The Gatekeepers

Purpose

Rosalynn held her breath, closed her eyes, and jumped. She thought she had died until a woman's stern tone broke through the silence. "Rosalynn what was the point of my grandson transporting you here if you're going to stand there like a fool."

When she opened her eyes she found herself in the middle of a heavily wooded area with a dark cottage in the middle of it. Standing in front of her was a steely eyed woman who looked like she just walked out of a terminator movie complete with the aviators hanging off her face. "....Hi?" was all Rosalynn could muster up the courage to say to this older woman who looked like she could bench press her without even breaking a sweat.

The woman couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped from her mouth, melting her dark expression into one of encouragement. "Come on.. I know there's more you want to say to me than that kid." Rosalynn's body couldn't help but relax. Why did this woman's words warm her heart so much?

"Are you Grams?" The woman gave a short nod, "You could say that. Now we don't have much time. Since we have made our proper introductions would you mind coming in? I've been freezing my ass off out here waiting for you. He said you guys would be here two hours ago."

Rosalynn hesitated, "What? Into your secret headquarters?"

"No girly, we save that for the second trip"

With that Rosalynn willingly followed Grams into the cottage. She was pleasantly surprised to find that it looked like a normal home complete with a fireplace. Grams noted her surprise "The computers are in the back room"

Rosalynn sat down in the seat offered to her. "I'm not going to ease you into this. You need to know what the heck your ancestors signed you up for."

Her face screwed up into a look of confusion "Signed me up for?"

Grams smiled "Yes. Every two generations, twin girls are born in your family starting back hundreds of years. This isn't just luck. It's fate; you come from a long line of women called the Gatekeepers. Way back when the first Gatekeeper was just an Irish woman cast out for being different during a time when difference was not a good thing. The queens saw this and given their current trouble they offered her land and wealth in exchange for protection."

"Protection? Queens?" Rosalynn could not fathom how this woman was so calm with all of the crazy coming out of her mouth.

"Of the unseelie and seelie court my dear. With the rise of 'faith' the queens needed to disappear as many deities before them had done. So when this woman agreed and signed away her will, became ungodly wealthy, was given the key to protect; and thus the cycle began. As she was a twin of Gemini, the same conditions needed to be met for the contract to continue. Twins are born, one child is marked, then on the twins' ninth birthday they are trained vigorously until they are twenty, and then while the marked child continues on as the new Gatekeeper; The other lives their life innocently, never knowing a thing." This made Rosalynn feel bad for the Gatekeeper. Could she not tell her sister? Could they not share the burden together?

"First of all, that sounds horribly depressing; And second, what exactly is being protected?"

Grams let out a short bitter chuckle "Essentially the old gods from the new 'God'. Both can not exactly coexist when one is constantly trying to exterminate the others."

Rosalynn narrowed her eyes. "Considering I jumped through a magical hole to get here I'm guessing that you think that I should believe every word that comes out of your mouth."

"No. But it would help. Honestly, you don't have a choice, you're just along for the ride. You are usually raised with the responsibility but that all went out the window when your aunt was killed by the other side.'' With that statement Grams looked sad and maybe a little lost?

"The other side?" This was who the sharp toothed man worked for?

"There were two servants that your ancestor trusted with her secret. One family became known as The Watchers; and the others, The Keepers. The Watchers wanted the power to stay with the Gatekeepers, While The Keepers came to hate humanity over time." The Keepers? This confused her even more. What does hating humanity have to do with the Gate? "That doesn't make sense." Grams sighed.

"If those gates are opened, the fae that come out it are not ready to play ball. Many resent the fact that they were stuck behind the gates and hold the human race responsible and want their demise as swiftly as possible for all their years lost on the outside. While the Watchers want nothing but to keep the fae safe where they are, like the queens entrusted the Gatekeeper to do so long ago, The Keepers want the fae to be let loose to wreak havoc."

All that Rosalynn was being told was coming together like a long lost puzzle piece in her head. She knew she could trust Grams to tell her the truth. That fact caught Rosalynn off guard. Was it because of what she witnessed so long ago? Or was it because to her soul, this felt like old news and honesty filled her with a sense of purpose for the first time in a long time. Was there really more than being a shadow meant for her in life?

Rosalynn could not help the feeling of sadness washing over her being. "So my aunt Gwen really was killed like that then?" Grams' eyes filled with unshed tears as she took her glasses off. " Unfortunately, but she died protecting the next generation and I know she would not have changed it for a second. She loved you and your sister and wished that she could have gotten to know you guys a little bit sooner."

Before Rosalyn could respond back she was spooked when she heard tires on a gravel road in the distance. Grams smiled once again towards the sound "Well sounds like your friend made it back to join the party."