I remember how exhilarated I was as I charged through the snow after my family. I darted into the Grimwood, my breaths leaving my chest in short and excited gasps. Of course I was afraid, but curiosity and plain stubbornness won over.
I wasn't just going to hide in the basement while my parents and brother heroically ran to the rescue. I was going to be a knight. I needed to start acting like one.
The moon was high in the sky as I pulled my hood over my head, not breaking my fast stride. I struggled not to lose my balance as the deafening footsteps drew closer, causing the trees themselves to tremble.
RROOAAARR!
The noise made chills wash down my spine and my bones grow cold. I glanced upwards through the overhanging tree branches and could see the faint outline of my family's wings as they flew above me.
I was panting now, and I glanced around through the trees nervously. I had just remembered; going into the Grimwood was highly dangerous at night, and there were terrible creatures that lurked in the shadows when the sun went down. Including the woodland spirits. I shivered, thinking of ghosts looming behind the trees.
When I finally burst into the clearing, I had to bite back a scream.
There was a rotting, splintered bridge branching over two ledges, but the hideous troll that slept beneath it was missing. Years ago, Queen Mab's soldiers were able to subdue it and the enormous beast had laid beneath the bridge in an everlasting sleep. Until now. The troll was standing just a few feet away, perfectly awake. It was well over ten feet tall, with great horns and bloodshot eyes. It crouched on its four hairy green legs, growling loudly. I gritted my teeth against the noise.
Who could have possibly awakened the troll?
I jerked back as my mother, father and Hall descended down from the sky. I ducked behind a tree so they wouldn't see me. The shock on their faces mirrored mine as they gazed upon the troll.
"Damn, I don't remember it being this big." My father breathed.
The troll's head swiveled over to my family, and it let out an ear splitting howl. Her face set with determination, my mother held out her hands and blue ice shot from her fingertips. I watched in awe as razor sharp shards imbedded themselves in the troll's eye. Shrieking in agony, it reeled backwards, and my father charged towards it with his sword. He buried the blade deep in the troll's leg, and in its pain it backhanded him with a hard blow. I tried not to cry out as my father was thrown into a snowbank where he struggled to sit up again. Hall just stood there, gazing into the troll's hungry eyes with terror. My brother looked frozen, as if someone had glued his feet to the ground. Finally, I watched Hall come to his senses and open his palms, but his magic sputtered weakly between his fingers and died. The troll rounded on him. I was ready to jump out of hiding when my mother swooped in to the resuce, letting out a fierce yell. She dissolved into blinding light and morphed into a majestic snow leopard with a beautiful coat of fur and golden eyes. Snarling, my mother pounced at the troll's feet, scratching its exposed ankles with her claws.
Meanwhile, my father was beside her, dodging and slicing with his sword. My parents battled the troll like well oiled machines, their movements so precise and perfect they appeared programmed. In pure rage, the troll picked up a nearby boulder and chucked it as hard as it could at Hall. My brother barely dove away in time as the huge rock soared over his head and crashed into a tree just feet away from me. My hand tightened on my ice sword's hilt. I needed to join them. I needed to join the fight. It was when I took three steps out of hiding when a group of shadows materialized out of the trees on the other side of the bridge. My family was oblivious to the strangers lurking in the darkness, for they were continuing to attack the troll with every ounce of power they had. Hall was finally able to conjure some magic, and he blasted the troll with strange deep indigo sparks that made the creature stumble. The troll's eyes clouded over, and it thundered with a sound that seemed almost...afraid. I had never seen such magic before, and I watched in complete astonishment as the troll let out what was close to a scream. Scratching at its eyes, the beast ran over the ledge and fell into the chasm below the bridge. I didn't hear the sound of its body hitting the bottom, but I knew for certain that the troll was dead.
The troll had killed itself because it was so scared.
My eyes widened as I gaped at Hall. I realized that I had been so distracted that I hadn't noticed who the shadows really were. My gaze whipped back to the trees just as they stepped into the moonlight.
My breath caught in my throat, and I did the only thing that I could think of. I screamed.
Back then, I had never seen sprites before. I had only heard tales of how they were possessed and evil and would slaughter the fae any chance that they had. I had caught wind of how they roamed the night, longing to recapture the magic that was stripped from them. I had always laughed away the stories or claimed that they sprites didn't seem frightening at all, but the rumors were nothing compared to gazing at their faces in real life. I had never seen such savagery, such blood thirst in a being before. There were six of them, dressed in black with fangs jutting from their lips. Their long fingers twitched with anticipation as they drew towards the bridge. They were like phantoms, gliding across the snow with pale white faces and souless eyes. My jaw fell in horror when I saw the sprites' bleeding stumps on their backs where their wings used to be. The sight just wasn't natural.
My entire family went utterly motionless at the sight of the sprites, and my parent's faces filled with fury. Hall looked like he was ready to run away.
One of the sprites, a male one with tatoos crossing his arms, chuckled darkly to a figure standing next to him. I hadn't noticed the seventh person, they were significantly smaller than the others.
"Well well," He said. "You were right, little boy. Create some danger and the whole family comes running."
The seventh, small figure stepped forward, his head bent in terrible guilt.
That was when I couldn't take it any longer. I dashed out from behind the trees into the open winter air.
I thought what I saw in front of me must have been a mistake. I was staring at my best friend, the boy I grew up with and lived with and shared everything with. Diandre. And he was standing across the bridge with the sprites. My heart plummeted and shattered into thousands of pieces all over the ground. It felt like my chest was filled with broken glass. Shocked, my family whirled around and gaped at me as I stood there, trembling behind them.
"Marissa," My father whispered to me desperately. "You shouldn't be here. You need to run."
I hadn't heard a word he said. Instead I was watching Diandre, whose face was streaked with tears. He wouldn't look up at me.
"Diandre!" I shouted over the ledge, forgetting about my fear of the sprites. "What is going on?"
The tattooed sprite smirked in response.
"It was all your friend's idea," He explained, licking his lips. "He led us here to the troll bridge and awakened the creature beneath it. Sure enough, every single one of you came right where we wanted you."
The words stung with betrayal. I glared at Dinadre, wetness gathering in my eyes.
"How could you?" I hissed at him.
Diandre finally looked up, and his eyes met mine.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered.
The sprites began to cackle wickedly, and one shoved Diandre to the ground. He slammed into the snow, his face filled with shame.
My mother morphed back into her faerie form, but she still looked just as menacing.
"How are you foul monsters even here?" She growled. "You were banished from the faerie kingdoms."
The tattooed sprite grinned, flashing his pointed teeth.
"We may have been banished from the kingdoms, but the Grimwood sits right between both Summer and Winter Court." He explained. "So technically, we aren't in any kingdom."
"You scum always manage to find a loophole, don't you?" My father glowered at each sprite. I noticed his fingers twitching as if he were expecting a fight at any moment.
"What do you want with us?"
I was surprised that Hall had even spoken, but my brother's voice reeked with fear. The sprites drew closer towards the bridge.
"We have a lovely plan in order," The tattooed sprite replied. "And we're going to take what we came for."
Beside them, Diandre's eyes widened. I found myself forming a tight circle formation with my family, sensing that a battle was coming. My father's eyes were ablaze as he grasped his sword, and my mother held orbs of light in her hands as her silver hair, identical to mine, whipped in the bone-chilling wind. Hall, whose back was pressed against mine, was trembling. I found myself shaking a little too, but I wasn't sure if it was terror or anger. Diandre had betrayed me, the coward turned my family in to these awful monsters. I had never felt more cheated in my life.
"Marissa honey, this is your last chance." My mother said to me over her shoulder. "You need to get out of here and warn the city."
I shook my head.
"Not a chance." I told her stubbornly. "You're my family; I'm not going to leave you."
A chorus of howls suddenly erupted from the sprites as they charged across the bridge, brandishing swords and also bows and arrows that glittered maliciously in the moonlight. One sprite stayed behind and was holding a sword to Diandre's throat after her had feebly tried to stand and run. The sprite leaned in close to Diandre's ear.
"Now you get to watch the slaughter." She whispered, and Diandre's wings began to hum frantically as his eyes filled with horror. I held my sword steadily in front of me just like my father had taught me, and I waited for a few heartbeats as the sprites sprinted towards me, their shrieks filling the frosty night.
Thump.
Their feet thundered on the wood.
Thump.
Their lips twisted into wicked smiles.
Thump.
They crossed the bridge and into the snow.
Thump.
They were upon us.
With a loud cry, my father hurtled towards them and metal clashed with metal as he sparred with three vicious sprites. My mother and Hall were up against two more, and sparks flew into the sky as their magic pulsed out of their bodies. I ran to help my father, and with a scream I drove my blade into one of the sprite's backs. He fell to the ground, and the snow turned scarlet with his blood.
I stood still, my blade loose at my side. I had never killed someone before. Sure, The Academy had trained me to kill if necessary with tactics used in a school, but I had never truly known the gravity of taking someone's life until now. It crashed down on me. I had taken someone's existence and extinguished it completely. I knew that I should have felt horribly guilty, but staring down at the sprite's dead, cold corpse I didn't feel an ounce of regret. It hadn't felt like I had killed a true being. It had felt like I had killed a beast.
I heard a screech behind me and I whipped around just in time to see a sprite darting towards me. His tongue was lolling in his mouth, and his black robes flickered as he tackled me to the ground. I screamed and thrashed as the sprite thrusted itself on top of me, and I could smell his foul breath as it choked my nostrils.
"Get off of me!" I yelled desperately, reaching for my sword. The sprite grabbed my wrist and twisted it hard, and I cried out in agony as it almost snapped.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dinadre struggling on the other side of the bridge against the female sprite.
"This wasn't part of our deal!" He shouted, his voice spiking. "You promised me that-"
The female sprite kicked him, and Diandre sagged in her grip, his crying eyes turned towards me.
I could only watch as the sprite on top of me drew a long, slender dagger from his robes.
"How to kill you, little knight." He whispered. "I'll make you scream, first."
Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock and he burst into thousands of pieces of ice that rained down all over me. They cut through my cloak and stung my skin, and I gasped in shock. My father was standing over me, holding one hand out to me and his sword grasped in the other. I almost cried with relief.
"Marissa," He said, his face filled with worry. "Are you al-?"
In a black streak, an arrow whizzed through the air. With a light thunk, it buried itself in my father's chest, and he stood there for a moment as if he didn't quite believe it. Blood bloomed on the front of his shirt, and he let out a faint gasp as he fell into the snow.
"Father!"
I shrieked so loudly that my voice was echoed back into my ears through the chasm below the troll's bridge.
Father! Father! Father! Father!
The fighting around me seemed to have melted away, Hall and my mother's angry battle cries and the bloodthirsty roars of the sprites fading into the background. I scrambled over to my father, putting my hands over his chest where the arrow was. I tried pressing my fingers against the wound, but he was bleeding too badly, his blood coating my hands. I began sobbing.
"Father, you can't leave me!" I screamed, as his pulse grew fainter and fainter beneath me. I found my voice dropping as I held him in my arms. "You're going to be fine, we'll just all go home and you can tell me more stories about you and mother, alright?" My throat was suffocating, and my shoulders heaved as tears splashed down my cheeks.
My father suddenly reached out his hand and placed it in mine.
"I'm so proud of you, Marissa." His words were faint as a breath. "I love you-"
His body went limp, his head drooping. I could only stare at his empty eyes. They were beginning to glass over, his electric blue irises softening in front of me. My heart seemed to slow down for an eternity. My father was dead. The sprites had killed him. My father, one of the greatest knights in the kingdom, was gone forever. I was filled with an uncontrollable rage, and I sat alone in the snow, trembling. The sprites were going to pay for this. I was going to kill every.Single.One. If it was the last thing I would ever do.
"Marissa!" My mother screamed over the sound of utter chaos, and I was snapped back to reality. Through my overflowing eyes I could see her and Hall being backed up towards the bridge. They were struggling to fight back, and both of them were starting to look exhausted and frightened. Both of their wings were injured and scarred and bent at awkward angles, and I knew that they wouldn't be able to fly away. I knew they couldn't hold on for much longer.
All of my grief seemed to explode out of my mouth, and every sprite turned to look at me as I snatched up my sword and ran at them. I was wild, yelling and stabbing and slashing with my sword, killing two sprites without any mercy. My blood surged through my veins, and I didn't realize that I had been sobbing the entire time until I stopped for a moment, gasping.
The sprites had cornered Hall and my mother on the troll bridge, surrounding them from each side. They were trapped.
"Let them go!" I roared, but the tattooed sprite grabbed me by the cloak and held me in his tight grip. I kicked and punched and cursed, but he wouldn't release me.
"Now, little boy." He shouted across the bridge to Diandre. He was still being held by the female sprite, and the left side of his face was bruised.
Diandre shook his head.
"No, you can't make me do this!" He yelled back.
The tattooed sprite, with a sneer, locked his hands around my throat. I tried to scream, but my windpipe was completely blocked, so all I could do was choke. The pressure on my neck was unbearable, and I could feel my face turning red as I tried to break free.
"Stop it, stop it!" My mother cried. "Don't you dare hurt her!"
"I'll choke this girl if you do not do as I ask." The tattooed sprite told Diandre. "Now, break the ropes on the bridge."
All at once, Hall and my Mother's expressions filled with fear. They stood in the middle of the bridge, and the whole Grimwood went silent.
"Diandre..." I was able to whimper. Black spots danced across my vision. I shook my head vigorously.
He wouldn't do it, he should just let me die instead. I should die instead of the rest of my family.
Diandre went still, his jaw dropped.
"You broke the deal!" He screamed.
The tattooed sprite didn't seem to care. "You foolish boy, you're running out of time."
"Diandre," My mother called. "It's alright. You can..." She whispered something to him, something that I couldn't hear as she blinked away tears.
I felt faint all of the sudden, and unconsciousness tugged at the corners of my body. I could only watch, unable to speak or breathe, as Diandre raised his hand into the air.
No, no, no, NO!
Light gathered between his fingers, and closing his eyes, Diandre aimed his magic at the bridge. The sprites let out bloodthirsty yells as the ropes dissolved into blue light. There was nothing left to hold the bridge. For the smallest of moments, my eyes met my mother's, and she nodded at me. A faint smile crossed her lips, and she grasped Hall's hand. Then, the bridge fell.
It tumbled out of view into the infinite darkness, and I waited for what felt like hours before I heard the sound of the bridge crashing and splintering into pieces. I went limp. My lungs felt like they were on fire, but all I could do was gaze at the chasm and hope that Hall and my mother would fly out and charge into battle. But they didn't. They were dead too. My eyes traveled to my father's body bleeding into the snow. My whole family was dead.
Finally, the tattooed sprite released me, and I tumbled into the cold snow. I gagged and choked, desperately trying to breathe again as air flooded my lungs. The black across my eyes started to slowly melt away, but all I could do was lay there, curled up in the woods, hugging myself. Snowflakes drifted onto my face and settled there as the tattooed sprite smirked at Diandre on the other side of the chasm.
"I knew that you would do it." He said. "You're just as much as a sprite as the rest of us. But we didn't break your deal, little boy."
Glancing at me one last time, the tattooed sprite stalked off into the blowing snow with his comrades and vanished into the night. I was aware that there were bodies of sprites littered around me, but I didn't care. I trembled, sorrow raking through my body as my mind replayed my family's deaths over and over again. I cried harder.
"Marissa."
Diandre's voice was broken as he opened his wings and flew across where the bridge used to be. He landed beside me, and tears spilled from his gray eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Marissa. I didn't know-"
"Get away from me, you murderer." I whispered. "The sprites are right, you're just like them. And you deserve to be one."
Diandre flinched. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but instead he covered his face in his hands and ran off into the trees. I watched him go numbly. Underneath the moon and the stars, I lay in the snow until Queen Mab's armed soldiers came rushing to the scene. I don't know how long I had stayed there, unmoving and alone with silent tears sliding down my face until their voices filled the night.
"The sprites had attacked!" One yelled. "They killed one of the former knights over here."
"Look at all these bodies." Another murmured.
Footsteps drew closer to me. I gazed up at the face of a young soldier.
"There's a girl here!" He called. "She's alive!"
I found myself being picked up and held in his arms as Queen Mab's soldiers crowded around me.
"What happened?" One inquired.
"Are you alright?" Asked another.
"...They-they killed...my family." I whispered. "We have to make them pay."
A night later, Mab's soldiers found Diandre on the run in the Grimwood, and they held him a trial in Winter Court after my family's funeral. His sentence was to be turned into a sprite, but I hadn't watched as they removed his wings in front of the entire kingdom. It made me sick. As for Diandre's magic, the court provided a small piece of mercy. Queen Mab decided that since Diandre was so young, they would keep a small amount of magic still inside him, that way he wouldn't be consumed in evil like the other sprites. That small bit of magic is what kept Diandre still looking like a faerie, and not like the fanged, black-eyed monsters he became a part of. I remember that once I left the trial, I collapsed on the steps of Queen Mab's palace and sobbed. I don't know why. I thought that Diandre's fate would have filled me with satisfaction that the traitor got what he deserved. But I was only filled with unspeakable grief.
That was the very last time I had cried for years.
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