The Avro Arrow is a bit of Canadian mythology - it was an interceptor that was cancelled in the late 50's that Canadians lionize because it was better than what the US and UK were using at the time (at the time being the keyword there).

By all accounts it was a solid interceptor and could break Mach 2 (with one model aiming for Mach 3). But at the time we were becoming less concerned with bombers carrying nuclear payloads and more concerned with ICBMs so the program was cancelled and all models destroyed (except for one that was hidden away, according to the myths).

In truth it might have been a high end interceptor, and the designers certainly knew what they were doing (after cancellation a lot of them went south and got jobs working for US aerospace contractors. It was certainly a fine attempt given Canada's limitations (fewer people means fewer skilled designers and engineers to build the thing). But A couple years after the Arrow was cancelled the US launched the F-106, which had superior qualities to the Arrow (as it existed, not as might have been with the Mach 3+ model) across the board.

"Dad..." my daughter's voice wasn't quite a whine, but it was on it's way to get there "...you've got to help me out here. Get them to stop."

I chuckled into the phone - probably not the Dad-liest thing to do, but I couldn't help myself. "You think I..." I responded, my voice carrying a note of incredulity "...can stop the fae from doing whatever the hell it is they do child? I am nothing more than the lowly former mortal consort of Aleeia, Queen of Air and Darkness and all that jazz. They give me a wide berth because they don't want to piss off your mother, but that's about it."

"Dad, I was late for class this morning because some damned banshee was howling in the common room all night long serenading me. Bad enough for me - I get cranky when I don't get enough sleep and that's not good for anyone - but two girls on my floor woke up with white hair and now people are freaking out that there's some disease going around that makes people old."

"Well, yeah - I guess that might be a problem..."

"And do you know what happened to my last boyfriend. Wound up running off with a guy named Steve. An incubus named Steve. So that some succubus could try and hook up with me." A shame, I liked Glenn. A nice normal boy who had no idea what he was dealing with.

"Huh - you didn't..."

"No Dad. I did not. Once I figured out what had happened and how they had sabotaged my relationship with Glenn I wasn't really in the mood to be seduced. And don't get me started on that Redcap creep. He shows up at parties and warns every boy there that he will castrate them with his bloody scythe if they so much as look at me with less than honourable intentions."

"That's..." I hesitated a moment, trying to find the right words "...yeah, that probably cramps your style a bit."

"CRAMPS MY STYLE?!?" Evidently I had found the wrong words. I could hear the wind picking up around my daughter as her fae heritage made itself known. "Dad it's ruining my life. I just..." The wind died down after a moment, and my daughter voice lowed a decibel or two. Her voice was tired. She was tired. "Dad, I just want to be a normal girl. I want to live a normal life. I want to have a boyfriend who isn't chased away by fairy tale monster."

"Or seduced!" I added in a too helpful tone

"Not helping Dad." my daughter responded

I took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "Honey. You say you want to be normal. But your not normal. You are Ania. Heir to the thrones of the Seelie and the Unseelie. The great hope of your mother, Aleeia Winter, and her sister, Ania Summer, to unite the fae under one banner and end a conflict that has existed since the dawn of time."

"That's not..." Ania's voice cracked a bit "...that's not fair."

"It's not. I know it. Life's not fair sometimes. All I wanted was a wife, a job and two-point-five kids. Instead I wound up being a single father to a faerie princess. And while your mother was helpful in many ways, it wasn't really what I expected my life to be like."

There was a moment of silence on the line. "You know I'm sorry for what she did to you Dad. I know you didn't necessarily want all of this."

"You don't need to be sorry. You are not your mother, and her sins are not yours. Besides, it might not have been what I wanted - but I got to be your father. And that has been - without a doubt - the best thing that has ever happened to me. It's been an honour to watch you grow up. And I got to do it. Not your mother. Not your aunt. Little old me. The lowly mortal consort of the Queen of Air and Darkness."

There was another moment of silence, followed by a bit of a chuckle. "Not so lowly to me Dad."

I smiled. "Well, when you become Queen you can give me a new title, like 'the Queen Dad' or something. But we can talk about the future later. Let's talk about the problem. Have you tried reaching our to your mom or aunt?"

"Mom is her usual, radio-silenced self. Aunt Ania is winding down for the season. So not much going on those fronts."

"Yeah, that sounds about right for them. All powerful archfae, never around when you need 'em. Alright - well, I tell you what. Robin Redcap and I have beers every once in awhile. Next time I see him I'll tell him he has to lay off mortal boys and focus on the ones from his realm. That might buy you a bit of space on two fronts. He'll still be a protective little creep I'm sure, but he'll hopefully back off enough to let you make your own choices about who to hang around with - so long as they don't try and force you into anything. That happens and I'm telling Robin to make it slow and painful. About the others that have come a courtin' - Mrs. Wilde is a Banshee herself, so I'll ask her if there's anything she can do. And I will try to get the dryad Ms. Meliae to send word to Ania and Aleeia. I understand faeries wanting to woo my daughter, the princess, but if they are interfering with mortal lives - I understand that's a massive no-no. But you may have to take some responsibility for it yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Honey, you are the heir to the Seelie and Unseelie thrones. You are a powerful archfae. Remind them of who you are and that their inconsiderate actions are displeasing to you - and if necessary what displeasing you means to them. You are meant to lead them in time, no time like the present to show them what loyalty to you will mean."

There was another moment of silence before my daughter continued "Yeah..." I could almost hear her shaking her head on the phone "...yeah. That makes sense."

"It's not fair honey. And I wish I could wave a magic wand and fix it, but proficiency with magic wands and granting wishes isn't really on my side of the family. They should respect you enough to not treat you like this, but lets face it - with the fae nothing is given and everything is bought. So buy their respect with a show of why you are worthy of it. Maybe they'll back off. Or maybe Aleeia and Ania will bring the hammer down because of how they are hurting mortals. Who knows. But hopefully we can make things a bit better for you in the long run."

"Thanks Dad."

"Not a problem hon. I love you."