Chapter Thirty-Four

Incident: Puck and Oberon, Aefryne Hill, July 5, 1902

Oberon, father of Theseus, is now dead. His kinsman, Puck, is also dead. Oberon’s lover Titania, mother of Theseus, died giving birth to the boy. This is the way of those who have come to dwell on Aefryne Hill, who shall henceforth be referred to as the Aefyr for the sake of convenience; one life begins and another ends.

But what is an Aefyr, exactly?

There are no fairies. There are no elves, vampires, or werewolves. There are no nymphs or dryads. There are only the Aefyr. My extensive research has led me to conclude that this once-numerous race of beings is what has been mistaken for every mythological humanoid in recorded history. I could tell you why this is, but simply being told is not the best way to learn. Instead, allow me to show you through my records, piece by piece until the whole picture becomes as clear as it will ever be:

I had the privilege of one or two audiences with Puck before he passed, which were and always will be the most beneficial opportunities I have had to further my research, for obvious reasons.

During one of these interviews, he related the events of the fifth of July, 1902. His kinsman, Oberon, had locked himself away in the bedroom he had once shared with the late Titania for the better part of a year by this point, refusing to speak with or even see either Puck or his sister Peaseblossom, eating only what was left for him by the door. Needless to say, this worried the two siblings–not to mention, young Theseus. On this fateful evening, Puck decided that this had gone on long enough; he had to speak to Oberon.

Initially, Oberon requested that Puck leave him be, but the younger man–for lack of a better word–stood his ground. He wanted an explanation for this agoraphobic behavior. He wanted to know why a man who had once been active and friendly had so inexplicably become a recluse.

Oberon insisted that Puck would know at some point, but that the younger being was not prepared for the knowledge, but this was–understandably–quite unsatisfying. Puck wanted an answer, and he wanted one immediately.

That is, until Oberon finally relented.

Recall how I mentioned that all Aefyr births result in the death of the mother. It might be interesting to note that the only known cause of death among the Aefyr is birth, whether it be the death of the mother or death of the child. Long ago, it was rare that a baby should perish with its mother, but over time, this became increasingly common to the point that there remain only three full-blooded Aefyr in the world today.

You might conclude, in that case, that any male who survives his own birth can never die–but how would that explain their near-extinction?

The truth is that the vast majority–a notable exception being Theseus–of the Aefyr are synchronous hermaphrodites. This is not to be confused with the condition of being intersexed, as is the case with a small percentage of humans. While Aefyr individuals may be either male-bodied or female-bodied (saying that an Aefyr has male or female secondary sex characteristics is similar to saying that a human being has light or dark hair) each one of them has the internal reproductive organs of both sexes and the ability to change their external anatomy in accordance with the required sexual role. Male-bodied Aefyr can therefore bear children upon impregnation by either another Aefyr or by a human male; likewise, female-bodied Aefyr may impregnate other Aefyr and human females.

It is also important to note that, as their internal reproductive organs exist simultaneously despite of their current anatomical structure, it is possible for a pregnant Aefyr to fulfill a male role during intercourse and impregnate their partner (unless, of course, the partner is a human male).

Such was the case in this instance. Seven years prior, Titania, then pregnant with Theseus, had managed to impregnate her partner, Oberon. Now, this may raise in your mind some question as to the Aefyr gestation period. The answer? However long the mother chooses. The Aefyr have the ability to stall or accelerate their pregnancies at will, and Oberon had chosen to bide his time.

It was not that he did not want to die–in fact, after so many years without his beloved Titania, he did want to die. He had his reasons for postponing the birth.

Little did I know that those reasons had everything to do with my own then-not-yet-thought-of, fully human firstborn child.

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