A/N: Ha! The chapter is LONGER now! My goal: Make a shorter author's note. Which probably means I should shut up now. Dammit! See, my problem is I just can't seem to get when to sto-
Disclaimer time: Thankfully, I don't own the Iron fey series. Though it could use a little more Puck action, huh? ;)
Centuries and centuries ago, perhaps even a millennia or two, I had my first child.
His father I didn't care too much for. He was powerfully wealthy,and a prominent member of my court. However, he got annoying after a time. All this talk of marriage and kings. He was killed not two mortal months after Sage was born. I share my throne with no one.
Sage, however, grew to be a proud son of Winter. He was a silent fey, from the very moment he was born. Strong, and quick to the ways of the Unseelie. His wolf, the cub he had brought to court one day, never left his side.
Years later, I had an affair with another of my court. Rowan's father. Power-seeking and greedy, e barely survived two weeks after I was pronounce with child.
My second son was quite different. Arrogant and proud, not only did he catch on to the ways of Winter, but he reveled in its word games and deceits. He was manipulative, turning others' weaknesses into his strengths in the blink of an eye. Rowan was a force to be reckoned with. One slip of the tongue and you'd be dancing nude for a goblin tribe, right before they ate you.
For some reason, no one has ever mistook him for any other than my son.
Now a while after Rowan, something... Happened. Something that no one could ever expect, or predict. Ever. No one would even dream of such a thing. The very thought of it would have mortified me, or perhaps would have made me laugh at the funeral of anyone who dared mouth such insane thoughts.
I, Ruler of Ice and Snow and everything cold, queen of legends and fear, bringer of dread and despair to all who dare LOOK at me the wrong way, fell in love.
He was a noble sidhe. Unquestionable in that of lineage, although he was not the wealthiest or most powerful of them all. Authoritative, yet kind. Firm, yet gentle. How such a thing could survive in the cold depths of Winter, I have yet to imagine. He drew me in, and for all my might, I let him. Together, we were happy. Though our relationship was the deepest of secrets, we were happy.
For a time.
Faery, for all its wonders, is a cruel, cruel place. One cannot hope to e truly happy for too long before something goes awfully wrong ad shatters you. I still remember that night. A bargain with a nymph saw him traipsing into Arcadia on some suicidal mission, with no ability to withdraw. I could not follow him- what would it look like to the rest of the world? Instead, I found the nymph and brought her to my castle, only to find that he was already dead. The wretched nymph hag now remains one of the uglier pieces in my garden. Or, what's left of her.
Ash, the son of my lover, evolved to be a fey like no other. Strong, like Sage, and wise. Witty and relentless, like Rowan. As with all my sons, he was the best of hunters, and he preferred to spend more time in the woods than at court. Dutiful to his queen, and loyal to his court, Ash was a model son.
He was so like his father.
A/N: Still too short? I'd love some feedback. No rush. I don't expect anyone to review right away. I'm posting these back-to-back.
... On a small side note, does anyone else's iPhone correct "Ash" to "Ashcroft"? Just wondering.