A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Complete ~ 5/26

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polartwins
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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 10 ~ 6/5

Post by polartwins »

A/N: Wow guys! Thank you all so much for the fantastic feedback! You guys rock and totally make our day every time we see a new comment. The two will see each other again, we promise, but it is going to be a while. In the mean time, yes, we will be seeing both of them growing up and the individual challenges and maturing they face. We hope you all enjoy the chapter and we'll be back on Sunday with the next!













Gone






He stared at the door in front of him, shifting uneasily on the balls of his feet, the silence beyond the door making his stomach sink further and a cold sweat break over his brow as his fears grew exponentially. He was used to her laughter ringing through the rooms and the humming, buttery joy that rippled through the air, radiating in waves from the rooms, so the cold, bitter taste of fear and pungent defeat that encircled their apartment made his heart pinch and his stomach to roll.

This was his fault.

If he had managed to keep his temper and control the unruly powers that seared a path through his veins at the sight of her attackers, she would have never been exposed to the town and worse it seemed.

Swaying unsteadily, he slumped against the side of the building, sliding against the wood as he sank to the concrete, pulling his knees to his chest and dropped his head against them, his gut burning acidly as he fought back the tears that were prickling in the backs of his eyes and clogging his throat, threatening to fall at any moment. But he couldn’t allow it to happen because he knew she’d want him to be strong and not mourn what neither of them could control. He knew she wouldn’t blame him for this, but was cold comfort, knowing that he would never see her again because of his stupid, reckless need to prove something to himself.

When he saw the other boy going for her, intent on hurting her, and saw the bully’s fingers pinch into the delicate flesh of her arm, making her flinch imperceptibly, he had seen red, his blood boiling with rage, his innate need to protect those he loved sending him rushing heedlessly to her side, only to be shoved away. He knew that they were older, bigger and meaner than the two of them, and that it was bound to turn out badly. He should have just screamed or called out, alerting the inattentive yard duty of their little drama, but instead, he did what he always did when faced with injustice, he tried to right the wrong inflicted.

And she had paid the price. She had come to his rescue instead when she felt the current of his power building and growing out of control, the pain radiating through his body as they kicked him, making it difficult to concentrate, and he had been within moments of lashing out with that burning, red electricity that danced just beneath his skin. She had known it, sensed just how close he was to exposing himself and stepped in, taking the fall, inadvertently exposing her own gifts.

He knew it was dangerous; that something dark and menacing hovered over her family, forcing them to hide for no apparent reason, and that they were wary of the town finding out what they were; yet he could find no cause, unless it wasn’t really the town they were worried about, but that place she called the Court. He sensed her fear every time she mentioned the place, and visions of blood and pain ripped through his young, susceptible mind whenever he touched Nancy while his guard was down. Which made his stomach cramp even harder, wondering if his friend would be subjected to the same harsh treatment.

Gagging at the thought, he swallowed down the hot, acidic bile coating his throat and squeezed his eyes shut, unconsciously rocking as he tried to pull his wayward emotions in check before they tapped into the electric thrum under his skin and shattered his control once more. He still couldn’t afford to let people know that he was something other than fey, and this time, Liz wasn’t there to ground him.

Keeping his breath deep and even, his brow pinched fiercely as he recalled the different exercises Nancy had began teaching him when he felt his magic growing too large for him to contain, and set about reigning them in, startling when the creaking of the door caught his ear and Nancy’s concerned brown eyes flicked over him quietly. Looking up into that steady gaze, he saw his own heartache, fear and guilt mirrored back at him, making his stomach clench further, and yet a trickle of relief flowed through his veins knowing that he wasn’t completely alone in his feelings.

Tearing his eyes away, he cowered against the wood, his body curling into itself defensively as he wondered whether she would blame him as well for her daughter’s subsequent exposure and disappearance, just as Hank blamed and punished him for anything and everything that went wrong in his life. Peeking up hesitantly, wonder flowed through his heart as he saw her staring at him with concern, and a touch of pity, as she dropped to the ground before him, her arms coming out to wrap him into a loose embrace as she murmured quietly, “Oh Michael, come on in, honey.”
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"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 11 ~ 6/12

Post by polartwins »

A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback you guys! It always makes us happy to read your comments, see the things you like and what you have questions about. I hope you enjoy this first glimpse of Liz's new world (along with some more hints of just who she is/is related to in the books), and we'll have more Michael soon :D















Terrible Beauty






The Seelie Court was beautiful, all marble and precious metals, alabaster white, pearlescent pink, shimmering gold, blushing lavender, and burnished silver. It was beautiful, but cold, empty. Other than the sidhe and lesser fey in residence, and the sithen itself, there was no sense of life to it. Even the constant pulse of the Earth beneath her feet could no longer be detected, and the lack of that heartbeat, of nature’s warmth, chilled her more than the presence of the tall and vicious being who had taken her.

The sidhe, whose name she knew was Uar the Cruel, a name that had haunted her nightmares since she was old enough to remember her dreams, had led her from his private quarters down hall after hall of icy loveliness, the glimpses of the occasional sidhe, brownie, and other lesser fey keeping her mind from circling into despair. Finally she was led into a new room, the largest she’d ever seen, and felt the first pulse of life – a giant oak tree in autumn foliage that stretched from the center of the marble floor, towards a ceiling that was no ceiling at all, but pieces of blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and warm sunbeams that drifted down and lifted her mood instantly as they brushed against her skin, glowing with the same light.

She exhaled softly in awe, fingers itching with the urge to touch the tree, an urge she resisted as he led her around the immense trunk towards a pair of wooden and metal doors that were taller even than Uar, doors that opened gently all on their own as they approached. The riot of colors and light on the other side nearly blinded her, the colors of fire or a sunset standing out the most: deep red fading into a burnt orange and then a bright yellow. Once her vision began to clear, she could see the shimmer of gold that filled the air, as if someone was constantly shaking a giant canister of glitter from the ceiling, but glitter made of magic, not metal or plastic.

The focus of the room was a large golden throne, encrusted with gleaming jewels, and the sidhe man, whom she knew to be her uncle, ensconced on it, his face and form, even his hair, all too dazzling for her to comprehend. Nobles filled the room on either side of the throne, an iridescent rainbow of colors, all striving for brilliance. Uar, whom she refused to call father, led her to the clear area in front of Taranis and she immediately dropped into the full curtsy her mother had spent days training her in, just in case. It didn’t look quite right in the simple blue sundress she’d been wearing, but it would have been a far worse impression if she’d just stood and gawked like a regular human brought into the mound.

Uar bowed his head, as the King’s brother he was allowed the smaller gesture of respect, showing no signs of surprise at her actions. It almost made her wish that she’d acted the country bumpkin, just to reflect poorly on him. “May I present my child, the Lost Daughter, Princess Elizabeth NicUar.”

There was a faint rushing murmur among the assembled Nobles and then Taranis laughed, a gentle melodious sound that sent prickles of warning down her spine even as she yearned to hear more of it. “Rise, Elizabeth, my niece. Welcome to the Golden Court.”

Liz rose gracefully to her feet, muscles grateful that he had not left her there longer, as rising without permission was a punishable offense. “I am honored to be in your presence, Uncle Taranis, King of Light and Illusion.” He waved his hand magnanimously, attention already drifting away from her, although she still felt the full force of his glamour, the play of light and color around him nearly making her dizzy.

Uar’s hand wrapped firmly around her upper arm once again, and he guided her towards a small cluster of nobles near the throne that included three women, one the near perfect ideal of sidhe beauty, the second tall, pale, and beautiful, but lacking the glow or coloring that marked the fey as different from human, and the third a lovely mix of sidhe and brownie features, although Liz could tell by the way the woman held herself that she did not consider her looks anything but a curse. All three were staring at her with an intensity akin to hatred, and she knew even before Uar spoke that they were her relatives, two sisters and a niece, all decades if not centuries older than her, and none of whom would welcome her with open arms.

In that moment, it took all she had not to weep like she truly was the normal, human, nine-year-old girl she’d always pretended to be.
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"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 12 ~ 6/20

Post by polartwins »

A/N: You guys rock! Thank you so much for the feedback! Liz is having a tough time of it right now, as is Michael, but things will get better, although maybe not in the way you'd expect :wink: We hope you all enjoy the chapter and we'll be back next week with another glimpse at Liz's new world!













Lies of Omission






He’d always known there was something different about his wife, and subsequently, his little girl, something ethereal, magical; something special that they were hiding from him. Even with as careful as Nancy had been in concealing Liz’s coloring, there were moments where he had seen something that didn’t add up – a flicker of gold in the plain espresso locks, her eyes lightening a touch when she strayed a certain distance from his wife, the occasional glimmer of her skin when the sunlight touched it.

He had even considered the possibility of fey blood to explain the little flashes of ‘other,’ odd things that happened that couldn’t be explained, the way water would rise a tad when one was upset, little incidents that didn’t quite add up to normal. But he ignored them; turned a blind eye to what was right in front of him, and convinced himself that it was nothing more than an overactive imagination, because he believed that Nancy knew she could trust him, to come to him with anything.

He had never considered this possibility, however.

His daughter was not only fey, but a Seelie princess, fourth in line from the throne and the daughter of a cruel, vicious man, who had no compunction about killing his former lover in order to control Liz’s life and groom her for her position at Court. Drawing a deep breath, he closed his eyes wearily, pressing his fingers to his eyes as the scene from a year before flashed through his mind, Liz’s terrified and tearful face making his heart thrum with a slow, dull ache. He’d give anything to see one of his daughter’s joyful grins, to know that she was safe and healthy if not completely happy in her new home, because no matter her birth or lineage, she would always be his little girl.

Sighing heavily, the weight of the world resting on his shoulders, he opened his eyes and stared at Nancy, his wife of eleven years as well as the love of his life, and waited for the familiar burn of resentment and betrayal to swim through his blood, only to be faced with a cold, empty numbness echoing through his body. He couldn’t very well be angry with her for holding onto those secrets, having seen Uar up close and personal; she had hidden their secret in order to keep everyone she loved safe and make sure that their daughter didn’t end up as a court pawn, but he wished she would have had faith in his ability to protect his family.

If he had known…well, the reality was, he likely wouldn’t have been able to prevent anything, but at the very least he would have had some inkling of what to expect and would have gotten them out of town before Uar showed up.

Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, he startled when Nancy’s head popped up, her blue eyes dulled by remorse and heavily shadowed with loss, making his heart twinge and thud heavily in his chest. She’d always had the ability to touch something deep inside, a feeling that had grown exponentially despite their recent terse truce, and he hated the distance between them, wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms so they could grieve together. In truth, he didn’t know why he kept holding off, other than it still pricked his pride that Uar managed to invade his home, nearly killing his wife and making off with his daughter while he lie unconscious on the ground.

Shame welled in his stomach, swirling sickly as their eyes met and held, each filled with so many regrets, pain and so much left unsaid between them, that he began to wonder if they’d ever cross this divide. In the end, it was one small tear that broke him, trickling down her cheek silently and setting him into motion. He had always hated seeing her cry. Crossing the floor, and subsequently the chasm that had built between them, he hovered at her side for a moment before wrapping her in his arms and pulling her close to his heart, both finally home.
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"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 13 ~ 6/26

Post by polartwins »

Garcia88: Thanks for the feedback! The year definitely has been hard on all of them, but things will improve for Liz and Michael, we have lots in store for them :D
barbara87413: Thank you for the feedback! It is nice to have a completed story we can update so regularly, lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
cjsl8ne: Thanks! We're glad you enjoyed Jeff's POV, as for Liz, well, you'll see :wink:
HypnotiqBlueEyes: Thank you so much! We're so thrilled to have another reviewer! It'll be a while before Michael and Liz are reunited, but there should be enough plot to keep you entertained until then :D
pandas2001: Thanks for the feedback! We'll find out more about Liz and Michael in the next few chapters.

A/N: This chapter's a bit angsty, but, we'll get more plotful soon :D















Home Sweet Home






A single tear fell into the pool of water, washing away the image of her mother and father, curled up together on the couch of what had been her living room, both looking unbearably sad. Her heart ached, as she knew that she was the cause of their grief, just as their absence from her life created a gaping hole inside of her that could never be filled. Stolen glances when she had the time and privacy to scry for them were not enough, and only the knowledge that Uar would kill them both without hesitation stopped her from trying to contact them by more human means.

Reaching down, she brushed her finger across the water once more, the smooth surface rippling unnaturally as another face appeared – Michael. He was scowling and she let out a choked laugh, lips twitching into an affectionate smile even as the ache in her chest deepened at the reminder of another lost connection, her only friend. It must have been lunchtime at their elementary school, because he was sitting at a table in the cafeteria across from Isabel and Max, who were both chatting animatedly while Michael picked at his food. She wanted to urge him to eat, knowing he wouldn’t have anything at home later, and bit her lip until a drop of blood welled to the surface when she realized that she couldn’t, and that even if she could, he probably wouldn’t listen.

Did he hate her for leaving? Would she ever see him again in truth? Would he speak to her if she did?

Clenching her jaw, she stood up, glaring at the basin of water until the image cleared, leaving only her gleaming reflection; beautiful, inhuman, and painfully lonely, although no hint of her battered emotions was revealed in her glittering eyes or placid expression. It was her armor, more valuable than the shields protecting her from the intrusion of others’ minds or magic. Just as her mother had been, she was trapped between two worlds, forced to walk a deadly, treacherous tightrope while those around her waited for her to fall.

Her sun-kissed skin was prized in the Seelie Court, as were her shimmering tri-colored eyes and richly hued hair. But her height, and the questions of her immortality and power – the former unknown and the latter strong, but not enough to satisfy those who derided her mixed blood – prevented her from being truly accepted among the glittering throng, who wore their perfection and pride like an impenetrable cloak.

Her hands tightened into fists as she paced and she winced as she felt a sharp pain in her palm when her perfectly groomed nails sliced into her flesh, tiny drops of crimson beading at the edges of the small wound. It was the perfect metaphor for life at Court; gleaming and perfect and deadly, while a river of blood flowed invisibly underneath – the blood of innocents, those not so innocent, and most of all, the blood of anyone who got in their way, who wasn’t worthy of regard, only entertainment.

She knew that they weren’t all so callous; some of those in Court were almost kind to her, even if only through indifference or a desire not to antagonize anyone with a connection to the throne, and logically, she was sure that there must be those who were worthy of friendship, who didn’t regard humans as lesser beings, annoyances, worthless.

She just hadn’t met any.

Her hand had healed, the skin once again flawless, and banishing her turbulent and far too human emotions back into the depths of her spirit, she turned towards the door, walking out of her small, private sanctum and into her bedroom proper, where Aelwen, a brownie, was waiting to help her dress for Court that night. Smiling with something close to sincerity, she greeted her and waited patiently while she was fussed over. Even now, with someone who would never look down on her, with whom she was almost friendly, she couldn’t let down her guard. The lesser fey were terrified of her father, as was most of the Court, and she could never be sure what would be repeated to less than friendly ears. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes until she willed them away, assuming her persona of polite civility with disturbing ease.

Would she ever be able to trust anyone again?
Image

"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 14 ~ 7/3

Post by polartwins »

A/N: I am so sorry for the lateness of this post everyone. Ashita's been dealing with some personal stuff, and all my summer classes are now in session (I'm taking almost a full semester load) and I just completely forgot Sunday, and was too exhausted yesterday. But! I will do better next week, and should be back on Sunday.

Thank you all so very very much for your feedback, we both delight over every comment and question and share them with each other all the time. You had some great ones over the last chapter, and just to clarify, Liz is not replacing any of the book characters in actuality or plot arc (it will be our own story, interwoven with canon), although as you can see, she is related to some of them. It will be clarified in story later, but Liz is Besaba's younger sister, meaning that she would be Merry's aunt (younger aunt, but, it's the fey, what can you do :lol:). Everything else will be revealed in story, and we will be seeing Alex soon!
















Surprising Developments






Stalking out of the oppressive tin can he had the misfortune of calling home, Michael kicked a box near the door, rage coursing through his veins as he stalked off, his so-called guardian lumbering behind him, shouting unintelligibly given his drunken state. Flicking a cold glance over his shoulder, the man’s hateful words, labeling him a fey freak and worse, rang through his ears as he hurried out of the trailer park, his stomach churning acidly, the burn of it flowing up his throat as he bit his tongue.

He’d learned a long time ago that his words and opinions meant nothing to the man, and smarting off, no matter how satisfying at the time, only ended with him bloody, bruised and his skin electrically-charged as his powers surged through his veins, searing him from the inside out as they sought release. And he couldn’t afford that. While some of his traits could be dismissed as psychic or fey, there were certain gifts that weren’t common to man or faerie and would likely lead him to a cage or laboratory, being poked and prodded as if he were nothing more than a rat.

Because no matter how far they had come to acceptance in this country, aliens still were considered a threat to national security and he was not up to being a guinea pig.

Scowling as a current of electricity rippled through him, he grit his teeth as it splashed over raw nerves as if someone had shot acid through his veins, the hot flush of energy eating away at him inside and quickened his pace, knowing that he needed to get some place unobservable in case it exploded. He’d been fighting some surge inside him for the past several months, something alien and different from the powers he and Liz had honed before…before he got her sent away.

Pain and guilt flashed through his chest at the thought of his friend, adding to the near unbearable burn constricting his lungs, making his heart flutter wildly as he broke into a run, heading for the only place that he felt safe, the place Liz and he had made their own. There he could let down his guard and if something happened, he was far enough away that people wouldn’t be able to see his powers erupt and wouldn’t be able to report anything strange. Due to the few lessons he’d had with Nancy and Liz, he had better control than when he’d met the fey girl and it allowed him to fly under the radar, but something new was happening inside and he didn’t know how to control it.

Slipping into the park, he looked around furtively, keeping to the shadows as he slipped into the trees, electricity dancing over his body, an almost visible cob-webbing of electric blue energy lacing his skin, forcing him to shove his hands in his pockets as the power rose, the pressure building until his head throbbed. Shoving his hands against his head, he panted shallowly, grunting with pain when the power coiled for a moment before exploding, shooting out of his body like a whip, his shoulders sagging when the pressure dissipated and he sunk to his knees wearily.

His head shot up, eyes widening with shock as a small bush erupted beside him, flames crackling in the twilight and he gaped as he stared at the burning bush for a moment, sweat trickling down his temples before he stood hastily, waving his hands over the bush frantically and tried to wave it out, panicking when the flames began to spread. Biting his lip, he drew a deep breath, centering himself as Liz and Nancy had coached him and closed his eyes, imagining the flames extinguishing as he waved his hands over the bush.

Opening his eyes, he let out a sigh of relief; a proud smile flitting wearily over his face as his shoulders sagged once more and he ran a hand over his face, the exhaustion from expending so much energy crashing over him now that the adrenaline wasn’t riding his body. Catching movement at his right, his head snapped up, fear zinging over his nerves until he caught sight of a familiar face, Liz’s mom watching him with surprise as she came further into the clearing and he leaned against her gratefully when she wrapped an arm around him, ruffling his hair slightly as she murmured, “I think we need to talk.”
Image

"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 15 ~ 7/12

Post by polartwins »

A/N: Let's play, can you spot the majorly AU Roswell character :D Thank you very much for your feedback, pandas2001 and Kris, we're so glad you guys are enjoying our story, and the melding of these two worlds. We hope you enjoy this chapter as well!















Thinner than Blood






Cair’s lips twisted with distaste as Liz crossed the throne room to stand next to her family, and Liz let her eyes drift dismissively over her niece, strengthening her shields against the waves of hatred emanating from the fey who was over a century older than her. Cair resented all of mixed blood who were closer to the Seelie ideal than she was, and the fact that the brunette’s arrival in Court had moved her one step further away from the throne, lessening the shield that kept the sidhe from ignoring her entirely in disgust at her ‘unnatural’ features, meant that she loathed Liz with staggering intensity.

Eluned, Liz’s oldest sister and Cair’s mother, preferred cool disdain over her daughter’s outright fury, but Besaba, her other sister, hated her just as deeply, although she was better at concealing her true feelings behind a façade of sweet poison.

“You look lovely tonight, Elizabeth,” she greeted, smiling distantly down at her. “I can’t believe you can stand in those heels.”

Liz repressed a bitter chuckle at the dig to her height and human blood (after all, the sidhe had perfect balance), as she nodded in her sister’s direction. “I manage somehow, Besaba. You look equally lovely; you look positively radiant in that color.” Besaba’s face tightened infinitesimally and Liz continued to smile innocently, well aware of just why her sister hated her, and how envious she was of Liz’s glowing skin, so rare and prized within the Seelie Court, and in complete contrast with Besaba’s beautiful, but human, complexion.

Before any of her relatives could get in another barb, she stepped away, head tilted as if she’d seen something of interest, maintaining a pleasant smile as she drifted around the edges of the milling Nobles, a headache slowly building between her temples. Was that another sign of her weakness, of her human blood? The fey, even the sidhe, could feel pain, but they weren’t afflicted by common ailments, and she couldn’t help but question everything her body did, wondering just how frail she was compared to those around her.

There was only one way to test for mortality, and she had no intention of experimenting. Assuming no one else decided to check for her; she was a bit young for duels, but she had heard rumors of the trials of her other niece, Princess Meredith NicEssus of the Unseelie Court, and the fear that one day she would suffer the same never left her.

Without noticing, her feet had carried her closer to the door, and she forced herself to stop. Leaving would draw attention to her, negative attention. Even if no one spoke to her, she was expected to attend every Court function; she would have considered protesting, but she had a feeling that Uar would have gotten rid of the tutor he had begrudgingly provided, and only her few hours of allotted education a day kept her sane. Turning to weave her way back to the other side of the room, her innate spatial sense failed her, and she almost collided with one of the Royal Guards.

A tight coil of fear wrapped around her gut. The Guards scared her, knowing as she did that they would do whatever their King commanded without question, a King whom she did not trust, and whose sanity she’d come to fear. Dropping into a graceful curtsy, she confidently met his gaze, knowing better than to show her fear. “I apologize; I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings.”

The Guard, one of the tallest in Court, was stunningly beautiful, with shining skin, and tri-colored eyes of midnight blue, the cool blue of a spring sky, and an outer ring of glimmering silver. His hair was ankle length with hues of ebony, mahogany, and the dark auburn of dried blood. His tunic and trousers perfectly complimented his coloring, black and deep crimson, with the standard gold embroidered tabard bearing Taranis’s symbol – the stylized flame, which had once represented the live human sacrifices that had been burned in his name.

Was it any wonder she feared those who did his bidding?

To her surprise, he smiled genuinely at her, her senses picking up nothing other than faint curiosity. “No apology is necessary, Princess Elizabeth; Court can be disorienting.”

Her lips curved into a matching smile of their own accord, and she wondered at herself. Her loneliness must have been deeper than she thought if she’d latched on so quickly to any spark of friendliness, even from someone she should be wary of. “I appreciate your graciousness, Lord Alexandru,” she murmured, recalling his name, and his reputation, as someone both respected and feared for his unique abilities. He continued to smile and she felt her suspicion lighten ever so slightly.

Maybe, after nearly two years in Court, she could finally find a place to feel welcome.
Image

"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 16 ~ 7/17

Post by polartwins »

HypnotiqBlueEyes: Thank you so much for the review! We're thrilled you liked Alex :D we had lots of fun creating this new version of him while still trying to retain the essence of Alex. We hope you continue to enjoy!
pandas2001: That is indeed Alex :D, and we'll learn more about him soon. And there will be more than friendship, this will eventually be a Michael/Liz/Alex story, although it will take a while to get there ;) Thank you for the feedback!
garcia88: Thanks for your review! We're so glad to see such positive reactions to our Alex, especially since he is so different.
cjsl8ne: It is Alex, and his abilities will prove quite useful ;). Thanks for the feedback!
KiaraAlexisKlay: K! I missed you! We missed you! <3 And we both definitely love seeing your gloriously long reviews :D And we are in a bit of a Liz centric arc at the moment, but we'll be getting back to Michael soon and seeing his own path, and he will have more support (definitely have to agree with you on his canon lack of it.) Besaba did have a sister, an older sister I believe per my notes, one who appeared Seelie unlike her, that would be Eluned, who had a daughter Cair who inherited Merry's Gran's brownie features and hated it, all of the above will have their roles to play, and we will be seeing Merry as well, eventually ;).



A/N: So just some clarification on the time line. This story, as it's more about vignettes than a continuous flow, will jump around in time (so yes, in the last one two years had passed for both of them, the time flow will be the same for both unless stated otherwise) and we will try to provided clues either in time passed or their ages, every time one of those jumps occurs. Also, never fear, we won't go more than three vignettes focusing on one of them, without switching over to the other, there is a very precisely equal balance of chapters that we did for both sides of the story, Roswell and the Courts. :D Thank you all so much for your reviews and we hope you continue to enjoy our story!















New Life






Liz knelt in the corner of the room she called her private sanctum, a small room off of her bedroom with a fountain that she used for scrying that was full of the lovely, lifeless, metal and jewel plants that pervaded the Golden Court. In the past months, she had felt true life calling to her from beneath the stone floors, and finally, a few weeks before, she had coaxed that life to the surface. The marble had cracked, revealing rich earth beneath it, from which had sprouted the green beginnings of a tree – small, delicate and priceless to her in a way that gemstones and gold never would be.

Gently touching the few small leaves that had appeared, she smiled, some of the inner walls she had built fading away at the feel of life, the pulse of nature’s magic that had been the heartbeat of her existence before she was taken to this unnaturally cold and lifeless sithen, void of the very essence that made the fey what they were. The sidhe, all of the fey, knew that the sithen was fading, that the death of all life other than the great tree, also fading, was a dangerous sign of the fate of the Seelie, but they would never speak of it. It was why she allowed no one into this room; not even Aelwen, afraid of what would happen if it became known that life had come to her.

Especially since she did not know why. Only that she was eternally grateful, and would care for and treasure her tree for as long as it consented to remain with her.

Rising to her feet so that she could fetch some water from the fountain, her heart seized in her chest as she saw Alexandru standing in the door, staring at her and the tree with an unreadable expression on his handsome face. “Alex,” she whispered, her throat tightening painfully until she cleared it. “What are you doing here?” He had become her friend in the past year; her only friend at Court, but he had never visited her quarters before, and she cursed the fates for having him choose now.

“I came to see if you would do me the honor of letting me escort you to a movie,” he stated quietly, tone blank and emotionless, making her heart shrivel inside of her. He was one of the rare fey who was genuinely interested in human technology, and had listened raptly to all of her stories about the human world. She had forgotten that she had promised to go into town with him, to show him that world in person.

“I would love to,” she finally replied, voice soft, but didn’t move, part of her terrified that this would ruin their friendship, would take away the one good thing she’d found in Court, and that he would tell someone; tell her father or the King, with potential repercussions her mind shrank from considering.

His face suddenly softened and he took a step towards her, tearing his eyes away from the tree and focusing on her face with a faint smile. “They are playing a movie with elves and magic; I thought it would be interesting.”

She smiled weakly back, adrenaline still clouding her system as she fought to keep her breathing slow and even. “I think you’ll like the Lord of the Rings, just let me get my coat and shoes.” She stepped towards the door, blocking his vision of the corner with the tree, and his expression flickered ever so slightly before he stepped back into her bedroom, Liz following close behind as she shut the door to the smaller room behind her.

Slipping on a pair of low heeled boots so that she wouldn’t be quite so height disadvantaged next to him, she took her favorite down-lined jacket from inside her overly spacious closet, and resisted the urge to flush when he took it from her with gentlemanly charm and held it while she slid her arms in. She was entering puberty, and had recently become aware of how attractive he was on a different level than before, despite being sure that he saw her as a child compared to his near millennia of life.

After she buttoned the front of the jacket over her dress, he offered her his arm, still smiling, and she took it, furiously tamping down her hormone-fueled emotions and focusing on how relieved she was that he was her friend, still her friend, and how miserable Court would be without him. Before they reached the door, he leaned down and murmured in her ear. “It would be wise, Elizabeth, if no one else was to learn of your beautiful tree.”

Her breath caught and she glanced up at him with wide eyes, meeting his warning and affectionate gaze, then slowly nodding as he led them into the hall, her heart once again beating too fast with the sensation of just missing being hit by a car, and knowing that she still had an entire highway to cross.
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"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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polartwins
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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 17 ~ 7/26

Post by polartwins »

A/N: Thank you all so much for your feedback, we had a lot of fun writing this story, and still do when plotting the sequel, so it's wonderful to see so much positive response to it. And just to clarify again, as stated in the intro, it will be an Alex/Liz/Michael story, eventually. It is a Merry Gentry cross after all, so just one partner would be unacceptable :lol:















Limelight






The cameras flashed and Liz resisted the urge to blink, continuing to smile at the crowd of reporters as she stood between her uncle and her father, her shields as strong as she could make them, almost able to feel the press of emotions physically against her skin. Uar and the King had decided to use her existence as the first Seelie Princess born on American soil to generate positive press for the Seelie Court, and to counteract all of the press that Princess Meredith had brought to the Unseelie Court.

The reason they gave to the public, through their mixed-blood and strangely familiar blonde publicist, for not announcing her until now, shortly after her thirteenth birthday and over three years since she’d come to Court (not that the human world was aware of that), was because they had wanted to protect her from the overwhelming attention Princess Meredith had suffered both before and after her father had been killed. So, they had supposedly waited until Liz was old enough to handle it, thus successfully making them look nurturing and responsible, and simultaneously slighting Queen Andais and the Unseelie Court for not protecting Meredith the same way.

Frankly, Liz would have been happy to remain in obscurity forever, and she hated being used as a tool, a weapon, despite having known since she was three-years-old that it was the only fate possible for her if she was taken to Court. At least her father couldn’t fault her now for her continued forays into the human world with Alexandru, something he’d been less than pleased about, and something he had only grudgingly allowed to continue prior to this because of Alex’s reputation. No one wanted to cross a sidhe warrior who could inflict mortality with a touch.

The Lord of Life and Death was safe to do as he wished, provided he didn’t cross the King, and privately Liz thought that he could even get away with that if he wanted to.

A question was directed her way and she answered it as innocently as she could from the list of acceptable answers she’d had to memorize beforehand, smiling brilliantly all the while, and wondering if her parents were watching, if they still missed her, if they were proud of her. It had been over three years since someone she loved had hugged her, over three years since she’d felt safe, happy and normal. A sudden burn started in her throat and she recklessly smiled wider, channeling her emotion into charm as she answered the next question with a giggle and a coy hair flip that made the reporter laugh.

She could feel Alex’s soothing presence where he stood with the other guards, keeping the press of humans away from the stage, and relaxed slightly. She did have at least one person who cared for her, who made her smile, who kept her secrets, who was adorably disdainful of human fantasy movies. As long as she had him, and Mr. Roy, her gruff human tutor, who wasn’t her friend exactly, but whom she did trust, and Aelwen, and her tree, which had budded for the first time just yesterday, she could remain true to herself; she could keep herself from getting lost and empty, a mere puppet of Taranis and the Golden Court.

The spotlight on her life would diminish over time, once the humans became used to the idea of another Princess, and while it lasted, perhaps the attention would keep her safe from her relatives and those in Court who wished her ill. It would be difficult to explain to the press if something harmful befell her, and as long as she was of use in maintaining the image of the Seelie as the benevolent, wise, and beautiful half of faerie, Taranis and Uar would protect her from the worst of the Court’s excesses.

Being a faerie Princess might suck horribly, but she was well aware that it could be worse, and in faerie, what you thought and felt could actually influence the course of events, so a positive outlook, while difficult to maintain, was deathly important.

Letting out another silvery laugh, she laid a hand on Uar’s arm, the perfect picture of a loving family, and silently, fiercely, wished that someday, she could see her real family again.
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"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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polartwins
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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 18 ~ 7/31

Post by polartwins »

A/N: You guys rock our socks off, seriously, the constant and wonderful feedback we get on this story is amazing, especially when life is crazy for both of us, so thank you very very much. Also, I apologize for the posting delay, I've been fighting a summer flue and lacking in energy or willpower.

Also, just a note, Alex is purely interested in Liz as a friend at this point, and in the potential he sees in her (and I don't mean sexually, you'll see :wink:) although when he was young fey, 13 was married with babies age so just keep that in mind for context, but there won't be any true romantic sparks until she's older.















Unfair






He was thinking of her again. I could tell.

He tried to hide it from us, made it seem like her leaving hadn’t affected him, and that he had moved on from when Liz Parker, now Princess Elizabeth NicUar, left cloaked in mystery, whisked off by a Seelie father she’d never met, and hidden away in the land of faerie, all ties to our town severed. In fact, no one knew who this mysterious princess was, and assumed she’d been raised at court and hidden from the public’s eye until she hit puberty, the Seelie not wanting her to be the focus of public scrutiny.

I only knew differently because I saw it in Michael’s eyes when he stared at the screen, his gaze riveted on her face as she was introduced, the Seelie benevolently allowing the press to get their first glimpse of the first Seelie princess born on American soil. His eyes widened slightly, taking on a spark of recognition and almost joy before it was extinguished, chased away by his typical bored expression, and he ducked his head to hide the burn of knowledge in his eyes as my parents discussed the news, approving of the court’s decision to keep her out of the limelight after the publicity debacle surrounding the Unseelie Princess Meredith and the death of her father.

But I know him too well, and I felt it ripple through the connection that formed years ago when we first saw each other in third grade, could almost pick up the increased thrum of his pulse and taste the lingering pain and confusion in his heart like acid on my tongue. I saw the way he couldn’t help but look once more, the way his fingers curled and tightened when she answered a couple of pre-planned, innocuous questions before he brusquely announced that he was going to go to bed, bunking down in the office as he did many a night when he didn’t want to face Hank.

Watching him walk away quietly, I tried to repress the ache that filled me, both from the pain that flashed briefly over his face, as well as due to the knowledge I will never live up to the girl on the screen, someone who stole his heart years before any of us knew what infatuation was or what it could do to one’s heart. A heart he held so firmly in his hands, but didn’t know because I never had the courage to say anything, and seeing his expression tonight, I never will.

Flicking my gaze over the sun-kissed skin and multi-colored hair and eyes of the newly outed princess, I wanted to hate her for being everything I was not, for being everything he wanted whether he admitted it to himself or not, for taking the one thing that I wanted, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t her fault, anymore than it was his fault for loving her; some things were just meant to be, while others would only be a fantasy and I knew where I laid in the equation. She had him first in this lifetime.

Swallowing thickly, I caught my brother’s eye, his sympathetic smile making my own prickle hotly as he saw and knew far too much as I turned away, rubbing the moisture from the corners as I flashed them all a smile and said goodnight, desperate to get away from the reminder that I wasn’t her.

I want to hate her, but then I look at him and remember the way she made him laugh, the way his eyes light up when someone mentions her name, although he wouldn’t admit to it, and the way he smiles when something reminds him of the past, and that hate dies, because more than anything else, I want him to be happy.

Love is so damn unfair.
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"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

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Re: A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Ch. 19 ~ 8/9

Post by polartwins »

A/N: We <3 you guys so much, it's fabulous to see you having as much fun reading it as we had writing it. :D Thank you, thank you, thank you! This chapter should answer most of the questions you guys posed, and finally get us back to some Michael POV. Enjoy!















Infatuation






He stared at the screen blankly, his heart pounding in his chest as it was filled with a face from the past, although her once rounded, sun-kissed cheeks had a leanness he’d never seen, and those tri-colored eyes were far more shadowed that he remembered, something that made his heart hurt even as it swelled at the sight of her. Licking his lips, he looked away, ducking his head before anyone noticed his uncharacteristic interest, his heart picking up in tempo as a flash of pain, tinged with the brackish taste of guilt flickered through his body.

Even though it had been almost four years, the knowledge that she’d been found and taken away because she had been protecting him, that she sacrificed her normal everyday life so that they didn’t find out that he wasn’t fey, but alien, burned in his gut, made it churn sickly.

Flicking his eyes up at the sound of her voice, he was once again captivated by her true form, as he had been the first time she’d inadvertently revealed it to him when they were both eight. Yet he frowned when she answered the press’s questions, his eyes darkening further despite the lilting laugh bubbling effortlessly over her lips at a comment made by her father, its tones strained and tinny to his ears, something about her act striking him as false and yet another smoke screen.

She was still as pretty as he remembered, beautiful really, her coloring having taken on a vividness that she hadn’t had here in Roswell; her skin bright and glowing, sun-touched gold, the deep brown, bronze and gold eyes were somehow brighter if it were possible and those blue flecks that had been barely discernable had richened in hue. And her hair, still wavy and streaked, now flowed past her waist, danced like a banner of raven, nut brown, bronze and gold, all the colors taken from nature, but not natural to humans.

Breathtaking. So beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. So captivating that it made his heart pound, his palms sweat and his blood to pulse in his veins. Ripping his gaze away once more, Max’s parents conversation nothing more than a buzz in the background, he bit back a groan, confusion swirling in his heart as he tried to figure out why she had this pull on him all these years, why he couldn’t seem to get her out of his head.

He missed her for sure, missed that bond they shared that was so different the one he had with Max and Isabel, but they’d only been friends for a couple of years and he thought that the pull would have dimmed over time. Instead it seemed to take hold until she was a part of him and he had to wonder if she had stolen a little part of him when she was whisked off to…where ever it was she lived now.

Swallowing thickly, he stood, avoiding the far too inquisitive burn of dark brown eyes as he stated he was going to crash in the den, nodding when Isabel and Max’s parents smiled at him and bid him a good night and only gave the barest acknowledgement to his two friends, almost siblings, before quickly heading down the hall. Shutting himself away, he leaned against the door, running a hand through his hair as he shut out the faint probing he could feel through the connection with Isabel and Max, an ache building that no matter how much they welcomed him into their world, he would always feel as if something was missing.
Image

"What, you mean there really are freaks living in the school attic? I thought that was just one of those stupid rumors..." - Liz in What Liz Was Really Thinking

"How boring; random alien occurrences should be more interesting, it's a rule." - Kyle in The Great Magical Fridge Caper

Our Fics
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