The smith's was surprisingly far from the main cluster of homes and sat on the edge of what would have been their festival grounds and marketplace during the warmer months. As she approached she could hear the rhythmic clang of metal being worked. She walked over to the building and knocked on its sturdy oaken door. There was a small pattern of footsteps just audible over the constant pounding. The door creaked open, then shut.

"Da, we got a lady visitor!" Yelled a child's voice

Did Marcus have a kid now? The pounding stopped and was replaced by a brief hiss of something being quenched in oil. The smaller footsteps returned accompanied by heavy thuds. This time the door opened all the way revealing the massive, if grayed Marcus. His eyes looked Clair over and locked on her chest. She felt very small, but it was different than the last time. There felt like there was an edge to this sensation. Marcus' gaze moved up to her eyes.

"Missy, where'd you get that pendant?" He asked

She felt relieved he was asking about the pendant, why?

"I said, where'd you get that pendant? I knew a fella who had one just like it," he asked in his deep, rumbling voice.

She didn't respond, Marcus' sheer presence was intimidating, not to mention that the question itself was difficult and it didn't seem to get any easier each time she'd answered it either.

Marcus slapped a hand to his forehead. "Wait, I got it! You're Aleksi's whelp? Didn't know the bastard had it in him!"

She laughed nervously. "Sort of... ha..."

"What? Ah hells, we can talk more once you're inside, come in, come in! Not right to leave a lady out in the cold." He pulled the door fully open and gestured for her to enter.

She entered and looked around. The smithy had plenty of practical items throughout and a handful of arms and armor on special displays. The small child that she'd heard was nowhere to be seen, but she could hear their footsteps in another room. She stepped inside and Marcus led her to the forge. He sat on a stool and began to idly work the bellows. Clair continued to stand.

He frowned. "Vance! Quit hidin' and get the lady a stool! Er, sorry bout that miss. Now you were saying you were sort of old Aleksi's kid?"

Clair looked down. "Y-yes, you see..."

"Out with it lass!" He shouted.

She shook, his voice was like thunder. She wanted to answer, but the words wouldn't come. What was different about telling Marcus?

He seemed to notice her reaction and his face softened "I'm sorry, take your time."

She felt something press up against the back of her leg.

"Here, miss. Da said you needed a stool," said a small child

The kid was probably only 7 or 8 judging by their size. They had shaggy black hair and vibrant blue eyes.

She sat on the stool. "Thank you, Vance."

Vance smiled up at her and ran off back into another part of the smithy.

She looked back over to Marcus, he was still pumping the bellows. "I am Aleksi, err, I was Aleksi."

He stopped pumping and looked her dead in the eye."That." He let the word hang in the air. "Is the best damned joke I've heard in years!" His laughter filled the room.

"It's not a joke! I was Aleksi! Isette brought me back like this I-" She shouted back.

Marcus raised a hand. "You already got me, girl, no need to keeping going and ruin a good laugh."

She drew her lips into a line. "I'm not joking," she said sternly.

Marcus’ face went stony. "You're not, are you?" He said, standing up.

"No..." She hung her head.

She felt like she'd let Marcus down somehow. When she'd been here last she'd shared drinks with Marcus, she'd also relied on his steel to deal with the ghouls.

Marcus stood up and walked over to her. "Aleksi."

She flinched. She could feel his massive frame near her. Nothing happened for a long while and then one of his large hands came to rest on her shoulder. She shuddered. Shame was building up, overwhelming her. Marcus knew her before and clearly he did not approve. It was scary.

"Aleksi, it's okay," he said softly. 

What did he mean it was okay? How was anything okay? Sure, she was happy, but she felt like she'd let him down. She'd given up on being a strong hero in exchange for being herself. She shook as tears streamed down her face.

"Aleksi, look up at me, girl!" He shouted.

She reluctantly inclined her head to face him. His face was as soft as the bearded, wrinkled thing could be.

She tried fruitlessly to wipe away her tears. "I'm so sorry, I..." 

Marcus looked confused. "What are you apologizing for? You told me all about this when we drank that night."

She what? Her tears continued to flow.

"You told me about wanting to be a woman, you were shit faced so I thought it was a joke. Guess you were telling the truth? So how'd this all happen?" He asked with a faint, but genuine smile.

What, who else had she told? How many people knew? Why did that bother her?

"I did?"

He reached a hand to wipe her tears away. His skin was rough, but warm. "You did and you bawled just like this. Remember, I told you that you were ruining the joke back then too."

He stepped back and then settled on his stool again, it creaked under his weight. "So, you still working for that goddess, what's her name? Tassit?"

"Isette, yes and she gave me this body." She said as she swept a hand over herself to emphasize the change.

He raised an eyebrow and returned to the bellows. "Must've done something big for her to warrant that. I won't pry any more, you seem a bit overwrought."

"Thank you, Marcus." She smiled.

He waved a meaty hand. "It's fine, Aleksi."

She winced a little, that wasn't her name. "Clair."

"Clair then, it's fine. I assume you're here for some smithing then?" he asked.

She was taken aback at how quickly he went back to business. "Er, yes my sizing is different, heh." She smiled at him.

"Considerin' I should hope so. I'll handle the details. Chain?"

She nodded.

"Don't worry about the payment, I'm getting sick and tired of smithing nails and pans all damned day." He gestured at the pile of finished nails.

"Thank you."

"You're probably here to deal with some sort of trouble, like last time." He continued to work the bellows.

She nodded. "Yes, the Elder informed me there was a new group of ghouls."

"Only a damned fool would charge an already proven saviour.” He waved a hand then put it on his knee. “We should talk on the origin of those ghouls If I had to guess I'd say they're what's left of some fool hunters come up from Kasite proper"

The Mercantile Confederation of Kasite was a nest of vipers. Business deals often had hidden costs and the nobility there were some of the most crooked she'd ever met. The village Imerre was technically part of it, but only ever saw the occasional group of traders; the Nebelwald was enough to deter much involvement from the nobles.

"A hunting party? In this weather?" She asked.

"Yeah, s’what I told them, but they insisted. Damned fools." He replied.

"How long ago did they disappear?"

Marcus stood up again. He walked over to a large drawer and began rummaging through it.

"The end of fall, about three months back. Ah, here it is." He pulled out a fine longbow, or rather what was once a fine longbow. It had been snapped in twain and had obvious weathering on it. Despite all the damage she could see fine carvings and golden wire set in them to add shine. There was also the faint thrum of an embedded enchantment.

Marcus walked over to Clair and handed it to her. "Here, take a look."

She took it and ran her hands over it. The wood was fine, but not where the magic resided, it was instead inside the crimson bowstring. "I assume this belonged to one of the hunters?"

Marcus nodded. "Yea, their leader had it when they first came through."

"Where did you find this?" She asked.

Marcus sat back down. "I didn't, Vance did. Kid tells me a pretty lady dressed in leaves gave it to him." Clair started to speak, but Marcus held up one of his huge hands. "Already had old Gerd check them for any attachment to the fae."

"And?"

Marcus sighed. "Kid's already part fae, that was their mum. The Spring Maiden and I, well we... er."

For the first time she saw Marcus flustered. He had a blush on his weathered cheeks.

She smiled back at him. "That explains Vance's capricious nature."

"Nah, kid's just shy. Their mum is very bold with people she likes."

This was more like their old talks when she was here years ago.

"So, how did you court the Spring Maiden? You've got a real fancy story for this one right?" She cupped her ear with a hand.

"Hah, well you see… I was out in the woods, looking for a deer to prepare for the winter. Always easier when you've got some stores put aside, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here. Yeah, before you ask, Clair, I left a cup of mead out for the pixies." Marcus waved his hand dismissively. "Little bastards love the stuff and I didn't need them warning my prey or biting me.”

Marcus adjusted himself. “So I found some tracks and followed them best I could to a clearing. Real beautiful place between the old oaks and right in the center is a lone doe."

"It was alone? No fawns or bucks or anything else?" Clair asked.

"Yeah, that was the odd part. Now it wasn't sick or nothing either, so why it was out there alone by a mystery to me at the time. Now, I lines up a shot,” He made a motion of drawing a bow. “Pull back the bowstring and she looks at me. I was starting to have trouble hunting in the cold months so I mutter a small apology and go to loose the arrow. Then the doe, she rears back and catches the damned thing in her mouth!" He slapped his knee.

"I'm going to assume that you shot an arrow at the Spring Maiden," said Clair, her voice flat.

Marcus laughed and nodded. "Right, I sodding did! So I'm just standing there in the tall grass of the clearing looking at a doe that caught an arrow when I hear wood creaking behind me.” He held a finger up. “It was around this time that I started to grasp exactly what was going on. I turn around and it's damned wild knights! They've just stepped out from behind the trees and they're staring right at me with those empty sockets, don't say nothing of course.”

Clair nodded. “Of course, they seldom speak, if at all.”

Marcus nodded back. “They just hold their bone weapons and stare from inside the animal skulls they got for heads. I remember old Gerd's, the Elder's, teaching on dealing with them and I go to pull out my boot knife. Going to make a sacrifice of blood, see if I can get this problem to just go away. I get ready to open my palm,” He places a phantom knife over his open hand. “But a hand grabs the blade of my knife."

"The maiden?" Asked Clair. 

Marcus nodded. "She grabs the blade and there's a faint sizzle of the iron touching her flesh. She's pulled herself against me and leans over my shoulder. She's got the arrow sticking out of her mouth like a pipe. She whispers 'use this'. I take it from her and as she demanded I use it to split my palm open.” Marcus mimes cutting his hand open. “Once the scent of my blood is in the air she pulls back and then walks around in front of me. She's beautiful in a way that human women just aren't, er, sorry, no offense meant."

The Fae were known for their beauty, especially those who held seats in the courts. Clair held a hand up. "None taken."

Marcus looked relieved. "I go to turn my palm down, feed the soil like Gerd says and the Maiden grabs my hand and forces it up. She brings her head to the cut and licks up the blood herself. She pulls back and looks at me, her pale lips stained a deeper red. She laughs and throws her arms around me before pulling me into a kiss. I had no idea what to do. I taste my blood on her tongue and the sweetness of honey mead. She nips and bites and my tongue as we kiss. When she pulls away she laughs and hands me the cup I'd left as offering. I take it and thank her. She smiles and licks her lips. She says to me 'I like you, human, what is your name?' I answer that I'm Marcus, son of Holst and a blacksmith. She laughs again and bows slightly. She says 'I will see you again, Marcus.' Then she leaves with her knights. I go back empty handed, but damned grateful she didn't have her knights kill me."

"Sounds like you were very lucky, Marcus."

"That's not the end of it. The next evening an injured buck walks out of the forest and sits down in front of me. I can hear laughter in the trees. There are pixies flying between the branches. I look towards the deer that's resting peacefully in front of me. I ask for permission as I continue to scan the treeline. A small breeze blows past me carrying the answer. It's the Maiden's voice whispering in my ear of course. I thank her and pull out my boot knife, but it's different than before. Well, here, look." He pulled the knife out and handed it to Clair.

It was made of carved bone and etched with fae script. She tested the edge and saw it cut effortlessly through a leather scrap from the floor. Clair gingerly handed it back to Marcus.

He took the knife and slipped it back into his boot. "So I give her my blood and the next day she gives me a deer. We do exchanges like this for weeks until she asks me to accompany her to the clearing where we first met. It was the winter solstice. We had become something akin to friends. We arrived there as the sun was setting. There was a bed made of tamped down grass and she made her intent clear when she shed her dress made of leaves. We spent the longest night of the year together."

Clair blushed at the thought of it all. "So Vance really is-"

"Yea, I still see his mum, but we only connect like that on days like the solstice. Honestly, I worry about her with things like the ghouls out there. She has her knights and she's no pushover, but I worry all the same.” He stood up and grabbed his smithing hammer. “I should get to it, Clair. Chain, a shield and an axe?”

She nodded. “Yes, um, perhaps a spear as well? I’m a little unsure of my reach as I am now.”

He turned and smiled as he hefted the hammer over his shoulder. “Understood, now, unless you want to watch me work you should get going.” He paused and looked to her. “Mead hall tonight?”

She smiled “Yes! I’ve got a lot of stories about my travels if you’re interested Marcus.”

“Always.” He laughed.

Marcus turned to the forge and began assembling materials for the project. The massive man seemed so careful as he piled up ingots of iron and selected a pair of hafts for the weapons. Clair smiled and turned heading towards the exit.

“Thank you again, Marcus! And you too, little Vance!” she shouted as she walked out into the village.

Snow had begun to fall once more and was slowly filling in her footsteps across the empty market square. A sound from the treeline near Marcus’ home caught her attention. She turned her head to see a pale arm slip behind a tree. It seemed to Clair that the Maiden liked keeping a closer eye on her child than Marcus was aware. As she looked out at those trees she could see the faint shapes of other forest fae moving about, many stopped momentarily to stare back. The fae were very aware of her presence. She turned away and headed back towards the Elder’s home.