Milori sat outside the royal chambers waiting impatiently for Clarion to return. At this point he would do anything for fairy contact. He needed someone to hold and possess, someone he could use to get rid of his anxious energy.

"So, you and the princess?"

Milori jumped, "Goodness, you scared me Lali." The fairy walked down the corridor towards him. She did not look very happy, and usually Milori would know why he was in trouble, but nothing came to mind. "And yes, Clarion and I are together."

"Milori! That little girl is your goddaughter!"

"Maybe I never wanted her to be."

"You are as old as her father!"

"I was supposed to be her father," he corrected.

"Exactly my point! It's not fair to her! You don't really love her."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"She's just a copy, a few differences here and there, but that's it. Would you be with her today if she did not remind you of Siron?"

Hearing her say this pained him a little, but was she right? Milori was constantly comparing Clarion to her mother... and that definitely wasn't fair to her.

"You need to end this now before anyone else finds out. She's just a girl, and she's more innocent than you think." Lali turned to walk away.

"And why do you say that?"

"Because she's never had her heart broken." There was a pause and she let out a sigh, "No matter what you've done with or to her, she's still a little girl. Her mother is your best friend and I would think she would want you more than anything to protect your goddaughter, not use her. She needs someone who-"

"Isn't her godfather. Yeah I get that, but it's not like I was there to see her grow up. I only held her in my arms once and that was the day of her birth! Lali, the only reason I haven't been around is because I spent twenty years frozen solid under three feet of ice in a lake!"

"Milori!" a trumpeting voice called out. Milori turned to see Clarion standing just outside of the doors of the royal chamber. He wondered how much he heard. "What do you mean you were trapped under a lake for twenty years!" Her cheeks were red telling him that she had been crying.

"Clarion, it's something that we'll have to talk about later," he shot a glare towards Lali that Clarion took note of. Milori had been so happy to see the fairy earlier as if she were his own mother, but now he spoke to her as if they were mortal enemies. The fairy disappeared down the hallway. "How is Sir- I-I mean the Queen?"

"The healers can't figure out what's wrong with her, but they don't expect her to survive the night."

"I'm so sorry." Milori hugged her close and could hear her begin to sob. Meanwhile he was trying to hold back tears of his own. Siron dying never was something he took lightly of after his father locked her away. Milori had made extra sure that no harm ever came to her, but someone had to take it and it seemed perfectly logical for him to take the beatings, whippings, and lashings. Many scars littered his back.

The doors to the king and queen's chambers burst open causing both of them to flinch. There stood the king with anger in his eyes. "She wants to speak with you!"

Clarion turned to him, "Father?"

"Not you, him!" He pointed at Milori accusingly.

"Me?" Milori asked foolishly.

"Yes you! Now if you'll excuse us, my daughter and I will be waiting for you in the throne room. There are things the two of us need to discuss." He nodded and watched as Clarion was dragged away.

Milori took a step forward and entered the chambers. Like most bedrooms there was a bed, light fixtures that hung from the ceiling, wardrobes for storing clothing, a desk, and window letting in some natural light. To the far side of the room was the white sheeted bed. Milori approached cautiously.

Lying in bed was a small, petite figure. Her eyes were shut and her blonde hair that was now close to her elbows was tied back. Siron's face was pale as if it had never seen the light of day. Her lips on the other hand looked as red as blood, but he didn't think her one to wear lipstick. Milori tilted his head and noticed the cloth in her hand, it was bloody. Siron quietly coughed into the cloth and Milori understood. "Your majesty."

She opened her eyes, and a smile came across her face, "Milori, since when did you ever add the title with my name?"

"You recognize me?"

"Of course, you are my best friend. I'd know you anywhere... I've missed you."

"I missed you more."

"Where have you been?"

"Trapped under the ice for twenty years."

"TRAPPED-" she was interrupted by her own coughing.

Milori helped her sit up and held the cloth to her mouth. His eyes locked with Siron's and wiped the blood from around her lips. He leaned closer towards her and continued his delicate strokes. Their noses nearly touched and Siron whispered to him, "Kiss me."

Everything froze and Milori was at a complete loss for words. "W-what? Excuse me?"

"You know what I said," Siron wrapped her arms around his neck.

"This is wrong"

"No, I was wrong, I should have never married Teribus."

"The fact that you're married and being on your possible deathbed is definitely not the time for this." Milori moved out of Siron's grasp.

"You used to be willing to do anything to make me happy," she pouted.

"This is out of the question. It would crush Clarion, and I refuse to hurt her!"

"Oh really, well, you know Clarion does in fact remind me of someone."

"Siron, stop!"

"You know she's just a copy of me! That's why you have any interest in her at all! You really want me." Siron reached her hand out to touch his face, but he slapped it away. Maybe a little harder than intended.

"You're nothing, but a whore!"

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Siron shoved Milori back with all her might, causing him to stumble into some furniture.

The winter sparrowman groaned in pain as he got back to his feet. There was now a cut all down his arm and he could feel the blood beginning to drip from his nose. It streamed down onto his lips and he licked his lips. His fingers slowly started turning into claws and his skin was turning a sickly grey around them. Anger was building in him more and more buy the second.

Siron stared at him terrified, "W-what, are you?" With one quick movement, her throat was bloody and the crimson liquid was covering his claws.

Milori felt light headed and dizzy. He could pass out at any moment now. It felt like his body was swaying and right before he could fall to the ground he grabbed onto the nearby nightstand. Slowly his senses began to return and Milori realized what he had done. "Siron! Siron! Your majesty!" Her eyes did not open and he eventually accepted defeat and that she was gone. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he wiped the blood away from her. He

Milori let out a sigh and looked at himself in the mirror. His own nails had returned to normal. Milori wondered why it had happened in the firsts place, but didn't think much of it before because he was blinded with rage. There was blood trickling down his arm from when he was shoved.

The sparrowman made his way down to the throne room and entered. There were three thrones. The largest was the kings, and the medium sized one was the queen's. To the right was Clarion's throne. Both the princess and the king stare down at him. "The Queen, is dead."

The king's face weakened. "No! She can not be!" Teribus leaped up from his throne and ran out and down the hall.

Milori let out a sigh and looked down at his feet. He could hear quiet footsteps coming towards him and sobbing. "Milori, is this true? Is my mother really d-dead?" Clarion now stood before him.

He caressed her cheek, "Clarion, I'm so sorry."

She began to cry until she saw the blood on his forearm. Clarion grabbed his forearm, "Milori whose blood is this!"

He didn't answer.

"This is my mother's blood isn't it!" She was angry now.