Chapter 1
The Winter Queen became like a mother to me when my parents died. No, that isn't exactly true. The queen was never a mother, not even to her own sons. She treated them like pawns and favored whichever one benefited her the most. I was her most treasured pawn now, doing what she asked of me, the perfect puppet. I had my reasons, one of which was my presence in the Unseelie Court, a treacherous place where showing emotions was your biggest enemy and no one could be trusted. Not even your supposed friends.
"Where are you off to, Alysha?" one of the Frost triplets, Cleo, asked just as I was about to slip out of the palace. "Shouldn't you be kneeling at Mab's feet, waiting to kiss her ass?"
I turned to face the tall, willowy blonde. "No. She has personal ass-kissers for that. You and your sisters, for instance."
Cleo scowled at me. She was about to come up with a retort, but before she could, I yanked open the large door and ran out into the snow covered land. Tir Na Nog was my favorite place, but I ran deep into the wyldwood, making sure to take paths that no one would follow. The Winter Court could be stifling sometimes and escaping into the wilderness was my one reprieve. Mab said that I was like her youngest (and former son, Ash) in this way.
The gray mist of the forest moved through my legs like a pet welcoming me home. And in a way, I was home. The wyldwood was a dangerous and unpredictable place which I navigated very well. My sword and bow and arrows came in handy a lot, too.
A rustling in the bushes caused me to stop. Slowly, I raised my bow and pulled an arrow from my quiver. If another beast was going to attack me, it was in for a rude surprise. An ugly little green creature that I've never seen before jumped out of the bush. Its mouth was open, displaying its needlelike teeth and emitting a horrible crackling sound. My arrow was poised to go through its small body.
"Don't!" someone shouted.
I looked around for the source of the voice, cursing myself for not paying attention to my surroundings. Getting ambushed was not something that I looked forward to, no matter how enjoyable they could be, when I won of course.
A black-haired faery stepped out from behind one of the large trees in the wyldwood. He was unfamiliar to me. The strange little creature was now at my feet, but he was no longer a threat; the other faery was. I pointed my nocked arrow at him. Unfazed, he continued walking toward me and had the nerve to wear a cocky grin on his face.
"Don't threaten me with a weapon unless you plan on using it," he said, standing inches away from the arrow tip.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot this through your heart?" I asked.
"Well, do you fancy starting a war?" At my raised eyebrow, he continued. "Because that's what will happen if you kill me. My mother's the Iron Queen."
The Iron Queen's son? Bubbles of surprise burst in my stomach, but luckily, my face didn't mimic the surprise I felt. Being part of the Unseelie Court did have its advantages. I did lower my bow, though, pointing it at the ground.
"It would be frowned upon for a Winter fey to kill a prince, even if he is from the abominable Iron Court," I said.
"You're a Winter faery?" The Iron Prince raised both eyebrows. I understood his shock and wasn't offended. My looks didn't exactly resemble the "essence" of Winter. Instead of having pale skin, mine was as brown as a tree nymph's. My hair and eyes were as black as the depths of an abyss. I was a contradiction.
"That's cool," he said. "I mean, it's not cool. I mean, my father was a Winter Court faery. And the only times I've ever met any were at Elysium. Why are you outside your realm?"
Did he dare question me? I drew myself up to my full height, which only made me equal to his chin, and said in my haughtiest voice, "I should be the one questioning you. Your kind is not welcome in the wyldwoods. Haven't your people corrupted our land enough?"
"My people? My people? My people are the future of the Nevernever. Mortals dream about us and further progression while 'your' people are being forgotten and are fading away. We are the change that's going to stay."
His eyebrows were narrowed and his nose was flaring throughout his little speech while I remained steely calm. My anger was right below the surface, but I dared not show it. It was a weakness. I smirked at his anger, finding his lack of control funny.
I had forgotten all about that little creature. It had apparently grown bored at our conversation and decided to jump in. It made more crackly noises and flung itself at me. I jerked backwards, raising my bow and releasing my arrow. Unfortunately, the thing vanished before the arrow could impale it. I did a little spin to prevent myself from falling on my behind.
Now, it was the prince's turn to laugh at me, which was too much. I lost my cool and exploded.
"What is that horrid thing?"
Once he got over his laughing fit, he said, "A gremlin. A devious little creature, isn't he?"
I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to calm myself down. A thin sheet of ice crept up my legs and moved up until it encased my whole body. The cold surface felt wonderful against my skin. A wintry chill blew through the trees, lowering the temperature and calming me down even more. I opened my eyes, and the feeling went away.
The Iron Prince was staring at me. "Did you mean to cover yourself in ice?" he asked.
I nodded. "It calms me down."
"Cool. So, icy chick, do you have a name?"
"If it stops you from calling me 'icy chick'," I said. "It's Alysha."
"Nice to meet you. You can call me Kieran or Iron Prince or my prince. Whatever suits your fancy." That cocky grin was back on his face.
"I'd rather not call you anything, for I don't expect to see you again. Now, if you'll excuse me." I started to walk away.
That incessantly annoying prince followed me. "Au contraire," he said. "I believe we'll be seeing a lot of each other. Elysium is in a couple of days, right? And it's going to be held in the Winter Court. Save me a dance?" He stopped in front of me.
I smiled and went around him, refusing to answer. But in my head, I was thinking. Was it possible for the future Queen of the Unseelie Court to not go to Elysium, especially when the current queen was going to announce her as the heir? The answer was simple. Mab would kill me.
Author's Note:
I apologize for not updating this. I will get around to posting more chapters, but I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo this month and won't be able to dedicate much time to this fanfic. Please understand. As soon as NaNo's over, I'll write more.