Meet the Otherworld Queen behind Tommy’s potions
An Otherworld visit with Queen Una
If you’ve read The Otherworld Prince (the free book you receive when you join my email list, which you can sign up for on the homepage of my website) or any of the books in the Of Gods and Monsters series, you know that Tommy Kennedy loves gardening and creating herbal potions —with a dash of magic added. But how did Tommy become such a proficient potion master? It was a craft learned at his mother’s side, and today I am going to introduce you her.
Queen Una, also spelled Oona, is a very important character in the series, though she isn’t often on the page. Una’s role is more backstory, and her influence featured prominently in Tommy’s upbringing. Tommy is closer to Una, and she understands her son in a way his father doesn’t. And much of this stems from the things Queen Una and Tommy value.
Let me give you a bit about the mythology of Queen Una—and a bit is all we have. Irish mythology describes Una as a woman of legendary beauty, with long golden hair. She is credited with bearing seventeen sons and putting up with a philandering husband, King Finvarra. In my story, she is also a devoted mother who dearly misses Tommy, now living in Galway.
An interesting note about Queen Una is that she is purported to have her own Sídh, called Cnoc Sídh Una, in Ireland. Maybe she gets a little tired of her husband’s philandering. Or maybe she needs some time away from a house, or castle, full of men.
Below is an excerpt from The Fae. In this passage, Tommy goes to the Otherworld and his home at Sídh Cnoc Meadha, to check on his brother who has been injured in battle. While there, he has a reunion with his mother. Join them in the excerpt below as they stroll through the Otherworld.
Queen Una linked her arm with Tommy’s as they stepped from the healing rooms into the late-afternoon light.
***
They walked along the golden cobblestone sidewalk in silence, past buildings of white and gold stone, and Tommy took his first relaxed breath in hours. Around him shone the beauty of Sídh Meadha, where he was born and lived into adulthood and beyond. Fluted wooden lampposts stood as sentinels along the path waiting for dusk when the thick candles within would burn, spreading shimmering magical light over the city of the gods, goddesses, and fair folk. Metal wasn’t commonly used in construction here, and any metal containing iron was strictly banned. Iron was deadly to many of the fair folk.
Apples, always ripe and without blemish, hung from leafy branches like shining globes of gold and red. Flowers bloomed yearlong, and the blended scents of rose, jasmine, and gardenia wafted to him on the perpetual breeze.
The merchant center of town was a street over, and Tommy heard the call of the vendors as they prepared to close business for the day. Eateries would soon be open for dinner, and his mouth watered at the thought of the delicate and robust flavors on offer. He wished he had time to stop for a serving of apple tart made with citrusy rosehip honey and topped with rich ice cream from the prized cows of the area.
He and his mother passed other residents of the Sídh, fair folk and Tuatha Dé Danann alike, many laden with baskets of berries, milk, and bread.
“’Tis good to see you home, Tommy,” called a stout goblin with scraggly teeth and an impish grin. He doffed his cap as he passed.
“This cannot be the king’s eldest,” said a diminutive, wizened woman hunched under the weight of the bulging sack she carried over one shoulder. She was one of the crone coven that lived on the outskirts of the town. Her black eyes sparkled like the sharp edge of a blade as she looked him over.
“’Tis I, ma’am,” Tommy said with a bow.
“But yer old,” she cackled. Wrinkles radiated from her grinning lips across her cheeks and disappeared into the wiry gray-black hair at her temples. She walked on past, the bark of her laughter following her shuffling footsteps.
“Don’t take it to heart, my son,” Queen Una said, squeezing his arm.
“I don’t.” He’d never admit the words stung, and he wondered if he ought to return home as soon as he and his crew found the Fomorian. Stop the aging process. He had no reason to stay in Ireland after his job was complete, aside from his many friends. And he could easily visit those he wished to see.
A few of the residents paused, and Tommy sensed they wanted to ask what had happened to summon their warriors to Ireland that day. His mother nodded but didn’t slow.
Underneath the bustle of daily life in the Sídh hummed the energy of the place, a constant thrum of the mixed power of all the inhabitants that combined to create the atmosphere he associated with his home. While not all the residents of his father’s kingdom were peaceful and well-intentioned, most cared about this place where they lived. They kept their mischievous pranks for the humans they visited, especially on the eve of Samhain, although the king warned against causing the people harm. He and his council had outlawed many of the old bad behaviors, including luring humans into the Otherworld, where they might become stuck for many years, and the stealing of human infants that they replaced with the babies of the fair folk.
A depiction of Tommy and Queen Una in the Otherworld
I hope you enjoyed this peek into Tommy’s home in the Otherworld and into his relationship with his mother. It was fun for me to imagine what Sídh Cnoc Meadha might be like as I wrote this section of The Fae. To discover more, grab your copy of the books.
Until next time,
Kelley
