Larrikan narrows his eyes and gives his grandmother a funny look. He says, “That isn’t like you. The easy way must be pretty bad.”
Iorwen seems to have found what she is looking for. It is a big tree in the middle of a small, round clearing. She tells Larrikan, “Yes,” and, “Sit down at the tree. Let me get us some privacy.” Larrikan does, and watches curiously as Iorwen uses two common Shy Folk charms together in an unusual way. One is for protection, the other to keep people from tripping over bad things. She weaves them together, around the central tree, making safe places others will likely just pass by.
Once that is done, she settles on the ground near Larrikan, and says, “Tell me what you know about the fey Courts.”
“Well,” Larrikan says, “there are two Courts, the Seelie and the Unseelie. In general the Seelie – or Light – Court is fill of good and positive fae, and the Unseelie or Dark Court is full of dangerous, destructive fae. Queen Titania has influence over both.”
“Pretty good,” Iorwen says. She asks, unexpectedly, “Which Court are we part of?”
Larrikan opens his mouth to answer, then looks surprised, and says, “What?”
Iorwen repeats, “Which Court are the Shy Folk part of?”
After a moment to think, Larrikan answers, “We’re not?”
“We are,” counters his grandmother, “And which Court?”
“Please say Light,” begs Larrikan.
Iorwen grins, a toothy vulpine grin and says, “Mostly.” More seriously, she adds, “And I want to keep you that way!”
“Me, too!” Larrikan says, fervently.
Iorwen explains, “Most of what makes any fae – and yes, we are fae, some of the least magical and most tied to the material world, but fae nonetheless – what makes a fae Seelie or Unseelie is where they get their life energy from.”
Larrikan, still digesting the idea that his kind are fey folk nods and says, “Okay.”
“Unseelie gather their life force from others, without permission. They steal it. Sometimes they steal it all – killing is an easy way to get a lot of energy. Sometimes they just leech a little away,” explains Iorwen, “In contrast, Seelie use free energy, either gathering it up themselves, or taking what is freely offered by someone else.”
Relieved, Larrikan says, “So, we are of the Light Court.”
“Usually,” answers Iorwen, “But that is why we travel all the time. We go places there is free energy to collect.
“If there is no energy free, we will take it from others and become Unseelie.”