A Never-Before-Seen Excerpt from The Winter Court!

Here's an as-yet unpublished snipped from The Winter Court. This chapter appears in the expanded version, not available on Wattpad.

Copyright Victoria Astor 2019. All rights reserved. This work may not be reposted without permission.

“Lady Arianna, this water is not near cold enough. Are you sure that you fetched it from the deepest part of the spring? I want a new jug brought immediately,” Titania said, snapping her fingers. Arianna flinched at her name but couldn’t summon the energy to rush over and bow and scrape. She should have listened to her mother and stayed out of the Faerie Realm completely.

When Arianna didn’t respond fast enough, the Fae woman to her right stepped forward. Her hair was so blonde that it looked green. Like a platinum blonde that had spent too much time in a chlorinated swimming pool. Arianna hated her guts, from her perfectly pointed ears to the hem of her gauzy purple gown. Oonagh was her name, probably.

Arianna had never been great with names.

“I’ll get that for you, Your Majesty,” the woman that was probably Oonagh said. “It seems that the little mortal is too frail to move from her spot against the wall.” Her gown swished as she made her way over to the little stream, which didn’t even get wet when she stepped into the water to fill the ceramic jug. Bitch. Arianna felt herself grow more and more resentful of the Fae woman as she presented the refilled jug of water to Titania, who accepted it with a smile for Oonagh and another reproachful glance for Arianna. Oonagh laughed then, and it sounded like bells chiming.

That had to be a glamour. Jesus. No one really sounded like that. Arianna laughed like a donkey most of the time. Arianna felt her smile slip as Titania turned her head to look at her from across the Bower. “Oh, dear, I believe you’re right, Lady Oonagh,” Titania cooed. “The poor thing is standing there in front of us in nothing but her underpinnings. And mortal ones at that! How embarrassing!” There was a titter of laughter as the rest of the courtiers in the Bower turned to look. Sure enough, Arianna was standing there in her pink camisole and a pair of denim cut-off shorts – clothes that she kept in her cramped quarters at the Summer Court in order to combat the heat. Arianna couldn’t afford to buy any real clothes here as she hardly drew a salary and she had never been able to fool herself with her own glamours. It was winter now in the Mortal Realm, and so all that meant was heavy clothes and a lot of sweating. Arianna concentrated on recalling the simple gown she had constructed this morning. It stayed, but just barely.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” Arianna said. “I’ve not had as much rest as I would like to these past few nights.”

“Oh, child, that will never do,” Titania said. “I know that mortals are uneasy when they feel unfulfilled. We must give you something more rewarding to do than to simply serve me all day.” Titania smiled, and it was a weapon. Oonagh glanced over at Arianna with what could only be described as a predatory grin. There was a knock at the door of the Bower as the herald announced Lord Owen Greenteeth. “Ah, how perfect.” Titania clapped her hands. “You will accompany Lord Owen on his trip with my foster-daughter to Lake Dander. Then perhaps you will be able to get enough rest tonight to serve me properly tomorrow.”

The dismissal was clear. Arianna bobbed a quick curtsy, making sure that her skirts were solid enough to be able to hold them up to do it properly, and escaped through the hidden door of the Queen’s Bower. She wanted to be able to lean against the door when she shut it behind her, just to have a moment to rest her feet, but she came face to face with an absurdly tall Fae man. His hair was red, his eyes were green and he was wearing the shiniest silver plate armour that Arianna had ever seen.

“Lord Owen?” Arianna asked. The man nodded once. “The Queen has asked that I accompany you today to Lake Dander.”

Owen sighed. “Of all the courtiers – ” he started, muttering under his breath. “Follow me, then, mortal,” he said, striding down the hallway so fast that Arianna had to struggle to keep up.

By the time they reached the outer courtyard, Arianna was panting and soaked in sweat. It was far too humid here. She didn’t even want to know what her hair looked like. She wiped her palms on the back of her jean shorts, groaning a little as Owen clanked across the stone path to a carriage that looked like a waterlily. It was being pulled by some kind of bright pink Faerie horse. It wouldn’t do for a pink carriage to be pulled by an animal that came in a natural colour. Arianna rolled her eyes and hesitated on the pathway.

“Get in the carriage, Lady Arianna,” Owen said as he stepped up to the driver’s seat. The tiny leprechaun groom scrambled to jump out before getting squashed under the knight’s giant ass. “Is the trunk secured?” he asked the groom shortly.

“Yes, milord,” the groom said. “It took a team of us, but we got the iron manacles closed around the trunk. By my stars, but she didn’t kick up a fuss at that.”

Owen nodded at the groom, who scurried off. The knight seemed to noticed that Arianna was still frozen by the door. “Girl, we do not have time to waste! Get in the carriage!” he barked, and Arianna nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Yes, milord,” she mumbled, yanking the door open and hurriedly stepping inside.

“Get out!” someone yelled, shoving Arianna back towards the partially opened carriage door. There was a scent of burned flesh in the air, and it made Arianna want to gag. “I don’t need another guard! Must we go through this every seven years? I have never tried to escape before! Why would I bother now?”

The carriage lurched forward and the pressure on Arianna’s shoulders released. The person who had tried to push her out of the carriage turned out to be a tiny Fae woman with burnished gold skin and long black hair. “You’re not a guard,” the tiny woman said. She shifted back onto one of the carriage benches. The motion was slight, but it was enough for her manacles to clink together. The woman winced slightly but kept her eyes focused on Arianna.

“No, definitely not,” Arianna said quickly.