The homestead came into view through the treeline and Cara's stomach twisted into a series of knots. Candlelight flickered from the open kitchen window. Had her mother noticed her absence and stayed awake all night? It wasn't yet dawn but it was fast approaching.

Kiran walked silently beside her, mute since his announcement he would be abandoning her at the Seelie Court. He remained with her until the border fence and then turned in the direction of the village, though remained waiting on the main path.

Swallowing her fear, Cara marched across the yard and walked through the door. Deirdre was sleeping in the chair, slumped over the armrest. Cara was tempted to rouse her but decided it was best to pack first.

Grabbing a pack from her closet, she stuffed a couple dresses, stockings, one of the extra quilts, and the horns Kiran had given her inside of it. She packed extra cloth just in case her monthly blood started while they were gone and then threw her cloak around her shoulders. Writing a quick note, she left it on her bed.

Standing in the entry doorway, she took one last longing look at her mother. The only person she'd known her entire life, the one whom she had traded her first child for. Cara knew Deirdre could handle herself, but she missed her already. "I love you," she whispered into the lightening room. "I'm so sorry."

Kiran stood on the path into town, waiting for her patiently as the rising sun shone in his silver eyes. Cara strolled past him, raising her chin indignantly. He chuckled. "I didn't know you knew where the Seelie Court was."

She looked over her shoulder, mostly to ensure he was following. "It can't be too hard. All I have to do is walk around the forest, crying about being lost, and a Fae will find me."

"Not always." He lengthened his stride to catch up, giving Cara a sidelong glance that told her he hoped she would bite on what he offered. "And especially not when already traveling with a Fae."

She wanted to know about the Seelie Court, and she knew that's what he was waiting for, her questions, but she didn't feel like asking. Her head was beginning to hurt from the stress of the evening, and the lack of sleep. Her leaving her mother asleep on the chair also gnawed at her mentally. Even before Deirdre had gotten sick, she would always urge her to her bed whenever she had fallen asleep reading. Deirdre would still complain of a sore, crooked neck in the morning, but it was better than a sore body. And she would need to tend to the farm.

Betsy. And her foal.

Cara's heart plummeted. She hadn't even told the young stallion, or his mother, goodbye. She turned her head back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the horses, but they must've been in their overhang, behind the house. She hoped they wouldn't be gone long. She had wanted to watch the foal grow, and give him a name based on his attitude and temperament.

The sky lightened with each step they took, shifting to a warm blue as the sun peeked above the forest. Roosters crowed throughout the village, harmonizing as they announced the new day. People shuffled out of their homes to begin their routine. Cara recognized a couple women as fellow vendors so she greeted them. They replied cordially and then glanced at Kiran.

"What's happening with the two of you?" the older woman, Sarah, asked with a warm smile. She was a short, portly woman with stringy graying auburn hair and soft green eyes. A very kind, genuine woman, if Cara ever knew one.

"We have an arrangement," Kiran answered, continuing on the path without looking at them.

"A marriage arrangement!" Cara gushed, putting on her fakest happy smile and clutching Kiran's elbow to halt his movement. She'd be damned if he was rude to Sarah. "We're going to meet his family, since that's where I'll be staying after the wedding."

"We really should be going," Kiran growled, attempting to pull his arm from her grasp.

Sarah ignored his tone, smiling with Cara. "You should have brought horses, dear. Makes traveling easier and faster. Especially with the chill settling in the air."

"Noted." Kiran managed to get his arm free and stepped away from the women.

"He's right. We should be going. It's a long walk." Cara glanced between the two women before following Kiran, half running to catch up with him.

"It was good seeing you again, Cara!" Sarah hollered behind her.

The other woman, Cynthia, who was around Cara's age and married three years ago, added, "I hope you like your in-laws!"

Kiran curled his lip, glaring down at Cara. "I suppose you thought that was clever," he hissed through clenched teeth, anger radiating off his frame.

"It was." She frowned.

He whirled toward her and leaned down to harshly whisper, "If you go telling people we're engaged, word will get back to the Fae, and then we really will be targets. Tatiana will not rest until she knows the outcome of our bargain, and our 'engagement' will definitely cause quite a stir, being you're a human."

Cara glared at him. "I lied to my mother, okay? I left her a note that I met a man who promised to pay five thousand coins as soon as we're married. The only stipulation was I had to leave with him immediately."

"Five thousand? You really think you're worth five thousand coins? Your mother will figure out your lie as soon as she reads it. How could you possibly come up with five thousand coins?"

"From King Oberon."

He choked on a laugh. "Are you serious? You think King Oberon is going to, what? Just hand you five thousand coins? He's the King of the Seelie Court. You're a weak human with no business involving yourself in the Fae realm. Unfathomable. There's absolutely no way he'll accept your request."

"He'll give it to me because he owes me for an entire life of not knowing who I am. A whole twenty-four years. That's a long time."

"Of course he won't know you," Kiran scoffed, turning away from her to continue his journey through town. "You're an insignificant human to him."

"Except I'm not." Her gut twisted. Should she even admit this to Kiran? Could he be trusted? Then again, it wasn't like the information was damning. To his retreating back, she added, "I'm Oberon's in absentia daughter. That makes me half Fae."

♦♔♚♕♛♢

***Leaving home is one of the hardest things Cara has done, especially leaving her mother. But she's about to meet her father...***