Rand woke with the rising of the morning sun with Merc sleeping soundly in his arms. He looked down at her sleeping form, brushing away several strands of her red hair from her face. He didn’t expect this. He thought it would be a light dinner, with the two of them talking about training and other similar things. But instead this happened. Thoughts of Thrya came rushing back from that place in his heart that he thought long buried.

"Do I dare think those thoughts?" Rand thought to himself. "Even after all these years, Thrya’s death still hurts. Could Merc fill that one spot that I though was lost to me?"

Even though his thoughts were strong, Rand thought it would be best if he wait to hear what would be Merc’s feelings about this. Could she be thinking about being a wife and a mother of his children? Was it a one-night thing, for all he done for her with her training? Was she attracted to man that he is now? Taken the form of Rand the Younger, he’s almost thirty years younger then his original self. Or maybe, she has dreams to live her life on her own. It was safe for him to say, he had no clue.

He gently rose from the bed trying not to wake Merc, but she stirred all the same. Rand told her that he was going meditate by the stream. She rose up also, saying that she was going to cook some breakfast for the two of them when he gets back.

As he walked he knew he wouldn’t be able to do much meditating this morning. His thoughts were being bombarded, and there was no way for him to line them all up in one neat pile.

There was Merc that was in his thoughts. He could sense that Mentokka had become one with her magic. Even though he had his doubts, but once again, his ’Little Girl’ proved him wrong. He was so proud of her and Tosh.

But now, though his magic he felt the turmoil the two of them were feeling for each other. He knew what was wrong. It was there magic. It intensified there deep feelings of desire for each other. It would be so easy for him to come to them and tell them what needed to be done. But he sensed that they want to solve this on there own. Once again he felt proud for his kids, with a touch of regret, knowing he won’t be apart of it. But he also knew if they wanted his help, they’d ask. He couldn’t blame them, for he know what they must be going though. In truth, he blamed himself, having them living alone in the grasslands.
Thoughts of incest is nothing a person wish to brag about, much less talk about.

Back in the days, he fought with those kind of feelings, when he got introduced to his magic for the first time. It was directed towards his cousin who was three years older then him. Her name was Ada, and she had the reputation of being a bit of a flirt, and she always enjoyed teasing Rand when the families met. Yet, Rand adored her, when she told him stories of her time when her family traveled to other lands, and the different cultures. Rand was sure she stretched the truth some what, but he didn’t care. Like his magic, her stories lit a fire in him. She was a little taller then Rand, with black hair, that was flowed past her shoulders. She had large, doe eyes that shimmer a soft brown color. Her body was fit with small breasts and long, firm legs. She always kept herself in great condition.


But this day, it was Rand that moved on her. Ada wasn’t prepared for what Rand had planned for her. He asked her would she go for a walk with him. He took her to a wooded area several yards away from his family’s house, his secret place. Without his full knowledge, Rand’s new found magic broke down most of Ada’s defenses, for she was a girl that knew her way around when it came to relationships and one time flings. Rand kissed her with such passion, it left her gasping for air and shaking. When she looked in her cousin’s eyes, she didn’t see a fifteen year old boy, she saw a man that was going to make love to her, like one of her male lovers that was nearly twice her age. It was at this point, where Rand practically had most of her clothes off, when his better judgment stopped him. He looked at her with eyes wide with shock, not believing what he was about to do.

Ada could see the change in him quickly got dressed and took Rand into her arms, for she knew what happened to his cousin. They talked for about an hour, and it was Ada thought that it was Rand’s newly acquired magic that intensified the feeling he had for her. Ada was magic sensitive. Rand never knew if she could use magic, but she knew people who was adept in it. Years later, he told his brother about what happened between the two of them. he just smiled and nodded. His brother asked Rand did he ’go all the way’ with her. Rand nodded, embarrassed. He told him that it happened a couple of days later, in his room when they were alone. They went slowly, with Ada showing him what to do step by step. After they were done, Rand thought his first time was nothing short of pure ’magic’.

His brother confessed to him that Ada was his first time also. the two brother could only wonder how many other cousin did Ada seduce, for to Rand’s knowledge, there another six male cousin, and four female cousin. Smiling, Rand knew he wouldn’t put nothing past her.

"Ah, Ada." Rand thought happily. "How you always bring a smile to my face. I wonder how your is doing? Its been so many years, since we spoke."

Ada was only a memory, now it was Merc that was in the center of his thoughts. He decided to go back to the restaurant and have breakfast with Merc. He was hoping that she will tell him her feelings for him. But if she doesn’t. It would be alright, he wasn’t going to rush her. He was sure she must be going though a storm of emotions right about now.


Merc cook the breakfast in silence, more or less. Humming a song she remembered her mother sang when she cook her food. How important her mother was in her life. She was so full of life when it came to cooking. She would take her out to the woods to pick mushrooms and other herbs. She would take great care to point out the differences between the ones that was safe to eat and the ones that was harmful. Merc was told to write and chart down everything that she learned. growing up, she would take pains taken care to try and research everything that she was taught.

She realized that a lot of what her mother taught her was more or less, ’Old Wives Tales’. but there were plenty of things that was still important to her. Every now and then, she would look though that old and worn book and go though it. There was one passage that always read and smiled. It was story her mother told about.

"My grand mother use to tell me tales about a race of people that lived in the high north thousands of years ago. They had great powers, and it was said that the food they ate was blessed by the gods. When I asked if they still were alive, she shook her head and told me no, but there magical recipes were hidden though out the known world."

Growing up, Merc always looked at magic and magical things with a kind of ’Yeah, whatever’ kind of attitude. Not a part of my life, so why think about it.

Then the Tor family came into her life, and suddenly she was washed in magic. Seeing Rand, Tosh and Mentokka using magic as simple as normal people breathed air. Her mother was very leery about people who used magic. Some of that rubbed off on her. But seeing how they lived, laughed and loved like any other family. She could see that her worries were misplaced.

"No different from anybody else, even though Uber was right, they are crazy some times, but Uber is a bit crazy also. But in a good way."

But, her mother got so angry when it came to her father and men in general. When she asked her about it, she would brush off her questions or change the subject altogether. But hearing it everyday while growing up, it had to rub off on her in some way. She looked at Master Rand in that way. A man that never married, never had children of his own. You’d think that he was the kind of person that her mother shouted, cursed and grumbled about.

But she would of been so wrong about Rand-Tor, what a father he would of been. Merc would of loved having him for a father, but she loved her father, no matter what her mother said about him, and eventually drove she him away. She remembered crying long into the night when he left, never to be seen by her again.

"Am I looking a Master Rand as a father figure or a lover?" she thought, as she wrestled with the thought."It has to be a lover. I gave my virginity to him. I wouldn’t of given something as special as that to a friend, like Uber, Tosh, and even Gunner....{Sigh}!"

Merc could only wonder what Master Rand was thinking about now. Was his thoughts being pounded as hers were. Do she tell him her feelings, open her heart to him. What was her feelings about him? A husband? Father of my children? Why was it so hard? It shouldn’t, but there it was.

Without realizing it Merc had more or less finished cooking, even though she was lost in thought about Rand. She was not about to ask how she done it, though. When Rand entered the restaurant, Merc had to take a moment to steel herself, for she knew, it was going to be an some what uncomfortable breakfast for the two of them.


* * *

"Lovers?" Tosh whispered. "You know what your saying, sis?" Mentokka nodded.

"I’m sure it the magic inside of us that is most likely intensifying our feelings for each other. But to say there the thoughts were and not there and were not feeling them. We be both lying to ourselves, and each other." Tosh had to agree to what she said, but.

"I don’t want to have those kind of feelings about you, Mentokka. Your my sister! And I still fight with thoughts of going to bed with you. It hurts me so bad it’s almost physical pain. And not because I don’t want to. Its because I do." Mentokka could see Tosh shaking. He got up and turned away from her. She was about to say something, but Tosh spoke first.

"I love you, sis". he blurted out. "I love you so much, I can’t breath sometimes. As much as I’m ashamed to say it, but it true. When I took off your clothes to put you in bed.....I stared at your naked body for a long time. That’s why my hands were shaking. Not because I was out of focus. I was very focused. Fighting those terrible urges." Mentokka couldn’t speak, yet Tosh went on. "As much as I want you, I fear we’ll never look at each other as brother and sister any more. We won’t laugh and joke about the silly and stupid things we always talk about and do. I fear, if I take you in my arm to hug or embrace you, I’d have to kiss you passionately. Right now I’m scared what your thinking about me. Do you see me, like some kind of monster with thoughts only of ravishing your body."

Mentokka could hear his voice quivering. She could hear the thickness of passion in his voice also. She knew that her brother had though about her. Sexual thoughts. But she never knew the intensity of what he was going though. She always marveled how Uncle Rand had such a strength of will, and now she could see it in his big brother. She was sure that a lesser man would give in to his desires. But not Tosh, it would be so simple to offer herself to him and end his torment sexual thoughts and passion for her. There was nearly nothing she wouldn’t do for him.Yet, when she heard his fears, it only made her love him even more.

"Tosh," she said sitting up on the bed, bring her knees up to her chest. "You never have to fear that I won’t see you as my brother. Your too important in my life. Besides, I had those kind of feelings for you also."

"There’s more, sis." he said turning to face her. "I wanted to tell you this years ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you."

"What is it, Tosh?" Tosh remained silent for a long time, with his eyes closed.

"Sis? I married Patti because........" he stopped short.

"Patti? Your wife? What about Patti?" she looked at him intensely

"I married her, to......to get away from you." Mentokka was wide eyed with shock. "It started back then, when you were twelve. All those times I’d carried you on my back. All those times you’d run into my bedroom saying your were having nightmares. You’d climb into my bed an huddle next to me saying that you wasn’t scared any more. That’s when those....sick feelings started coming to the surface. at first I didn’t think much about it, figuring it go away. But it didn’t. It slowly got worse."

"Are you serious, Tosh?" He nodded, Tosh was too overcome with shame to say anything, he wouldn’t look at her. "Are you telling me you didn’t love Patti?"

"It’s nothing like that!" He said, looking up at her."I loved her. It’s just I asked her to marry me a whole lot sooner."

"Do you blame me for this?" she asked, worried.

"No!" he shouted. "Never in a thousands life times, I’d never blame you. I’m to blame for this. Me, and me alone! If it was for my weakness.....Patti and Little Tosh might still be alive." Right then, Tosh feel to his knees, sobbing. A hand covering his face.

Mentokka was seeing her big brother fall apart right before her eyes. The Older Mentokka told her that he did this in front of her. Something about Patti and little Tosh. She realized that ’This’ was the source of his pain and torment.
He must of thought he buried them deep down in his soul. But things like this always come back up to the surface to reopen old wounds.

And just like the older Mentokka before her, she got off the bed to take him in her arms.

"Go ahead brother, let it all out. Don’t think you have to grieve for them by yourself."

And some where inside Mentokka, the older Mentokka whispered to her to remove the pain and guilt he was feeling. She smiled closed her eyes and nodded.

"Tosh," Mentokka whispered. "Forget about the pain and guilt. Just remember Patti and Little Tosh in life. When they made you happy about life and living."

Suddenly, her hand started glowing, and the two of them was surrounded in a glowing light. Tosh stopped crying, muttered her sister’s name, then slumped unconscious, falling forward. Mentokka eased him to the floor. She rose to her feet to put some clothes on. She looked down at her brother and she was that he was smiling. And she knew that he was going to be alright.

And it was good thing too, for deep inside of her, her new magic was telling that she needed Tosh whole and strong for things ahead for the Tor family.