Glais’ home was somehow exactly what Reese had been expecting it to be. A towering manor surrounded by thick foliage that blanketed it in a sense of warm mystery. Aisling marched up the steps to the massive pair of doors that led inside, swinging open the dark wood and turning to look over her shoulder at Glais, who looked about ready to commit a murder. The building – built of wood and stone and integrated with climbing ivy and trees – beckoned silently to the three of them with its warm, flickering candlelight and grandiose halls. Reese was guided inside into a foyer that was somehow lit by floating lights which reflected off the polished marble floors and lit shadows along the not-quite-living foliage that somehow managed to cover the walls indoors. Carvings of trees, horses, seals, swords, and some kind of family crest decorated the ceilings when Reese inevitably looked up, winding in shapes around the chandeliers and rafters that made up the building’s spine.

He wished he’d had more time to actually appreciate it, but he was impatiently guided along by Glais, who was being guided with equal impatience by Aisling. The ivory Fae lashed his tail back and forth as they walked, somehow equally frightened and enraged, hooves clicking a staccato rhythm on the floor. Each beat echoed through the spacious passageways, and they always seemed to match the beat of Reese’s heart.

Door after door, turn after turn… the place was labyrinthian, but somehow Aisling navigated it flawlessly, always some feet ahead of the other two. It was she who slammed open yet another set of impossibly large doors, and it was she who first stepped onto the dark green rug accented by gold, startling two other Fae who were seated comfortably in armchairs and talking.

The tallest had dark fur and striking amber eyes, heavy hooves crossed politely as he sat, tail flicking in immediate suspicion as the tense trio entered. His haunches, flecked much like those of Aisling, rested comfortably in his chair, but moved to rise as soon as he registered the tone of the room. The other one, a slight woman with long hair and pale grey fur that made her blue eyes shine like sapphires, moved for him to sit down again. Her ears tilted back in obvious concern.

“Aisling, Glais,” began the woman in the softest tone possible, “What’s going on?”

Glais shifted nervously next to Reese, looking like he might break down at any moment. “Nothing that wasn’t Ashie’s fault,” he replied, shaking in restraint. His eyes shone in the candlelight, which lit the room in a low, soothing glow as his face became stained by tears.

“It’s not my fault you chose to keep a human as a pet!” Aisling fired, back, whirling around with venom in her tone. The large man rose from his chair and quickly strode over to her, gently shoving her back so as to offer her brother some space.

“Hold on, wains, back it up,” he rumbled softly, running a hand through his long, greying hair and scratching at his beard. Something in the sheer size of him – maybe seven or eight feet tall – made Reese’s entire body stand on edge, soothed only by pressing closer to Glais.

“Angus-” spoke the woman, presumably his wife, but stopped as soon as she’d begun when he gestured for her to quiet down. He smoothed his hands carefully over his dark blue suit jacket, which looked like it had been stolen from an army officer in a fantasy novel.

“Aileen, just… give me a moment, love.”

Angus turned to the trio of young adults, brow furrowing as his scrutinizing gaze fell upon Reese. Carefully, he reached a finger forward and brushed a lock of auburn hair out of the young man’s face.

“A human. In Tìr Na Neart.”

He said it as a statement. Reese felt like following the example of the opossums that kept showing up in his backyard and playing dead. Slowly, the older man turned his head to the far wall of the room, eyes settling on two portraits. A woman and a man.

The man was the same shade of stark white as Glais, but held golden eyes just like the ones Angus bore. His clothes were crisp, a brown vest over a cream-colored tunic. Long hair cascaded down his face, obscuring one eye and falling over his shoulders. He looked less than amused, which was only accentuated by his very dramatic eyelashes.

Next to his was the portrait of the woman, fair-skinned with rich, dark eyes. Her hair was short and mussed, a curly bob cut that was the same shade as dry sea lion fur. Over her shoulders, she wore a speckled coat trimmed in white fluff, which rested above what appeared to be a shirt the color of seagull feathers.

“You lot have some explaining to do,” Angus decided after a long moment. His head swung back to look at his children. “Where did you find them?”

“The woods,” Glais explained almost sheepishly, ears pinning back against his head. “He got in through one of the rings. I was trying to take care of him until we found a way to get him back home.”

Aileen and Angus glanced at each other. Then back at Glais, Aisling, and Reese. At last, Aileen stood gracefully and allowed her dress – the color of the night sky, deep blue speckled by silver – billow rather elegantly around her as she approached. “Come now, little bird,” she spoke softly to Reese, extending a hand to him. “Don’t be afraid. Did Ashie bring you here?”

Reese nodded. So did Glais, and reluctantly Aisling, who was clearly starting to realize that things were not going according to her plans. Aileen sighed.

“Aisling Fiona MacCiar,” the pale-furred woman addressed her daughter, tone stern and firm as rock, “Were you spying on your brother? I didnae raise you up like this!”

Much like her brother, Aisling shrunk back slightly, ears drooping in shame. It was oddly similar to watching a dog be admonished for chewing up all the furniture. If Reese were meaner, he probably would’ve laughed a little. “Sorry, Mam,” replied the young woman. “I just thought- I mean, he kept on disappearing and I was starting to worry…”

Glais snarled his disagreement at his sister. “I’d be better if you just stayed out of my-”

“Glais!”

Reese’s trusted companion immediately shut his mouth when his mother cut him off, tail flicking awkwardly behind him. He looked so frustrated and scared and dejected all at once.

For reasons unknown, it ripped Reese apart.

He knew what he had to do.

Softly clearing his throat, he found it in him to carefully pipe up. “It’s true, though. I’m lost and Glais helped me, and I really didn’t mean to cause any trouble or impose,” the moss-eyed boy stated as politely as he could. “He’s been bringing me food and keeping me sheltered and teaching me things about this… uh… this realm. Really, I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Much to his relief, his words seemed to have the desired effect, with Aileen quickly switching from stern to proud. She pulled her son (who yelped loudly in surprise) into a hug and patted his back, joyfully exclaiming “My boy! That’s my boy!” with a dose of tonal whiplash that Reese felt could kill an elephant. He watched as Glais glanced at him and gave him a rather strained thumbs-up, which sent him biting back a smirk.

The room went silent for a long moment, as still as the night sky outside. With the din paused for a moment, Reese finally had the time to further process his surroundings. Instinctually, he started by assessing any perceived threats, eyes flicking almost instantly to Angus, who was gently patting his daughter on the shoulder, offering her a small smile even as she glowered down at the floor like an upset toddler. The smile, Reese realized, seemed to change his face entirely. Dark fur went from the void of night to the warm coals of a fire, lit by the candlelight of the room. Under his beard, those yellow eyes might’ve been the only truly sharp part of his face.

Okay, maybe the seven-foot-something-or-other man wasn’t as scary as he initially seemed.

“Well,” Angus broke the silence, pinching the bridge of his nonexistent nose and running a hand over his face in much the same way that Reese’s father always did after a bad day at work, “I think today has taught us all a very valuable lesson. Glais, you can always tell us anything and should tell us if you find a lost human in need of help. Aisling, you need to stop trying to become involved in your brother’s business and let him have his privacy, even if you only mean to protect him. Are we clear?”

“We’re clear,” both siblings confirmed, Glais finally pulling away from the bear trap of his mother’s arms and returning to Reese’s side, where he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Aisling’s eyes narrowed, one ear flicking a few times while her tail swayed behind her. “Question is, what do we do with him? I mean, he’s a human, they’re not supposed to-”

“Don’t,” Glais snarled, flattening his ears back. For the first time since he could remember, Reese heard a new sound emanating from his friend’s throat; a series of low, threatening clicks. Though it wasn’t directed at the human in the slightest, Reese couldn’t help but feel it add a layer to his dread.

Please don’t kick me out… Please don’t kick me out…

“I’ll tell the servants to prepare a room for him.” 

Everyone turned to Angus, blinking up at him in astonishment. He only blinked his deep golden eyes back, then turned to crack open the door, following on his decision. “Wes?” he called into the hall. A flurry of flame-colored feathers and a body shaped like a terror bird quickly trotted down the hall.

“Yes, Sir?”

“Please prepare one of the guest rooms. I’m expecting to see it in top shape.”

With that, the man of the house turned from the door and approached Reese, laying a heavy hand on his shoulder in a gentle, reassuring pat that belied the sheer size of him. Who knew someone built like a Clydesdale could hold such a delicate touch?

“You’ll be fine, lad. We’ve got your back.”

Aileen nodded her agreement with her husband, tenderly taking and squeezing one of Reese’s hands. “Glais will lead you to your room once it’s ready. Go get comfortable, and let us know if you need anything.”

“I… appreciate that.”

---

The bed was soft under Reese’s body as he lay in a starfish position, having a staring contest with the ceiling. Lush blankets and furs surrounded him, soft to the touch and just the right temperature, and the moonlight found its faint way in through the window to one side of him. Occasionally, he glanced at it and raised his hand to it, just to see the silhouette. Dinner had been left on the bedside table, consisting of smoked venison and a few cookies for dessert, which tasted pretty similar to the snickerdoodles of Reese’s early years. In addition, he had an apple and a glass of water, which he’d taken a few sips of already.

He’d picked the plate clean, but it was hard to eat or sleep when all he could really think of was the situation he found himself in now.

Aileen was a nice lady, that much was certain. Reese immediately felt a specific sense of safety around her, and it was amusing to watch the way she handled Glais and Aisling and the dynamic between them. She could go from soft and sweet one moment to stern and demanding the next, depending entirely on how well her children behaved and how much bickering was happening at any given moment. Angus, on the other hand, was harder to get a read on.

While heading to the suite where he lay now, Glais had informed Reese that his father wasn’t really anyone to be scared of… just a man to respect. He was a high-ranking official of the Summer Court’s military, but spent most of his time handling trades and imports between the four court regions of the realm. It was clear just from the way that Glais spoke of his father that he loved and revered the man, but that was about all the information Reese currently had. He figured it was best not to ask too much about it.

As for Aisling?

Well… she wasn’t awful, at least. Reese supposed he could understand her caution, though he found her a little prideful and something of a stickler for the rules. According to Glais, she was really quite sweet, but she tended to switch between being too protective and being overly altruistic. Glais said she also liked to feel superior, which was an ongoing point of contention between them. A love-hate sibling rivalry, the human assumed. He was an only child, so that kind of thing flew like a bird over his head for the most part.

There were just two missing pieces to this puzzle, and their names were Lachlan and Muir.

Who are they? Reese asked himself, playing the sound of Aisling saying their names over and over again in his head. They sound important. Are they the pictures in the living room?

Yeah, that conclusion made the most sense. Lachlan must’ve been the man with the long hair, then, which made Muir the woman with the dark eyes. Given the way they were framed and the way Aisling had spoken of them, they must’ve been very important.

And if they’re important… and they don’t like me…

He didn’t want to focus on that. With a sigh, he rolled over onto his side and scrunched his eyes shut. The bedsheets smelled faintly of apple and pine, and he found himself gladly burying his face in them while he counted sheep. He didn’t know if it would work, especially in this strange place after so much excitement, but he had to try. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

One… two…