Music lead her through the halls and she followed it curiously, finding the corridors oddly empty though the sound of voices was coming from ahead and she went still, peeking over a low balcony to see the mass of movement below.
They were talking, dancing, and laughing with excitement and there were so, so many of them.
They all wore bright colours, all unusual and rare creatures she had never thought to actually belong to a side before. Now that she thought about it, she had never really thought about the sides of Faerie as actual sides. The only sides she had thought of before then was Faerie and her, but now there was Winter, Summer, Ceress and then her in her own corner trying to escape them all.
She was still watching them when a soft cough came from behind her that she ignored at first, simply watching. Finally, she felt she had ignored her companion long enough and turned.
The man before her was easily the most attractive man she had laid eyes on. He was muscular without being repulsive with a smooth face and honey coloured skin. His eyes were so pale a blue that they were almost white, and his hair was short and the rich brown of tree bark. He had long nails on one hand, oddly long for a male but they suited him well. Atop his head there was a large headdress made of some unknown metal with wings pointing up and out, elaborately carved and engraved with swirls. Several long chains trailed down from the sides to brush his chest. Tucked behind his back were three sets of deep violet wings and he wore nothing but a black belted skirt.
She stared at him; her mind utterly blank as she realised, she was looking into the face of one of the Fallen.
The Protectors had been the guardians of Faerie, keeping the Courts from killing each other when things got messy and the Courts were still fighting, but when Faerie failed to bring down the human world, the Protectors had fallen from the sky and been unable to get back up. They had been called the Fallen ever since and they all looked like that, all impossibly beautiful and perfect.
Neither of them spoke, simply watching each other for a long moment before he finally bowed to her, his jaw set.
She had no idea how to respond, but she was getting the distinct impression her presence bothered him in some way.
"I'll not give in to your charm, succubus," he said in a deep voice.
"I beg your pardon?" she said after a pause, trying to process all the information at once.
"I can feel you pulling me, trying to draw me in," he straightened, and his eyes were stern on her.
She had no idea what to say to that, namely because the Fallen were born without reproductive abilities, or even the tools to use them. They were all men, all gorgeous and all totally lacked genitals. The fact that she had any effect on him at all was baffling.
"It is not intentional," she said, forcing her eyes from him to see as trumpets blared and the queen swept into the room with her two daughters.
"You are not trying to seduce me?" he asked, seeming amused.
Looking back to him, she arched a brow.
"Not hardly, you're pretty, but I'm not stupid. The Fallen aren't capable of bodily pleasures."
His lips parted in shock, and she returned her attention back to the crowd as they swarmed to make room for the royals.
"How did you know what I am?" he said, and she jerked, realising he was now mere inches away from her.
"Four wings, the mask, the beauty. It's not that hard to figure out," she said dismissively, and her frown matched his.
"I could have been any number of being. But you knew what I was immediately."
"It's a talent for remembering species."
"Except that our existence has never been put to paper," he said slowly, searching her face for a hint of the truth.
"Then someone likely told me."
"It's impossible for those who know to share the information. Only one of the Fallen can mention the Fallen."
"Well, I do believe your rules are incorrect, because I just did," she quipped and began to move away from him, hearing him follow her, his bare feet a soft whisper on the marble.
Rounding the balcony, she allowed herself a better angle to observe the crowd.
"You cannot be a Fallen, you are female," he sounded utterly baffled and she sighed, turning to him once more.
"I'm also a crossbred freak, stop following me." She was growing frustrated with him, but he ignored her and followed again as she moved away.
She didn't think he was out to harm her in any way, only fascinated by her. Whatever the reason, it was irritating.
"What manner of creature are you?" he asked as she stopped again and finally she gave up trying to get away from him.
"A little of this, a little of that," she said evasively, not wanting to get into it with him.
"Vague," he complained. She turned her attention to the crowd as a young man swept the heir onto the dance floor and they moved beautifully, looking like flame with her blood coloured hair and his soft yellow.
"As far as we can tell, I am descended from at least fifty different species of Faerie," she said, still watching the couple. "All leading down to Winter and Ceress."
The man jerked slightly, surprised to hear what she was.
"I did not know the Celestrials permitted cross breeding."
"They don't," she replied darkly and his head tilted.
"You are an odd creature. I think I rather like you." He was smiling, only the barest hint of the lips and yet she felt warmed by the smile as though he had wrapped a heated blanket around her.
"Stop that," she glared at him, but it was hard to be angry at such a likable man.
"It's not intentional," he said, repeating her words back at her.
She glared at him before she finally shook her head. It was impossible to be angry at him, there was simply too much innocence to him.
The protectors had been entirely neutral and they had a charm that outshone any creature. They had always been like that, born to calm the angry masses and keep the Courts from destroying themselves.
"What is your name?" she finally asked.
He smiled again, washing her in warmth. "Galad," he said and after a pause, he offered his hand to her. "You are the princess Etania?"
"Etani," she corrected as she accepted his hand and he drew her towards the grand staircase that would lead them down into the ballroom. The crowd parted for them, eyes wide at the sight of the dark Winter Princess and the fallen Protector Galad entering the dance together.
She felt like a blot of ink on a perfectly pressed white shirt, moving amongst the colourful crowd and it caught the attention of everyone in the room.
The music slowed as the band watched and then swelled into a song she didn't recognise. The pace was steady and without a word, Galad took her by the waist and pulled her into the steps.
When it came to dancing, the Fae did it best. They were born with a natural grace and beauty, able to pick up almost any dance in record time and remember it for centuries. They loved the formality of dance and Etani was no exception.
One hand resting in his, the other on his shoulder, she moved with him in perfect time. It wasn't long before the dancers joined them and she couldn't help at smile at the perfection. It was as though it had been choreographed, each step and twirl perfectly timed in the ancient art.
After the dance had finished, he kissed the top of her hand and moved to his left as was custom, leaving him with another woman and her with a new man.
Looking up, she found the warm brown eyes and bare chest of a satyr.
"You keep your hands where they belong, my good fellow," she warned.
He grinned sheepishly before he pulled her closer than was custom and swept her into the next dance.
Satyr were a playful bunch, lovers and not fighters. They were the sort where random orgies were commonplace, and they never wore clothing. Thankfully the thick fur around his legs made that a non-issue.
His hooves made a pleasant tap on the ground, adding complexity to the beat of the music and when the song ended, he was sad to be drawn away.
The creature that appeared next gave her pause, not because he was abhorrent in any way, but because he seemed to be utterly human.
Unable to help herself, she leant closer and inhaled the warm scent of him and the rush of blood to his cheeks had her mouth suddenly watering.
"What could a human possibly be doing in Faerie?" she asked curiously, his fingers trembling a little on hers.
"I'm a changeling," he said.
Her brows shot up. "I didn't know that custom still existed," she had thought the custom of stealing human children only to replace them with identical Fae children had died out, but here he was, and he was less than thirty years old.
"There are those who cling to tradition," he said wryly as his arm extended and he spun her, drawing her back in with a gentle tug.
"I see, what do you think of Faerie?"
His eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she grinned, though she thought that might have been a bad idea when his eyes locked onto her sharp double set of canines.
"Do not fret, I have lived in the human world for a very long time, I tend to prefer it."
"Faerie is all I have known, but I am not a fan."
"We should escape together," she said in a matter of fact tone and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"Why would you want to leave?" he asked, and she realised he had no idea who she was.
"I'm the Winter princess, my dear friend. And like you, I am very eager to get out of Summer."
He looked like she had slapped him, his face pale and eyes huge.
"Well, what do you say? If one of us figures out how to escape, we tell the other?"
He nodded and she smiled at him.
"I promise to not leave you behind if it is within my power. You're a cute little human. I won't eat you, at least not this time."
She laughed as he was swept away and she turned, her laugh dying as she found herself face to face with the demon.
"Not you again…" she said as his hands caught her and he pulled her smoothly into the next dance.
"Yes, me again," he said in a nastily happy tone. "You and I have some things to discuss, namely you killing my human hosts." His fingers clenched hers painfully as he said 'killing'.
She kept her face neutral and her mind was again racing to try and remember his name.
"This time you're not getting away from me. You appear to be a prisoner," he was grinning at the shawl and she bit the inside of her cheek as fear ripped through her. A prisoner at the mercy of a man. The memories sent her mind into a panic and she forced them down, tasting blood as she chewed on her cheek.
"I know you're all for the whole rape and torture thing, but could you not?" she asked.
He laughed, drawing her closer. "No, my love. I can't not. You have no idea the effect you have on me just by existing."
She pulled herself back from him, but something in the back of her mind spoke up and Letari began to laugh at the thought.
"How about we make a deal?" she asked, grinning.