In Her Dreams

they are the ones who should be watched and trained.”
I cock my head because I’ve never thought about it that way. I love Joey. He has so much warmth and kindness about him. I hate thinking that anyone would judge him for only his gender.
But at the same time, if I’d had a daughter, she would have been.
She would have been told how to dress, where to go, and how to avoid being hurt by the men around her.
I don’t have to teach Joey how to avoid danger from girls. He just gets to worry about Fortnite and growing up.
So I guess I can’t be that mad about the sexism in the fae world. It seems targeted at training and helping the men access their full potential.
“I mean, there are countries that still have mandatory military service,” Tess says. “It’s kind of like that.”
Lorien shrugs. “I’m sure if we have problems with aggressive, murderous queens, we’ll deal with it similarly. But queens have stronger magic and generally more self-control and better judgment. Warriors like to fight. To protect. It’s in our blood.”
I fold my arms. “Women like to protect as well.”
“It’s different,” Lorien says. “Queens protect their communities. They protect the weak in general and everyone around them. Warriors, it’s a little more personal. According to our bonding, we grow more or less willing to fight. But by the time we graduate training, we are all ready to do two things. One, fight and protect our kingdom at all times. Two, find and love our soul bond, our dream mate, and, along with them, continue to build our society.”
“They put you in a loincloth,” I say to Lorien wryly.
His face flames bright red. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“How is that building society?”
Tess’s expression darkens. “Yeah, that was fucked-up. But they did let me save him. And at least he wasn’t hurt. In their defense, they thought he went crazy and murdered five humans, and all they did was put him in a loincloth.”
“Hm,” I say.
“They said they needed to do their best to incentivize a queen to take on an unruly warrior,” Tess says, rolling her eyes. “But I think most of them just had been wanting Lorien a long time, not believing he had a dream mate outside their world, and they took the chance they were given.” She leans into him. “And they won’t get any more chances ever again.”
“Good,” I say. I spare a glance outside where Reve and Jerrek are still talking to Joey. Joey doesn’t have any whip out yet, thank goodness. “But those guys, you did murder them, right? In punishment?”
“No.” Lorien shakes his head. “I applied reflexive punishment, and—”
“In layman’s terms, sweetheart,” Tess says.
“I used illusions to make them the subject of what they were perpetuating.”
Tess sighs. “He gave them the chance to be… well, experience what they were going to do to me. Apparently, in the fae realm, their punishments include enforcing empathy, usually by showing them how their crime would feel if it happened to them.”
Lorien shrugs a shoulder. “We all watch out for each other in the community. There are warriors everywhere, patrolling in daily life. Rape doesn’t happen. Warriors are taught from a young age that sexual urges must be controlled and saved for the appropriate moment. And that queens have full say in any contact with their person. And that hurting or touching anyone who doesn’t want to be touched is a crime. We have zero tolerance for anyone mistreating queens or warriors, and we all demonstrate love and respect for each other. So warriors and queens learn from a young age to respect autonomy.”
Tess sighs. “We could use that training here.”
Lorien bites his lower lip. “I’m just not sure it’s possible now among so many. You have criminals convicted of rape or murder that already have young, often who have been exposed to such cruelty. Your society depicts violence at every turn as exciting. Even Jerrek speaks of how most video games involve shooting each other in the face. Young warriors are deadened to violence.” He looks out to the yard. “I’m glad we found you and Joey when we did.”
“He would have been okay,” I say, bristling.
“I think so,” Lorien says. “With you as a mom, he could have escaped some of the toxic training boys are given here. I mean, people post half-naked queens over everything you advertise. Women are objects for consumption on everything warriors see. Violent and sexual images are available on every tiny device your children carry around. It’s astounding.”
“And what, you think we should just control everything?” I ask.
“No,” Lorien says. “But I think in a world as lost as this one, every good influence helps. So we’re all grateful that we get to know Joey and be new friends who can give him a different look at the world.”
I sigh because it’s a problem I’ve had no idea how to deal with. Joey was first shown racy images and videos when he was around eight, at school.
I tried to explain to him that those images weren’t good to look at, but I didn’t want to shame his natural impulses.
Luckily, he was repulsed, and from then on, I told him to tell others he didn’t want to look at things like that.
Things for adults.
I try to put parental controls on the internet. But every once in a while, I hear one of his teammates coming through the mic, all of the young boys there yelling that they just “raped” their opponents, and I have to admit maybe Lorien is right.
Maybe this world is just screwed up.
But it’s still my world, and I love the people in it.
And most of all, I’m not going to let my world, and Joey’s world, revolve around someone else ever again.
It would be silly.
I turn to watch Joey as Reve kneels by him on the grass, explaining something that has Joey looking my way with a small smile.
The next moment, blue sparks snap