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"Kind of. Do you have a beard?"
"She can see us!" Ben exclaimed. "She's the one!"
"She can hear you," I snapped. "And she would like an explanation."
He handed me the whisky bottle. "I'm sorry. Of course. We shall answer your questions. Brother, do you want to start?"
Mac sat down next to the fire. Even sitting, he looked enormous. "Once upon a time, there were two Guardians. Do you know what that is? Do humans still tell stories of us?"
I shook my head, and both of the men sighed.
"Typical. All the important things get forgotten. Guardians are the servants of Beira, the Goddess of Winter and Mother of Gods. We are made to look like humans so that we may visit your world and blend in, but we are not like you. For once, we are more or less immortal. Some of us have magic. Others are given special skills by the Goddess. And yet others are her messengers, letting her see through our eyes and speak with our lips." He sighed. "You should have seen the Winter Realm. Sparkling crystals everywhere. Snowflakes as large as your head. Mountains taller than any you've ever climbed before. Unicorns grazing on the first grass of spring. And-"
"Unicorns?!" I interrupted. "I was almost starting to believe you, but now you're pulling my leg."
"No leg pulling involved. I swear it's true."
"It is," Ben confirmed. "Unicorns are real. How did you think the legend came to be? A few Realm creatures escape every year. Most of them get caught by Guardians before they're spotted by humans, but sometimes, they are seen. Anyway, we don't have much time. The sun is rising fast. Mac, continue your story."
I had no idea what to think. This was all a little too much. I looked down at the bottle in my hand and took a large sip. The whisky burned down my throat. I welcomed this strong, tangible feeling. This was real. The rest of it... I couldn't be sure.
"I have told you who we are. Now I shall tell you how we came to be here, on this mountain. About five hundred years ago, we-"
"Shut your face," I blurted before realising that it may not be a good idea to be rude in the presence of immortal beings who spoke to unicorns. Maybe I should go back to my concussion theory. It made a whole lot more sense than what they were saying.
Mac smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. A deep sadness as old as the mountain lingered in their depth, pulling me in. "It has been a long time. Some days, I wonder how we survived. How we didn't go insane."
"Because we were together," Ben muttered softly.
"Yes. Out of all my brothers, I'm glad it was Ben who was given this assignment together with me. Anyway. Five centuries ago, Queen Beira sent us to this mountain range on a recon mission. I won't go into detail, but we were told to stay with the humans, blend in, observe them. So we did. Until a young woman fell in love with us."
"And you with her?" I asked. For some reason, I was concerned about the answer they might give.
"No. At first, we didn't realise how serious her feelings were. I admit to leading her on for too long. Among Guardians, relationships are rarely as deep and permanent as among humans. Especially back in those days. Long story short, when she wanted more than we could give her, we ended it. We made it very clear that there was no future for us and that she should look for a husband among humans. She didn't take it well."
Ben scoffed. "Understatement of the millennium. She cursed us. Don't ask me how she did it. She was human; she shouldn't have been able to. But she did. Cursed us to stay on the mountain towering above her village forever, unable to leave, until one day, we'd find a woman who'd want us. We figured out the smaller details of the curse later, after she'd died of old age."
"Like that there are only two days a year that we are able to show ourselves to a human," Mac added. "The summer and winter solstices. And that the woman has to be her ancestor. A MacDuff. She really didn't make it easy for us."
"Hence why we've been trying to lift the curse for hundreds of years. It's hard to meet MacDuff women on Ben Macdui, especially when one of us has to constantly haunt anyone who sets foot on the mountain, and the other is busy making sure nobody dies as a result of our curse. And, of course, nobody is able to see us. Not until today."
By now, their bodies were almost completely solid. Only their long hair was still translucent at the ends. I didn't need my glasses to see their ethereal yet rugged beauty.
"What happens after today?" I asked. "After the solstice. Will I still be able to see you?"
Mac ran a hand through his beard. "I don't know. It's not like the curse came with an instruction leaflet. Half the time it feels like the curse is evolving, closing any loophole and chance of escape as soon as we find one."
"It's been a long five centuries," Ben sighed. He motioned for the whisky bottle which I realised I was still clenching in my hands. I took another sip, relishing the burn down my throat, then gave him the bottle.
Ben sniffed the whisky, inhaling deeply. "If we are freed tonight, I will buy you the largest bottle of whisky they have. No, I will buy you whatever you desire. Jewellery, clothes, books, the moon. Anything. Everything."
His words left a bitter taste in my mouth. Was he trying to bribe me? Tempt me into...doing what exactly?
"What is my role in this?" I tried to keep the bitterness from spilling over, but I wasn't sure if I'd succeeded. "You said she cursed you until you found a woman who wanted you. How do I have to want you? Is this about sex? Are you trying to get me to jump into bed with you? Both of you?"
The brothers exchanged a look. "We don't know," Mac admitted. "Maybe it's enough if you desire us. But-"
"Do you?" Ben interrupted. "Desire us?"
