We end up outside of a door I don’t recognize, and I eye him curiously. He just grins at me before opening the door and rushing inside. The room is actually the base of a tower, with a steep spiral staircase winding up to the top.
“You woke me up to climb all these stairs?” I joke. He gives me a look that clearly portrays how little he believes my whining and I chuckle. “Fine, race you!”
I take off at a run, going as fast as my short legs can take me. I hear Wyn bark out a laugh behind me and the thumping of his feet on the stairs lets me know he took the challenge. I love a good competition, and I let that urge me on. When he starts to catch up, I start to zigzag at random, which takes longer but doesn’t give him a chance to pass me. A trick I learned from racing Bowen too many times to count. My Spring King loves a good chase.
“Cheater!” he yells, attempting a stern voice. I giggle, but my running starts to slow as my body reminds me that I’ve been through hell. How many stories up is this damn tower?!
“Can we call it a tie and be done running, I might die," I wheeze out dramatically.
“Oh, thank the Gods. I didn’t want to be the one to back out first, but my legs went numb around one hundred stairs ago," he whines, and I bust out laughing at his ridiculous words. My spirit is lighter than it’s felt since waking up.
By the time we make it to the top my legs feel like jelly. The door opens to the rooftop. It’s thankfully not covered in snow, but the frigid air has me shivering violently. I’m definitely not dressed for this.
“I thought ahead," Gerwyn says softly, pressing his cool lips onto mine as he drapes a thick cloak around my shoulders. Somehow, I didn’t notice that he had one on him this whole time. He pulls the hood over my head and fastens the neck clasp. The moment he does, an unexpected warmth envelops me, and I sigh in relief.
“Thank you, Wyn. This is amazing," I say, giving him a quick hug. “Now why are we on the rooftop? It’s still dark outside.” The stars and moon are reflecting a soft light onto the ground below, but not enough to truly take it in. But I bet winter is gorgeous from up here.
“I wanted to show you one of my favorite parts about living in the Court of Winter. The sunrise here is magical," he gushes, guiding me over to the edge and pulling me into his lap as he sits down. I snuggle my back against his chest and stare off into the distance, content to enjoy the stars fo
r a moment.
Wyn seems to have timed it perfectly. The stars start to fade from our view as the sun comes up. As it starts to rise, the whole landscape seems to glow in an array of colors. The intense and bright colors of Faerie brighten with the early morning rays and it’s the most breathtaking view I’ve ever taken in.
The white snow glitters under the warm rays of the morning sun, in a kaleidoscope of iridescent colors. When I first laid eyes on Winter, I thought everything here was mainly white, but from up here I can see how wrong I was. The bright green branches of the trees, the blue and red flowers that grow around the castle grounds, the purple and charcoal gray stone in the mountains all give colorful contrast to the white of the snow. I even spot a lake in the distance we couldn't see from the ground, with teal algae reflecting brightly across the thin sheet of ice covering the lake. Each time I turn my gaze, another new sight catches my eye. I can’t wait to actually explore each land someday, see it grow and change as we breathe life back into it.
“It’s amazing," I whisper emphatically, basking in the beauty I never thought I’d find in the Winter Court.
He grins and pulls me with him as he stands so I can see better over the edge of the tower railing. Now that the sun is fully rising, the colors are even more visible. As the world brightens, the colors seem to dull down to what I’m used to. It’s still picturesque, but nothing will top how magical it was during the start of sunrise.
Seeing Wyn so happy and at peace as he stares into the distance makes it even better. He rarely gets moments of pure joy like this, we’ve been jumping from one chaotic mess to the next since meeting. It’s nice to just have a moment together with no stress or worry.
Having a king from each court seemed intimidating at first. Now that I know them better and get to see the love Bo and Gerwyn each have for their home court, it truly makes sense why the Faeries chose that. They’ll only help balance Faerie, ensuring each court gets the love and appreciation it should.
Gerwyn leans down and kisses my temple. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’d follow you anywhere Gerwyn,” I say softly.
“Maybe make sure it’s actually me first,” he teases before letting out a sigh and giving the world around us one last look. “We should head back before the others worry."
As we descended the endless staircase, a thought pops into my head. “Do you think we could find a way to create a portal that connects each castle to the others? It would allow you guys to live in your lands if you chose, and I could travel to all of them without slowly traversing the land each time. I’m not sure I could handle not seeing you guys for long periods of time like that.” He frowns and I quickly offer an alternative. “Or if you guys would rather, we could all live in the Neutral Lands and travel to the other courts when we’re needed. I just think having a presence in each of the courts would really help.”
He falls silent after I finish rambling, hopefully thinking through my ideas. My heart clenches at his hesitation to answer. What if they don’t want to all live together. At this point I think I would get lonely without the four of them with me throughout the day.
“Portals aren’t easy, but if anyone could research it, I would say Andras could. The idea has merit, but I don’t think Emrick will go for living apart," he says with a chuckle. “Nor will I.”
“Thank the Spirits because I hated that thought. Did you guys live together on Earth as well?” I ask, curious about their life before I met them. The reality that we don’t know each other very well, other than our personalities, hits me hard sometimes. Now being one of those times.
Most of our time together has been so full of challenges and trials that we don’t get much of a chance for the small things. It makes me feel like a bad mate that I don't know the small things about them.
That changes now, I reassure myself. I will become a worthy Queen and a worthy wife to them someday. They go out of their way to make me feel comfortable and safe, I want them to get the same treatment as well.
“We did. Maddox and Bowen both had gems we traded for money. We made an insane amount from that alone. We found a house in Chicago. It was the closest city to the portal we took. Adapting wasn’t easy,” he chuckles darkly at the memory. “Emrick scared people away, and I clearly stood out, no human has silvery white hair and purple eyes that isn’t cosplaying and wearing contacts," he explains and I chuckle. The man does look like he belongs in an anime. He’d fit the sexy super villain role perfectly.
“Did you find jobs?” I ask, wanting more details.
“We did. We all worked on a CEO’s estate as bodyguards and security detail. He worked for a pharmaceutical company and wasn’t a favorite among the humans. Emrick’s affinity for battle-magic helped him adapt to the weapons of Earth and he trained the rest of us. I researched and helped us adapt to modern life and maintained our finances. Bowen helped plan the security detail and coordinated our bosses’ events and schedule. Maddox was head of security, doing what he does best, ordering people around and making sure everyone was doing their job properly. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked for us and kept us busy. We didn’t get the treatment that other fae did, so that was a bonus," he explains. I’m impressed that they were able to find something so perfectly tailored to them. It makes sense that they’re so close. You can’t work and live together for thirteen years and not create a bond, especially when you’re a fae among unaccepting humans.
“What about in your courts?” I ask tentatively. The question may not go as I hope, the realm wasn’t a happy place when they left, and they must have lost loved ones to the war.