As AJ and Brian walked down the spiral staircase the next morning, AJ thought to himself that there were extra perks to being immortal. One, they didn’t need sleep, which meant that none of the night was wasted. Two, their bodies healed and rejuvenated faster. Those combined had made for a wonderful night together. It had been the perfect honeymoon, albeit a short one. The night was all they could afford to give over to one another. There was too much else going on.

 

 

On their way to find everyone else they stopped off in the room that AJ had used the day before. There they found simple, loose fitting breeches and tunics. As Brian laced shut a pair of white breeches he flashed a grin to AJ. “Takes some getting used to, all these leather laces instead of buttons and zippers.”

 

 

AJ chuckled and looked at the selection of clothes in the closet. “You get used to it eventually. To be honest, I prefer it. Things seem to just, fit better that way.”

 

 

“This from the man who used to wear the baggy jeans and shirts too big for him?”

 

 

“Oh, shut up. I was trying to blend in.”

 

 

Laughter echoed behind him. To smother it, AJ picked out a orange shirt, loose at the waist, with loose sleeves that came to about the elbow, and he used air to float it over to Brian while he tried to find something for himself.

 

 

“Orange, Alex?”

 

 

Tapping a finger on his chin while he contemplated what to wear, AJ spoke absently. “It’ll nicely offset your hair and eyes, I think. It’s a common sun outfit.” He reached in and pulled out a pair of green breeches, staring at them a moment before shrugging. He removed his old ones and bent to pull the new ones on. As he bent over, Brian let out a low whistle from the bed behind him. Still putting his feet in, AJ turned his head to flash Brian a sexy grin. “We’re due to meet with the others, lover.” AJ reminded him as he straightened and pulled the pants over his hips.

 

 

Brian let out a lusty sigh and rose to his feet. “I know, I know. I was just admiring the view, that’s all.”

 

 

AJ finished lacing the pants and grabbed a brown vest, pulling it on but leaving it unlaced. He turned that sharp gaze to Brian and looked him over from head to toe and back again. His eyes twinkled when they connected with Brian’s. “Mm, yes. The view is nice.”

 

 

Laughter echoed through the room. The two men linked hands, their new tattoos brushing against one another, tingling their hands. Together they left the room on bare feet, in search of the others. AJ had a feeling where to find them. He led Brian downstairs, passing by many an elf on the way. Some exchanged hellos with them, others said their congratulations. As AJ led Brian toward the back of the castle, a small child came darting out from behind a column, running and leaping at AJ, who instinctively caught him.

 

 

“Well hello, little one!” AJ laughed. He used one hand to smooth back the boy child’s long brown hair as he settled the kid on his hip. “You must be Ivan. Your mother told me about you.”

 

 

“I know who you are. You’re cousin Alyck.” Ivan told him confidently. “I am ten summers old, you know.”

 

 

“Ten whole summers? My, but I would have sworn you were a warrior!”

 

 

This delighted the child. Ivan gave AJ a squeezing hug, then squirmed until he was put down. Once his feet hit the floor he was off and running, leaving AJ behind chuckling at him. He took Brian’s hand again and led him out the back door, into another open area outside. To the left was the training area, both for weapons and for magic. It was a large, open area that was well shielded to prevent magical leaks. Once you stepped into it, nothing you did in there could leak out to others.

 

 

On the right was a smithy, where blacksmiths worked to shape the weapons that the elves were famous for. But further back, at the very back wall, was the King’s privet gardens. As he’d suspected, Flreu, Tadhg, and all of their friends were sitting on the ground back there, as well as their Aunts Leusha, Radha, and Iona.

 

 

When they got close, Flreu was the first to notice them and he greeted them with a large smile. “So the two have finally decided to join us! You have done your grandfather proud, son of my daughter. You were good on your word.”

 

 

AJ and Brian laughed as they reached the others. With simple grace the two sat, crossing their legs underneath them as they did. After all the pleasantries were out of the way, AJ’s face grew serious. He looked around at them all and wished that things could be different. Idly he wondered how much everyone’s opinion of him would change when this meeting was done, and whether it would be for good or bad.

 

 

“I mean no offense when I ask this, but I feel that it is necessary. Aunts, might I request privacy with which to speak? There are tales to be told, and I fear that looking into your eyes, the words will become stuck in my throat. On my honor I am obligated to say them, but I find I cannot be the one to bring the horror forth to you three.”

 

 

The three women took his request easily. Each one rose, and kissed both him and Brian as they passed. When they were gone, AJ straightened his spine and brought his gaze to his grandfather. Everything that he had to say was going to be difficult, and he knew there was no way he could speak to them as a group about it. If they stayed and listened was one thing. But he needed one person, the most steady and solid person ever in his life, to be able to focus on, or he was never going to be able to say everything that needed to be said.

 

 

“Let it be known that each word I speak is true, and there is no effort being made to deceive. The tale I tale is a long one, and I request that you let me tell it before you pass judgment, my King, my honored grandfather.” AJ asked him formally.

 

 

Flreu’s eyebrows rose, but that was the only sign of surprise in his body. “So shall it be.” He replied steadily.

 

 

Taking a deep breath, AJ prepared himself to say many things that he had never had the courage to say out loud before. He kept hold of Brian’s hand, that steadiness giving him strength. For a split second he meditated, anchoring his center into the earth below him, and that provided another form of strength. At last he felt ready to speak.

 

 

“When last I left you here, grandfather, I traveled on my own for a while. I finally made my way to America, and with my magic it actually made it easier for me to fit in with the Indians there. I lived when them for, oh, ten years. I learned their ways, and came to respect them as a people. As you have always taught me, I did not judge their culture, but embraced it and learned from it what I would. Sometime I would love to speak with you about how they view the animals and the world around them. I found it all fascinating.

 

 

“But I digress. The Indian wars were going on then, and I’m not ashamed to admit that it broke a part of my heart. To see people slaughtering other people solely for the crime of being different; No matter how long I live, that will always break my heart.”

 

 

AJ paused for a second, his gaze moving to the tree that stood against the wall, rustling slightly in the breeze. It soothed him enough for him to continue his story.

 

 

“I ended up on a ship bound for Sicily. From there I went to Roth’s house. I know that when last I left you he and I were still at odds, but we were still friends as well. Yes, we debated in our points, but that was it. I was always sure that I could convince him of the right of things. My pride was my stumbling block. For a period of time I stayed with Roth at his home, and it gave my heart the time it needed to heal. He was the only one I knew of with the strength to stop me if my mind became too lost in pain, and my magic tried to take control. As time went on, I healed.

 

 

“But we fought one night, about the same thing we always have. He was so convinced that his way was right. I saw in an instant that he really wanted to do what he said. My eyes had been blinded for far too long. His vision was to wipe the earth clean, and start it fresh under his rule. He believes that mortals have ruined the earth and that if he doesn’t do something, there will be no one to save it. We argued, and he grew furious.

 

 

“He started an earthquake in his anger, and he threw me to the beach. Standing over me, I could see he was going to kill me, and he was preaching at me as if it would make everything ok. My temper got away from me. Passion overruled reason. In my rage, I flung a tsunami at him, and in the process, decimated the island.”

 

 

Here AJ had to stop. He dropped his face down and let the tears fall. “Many a night I lay in anguish, hearing the cries of those around me as I tried to help them. Cries of pain and sorrow that I had caused. They will haunt me until the end of my days.”

 

 

For a long moment no one spoke. They let him have his silence, and the time to gather his composure. Brian’s hand stayed firm in his, lending him support and love. AJ squeezed briefly, a silent thank you. He raised his head again to look at his grandfather. The King’s face was on, showing no emotion, only listening to what was being said. AJ straightened his spine again and continued on. He caught them up on how he helped Sicily recover, and how he then went to Italy to visit Marzio and Sofia for a short while. But they moved on with their performance troupe, and they let AJ use their villa for a while. That was when he met Isadora.

 

 

“I was down at the market one day, just to pick up some food I needed. Mostly I wanted to shop through the market. There’s nothing I love more than getting out for a while in a group of people. Listening to the babble of voices. Seeing all the different people of all ages, sexes, and races.

 

 

“I was by a bread vendor when I first saw Isadora. At the time I didn’t know her name, but I learned it soon enough. I just happened to look toward an alley when I saw a beautiful woman, with flowing raven hair. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her. I remember the shock when I saw her. Her dress was torn. She was holding one side of it up to keep herself covered. There were men chasing her, and no one was bothering to try and stop them.”

 

 

The anger of that day came back to AJ. He drifted off as he spoke, his mind going back in time, his eyes seeing the visions of that day. He saw nothing of the people around him.

 

 

“I dropped all my stuff and I just ran without thinking. All I knew was that this woman was in trouble, and no one was going to help her. So I chased them down, and I found them at the end of the alleyway. They had her pinned against the wall, and one of them had his hand up her skirt while the other was covering her mouth and holding her hands. She was just a tiny thing. There was no way she could fight off two strong guys.

 

 

“They never noticed me coming. I used air while they weren’t looking to steal their two guns. They never saw me till I cocked each one, pointing them at their heads. ‘Let go of the woman.’ I told them. They laughed at me. ‘You can have her when we’re done.’ One of them said. The woman looked terrified. Her eyes were wide, but I remember that they were dry. Not because she wasn’t scared, but as if all her tears had already been used up.

 

 

“The two guys were judging themselves against me, even with the aid of having their guns. I didn’t want to shoot them, but I would if they gave me just cause. ‘Uncover her mouth and let the lady decide what she wants.’ I told them. I was trying to find as peaceful a way as possible to solve this. The man who was holding her mouth move his hand up to yank at her hair. ‘Tell him how much fun we’re having, girl. Let the man know what a whore like you does.’

 

 

“There was a world of pain in her eyes as she dutifully repeated his words. In her eyes I saw what they had done. I knew the signs of a woman who had been raped. Still raw in my heart, the knowledge that they had raped this woman was almost too much for me.  They must have seen it in my face because they charged me together. I have no shame in saying I shot them both. Before the polizia could come, I wrapped the woman in my arms, checked to make sure no one was watching, and used air to lift us as well as shield us from prying eyes. I took her back to the villa.

 

 

“I took me almost all day to calm her down enough that I could convince her that I meant no harm. That I wasn’t going to use her the same way as the men did. She didn’t speak at all. She could barely stand to have me in the same room with her. Finally I stepped up to her, and I hugged her. I didn’t think about it. I just hugged her. She stayed tight in my arms, terrified that I was going to hurt her, scared that I would do what the men had done. I let her know that she was safe. “Sei al sicuro. Sei al sicuro.” I told her, over and over. I think we stood for an hour on the balcony of the villa, overlooking the giardino below.

 

 

“Finally she melted against me, and she hugged me, and the tears came. For another hour she cried, and she told me what those men had done to her. That part of this is not pertinent to the story. I refuse to relive another person’s pain. It is enough to say that she told me her story, and I offered her shelter with me. She stayed there with me for two months. Each day was a process in healing. Though she wasn’t perfectly well, she was getting better.

 

 

“But at that two months, she realized something. The men had made her pregnant. She was in a panic when I came home. She wanted one of the back street abortions. I thanked Hρα that I arrived in enough time to stop her. Somehow I managed to convince her that it wasn’t the child’s fault to be born of rape. She said that she would never be able to go home now, that her father would hate her for what happened. She begged me to come with her, to say the child was mine, and to be her husband.

 

 

“I told her that I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lie to someone for her. There was no way that I could tell some father that a child was mine when it wasn’t.  That level of dishonesty isn’t a part of me. I can’t be that way. But she was in a panic. She waited until I was gone to get food a few days later, and she left. I tracked her to her father’s home. Imagine my surprise when I found out who her father was. I’d had no idea.

 

 

“Roth came to stand over the ocean on a cliff, I still on my boat. ‘You are not welcome here, Alyck!’ he shouted to me. ‘My daughter has told me what you did to her! The shame that you have brought upon her!’ Well I was lost for a minute, and then I realized what must of happened. She’d told him the story she created, even though I’d said no. Still she’d gone and lied to her father, not knowing the history between he and I. If it hadn’t been for the people on the island that were watching, I’m sure that Roth would have used his magic. But he had a nice home built here that he didn’t want to ruin.

 

 

“I tried to tell him I never touched her, but he didn’t believe me. He shouted about dishonor and disgrace. On the cliff next to him Isadora came up. I cried out to her to tell him the truth. To release us all from the lies. With sad eyes she looked at me. It broke my heart, for in that look I could see that her sanity was gone. She was lost, no matter the outcome of this. Still, I never suspected what happened next. I never even knew she had magic of her own.

 

 

“It was less than Marzio or Sofia have, but it was enough to shield herself from interference as she turned and flung herself from the cliff. Nothing Roth or I did was able to stop her before she hit the rocks below.”

 

 

AJ stopped talking, his voice gone hoarse with the pain of that moment. He couldn’t see anything past the tears in his eyes. “I say this so you’ll all know what Roth holds against me, greater than anything else in his eyes. He believes I used his daughter like a whore, got her pregnant, and discarded her like yesterday’s trash. I tell you this, Brian, my friends, so that you all understand what happened better. I tell you, Uncle, Grandfather, so that you may understand the next part of my story.”

 

 

With a deep breath, AJ told them the rest of his story, from joining the band to present moment. When he was done, the entire garden was quiet.