When one imagines the fae, most think pointed ears and bright butterfly wings, small pixie creatures of light and air.<br/><br/>This picture is wrong. The fae are tall and slender, and only those of mixed blood have any point to their ears at all. The demi-fae, the lesser fae, are tiny and delicate. Many of them have wings, but they are not true fae. No, the fae much resemble humans. They could never be mistaken for such, however, not with their otherworldly eyes and hair colors.<br/><br/>It is not just their appearance that sets them apart. The fae exude power and grace, filling rooms with their presence without a word. To be in the room with a fae is a wondrous and terrible thing. A mere mortal can become 'moonstruck', dazed and dizzy when in proximity of a fae. To a mortal, their very touch can be as intoxicating as the sweetest drug.<br/><br/>This, more than anything, is why the fae are encouraged to seek partners among their own kind. They would do so anyway; to find love with a mortal would be heartbreak for both, as the mortal aged and died, while the fae remained untouched by the ravages of time.<br/><br/>The fae are not known for their emotions, but as with every other aspect of their being, they feel quite strongly. They are slow to anger and slow to forgive. Grudges can fester for centuries or longer. So, too, though, are favors remembered. A fae's word is their bond, and they take promises very seriously. They don't throw phrases like 'I love you' around willy-nilly. No, they know the power of the spoken word, and so when a fae finds a partner (a rare thing, as most are inclined to casualness in romantic pursuits) and makes a promise, they are often together for millennia, if not for life.<br/><br/>Sadly, a life can be cut short. Immortal does not mean invulnerable...<br/><br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/><br/>Aethin and Kalophyn were lovers. They had been together for more than two centuries, and knew each other more intimately than anyone else could ever know them. They could finish each others' sentences, anticipate actions and reactions, they knew likes and dislikes and pet peeves. And even with all their familiarity, they were never bored, never complacent. They never ceased to surprise each other, and every day was a new day.<br/><br/>Though Kal was from the Winter Court and Aethin from Summer, it never mattered to them. It wasn't forbidden, and both were powerful enough in their own rights to fend off any form of protest from their fellow Court members. Both of them embodied their Courts fairly well; Kal was nearly white, with a silvery-pearl cast to his skin. His hair was long (as most of the fae's was), down to his mid back and pulled into a tail. His hair was a true white that had silver strands throughout. His eyes were lovely, the irises tri-colored: an outer ring of wintry steel-blue, an inner ring of the color of cracked ice, and a thin line of true silver rimming the pupil. His face was elegant and sharp; his personality a little cool and aloof.<br/><br/>Aethin, on the other hand, was all warm colors. His hair was a wonderful warm brown, reminiscent of freshly-tilled earth and full of the promise of life, cascading in a loose, wavy fall down his back. His skin was a sun-kissed tan, warm and rich and natural. Green eyes peeked out from shaggy bangs. A ring of rich, deep green, a ring of the green of new buds, and finally, a bright spring green around his pupil that gave him a mischievous look. His whole demeanor captured that spark of impishness; he was lively and vibrant, a match for Kal's quiet, withdrawn personality.<br/><br/>They were two sides of the same coin, these two. They loved each other deeply, their faults and their flaws, their talents and their skills. They spent their days together in a house on neutral territory. They traveled between the Courts, as was expected of them, and mingled and played the political game. Kal was better at it, playing others against each other and finding ways to gain favor. Aethin didn't care for such games; he preferred to socialize and mingle, laughing and talking. He loved being around people, even mortals.<br/><br/>This joy, this desire to be around others, was ultimately his downfall.<br/><br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">A bright summer day. Birds sang and the only clouds were light, fluffy, almost welcoming. Kal and Aethin wandered through the woods in a fae-friendly park. They greeted some others who were walking the paths with them, being polite to all, fae and mortal. The mortals had charms, protections against any sort of enchantments. The fae were stripped of weaponry before being allowed in the woods so as to put the mortals more at ease.<br/><br/>There were no such rules for mortals.<br/><br/>A young woman walked through the park. She had a dark look about her, an angry, hurt look. She walked with fury in every step, and pain, too. Her eyes darted about, seeking...what, she wasn't sure. Her hand was curled into a fist in her pocket, clenching a sharp iron nail.<br/><br/>She happened upon Kal and Aethin, and she saw them nose to nose, sweetly content. It made her burn with anger. Her brother had been moonstruck by the fae, turned away from his wife and children to be with a male fae. She hated it, and hated them. Oh, it hadn't been <span style="font-weight: bold">them</span> specifically, but they deserved it, too. They were all evil.<br/><br/>She took a breath and came up behind the tan one. She tapped his shoulder.<br/><br/>Aethin turned and smiled. "Well, hello there, miss. What can I do for you today?"<br/><br/>Kal opened his mouth to say something about the bad feeling he got, but it never got out.<br/><br/>"You can die," she hissed, whipping out the nail and plunging it into his heart.<br/><br/>Aethin's eyes went wide, color draining from his face. He choked, hands going to his chest. He sank to his knees, breathing shallow and pained.<br/><br/>Kal turned to the woman, teeth bared and eyes burning with fury. She smirked at him. "You can't hurt me," she said arrogantly. "They'll arrest you, and I'll say that he was threatening me. Justified attack."<br/><br/>He snarled and pounced on her. His hands closed around her throat as they fell to the ground together. A twitch of his superhuman strength and her windpipe was crushed, ground against her spine. He turned away, leaving her to choke out her last breaths.<br/><br/>He crawled over to Aethin, tears glistening in his eyes. He held his dying lover in his arms, shaking with sobs.<br/><br/>Aethin's eyes were going glassy, but he reached up and cupped Kal's cheek, arm trembling. He smiled weakly. "I love you," he whispered. "Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me."<br/><br/>"And you, me," Kal murmured, holding him close. "I love you. So much." He made a choked noise. "I'm so sorry."<br/><br/>"Don't," he whispered, voice growing weaker and weaker. "Live, my love. Live for me..." And his eyes closed.<br/><br/>Aethin had passed on, and Kalophyn's world fell apart.<br/><br/>He tilted his head back, releasing a heart-wrenching, feral scream of pain. This brought people running. They saw the nail through Aethin's chest, Kal's hunched form cradling the body, and the cooling body of the young woman.<br/><br/>They pulled him away from his lover, brought authorities, fae and mortal alike. He had to be punished, but how? The fae saw his actions as completely justified, but the mortals demanded recompense for the breaking of the non-violence pact. The fae had to admit that he had broken this promise, and for that, he was sentenced to ten years in isolation.<br/><br/>This appeased the mortals, as a decade was a very long time to them. It wasn't exactly short for the fae, but it was a light sentence for the killing of another being.<br/><br/>Kal had accepted his punishment with surprising ease. No, not ease: apathy. He seemed like a dead man walking, eyes blank and posture slumped. He couldn't think, could barely move, even on autopilot. He felt empty inside. Without Aethin, he could find no reason to go on.<br/><br/>Years of isolation turned him inward. Where he had been soft-spoken before, he was nearly mute now, speaking only when necessary. He was cold and harsh, keeping to himself and shunning contact with others. He attended the yearly Gathering, as was expected of all fae, but without Aethin, he felt no need to mix and mingle.<br/><br/>Centuries went by. The pain never dulled, but he became desensitized to it. It was a constant thing in his heart. Some days he never got out of bed, too apathetic toward the world to do anything but lie there. He felt lost and hopeless, and saw no reason to do anything about it. What purpose was there to living without his partner by his side?<br/><br/>It would take a miracle to change his mind.</span><br/><br/><br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/><br/>The annual Gathering had once again come around. A grand Ball, hosted this year by the Winter Court. Kalophyn had been unwilling pulled into the preparation, using his control of ice and wind to add decorations to the large hall. The Winter Court embraced their title, and the theme showed it. Snow and ice were everywhere, held in place by magic. The hall itself was comfortably warm, but the overall tone was chilly. Blues, grays, whites, creams; these were the colors of the Court.<br/><br/>When it was time for the Ball, Kal reluctantly got dressed into a fine dove gray suit, dusted with tiny, magical beads of ice in place of embroidery. His hair was pulled back elegantly, leaving the elegant lines of his face free. The whole ensemble made him resemble a statue carved of marble; beautiful, but untouchable and cold.<br/><br/>That was just the way he wanted it. He didn't want to interact with anyone. Of course, there were always those that tried; the overly optimistic ones, and some of the younger fae. It was a coming-of-age privilege to be at the Ball, and some fae chose not to attend until they had aged a few decades beyond the age of adulthood. This was encouraged, this hanging back, so that they had time to mature, to learn to guard their words and actions. Some never learned, and these fae were easy to spot. They were the ones bouncing around to everyone, greeting them gaily and ignoring signals from others about whom to approach and whom to leave alone.<br/><br/>Luckily for him, non-response and icy looks sent most of them packing, leaving him alone. Just the way he wanted it.