Father and Son.
A Rhiannon family story.

Flame Song was at home, practicing her harp and singing along with it, with all four of her children sitting around listening, when she heard a faint humming, just audible over the music. She stopped and looked up, and saw the rainbow shimmer of a portal forming to one side of the room. Her heart jumped.

"Get back from it," she said, and stepped between the portal and her children, tense and ready to fight if necessary.

The portal solidified, and then someone stepped through. It was an elf. Flame had only rarely seen a full-blooded elf, they seldom traveled outside their own enclaves. She looked at him suspiciously.

He bowed, the motion elegant and graceful. "Lady. Forgive me greatly for intruding upon your home. I would not have done so, but I was told this was a matter of greatest urgency. I am pledged to deliver this and discharge a debt." He held out a folded rectangle of paper. It had been sealed clumsily with a large blob of wax. Flame hesitated, then reached out and took it. "My duty is thus done," said the elf, and with another bow he vanished back into the portal, which snapped out of existence behind him. Flame looked at the paper. In a rough, scrawling hand it said "To Aidan Rhiannon," but had no address, and no return address either. She considered opening it. Aidan was out hunting and he often took his time. But she was a little wary of it. A letter sent by portal? By an elf? She didn't know any elves, and as far as she knew neither did Aidan. She shook her head. "Well, that was odd," she finally said, and set the letter on the mantle for later. Then she sat down again and picked up her harp. She smiled at the children, who looked rather unsettled, and ran her hand along the strings. "Now, where was I?" Soon everything was calm and tranquil again, as if the intrusion had never happened.

Aidan returned an hour or so later. The children were amusing themselves for the time being, Ariana keeping an eye on the younger ones, and on Shade in particular. Flame met him at the door. "Somebody brought you a letter just now."

Aidan blinked. "A letter?"

"Yes. An elf delivered it by portal. He said it was urgent, and that he was paying off a debt by delivering it, and then he left. It's over there." She pointed.

Aidan retrieved the paper and looked at the scrawled name. He didn't recognize the handwriting, but it looked childish, even worse than Flame's uncertain hand. With a mental shrug he opened it. Given that it had come by magic he half expected something to happen when he broke the seal, but nothing did. He unfolded the page. The writing was just as bad as it had been on the outside, and was further made hard to read by spots here and there where the ink had run, as if it had been out in the rain.

To Dad,
They are going to make me leave. Mom is dead and they are making me leave, but I don't want to. They said that I was an orphan but I'm not. Uncle Brandon said that he knew an elf that owed him and would send this to you fast. I hope he can. Please come and tell them that I'm not an orphan. They won't believe me, and they don't believe Uncle Brandon either and I don't want to be sent away.

The letter hadn't been signed, but it didn't need to be. "Gods..." Aidan whispered. He dropped onto the couch in shock.