A Royal Rose

Chapter Four

Inside Aine’s home, it was the cosiest living room she’d ever seen. The room was covered in rich tones of gold, emerald and crimson, the fire in the fireplace glowed an emerald green, and the rug in the centre of the room was a pattern of all the different shades of colour the room had. It smelt heavily of incense and her mother smelt of patchouli as she got wafts Aine’s scent from walking slightly behind her. Looking around the room some more, there were doors leading off from the room and the fabrics inside the living room were lovely thick velvet fabrics. It was a room with far more splendour than what she had grown accustomed to in her bedsit. Even when she’d lived at her paternal grandparents’ house, they’d never lived in a grand house – it was a small bungalow on a housing estate with modest furnishings. Sitting down on a big fluffy armchair, she looked up to see Aine searching in a cupboard, “Found it!” she called, dusting off the brown wooden box which had carvings all over the box in various patterns, “This is your box Rose” her mother said, presenting her with the old dusty box.

Rose held it in her hands and examined it for a moment. Opening it slowly, it creaked as she moved the lid, a musty smell came from inside the box. Inside a piece of cloth lay a wand, it was a long thin piece of wood, with a thread of copper wire was twisted around parts of it and in places – the wire held pink iridescent stones. She placed the box on her lap and looked over at her mother.

“Are you sure this is mine? It is so beautiful” Rose said.

Aine nodded at her, “It is been yours since you were a baby”

So, she placed down the box on the surface next to her, taking the wand she held it up to get a good look at it.

“It is your own wand! The pink opal on the end is from my mother’s wand and is a recent addition but I had everything custom made for you after your first birthday!” her mother told her, “I saved up all the money I could and got it made. It was hidden from my parents all their lives in that box”. Aine watched her daughter admiring it, “I’ve always wanted you Rose, but my parents were so strict and there was Fae law…” she sighed.

For Rose, hearing this was so reassuring for her, as for many years she’d believed she wasn’t wanted by her mother, but it was obvious by what Aine was saying. Her mother had thought about Rose throughout her life away from her. “Thank you… mother” Rose said, testing out the word mother with Aine. Aine beamed with pride by what her daughter had just called her and got her own wand to Rose. The two wands were closely designed, the only difference seemed to be was the crystal used. “Your wand has pink opal…also known as Rose Opal and mine has Jasper which is this lovely brownstone here” Aine explained.

“Thank you for getting it made for me all those years ago. It means a lot to me that you never forgot me. Am I holding it correctly?” Rose asked.

Aine shook her head and showed her the correct hand position for holding her wand. “I could never forget you; my life has been different from the moment you were conceived. I only wished that things had gone to plan on your 18th birthday!” she said. Rose adjusted the positioning on her wand, the room filled with light and Aine squealed in delight. “Your wand has bonded with you darling! Oh, I am so proud!” Aine clapped her hands together and threw her arms around her daughter, “Now, a quick boring word of warning, darling, we can use magic for pretty much anything – only exceptions are love, money and death. Love magic doesn’t last, money can’t be replicated, and death turns your heart cold. Cold hearts are exiled. You cannot be a true Fae with a cold heart. You produce dark magic from there on and that kind of magic is not welcome here. Love magic works temporarily but carries a jail sentence if you are found out. So, yeah, don’t do those things! That’s a recap of a lot of magic school lessons by the way!” Aine explained with a smile.

“I’m still trying to get my head around all this Fae stuff. I’ve checked, several times, I’m certainly awake. Although, my head is killing me due to being hungover!”

“Of course, well, I guess the fairies the humans spoke about in all those stories had to come from somewhere!” Aine replied, “and you seem to be taking the whole Fae thing in your stride darling! I can sort the hangover out” and with a wave of her wand, Rose’s headache was gone.

“If you knew the things, I’ve been dealing with in the last few years, you’d relish any change from your life too!” Rose joked.

Rose and Aine spent hours talking about Rose’s childhood, speaking about how similarities and Aine told Rose about how strict her parents were. The sunlight was starting to creep in through the curtains, but neither woman wanted to go to bed. When Aine spoke to her about her brothers who left on Choosing Day because her parents were that strict. “One by one, they left. I had four older brothers who left the Holt on their Choosing Day. Once they chose human life, they forget about life here. I’m the last of my name, the name Winter dies with me. Hundreds of years ago, we were a strong, large respected family in the Holt. Choosing Day is a blessing and a curse. It only started to become a thing because during the first world war the Fae wanted to protect their country too.”

“when does this Choosing Day happen?” said Rose intrigued.

“On a Fae’s 18th birthday they can choose to be human – but forget their Fae life… they get to experience the human world for one day and come home to the Holt again. Before the invention of lots of technology and gadgets, the Fae always came back, favouring our way of life over the human one. Then phones came about, cars became fast, gadgets were everywhere and I’m assuming since the last time I visited the human world that things have changed even more?” Aine replied.

Rose nodded; the world had come very far since the late nineteen eighties. Aine sighed, “no wonder they’ve left in their droves!” and continued, “we’ve lost so many young adult Fae to the human world in the last few decades, I’m currently trying to pass a law that puts a stop to Choosing Day… even if only for a few decades so the population can recover. I’m trying to fine tune it with some friends before I present it to the King. However, he hardly passes any laws these days, preferring to golf instead!”

There was so much about this world she was yet to learn. Her head spun with questions, but this world was so much more interesting than the one past the veil. Working all the hours she could at work which was just enough to cover her rent, bills and food. She had only been out the night of her grandmother’s funeral because she had gone without food that day to pay for drowning her sorrows. Seeing her mother’s house, seeing her plush comfy couch and her roaring fire made her more than happy to be here. The bonus was getting to know her mother and being surrounded by far more comfortable things that she’d been around all her life.

“I wish I’d found this necklace so much sooner. The last few years haven’t been kind to me. I feel so cheated out of getting to be in your life sooner” Rose sighed.

“I wish you had earlier but in a way it is good. My parents only died…let me have a think, about eight human years ago and I dread to think what they’d have thought about you turning up. My mother was a nice woman- when she wanted to be, but my father was the formidable one”

“I guess things happen for a reason. I’m glad I turned up at this point in my life. I think if I’d come any earlier and I wouldn’t have believed it or thought I was going crazy!” Rose told her mother, “Am I even allowed to be in the Holt?”

“Of course, you are! I’ve cleared it with the King himself. You are the first of your kind allowed in the Holt! You’re a Faeman and that makes you unique” her mother said.

“Faeman?” Rose asked.

“Yes, Faeman… half Fae and half human. Getting you allowed to come home was one of the first rules I got lifted when my parents died. I would have brought you in any way, but it would have been all hush hush. It is a good job in hindsight that you didn’t find that necklace when you were meant to, otherwise, things could have been very different. Just ignore anyone with any prejudices for your parentage too, there are still some older folks that will make a comment, I bet!” Aine was now sat on the arm of the chair she held Rose’s hand, “It is time for me to go to bed now darling. I have a busy day ahead tomorrow”

“Oh yes, I’ve got to sign some paperwork that proves your identity. I’ll need your signature at some point but make sure you have a good look around at the beauty the Holt has to offer! Goodnight Rose”. Aine yawned loudly before getting up, kissing her daughter’s head then walking to her room.

“night mother!” Rose called after her, she couldn’t help herself as she enjoyed the novelty of calling her that. Getting up and going to the bedroom she’d been given, she smiled from ear to ear as she walked towards the room. Inside, the room was a pure luxury compared to the bedroom she had in the house share back in the human world. The white bedsheets were crisp and pressed, the daisies sat neatly in a vase on the vanity table and a small bear was in the centre of the bed. Rose wondered, was that teddy mine?

Now Rose was alone she decided to try out magic for the first time by herself. Positioning herself in front of the long mirror in the corner of the room, Rose held her hand up as her mother had told her and imagined the clothes she wanted on. She waved her wand in a small circle she felt the energy move down her arm, into the wand and her clothes changed from her jeans and top to a simple cream nightgown. Amazed, Rose felt the fancy fabric against her skin, the softest cotton she’d ever felt on her skin. Climbing under the duvet and snuggling into bed, the mattress felt heavenly underneath her – no springs sticking in her back. Bringing the teddy bear close to her, she hugged it tight and for the first time in years felt like she belonged.