What Nightmares Are Made Of

Chapter 14: Cold, Inconsiderate Winter

  “Desmond-” I started but couldn’t seem to finish.

  “You know you can ask me anything, Princess,” He replied and grinned when I scowled at him.

  I sighed. “How old are you, really?”

  “I am 98 years old.”

  “Are you serious!?”

  He grinned at me. “Of course I am, no faery can stay your age for long. Mind you, Dalsa is 92 years old.”

  “Why are fey so old?” I groaned.

  “Because we are almost immortal.”

  “So, what have you been doing in all of your 98 years?”

  “When I was 13 years old I left home and started travelling, I learnt anything anyone was willing to teach me. For years I learnt different lessons, stayed with different clans, learned nearly every language under the sun. Then when my parents let her, Dalsa joined me and we travelled from clan to clan under the Light court before settling back down with our family again. Then five years ago I was asked to become an advisor since I knew more than any 200 year old knew. And that, Ella, is what I have done with my life. What about you?”

  “Oh you know, became an orphan at a young age, had to live with humans, got picked on by everyone and got kidnapped by various bad Fey before being told I’m a Queen.”

  “Being a Queen isn’t as bad as it seems, but getting there will be hard. And remember, never give up.”

  “You’re starting to sound like the people at the old folk’s home.”

  “Did they tell you that?”

  “All the time.”

  “Then they were very wise.”

 

  I sighed, I missed them. I missed Regina, I missed Lulu and I even missed my old room. But I had to do this, for the faeries that gave me hope as a child, even though they’re nothing like those fairies.

  Abigail had stopped and I walked up beside her. She pointed to a gate hidden by snow. “That’s the Winter Queen’s house. I can’t go any further and at the gate you’ll have to leave the guards, only the strongest fey can enter the Winter Queen’s domain.” I could see the hidden memories filled with fear behind her eyes, so I knew I had to leave her.

  “Okay, so this is it,” I mumbled into the howling wind and swirling snow.

  “Princess, we can’t let you go in there alone,” The guards protested.

  “You have to stay out here, that’s an order. I have to do this alone,” I didn’t like giving orders, but I had to do this for them, “I have to.”

  The guards weren’t very happy about it but they walked me to the gate with long faces. I looked up to see a mansion loom out of the swirling snow. It looked intimidating but I couldn’t let the fear of Winter surface. I was afraid, but I had to do this. It was something a Queen would do.

  “We’ll wait out here for you, and if we hear you scream we won’t hesitate to disobey your orders,” One of the guards told me, but once he realised what he said his eyes widened.

  “It’s okay, just try not to freeze to death out here, I can’t very well find my way around the hallways of the castle so how am I supposed to find my way back there?” I smiled at them, I wouldn’t be like all those other rulers, and I wanted them to be happy I rule them, instead of them fear me.