Court of Nightmares and Ruin

Chapter 1

Icelyn 

I am considered a monster in the mortal realm, a creature too vile and powerful to ever be allowed to walk in their land. Yet, here, in the fae realm of Gregorian, I am nothing more than chattel. As the firstborn daughter of the high king and late queen of the Winter Court, my sole purpose was to be a bartering tool in diplomatic negotiations between the other five courts... and I hate it.

The blizzard swirling around me threatened to snatch me from my perch high up in the fir tree, and sometimes I wished it was only that simple to end my anguish, but the blizzard was my doing. A tear slipped down my cheek and instantly froze there. The billowing storm sped up, and ice pellets roughly caressed my exposed skin. Somehow my powers are connected to my emotions, and today both are running rampant. The day I had dreaded for years was finally here, and that was why I was deep within the enchanted forest, letting my emotions run free. Was it childish to run away instead of facing my problems? Yes, but I was at least owed a moment of privacy to collect myself.

Very few fae knew of my true powers, and to be honest, I know very little about them myself. Males are groomed from an early age in the art of battle, weaponry, and, most importantly, the control of their powers, but if my father learned what I was truly capable of, there was no telling what would happen to me. A female with powers like mine was unheard of, so I kept them hidden.

Movement in the frozen brush below caught my attention, and I shifted to a better vantage point. A muted brown wolf stalked closer to the tree, and I rolled my eyes and waited. After my mother's death, my father quickly remarried, not to one of our kind but to a wretched Spring Realm royal. That was her and my father's evil spawn circling below, Ruffin, my half-brother and heir to my father's throne. I waited impatiently as he shifted back into his fae form and looked up at me. Nero, my black pegasus, whined and pawed at the snow. My brother's presence annoyed Nero as much as it did me.

"Get down from there, you worthless chit, and stop this snowstorm display. Your betrothed has arrived, and I will not allow you to meet the heir of the Summer Realm dressed like that."

Anger coursed its way through my icy veins. Oh, how I longed to freeze him in a block of ice and leave him there until the next thaw. But he was the last fae in the Winter Realm that needed to know the extent of my abilities. I had already screwed up letting him get this close, and seeing the blizzard my emotions caused. But what did it matter? I would be leaving here soon with my new husband, and I was sure Ruffin nor anyone else in the Winter Realm would think of me ever again.

I tried desperately to collect my fleeting emotions, breathing deeply in and out. Eventually, the storm within me died down, and so did the raging weather. I stood on shaky legs and jumped from the tree. I free-fell for mere seconds before Nero swooped up and caught me before I hit the ground. I grabbed on tightly to his reins and smiled to myself as he soared high above the trees, leaving a pinched-faced Ruffin in our snow dust. My racing pulse diminished slightly way up here. It was so peaceful, with the icy wind whipping through my hair. I glanced down at the ice and snow covered terrain. I was going to miss my home. I could not fathom living in a place covered in greenery and suffocating with heat, but maybe it would be better than I imagined. I had never been anywhere other than the Winter Court, so maybe it wouldn't be all that bad.

All too soon, the sight of my father's massive castle loomed in the distance. Nero loved to fly and did not want to return either. How I wished we could both fly away and never return, but this was my duty. It was what I was bread to do, so I pulled on his reins and ushered him towards my home. Within minutes, Nero gracefully landed in the courtyard of our kingdom. I dismounted and lovingly ran my hand down his thick muscled neck and cooed at him. His ears pricked back as a screech disturbed the peacefulness of the moment.

"Where have you been?! The entire castle has been desperately searching for you!"

Agitated, I looked up from Nero to see Ellie, my maid, as she barreled towards me. She grabbed onto my arm and pulled with all her might. I smiled at her antics. As a brownie, Ellie only reached my waistline, so her trying to force me to do anything was laughable. As one of my dearest friends, I played along and let her pull me ahead. I stopped, backtracked, and kissed Nero on the snout as a young elf approached him and dragged him back toward the stables.

"Look at you! We will have to take the secret passageway so your betrothed doesn't see you like this. First impressions are everything! "she continued to squawk.

I stalled next to a frozen ethereal pool and glanced at my reflection. I didn't think I looked all that bad in my riding leather and my wild hair freely blowing in the icy wind. This was who I was; it was high time my fiancé saw what he was getting into.