Winter's Confession
Shun's POV
"Shun," Mira spoke, but I ignored her and continued to punch the punching bag hard.
"Shun stop!" She exclaimed, but I punched even harder.
"STOP!" She shouted as she now stood in front of the punching bag right as I was about to hit it and I sighed out of frustration as I turned away from her.
"You need to stop acting like this and think straight for a moment! This attitude of yours won't get Alice back!" Mira explained, but then I turned to her and spoke.
"Get her back!? I've been literally trying to save everything we once had before, but she won't believe me when I tell her I love her! She thinks I'm still lying to her!" I shouted in anger.
"She just still shocked about the whole you turning Fay for you ex-girlfriend so that you could live eternity with her. I'm sure she'll get over it in no time." Mira smirked as I groaned.
I was about to walk away from her and completely ignore her, until I felt her hand on my arm to stop me from leaving. I saw seriousness in her eyes as she continued to speak.
"Shun you may not understand, but this is a big deal for Alice. She just found out the guy she loves was previously in love with a Fay. I think she's just feeling insecure about herself and was wondering why your with her when you could happily ever after with someone who won't die like she will one day. I think Alice is probably just scared to know what you're true feelings are for her." Mira explained as I calmed down and spoke.
"I never thought about it like that before. Still she should know how I feel since I keep telling her!" I exclaimed.
"You may be telling her, but you're not showing her! You say you love her, so prove it! Make her believe that you've moved on from Fabia and that Alice is the only one for you now. If I were you I'd make it fast before it's too late. It's been exactly four days since you two took a break and now that break needs to end." Mira explained.
Mira was right, this needed to end. What still bothers me though is what Alice said. Choosing between her and Fabia. I don't know if what Alice said about me actually still liking Fabia was true, but I know I don't love her. Maybe a part of me once liked Fabia a lot, but not enough to call it love. However, in truth sometimes I find it hard to forget Fabia . . . I mean we were together for a while and she left a huge impact on me. However, I know for a fact she'll never be the one I love. Not after what she did to me. I can't forgive her just yet, but maybe one day I can. When that day comes though, we'll only remain friends. My true feelings still belong to Alice. She's always been there for me whenever I needed a friend, or just someone to talk to. She always had my back and was someone I could trust with my life. I never felt that way with Fabia and I never will as Alice is the only one for me. With that being said, I will prove to Alice how much she means to me and make her see why she fell in love with me in the first place.
Alice's POV
"Are you sure you'll be ok? You haven't been looking good the past four days Alice, what's wrong?" Runo asked concerned, but I shook my head and gave a fake smile.
"Nothing, I'm just going to visit an old friend Runo don't' worry. I promise I'll be back later ok?" I lied.
I knew she didn't fully believe me, but I knew she wouldn't stop me either as she nodded to me. As I left the café I headed to the one place I could turn to, to get answers from. I found out more about Fabia from Luke as he told me that she was the current Winter Queen after she had carried Winter's Touch with her. He refuses to go near her due to their past together, but I needed to see her. I wanted to hear her story about her and Shun. She may not like me or even talk to me, but I had to try and there's only one other person who could show me the way to the Winter Court. As much as I didn't want to ask them for help, I knew I didn't have much of a choice. Once I arrived to my destination, I knocked on the door with hope. As soon as the door opened, I saw a familiar grin appear on his their face as I frowned and crossed my arms.
"I need your help," I simply replied as their grin grew wider.
"Why should I help you when you clearly don't like me, especially after what I did?" He questioned.
"Because Fang, you owe me. You lied to Shun making him believe I was dead and for making him starve himself! So as of right now after everything you did to us, you owe me!" I exclaimed as his grin grew into a more serious one as he replied.
"You have nerve demanding my help, especially since I'm the Dark King and you know my powers and what I could do to you if you tic me off." He replied as I leaned closer to his face being bold.
"You and I know the type of person you are Fang. Yes you are the Dark King, but you a have a heart . . . sort of." I replied as he gave a small laugh and grin to me.
"You really amuse me even in the most serious and dramatic conversations we share. I just threaten you and yet you don't even react to it." He laughed.
"I know you won't hurt me Fang. High Queen's orders are for you and your court to protect me, not hurt me. Besides despite my feelings of dislike toward you, I still need your help. I want to see the Winter Queen." I explained and his facial expression changed once again as he stared at me curiously now with a hint of seriousness.
"Why do you want to visit her?" He questioned and I sighed.
"You already know the answer . . . I just want to hear her story." I explained and he slowly nodded to me.
"She may not even see you, especially since you and Shun are-." Fang spoke, but I cut him off.
"Well we're not anything . . . At least not right now." I replied as he lifted an eyebrow and grinned to me.
"Trouble in paradise?" He grinned as I glared at him as he laughed and put his hand in defense and spoke.
"Alright, I get it. Still, you're not exactly convincing me to help you." He replied and I groaned and spoke.
"What do you want in exchange for your help then!?" I exclaimed and he grinned to me widely.
I watched as he slowly moved closer to me making me take a few steps backs until we were face to face. I stared into his eyes as I saw a grin form on his face as he stared down at me.
"A favor," He smirked.
Shun's POV
"She left a while ago Shun, why are you looking for her?" Runo questioned, but I shook my head.
"I just need to talk to her." I explained, but she frowned to me and started pointing at me.
"Whatever it is you're going to talk to her about, I better not see her in tears when she comes back because I grantee with the way she's been acting has something to deal with you." She said as I didn't deny it as she only sighed.
"I don't want to see her hurt again Shun . . . She's my friend I really care about her and even you. So please don't screw it up with her ok?" Runo said as I nodded and headed out the café.
If she wasn't here, then there's really one other place she might be possibly which sickened me. As I started to walk in that direction, I felt myself suddenly stop as I realized something. Runo said she didn't want to see Alice hurt again . . . What did she mean by again?
Alice's POV
I hugged myself tightly as I felt the cold air rushing past me with each step I took. I probably should have worn warmer clothes. The air was so cold and I felt myself shivering with each passing second. I could see my breath so clearly, but despite the cold it never snowed. Winter was close, but I guess it wasn't exactly near yet. I watched as Fang stopped walking as did I as I stood behind him. I looked at him confused as he spoke.
"We're here," He spoke, but when I looked around I saw nothing.
"I don't see anything." I replied, but then he turned to me and guided my head back to what was in front of us.
"You have to concentrate a little more with your Sight. The Winter Court is always using glamour to hide their location. Close your eyes and try to concentrate." Fang instructed.
I looked what was in front of us and slowly closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate like he said. As I slowly began to open my eyes again, I told there in a gasp as I now saw what looked like Winter Fay right in front of us, armed and ready to shoot us. I watched as someone started to walk toward us from behind and when they came into view, I felt a rush of cold hair blow through my hair. It was a girl maybe a couple of years older than me emerging from the crowd as the Fay moved a side for her to walk by. I saw the grace in her air of walking with each step she took. As she came closer to us, I noticed her hair was blue and her eyes were emerald green. She wore a dark blue ball gown dress with her hair down and a little wavy. She looked absolutely beautiful as she glowed brightly and left a trail that sparkled that reminded me of winter. I watched as the Fay bowed to her presence as she came closer to us and I realized she must be the Winter Queen. I watched as Fang took a step closer to her and took her hand in his and placed a kiss on the top of her hand as he grinned to her.
"Fabia," He grinned and then I watched as he pulled his hand away and looked and saw ice lingering on it as she smiled.
"Fang, I surely didn't except to see you here unannounced." She replied as he gave a small laugh.
"Under different circumstances, I would have notified you before I came. However, today I am just here as an escort." Fang bowed slightly as she turned to me with a small smile.
"You brought a Sighted One into my court and not just any Sighted One either." She replied as she slowly walked past Fang and toward me as she stared at me intensely.
I noticed the green in her eyes glow even more up close. I saw her stop and examined me very closely. I admit its weird being here with her as she is Shun's ex, but I had to come here. I had to know her side of the story.
"Alice Gehabich, I've heard a lot about you." She spoke as I looked at her confused and gave a small laugh as I pushed my hair back behind me ear.
"You have?" I spoke and she nodded.
"Rumors tend to spread around Faery a lot, especially since the High Queen herself didn't kill a Sighted One. I take it you have made a sort of deal with her am I right?" She asked of me and I nodded.
It was a little weird talking to her about this, considering Fang is right here with me responsible for everything. I watched as she slowly placed her hand on my arm. I shuddered from her touch as it was cold as ice, but I didn't move. I saw her eyes widen a bit as she slowly let go of me and stared at me in surprise. I was rather confused of her surprise as she already knew about me being a Sighted One. Then again usually people tend to react that way when they touch me. I saw her then stare at me intensely again and spoke.
"Come, let us talk more in my private garden. No one will disturb us there. Fang do you mind if maybe you can wait here for a while as I speak to Alice? You are free to go anywhere you please, as long as you don't cause trouble for me." Fabia replied as he grinned.
"As you wish," Fang bowed again as we took our leave.
I followed her as we entered her court. I looked around amazed by all the ice and snow around us. It truly was like a winter wonderland here. I saw her nodding her guards away as we walked outside to the back of the house. We passed a few trees, until I saw her garden. My eyes widen in surprise as I saw ice sculptures and snow all around. It was so beautiful here. I watched as she lifted her hand and for the first time ever, I watched a Fay create something out of nothing with snow and ice. It looked so magical and unreal at the same time. I watched as she created two ice chairs and a table for us to sit down. Not long after another Fay came by and poured some tea for us as we sat there in silence drinking the warm tea. It was soothing in my throat and I started to warm up a bit now from the cold.
"I know why you are here and all I have to say is that you're wasting your time." Fabia spoke suddenly making me surprised and a little confused as I set my tea down.
"How exactly do you know why I'm here?" I questioned as she lifted her hand up and moved her fingers to me as she grinned.
"I have a unique gift that allows me with one single touch to read your thoughts and see your memories. Therefore I know you are here to speak to me about Shun." Fabia stated as I stared at her wide eyed as she slowly stood up and walked around her garden.
I watched as the flowers that were in bloom become frozen by the touch of her skin. I watched as she plucked the flower from her garden as it froze right in her hand. I watched as she stared at upset and sad.
"You already know the story between Shun and I, so why must it be repeated when you already know everything." Fabia questioned as she continued to stare at the flower and not me.
"Well I just want to know your side of the story. I know it's a little strange and maybe even rude to ask of this, but I just want to know the truth." I simply replied as she then turned her head to me and lifted an eyebrow to me.
"The truth?" She questioned as I squeezed part of my dress and replied.
"Whether or not you truly influenced him to love you and if you truly loved him like he once loved you." I replied as her eyes grew wide.
I take it she was rather surprised by my response as she didn't say anything for a while. I started to feel nervous and unsure if I made the right decision by coming here. Suddenly though she began to speak to me once more.
"If you can answer my question then I will tell you my answer, but only if you answer this question correctly understand?" She replied as I blinked at her a few times, but eventually nodded.
"What do you think snow becomes after it melts?" She asked.
My eyes widen a bit as she asked this question to me. It was the same question Luke had once asked me on the balcony.
"Tell me what do you think snow becomes after it melts?" Luke asked me suddenly.
"What?" I questioned as I turned to him as he still stares at the pond.
"What do you think snow becomes after it melts?" He asked once more.
I look at him confused, but then begin to think about the question he asked me. The more I thought about it, the more I realize there's really only one good answer for this question.
"It becomes Spring, doesn't it?" I replied to him.
"It's spring," I replied confidently as her expression changed to a more surprised one.
I watched as she stared at me, but then gave a small laugh as she walked back over to me and sat down again with me as she laughed.
"You really are as interesting as everyone says you are." She giggled.
I watched her expression change once more into a serious one. She didn't make eye contact with me for a while as she was thinking about something in her head. Soon she lifted her gaze to me and spoke.
"How on Earth could you have thought of that answer?" She questioned to me.
"Luke asked me that question before." I replied as she stared at me even more surprised as I continued.
"Like you he was surprised by my answer as well and responded the same way as you. However, regarding my answer I just think more to the question and answer. The obvious choice was water, but snow represents winter and after winter is spring. Spring is the beginning of new life after winter has passed." I explained.
"How meaningful, to think like that." She replied kind of expressionless.
"Thinking about it now, I believe Luke got that question from you. You must have once asked him that very same question. It must have left some sort of impact on him as he remembered the question and answer so well." I replied, but then she gave a hollow laugh and took a sip of her tea.
"Luke and I have history, but it is indeed history. You came here to talk about Shun and since you answered my question correctly, I will tell you what you want to know." She replied as she stared down into her tea as she began to explain.
"After I failed to become Summer Queen, I had carried Winter's Touch. When we first met my heart was frozen and everywhere I went or even touched the coldness would spread all around me. I felt empty and alone, with no friends or anyone to turn to. Love in general didn't exist for me anymore after Luke had abandoned me after I had failed to become his queen. When I bumped into Shun though for the very first time down the street, I felt it." She explained as if she was recalling her memories deep inside the back of her head.
"I felt pure innocence from him and a warmth I've never felt before with him. The moment we made eye contact, I as a Fay felt captivated by him. With that one touch I saw his thoughts and memories. They were full of happiness to which I was a little jealous of. Soon I started to observe him more and that's when he started to notice me more. When he confronted me, I had never felt so happy before. We had hit off pretty well and started to see each other. As we were seeing each other though I couldn't help but feel maybe a part of me was using him as a distraction from the pain in my heart Luke had caused, or if I was truly falling in love with him." She continued, but I started to feel an ache in my heart.
"When I finally told him the truth about me, I felt like he too would abandon me. Instead though he accepted me for whom I was. It was in that moment, I felt like he and I were destined for each other so much I convinced him to become Fay for me." She said as my eyes widen.
"What do you mean convince?" I questioned as her expression changed into a more hurtful one.
"You know how Fay sometimes on impulse use their influence without even realizing it. Well, although I knew a part of me maybe influencing him to fall in love with me, I just didn't care. I truly did want Shun to myself as he was so kind, caring, and gentle toward me. I wanted him to only love me, so when I wanted him to become Fay I used my influence on him. I wanted him to love only me . . ." She replied as I stared at her in a shocked and hurt expression as I squeezed part of my skirt in my hand again.
"However, I ended up making the biggest mistake that I regret even to this day. The moment he turned Fay and learned more about Fay, he had figured it out that I had been influencing him. The truth was I only influenced him when I convinced him to turn Fay. To this day he still believes everything we had been through together was a lie . . ." She explained sadly.
There was a long awkward silence between us now. A part of me knows now that she wasn't the person I thought her to be. However, the other part of now see's that it is her fault for making Shun's life like this. It's hard for me to dislike someone who was only afraid of being rejected by the one she loved.
"So you did love Shun in the end thank god . . ." I replied as she stared at me confused.
"What?" She questioned shaking her head in disbelief.
"Now actually knowing your side of the story, I now can feel a little relieved that you weren't really using Shun at all and that you really did love him. I thought at first how could a person just play with someone's emotions, especially a close friend of mines heart. I see now that you were just afraid of losing your last chance of hope in falling in love again. That's why you used your influence to make him Fay, because you were scared. You didn't want to lose him." I answered as she gave a hollow laugh and spoke looking at me now.
"I did lose him though. To the girl he had feelings for before he met me." She explained as I looked at her surprised and confused.
"What?" I questioned.
"When I first met him he had already had feelings for another girl. I was jealous of his affections toward her. I was jealous overall with her, but when I started to butt in a little more into his life he then started to notice me more. However, my fear of him loving someone other than me got the best of me even when I had already had him. So yes I was afraid and that was why I influenced him to become Fay. It was because he could be mine forever, and that . . . you couldn't have him." She answered.
As she told me of her true intentions and fear, my heart sort of ached inside now. Shun was telling the truth . . . He did have feelings for me before just like he said he did. I felt myself give a hollow laugh as I now learned the truth about Shun, Fabia, and I. She was jealous of me because of how Shun liked. She was jealous because of our growing relationship of friends, to being more then friends. So it was all because of her jealousy toward me, that everything is the way it is now. I just couldn't believe it. As I stared her with a hurt expression I saw her avoiding my gaze as she looked to her garden instead. I wanted to scream at her and get angry with her, but I just couldn't find it in my heart to do that to her because in truth I felt sorry for her. To go through what she did and went through . . . I just couldn't be angry at her like I'd like too.
"Thank you for you honesty Fabia. It was very kind of you. You really do have a warm heart." I spoke as she then turned to me and gave a small laugh.
"You want to thank me after everything I told you? I took Shun away from you Alice and your thanking me!" She exclaimed.
"What you went through wasn't fair. You got hurt in love and believed it didn't exist. When you thought you finally found it again with Shun, I was glad to hear that because now I know that Shun won't be hurt in being in love again since you truly didn't use him! I'm glad because now I can see that the girl he once love wasn't as bad as I thought she was." I replied with a small sad yet happy smile to her.
I watched as she stared at me in disbelief, until after a few moments she started to break down into laughter much to my surprise as she then began to speak to me.
"You know you're making it hard for me to hate you Alice." She replied with a genuine smile as I gave one back to her.
. . . . .
"Thank you for letting me speak with you today. Although it was a little weird at first, I actually was enjoying myself." I spoke as she nodded.
"I enjoyed your company as well, despite the circumstances. I believe Fang should be just outside the front door." She replied as I nodded and started to walk away, until I stopped and turned to her as I saw her staring at me.
"May I say something?" I asked of her as she stared at me confused, but slowly nodded.
"I know you got hurt and I'm not trying to defend Luke at all, but I think he was hurt as well. You don't have to reply or say anything, but I believe he really did love you and wished for you to be his Summer Queen. After all you seemed to have left an impression on him with your question." I replied, but her expression didn't change.
Without anything left to say I started to walk toward the door and just as I opened it, I heard her speak from behind me.
"Tell Shun, I am sorry that things didn't work out between us. And that it's thanks to him that I might start to believe in love again. As for the Summer King . . . nothing will ever change between us since our courts are opposite and that we insure one does not become more powerful than the other. Which makes us sole enemies and that will never change." Fabia replied with a determine look.
I turned my head slightly to her and gave a small nod as I exited her court. Like she said, Fang was indeed waiting for me outside. I saw him grin toward me as I walked over to him and saw him smoking and then spoke.
"You never cease to amazing me. You convinced the four main courts plus the Solitary to help you in some sort of fashion. What is your secret?" He grinned and I shrugged my shoulders.
"I guess that's why I'm a Sighted One." I replied with a small laugh as he grinned and laughed as well.