Start of a Curse

Life was not the same since Ailill and Maeve announced to the town that they were expecting their first child. They had always been considered outcasts because of their longstanding custom of using less traditional magic. But now, they seem to be considered cursed.

They lived in Gelind, one of the small fishing towns on an island of the easternmost shores within the Kingdom of Anatolia. It was a simple life, consisting mostly of fishing, ship building, and tailoring. Unfortunately, in a town of less than a hundred and fifty, gossip was often the only form of entertainment. With a town this small, however, everyone had a job to do – regardless of whether or not the townsfolk thought someone was cursed.

Only a select few people within the town were capable of controlling magic. Without access to the various Academies within Anatolia, most of those who had any magical gifts simply had to teach themselves through trial and error. It was an incredibly dangerous practice, often leading to a child or teenager passing away tragically every few years. After the last, a few years ago, Ailill went to the town’s elders to request the basic concepts of magic be taught within school for all children.

It was not the first time that Ailill and Maeve have been mocked for their ideas. While it was true that they had not been born within the village, they were from Keltoi – the island they called home. Maeve was from the heart of the island, being previously married to one of the few lords of the island. It was her responsibility to assist in the collection of taxes. But, when she discovered that her husband had been overtaxing to make a profit for himself, she left. Fleeing to Buldin, a local outpost that had contact with the mainland, she reported her own husband. Throughout her life she was feared because of her magic, which came unnaturally easy to her from a young age.

Ailill had undergone the classical training of a druid since a young age. He was living a solitary life, as was customary, in a ceremonial cave on the coast near Buldin. While he was one of only a few druids in the area, he was the most capable healer. Other druids would often seek him out to learn his methods. However, it was often the case that these druids were not sufficiently attuned with nature, thereby resulting in both frustration and failure. Over the years Ailill had learned that not all his peers sought knowledge, some sought to recruit him to an army or back a cause to “liberate” Keltoi from Anatolia. These were the people who often tried to speak with their swords and axes when their misguided ideologies and empty promises fell on deaf ears. As a result, Ailill became an expert at defensive magic over a short period of time.

This defensive magic was of particular interest to some of the army members from the mainland. While they would not admit it, Ailill was convinced their choice of making an outpost at Buldin was not a coincidence. This led to a variety of different travelers from the mainland passing through. Which made obtaining some rarer supplies easier, only furthering the division between himself and other druids. In the end, it was jealousy that drove the Druidic Enclave to strip him of his post.

It was a land of lush forests and fields, sheer cliffs and rough waters, as well as mist and rain. Sunshine was not the norm on Keltoi, if anything an overcast sky was the closest thing to a sunny day. But on the day that Ailill and Maeve had met, there was not a cloud in the sky. Ailill would often describe meeting Maeve as fate showing him a different road to traverse in life. She was fleeing to Buldin when he found her in the forest.

“Mo anama cara, Maeve,” Ailill said as sweetly as he could to his soulmate, in his deep, booming voice. She was sitting at the table cutting herbs for a stew. Her fiery red hair was long, almost to her hips.

“Mo chara, what bothers you?” she asked, her brown eyes soft in the light from the fire under the cauldron for the stew. She could not help but smile at him, his features a little softer than other men, but hair just as fiery red as hers.

“Do you remember the day we first met?” he asked, looking at the dancing flames from his chair.

“Like it was just yesterday,” she answered with a smile, still chopping away at more herbs. “I honestly thought I had passed on to the next realm. I was, after all, looking at the face of an angel in the forest.”

“If I had an extra potato each time I heard that,” Ailill laughed. It was true that he did not ask much for his services in the past, often accepting a single potato if there was any financial difficulty. Now, he and Maeve, existed in a niche within Gelind – on the fringe of financial difficulty. Yet, without them, the town had no healer and little access to any form of medicine.

“We might be having potato stew instead of leek,” she quipped, placing a hand on her belly.

“Mo cara, do you think we will have a son or a daughter?” he asked as he stood up and picked the lid up on the cauldron.

“Ailill, I am not a seer,” she answered gently, but with a slightly scolding undertone as she put the leeks into the cauldron from her seat.

“So you say,” he started as he put the top back, “but each time you see something in your dreams, inevitably it comes true.”

“I have not dreamed of our child,” Maeve retorted, “Let’s just hope that we all have our health when this is all over.”

Ailill looked at her with a smile. He vividly remembered the day he found her. It was not until later that he discovered she had been running from her previous life. At first, he did nothing he would not have done for any other in need of help. But, as time passed, he discovered the cruel truth that she was fleeing from. Buldin was changing, thanks to an increased influence from Anatolia. Slowly, life was becoming more regimented and disconnected with nature. It was for this reason that Ailill eventually decided it was time to move east, away from influences that may diminish his attunement to the land and sea.

“Mo chara,” Maeve began, “Do you remember the day we decided to leave Buldin?”

“Aye, mo anama cara, I certainly do,” he answered, sitting back in his handmade chair, “It was not an easy decision. The ease of obtaining supplies in Buldin was spectacular. But, the Druidic Enclave was jealous and planned to remove me of my post at some point. I was joyous when you agreed to join me on the road to Gelind.”

“At the time, I felt I owed you, but in my heart I knew I wanted to be with you,” she added. There was a mixture of both sadness and happiness in her voice. She knew that no matter where she settled, she would be a fugitive. The person who turned on the land of Keltoi and gave the Anatolians a reason to increase their presence on such a sacred land. It was a sad memory to dwell upon, but even to this day she did not regret her decision. It was for her townsfolk she reported her previous husband, though in the end they turned on her as well. If it was not for Ailill she would have lost all hope. He was different from any other druid she had met. He was calmer and less eccentric, though he had his moments, as well as more practical. She knew druids did not tie the endless knot; but, she also knew that it was not against their practice to settle with a soul mate.

Bang.

Both Ailill and Maeve jumped at the thunderous sound, which was subsequently followed by a frantic knocking at the door. Ailill stood up and held a hand out, creating a small gold disc with magic, as he stepped to the door. The house was small enough that it only took a few steps to get to the door. He opened a small slit, about as high as his face, to see who was there, only to be surprised to see one of the village elders.

“Edwina,” Ailill began, “what brings you here at this time? It is almost supper.”

“Ailill,” Edwina started, exasperated, “please let me in, that sound.”

Ailill looked at Maeve, who nodded.

He opened the door to see Edwina hyperventilating from fear, and clutching a small bag. She quickly stepped into the room, almost closing the door herself with her hip as she spun around Ailill. Though she was older, she was still as nimble as any of the children in the village.

“Did you see it?” she panted, looking at both Ailill and Maeve, “Did you see the orb? A core as black as a starless night, with blue waves swirling around it like an erratic water spout.”

“I am sorry, Edwina, we did not,” Ailill answered with a calm tone in his voice. He gestured to the bench at the table for her to sit.

“Thank you,” she said at the offer to sit. While it was not unusual for Edwina to visit, it was late for her to be stopping by. She was one of the few townsfolk, and only village elder, who seemed to accept them as important members of the community. This, however, did not mean that she accepted them as residents of the village.

“What brings you to our hearth at this time, Edwina?” Maeve asked.

“Ah, yes,” Edwina started, as if remembering something important, “I brought some of the harvest, though the potatoes are small. Think of it as a gift to the expecting mother.”

“We all appreciate the kind gesture,” Maeve said, lowering her head slightly and putting a hand on her belly.

Ailill thanked her as well as he took the bag and put it on the shelf. He could tell from the weight that the food was small, and likely the rejected parts of the harvest, but nevertheless he was grateful. Their income had dipped significantly as Maeve’s pregnancy became more obvious.

“I also have news from today’s meeting,” Edwina said as she stood up. “Let it be known that I was out voted. But, once the child is born you are to leave this village.”

Both Ailill and Maeve looked at her dumbfounded.

“What I just witnessed, a mere stone’s throw away from your doorstep, is a grave omen,” Edwina continued, “I now see what concerns the other elders. You are a danger to our way of life, you bring a curse upon us. A curse from the gods themselves, the Fuaim proves it.” She was slowly stepping backwards to the door, never taking her eyes off them.

The fear in Edwina’s eyes told the tale more effectively than her words. This was not some childish prank, she was afraid. She feared for her life and the lives of all those in the village. But, most importantly in that moment, she believed that the gods would bring down their judgment onto the townsfolk.

All because of Ailill and Maeve.