“Alfur!”
I glanced over to see a little girl pointing at Cat. She looked local, a perfect poster child for the Aryan race. Her parents were staring at Cat, eyes wide, and I realized the room had gone quiet.
“Alfur! Alfur!” The little girl was getting more excited. She bounced right out of her seat, and over to Cat.
My eyes went wide as the child threw her arms around Cat's neck, and hugged her like a long lost friend. Cat leaned into the affection and rubbed her face against the girl's. The child's parents stood slowly and came over to us like they were approaching celebrities, eyes blinking fast and mouths dropping open. The woman actually bowed her head deferentially. She started speaking to me in Icelandic.
“I'm sorry, I don't understand,” I gave her a confused smile.
“You are not from here?” the woman seemed surprised. Then she laid her hand on her daughter's shoulder. “Hella.” The little girl looked up, and her mother spoke to her in Icelandic before returning her attention to me. “I am sorry, she doesn't speak English.”
“We are honored to have the Fairy Folk here,” her husband said. “I haven't been in the presence of the Shining Ones since I was a child.”
We all gaped at him.
Hrafn said something in Icelandic. Half the room stood up and hurried over to us. The next thing I knew, I was being greeted like royalty. Cat was admired like she was a demi-god. The chef even came out of the kitchen to bring her a special plate of food. I have no idea how many hands I shook, but it was a lot.
“A princess of the Fair Folk,” Hella's mother, Svana, said in awe. “Will you give my daughter your blessing, Princess?”
I glanced at Hrafn, who widened his eyes at me pointedly, and gave me the barest, but somehow still emphatic, nod.
“Of course,” I held my hand out to the child, and she rushed forward to hug me. “Oh, okay,” I knelt down, smoothed her hair back, then kissed her forehead.
I did so with an air of ritual, just to satisfy the mother, but something sparked inside me in response. When I pulled away, there was a glow over Hella's head. It faded quickly, but it had been very evident. The room came alive with joyful murmurs.
“Thank you, Princess,” Svana's eyes were full of tears. “It has been a hard winter for us. Hella has been diagnosed with bone cancer. She'll start her treatments soon, and I'm certain your blessing will help her through it.”
“You're welcome,” I was completely baffled. I had no idea what I'd just done to the child or why it had even happened. “But I'm-”
“Have the child reexamined,” Conri interrupted me. “My lady is not just a fairy princess but is blessed by Danu herself. I would not be surprised if your daughter's disease disappears completely.”
“Thank you,” Svana sobbed. “Thank you, Princess. May the Goddess bless you as much as you have blessed us.”
“Thank you,” I stammered as I accepted a hug from Svana, and then a handshake from her teary-eyed husband.
When I was free again, I shot Conri a hostile look.
“I spoke the truth,” Conri defended himself. “A blessing from any fey carries a spark of magic within it, but a blessing from royalty is truly special. You are even more special than that. The magic within a fairy blessing is neutral, it can be used for anything. Usually, it responds to the receiver's desires or needs. In this case, Hella needs healing. I believe she'll be healed.”
“Just like that?” I asked. Thoughts of traveling around the world, blessing sick people back to health, filled my mind. I could save-
“The conditions must be perfect,” Torquil cut into my dreams of becoming a miracle healer. “The recipient must be worthy of the blessing, you must be willing to give it, and the magic must be powerful enough to meet the needs of the recipient. Even with all that in place, sometimes it will still not work. Magic can be fickle. The Princess is right, you should not have raised their hopes.”
I looked at Hella and prayed that my magic helped her. Even if we didn't meet a single elf during our stay in Iceland, I would still think the journey worth it, if that little girl lived. I'd spent most of my life protecting humans, but there were some things I couldn't save them from. To be able to move past those boundaries would transform me nearly as much as it would Hella. From warrior to healer. Death-bringer to life-giver.
Regardless of the results of my blessing, it was appreciated. Our meal was comped, and then drinks started arriving, courtesy of the other diners. In fact, our table became a sort of epicenter. The locals pulled their chairs in around us while the few tourists there watched on in astonishment. Some of the tourists tried to film us with their cell phones but were admonished by their waiters. Evidently. it was bad form to photograph a fairy.
“What does 'alfur' mean?” I asked Hrafn.
“Fairy,” he shrugged. “Alf.”
“Alf?” Killian asked. “Like that weird alien puppet?”
I snickered.
“No, as in 'elf',” Hrafn explained with a confused look.
“Yeah, I got it,” Killian chuckled. “I was just messing with you, man. So uh, was that your first blessing, Seren?”
