Waking up to a dozen media outlets on his doorstep was the deciding factor. Seiran had been working on getting the twins bathed and dressed. Alone for the weekend, and off work, had sounded like a good idea. He could play with his kids, read a book or two, maybe watch some anime, and relax. Then Prince Ariellen arrived with a dozen white maned horses pulling a carriage full of flowers glowing with fairy firelight.

The media ate it up. Broadcasting on repeat, the parade to Seiran’s off the beaten path house was followed by cameras like it was a royal wedding. Which resulted in a dozen phone calls and endless buzzing at the gate. At least the wards were keeping everyone out.

“It’s fine,” Seiran assured Jamie over the phone as he tugged a shirt over Mizuki’s head. Sakura sat on the floor a few feet away, her little hands gripping the colorful fabric of her jumper. The pattern was bright and of her favorite Disney movie. At least she was occupied.

“I’m not sure I like you traveling that far on your own,” Jamie said.

“Um, hello. Adult here,” Seiran said, more than a little annoyed. He’d never asked to be a single dad, but felt like he was doing okay at it.

“A trip to South Dakota to escape a fae prince?”

“They’ve been asking for me to visit for a while.”

“You can’t stop the pipeline.”

Probably not. The big corporate interests wouldn’t listen to Seiran as the Pillar of Earth any more than they were listening to the tribes they were trying to steal land from. “The kids should see the forests.” Before they were destroyed too. All of it would be gone in a few years. The sadness of that burned within Seiran. The Goddess was angry at the constant destruction, but other than tearing the world apart, what way was there to get anyone to listen?

“Seiran…”

“It will be fine.”

Sakura got up and began to wander away as Seiran tugged Mizuki’s shoes on. “Kura, stay here please,” He asked her.

She looked at him, eyes big and blinking blue.

“Please stay with daddy,” Seiran said. She turned and wandered close, snuggling herself around his arm.

“We go bye-bye,” Mizuki said.

“Yep. Play in the trees?” Seiran asked. His kids’ affinity to earth magic was already beyond what most witches could ever hope to have in their lives. Mizuki touched Seiran’s hair and strands of flowers wove through it, the ends turning green where they fell over Seiran’s shoulder.

“Hey now,” Seiran said. He caught Ki’s hand and kissed it. “Leave daddy’s hair alone please.” It needed to be cut again. He’d been doing it regularly, but in the past six months or so it had gotten a bit out of hand. His kids thought the green of his Father Earth persona was more fun. The Dominion didn’t want that on TV, going to great lengths to filter his presence and that of his children, from the media. He wasn’t certain if that was to his benefit or theirs.

“We will be fine,” Seiran had to assure Jamie a dozen more times before he would finally go back to focusing on what he and Kelly were doing, which was interviewing for a surrogate to have their child. “Go. You have things to do.”

Jamie’s sigh was long, but Seiran could hear Kelly in the background urging Jamie to get moving, they had people to talk to. “Call if you need me.”

Seiran wouldn’t, but promised anyway.

The gate bell rang again. Apparently, the Dominion wasn’t saving him from the media frenzy of having a fae prince at his door. Maybe they had helped set this up to force him to choose?

He opened his phone to the app and answered the video callbox. “Hello?” If it was the media again, he’d be hanging up. But it was a fae and not the prince.

“Good morning, Sir,” the fae began. Seiran’s couldn’t tell much about them from the video as they were too close to the camera. “His Highness, Prince Ariellen, has arrived.”

Like Seiran had expected him or something? “Wonderful. Is he willing to come inside without all the media and guards?”

“That would be highly irregular, Sir.”

“I’m certain a Prince as mighty and powerful as he, does not fear for his safety in my home?” Seiran said it as a sort of challenge. He was not going out to meet the prince, which would likely end up in some sort of elaborate proposal in front of a thousand cameras. One did not turn down a fae lord so publicly.

“Of course not,” the fae said, their gaze shifting backward. They stepped back and Seiran could see Ariellen now. Beautiful was something the fae did well, even if a lot of it was glamour. Ariellen was very much the fae the media sought and loved, very pale, blond, and ethereal. He walked and talked like royalty, although Seiran was unsure which court he actually belonged to.

“Your Highness,” Seiran greeted. “Will you come inside? I’m preparing my children for the day.”

Seiran didn’t miss the prince’s flinch at the mention of children. He knew what the fae thought of humans in general, especially the higher court fae. He was a tool to be used, his children were inconveniences. Humans were little more than pets, and badly trained pets at that. While Seiran wasn’t exactly human, he had no desire to be on their leash.

“Of course,” Prince Ariellen gave a slight bow. “I would be honored.”

“Alone,” Seiran said. “No horses, or guards, or media.”

Anger touched Ariellen’s beautiful face, and a glimpse of what was beneath the glamour rippled through, though Seiran knew it was unlikely anyone else would catch it. He was not going to be tied to one of them for the rest of his life, no matter what the Dominion and the government at large demanded.

“I apologize for my humble surroundings and requirements,” Seiran added. “My children must come first, as my culture demands.”

The mask was back in place and Ariellen bowed again. “Your wish…”

There was a gasp in the crowd and movement, but Seiran couldn’t see much from the small camera. Only a flash of red. Hair perhaps? Bryar?

“I will escort the Prince,” Bryar said from somewhere off camera.

“You dare?” The other fae said.

It was better this way. Safer really, since Bryar’s presence leant not only a backing of the fae, even if he wasn’t some high court prince, but a set of eyes to record what was said and done. The fae could not only coerce with ease, but use magic to steal a person’s mind.

“By the Pillar’s will,” Bryar said.

“He has access,” Seiran agreed. “Bryar, if you could show Prince Ariellen into the parlor, please? I’ll be down with the children in a moment.”

“Of course,” Bryar said stepping close enough to actually be seen on camera. The media was probably eating this up. Bryar playing up his warrior persona, looking gigantic and looming in armor the color of a reflective beetle shell. Most would never know that the form he spent most of his time in was less than six inches in size.

Seiran turned off the app, and finished with the kids. He glanced in the mirror, had to brush away the flowers and shove back the earth energy that turned his hair green, and prepare himself to greet a prince. It was not how he had planned his weekend.