Inimical winds bode ill for those who are slated for the change of fate. The winter season was fast approaching and the Winter Court had chosen its new queen after much deliberation. Meave was elevated by the grand dais that held the large throne of sculpted ice and frozen bone. Snow fell within the sithen's great hall, accenting the play of wan silver moonlight filtering through the arched dome as it glittered and gleamed on the crystalline structures formed by the temperature of the chilly atmosphere. Columns of frosted obsidian held water-carved niches filled with the glow of green and blue lights, the frosted covering obscuring the source from the naked eye.
Arrnadae strode forth into the hall from the grand corridor; his steps had outdistanced his royal guard and those emissaries sent from one of the noble houses under the purview of the seelie to ensure the crown was transported to the rightful queen after the change of seasons. two of the six unseelie guards remained behind to bar entrance to the nobles from the seelie court, their authority and rank not quite enough to gain them audience with the Unseelie Queen of the Winter Court " they were not expected and Arrnadae felt what allowances were privilege enough, granting security in the gaining of access into Princess Meave's sithen. The seelie nobles didn't think so, however, and began a heated debate with the unseelie sidhe guards that continued to prevent them from passing beyond the archway into the great hall itself. Arrnadae's ears were filled with the sound of music, as if they'd moved through a vacuum that soon ended as the threshold was passed " that in between place. Crystal bells chimed, ice flutes played chilled notes, pan pipes whistled. Ice cracked and reformed, adding a visceral feel to the experience of haunting music.
Oh, how beautiful they were, svelte courtiers in their gowns and royal frocks, their jewels and their tiaras of gemstones and ice. They moved for her pleasure, at her majesty's behest. Meave sat atop her throne, her raven-black hair lifted off her shoulders and confined in complex knot work plaits. She was beautiful beyond remark; a horrible beauty " if one were to dare such a bold thought. Her eyes were as cold as her element, and frost glittered on the narrow plane of high-boned cheeks and the lower petal of her plush, pale lip. That sugared mouth, it dared to be kissed; the lips beckoned the delicate exploration of curious tongue, inviting. Her skin was nearly translucent in its pale suppleness, like ice itself, but alive with silver-white light which seemed to add a shade of white-blue along the delicate bow of the collar bone and shallow hallows along bare shoulders. Her ears gleamed with emeralds and diamonds; the same resided on her neck in a delicate-looking web of ice-like quality.
She rose slowly, and Arrnadae knew that there was purpose in the movement. She moved slowly, like ice crystals form on the surface of water. Her posture was immaculate as it was impeccable, despite the flow and drape of her black gown, lined in midnight blues and silver trim. It fit snuggly about the waist, and molded to the contours of her ribs, cradling her breasts. The gown was meant to draw the eye to her feminine proportions as it offered them up as a feast for eyes " the vanity. He stopped before the dancers, and the courtiers continued to twirl and intertwine in the waltz-like dance of olden times; a dance of shared partners constantly changing; a dance of grace and painful poise that was a precursor to ballet.
Dae felt the swell and charge of the Weird, the wild magic of this place. It was like a living thing, almost sentient, flowing through the chilled currents of air moving about the room. He glanced to either side of the dais where elder trees stood bare, and a chilly ponds of water and floating ice was disturbed by the winter nymphs basking in the liquid cold of the lucid waters, the gossamer slips they wore leaving little or nothing to the imagination. Their actions seemed innocent; their play was best described as a child-like frolicking that gave the sense that they were untouched by time. This was as far as came to purity, for they were women of indeterminable age " youthful in appearance " and were the princess's personal hand maidens. It was when he removed the summer crown from his belt that the room came to a frozen stand-still. The wild magic wrested the crown from his grasp, spiriting it away from his fingertips like a giant jerking an object from his fingertips. He noticed the absence as he noticed the courtier's turn their multi-hued gazes toward him. As one, they parted a swath of space down the center of the room toward the dais, and some drew away toward the dais at the sight of him.
Arrnadae strode forth into the hall from the grand corridor; his steps had outdistanced his royal guard and those emissaries sent from one of the noble houses under the purview of the seelie to ensure the crown was transported to the rightful queen after the change of seasons. two of the six unseelie guards remained behind to bar entrance to the nobles from the seelie court, their authority and rank not quite enough to gain them audience with the Unseelie Queen of the Winter Court " they were not expected and Arrnadae felt what allowances were privilege enough, granting security in the gaining of access into Princess Meave's sithen. The seelie nobles didn't think so, however, and began a heated debate with the unseelie sidhe guards that continued to prevent them from passing beyond the archway into the great hall itself. Arrnadae's ears were filled with the sound of music, as if they'd moved through a vacuum that soon ended as the threshold was passed " that in between place. Crystal bells chimed, ice flutes played chilled notes, pan pipes whistled. Ice cracked and reformed, adding a visceral feel to the experience of haunting music.
Oh, how beautiful they were, svelte courtiers in their gowns and royal frocks, their jewels and their tiaras of gemstones and ice. They moved for her pleasure, at her majesty's behest. Meave sat atop her throne, her raven-black hair lifted off her shoulders and confined in complex knot work plaits. She was beautiful beyond remark; a horrible beauty " if one were to dare such a bold thought. Her eyes were as cold as her element, and frost glittered on the narrow plane of high-boned cheeks and the lower petal of her plush, pale lip. That sugared mouth, it dared to be kissed; the lips beckoned the delicate exploration of curious tongue, inviting. Her skin was nearly translucent in its pale suppleness, like ice itself, but alive with silver-white light which seemed to add a shade of white-blue along the delicate bow of the collar bone and shallow hallows along bare shoulders. Her ears gleamed with emeralds and diamonds; the same resided on her neck in a delicate-looking web of ice-like quality.
She rose slowly, and Arrnadae knew that there was purpose in the movement. She moved slowly, like ice crystals form on the surface of water. Her posture was immaculate as it was impeccable, despite the flow and drape of her black gown, lined in midnight blues and silver trim. It fit snuggly about the waist, and molded to the contours of her ribs, cradling her breasts. The gown was meant to draw the eye to her feminine proportions as it offered them up as a feast for eyes " the vanity. He stopped before the dancers, and the courtiers continued to twirl and intertwine in the waltz-like dance of olden times; a dance of shared partners constantly changing; a dance of grace and painful poise that was a precursor to ballet.
Dae felt the swell and charge of the Weird, the wild magic of this place. It was like a living thing, almost sentient, flowing through the chilled currents of air moving about the room. He glanced to either side of the dais where elder trees stood bare, and a chilly ponds of water and floating ice was disturbed by the winter nymphs basking in the liquid cold of the lucid waters, the gossamer slips they wore leaving little or nothing to the imagination. Their actions seemed innocent; their play was best described as a child-like frolicking that gave the sense that they were untouched by time. This was as far as came to purity, for they were women of indeterminable age " youthful in appearance " and were the princess's personal hand maidens. It was when he removed the summer crown from his belt that the room came to a frozen stand-still. The wild magic wrested the crown from his grasp, spiriting it away from his fingertips like a giant jerking an object from his fingertips. He noticed the absence as he noticed the courtier's turn their multi-hued gazes toward him. As one, they parted a swath of space down the center of the room toward the dais, and some drew away toward the dais at the sight of him.