"Did I hear wrong, or didn't you say these guys were your friends?" Claire whispered as the fae moved in closer, pressing in them.

"There is a chance things have changed..." Alek said quietly before holding up his hands to show that he meant them no harm. "I am Aleksandr Drosselmeyer, I've come to seek an audience with her majesty Queen Elysia of the Winter Wood."

"We know who you are, general," a voice rang out. Those gathered closest to them drew back and parted to allow the speaker to step forward. It was a young man who wore the most elaborate ear coverings that Claire had yet seen. They were gold leaves intertwined with silver and edged with glittering emeralds. They matched his clothing which consisted of a fitted tunic of forest green hemmed in gold filigree, and black pants which were tucked neatly into a pair of finely crafted, expertly tooled leather boots.

At his hip hung a sword, the hilt fashioned to look like silver and gold vines intertwining with one another. The pommel was a large emerald encased in a protective tangle of gold and silver.

He certainly stood out among rest who all wore white or varying shades of light gray and Claire had a feeling that was intentional.

"Prince Jarrah, it's been a long time," Alek replied casually.

"Indeed," the young man replied, his eyes sweeping lazily over the trio before, pausing only a moment on Claire before returning to Alek. "I take it that was your balloon we shot down?"

"Yeah, thanks for that," Draz replied, "keepin' us on our toes and all. Would hate for any part of this fiasco to be easy."

Jarrah frowned, looking towards Draz. "And you are?"

"Me? You mean you don't know the great... ah forget it," Draz said, throwing up his arms in defeat.

"I'm sure whatever reason you had for doing so is entirely justifiable," he said, shooting a glare towards Draz who simply rolled his eyes and turned away.

"How magnanimous of you," Jarrah said at last. "In fact, the reason we shot you down is because we sensed a darkness cross over in the same instance you passed into our lands. We assumed the two to be related, however," his eyes scanned over them again, this time settling on Claire, "I am no longer certain."

"I can assure you, your highness, no one here means you or the people of the Winter Wood any harm," Alek declared confidently. "We have something Elysia has been searching for, we wish only to see that it makes it safely into her hands."

"My dear sister has had need of many things ever since she got herself involved in human affairs," Jarrah stated, a hard edge to his words. He studied them all intently for a moment, and then let out a heavy sigh. "Dare I ask what it is that you are so eager to bring her?"

"You may ask, of course, unfortunately, it is not possible for me to answer," Alek said bowing slightly. "I humbly beg your forgiveness, but this matter is a delicate one and Elysia would be quite cross with me if I were to divulge it to anyone else, her brother included."

"You and my sister were quite close once, were you not? If I recall, she was rather fond of you, more so than any other human who has passed through these woods," Jarrah replied.

Claire heard a scoff and turned to see Draz scowling, his arms crossed.

Beside her, Alek stiffened and she reached out to take his hand in hers. The gesture seemed to catch him off guard because he looked down at her, his expression a mixture of surprise and alarm. For a moment, Clare thought she had done something wrong. She began to draw her hand away when his fingers tightened around them and he offered her a hint of a smile.

"Yes," Alek said at last, turning back towards Jarrah. "We once held close council, but Elysia knew I would not be content sitting idle by her side, and so we parted ways, as you well know, quite amicably. You know me, Jarrah, you know my purpose here, why continue to play these games?"

Jarrah smirked, his eyes speaking more in the lingering silence than any words he had spoken up to that point. "Very well, I shall take you to my sister, but tread lightly, Drosselmeyer, Elysia can be as cruel as she is beautiful and holds no loyalties but to herself."

Alek said nothing, simply offered a slight nod and Claire felt his fingers squeeze hers. She looked up at him and he offered her a reassuring smile.

"Best not to keep her waiting," Jarrah mused as he extended his arm out in front of him. As his hand turned, Claire noticed for the first time what appeared to be an emerald embedded into the back of it, as though it were a part of him rather than an adornment like a bracelet or ring. It began to glow, the muted light pulsating softly. The air between them and Jarrah began to shimmer, reminding Claire of mirages caused by rising heat from the road on a hot summer's day.

As the shimmer expanded, bending the air in subtle, rippling waves, Claire caught flickers of movement, blurred gray shadows of people passing by. It was as though she were watching through a frosted window or coated glass.

"After you," Jarrah said, motioning for Claire to step through the displaced air, the smile on his face never reaching his eyes. It was then she realized it was a portal and glanced questioningly towards Alek.

"Why couldn't we have done this on the train?" She asked quietly.

Alek chuckled, "It's a difficult spell under the best of circumstances, I commend Jarrah's masterful execution, you made it look incredibly easy. The reason I didn't use it on the train was worried I might leave parts of you and Draz behind if I tried it that night."

Claire frowned, the thought of losing an arm or a leg, or worse, was hardly appealing. It made her all the more wary about stepping through the doorway Jarrah had just created.

"Didn't realize you cared so much at the time," Draz teased as he strolled casually past them. "You don't mind if I go first do you? I'd like as much face time with her majesty as possible before you show up and steal my thunder."

Alek shook his head and motioned for Draz to go ahead. "Be my guest," Alek offered with a smirk. Jarrah looked like he wanted to protest but held his tongue, his eyes narrow.

"Thanks, friend, you're a real sport," Draz grinned before walking into the shimmering distortion and vanishing almost immediately from sight.

"Are you sure about this?" Claire asked, unable to mask her growing anxiety. She was relieved to note that Draz hadn't left any bits of himself behind, but that didn't mean she'd be so fortunate.

"Don't worry," Alek assured her. "Draz is waiting on the other side and I will be right behind you. You'll barely notice anything is amiss. A little tickle maybe, but that's all."

Taking a deep breath, Claire nodded, "Alright, see you on the other side."

As she stepped into the shimmer, she caught sight of Jarrah watching her, his expression dark. A feeling of unease swept over her, quickly met with one of immense warmth. Stepping into the shimmer was like slipping into a hot bath.

The feeling enveloped her, prickling across the surface of her skin and causing every hair to stand on end. The sensation itself was short lived, however, as seconds later she was moving out of it, like passing through a warm spring shower.

As the tingling sensation faded, Claire heard someone shouting.

"Stop! No! Claire, go back!"

Turning her head she saw Draz a few yards away, struggling against the hold of two fae who hardly seemed concerned with his efforts. A moment later something heavy fell over her, the sudden weight of it dragging her to the ground.

As she struggled to make sense of what was happening, she realized that a net had been tossed over her. Its thick ropes were intertwined with thin threads glowing a deep orange and try as she might to find an opening through which to escape she found her efforts were in vain.

"Draz!" Claire cried, as she felt herself being pulled along. "Draz! What's happening!"

"Don't worry, Claire!" Draz called back, sounding angry. "It's just a misunderstanding!"

A misunderstanding? What sort of misunderstanding could have possibly landed her in a net like some sort of fish? Surely this infamous faerie queen was not so ruled by jealousy and personal desires that she resorted to such extremes.

"Claire?"

The sound of Alek's confused voice reached Claire and her struggle to escape began anew. "Alek!" she called, trying to reach through the holes in the net. "Help!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Alek shouted angrily and Claire saw him rush towards the group of fae holding her captive.

"Release her at once!" The fae paid him no mind and continued to drag Claire along behind them. Alek reached the net and grabbed hold of it, sparks flew and Alek quickly released it, thin red welts forming across his palm and fingers where skin had met the ropes.

"Jarrah!" Alek roared, rounding on the dark haired prince who had just come through the shimmer. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I should be asking you that question, Drosselmeyer," Jarrah shot back, his tone dark. "I've always thought you to be arrogant and too proud for your own good, but I never thought you were so foolish."

Alek sneered. "Has Elysia's vanity grown so deep that the mere thought of another woman causes her to respond in such a uncivilized manner?"

For the first time since they'd encountered the fae prince, Jarrah looked genuinely surprised. "You really don't know?" He asked, looking towards Claire. "But you do, don't you."

"You're not clever enough to speak in riddles, your highness," Alek snapped, "so tell me what you are going on about before I really lose my temper."

"She's tainted," a high, crystalline voice called out. A hush fell over those gathered in the square.

All eyes shifted towards a lone figure who was approaching from the trees. She was smaller than the others, though no less beautiful. Her movements were graceful, her expression serene, and the long gown she wore floated around her like a cloud spun of silver and gold. Everything about her, from the tips of her curved ears bedecked with hundreds of miniscule diamonds, to the tips of her toes which barely peeked out from beneath the hem of her dress, was breathtakingly regal.

This, Claire realized, this was the woman whom Draz had compared her too. This was the faerie queen, the woman who captured the hearts of human and fae alike. What was it Draz had said? That she didn't like competition?

Heads bowed in deference as the fae parted to make way for the delicate creature. She made her way towards were they stood and Claire became acutely aware of her currently disheveled state. Net aside, her hair was a mess, small sticks and stray leaves caught up in the mud streaked curls, her nightgown, which had once been a pristine white, was more gray than anything, its edges torn and tattered.

Of course she felt ridiculous for worrying herself with such things when her very life might be at stake, but she couldn't help it when confronted with one as beautiful as Elysia, a woman who had once tried to win Alek's affections, one who had, perhaps, not given up in that pursuit.

"She's been marked by the shades. Another week, maybe two, and the darkness will have reached her heart," Elysia stopped where Claire lay tangled in the net. She leaned down and peered at her with the most vivid pair of violet eyes that Claire had ever seen in her life. "I must say I'm impressed that she has survived this long. Weren't you going to tell him, girl? Have you no regard for his feelings?"

Her surprise must have shown on her face because Elysia laughed, the sound soft and musical, like a chimes dancing on a gentle breeze. "Don't look so surprised girl, neither of you are fooling anyone," Elysia said, "I just can't imagine why you would keep something like this from the man you claim to love. Unless of course, you have an ulterior motive. Perhaps you aren't as innocent as you pretend to be, hmm?"

Claire opened her mouth to speak, but the words remained lodged in her throat, refusing to come out. When she looked towards Alek, he was staring at the ground, his hands balled into tight fists. Even Draz, who had stopped fighting to free himself of the fae detaining him, looked angry.

Elysia smirked and rose. "It matters little to me, you'll be dead before dawn. You should thank me for sparing you the agony of being consumed by your own self loathing."

"No!" Draz shouted, suddenly springing forward, eluding the grasping hands of the fae reaching to hold him back. He only made it a few steps before more fae had gotten hold of him once more. "Take her to the Hanging Gardens and ensure she remains well guarded. Who knows what devious plans she has up her sleeve."

"Wait! Please!" Claire cried out, her heart breaking when Alek refused to even look her way. Did he truly believe that she had hidden her affliction from him to hurt him? That she had been scheming against him? He must, she thought, otherwise he would have done something to stop this. He would have done something to save her.