"You're an elf, well, a half elf, seriously?" I fought the urge to touch his ears. IThis was too dramatic to be fake or to be a prank. The more I accepted it the more excitement bubbled inside of me. "I thought elves were myths." He accepted his glass again and arched one perfect eyebrow at me. "Sorry, it's just a huge shock for me.”

"You thought we were a myth, because we wanted it so," said Belenus and gave me a weary smile. He turned to look out the window again. I couldn't see anything past the glare of the glass, but he must have been able to, because he nodded and murmured something under his breath.

"The doors between our realms have been mostly sealed for three hundred years," he said. There was an edge to his voice, as I shifted my weight, that I didn't quite understand. Was it distaste or was it fear?

I went to stir the vegetables and check the fish in the sink. The hot water had almost defrosted it, so I took out my mom's fish fry mix and began breading the filets. Belenus had drained his glass again, and he was looking less shaky. Focusing on him and the food provided a wonderful distraction for the impending freak-out I could feel growing.

"So how did you get here, if the doors are sealed?" I asked and tossed the now breaded filets into the deep fryer baskets and dropped them into the oil. Then I washed my hands and pulled down a plate. The green beans were at a nice rolling boil, so I added some salt and butter to enhance the bacon's flavor.

"I am not quite sure.” Belenus' hesitant voice made me look back. "I do not seem to remember much except running from the wolves. I did not open the Rift." There was a sadness in his voice that ached my soul. I turned around completely, and his shadowed, gray eyes met mine.

"I do not have that level of power. I am afraid, Madam Grace, that I am trapped here unless the Rift is still open," he said and looked down at his bloody clothes. I opened my mouth to ask where it would be, but he cut me off. "The bite or scratch of a shadewolf drains energy. I won't be strong enough to retrace my steps for at least another two hours," he said as he looked back up at me. His face was the epitome of imploring. "You have already saved my life, and you are now feeding me, but may I trouble you for a place to rest safely until I recover enough energy to defend myself?"

"Listen, Belenus, I'm not sure how things work where you're from," I began and offered him my most charming smile. If I turned him away, and he was attacked, his blood was on me. I couldn't live with that. "But how I was raised, you help people in trouble. So, until you're able to do whatever you need to do, you can rest here." I turned off the beans and then jiggled the fryer basket. The fish would be done in a few more minutes. "I just ask that you explain why those wolves were chasing you, and where the Rift might be. We don't have to walk to it. I can get us through the woods quicker," I said. I just hoped my dad had gassed up the four-wheeler. "Oh, and you have to help me get rid of those wolves."

"That is fair payment for offering me a place of respite," Belenus said and nodded softly, but then he lowered his head to his hands and swayed in his seat. "I apologize," he whispered. His voice was shaky as he said "but even using the stone with stored energy, healing myself only exacerbated the energy loss." He patted his hip softly then looked up. "My-"

"Here!" I grabbed the pouch where I had set it after I cleaned up. "I put everything back," I said and handed it to him, then rushed over to the deep fryer to get the fish out. I set the basket up to drain the oil and turned off the heat to the beans. "Sorry, didn't mean to cut you off. I didn't want to burn the food."

"You need not apologize," he said. He shook his head as he set the pouch down. Okay, I won't lie; his proper speaking was driving me bonkers. I didn't say anything, though, because my casual tone was probably irritating him.

"The food smells delicious," he said, and I could see him perk up some. I plated his food, bringing it and a fork to him, and then I refilled his water.

"Will you not be dining with me?" he asked.

I wasn't all that hungry, but something in the look on his face told me he would feel more comfortable if I ate as well. I was still full from my quick dinner after the range, so I gave myself a couple spoonfuls of green beans and half a piece of fish. Then I brought the rest of the food and more water to the table before I sat down.

"I have about a million questions," I blurted, unable to contain the insanity inside any longer. "Why were those wolves chasing you? How did you get separated from your sister? Why would someone want to open the Rift in the first place?" I sucked in a breath, not even realizing my questions had run together in a rambled mess until Belenus had frozen with a bite of food in front of his mouth. "Sorry. I'll just... yeah." I stabbed at the fish and felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment. I popped the bite in my mouth and tried to coordinate my thoughts.

"It is a long tale, and it is one best suited to be told when we are fed and alert," he said, and I knew Belenus wasn't dismissing me. I knew what that sounded like, so I nodded as he bit into his food. The silence between us wasn't tense, but it was strange. I picked at my food, since I wasn't fully hungry, until he was finished eating.

"Eat all you like." I gestured at the remnants, but he shook his head. Belenus looked stronger, with his skin almost glowing as he pushed his plate away. I remembered his ripped clothes and pushed my own plate away.

"I laid out some clothes if you wanted to wash off and change," I said and pointed at the pile of clothes we'd ignored.

"Your husband would not mind if I-"  I cut him off with a laugh.

"No, no husband for me," I said and hoped my laugh didn't sound as manic to him as it did to me. "They're my dad's. He and my mom are traveling. He won't even notice." Nerves were getting the better of me, and my stomach twisted. I just wanted answers, and it was beginning to feel like I wouldn't get them.

"Then I would be grateful for the use of your shower and the clothes," Belenus said. His knowledge of showers caught me off guard. "I will not take long. Where is your bathing chamber?"

"Uh, follow me," I said and snatched up the clothes. I led him to the guest bathroom in the hall. 

I was about to explain how the knobs worked when he reached over and turned the hot water on.

"Weird question," I began, "but you have showers in Aranthem?" I felt like a moron asking it, my chest clenching even before I finished.

Belenus smiled.

"Yes, though they are different. Unless, of course, you have a heating spell interwoven in the pipes that draws energy off crystals situated on the roof to absorb sunlight." 

Chastised, I passed him two clean towels and a rag from the linen closet in the hall.

"I believe your water is heated by gas or electricity, correct? The concept remains much the same, however," said Belenus. He accepted the linens, and I shut the door.

Well, elves had magical indoor plumbing. That threw a kink into every fantasy story I'd read. I stared at the blank wood for a few moments before I went to clean up the kitchen. I needed to think. There was a half elf from another realm in my parents' house, and he might be stuck there for a while. He hadn't meant to come to our realm, and while he was previously being chased by giant, murderous wolves, he was not panicking now. I wondered why that last bit calmed me, until I realized that he wasn't worried because he didn't think more were coming. Still, I needed to distract myself. I looked down at my clothes, wincing when I found them bloody and dirty.

Secure with the knowledge he was in the guest bathroom, I tossed my clothes in the washer and made a beeline for my parents' en-suite. The quick shower steadied me more than I'd imagined possible and cleared my mind enough to remind me that as polite as elves could be, the stories always emphasized how capricious they were.

I threw on some of my dad's sweatpants and a shirt and grabbed my gun from the living room on the way back. Belenus stood at the open back door, staring out, with his hair somehow perfectly dried and styled despite having just been washed clean of blood.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked back at me, face unreadable but infinitely less gaunt and colorless, and smiled. "Guess nothing, unless you're the kind of man who gets excited over impending danger."

"All is well, for now. If the Rift is open, it may not stay that way." He closed the door and sighed. He seemed somehow taller but didn't tower over me. "Please, come sit. I owe you an explanation." I led him through to the living room. Some part of my brain pointed out that at this point in the story, tea would be offered, but my parents didn't keep ingredients for it in the house. Their version of hot tea was sweet tea heated back up on the stove.

"Okay, explain," I said and settled next to him on the sofa. I pulled a throw pillow onto my lap in order to have something to squeeze. Belenus brooded, as if he couldn't figure out where to start. Finally, he met my gaze, eyes cold. Pain flickered behind them but disappeared.

"In short, two months ago, my twin sister, Bellatrix, was supposed to ascend to the throne of Meallán, to take our father's mantle. I was to move to the Brightwood and take our mother's place on the Elven Counsel," Belenus began. I didn't miss how he clenched his fists and swallowed hard.

I didn't need to ask to know his parents were dead because his eyes spoke that quite clearly. He confirmed my suspicions as he continued on and said, "Our parents were murdered when we were fourteen, and we were raised by my mother's half-brother, Faolán and my father's advisor, Carwyn, who was steward to the throne until Bella came of age."

"You're a prince?!" I almost choked on the words, as I made the connection. I was talking to an elven prince, had saved his life, and I fed him fried fish?! The fantasy-obsessed side of me simultaneously panicked and rejoiced.

"Yes and no, Madam Grace," he said, cutting my errant thinking off. "My sister is the eldest, by four minutes, and therefore she inherited my father's lineage. When she is crowned, I will no longer carry the title prince. I have no claim to the title again unless she passes before producing her own heir." I was more confused than before, but I relaxed some. I had a sneaky suspicion that the tale was about to turn to one of betrayal and usurpers. "Our twenty-first name day was three months ago," he said, and I turned my attention back to him. "During the celebration, someone murdered Bella's betrothed, Ophelion. According to the Law of Balance, Bella cannot hold the throne without surrendering her immortality and marrying someone who is human or no more than half elf of her choosing. Carwyn is half elf, and he-"

"Tried to pressure her into marrying him?" I guessed. It was a story I'd read hundreds of times. My pulse picked up as I continued, "And she refused. Then he usurped the throne by force, and you're on a quest to overthrow him?"

"How did you know?" Belenus raised an eyebrow, and I couldn't help but give a choked laugh. He may have known of my world, but was it possible he knew nothing of our stories? This was a classic situation. I tried to steady myself as he waited for me to explain.

"Our authors have written so many fictional stories about it," I explained with as straight a face as I could muster. I wondered if maybe I had offended him, because he had stiffened and was staring at me intently. "I promise I wasn't laughing at the situation. Just, imagine how this is from my perspective. I've literally gotten swallowed up in the plot of one of my favorite genres." Belenus' cold demeanor softened, just slightly, so I added, "I'm still half expecting this to be a dream."

"This is not a dream nor a story," he said and sighed heavily.

"I know. I'm sorry, but I bet you twenty dollars, your best friend or advisor or whoever is about to show up and-" I was cut off by a loud knock at the door.