Chelsea Dawn

"Don't worry, Fernando. Mama et Pare are going to like you and I swear Kris won't beat you up", teased Violette as they waited for the train.

"I'm only going to be here for another week, you don't have to introduce me to your parents", he said.

"I want to, I want to show them my boyfriend", she laughed.

"Am I your boyfriend, Vi", he teased.

"Oui, if you want. I'd want to show my family my handsome Spanish boyfriend", she drawled.

Fernando laughed as he led her onboard the bus and helped her find their seats. Violette wore a simple navy blue dress with white polka dots and strappy navy blue sandals, a straw hat on her head. Fernando wore dark jeans and a button-down denim shirt with his blond-brown hair a bit long and touching his ears, his Tengwar tattoo clearly visible.

Soon the bus was off and running as it headed east out of Quebec City. The terrain grew more mountanous and rugged as they headed up the Gaspe peninsula, the broad St. Lawrence like a flat blue ribbon to the east. "This is like Galicia, we used to go there on holiday when I was growing up", said Fernando, seeing the rugged coast from the window.

"Oui, my father's people are from here and I went here a lot when I was younger', she replied.

The bus stopped at the village of Ciel Noir and the duo got off at the platform. A young man his age waited for them, embracing Violette and giving Fernando the once over. He was quite handsome, just over six feet tall with a muscular build that was evident under his jeans and Iron Maiden t-shirt, his straight black hair falling to his shoulders and his dark eyes with a laser intensity that he found unnerving.

"Bonjour, souer. Et vous le petit ami de mon souer?", he asked.

Fernando extended his hand. "Si, son el novio de su hermano, amigo", he said.

The man shook his hand and laughed. "Oui, tres bien. Son Espagnol? Mon nom est Kris Letang, son le frere de Violette", he said.

"Si, son Espanol. Me llamo Fernando Torres", he replied.

"Tres bien, monsieur Torres. Merci, but I was just testing you. It's a brother thing", said Kris with a laugh, speaking with a heavy French accent.

Kris led them towards a massive black Chevy Silverado. He drove towards a large house on the outskirts of town overlooking the turbulent waters below as Fernando felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He parked the truck and led them inside the house where a dignified middle-aged couple waited for them, along with an older couple wearing odd Viking age clothes. Fernando felt the prickles at the back of his neck turn into a sharp sensation like being hit with tiny needles, not unlike getting a tattoo.

"Bonjour, Kris et Violette. I see you brought Torres here", said the Viking man in a deep commanding voice.

"Oui, Magnus", he replied.

The man turned in his direction and Fernando stood in his tracks. The man had piercing gray eyes and long hair and a beard that were a deep brown streaked with gray that gave him the look of a slightly younger Gandalf. The woman had the same look and both of them regarded them with the same all-seeing gray eyes.

"Hallo, Fernando Torres. I am surprised Flori and Jose never told you about us", said Magnus.

"Quién coño eres tú?", he asked in alarm.

The ohter middle-aged man came forward and handed him a cup full of whisky. "Your parents never told you about us, Fernando?", he asked.

Fernando drank the whisky in one gulp to steady his nerves. "Quién coño eres tú?", he repeated.

"I am Hugo Letang and this is my wife Renee, we are Kris and Violette's parents. We are all members of Sol Duga, your family are one of the most powerful Sol Duga families", said Hugo.

"You guys better not be gangsters", he warned.

"I assure you we are not gangsters, Mr. Torres", said Renee.

"We are the Soul Helpers, we help those who help who would have accomplished great things to achieve their potential. Your family are one of the oldest Sol Duga families, the Torres' have been part of Sol Duga since the tenth century. The Torres family is originally from Galicia, correct?", asked Magnus.

"Si, my great-grandfather Jose moved to Madrid looking for work.

"Do you know anything about the Torres family?", he asked.

"They are from Galicia and we go visit them every summer, but they seemed normal to me", he replied.

"Spain is a very Catholic country, being a member of Sol Duga would have caused problems. Are you Catholic?", asked Magnus.

"Of course", he retorted.

Magnus gave him an enigmatic little smile that made his blood cold. "Your family worships the old gods in secret, Fernando. They only pretended to be Catholics, it would have been risky to do so openly", replied Magnus.

"What old gods, we haven't had pagans since the Roman times", said Fernando.

"The Norse gods, there was a group of Vikings that got blown off course in the 9th century, they settled there and found wives among the local women. One of them was Olav Thorrsson, the last name got changed to Torres. They still retained worship of the old gods and they pretended to be Catholic, the Inquisition didn't bother them because they were poor and not Jews or Muslims. Did you ever wonder why you are tall, pale and ginger, Fernando?", teased Magnus.

Fernando blushed, running a finger through his hair and knowing his roots were showing "Many Gallegos are pale and ginger, that doesn't mean anything", he retorted.

"Si, then why do you dye your hair?", asked Magnus.

"Girls don't like ginger guys, I got teased a lot", he replied.

Magnus nodded. In an instant, Fernando was startled to find his longish dyed blond hair had changed to a short cut in his natural dark red. "See, that is your natural hair color. If you keep dyeing it, you would soon be bald", he chuckled.

Violette couldn't resist touching his short hair. "I like it, it suits you. You look like an Irish guy", she teased.

"Gracias", he replied.

"Fernando, when Violette told me about you and mentioned your last name, I had to meet you. You look just like Olav except without a beard. Have you ever felt differently from other people", he asked.

"I'm big into Tolkien and fantasy stuff, I used to get teased when I was younger but since I play football they leave me alone. My friend Juan is into that stuff too, he's read all the Tolkien stuff and Game of Thrones books. He must have been British in another life", he joked.

Hugo looked at him thoughtfully. "Is your friend Juan Mata?", he asked.

"Si, is he another Sol Duga guy?", he asked.

"Yes, the Mata family are also descendents of Thorsson. Does Juan act like a typical Spaniard", asked Hugo.

"No, he's a hardcore Anglophile and loves living in England", said Fernando with a laugh.

"He is also unaware of his Sol Duga heritage, we are going to tell him", said Magnus.

"He's in Oviedo visiting his family, are you guys going to teleport?", he joked.

"We can, you have to fly. And you're not going to Oviedo, you are meeting him in London and driving to Scotland", said Hugo, showing them tickets to London Heathrow.

"And what if we don't?", demanded Fernando.

"Then I will zap your brain and you will forget any of this ever happened, Fernando Torres", said Magnus.

"Bueno, I'll do it. I've already gone on one impulsive holiday, another can't hurt", he said dryly.

"When you get to Scotland, you will wait for further instructions. Kris, drive them to the airport in Montreal, their flight leaves in six hours", ordered Hugo.

"Oui, papa", he replied.