the beginning
❝ You're a weapon; and weapons don't weep. ❞
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𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 deep within the snow-veiled woods of the Winter Court, Caelemin was used to hunting as a means of survival. Viciously preying on what few wildlife wandered nearby and if necessary stealing whatever she could from passing merchants who strayed too close to the edge of the trees.
The forest was a labyrinth of bitter wind and frosty snow. The only good thing to come from that were the animals pulling in, wandering deeper into the woods in search of warmth. Warmth for her however was not an option.
She could no longer afford luxuries like heated blankets and padded cloaks, not even the chance to strip bark and make a fire for fear of drawing more attention to herself.
For she was on the run.
Caelemin had managed to flee the Court of Dawn and cross through the Courts undetected with a combination of stowing away in the backs of cloth-covered carriages and killing anyone who managed to catch a glimpse of her face. She knew Court guards would have already looked everywhere within the cities trudging through common marketplaces and brothels where someone could have easily stashed her away.
Now the forest had become one of their newest territories to search and they were drawing near.
She had almost gotten caught two nights ago, having drifted too far out while hunting a small doe she spotted three familiar frost blue uniforms of the royal Winter guard. She could have easily and swiftly taken them out if she hadn't been so drained of energy from lack of food and the cold temperature. So abandoning a chance of her first meal in days, she fled.
Although annoyed she wasn't surprised by their determination. The price on her head was high and the honor of catching someone who committed such a forbidden crime would not only make any guard rise through the ranks but would get them in the good graces of the Court of Dawn's malicious bitch of a crown princess; Isarea.
The person who was not only the reason for Caelemin's broken heart but the one who caused her to commit the crime she did, for feeding on the energy of another fae did not only satisfy her heartbreak but dealt a small dose of revenge.
In result Isarea was no longer after her heart but after her head.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓✩༓･*˚⁺‧͙
Caelemin had been perched up in a tree for almost an hour scouting for dinner when she heard it. The distinct sound of snow crunching under heavy boots and voices belonging to around six, the steady clanking of swords alerted her that these were not pesky hunters but guards.
Great. I can't seem to catch a break.
They were about a mile away, approaching fast and coming straight in her direction. Stifling a groan as her stiff muscles protested at the sudden movement, she began to ease down the tree. Her worn-out boots hit the snow as she moved to broaden the distance between her and those closing in.
"Wait--did you hear that?" a voice murmured in the distance.
Instantly she pressed her back against a trunk of the closest tree, concealing herself in case the armed fae notice her in their scan for the sound's source. She was about twenty feet away from them at this point but was sure that the smallest movement would alert them of her presence.
"Probably just the wind, keep moving we don't have time to stop at every sound you hear." an exasperated voice responded.
Caelemin took this as a sign to move from her rooted spot and head in the opposite direction, she began easing away slowly whilst trying to keep her movements minimal. However, her attention was so focused on the spot the quieted voices were coming from she failed to notice the root slightly hidden beneath the fallen snow.
Within one moment her foot had caught onto it and too fast for comfort her body was gracelessly falling towards the ground.
Not only had the sound of her body dropping been louder than expected but she was now in plain sight lying in front of the guards who were coincidently looking directly at her.
Just my fucking luck.
She couldn't tell if the looks of disgust were from her unwashed matted down hair and the strong scent of "wilderness" her body seemed to be exuding or the fact that they knew what shameful crime she committed.
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She knew she should start running, get as far away as possible but the opportunity to irk them was just too good to pass up.
"Now I know what you all are thinking so i'll just go ahead and answer the question on everyone's mind, yes I truly am this beautiful in person." she said sweetly, brushing a strand of dirty hair away from her face before peering up at the guards.
Using their moment of confusion to her advantage she quickly gets up and runs as fast as she could. A moment later the sound of feet were chasing after her followed by angry curses and conversations in an old language she could only make out parts of.
Well that's not tasteful.
Swerving through trees and pushing past clusters of brambles Caelemin led them deeper within the forest. Stealing a glance over her shoulder she noticed the guards had split up and were now spread out; two on her right, two on her left and two behind her. They were gracefully leaping over any obstacles and hopping to and from low hanging branches.
She decides to take a sharp right hoping to lose the one gaining up on her but, at that same moment one of the guards rammed into her side violently throwing her a few feet away against a tree. She couldn't take a moment to gather herself before she was rolling over dodging a quick punch to the face and noticing him setting up for another one.
He was a cute thing. Slim build with long dark hair, had he not been trying to kill her she probably would have let him take her to dinner. Using his size against him she kicks out her leg managing to get him in the center of his chest knocking him away enough to where she can get back on her feet and continue running.
She still wasn't at her full strength and wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. Her speed was slowing down and her kick had only caused a small amount of damage, if any.
She was beginning to lose her temper and all she could think about was embedding her nails into their chests and feeling the stickiness of their blood on her hands as she drained their energy. Her eyes glimmered bright gold thinking about all the ways she'd make them pay which caused a small smirk to slide onto her face.
If i'm destined to die here I certainly won't go out without a fight.
They were closing in and Caelemin was a second away from digging in her heels and turning around prepared for a bloodbath when out of the corner of her eye a faint glow catches her attention. Feeling a pull towards the mysterious glimmer she took a left turn running closer to it while still managing to dodge the guards who were rushing at her from all angles.
One had almost managed to snag her hair but was met with a sharp jab in the nose by her elbow.
She notices the thing that caught her attention was a rather large structure built out of various twigs and leaves while the center was glowing a soft lilac color. Although it was a forest that harbored an abundance of magic she had never seen anything like this outside of the royal district.
A portal.
While the guards were bellowing orders to stop running they were falling on deaf ears, her focus now was on the glow pulsing in the center of the circle that seemed to be drawing her in.
Perhaps it led to an escape.
A quiet place of solitude where she could just disappear for awhile and not have to worry about hiding, a place where no one was out to either kill her or break her.
Take the risk or lose the chance.
Before she knew it her foot was crossing through the glowing center and the shouts behind her had faded into silence. And as warmth eloped Caelemin she couldn't help but think that if she someday made it back she would find a way to destroy Isarea as the princess had destroyed her...
...and she couldn't wait.
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( 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞! ) hello! thank you so much for reading the first chapter, i'm sorry that it's so crappy.
i am very excited to write this story and excited for you all to come on this journey. leaving a vote or comment would mean a lot to me <3 also any constructive criticism is completely welcomed, i want this story to be the best it can be!
another thank you to @papertides for the plot