The Lord Neagh of Caer Lonn swallowed hard, trying to strengthen his resolve. "We have heard of your Awaited Prince and of the-- tale behind him. It is also told that his Queen must not be of elven blood. What I propose is that the eldest daughter of our female descendants will offer herself as consort to your Prince when he again walks beneath the sun." The lord looked at his fair companions with desperation. "Please, my lords. My hold cannot stand another charge as that devil of Caer Glas could suffer us. My people have taken to the sewers only to eat and my hold-" The man's face fell but he quickly regained his neutral mask. "We beg of you, my lords."

Mir'oisah, Lord of the Children of the Hills, pondered this mortal before him as a dog his bone. "What you offer has no right to come off of mortal tongues." He held up one slender fingered hand to forestall the man's protests. "But as we also have some to lose should the men of Caer Glas come to rule this land we will agree to your pact. And remember, mortal," he added in a dark tone, "that we have long memories, we of the Silver Waters. The eldest daughter shall give herself to our Awaited Prince when he again walks among us."

The fair lord drew a silver dagger from its sheath, offering it to the man before him. Without hesitation, Neagh slid the honed edge along his wrist drawing a ribbon of blood. The red liquid oozed up through the wound and snaked down his palm, dropping slowly to the dry earth below. Mir'oisah did the same, the crimson mark on his fair skin almost painful to see. Mortal and immortal pressed blood together, creating a pact that could only be broken by an act of the gods themselves.

* * * * *

"Muriel! That guy's looking at you again!" Ceryl giggled and her hands fluttered up to her mouth.

The brunette slowly peeked over her right shoulder, searching for the pale faced stranger who had coincidentally popped up everywhere they went. Muriel turned back to her Coke and fries, grinning at her friend.

"Do you dare me?" Muriel whispered, her eyes wide.

Ceryl's eyes darted back to the other table and she smiled impishly. "Yeah, I dare you!"

Muriel fixed her hair and took one last sip of her drink before standing up and walking to the table behind her own. She self-consciously adjusted her skirt as two penetrating black eyes turned to her. Swallowing hard, she stepped to the edge of the white table.

Yet, before she could address the stranger, he smiled.

"Would you like to join me?" he asked smoothly, gesturing to the chair across from him.

Uncertainty flickered across Muriel's face and she glanced back to Ceryl. Her friend's blue eyes got even wider and Ceryl nodded her head enthusiastically.

Carefully, Muriel eased into the ornate metal chair. "Thank you, -" Muriel lifted her eyebrows in question.

"Ban. Ban Suileach." He extended a long fingered hand across the table.

Muriel shook his hand, finding his grip strong and his skin cool and dry against hers.

"Ban? Is that short for something?" Muriel probed.

The pale young man withdrew his hand. "No, Ban isn't short for anything. It's just Ban." His eyes became black pools and Muriel suppressed a shudder. Then he smiled. "But I still do not know what to call you."

Muriel flushed and lowered her eyes to hide her confusion. I didn't tell him my name? Why am I so flustered? And why did she have the distinct feeling that he already knew the answer to his own question?

"I'm Muriel Fayre." She looked up and smiled.

Ban sat back in his chair. "Celtic for 'shining sea.'" His lips quirked up in a half smile. "Yet, Fayre is English for 'beautiful.' Is you mother of Celtic origin?"

"Umm, actually, yes, she is. Her middle name is Muriel. It's a family name and has been for as many generations as I know of." She moistened her lips. "How did you know the meanings of my name?"

The young man's silver laughter surprised those at the nearby tables. "Names fascinate me," explained Ban. "But my names are also Celtic, as is my background." He smiled enigmatically and his dark eyes danced.

"What do your names mean?" Muriel leaned forward expectantly.

"Ban is 'pale' and Suileach is 'dark eyed,' he replied.

Muriel laughed. "Was your mother psychic?"

His lips tightened almost imperceptibly but he quickly turned them up into a slight smile. "Would your friend like to join us?"

With a start, Muriel remembered Ceryl at the other table. She turned in her seat and caught Ceryl's eye. The brunette grimaced when she saw the scowl on Ceryl's pouty lips.

"Come over here, Ceryl."

Her blond friend left some money for the tab and walked over to the table. Ban stood and pulled out a chair, offering it to Ceryl.

Ceryl smiled her thanks and sat down. "I thought you'd forgotten about me, Muriel," Ceryl accused.

Ban smiled languidly at Muriel as the girl's cheeks took on a guilty flush.

"Sorry, Ceryl." Muriel offered a conciliatory smile.

The blond blinked, her eyes still hard. Ban caught her eye and wiggled his brows, grinning. Ceryl laughed and patted Muriel's arm.

"Don't worry about it, Muri. I'd keep his company as long as possible too." Ceryl smiled coquettishly at the dark eyed Ban. "What's your name, stranger?"

"Ban Suileach." He smiled and glanced at Muriel.

"Ban?" Ceryl laughed. "What kind of name is that?"

Muriel watched as the amiable smile was replaced with a neutral mask and Ban's black eyes flashed with a silver light.

"Ceryl!" Muriel admonished. "Could you be any ruder?! Sheesh, you don't know him for more than ten seconds and already you're insulting him."

An uneasy silence settled over the trio until Ceryl shifted in her seat and looked at Ban.

"Sorry, Ban," she said, her voice low.

"She's just like that," interjected Muriel. "You'll get use to her." She offered a tight smile to Ban and added to herself, I hope.

Ban glanced around the open room, his eyes finally settling on Muriel's heart shaped face. He appeared to study her, searching for something. Finally, his eyes locked on Muriel's neck and she followed his stare. Her fingers reached up to the necklace, which hung outside of her blouse.

"That's a stunning piece of work, Muriel. Where did you get it?"

Muriel looked up from the family heirloom and met Ban's gaze. Once again, silver light flashed in his dark eyes. She fingered the pendant, which hung from an exquisitely worked silver chain. It was a hill with a long slender sword crossing it; runes ran along the length of the blade and along the curve of the hill. All was of the finest silver, excepting the green gem set in the hilt of the sword.

She turned her brown eyes back to Ban. "It's a family heirloom, brought from wherever my family came from." Muriel smiled crookedly. "My mother says all of our family history is on the necklace but-" she shrugged.

"What?" Ban urged.

Muriel frowned. "Well, no one can tell us what it means. The runes are gibberish to us and any family who knew the significance of the hill and the sword are long dead."

Ban motioned as if to hold the pendant and Muriel nodded her assent.

"You never told me that, Muriel," pointed out Ceryl. Her words went unheeded by her companions.

Ban studied the worked silver and his lips moved with quiet words. Muriel thought she heard "Caer Lonn" and "Liosfionn," but she pushed the thought away, not understanding the words.

The pale man's slender fingers opened and the pendant swung back against Muriel's chest. The green gem glowed with an inner light and the entire necklace was warm against her skin.

"Do you know what it means?" Muriel queried.

Ban shook his head, black locks falling into his eyes. "I think I'd better go," he said, ignoring her question. "Would you mind if I saw you again tomorrow, Muriel?" he asked as he rose from the table.

"I'd like that," she accepted with a gentle smile.

Her smile grew broader as Ban took her hand and kissed it.

"It was a pleasure, Ceryl," Ban murmured and, with a slight bow, he turned and walked away, threading his way through the crowd. Muriel watched his back as he left but she blinked and in that split second, he disappeared. She searched the groups of people but Ban Suileach was no where to be seen.

All of a sudden, Muriel's necklace grew cold and she gasped, pulling pendant away from her skin. The emerald-like gem glowed fiercely and as Muriel stared at the odd gem, she became disoriented, an overpowering sense of vertigo forcing her to close her eyes against the spinning room.

Ceryl's hand fell on Muriel's shoulder and shook, gently. "Muriel? Muriel, you okay?"

Muriel slowly opened her eyes, letting the now normal necklace slip from her fingers. "Yeah, I'm fine," assured Muriel. "I just remembered that Ban doesn't know where I live."

The lie earned Muriel a dubious look from her friend but Ceryl wouldn't understand. . . I don't even understand, she said to herself.

Ohhh, but you will--, sighed a whispering thought through Muriel's mind.

The brunette suddenly stood, almost knocking her chair over in her haste. She searched the surrounding faces, but she only saw bewilderment in the strangers' expressions.

"Ceryl, I think I'm gonna head home too. Do you mind?"

The blonde's brow pulled down with concern over her friend's distress but she smiled. "Did this mysterious Ban addle you a little?" she jibed. Then she sobered. "I don't mind, Muriel."

"Thanks, Ceryl," she sighed.

The cool air outside the mall felt good on Muriel's flushed face. On the way home all she could think about was Ban: his dark eyes and pale skin, his odd speech and gallant manners, and the fact that he knew what the runes said. Of that, Muriel was almost positive.

Who was Ban Suileach? And why did he seem so familiar, even though she was sure they'd never met? And his eyes-- there was an aged wisdom in their black depths that defied the youthfulness of his pale face. And why was he watching her? Why Muriel out of all the other girls at the mall?

Muriel shook her head and concentrated on the road before her. When she reached her house, she immediately went up to the computer room, searching for the family history records that had been compiled over the years. Flipping through the pages, she followed the 'Muriel's all the way back to the thirteen hundreds.

Sobhrach Fayre stood in the shadowed hallway, watching her daughter scan through the history of her ancestors. A sad frown drew her lips down and deepened her green eyes to a dark emerald.

The old pendant swung free of Muriel's blouse as she leaned over the desk and Sobhrach bit back a cry. He had found her; she could sense the difference of the soul stone. He had found her and soon Muriel would no longer be hers-- no longer be human.

With softened steps, Muriel's mother slipped from the house to the ancient tree in their backyard. She counted the slashes carved in the trunk and could no longer hold back the tears. Sixteen slashes, each slash representing one hundred years. It was time for her family to honor their half of the compact.

"Muriel! The phone!"

With a sigh, the girl slid off her bed and picked up the phone, calling down the stairs, "Got it, Dad!"

She waited to hear the audible click through the receiver before speaking.

"Hello? This is Muriel."

"Hi," came the smooth response.

It was a moment before she recognized the voice, but as she did her heart quickened and the silver round her neck grew warm.

"Ban? How are you?"

"I'm just fine. And you?"

"Me too. I'm-" Muriel stopped, pulling the phone away from her ear and peering at it, as though answers could be found in the clear plastic.

Ban's voice could be faintly heard through the receiver. "Muriel? Muriel, you still there?"

Hurriedly she put the phone to her ear. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here."

"Is everything okay over there?" he inquired, true concern coloring his rich voice.

"Ban, how'd you get my number? I never gave it to you."

Momentary silence greeted her words.

"I have my ways," he said lightly. "I just asked around."

The stone at Muriel's throat pulsed and a chill emanated from the metal. The brunette didn't answer right away but looked down at her necklace, which had been a normal piece of jewelry up until last night.

"Muriel, did you still want to go out tonight?" Ban finally asked.

The girl shook herself and turned her attention back to the man on the other end of the line.

"Sure, that'd be nice. Would you like to meet somewhere?" Hope edged her voice. Her mother insisted on interrogating every boy she brought home, especially about their family history.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd kinda like to pick you up at your house. You know, meet your parents, assure them they'll see you again and all that." Ban chuckled.

Laughter bubbled up in Muriel. "No, I don't mind. It's kinda old fashioned, though."

Ban paused. "Yeah, you could call it that."

"So what time will you be here?"

"Is in twenty minutes too soon?" Muriel could sense Ban's catching smile through the phone.

"Not for me. See you then, Ban."

After hanging up the phone, Muriel got herself ready and ran down stairs to inform her parents of her plans. She found her dad in the kitchen, flipping through the sports section, while her mom was deeply absorbed in an old leather bound book.

"Mom, Dad, is it okay if I go out tonight?" Muriel shifted her gaze between her parents. Was it just her imagination or did her mother's fair skin pale ever so slightly?

"Sure, honey." Her dad smiled, winked, and went back to reading.

"Burke," Sobhrach said sharply. "We don't know this boy; you shouldn't be so quick to let her go off with someone who we've never met."

Muriel quickly stepped in. "Oh, but he's coming over." She grimaced. "He specifically asked to speak with you -- go figure!"

Burke Fayre just grinned and shrugged. "Can't wait to meet him then."

Sobhrach wasn't so easily pleased. "When will he be over?" she inquired.

Checking her watch, Muriel pursed her lips. "Oh, ten minutes or so. You don't mind, do you, Mom?"

The woman's green eyes softened and she smiled. "Not at all, honey, not at all. Do you know where you're going?" Her tone was off hand and as she spoke, she closed the tome on her lap with a thud. Very deliberately, she placed it on the glass-top table by the couch, positioning it in the very center.

The girl murmured some non-committal answer. Her mother's strange actions puzzled her, but even more puzzling was the book her mother had been reading. An intricately embossed knot graced the cover and beautiful runes encircled it. It wasn't a book Muriel had ever seen.

Just then the door handle clanged and Muriel ran to get it, checking herself in the mirror at the end of the hall before opening the heavy oak door. Ban's dark-eyed visage greeted her along with a warm, open smile. She ushered him in with a dimpled one of her own.

His dark eyes roved the room, taking in the variety of cultural art and the wall dedicated to family photos. Sobhrach was watching intently and her eyes narrowed when Ban's gaze fell across the leather-bound book. Muriel brushed his hand, drawing him into the living room proper.

"Mom, Dad-- this is Ban Suileach. Ban, this is my mother Sobhrach-" Ban leaned over the woman's hand, his lips not quite touching her skin, "and my father Burke." Ban straightened and walked over to shake the man's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you," Ban said.

"Likewise," accepted Burke.

Sobhrach merely nodded. At the mention of Ban's name, she had paled further, her eyes emerald pools against ivory skin.

"Please sit," the older woman finally said.

Ban dipped his head in thanks and waited for Muriel to seat herself before easing down beside her. Muriel looked hesitantly between her mother and the young man at her side, the tension between them almost palpable. The girl brushed Ban's long fingered hand again, trying to lend him some assurance. He glanced at her, his eyes warm and deep.

"Ban Suileach," mused Sobhrach. "Not a common name. Does it run in the family?" The redhead sounded very calm-- too calm to Muriel's ears.

Black eyes met green and held, unwavering. "Yes, it is. An honorable name that has been passed down to the eldest son for hundreds of years."

Sobhrach caught her breath, looking away. Muriel glanced at her father but he seemed just as confused. My mother is deferring to my date?

"And your name, Mrs. Fayre; it is Celtic for primrose, correct? A very fitting name for one so elegant." Ban inclined his head, his face warming with a very friendly smile.

Burke entered the room and went to sit beside his wife taking both of her hands in his own. "She is beautiful, isn't she?"

"It's clear that it must run in the family," Ban grinned, "as your daughter is also very enchanting." Muriel blushed.

Clearing her throat, Sobhrach addressed her guest. "Where do you plan to go with our daughter, Mr. Suileach?" Her voice was neutral, betraying no emotion - good or bad.

"I had thought that an early dinner would be nice, followed by a movie. Then, the zoo is still open so I thought that we would stroll through it until it closed." He turned questioning eyes to Muriel.

"That would be nice, Ban." She smiled and turned to her mother and father. "Is that okay? We'll be back no later than nine thirty."

"I think that sounds like a wonderful evening," said Burke, when his wife remained silent. "Just have her back to us before ten, Ban," suggested the man with a wry grin. "We'll see you kids later, then." He leaned over to kiss his daughter and shake Ban's hand. "Sobhry?"

Sobhrach smiled shakily and hugged her daughter to her chest, placing a kiss on her child's forehead. "Have fun, dear one." She turned and smiled stiffly at Ban.

Once the couple had left, Burke turned to his wife. "Are you okay, love?"

He caught her as she fell in a dead faint, grunting beneath the dead weight. He bit his lip and shrugged as best he could with his wife in his arms. "Guess that answers that question," he mumbled to himself. He took a long look at his wife's face before carrying her up to their room to put her in bed. Even while unconscious, worry pulled her brows down into a furrowed frown.

"You got off easy in there," Muriel said absently as they pulled out of her drive. "Usually my dates get the third degree." She laughed. "I've never seen her get flustered by the person I brought home, though."

Burke moistened his lips and glanced quickly at his passenger.

"Does she know something about you that I don't?" teased Muriel. When Ban remained silent, Muriel frowned. "You didn't know her before tonight, did you?" she asked more seriously.

Ban forced a laugh. "No, of course not. Maybe I just reminded her of someone else she knew."

"Probably." Muriel laughed. "My father liked you well enough. I think he's just happy to see me going out again."

The driver looked sideways at his date. "I find it hard to believe that you have a lack of boyfriends," he observed dryly.

"Well, it's not that. It's just that none of them seem right." Muriel frowned. "I can't quite explain it but lately it just feels pointless to go out with someone with whom I feel no connection. It's like I've been waiting for someone." Muriel smiled brightly. "Maybe that person is you, Ban Suileach." Her tone held a hint of sarcasm.

Although his eyes never left the road, Muriel knew that all of her date's concentration was focused on her. His mouth opened but then he shut it, remaining silent. Finally, he said, "Perhaps. Guess we'll have to find out." He turned a smile to her but there was a falseness behind it that disturbed her. She felt her fingers stray to touch her necklace but when she realized what she was doing, she pulled her hand away and clenched them together in her lap.

For the rest of the drive to the restaurant, few words passed between the two. Muriel couldn't help but wonder of her date. Who is he? What is it about him that sends shivers up my spine yet brings my mother goosebumps? She looked at Ban out of the corner of her eye. Little did she know that he was doing the same.

Dinner was pleasant, with Ban's wry humor flavoring the evening. His warmth and genuine interest in Muriel's company pushed the girl's disturbing questions from her mind, allowing her to give herself over to the evening. The movie turned out to be a comedy romance. A wry grin turned up Muriel's lips when she learned this. Was it a coincidence that the movie was a romance? Judging by the glint in Ban's dark eyes, she didn't think so. By the end of the evening and the stroll through the twilight-enshrouded zoo, Muriel felt as though she had known Ban forever. There was a rightness in being with him that had been lacking in all of her other relationships.

While slipping from animal to animal, Ban's fingers found Muriel's and he wrapped his hand around hers, squeezing lightly. She looked down at their entwined fingers and, with a glowing smile, squeezed back.

Their slow steps brought them to the zebra's paddock and Ban stopped. He turned and peered into Muriel, or so it felt to her. His dark eyes grew narrow but the little pupil left showing had turned to a shimmering silver, stealing the light from the stars. Muriel stepped back, tugging her hand away. Ban's eyes never left her.

"Are you okay, Ban? Do I need to get somebody?"

He pursed his lips and his eyes shifted to the zebras.

Muriel waited for a response but when none came forth, she stepped toward her date. As she did, he caught her hand and pulled her forward, wrapping his arm around her waist. Before she could protest, he silenced her.

"Just watch." He glanced at her with those glowing eyes and offered a smile that she guessed was supposed to be reassuring.

Doing as she was instructed, Muriel followed Ban's line of sight to the zebras on the far side of the enclosure. They had trotted away when the two had approached and proceeded to crop the short grass after finding that the two humans were no threat. Now, though, seven striped heads jerked up, the cone shaped ears pivoting towards Ban and Muriel. She felt her mouth drop open as the small herd trotted over to the fence, whuffing and nodding their heads in the manner of their horse cousins.

Ban reached out a steady hand to the nearest beast and softly stroked the striped coat. When Muriel didn't follow, he took her free hand and placed it on the zebra. A wondering smile grew on her face as the animal nuzzled her hand, blowing into it gently. Laughter shook her shoulders as another zebra pushed its way beneath her hand. Ban was equally monopolized, one zebra laying it's ears back at the other. Muriel watched as Ban placed a hand on either equines and murmured soft words. Both zebras dipped their heads and backed away, nudging each other gently as they did so. Ban felt her brown eyes on him and his face became very pale.

"I'm sure you must have questions, Muriel," he started, "but I'll do my best to explain now." Before continuing, Ban drew his lady companion closer, brushing his lips over her hand.

"My family has a. . . gift, I guess you would call it. Ever since the Suileach name has breathed in this lifetime, we have been able to communicate with our fellow creatures." Ban gestured to the still-present zebras. "It's something that is unique to my family much like some families pass on hair color or facial features.

"Does this scare you?" he asked softly.

Muriel thought hard before answering, wanting to make each word count. "I'm not scared, although," Muriel laughed harshly, "had any of the other guys I'd gone with shown me a. . . gift. . . like this, I'd probably have run as fast as I could the other way.

"But with you, the thought hasn't even occured to me that I should be scared." Muriel laughed shakily. "A little curious, definitely, but not put off." A shy smile slowly curled her lips and she looked longingly back to the zebras.

"What is it?" Ban asked, drawing Muriel's face back to his with a gentle hand.

Muriel glanced back to the equines. "Well, do you just direct them with a feeling or can you actually talk to them?"

His laughter surprised her. "Both - it depends on the animal. You see, for my family it's easiest to communicate with animals closely related to horses. It's one of those little quirks in a family," he explained to her questioning expression. "When we talk to an equine," he continued, "it's in words and speech much like what I'm using now. With other animals, it's a little harder; the actual connection is weaker. To answer your question, though, I can talk to most animals."

Someone passed behind Muriel and Ban and the zebras took to flight, cantering away from the fence. Muriel closed her mouth with a tooth jarring snap against what she had started to say. Her eyes wide and dark, she watched the stranger move farther and farther away until she judged that he was out of range.

"Can one be taught how to do it?" whispered Muriel.

Without asking her permission, Ban lifted the silver pendant on the chain. He reached under the collar of his shirt and pulled out an identical necklace, even down to the runes and green gem.

"What-"

Ban silenced Muriel with a look. "I swear on my sword that I'll explain all of this after." His lips quirked sardonically. "I'll explain that oath too."

With a quick jerk, Ban lifted the chain over Muriel's head, removing the necklace. Oddly, Muriel felt as though a piece of her had been taken away. She watched as Ban drew his own necklace over his head, a frown clouding his silver eyes as the pendant left his skin. In sure movements, Ban fit the two pendants together, his hands blurring so Muriel couldn't see how it was he accomplished the feat. When he presented the new pendant to her study, she saw that in his pendant there was a small opening through which the sword hilt of her pendant had gone. Only now did Muriel realize that the runes on hers had been half of the quote, the other half finishing on Ban's. The new picture was that of two hills with the swords not only crossing them but also crossing each other, the gems on opposite sides of the joined silver charms.

Her fingers caressed the two gems and as she did so, a jolt of. . . something. . . coursed through her mind. She straightened and looked, agonized, at Ban. An apologetic frown drew down his brows but he cupped his hands around hers, not allowing her to drop the silver fire in her hands. Muriel closed her eyes against the pain in her skull, biting through her lip and drawing blood. Yet, as fast as it had come, it was gone, leaving it its stead an awareness that was agony in itself.

Slowly, she eased open her eyes, locking on Ban's silver orbs. The earth beneath her feet, the air around her head, the trees at her side - all of these were in the back of her mind, the purity and the corruption, the naturalness mixing with the artificiality. Her eyes pleaded with Ban to ease her mind of the alien pressure, tears glistening on her cheeks.

As the green gems glowed in her hands, the pain was separated from her as though a wall had been put between her and it; she could still sense it but no longer felt the knives stabbing at her mind. A sigh escaped her lips and the tenseness around her mouth and eyes disappeared.

"Thank you." Her voice broke and tears continued down her cheeks.

Ban clenched his jaw, cursing himself for what he knew had been inevitable. With the tender care suitable for a fragile child, he drew Muriel to his chest, smoothing her hair with gentle strokes. Slowly, her tears dried and she sniffled against Ban's shirt. He relaxed his embrace and looked down into her eyes. A weight was lifted off his shoulders when he saw forgiveness instead of accusation in her tear stained face.

"Let's go someplace where we can talk."

Muriel nodded her assent and they quickly exited the zoo, making their way to Ban's car. The numb girl paid no attention to where her date was taking her, staring blankly out the window.

"Sobhry. Sobhry, wake up." Burke shook his wife's shoulders.

With a start, the redhead sat up, her eyes wide, and a cry escaped her lips. "Muriel! No, not yet!" Realization dawned in her eyes when she saw her husband at her side. Then her face crumbled into sobs. "Oh God, Burke! What have I done?"

The large man gathered his wife to his chest and held her, rocking back and forth. He didn't say anything - he didn't even know where to begin! First, she is hesitant about their daughter's chosen date. Then she faints once they leave. Now she was sobbing about something that is supposedly her fault. Burke just offered her his strength.

Sobhrach's sobs finally subsided and Burke released her only long enough to snatch a few tissues from the dresser. The woman daintily blew her nose and then dried her cheeks of the residual tears. Burke caught his breath when she turned her red rimmed eyes on him.

Such pain he had never seen in a human face. Sobhrach's green eyes had darkened to black, the skin around her eyes and mouth tight and pale.

"Oh, love. What is wrong?" he questioned, pulling his trembling wife back into his arms.

"Burke, I've done something terrible. My whole family, they. . . hundreds of years ago. . . a promise to hand over. . ." She dissolved into sobs again but Burke hurriedly calmed her down.

"Sobhry, dear. Easy, easy. Everything will be fine. Just tell me what's wrong." He kept his voice low and deep.

With a deep breath, Sobhrach sat up and straightened her dress, wiping the new tears from her cheeks with a savage swipe. Her jaw was clenched tightly and Burke's ached in sympathy. Anger flashed deep in her eyes and her breathing quickened.

"Have you ever wondered why I've never disclosed my history to both you and Muriel? Has the completeness of my family's records never made you wonder? And I know you're curious about the tree that I insisted on moving here when Mother died.

"Well, all of those questions lead to the same answer, information that I've kept from you, my family, in the hopes that I could protect you through ignorance. Now, I have no choice but to tell you." She shook her head mournfully.

Burke remained silent, sensing that it would behoove him to do so.

Shortly, his wife continued her explanation. "Here it goes. In the year of 398 AD my family lived in the deep hills of what is now Great Britain. The people of Caer Lonn were a proud people and very strong. My family was of Caer Lonn, and they enjoyed wealth and honor passed down from those before them. There were those who coveted my family's prosperity and wanted it for their own.

"Late in that year, the Lord of Caer Glas layed siege on Caer Lonn, merciless in his warfare. They destroyed all of the food stores and killed all of the pages sent to try to talk of peace. Finally, with all other choices exhausted, my family turned to the Lords in the hills." Here Sobhrach paused and stared into her husband's eyes. "Husband, what I say next will seem silly and false but please hear me out and do not doubt that what I tell you is the truth." She waited for him to nod before continuing.

"These Lords have powers not of this world, with the ability to shift between this world and their shadow world. They can talk with non-humans - or so I've been told - and the gift of mind speech runs in their blood. They are what modern tales call elves." She studied her mate for any signs of disbelief and, seeing none, went on.

"So my family of Caer Lonn called upon these Lords for help as the elven folk are masters of the sword and battle. One Lord came forth and offered his assistance -- but for a price. Understand that humans did not often call upon the elves as they scorned them and felt that they were fey spirits. But the people of Caer Lonn had no other options. So a compact was made between those human and those not. The Lords of Liosfionn would fight with all of their prowess and drive back the evil of Caer Glas. My family would have to wait for the arrival of the prophesied Elven Prince and when that day came, hand over their eldest daughter as consort and wife." Sobhrach bit her lip hard, worrying at it and making it bleed.

"So now, the compact must be honored. The Prince has been born and is grown and he has found his consort." She turned her green eyes to Burke and irritation flashed in them when the man refused to acknowledge what she was saying.

"Burke, Ban Suileach is the Prince and he has found Muriel. She is destined to become of the fair folk, not human and no longer of our world. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Burke?"

The floor creaked as Burke got to his feet and paced between the bed and the door. He opened his mouth to speak but then his throat constricted and he hit the wall, hard, with a clenched fist.

"Burke! Stop that. It won't help." Her voice became soft. "I've read every piece of history I can find on this incident and nothing says how to get out of it. I know honor demands that we go along with my ancestor's pact, but a mother's love says that I do everything within my power to keep her with us." Her voice broke. "God, Burke, they signed our daughter away. . ."

His eyes closed momentarily and he had to keep telling himself that this was not his Sobhrach's fault, that she had no part in it. He hit the wall again.

"So you're telling me that I'm going to lose my daughter to an elf and this was decided over fifteen hundred years ago? How can I be expected to believe that? I don't believe in ghosts, much less the figment of some fairy tale writer's imagination."

Sobhrach's ivory skin turned red with indignation. "And why would I create such a story? To stop her from seeing a boy that we just met? Please, Burke, please believe me. If you don't then you'll only be hurt more when the change occurs." Sobhrach's green eyes met Burke's brown and she pleaded with him to understand.

After taking a deep breath, Burke sat in the chair by the bedside. He licked dry lips nervously. "What, exactly, is this change you're talking about?" His voice said clearly that he could not believe he was asking this question.

"Let me answer a question with a question," began Sobhrach. "What do you know about elves?"

A bitter laugh left Burke's lips. "Know? I didn't know until just now that anything was known about them."

"Please, just try to remember anything you might have heard as a child, in stories."

Outside the window, dusk was beginning to fall with the evening breeze stirring the trees and lone leaves. There was a full moon above the horizon and an occasional puffy cloud would scuttle across it. It was here that Burke looked, unable to meet his wife's weary gaze.

"Stories, or child hood tales. . . " he mumbled, thinking. "They live in the forests and never let anyone else in them. They have magic powers that can only be stopped by cold iron. There is always an Elven Queen mentioned but a King is always by her side. They can walk through a leaf blanketed forest and not make a sound and they have hearing keener than that of a hawk." Burke's lips twisted as he searched his memory for more but then shook his head helplessly as he came back with nothing.

With a look that said she'd heard it all before, Sobhrach began speaking. "And that's why they're called faery stories," she chuckled. Burke shot her a warning glance, not willing to listen to the shortcomings of his list. "Well, the one thing that you have right is that the fair folk do not like iron. It's not as fatal as most make it out to be but if they are in contact with it for long periods of time it will burn their skin.

"In the times when there were still abundant forests to live in then that was where they generally lived but now they have had to adapt. And they weren't quite as protective as some stories say." Her lips turned up wryly. "They wouldn't kill errant trespassers as they believed the forest belonged to all.

"Elves are ruled by a King and a Queen and should one die then it is up to the discretion of the survivor to choose whether they will remarry. For some reason people only associate elves with their Queens when some of the best rulers have either been co-rulers or Kings." She chuckled and went on.

"The elven folk are very adept at remaining undetected in the forest but it is through practice and a little bit of breeding," she conceded. "Every move is calculated so that nothing untoward happens and alerts the forest to their presence. As for their hearing, you were right about that also. An elven scout could hear a mouse breathing during a rainstorm and hear the fall of a footstep from a mile on a quiet day.

"They are quite remarkable," she finished quietly. Then she shook herself. "But back to your question. How will our daughter change. . . The Muriel we know, her personality will remain the same." A warm smile lit her face. "She will forever be Muriel, but the physical and the mental will be somewhat. . . altered. Once the change occurs, her features will become finer, chiseled, and her eyes and hair will take on a silver tint. Not the silver of age but of the stars above. Oddly, her ears will become upswept and show the barest hint of a point." Sobhrach's voice became pained and Burke realized that this was just as hard for his wife as it was for him. He slipped onto the bed and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, the redhead went on. "That's physically. Mentally, she will become in all ways elven. She will receive the link that all elves have with the earth, sensing the ills and the strengths as though they were of her body. With Ban, she will form another link. They will be able to find each other at any time and they can sense what the other is feeling or thinking too. I don't know whether this be a curse or a gift, though," she added dryly, placing a kiss on her husband's shoulder. "Lastly, she will gain the memories of all the Elven Queens before her, and when the current Queen fades into the shadow world forever, then Muriel will receive hers as well. The same goes for Ban and the King's memories." She ended with a sigh, one that came from the very depths of her soul.

Burke digested all of the information being thrown at him, trying to make sense of it. The thought of his little girl. . . an elf! He laughed bitterly. If anyone knew what he was thinking, they'd throw him in an insane asylum. But Muriel was going to become. . . he couldn't say it again; it was too new. His eyes fell upon his wife's down-turned head and he softened. She had had to carry this on her shoulders for all these years, not knowing whether this would be the year for her family's end of the promise to be honored.

"God, Sobhry. It would be so easy for me to be angry with you," he shook his head, "but I realize that this is none of it your fault. It's still so hard to believe. Not only am I told that elves really do exist but I'm told that my daughter is going to become one of them." He ran a hand over Sobhrach's hair, rubbing the silky strands between his fingers.

"I'm not sorry I never told you til now," she stated bluntly. "I was just hoping that it would pass us by. I thought that as Muriel was already eighteen, it was too late and it would pass on to the next generation. At least Muriel won't have to worry about her first born daughter." A single tear showed how much strain the woman had been under.

Trying to be strong for his beloved, Burke smiled with a sureness that he didn't feel. "At least she'll still be our Muriel. Nothing could ever change that. Now, when is the. . . change going to happen?"

There was a heavy silence as Sobhrach sat up straighter and took both her husband's hands in her own. "Love, I think it already has."

The full moon illuminated the couple's steps to the rippled lake in the middle of the park. Ban kept his hand beneath Muriel's elbow, not trusting her knees to remain steady.

One handed, he snapped out the blanket and lowered the girl to the softened ground. Sitting next to her, he pulled her to his side, trying to lend some of his warmth to her shivering form. "Muriel, you're beginning to worry me. Are you okay?" When he received no response, he lifted up the necklace, which he had placed back around Muriel's throat, and gently stroked the gems, sending a similar caress through her shocked mind.

Blinking, she stiffened, then slowly leaned against the warm pillar of strength behind her. With quivering lips she said, "What have you done to me, Ban Suileach? I feel as though my mind's been trampled on and then put in a vise."

Ban apologized sheepishly and thickened the wall between her and the pain. A sigh escaped her lips and she murmured her thanks. "That's so much better. . ."

A slight breeze teased Muriel's hair and Ban absently tucked it behind her ear, responding to her irritation at the errant strand.

"How'd you know I was just about to do that?" she demanded, curiosity bringing with it her strength.

"Do you mind if I start from the beginning?" Ban stopped her hasty agreement. "It's a long story, so think before you accept."

Muriel didn't hesitate. "I want to know what you did to me."

The Elven Prince held back a wince at the resentment he felt coming from her. "Okay then, you asked for it. . ."

Over the next hour, Ban told his consort-to-be of all his family's history, from when the winds first touched the Earth's skin to his birth. Muriel had to remind herself that she wasn't in a dream every few moments as more fantastic tales met her ears. Many times, he would forestall her arguments before she could even get them out. When she finally asked him how he continually second guessed her, she almost wished she hadn't.

"So you're telling me that we'll be forever linked, never able to truly leave one another?" Her voice was incredulous. "Am I supposed to thank you for this. . . gift?" She practically spat the word.

Not wanting to push her too far, Ban remained quiet. Yet, when Muriel didn't move away, he addressed her.

"Muriel, I understand that you must be very upset that you had no choice in your fate. If you think about it, I didn't either. When I turned of age, I was told in no few words that I must find you and change you. I, too, had no choice in who I would spend the rest of my life with. And it will be a lengthy life. My only hope was that once I found the Promised one, she would be one with whom I could be happy and maybe even come to love with time.

"But, what I've found is that I'm not going to have to force myself to love you, Muriel. I was praying to the Ancient Ones that you would feel the same," his voice was low, just barely audible over the slight breeze.

"I don't know what to think," she temporized after a long pause. "I thought that I liked you and that I would enjoy getting to know you better, but now-" she shook her head, confused. "Everything's changed."

"Nothing's changed. We're still who we were be-"

"How can you say that? Nothing's changed? You made me an elf, Ban and nothing's changed?" Muriel turned on him, breaking out of his arms.

"You've always been an elf, Muriel Fayre. You just didn't know it. This is your fate as much as it is mine, and what's done is done; there's no changing that. We can either live out our lives hating one another or we can accept what we've been given in this world." His words were harsh to Muriel's human sensibilities but if they weren't truthful with one another, it would be worse.

At first, Muriel stared Ban in the eye but as time passed her chin began to quiver and tears leaked down her flushed cheeks. Oh, God - my mother and my father. . . What will they think of me?

Your mother already knows, Ban responded to her unspoken cry. And by now, I'm sure your father does too.

Muriel started and trembling fingers flew up to her forehead. "I-" her voice shook. "I heard you!"

A smile crept over Ban's face. "That's our link. It's unique to elven rulers. It's so we can never be dishonest with one another and therefore, more truthful with others. Some would think of it as a curse, but I guess that depends on the pairing." Ban's silver eyes gazed deeply into Muriel's, silently questioning which it was for her.

Resting her forehead against her mate-to-be's, she closed her eyes in concentration. I'll try, Ban. I swear I'll try. She sent a warm caress along with the words, surprising herself with the depth of her affection.

Ban just smiled, relishing the moment. Soon Muriel's resilient nature overcame her shock and questions flooded the cool night air.

"Will I be able to shield myself soon?"

"Actually, after you come into the full strength of your power, you'll no longer need the shields. It's just that the abruptness of your change left your mind raw and more sensitive; that's why I had to block you."

"And I'll be able to communicate with animals, like you do?" Excitement threaded through her voice and Ban suppressed a smile at her acceptance.

"Yes, you will. As a matter of fact-," Ban craned his neck back, searching the dark sky, "Yes, there's one. Try your hand at it right now. A hawk just landed in that tree over our heads. Now, I'm going to drop the shields so you can sense the bird," he warned. "Are you ready?"

Muriel bit her lip and then nodded, slightly. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth in expectation of the blinding pain she had felt before, but when Ban dropped the shield all she felt was an inundation of sensations. She could smell the grass crushed beneath their blanket and feel the very fiber of its creation. The breeze not only touched her skin but brushed through her mind, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. And up in the tree, which was full of throbbing life, she felt the hawk, nestled down in its thick feathers. Carefully, she sent her mind around the bird of prey, feeling the softness of its feathers and the majesty of its sheer power. All of a sudden, she felt Ban join her mind and give a little mental shove. With his encouragement, she touched the hunter's mind and gasped as the bird awoke, looking right at her from its height. Shaking, she tentatively asked it to come down and with a woosh and a snap of its mighty wings, the hawk sailed down to her outstretched arm.

She grunted at the unexpected weight of the bird and winced as its claws punctured her skin ever so slightly. As though the hawk could sense her discomfort, it loosened its grip. For the longest moment, they looked at each other, elven eyes meeting animal. She felt the bird reach out to her with a surprised mental thread.

Human? Elf? It cocked it's head in an amusing fashion and Muriel chuckled, unsettling the bird and forcing it to spread its wings to regain its balance.

New elf. My mate changed me this night, feathered friend, she responded.

The hawk's beak dropped open in what could only be a smile. Mates are good. My mate is in the nest with our new hatchlings. Pride colored the bird's words and Muriel smiled at Ban.

Do hawks mate for life? questioned Muriel.

The hawk tilted his head the other way. Yes, he said, with a questioning tone. Do not elves mate the same?

Yes, feathered brother, we do. Muriel started at Ban's rich mental interjection but the hawk just blinked.

That is good, then. One must have a mate if one is to live. It was simple logic to the hunter. Then, with a quick goodbye, the hawk launched himself from Muriel's arm; strong winds from the bird's wings buffeted her face but in a breath, the hawk was winging his way back to his family. Muriel followed his path but when he reached his new family, she released the link, allowing the mates their privacy.

"Is that what it's like every time?" she sighed.

"I only wish," Ban snorted. "You seem to have a talent for birds, like we have a hand for the equines." His brows drew down in thought. "I think that the animal can sense your ability to contact him more easily, therefore making him more receptive. You'll just have to try it out." He grinned.

Muriel's eyes clouded over. "What you said before, about my mother knowing. Has she always known?" Her voice was carefully neutral.

"Since she was twenty-one, if I remember correctly. That's generally when the - burden-" he grimaced, "-is passed onto the next generation."

Ban saw the girl's face fall in the silver light of the moon and he ached for her. "She had me when she was twenty. She didn't even know what she getting her child into-" Muriel bit her tongue hard. "I'm sorry, Ban. I didn't mean it that way. It's just that-"

With a long fingered hand, he waved her apologies away. "Fear not, Muriel. I've taken no offense at your honest words. I've come to see how valuable a woman's independence and right to make her own decisions is to Americans."

Chuckling, Muriel snuggled against Ban's shoulder. "You've observed correctly. By the Nine Daughters of Niell-" A puzzled look passed over her face. "Who're the Nine Daughters of Niell?"

"Ah, you're beginning to receive the memories of our beloved Queens. As you will one day rule by my side over the elven folk, you must understand those who came before you. To ensure that you will fully grasp the lessons of our past rulers, our Queens' memories have been incorporated into your own. Soon you will not be able to tell the difference between your memories and the Elven Queens. The same is happening to me," he finished softly.

Mentally, Muriel reached out to her elven date and felt confusion and uneasiness in him. She extended a thought of comfort and their minds became one, mental threads meshing and forming an empathic net. Every emotion passed between the two and in a matter of breaths every thought, emotion, memory was revealed to the other. Memories that had been pushed back to very deepest part of the conscience were bared and their tears mingled on their cheeks. After what seemed centuries, they pulled apart, staring deeply into the other's soul. More had passed between them in those seconds than between most couples throughout their entire marriage.

Ban gently rubbed the tears from Muriel's face and then wiped his own damp cheeks on his shirt. The face of his watch caught his eye and he cursed in a silver tongue when he saw that they had only a few minutes to meet Muriel's curfew.

"Love, I think we'd better get going. I'd hate to see how your parents react to tardiness on the first date." A rueful grin lit up his eyes. "Not that they have any choice. . ."

Muriel's mouth twisted up in a bitter smile and Ban helped her to her feet. With a low cry she fell against him, finding her legs tingling and quite asleep. Laughing, Ban slipped one arm around her waist and with the other, scooped up the blankets. Half way to the car, Muriel regained the use of her legs but Ban's arm grew tighter around her.

In the shimmering light of the moon, Muriel caught her reflection on the darkened car window. Gasping, her hands flew up to her face.

"Ban! What happened to me?"

His eyes fell to her face and narrowed. "Blackened leaves! I can't believe I forgot. Some king I'm going to be," he mumbled.

"Ban!" Muriel urged. "What happened to my face?"

"Along with the transfer of our elven memories, you also acquired some of our physical characteristics. As you can see, your face has become finer and your eyes have taken on the silver tints." His smile warmed Muriel's heart. "You're beauty has been accented with our people's beauty. If you didn't catch eyes before, you'll be like a magnet now," he teased.

She smothered a smile. "And just how do you propose that I keep this hidden? I can't exactly go tell my friends, 'Oh, yeah. Last night I was changed into an elf.' They'd send me to an asylum."

With an exasperated sigh, Ban ushered his date into the car, closing the door with an emphatic slam. As he climbed in, he said, "If we don't get going, your parents are really going to be upset. Besides, your friends won't see it. All they'll know is that somehow you seem more stunning than before." A sneer curled his perfect lips. "Humans are too blind to notice such beauty. They weren't meant to see it." With that, he revved the engine and they flew down the road, Muriel's youth left on the moon drenched ground behind them.

Burke was trying to make sense of all that he had learned when a knock sounded at the door. Silently, Sobhrach rose to her feet and followed him down the stairs. With a glance that was more habit than concern, the red head noticed that it was a minute to ten. She laughed harshly and Burke cast her a hard look, his brows drawing down with concern.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, Sobh."

The woman hesitated before speaking, her eyes alighting on her husband's. The green pools deepened and her face softened. With a gentle smile, Sobhrach drew Burke to her, pressing her lips to his.

"Your love would rival the sun, Sobh."

"Do you forgive me, Burke? For not telling you about Muriel?" Her voice was low and trembled with emotion.

Burke tilted up her face and placed another kiss on her lips. "There's nothing to forgive." The man looked meaningfully at the door. "Should we open it?"

Ban knocked firmly against the door, his other arm loosely encircling Muriel's waist. He was about to knock again when the door opened before his fist. Two smiling faces greeted the couple as they stepped into the house and Muriel looked at Ban warily. Why are they smiling like that?

Muriel heard Ban's silver laughter in her thoughts. I think they've had their talk, Muriel. Be glad that they've accepted it.

If her parents noticed the silent exchange or Muriel's hesitation, they gave no sign of it. Still smiling, Sobhrach and Burke followed Muriel and Ban into the living room.

"Well, how was dinner and the movie?" Sobhrach began.

"They were great." Muriel's brown - silver eyes met Ban's silver ones in shock. They had answered simultaneously.

The adults only laughed. "I guess that was the general consensus. And the zoo?" Burke inquired.

The two teens hesitated before Ban nodded for Muriel to speak. With a smile, she sent a quick mental caress before turning to her parents.

"It's been so long since I've been there it was like going for the first time again. They have a new exhibit with tropical birds. It was magnificent. Parrots, toucans, cockatiels, birds with colors that defy nature-" Muriel continued in this fashion, her parents' eyes glued to their daughter's face. Ban was content just to watch his betrothed speak, occasionally making her eyes widen with unexpected mental 'kisses.'

The silence caught him off guard. Three pairs of eyes were turned on him, two filled with surprise and the other overflowing with pride.

"You call animals?" Burke finally said.

Ban's gaze flitted to Muriel. "I can, yes. It's something that-" The young man paused, unsure.

Sobhrach reached out and patted his hand. "I read somewhere that the Fair Folk could converse with the animals but as I've never met one of your kind, I've never known the truth."

The young man chuckled softly. "From the little that I've read of human books, not much you read can be believed. If you went by those faery tales-" his lips twisted around the words, "you'd think that our people was a savage, cold hearted race with no compassion and blood lust that went beyond sanity." Ban nearly bristled with outrage at the indignities suffered by the Fair Folk.

Burke looked uneasily to the light-eyed elf by his daughter. "How are we portrayed in your histories, young man?"

The not-so-innocent question took Ban by surprise and he inhaled quickly. Glancing appreciatively at the older man, he responded, his voice conceding. "I see your point, Mr. Fayre. Humans are told of as dense creatures worthy of not much outside of contempt and distaste on our Walls of Song. I guess we're even?"

The last was as close to an apology as Ban would give and Muriel looked hard at her father, willing him to ease off the attack. Burke avoided his daughter's eyes, not out of shame but because he didn't want to acknowledge the end of the conversation. When the silence became strained between the two males, Sobhrach, with her woman's touch, cleared the air.

"Daughter, you may find this topic somewhat hard this evening and at any other time I would not have brought up such words with company in the house but this can not be considered a normal date." She inclined her head, smiling at her woman-daughter. "But I must ask now while Ban is still here-" Muriel swallowed hard at the direction this conversation was headed, "-and can. . . explain. . . the consequences of our ancestors.

"Can you show me your amulet, Muriel?" Her mother's eyes and mouth were set, expecting full cooperation.

With unfeigned reluctance, Muriel dipped into her blouse and brought forth the necklace, not offering to remove it. Just taking the warm, living metal from her skin was as though a part of her was being siphoned away. When Sobhrach's fingers enfolded the altered heirloom, a new, very faint presence insinuated itself into Muriel's consciousness. With a startled glance, she brought Ban into the rapport, asking without words what it was. A small wrinkle formed on his broad forehead as his eyes narrowed, flicking to the redheaded woman at his side. Muriel held back a gasp as suddenly she could recognize the 'signature' of the presence. Just touching the amulet had brought her mother into the link? Would it do that with everyone that handled the necklace?

I don't know, love. Ban's voice was like a cool spring cleansing her mind, the solidity of his thoughts a foundation of rock to lean on. She doesn't seem to be able to hear us though. . .

Ban was right. Sobhrach appeared oblivious to the silent conversation, her eyes wide and dark as they studied the silver disk in her hand. Burke was peeking over her shoulder, his brows knitted with puzzlement at the combined amulets. Muriel finally caught her father's eye and tried to pass him an encouraging smile. His face was pale, though, and the smiling visage that greeted her and her date at the door had been thoroughly erased. She received no smile in return.

"Muriel- Burke, honey, are you okay?" Sobhrach turned concerned eyes upon her husband, twisting around to place a consoling arm across his shoulders and squeezing him to her side.

Muriel's father hesitated before answering and when he did, his voice was low and unsure. "Yeah, I'm just- I'm fine." Muriel looked worriedly at Ban, her eyes twin pools of pain at her father's discomfort.

Sobhrach's gaze lingered on her husband a little longer and then flitted back to the amulet. "So, am I to believe that. . . that the-" She couldn't quite make the word leave her tongue.

The young woman needed not even speak for her shining eyes were enough to take the place of a hundred words. There was the glow of pride and self-confidence in her straightened posture, which told of centuries of age, even though only eighteen years were traced on her young face. How can I make her see me? Really see me? She pleaded with her lover, even as her eyes held her mother's gaze.

Take her hands and wrap them in yours - around the amulet.

Muriel broke contact with her mother to catch Ban's eye, remembering what happened when Ban held her hands in such a manner. Reading her concern, he shook his head ever so slightly, so slightly that not even one strand of his fine hair shifted out of place.

Without explaining her actions, Muriel cradled her mother's finely lined hands in her own, pressing the strong slender fingers against the silver metal. The girl felt no outward change but the older green eyes of her mother grew wide, white showing around the darkened iris. A gasp left Sobhrach's lips and she tried to take her hands away-

"If you do, you'll lose it," Ban warned sharply. "To see, you must keep contact."

The tension left Sobhrach's hands. "I had no idea you would be so beautiful," she breathed. "I had no idea-" Again she tried to pull her hands out and Muriel let her, the amulet dropping against her chest. Her mother ran a wondering finger along the clean line of Muriel's jaw. Before Muriel could pull back, her mother swept back her hair, revealing her ears. "The only part that won't ever go back, right, Ban?" There was an edge of victory in the older woman's voice. She knew she was right.

Muriel turned confused eyes on Ban. "My ears? My ears changed too?!" Her voice was almost screeching. "They won't change back?" The girl surged to her feet and ran to the mirror pulling her hair away from her face. A whimper left her throat as she saw the pointed upswept ears now gracing the sides of her head. They weren't the pointed tips of a cat or dog but the narrowing was recognizable. Slowly, she let the hair slip through her fingers, not knowing what the heat she was feeling in her chest was.

"Is there anything else you've neglected to tell me?" Muriel demanded icily.

Before Ban could defend himself, Burke shook himself roughly. The other three in the room looked at him and he met each gaze. "Why can't I see it?"

"No one can, Daddy. Only me and Ban and other elves, I guess. You weren't meant to see it." She said the last quietly, choked with remorse. Her father would never see her at her most beautiful. Could never. . .

"Ban, can you help me help them see me?"

The young man was about to refuse but then his silver eyes became dark. "Yes, I can." He didn't even try to conceal his reluctance. "This has never been done. At least not in my memory." His lips twisted wryly at the thought. "Here it goes." He placed his slender hands on Sobhrach and Burke's foreheads, his feather-light touch bringing goosebumps to the human skin. A wrinkle of concentration drew Ban's brows down and sweat sprang out on his face. Muriel tried to enter into the link but she was roughly denied, Ban's mental rebuke stinging.

After what seemed like an hour, Ban slumped back and his eyes rolled up into his head. Muriel went to his side and laid him out along the length of the couch, the physical contact allowing Muriel to learn that he had strained himself to the point of semi-consciousness. His lithe form took up the whole sofa so Muriel sat by his head on the floor, her fingers absently tracing his fine elven features.

Muriel finally tore her eyes from her love to find her parent's eyes boring into her. Burke's mouth was slack but Muriel could sense extreme pleasure from the set of his eyes. Sobhrach was merely smiling, her face aglow with the love she felt for her daughter.

"You can see it now?"

"Sobhrach, you didn't tell me that it would be like this. She's Muriel but she's-" Burke searched for a word to describe his daughter's new radiance and came up empty handed.

"Finely honed," Sobhrach piped in. "She's Muriel but all of her beauty has been concentrated and molded into a new beauty. An elven beauty." Her voice lowered but it was not out of sadness or displeasure.

"My daughter," Burke began. "My beautiful elven daughter." He rose from his seat and knelt by her side, enfolding her in his deep embrace. Muriel felt all of her years slip away until she was a little girl again, her fear running from her father's strong presence. He held his baby girl for a long time, just glad to have this wonderful creation - a part of him - available to love. When he finally pulled away Muriel's silver eyes glowed with love and admiration.

"I love you, Daddy. That much will never change," she whispered. Her simple words drew tears from Burke's eyes and Sobhrach dropped to her knees, easing over to her family. The redheaded woman was included in the embrace and renewed tears mingled on the living room floor.

Ban's eyes opened to this scene and tears that he didn't know he was capable of clouded his vision. A deep black guilt filled his heart: guilt for finding Muriel, guilt for changing her, guilt for having to take her away. . . For what he hadn't told her was that the king had died just before he had begun his search for the Promised One. It was this fading that prompted his search. And now he had felt the queen's Calling even as he awoke from his exhaustion, telling him that it was time for his return. It was only a matter of hours before he would be forced to take his beautiful consort back to the Shining Realm. . . He smothered a soul-wrenching sigh, willing the tears dry on his pale cheeks. Muriel's timid touch reached out to him and he tried to push his thoughts behind a wall but Muriel had already tasted them. She knew and now she really would hate him. The young elven king cried another tear when all he felt was endless love, the love that tales were made of - even in elven histories.

Oh, Ban. . . How much you underestimate yourself. Her loving thought burned through his mind, sending shivers down his spine. He struggled to sit up and his attempts brought the attention of the two adults. Hurriedly he banished the tearstains from his cheeks.

Two pairs of eyes widened in shock.

"I can see you!" Sobhrach exclaimed. "I can see your face as I can Muriel's."

Burke remained silent but Ban knew that the same was for him too. "I tried, really I did, but I have never done such a link. You will be able to see us like this until the next full moon." He smiled apologetically. "It was upon her shifting form that I had to weave the spell."

"Are all of the fair folk as-" Sobhrach gestured broadly toward Ban's exotic face, "-you?"

Muriel laughed as Ban's cheeks took on a reddish hue. "Truthfully, Lady, I am considered plain among my people. The Children of the Hills were gifted with unrivaled beauty, though, which is why it was masked in the beginning of Time. Thank you for your kind words."

The young elven king caught Muriel's eyes and she saw the deeper silver light flash in his light eyes. She looked with new appreciation upon his visage. When she had been Changed she had taken her new awareness of her consort for granted but now her eyes studied her lover. His hair was of the finest silver, matching the brilliance of his eyes. Muriel could almost imagine seeing little sparks of light flaring from the shoulder length strands. The face that she had become fascinated with in the mall had changed: his jaw bone had become harder, the line clean and strong; his nose was long and proud, the end hooking ever so slightly, giving the impression of a bird of prey; his face had lengthened, becoming more slender, more exotic; his eyes, beside the change of color, had grown larger and become more wide set. The overall effect was of a wild creature, not tamed and proud. Muriel's affection filled her mind until it overflowed. Ban's eyes became unfocused, his mind reeling beneath the wave of her emotions. Embarrassed she shut it down, flushing with chagrin.

"You are beautiful, Ban Suileach," she murmured, both mentally and vocally.

Burke and Sobhrach traded long looks, smiles shadowed in their eyes. They had seen what no human had been allowed to witness since mortals and elves had separated from one another.

Muriel moved to Ban's side, slipping her now-long fingered hand into his. Elven king and his future queen stood proud before two mortals who would forever remember the vision of their shining faces and the feel of their magic coursing in human minds.

When do we go? Muriel looked to her king, her eyes wide pools of heavenly starlight.

Ban's heart constricted. How easily she had accepted her fate. Although, wasn't that what he told her to do? That she had no choice but to? He had truly expected to find a girl who refused to accept, refused to open her heart. Not only had his Promised One opened her hear to him but she had given it willingly. He only shook his head in wonder.

This time their silent conversation did not go unheeded by Muriel's parents, who traded another look.

The young elven princess stepped forward, ever so slowly removing her fingers from Ban's grasp. Without a word, she wrapped her arms first around her mother and then her father. "I'm so glad that you were able to see me as I now am. As I was meant to be." A soft smile played across her lips. "Yet, our Queen is even now beginning to fade and we must go to be by her side when she finishes her transition to a Shadowed One. Please, understand that I have to go," she begged as her parent's faces fell into despair. "I'll come back as soon as I can but I know that I have to do as it has been done since before the dawn of mortal creation. I must go-" her musical voice cracked and she trailed off.

An idea began to form in Muriel's mind and she took her parent's hands and placed them on the warm amulet around her neck. Biting her lip in concentration, she opened their minds to her touch and expressed her love for them in a way that transcended all forms of human communication. It was a touch of Muriel's own soul that she bestowed upon her parents, a part of her that would remain with them even while she was away. Slowly the sadness left their eyes as they realized what she had done and once more, she was wrapped in loving parental arms. It was a love that could be touched by no other kind; a parent's love surpassing that even of lovers.

Muriel felt herself pulling away and placed twin kisses on her parent's cheeks. "I promise to return when I can," she swore. "I swear on the Tree of Silver and Sun. And mother, should you ever want me, simply go out to the Tree and breath upon the bark." The young woman's lips curled in a rueful grin and she waved her hand vaguely. "Don't ask me how I know that but I do. I know that that tree is a part of the Great Tree and was given to our family for this reason. It will serve as it was bade." With a last smile, she stepped back to Ban's side, her fingers reaching again for his.

"Muriel, what about everyone else? What will we tell everyone?" Burke's voice was strained but he was trying. The man was trying so hard. . .

"Sir, it will be as though Muriel was never here. Her friends will not remember her face or name, only that they once knew someone like her. You must remember that it will be the same for your family. Of all mortals, only you two will know what has been bestowed upon Muriel Fayre." His tone was sorrowful as he looked at the adult's pained expressions but could do no more than had his future queen.

He signaled Muriel with a gentle squeeze of his fingers and she looked up at him with a sad smile. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. At first, it was not noticeable but soon Sobhrach and Burke could detect the faintest of glows surrounding their daughter and her future husband. The intensity of the light increased until the humans were forced to shield their eyes with upraised hands. The Promised pair shone with an ethereal light, their skin radiating brighter than the surrounding air. Then, with a blinding flash, the glow was gone -- and with it, their only daughter. Like a whisper of a breeze, Sobhrach and Burke heard a voice in their thoughts.

I'll always love you, my parents. I will come back, if only to kiss your faces once more. The last words lingered in their minds, like fingers being drawn over a smooth pool of water. . . and then the wisp of thought was gone, leaving them drained and exhausted. The tears that they knew they should be crying over the 'death' of their human Muriel refused to fall, staying just behind their lids. Burke looked at his wife and she stared back, their thoughts empty and slow to recover.

Sobhrach was the first to regain herself and when she did, she pulled her husband to her chest. "Oh my love." Three words but they were enough and Burke's eyes slowly regained their focus. Silently she led then to their backyard and sat down with her back against the tree. Above her head the sixteen slashes glowed silver and one by one, disappeared.

Muriel watched the glow intensify around her and then a singing not from mortal throats resounded in her ears. Slowly her parent's forms faded until all she could see was a vague outline of their bodies. She felt a lone tear trickle from her eye but it never reached her cheek as the heat from the surrounding light dried it up.

The glow flared about her and she clenched her lover's hand tighter, holding to it as to a lifeline. Images flowed around her and through her. Exotic faces came up to hers and peered through her; breath taking views formed around her, flowers she had never seen springing around her feet; a group of people with upraised arms singing in a harmonious melody; all of these images she saw and she felt and she knew that the history of elves - of her people - was being paraded before her.

Muriel blinked - or at least she thought she did as her body felt as though it was disconnected and not hers at all - and the scenes vanished. Before her thirsty eyes was a field more beautiful than she could have even imagined. Shades of green from emerald to spring's new bloom danced before her eyes, interspersed with stunning shades of violet, sky blue, blood red, and an orange that appeared as though the sun had lent it some of its fire. The new elf looked closer and saw that these little bursts of color were flowers.

Only now did she look to her side and smiled when she did. Ban's eyes were closed and he looked much like a kitten that has been introduced to a sun warmed windowsill after a long winter. When he turned opened eyes upon her glowing face, he returned her smile, reveling in the joy he saw there.

Do you-? Ban's inquiry was hesitant, his worry clouding his eyes until they were a smoky grey.

I don't regret it, Ban Suileach. And this place is more than my heart could ever have dreamed for. . . my King. The last was shyly offered but Ban's smile broadened.

My Queen. . . He cut himself off and narrowed his eyes, looking over Muriel's shoulder. Concerned, she followed his gaze, gasping when she saw a number of people coming her way. Grabbing his arm, Muriel dug her fingers into his skin, only letting go when she felt his pain in her thoughts.

"Who are they?" she whispered, her eyes growing wide as they drew nearer.

Ban drew himself up, throwing back his shoulders. His eyes flashed and Muriel caught her breath at the proud image he made. His confidence inspired her own and she moved to his side, trying to appear strong and sure.

"They are our people, Muriel sa'Suileach." Ban drew Muriel forward and began walking toward the steadily progressing group. When he came within hearing distance, he stopped and the elves - for Muriel could now clearly see their fine features and feline movements - dropped to their knees and inclined their heads. It was such a gallant gesture that Muriel's breath caught in her throat and she had to remind herself to take a breath. Ban sang out a welcome and the elves rose gracefully to their feet, their gauzy clothing swirling around their long limbs.

"We rejoice in our singing to have you back among us, our lord. We see that you have found our Chosen One." The elf speaking bowed his head ever so slightly in recognition and continued. "It is an honor to have the Promised Bride among us, my lady. Our people have waited many generations to have your presence in our Realm and the Walls of Song shall be alive with notes this evening to hear of your arrival."

Muriel smiled her thanks and nodded, touched by the elves elegant words. "It is an honor to be so readily accepted, kind sir."

The elf smiled warmly and his fellows did the same. "Our Queen will be pleased that the one to take her place is one so kind and gracious. Her heart's melody shall ring true to find that her son, the Awaited Prince, shall rule beside one so fitting." Soft murmuring buzzed behind him as the other elves spoke their agreement.

The Elven King's face shone with pride at his people and his future queen. "Shall we go see her, good Ik'katu? I have been anxious since my Queen-Mother summoned me." Muriel knew that he was truthful as she brushed his mind with a gentle touch. He lifted her fingers to his lips and drew her along beside him as the elves moved in one swift turn. They separated before the King and his bride as water slides from the hull of a ship. The elf whom Ban named Ik'katu stepped just behind Ban's right shoulder, staying no more than one step behind the couple as they picked their way among the trees. He had the face of a middle-aged mortal, his skin taunt and sun-bronzed to a golden dusk. Yet in the ageless depths of his fiery eyes was a wisdom that belied his youthful face and graceful movements, a wisdom that told of many years of living.

Muriel's eyes roamed her new home and her senses were assaulted with sights and sounds as she had never imagined. Bird calls more melodious than many humans spend life times trying to achieve. The river itself sang a song which complemented those of the birds and what Muriel came to recognize as elven song, drifting from nowhere and everywhere, curling around her even while it echoed through the towering forest. A golden sunlight filtered down from the thick canopy of leaves, spattering a mottled shadow across the trailing elves. The elven princess glanced at her king just as a spear of light fell across his face, lighting a silver fire in his eyes and setting off a halo of starlight around his head. An image of the man and king whom Ban Suileach would become flitted over his features, the pride and strength of his heritage hardening his features into those of his forefathers; yet he was still the boy underneath it all. She felt her heart clench to think that she would rule beside him in a land that had only ever existed in books for her, love a creature which only breathed through faery tales.

Ban caught Muriel's adoring gaze and a puzzled expression darkened his mercurial face. When her smile only deepened, his face creased with a like grin. He brought his free hand to her face and caressed her silken cheek, setting her cool skin on fire.

Ik'katu observed this with silent rejoicing. And the Lords of the Hills shall sing beneath worthy rulers for another generation. But this time the King shall reign with a Queen as this land has never seen. The older elf smiled a tiny smile of satisfaction. And the Waterfalls will sing their praises at such a love.

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