Chapter 22

The scene at the observatory when the cavalcade arrived was of a joyous, yet bittersweet, reunion. When the motorcycle led convoy rolled into the courtyard, an even larger host was arrayed to greet them. A huge white limousine stood front and center in the circular drive. When the SUV bearing the King banner rolled into sight, a great cheer went up from the assembled crowd. However, a hush quickly fell as the doors to the limousine opened.

Stepping gracefully from the limo were a statuesque blond and an even taller, but older, red head. They were dressed in the finest of silks that gently billowed in the evening breeze. Arthur exited his SUV, but before joining the two women, paused to make sure that his wounded were properly cared for, and that the dead were tended to as well. The hush extended, and deepened as the two noble women bowed their heads for a moment of silent reflection.

Arthur then strode over to the two ladies and took a knee in front of the older red head. A quiet, yet intense conversation seemed to take place just below the level of hearing. Then Arthur stood and beckoned to Emory, who took hold of Erin’s elbow and led her over to his King. Uncharacteristically quiet and formal, Emory stopped just short of the King and made a stiff bow to first the blond, and then a much deeper bow to the red head. Whispering to Erin, he said, “My Lady, may I present your Lady Mother and the Queen of the Fairy...” and then he pushed her forward into the tight circle of royalty.

Arthur reached forward and took hold of her hands. Erin couldn’t tell if he was being polite, or thought she might flee. To be honest, Erin wasn’t at all sure herself. “Mother, I should very much like you to meet your Granddaughter, the Lady Erin.” The red head inclined her head slightly, and then smiled for the first time since Erin had seen her.

“Erin, what a lovely name, don’t you quite agree, Guinevere?” said the Queen. “But my son has come up lacking, and the duties fall to me. Pity.” With another smile, she took hold of Erin’s hands and looked into her eyes. “Erin, I am Titania, and I am the Queen Mother of Arthur, and not coincidentally, I am also your grandmother. This lovely child to my left is Arthur’s wife and the current Queen of his court, Guinevere.”

Though her eyes flared a bit, Guinevere otherwise did not react openly in the courtyard. With her dignity and emotions firmly in check, she nodded and then smiled in an attempt to clarify that she was very surprised but pleased nonetheless.

“Erin, we have much to discuss and more to do, but this is neither the time nor the place.” said Queen Titania. “Please promise me that you will allow us to try to explain things in our own way and in our own time. We owe you at least that much for all you have done.”

Erin nodded mutely as she tried to take so many conflicting emotions in. Her mother was standing within arm’s reach. The mother she had never known. The mother she could not believe was real. Slowly she turned on her heel and moved through the throng like a ship cutting waves, completely lost in thought, deep into the observatory and up to her room.

An hour or so later, there was a gentle knock on her door. Megan entered, took one look at Erin, and crossed the distance to her in a rush. Megan held Erin and rocked her as she cried silently. Making soft “there, there...” noises, Megan simply held her close while gently stroking her hair.

“It’s just too much ... Damn it! I just can’t take any more of this.” Erin said as she wiped away a tear. “Megan, how do you handle it? I just can’t take any more and I think I’m losing it!”

“Erin, you want to know my secret?” Megan said as she sat back and held Erin at arm’s length. “I don’t try to make sense of it anymore. I have Richard and, God as my witness, I love him more than anything. Beyond that, I just don’t try to make this make any sense at all.”

“It’s just too bizarre! I mean, come on! If someone walked up to you at the Husky Union and said, ‘Hey, there are a bunch of fairies out on the Quad!’ don’t you think you’d laugh until it hurt?” and Erin looked at her friend to gauge her reaction. “And now, shit! I don’t know what’s real and what is a really bad dream.”

“I know what you mean!” said Megan. “I keep expecting to wake up with am evil headache and my clothes on backwards or something. If you try to get a handle on it, the whole situation just turns to fog, and you can’t hang on. I just don’t try anymore. It was weird to start with, and it just keeps getting weirder.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I just keep hoping it will make sense, so my head will stop hurting.” With that, Erin and Megan simply wound down into silence. Another tap at the door brought them both out of their reverie.

The door slowly slid open and Brun stepped softly inside. “Your Highness, the King wishes to call upon you. Are you in any shape to receive visitors?”

“Can I have a minute to pull myself together?”

“Oh, of course, Your Highness, take as long as you wish.” And Brun silently stepped back into the hall, pulling the door closed behind her.

“Hey, did you get a raise while you were away? Why did Brun call you ‘Your Highness’?” Megan asked with one eyebrow raised.

“That’s another of the parts that doesn’t make any sense at all. You remember that I told you that I was an orphan, right? That I never knew my birth parents and was raised by foster parents?” Erin waited until Megan nodded. “Well, I just met my mother in the parking circle. And the kicker is; she’s married to Arthur and her name is Guinevere.”

“Christ on a crutch!” swore Megan, and then she clamped her hands over her mouth.

With a smirk and a smile, Erin said, “And you wonder why none of this makes any sense to me. My head hurts something fierce!”

The tap at the door was soft but insistent. When Megan made to get up, Erin grabbed her hand and looked at her pleadingly. “Please, stay with me. I don’t think I can handle any more surprises without help.” Megan settled back, and both women looked at the door as it slowly opened.