Kierran
"What the hell happened?" Puck yelled, rushing to my side.
Without a word I carried Thorn to her room. Slowly laying her on her bed, and after Puck covered her body with the bed covers I told him. I summarized quickly what happened with the wyvern, leaving out that Thorn had been running from me before she was attacked.
Puck ran a hand through his hair. He was muttering something under his breathe. I couldn't quite hear him but thought he had said, "Not again."
I remember a story my father told me once when I was a boy. It was a love story between a Winter prince and a open-minded Winter girl. They had fell in love at first sight, but never was married or had any children. He told me that—because of a Summer—she had been killed by a wyvern. I later learned by my mother that the woman was real and the man she was in love with was Dad. I had guessed Robin Goodfellow was the Summer, and I had guessed he was talking about her.
"Thank you, Kierran," Puck finally said. "You should head back t Tir Na Nog now before it gets too late."
"I can't leave!" I suddenly burst. I didn't mean to yell, but any thought of leaving Thorn's side—even to go to the bathroom—destroyed me.
" I know you love her, Kierran, but people will suspect something if you don't show up for your parents."
I hated that Goodfellow was right. I sighed heavily and nodded. "I know..." It took all my effort to turn away from the girl I loved. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Puck nodded as if he already expected me to say that. "I'll send for you if anything changes..."
I had a feeling he meant if Thorn died, as if nothing good could happen to her. I stood, watching, Puck as I tried to understand and wondered how long the Winter woman had survived before the wound killed her. I realized Puck was very different from the man my father made in his stories to represent him. I believed it was because he was a dad himself, yet it was still strange.
When I finally got myself out of the small home I first saw the Iron horses waiting impatiently for me. I sighed and hurried to the carriage. Before jumping in I ordered the horses to take me back to the Winter court.
When the Iron horses began to turn the carriage around, Puck ran outside with dark clothing in his hand. I watched him with confusion, though I didn't show it.
"Kierran take this," Puck said once he was close enough to the carriage. "Your suit is covered in blood, and I know how difficult it is to keep a glamour for a long time. Especially with your glamour." "Oh, uh..." I hesitated to take the suit from him. As I took it, I noticed it matched Thorn's lavender dress. It made me smile and I couldn't stop myself from saying, "Thank you." Puck grinned devilishly as he replied, "You're going to regret that." "I bet I will," I agreed. Puck was chuckling as he turned on his heel and walked back to his house. I couldn't help laughing myself as I ordered the horses to continue. Electra was still outside as I got back to the Winter ball. She was passing back and forth, making a trail in the snow. Whether she was worried or angry I couldn't tell. When she saw the carriage she quickly ran to it. The horses had stopped when she was getting too close. I sighed getting out of the carriage. "You came back?" Electra asked. "I need to represent my parents, don't I?" "Oh, yes, of course," Electra said, but there was something in her voice. I didn't know what it was, but it sounded almost like annoyance. I didn't like it. "Let's get inside," I said,annoyed myself, and began walking back into ball without waiting for a reply. Electra was on my heels and right before we went into the ballroom she linked arms with me. Back inside the beautiful room, Electra and I were sneered and growled at instantly. Its what happened every time we went to a Winter or Summer event. I hated it. It didn't happen to my parents as badly since they had saved both courts. Most of the time there was only a comment or two shared between the other fey and glares from the corner of their eyes. They even hid their hatred towards Iron fey in front of my parents sometimes. It sickened me. My mom was trying so hard to make it safe for the other courts to enter the Iron court and yet they hated us more than they hated each other. I knew that because two girls from two different courts slide their fingers over their necks, pointed at me to finish the threat and high-five each other. A, cold, silky voice came from behind suddenly saying, "Well, hello grandson." Mab walked to my side. "How nice of you to come back." "Queen Mab," I greeted her with a bow of my head. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you sooner." I was afraid Mab knew what happened with Thorn and the wyvern, or worse, that she planned it. I decided the best thing to do was pretend like nothing happened. "Hello, Queen Mab," I greeted her. Mab stepped in front of me and bowed a bit for her. "You should be avoiding me, little Iron, but my son is not here." Dad was the only Iron fey Mab liked to see, or even talk to. She had two other grand kids, so I was nothing to her. "Yes, he sent me to tell you he was sorry. Queen Megan and him had too many things on their hands to leave the Iron court." "Too many things? What could they possibly need to do?" I nodded but didn't explain anything. "I see..." was Mab's last response before walking away. Electra stood by my side as she watched Mab go. She seemed very serious as she watched the Winter queen, and I found I wanted to—maybe even needed to—distract her. Bowing low and holding out my hand to Electra I asked, "May I have this dance?" Puck My daughter hadn't moved since Kierran left, her eyes didn't even twitch. I could barely see her chest rise and fall. She looked so emotion less, like a Winter, I thought. "I'm sorry, Akantha," I muttered taking my daughter's hand. "I never thought you'd be so much like her...your mother...I meant to tell you about her when you were old enough..." I looked to Akantha's face. "I guess you've been old enough for quite sometime now, huh?" Even though she couldn't respond I could easily imagine what she would say. "No, Dad, I'm just–technically—29 years old." She'd have the entire sentence covered in sarcasm. I would laugh and say, "When I was that young I was long gone from my parents." She would have rolled her eyes and gave me a human teenager response. "You're so much like humans...will you follow in her footsteps?" Ariella sacrificed herself so Ash could be with Meghan, would Akantha be the same? Would she be so pure that her soul would be able to make another fey human-like? Taking my daughters hand in mine, squeezing her cold fingers. She had always felt cold to me, it was like I couldn't feel her Summer warmth, but never did her fingers feel so cold. She felt like ice. Suddenly my door was being scratched on by, what sounded like, a dog. "What the hell?" I was slightly hesitant to leave Akantha's side before I went to open the door. The door wasn't even slightly ajar before a huge dark figure ran inside. "What the hell?" I yelled as the blur went for Akantha's room. I I ran after it and was utterly shocked to find The Wolf. He had two big paws on her bed and was sniffing Akantha's pale face. I didn't understand why he was at my house, or why he seemed worried—even scared. "What happened to her?" Wolf growled. "Wyvern," I muttered. The big dog looked up at me. "Like her mother?" I could only nod my head. Wolf sighed saying under his breath—I almost didn't hear him, "I was post to prevent this..." "What are you talking about?" I asked leaning against the door frame. "Ariella made me take an oath to protect her daughter." "When?" I asked, sounding almost frantic, caught off guard. "She knew she was pregnant with your child the day after you..." Wolf trailed dropping to all four on the floor. "I don't know how Thorn was born, but Ariella knew she was going to be. She also knew about this." Wolf looked up at Akantha. "I wish she would have told me..." I said silently. "She said she couldn't or else it would be worse." "To tell me I was going to have a daughter?" I yelled. "Would you let her sacrifice herself if she did?" I looked away from The Wolf to my daughter. "I see her point..." Though I'd rather have her here for Akantha, I added to myself. We had grown quiet for a long time. Wolf had set two paws on top of the bed again, watching Akantha it seemed. "How long has she been like this?" Wolf broke the silence. "Since Kierran brought her here," I answered. "Where is he?" Instead of looking around like a person would Wolf sniffed the air. "I can smell him faintly..." he said to himself more than to me. "I made him go back to Tir Na Nog." "Made him?" "He wouldn't leave Thorn's side..." "Wouldn't leave her, huh? So he really does follow in his parents footsteps." I looked to the big canine, but another voice said what I was thinking. "Remember, Wolf, Thorn isn't any different from the boy." Grimalkin appeared at Akantha's feet looking like the bored cat he is. "Grim, what the hell are you doing here?" I growled. "My daughter needs her rest, not you guys crowding her room." "You wanted me to find your daughter and come back with her, remember?" Grimalkin answered. I swore he was smirking. "Great," I answered sarcastically. "Now leave." "Just remember Robin Goodfellow you owe me one." Grimalkin jumped off the bed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," I kicked the gray cat lightly with the side of my foot. "Bye, bye." Grimalkin glared at me, but left without another word. Wolf though sat down as if to say, "I'm not going anywhere." I glared at the protective mutt. "Get out already." "Goodfellow, I wouldn't leave if my life depended on it," Wolf answered jumping onto Akantha's bed as if to prove his point. To add to it he laid down at her feet. "Fine, if your not leaving neither am I." Wolf laid his head down in response. Glaring at the great Dane once more I sat in a chair next to Akantha's bed. As I looked at her face, though, I quickly forgot about anything else.