This is my first story. Please read and (hopefully) enjoy. Reviews are welcome, but never mandatory. I rarely review, it would be unfair to expect you to.

I wish i did, but do not own Fairy Tail. Just my restless imagination.

Children of Winter

Ur. The name itself suffices to invoke a strange mixture of fear and astonishment. After all, who would not coward at the mere mention of the wizard who mastered the magical art of Ice Make at the delicate age of 14? Notorious for her awe inducing feats; primarily her Rose Garden attack, which stupefied the ferocious beast Deliora, permitting the ice mage to make a hasty escape, with life and limbs in tacked. An unprecedented accomplishment: all the more amazing given her young age of 17.

By the time of her eighteenth year, she was the most powerful wizard in the Land of Isvan. Serving to inflate the icemaker's bursting ego. If only she had learned the value of humility sooner. Then she could have avoided a whole mess of trouble.

She strutted into Ice Maker Haven a magic shop, the only one for miles, in hopes of receiving a challenging request. She had not bothered to join a guild due to the only one in her small country being 9 towns over. Magic wizards are rare in isolated Isvan. Hence the lack of guilds and need for magic shops to post requests.

She barged in through the door with a bang. Two men were chilling* in the modest shop. One behind the counter wiping the counter and the other's face fixed on the insignificant request board, sporting two papers posted with tacks.

"Any request worth my time, Levin?" She asked addressing the Storeowner. "Ur! Good to see ya. It's been awhile! Have you been?" Levin retorted. "Just peachy. Except the last job I took was way below my skill level. I want a real hard quest this time, something that equals my ability." She cockily proclaims.

Levin releases a hardy laugh. "Ur honey, the last job you took was S-ranked. And vanquishing the abominable snowman, is a task most wizards would pee themselves doing." Ur smugly smirked. "What can I say? I simply rock. " She boasted. "Your arrogance will simply be your downfall, Ur." Exclaims a white haired mage staring at the request board.

Eyes still glued to the pitiful request board. "Vastia." Ur spits as if the name were Brussels sprouts. The man ignored her for a good 30 seconds, antagonizing her frustration. Then he plucked a paper from the board, making it even more barren and sauntered over to Ur. "Ice Witch," he greeted with a nod.

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT" exported the so-called witch. "And what do you mean by 'arrogant'?"

"Meaning" began the snowett. "If you don't humble up, you're going down. You're a great wizard Ur; nobody is so foolish to contradict that. But that does not make you the best."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, snowman-hair excuse my egotism!" she caustically rejoined. "When did you become the master of humility?"

Vastia sighed, swallowing his pride he stated, "Since I don't have your magical prowess. And I know I am not good enough to except this job all on my own. So I need you to be my teammate. There are two job request posted one is finding a dog, the other purging a dark guild that set up base in the town of Windward. Wizards from the West are not to be trifled with. So I need you."

Ur was taken aback. Her rival and archenemy had just announced he needed her. Is this a joke? She thought skeptically. No, he would never swallow his pride like that not in a million years. She grinned maliciously. "Wow you want my help. Let me just saber your humiliation for a minute." 15 seconds past before Ur flatly declared, "No. Not even if Isvan melts."

"Fine, enjoy hunting down a dirty dog." He said in a sing-song voice. Ur made a face of discus took a breath in as if to say something, and then swallowed it back down. Almost there, thought white haired mage. She just needs a little more motivation. "Ya know animals love you, Remember the last time you had to chase one. How many Rabies shots did you need again? 5…10…no wait; it was 20" The ice witch winced remembering the pain. Then made a face as if she was considering between kissing a horse or swallowing a spider.

All business Ur inquired, "How much does it pay." "Take a look," he said sliding her the job. She gocked at the price and mused, Even if we split it 9 ways it would still be more then enough for a house and 5 years of groceries. "Lets go," she said grabbing her temporary teammate and marching out of the shop.

"And that concludes our story for tonight" stated Ur to her beloved children. "Mother, please continue." Pleaded her eldest Lyon. He was now ten, tall, and talented in Ice Make as his mother. A level 3, and given that there were only 5 levels of maker magic, this was a tremendous accomplishment. He was ambitious, and at times little egotistic. Just like his mom. But Ur knows her son is great, he just needs to not to flaunt it and learn to rely on others.

"Yeah mom we want you to continue," encouraged her only daughter Ultear. Thankfully, she was there to keep her onii-sama in line. At eight she is only one level below her elder brother's ability. Ur knows even at her daughter's young age she will become a true rose: beautiful and deadly. Just like her mom, her ice magic certainly shows it.

"No, sorry guys." Ur decreed. Turing her gaze downward to the sleeping bundle in her embrace. "Your brother Gray is already asleep. It would not be fair to continue with out him. Now would it?"

Gray was the runt of her litter. A Petite, delicate, and rowdy little bundle, much smaller then the average 6 year old, his maker magic paralleled his appearance: weak and fragile. This worried the 3 mages. It took a toll on his body just to make a signal ice cube. Gray, however, was as eager as he was boisterous. He continued to train along side his advanced siblings.

The endurance of Ice Make training gave him an awful case of windburn and his skin constantly stung, it did not help the training was carried out while wearing virtually nothing. Still Gray continues with the alacrity expressed on day one. For these reasons Ur and her two eldest, are protective of their adorable little Squirt. "I'm not sleepy," announced a drowsy Gray rubbing his eyes.

"Sure you're not Squirt," said Ur sweetly. She handed Gray to Lyon's outstretched hands. "I'm not tired," insisted Gray. "Its okay Gray," soothed Lyon. "I'll carry you to our room and tuck you in." Lyon was flinty, powerful, and talented A no jokes straight up kind of guy. So whenever someone saw his sheer compassion to his family, they were always amazed. "Mom, Lyon, don't forget about his windburn. We need to apply the medicine before he sleeps," reminded Ultear. It was the same with her, mature and bountiful in magic, yet, still equally benign.

"I hate that stuff." Stated s half asleep Gray. "Hate it till your hearts content, it's still going on your skin" Ordered Lyon. "Ultear run up to the bathroom and prepare the medicine, I'll carry him up and meet you there." "Right" Ultear sated with a nod, then run to accomplish her assignment. In motion She turned her head and yelled back "If you drop my little brother, you sleep with the polar bears. Got it?"

Ultear laughed at Lyons nervous expression, knowing in all Gray related matters, she was dead serious. He turned and faced his mother, "Night" he said with a smile. "Sweet dreams," responded Ur with a kiss for her two sons.

Once her children were sound asleep, she ran outside. An unknown man was spying with binoculars on her children's room. "Hi." Came a voice from above. Startled the man dropped his binoculars, and himself with them. Before hitting the ground he was incased in a cocoon of ice from in shoulders to the branch he was previously sitting on. He did not even have a chance to scream before him mouth was slapped by the voice and sealed with ice.

He hung upside down as the person spoke. " I do not care why you are here or what your sorry excuse is for spying on my kids. But if you stick around a second longer I wont give a second thought to freezing you solid. And if you come back, I promise you will suffer a demise worse then death," She hissed with venom. The with a flick of her graceful finger the ice cocoon shattered and the man staggered away for his life, not dear so much as a second look.

She rubbed her hands together, pleased to be ride of the nuisance. This happened every now and then. Some idiot, thinking himself big, decides to challenge the mighty Ur, by sneaking around and taking her out when she least expects it. Or sometimes they foolishly believe they can kidnap her children and hold them for ransom. That happened to Lyon at age 8, he returned an hour later. With his ice King-Kong lugging his bruised and battered captor.

Ur knows Ultear and Lyon could handle such wimps. Most Ice mages never surpassed level 2, and they had both exceeded the majority. It was Gray, her tiny and fragile Squirt, who she feared for. He would never be able combat and attacker and after losing both parents to the beast Deliora he could never cope with the trauma, of being separated from his adopted family.

Eyes creased by contemplation, she entered her home. A small Squirt, clutching a blanked looked at her with melancholy eyes, fighting back tears. He informed between sobs, "I had a nightmare, (sniff) that y-you w-w-were hurt a-and t-t-then (sniff) I n-never saw y-y-you a-a-again. Then O-O-Onii- Chan and O-Onee-Chan were gone t-t-too. I-I-I m-missed y-you. I w-went t-to y-your r-room and-and you w-weren't th-th-there. A-a-and" Gray burst into crestfallen cry. Making Ur's heart ache. Without a second thought, she ran to her baby, her precious little Squirt. She engulfed him in her warmth, "Shhhh. Baby its okay, Mommy is right here. Mommy is not going anywhere. Neither are Lyon and Ultear. We love you and will always be with you no matter what. "

"What is this ruckus I hear in my ear that has woken me from my slumber," inquired Lyon as he and Ultear emerged from the doorway. "Gray," shrieked Ultear, taking notice of her baby brother's tear stained face. She turned, punched Lyon hard; "Lyon I told you not to mess with him and stop spewing poetry, it's annoying" then ran to console Squirt. "Why do you always blame me when he weeps? I was asleep as you, I couldn't possibly be the cause." Stated Lyon rushing up beside Gray "Ha Ha. Right. Sorry Onii-sama. I kinda jumped to conclusions," Admitted a now sheepish Ultear. "Whatever you'll get it in training tomorrow" promised Lyon. Ultear gulped knowing far too well how powerful her brother was, especially with a vendetta.

"Regardless of that." Began Lyon, "Why are you sad, Gray? Did you see Ultear again? Her appearance is not that horrendous" Upon the joke, Gray started to chuckle. "Or maybe, you heard Lyon gloat in his sleep again, and cried from the headache" quizzed Ultear. Gray was now laughing "No. NO! It was Ultear's-" "Enough!" Reprimanded Ur. "No more criticizing each other for Gray's amusement."

Both Ultear's and Lyon's eyes fell to the floor in shame, "Sorry" they muttered to the other. Ur nodded in approval. "You better Gray?" Asked Ur. "I will be if maybe I had some cookies." Responded Squirt. Ur smile, "If you're a good boy and sleep I'll make you some tomorrow." "OK" Gray said with a cheeky smile. With Lyon on the right, Gray in the middle, and Ultear on his left, connected by hands, the siblings skipped (Ultear and Gray, Lyon just jogged) to their room. Leaving Ultear to lovingly smile at their retreating forms.

To all in Isvan, Ur was an extraordinary wizard, one of the 10 saints, a force not to be reckoned with. To her hometown of Chione, she is an overprotective and loving Mama-Bear. To her three children she is the best mom in the world.

AN: like my pun?