For the love of her children, Jewell willingly gave up her soul.

She had been summoned to her aunt as the light faded from the sky. It had been less than two days since she had been forced to leave RhyDin behind, her children stolen from their beds, her house burned to the ground, her life taken from her. The grit and grime that had coated her from her blue head to her bare feet had been washed away. Her scrapes, cuts, and bruises had been tended to. Yet, she still felt like an open wound, an exposed nerve. They had wrapped her up in the finery of Faerie: a silver dress of spun spider?s silk and sparkling dew drops, her departed mother?s sapphires set in her hair and at the hollow of her throat. All of their efforts could only gloss over how raw and vulnerable she was.

Not usually prone to fidgeting, Jewell pulled and tugged at her dress before she was shown in to one of her aunt?s many visiting rooms. This one was clearly where Conventina?the venerable Lady Ta-Neer?liked to receive guests she either wanted to impress or intimidate, likely both. Two of the walls were windows, lending visitors an impressive view of the sprawling Ta-Neer holdings. Jewell saw the land now as the setting sun turned it all to gold. The vista was the centerpiece of the room, and there was little furniture to take away from its effect. Aside from a dais, where her aunt presided with the windows at her back, there were several uncomfortable looking chairs lined against the one solid wall. Jewell took it all in quickly, trying to pick out every detail and weighing it to her advantage or disadvantage.

The door clicked shut behind her and she was forced to traverse the room and stand before her aunt, offering only a slight incline of her head in greeting. Antipholus?her aunt?s steward, knight, and errand boy?stood looming behind his lady. Conventina waited several minutes before finally looking up from whatever papers she had been perusing, handing them off to the man behind her. ?My dear, I believe we should dispense with the pleasantries.? She leveled her gaze at Jewell, who was forced to remain standing. ?Though I must remind you that it was completely inappropriate for you to come barging into the day room this morning, and in such a frightful state too! Really, I know you have been spending time in foreign parts, but I expect more from you in the future.?

Jewell remained calm in the face of this reprimand, ?Yes, M?lady. I will do my best to overcome such barbarism.?

Conventina sent her niece a sharp look, ?And I do not appreciate your tone. You will have to learn rather quickly that you are no Empress,? she sneered, ?here. In these lands, my word is law, and I do not tolerate any insubordination.?

?Yes M?lady,? Jewell repeated more respectfully this time.

?Now to business. We must be quick, I am afraid, since I have a dinner party to prepare for.? She continued as if her first thought perfectly segued into the next: ?Despite your earlier demands, your children will remain in my custody on the condition that you perform per our agreement.?

?And what agreement is that?? No amount of training could keep the anger out of her voice.

?Why, the agreement we are making right now, dear.? Lady Ta-Neer smiled pleasantly, ?You will take your place in the family. You will participate in family affairs. You will do what is asked of you, everything that is asked of you, or you will never see your children alive again.?

Like the caged animal she had become, Jewell felt wild at such provocation. Her insides knotted over and over again, turning into a twisty mess. ?Where are my children? I need to see them. I will not agree to anything unless I see them.?

?You have my word that they are safe. I will show them to you shortly, once we conclude our little business here.?

A pact with the devil, that?s what she was being asked to make. Her life. Her soul. Give up everything, do whatever they want, keep the children safe. ?Why? Why me? Why now??

Conventina pressed her lips together, apparently contemplating the best answer to these questions. ?When my dear sister, your mother, departed this world, our family was left in quite the situation. My mother, your grandmother, Lady Nerissa, was in power then, so our current state of affairs seemed very far off. Unfortunately, I can no longer afford to ignore it. You see, Jewell, I am childless. This leaves you next in line in the Ta-Neer family.? Her aunt let this sink in a moment. ?We have let you alone for as long as we possibly could, keeping tabs on you of course. But, you seemed determined to make quite a mess of things, and we cannot allow you to run so wild anymore. It is time for you to step up and accept your responsibilities.?

?Isn?t there someone else,? Jewell asked, bewildered and confused. ?Muirenn? My cousin...?

Lady Ta-Neer shook her head, ?I am afraid she is simply not an option while you are so very much alive and well.? It was understandable that Jewell missed the note of regret in her aunt?s tone.

?But you could just pretend...? she grasped at any possibility, ?I can disappear..?

?Again, I am afraid we have already reviewed all of our options. We are stuck with you, so we shall just have to do our best with what we have.? She stared at her niece. ?Do you understand??

Jewell struggled with a thousand thoughts, all screaming for her attention inside her head: Stephen, RhyDin, home... ?Yes. I understand.? She didn?t. Not really.

?You will obviously require significant training before we can possibly present you at court, and even then you may still be rejected. However, you must not fail or... well, I am sure you understand the consequences if you disappoint.?

She swallowed back the scream that started in her innermost parts and stuck in her throat. ?Yes, M?lady, I understand perfectly. I will do my best not to disappoint you.? Jewell took a deep, shuddering breath. ?Now, may I please see my children??

?Of course, of course! I must go prepare for my dinner, but Antipholus here has just a little something you must sign and then he will take you right along to see your precious children without any delay. Antipholus,? she nodded her head to him as she stood. Gathering her sweeping skirts, she departed the room without a second glance at Jewell.

Jewell and Antipholus stared each other down. Even with the tumult of emotions overwhelming her, one rose clearly to the surface: hate. She hated this man with every fiber of her being. He knew it too. He knew it and relished that knowledge.

The steward held out his arm, gesturing for her to come to the small table set besides her aunt?s throne and sign her life away. Jewell strolled over, doing her best to act as if this was nothing, this slavery and bondage they were subjecting her to. Picking up the parchment, she attempted to read each carefully printed word once. Then again. Then a third time. Antipholus shifted beside her, clearly becoming impatient. He cleared his throat repeatedly, but she continued to try and comprehend the words on the page in her hand. It was not to goad him, though that was something she would enjoy doing in the days to come. Rather, as many times as she looked at the paper and read it, she couldn?t understand. Her vision blurred, the symbols twisted. Her body was so tired, her mind so distraught, that reading had become some monumental task far beyond her. Jewell furrowed her brow, grit her teeth, and forced herself to make sense of the words.

Fortunately, there was no new trickery here. Her children would be released to her upon the assumption of her duties as heir and her fulfillment of that role to her aunt?s satisfaction. Vague, yes, but that is what being pressed-ganged into service to your family apparently looked like. If she signed this document, they could ask anything of her and she would have to do it. Anything and everything. She held out her hand, accepting the fountain pen from Antipholus, and signed simply ?Jewell? to the paper. No last name. She was not a Ravenlock anymore. Not a Kidd. She was only whatever they wanted her to be now.

Stephen grumbled softly to himself as he approached Jewell's villa. It was nearing dawn; he hoped he had given her enough time and that she would be home. As he stood at the door about to knock, several thoughts rushed through his mind: what if she wasn't home yet?, what if her knight she had told him about answered or worse yet what if she answered with that man she had been at Beltane with? He took a deep breath and pounded his fist against her door unsure what would happen next.

Ishmerai had not remained at the street festival for long after Jewell left with Kalamere. He trusted her with the Baron, and such revelries were not to his taste. The knight returned to the Old Market house, not far down the street from where the party continued, to await his mistresses return. Although unexpected, he was not surprised to hear someone knock on the door in the early morning hours. He had seen what had transpired between Jewell and Stephen. He opened the door for the sailor, moonlight highlighting the scale-like pattern that decorated his skin. "Captain Kidd." He greeted him calmly, this man who knew his lady's true name and held her heart for so long. "I assume you are looking for my lady, but I am afraid she has not yet returned."

"O' course she hasn't," Stephen sighed exasperatedly. "Sometimes I swear she sets me up for failure." Stephen shifted perhaps nervously as he was unsure what he should do exactly now.

Ishmerai could not stop the hint of a smile that curved the corner of his lips up. He had spent more than enough years to know that Jewell rarely made life easy for anyone but especially men. "I know she wanted to speak with you, Captain Kidd. You are more than welcome to wait if you would like," the knight stepped aside to indicate the large, empty house.

Stephen gave it a moment?s thought before entering. "I cannot wait very long, but she seemed to want to talk." Of course he would rationalize why he was agreeing to come in and wait awhile. Stepping past the knight Stephen looked him over. "So you are the mysterious knight?"

Ishmerai closed the door behind the captain before turning back to face him. "I apologize for not introducing myself to you formally, Captain Kidd, and dispelling some of the.. mystery. I am Ishmerai, knight and sworn guardian to Lady Jewell Kasimira Ta-Neer." Normally he would have simply bowed his head to the man, but he was starting to understand some of the local customs and therefore extended a hand to Stephen in greeting. "I have heard much about you."

"Funny, I have heard nothing about you." Stephen replied as he shook the man?s hand. "Do you think she will be much longer?" Stephen asked, though he rolled his eyes at his own question as soon as he asked. "I am not sure why I am even here." Stephen continued obviously nervous with the knight.

Ishmerai shook his hand firmly before gesturing to the formal living room situated off the foyer, not waiting to see if Stephen would join him before entering the room, "It is not surprising that you have not heard of me, Captain Kidd. The silent shadow protects the best." He took a seat, doing his best in his own way to try and put Stephen at ease by continuing to speak with him, "And my lady is not eager to speak of anything that happened in Faerie." He paused a moment before admitting, "That topic will not remain taboo if she thinks you plan to continue with your quest to try and find those Lands. But as far as when she will return, that is unfortunately completely up to her. You know she will not be dictated to."

Stephen nodded knowingly about when Jewell would return, he was quite familiar with the type of hours she kept. "I hope she hasn't called me here to try and talk me out of my voyage." Stephen looked the knight square in the eye. "I am going to Faerie. I plan to kill her Aunt and bring back the children."

Ishmerai's brow furrowed deeply; the quick flash of aggravation he felt was quickly overcome by compassion. He spoke slowly, as if breaking bad news: "Captain Kidd.. her aunt has been dead for many years. Jewell killed her." He paused, conflicted as this was not really his story to tell, but the sooner Stephen knew the truth, the better. "She suffered greatly for what she did, but Jewell killed her aunt as well as anyone involved with taking the children. There is nothing for you in Faerie."

"So then she has had her vengeance," Stephen stated loudly. "But you?re wrong about there being nothing there for me." Stephen pointed a finger at the knight. "Things were not just stolen from Jewell, they...my wife...my children...my happiness were taken too." Stephen's righteous anger faded as he spoke. Pausing to collect his thoughts his anger welled up and spewed forth once more, "I have a right to exact some measure of vengeance for myself." Stephen turned for the door throwing a parting shot at the knight. "You can remind Jewell that though she may want to think she was the only one robbed of anything....she is WRONG."

When Stephen turned, Jewell was there to block his path to the door. It wasn't clear how long she had been standing there: a minute, five, ten? She looked small and vulnerable in her bare feet, thick black hair still drying, or she would if it wasn't for the pallor of her face and the rigid line of her jaw. "Ishmerai, leave us. Now." She did not take her eyes off of Stephen to issue her command. The knight stared at his lady a moment before giving a rather unfriendly look to the Captain on his way out the door. Jewell waited until Ishmerai was at least out of sight, though probably not out of earshot as she raised her voice, before asking, "And what exactly, Stephen, were you robbed of that you had not already given up yourself? Or has my memory failed me after several hundred years and you were not actually seeing someone else before I left."

"You for starters....Oh don't use that against me," Stephen waved his hand about, swatting away the accusation. "You were dating as well, but we always found our way back to each other, or was I just the last stop the night you left, just one of many hearts left in tatters?" Stephen eased off sensing that while he had meant to point out that she came to him not anyone else, it came out wrong and hurtful. "The children muirin," he stated very softly. "Don't you dare even question that I loved them, and they me." His faced turned to find something interesting to look at.

She recoiled back at his words as if he had struck her. The mix of untruth and cutting insinuation hurt more than any physical blow. The memory of the night her whole world burned down around her, the taste of her life turned to ash stuck in the back of her throat, made her sick. To mention the children on top of that? It was easier for Jewell to reach for anger than give way to the familiar drowning, suffocating feeling that tightened her chest. "I wouldn't question that. Ever. But they're beyond your reach Stephen. They're beyond even mine. You don't even know..." she stopped. She would not speak about everything she had given up in her attempts to find them again. Taking a breath to calm herself, she continued as steadily as she could: "So it's time to just move on. Go back to the life you were building without us."

His eyes snapped back to her, his words a low rumbling growl. "I can't! Don't you see that?" He started to reach for her, but pulled back at the last minute, instead digging his fingers into his hair, pushing the tips painfully into his scalp as if he had a great pain. "Every time I see you I can't push past my feelings. I still love you, I always will....but this is my fault for listening to you and not going after you and the children. I let this happen to you, I let Robert die, I failed Annie and our little girl." Rage boiled up inside him and he slammed his fist down on the closest piece of furniture. "You are not going to stop me this time. I am going and I will not stop until I rake the gates of Atlantis still at the helm."

Jewell involuntarily jumped when he attacked the small hallway table, grey eyes fixated on a string of pearls he upset. They tumbled to the ground and broke apart, scattering this way and that. She watched them roll away as she tried to comprehend everything he was saying because suddenly their conversation was no longer about just them; it was about so much more. There were a lot of things she could say about what had happened to her, what Robert had done, even about Annie, but it was his insistence on going to Faerie and the familiar mixture of panic, anger, and despair that she couldn't get around. "That's it then? Everything I did.. all that I gave up. You are making it for nothing, Stephen! I didn't just do it for them," the wide sweep of her hand was meant to somehow indicate the children, "I did it for you as well. It was to keep you safe. And now.." she struggled not to let anger and frustration win out, attempting to plead with him rather than berate him, "You can't go to Faerie. Go anywhere but there! Go home. Go to Ireland. If you go Beyond the Veil, you will not find what you are searching for and it makes me sick to think of what they will do to you."

"You say I can't and that I won't find what I am looking for there, but maybe just maybe it is the only place I can find it." His mood had already changed once more, and as he followed her eyes he knelt to try and collect the pearls. It may have been a valiant effort but it was for naught as a few kept eluding his grasp. "I am so lost. I feel like a piece of wood adrift on the sea." He hung his head slightly, abandoning his quest for the pearls. "Of course you thought of keeping me safe, but you didn't. I..." There was something on the tip of his tongue he wanted to tell her, but he held back. "I shouldn't have come here and disturbed your household. I don't want to be a burden to you." He rose and extended his hand to her offering the pearls. "I leave on this morning?s tide."

"Just say it, Stephen." She wouldn't take the pearls from him, her arms instead crossed at her chest to protect herself from the words she imagined he would say even as she uttered them herself: "I ruined everything. You said it yourself. No matter what I did, all of it was meaningless. I didn't keep you safe. I couldn't save.." her voice hitched. Even now, saying it out loud made it too real. Her nails bit into her upper arms, creating familiar half-moon marks on her skin. That little bite of pain was the only thing that let her finish. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I came back and did this to you. I just couldn't stay there.." Jewell dug her nails in deeper before she started babbling, stuck in the self-blame game as deep as he was. "I'm sorry." She tried to apologize for everything in that one phrase: for leaving, for coming back, for not saving the children, for not saying I love you too.

"Oh muirnin," he reached for her hands, a soft gentleness in his rough hands. "Please don't." He tried to get her to release herself from her own grasp. He never could bear to see her when she was in pain, now most of all because he knew he was causing it. "A smile, please before I go? I want to remember you that way." There was so much more he could have said, but to what end? Would it help to tell her he was still madly in love with her? Or to tell her of all his extended voyages, losing countless members of his crew as he labored to find what he had just now found, the maps and charts to Faerie. He was nearly destitute now, and this voyage was all he had to cling to. Had he told her any of that he felt he would only illicit pity or cause more pain, and those were two things he didn't want from her.

Instead of a smile, she threw her arms around him, holding on to him tightly. All those years of practice could only hold back so many tears, a few escaping to fall on his neck and shoulder as she whispered to him, "I hope you find what you are looking for, Stephen. I really do." Jewell then pulled away from him a little, not quite letting him go just yet, but there was still no asked for smile. Rather, she looked into those green eyes with such intensity and urgency. "You have my name Stephen. Promise me you will use it if.." her fingers curled into his shirt, "just promise." There was a chance she would not let him go if he didn't.

He reached up and lightly traced the bottom edge of her lower lip with his thumb. "You know I have held onto that all these years." He was going to protest, but as he looked at her he knew better. He pressed a very soft innocent kiss to the edge of her lips as he whispered. "I promise."

Resisting the temptation to kiss him senseless, and thus confuse herself more and make this harder, she wrapped her arms about him once again and squeezed him tightly. "T? gr? agam ort, Stephen. And that's for always." She used the words one said to those they loved?family and friends?because, just as he would not let her go that night so long ago without making sure she knew that he loved her, Jewell could not let him go now without letting him know the same. It may not have been the love he wanted or the love they used to share, but she simply loved him in her own way all the same.