This will be a bit different from some of the other Lord Milori and Queen Clarion stories on here, but what's the fun of doing the same thing? So I wrote something fun, sensual and desirable. If you read and like let me know! If you don't then I'm sorry. I know not everything read is to people's liking, but no need to hate. Enjoy!
Everyone knows that nobody owns the characters or places when they post stories on here. I am no different.
The Pixie Dust Tree
Clarion's Chambers
Autumn: 23rd of October
"Desire burns within us all like that of a flame.
It flickers until it flares so bright it can no longer be contained."
She wasn't sure how many times her eyes had read and re-read the missive grasped within her dainty hand before the male scrawled, but lovely, inscription was burned into her mind. Part of her was positive that if she was to fold the parchment back up, every swirl and curl would be an exact match in her memory as it was written. With her free fingers curled over her lips, she moved her bright eyes over the words written in blackberry juice on the thick, linen paper one last time.
Never Fairies and Sparrow men of Pixie Hollow,
you are cordially invited to come together in celebration
to His Lordship, Lord Milori, of the Winter Woods
Arrival Day Party!
~where~
The Winter Manor Ballroom
~when~
At sunset, the eve after tomorrow
Enjoy an enchanted night of fine dining, mystical dancing, and blissful entertainment.
Come be swept away with mysteries behind the mask.
~Masks are required for entry~
Her eyes fell to the bottom right corner of the missive, after reading the invitation once again, to watch her thumb run over the dried, puddled wax stamped with the Lord's seal. A single snowflake was pressed into the deep blue color. She didn't lift her eyes from the Lord's personal seal while her thoughts swept her away. To an observer, she would have looked lost in a daydream. Unaware that her thumb rubbed the smooth wax or that her eyes looked distant. But she was, in fact, fully aware. Clarion, sat on the stool before her vanity table, dressed in nothing but her bathing robe while her helpers readied her bath, thought about the invitation.
Every year she received the invitation to attend the Lord's arrival day party, but every year for twenty-two years she never showed for reasons she tried to convince herself where respectable. Since the first invitation twenty-two years ago, Clarion had convinced herself that she was far too occupied taking care of matters at hand. She had three seasons to look after while the Lord who, of course ruled winter in her place since she couldn't herself, had only the one to oversee. He had time to enjoy parties and gatherings; Clarion didn't have that luxury. Something always had to be done. Documents that required her full attention. A crisis in a season that needed her knowledge to revert. This year was no different than the last; she would be unable to attend the festivities.
Her heart sank from disappointment yet again. She knew every other fairy and sparrow man in Pixie Hollow would attend the ball and enjoy themselves with friends or their intendeds, but Clarion would be stuck in her chambers with some royal obligation to keep her busy; just like every other night. She wasn't trying to sound ungrateful about her position, in fact she felt the opposite about it, but when Mother Dove gifted her with the distinct privilege to preside over young Pixie Hollow twenty-two years ago, she never imagined it would keep her from enjoying festivities, spending time with her friend Fairy Mary, or even have her attentions sought after by a sparrow man. Clarion, because of her royal responsibilities, didn't have time to indulge in romantic actions. For Neverland's sake, Clarion had never even kissed another let alone held a sparrow man's hand! Unlike Fairy Mary who had kissed others before her courtship began with her intended, Fairy Gary. Clarion wondered briefly in an earlier time in her life, if she even had an intended mate.
Another thought surfaced in her mind while her thumb continued to slowly circle over the seal of the Winter Lord.
Since his arrival day, it finally dawned on her that she had never actually met the sparrow man who ruled the Winter Woods under her name. When Mother Dove gave her the honor of managing all of Pixie Hollow, she had explained that winter, although part of her monarchy, was to be overseen by another. Clarion, of course, had been confused by her words and a bit hurt. She had thought that Mother Dove saw her unable to handle four seasons on her own. That she was weak and needed help, but the wise dove went on to tell her that winter was a dangerous place for her to enter. How her wings wouldn't survive in the harsh cold of the icy land for long. How they could freeze and break if she were to linger in the frozen temperatures because her wings were made for the warm seasons. Clarion had asked if another queen would be born in winter to rule, but Mother Dove told her that there would be only one queen residing in Pixie Hollow. Exactly a month after her arrival day, Mother Dove had sent word that a Lord had been born to maintain the season she could not.
Suddenly, her thumb stopped its incessant caress over the seal when a horrified shock gained her attentions. Every year invitations were sent out for His Lordship to invite everyone in Pixie Hollow to come join the winter fairies and sparrow men in merriment, but the memory of why there was a Lord in the first place finally made her question her lack of concern. Winter was too cold for warm fairies to enjoy and warm seasons were too hot for winter fairies to explore. That was why Clarion, on her arrival day, sent notification of the day but not an invitation to the winter fairies of Pixie Hollow. It was too dangerous for them to chance coming over to celebrate with them in person because their wings were at risk of melting and breaking. Of course, the Lord always sent a gift that night to her chambers to honor her special day. 'So,' as Clarion sat there with a look of distress on her features, 'why do the warm fairies receive an invitation to join every year? Does the Lord not know of the danger?' Clarion was sure that Mother Dove gifted him with that fine detail of trepidation, hadn't she?
Her mind swam deeper into its depths to understand the reason, but it only caused a painful throb of a headache the longer she dug. Clarion was fully aware that warm fairies went to the celebration each year, but she questioned how they could go and return unharmed hours later. Had the Lord found a safe way for warm fairies to cross, and she was unaware of it? But she was sure that he would inform her of the find, right? She came to realize that every year she was so subterranean into an important matter that she never stopped a second to worry about it, nor after the fact either. Clarion scolded herself for her lack of focus on the issue. Because of her blindness, she was ignoring the safety of her fairies.
"Your Majesty?"
She had been so engrossed with her thoughts when the voice came unexpectedly that Clarion jumped up from the stool and hit the edge of the vanity table with her hip. Her face switched into one of pain from the twinge that shot through her. The missive she had been holding slipped from her fingers when she reached to cradle her sore hip. Her hairbrush crashed onto the floor when her collision knocked the beautifully crafted piece of furniture. Clarion lifted her eyes in the direction the voice had come from to find one of her entourages, Lisel, stood before her with folded moss towels draped over an arm.
"I'm terribly sorry, my lady." The fairy spoke with alarm. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I thought you had heard me speak while I made my way over to you."
Clarion relaxed her tensed muscles before she offered a gentle smile. "It's alright, Lisel."
Lisel, a fairy with brown hair tied in a low ponytail and dark brown eyes, rose to hover above the ground before she spoke. "Cinda and Grace have finished preparing your bath. It is waiting for you." Her smile bright. "I have fresh towels for you from the laundry room."
"Thank you." Lisel began to fly toward the doorway that lead to her private bath until Clarion called out to her. Lisel, still holding the moss towels over her arm, turned her body halfway to give Clarion her full attention. "You attend His Lordships festivity each year, yes?"
Lisel's bright smile returned, but somehow brighter than before. "Oh, yes, Your Highness." Her head gave a nod. "Cinda, Grace, Rhia and I have gone every year we've received the invitation. It is one of the most sought-out parties of the year," her face shifted to one of panic, "besides your arrival day of course." She quickly and sheepishly added.
Clarion gave her another smile to show her she was not at all offended like she suspected Lisel worried. Clarion lowered herself to gather her brush off the floor to place it back on the vanity top before she spoke. "I am sure it is a blissful time no doubt, but I am rather curious about a fine detail regarding the location."
Lisel dropped her feet to the floor of Clarion's chambers while she looked to be waiting for Clarion to tell her what aspect she was curious about. "What detail is that, Your Highness?" Her smile faltered a bit after Clarion was silent for a while. Not noticeable unless you were looking close enough; Clarion saw it.
Clarion lowered her brows in question while she asked, "The detail about warm fairies in the Winter Woods. Of course, it is not prohibited to cross, but it is dangerous for us warm fairies. I'm curious to know, since I myself have never attended the Lord's gathering, how everyone keeps their wings protected from the harsh cold for hours without them freezing and breaking?"
"Oh, that is quite a simple answer, Queen Clarion."
A new voice entered the conversation which made both Lisel and Clarion turn their eyes to face her. Rhia, another one of her helpers, hovered by Clarion's bedside. Rhia had just laid out a nightgown on the pure white bedspread that had been turned down; ready for Clarion when she headed to sleep. Rhia flew over to the closest window, pulled the handles toward herself to close them, and began to pull the short, golden laced Queen-Anne's curtains closed. She spoke the whole time she busied herself preparing her chambers for the night.
"Everyone who goes has their wings covered while they travel through the Winter Woods. Almost all fairies have a long, thick cloak to keep the cold out. Sparrow men usually wear a coat." She explained. "His Lordship provides transportation at the border, where spring and winter touch, to his home near the Pixie Dust Fall. The ballroom is inside his manor where our wings are safe to be uncovered. Plus, all the body heat from everyone inside one room keeps it fairly cool like the air in Autumn."
Clarion cocked her brow in oddity. "How was that discovered?" She questioned with curiousness. "That it was safe for warm wings to be bare inside?"
Lisel spoke up before Rhia could answer. "It was the Keeper, yes, Rhia?"
Rhia gave a single nod before she flew around Clarion's large, high four-poster, canopied bed to close the window on the right side; just like she did with the left side.
From the corner of her eye, Clarion saw Lisel disappear beyond the doorway that lead to her bath for a moment and reappeared without the towels a few breaths later. Clarion held her arms before her with her palms pressed together while she waited. She watched Rhia fly over to her opened balcony doors and reach out to bring the double glass doors inward to close.
"No." Clarion reached a hand out to stop Rhia. "Please, leave them open? I would like to feel the cool night's breeze flow through my room while I sleep tonight."
Rhia gave her a smile. "Of course, Queen Clarion." She re-opened the doors that had thin branches from the tree swirled out across the glass like they did for every window and glass door in the tree. She pulled the longer, golden laced Queen-Anne's curtains across the bar to allow some privacy. She turned back to Clarion and held her hands before her. "We shall return to attend to you after your bath, Your Highness."
"Actually, I will prepare myself for bed tonight." Clarion saw Rhia and Lisel open their mouths to protest, but she held a hand up. "I'm sure I can manage on my own, ladies." She gave them both a smile.
The two fairies gave a curtsy.
"We will return to you in the morning then, Queen Clarion." Rhia spoke before she and Lisel flew to the opened door to exit her bed chambers.
Clarion turned her attention away from the two fairies when they got halfway across. She spotted the dropped invitation near the legs of the stool to her vanity table. She lowered herself down to collect it from the wooden floor. She rose back to her full height with her eyes sweeping over the words once again. Not really reading but skimmed them. Her head snapped up when she heard the soft sound of someone clearing their throat to make her aware of their presence.
"Did you forget something, Lisel?" Clarion enquired.
The youngest of her four attendants, who was also the most curious, shook her head with a small smile. Lisel stood halfway under the doorframe that separated her private bed chambers from the other room that served as her sitting area and study. One of Lisel's hands held the edge of the large wooden door; ready to close it on her way out.
"May I speak directly, Queen Clarion?"
Lisel's question made Clarion falter for a moment. She quickly composed herself and gave the girl a nod. "You may."
"Instead of having Cinda bring your gift to His Lordship this year, have you thought about, maybe, you should come and give it to him yourself?" Her brown brow lifted in question.
Clarion opened her mouth to give Lisel an excuse for her not to go, but Lisel spoke again before the first sound could slip past her lips.
"I think it would do you wonders to go, my lady. To allow yourself to let lose in a dance and let your hair flow free. I know how hard you work to keep Pixie Hollow in order, and since I am permitted to speak bluntly, I can tell you that Pixie Hollow will not fall apart if you take one night to enjoy yourself at a celebration. I should know because I help to keep track of your affairs and appointments." Lisel gave Clarion a knowing smirk. Clarion wondered if Lisel knew that's what Clarion felt would happen if she took time to herself. "Did you know that His Lordship asks us about you each year when we present his present from you?" Clarion could only give a surprised shake of her head in response. "It's true. He is always rather curious about you. How you are faring. If there is ever anything he can do to help take burdens off your shoulders. I find it rather sweet that he always enquiries." Lisel gives a shy smile. "If I didn't know better, I would say His Lordship fancies you, Your Highness, but then I remember that he has never met you so it couldn't be possible."
Clarion lifted the missive so she could look at the wax seal while her thoughts worked hard inside her head again. She wanted to go. She had wanted to go every year she got an invitation, but something always called her attentions away to keep her in the Pixie Dust Tree. Could it be possible to clear her schedule for just one night to attend to a festivity she was not required to be present at? Clarion thought about Lisel's last statement deeper. The Lord of Winter asked about her each year at his own party. What could that possibly mean? Was he worried about her ruling Pixie Hollow all by herself? Or could he just be curious about knowing who she truly was like most of her fairies?
The Pixie Dust Tree may be the domain of Queen Clarion as she tended to spend most of her time there overseeing life of her Never Fairies and Sparrow men, but she did not live completely remote. She knew how her subjects thought of her. She understood they thought her to be everything they could ever ask for in a Queen. Wise, dignified and a just ruler, but she also realized that to everyone, except those who were close to her, the ministers, her attendants, Fairy Mary, she was a complete mystery. Could the Lord of Winter be just as curious to unravel the mystery of their enigmatic Queen or was it something more he wished to unlock? Though, Clarion could not blame him for wanting to know about the fairy who saw to make life safe and possible for everyone who lived in Pixie Hollow.
Clarion came to realize that she had let several minutes pass in silence while she circled her brain with thoughts. Lisel was still stood halfway between the doorframe with her eyes curiously watching her. Clarion didn't need to stop and think about why she was still there; she already knew. Lisel was waiting to hear her answer on if she would be attending the party or not. Clarion gave a quick look at the invitation before her eyes lifted to Lisel. Her heart beat quickened just a tab and her stomach flittered slightly with eagerness. Her mind had been convinced.
"Lisel, do you think a gown could be made in time for the party?" Clarion asked.
Her attendants smile lifted with joy. "Yes, my lady, it can be." She replied. "A mask can be made in time as well."
Clarion set the missive down on her vanity top before she turned back to Lisel. "Why do we need masks to enter? How will anyone know who anyone is if everyone conceals their identity?"
"I believe it is all part of the fun in the mystery, Your Highness. The feeling of not recognizing who you've been dancing and conversing with at the end of the night can be astonishing." Lisel gave a shrug of her shoulder. "That's my view on the purpose at least. His Lordship might have a different reason for them, maybe you can ask him when you meet at the party."
Clarion raised her brows. "What makes you say we will actually meet at the party? With the masks, no one will know who anyone is and I'm sure he will be occupied with the attentions from other fairies all night to even take a minute to notice and say 'hello' to me."
Lisel gave a sly smirk to her. Her youngest attendant had always spoken her mind, just like Mary always did, and Clarion had gotten used to it that now she was no longer surprised at what Lisel said until, "Please, my lady, you are our queen, not to mention beautiful, and every single sparrow man gawks when you enter a room. I'm sure His Lordship is no different and will notice you in a heartbeat."
Clarion felt the heat rise in her cheeks to make them pink, pinker than they were naturally, at Lisel's straightforward statement. "Lisel," Clarion spoke in surprise at her for the first time in a long while.
"You did give me consent to speak frankly, my lady. Shall I notify the sewing-talents they need to prepare you a gown and mask for the party?" Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk from her large smile.
Clarion was about to tell her to give notice, but then she remembered what Lisel said about the masks and that's when she got the idea. "No, I will let them know in the morning."
Lisel gave a single nod of her head. "I shall leave you to your bath, Your Highness." Her bedchamber door was closed on her way out and Clarion was left alone to prepare herself for the night.
With the invitation left opened on her vanity, Clarion made her way into her private bath. The room was warmer and far more damp than the bedchambers from the hot water that was still steaming a bit inside the tub. The light crystals in the wall lamps where extinguished and the flames of several wax candles inundated the room in a dusk glow of gold. Clarion untucked the green and white leaf curtain from the drapery to allow it to separate the bath from the bedchamber; just encase one of her attendants returned. Her back turned to the doorway while her fingers loosened the sash to her bathing robe. The silk fabric of champagne rose petals fell open a bit and Clarion allowed it to slip down her arms to pool around her feet before her bath. Barer than the day she arrived in Pixie Hollow, Clarion slipped into the hot water and allowed herself to be submerged into its waiting embrace. Cinda and Grace must have added jasmine oil to the water because she could smell the flower, but none where in the room. Before she lowered herself any further than her hips, Clarion made sure that her wings went through the notches in the back to rest so they stayed dry while she bathed. Once her body was settled into the water, Clarion leaned back to relax with her eyes closed.
The room was silent which gave Clarion a sense of calmness. All the stress from the many appointments slipped off her shoulders to allow the tensed muscles to finally start loosening. Her hair, still in the up-do bun she wore daily, created a cushion against the backrest of her tub made of pewter. Clarion let out a long sigh when every muscle inside her body slackened. The heat from the water helped to sooth the ache she didn't know was inside herself from the busy day; particularly her newly sore hip. Several minutes proceeded by while Clarion relaxed against the backrest with her eyes closed until she reluctantly sat forward to begin washing the day away from herself.
The scrub sponge coated with soap bubbles ran all over her skin. Down each shoulder to her fingertips. Her neck down to her navel was covered with foamed soap that smelled like cinnamon. Clarion lifted each leg from the water in turn. Her left leg was first. She scrubbed the smooth skin from her thighs first all the way to her toes; making sure to get in-between them. Once her skin was cleaned she scooped water in her cupped hand to rinse the suds. Her fingers rubbed over her, now, silk-like skin to help the soap remove itself. She placed the sponge back onto the seashell stand, that held all the bathing objects, beside her tub to grab the orange blossom petal she used as a washcloth. She soaked the petal into the water, lathered it up with the soap, and stood up to expose her lower body that had been submerged in the water from her navel down. Clarion used the petal to wash her hips and the delicate flesh between her thighs. Once finished, Clarion rinsed the soap by lowering herself back into the now foamy water. The heat from the water now dying out, Clarion quickly rung out the soap from her washcloth, put it back on the seashell stand, and lifted herself from the tub. Clarion wrapped one of the two moss towels around her slim body before she pulled the plug from the bottom of the tub.
Clarion washed her face with another orange blossom petal to remove the sweat, pollen, and dirt that had made home on her cheeks and forehead. She dropped the petal on the edge of the basin so she could cup her hands to splash her face clean. She used the other, smaller, moss towel to dab her face dry. The instant the towel dabbed against her cheek to dry it and her eyes opened, her action stopped to allow her eyes to stare at the refection of herself in the mirror that hung above the basin stand. Her eyes of lively sapphire glanced back at herself.
What Clarion saw looking back at her was nothing worth to call more than pretty. She saw eyes that were too large for her face and far too bright. A nose the size of a button. Thin lips of naturel peach much to tiny for any sparrow man to enjoy kissing. Cheekbones highly defined that always seemed to shin pink all hours of the day and a forehead too long. Clarion scowled at her reflection. Lisel had said that sparrow men glanced her way when she entered a room because she was their queen, but also because they saw her beauty. Clarion didn't see any outstanding beauty reflected at her. Disheartened, Clarion grabbed a peppermint leaf from the jar to chew on to clean her teeth before sulking out of the bath and back into her bedchambers.
Her bare feet padded across the floor silently to get to the side of her bed. Her gown stood out against the white of her spider-silk bedspread stuffed with cotton. She unrolled the top of her towel to allow it to open and fall around her feet just like she had with her bathing robe. Her fingers reached out to lift the nightgown Rhia had readied for her to slip it over her head. She pushed her arms through the sleeves that stopped just past her elbows. The flow of the skirt brushed down her legs to hide her feet. Clarion pulled the few pins free from her hair to release it from the elegant bun. Her thick locks twisted in a dance down her back to stop inches from her waist. She stepped up to her vanity table to place the plain pins in the small seashell holder. Her fingers curled around the handle of her brush then swept her thick, wavy hair over her shoulder. She turned her body to face the full-length mirror in the corner next to her vanity. She watched the pine-needle bristles stream through the honey colored waves to untangle them and cause them to become soft. Clarion noticed the color of her hair popped against the red of her nightdress made from Amaryllis petals. The bodice made from a petal of both red and white. The skirt made from simple red petals. The sleeves of her night dress made from sheer skin-toned silkworm threads that were tied with a red thread just above both elbows then flowed out; just like her skirt did when she moved. Clarion put her brush down once her hair was tangle free.
Absentmindedly, Clarion grabbed a vine after she set the brush down. Her fingers began to separate her strands in three sections to braid it on her way across her room. She pushed past the curtain door to her balcony just as she wrapped the vine around the end and tied it together. Pixie Hollow was dark except for the lights that dotted the homes of a few fairies still awake. Clarion could see the main way of Havendish Stream that branched off into networks of other canals throughout the warm seasons of Pixie Hollow. The beloved meadow on the right side of the stream and the orchard on the left; both on the edge of autumn and spring. Still within the grounds of the Pixie Dust Tree, even though a thin bed of the stream separated them from connecting to the island that the tree grounded itself to. Clarion saw the lemon-yellow glow of a few fairies in the orchard. She figured it was a few late working harvest-talent fairies gathering as many berries and nuts before the light completely left the sky.
When her eyes looked up, Clarion found herself staring at the mountains that towered throughout the Winter Woods. The setting sun nearly gone past the horizon line casted a deep orange glow behind the mountains to create a beautiful painted sky of dusk. Her arms rested against the railing of her balcony when she was pulled into the world she had never been. She always wondered what winter would be like. She had been told it was cold by the fairies who changed winter to spring and she believed them, but a part of her wanted, no, needed to experience it herself. To feel the crispy, cold air whip through her hair. Walk through the powdered snow.
'What is it like to catch a snowflake in one's hand?' Clarion cocked her head to the side just a bit. 'I wonder if it would melt in my palm because of the warmth of my warm-fairy skin. Or if it would stay intact with its complex details because of being in the cold.'
Then her mind went back to the invitation, rather who the invitation was about.
What was His Lordship like? Was he a fair and just ruler like her fairies thought she was? Was he kind to them? Did he think of them as his own children like she did with her fairies, including the winter fairies she had never met? Did he grow concerned with their welfare when danger arose? Was he tall? What color were his eyes? What would it feel like to have her hand held within his own? What would it feel like to have his fingers clench her to his body to allow him to touch her skin?
'Wait, where did that come from?!' Clarion had a sudden want to know the answer to the last few questions regarding the Lord of Winter; a burned want to know it that second. 'Snap out of it Clarion. Get your head out of the stars and back to Neverland where it belongs.' She forced herself to conclude that she was simply curious to know the sparrow man that cared for her winter subjects and that he was simply curious to know his queen, and there was nothing more on the subject.
With one last look at the winter mountains over her shoulder, Clarion walked back inside. She made quick work to blow all the lit candles in the bath out since she had given her attendants the night off, and made her way to her plush bed. She grabbed the blanket, that had been turned down, to pull it over her body while she situated herself. Clarion rested her body on her left side, blanket pulled up under her arm, hands folded between her two pillows, and eyes watched the golden curtains sway in the breeze. A heavy weight pressed on her lids to make opening them harder and harder each time she blinked. Soon it became too difficult to fight the weight so Clarion kept them closed. Her last sight before sleep swept her away was of the Winter Woods.
One remaining dim crystal lit her chambers to keep the complete darkness from swallowing her tiny form completely.
The Meadow
Autumn: 24th of October
Clarion fluttered through the flourished meadow the next afternoon with Cinda and Lisel behind her to make sure she stayed on track with her Mid-Autumn Appointments. She had just gotten through checking the pixie dust levels with Fairy Gary and Terence, who would one day take over the Dust Mill from her dear friend, Fairy Gary. Now, Clarion was being rushed to the tearoom for lunch, and to greet the new arrival that came in the middle of the night, by her frantic helpers. Clarion secretly smirked to herself at why the two fairies were in a state. Clarion had spent the better part of her morning in the Autumn Forest where the sewing-talents set up their workshop, missing an appointment in the process. Without a word of announcement, Clarion snuck off to speak with Hawthorne, the head sewing-talent, about preparing a gown and mask for the party. She came to the decision to keep her dress and mask design a secret so that no one would know who she was tomorrow night; which was the whole point of the masks. Everyone except the two sewing-talents, who were hard at work to make her attire at that very moment, would know it was her but they promised her that they would keep it surreptitious.
Several fairies from different guilds were busing themselves with work. Garden-talents directed sproutlings into lines before telling them to dig in the ground. Water-talents dropped dewdrops over the freshly planted bulbs before the garden fairies used pixie dust to grow the flowers; using extra dust when a flower or two became too shy and grew at a slower pace. Art-talents were busy at work painting plain petals, fallen leaves, or baby bees in need of their strips. Vivid colored rainbows dyed the sky above them by the arms of many light-talents. Clarion secretly wished to rainbow ride one like she used to do when she was a few seasons old, but she knew that now with so many fairies in Pixie Hollow it would be improper to act so foolish. Clarion noticed Idalia, a flower-talent, collecting petals from several of the fully matured flowers. Around her were woven grass baskets filled with Tulip, Irises, Carnation, Dahlia and several other petals that would be taken to the sewing-talents to be used for clothing and fancy gowns when needed. Clarion knew they would need them to restock their supply since many new fashions had been made for the party.
All her beloved Never Fairies were hard at work doing the things they loved best. Practicing their talent to please their need and preparing for their next trip to the Mainland to continue the autumn cycle next month. After that her fairies had one last trip near the end of autumn so winter could be brought to the world of Clumsies. Clarion wondered if the Winter Lord had any part in bringing winter to the Mainland like she did with bringing the other seasons. Guiding her fairies with words of encouragement and keeping preparations on track. Did he help Snowflake, or did he only keep a watchful eye on the land?
"Queen Clarion." Cinda's soft, but agitated, tone of voice broke Clarion from the trance she had fallen into. It wasn't until she turned her head to look at her eldest helper fairy, that she noticed she had stopped flying and was now hovered in the Meadow. "The new arrival?" Cinda raised a brow, an arm extended toward the Pixie Dust Tree; where the tearoom awaited her.
"Yes, of course."
Clarion knew by the look Cinda gave her, that she was on a time crunch and was by any means going to keep Clarion on track to finish her appointments; even if Cinda had to drag her around Pixie Hollow. Like she had to do several times in the past. Clarion gave one last look at her fairies before she flapped her wings to head for the tree. The season of winter caught in the corner of her eye, but Clarion didn't stop to gaze. Cinda and Lisel followed behind her with hushed conversation and a few giggles on the way back to the tree.
The tearoom, besides the meadow, was a favorite gathering place for the Never Fairies, but more so for Clarion. Out of every room in the Pixie Dust Tree, the room she just flew into was her absolute favorite. Perhaps it was because she herself designed it. The walls were papered with blades of pale Never grass and the floor was always carpeted with fresh flowers of her choice each week. This week the floor was covered with sunflowers. Usually the many round tables were bare, but during meal times they were set with elegant maple-leaf linens that were embroidered with a swirl of thread by Thimble, an embroidery-talent. Table-setting-talents always made sure the arrangements of full plate layouts were in order. Knives, forks, and spoons always glistened from the polishing-talents. As Clarion neared the table she always sat at, she saw the leaf napkin folded into an envelope with the silverware tucked into it upon the plate.
Rhia and Grace were both settled in two of the six chairs at the royal table; an unknown sparrow man sat with them. Clarion and her four helper fairies sat at one table, while the other guild members sat at tables together. With a bright smile on her lips, Clarion made her way to sit across from the sparrow man. Just by one look at him, Clarion knew he was the new arrival by the tiny size of his nose and that his lower wings were not fully grown. The biggest indicator was that his wings held no pattern which meant that he had not yet received the symbolled object of his talent guild. Every Never Fairy had the symbol of their talent, which gave them their unique wing pattern to allow the first flight, kept within their home.
Cinda and Lisel sat to Clarion's right, with Rhia and Grace to her left. The sparrow man between Grace and Lisel and across from Clarion. She noticed that the moment his eyes caught sight of her, his glow went from the normal lemon-yellow to an orange tint. He was nervous from her presence and his gaze lowered to the folded napkin on the plate before him.
Grace gave the nervous male a gentle touch on his arm before she turned a smile to Clarion. "Your Highness, may I introduce our newest arrival. Buck, Her Majesty, Queen Clarion."
The young sparrow man's head popped up to meet her regard. His eyes were as green as a leaf in summer. Brown hair that fell about his larger male ears and swept over his forehead. He was small and slender, but he held himself tall while he sat in the chair. He suddenly got up from his chair to make his way over to her side. His hand reached out to grab hers. She noticed that his hand engulfed her much smaller, dainty one. He bowed over her hand in respect with a soft kiss just above her knuckles. Clarion was taken back by his sudden, bold action. His head lifted to meet her surprised eyes.
"Pleased to fly with you, Your Majesty." Buck said with a slight smile.
Clarion returned his smile with soft eyes. "Pleased to fly with you as well, Buck." She gave a slight nod of her head. She returned her hand to her lap once he released it from his grasp. "I welcome you to Pixie Hollow. I trust you found your way alright?"
"I believe I did, Your Highness." Buck responded, his glow returned to the normal lemon-yellow edged with gold.
Clarion gave a soft laugh at his large smile. "Shall we see about your wings, Buck? I am sure you are keen to fly for the first time." Clarion lifted herself from the chair to stand before him. He was a few inches shorter than she was for she was the tallest in Pixie Hollow. Her hands brushed out the ruffled skirt of her lovely yellow daffodil dress before they clasped together before her.
"How do we do that, Queen Clarion?"
"You make the announcement, telling all of us your talent." Clarion began to explain in her gentle voice. "Then you will receive the symbol of that guild from myself, which will allow your wing pattern to surface."
Buck gave a nervous smile at her. He turned his body around to face all the other fairies who eagerly watched him; all secretly hoping he would be a part of their group. Clarion saw his glow start to change into the orange again.
"Buck is my name and I am thrilled to be an animal-talent sparrow man." His voice was strong and proud. His orange glow turned to a softly edged pink.
While the animal-talents cheered with excitement, Clarion pressed her palms together before her. Gold pixie dust shimmered between her hands when she slowly pulled them apart. The dust swirled around until it glowed as bright as the rays of the sun. When the light died down, a small stone egg was in her palm. Clarion stepped before Buck, who had turned to watch her with everyone else, to hold her hand out to him. Buck took the egg within his own hands. Moments was all it took until his simpler male shaped wings began to glow. Trails of white spread across his wings to form his unique pattern. While Buck was flittering above the ground for the first time, Clarion's eyes were glued out the windows made from reground pirate glass; like every other window. Her thoughts taken over by the simple kiss on her hand. One soft like that of a butterfly.
'I wonder what it would feel like to be kissed like that on my lips. Perhaps other places...' Clarion felt her skin warm at the unfamiliar emotion that swam in her stomach. Even more so when she pictured the Winter Lord as the male doing those things to her. She grew confused shortly after. What was the feeling she got when he crossed her thoughts? Why could she only focus on him suddenly?
Pixie Dust Tree
Clarion's Chambers
Autumn: 25th of October
"It is absolutely breathtaking!" Clarion gasped in astonishment when she turned to the full-length mirror in her chambers, admiring the gown Hawthorn and Thimble were helping her into. "You have truly outdone yourselves this time."
Clarion had personally picked the flower petals she wanted to use for her gown when she went yesterday. The beautiful white calla lily petals of her skirt flowed around her legs. The silkworm underskirt caused the petals to flare out from her waist where the skirt was buttoned. The petals were layered, like most of her gowns designed by Hawthorn, but the sheer top layer split from the left edge of the bodice down across until it touched the hemline. The under layer of her dress that was exposed by the split had tiny beautiful, dark blue orchid flowers to adorn the skirt. Along the edge of the top layer petal dewdrop gems sparkled like diamonds in a beautiful embroidery design. Her bodice was made from a single velvety, calla lily petal. More dewdrop gems were sewn into the bodice just under her breasts to create a gemmed belt. The sleeves hung just below her shoulders with silkworm, white-thread.
With a smile as wide as she could get, Clarion gave a twirl in her beautiful gown. She had to quickly press the bodice to her breast before it fell. Clarion had forgotten that it wasn't laced yet. She watched the skirt flare out until it settled around her legs again.
Hawthorn held a finger to her chin while she examined the dress. "I think the hemline is a little too long." She fretted. "Maybe I should take it in a bit so you don't trip on the dance floor, Your Highness."
Clarion shook her head at Hawthorn's worried concern. "You say that about every dress you've made me. It's perfect just like it is."
Thimble laughed at Hawthorn. "She's right, you know. You do say that a lot." Hawthorn only puffed air from her mouth to blow her bangs from her eyes. "Allow me to help lace you up, Queen Clarion."
Clarion presented her bare back to Thimble. The young fairies' hands began the quick work of lacing up her bodice. Clarion reached her arms out to grab one of the bedposts to brace herself against it when the lacing started to get tighter and tighter. Clarion had asked that the bodice have a built-in corset so she wouldn't have to put her daily corset and the bodice on. To allow herself a bit more movement instead of more restriction. Her fingers dug into the wood with a gasp when the bodice clung to her chest.
"Terribly sorry, Your Highness." Thimble paused her lacing. "I'm not used to lacing a corset for anyone but myself, is it too tight? Should I loosen it?"
Clarion shook her head. "I'm fine."
Thimble went back to her task. Her quick fingers secured the laces in a tie at the bottom of the bodice. She pulled out a dark blue silk sash from her apron on her way around to Clarion's front and slipped it around her waist. She twisted it into a beautiful bow on her left hip so the ribbon fell over the skirt with the orchids.
"There." Thimble messed with the skirts after she finished. "Now you are nearly ready to have fun."
Hawthorn grabbed Thimble's forearm then looked at Clarion. "You truly look beautiful, Your Majesty. We hate to leave in a rush, but it is nearly sunset and we still need to get ready." She held out the mask for Clarion to take. "We shall see you later at the party, You Highness."
Both girls grabbed their supplies they had brought then flew from Clarion's chambers, leaving her to stand before her vanity table alone. With a laugh at the two sewing-talents, Clarion stepped up to the vanity to sit in the stool. She placed the mask down by the few cut flowers she had a plan for. She brushed the single wavy lock of hair from her eye that framed her face. Her fingers grabbed each orchid and baby's breath to arrange in her hair. Grace had fixed her hair into a beautifully layered, twisted bun on the back of her head before she left to get herself ready. Clarion placed the cut flowers into the top right side of her bun around until the tip of her ear.
With the sun drawing near the horizon, Clarion grabbed the last piece to her attire. She placed the mask over her eyes and tied the silk thread around her head to rest on the top of her large bun. Her mask was crafted from metal of a mined Moonstone; same stone that was decorated into her crown. The stone was usually a stunning yellow-cream color, but her mask had been dyed to a pure white to match her dress. The metal had been crafted to take the shape of butterfly wings, twisted and turned to create beautiful patterns. Along the tips of the wings were tiny diamonds that shone when the light hit them just right. The bright blue of her eyes a striking contrast against the white design of her mask.
Clarion smiled at her hidden identity. For the first time Clarion would be at a party where she could be treated like every other fairy. No one would know it was her behind the mask that concealed her. With excitement and nerves, she got up from the stool, grabbed her new cloak on her way out, and made her way out of the Pixie Dust Tree in her beautiful orchid-petal slippers.
Few glows spotted through spring from the last fairies that made their way to the winter boarder. With her cloak draped over her arm, Clarion began to make her way toward the boarder. She noticed the light was a few minutes away from reaching sunset, and she already knew that she would be getting to the celebration late; unlike all the other fairies who had a sense to get ready sooner. Clarion bet even Hawthorn and Thimble were already at the party. With a hand placed over her cloak to keep it from flying off her arm, she flittered her wings, that nearly matched the shape of a Radiant Swallowtail Butterfly, to get to the boarder faster. She moved her body through the spring trees and newly bloomed flowers until her feet landed in the grass just beyond clearing the tree bank.
Clarion had been to the border in both autumn and spring once before when she first arrived in Pixie Hollow, but never at this time of day. Unlike the autumn border that had the large, twisted root of the Pixie Dust Tree, which allowed the pixie dust to travel into winter, spring's border was separated by a channel of Havendish Stream, just like autumn, but elevated stones created a path across the rushed water to the edge of winter. The light of the setting sun on the winter snow stole Clarion's breath from her lips. The deep orange glow changed the pure whiteness into a golden sparkle; like pixie dust itself. The shadows of the tall, bare trees closest to the border stretched all the way to the edge of spring. Clarion was truly captivated by the beauty portrayed in front of her and she believed that she would have watched it all day if the voice of a male hadn't made her look away.
Her head turned to look across the stone path at the sparrow man that stood there watching her. She flapped her wings to lift her toward the first stone in the path. She noticed first that the typical sparrow man's wings were bare to the cold of winter. His clothing, although clearly that of scouts, were not heavy with cotton to protect his skin. Clarion, for the first time, stood in the presence of a winter fairy.
"You better hurry if you want to get to the party. Wouldn't want to miss anything." The males deep voice shook her from the trance she had fallen in. She noticed that he addressed her informally, and she mentally smiled to herself. He had no idea she was the queen. Her mask worked.
She cleared her throat with a smile. "Yes, of course." Clarion walked across the stones until she reached the edge of the boarder.
"I shall signal for the transport." He said.
He placed both of his index fingers in the corners of his mouth and a high-pitched whistle echoed through the wind. The whistle held a patterned tune that she had never heard before, and animal-talents used all different kinds of whistles when working with the baby animals. He removed his fingers when he turned back to face her.
"It shall be here shortly. I suggest you put your cloak on, miss, the wind can be quite cold when it blows over the edge."
Clarion hadn't noticed her bare arms and upper back dotted with bumps from the cold breeze that swept over her until he said something. Clarion wrapped the cloak around her shoulders, her wings folded down against her back, and clasped the pin below the hollow of her throat. The cotton underside instantly began to warm her chilled skin. Seconds after her cloak settled around her, a howl could be heard from the tree line. Clarion turned her head to find the source, but she could find nothing until her eyes watched a wolf trot out of the tree bank toward them. Her panicked eyes flew to the sparrow man in hope that he would be ready to ward off the threat, but the porcupine quill he had as a weapon was still safely on his back. Clarion turned her eyes back to the wolf that was even closer than before. Her hands flew to the clasp to free her wings, that were distressing under her cloak, so she could knock the sparrow man away from the threat, but she froze her movement when the wolf stopped just inches away from the edge. She watched the large creature lower itself down to its belly in the snow.
The winter sparrow man turned back in her direction with his palm held out to her. "Shall I help you climb onto her back?"
Clarion looked at him like he was mad. "Why would you help me climb onto something that eats fairies?" Clarion let the panic be clear in her voice. "Why aren't you trying to shoo her away?"
He gave a look of knowing after she spoke. "Your first time to the Lord's party, I take it?" He let a single laugh out but cleared his throat to stop himself. "Chalet is an Arctic Wolf. Much smaller than any other breed of wolf in winter, but they are a gentle species. The Lord has trained them to help be our eyes during the night to aid us scouting fairies keep danger away. Do not be afraid of her."
Clarion turned her eyes to the waiting wolf. She took in her dark eyes that watched her. The blackness of her nose. Her large ears trimmed with black fur at the tips. The wolfs fur was mainly white, but off white in comparison to the snow in which she laid. Clarion smiled.
"I'm not afraid." She said with confidence, her hand slipped into the sparrow man's; that he still had held out. He walked her toward the waiting Arctic Wolf.
Clarion took a deep breath in just moments before her slippered foot stepped past the veil that separated winter from spring. When her body was consumed fully by the veil, her eyes opened. The air in winter was much different than the air of spring. Colder and it made her lungs burn the first few breaths she took. The second she stepped into winter the tiny snowflakes danced around her. Her pinned hair gently shifted. Her skin felt tight from the cold air, but Clarion loved it. The breath of air released in a cloud after she laughed in joy. The sparrow man led her up to the wolfs side, his hand still clasped over her own, and she reached her free hand out from beneath her cloak to stroke the fur. She was surprised to find the thick fur soft under her fingertips. Her hand traveled through the fur up to her cheek. She heard a weird noise when her nails scratched around her ear that she had lowered for Clarion to reach.
"Grab a handful of her fur around her neck." The sparrow man's voice ended the silence. "It won't hurt her. You can use it to help pull yourself up onto her back." He knelt into the snow on one knee. "Place your foot on my leg to lift yourself higher."
Clarion grabbed the fur around the wolfs neck, her right foot rested on the male's thigh, and she slipped her hand free from his grasp. She placed it on the wolfs back and then jumped on her right foot. Her body swung up onto the wolfs back.
"Enjoy the celebration, miss." He said. "Just keep a grip on her neck fur and you won't fall off." Another high-pitched whistle came from his mouth.
The Arctic Wolf rose to her powerful legs and she trotted deeper into the Winter Woods.
Clarion tightened her grip on the fur in her palms. A surge of excitement filled her stomach like tiny butterflies. Her cloak flapped around behind her from the wind that whipped past her. A fit of giggles forced their way from her lips from her enjoyment of the ride through winter, but as much as she enjoyed the picturesque beauty she saw her ride came to an end much too quickly.
The wolf broke free into a clearing and she saw the golden glow of pixie dust as it fell like a waterfall from a branch. To the right, where several light crystals shone, an elegant manor stood on the first ledge in the mountain side. The wolf stopped just before the staircase that lead to the large front doors. Two winter sparrow men gently helped her down from the wolfs back by her hands. The fabric of her dress created a sound when it straightened itself out.
"Welcome the Winter Manor, miss. If you hurry you won't miss anything." One of them spoke to her, but she didn't pay much attention to him. Her eyes were locked on the manor in which the Lord of Winter lived.
The steps and the outside of the manor were crafted from the same stone. Pale gray and white, but Clarion wasn't sure what stone it was. As her slippered feet carried her up the long staircase, her hands holding the hem of her dress up a bit, she took in the decorations that lined the stairs. Deep blue, pale blue, and sheer white ribbons twisted around the bannister on either side of the staircase. Shimmering snowflakes pinned to the banners that caught the light of the white light crystals. Clarion dropped her handful of her skirt when she reacted the top of the stairs. The large wooden doors opened upon her approach by two more winter fairies. With a deep breath in, her chest pushed against the corset, Clarion walked into the manor as the light reached sunset.
The doors closed behind her and she found that it was warmer inside than outside, but still a little chilly. Clarion walked along the halls to make her way toward the source of the music she heard. It didn't take her long to navigate the marbled floor and wooden walls of the manor home. Lit candles gave the light she needed to see the way she needed to go. Clarion turned down a hall to her right when the music was at its loudest. At the end, large wooden doors had just been opened for two fairies with their arms locked and they were still held opened for her so she could enter the ballroom. The sight before her stole the breath right from her lips.
The ballroom was elegant. More deep and pale blues and sheer white decorated the room. Several round tables were placed around the edge of the ballroom floor. White leaves served as tablecloths. Plate settings were set before each chair at each table. Each table had a center piece of ice sculpted into several different sized snowflakes that held the most detailed swirls. Two tall candles stood on either side of every center piece. Along the back wall across from her, several windows nearly created a completely glass wall all the way up to the high ceiling. In the center of the ballroom, a beautifully crafted chandelier hung with candles lit. Four other, smaller chandeliers hung around it with candles lit as well. Every fern streamer seemed to sparkle with dewdrops high above from the center chandelier to each smaller one.
Clarion lowered her gaze back to the group of fairies and sparrow men of every season that filled the ballroom space. She pulled her cloak around her tighter, sudden nerves made her self-conscious at how much her skin felt exposed. Not everyone was looking at her, but many were and that caused her cheeks to rise in heat. Her cloak was stolen from around her shoulders and carried off by a winter fairy before she could utter a sound. Now, Clarion was exposed and she had no idea what she was supposed to do.
Almost all the other fairies held a silver glass in their hand and were engaged in conversation with a group or with a single fairy or sparrow man. What was she supposed to do? Try to start a conversation with a random fairy? Grab one of those glasses? Clarion suddenly wished she had come here with Mary so she would know who at least one person was, but she declined to ask her because she knew Mary would come with her mate, Gary. She would have felt like a burden to them. Her feet moved toward one of the fairies that walked around with a tray. She took one of the glasses when held out in offer and she took the biggest gulp. Flower Nectar. A lighter, much sweeter wine than the others she had had, but it calmed her body down from the spark of nerves. She downed the first glass quickly and replaced it with another full glass; her empty one placed back on the tray.
With her glass in hand, Clarion wondered through the crowd unsure at where she should go from there until she came to an empty table that looked like no one had claimed. She sat down and sent her gaze to study the large group of fairies she cared for with the help of His Lordship.
Clarion could easily tell which fairies belonged in the warm and winter seasons. Warm fairies had a tanner skin-tone. Winter fairies seemed to be a bit paler. Their hair colors ranged from black, blonde, and different shades of white. Not a brown headed winter fairy in sight. Their gowns or suits were made from leaves or flowers of teal, indigo, and purples. Many of the sparrow men from all seasons gazed at her from the corners of their eyes, and she suddenly realized what Lisel had meant. Even with her mask, the beauty that she possessed still caught their eye. Her stomach fluttered from the looks their eyes held. Want to be in her presence than in their current one. Clarion smirked over the rim of her glass and thought that if they knew who she was they wouldn't dare look at her like that with her knowledge.
With no one seeking out to gain her attention, Clarion took in the wide range of colors from the different gowns and suits the fairies wore, and it made the room look like a painting with just splatters of random paint. Everyone had their masks on and they did a fine job of hiding who they were, because Clarion, even though she knew every warm season fairies name, could not tell who anyone was. But she could tell easily the different between winter and warm, and who was male and female. If every Never Fairy wore the exact same thing one would have to look at their wings to tell if they were a fairy or sparrow man. Sparrow men wings held a simple, much thinner shape that came to points for their top wings than fairies; almost like a bird's wing shape. Fairy wings held the shapes of different butterflies. Clarion's wings were the only ones in the shape they were. The most common shape was the Monarch Butterfly.
She turned her body a bit to look away and drink, but the sight of a sparrow man openly staring at her from beneath his mask made her freeze. She knew he was a winter fairy by the color of both his skin and hair. Clarion lowered her glass away from her lips slowly. She found that she was unable to look away from his own. His dark stare sent a shiver down her spin, but not one of unease, no, it was something different and it beckoned her in. Her body felt drawn, like a rope had been tied around her and he was the one pulling it. As quickly as it happened, he suddenly disappeared when a group walked through the space between them. It was like he was never there. Clarion lowered her brows in confusion.
'Where has he gone? Did I imagine him?' Clarion set her less than half-filled glass on the table after she told herself that she didn't need any more of it. She bent to its powers much easier than most, and with only, almost, two glasses her mind was already messing with her.
A warm hand brushed over her bare shoulder and caused her to jump in a spin to face them.
"Clarion."
It wasn't a question if it was her. The plump, fair skinned warm fairy that had spoken said it as a firm statement. Clarion immediately knew who the fairy was. She didn't need to take in her auburn hair or the green dress she wore. Clarion saw her best friend Mary before her. Gary stood behind her with an arm around her back.
She quickly placed a finger over her lips to let Mary know to keep her voice down. Her eyes scanned the surrounded area to make sure no one heard her say her name. "Don't blow my cover, Mary." She giggled. "How did you know it was me? No one else has been able to figure it out yet."
Mary took the seat beside her and Gary the one next to his mate; an arm still around her back and fingers on her waist. "Oh, please. I would be able to recognize you even if you were covered in mud. You're my best friend. Plus, your wings were a dead giveaway."
Clarion was dumb folded. "My wings?"
Mary gave a nod. "They may be the same size as every other fairy, but you are the only one with that type of butterfly shape. I knew it was you the moment you stepped into the room. Everyone else who stopped to look at you may not know it is their queen, but you sure know how to gain the full sparrow men's attention." She gave a sly smile under her mask.
"Mary," Clarion scolded her friend playfully.
"Maybe you shouldn't be the last fairy to arrive at a party if you don't want attention drawn to yourself, silly. Even now, sparrow men are still eyeballing you. You should take the opportunity to have their attentions since they don't know who you are. You really need to have your first kiss, among other things, dearie." Mary snickered.
Clarion felt the heat rise quickly to her cheeks at the notion Mary was getting to. Mary was more daring than Clarion. She has been kissed and not only on her lips or hands but in so many other places that made Clarion turn red at the thought of it, but of course no fairy could go too far unless they were with the one meant to be their mate. Clarion was not that bold to put herself out there like Mary has tried to help her with. When Clarion tried to explain that she was just going to wait for time to reveal who her mate was supposed to be, Mary about had a meltdown. She still remembered Mary's words when she tried to argue.
"Just because you are our queen, Clarion, does not mean you should deny yourself the simple pleasures a male can offer you."
Gary spoke before Clarion could speak the words from her opened mouth. "Alright, Mary, enough teasing our queen. She should do those things when she feels ready to." Gary suddenly looked up at Clarion with hot cheeks. His next words came out in a stutter. "Of course, it's not, eh, any of our, erm, business to know Her Majesties personal matters."
Clarion felt her face flame and she grabbed her glass to down the last of the Flower Nectar to get rid of her mortification on the subject.
Mary waved a hand in the air before her. "I make it my business because I am allowed."
The ringing of a bell cut their conversation off and Clarion was glad that the attention about her love life was forgotten. An announcement was made that dinner was served. Everyone in the room made their way to the tables that edged around the middle of the ballroom floor. Several serving-talents came from beyond the door with large trays piled with food. The first course served was light to keep everyone from getting full before the main course. Chestnut dumpling soup with mouse cheese and Barely crackers. Clarion enjoyed small conversation with the fairies that joined the table along with Mary and Gary. By the time dessert came along, Clarion had had another glass of Flower Nectar. The fit of giggles started once her mind felt like the clouds.
When the dessert was placed before them, a winter sparrow man stood in the center of the ballroom floor. A glass filled with a darker colored liquid, Clarion guessed Honeysuckle Nectar, was held in his hand and a knife that had been used to tap against it to gain the attention of everyone in the room. Clarion dropped her fork that had a piece of fig-chocolate cake to give her full interest to the male; as did everyone else.
When he spoke, he began by thanking everyone for venturing out to be there to honor the Lord of Winter's arrival day. Everyone clapped out of sync and the winter fairy waited until the noise died down before he began again. Clarion wondered briefly if the man speaking was the Lord of Winter himself, but then she questioned why he would be talking about himself as if he was another fairy. He talked about how much it meant to have the love and support of not only the winter fairies, but of the warm fairies as well. He continued about how the Lord felt undeserving of the privilege to care for so many wonderful, talented winter fairies in place of Her Majesty, Queen Clarion. Herself. Clarion blinked at the last statement.
'He felt unworthy to rule like I do?'
The sparrow man wished everyone to have a wonderful time, and the music started the moment he gave a bow to end his speech. The music was lively and could be easily danced to. It seemed she was not the only one to think so because a swarm of fairies and sparrow men got up to dance with a partner. Mary and Gary were two of them. Clarion sat in her chair with her fourth glass of Flower Nectar in her hand; already halfway gone. She knew that in the morning her head would be pounding, but she didn't really care because tonight she was not Queen Clarion, she was simply Ree. The lively music continued to play and Clarion enjoyed watching her fairies dance and swing to the beat. She smiled at how much fun they seemed to be having. She now truly believed when Lisel said His Lordships party was a great time.
A masked sparrow man from the warm seasons spoke beside her. His hand held out and he gave a slight bow. "Would you care to dance, my lady?" A flicker of fear touched her eyes from the thought of him knowing she was the Queen, but she pushed it away.
She placed her empty glass down, removed the napkin from her lap, and placed her hand in his larger one. "I would, sir."
He pulled her onto the dance floor. His hands held her body, but they never strayed into dangerous areas that would make her uncomfortable in his grip. She was moved around the dance floor in a familiar dance she had done several times. Everyone clapped when they needed to in the beat and laughs could be heard from excitement. Clarion was swept away along the floor. Passed from sparrow man to sparrow man of both seasons. The music stayed energetic for what seemed like hours but time didn't seem to affect how much fun Clarion was having. Never had she been able to let loose and be her age of twenty-two. To be simply Ree, just another fairy. She felt free.
After much movement on the floor, Clarion was out of breath and her feet ached. She found herself standing directly in the center of the ballroom floor before a much slower song began to play around them. Her eyes darted around the floor to see everyone had a partner wrapped in their arms, and Clarion knew that several of them were lovers just by the way they held and looked at each other. Their bodies completely pressed together, unlike those who were clearly not mates. She saw the way the couples looked, smiled, and giggled at each other. A sudden longing filled her heart. She wanted a sparrow man to look at her that way. To hold her close to their body like that. Offer their love and protectiveness like she saw right in front of her.
Clarion took a deep breath, ready to remove herself from the floor and back to the empty table, until her slippered feet froze to the marbled floor. That was when she felt that strong unknown pull again. Her heart beat uneven for a moment while her eyes looked around the room. She looked through the throng of dancing fairies to try and find the sparrow man that created that feeling in her earlier. There. Her bright, blue eyes spotted him from behind her mask. He was gracefully slipping through the dancing couples to make his way closer to her. When he broke free from the tight space, Clarion felt her heart start to drum in pounding beats. His eyes were on her the entire time he made his way toward her.
He was dressed in pale blues, indigos, and a bit of white. His shirt made from pale blue leaves with white thread sewn into the fabric. White pearl buttons lined down the middle and tucked into his pants made of indigo leaves. The high pale blue boots he wore nearly reached his knees; the ends of his pants tucked into them. The mask that covered his face was interesting. Made of silver metal with swirled metal to add detail; like the way hers did. It covered his forehead and the right side of his face and down the length of his nose, but the left was barred from his eye down. The thread was tied around his head of shoulder length white hair. No, not white, his hair was a beautiful color of silver. Like when the moonlight bathed fallen snow. Clarion found herself drawn into the atmosphere that surrounded him.
She didn't notice the new song that began to play. The intimate beat it created in the room, nor how many of the mated fairies were openly kissing as they danced around her. Clarion only saw him approach her. Her body started to sway, unknowingly, to the sensual beat. She didn't blink the entire time he worked his way to stand before her.
He tucked a hand behind his back and gave her a bow. Clarion grabbed some of her skirt to give him a small curtsy. He didn't speak to ask her if he could dance with her, the masked sparrow man reached his arm out. His fingers brushed her waist to travel around to hold her back, but his other stayed tucked behind his own. Clarion felt the pressure he put into his hand to bring her body closer to his until there was but only an inch or two of space between them. She needed no force to be close to him; her body ached to be as close to him as possible.
'Is it the wine making me feel this way?'
He didn't touch her any further, she surprised herself when she got disappointed, and he began to sway their bodies from side to side to follow the music that played around them. The movement he was doing was simple enough, and Clarion found she could follow with ease. When his arm around her back moved to cross over her stomach, and his body moved to her side, she felt a bit of panic. He twisted them around in a circle. She gasped. It was sudden and unexpected. He was back to his original position before her, swaying their body's once again.
Clarion locked her eyes with his. They weren't dark like she thought before, his eyes were the color of a brown sugar, but when the light of the candles caught it turned to a beautiful golden honey. She found them beautiful and captivating; drawing her closer to him. Her stomach began to flip and an emotion began to spread through her.
Both of his hands touched her waist briefly. He used one to spin her out, his hands guided her body around, until he stood before her again. Hand on her waist and his wrist under her own. He swayed their bodies and floated their connected arms up and down.
She looked at him with hesitation. "I don't really know-"
He grabbed her hand then twirled her out, back in and placed her hand around his neck. He stepped to her side, arm tucked around his back again, and his hand on the curve of her waist. The movement was unexpected that Clarion gasped in a breath of chilled air.
"Shh, my dear. Let me lead you." His voice whispered in her ear, a voice that dripped of deep richness and it sent a delightful shiver down her spin. He spun her by her hand again before they circled in the opposite direction. "Relax. Just enjoy."
Her eyes never left him, just like his never left her. Even when he dropped his hands from her body, leaving the heated part bare to the chill, to step a few steps from her his eyes never left her. He mouthed 'twirl' and she did. He caught her in his arms to hold her in a waltz position. He led each step as he glided them both around the ballroom floor. Both oblivious to the few fairies that stopped dancing to watch theirs.
Each time he touched her waist or hip he seemed to bring her in closer. At the exact time the beat picked up the sparrow man grabbed her hips and he lifted her feet off the ground to twirl her in the air. She heard the echo of applause from the eyes they caught when he lowered her back down. Somehow, even with her chest pressed against his, she was not close enough to him. She needed to be closer to him. He swept them around the middle of the ballroom floor again. He seemed to be making her float in his arms, but Clarion was more than happy to allow him. He spun her body around then pulled her back to his chest. No space left between their bodies. He quickly turned her body around by her hips before he released her.
She felt the cool breath that met her skin from his lips, but the only thing that touched her was where her back connected with his chest. Clarion felt a bit impatient, but she was confused at what she could be impatient for. She felt his face lower to hover by her ear, but the breath from his lips was all that touch her skin that began to feel warmer than normal. Clarion suddenly knew what she was impatient for. She wanted his lips to touch her. Even with the music loud, she heard the deep breath he took in.
"You, my lady, smell enthralling." His voice, if possible, grew deeper. "I knew you would. I wonder if you taste the same as you smell."
Clarion couldn't help the shock that colored her eyes. Never had a sparrow man been bold to say anything like that to her. The pulse under her skin picked up from the anticipation of having his lips touch her skin. She could feel his lips ghost over her ear, her eyes closed, ready to feel them connect, but his body disappeared from behind her. A new set of hands grabbed her own to pull her into a dance. Clarion snapped her eyes opened to find a smiled sparrow man in front of her. The burning she felt while in his arms went out quickly.
The male who held her in his arms did not give her the same feelings she had felt just moments ago. His eyes did not hold hers like a caged prisoner. His touch gave her creeping shivers that made her want to claw her way out of them. His hand on her back were way too low for her comfort, any lower and he would be touching the curve of her derrière. Clarion looked up to his eyes to find him staring at her with a dark look that made her heart jump. Clarion allowed the sparrow man, who she felt nothing for, to sweep her around on the floor, but every step she wished for the song to end so she could go look for him.
The sparrow man's hand slipped down and openly grabbed a cheek through the skirts of her dress and gave it a harsh squeeze. Clarion's body was pushed forward so her chest pressed against his. Her palms pressed flat to put distance between them. She looked up at him with wrath in her eyes.
"Excuse me." Clarion was enraged with the fact he would touch her like he was. If he knew who she was he wouldn't dare.
"What, darling?" Clarion could hear the slur of his words and knew he had one to many glasses. "You allowed that other male to touch you, why can't I get a little?"
With heated cheeks, Clarion reached back to grab his wrist so she could remove herself from his hands, but he was stronger than she was. His hand didn't budge. "You need to remove your hands from me this instant."
The look in his glassy eyes grew darker at her struggle. "I don't think so, love. Not before I get a piece of you."
Clarion struggled harder when his head dipped down to her neck. She opened her mouth, ready to tell him who she was and demand he release her, but she didn't get the chance. His lips only touched her jaw for a split second before her body was ripped away and arms wrapped her into another's side. Clarion looked up to see who rescued her and was not surprised to see him. His eyes glared dangerously at the male he had pulled her away from.
The sparrow man she had been trapped into an unwanted dance with flinched at the harsh stare from the mysterious winter knight. She watched him stomp away, most likely off to find a more willing fairy to dance with. Her rescuer spoke, begging her for forgiveness at interrupting the dance, but Clarion knew he already had it; he didn't need to ask. She allowed him to lead her away without asking if he could, and the feeling she craved returned. A fire coursed under her skin where his hand held her own. When he pulled her into his arms again she was pressed much closer than ever before. Her chest was pushed firmly on his which made her breasts lift more than before from the corset. Her skirts rustled against his legs before they settled. His arm slipped around the small of her back to grab her waist, she could feel the muscles through the sleeve of his shirt, and his other still held her hand. From the way he held her, Clarion dared to think he wouldn't let anyone else dance with her tonight, let alone touch her.
He swept her around the dance floor until they were both at the edge where the tables began. He removed his hand from her waist to grab her hand from his arm. He bent over to brush his lips over her knuckles. Clarion was surprised to feel how cold his lips were, and wanted to know if they would feel that way kissing her in other places. He straightened up, which brought her attention back, to give her a smile. A smile that made her knees grow weak and her skin to tingle.
"Come with me." His voice spoke roughly, his eyes held hers.
Clarion could only give a single nod before he pulled her out of the ballroom and down the hall she had entered through. No one seemed to notice them slip out because everyone was engaged in a dance or a heated kiss. Clarion wondered if he would kiss her before the night was over. She hoped he would.
She continued to follow behind him as he pulled her through the halls, and she wondered where he was taking her. Clarion bit down on her lip. A thrill of excitement shot through her fingers down to her toes at the thought of him taking her to a quiet room so they would be alone. He rounded a corner.
She found them both in a large open room, with a grand staircase that lead up to the second story of the manor home that the Lord lived. Clarion widened her eyes at the thought of the Winter Lord. She was in his home, at his celebration, but with a sparrow man alone and wishing for him to touch her in ways no one ever had before. What in the world was wrong with her? Clarion had never behaved in this fashion before. Never had she felt the desire to allow a male to kiss her, to touch her, to surrender her body to them, so why did she burn to have it with this male? Crave to have his hands on her? She thought having the Winter Lord touch her would feel good, but what her body felt with this fairy was more than her mind could comprehend.
A single cold finger under her chin brought her from her thoughts and back to his eyes that had something dark within the brown sugar color. He gave her a smile. He backed her body up against the wall, one hand placed so he could lean on it while his other held her chin. At some point her breathing picked up in the slightest.
"I am sorry that I interrupted your dance, but I couldn't stand another second of his hands touching you and when I saw him touch you that way he did I had to get you away from him."
Clarion swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm glad you did."
His smile turned into a smirk when he stepped closer to her. When he spoke, his voice was just above a whisper and sensual against her ear. It sent a shiver down her back. "I noticed the way you watched the mated couples share a kiss. The longing in your eyes." She gasped. She hadn't known that she made it obvious. If he noticed it, then she worried at who else saw. "You are not spoken for, my lady." It was not a question, but a statement of fact like he already knew the answer.
Clarion shook her head.
"Tell me, have you ever allowed another to kiss you?" His head lifted from her ear so he could look at her. When she shook her head again his eyes light up. "Hmm, good because I want to be your first. I want to burn it in your memory, to always remember it. Is that something you would like?"
Butterflies flapped their wings inside her stomach. Her teeth bit down into the soft skin of her lip before she nodded her head a little to eagerly since she was unable to form a single word. He removed his hand from the wall to place on her waist, his fingers lowered until they curled around her hip as he stepped closer to press himself on her body. Her throat vibrated from an unfamiliar noise that rose to slip through her lips. Whatever sound she had just made seemed to please him for he gripped her hip a bit tighter. His face lowered closer to her own. Inch by inch his lips got closer to claiming her first kiss. Her eyes flutter shut. The finger under her chin disappeared but replaced by his knuckles caressing her cheek.
"So soft. Like a rose petal." She could feel his lips brush her own when he spoke, and that only fueled the fire that burned inside her.
"Please," Clarion begged in a voice no louder than a whisper, "kiss me."
"As you wish, my lady."
And his cool lips pressed against her warm ones. Clarion stood as still as a rock when the sparrow man's lips touched her own. Clarion's mind was buzzing furiously and her stomach took flight. His lips were cold, but warmer than she thought they would be for a winter fairy. They were soft and a bit larger than her own. Slowly, as if by instinct, her arms lifted to wrap around his neck. She felt a need to pull herself closer to him. To slip her fingers into his hair to anchor onto him. His chest vibrated when her fingertip threaded his hair at the nape of his neck and it caused his lips to move against hers. Clarion, having never kissed another before, wasn't sure what to do, but her body responded. Her lips began to move along with his until their kiss was a dance well in sync. She felt like butter against his body, melted against him. Her throat released another moan. She heard a groan from his throat seconds before he pulled her flush against him, no space left between them. He tilted her head back and the kissed turned into something more.
Her eyes snapped open when she felt his tongue run along the skin of her bottom lip. It sent another wave of desire into her. When his tongue darted out again to stroke her bottom lip, she instantly knew he was silently begging to enter her mouth. She curled her fingers a bit more in his hair and opened her mouth a bit wider to allow him the access he wished for. She felt his cool tongue slip into the warmth of her own mouth to start a dance with her tongue like he had with her lips. Clarion moaned louder than she had twice before. Not knowing if she was meant to, she moved her tongue around his. Her knees started to shake. Her body craved more. She lifted herself to her toes to give more into the kiss they shared. Pressed her lips more firmly to his and molded them in a deeper dance when his tongue went back into his own mouth.
Too soon for her liking, he pulled his mouth out of the heated kiss they shared. Breathless, Clarion opened her eyes to look at him. The smile he gave her was mischievous and his tongue darted out to lick his lips.
"I was right, you taste just as good as you smell." Was the first thing he said and her cheeks flushed. "I wish to know if all of you tastes just as good."
Something inside Clarion gave her the courage to speak something she never had before. She wasn't sure if it was the yearning to know what Fairy Mary spoke of or all the wine she drank, but Clarion felt no fear. "Why don't you find out?" Even with the unknown boldness, her voice could not speak louder than a whisper.
His eyes went wide behind the mask he wore, obviously surprised by her answer. His eyes went a bit darker with a longing look of lust while he looked at her. Both of his hands cupped her cheeks to hold her stare. "You are a daring fairy."
He grabbed her hand to pull her up the large, beautifully crafted staircase. Her legs shook under her as they moved her down the hall. He pulled her to the right to stop before double doors inside a dip in the wall. His free hand wrapped around the black handle, but he didn't open it. He turned his head to look back at her; hesitating.
"Are you sure you want this with me? To allow me to touch you?"
Clarion could hear that he really didn't want to allow her the chance to change her mind. She could see how much he wanted this to happen, but he was fighting back the urge and forcing himself to be a gentleman. Clarion gave his hand a squeeze with a smile. Touched by his thoughtfulness.
"Yes, I am sure. I just hope His Lordship won't mind us using one of his rooms."
Clarion's hand was tugged so her body collided with his. His arm wrapped around her back to hold her against him. "Oh, believe me, he won't mind." His voice dripped with want.
He quickly opened the door, pulled them both inside, and had her pressed against the closed door; hands on either side of her. His mouth ghosted over her lips. His cool breath covered her skin with bumps of desire. The flame inside her started to glow brighter. His thumb touched her lips to knead the swollen skin from the kiss he gave her just moments ago.
"I want to kiss and bite these until they show I was there." His whispered voice was husky with lust and desire for her. Her skin burned and heat made her lower body tingle. His finger traced her jaw in a light massage. "I want to kiss a trail just like this and down the curve of your tempting neck. To lick the delicious taste of your skin."
Clarion whimpered her response. His lips were so close, but far too distant for her liking. 'Oh, for the love of Neverland, don't speak about what you wish, do it.' A deep breath filled her lungs at the shock of his teeth taking hold of her bottom lip and giving it a nip. He pressed his mouth to her open one to kiss her. When he pulled back, his forehead leaned against hers.
"I am fighting every instinct not to attack you. I do not want to cross any lines with you." His voice was pained. She could hear how hard he was fighting himself, but Clarion wanted him to do what he spoke of. "Allow me to pleasure your body. I need you to say what you want." He begged her.
The fact that he wanted her so much only continued to fuel her flame. Never had she wanted a male's touch so much in her life, and she thought she would combust if she didn't have his mouth on her within the next minute. Her hand cupped the back of his head, fingers in his hair, to pull his mouth to hers hard. She kissed him with fierce need. Clarion put all her desire in the bruising kiss in hope that he would pick up on how much she wanted him. She was not disappointed. He pressed himself against her, and she could feel just how much he desired her against her thigh.
"Touch me." She breathed against his lips when they parted for a quick breath. That was all he needed to hear.
He groaned in her mouth as he deepened the already heated kiss. His tongue explored the warm cavern of her mouth. His teeth chewed on her bottom lip, but there was no pain only a surge of sparks that furthered her desire for him to touch her with his hands, his mouth to kiss other areas of her body. His mouth left hers, hand cupped her cheek, only to place kisses along the trail his finger had left along her jaw. Her head tilted to the side to allow him full access. Every kiss he planted left her skin burning hotter than the surrounding area. He followed along her jaw to the hollow of her ear, where he took her lope between his teeth with a small nip. Her body started to surrender under him, flushed cheeks and weak knees.
Clarion inhaled a loud breath when his cold lips ghosted over the curve of her neck down to her shoulder then back up. Her body gave a shutter of pleasure and he had barely started to touch her. If he could make her body feel like this with tiny kisses then she had no idea how to prepare for his hands. His lips pressed to the skin of her neck to begin planting kisses. Her pulse was raced under her skin and she was positive he could feel it rush under his lips. He growled deep in his chest, pushed her up against the wall, her body now pinned fully between the door and his hard body, his mouth strengthened in kisses from the lust that was surly threatening to break the surface. Her heart pounded inside her chest.
The winter sparrow man continued to ravish every inch of skin on her neck and shoulder. His tongue darted out to taste her. His teeth giving gnaws to make her moan louder. He gave a light kiss on the edge of her shoulder just above the strap to her dress. His mouth hovered over her skin. "Not only have you never been kissed by a male, but I dare say that you have never been touched in general by anyone but yourself, am I correct?"
Clarion suddenly felt shy and embarrassed. 'Was it that noticeable?'
She felt him chuckle against her pinned body. "Innocent in the purest form." A kiss to her shoulder. "I never thought the one who was meant to be my mate would be as pure as you, my lady."
Her eyes nearly popped from her head. 'Mate?! He is my mate? My intended?!'
"Knowing that no other sparrow man has touched you, only makes me want to claim you more. Make you my mate in every way possible." He kissed his way back to her lips with every word until he cupped her face and his eyes locked to her shocked gaze. "I knew you were my match the moment you stepped through those ballroom doors. The call your glow sang to me was too great to ignore the pull. The scent that wrapped me in a blanket could no longer be fought off. You, my dear, are meant for me. Did you not feel the pull? The gravity of our glows drawing us together?"
Clarion swallowed the lump in her throat. "I wasn't sure what the feeling meant when I saw you staring at me."
He smiled at her. "It means, you," he barely touched her lips in a kiss, "are mine." He gives a butterfly kiss to her nose then to her forehead before his pressed against hers with his own. "Be mine. Be my mate. The desire to make love to you has grown too painful to ignore. Say you will be mine."
Her body arched against him when the flame inside her body intensified. Never had she felt anything so intense before that moment. Her body longed to be seized by him and she never had the desire of submitting to anyone, but she desperately wanted to yield to him. Not long after her body arched into his chest she became restless. She opened her eyes, pulled her head away from his, and cupped his cheek that was not covered by his mask. Her thumb caressed the cool skin just under his eye. The brown of his eyes opened to her. Her other hand reached up to touch the cold metal of his mask; just like with his uncovered cheek. Her fingertips ran along the metal under his eyes that seemed to steal her breath.
Her head tilted slightly, with curiosity in her eyes. "Tell me who you are?" Clarion asked with her fingers traveling into his hair to find the tie to his mask. A deep part of her wanted to gaze upon his face when she gave herself to him. To know what he truly looked like. To know his name so she could speak it while he made love to her, to her body, to her heart. He reached back to grab her hands to stop her from unravelling the mask. "I wish to speak your name."
"Promise you will not freak out if I tell you who I am?" He spoke in a voice completely flowed with desire.
Clarion could only nod her head. He was nervous, but why was he nervous to tell her his name? He untangled his hands from her own, a signal that she could remove his mask, and placed his fingers on her waist. Her fingers pulled the ribbon and slowly removed his mask. Her arm with the mask rested at her side with her skirts folding over the mask slightly. Her fingers touched the skin of his cheek.
With his mask gone, Clarion could clearly see his features. His chin was sculpted and his jaw firm when her finger traced over it. The pad of her thumb brushed his lips that were larger than her own, but seemed to mold perfectly against hers. His nose like that of a male, long and a bit pointed. She smiled at the short stand of hair that curled on his forehead. Her fingers brushed it aside, but it only fell back into place.
"Striking." Clarion breathed out then suddenly turned red when she realized she had spoken it out loud. He smirked at her. His eyes had watched her the whole time she explored his face.
He grabbed her hand from his face. "Glad you find me appealing, my lady." He placed a kiss against her palm. "I will admit that I am nervous that you will leave the moment I tell you my name. Most fairies do."
Suddenly, Clarion knew exactly who this winter sparrow man was, except he wasn't just a sparrow man, he was the one the party in the ballroom was for. Clarion lifted his eyes by his chin before she spoke. "Lord Milori?"
He looked surprised that she guessed who he was correctly, but gave a single nod. "Are you freaked out now?"
Clarion thought about his question for a moment. Was she freaked out that the Lord of Winter was the one to claim her first kiss? To taste her skin? To hold her closer than anyone ever had before? To find out that he, not only a winter fairy but also the Lord, was her mate? The male who would end up loving her, her body, her soul? Her answer was simple. She wasn't because it was true that he was her other half, but what would he say to learning who she was? That she was his queen, and he had touched her so intimately?
"No." Clarion answered.
He seemed to relax. His thumbs rubbed the skin under her own mask. "May I assist you with removing your mask, my lady? I wish to see your face while I love you. To see your eyes uncovered when our glows join." Her teeth bit down into her lip. "Don't bite your lip, Clarion, that is my job."
Her mouth fell ajar just a bit. He only smiled at her surprise. "Did you honestly think I didn't know who you were," her mask was pulled from her eyes, "Queen Clarion? Your eyes could never be mistaken for another." His hand went back to cup her cheek. "They are much brighter and far more beautiful in person." The Lord of Winter tossed her mask aside, not caring where it landed. "Clarion, the desire for you is overwhelming. Never have I wanted someone as much as I need you right now. Can you feel the crave in your glow to mate?"
Clarion did feel it. Her heartbeat was raced within her breast, and she was positive he could hear it. The flame that consumed inside her burned bright with the demand to mate with this male. For the life of her, Clarion could not form a word so she simply moaned softly.
"Tell me, sweetheart." He whispered.
"Yes." Clarion lifted to her toes and forward to bring her lips closer to his own. Her other hand slid up his arm to grab hold of his bicep after his mask slipped from her fingers.
Immediately, his lips crushed over hers in a hungry kiss that seemed to startle her but soon turned into a thrill of excitement. Her stomach filled with a tingle that made her seem like she was flying high in the clouds. The feeling only grew when his hands grabbed her upper waist. Her body was pinned against the wall again, and she heard the groan that came from his chest. His lips moved from hers to kiss from the corner of her mouth, down her jaw, to the curve of her neck. His lips, cool from being a winter fairy, sent a neediness shiver down her spine when they moved over every inch of her skin. Her fingers curled into the sleeve of his shirt when the pleasure that swam inside her guided her actions. His hair threaded through her fingers where she held the back of his neck. She felt his tongue soak up more of the taste of her skin. His lips leaving no inch of skin untouched.
He lifted his mouth from her shoulder but just a hair, but it still made her moan in protest. "I want to see you. All gorgeous inch of you." He seductively whispered against her skin.
In a daze, Clarion was pulled away from the door to be moved across the room. Large curtains divided the room they were in, and she finally took in her surrounding while the Lord pulled her further in. They looked to be in a sitting area. Couch, chairs, books in the wall shelves, and a large rug. A desk with a chair. She didn't get to take a long look at it because he pulled her beyond the large floor to ceiling curtains. Her eyes were greeted with a bedroom. A large bed placed in the center of the room. A chest at the foot of the bed. A dresser placed against the wall. On top of a large rug was a plush ottoman off to the side, at an angle, near the curtains.
Her body was suddenly pulled to press against his in the middle of the room before the bed. The blue ribbon around her waist floated to the floor after he pulled it free; his eyes never left hers. The glow of the candles lit bathed his body in a warm color of bronze. His hands traveled down her back to the tie that held her bodice together. His lips gently kissed hers while he began to pull the string loose. Clarion draped her arms on his shoulders when he kissed her, but her body stiffened and started to shake when the strings were beginning to be removed from the loops.
"Are you cold?" He spoke against her lips.
"No," she pulled back just a hair, "I-I just, I've never,"
His hands stilled. "Do you know anything about what happens when two fairies mate?"
Clarion rested her forehead against his with a shake of her head as an answer to his question. Her teeth began to chew on the soft skin of her lip from the nerves that made her shake. Her heart sang in her ears. Clarion could feel his breath hit her face with each exhale. Her knees threatened to buckle under her and she was sure that her body would hit the floor if the Lord didn't have his arms around her; holding her steady.
"I've heard little tiny things from mated fairies during meals or afternoon tea, but nothing in detail." She whispered with awkwardness.
Lord Milori gave her lips a simple brush before his fingers traveled to her upper arms to rub the bare skin. "Don't be scared, Clarion." His lips ghosted over her own while he spoke. "My desire for you is strong, but I will not hurt you. I will love your body, love you, like one would a delicate snowflake." The Lord slipped to stand behind her. His cool hands held her hips that helped to calm the fire her skin heated to. He placed his head on her shoulder to purr in her ear. "Trust," she felt his fingers began to pull the string free from the loops once more, "what," her eyes fluttered closed with his lips kissing her shoulder and his cold finger tips that touched her hot skin that is exposed with each loop that is freed, "your body is feeling."
Clarion felt the back of her bodice open, and the sleeves on her arms was all that kept it from opening fully to fall from her chest. Lord Milori's face disappeared from her neck, his lips kissed across her shoulder blade to travel down her spin. Her body swayed from the pleasure that filled her. His hands were all that kept her standing. With each kiss, he got lower down her back, and the heat between her legs intensified with pleasure. The skirt of her dress blocked him from continuing his path down her back. Clarion groaned when his lips left her skin.
His chuckle was heard right next to her ear. "Don't be disappointed, Clarion, we have amply time, and I plan on taking advantage of every second." Her body was moved to be pressed against one of the bedposts at the end of his bed. The coolness of the wood connected with the hot skin of her back and made her shiver. Lord Milori stood before her. "To take my time with your body. Touching you in ways that your pretty little mind would never dream of." And then Clarion felt his hand slide up her bodice to find her breast.
The contact made her eyes flutter. "Lord Milori." She moaned his name with flushed cheeks at the intimate touch.
She felt his cold touch through her bodice as it caressed and gently squeezed. Her back arched to push her chest further into his hand; begging for more. "I am Lord Milori to everyone but you. To you, it is just Milori."
Clarion felt his hands move to her back to grasp her bodice. His lips kissed her again, and she realized that he was distracting her from his hands that pulled the top of her dress away from her chest. She heard it hit the stone floor beneath her feet. His hands pressed her to his chest by her back. Clarion felt that some part of her should have feared a male seeing her body bare, a small part, but Clarion wanted him to see her. His hands lowered to her skirts where his fingers started to slip the pearl buttons free. She felt her skirt pool around her feet the moment the last button was freed. He pulled himself away from her. When her eyes opened, she found him looking at her with wonder. His breath heavy when his eyes looked at her.
Clarion stood at the foot of his bed, next to the chest, in nothing but a simple white skirt that fell just below her knees, stockings, and her shoes. A skirt that was the only thing that kept her lower body covered from her hips to her knees. He stood there, a few steps away, with his eyes taking every inch of exposed skin in. Clarion stepped out of the skirts around her feet to step closer to him; her shoes slipped from her tiny feet by the heels. His hands immediately grabbed her hips over the skirt.
"There are no words to describe,"
Clarion pressed her mouth to his. "No more words. Make love to me, Milori." She mumbled against his lips. Her fingers quickly started to slip the buttons of his shirt free, no longer able to fight the grave desire that had taken over her entire body. Her hands pushed his shirt from his body, letting it fall to the floor behind him, and her hands placed on his chest. His skin was cold under her hands and it excited her to feel the muscles under her palms. As their lips moved in a dance she didn't know, but somehow could follow, her hands traveled over his chest down to his stomach where she sighed at the pleasure of touching him. Her hands found the band of his pants and her fingers curled around the fabric; ready to start removing them. Her wrists were grabbed to stop her. Their kiss never broke, but Clarion grunted when he stopped her.
He lifted her arms up to place them around his neck. With a surprise gasp, he lifted her from the ground by the underside of her thighs, her legs wrapped around his hips, and he moved to the side of the bed. He used his knee to lift onto the mattress before he lowered her down; his body above hers. Clarion felt his lips leave hers to travel down her neck. With nothing shielding her body from him, his lips moved across her collarbone, to fall between her breasts. Her body wanted more, and if the moans weren't enough then her back arching off the bed had to give him a hint. His fingers trailed past her hips, up the curve of her waist, over her ribs until she felt them take her breasts within their grasp. Both of her hands grabbed clumps of his hair, certainly messing it up, from the spark that shot straight to her center. All the heat from the flame inside her traveled down to the pleasure between her legs; still wrapped around his hips. He left no skin on her chest untouched while his hands did wonders to bring feelings from her she never knew existed. That was until his mouth took over in place of a hand.
Clarion felt her wings flutter from the emotions that raced inside her. Her mind couldn't focus on anything but Milori. More importantly the things he could make her body feel. His mouth worshiped her breasts. His tongue danced over the mounds of flesh that she had no idea could make her feel good from being touched. When his teeth came into play, Clarion opened her eyes the same time her mouth gave a groan. Milori's wings were beating just like hers were. The golden glow around them was brighter than normal, and the pattern held within his wings lit up like he was getting it for the first time. Was hers doing the same?
Her chest was left abandoned. Her head lifted back, her upper body lifted from the mattress when his lips kissed down to her naval. His hands ran over her skin unceasingly. Her fingers had long since been unable to touch his hair, and they now pulled at the covers on his bed. Her body grew impatient with waiting for something her body certainly knew what it wanted even if she herself didn't. She moaned loudly when his teeth nibbled her hip. Her lower body was pulled up a bit from the mattress by her legs still wrapped around him. His mouth went across her lower stomach to give her other hip the same bite.
"Milori." His name fell from her lips in a way to let him know of her pleasure.
His hands grabbed the thin fabric around her hips that kept him from seeing her. "Clarion…I can smell your need." He groaned.
In a swift movement, the last layer of her clothing was removed. Her legs fell from his hips in the process. She wasn't sure where he tossed the skirt, but she wasn't able to focus on it long once his mouth began to kiss down each leg as he pulled the stockings off one at a time. Clarion couldn't keep her body still from his lips kissing a trail up. When he touched her lips again, the kiss was different than the ones before. She felt his lust for her. She felt the heat of desire that called him to claim her body. Clarion tried to wrap her legs around him again, more than ready for him to take her, but he pushed them away. His body between her legs, and his need for her was pressed to her thigh. He held his body up by his arm next to her head, but his other was busy creating a path on the inside of her thigh.
As his mouth worked her lips in a bruising kiss, his fingers reached the flesh between her legs to barely touch her. Clarion gave a surprised gasp while she still kissed him. His fingers hovered above the delicate flesh. Clarion nearly lifted her hips to make him touch her, but then it clicked he was waiting for her okay. Her hand traveled down his hard body to slip beneath his pants. What her hand grasped not only made her cheeks brighter than a berry, but also made Milori shutter with a dragged-out moan. Her fingers curled around his hardened need to begin giving him the luxury he had to her. He tore his mouth away from hers to pant hard at her touch. Her lips attacked his neck like he had while she touched him in the most intimate way possible for a female to touch a male.
"Clarion." He whimpered her name and she felt his hips began to flex; his body's way of wanting more. She smiled against his neck at the satisfying thought that she alone was the one to give him the extravagant feelings. Her hand tightened its grip and picked up its movement. She was happy with the response she got. He hissed in a breath. His hand that hovered over her heated center finally dropped to touch her, and Clarion was not disappointed with the way his fingers touched her most private area. Her hips instinctively met his hand. He touched her as she touched him. Both exploring the other and quickly learned how the other liked to be touched. Soon they were both panting with heavy breaths. Neither able to ignore the call of their glows any longer.
Milori removed his remaining clothing and had Clarion straddled in his lap while he sat in the middle of the bed. Both of their wings flailed as they glowed in gold and white. His lips were on hers once again. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and another around her hips. She anchored herself to him by his hair that had been taken down from her constant pulling. His arms lifted her hips up to position her for him to claim her body.
"I'm yours, Milori."
"My beautiful Winter Lily."
And his body became one with hers.
Clarion often wondered what it felt like to mate for the first time. She had heard many different descriptions from mated females. How it felt to be taken for the first time. Each one said it felt this way or that. She soon learned that a mating was different for each pair. No two alike even though the same things happened in each mating bond. The bodies joined together. Clarion never thought it would feel the way it did. The moment Milori claimed her body, became one with her, Clarion felt a discomfort and agony. She knew that the first time in the very beginning it would be a little painful, but she wasn't fully prepared for it. Milori gave her shoulder kisses while she whimpered from the pain; like he knew it would hurt her.
"Clarion. Relax." He ran his hands over her bare back to sooth her. "Don't tense. It will only increase the pain. It will be over in a moment."
She believed him because after she relaxed her body the pain disappeared shortly after. Her eyes opened to look at him. He looked at her with nothing but love and protectiveness. She couldn't wait any longer. She pressed her lips to his waiting ones and moved his hands so each one had a hold on her hips. She grabbed his cheeks to deepen the kiss and his hips moved. She left him move inside her and the pleasure was beyond what words could describe.
Clarion let him know what she felt with each moan her body let out. With each time she whispered his name. The flame inside her finally burst and covered every inch of skin on her body. From the tips of her ears down to her toes, which curled in the bedspread from the overwhelmed pleasure her body underwent from being one with his. She felt everything in a different way. The way his lips felt against hers was like a chilled, sweet wine and she drank it up eagerly. His hands that guided her body over his and helped to meet his hips at every flex felt softer than silk. How could anything be softer than pixie dust? When his hips stopped, Clarion opened her eyes.
Milori wrapped an arm around her waist before he swung her around so her back was pressed into the wolf fur blanket that topped the bed; his body never separated from hers. Her wings still flapped under her. Milori's hips began to flex again. Clarion's eyes rolled behind her lids at feeling his body deeper in her own. Her hands grabbed his arms, her legs around his hips, to brace herself against him as the flame burst once more. Milori's lips kissed the hot skin of her neck down to her shoulder. His breaths in pants that matched her own. His wings beat at a speed that nearly made them invisible to the eye and his breathing came harder.
Clarion was lifted from the mattress to sit in his lap again. Her wings took flight to match the speed of his own. Her arms grabbed around his neck to press herself to him when her body tightened. She felt Milori stiffen inside her and his arms wrap firmer around her back. His hips gave one last flex before he held their hips together with a deep moan. Clarion's body exploded.
The room flooded with light from the golden-white glow of their wings binding together. The heat of the flame that had been seizing her body most of the night finally burned as bright as their glows, and swirled inside her heart like warmth from the sun. She couldn't help the gasp and tear that fell from the corner of her eye at feeling Milori's cool glow mix with her own. The feeling of it was more powerful than receiving pixie dust for the first time. She wondered if it felt that way for Milori.
Her body slumped against his hard one when the bright light of their glows dimmed back to normal; only slightly brighter now that they both were mated. Her skin was damp from sweat, as was his, and all her muscles slacked until she was limply holding onto him. His body seemed to still have strength left, but she wasn't all that surprised since his muscles were more toned than her own. He gently moved them so her body was laid on the mattress, head on a pillow, and he pulled the wolf fur blanket over them to shield their naked bodies.
Clarion turned her head to look at him while he leaned on an elbow beside her. His knuckles reached out to caress her damp cheek. His smile soft.
"Never did I think it would feel like that." Clarion marveled. "I have imagined what it would feel like to be kissed, to be touched, to mate, but my mind never came close to how it truly felt to be close to someone."
Milori leaned down to place a gentle kiss to her swollen lips. "I feel the exact same way, sweetheart. I can feel you." His lips left to trail kisses down her jaw. "Your glow flows around my heart with mine. I am pleased that I will feel you for the rest of my life. I wouldn't want anyone else." His lips reached her collarbone.
"Milori," Clarion moaned, "shouldn't we get back," his lips moved lower on her chest, his hand slowly pulled the blanket down her body, "to your party before someone notices you missing?" Her mind started to cloud over again. The flame quivered inside her.
His lips halted just above the mounds of flesh on her chest. The blanket pulled down just below her breasts. He lifted his eyes to hers and smirked.
"No." He kissed her skin. "I. Don't. Plan. On. You. Leaving. My. Bed. Anytime. Soon." He spoke between each kiss. Clarion laced her fingers through his messy hair. Her toes curled into the bed. Her teeth bit into her lip until a moan broke through only to bite down again; the process repeated. "You are mine, Clarion, and I don't plan on sharing you with anyone anymore tonight."
His mouth claimed her breast once more, and Clarion was lost to the desire that started to course through her again. A hand curved down her stomach to slip between her thighs while his mouth pleasured her breast. Clarion felt his fingers move through the need between her thighs.
"Milori." Her hips lifted from the mattress and she was completely lost in him once more.
Well, that was really fun to write. I have never written anything like this before. So I hope I did alright
Let me know what you thought, and if you would like to see the last half of this scene from Lord Milori's view. That would be fun to see what was going through his head for some of what happened
