Golden Prophecy

X X

SIR NOHX slipped through the trees as if he were invisible. The sun trinkled in through the leaves, enveloping him and the surrounding woods in the buttery glow of autumn. The air was too warm for him, the breeze lacking the bitter cold tendrils of the Winter Court.

Against his will, the thought that Andorra would like it here slipped into his mind. It would be chilly enough for her to wrap herself up in a light jacket, but warm enough that she would leave the scarf at home. She would blink up at him and smile, recalling that this was the type of weather her human parents would enjoy about their new home, as soon as the calendar turned to autumn. She would insist she was warm enough while holding his hand, but she would wear gloves, just in case the chill of his skin became too much.

The thought of her here with him went up in smoke. He shook his head to clear it of her, wishing for once that she didn't haunt him. His hand balled up into a fist angrily, as if that would be enough to expel her from his mind. From his memories.

The woods themselves were quiet, peaceful. He knew though that the Autumn Court was not the safe haven that it appeared to be. The Woodland Forest was dangerous, even for the Snow Clan Leader.

He moved from tree to tree, slipping in between them, keeping his eyes and wits ready for the moment that the cottage he sought out would appear. He let his body guide the way, knowing that he needed to trust himself in order to find the person he needed. Of course, this was not supposed to be on the docket for the day; Prince Puck was expecting him in the Winter Court Office in approximately four hours from now, and Nohx knew he would be late.

Late wasn't like him. He was punctual to a point, so much that Prince Puck had begun to scowl when Nohx appeared on time and ready. The last apprentice that Prince Puck had was nothing like the snow fae that had appeared out of nowhere. Prince Puck had not wanted to train and help Nohx lead his own clan, but there was no choice. Puck was stuck with him.

And Nohx felt the same towards the Winter Court Prince. He was a domineering man with anger issues and dark laced power that existed beyond his shadows. He was strong; one of the strongest Court Leaders to exist in Anltihamy, and yet Nohx didn't trust him. He was scheming; all fae royalty was the exact same.

The sun seemed to disappear as Nohx crouched in a shady spot of the woods, his ears trained to be alert. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew something was off. Someone was following him, or perhaps stalking.

He felt the frost of his powers rush through his veins as he listened. His body was ready to pounce, his breath non-existent as he waited.

"It should be here somewhere," came an aggravated voice. There weren't any sounds of footsteps, but the voice seemed to ring out through the space as if the stranger had yelled. Nohx felt the hairs on his neck stand on end as he found the person who had been following him.

"You're such a worry-wart. How did you manage to also lose Sir Nohx in the process?" The voice was one of the most obnoxious sounds Nohx had ever heard in his life, and he gritted his teeth in annoyance at the fact that it was Prince Puck's daughter who had been following him.

But, it was the other person that caught his eye. Prince Anders stood beside her, his arms crossed over his chest. Nohx almost let out a gruff laugh; the person who was trying to kill Andorra was nothing more than a boy. And while Nohx had glamoured himself to look more like a high schooler, there was nothing boy about him. Not like Anders.

If only Andorra had been more aware of her own age. She wasn't a child, like she believed. Like everyone around treated her to be. If those in charge actually treated her like the young adult she was, then maybe she would be making progress.