Huntress

Sam and I laughed hard as we raced across the winter courtyard, falling on the ground panting heavily, our skin shinning with sweat we didn’t feel, our hair and clothes pepper with snow from our snowball fight. A few winter pixies were sitting on ice sculptures giggling, they had started the snowball fight and had a happily continued to play with us.I groaned wondering how I would ever get back up, everything hurt but it was a pleasant hurt but still. I lay down in the snow and began to make a snow angel before leaping to my feet trying not to ruin it only to slip and fall crashing down on top of my angel.

Sam squealed with laughter and I tossed a handful of snow at her half-heartedly, “lets see you do it Fairy-girl.”

Sam grinned at the challenge and quickly made a snow angel before leaping gracefully to her feet and away from the angel.

I wrinkled my nose at her, “Show off. So when did you and Ceron start dating?”

Sam blushed, “last summer when I visited but we aren’t an official couple or anything. Faerie is complicated.”

“Uh huh…doesn’t look that complicated.”

Sam stuck her tongue out before shrieking as Ceron came behind her and lifted her off her feet twirling her around. She laughed and shrieked, kicking as he nuzzled her neck. I watched them with a soft smile, enjoying the couple’s obvious affection for each other, feeling a small twitch in my chest of loneliness. I pushed it away, how could I miss something I never had or experience to begin with.

“I see you two are up to no good,” Ceron said finally putting Sam back on her feet but not letting her go, his chin on her shoulder, hands on her stomach, her hands overlapping his.

“Who us little innocent girls?” I said batting my eyelashes at him, which made him laugh.

Really, I though, Fairies should laugh more often. As far as I had seen Ceron and Owen were the only laid back Winter Fae I had met. Rhydian was stiff and Ifan was more the suave kind.

Talking about Owen, I watched the bouncy boy come running up to them, “you had a snow fight without me?”

“Ah Owen I’m-had I know you wanted to play I would have looked for you,” I replied struggling not to apologize.

He grinned and opened his mouth to say something but someone spoke first.

“A snow ball fight?”

I turned to see Adela and Lumina behind us, I wanted nothing more then to cuddle with them, have them pet and stroke my hair, which was an odd feeling indeed.I gave them a warm smile, which came naturally.

“A pleasure to see you again Princesses. Yes, Sam and I had just finished a snowball fight with some of the winter pixies.”

“Have you ever played snow flag?” Lumina asked.

I raised an eyebrow, “I cannot say that I have. May I inquire as to how the game is played?”

Sam grinned from ear to ear; obviously she knew what this game was.

“It requires magick of course but I don’t believe that will be a problem for a Hunter,” Adela commented though it didn’t sound mean but an insult was always hard to tell when coming from a Fae.

Lumina waved her hand at Adela, “of course it isn’t a problem otherwise I wouldn’t have brought it up. Now, snow flag is where a group of people breaks into two teams, each with a flag. You set up a camp and protect your flag from the other team who is trying to steal it. Whoever brings the other team’s flag back to their camp first wins.”

I blinked, “oh it’s capture the flag ok, I know this game. You said magick is involved?”

“Yes, because you use magick to protect your flag and of course against the other team players. Anything goes expect anything permanent, maiming, death, the obvious. However we shall have to add no serious injuries to the list as you are a guest and it wouldn’t do to have you injured during your stay here, especially before the hunt tomorrow.”

“You remember that broken arm I didn’t want to talk about last year?” Sam asked, she pointed to Adela who smiled back wickedly.

“Uh huh, riding accident…got ya,” I replied back, looking warily at Adela.

“Let us divide in teams, there is four girls and if we get my other brothers, then there will be four boys, yes girls vs boys should do nicely.”

“I will go get them!!” Owen said and raced off while Lumine and Adela pulled us aside and started talking strategy.

It wasn’t long before Owen returned with Ifan and Rhydian in tow, both looking ready for a fight in battle armor. I wonder just how violent this game got but I could see the sparkle of excitement in their eyes.

Rhydian moved his hands elaborately and magick swirled before him creating an ice staff with a white flag with an eagle. Adela did the same but our flag had a horse on it.

“Same territory lines as before, one hour to establish your flag and battle plans,” Ifan commented before the boys walked away.

“This way,” Lumine said and we followed her off the courtyard and into the neighboring woods.

I was a little nervous but excited by the game but I knew this would be more of a battle then game.

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“Never…ever again!” I groaned as I hobbled back into our room, covered in mud among other things.

Sam laughed as she stripped down her own dirty clothes, “What I thought you liked fighting and stuff like that?”

“That was not a fight that was a massacre…I am going to strangle Rhydian if I get the chance to,” I all but growled walking into the bathroom to rinse my hands.

The beginning half of the bathroom was standard, a sink and toilet but after that the room became an underground hot spring cavern with a hot spring as the ‘tub’ and a mini fall water of hot spring water as a ‘shower’. Sam and I were planning to soak for a while before the ball tonight.

“What he was just defending his flag,” Sam replied with a grin coming to the bathroom door, a drink in hand.

I whirled around already half undressed, “he picked me up and threw me into a ravine!”

Sam choked on her drink as she tried not to laugh, half undressed and the cold didn’t even faze her, I wasn’t getting undressed until it was time to get in the hot water.

“I don’t think I ever heard you scream that loud before.”

“I did not scream! I….shouted…besides I could have died!!”

“Nah, he is good with his magick he created a lot of snow for you to land on must have felt like a pillow.”

“A pillow my ass! I am going to be sore and bruised for weeks!!” I slammed the bathroom door in her face, cutting off the sound of Sam’s laughter.

Notes