Name: To the Homeland

Prologue

Sometimes he didn’t like the way they always had to pray in the dark. But he did it anyway because the light only reminded him of pain. He was grateful, for his lord had saved him when he had none and he swore to be at their side and make sure they reign over the realms. Then all suffering will end, all pain and he will be by his parents’ side once again. Yes, only they can bring his parents back. He only knew the joy of his lord.

Chapter 1

Walking out from the lecture room this late afternoon, Lea was not sure why she was going to a university at all. To be honest, she did not understand why she was still in the human realm to this day. She had known from the age of six years old that she was not human. She is Fae, not an elf, as those are a different kind but Fae as well. She is Fae, specifically a child of a Horned Fae father and an Un-horned Fae mother.

But her mother had left the Fae realm before she was conceived for their safety. All she had were stories, drawings and pictures of the Fae realm which surprisingly was similar in technological progress as the human realm. She wanted to see it, live it but her mother would always object. Why? Because of racism, classism and prejudice. At the time her mother had left the Fae realm, the horned fae were against inter-marriage with any of the other Fae races within the realm. Yet her mother, a then-famous un-horned singer and musician fell in love with a young horned noble. To cut a long story short, her paternal grandfather was not pleased and chased her away with money and threatened her life if she ever came back to his son.

“Hello, Lea in there?”

Candy, Lea’s redheaded childhood best friend and one of the ones she was always glad to have because she wasn’t human too.

“Musing again about magic, are we?”

Lea turned to her finally, “Just cut me some slack okay Miss empath, I just feel blue.”

Candy sighed, “Look, I love you but I don’t get the stress sometimes, the human realm isn’t that bad and we can lead accomplished lives here.”

“But I don’t feel like I should be here.”

Candy rolls her eyes, “We can have this convo later since I know I’m not going to be able to convince you.”

“Don’t worry, I already had a meeting with a councillor over what program I want to get into since I’m still in general social science and I’m going into my 3rd year.”

“And?”

Lea just shrugged, she never thought too deeply about it, maybe social work, who knows but she felt she should be helping people somewhere else. She knew Candy could see how she felt now because she sighed again, touched her shoulder, stared into her eyes to show she cared and walked off to the library.

Lea was not staying in school today, no. She was going home to try one final time. To meet the one person who could make her dream a reality, if she could be convinced. She opened the door to their rented home for the past six years. Her mother was home, she could sense her.

“I’m home.”

She was in the kitchen, the smell of different spices in the air. She came out rubbing her hands on a napkin.

“Early, are we?” she said. Her mother was average height with such pretty blonde hair that she did not inherit, blue eyes and a charming smile on her face. She didn’t inherit any of that either, she took more of her father’s Asian features and deep dark blue hair that was pitch black right now so humans won’t be suspicious.

“I just felt I needed to be home today.”

“Oh? Need?”

“Yes, maybe we can talk after dinner or so. I’ll wait.”

“I see.”

I’m not always this way, Lea thought, I just need to get this done with. I feel the need to be home, my true home and while a future here is fine, it isn’t a life I want. So, she waited, till the rice and curry was set on the table for two and she sat facing her mom at their little kitchen table.

“It’s about going home isn’t it?” her mother asked.

“You’ve said it yourself that times have changed in both the human realm and the Fae realm, mama”, Lea started, “most humans are accepting of different people of different colours wedding and you said in the Fae realm, it’s similar now with more interracial marriages in the past decade or so.”

Her mother stared at her quietly, sighed, ate a bit of the rice and looked down as she spoke, “I am aware, my love, it’s fear, I fear your grandfather and those who think like him still lurk in the shadows despite the views of the majority have changed.” She ate a bit again, “There are still families that have gone missing, dead, covered up in places in the realm that are still prejudiced.”

“Then we don’t live there, let’s go to the major cities, you can start again as a musician, I can find a job, we can-”

“And what job would you be able to do? I’m not saying you’re incompetent, I’ve taught you magic well enough.”

“Normal jobs exist there, mama and besides I’m your best and only student.”

Her mother smiled, “And my last”, she breathed slowly while closing her eyes, “I contacted your father.”

Lea jumped up from her seat, “O yay, papa!”. Feeling rather childish and embarrassed, she sat back down and composed herself.

“Please carry on, mama.”

Her mother smiled at her warmly, “I know you’re tired of only seeing pictures of him but know he wants to meet you as much as you want to meet him”

“And you’ve told me that since I was a baby, mama but I want to know what he said, does he want to help?”

“Yes, just like you, he wants us to move back-”

“Is he still married?”

“No, divorce is now acceptable, and he’s long been away from her and her kids.”

“Ah my half-siblings, how many 3?”

“Yes, two girls and a boy, the boy is your age, and the two girls are younger than you.”

Lea wondered if she could ever have a good relationship with any of them.

“Don’t waste your mind on the-”

“Mama, they are still my siblings.”

“Yes, but this is about us.”

And Lea agreed and so they talked for the night. They would go home finally, she would be with her father, her mother would try and re-establish her career and she would transfer to a University in the Fae realm. She would be home.

After dinner, she went up to her room and called Candy to tell her the news. Candy was mixed about the whole deal but was happy for her, nonetheless.

“You know, you could come too,” she said enthusiastically, “we’ve talked to your parents about it.”

Silence on the other end. Then a breath, as Candy sighed. It was like anytime this conversation happened; her cherry friend would have a bout of sighing.

“And you know my parents are mixed on the issue of me moving, their fairies who just want a normal life for themselves.”

“And you?” Lea replied, “What do you want?”

Silence again and then she spoke, “To be honest with you, I want to go too but what if I do and I regret it? What if I end up giving up a good life here for whatever it is there?”

Lea could understand Candy’s worries, she’d had those worries once upon a time, but she realized for herself that this is what she really wanted.

“Come with me, if it sucks, leave the next semester”

“Hahaha, gosh this sounds so silly to do but it also sounds fun so why the heck not” there was a sound of a drink going down a throat at Candy’s end “I’ll tell my parents tomorrow and see how this all goes down, they’ll probably call your mum.”

“And we’ll both be ready”, Lea said finally before they switched topics to online gossip.

Things were starting to look up in her life.