Fire and Ice

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The summer court of the fae was still in the throws of the summer solstice feast, despite their queen having fallen ill only a few short days ago. The smell of fresh flowers and apple cider wafted through the air, it was a scent even a human nose would have followed to its blissful end. But not this fae. No, Demetria despised it. Her delicate nose was wrinkled slightly at the smell that assaulted it as the heels of her boots made a dull click against the warm wooden floors with each stride she took. The summer palace had never held any beauty for her. It was everything her own home in the winter court wasn’t, and was everything that humans loved about the spring and summer. The winter palace was forever scented with pine and had the same silence to it that came with a night of fresh snowfall. If not for Yule, she doubted the humans would ever have worshipped her own people at all. But here she was, approaching their banquet hall, silken hair as dark as the long winter nights swaying with each purposeful stride she took. The moment the doors opened, all the frivolity turned suddenly silent, fae grabbing hold of the ones next to them as though she were some kind of harbinger. 
“Oh please, don’t stop on my account.” Her velvety voice purred, lips pulled into a sardonic smile.

Lillian saw the sadness in Ash’s eyes, and misunderstood it as worry for her, rather than feelings he wished he didn’t have for another woman. “You’ve seen my life, right?” Lillian asked gently, gesturing to her tiny apartment. “Is it always summer where you’re from? Is that what makes you so beautiful?” She added.

Aster sighed softly, and left a reassuring kiss on Autumn’s forehead. He didn’t want her worrying about him. “Both.” He told her truthfully. “Self imposed banishment, to keep my sister from seeing just how much I love you.”

Ash laughed softly though the sadness was still in his eyes. "No. Our seasons change as well.  And except for those who guard the kingdom, the summer Fae sleep through the winter months."

"Well I'm here now too." Autumn said cheerfully. "We can stay here. We never have to go back. "

“That’s... a long time.” Lillian whispered, warm fingers reaching up to gently slide against Ash’s cheek. “You must get so... lonely.” She added, not for a second thinking that was quite the opposite while at the constant threat of war with a woman he thought about more than he should.

“Oh Princess... I wish that were true.” Aster replied sadly. “But we both know you’re brother will come looking for you sooner rather than later.”

Ash shook his head, resting his hands on her hips. "Why do you think I spend so much time with you?" He asked his human lover.

"not with our mother on the verge of death. He'll be out looking for a wife. We are safe." Autumn purred, sliding her arms around Aster's waist.

“The stimulating conversation?” Lillian teased. 
Outside the window the crow had finally stopped watching. It would soon be relaying this news back to its mistress. This would not bode well for Ash if it delivered the news before he did.

“A wife? Oh Demi is just going to love that.” Aster snorted.

Ash knew nothing of the bird. He was watching Lillian's face intently. "You haven't given me an answer and it's getting dark." He said softly. "Do you want me to beg?"

"That's what she told him to do." Autumn said with a frown. She couldn't understand why the other woman would be upset about a wife. "She even rhreatened him with it. "

Lillian’s pink lips curled into a wry smile as she looked up at Ash. “Do kings know how to beg?” She teased, tickling his ribs playfully. “Of course my answer is yes!”

Aster chuckled quietly and tapped the tip of Autumn’s pert nose. “You really are so innocent.” He teased. “Demi is in love with your brother.” No one else within the fae kingdoms knew this, it was simply something he had always felt, as her twin. “She makes all those threats to hide her true feelings.”

"Then..." Ash pulled her against him and kissed her deeply. "Pack quickly and I shall take you home as my wife."

With this secret came a rush of cold air that seared into Autumn's soul. She knew she her mother had passed. This meant so much though for everyone. She turned her back on Aster, holding onto herself in an attempt to keep the darkness inside her.

“Wait... what? Now?!” Lillian squeaked. “So... no real wedding? No...no... dress?”

“Autumn... please don’t.” Aster begged as he reached out for her. “It doesn’t change anything, only that your brother really does need to find a wife quickly. He needs to take the throne and build an army to protect your kingdom from Demi’s wrath.”

Ash shook his head, sad all over again. "There is a war coming. We do not have time for a lavish wedding. You'll have to forgive me for that." Ash felt the darkness as his sister had. He knew his mother had waited until he was gone to pass over. "we are out of time. "

Autumn nodded at this thought. "Then I have to go back...I'll have to stand against your sister's army at my brother's side. "

Lillian bit down on her lower lip and nodded, almost regretting saying yes. Why had she agreed at all? Aside from him coming to her for sex, what did they really know about each other? “I don’t have much, it won’t take long to pack a bag.” She breathed, trying not to let Ash hear how scared she was.

“Autumn, no, you can’t!” Aster insisted as he spun her round to face him again. “If you go back there... if war really does begin... you know I can’t stand against my sister, just as you couldn’t go against your brother.”

"I will prepare the others for your arrival." Ash told her, turning toward the other room. "The people will be excited to meet you." 

"then it seems we are at odds like when we were younger." Autumn said firmly. She shook her head.

“Are you really so sure about that?” Lillian asked uncertainly. “I mean... they might not want a human as their Queen... least of all a nobody like me.”

Aster sighed defeated lay, knowing they were at a stalemate. “Will you at least let me get us something to eat before we go back?”

"If I care for you, so will they." Ash said, though he didn't sound overly confident. "Hurry now."  

Autumn didn't want to leave at all. In fact she wanted to pretend the world was fading and it was only the two of them.

Lillian was already having doubts. Ash hadn’t said he loved her...
The small woman was moving around her apartment now, tossing only a few essentials into a bag before getting dressed. She honestly wouldn’t miss this place. 

“I’m taking that as a yes.” Aster told his childhood love firmly as he reached for his phone where it sat in his back pocket. It seemed without the attachment to nature that the summer court had, winter fae took far more easily to human life.

Ash already knew the news the fae in the living room mirror was giving him. He was king and time was even shorter.

Autumn's fvorite part of it all was the pizza. The steaming shower came next. And then it was Aster, his lips on hers. His leading her to the bed and laying her down as he had so many times when they were younger. They had never gone this far before however

The news had spread quickly through the kingdoms too. Ash wasn’t officially king until he was coronated. Something Demetria was well aware of as she prepared to join her mother in heading to their neighbouring kingdom to offer their sympathies. It was eating away at her that Ash would be ruler before she was.

Aster could barely breathe. This was ridiculous. He had taken countless women to his bed, so why was he suddenly so nervous? He traced his lips against the hollow of her slender throat, able to feel her pulse race as his own did.

Rhea glanced toward her daughter, her eyes dark. She had been the one to orchestrate the death of the summer king. She had plans to do it again. It didn't matter to her that the first go round had lost her her own husband. She had plans for her daughter. She'd concentrate on her son later. 
"Everything is going to go well, my dear." The darkly dressed pale woman said to Demetria. "Perhaps in a day or less, you'll be queen." 

Autumn woke before the sun rose, her heartbreaking at the idea of leaving her lover. Gently she kissed his forehead and got dressed. 
Then she stepped through the veil in the bathroom and took off running. She had to make it home before anyone knew she was missing.

Demetria didn’t share her mother’s confidence. “Aster is still missing. He is a wild card I do not relish allowing run free.” She confessed, fussing with the front of her dress, almost like she was nervous.

Aster rarely woke with the dawn, instead he usually slept through the day. It would closer to midday on this occasion that he finally roused from his deep slumber. His arm reached out for Autumn where he expected her to be beside him. When he felt nothing but the cold sheets he knew something was wrong.

Rhea turned her head as a wild haired Autumn ran past them, gasping for breath. "I'm sure we can catch a fly with honey." She purred, glancing back toward her daughter. After a moment she snorted. "It's just like Summer to wait until her children are gone to pass on. Stupid woman only cared about them. And that good for nothing husband of hers."

For a brief moment Demetria’s cold eyes almost seemed to fill with sorrow at her mother’s words, but it quickly passed. Summer truly cared for her children, and had always showered them with love. As a small child Demetria had spent much time at the summer court, her eyes opening to how little her own mother cared for her children. “We should hurry if we are to arrive before Ash takes the crown.” She informed her mother firmly.

The usual glow to Ash's skin was gone. He stood on the throne platform while a several faes stood around him adjusting his kingly robes. 
Rhea moved toward the scene, her dark lips set in a thin line. "Distract him," she ordered her daughter. "Give me two minutes to do what I came for." The hilt of a familiar dagger appeared for a split second. "Then we shall eliminate..." Rhea turned her head to watch Autumn scrambling past the soon to be king without so much as a word.

Demetria’s eyes fell upon the dagger and she hesitated. She didn’t want Ash dead... quite the opposite, but her mother was the kind of Queen to have her own blood executed for disobedience. The dark haired princess nodded once and approached the throne. Demetria noted the change on his skin, but it changed nothing; he was still so very beautiful to her. “I come to offer my condolences on the passing of your mother... Ash.” She intentionally used his name, rather than his title as she should have. They were no longer of the same station. Ash was above her... out of her reach, something that filled her with an emotion she couldn’t understand. The winter princess didn’t curtesy either, she instead held the soon to be king’s gaze, trying to understand why her gut was telling her something was wrong, and it wasn’t the death of Summer.

Ash took his time answering the winter princess. Part of it was his inability to believe her. Finally he gave her a short nod and turned to leave.
His movement seemed impossibly slow as he turned to collide with the winter queen. He didn't know what to make of the blood on her hands. He wouldn't understand it until one of the hand maidens began to scream and point at his stomach. He looked down to see a wicked looking dagger hilt protruding from his lower half.

Demetria felt what little colour there was in her complexion drain away when she saw what her mother had done. She stumbled over the layers of her dress in her haste to reach the summer prince, only the be suddenly shoved aside by an unknown woman howling Ash’s name.
“No... not like this... please don’t leave me.” She sobbed, pressed a hand to the bleeding wound with no care for the blood quickly covering her. Ash had told her to stay out of sight so long as Demetria was around, but neither of them had expected this.

Autumn was just as shocked as Demetria.  She stared at the wailing woman for a long moment before finally turning toward the winter queen and her daughter. "Get out." She hissed at them. "Neither of you is welcome here ever again!"

Demetria wasn’t budging. She was staring at the scene before her with a mixture of emotion. How could her mother have done this? Taking the 5rone was one thing, but to kill someone she had grown into adulthood with? Even if she pushed those emotions aside, there was still the troubling matter of who the wailing woman was. All these thoughts passed her by in a matter of seconds and she was soon scowling at Autumn. “You want to make this right, don’t you?” She asked coolly, snatching the bloody knife from her mother. “Then you need to apprehend me.” It was an odd thing to say, as it would seem odd that someone like Demetria, trained in combat from birth, would be taken down by sweet little Autumn, if anyone questioned it.

Rhea threw back her head and laughed. "I hardly think the waif would be able stick a hand out toward you! The very idea!" The tall dark headed woman shoved her curled hair over her shoulder. "Demetria, kill her. Be done with the whole wretched family. "

Demetria swallowed hard, her eyes imploring Autumn to act, though she knew the soft hearted woman wouldn’t. The seconds ticked by and finally the winter princess shook her head sadly. “Useless child...” She growled, thrusting the dagger to the heart of the other fae. The dagger connected with something hard, and it wasn’t Autumn’s bones. 
“Really? This is how you would take your victory?” A familiar voice hissed from behind the sudden sheet of ice that was quickly melting away. Aster was soon glaring at his sister, making it clear he would rather cross this line than side with their mother. It was a heavy price, as a traitor it wouldn’t be his life that would be forfeit, not right away at least... it would be his magick and his long fae life. Aster would essentially be human.

"You." Rhea hissed at her son. "I told you he would betray us." She snarled at her daughter. "I should have killed you at birth you worthless girl." Her black eyes were on Autumn. "I told your father you were a parasite. He didn't listen. Because he was such a fool, I killed him. Just as I did your brother. Aster, what the hell is wrong with you?"