“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Iris supplied.
“That’s the one. My family thought Fen and I would go our separate ways if they…well, if they removed you. From us.”
“But the search only brought us closer,” Fen said. “We created you out of love, and you were stolen from us, sent here wrapped in an enchantment that hid most of your true nature. I’m so sorry, precious blossom.”
Rain added, “The humans granted you a good name, at least.”
“True. Iris suits you.” Fen inclined their head as if they were bestowing a boon.
Iris tried to keep calm, despite the excitement flickering through her. “Okay, let’s start with the creation part. You…made me? That means you’re my parents, right?”
The two exchanged one of their silent, brain-sharing looks, then Fen answered, “Procreation is different among our people. Ideas can take form. So can emotions. It’s more of a magical genesis than a physical interaction, but you do absolutely share energy with both of us.”
Okay, I can work with that. Rain and Fen are my parents.
“So I was kidnapped by your family,” she said to Rain. “Hidden in the human world. Did your family raise the real Iris Collins?”
“They did. Her name is Thea… All this time, we had no idea.”
“What happened to her?” Iris wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know, especially since she knew the type of family that awaited Thea, should she return.
“At her coming of age, she married a minor noble and drank from the Wellspring, so she’s no longer mortal, strictly speaking. My family said she was a foundling, when in fact she was a changeling, taken when they stole her and left you in her place.”
She wondered if that meant Thea would never return to the mortal realm since she had bonds elsewhere. “This…is a lot. I have so many questions that I don’t even know where to start. What did you do to me just now?”
“Unbound you,” Rain said simply. “Fae aren’t constrained by gender or even form. But you’ve been locked into this shell for far too long.”
Iris blinked. “Wait, so you can change shapes?”
“Of course, precious flower. You saw us do it, didn’t you? I lived as a seahorse for a while,” Rain said in a nostalgic tone.
“What?” The surprises just kept piling up.
“You’ve confused her,” Fen said swiftly. “Rain means a fae horse that lives in the sea. Not the marine creatures from this world.”
“Right, because that would be weird,” Iris said with decidedly ironic intent. “But getting back to the original point, can I change shapes as well?”
“I hope so,” Fen said. “It would be excruciating to realize that our forbidden love blighted your potential. But you might find it difficult or unusual at first.”
Rain predicted, “Your mind will probably be your greatest barrier. You’ve thought of yourself as human. When you accept yourself as fae fully, your potential should expand.”
Ohhh.
“To be honest, I think I did that earlier. You might not realize since you haven’t been outside yet, but the whole house is covered in violets.”
Rain beamed at her. “We certainly knew something happened.”
Fen put in, “That’s how we found you. Whether you intended to do it or not, you’ve turned this place into a fairy mound.”
“That’s a portal connecting our world to the mortal realm. There used to be a lot more of them. As I recall, the last one vanished…” Rain gazed at Fen with a beseeching expression, inviting clarification.
“In Wales, wasn’t it? I’m not too clear on when.”
Iris held up a hand, locked onto a more salient point. “Wait, back up. I created a portal? A link to the fae lands.”
With a fond smile that looked more natural all the time, Rain assured her, “Indeed you did, precious blossom. That’s how and why we’re here.”
“Huh. Okay, next question. What’s my last name?” Iris asked.
“Your what?” Rain asked blankly.
“Surname. There are so many humans that they need multiple names to track them. I think they have numbers these days too,” Fen whispered.
“Oh! I’m Rain of House Summer. They are Fen of House Winter. Any of those words would do, I suppose.”
“So my choices are House, Summer, or Winter?” she asked, greatly bemused.
Fen tried to be helpful. “You can put them together if you wish.”
“Iris Summerhouse?” She laughed and shook her head. “Never mind, I’ll figure it out.”
Rain gazed at Iris, their expression tenderly troubled. “We didn’t expect to find you already grown. No need for us at all.”
“She’s still a baby,” Fen protested.
“By our standards. But she’s developed as a human. You’ll excuse us, we have some mental adjustments to make,” Rain added.
“So do I,” Iris mumbled. “The biggest issue is, what does all this mean?”
* * *
Eli dropped Rowan and Henry Dale off at Violet Gables.
The house stood out from the rest, an upright botanical marvel, as the wind ruffled lightly through the purple blossoms. I wonder if anything else has changed. As he pulled away, it struck him as heartbreaking that something so major happened after he left. The worst part of all this was, he couldn’t check in with Iris to see if she needed anything, He’d lost that privilege when he lost sight of the fact that he was part of her life because she allowed him to be.
Those thoughts would break him, so he forced himself to drive away. It’s not about me. It’s about her and what she needs. Knowing that he was doing the right thing didn’t make it less painful as he drove across town. At least he had an appointment this afternoon, signing the closing paperwork to make somebody else’s dreams a reality.
Eli went straight to Keshonda’s office, and even though he was early, the newlyweds who’d offered first were already on site, happy as two summer days, and nudging each other in excitement. Their joy put a smile on his face. Everyone settled at the table in the conference room as Keshonda passed around the perfectly organized packets.
“Thank you for agreeing to let us move in right away,” Natalie Moreno said.
Her husband, Ruben, echoed the sentiment. “Yes, thank you! Keshonda told us you had other offers, so we were on pins and needles until you confirmed.”
“It’s what my grandmother wanted,” he told them. “She likes the idea of another family finding happiness in the house.”
“The yard will be perfect for a playset,” Natalie said.
“Yep, I’ll build one next summer.”
“The baby won’t even be old enough to play on it,” his wife protested.
He hadn’t known they were expecting. “Congratulations!”
Keshonda sat at the head of the table and interrupted their chitchat with instructions on how to proceed. Really, it didn’t take long at all to sign the forms, finalize everything, and get the funds released from escrow. They went straight to Gamma’s account, and it made Eli happy knowing she was set financially. And if she ran into trouble down the line, he could afford to help out.