A Brother's Bargain

Father

Goodbyes are always hard, especially with family you haven't seen in so many years. The ride home was a sad one. He hoped he would be able to take his girls to meet their adopted grandmother one day. Their actual grandmother he wanted them to have no engagements with. The one good thing was that the ride home seemed much faster than the journey to the Elvin community. Possibly because they actually knew where they were going.

Every now and then, when he looked down, Father could see Ariel beneath them. He ran so fast if Father didn't know it was Ariel he would have thought it was just a streak of orange on the ground.

"Kinox, do you see that beast below us?" Father asked his pegasus.

"Oh, yes sir. He's been keeping pace with us for some time. When we cross the mountains we will surely lose sight of him, though," Kinox replied.

"Curious how he is so fast and you seem to be much faster. How is this possible?" Father thought aloud.

Although he didn't expect a response, Kinox replied, "The little Elf touched my wings and said some words I could not understand. I am unsure how long it will last, but for right now I'm sure I could even overtake Phoenix in a race," he laughed. His laugh was more of a whinny, but father understood.

Father figured something had been done to enchant him due to the dire situation. "I wonder if they used magic on Ariel as well," Father commented.

"No sir, the Quinox were known for being the fastest creatures alive. Ms. Maize told us all about them, but said sadly there were none in existence. Won't she be excited?" Kinox replied with great enthusiasm.

"I think Malaya may be a bit more happy about him. Her collection of rare animals grows larger each day," Father said. He was thinking about his girls. He wondered if they had followed his instructions to stay and take care of their mother. All three were headstrong, and if this baby was indeed a girl, she would probably be just as stubborn as the other females in his life. He was greatly worried about this new baby. 

If the baby was truly connected to Alec, they couldn't allow anything to happen to her or it would be a loss of two children instead of one. father truly hoped the potion the elves had given him would work and give them the time they needed to figure out what to do to separate the two children. There had to be a way to undo the curse. There just had to.

Father was lost in is thoughts when Kinox announced they had covered the mountains and were approaching the valley. "As fast as you're flying, are you going to be able to stop without throwing me off?" Father laughed.

"I am slowing for the landing, sir. I thought of just that," the pegasus replied.

When Father and Kinox landed in front of the house, Ariel was already there. He lay in front of the door as if he was already protecting the family within. Father dismissed Kinox home to get some rest. When he went in side Mariah immediately hugged him tight.

"Did you find a way to help the baby? Mother is so big now and in so much pain. It's as if the curse sped up her pregnancy. And what is that beast of a thing in front of the door. He arrived hours before you did and hasn't moved," Mariah rattled off.

"Where is Malaya? I need her help with a potion that can help your mother. It will buy us some time at least," Father asked. "I cannot tell Mother I can help her without speaking to Malaya first."

Mariah wrung her hands behind her back. "They aren't back yet," she said softly.

"They? You were all told to stay here and take care of your mother. There is still a gaping hole in the house Malaya should have fixed. Where did they go? To town for supplies?" Father demanded.