Prologue 1.1

Evening the Winter Court

Mab

Mab sighed; the sun was setting as she could see the last rays of it through the window of the Winter Court throne room. Yet here she still was listening to her Nobilis “debate” over one thing or another, or try and entrap one another. Which had become something they now call the “Game” and since they could only tell the truth, which at first, they found humiliating, they have since turned it into an art form of telling the “truth” to deceive. And if she was honest with herself, she enjoyed things more now than before they had been exiled here. Nobilis house’s rose and fell now all based on how one played the Game. It washed away the stagnate blood of the old houses. This was good in her mind, a lot less bloodshed. They had seen enough of that in recent memory. She thought back on the “moment” and shuddered a bit. Titania had told her one night while they walked in the Umbra Woods what had happened in her court it was much the same in hers. Since that moment they had made every effort not to do anything that would gain the attention of “her”. Anyone that did no matter who that were would be exiled to “her” lands. And very few were ever heard from again. She and Titania had worked a great Maleditum[1] that anyone who broke the rules laid down would find themselves removed from their lands and into “her” lands. They never told anyone they were the ones who created it. They just let their own courts assume it was “her’. Since she was the one who brought the game into being it only seems fitting.

She did like her new Ice “sculptures”, she thought as the drone of the Nobilis dragged on her thoughts drifted to what she wanted to do before bed, she wished she could see her amare[2]. It would draw to much attention, as it had been too short a time since she had last been with her. Well, maybe dinner would be entertaining. She had no idea how right she was about that. And it would be much more “entertaining” than she ever wanted.

Just as she finished that thought the room went dark, pitch black. And silent, a chill over took the room as the court wondered what was going on. Then a sound that made Mab’s blood run cold, and since she was the Queen of the Winter Court, that was saying something. It also brought about a fear, a primordial fear, that made her want to run as far away as she could and then some. Her mind though over ruled that and froze her in place, knowing that running meant death. It was the sound of large feathered wings. Just loud enough to hear, impossible to ignore.

With the sound came shouts of confusion and alarm in the darkness from some of the young Nobilis houses Lords and Ladies, too young to have been here the last time that sound had been heard and to full of arrogance and bravado not to listen to what their own minds told them. All in order not to show weakness in front of another houses. She had to put a stop to this before one made a move toward the one, she knew was coming, and get themselves killed. That would be the best case, only one dead. And since she only heard one set of wings it was either Dindrane (best case relatively speaking) or “her” Mother, (worst case by far).

She stood up careful not to fall, it was still dark as a cave. “By Oberon’s balls, shut up!” She said as loud as she could without screaming and with all the presence she had. The sound of the wings grew louder and the darkness reminded. “Act like Nobilis not mewing children” “Those of you who were here the last time this sound was heard take charge, use all the force necessary to stop the fools from doing anything that could get us all killed” After that comment there was a stunned silence

A lot of young Nobilis were about to get an education that in myth and legend there was truth. She had hoped never to be in this position again. Because of all the things that came with being a Queen here, this was the most terrifying. And yes, it was terrifying, Dindrane or her Mother did not just drop by for tea and gossip. Something was terribly wrong, and she had no idea what. And her court would be lucky to survive.

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There was one finale flap of wings very close, she could feel the wind, and the sound of talons on the stone floor. There was silence for a moment, as if the world had stopped. In a voice that came from the back of one’s throat, rich and melodic. “Greetings, your Highness”, “I hope I find you well this evening” the last was spoken with a hint of amusement. And at that the darkness faded away.

Not a few meters in front of her throne stood Dindrane with an amused smile. With her head slightly cocked to one side. At the sight of her, Mab’s guards started to move forward, “Stop!” “Make no move toward her, she is an honored guest to be treated as you would me!” And a credit to their training they stopped in their tracks and came to attention. “That goes for everyone, I hope I made myself clear.”

“Oh Mab, you should not hold all your young bucks back so. You know they just want to prove themselves.” Dindrane said with a sight giggle.

With a shock Mab realized she was not pushing her presence forward. She wants someone to try her. She then looked around at the Nobilis, Mab did not have to guess what she was looking for. She knew there was about to be a culling, and she was not sure how she felt about it, there were pros and cons to it. Just as she started to ponder this behind Dindrane a cloud of shadow came into to being.

“Shit!” she blurted out louder than she meant to, and normally it would have drawn looks of surprise from her court, no one seemed to notice, though Dindrane did. Who then fixed her gaze on Mab once more.

Out of the shadows walked a figure that appeared to be the same as Dindrane but of different size and color. It was one of the Daughters, and if Mab understood right a younger sister. She sauntered up to Dindrane like she owned the room, the look on her face was the main contrast, it was a look of total malice, her talons clicking on the floor with purpose was the only sound she made. Dindrane turned her head to look at her sister, the look of malice on her sister’s face softened a bit. She stopped at Dindren’s side, she started to make the “kraa-kraa” sound Mab had only heard once before, it varied in tone, pitch and inflection. Dindrane replayed it a few times. After a minute or two they stopped talking, and both leveled their gaze on Mab again.

Dindrane looked at Mab, “Do you have any idea why I am here?” it was asked in a flat, cold tone.

Mab felt that answering her from her throne would do nothing more than make things worse, and since no one had died yet it could. She walked off the dais, now with Dindrane less than 3 meters apart.

“No, I do not.” At which Dindrane replayed this time in a very angry voice and her wings flared open to their full width and vibrated the sound caring malice with it, “You lie, you are not stupid and yet you say you do not know? You broke the rule that Mother had laid down, in doing so you broke her trust!”

The last part was almost screamed at Mab with enough force of will and anger that it made the guards behind her drop to their knees dropping their weapons, and it was all Mab could do not to follow. As she said this Dindrane with one flap of her wings launched herself at Mab, and grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off her feet. And in the same voice only inches away from Mab’s face “You broke her trust, you and that other pile of dung. You made her leave her Nest to come deal with this in person, and yet you the have the gall to say you do not know why I am here?”

Mab could feel the talons dig into her, she could barely breath as it was. Her feet no longer on the floor. She knew she was going to die here and never know why. Help came from a surprising place. The Daughter.

“Sister, remember Mother told you not to kill her.” She said this as she walked up and started to stroke a wing of Dindrane. “We know how you feel, it was all the rest of us could do not to tear apart the other one.” “Come lets us go, as you are so fond of saying we are keeping Mother waiting.”

With that the grip on Mab’s throat lessoned. Shadows began to coalesce and swirl around all the 2 and the Queen faded away from her court with beings that most of the Fae had thought myth.

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[1] A ritual Hex or curse. The Queens are the only ones with the skill and magic to do on that scale.

[2] Love and or Lover