwithout the echo of her bond with Garrick she could make out some of their mostfervent words.

And some of the most persistence loneliness began to abate.

“Now, who should like to help me make honey-cakes?”

“Me!” Lilia’s face broke into a wide smile as she squirmed away from Garrick’shold, eager to aid her mother. While she could not taste them for herself, sheseemed to especially enjoy the bustle of the kitchens, a firm reminder to Mairithat theirs were not an isolated people.

Garrick only chuckled, reaching down his long fingered hand to hold hislittle leafling’s, his other coming to rest upon Mairi’s waist. “She is takingto it well, dear-heart. I know it will never be the same as living amongst yourpeople, but at least she will not be a stranger to your ways.”

She sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned her head against hisshoulder, grateful for the strength he provided before her melancholy couldbegin to grow.

“Thank you for teaching her when I cannot.”

It was an old sadness between them, as Garrick often felt he had robbedher of her birthright, much as his had been. But while his had eventually beenrestored, hers was slow in returning, and it required patience on both theirparts.

They began the long walk back to the manor, Lilia already prattlingabout how well she would mix the ingredients, but, “Only after Adar ties my apron!”

And then Mairi felt it.

She froze suddenly causing Garrick to glance down at her worriedly. “Mairi?”

It was only a wisp of feeling, a gentle remembrance of a time before thefamily she now held dear.

A memory of when herown adar would watch her from afar.

Her breath caught in her throat as she turned toward the forest’s edge,so certain that he was near yet unwilling to allow herself to hope too fully.

For until she felt the flare of awareness she had not realised how sheached to share this family with her beloved father.

“Adar?” she whispered,unwilling to allow her voice to carry too far into the wood, foolish as herhope most likely would prove to be.

Only instead of the silent emptiness she expected, the tall figure ofher adar appeared, his own eyesfilled with tears as he stood at the forest’s edge.

“Greetings, little nymphling.”

She did not think she had run so quickly in all her years.

She vaguely heard Garrick call out to her but she was too consumed, toooverwhelmed with the sheer joy ofseeing her adar after all this time,to take heed.

And her seasons amongst the human folk made her want to burst into hisarms when first she neared him, but at the last moment she stayed her reactionand held out her forefinger, tears falling freely as she did so.

Only to be pulled into his arms as he pressed a kiss upon her temple.“Oh, my little nymphling. I have missed you so.”

How she had missed him! No matter how she treasured her Garrick and herown sweet one, there was still something so right and familiar about beingwithin the safety of her adar’s arms.

And it was only the sound of crunching leaves that reminded her that herfamily was near, and she finally pulled back only slightly so she couldintroduce them properly.

“Adar, this is my bond-mate, Garrick,and our daughter... Lilianna.”

What composure he had regained quickly dissipated at hearing his longdeceased mate’s name, but as his fingers met Mairi’s and she lent him herstrength, he calmed slightly. “You honour her, little one.”

She smiled at him, still not quite believing that he had come. “How haveyou come to be here, Adar? Will notthe elders be angry?”

He sighed deeply. “When your tree began to bloom I knew that you atleast lived, and for a while I was content. But then when a seedling appearedbeside it...”

He stared down at Lilia who peered up at him curiously even as she hidmost of her tiny frame behind Garrick’s legs. “I had to see you—I had to know.I am so sorry, Mairi for not disregarding the orders of our elders before now.They might protect the needs of our people, but I should not have allowed theirpronouncements to cause you pain.” He glanced at Garrick quickly, his voicelow. “This could have had a very different result.”

How true he was. For a brief moment she recalled Drostan’s moist breathagainst her throat and shuddered, creeping a little closer to her bond-mate’sside. “The High City is your home, and I have never blamed you for remaining init. I was right to be banished,” she ignored Garrick’s grunt of disapproval,“but I fear that you may now face grave consequences.” She hesitated, not atall certain what his coming would entail. “Did you... wish to remain here?”

It was difficult enough hiding Lilia’s true nature from the staff, buteverything about her father belied his station as a respected dryon. His robeand tunic were cut of the same silk as the gown she kept tucked away safely inher wardrobe, and his hair was long and neatly kempt, even after his longtravels.

But his eyes spoke of untold sorrows, of far more seasons than a normalman that bore a similar appearance.

And because she could not help but ask it, the question that was longsince buried although she reminded herself again and again that it was rightfor them to have been separated, she could not help but ask, “Why did it takeyou so long to replace me?”

His features crumpled and he brought her once more into his embrace, andhe offered her soothing words in the nymphlin tongue, utterly recognisable butmeaningless now that the words had been lost.

She swallowed thickly as she tried to keep the tears from falling.

Garrick interjected softly. “I am afraid she cannot understand you. Her languagewas lost after our... bond. She only has use of simple phrases now.”

Her adar smiled at her sadlyand briefly touched her cheek. “Then we must make use of the common speechthen, until you have relearned what has been lost.”

She nodded, wishing that it would not be so very difficult.

“I cannot remain here long for someone must care for our trees. But Ifelt it necessary to come, to offer my counsel when this must be so confusingfor you.” He sighed resignedly, and she knew their parting would be a painfulone. “I began my search as soon as your seedling appeared, but I had noknowledge of where you might have gone. The trees could only provide thevaguest of directions.”

He looked at Lilia again wistfully. “She has a dogwood, just like you.”

It was rare for a parent and child to share the same kind of tree, andshe wondered at it briefly. Perhaps because her Garrick had no tree to offer,hers had provided for her daughter whatever it could—a replica of itself.

“It is healthy?”

He nodded. “I would not allow anything to befall her tree, little one.Nor shall anything happen to your own, not when it now supports two.” Garricklooked confused but before he could demand answers to the questions they had sofar refused to consider, her father was bending low and offering his fingersfor Lilia to touch with her own.

She stared at him warily for a moment, unused to strangers. Buteventually with a gentle nudge from Garrick she stepped forward, her littlebrow furrowed as the bond settled that should have been there since her birth.

“What’s your name?”

He smiled at her softly, some of the sadness temporarily pushed away.“You may call me Daradar, preciousone. For I am the adar of your amé.”

Lilia’s eyes grew wide, having heard many tales of him, generally in theform of stories before she was safely tucked into her bed—or on occasion, Mairitook her out into the forest and they huddled beneath the branches of a maple,relishing the whisper of the trees and the crisp night air.

But eventually Garrick always came and retrieved them, scolding thatwhile their daughter might exhibit all the qualities of a dryad, Mairi wasstill susceptible to more mortal ailments.

Before Mairi could tell Liliathat their simple brush of fingers was contact enough, she threw her arms aboutthe new member of her little family. “My amélooks sad when she talks about you.”

He closed his eyes, momentarily pained before disentangling himself fromher embrace and turning to Garrick and Mairi. “I must speak to you. Mairi,while it may have entered your mind before, I must implore you to exert cautionas your nymphling enters her saplinghood. The world of men is different thanours, and are you prepared for her to bond so young?”

Garrick’s eyes darkened.

“My daughter shall not be bonding for quite some time, I can assureyou.”

Her father sighed. “As any true adarshould feel. But we are reticent with contact as it facilitates our bonds,and that is reflected in the manner of our people. In her youngling years sheis free to touch as she chooses, especially amongst family. But as she growsolder and she is not cautious, she will bind herself as unexpectedly as...” hiseyes flickered meaningfully between them both.

“I do not regret it, Adar. Garrickis the finest of bond-mates, and I could not ask for one more faithful orkind-hearted.” She glanced up at her husband and although she could plainly seehe meant to argue at being labelled such, he respected her quelling look andremained silent. “My only sorrow is that I was separated from you.”

“It does my heart good to hear it. I only wish for your happiness, andone cannot spend but a moment in your presence without seeing the love that hasbeen forged betwixt you.”

Mairi could not help but blush and she moved a little closer to her Garrick,satisfied when she felt his arm creep about her middle.

“I have not told the elders about her.”

Words failed her. Her adar wasnot one for deception, and it was almost unheard of for something to be keptfrom the elders’ attention—especially not when it related to a subject assignificant a child born of a human and dryad.

“Is that of some importance?” Garrick finally interjected.

Her father hesitated. “I feared their knowing. If she did indeed exhibitthe essential qualities of our people...”

Mairi gasped, the realisation too horrible to consider. “They would takeher.”

He looked at her helplessly. “It is possible. We are a secretive people,you know this, Mairi. I have hidden her tree as best I can and I do not believeanything should come of it. But I beg you to be cautious. Teach her to mind hertouches, to explain the depths of her heritage and its... consequences.”

And as if he could not help but allow himself to do so, he touched theslightly darkened hair, yet still so similar to Mairi’s. “But also its greatjoys.”

Mairi rested her head against Garrick’s arm, knowing the truth of whathe spoke. None of her kin would have encouraged their union. None would haveseen the good and beauty in it.

But she did.

And she hoped, even in this short time, her adar had seen it too.

They spoke until the sun had set and the moon had long since risen. Hetold her of her sisterlings, and the bondings and sealings that had taken placein her absence, and to her great shame it had taken a great deal of effort torecall the faces of those who were once so close to her.

Garrick had taken Lilia back to the castle before long, claiming thatthe servants would grow suspicious if the entire family disappeared for such agreat duration.

But privately Mairi knew that he was allowing her time alone with her adar, and she would thank him properlyfor it when next they found a moment of solitude.

Eventually however she began to tire, her body unused to going withoutrest unless Garrick and certain other of their more intimate pursuits lastedlater into the evening.

Her adar must have seen herweariness for he stopped speaking and took her hand in his. “I must depart,little one. Your home is here, with a bond-mate who looks at you as though youare the greatest treasure he could ever have imagined. While I shall miss youevery day we are parted, that at least shall give me comfort.”

It was too soon. She felt as if a piece of her heart had only just nowresettled into place, and the prospect of losing it yet again was almost toomuch to bear.

“Shall I ever see you again?”

He smiled softly, his face illuminated by the glow of the high moon.“This is not forever, my nymphling. I shall tend your trees and I will keep yousafe. And, when I can, I will return and see that you are indeed as happy asyou appear.”

The sound of a twig snapping made them both pause, Garrick’s cloakedfigure appearing from the shadows. “Forgive me, I did not mean to interrupt.But I had a feeling you were to depart soon and I hoped you might provide me ananswer to one thing.”

Her father gestured for him to continue, and Mairi saw Garrick swallowbefore he stood to his full height and spoke. “Your daughter healed me. Isuffered some horrible burns during infancy and upon our sealing theydisappeared. How was this possible?”

His voice was low and almost pleading—or at least, as much an entreatyas her husband was capable of giving.

“The scars...”

Garrick looked at his sharply. “You know of them?”

Her adar nodded hesitantly.“They appeared upon the trunk of her tree the day she disappeared. At first Ithought they were part of The Withering, but even when it began to heal, theblight upon the bark remained.”

He looked closely at her bond-mate and Garrick did not shy away. Insteadhe came forward and wrapped Mairi in his cloak, sharing his warmth just as heso often did in all areas of their lovely little life.

“She bears them for me...”

Mairi turned so that she was facing him, still swathed within the cocoonof black fabric he had not forsaken, even when given the opportunity for a newcloak. It was theirs, and it held far more meaning than a simple cape.

For he had once shared it with her.

“We share each of our burdens, sweet Garrick. And I would happily sharemy tree with you. We are one soul, bound for eternity. My tree is yours, and ittook the worst of your pains so that we could live more completely together.”

She stood on tiptoe and tugged at his hair until he bent down low enoughfor her to place a kiss of reassurance upon his lips. “No regrets, my lordbond-mate.”

She did not even blush when she turned to face her father. “I wish you a swift journey, Adar. And know that my love shall everbe with you.”

He came forward, and touched both their shoulders briefly, much as hewould have at a proper sealing ceremony. “And mine with you, little one.Always.”

And then he was gone.

But this time, with the assurance that she would one day see him again,that he had a purpose as he tended to the trees of his daughter and his mate’snamesake, she felt a sense of renewed purpose in him that gave her some smallcomfort.

“Are you well, dear-heart?”

She took a shuddering breath before she smiled up at him. “How can I notbe when I am with you?”

He looked at her for a long moment, his thumb coming to brush away tearsthat she had not been aware had fallen. “Then why do you cry?”

She laughed, a breathless sound even as she wrapped her arms about himand buried her face in his tunic. “Because I am happy. Because I got to see my adar, and I shall see him again one day.And while I may not know when, I can enjoy our life knowing that he knows I am happy—that this was not all amistake.”

Garrick was quiet before he leaned down and placed a kiss upon her hair.“Lilianna will have to be taught that touch is sacred.”

Mairi leaned her chin against his chest and looked up at him coyly. “Anddid we not know that all along? That our intimacies, that our very act oftouching was something that bonds people together?”

He huffed, and she released a squeal of delight as he scooped her intohis arms. “I believe I am very awarethat I never feel more complete than when you and I are entwined. But it isterribly unfair to speak of such things when we are so far from our chamber.”

And she could not help but lean her head against his chest in contentmentas he carried her toward their home.

Perhaps someday they would travel once more—take Callum and revisitthose places that initially established the tenuous bond between them. Butfirst he would have to consent to a temporary separation from his own mate, ahandsome grey mare who had only recently presented him a fine foal, even if shewas still a bit unsteady on her rickety legs and unsure feet.

But should he be amiable, they could search out Harold in his market andassure him that she was blissful and well cared for, just as he had hoped forher. They would stop at the little tavern where they had first shared a bed andshe would inform Mabel quite imperiously that she had discovered a recipe forhoney-cakes that far outmatched herown. And perhaps someday they would return to the kingdom of Cyrus and Bonnie, andmaybe Lilia would replace a suitable bond-mate in their eldest son, Hamish...

Yet no matter how they had begun—with their bond first consecrated inher blood, then reinforced as she mercilessly and unrelentingly bade him accepther—this was their home.

A home with their nymphling.

A home with her mate.

Her sweet Garrick.

And that was all she truly needed.