The Bird and the Fish

They had loved each other from childhood, when he literally fell out of the sky and into her life. . . or at least, her pond. But he was a commoner- a simple sky soldier with little power and an unimpressive heritage. Perhaps it could have been arranged had the humans not emerged that year from their underground exile. But she was a princess, and a marriage contract between their two races seemed the only way to restore the shattered peace.

She wasn't positive he loved her anyway.

And Lily's life was not an unhappy one. She spent five luxurious years with her new human husband, learning his strange customs and deflating the tension her race felt toward the invaders. She should have realized her fairy-tale life was just a facade for her husband's real plans.

She could not stay with him and be his weapon to destroy her people. . . But neither could she take her half-human son into the world of mutants. With one final kiss and a blessing, she left her little boy in the hands of his treacherous father, and returned to her kingdom. Returned to her Eagle.

Lily knew there was no way he could ever love her now - a shamed diplomat in a war-torn world. But he cared only for her happiness. They married, this time by their own customs, and vowed to bring peace to their divided world.

At least, they tried.

However the turmoil rocked their culture, however peace and rest evaded them, and however brief their union, the Bird and the Fish found comfort in one another. Their love was real.