Equality And Tolerance Among The Fae

Hi Everyone! 

Here's another excerpt to help with those title suggestions! :-)

     

    "One thing that has made it more difficult to keep the balance in recent years is that the Winter Court has long been without a queen.  Brona, the late queen, was a lover of females.  She took a husband, as custom demands, who fulfilled (and still fulfills) the role of Winter king, but her Anamchara was a female and one of her handmaidens.  The female was killed by highwaymen and Brona chose to follow the mate of her soul.  This left Ankou as a king without a queen and he has never taken another mate, which alters the balance of power severely.  Many believe that the only reason catastrophe hasn't struck is because Ankou is not an Elf, he is a fallen god, and so is not as tied to Winter as an Elf of the Winter Court would be."

     "So the people who rule the Season Courts are Elves?"

     "Generally, yes, though, as I've said, there are exceptions.  You will be a ruler of the Summer Court and you are human."

     Roni raised her eyebrows in surprise. "So I'll be expected to rule?  Not just be a wife for the king and have his babies?"

    "The king and queen both have their distinct roles to play and both are vital.  Neither the king nor the queen is more important than the other; though there have been those who tried to make it so.  To the detriment of all."

    "Offspring are always welcome, we Fae revere our children, but the choice of if, when, and how many will always be yours."

    "So you have birth control here?"

    "There are magical means to prevent conception.  Uaine would never cause you to become with child unless you wished it."

     Roni thought about that.  At first she had thought she was in some horrible parody of a medieval society, with women little more than chattel, but the more she learned the more egalitarian these people seemed to be.  According to what Jillian was telling her, women were considered as important as men and held equal authority with them; she wouldn't be expected to become some kind of a baby making machine.  That was something which had concerned her about using sex to gain an advantage with Uaine; where did one go, exactly, to find condoms in Fairie?  If what Jillian was telling her was true, that wouldn't be an issue.

     Also, there was the matter of the former Winter queen.  If Roni had understood what Jillian was saying correctly..."And the Fae don't have a problem with gay people?"

     Jillian looked at her quizzically. " 'Gay people?' Do you mean people who are happy?"

     "No! People who are attracted to other people of the same gender.  Homosexual people."

Jillian again regarded her with confusion. "Why would there be a problem with individuals who find others of their gender attractive?  Love is love, is it not?  Do humans make such distinctions?"

    "Some of them do. It causes a lot of pain."

    "It would! What an absurd notion!  To persecute people because of who their nature draws them to?  Ridiculous!  No, the Fae would never do such a thing.  Relationships of a loving nature maintained between those who have reached maturity and which are agreeable to all participating parties are considered a blessing, regardless of who or how many those participants may be."

   "It would be nice if humans could figure that out." Said Roni wistfully, then a thought occurred to her. "If Brona loved her handmaiden and the Fae recognize relationships between people of the same gender, why did she marry Ankou?"

    "The leadership of the Season Courts isn't so much about marriage as it is about balance.  There must be balance between the Summer and the Winter, the light and the dark, and between male and female.  There are duties designated for a queen and other duties designated for a king.  Again, it is not a matter of better or worse, or more or less important, only of a balance between opposites.  If Brona had identified herself as a male, if she had felt a masculine spirit resided within her female body, she could have assumed the mantle of kingship and taken her handmaiden as queen.  But Brona did not identify as a male, she identified as a female who was a lover of females.  She fulfilled the need for a queen, but a masculine spirit was still needed as king.  Her handmaiden also identified as a female and so did not fulfill that need."

     "Ankou fulfilled the need for a masculine spirit to provide male leadership for the Court as a compliment to the female leadership Brona provided.  Also, Brona and Ankou were fond of each other, though they were never lovers they were good friends.  I used the term 'husband' because I do not know of a true equivalent for the Fae word in your language.  Brona was bound by the Siorghra to her handmaiden, they were truly married in the sense that humans mean the word.  But there was a close bond and commitment between Brona and Ankou as well.  It was not of a romantic nature, but it was supportive, nurturing and loving."

     Roni thought about that and decided humans could learn a lot in that regard from the Fae.