Chapter 1

It was like Sam was traveling through the stars.

The teen, who no longer considered herself as such, sat on a wooden barrel near the bow of the ship. There was no rigging here to obscure her view. No swinging sails, no rope netting. Just the ocean, the stars. Stars ... they were bright tonight. Gone was the storm of the past week. All that remained was a clear night as far as the eye could see, over darkened seas.

Somewhere ... somewhere, up among those cold stars, her father watched down on her. Somewhere, up ahead, in lands unknown, her Jack awaited rescue, enslaved by the Witch.

Sam sighed. A year. A year gone. A year without word, without sign. Following some bewitched arrow pointing not to her love, her man, but to some trinket that might not be with them still. Was Jack still alive? Was she wasting her life, chasing love's ghost?

Little Jay released her breast, done with his evening meal. Samantha looked down at her son, smiling despite her mood. One night. One night with her love had blessed Sam with a baby. How much more will she be blessed, once she reunited with Jack? Nipple starting to get cold, Sam cradled Jay with one arm while slipping her breast back inside her shirt. She could no longer be mistaken for a boy, let alone a man, for all she kept her hair short and wore jeans. No, she had breasts, hips, and a baby. All sure signs of womanhood.

"I think the brat needs to burp."

And that was the sign of a bitchy fairy.

Lil fluttered down before Sam, small wings sending a slight breeze towards her on this warm night, a counterpoint to the much stronger breeze hitting her back (and the sails above). The small creature, not quite one girl's hand high, came to rest gracefully on the ship railing. She was human looking, mostly, apart from the clear butterfly wings, and perhaps the black skin. It may be humans somewhere were that dark, but Sam, in her limited travels, had never seen them. The Witch had the darkest brown skin she knew of. Lil's hair, though, was as white as starlight, braided so it fell between her wings and just past her nude bottom. The tuft of hair between her legs was heart shaped, naturally, she insisted. Her figure was slim, small breasts tipped with pink nipples which matched her lips.

The small sword, belted to her waist, was her only adornment.

Jay looked like he did need a good pat on the back, so as if that had been the plan all along (which, naturally, it had been), Sam lay him on her chest and gently coaxed out a burp. Lil stood, watching, arms crossed.

"Bored are we?" Sam asked. Jay let out one small burp, then a half one. Figuring that was it, she brought him back down, wrapping the blue blanket back around him. His eyes began to close.

"A bit," Lil admitted, eyes staying on the baby. She reached up and moved a stray hair that had fallen over her face. "Kik is reading."

Sam chuckled at the icy tone on her voice, drawing a frown from the fairy warrior. Sam decided she was in no mood for a fight, though. Standing, her free hand going to her sword hilt to keep the weapon from catching on anything, she smiled at her small friend.

"I'm ready to call it a night."

Heather's hand removed itself from the pommel of the dagger beside her as Sam entered the cabin. Passenger cabins could NOT be locked, much to her distress. She had rarely left the room for this reason, certainly never when Lady Cathy was there. To entrust the safety of, not just their few possessions, but her Mistress herself, to simply a closed door would not do. No. She had a job, and Heather WOULD carry it out. Whenever she had doubt, about what could and could not be done by a woman, all Heather had to do was look at Samantha.

Sam, door closed behind her, crossed the room with little Jay. The teen was thin, wiry, arms muscular yet still with a feminine grace. Compared to her, Heather felt like a buxom ox, her curves and ample flesh signs of weakness, not beauty. Sam was even graceful putting her son in the small basket hung by the beam near Sam's hammock. She was the ideal.

Heather bit her lip, eyes lingering on the flickering shadows on the girl's face. Ideal, in more ways than one...

She tore her gaze away, chastising herself. Sam was married, damn it! That's why she was HERE! As Heather served Lady Cathy, so Sam served her Jack. As it should be. Any other thoughts, of, well, any kind, were ... distractions.

"Cathy asleep?"

Sam's voice jerked her eyes back to the teen. The fifteen year old was sitting on her pack, leaning against the post which shoved itself through the middle of the cabin. Her male shirt, not quite buttoned properly, showed the swell of her breasts, even as her jean clad legs spread most unladylike. Heather blushed a bit, nodding up towards a filled hammock.

"She bedded down not long after you went out."

Heather's eyes stayed on the sleeping Cathy as Sam nodded distractedly. Her brother had told her, before she had been sold into the service of the Duke, that royalty and commoners were one and the same. That it was accident of birth, not inherent special qualities, which separated the classes. Cathy ... defied that logic. The nine year old princess was so much smarter, braver, kinder, than any human Heather had ever met. It was this that had bought her loyalty, this that made her accept the role of guardian for the girl. For her, Heather was prepared to give up all.

Had, in fact, given up all but her life.

If needed, she would gladly give that as well.

A kick to her foot brought Heather back to the here and now. There was a faint smile on Sam's lips, her leg drawing back to its original position.

"Any of that stew left?"

"Oh! Yes!" Sam's face smiled thankfully as Heather rose to her feet, moving to a copper pot in the corner. This was a good aspect of the ship, she had to admit. While, naturally, cooking itself wasn't allowed in the cabins, you could raid the galley and stock your rooms. Maybe they hoped to keep the rats away from the storage holds through this, Lil having already killed four in her defense of the cabin. As she scooped some of the still warm stew into the wooden cup, she noticed the female fairy standing behind her mate. Heather's eyes flicked to Sam, seeing she, too, was watching, amused. Quietly, Heather brought the younger woman her meal as they observed their friend.

Lil's full attention was on the nude male sitting, legs crossed, on the half sheet of paper on the floor. He, like her, was a fairy, wings more golden than clear, perhaps one knuckle taller than his female counterpart. His form was impressive, slender, yet powerfully male, each muscle well defined under his black skin. Kik was hairless, in a way hiding his nudity, as his male member was not highlighted as Lil's sex was. Even Heather had to admire this view of his back, the oil lamp illuminating the male like some work of art. He was hunched over, fully focussed on the large letters before him.

Lil's face was ... soft. So unlike when she dealt with the humans. There was love there, admiration, unguarded. The fairy seemed to sense, or remember, that she was not alone. Her body straightened, face hardened. Wings fluttering with agitation, she walked up beside her mate, hands on her hips.

"Why are you still doing that?"

Kik didn't even bother looking up, hand tracing a letter. Lil seemed to growl.

"It's just a stupid prophesy. You know they're meaningless. Even if they're true, they're written so you can't interpret them until after the fact!"

Heather had to agree with this. She trusted her compass, much more than the mumbo jumbo Cathy got from that elf. Still, CATHY believe, so...

Kik looked up, eyes sparkling, lips in a half smile. Reaching up, he touched Lil on her bare hip, just below her hand.

"You believe in dreams."

She scoffed.

"Naturally. Everyone knows you have to follow your dreams."

The humans were asleep.

Lil sat on the cooling oil lamp, staring at the bundled forms gently swinging in rhythm with the ship.

Humans.

It's not that there was anything wrong with the giant beasts, as a species or with most individuals. Yes, for the best chance of survival it was good to stay hidden, to not attract the notice of such creatures, but that was true in most predator/prey situations. Those who were weak, or at least weaker, survived either with numbers or stealth.

There were not many fairies.

Her hand went to her belly, even as her eyes shifted to her mate. Lil wanted to believe. Needed to believe. What her love had said. Had promised. For this, she would tolerate the humans. Help them. Protect them. For, if it was true...

Pushing off, she fluttered down to the floor. Kik had rolled the paper back up, hefting the scroll back into Heather's bag. As he stepped back, Lil came up behind him, pressing herself up against his warm body. Her arms went around his waist, as her head rested itself between his shoulders. Kik's wings, growing from his shoulder blades, angled back around her, as if protecting her from the world.

"Is that really telling you anything?"

He stood still, letting her feed off his strength. She could sense him nod.

"Some. You're right, of course, alone it is rather useless. But..."

"But what?" Her hands rose, covering his hard nipples, his own hands rising to cover hers. "From the ruins of the acorn of knowledge, the path to the bells of destiny shall grow. That's meaningless, you know."

He was silent. Turning her head, she kissed his skin. It was salty, musky. She breathed in, letting his scent infuse her.

"I had another dream."

Lil's breathing stopped. She felt herself pressing against him harder, his words flowing back and forth through her mind. Lil bit her bottom lip.

"The same?"

Pulling her hands off him, Kik stepped away, launching himself upwards. He circled once, eyes locked on hers. Even as she bent her legs to push herself after him, he broke off, flying towards the open porthole in the wooden hull. She followed.

Lil found him on the very bow of the ship, not far from where Sam had held her own vigil. The rigging creaked above, giving the clear night air an unnatural sound. She landed beside him on the wooden railing, hand seeking his.

"I saw you," he said, eyes on the unseen horizon where water and sky met. "I saw you as mother to a new clan, queen to a new people. I saw you populate a new land, unknown to any we now know."

"Are you king?" She asked, unable to keep her eyes off his face. "Are you father to my children? I want no people, no kingdom, if you are not at my side..."