Pixie Hollow was standing mystically in the morning light, the golden splendor of the sunrise was causing the Pixie Dust tree to glow more vigorously than it would in the daylight, pixie dust flowing through the bark. Red leaves were fluttering in the air as fairies were busy doing their jobs, their wings bending with the wind as they flew to where they needed to be. Fairies were still waking up from their nighttime slumbers while the rest were eating breakfast or working. It was a lovely sight to see, and pixie dust trailed through the air with the leaves that tumbled in the wind as fairies flew around with their tasks. Queen Clarion looked down upon her land with a faintly pleased smile; all was going well in Pixie Hollow.
Pixie Hollow was a stark contrast to the outer side of Queen Clarion's land, where the other fairies, or pixies, lived, the ones not born of laughter but of crying and pain. In their areas, they controlled the death of the forest, their beauty in decomposition, death, and poisonous plants. They took their jobs just as seriously as the fairies took theirs. The death of the forest balanced life, it returned the losses back to the land for a new life to begin. They did not hate Pixie Hollow, for Pixie Hollow was the counterbalance of Outer Lands, they simply worked with what they had.
However, the King of the Outer Lands was starting to grow sick, his scratchy wings were lowering every day, and his black beetle eyes were losing the shine that reflected his love and humor. He was laying on a piece of rotten bark, a high honor for any pixie as finding a piece of bark that would not break was extremely hard to find. Surrounding the royal family were guards in insect armor, they all had their eyes trained on the king. No one else was allowed inside, but outside the tree stump were all the others from the Outer Lands. They all had plants and tributes and were waiting with red, tear-stained eyes.
As time passed, the king's laughter was harder to hear as his sickness progressed, while his firm steps and erect pose started to wither like an old rose. His heir, however, was not yet ready to become the king just yet, but just how life moves, no one is ultimately ready for unexpected events. Prince Thresh knelt over his father, tears building themselves up and threatening to fall.
"Please," Thresh begged, his voice cracking as he could not bear to look into his father figure's eyes. "You are more of a king than I will ever be."
They both knew it, but Thresh never wanted to admit it to anyone else. Declaring it was telling others he was weak, especially after the death of someone who raised him. He could not cower in self-pity, he needed to stand firm. However, he did not agree with how soft his father figure could be at times, allowing an occasional fairy to pass through the lands, despite their own inability to do the same. The pixies could only watch the birds of Pixie Hollow fly by, unable to join them. Very rarely, a snowy owl from the winter woods would pass overhead, hunting.
That only angered Prince Thresh. He longed to join the fairies, but they were banned from Pixie Hollow to prevent any mishaps during the fairies' work to give life. Anything dying a horrible death of rot and decay in minutes by a pixie would be frowned upon by Queen Clarion. But the fairies could join the pixies if they wanted, bringing flowers or plants to grow, which King Everlance enjoyed. Thresh would grind his teeth in the corner, watching a garden fairy show her skills by producing a healthy plant right before the king's very eyes. The king would plant it, and bid the garden fairy ado. Thresh would rot the plant when the king wasn't looking, seeing his own beauty in death.
"Only from experience," The king coughed. "You will grow to become a strong king. You are already a strong warrior."
With a small smile, the king's eyes glazed over, and his smile faded with his breath, King Thresh placed his hand on his father figure's chest. He stood up slowly and walked from the room, unable to stay with the one who taught him everything.
"Leave me," he choked out as he heard the shifting of armor as the guards were patiently waiting for instructions. Warm tears were flowing down his cheeks, and he did not wipe them away. "I want to be alone."
He walked up small mushrooms that made a set of stairs and emerged from the roof of the stump. Below him, he could hear the mourning of his citizens, shivering as he knew that they were his now. His father would no longer give advice or help in tough decisions, it was all on Thresh now. He hugged his knees and looked upward into the sky, fighting the urge to lose all dignity and bawl like an infant. Thresh stared at a star to focus on anything aside from his burning eyes and convulsing lungs. The one star he stared at was rather bright; it might actually have been a planet. The stars all disappeared as a large bird blocked out the stars for a second, and Thresh watched the outline of a gorgeous snowy owl glide silently overhead. He knew what he should do and hurried back inside while hatching a plan. He looked at the king and wiped his tears.
"Don't worry," Thresh whispered. "I know what to do."
He walked towards a royal Pixie who was wiping her face from tears.
"Listen to me," he commanded, and she stood fully, staring at him.
"Fly to the Mainlands, and wait there. You will know what to do when the time comes. I'll send instructions via a large crow. He'll know where you are. Good luck."
She nodded and flew out of the log. She assisted the late King Everlance, and Prince Thresh trusted her with the most classified of missions. He stared at the king.
The night sky was quiet, listening to the mournful cries of those he served.
-CH. 1
The snowy owls glided through the air, hooting softly. Sled, the fastest fairy in Lord Milori's assistance, was whizzing through the freezing winter air like a knife. Periwinkle, Gliss, and Spike watched him pass and quickly took flight, struggling to reach his pace.
"What's wrong, Sled?" Peri asked, her wings beating intensely to keep up.
"Nothing is wrong, well, for now," Sled replied, clutching a crisp, dry leaf.
Gliss gasped, eyeing it.
"Is that from the Outer Lands?" She looked amazed and shocked. "What do they want?"
Sled nodded, his eyes focused ahead on the wintery spire. "I guess we'll find out."
They flew to the front, landing on the snow and entering the frozen castle.
"Lord Milori!" Sled called out, running down toward the Lord of Winter, holding out the leaf. Lord Milori turned to the speaker, a look of mild curiosity was on his face as his eyes traveled to the sheet. Sled handed it over hurriedly, his posture straight and alert as Lord Milori read it.
'Dear Lord of Winter,
I have come with grave news that King Everlance has died. I have become the new king of the Outer Lands, and my land is small. I come to you for a treaty proposal. I am offering to become your ally, Lord Milori. Our lands can become one, and together they can expand to become a new, fresh home. You only rule one season, where I too also rule one providence. Together, not only will we have more land, but we will also have more power. Take time to think this over, as I will be arriving sooner than you think.
-King Thresh'
Lord Milori's eyes narrowed at the last line, it sounded more like an empty threat rather than a business deal. He stared in thought before deciding to speak.
"Thank you, Sled, you are dismissed."
With a nod, Sled walked out of the castle before flying away.
Tinkerbell was busy hammering a button wheel into the side of a cart, Clank and Bobble were busy holding it up. Clank was lifting it with his knees, his fingertips firmly clutched to the underside of the wagon while Bobble was pushing his whole back into it. Their stark contrast made Tinkerbell smile softly to herself as she hammed the wheel in.
With a dull thud of the hammer hitting the ground, Tinkerbell sat up, wiping her forehead.
"That should hold it! Bobble, see if it goes forward when Clank pushes it. I want to make sure it doesn't pop off again."
With a strain, Clank pushed the cart with slight difficulty, it rocked a little before rolling forward. He then eased as the momentum helped him push the cart, which moved forward.
"Thanks, Tink!" Bobble grinned as he hovered over to Tinkerbell's side, who was standing up and stretching her back.
"No problem! The rope we used was chafing against the axle, but with a Lost Thing, I was able to keep it shielded."
She smiled at her friends before a large shadow swooped over the fairies. Not a second later, the warning horn blared. Hawks.
"Take cover!" Clank called, as he and Bobble slid under a large leaf and hugged each other while staring up ahead at the massive bird of prey. Tinkerbell quickly sided in between them, watching her fellow fairies scamper to hide. Fawn was busy coaxing mice to stay in one place, rather than running for it. Iridessa and Rossetta hurried into a small tree nook, disappearing behind a bark door. Bunnies and skunks dove into hollow stumps, but the hawks were faster. With a squeak, a rabbit was grasped in the cold talons and picked up into the air.
"Silvia! No!" Fawn called, running into the open to hopelessly reach for her furry friend. It was futile, and Fawn felt tears forming in her eyes as she could hear the screams of terror coming from the bunny. The shrieks eventually vanished into the forest, and Fawn slowed, crying. The one hawk got its meal, but the rest were famished. Gigantic birds swooped to and fro around Pixie Hollow, chasing fairies with a keen eye.
Fawn gasped as she knew the all too familiar whistle of the wind created by air dashing through talons, and the sound was directly behind her and approaching fast. Adrenaline shot through Fawn's body, and she jumped into the air, her wings beating frantically to outfly her pursuer. Her body left a trail of gold followed by a large hawk, terrified fairies watched with wide eyes, and those brave enough flew out to attack the hawk to hopefully discourage the bird. They threw stones, sticks, and berries. Light fairies bent the rays of the sun to blind the falcon, but the bird was too fast for the light to catch its eye long enough, and other hungry hawks were swooping in. Iridessa, who braved herself to help, was more focused on freeing her friend, and before she could fly to her own safety, she was caught in the merciless talons of a hawk.
"Help!" Iridessa shrieked over and over, watching her home blur past as she was unable to free herself. The hawk faltered and shrieked, flapping furiously in place before releasing Iridessa, who managed to catch herself in the air, hovering before slowly lowering herself to the ground. Nyx had commanded one of her archers to shoot the bird in the eye, causing it to flee before blindly landing far off in the forest. Nyx herself was fighting another bird of prey in a bargain for Fawn's life. The bird was relentless, refusing to open its claws to swipe at Nyx, who was nimbly dodging the wicked sharp beak. She used her porcupine spear to stab at the soft neck of the bird, who was caught between flying off and ridding itself of the painful nuisance. Eventually, it had enough and released Fawn to strike at the scout, who dodged and thrust her spear right into the downy leg of the bird. It screeched, Nyx whistled, and arrows shot through the air and stuck into the feathery hide. It retreated, chirping loudly and vanishing into the woods. The others followed, woodland arrows and spines embedded in their skin.
"Is everyone all right?" Nyx asked as she hovered to the ground with her stern look, twirling her spear before sheathing it onto her back. Iridessa nodded, shivering and hugging an equally traumatized Fawn.
Clank and Bobble hurried from their hiding spot to help anyone or anything, but Tinkerbell stayed back; an odd, coppery smell caught her attention. She followed the scent and found a dead plant. It did not die on its own terms, it was still wet inside from a vain attempt to survive, but the outer flesh had rotted into a moldy black membrane. Fruit flies were feasting on it, and the sour smell made Tinkerbell's stomach churn.
"Odd…" Tinkerbell whispered, reaching to the dead plant. She thought twice, picked up a twig, and pried it. The stem broke like rotten tomato skin and oozed out tainted water, which gave a putrid odor. "This didn't die naturally."
She flew off to find her loyal and well-groomed friend, Rosetta.
In a small hollow of a tree, shaken fairies were slowly drifting out to fix any repairs to their homes, Rosetta was helping a sparrow man collect seeds that had fallen out of his basket.
"Rosetta!" Tinkerbell called out while running over; she was too close to fly. Rosetta looked up, a small, black seed was in her hands.
"Something wrong, Tink?"
"I need you to see something," Tinkerbell said hastily, a bit out of breath as she had not had to run in a long time. "You might be able to help."
"Alright, I'll see it, sugar," Rosetta soothed as she set the seeds in the sparrow man's basket. "Guide me to it, then."
The two fairies hovered over to the leaf Clank, Bobble, and Tinkerbell were hiding in. Tinkerbell gasped, the dead plant seemed to spread whatever was killing it to another tall plant with broad, loose leaves. However, it too was covered in black, mildew and rotten skin and drooping while they stared at it. Rosetta gasped, fanning herself.
"Disgusting!"
"What is it?" Tinkerbell asked, hopeful.
"Never seen it," Rosetta said, leaning over the poor plant. "But it might be recorded in the library."
Together, they zipped to the library, the wind singing in their ears as the air hummed past. Iridessa and Fawn saw them and flew over to catch up.
"What's wrong, Tink?" I asked, noticing the direction they were taking.
"We saw plant rot," Rosetta said, a twinge of disgust in her face.
Fawn waved to Vidia, who was helping blow the trails free of hawk feathers. She gave them a look and arched an eyebrow. They flew into the library, Rosetta and Tinkerbell immediately started to search for every plant book there was to offer.
"Silvermist?" Fawn asked, sounding a bit surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Silvermist was standing next to Scribble, who was busy handing her books on water.
"I found some weird taint in the river," Silvermist said in a not-too-concerned voice. Instead, she sounded just like her bubbly and kind self. "I was hoping Scribble could help me in researching it. None of the fish, tadpoles, or bugs go near it."
"We found the same thing, but in the plants. We saw only two so far, but it can spread." Tinkerbell said seriously. "We got to find out something about it."
The sun drifted through the sky as the girls researched, accompanied by Scribble, who gave and put back the books, occasionally giving advice.
"I can't find anything," Tinkerbell sighed, leaning back as she threw her hands up in frustration, which turned into a much-needed stretch.
"I think I might have something," Silvermist grinned, holding up a small pocketbook that looked reasonably worn. "It says here that pixies have a talent for death and decay, while fairies give life and health. But Queen Clarion had decreed that pixies must stay out of Pixie Hollow, for fear they may upset the balance of nature. The risk of upsetting one season can put everything out of balance, after all, remember the freeze that nearly destroyed everything from one small error?"
The other fairies nodded in agreement.
"It does make sense," Vidia said, arms crossed while she leaned against the doorway watching the group.
Everyone turned and smiled at Vidia.
"Vidia! Good to see you!"
"I'm sure it is," Vidia responded. "Well, why are you all still here? We need to tell Queen Clarion. Pixies are not allowed in Pixie Hollow."
"But if it's called Pixie Hollow, why aren't pixies allowed in it?" Silvermist asked, genuine curiosity in her soft voice. The rest nodded silently and looked at each other.
"She has a point," Rosetta agreed.
Vidia rolled her eyes.
"There are more important things at hand here."
"She's right, we need to tell the queen," Fawn said. "As soon as we can."
Vidia took the lead, passing everyone in a blur, while the rest had to catch up.
In the Pixie Tree, the ministers, Queen Clarion and Lord Milori were grouping together for a meeting. Lord Milori's owl was perched on a branch outside and hooted impatiently at the girls as they zoomed into the tree. Fawn gave the owl a brief wave, and he clicked his beak while staring ahead.
"We'll spread out, the sooner we can find and tell Queen Clarion, the better!"
"Queen Clarion! Queen Clarion!" Tinkerbell ran inside to the more intimate rooms, ones that were used for Queen Clarion's lodging or private meetings. Tinkerbell, respectively, sped walked down the hall, her chest high as she felt proud of delivering such information.
"Queen Clarion-oof!" Tinkerbell bumped into a tall sparrow man, he stumbled a bit at his back was to her, and turned around to eye the fairy. He was tall, a bit more pale than a warm fairy, and had an outfit of dried leaves and a vine belt. He reminded Tink of the Minister of Autumn, and she thought he was for a quick second. This sparrow man was wearing top and bottoms as opposed to the robes the Minister wore.
"I'm sorry," Tinkerbell apologized, walking around him while still facing him. "Wasn't paying attention."
He smiled politely.
"It's quite alright, fairy," he addressed, clasping his hands together slowly. "I am figuring out where to go as well."
She smiled back, confused, but hurried on her way. She had never seen him before, and he admitted that he did not know where to go. She would have to figure it out after she spoke with Queen Clarion.
"Queen Clarion!" Tinkerbell burst into the room, her smile freezing as the Ministers of the Seasons were there. They all turned to face her with mild surprise. The Minister of Spring jumped when she did so and shot her a glare before looking at Queen Clarion. Lord Milori flicked his eyes towards Tinkerbell then to Queen Clarion, then settled his gaze on Tinkerbell. If she had something urgent to say, they might as well hear it now.
"Tinkerbell?" Queen Clarion asked, a slight annoyance in her voice. "We are in the middle of a crucial meeting."
"Yes," The Minister of Spring entered. "Very important. Now, let us be."
"But-" Tinkerbell interjected.
Queen Clarion opened her mouth to speak, but Tinkerbell spoke first.
"Pixie Hollow has rot inside!"
They went silent. Queen Clarion sighed without a sound and walked to the table where they all were sitting. Tinkerbell followed curiously, her eyes widening. There was a rotted sapling which looked like it was deflating as the water trapped inside was slowly dripping out from a pinprick puncture. It gave a sour, stale smell.
"Does this look familiar, Tinkerbell?" Queen Clarion asked gently. Tinkerbell nodded.
"It can infect the water, too."
The Minister of the Seasons gave concerned glances, Lord Milori stayed focused on Tinkerbell.
"Water?" Queen Clarion raised her eyebrows.
The door burst open, and the Minister of Spring jumped again before glaring at Fawn, Vidia, and Iridessa, who ran in, out of breath.
"Queen Clarion! Two animals got sick from drinking the lake water! And one…" Fawn's bottom lip trembled, and her composure was close to falling. To save her dignity, Iridessa allowed Fawn to stand back and spoke on her friend's behalf.
"Queen Clarion, something is wrong. We believe pixies are trying to enter Pixie Hollow."
Lord Milori frowned, pondering something in silence. Queen Clarion looked at them.
"But why is it named Pixie Hollow if-" Silvermist began.
"They know it is forbidden to enter our lands," Queen Clarion said with an urgent tone.
"We will help find them and escort them out." Vidia waved her hand. "I'll tell the scouts to be on the lookout."
"Thank you, Vidia," Queen Clarion spoke gently. "We need them to go as soon as possible."
The fairies nodded and slowly left the room.
"We will spread this information in our seasons," The Minister of Winter said. Lord Milori nodded, and the other ministers did so as well. The meeting was adjourned, and the ministers left, the Minister of Winter looked at Lord Milori, and he gave her a wave of dismissal. She nodded once and flew to her rightful Season. Lord Milori and Queen Clarion looked at each other, nodded politely with small smiles, and Lord Milori left the room.
"Go tell your talent fairies," Tinkerbell commanded, feeling more cheerful as they all were walking down the hallway. "The sooner we all go looking, the better."
Tinkerbell's friends flew from the tree into the dying night sky, trails of fairy dust trailing behind them. Tinkerbell was still inside the tree, sauntering as she had an inkling that she needed to tell someone something. As she turned the corner and saw the sparrow man she encountered earlier, the jolt of remembrance hit her. She forgot to say to Queen Clarion of him. She turned around to retrace her steps before bumping into Lord Milori's chest. She immediately felt chilled from his cold aura that all Winter fairies had, and smelled the crisp pine forest the quick seconds her face collided with his body. It reminded her of ice skating with Periwinkle and felt a tug of wanting to see her sister again.
"Oh!" She retreated, blushing and bowing slightly. "Excuse me, Lord Milori!"
"Never mind that, now," He said. He continued to walk ahead to the unknown sparrow man. Tinkerbell turned the corner to leave and could feel that she was being watched, disappearing around the corner but stopped right outside the wall. She walked in place, making her footsteps fade as if she was walking away while rubbing her nose to warm it back up. She pressed herself against the wall to listen in, curiosity getting the better of her. She did not like knowing she was eavesdropping on the Lord of Winter, but the sparrow man intrigued her.
"King Thresh," Lord Milori announced in a low voice.
"Lord Milori," King Thresh answered.
"Pixies are forbidden in Pixie Hollow," Lord Milori said in his regular voice. Tinkerbell couldn't find a trace of anger or worry. Instead, her eyebrows raised as who she thought was a sparrow man was indeed a pixie.
"I'm well aware," King Thresh responded. "I won't stay long. Have you thought about my letter?"
"I have."
"And?"
"I will reject your offer."
"What?"
"I have no need for another ally."
"But Milori! You are missing out on a deal!"
Tinkerbell scrunched her nose, she did not like King Thresh's informality.
"I see no deal."
"We both get more land, and we can show Pixie Hollow that pixies and fairies can live together in harmony!"
"Your work is already killing Pixie Hollow. I suggest we keep to ourselves."
"But the power we can control!"
"I have enough power for what I own. I do not need more."
"Queen Clarion owns three seasons. You have one! You have so little power!"
"What I do and do not possess is not for you. Go back to your own land, pixie. Our meeting is over."
King Thresh sputtered. Judging the sounds, Lord Milori was walking away.
"Come back here, you cowardice fairy!"
The footsteps stopped. Tinkerbell held her breath. To call a sparrow man a fairy was an insult below the belt in Pixie Hollow. It was like walking to a grown man and maliciously calling him a little girl, and to the Lord of Winter, that was almost equivalent to calling Her Majesty a vulgar name and throwing garbage at her face. No one would even think of doing that. Not only that, but the male pixie ignored the Lord of Winter's title entirely.
Milori growled, and Tinkerbell could hear it. Swift, confident footsteps were growing louder then stopped, presumably in front of King Thresh.
"Clearly, you are missing a few things in the ruling of a king. You may have just become a dictator, but you need to learn much more to even be half the king your father figure was."
It was too silent, and Tinkerbell had to cover her nose to prevent them from hearing her breath. It was apparent King Thresh was thinking of what to say.
"Go home, pixie." Lord Milori spoke stonily, and the room was quiet.
King Thresh started to storm away, and Tinkerbell heard his footsteps retreating. She leaned away from the wall and digested what she heard. King Thresh wanted Lord Milori to ally with him? Obviously, Lord Milori declined, and King Thresh did not like that. Hopefully, Pixie Hollow would not have to suffer for that. She heard footsteps heading her way, and Tinkerbell slunk down the hallway the quickest she could without making a sound. She made sure she was out of his view before she heard a "Yah!" and the flutter of bird wings.
Tinkerbell decided to call it a night, flying to her house and replaying what she heard over and over again.
Tinkerbell awoke with the songbirds chirping their songs, but they sounded more mournful. She hurried outside to see a few dead songbirds being carted into a thin tree where healing and animal fairies were having an autopsy on the bodies. Tinkerbell flew to the river in panic. She could see water talent fairies doing their best to guide the animals away from the clearly poisoned part of the river. Dying plants were rotting horribly, swollen with water as they tried to function as they could, but their outside could not comply as the rot took over, forcing the plant to continually work on the inside but die on the outside. Eventually, the skin would be completely rotted, a thin membrane that tears from its own weakness, causing the water that had nowhere to go to build up inside the stem and grow and fester, causing the toxic taint to spread through the musty water. The liquid would ooze out, contaminating everything around it.
Silvermist was doing her best along with other water talent fairies to keep the water from spreading. Tinkerbell noticed some fish were belly side up.
"Hey, Silvermist!" Tinkerbell called out. Silvermist waved back, her ditzy charm was lacking. She looked tired along with the other water talent fairies working with her. Tinkerbell flew over to Silvermist's side, who was busy siphoning the poisoned water into large wooden bowls. Sweat was beading on her forehead and dripping down her pink face.
"Hey, Tink," Silvermist gasped, sweating as she forced the water to comply with her. "I don't know what's going on, but we have to drink from special water reserves."
"Oh," Tinkerbell eyed the dead fish. "And the animals?"
"Upstream. We're going to have to ask Tinker's Nook to construct a wall, something to prevent animals from drinking in this spot.
"Say no more," Tinkerbell said, Silvermistiling solemnly. "We'll make sure no fairies die from this."
Silvermist's face fell, and she did not meet Tink's eyes with her own. Tinkerbell looked shocked.
"Queen Clarion is going to address Pixie Hollow today."
Tinkerbell nodded, queasy now. She was thankful she did not have breakfast.
"I think I might visit Peri. Update her on this."
Silvermist nodded and continued to work.
Tinkerbell hurried to the Winter Season, immediately catching the eye of a border guard sitting on the bridge, who was busy fiddling with a gadget. It looked tiny, cubed, and had many movable parts. Tinkerbell wanted to ask what it was but decided to let it be.
"Hi! Tinkerbell here, um, do you know where Periwinkle might be, by chance?"
"Periwinkle? Not sure." He shook his head. "Open your coat, please."
"Why?"
"Lord Milori's orders. He decided to make sure no one is bringing any poison, either on purpose or accidentally."
It sounded perfectly logical, and Tink shed her cozy green jacket and did a slow spin.
"Accidental?"
"Hm?" He scanned her, noticing nothing dangerous, and nodded.
"How could you accidentally bring something so dangerous?"
She slipped her coat back on, gingerly allowing her wings to move through two slits she made when modifying her outfit.
"Easy framing. You swap someone's water pouch with something poisonous or slip in a vial when no one is looking. People will see you with it and automatically assume you are planning to kill someone. Lord Milori is fair, though, he does not suspect Pixie Hollow is trying to poison itself, and if you do have something we overlooked, he will hear you out."
"Wow," Tinkerbell didn't know what else to say but took note at how the Winter Season was doing what it could to stay safe. He frosted her wings, and Tinkerbell felt the warmth surrounding them. She smiled; it was like slipping into a warm house with the fireplace on after walking in the snow in summer's clothes. "Thank you!"
"Mhm."
She flew off, eyes scanning for Periwinkle. She remembered the faint scent of winter pine when she bumped into Lord Milori and closed her eyes while breathing in. Her nostrils burned from the cold, but she could smell the crisp pine leaves if she focused hard enough; she was too far from the trees to accurately detect them. Opening her eyes back up, she saw Periwinkle, Gliss, and Spike standing together.
"Periwinkle!" Tinkerbell called out before landing, panting. Her breath vanished in puffs of cloud, and her cheeks burned a bright pink. But she looked thrilled.
"Tink?" Periwinkle asked, looking at her sister with curiosity. Gliss clapped happily as Peri's and Tink's wings were shimmering.
"Hey, Peri!" Tink said briskly. "I wanted to say hi!"
The two sisters hugged, smiling.
"That is all?" Periwinkle asked, laughing.
"Well, I also hatched a little plan in my mind."
"Uh, oh," fairies mumbled.
"A plan? Let's hear it!"
"Someone is poisoning our river, and it's making everyone sick. Only one fairy died."
A lot of Tinkerbell's joy faded when saying this. Peri and her friend's eyes lowered in respectful silence.
"If you can freeze the water, we can take the poisoned parts away!"
Peri looked up, thinking it through.
"We can use the new snowmaker to give you ice. Not only that, but Silvermist and some water talent fairies can use the water to create snow."
"That could work," Periwinkle agreed, nodding slowly still.
"I'm in!" Gliss declared, knocking her fist into an open palm.
"Same," Spike said with less enthusiasm. "Whatever keeps everyone safe."
"We can ask Vidia to use her winds to push the ice out of the water."
The group started walking back, Tinkerbell taking the lead.
"That reminds me," Tink said, stopping. The guard on the bridge looked up from his cube, still fiddling with it. He made a tiny intake of breath and pulled his hand away. A little red dot slowly swelled. "I'll get Clank and Bobble to bring the snowmaker over here. Bring some ice!"
She waved to her friends, feeling a bit bad for the guard who was sucking his finger.
"Clank! Bobble!" Tinkerbell was flying around Pixie Hollow, looking around. "Clank! Bob-" She saw the snowmaker and smiled, pulling it out of the corner.
"You needed us, Tink?" Bobble asked, flying over while holding an armful of long poles.
"Yes," I need you to help me move this and create some ice."
"The Winter fairies are coming over?" Clank asked from the other room, holding a much larger bundle of poles.
"For a short while, yes," Tinkerbell said, nodding. "They can help us clear the lake from the poison."
"Clank?"
"Yes, Miss Bell?"
"I need you to help the talent fairies to get the largest, watertight basket you can make."
He hurried away, while Bobble and Tink used Pixie Dust to cover the snowmaker, lifting it from the ground and down the path to the Winter Season.
"Hey, Tink!"
Tinkerbell looked over. It was Fawn.
"Yes, Fawn?"
"Need any help? Cheese can help pull it."
The gray mouse nuzzled Fawn's side.
"Now that you mention it…"
"You alright?"
"Me?"
Periwinkle and her friends nodded. The border guard was looking paler.
"I feel fine, why?" He looked up from where he was sitting.
"You look flushed," Peri said, concerned.
"Probably just been idle for too long," the guard replied, setting his box down and stretching before cracking his back and yawning. "My shift ends in an hour."
"Well, be sure to get some rest."
"There they are!" Gliss pointed to the snowmaker being pulled by Cheese, while Tinkerbell and Bobble were at the sides. In no time, the machine captured the ice, slid it close, and Bobble started pedaling away, creating a much larger snowing radius with some improvements that were added a few seasons ago. They all waved goodbye to the guard who waved back and traveled to the river. Peri and her friends gasped, seeing the dying plants at the river, while the water talent fairies were busy purifying it the best they could.
"Silvermist!" Tinkerbell waved her down. She looked exhausted and was panting.
"I see you brought company," Silvermist chirped, but her smile vanished as soon as it came as she breathed heavily.
"Hear this out," Tinkerbell started.
"Miss Bell!" Clank called, using a large wagon to pull a massive clay pot. "I got something! Compliments to the sun fairies! They dried it in time!"
Tinkerbell beamed. The pot could hold at least ten fairies, and judging Clank's strain against the rope, it would not be easy to pull.
"Perfect! Thank you, Clank!"
"What's that for? Silvermist asked. Water talent fairies and Silvermist watched without stopping their work.
"Peri, Gliss, and Spike can freeze the poison and carry it to the basket. From there, we can take the basket far away and viola! No more bad water!"
A few fairies nodded, relieved to have another solution. Others were skeptical but did not have another option.
"Well, let's get to it!" Gliss chimed, careful not to touch the tainted water, which had an oily sheen, started to freeze it into a giant ice chunk. More concentrated areas had a dark tint to it, making it easier to see, the water talent fairies were tackling the problem efficiently.
"Say, Silvermist," Tink said to her exhausted friend. "Do you mind filling the air around the Winter fairies with lots of water? You know, like to help Iridessa make rainbows."
"Oh, yeah! Watch this!"
The water talent fairy, careful to select only clean water, lifted it into the air right above the Winter fairies.
"Now, Peri!"
Periwinkle shot her hands up, freezing the water and making it snow heavily on top of them. A pile of snow quickly collected at their feet. Silvermist gathered enough water to form into a cloud, and hovered over the Winter fairies, making it rain. Again, Periwinkle shot her hands to the sky, striking the cloud and making the rain turn into snow.
The basket was filling, and the river looked cleaner before the horns announced Queen Clarion's speech.
"Queen Clarion! I forgot she was going to speak today!" Tinkerbell flew over onto the land area where a crowd had already formed, while Periwinkle and her friends took as much snow as they could, along with the snowmaker keeping them cold.
Queen Clarion was watching all of them from the Pixie Dust Tree.
"My fairies," she started. Tinkerbell noticed a shadow moving in the tree. She thought it was Terence or Fairy Gary, but her heart skipped a little seeing Terence in the crowd. Fairy Gary was in the distance. "It is with grave news I bring that two fairies have died from poisoning." There was a solemn murmur through the crowd. "Many animals have gotten sick and died, and our healing talent fairies are doing their best to keep ours healthy and alive. Do not take water from the river, we have created our own personal reserve right here in the tree, carefully chosen, and examined by our water talent fairies. Tinkerbell now realized why the water talent fairies were on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion; they had to carry and purify along with carefully checking every drop of water transported to the Tree.
Tinkerbell walked to her sister and pointed to the brief shadow movement in the tree. Peri did not think much of it.
"It could just be a guard," She countered.
"Or a potential enemy."
"It could just be a Minister of the Seasons, Tink."
"It might not be."
"It could be Lord Milori."
"Maybe it isn't."
"Probably Nyx patrolling."
"She's over there."
Periwinkle sighed.
"Tinkerbell, it's not wise to- Tink?"
Tinkerbell was walking through the crowd, behind a tree to avoid any suspicion. Periwinkle hurried along, scooping a large amount of snow and coating her wings before frosting it, keeping the cold inside. It would not last long due to the warmth in Pixie Hollow, but it would do.
"Tink!" Peri hissed, following not soon after. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure the queen is safe!"
Tinkerbell flew to behind the Pixie Dust Tree, the voices of the fairies fading into the distance, Tink could hear Queen Clarion addressing the crowd. She flew to where the Pixie Dust was gathered, landing on the level where Queen Clarion was. Periwinkle was right behind her.
"We really should leave this alone," Periwinkle hissed again, worried. "That's what the guards do. Keep the queen safe."
"It's ok, Peri," Tink reassured. "It's not like we're doing anything bad, like going to kill- Lord Milori!"
"Wha-" Tink grabbed her sister and pressed themselves against the wall.
"Sh!" Tinkerbell pointed upward. On a tree branch, Lord Milori was walking over with a scowl. He had seen their movement and was walking down to their level. Tinkerbell ushered Periwinkle into a doorway that leads to the inside of the tree, quickly closing it behind them.
"Who is there?" Lord Milori asked, his voice closer.
"Tink!" Peri whispered. "You're making this worse!"
"I didn't know he was going to be here!" Tink whispered back, running down the hall. Why was she running? They weren't doing anything illegal or malicious. "We should turn back. You were right."
Peri nodded but grabbed Tink's arm and stopped her. There was another shadow on the opposite side of the hall.
"Lord Milori?"
Tink knew the voice. It was King Thresh. Her stomach knotted, and she ran to the nearest door, shoved her sister in, and toppled inside unceremoniously before shutting the door. She did not need to have Lord Milori find out that two fairies were running away from him and were listening in on their conversation.
"Tink!" Peri violently whispered, sitting herself up and rubbing her elbow. Tinkerbell untangled herself as well and sat up, hugging her knees.
"Sh!" Tink whispered back. "Just stay quiet!"
"Why?"
"Because we will be in so much trouble if Lord Milori found us here, especially with King Thresh."
"King Thresh?"
"The new king of the Outer Lands. His father recently died, and he wants Lord Milori to become his ally."
Periwinkle silently gasped and jumped when hearing the door in the hallway entrance. Lord Milori was walking down the hall that Periwinkle and Tinkerbell were in not seconds after.
"Don't worry," Tinkerbell reassured. "Lord Milori said no, and King Thresh seemed really annoyed, but… I don't know why he is back here again."
They stared at each other like scared children in the dark. Which, in a sense, they were.
"Lord Milori!" King Thresh announced.
"King Thresh," Lord Milori answered. "I saw someone down here. Did not suspect you to be here."
"As I did not with you. Why are you here?"
"I am listening to Queen Clarion speak about the deaths of fairies from the poison you have caused."
"Me? I can assure you I have not tainted anything here."
"Then, I will personally find who is and seek punishment that fits."
"I believe you rule the Winter season only, Milori. You are too weak to handle more than one responsibility."
Both sisters tensed.
"Lord Milori is not weak," Peri hissed, not daring to raise her voice while she glared at the door.
"Go home, King Thresh. You are not welcome here or in Winter."
There was silence, and King Thresh spoke up.
"Yes, yes, I know I cannot be here. But I want this treaty between us."
"What do you want to corrupt to gain a sense of power?"
Periwinkle pressed her ear to the door.
"It's not corruption! It's work to keep the balance with life!"
"Then leave Pixie Hollow alone."
"I will once you side with me."
"Then what?"
"Then you and I can become the greatest rulers of all time! Cold and death, we will be beautiful together!"
"Your work killed fairies and animals alike. As the Lord of Winter, I hereby ban you from all of the Winter Season."
"No! Think it over!"
"I command you to remove the poison from Pixie Hollow and stay forever where you belong."
"I will not."
Lord Milori growled.
"Do not make this harder than needed."
"Just join me, Milori, and we will become the strongest force of nature!"
"Go."
There was a growl, but not a deep, irritated vibration of one who could control his anger. This one was young, wild, and fierce in anger and young with fire. Periwinkle pulled her ear from the door, glancing her wings to make sure the frost was still coating them. Tinkerbell was looking at her wings as well, and they both jumped when Lord Milori barked.
"No!"
A deep scratch struck across the wall, Lord Milori was running over, and King Thresh laughed.
"See my power! You will regret not siding with me! Fight against me and die!"
Lord Milori's running footsteps went silent, then two loud grunts and two bodies crashed to the floor.
"Take away the poison! Now!"
"I will if you become my ally!"
There was the sound of scuffling, and Tink pushed the door open ever so slightly; a sliver of light shone in the small room. Peri leaned on Tink's shoulders to peek too, her cold hands giving Tink goosebumps.
Lord Milori was pinning King Thresh, straddling his stomach and using his hands to keep the king's arms stuck to his sides. Both their backs were to the fairies as Thresh was trying to free his hands.
"Remove the poison, or you will suffer the consequences."
"The poison in Pixie Hollow is not my doing."
"Do you wish to die prematurely?"
"I just want to be on your side, Lord Milori."
"Then, you are doing everything wrong to convince me."
"Alright," King Thresh gave in. "I'll remove the poison."
"All of it."
"Yes, yes, all of it."
Lord Milori stood up, glaring down at the rising king. Outside, everyone was applauding. The queen must have finished her speech.
King Thresh walked to a black spot in the wall of the tree, already bark was peeling away in black, mildewy shavings. Pixie Dust that flowed through naturally slowed down, eventually stopping at where the rot was. It had nowhere to go, and slowly was beginning to dam up inside the tree. Tinkerbell gave a look of pity at the tree; it was only trying to do its job.
King Thresh raised his hand, and Tinkerbell's eyes grew wide, seeing long, black, shiny claws instead of fingernails. He faced the rot on the wall, and stuck his wicked claws into the tree, causing Tinkerbell to flinch. Peri pulled her back as Tink's small actions made the door move slightly. Lord Milori didn't seem to notice, his back was still to them while he watched King Thresh lull the poison back into his hand. The rot started to fade, draining slowly as the poison under the bark was getting Pixie Hollow siphoned out. It was very satisfying, the abscess of poison drained to be replaced with what was originally there. The dammed-up Pixie Dust started to flow through again like a river getting unblocked.
"Consider this a favor," King Thresh spoke calmly.
"I consider this nothing until you go home and stay there."
King Thresh bowed, and Lord Milori narrowed his eyes. King Thresh walked away down the hall, Lord Milori watched him leave before walking down his side of the hallway. He needed to tell the guards that King Thresh was becoming a more significant threat, and showed no signs of relenting his works. With Pixie Hollow in so much danger, Queen Clarion must be informed and ban all pixies from her seasons.
"Lord Milori, look out!"
Lord Milori turned around to see Tink reaching for him from a door he had not noticed, and Thresh flying straight towards him with his poisonous hand outstretched.