Cold. Dark. Quiet. That's what the world was before.

Even my demi-fae senses didn't feel like this, see like this, hear like this. Being brought up in the human realms I had hidden my alertness to my surroundings, but what I felt now couldn't be hidden. I had changed in an instant, something was blossoming inside of me that I couldn't comprehend. A power locked away for thousands of years, a power that could create life but just as easily take it away. What it was I didn't fully understand, all I knew was that one moment I was heading north, to the lands of the fae courts, the next I was struck down.

I awoke in a forest, not the same one I had been in before I fell, the noise of a far off voices alerting me. Whispers perhaps to any other ears, but to mine they were clear; not human, not fae, something rooted to the earth itself.

'wake child', voices directly addressing me, growing closer, as though brought to me on the winds.

'control the winds' the voices continued to speak to me, giving me direction. But to control the wind? How would I do that? A demi-fae I may be, but an ungifted one, it was that that had allowed me to hide amongst the humans with my father for so many years.

'feel them move with you' I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and tried to visualise the winds, tried to feel the air around me. I willed it to move, to surround me. Shock, as I opened my eyes and felt the wind, moving as I had asked, bringing with it the scents of a thousand unknown flowers, a river, of mountains. I felt it sigh in contentment, at being near me, at being held by me. I felt its happiness and willed it to fill me, to bring with it some knowledge of what had happened to me.

'a gift; it is a gift' the same voice from before whistled through the wind, an almost prophetic trill.

'Why? I have done nothing to deserve a gift such as this,' the wind merely blew around me again, willing me to stand. I moved, lifting my body of the soft grass it had been laid on, for who knows how long; as I turned I saw my body had left an imprint in the ground, as though in answer. I must have laid here for days, and nothing had stirred me. How was that possible in a forest? My new sense of hearing though, heard nothing around for miles. I should have felt life, other creatures, roaming free here, should have heard the breeze sing through the branches, but alas, none of it. Worry crept it, had my journey north been too late? Was I all that remained of the world? Had the monsters from the east indeed taken it and turned it inside out? Before I had left home, left what was left of it at least, there had been rumblings of the human queens siding with the brutes, promises of power given to them for their loyalty in this war. But I had felt their decision in my heart, what it meant for me; I would lose everything. I had never known my mother, a fae from north of the wall who had enchanted my father, stayed with him through her pregnancy, then brought me into the world and fled. My father had raised me, protected me and shielded me the best he could. A tailor in the mortal queens' realm, with just enough money to keep us comfortable. I had assisted him from a young age, honing my skills with a needle. As I had grown older he had feared what I would become, loved me through it all, but feared that I would embrace my fae heritage over my human, be cast out by society and destroy all we had built. As fate would have it, he would never have to fear, for he died before he would ever know. The promise of a war had driven him mad, his health deteriorating since the queens sided with Hybern, until he could take no more. He had left one morning, as he always did, and never came back. I waited, and hours passed but late into the night I knew. I knew what he had done. It was in that moment I realised I needed to go, to find my place in this world, and my soul knew where it should go. I knew little of my mother, other than that she was fae and was indeed from one of the seven courts of Prythian. I had no idea which, but I couldn't stand back and watch what was left of me be taken. I gathered my things and left, walking north.

I had travelled for days through the back roads, the paths less travelled as to avoid any armies or any conflict that may delay me. I moved through forests, along rivers, following the stars. It was on the eighth day that it had happened. I could feel a tension in the air, a great battle brewing somewhere between the mighty high fae, a sacrifice given, and then I blacked out.

Now waking up, I feared that last moment was something that could not be undone, something had happened greater than I could even fathom.

'a gift child' the voice said again, and then the wind flew from behind me and all at once, into me. My body, overwhelmed, fell to the ground. I cried out, not from pain, but from the sheer force of what was happening in my mind; visions of great battles, of great powers, high fae and humans alike, all flying around. I could not place these beings, these times, but I knew they were not merely recent memories, but ancient ones. Sights from the beginnings of the world, and now they were all mine. The voice did not speak from the wind any longer, but from inside of me, from the very core of my being. It had joined with my body, my soul and given itself to me. To protect it.

'onward, you must continue on' I heaved my body of the ground once more, lifting myself up on once heavy limbs that were now feeling only lightness and strength. I looked briefly down at my hands, at my body, it looked the same it always had, but it did not feel it. I walked, stepping out of the glade and into the trees, stretching my legs. I could feel a change in the world, but still could not decide what it was, my soul needing to know its place. The new part of me still urged me on and so I ambled further, deeper into the forest.

My new sense tingled as I finally saw the end of the treeline, sensing something strained. The wall. I had reached Prythian, the legendary wall buzzing before me, but not as I had expected. It was weak, barely non-existent and worthless, but I could feel a power; a welcoming power. A warmth came from it, luring me in, letting me know I had found a way to my true home. A home that the new part of my soul wanted desperately. I couldn't stop my body running towards it, sprinting to its warm embrace. As I passed through it my whole body lifted, an even stronger power hitting me than before. As I again fell to the ground, flowers sprouted. A whole garden bloomed around me and the wind once again found me, gently caressing my body. This power was even more of a gift that I had first thought, if it would allow me to do all of this. I silently thanked whatever had blessed me.

My ears pricked; finally, something else, someone else. A sound of breathing reached me, the sound of panting soldiers, sentries. They could be miles of yet, I hadn't been long enough with these new senses to know such a thing. But whether friend or foe, I would welcome them, just to hear another living being around filled me with hope. Hope that maybe the good had won, that a new world had been born and I had been given a place in it. I marvelled at the meadow grown around me, at the bright, fresh feeling this place had. Wherever I was, I belonged.

The living beings sounds grew closer, it was not just one being but three. I could feel three sets of feet walking, they were tired, but moved with purpose. Whoever they were, wherever their loyalties lay, they were here for me. I was sure of that. I moved around the meadow I had created, dancing with the wind, and waited. I could've waited hours, for I was so happy it felt like no time at all, and then they arrived. Human, whoever they were, they were human, I could smell it on them.

'Stop where you are fae,' the first man shouted; he, along with the two others, one male, one female, wore no uniform. They were dressed as any human I had known in the mortal realms, but they were equipped with weapons, a bow and arrow for the two men and a sword in the woman's right hand. 'Hybern or Prythian?' he then shouted; I supposed there was no right answer,

'Prythian, though I hail from the mortal realms', the man gave an audible sigh and nodded his head, allowing his friends to approach me. They did so without caution until the woman was only two feet from me, when my hair fell behind my ears,

'Fae, she's high fae', suddenly she lifted her sword and one of the men knocked an arrow,

'How can you come from mortal lands and be fae? Your kind were not welcome there,' the third member of the party, a man who appeared angrier than the other two, snarled at me,

'my father was human, he raised me there, I was on my way here when the war began, to assist in any way I could, ' I replied,

'then your mother was fae?' the woman spoke softly. I nodded in response. The first man, clearly the leader of their band stepped toward me; he was older than the other two, hair not yet fully grey, and the signs of ageing setting in. He reminded me of my father.

'You, my girl, are a rare one. I have never seen the like of a demi-fae in these lands, for all rumour of them. I had supposed, you should come with us,'

I trusted him, his words were plain and his eyes showed no sign of malice, though I could smell something I believed to be fear on his companions.

'if I may, sir, where is it you are headed?' , while I trusted him, I wanted to make sure wherever I was headed was somewhere useful.

'To the Spring Court'

AN:

Hello!

This is my first delve into writing fanfiction, so all feedback welcome!

I've had the idea for this story in my mind for a good long while and finally wanted to take the time to get it written down. I found Tamlin's story to be unfinished and so desperately wanted for him to be given the space and time to right his wrongs and build a life, so that's what I'm trying to do. The story is evolving and I've got a few chapters written out so will regularly be updating!

Thank You!

Please review and feedback!