"Alaister!" The young man looked up to see a short mass of black curls headed straight for him. "Alaister!"
The girl who was the youngest of the orphans jumped up and down. Her face pink with excitement. "Pandora!"
Alaister raised a brow, "What is it Zeina? What about Pandora?"
She smiled as if she was about to burst open with excitment. "She was riding a dragon!"
Alasiter regarded the girl with apphrensiom. That was far fetched even for a child her age and Zeina had never been one to make up stories. He knelt down and put his hands on her shoulder, looking her in the eye.
"Did Xavier and Xandra put you up to this?" He asked seriously.
Those two were always up to some type of mischief, who only got away with it because of Pandora. They were also aware of how he felt about Pandora and never missed a moment to tease them about it. He had always hoped that when they were old enough she would consider him as a husband. He had always loved her even before the monster's came and took everything from them.
Lately however he noticed she spent a lot of time alone in the forest. He meant to talk with her about it today. It was safer if they all stayed within the village. The woodland other's had ready made it clear of how they felt about humans and it was easier to hide in the village if bandits were to come. The sound of Pandora laughing made him look up to see her walking out of the forest with a man. Alaister's eyes narrowed and he quickly stood and stormed to meet them.
"Pandora..." he said in a low voice.
She smiled brightly back at him, while her companion eyed them both with curiosity. " Alaister, I have someone I would like for you to meet. This is Faunus,  Faunus this is Alaister, and that girl with the wild bushy hair is my sister Zeina."
Faunus held his hand out, in his experience with male humans that is how they greeted each other. Alaister keep his eyes narrowed as he looked at Faunus's hand, and then turned his gaze to Pandora who frowned slightly. She took a step towards Alaister and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Alaister he is the one who has been helping us. He is the reason that we have been protected, why no others have come to finish the job."
This left a sick feeling in Alaister's stomach. If what she said was truth, and Pandora would never lie to him than he should be grateful to this man. However it did nothing but intensity Alaister's own feelings of inferiority. Given enough time they would not need this stranger to help them. Given enough time Alaister knew that he would be capable of protecting them, of protecting her.
"I mean you and your village any harm." Faunus said finally still holding his hand out. "I simply wished to make myself known to you. Just in case anything happened you would not fear me."
"And why would we fear you?" Alaister spat out with more venom than he intended.
Pandora's eyes widened and Faunus simply smiled at this young human boy. He knew Meris, Ardin and Zephyr would never stand for this type of disrespect from one that knew so little. That had the boy known just exactly who he was talking to, he could kill him. He was still a god. Yet he also knew that Pandora cared about this boy, and all of the other's and because of her he would not punish this boy. Faunus turned to Pandora and a looked passed between them, which did not settle the feelings of disdain that Alaister already felt, if anything they just intensified. Pandora nodded to Faunus. Who once again took a few steps back to begin the transformation to reveal his true form.
Alaister watched as the man turned to beast in a mixture of awe and fear. Now he knew just who he had been rude to, and now he also knew that the fact he was not punished immediately could only be due to the fact that Pandora had some sort of agreement with the beast. Just how long had this been going on? Since the house was built?
"I told you!" Zeina said as she began to bounce up and down. Alaister attempted to restrain her from running to the beast but she was to quick and she immediately pressed her palm against Faunus her eyes big with wonder. "You are so amazing."
Faunus returned to his man form and picked the girl up, "No child, you are the amazing one."
Zeina blushed and asked, "Will you be staying in the village with us now?"
To Alaister's relief Faunus shook his head, "No Zeina, I will not be staying in the village with you. I just simply wanted to reveal myself to you so that if anything happens you will not fear me. So that you will feel safe in my presence."
"Well if you will not stay with us, at least stay to eat." Pandora said, "You still have not meet the twins yet." Pandora paused, "Speaking of the twins...where are they?"
Alaister looked at the sky, and noticed that the sun was beginning to set and frowned, "I don't know, they know to be back before the sun sets."
Zeina froze and said softly, "If I tell you something Alaister will you promise not to get mad."
All eyes were on her and she said quietly, "Well they went to the lake, they said that the wanted to see the nymph's. Xavier swore he saw nymphs and."
Faunus sat the girl down on the ground his eyes glowed green. "I will return them to you."
"I will go with you," Alaister started, "They don't know you they..."
Faunus shook his head, "No, I will go alone and I will bring the children back unharmed."
Before Alaister could protest, Faunus was gone.
Faunus approached the lake slowly and he could hear the cries of the children before he saw them. A boy and a girl, both with curly black hair. The boys hair stopped just past his shoulder's while his twins stopped halfway down her back. Their creamy skin was covered in dirt and scratches. Three fairies fluttered around them. Their wings shimmering gold, their faces twisted up in anger. He stepped into the clearing and the fairies looked at him in surprise, quickly dropping to the ground to bow before them.
"These children were destroying our plants." One said in explanation.
Faunus looked at the children and the girl looked at him. "We were not!" She shouted.
"Lies!" The fairies screamed back before they began to all talk at once.
Faunus cleared his throat. "Silence."
The whole forest seemed to obey his command. There was no sound as he looked back to the girl child.
"What are you doing in a place your elder's told you not to go?"
"Pandora, our sister loves the flowers that grow here. It is almost her birthday we came to pick them for her." Tears welled up in both children's eyes and she said, "We were not destroying their plants!"
Faunus looked at the faires, "It is a misunderstanding."
"But they!"
A female voice called out from behind them, "Human children do not know the proper way to harvest plants. Especially these younglings who have been without adults for some time."
A young woman came and stood next to him. She barely came up to his shoulders and had long brown hair that cascaded down her shoulder. Her eyes where a smokey gray with specs of green. Her skin was bronze and she two ears that were shorter than normal fae, but pointed.
"I suggest that instead of punishing these children under the earth god's protection we instead teach them the proper way to care for the earth."
"No one asked you halfling!" One of the fairies spat out.
Faunus moved quick, his hands wrapping tightly around the fairies throat. "And yet she was able to spare your lives for daring to go against my word."
The fairy gasped as the others stood frozen. "You do not understand!" The fairy pleaded. "The humans."
"May have been unkind to you, but they have also been unkind to these children. Hatred only breeds more hatred. It is my duty to protect you, but these children also warrant my protection as well as yours." He turned to the halfling. "Is that understood."
She smiled and bowed to him. "You can leave them in my care."
"I will also help." One of the fairies said stepping forward. "Forgive my brother he has been hurt the most by human cruelty so it is hard for him to understand reason on this matter." She placed a gentle hand on Faunus's wrist. "You too, you have more reason than any of us to hate humans so if you can stand for them then I will be more than happy to assist you."
The halfling smiled. "It is okay, I am used to it." She turned to Faunus who finally released his hold on the fairy. "If you don't mind I would like to accompany you back to the children's village."
Xavier and Xandra sensing that the danger was now gone quickly stood and ran to Faunus, waiting for further instruction from their savior. "We don't mind." They said in unison.
"Very well then...."
"Artemis. I am called Artemis." The woman said smiling warmly.

"How can you be so foolish to trust some stranger?" Alaister said angrily in a low voice.
Pandora regarded him with annoyance, "You do not trust my judgement of others?"
That question made Alaister pause. That was not true in the least. It was she who had warned her father not to trust the merchants that came to their village. Those same merchants that brought destruction to their village. In fact she was a great judge of characters. She had the makings of a true leader. Yet, she was also a woman and Alaister was convinced her obvious infautiom for the beast was blinding her to the real dangers.
"That's not what I am saying..."
Her eyes narrowed, "What exactly are you saying then? I trust him with my life, if you want him to leave us fine, but the children and I will go too."
He was going to argue when the door flung open and Xavier and Xandra ran inside. Their eyes wide with excitement. Faunus appeared with a woman moments later in deep conversation that stopped when he saw Pandora's upset expression.
Artemis took it for worry over the children and said, "They were captured by a group of fae but it is okay. Faunus saved them with my help."
Faunus smiled, "I agreed to allow the children to venture out with Artemis and another Fae to learn the proper way to harvest flowers and plants. If that is okay with you."
It was meant for both Pandora and Alaister but his eyes stayed on Alaister. Alaister said nothing for a moment as the room quieted. He knew that if he disagreed it would only further anger Pandora so he simply nodded. Artemis smiled and walked to Pandora.
"You are just as beautiful as he described." She said, "I am only a halfling and I know that gives you no reason to trust me but..."
Pandora took Artemis's hands in her own, "Nonsense! If you helped those hardhead children than I am grateful. You must stay and eat supper with us as well."
She quickly whisked Artemis into the kitchen and the children followed suit, eager to tell her of their adventures. Faunus looked at Alaister and sighed.
"You can let her know I will not be able to stay. I must meet with the others that reside here to enforce my word." There was a long uncomfortable silence and he added, "I am not your enemy."
With that he left Alaister alone. Alaister felt that his words were genuine, however he still did not trust him. And he was still certain that he had cause to not trust him. However he would wait until he could prove that to Pandora.