Outroduction

It was the last time I would have to hand in a test at the abominable Testing Center. The very last. I filled in the last bubble, checked and rechecked the questions, and called it a wrap. After packing up, I handed in my answer sheet. All. That was all. I was free.

Free! It took an effort not to cheer and dance out of the building, since the other students were still silent and stressed. Instead I skipped down the stairs outside. My mind was still bothered, though not by the test. There was a question that had been nagging my mind since my last night in the faery world, months ago, now.

“So, you are going to stay here?” Ciaran had asked.

I can’t... can I?

My mother’s voice on the phone had the same hesitant expectancy. “Where are you going to go after graduation? You’re coming back home, right?”

I... Why does it have to be one world or the other?

I broke into a run as I went downhill. It was a warm Summer’s afternoon, and the wind felt so good. It was scary to me just how easily I’d slipped back into my ordinary life again. Of course my old habits weren’t going to change because of a crazy few days. Even though I knew it had happened, it was absurd to think about faeries and magic when I had a twenty-five page paper due the next day. At the same time, I had to admit such thoughts were more pleasant a subject to run away to.

Ciaran came to see me quite often, disguised as a human. He introduced himself to my friends and roommates as an "old friend" which raised their eyebrows, but they all seemed to like him. I couldn't keep up with him. Whenever I’d look at him, his eyes would always be soft and happy. Now that Brand was no longer dominating his personal life, he seemed to have no fears whatever. I was half-afraid every minute I was with him that he’d suddenly say. “I’m not going to let you go back. Let’s get married right away!” and take me off to the faery world, never to be heard from again. That made him a subject to run away from, so it was back to homework. My fears were ridiculous, so after a few days, I asked if we could just date for a while instead of simply accepting right away that we were destined for each other.

“Time to get to know you would be good, since I don’t know what you’re like when it’s not life or death, or on the run.” I explained. He tilted his head, considering the matter.

“I can see what you mean, but, we are always on the run from something, aren’t we?”

There was still a project to be turned in for that awful Humanities class, and I wanted to do that as fast as possible. I dropped it off, and started up the hill again and past the library’s shortcut, when I noticed a familiar figure leaning against the wall. He looked human, but fashionably dressed (if it were the 1920’s) with a fancy gray suit and a wide-brimmed fedora hat.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his hat covering his eyes.

He sounded like the Grim Reaper. The air was suddenly cold and chilling.

“For what?” I asked.

“I agreed to leave you alone until finals were over. You agreed to come with me when your time was up.” he grinned, turning his head toward me. “That was our bargain, was it not?”

“You really think you kept your end of the bargain?” I said flatly.

“As my word is my bond!” he put a hand over his heart, purple eyes twinkling.

I didn’t learn the true nature of faeries until their political upheaval was over with. When their lives are not at stake, faeries have different natures. And when I say different, I mean downright mischievous. Ever since I came back to the human world, they’ve been jumping out and scaring me from dark corners, disguising as crows outside the window of my classroom (waving at me, trying to make me laugh), pretending to be ghosts by making objects fly around the room, leaving my cookbooks mysteriously opened on pages with cookie recipes...

“You can’t call that leaving me alone! You barely let me study--”

“Too late. It’s time.” A dark blanket was suddenly thrown over my head from behind, and I was forcibly lifted and carried. Strong winds rushed around me as I kicked and screamed. In the next instant, the blanket was thrown off. I now saw Donal and Ciaran kneeling on the grass in front of me, presenting a cake.

Happy Graduation! the cake said.

I sighed with relief as they laughed at me. “Did you have to kidnap me just for this?”

“It was more fun that way.” Donal bounced.

“You’d think a king would have more self control!” I said, my heart still pounding from the most recent scare. I tried to smooth my crazy hair down from the static electricity it had come in contact with.

“I have a lot of self control!” Donal argued. “I waited until the right moment to scare you, didn’t I?”

“And you!” I turned towards Ciaran. “How dare you lead me into his trap? I trusted you!”

“It was too funny!” he pleaded, still laughing. “Besides, you got a cake out of it.”

“But it’s a favor you’ll have to repay! You must come work for me now.” Donal said grandly. “I left you alone until graduation, but now your time is up.”

“You call that leaving me alone?!” I repeated. “Anyway, I have some conditions.”

They listened attentively.

“I must be allowed to live somewhere besides the castle, I get creative freedom to try new recipes instead of the just same kinds over and over again, and finally,” I took a deep breath. “I get to come back to the human world if I want to. I have to have time off to visit my mother regularly.”

“Of course you get to come back.” Donal gave me a funny look. “Do you have any idea what we’ve been trying to do for the past five years? You don’t have to choose just one world or the other. Why not both?”

The sweet, secure feeling of relief hit me, and spread like happiness throughout my soul, and I smiled. This was that moment everyone ought to have at least once in their lives, when everything falls into place.

“Now that I’ve said that,” Donal added, standing up. “Ciaran, you have to convince her to stay in our world. She’s my favorite baker, and I can’t let her go.” he gestured toward the cake. “Never mind that thing. I’m going to get you a wedding cake! Then you’ll have to stay!”

I looked at him in horror.

“Donal, don’t scare her like that.” Ciaran tried to look stern.

“I’m perfectly serious!” The Faery King declared. “I order you to marry her this instant!”

“I’ll marry her when she’s ready!”

“Oh you will, will you?” I interrupted.

“Yes! Well-- if you want to.” Ciaran blushed.

“Well, of course I want to!” I heard myself saying. Wait.
"Well, then! It's settled." Donal said triumphantly, like we were simple pawns in his game."I'll arrange to have the ceremony--"

Wait.

“Oh, no you don't. Donal,” I turned towards the cute, blond devil. “What kind of forced, unromantic proposal was that just now? You've ruined... I am going to punch you in the stomach!” I yelled, chasing my future cousin-in-law around, instead of basking in the moment when I became engaged to be married. My new fiancé sighed, dug his fork into the cake, and began eating it while we ran around him.

After a few rounds of fruitless chase, Ciaran caught my wrist just as Donal snatched up the entire cake, the rascal. I protested, Donal hooted and disappeared into the trees. Birds sang in the quiet afternoon. My heart thumped loudly. The sun felt warm, and the cool breeze wafted around gently. His hand in mine was the most beautiful feeling imaginable, but I couldn't quite turn around and look at him.
"Ashlyn," Ciaran said softly, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, and pulling me close. "I will live in whichever world you wish, but please, let me stay with you." 
At length, I turned my face towards his and kissed him. "Okay." I said (a lame reply to his beautiful words).
"So," he was still hesitant. "Will you marry me?"
"Of course I'll marry you!"
"Okay. Just making sure."
For a few minutes we stood there, batting our eyelashes at each other and grinning like fools until Ciaran said,
"Let's go get that cake back."
I laughed. "All right. Let's." 
And so, hand in hand, we ran after the cake thief and had a truly grand celebration, in both worlds.

And this, dear reader, is the happy situation in which my story ends.

The moral of this story-- what you should take from this guide is: Beware of faeries, O ye student! They will greatly interfere with your homework. For those of you who have already finished your studies, I simply say, Beware. They would love to interfere with your life. You may meet them on the streets any day now. You might meet them while getting drinks, going dancing, or walking alone. They can make you very late for work, or lower your shining 4.0 GPA to a 3.6 in five days.

And obviously you must not only keep your defenses up against faeries, but against goblins, who may very well come after you when hungry. Not only faeries and goblins, but against humans, for you know that the handsome young man you’re talking to might just be Brand himself. Sometimes it gives me chills when I think he is still out there in the human world, and that I might meet him by accident, or that one day his memories might come rushing back. But as Donal said, he is closely watched, so for now I’ll trust his judgement.

Look out for innocent doorways leading to nowhere. The gates to the faery world are sometimes left ajar. If you see a beautiful person in a lonely, isolated place-- be it forest, mountain, or meadow-- and he or she tells you to follow him or her...

I won’t worry about you, reader. You have the knowledge to defend yourself against their tricks now. However, if you ever do find yourself in a marvelous place with vivid colors and magical creatures, stop by the castle at the center of the faery world. I regulate the enchantments made on the food there, and the castle’s kitchen is equipped with an unlimited supply of deliciousness. 

You are welcome to my cookies. In fact, please take a dozen or two on your journey so Donal won’t make himself sick again.

The End