Nettle listens in on the mind-link she shares with Alec, and smiles when she discovers that he's still sleeping. She enters the palace, and makes her way to the hallway that separates their bedroom and their...recreation room! She enters the second room, and shuts the door behind her. She sets the shopping bag down by the wall, and then walks over to her alter and carefully pulls it into the center of the room.

She begins to decorate and arrange the alter so that it will radiate with fertile energy. She fills the chalice with fresh milk, and then enchants it to stay cold. She takes her mortar and pestle and creates a powdered incense made of dried orchid petals and patchouli mixed with drops of rose and jasmine oil. She takes a mistletoe berry and crushes it, letting the drops fall upon her athame and rubbing the juice in carefully. Then she takes her small cauldron and places it on the penticle-engraved patton in the center of the alter. She fills it with new rainwater, and then causes the water to get nice and hot and remain that way. Into the water she drops crushed basil, fennel, and a small amount of the mistletoe juice. She reaches into the felt bag that contains her consecrated stones, and brings out all her pieces of jade, coral, and seashells. She places these in a circle around the cauldron. She replaces the gold god-candle and silver goddess-candle with white candles, and then places a stone candle holder behind the cauldron with a green candle in it.

In each corner of the ceiling Nettle hangs a sprig of mistletoe, and in each corner on the floor she places a pot filled with rich soil in which jasmine seeds have been planted. Nettle smiles and places her hands on the silk-draped walls and changes the color of the silk on the walls and ceiling to deep forest green. Finally, she replaces all the candles in the wall-sconces with green candles. She walks over to the shopping bag and takes the rest of the items out and places them in the storage-cupboard inside the alter. She looks around the room with a pleased expression on her face and dusts off her hands, heading out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Nettle makes her way to the palace-kitchen and begins to cook what she and Veil jokingly call "fertility bread!" Amoung the normal bread-ingredients, Nettle adds goat's milk, molasses, dried yarrow root, sunflower seeds, and oats. While she's mixing in the ingredients and kneading the dough, she's pouring all her love and intent into what she's doing, and her lips move as she chants quietly under her breath.

A couple of hours later, the bread is done. There are three small loaves, and she wraps two of them up-- enchanting all of them to stay fresh and warm-- and brings the loaves back to the room. She places one on top of the alter, and puts the other two inside the alter. She looks around the room, suddenly with a bit of nervousness. The room is radiating incredible amounts of fertile energy, and she knows deep in her heart that they will be successful when the fertility rite comes to its conclusion in 3 more days.

Nettle fills her arms with little bottles of oils and handfuls of herbs, and then exits the room again, and enters she and Alec's bedroom where Alec is still sleeping peacefully. She tip-toes into their spaceous bathroom, shuts the door, and puts everything she's holding onto the counter. Then she walks over to the large jetted bathtub and begins to fill it with warm water. When the tub is full, she strips off her clothing and places the articles in the corner. She turns to the counter and lights the charcoal in the censer she keeps there, and then when the charcoal is glowing, she sprinkles some of the fertility-incense she made earlier onto it, and then carries the censer over to the tub. She takes a deep, cleansing breath, holds the censer aloft, and chants a purifying spell over the water. The water suddenly takes on a lemon-colored glow. She replaces the censer, and then takes up a green candle in a holder, lights it, and holds it over the water. As she chants again, the water glows red for a moment, before settling on an orangey-hue as the yellow and red lights mix. Nettle puts the candle back, and takes up the vials of oils. She drops a couple drops of each into the water while chanting, and the water glows a deep blue for a moment before combining with the other colors. Finally, she takes some sprigs of basil, fennel, and mistletoe and drops them into the water. As she chants, the water grows green, and then all the lights combine into a brilliant white light. Nettle draws a binding pentagram over the water, and then turns and leaves the bathroom silently.

She walks over to the bed-- filled with the power of the Goddess and uncharacteristically somber-- and lays down next to Alec. "My love...awaken..." she says in a deep voice, and places her hands on Alec's face, leaning in to kiss him.

Alec wakes and yawns wrapping his arms around Nettle. He rolls over bringing her into bed with him. He rolls her onto her back and smiles wriggling his eyebrows.
"Back for more eh love?" He laughs and then stops.
"Mmm, new perfume? Whatever it is it smells sexy baby yeah."
He lifts himself up a moment and undoes his boxers. "Let's get it on."

Nettle smiles at Alec patiently-- still feeling calm and composed-- and pushes Alec up gently by his shoulders. "Alec, there will be no intercourse for three days. However..." Nettle smiles a sly smile, "...we WILL be encouraging your seed to produce." Nettle gets up off of the bed and stands, holding out her hands. "Come. We must begin the rite tonight. The fullest night of the moon is in three nights." Nettle waits patiently with her arms outstretched.

Alec sighs and rolls off the bed. He looks Nettle up and down.
"No sex for three days? You pullin it aren't you? I mean you've got to be kiddin' me?"
Alec looks over at her shoulder and sees the bath, he nods and winks.
"Right-o. I get it, no sex...right. Just a little fun in the tub eh?"
He laughs and trots past her with a wolfish grin towards the tub.
"So you get to do my front I get to do yours then?"

Nettle sighs and rolls her eyes, and then follows after him. The water in the tub has settled to a lovely, calming, white glow, and she hurries forward and claps her hand on Alec's shoulder-- stopping him from getting into the tub.
"Alec, this is serious." She motions to the water. "I have purified the bath with air, fire, water, and earth, and charged it with fertility-energy. Please be mindful of that?" she asks, raising her voice up slightly at the end. "Now come-- let's enter the water." Nettle takes Alec's hands and together they step into the bathtub.

Alec looks at the glowing water and then back to Nettle as he enters the bath and sits down. "You're serious then? No sex for three days? Can you handle it? I'm not sure I can handle it." He says as he watches her in the water, tiny rivlets of water upon her naked body and he smiles.
"You're too sexy love."

Nettle grins-- her cheeks turning pink from the warm water...or is it from Alec's compliments? She slides forward and sits on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist, and begins cupping the water and pouring it over his shoulders, chest, and arms, and then over hers. "If you stay in the right frame of mind, it won't be as...hard." She suddenly giggles as her own joke, and then clears her throat and puts on a stern face. "Now close your eyes, and imagine the fertilizing energy of the water soaking into you and filling you." she says, wrapping her arms around him, and leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Instantly the glow around the water starts to take on a mint-green shade, and then Nettle's skin begins to glow with the same eerie light.

Alec shrugs and closes his eyes and imagines...the new song that Jaf wrote, it's really good. And Slick Willie's bass playin is really groovin now and...focus, focus...
He imagines the water all around him, in every pore and every iota of his body. He opens one eye to see Nettle's and his skin glowing. He opens the other and looks down at himself in the water. It's all glowing.
'Nettle doesn't seem too alarmed. I'll go with it.' He closes his eyes again and imagines the two of them having sex but this time to have a baby. He winces and his excitement at holding Nettle like this suddenly drifts away.
'M'gonna be a dad...m'gonna be a dad...oh lordy. What have you gotten yourself into me old china?' He thinks.

Nettle feels fear coming through the mind-link, and opens her eyes. She's relieved to see Alec glowing, as well, but notices his pale face. She smiles gently at him and pulls him in to hug him. "It's all right, Alec...I'm scared, too. Please don't be afraid to tell me how you're feeling-- I won't be mad." Nettle whispers into his hair as she holds him.

Alec nods and kisses her neck. "S'alright love. Just a bit nervous eh? I mean I've spent my life tryin to avoid this...now here I am, with the love of me life and about to have a baby. I don't want to screw it you know?" He says returning her hug.

Alec can feel Nettle nod as they hold each other. "I know exactly what you mean, baby. You know, it's still not too late to change your mind." Nettle pulls back, takes Alec's hands, and looks into his eyes. "What do you say? Are you ready for this, Alec?" Nettle looks completely calm and accepting, probably due to the relaxing-affects of the herbs.

Alec considers and nods. "I'm ready my love. We can do this, babe." He says and smiles at her. "And baby when it's time for the real thing, I'm gonna knock your socks off eh." He chuckles.

Nettle throws her head back and laughs, and when she looks at Alec again, her eyes are sparkling like jewels in the candlelight. "Well then, it's time for the all-important step of the rite." Nettle stands up and gets out of the tub, and begins to dry herself off. While Alec's drying off, she explains the next three days.
"We will do the bath and alter-offerings each night, and then on the 4th night we'll go into the woods and set up there. That's where the magic will happen, pardon my pun." Nettle grins. "And by that time, I will be more than disappointed if you don't blow my socks off!"
Nettle laughs, and then takes Alec's hand and leads him out of the bathroom and up to the bedroom door. She opens the door, looks both ways down the hall, and then pulls Alec out with her. She opens the door to the room across the hall, and the couple enters the room. Nettle shuts the door behind her, and her senses are filled with the energy and magick loaded into the room.
She pulls Alec over until they're standing before the alter. "All right, baby, just lay on the floor before the alter and I'll do the rest." Nettle instructs.

Alec raises an eyebrow and lays down. He watches Nettle for a moment and lifts his head. "Love, just ahh make sure you got this right, alright?" He says with a nervous chuckle. "I'd hate to ahh have anything happen down there you know what I mean?"

Nettle smiles down at him. "Don't worry-- I'm taking EVERY precaution! I don't know who it would hurt more if I botched this!" Nettle says with a shakey laugh. She quickly clears her throat, and turns to take something from under the alter. She unsheaths the curved dagger that she once thought she had to employ in order to work her Life-magicks, and carves a pentagram into the palm of each hand. "Close your eyes, baby," she tells him in a steady voice, and then turns back to him and kneels on the ground with her knees against his hip. She holds her bleeding hands up to the ceiling, tilts her head back, and closes her eyes. Then she implore the Goddess to guide her hands, thoughts, and magick that they may do no harm, and accomplish her will. When she's ready, she straightens her back and brings her head back down to face straight ahead-- her eyes still closed-- and then places one hand on Alec's scrotum, and then other just above his member. She concentrates until she can see all the blood vessels, arteries, nerves, tissue, organs-- everything under her hands-- in her mind's eye. She sees where the appropriate tubes were severed, and very delicately brings the ends together and joins them flawlessly. She checks around the area to make sure everything is healthy and in proper working order, and then slowly opens her eyes and looks at Alec triumphantly. "How do you feel, honey?" she asks.

Alec feels a tingle down there, and suddenly everything feels red hot and he squirms a bit, and then it stops. He lifts himself up onto his elbows.
"Not too bad love, is that it? Are things taken care of down there?" He asks hopefully not wanting to feel the burn again.

Nettle smiles and nods. "Everything fixed...all's taken care of, baby." Suddenly Nettle's face freezes as it's HER turn to become nervous. The next time they have sex, she could become pregnant!! Then Nettle remembers that that's exactly what they want to have happen, and she feels a mixture of excitement and a pang of worry. She smiles a hasty smile then, and helps Alec kneel next to her in front of the alter.
She takes two cups from under the alter, and fills them with the tea-mixture from the cauldron-- adding some honey to the cups and stirring-- and hands one to Alec. Then she breaks the small loaf of bread that she made earlier into two halves, and hands one half to Alec. She takes her cup in one hand and bread in the other and raises her hands up and waits for Alec to mimic her.
"Great Horned God of the hunt and the earth's bounty...Great Mother Goddess of the fertile fields and life-giving waters...bless this bread and bless this drink that they may make our bodies healthy, fertile, and receptive to your precious gifts! By our will, so mote it be!" Nettle calls, and then lowers her arms and nods to Alec. She takes a bite of the bread, a sip of the tea, and then settles down comfortably on the floor to continue eating and drinking.

Alec watches Nettle and takes a bite from his bread and nods in satisfaction.
"Mmm this is good, love." He says with a smile. He drinks the tea and nods. He keeps watching her and looking her up and down feeling himself stir everytime he sees her body move.
"Oh yeah baby. You're sexy, Nettle. You ah you're sure it's three days? Not perhaps three hours or three minutes?" He says with a hopeful look in his eye.
"You keep runing about all naked like and I won't have a choice but to ravage you."

Nettle laughs delightedly, and then starts feeling her OWN will start growing weak! "Shit, Alec! Stop that or you're going to tempt me to ruin the spell!!" she laughs between words, and then quickly draws her knees up to her chest and fans her hair in front of her. "There. That's as much coverage as I can manage right now, but I promise the problem will be delt with tomorrow evening." Nettle grins and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and finishes eating and drinking, waiting for Alec to finish, as well.

When he's finished, she gets back onto her knees and takes the cups, placing them under the alter again. Then she stands up and motions for Alec to stand next to her. She turns and lights the charcoal in her alter censer, and then sprinkles the incense over it. Then she takes two very slender white tapers, lights them, and hands one to Alec. "Now help me light the green candle, and while you're doing so, imagine that as the green wax is being burnt, it's releasing fertilizing energies into the air that you inhale into your body. I've also annointed the candle with special oil." When Alec looks closer at the green candle, he can also see that Nettle's carved the words "Fertility," "Conception," "Health," "Luck," "Pregnancy," and "Happiness" into the candle in various places.

Alec shrugs and closes his eyes and imagines the energies flowing into and through him. He smiles as he gets the groovy vibes from Nettle. He lights the candle and nods.
"Yeah I feel it, peace baby." He says giving the candle the peace frog. "I can feel the energies love, you are in trouble that's all I've got to say, right."

Somewhere outside the chantry a lone grimy taxi sits idling. The cab is filled with cigar smoke and as the window rolls down it boils out of the crack as Cabbie gets out.
"Hey what's that? Hey what's goin on?" he says looking down at the amulet in his hand, feeling it vibrating slightly.
"Hey hey! They're doing the rite they're doing the rite!" He says getting into the cab and guns it down the street.

Nettle laughs again. "Alec, you're such a sweetheart to be going along with this! I know it's not your paradigm, but I appreciate you respecting mine." She leans forward and kisses him, and then takes his taper and extinguishes them both.
Then she reaches down and picks up her athame, and then slides the tip through a silver chain that was resting on the alter. As she lifts it, Alec can see little pieces of jade, coral, and flat seashells hanging from it. She first passes the chain through the smoke of the incense, then across the flame of the candle, then dips it into the milk in the chalice, and finally dips it into the cauldron-- the whole time chanting to herself. Then she takes her curved dagger and pricks the end of her finger, running the finger across the chain. Finally, she takes the chain and fastens it around her hips.
Nettle smiles at Alec, and then turns back to the alter. She next picks up a golden chain identical to the silver one from the alter with her athame, and performs the same blessing upon in before turning back to Alec. Then she asks Alec for his hand. "This will only hurt for a second, baby," she coos, and takes her curved dagger and pricks his finger with it. Then she tells him to run his finger across the chain. Once this is accomplished, she brings the chain around Alec's waist and fastens it in back. It hangs around his hips, and she smiles.
"These are our fertility-charms! We'll wear them until after..." she winks at him.

Alec watches Nettles hang the seashell chain on her hips. He keeps his eyes fastened on it and doesn't even notice her prick his finger. He smiles as a strange mermaid fantasy runs through his mind. He nods and touches her hips with his finger tips.
"Oh yeah...oh yeah this is what I'm talkin about, love." He says wrapping his arms around her and leaning in to kiss her.

Nettle laughs and kisses him back. The kiss suddenly turns passionate, and Nettle begins to run her hands across Alec's back, and then down. She wraps a leg around one of his, and then suddenly her hands touch the chain around his waist, and she hurries and disentangles herself as if Alec has turned into poison. "Goddess, this is going to be damn hard..." she pants, looking panicked. "What are we going to do??" She looks around the room guiltily, and then back at Alec.

Alec looks at her in confusion and hurt. He puts his hands on his hips.
"Allo what was that? You pulled away from me! Come on love don't leave me hangin," he says then looks down.
"Well not exactly 'hangin', but still!"

Nettle laughs and looks down at Alec, raising an eyebrow. "Wait-- I know just the thing..." she turns and rummages through the alter, and then turns around and hangs a little wreath from his arroused manhood. "Perfect!" she exclaims, and then starts laughing. Her laughs finally subside, and she looks at Alec with desperation. "This is as difficult for me as it is for you-- TRUST me, Alec! I'm only trying to honor the spell! Maybe we should adjourn for the evening...I'll sleep in here tonight, and you sleep in here tomorrow night, OK?" she asks shakily.

Alec looks down at the wreath then back at Nettle. He takes off the wreath and hands it to her. He shakes his head and saunters out of the room, back into the bedroom, and to the bed grumbling. He gets into bed and pulls the covers over him.
"Three days huh, we'll see." He says as he chuckles into the pillow.

Nettle watches Alec leave and feels panicky. Should she go against the spell and give into she and Alec's desires?? She starts to move forward to follow Alec when suddenly she freezes and feels compelled to turn around. When she turns, she sees her avatar Ivy standing before the alter in her gown of shimmering moonlight, hair hanging loose with ivy running through it, and the circlet on her forehead with the deep blue stone. "Ivy..." she murmurs respectfully, and touches her hand to her forehead, heart and then brings the fingers to her lips and kisses them.

"Nettle..." Ivy begins. "You are doing well-- your spell has taken hold and is manifesting its affects at this very moment. This is one of the rare times that the Lady requires abstinence, and so you must be strong. The Lady has you in her plans, and if you're able to complete the spell, it will work better than you had ever imagined. However, if you give in to your weakness, you will but have only half of the joy that the Lady has in store for you. Be strong, Nettle. You are a priestess, and often priestesses are asked to sacrifice. This is nothing compared to what some have suffered." Ivy smiles and motions to a vial on the alter. "Only one more step is required before the spell is complete for this night. Go to him with the countenance of the Goddess and you will be strong. Sleep tonight in this temple." Ivy smiles, bows her head, and disappears in a flash of light.

Nettle feels renewed with determination and strength, and strides forward to the alter, taking the vial and making her way to she and Alec's bedroom. She walks over to the side of the bed where Alec is laying, and leans over slightly to see if he's asleep. He is. She pulls back the covers, and moves him a little so he's laying on his back. She uncorks the vial, presses her finger against the opening, and tilts it back so the oil covers her fingertip. Then she reaches out her hand and draws a spiral over Alec's groin. When it's completed, she puts more oil on her finger, and draws an identical spiral on her womb. Then she stops up the vial again, and walks over to the dresser, retrieving a long, green silk nightgown and panties. She puts them on, and walks out of the room, closing the door behind her. She re-enters the temple-space of the second room, closes the door behind her, finds some silk pillows and sheets, lays on the floor, and goes to sleep.

The next two days would have passed unbearable slow if not for the Lady's mercy! The herbs in the bread and tea that Alec and Nettle consumed cause them to sleep for 18 hours each day-- oblivious to all that goes on around them. On the second night, Nettle greets Alec wearing a green ritual robe and hands him one, as well, having already taken the bath by herself. She feels sad about this, but the words of her Avatar hang heavy in her mind. She waits until Alec has taken his bath, and then the two enter the temple-space and perform the second night of the ritual...and the third night passes almost identically. Each night they re-light the green candle and let it burn down for an hour or so, and each night when they enter the temple-space, they notice that the jasmine plants are growing incredibly fast. The second night the seeds have already sprouted above the soil, and the third night the sprouts have grown tall and have healthy leaves!

On the fourth day Nettle awakens a couple of hours before sunset in the temple-space. She jumps up-- her belly filled with nervousness and excitement-- and packs all her supplies into bags. She looks at the plants, and now they are in full-flower. She smiles, and walks back into the bedroom where Alec's laying in bed, lays down next to him, and puts her arms around him. "Hey baby..." she whispers. "It's almost time..." She kisses his cheek.

Alec rolls over and yawns and stretches. He sits up and scratches his head and looks over to Nettle. "Tonight's the night eh love? Mmm not quite in the mood, you know what I mean? It's been awhile and you know what? I think I like celibacy. I think I could use all that sexual energy in me magic. What do you think?"

Nettle looks at him steadily for a moment, and then slips her hand under the bedsheets until she finds what she's feeling for. She lays back on her side and looks up at the ceiling-- her arm moving-- and sighs. "Yeah, I know what you mean, Alec. After so many days of going without it, I think it's finally out of my system, too." A hint of a smirk turns up the corner of her mouth.

Alec smiles and closes his eyes enjoying the sensation.
"Love you're evil. You know that right?" Alec gets up and looks at the bath. He turns to Nettle. "Let's hurry this up. I don't think I can stand this much longer."

Nettle smiles and nods. "Me either," she confides in a whisper, and gets out of bed. Together they walk into the bathroom and get into the tub. Nettle turns her back to Alec, and then lays back against his chest, bringing his arms around her. "Close your eyes, baby..." she drones, closing her own eyes. "To bring our bodies into unison, feel the rate of my breathing and slow yours to match mine." Nettle can feel the rise and fall of his chest as it slows until their chests are both rising and falling together. She closes her eyes, concentrates, and can feel that their hearts are also beating at the same speed. She smiles, cups her hands, and begins pouring the water over each of them as she continues the slow breathing.

An hour later, the Gremlin stops in the mountains and parks. Alec and Nettle get out-- each carrying a bag-- and walk into the forest. Nettle knows the way well-- it's the land that her coven, the Order of Our Lady of Salt, ownes. It's been enchanted so that any untrained person's eyes will naturally slide past the area and not see anything they shouldn't. Nettle and Alec walk into the woods until they enter a clearing with a tall tree-stump in the center that the coven uses for their alter. The couple walks up to the stump, and while Alec enjoys a joint and looks around, Nettle begins setting up. When she's finished, she takes the bags and Alec's hand, and the two walk back into the woods, just outside the clearing. The sun is just about to set, and the full moon is just starting to rise over the mountains-- it's an envigoratingly magickal time. Nettle begins to undress, and tells Alec to do the same. Still wearing their fertility-charms, they slip on the forest-green robes. Leaving everything else where it is, they enter the clearing again and walk up to the alter.
Nettle takes her ritual sword and walks over to stand facing the east. She holds the sword aloft, takes in a deep breath, and begins to walk in a clockwise circle around the clearing. As she walks, the tip of the sword leaves a trail of white, glowing light in its wake. When she walks back to where she started, the circle seals itself off and grows to form a huge dome that covers the clearing.
Nettle walks back to the alter and rests her sword against it. Then she takes up her athame and walks back to the east. Pointing the athame to the sky, she calls out, "Watchers of the east, masters of the wind, come and guard our circle and carry back to Annwn news of our rite tonight!" The same occurance that happened with the bathwater happens here-- the dome of light takes on a lemon-yellow hue.
Nettle continues on to face the south. "Watchers of the south, masters of fire, come and guard our circle and carry back to Annwn news of our rite tonight!" The dome glows red for a moment, and then combines with the yellow.
Nettle walks over to face the west. "Watchers of the west, masters of water, come and guard our circle and carry back to Annwn news of our rite tonight!" The dome shimmers with a beautiful deep blue before the colors again mix.
Finally, Nettle walks over to face the north. "Watchers of the north, masters of the earth, come and guard our circle and carry back to Annwn news of our rite tonight!" The dome glows a bright emerald-green, and then suddenly the light bursts into a brilliant royal purple, and then slowly fades into invisibility so that the sky is visible. The stars twinkle overhead, and the full moon is now over the mountains, lighting up the clearing brightly. The sun is finally sinking behind the horizon, but the clouds still reflect the reds and pinks of sunset.
Nettle walks back over to the alter where Alec is waiting, and turns to face it. She sprinkles incense made from myrtle, jasmine, patchouli, and a pinch of mandrake onto the glowing censer. Then she lights a long, thin white taper, and hands another one to Alec. Together they light the stumpy green candle that they've been burning for the past three nights, and then Nettle instructs Alec to light the god-candle at the back on the left. As he does so, Nettle raises her arms and calls out, "Great Horned God of the hunt and the earth's bounty, be with us this evening and fill Alec with your power and potence! Take his vessel that he may be your living representation!"
Suddenly Alec feels a buzzing in his head, and in a moment he feels something...ancient and strong stirring within him. He looks out of his eyes as if seeing everything for the first time, and when he looks at Nettle, he doesn't...quite...seem to recognize her...yet. He also feels his loins immediately stir, and strength rushes into him like he's never felt before. Nettle smiles and quickly takes Alec's taper from him and extinguishes it, leaving him in this momentary confusion.
She lights the goddess-candle to the right of the god-candle, raises her arms, and calls out, "Great Mother Goddess of the fertile fields and life-giving waters, be with us this evening and fill your priestess Nettle with your love and fertility! Take this vessel that I may be your living representation!" As Nettle's words end and Alec continues to stare at her, suddenly he blinks and he sees her as his consort...his counterpart...his one love, and his heart swells with joy and desire. Nettle feels the familiar sensation of the goddess taking her over, and eagerly embraces it. She turns, and lets the robe drop from her body, and within a moment Alec has let the robe drop from his. She takes a piece of cucumber and hands it to Alec, and then take a slice of pomegranate. Without speaking a word, they each feed each one another from the fruit they hold, and then themselves.
Nettle takes up a bowl of woad mixed with special oils, and paints a spiral on the area just above Alec's groin. Then she paints another design on each of his shoulders. The design is shaped like the letter Y with each of the three ends curling into spirals. She hands the bowl to Alec, and without having to tell him, he paints the spiral on her womb, and then the Y-shaped design on each breast. After he puts the bowl back into the alter, Nettle smiles, steps forward, and takes Alec into her arms. "My lord, my consort, my love, take me this night...make love to me...fill me with your seed that we may bring forth life!"

Alec looks at her with new strange eyes. He smiles hungrily and almost snorts.
"My lady, my consort, my love...this night we create the lives that shall usher in the new world. Let all creation hear the call of the one true king!" He says and suddenly he rushes her wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up. He nearly slams her to the ground and is immediately on top of her when Alec's mind suddenly clears.
"Hold on did he just say 'lives?'"

Nettle's mind also clears as she and Alec join, but she's so filled with desire that she doesn't care what was just spoken, and pulls Alec back down into her arms for a lustful kiss.

Not twenty feet away hiding in the trees, Cabbie and the bunny-pooka start doing a jig while the handsome fae nods and smiles.
"Yes! Yes, they are finally getting to it," he says. Cabbie smiles, his cigar dangling on the side of his mouth.
"Yeah they sure practiced enough. I hope they get it right this time," he says and he and the pooka laugh.
"The amulet shall be given and we shall have a king!" The rabbit says jumping up and down clapping his hands.

Alec stops moving and lifts up his head, "You hear something?"
Nettle wraps her arms around his neck and brings him back down, "NO!" she whispers.

The handsome fae shushes the others and they sullenly stop, and then watch the two lovers eagerly.

Time passes...then more time passes...then even MORE time passes, and finally-- after some more time has passed-- Alec and Nettle fall asleep in the middle of the clearing. After Nettle falls into unconsciousness, the Elemental Watchers depart for Annwn and the magickal wards protecting the circle come down. Nettle sleeps peacefully, and then has a vivid dream. She dreams that she's laying in the clearing sleeping when Ivy again comes to her and wakes her gently. Nettle sits up quickly, but Alec remains asleep. Ivy smiles down at her, radiating joy.
"Nettle! Nettle my dear, have you scanned your womb yet?" Ivy asks with excitement.
Nettle shakes her head-- Ivy's smile becoming contageous. "No, I haven't had a chance. Should I?" she asks in a small voice, nervous excitement shooting through her.
"Goddess, yes! Scan, Nettle!" Ivy cries stretching her hands out to Nettle.
Nettle looks at Ivy a little longer, stalling for time, and then grasps the grass in her fingers tightly as she closes her eyes, sending her consciousness into her womb. She immediately detects a strong life growing there, and cries out in excitement-- her nervousness forgotten. "I'm pregnant!! I'm pregnant, Ivy!!" she calls. "And I'm detecting a very strong life-- stronger than I've ever felt before in a pregnant woman! What does this mean?" she asks happily.
Ivy laughs a deep laugh. "The reason you detect it so strongly is because it's not one life, but two! You are pregnant with twins, Nettle! The Goddess has given you twins!"
Nettle's mouth drops open, and she looks down at Alec, and then back to Ivy. "Twins..." Suddenly she remembers the Fae-prophesy about her son leaving with the Faeries, and wonders if the Goddess gave her twins so that she'd have a child left when the other went away. Nettle's head spins with anxiety.
"Nettle, stop that this instant. Keep your emotions calm so your babies have a happy place to grow. The Lady's will is not always easy, but it's always good, and the future is never set with Her. Now rejoice and be happy...and, congratulations!" Ivy bends down to kiss Nettle's forehead, and Nettle closes her eyes to receive the blessing. When she opens her eyes, Ivy is gone.
Suddenly Nettle feels something shaking her, and she mumbles a little and opens her eyes.

Cabbie smiles, his smoke-stained teeth shine gray at her. The rabbit-pooka shakes Alec awake, and then leans in and smiles a rabbit-smile, giving them the "OK!" sign. Alec looks at him and sighs. "Not you again, me old china. Can't we have one night in peace eh?"
The handsome Fae moves them out of the way and holds out an amulet towards Nettle.
"Take this, great mother. It is from the Sidhe House of Dougal from a great time ago. You are from a long line of fae. Once it was lost, but we found it now in the time of the prophecy. It is to be handed to the heir of Ellowyndriel Moonglow, and you, my lady, are that heir. We tracked you for quite some time," he says and takes a breath. "You are not of the fae, but your son will be. Wear it, my lady, and when the time comes, give it to him. He will know what to do with it." He says handing it to her.
Cabbie nods, "Yeah sweetheart, wear it. It'll protect you and the babies!"
"Yeah protection is good!" The pooka says giving her a thumbs up.

Alec sits and listens to this exchange. His eyes widen at hearing Nettle's heritage. He looks over at Cabbie and Cabbie nods to him with a wink. Finally Alec turns to Nettle with a confused look on his face.

Nettle looks back with an equally confused look, and then takes the amulet from the handsome fae. When she touches it, images start to flash before her eyes as her whole body tingles, and the amulet glows softly. She sees the last ancestor who had held the amulet-- from the way she's dressed she seems to be from the Civil War-era-- and then Nettle sees many more faces flash before her as she moves backwards in time until she sees an ethereally beautiful woman-- tall and pale with pointed elven ears, long ivory hair, and flashing cornflower-blue eyes, wearing silver-white armor-- handing the amulet to a girl who looks like she could be a slightly-younger identical twin of the woman. She knows instantly that this woman is her ancestor...Ellowyndriel Moonglow...and feels her heart bursting with love and her womb tingling slightly.
A tear forms and rolls down her cheek as she turns to Alec. "It's true...everything they said is true..." Nettle says in a soft, emotional voice. "I saw her...my Fae ancestor Ellowyndriel...I saw her, and it's all true..."
Nettle looks down at the amulet. The chain is made of a silver metal that's so brilliant it's almost white. The links are so tightly-forged that the spaces between them are almost imperceptable. On the chain hangs a large moonstone set in an intricate silvery setting. The whole necklace feels very light, and glows strongly with Prime. Nettle lifts it to put it around her neck-- there's no clasp on the back, and even though the chain appeared to be too small to fit over her head, it somehow adjusted to fit, and then shrank down again so the moonstone is resting against her breastbone. The tingling eventually becomes unnoticable, but Nettle can't stop caressing and trying to look down at the stone. Finally she looks up at the fae. "Thank you for returning this to my family-line, my friends," she says in an awed voice. "I will, indeed, give this to our son, and he will decide where his destiny will take him." Nettle feels like her words are almost not her own, but means them sincerely, anyhow. She holds out her hand instinctively, and each of the fae comes forward to take it and kiss it. Then she finally returns to herself, and giggles.
"Jeez, you'd think I was royalty, or something!" she laughs, pulling her hand back.

The handsome fae gives her a big grin, "But you are, my lady! You are a Countess! You've inherited that title from your ancestor."

Alec leans in, "A Countess as in owning land an all that?"
The fae smiles, "Yes, in the Dreaming of course. We must leave you now. But know that we shall be back to check upon you from time to time."
Alec raises an eyebrow and mutters under his breath, "You mean stalking us."

Nettle grins and takes Alec's arm. "Behave, baby. They've been through a lot to bring this to us!" Nettle says lovingly, waving to the fae as they leave. "I have so much to ask them about their kind! They all look so different when you look at them using magick! The handsome one must be of the same breed as my ancestor because their faery-forms seem similar-- oh I have so many questions!" Nettle clasps her hands excitedly, looks down at her stomach, and then back at Alec with radiant eyes. Wait-- was it just a dream? She quickly sends her senses into her womb and concentrates...and there it is! That strong lifeforce, just like in her dream! Except this time she can pick out the two distinct life-forms! Oh she wonders if they're both going to be boys...or if they'll be identical...or if one will be a girl...so much to wonder about!! Unfortunately, it's too early in their development to tell.
"Alec!" Nettle cries, taking his hands and placing them on her flat womb after seeing so many other pregnant women do it. "It worked! I'm pregnant! And now I know what everyone meant before about 'babies,' as in plural! We're having twins!" she squeals.

Alec looks at Nettle and his heart leaps to his throat.
"Lives he said lives....twins....oh that's great news!!! I can name one and you can name one! It's perfect love absolutely brilliant is what it is!"

Nettle laughs with delight and hugs Alec tightly. "I guess that's one advantage of having twins!"
They continue laughing, hugging, and murmuring their happiness and excitement for another minute, and then Nettle yawns and smiles. "Happy first day of Summer, Alec! I guess it's true what they say about the faeries being active on Midsummer Night's Eve! What a perfect night..." Nettle sighs contentedly. She looks down at the smeared woad on their bodies and chuckles. "Do you want to spend it sleeping out here, or get back to the chantry, have a nice hot bath, and go to sleep in our soft, warm bed?" she asks, trailing a finger across Alec's cheek.

Alec considers, "Let's head back to our bed baby. I'm still in the mood!" He says as he grabs his clothes and puts them on.
"We can get a nice bath and get clean, then we can get dirty. What do you say love?" He says with an evil wink.

Nettle laughs loudly. "I say after all we've been through, we deserve it!"

Alec finishes dressing quickly and looks impeccable as always. He smiles as he watches Nettle dress and lights a joint.
"Yeah baby, we definately deserve it!"

Nettle gets dressed, too, and then the couple packs up the bags and heads back to the Gremlin-- not yet ready to let the perfect night end.

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