Pronunciation Guide

Dunloahaire (Dun-Leer-Ree)

Eoin (Owen)

Maire (Mary)

Niamh (Neev)

Siobhan (Sha-Von)

Maire was like a fragile doll. Perfect to look at, with raven black hair, down to her waist. Niamh was a playful kitten, lean and gambling. Her hair was wavy gold and copper, both had eyes like jade. They looked like complete opposite's, like strangers. Yet the pair were the twin daughters of Eoin Ashe, the Dunloahaire innkeeper.

They were ten years of age. Eoin had often told them that Niamh was her fathers child, and Maire was the spitting image of their mother. Neither had seen their mother since they were one. Their father had told them that she had died in a carting accident. They had heard the rumors around Dunloahaire about their mother being fae. Niamh not only believed it, but lorded it over the other children, often getting herself into scrapes because of it. Maire was more inclined to believe that their mother was simply a beautiful, mysterious woman, who had died, as her father said.

Niamh was heading rapidly in the direction of the seashore, a soft smile on her face. Behind her, Maire was trying to catch up, racing after her, with her skirt caught of in her hands, her hair coming loose, and billowing behind her.

"Niamh!" She shouted, as she pulled even, and tugged on her sisters arm. Niamh looked at her sister and slowed down reluctantly. Maire tended to spoil things, always sticking to rules, and always being careful. Maire asked, after she had caught her breath, "Niamh, what are you doing?" Niamh chuckled and pointed to the strip of blue that rode the horizon,

"Going to see the water, of course." Maire squeaked and gave her sister a horrified look. Their father had expressly forbidden them to go near the sea. He was very strict about it. It was one of the few rules he really enforced. Eoin Ashe could never punish his children. Maire said, pursing her lips,

"You know that is Da's number one rule, never go near the sea?" Niamh waved a hand dismissively, and rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know. You don't need to remind me." Maire tugged at her sister's arm,

"Come on, Niamh, don't do this. You'll get us both in trouble." Niamh sighed dramatically, and gave her sister an exasperated look,

"Oh, Mair, I am not making you go. You don't want to get into trouble, then turn around." Maire shook her head, and kept her grip on Niamh firm. If she couldn't stop her, she at least wasn't letting her get away.

"I can't do that, who knows what kind of trouble you would get into on your own?" Niamh snapped, irritated,

"Then stop complaining." Maire did. Instead she asked,

"Why are you going to the sea." Niamh's eyes flickered over Maire a moment, then she said,

"To hear the sea talk, hasn't it ever spoken to you? Sang to you?" Maire widened her eyes and shook her head. She would never admit that sometimes, she would sit up at night, listening to the sea, the way it seemed to sing softly, just for her. It made her think of her mother. Niamh grinned. She openly spoke to the sea, to trees, to animals, whatever caught her interest. Once, Maire even caught her speaking to a rock, and telling the rock how rude it was to throw himself right under her foot. Niamh laughed, mischevious,

"I am also going to see our mother. A little fish told me she would be there." Maire gave her sister a baffled look, as if torn between being angry that she would say that, or worried that she was crazy. Maire said carefully,

"Oh? How is that?" Niamh said,

"Well, I was in the market. I came across a man selling fish, and one of them wasn't even dead. He asked me to set him free, and in turn, he would tell me a secret. So I bought him, and let him go. He told me that our mother-her name is Siobhan- was coming to get us. She had been caught years ago by our father, and then when she found her skin again-our mother was a Selkie-she went back to the sea. She went immediately to Manannan mac Lir-" Here Maire's look turned skeptical. Manannon mac Lir was the god of the sea. "She petitioned him to make us into Selkie, so that she can take us away with her. He said, that if he did this, he would have to give up the most precious thing to her, three by three. Us. She gave up her ability to walk on land as a human and see us for nine years by becoming his consort. The nine years are over now, and she has come to take us away. That is why father was always so afraid to let us near the sea. He was afraid our mother would come back." Maire shook her head in disbelief. By this time, they had reached the sea, and the water was lapping at the shore gently. Maire took a careful step back, so that her boots wouldn't get wet. Niamh took her boots off, and started wading into the water. Maire shrieked,

"Niamh! What are you doing?" Niamh pointed out over the water, and Maire noticed all the bobbing heads, at least fifteen or twenty. Seals, watching them. One seal swam forward, and disappeared beneath the surface, then resurfaced, completely human looking. She was covered in what appeared to be a seal skin cloak. She was beautiful, tall and lithe, with black eyes. She smiled, and brushed back a strand of long, raven black hair, then held out her hand to Niamh. Niamh fell into her mothers arms, hugging her tight. Then she pulled the dress up over Niamh's head, and dunked her beneath the water. Niamh barely had a second to realize what was happening, and from the shore Maire froze, her eyes wide and watchful. Her sister yelped, and her arms flailed, and then stopped. Niamh didn't resurface.

What came back was a small, half-grown seal, all golden colored, with faint tawny spots. The seal barked excitedly and dipped below the surface, going a little bit out, where another seal of a darker color, and about the same size met her and yipped. Maire shook her head, even as the water lapped her feet, whispering her name.

This couldn't be real. The golden seal swam over to the dark-haired woman, who stroked the seals head and murmured lovingly. The woman's gaze lifted to include Maire. She murmured, in a voice not unlike the sea itself,

"Maire? Will you not come?" The golden seal looked up at Maire, and barked, happy, exasperated, and commanding. Like when Niamh broke rues, any rule, then teased Maire for not following. Maire shook her head.

She couldn't do this, couldn't leave her father, and just walk into the sea like her sister. It was horrible, she was a land creature, not a creature of the water, to surround herself with the cold water. Floating in and out with the tides, never to see the land, and walk free through the grass.

She ran away, tears stinging her eyes. The wind carried her the voice of the sea. No, Maire stopped. It sounded like her sister, crying for her to come back. When Maire got home, she was numb, her crying stopped, and she kept looking behind her, to see if her sister was there, expecting her sister to be there, to laugh, and tease her, tell her it all an elaborate joke.

Eoin, a tall, red-haired man, scooped his small daughter up, even as she snuggled against him, not talking, unable, to explain where Niamh had disappeared to this time. Then she cried, cried a long time.