To the absolute horror of her aunt, Samhain was by far Mairin’s favorite time of year. The festival stood against nearly everything the older woman believed in, but that was exactly what Mairin loved most about it. Every other day of the year, she was expected to behave as the model for young girls in her village. She had to focus on her studies of French, Latin, classic literature, and needlepoint; she had to attend mass a minimum of once a week; she had to attend tea lessons and manner lessons, which always took place either in the church or at the priest’s sister’s house; and she had to “do her Christian duty” – to quote her aunt – by assisting around the church at least twice per week, excluding the times she went for mass, studies, or any other lessons.

During Samhain, however, everyone recognized how the lines became blurred. While the holiday was originally intended to celebrate the end of harvest season, the villagers could feel the change of energy in the air that time of year. It was just as the old witches had said: for a full day, there were no longer any divisions between the spirit and human worlds. Fae, ghosts, ghouls, and a host of other moonlight beings were all free to roam around and wreak whatever havoc they could for twenty-four hours. If someone was not careful, they might disappear at best, or, at worst, be found strung from a tree, the unlucky victim of some bored creature.

So, naturally, the villagers had devised over time a way to protect themselves. They eventually discovered that, for the most part, the only way to tell that a human was a human and not some otherworldly creature was by their appearance. If the villagers wore masks and costumes, it was almost a guarantee that everyone would wake up in the morning. Of course, there were always a few people who refused to follow the rules every now and then – mostly traveling “scholars” who shut out the locals’ superstitions – but even Mairin’s aunt would don a mask and shut herself inside her house.

Nineteen-year-old Mairin, on the other hand, much preferred to go out with her friends all day, experiencing the festivities first hand. The tamest celebrations took place during the day, right after morning mass. The younger children would bob for apples, carve jack-o-lanterns with their families, and finally have an excuse to just play around all day. The kids went from door to door asking for treats right before the sun went down, at which time they were shuffled into their houses by their parents.

Night was when the adults took over.

There was always plenty of wine and food for everyone, and at least three bonfires, the biggest of which was always in the center of the village. The idea was that having it in a central location would prevent drunk stragglers from roaming too far off into the night. The bigger risk-takers set up bonfires on the outskirts of the village, right by the four-foot-high fence that ran around the perimeter of the village. These revelers usually included the older teens and the young adults who were about to face either leaving home for an indefinite amount of time or being tied down to the village forever, whether it was because of marriage or work opportunities. They wanted to feel wild and free for the night. They never knew if it could be their last year.

That was exactly the kind of bonfire that Mairin and her best friend, Mona, were getting ready for. Mona was completely dressed in her brother’s clothes, and the top half of her face was covered by a mask made of painted deer skin.

“Oh, Rinnie, you look lovely! But why didn’t you want to match me? Is there someone you’re trying to impress?” Mona sighed dreamily. She was right; Mairin was the picture of loveliness in her white dress, with elegant swirls of black painted around her eyes. The girl had shot her friend a look.

“There’s no one that I’m necessarily trying to impress, exactly, but I don’t mind looking nice, especially if someone were to see,” Mairin replied, shrugging on a shawl she had decorated with white feathers.

“Are you talking about your mysterious suitor again? He seems awfully suspicious if you ask me.” Mona crossed her arms.

“Taemin’s not suspicious. I’ve known him all my life,” Mairin said.

“Yeah, you’ve known him all your life – no one else has even heard of the guy. That doesn’t strike you as even a little odd?” Mona asked.

“Most people stay in the village, and he lives a little while away. It’s not unusual,” Mairin countered, "and it's not my fault I'm the only one brave enough to pick wild strawberries."

“Fine, fine. Just be careful tonight, ya know? Anyway, let’s get over to the party. I’m not missing out on my fun just to argue about some stupid boy,” the other girl smirked. She pulled Mairin to her feet, and together they ventured off into the rapidly darkening evening. They ducked through little alleyways and behind walls, knowing that if Mona’s older brother caught them going to one of the wilder parties he would drag them right back to the “safe” village center and keep watch over them all night. It was no secret that the boy had a thing for Mairin, and while she liked him well enough, she still gagged at the thought of kissing him.

So instead of dealing with him on her one night to be as free as she wished, she was going to dance around a fire with her friends and drink and eat sweets that may have been stolen by the baker’s son. And thankfully, they made it there safely just as the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon.

“Mona, darling, you’re here at last!” a boy slurred as he ran forward to grab ahold of Mona’s hands. The girl looked back to send a wink to Mairin, who watched as her friend was dragged into the circle surrounding the fire. Whoever the boy was, she doubted that it was the one courting Mona. There was no way to tell, really, as Mona had flitted between almost all of the eligible bachelors in the village and surrounding area. Even now, a group of three alternating boys commanded her attention as they took turns leading her around the bonfire. Mairin's thoughts began to wander, but a pair of cold hands gripping her shoulders immediately snapped her back to the present.

“I hope I’m not late,” a male voice spoke. Mairin whirled around, her smile growing when she saw who her visitor was.

“Taemin!” she exclaimed, “I’ve missed you so much!” She threw her arms around his neck.

"And I missed you," he said and kissed her temple.

"You've been away for ages."

“It’s a little harder than you would think to get over here,” Taemin chuckled. The sound was like a bunch of bells chiming at once, like a babbling brook, wind whistling through tall grass – it was magical. Everything about Taemin seemed magical. He was tall and fit, and he always wore his wavy black hair loose. He was Mairin’s standard of “free.”

“Hard? I haven’t seen you for months!” she pouted, pulling away. He just drew her back to him again so that she was nearly pressed against his chest.

“But I’m here now, aren’t I, love?” Mairin still blushed at his nickname for her. “Anyway, what are you supposed to be? An angel? I’m not sure I’m allowed to associate with those.”

“No, silly, I’m a swan. The noblest of the water fowl,” she corrected him, “and what about you? Are you supposed to be a pirate or something?” Taemin’s costume consisted of a billowy white shirt that exposed half of his chest, black pants, and blood red sash tied around his waist.

“Actually, yes. I was going to be a prince, but I felt that a pirate coming to steal away a sweet, trusting village girl in the middle of the night was more appropriate.” He grinned. She rolled her eyes.

“What, are you finally going to take me to one of your village’s parties?” she asked.

“Well, you wouldn’t be wrong,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.

“You’re serious?” she questioned.

He grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together.

“It’ll be fun, I promise!” He leaned in close to whisper in her ear, his long locks tickling her ear. “And if you disappear with me for a night, then your very respectable aunt will have to recognize our engagement.” She felt her heart beat fast at his words. Even though it would definitely shock her aunt and probably the priest, maybe she needed to be shocked into accepting it. Mairin took one last glance at Mona, who had yet to notice the couple, before turning back to face Taemin.

“Let’s go,” she agreed. He grinned, showing nearly all of his teeth.

Within the next second the pair had started running towards the forest. Taemin easily vaulted over the fence, then waited to catch Mairin on the other side. Though she knew that the forest was filled with roaming ghouls that would maim her if given the chance, the night did not seem nearly as threatening with Taemin by her side. They passed by several spirits that she tried not to stare at, but all of them stayed away. The couple wasn’t even trying to go undetected; they ran over leaves and twigs and talked the whole way there.

After about a thirty minute’s journey, they came upon a clearing. Mairin paused at the edge.

“This can’t be the party you were talking about, right?”

“It is!” Taemin grinned.

“That’s a faun, Taemin,” she said.

“Yeah, he’s actually really cool,” he told her.

“You know him?” she hissed back. He merely nodded and tugged her forward again, this time deeper into the throng of creatures. She knew enough to recognize that very few of the people in attendance were humans. There were the beautiful fae, fauns, and elves, and then even more creatures that Mairin could not name. She had always half-wondered if Taemin was really fully human, what with his beauty and the fact that no one else seemed to know him, and now she was right back to doubting he was. The question remained: did she care?

Taemin led her over to a long table full of food, where he grabbed two crystal glasses full of a dark liquid. He handed one to her and held the other one up.

“To us,” he toasted.

“To us,” she echoed, and, without letting herself hesitate, she downed the glass. The drink burned . It wasn’t smooth like human wine; it was just as wild as the people who made it. If it were possible, it seemed like Taemin’s grin grew wider. He swooped down to capture her lips with his in a not-quite-chaste kiss. When he finally pulled away, her cheeks were a bright crimson.

“There are people around,” she muttered, unable to meet his eye.

“There are people around who are doing much worse than I, my love,” he pointed out with an affectionate smile.

He was right. The indecency of half the partygoers there was enough to make her blush, and she was sure her aunt would have collapsed from shock long ago. While a lot of it was far outside her comfort zone, she also came to the realization that no one cared what she did. There were zero expectations or duties. She met her fiancé’s gaze and pulled him back down to her height so that their lips could meet again.

The last anyone in the village saw Mairin was when Mona left her at the bonfire, and Mairin wouldn’t have it any other way.