Disclaimer: I do not own Mother Nature. She belongs to William Joyce. I own a lot in this chapter actually. I own the plot, Talayeh, Nathanial, Treddian, and the mentioned Eira. Enjoy.

A young girl sat on her knees on a window bed, overlooking a giant desert. She had bright red hair, vivid green eyes, tan skin and tiny freckles that told you she spent a lot of time outside. She wore a Greek inspired summer dress with the tunic styled top and Greek styled belt and bordering on the edge of her flared out knee length skirt, all which was a pale blue. Matching ballet flats graced her feet, their ribbons tied unevenly, with a lily flower at the top. Her hair was done in a long loose braid, lily flowers woven in, and a circlet that had a lily to the side of her head strung in. Her arm ribbon, also tied extremely unevenly like her shoe ribbons, had the symbol of a sun, telling who she belonged to, even if she didn't know it.

The girl looked outside and sighed. Her master-he wanted her to call him her lover but they had never laid together and lovers do not order each other around like he does with her- had not returned from business with Mother and thus, she was not allowed to go outside. Another rule he had placed on her after that fateful night at Mother's annual party. She hadn't meant to be unloyal to her master, she didn't know she was even being unloyal, but he had punished her anyway. Taken away her freedom, something she coveted deeply. All for talking to the blonde haired fall spirit with beautiful eyes and an even lovelier voice.

She hadn't known that the fall spirit was the actual Spirit of Fall, Treddian Breeze, and that he had approached her master and asked about her specifically, but the master was extremely possessive of her, always saying she was only his, and had forbidden her from going anywhere outside the palace without him. Sighing, she rose from her seat and turned to go wait in the library, where she spent most of her time inside. The castle was silent ever since the master had gotten rid of the servants, claiming that they wanted to take her away from him, but she didn't really mind it. As long as he kept bringing her dance tutors and letting her go to parties, even if she could only dance with him. She had just passed the main door when she heard the tell-tale song of a phoenix, stopping her in her tracks. The door opened and she ran towards it, happiness soaring through her heart.

"Master Clest! You are home!" she exclaimed, throwing herself in his arms. He chuckled slightly and picked her up, twirling her around.

"Hello, my princess. How many times have I told you to call me by my first name?" He greeted, looking her in the eyes. His golden eyes were mesmerizing, like they had been the day he changed her into an eternal summer maiden. She blushed as he set her down and curtsied.

"I am deeply sorry, Nathanial. It is just…you are my creator and my master. It feels wrong to call you by your true name." She mumbled, staring at the floor. There was a cough from behind Nathanial, causing the young girl to look behind him. It was Mother Nature, who had insisted on being called Mother, who was standing awkwardly in the doorway. The girl scrambled over to her and curtsied deeply. "I am sorry Mother; I did not know you would be joining us." Mother smiled kindly at the young girl.

"It is fine, dear Talayeh. I have come to speak with you actually. May we go to the parlor?" Mother asked, her black hair whirling around like the clouds. Talayeh had always found Mother beautiful, with the long black hair, bright green eyes that made her own look dull, fair skin, regal stature and beautiful dresses. She wished that she looked more like her, rather than a dark skinned, awkward, eternally 13 year old child. Even if she was over 1000 years old, she was still a child in many of the spirits eyes.

"Yes, of course Emily. We can move to the parlor. I am curious on what you have to talk to Talayeh about that you could not tell me first." Nathanial inquired, walking towards the parlor. Talayeh walked behind the two of them like she was supposed to, wondering herself what they were going to talk about. Mother never had one on one conversation with her, especially if she hadn't told Nathanial about it first. The trio arrived at a grand parlor and took a seat at the opposite wall, near the piano. Talayeh curtsied once again.

"I will go prepare some tea for us. Will a Citrus Lavender Sage herbal tea fit your taste, milady?" Talayeh asked Mother, still looking at the floor. Mother Nature put her hand up.

"There is no need, dear. I am here to talk to you privately. Nathanial, if you could please leave the room? This is an important discussion that she must deal with by herself." Nathanial's face darkened and his hands clenched into fists. Talayeh flinched instinctively at the sight of him, causing Mother Nature to raise an eyebrow.

"What is it that I cannot be in here to hear it? She is mine, Emily. I changed her and she is forever mine. If that weak minded Treddian has sent you here to talk to her-" his voice started to get progressively louder, making Talayeh to run into the hallway. Nothing good came from Nathanial raising his voice. It was when her punishments were more severe and when he neglected her more, only to make it up to her by parties and days outside and gifts. Crouching on the ground, she curled up in a ball and began to sing to herself.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word. Papa's gonna by you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring turns to brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass." She whispered. She had heard the song once when Nathanial had let her spread a bit of summer by herself from a window of one of the big houses. A mother was singing it to her daughter as she rocked her back and forth, comforting her. Ever since them, she would sing that song when she was scared.

"Talayeh?" Mother's voice called. Talayeh looked up and saw that Mother Nature was kneeling in front of her, concern written on her face. "Are you ok, my dear?"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she slowly stood up and nodded. "I'm fine. It's just…Master Clest scares me when he gets mad. Nothing good comes from it. So, when I saw him starting to get angry, I ran away. I'm sorry. Did he hurt you? I have a medicine and bandages in my room if you need some." Talayeh asked, looking over the woman in front of her. There didn't seem to be any bruising or cuts, but that didn't mean anything. Mother looked at her for a minute before shaking her head.

"I am fine, dear. Nathanial has decided to finish up some business while we talk. Now, let's go back into the parlor and sit." Mother explained. Talayeh nodded and followed her back into the room. As promised, Nathanial was nowhere to be seen. Talayeh sat on the sofa that directly face Mother and looked at the ground.

"Talayeh, do you have any idea why I want to talk to you alone?"

Talayeh shook her head. "No ma'am."

Mother Nature smiled. "It seems that Nathanial has not been keeping you up to date on the news of the Summer Court. I should have guessed once he stopped bringing you to the meetings. The Spirit of Summer, Juliet Solis, has decided to step down from her position to pursue a family life. These past two weeks, the Summer Court has been trying to decide who will become the new Spirit of Summer. They finally decided today and informed me who they would like to take the position. Can you guess why I am here now?" She explained. Talayeh looked at her with shock.

"They want me to become the Spirit of Summer?"

"Yes my dear they do. The question now is do you want to be the Spirit of Summer? It is a big responsibility. There would be a lot of changes to your life." Talayeh gave her a bemused look.

"What would change?"

Mother sighed. "Well, you would have your own home. You wouldn't have to live in the summer section of my palace. Nathanial wouldn't be living with you, unless you married him. You would get your own servants and run your own household. Going to council meetings and dealing out punishments to rogue spirits. Your powers would increase tremendously. I will also hire instructors to teach you how to fight. Basically, you would have more freedom and more duties." Mother listed. Talayeh's eyes widened. She wouldn't have to be punished anymore by Nathanial. He couldn't touch her. She would finally be truly free. Be her own person. "Now, you don't have to accept-"

"I'll do it."

Mother Nature raided an eyebrow. "Are you sure my dear?" Talayeh hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.

"If the court thinks I can, then I will try my best." She declared. Mother smiled softly and rose.

"Well, if that is your final answer, we shall hold the ceremony in a week. You can stay with me for that time so that you can get ready. And since I think that Nathanial will not take the news well." Talayeh blushed and nodded.

"That would be best. Thank you. I will go pack now." She rose and quickly ran to her room to start packing. This was going to be a new start for her. This was going to be a good thing. So, why was there a ball of fear forming in her stomach?

. . . . . . . .

Nathanial walked back into his home to find his princess with luggage in her hands and Emily standing in front of her. The red haired beauty he claimed wouldn't meet his eyes, shielding herself from him.

"What is the meaning of this, Talayeh? Why do you have suitcases?" He asked calmly, feeling the anger starting to build. The girl shrank back even more. She should be scared. She would be punished greatly for this.

"Talayeh has been offered a great honor and has decided to take it. She will be living with me until we can find her another home." Emily stated, stepping forward. Nathanial narrowed his eyes.

"What honor?"

"She has been chosen to be the new Spirit of Summer since Juliet has decided to step down. Talayeh has agreed to take on the job. As you know, the Spirit of Summer must live on her own, so that she cannot be swayed, unless she is married. Last time I checked, you are just her creator, not her husband. Now, will you please move? I must get her settled so we can start on the preparations." Emily explained. Nathanial saw red for a moment before leaning against the doorway.

"And I don't get a say in any of this?" Emily gave him an icy smile.

"You had your say in the meetings. I believe you had a lot of your say then." She turned to Talayeh. "Dear, there is a servant outside that will take you to my quarters. Please get settled while I talk to Nathanial."

His green eyed jewel looked at Emily for a moment before rushing past both of them. He grabbed her wrist at the last second and whipped her around. "I will not forget this, my princess. You will be punished for disobeying your king." She let out a whimper and he let go. The next thing he knew, she had raced out the door. Emily cleared her throat.

"That was uncalled for, Nathanial." He growled.

"You are taking away what is mine. She is mine and only mine. She belongs to me and you are giving her away." He insisted. Emily sighed and walked over to her first spirit that she created. Touching the side of his face softly, she looked at him with loving eyes.

"Nathanial, she isn't an object. You are starting to treat her like you did Eira. Nothing good will come from your obsession. Everything you are doing is only going to push her away." She told him softly. He pulled away.

"She isn't like Eira! She loves me! She loves-"

"She used to love you!" Emily screamed at him, stopping him in his tracks. Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair. "Talayeh used to love you Nathanial, but you don't even notice the change. It was a slow change, but she doesn't love you anymore. She fears you. I see it in her eyes. It became more clear after the ball when Treddian took a fancy to her. Your display pushed her too far away that she could never love you. The affection she shows you is to save herself from your so called punishments. Stop, Nathanial please. Before you do something you regret." His eyes grew wide, reminding Emily of a madman.

"You're wrong Emily! She loves me. She is the only one that loves me! And she is the only one I love. You can't keep her from me! I will have my princess!" He yelled, as he ran into his study and slammed the door. Emily sighed and balled her hands in a fist. Slamming one against the wall, tears started falling.

"No Nathanial, you're wrong. She doesn't love you. And she isn't the only one that can love you." She whispered to herself, closing her eyes. "Because, my sweet fire, I love you."

…I feel like I just made this a little angsty. Originally, this was going to be about Talayeh's coronation, with only a bit of Mother Nature and Nathanial, but I thought this would be more dramatic… and I was right. So, time for a short explanation of what the flapjack you just read.

This is set about 1000-1500 years before 'A Snowstorm of Secrets' and gives you insight on what Talayeh's life was before she was offered to be the Spirit of Summer. Nathanial, who is hinted to have turned her into a spirit, has managed to convince Talayeh that she is his property and he is her master. He keeps her in check by giving her gifts and by punishing her severely. The only form of punishment that is blatantly said is that he hides her away from the rest of the world and only lets her out if she is with him, though we can assume that isn't the only form of punishment.

There are also hints that it all started at a party that Mother Nature threw where Treddian flirted and danced with Talayeh, causing Nathanial to make a scene. Talayeh grew very frightened of him and began acting loveable to save herself. Once she was offered a way out, she took it immediately. That sent Nathanial to the very edge, making him even more obsessed and crazy for her. Of course, there is so much more behind their story, but that is another story for another day.

And, if you didn't catch it, there is a hint that Treddian actually talked, using his own voice during this time frame. Why did he stop talking? And it is also said that he fancied Talayeh. Does he still feel that way? What is their relationship? And Mother Nature is described differently than before. How did she change? Or is the woman in 'A Snowstorm of Secrets' even the real Mother Nature? Along with those names, Nathanial Clest and Eira, which were mentioned in the last chapter of 'Names and Titles' as the first two seasonal spirits. Mother Nature suggests that Nathanial loved Eira as he does Talayeh? What is that about? And does it relate to the supposed 'Polar Tragedy' that was the reason for the seasonal community and Season Council? So many questions left unanswered! Don't worry, I will get to them soon enough!

Well, happy Summer Solstice! I hope you enjoyed the extra hours of sunlight. As always, review and tell me what you think. This is pretty long so Ciao Snowflakes!