Steve-C2

Ray’s week was tremendously busy. He contacted his stockbroker to liquidate assets and began selling off most of his possessions. He removed the gate to the Fey realm that had been installed at his house. He finalized some contracts through the week and informed the office that he would not be taking any more clients. He let them know that he was retiring early and purchasing property in the country. At the end of the week he wore a bittersweet smile as he watched the large desk leave his office. He had always dreamed of an early retirement, and what Idriel had given him so many years ago, in exchange for his oath, had allowed for that. However, he had not imagined that it would be like this. He appointed a representative to handle his financial affairs. The thing that he so earnestly coveted years ago was now nothing but an unimaginable burden. Ray contacted a realtor to sell his house and gave him strict instructions to deal only with his

Ray was sober and ready to meet them when they arrived on the following day. He had considered some liquid courage, but decided against it. A glass of water was on his desk. He stood in front of his desk, waiting for the knock. He opened the door and invited them in when they came, then returned to the front of the desk. Robin wore the usual business attire she had. Idriel had on a dark purple shirt with a deep blue skirt that flattered her form. It pained Ray to see her so he focused on Robin. “How can I help?” “How can – Ray, what is wrong with you?!” Robin was incredulous. “You’ve married Idriel, you promise to be with her, which is by your own confession exactly what you want. Then you fulfill the contract and suddenly you leave! Let us not forget your retreat when you discovered that she was pregnant. By the divine, what gives?” Ray looked at Robin with what he hoped was justified indignation. “I realized that the

Idriel received Ray quite warmly on his return. He cut back slightly on his extra work to ensure that he spent each night with her, even while it pained him to do so. He hated to admit that there was a part of him that hoped there was a mistake. As much as he would have liked having children, it should not have been possible. He could only conclude that if Idriel was with child, it was not his. He at one point ashamedly hoped – and stopped himself from further thought of the same – for a miscarriage. He settled on thinking that Idriel was just gaining weight. However, Idriel was an athletic individual who had a well-toned physique. She was not the type to just gain weight. Nonetheless, he kept sane by ignoring the growing child. Ray didn’t ask about the health of the child or Idriel; he was informed on a regular basis that both were healthy, and everything was going well. This news he received happily, in as much he did not wish ill on anyone.

Ray was welcomed warmly into Idriel’s realm – the Fey realm. A simple ceremony acknowledged their commitment to each other. That was followed by a small gathering of Idriel’s friends and family. They understood and respected that he still had to traverse to his own world because he was still working there. He, Robin, and Idriel set a gate to Idriel’s realm in a spare room of Ray’s house. This gate could be opened with an amulet that Idriel gave to him. Ray continued his work and took his meals at home. He could not eat Fey food or remain there for 24 hours, else he would not be able to return. As a result, he would bring enough food for him to have an evening snack, breakfast, and a bottle of water. They did well together. Idriel tolerated his lack of presence, understanding his limitations. However, his daily absence and limited time with her resulted in his failure to notice things. A few months after the ceremony, he finally saw a

Ray and Idriel sat beside a stream in some woods that were designated as a nature preserved. She had suggested the location. He had forgotten about fresh air and sunshine since he had been largely indoors from his time in secondary school and going forward. Going into the woods felt like opening an attic that had been closed for years. The dust and cobwebs in his mind seemed to start fading. Idriel had found a comfortable spot for them to sit and she watched with a smile as he soaked in the sun and breeze, and enjoyed the fresh scents of the forest. Then she spoke. “Robin and I spoke today.” He sat up more. “Oh?” “Yes. I know what transpired.” She spoke nonchalantly. “Oh. I see.” He worried slightly. “I am only saying this because you do not have to hide it. If you feel the need to talk about it, you can.” She was leaned back against the roots of a tree. “So you’re

Each week, Ray met with Idriel. Part of the agreement indicated that they were to first determine and confirm that they would be suitable together. The first four meetings were surprisingly awkward. Ray had known Idriel since he was a boy, and when she checked in periodically through the years she had always been pleasant. They were friends first and foremost. However, she had lately been trying to enforce a contract instead of being a friend, and neither of them forgot that role. Even after they began seeing each other as friends again the meetings remained a chore to him. He felt it was something that he had to schedule, like a court appearance. At least the dread was going away. The meetings had been ongoing for five months when he had a visitor. It was the night before he was supposed to see Idriel. “Come in!” Robin entered, smiling warmly. “Hello!” Ray sighed. “What is it, Robin.”

Robin and Idriel were in Ray’s office two days later. He had arranged his glasses of water and liquid courage on opposite sides of his desktop. Robin placed a parchment on his desk. “We reviewed everything. To be clear; as you said when you first presented this to us – this does not change that you have a debt to us or the nature of the debt. What this does accomplish is create an environment in which the debtor and creditor will work together in order to fulfill the debt. Are we all clear in understanding this and in agreement to this?” Idriel had a slight smile on her lips. “Yes, I understand and agree.” Robin looked at Ray. “You wrote this, so I presume that you agree as well. We took the liberty of adding an amnesty clause. There are no limits to its use. If either party violates the blood oath, in part or in whole, no matter to what degree, they may ask for amnesty and continue as though no offense had been

Ray found ways to be relatively unavailable over the next couple of days. He set quiet classical music on his radio in the office and reviewed upcoming documents. He found himself unable to concentrate He had never imagined that Idriel would react the way that she did. Even though she was not due to visit for a couple of days, he noticed that having tea at night did not have its usual effectiveness as a sleep aid and he opened the brandy. He probably expected offense, but not for her to do as she did. He wondered if she attacked him, then thought at if she had it would have hurt. He decided that what she did was out of character for her. She must have taken such offense at one of the suggestions that it would not be taken. He doubted that they would entertain looking for someone for him. That left two options. He hoped that they would surrender their claim. Still, he had pulled the money representing what they gave to him out of investments and

Ray had accidently come across information about why the Fae asked for the firstborn, years after making the deal. Before he made the discovery, he resigned himself to celibacy. After all, how could he explain to the mother of the child, that she needed to surrender the child to settle a foolishly made debt from his own childhood? Then he discovered what they wanted. They needed slaves. They had servants but did not want to subject their own kind to that work. It would be easier to raise a human into the role, than it would be to convince an older person to accept it. It was slavery. After discovering that, he had two reasons to not have any children. Besides, what if he only had one? That person would be a slave to the Fae and neither he nor the mother would ever see it. He refused to make a contribution to their system; he refused to have a child so they could use and abuse that person. He discovered the rules for dealing with the Fae, at