I apologize for this long long wait but I'm in college now and life got so hectic and I really didn't intend to stay away for so long. And I give you all HUGE thanks to all who reviewed, followed and favorited this story. I'm so sorry this chapter is gap filler but I think this chapter is needed to explain the whole situation more clearly. I promise next chapter is much more exciting and will be up soon. Enjoy! Please review, follow and favorite!

As the cool and crisp autumn air slowly turned into an icy chill, heralding the upcoming winter in the mainland, warm season fairies of pixie hollow worked resolutely to help their friends in winter woods to prepare for winter. As border law dissolved some years before, many warm talent guilds traveled over to winter woods to help in whatever way they could. And this scheme proved to be absolutely excellent as many devices tinker bell built for winter fairies helped them a lot. Even Lord Milori had to admit that the winters delivered after this collaboration was far more successful than before. Also Zarina's pixie dust helped them to change their talents and maximize the crowd of a particular talent guild. But this year everything was different. Fairies and sparrow men all knew that everything was not all right in pixie hollow. Everyone were on their edge as the new arrivals without talents arrived in huge numbers as well as the guard talents, scouts, storm talents, healers and tinker talents arrived in twos or threes almost every night. Tinkers' nook was no longer enough to all new tinkers and scout talents had to move out of the pixie dust tree to a new place to provide home for new elite guards of the Queen.

Also Lord Milori had to spend almost of his time training the new arrivals that Snowflake had to overseer the preparations for winter and almost rule over the winter woods. Well, this situation didn't bode well for the relationship between her and Redleaf or the tense situation between her and her apprentice, Styria. Snowflake was tense, hot tempered and easily pissed off and any fairy or sparrow man didn't dare to be the bringer of ill news to her. Even the sight of toppled over snowflake basket was enough to make her go into a fit of anger. And the daily nightmares didn't help her condition at all. She considered talking to the Queen but after the whole medical emergency and the scare, she decided that Queen Clarion had enough to worry about. The fragile health of the Queen made the inhabitants of the Pixie hollow live with a certain dark cloud over their heads. Doubts, anger, sadness and fear of the unknown lingered in the subconscious of everyone even though sun continued to shine over the days.

Snowflake had to leave for early preparations of delivering winter to the mainland. Her talent was quite special as she could change the temperatures of autumn to winter or to winter to spring. It was this special talent along with the few winter talents she had allowed her to be the minister of winter. Styria also had the same combination of talents and the members of the 'border talents' 1as they were as often called as beside snowflake and Styria any border talent was unable to live anywhere but the autumn-winter or spring-winter borders. They lived in the winter and spring sides of the border and were the only guild that was issued permission to cross over to either spring or autumn to practice their talents. But they also got weak after prolonged exposure to heat in spring/autumn or to extreme cold in deeper parts of winter woods. So during night snowflake herself would inspect the practice hour and made sure everyone in the guild were all right. Only thing that was reassuring to them was most of their guild were born with frost talent or snowflake talent and the ones who were born in warm seasons had either animal talent or light manipulating ability. So they were easily passed as members of respective guilds. But they were mostly limited to the border area. Their practice schedules or the true nature of their talent was a secret to both winter woods and warm seasons as other fairies were forbid from crossing the border. And as the fact that there were only 10 of them was an ease to conceal their secret talent. Whole guild would leave with Snowflake few days before the autumn revelry and their talent was what made winter fairies to visit Mainland possible. Also few days before Never blossom came to full bloom, whole guild would return to Mainland to change the temperature so that warm fairies are able to travel to Mainland without the fear of their wings freezing and breaking. But as now the border law was the thing of the past, the Queen herself made sure this very important talent guild was given the rightful place in the Pixie Hollow. Snowflake was moved to tears when Queen apologized from her talent guild for the centuries of secrecy they were forced into in order to be whom they really were. Maybe it was because only she knew Queen herself had a bit of border talent.

Snowflake p.o.v

As I tried to catch some sleep before the trip to the mainland, I heard someone knocking on my door. I suppressed the urge to groan and pressed my face to the pillow wishing that the person outside the door would simply leave taking the lack of reply as a cue. But the knocking continued and I sighed pushing my covers aside and sliding down the bed. I sleepily yanked the door open, only to find the wide eyed Redleaf outside. Even before I could open my mouth he wordlessly pushed a book into my hands while moving past me into my room. My brow furrowed as I saw the title of the page opened and I looked at him for an explanation.

"You have to tell Queen Clarion". He blurted out in a single breath. "Tell her what?" I asked even though I had a clear idea of what he is talking about. He sighed as he sat on my bed. "Snow, you can't ignore your dreams anymore. They are too frequent now to be regular nightmares as you like to categorize them for so long".

"I no longer see our Pixie Hollow under attack. It's just some random place under war. Probably just because all this tension. Nothing more, nothing less". I mumbled avoiding his eyes. Deep down I know I let this to go on for too long now.

"Please Snow; let me help you just this time. You pushed me out for so long and now you are leaving tomorrow." He looked at me in a way that I couldn't say no and I knew he managed to convince me to agreeing with him by providing proof through that book he bought along. He knows me too well for he know that I need to see the logic in his reasoning before I agree into anything he says. I sigh deeply before reaching out to my clothes to get dressed to go see Queen Clarion. "Hopefully she isn't sleeping right now otherwise this is for nothing." I call back at my boyfriend as I get dressed.

Meanwhile in the Dark Hollow in the Dreamland…

Queen Regina sat in her war carriage pulled by her faithful crows, her dress made up of black fur along with her gleaming metallic crown and matching gauntlets and her finger tips playing idly with the tendrils of black pixie dust flowing. Her armies were moving ever so swiftly towards the Dream Hollow and she couldn't wait until that place is finally under her own kingdom. She turned her head to see Lord Mandrake riding his crow and commanding his own army of boggans. A cruel smile appeared on her full red lips as she imagined the downfall of her enemy Calliope, so called 'Queen' of Dream Hollow. Her own powers grew by the hour as the Mainland covered with the horrors of war2 and thousands of little children and adults alike couldn't sleep without having nightmares.

"Soon Calliope, I will claim what is rightfully mine and you don't worry I will give you the most beautiful nightmare I created" Regina laughed as thunder cracked over huge storm clouds.

P.S:

1: Also regarding border talents, they are my creation. And as a snowflake was placed in one of the toadstools during Tink's arrival, I like to put it as the symbol for border talent. I think of them as sort of head cannon. And as Queen has all warm fairy talents, border talent is no exception to her talents but it is not her expertise. I think it was the reason she didn't need a blanket until much later in the Secret of the wings until Lord Milori gave his cape to her :) 3 and she was seen draping the cape on her arm even before ice is thawed. But she cannot travel far off into winter. No border talent can unless it is minister of winter or apprentice as they are born with some of winter talents.

2: I set this story during 1914-1915, where the World War I had already begun. And I can imagine that it was the reason that many children will have nightmares instead of pleasant dreams. I remember that a fan theory was there Lost treasure being set during 1906. So if we assume secret of the wings took place in 1910 and pirate fairy set during 1912 or so. I know it seems impossible but I can't imagine other timeline to set a war to the world of fairies rather than the Great War itself. WW II seems more suitable but WWI can't be ignored.