Hidden in the Faelands

A year had passed since they had met the beautiful woman named Freya. The twins were now six years old and it was time for them to start fae school. A part of Zelious wasn't ready for them to enter such a stage in life, but another part was relieved. It meant that while the children were learning, he could finally have some alone time.

Being the single parent to twins was a lot of work and he had practically kissed goodbye to alone time. This would be good for him to get a break from taking care of them all of the time. He was currently asleep and had yet to rise for the morning. However, that would soon change.

The sound of small feet on the floor could be heard as Vanya crept into her father's room and climbed onto the bed. She gently pushed at his shoulder, trying to wake him. "Papa, papa! Wake uuuup!" Zelious groaned and cracked open a blue eye to see who was trying to wake him up.

He saw that it was Vanya which meant that Cal hadn't woken up just yet. Vanya normally woke up before her brother who liked to sleep and wasn't really a morning person. At seeing her father wake up, she smiled at him. "Papa, you know what today is, right?" She asked, moving to sit back on the empty side of his bed.

Zelious closed his eye for a moment before opening both eyes this time and rubbed at them sleepily. "Perhaps. Why don't you remind me, little dove?" He yawned, moving to sit up as he tried to wake up. Vanya giggled and crawled onto her father's lap. "Today we start school!" Zelious knew all along what today was but liked to play along with his children. He wrapped her in a hug with a grin, laughing softly.

"That's right. That means papa finally gets a break!" He then tickled Vanya, causing her to squeal in laughter that would no doubt wake her brother who was in the room right next to Zelious's. "But papa, ahahaha, we're not that bad!" She giggled.

Cal was sleeping soundly in his comfortable bed whe a shrill of giggling woke him up. He groaned and slammed at the wall with his fist. "Quiet! Its tooooo early!" He whined before going back to sleep. Cal on the other hand didn't want to go to Faery School nor get laughed at by the fae. He threw his blanket over his head and begun to snore again.

Zelious chuckled when he heard Cal slam his fist against the wall, complaining about how loud they were being. He stopped tickling Vanya and chuckled. "All right, go try to get your brother up and I'll make breakfast." He kissed her on the forehead before getting out of bed.

"Yes, papa!" She jumped off of his bed while he headed into the kitchen. She ran into the room she shared with her brother and jumped ontop of Cal. "Cal! Cal! Wake up!"

"Get off of me you weirdo!" Cal yelled and whined as he tried to stay under the covers. Cal then pushed her off the bed irritably and grunted under his covers. "Rabbit eared freak..." He growled to himself as he knew she would run off and leave him alone. Cal was a good kid but he had a cranky streak in him when irked the right way. He sighed as finally got peace and quiet. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

Vanya tugged at the covers, trying to get her brother to wake up. "Papa said to wake up!" She then whined as she hit the floor after being pushed off of the bed. "I'm telling papa!" She said, getting up and running off to the kitchen to tell on him.

Zelious was in the middle of cooking breakfast when Vanya ran into the kitchen with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, little dove?" Vanya clung to his leg, burying her face against it. "Cal called me a rabbit eared freak again." Zelious sighed and finished cooking breakfast and took the pan off of the stove.

He bent down in front of Vanya and wiped her tears away. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Sit down and start eating while I go get your brother." He ruffled her hair and then stood up, heading into his son's bedroom while Vanya snickered to herself and sat at the table to put food on her plate.

Zelios entered the room and walked over to his son's bed, yanking the cover off of him. "Cal, did you call your sister a rabbit eared freak again?"

Cal groaned and hid his face in the pillow. "Not my fault her mother is a rabbit." He muffled into the pillow. "She's not even that upset. She only pretends 'cause you'll come running at anyone who upsets your precious daughter." Cal said tiredly and tries to go back to bed. Like Elayne, he was a cranky sleeper.

"Cal, you two have the same mother and she was most certainly not a rabbit," Zelious said while rolling his eyes, moving to sit down on the edge of the bed. "Regardless of if she is upset or not, it's still not nice to call people rude names." He then sighed and stood up, shaking his head.

"Come on, son, it's time to get up. You need to have a healthy breakfast before you go to school. I'll give you five minutes to get up and then I'm coming back in here and you're getting up whether you want to or not."

"I'm not going!" Cal argued and shoved his face onto his pillow,looking the other way. "I wanna stay here...with you." He whined with tears in his eyes but he blinked them away so they were gone. "School is dumb, fae children are gonna make fun of us..." Cal whimpered as he slunk his head under his pillow.

Zelious was about to walk out of the room when Cal told him tha the wasn't going. He sighed and moved to sit back down beside Cal, placing a hand on his arm. "I know you don't want to go to school, Cal. It's important that you go, though. Besides, you'll be given the chance to make some friends. Don't you want friends that aren't your sister?"

He rubbed his son's back, knowing that he was upset. "Remember what I said if anyone picks on you? You gotta ignore it and let it roll down your back like drops of water. Can droplets of water hurt you? No, they can't. Not if you don't let them."

"They can if its hail..." Calanon was being a bit of a smartass as he finally growled and got out of bed knowing his father wasn't going to let him get away with anything. Its so unfair. Vanya could get away with murder while he can't get away with anything. Cal went to sit at tbe table while glaring at his sister. "I hate you." Cal glared at her.

Instead of getting mad at Cal for being a smartass, he couldn't help but chuckle. Although he seemed to favor Vanya a lot, he still loved Cal just as much. It was just that Cal and Zelious were a lot alike and often butted heads. It didn't mean he didn't love his son any less, though. He followed Cal into the kitchen and put some food on Cal's plate.

Vanya stuck her tongue out at Cal when Zelious wasn't looking and resumed eating. Once Zelious had finished putting food on his own plate, he sat at the table with them and began to eat.

Cal glared but continued to eat his food as he tried to ignore his tattletale sister. Then a knock was at the front door. "I got it!" Cal zoomed out of his seat and hurried over in hopes that it was someone he knew. When opening the door, he revealed the merchant Freya. "Freya! Papa! Its Freya!" He yelled with excitement. "It is me! My you are getting to be a big lad. Are you excited for school?" Freta giggled but Cal frowned and shook his head "no". Freya merely smiled and lifted him into a hug. "Why so glum, little knight?" She smiled and sat him down with her on her lap. 

"Everyone will pick on me..." He pouuted as Freya smiled a hugged him. "Then they are not worth your time, little knight. You'll find others who will feel differently and like you the way you are. Those are the people worth spending your time on..." Freya tickled him and then hugged him. Cal then got off her lap and guided her to the kitchen. "Hello Zel, i hate to bother you but i have a few dark elf artifacts i accumulated but I fear some of them could ne fakes. Would you mind taking a look?" She asked curiously while staring at him with admiration.

Zelious heard the knock, but before he could get up and go see who it was, Cal had already announced he was going to get it and ran off. He chuckled, shaking his head at the antics of his son and settled back down to resume eating. If it was anyone important, Cal would let him know. He could hear Cal announce who it was and he couldn't help but get a little excited at the thought of seeing Freya again.

There was something about her that reminded him of Elayne and he couldn't help but be interested in her. Of course, he had no intention to do anything that would betray Elayne. Even though they were apart, she was still the woman he loved but that didn't mean he couldn't get to know Freya.

He stood up as she entered the kitchen and brushed his pants off. "Hello, Freya. Sure, I don't mind." He then paused, looking at her. "Have you had breakfast yet? You're welcome to join us. After breakfast, I can take a look at those artifacts."

As Freya, it was hard for Elayne to pretend to be someone else. She wanted anything in the world to tell Zel she was here and embrace her babies but it was best this way. "Oh well, thank you Zel. If you don't mind then I will. She smiled as she helped herself. "Vanya...are you excited? I'm sure Queen Celia is excited to have her first two elven/human children in her class. I heard from her myself that she's excited to teach you with the rest of the fae. Of course you'll have other teachers...I even heard a faun and centaur are enrolled as professors this year..." Freya winked at Vanya. "Freya?" Cal asked as she paused. "What is it, Little Knight?" She asked with a humored smile while eating. "What is home like?" He asked curiously while Freya giggled. "You are home silly." She pat his head while Calanon looked slightly annoyed. "No I mean home. Where we are from...the Elven lands and the human lands..." He asked as Freya coughed for a moment and shot him a shocked look before looking at Zelious. "Well...I don't venture far from my own lands too often. Elves and humans...can clash at times and the threat of being a merchant and traveling with wood Elves raiding has been a serious issue. I also don't go to Avinora due to grown up conflicts. My people live in the Shadesong mountains...there are wars there too. Tribes of men fighting among each other...you're much safer here little ones." She said before Cal looked disappointed. "Where did mother come from, father?" Cal asked as Freya looked curiously at Zel.

Zel nodded and got up and fixed her a plate before setting it down in front of her and then took his seat once more. Vayna perked up as she was addressed and smiled at Freya, nodding eagerly. "Yes, I am super excited! I hope I can make a ton of friends. It's boring with just Cal to play with."

Zel smiled and watched her interact with his children, content to watch as he ate his breakfast. He couldn't help but looked at Cal when he asked about home. He felt a little conflicted, knowing that Cal wanted to know what Avinora and Elvhenan were like. As much as he would love to take his children and show them, it was simply too dangerous. Here in the Fae lands, they were safe and he would not risk his children's safety.

Zel picked up his glass to take a sip and nearly choked as Cal asked him about their mother. He set the glass down and swallowed, catching his breath before looking at Cal. He was silent for a moment, debating on whether to tell him or not. "She was from Avinora." It was simply easier to let Cal think that their mother had been born in the human realm rather than the Fae lands.

"I wish you two could have met her. She would have loved the two of you with all of her heart." It was difficult to act as if Elayne was dead, but it was easier if the children thought she was so he didn't have to explain her situation. "I miss her very much. She was truly the light of my life."

"I'm sure she is proud of you..." Freya said to Zel with a smile. Cal frowned as it was hard for him to believe that his mother was gone but he said nothing. Then a little faery orbed in and giggled. "Hello, I'm Bluebell Honeythorn and I'm here to escort the children to school!" She fluttered with a sweet giggle. Cal dashed to get dressed and also gather his satchel as Bluebell waited patiently. "I'm ready!" Cal hurried out his room and towards Bluebell.

Zel smiled at Freya, appreciating her words. He then noticed the faery as she arrived. "Ah, excellent. I am looking forward to getting some me time," He said, obviously joking. As much as he would enjoy some alone time, he loved his children. Vanya giggled and finished eating breakfast before hopping off of the chair and running into her room to get ready and grab her satchel.

She then ran back out and blew a kiss to Zelious. "Bye papa! I'll miss you," She said before focusing her attention on Bluebell after waving goodbye to Freya as well. Zelious chuckled and watched his children.

Freya giggled as she watched Cal and Vanya run out of the house and follow the faery. "They grow so fast dont they...six years. My time flies..." Freya looked at Zel with a smile but then froze when she noticed she slipped up. She bit her lip and hoped Zel didn't notice what she said was unusual when she has only known them for a year technically.

Zelious was about to agree with her until he realized she had said something strange. He looked at her in surprise, knowing that she had only known them for a year. So why did she act as if she had known them for their whole life? "What did you say?" He looked at her with obvious suspicion, wondering if he had heard wrong.

"I-I said they have grown so much over the past year...would you like tea? Coffee?" She smiled warily and got up to do some dishes for Zel. Elayne felt her heart panic and knew if Zel knew she was spying on him then he would have been livid. She also knew he couldn't keep a secret from the children to save his life and he was already struggling to keep Elayne being alive a secret too.

Zelious noticed how nervous she seemed which meant something was up. He slowly stood up and followed her, boxing her in where she stood taking care of the dishes. "That's not what you said. You said six years. Are you a spy? Is your name really Freya? If you mean my children harm, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Zelious, I would never touch your children. I adore them. Why would I even try to harm them? There is no motive in it for me. I'm a northerner. We keep to ourselves. I sell toys and artifacts to feed my tribe..." Frey looked at Zel in concern but not fear. "I understand you're afraid for them. I would be too if mine were born of nobility but you got to understand I would protect them like my own..." She said as she admitted she knew of their royal status. "What? You think i didn't figure it out? A half dark and high elf whom us hated by his people in Elvehenan hides in the faelands with two children with no mother yet was last seen with King Ailuin and his Queen? Im not stupid Zelious and i never told a soul." Freya looked at him sternly. "You can do what you feel. Kill me, if it gives you comfort." Freya looked him dead in the eyes and walked up to him.

Zelious narrowed his eyes at her, still suspicious despite her words of assurance that she would never harm his children. "You didn't answer my question on if you were a spy. Not to mention, you mentioned six years as if you had known them their whole life. Can you blame me for being suspicious with you knowing of my royal status? I don't want to kill you but I will do whatever I must to keep my children safe. I promised their mother that I would look after them."

Freya pulled Zelious into a passionate kiss and clung to him tightly and slammed him into a wall with a moan. Her red hair begun to fade to white. Her eyes from green to blue, and her freckled skin to fair and free of them. She pulled from him and sighed. "You are too fucking stubborn for me. Now shut up and kiss me." Elayne said as she kissed him passionately and refused to let him go. She had been aching and begging for him for so long. She wasnt in the mood for chatter. Her fingers gripped his hair firmly as she forced him to continue kissing her. Knowing if she hadn't, Zel would just try to stop and discuss her whole disguise act.

Zelious's eyes widened as he was pulled into a kiss and then slammed into a wall. He was certainly not expecting it. He had just been about to push her away when he noticed her hair and eye color changing and he realized who she was. "E-Elayne---" He was cut off when she kissed him again and as much as he wanted to question her, he wasn't about to deny her.

He picked her up, kissing her back. He was so happy and surprised to see her, having never expected to see her this soon, if ever again. He carried her to the table, pressing her against it as he felt his desire grow. It was a good thing that the children were gone to school. He placed his body in between her legs, his hands sliding her skirt up as he brushed his palms against her thighs.

He couldn't deny that her being so assertive and gripping his hair was hot as hell and only served to turn him on further. He ground against her, his member already hard. It was hard not to be turned on when she was kissing him like this. He made a mental note to save the questions for later. Right now, he just wanted to make love to her.