Alliance

Chapter 10- Haeres

Haeres

Latin

Heir
-

but the baby had not sinned against the nymphs
but fell asleep upon his mother's knees
and there he still lies in deep
sleep.
-

'ARE YOU INSANE?' didn't seem like a proper response so Sanya just stared at her, mouth open and her glasses sliding down her nose.

"I understand he does not have the hue of normal human beings, and he has power in him, but a little magic is all I need to make him ordinary- as ordinary as can be, at least." The Queen went on, as if Graeme being grey was the biggest problem.

"I can't." She said, pushing her glasses firmly up. Perhaps this was just a dream...maybe she had fallen off Moonlight that day and gone into a coma, and all this arranged marriage business and everything which came after was just in her subconscious. "You're- he- you just got him back! Surely you don't want to abandon him again-"

"I'm not abandoning him." And her tone was as sharp as a blade. "The one thing a mother desires more than her child to be with her is for her child to be safe. You'll know when you become one."

"You're trying to make me one now!" She said, starting to feel a bit hysterical. "I- I can't- I can't be a mother, I'm seventeen-"

"Silly girl, seventeen is quite grown up. And he's not a newborn child, nor is he human! You'll have less on your plate- much less."

"How old even is he?" She asked, staring down at the oblivious boy.

"There's no concept of time in Neráida- he might be three years, or even three months, or centuries." She gave a dainty shrug. "He looks how his magic feels- but if he is brought up in Narnia, he will age normally."

"But- why me?" She asked wildly, still baffled. "After all- if only one with fae blood can- I might- I could- I can't say it-"

"Precisely." Her eyes were- not softer exactly, but milder. "You can't even say it. I have an intuition about people- and you have one of the kindest and most motherly hearts of all the people I've met. Not to mention, ichor runs in your veins, godly blood, more than fae blood. And remember, I cannot lie."

"What would the people say- my parents- oh dear, Edmund-"

"You may tell the truth to your husband. As for the general populace- Graeme was an orphan child you found lost in the woods. Even to him, you must act as his real mother."

She looked down at him again, her resolve quickly breaking. He really was very cute. And she did love children, and was moderately good with them.
"He'll remember you. Who he is- where he belongs. He knows that. He's not young enough not to know."

"No, he won't remember." The Faerie Queen said, an expression of deepest sorrow and pathos- the look you have when you're about to part with a loved one forever- and she picked up her son. "I love you, sweetest joy of my existence." She whispered.

Graeme grinned- adorably- as his mother bent down to kiss his forehead, and as soon as her lips had touched his skin, he blinked slowly and his head fell down on her shoulder- he was asleep, and his old memories had been drained out and new ones put in.