War of Winter (Iron Fey Fanfiction)

Chapter 43 - Confession of Love

       *This one is a long one! It is also the finale of Book 1!*

      It had been a while since Crystal had felt both fear, astonishment, and annoyance all at the same time. She shot her best glare at her sister, trying not to feel humiliated because of her current position, hanging upside down in the air, wrapped in black tendrils of...shadow?

    Crystal wasn't sure what the tendrils were exactly made of. Neve had been born a Winter Fey, just like her. A plethora of questions swirled in Crystal's mind. Neve smiled and stepped closer, watching her sister carefully.

    "Well, isn't this precious," she mused, cocking her head at Crystal. "I have not seen my dear older sister in decades. What a lovely gift you have given me, this revel. It seems quite amusing, one of the better ones."

   Crystal tried to speak, but the tendrils wrapped about her mouth prevented words from escaping. Neve must have caught on because she gave a dramatic gasp. "Why, sister, wherever are my manners?" she said, snapping her fingers. The dark tendrils disappeared from Crystal's mouth but the rest remained wrapped around her body.

   "Why are you gathering an army to war with the Courts?" Crystal snapped, getting right to the point.

   Neve laughed and playfully kicked snow into the air. "Because, dear sister, I am bored. And I have not forgotten how the Courts have slighted me in the past."

   Crystal fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You and the Summer boy could have lived peacefully together in exile! You would have lived together, died together..." she trailed off as Neve simply laughed louder.

   "You do not understand, Crystal," she began. "Faery is our home. We would have been miserable in the human world, with all their metal and iron. We wanted to be together where we would have lived for eternity without the miseries of the human world." Neve began to circle Crystal, staring at the snow as she spoke. "We even proposed moving to the wyldwood, where we would be no trouble, but the Courts would not have it."

   Crystal felt a sudden drop in the temperature, knowing the Queen had been informed of the new intrusion. They could all probably thank Rowan for that later, since he was the only one who had not been caught by the tendrils.

   "You defied your family - you defied us, for some Summer knight too lovestruck to see left from right," Crystal said lowly.

   "He was not just 'some Summer knight'!" Neve spat, spittle landing on Crystal's face as her sister stepped closer. "The Courts were always so wrapped up in their fucking traditions. They would go to war every other year it seemed, and for what? Simply because they were different."

  "Summer and Winter have always been on opposite sides, sister," Crystal continued, trying to ignore the feeling of blood rushing to her head as she dangled upside down. "You know this, were taught this. You simply let your emotions get the better of you."

   Neve growled and released Crystal from her black tendrils. Crystal landed with a thump on the ground and quickly got to her feet, calling Winter glamour to her. Anger roiled in her gut, at Neve for being so stubborn, at herself and her mother for not seeing the rebellious signs soon enough all those years ago. And at the old traditions.

   Summer and Winter had always warred, and for what? What was the point of warring against each other if the entire Nevernever was their home, all the same. The Nevernever would always be expanding, and fey from both sides could go explore the new lands. There was no point in warring over land, as the world added that for them.

  "You have never understood, sister," Neve was saying. "And you never will." She flicked her hand and a tendril of black spikes shot towards Crystal's chest.