A/N: This is kinda a what-if from Iron Queen. I guess. If they were ever in Tir Na Nog. Which they would have no reason to be in, but... hey I couldn't resist writing this. And sorry to those that are waiting for the TOTALLY OOC! Challenge update. I've got Christmas break in two days and I will try my best to get at least one chapter posted.
Disclaimer: If I owned this series, then Ash would never have had to become human. But him and Meghan would still be together. So, I'm obviously not Julie Kagawa, because that wasn't quite how it worked out, did it?
I was with Ash, Puck, and Grim in Winter's lands, walking back to the wyldwood. Ash was walking beside me, our hands intertwined, and for once I wasn't worried about getting cold, because with Ash around, the cold seemed to leave me alone. Grimalkin had disappeared a while ago, as cats do, and Puck was lagging behind us, uncharacteristically silent. I glanced back, only to see nothing but snow instead of his form.
I stopped walking, anchoring Ash. "Ash." I said, slightly panicked. "Puck's gone."
He shrugged, a half smile on his face making me bristle. "Goodfellow probably went off to confuse unsuspecting fey. He'll be fine. He's not an idiot, whatever else he may be."
But I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching, waiting, silently in the cover of the huge evergreens surrounding us. "Ash-"
Splat.
Something white in the form of a lump landed on Ash's back. He whirled in that direction immediately, ice sword in hand. He scanned the trees warily. I reached over and touched the white stuff on his back. It came away cold and wet and powdery on my fingertips.
"A snow-" Splat. Another snowball, this one landing on the side of his head. He whirled towards it and a familiar redhead stepped, laughing, out of the trees.
"Jeez, ice-boy, you should have seen the look on your face! You were all-" Splat. This time, Puck was the one that got hit with a snowball on his chest, followed not even five seconds later by one on his leg.
"You should have realized, Goodfellow," Ash said, throwing and catching another readily made snowball in one hand "That you don't start a snowball fight against a Winter fey." The amusement was clear in his voice, and a small smile had begun to creep over his lips.
With a wild whoop from Puck and a fierce laugh from Ash, they began lobbing snowballs at each other. I sat on the ground a safe ways away from the flying projectiles and watched. Both got hit, Ash far less often than Puck, but took it good-naturedly.
I lost track of the time and my mind began to drift, caught up in the whirling snow drifts. The sun's rays seemed to catch them as they fell, making it seem as if millions of pieces of bright glitter were swirling through the air. The snow was soft beneath me, and I laid down on top of it, the cold feeling, for some reason, relaxing. I suddenly felt very tired and closed my eyes again the swirling glitter.
When I opened my eyes, I saw white. Not the glittery white snow drifts of Tir Na Nog, but white as in… colorless. There was no furniture, nothing but this colorlessness. And for some reason, that scared me.
"Ash?" I called, my voice echoing. "Puck?"
There was no answer, and my shrill, panicked voice faded into oblivion. I glanced around looking for a way out, back to Tir Na Nog. But, like before, there was nothing but the colorlessness.
Then a figure stepped out of the whiteness, shadows that had not existed before hiding his features. I drew my sword, because I knew that this figure could-and would- kill me. "Put your puny weapon away, Meghan Chase. It can do no harm against me." The figure cleared his throat, then continued. "I ask you to stop this foolish quest of yours. It is futile. We will win. The oldblood's days are numbered. Join us, Meghan Chase, and become my queen. Join us and live, or fight and die. Those are your only options. Choose wisely." I frowned. That voice. I recognized that voice. The thought danced tantalizingly out of my reach, unable to take root.
"You're the false king, aren't you?" I asked "Show yourself."
The false king laughed. "Choose, Meghan Chase. Choose us, those that will prevail, and all will be revealed."
Who was it? I knew it, I knew I did, but the name just wouldn't come. "No." I finally said, after a few fruitless moments of searching for his name. "I'm going to help Summer and Winter. You're killing them, and they deserve to live, just as much as you do."
He sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. Very well, then. I will keep you here no longer. Until we meet again, Meghan Chase. Assuming, of course, that the elements do not kill you first."
"What-"
But the scene had already dissolved around me, and I fell into oblivion.
"Meghan! Meghan!" I heard voices calling, but my eyes wouldn't seem to open. I could feel cold biting into my skin at some places, but as I stayed there, the cold lessened. It was hard for me to form thoughts. This…. Reminds….. Me….. Time….. Ash….. Almost fro…zen…death….
I was freezing to death. And it didn't really seem all that painful. Better than painfully dying from multiple cuts in battle. But the voices wouldn't let me just drift. They seemed to be having a very loud argument, right now, and it was very hard for me to just give in to the cold with them talking.
"Ice-boy, do something! She's dying! This is all your fault! We're in your realm! Do something! Save her!" A panicked voice shouted, the sound coming as if spoken through a long tunnel.
"My fault?" Another voice said, calm, but with an underlying note of panic also in his voice. "How is it my fault? You were the one that started the snowball fight!"
"You're her knight, ice-boy! Or did you forget that? You're the one that's supposed to be keeping tabs on her!"
"I suggest that if you are going to try and keep her alive, you try so now. Her life is fading fast." A third voice cut in, drawling and arrogant.
"Meghan." The second, calmer voice I had heard said. I felt hands on my shoulders, anchoring me to this world, keeping me from totally floating away. "Meghan Chase." The voice said again. "You are not leaving me. I will not lose you, not so soon after I've found you." A noise that might've been a sob came. "Stay, Meghan, please. Stay with me." Then a pair of familiar lips pressed against mine and liquid fire raced through my bones. A groan left me as the cold faded and he kissed me harder. A sound of joy left him, the one kissing me… Ash. My arms moved around his back, holding him to me. I felt strong arms lift me and I felt him carrying me, to where I didn't know. When he stopped, however, I finally opened my eyes and met his bright silver ones.
"You're safe." he said, lips close to my ear. I nodded and replied:
"You're here."
All was silent for a moment as we gazed at each other. Than a familiar sarcastic voice ruined it. "This is fun and romantic and everything, but can we get back to our snowball fight now, ice-boy?
A/N: Cute randomness, right? So... reviews?
Queen of Air and Darkness
