XIV

The owl fae laughed quietly and shook his head.

"Anytime he visits, it's like a snowstorm. Gets in, turns the whole shop upside down and leaves a pile of work to take care of, that imp!" he complained with zero anger in his voice. "That said, Lady Lara, the task of hosting you will be our absolute pleasure. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Th... that is very flattering to hear, sir Hazel," replied Elanor, still getting used to not adding the polite "thank you" to every sentence. 

"You know so much about faery custom, it's commendable."

"Iceland is one of the few places where humans interact with the Good Neighbours. As a child, I read so many books about the folk."

"So you love to read? After we close the atelier tonight, we shall return to my house, I will show you what a great library I have there."

"I'd love that. Please don't let me be an inconvenience. I can stay here and play with Lumi. Or let me know if I can be of any use around the shop," offered Elanor awkwardly. She did not want Hazel to feel like he was part-timing as daycare. 

Hazel refused to burden Elanor with any work apart from keeping him company while he resumed dusting feathers with gold. He was as amazing at conversation as he was at garment making. While Lumi leisurely napped, pinning her to the sofa with his massive fluffy body, Elanor spent hours without noticing while the tailor shared anecdotes of the Autumn Court and asked a multitude of questions about her human life.  

"So the Unseelie King was once ruling over half faerie courts?"

"The wars among the fae are pretty much an eternal loop. There was a time, they say, there were only Seelie and Unseelie Courts; at some point, Winter and Autumn joined the Unseelie and Spring and Summer, therefore, the Seelie. Many dark creatures of the Unseelie preferred the lands where nights are longer. At present, we have Six Courts somewhat independent; occasionally, ambitious monarchs would try to mix things around."

"Does it happen often?" asked Elanor with a concerned expression.

"How often is often if you are alive for hundreds of years? When monarchs' kids grow up, some refuse to wait for the crown and start all sorts of coups or use a simple poisoning. Jelousy plays a big role as well. In the Unseelie Court, for example, both king and his second wife were slain by the first," replied Hazel with an uncomfortable casualty.

"How awful! Did the first wife end up ruling?" gasped Lara.

"She did, until her three daughters plotted against her and locked her in the dungeons. She is still there, from what I know," added Hazel. "The second wife was my sister, you know. She had a daughter, Mira. I could introduce you," continued the tailor, as if he were talking of some book plot and not his actual relatives. Elanor could even hear pride in his voice. 

"That is awful! I'm so sorry about your sister. So the three sisters are now the rulers of Unseelie after all that? And Mira lives with them?"

"Indeed. They are of the ambitious ones; tried to marry Mira off to the Winter king, so that his Court eventually joins back with the Unseelie. Mira was not interested and is now, in a sense, exiled. Worry not, she is loving her exile! She lives here, with me."

"So the Winter Court is not yet a part of their reign?" Faerie politics seemed so complicated. Elanor wished she had started writing notes an hour ago or had a sixteen-episode podcast to listen to at night. 

"It's presently at war, but the sisters have their claws deep." When Hazel said that, shivers ran down Elanor's spine. The three mysterious sisters straight up reminded her of fairytale villains. Hoping she never has to meet them, she continued her interview. 

"The Winter King must be in a tough spot then. Is that why Talvi is summoned somewhere so suddenly? Is he helping his king?" As she asked that, Hazel suddenly got extremely busy with the sewing machine, and his head disappeared under layers of tulle. 

"Winter Court has no monarch. Your Talvi is always trying to help his Court, but his dealings are numerous and of no knowledge to me," heard Elanor, his voice muffled by the fabric. 

Before she could ask if the Winter King was also murdered after the unsuccessful betrothal to Lady Mira, the inner doors opened, and assistant fae brought in a modest supper of bread and fruits. Lumi was immediately moving around his human, begging for a share, and Elanor picked a few things to treat him. She tried her magic pocket, but inside it was just a tube of hand cream. 

***

After a time, Hazel noticed his guest wasn't eating and offered to bring in a different meal.

"It's very kind of you, but if I intend on coming back to Earth, I prefer not to risk eating food in the Fae," explained Elanor.

Hazel raised his brows in a bit of surprise or maybe curiosity and called his servant to task them with scouting for human food at the market.

"The market might be closed for today, but then you shall return there tomorrow first thing," instructed the shop owner and stood up from his workspace, approaching his human guest. "Let's see what you've got so far. As a good host, I can't make you fetch for yourself in my house."

Elanor emptied the bag on the sofa: two bottles of water and about twenty protein bars were all she had, but she was not too worried, since the magic pocket produced food quite often, although it was a game of chance. 

Who knew I would one day have to gamble for food? In all seriousness, though, I wish people lost fewer socks and more cinnamon rolls. 

She giggled at her own thoughts and explained how she gets random items from it every few hours. Hazel took great interest in studying all the trinkets she saved but meant to throw away later, and Elanor suggested he keep them to maybe fashion some whimsical decor for his clothes. 

"Lady Lara, I have not had the pleasure of meeting many humans, but I don't think this is enough food to sustain you for more than a few days. The folk does not know hunger, for we can go weeks without eating and do it daily simply for the pleasure or the status. You would need to try hard to starve in the Fae, since it's so easy to just forage something in the nearest woods. But I am most concerned for how little water you have left."

"The water is the least of my concerns, good sir, because I have this mug which apparently produces the last thing it was filled with. I made some tea when Talvi and I stayed at an inn and now can enjoy it at any time," and she produced the mug to show Hazel.

He inspected the mug, tried some of the tea that appeared in it with the encouragement of Elanor and remained very pleased. When his servant returned from the market (an errand boy, dressed in a cute bluebell costume), he brought a bit of cheese and a couple of kiwis, which were a delight and would definitely upgrade her dinner tonight. The boy was instructed to check the market every day and was given a couple of shiny buttons from Hazel's large collection as a reward. 

Finally, the host closed the shop and led Elanor to the small enclosed garden in the back, consisting of only an ash tree and a chair looking at the river. 

"This is the way to my house, walking there would take quite a while, and we shall only circle this tree to appear at the cottage. After you," he urged Elanor, and she approached the tree.

"Clockwise or counter-clockwise-" she began asking, while walking round the trunk, and discovered that she was already in another place: a large ash grove, all yellow and amber from the autumn coloured leaves, and a small house with two stories and a bunch of towers attached on the sides with walls made of stone.