For real understanding of this fic, please listhen to this song as you read: watch?v=lsz5ijRQvUY
Before
Once upon a time, when Humanity took its first breath, their first speck of imagination and fear was born. There were no courts of Winter or Summer, only one fey walked the earth. The first of her kind, the first of Summer. She was born from humanity's wish to protect itself from the horrors in the world: disease, supernatural beings, hunger, wild animals and other humans. She appeared out of the gloom, her beauty outshining the darkness, her light chasing away despair, and the humans clung to her. As time grew on the fairy soon met the second of her kind, a Winter fairy, as he was later known with power of frost and ice.
Where her appearance seemed to vary from different bright color of light, his did not change. Dark hair and silver eyes. His eyes would sometimes appear ice blue when the moon reflected his gaze, a sharp smile would appear when he caught her staring. The two fairies wandered together, curious about their differences. They were together for years, mutual friendship and feelings growing between the two as they remade the world in their own image. The created vast lands of nature, varying from frozen caves to warm forests and lakes had frozen over, with their voices carrying as they skidded across it, shrieks of alarm turning into laughter. Standing on the beach, with their toes buried in the sand as she would splash warm water at him and he would lung to return the favor, she would disappear in a gust of wind and leaves, reappearing behind him with a huge grin and warm eyes glinting. And they grew to understand each other's weaknesses, interests and habits, and they were filled with joy and nothing, nothing, nothing could bring them apart.
But, nothing can last forever.
The summer fairy was happy that she wasn't alone no longer, and shared with the winter fairy her stories of the humans and the world, with its ever changing brightness. The winter fairy did not share his companions love for the humans and grew jealous of her affection, of the humans she so terribly cherished, and wished to reserve it only for himself. For she was the only one equal to him and could match his power and existence, not those mortals who grew dimmer with time, they did not deserve her love.
He understood his mistake later when he met her eyes, who at once gazed at him with love and joy, but were now were wide with fear and betrayal at the death he had caused, at the eternal winter he had brought upon the earth for a millennia, at his choice to be the king of fears, of darkness and air as he raised the winter court out of spite.
She was a different type of fairy then him. She was warm while he was cold. While she brought joy, he brought despair. She danced in summer, while he walked through winter. She was never the same like him. Only, equal in power.
And while he raised the Winter court, the Summer rose from other fairies like her. But there were never as humane as she was, and they like his court saw the humans as pray. Even though, only because of these weak mortals they existed in the first place.
She sat on the throne and held her court, distancing her subjects from the humans they wished to pray on. While in Winter, they hunted humans as pray. But, since Summer and Winter were natural enemies the fairies were always at war, and there was hardly time for hunting.
The winter King and the Summer Queen were known as the first fae, and the most powerful. And they fought each other for hundreds of years, the memories of their friendship appearing as a distant dream. The summer queen ruled with a steady hand, striking fear in her enemy's hearts with her clear mind. While, the King of Winter ruled by striking fear in his own subjects hearts, and was spoken as a heartless monster whose power sends gales of wind across seas and shook towers of ice.
Eventually the fairies withdrew from the human world into their own world, the Nevernever. There, the courts held their domains while holding the balance of the seasons in consideration. A weapon was created, known as the "Scepter of Season's", and it changed hands between Summer and Winter at each solstice.
The Summer Queen felt her reign come to a close from beneath the Wyldwood of the Nevernever. The old magic of the earth told her it's whisperings of a new era. Humans were evolving, and their imagination grew. And so came forth new fairies, not as yet as powerful as her but they soon will be. She had never wanted to be queen of any creature, fairy or human since the beginning, but who could have taken the throne and be equal to her once one true friend? And so, the Summer Queen went to see the one that had hurt her all those years ago, just to find him dying, reaching out to her while his voice was caught in a silent scream.
Madness had consumed him, overwhelming bloodlust and rage at the wrong he did to her all those years ago. It was his nature, he rasped, to hurt and kill. Yet, he had never wanted to hurt her, for she was the only one he had ever truly loved. As he sat on the Winter throne through the years, directing his subjects to attack the Summer court across the neutral Wyldwood, he would clench his teeth as he saw images of a Queen with bright hair and with a head held high command her troops not to return his attacks, but to protect their home. She was not always patient as that, and found crafty ways to maim his court and he would smile as he remembered days that were not so bloody in their games.
Because yes, with all his jealousy, he could never truly hurt her, the beloved friend he had once had, who he had played with and laughed. He had already hurt her enough all those years ago. Their battle between courts was just an after effect of that mistake.
And the Summer Queen watched as her once and only true love begged her to end this, to end him. She had not realized why his betrayal had hurt her to the core, leaving her heartbroken. No, she had not realized those feelings then, when he had destroyed the people she cherished. But now she had, and even if her heart soared at the thought that they had both loved each other, he lay gasping for breath beneath her feet. Time, had already slipped through their fingers, wasted centuries, for a pointless conflict.
And while she decided that they both had enough and had raised the two matching daggers they once made for each other to his chest and hers, the Summer Queen found out that while she could stab, and bleed, and feel pain beyond compare, she was unable to die. So the Summer Queen watched the once King of Winter die, light fading from his eyes, with his silver gaze holding hers. And the Winter court fell into ruin.
The Summer Queen took off her crown. Her hair was now an everlasting orange of fiery rage, an image adopted by her unwillingly as the humans who grew to fear the fey named them children of the devil, while she was at first the one to give them peace from the horned demon. Her hair was in the color of hell's fire as they said, as they feared the fey that stole their children, took their daughters away, walked with soulless across the earth and laughed cruelly at their cunningness.
New monarchs rose, and the Summer Queen stood down to Titania, with the cruel smile and Oberon, with the wise eyes as they claimed her court and brought new life as well as a new name for it, Arcadia. The humans had once again entered a new era and new fey sprang up from poems, books and songs. Mab claimed the throne of the Winter court and renamed it as Tir Na Nog, ruling with an iron hand that would have made her predecessor proud. And a mischievous trickster from Shakespeare's tales rose to cause trouble across the Nevernever, with a wild fire of hair and glinting green eyes, as he laughed with easiness once two fairies of Winter and Summer both bore all those years ago.
And the once Summer Queen left. And as the years went by she was forgotten by both courts. She, and her once most beloved. The stories of her varied in tale; from a tale of heartbreak, loss and sorrow to a tale of fear and conquest. And the humans named her Deirdre, the heartbroken one, the one who was full of rage, the one who struck fear in the hearts of her enemies.
But while other fairies as old as time faded away, Deirdre did not. And she travelled the world, a smile occasionally crossing her face as she remembered the days when it was only her and him and they were happy.
After
She can bear the touch of iron, while her other descendants cannot. For she was created to protect humanity, so nothing the mortals could create would ever hurt her.
She cannot die. That is obvious, Deirdre was led to the conclusion that while humanity persists to exist, so will she.
Oberon has not forgotten her, and he calls to her aid. Sometimes she answers. Sometimes she does not.
The dark muse had risen in power. At that time the humans created so many masterpieces. Titania grew suspicious of Leanansidhe and has banished her from the Nevernever.
Leanansidhe has built her own domain in the in-between. They call her the Exile Queen now.
Deirdre heard of the incident. The death of the winter noble, Ariella. The summer trickster and third winter prince are not friends anymore. It brought up memories that made her want to scream
Deirdre watched Meghan Chase, Summer's half-bread princess rise to be the Iron Queen. Deirdre didn't like the Iron fey. They, as the other courts, did not bear kindness to humans. She almost strangled the fairy named Virus when she used the mortals as puppets, innocents. The fairy still did not deserve her unfortunate fate.
Sage's fate was a tragedy in itself. She knelt at his grave. He deserved flowers.
Deirdre was there when he opened his eyes once more.
Deirdre watched without emotion as Rowan died. He would have been ashamed to have such a winter prince to succeed him. She felt her lip curl when she found out that the prince had survived.
Ash brought her pride. He reminded her of him. Of what could have been.
She closed her eyes as she felt Ariella's spirit fade once more into nothingness, feeling the Nevernever once again return to balance.
( Deirdre could understand the fairies hate to humans. They were foolish, repeated the same mistakes across history again and again, and brought tragedies on themselves so great, she wanted to punch them herself. She did not hate the humans. He made that mistake and brought himself to madness and ruin out of jealousy.
So no. She did not hate the humans. She continued to fulfill her duty, and feel empty inside.)
Further
Deirdre had met Kierran, the Iron Queen's and Prince Ash's son. She had stumbled upon him in the Wyldwood. The child bore 3 glamours. A prophecy was foretold. Deirdre felt sometimes as she heard his voice in the wind, and she would be filled with a feeling of dread. Shadows of her past were rising. The ghosts of the forgotten were walking again.
Ethan Chase was dead. The veil had lifted. Deirdre crouched by his bloodstained body and covered her palms over his wound, closing her eyes tightly. She felt her glamour rush into him like a stream. Her eyes opened as he made his first breath.
She watched the Nevernever gift Ethan with the power to evade glamour and felt dread settle in her stomach.
Every power has a price.
The armies flew over the meadow. Kierran had returned to himself. He was banished with the forgotten to in-between. Ethan and Kenzie went home. All was well.
Now
Deirdre watched as Matthew Chase pushed his sister out of harm way. Auriana flew backwards into the tree and disappeared without a trace. She stared as the other boy turned in a wolf and attacked the winter fairy. Deirdre saw Matthew catch the wolf by it's fur and jump toward the tree where Auriana had disappeared moments before. This time there was a flash of light. He took his violin with him.
She felt her blood run cold as she met the fairy's gaze across the parking lot, eyes as dark as the night.
Every power comes with a price.
Hey guys! Lamentlima here. this a prequel i wrote for the iron fey series fanfic "that's all there was". This fic enters the world of fey and shows the history of fey before the "Iron king" book by julie kagawa. I hope y'all read this then go eagerly to to my other fic.
reviews are welcome! I'm new at fanfic writing so don't hesitate to send me a message at my tumblr url: lamentlima
Desclaimer: All the iron fey Characters and events of the Iron fey series books mentioned here belong to Julie kagawa.
