Prince Aspen’s orders were followed immediately by a rush of sound and movement as the rest of Winter’s soldiers jumped to their feet and began packing up.

Phoenix hurriedly shoved the last of his lunch into his mouth before coming to his feet. He gave each of the Sylvans a fond pat on their heads before turning and joining Jynx to assemble with the rest of the soldiers.

He was once more put on the beast with Jynx, Prince Aspen not even looking in his direction. Again, he felt the unfamiliar twist in his belly as the group set off. Prince Aspen’s beast ahead of them all. 

They fell into a steady temp of murmuring voices, clinking armor and the beast's feet along the rain-sodden road. Phoenix drew up enough courage in the moment to ask Jynx what had been plaguing him since the farm. 

“Did the Winter Queen really kill her own sons?” He asked quietly. He knew the Queen to be cold and cruel but he didn’t think she would be capable of killing her own children over something like a bit of disobedience. 

Behind him, Jynx was quiet, his arms on either side of him shifting nervously on the reins. “It’s not to be spoken of.” He said, his voice so low, Phoenix had to strain to hear him. “It’s best not to dwell on such thoughts. Take comfort in the knowledge that you belong to His Highness and not the Queen. If you really are a son of Spring and are eligible to marry His Highness, chances are high she would want you alive.”

Phoenix felt cold, a feeling he was coming to associate with thoughts of the Winter Court. While he had been told Winter would treat him better, he began to fear that the Winter Court itself was a different kind of Hell.

By the time they stopped for the night, there was a chill in the air. In the distance, a vast mountain range loomed Dark and foreboding with white peaks as far as the eye could see.

“Winter Court.” Jynx told him, unstrapping their bags from the beast as he saw him staring. “We’ll pass it’s borders within a day.”

The Inn they stopped at was in the center of a lumber town. Tall trees reached skyward, sending vast dark shadows on everything below. Trees and lanterns lined narrow streets but what awed Phoenix the most was that the trunks of the trees were the shops and homes of these people. Winding rope and wood staircases wound up the trunks, and along the winding staircases, doors peppered it’s trunk nearly to the top. And from these, crisscrossing bridges ran from tree to tree, allowing the townspeople to move about without ever touching the ground.

Phoenix’s neck hurt from craning it back so far to take everything in. He hadn’t even been aware something like existed in the Spring Court. To his dismay, the Inn they stopped at was a normal building on the ground. Not that he thought Prince Aspen or Jynx would let him go galivanting off into the trees.

This time, he wasn’t hidden away in the basement. He was given a room with Jynx that connected to Prince Aspen’s. There were no other guests at the Inn and it seemed as though Prince Aspen knew the elderly couple who owned the place rather well. It was the first time he had seen the frigid male smile. The entire party was served a warm meal of meat and potatoes and, while the soldiers were given ale, Phoenix was only given a spiced cider, much to his disappointment. Even Prince Aspen was having a glass of ale. After dinner, they were given a wonderful performance by a singer and her small band of musicians. The lyrics and music were strange to Phoenix and, when he asked Jynx, he was told it was a popular song by Winter Court. Something, he supposed, he was going to have to get used to. By the time the third round of ale was passed, Jynx took Phoenix back to their shared room and away from the drunk and rowdy soldiers. He was grateful to the Beta. He certainly didn’t want to be an Omega in a room with drunk Alphas. Even if Prince Aspen was in the room, Phoenix knew the effects Omega's pheromones could have on Alphas. 

He washed his face in a basin of fresh water before Jynx made out the bed before him for him to slip under the covers. He was grateful for the male’s consideration of him but he felt awkward sleeping in the bed while the soldier slept on a mat of furs on the floor. He could still hear the soldiers and the music from downstairs but it helped to lull him into a warm and pleasant sleep. 

He didn’t know what time it was when he was abruptly woken. For a moment, he simply laid there, holding his breath and trying to train his ears to what he had heard. The inn was silent, the moonlight still filtering in from outside. A shift of movement and Phoenix sat up straight, only for Jynx to put his finger to his lips in a quiet motion. He was standing by the door to the  room and had his hand on his sword. What had been the sound that had woken him? His heart was hammering so hard in his chest, it made it almost hard to breath. He was quick to get out from under the covers, silent as a mouse until the door to Prince Aspen’s room slammed open and the Prince barged in. Jynx turned immediately as Aspen’s eyes settled on Phoenix standing beside the bed. 

“Let’s go. We don’t have time to dress.” Prince Aspen’s voice was quiet but full of venom. Phoenix hesitated, wondering if he’d done something wrong.

“NOW!” He ordered and Phoenix jumped hurrying to the Prince’s side. Jynx looked confused as to what he was supposed to. 

“Your Highness?” he asked

“King Midas has reported to the Autumn Court that I have, in my possession, the Autumn Court heir and an entire army is coming for him. Hold them off here, along with the rest of the soldiers. I will take him over Winter’s borders. It’ll be faster with the two of us.”

Phoenix felt his blood run cold and a heavy sinking feeling in his stomach. Wait… he thought he was the son of King Midas? He didn’t understand… What was going on? He didn’t have a chance to question further before Prince Aspen grabbed Phoenix’s upper arm and began to steer him through his own room and out the door. The soldiers were already awake, well armed and waiting silently by their doors. They may have been drunk only hours ago, but now, they were silent warriors, awaiting orders. Jynx brought up the rear, his hands still resting on the hilt of his sword as he quietly gave the soldiers the Prince’s orders. Squad leaders began to order their squad mates and the flurry of movement was enough to mask the Prince leading Phoenix into the stables attached to the inn.

The massive beast of the Prince’s raised it’s sleepy head when they entered and yawned, massive teeth reminding Phoenix his fear of them. But Aspen didn’t seem to care, or realize, as he pulled him up beside the beast before grabbing him at the waist and setting him on the front of the saddle. The place where he touched burned pleasantly and Phoenix couldn’t hide the flush in his cheeks. He was grateful that Prince Aspen was sitting behind him at that moment. There was just something about the Prince that seemed to calm all his nerves. Maybe it was that scent of his, or the way his touch was warm compared to his outer persona. 

“I will not be stopping.” Prince Aspen growled out behind him as the white beast ambled from the stable, shaking it’s head from the last of it’s sleep. “The Chepi are much faster than horses so you need to hang on. It will be fast.” 

All Phoenix could do was swallow down his nerves and nod before Prince Aspen spurred the Chepi into motion. The beast, though large and cumbersome, was rather fluid and gentle, even at full speed. It wasn’t until they were out on the main road that ran through the town that Phoenix could see the flames of the approaching army just over the crest. Terror swept through him and, almost as if he could sense it, Prince Aspen wrapped an arm around Phoenix’s waist as the Chepi headed for the far end of the town, towards the mountains he had seen the day before. 

Prince Aspen hadn’t been lying when he spoke of the Chepi’s speed. Darkness and shadows flashed beside them as they left the town and into the deep woods along the road. Darkness swallowed them but the Chepi’s white fur stood out like a shining beacon and Phoenix was far too terrified to dare to look behind them. Had they seen them leaving? Had they gotten to the Inn already? What about Jynx and the rest of the soldiers? There was no way they would be able to take on an entire army themselves. 

“Your scent is going to attract attention if you keep worrying!” Prince Aspen had to lean down into his ear for him to hear him and Phoenix’s heart skipped several beats at the closeness. “We just have to reach the border of Winter and Autumn won’t be able to cross without my mother’s permission. We just have to convince her to not let them in.” 

That only put more worry in Phoenix’s belly. From what he’d gathered so far, the Winter Queen was nothing but a tyrant and he certainly didn’t see himself as worthy in her eyes to protect him. But, if it was true that he was to marry Prince Aspen, would that be enough for her to spread her protection over him? Everything, once more, revolved around whether or not his blood truly ran with Spring blood. 

They reached the Apex of a hill that winded it’s way further down into the forest, the snowy, dark mountains of Winter looming over them. However, Prince Aspen suddenly pulled the Chepi up short and it gave a snarl of rage as it dug its claws into the road to stop them. On the road ahead of them, a line of Autumn soldiers blocked the path. 

“How the Hell did they know?” Prince Aspen growled, arm removed from Phoenix’s waist to grab onto the reins with both hands. But Phoenix was hardly paying attention to the Prince, his eyes wide at the intimidating line of Autumn soldiers. It wasn’t just the armor and weaponry they sported but the flames that lit them up from behind. They danced behind them, like creatures of flame and very much with a conscious mind. His own heat in his veins seemed to awaken at the sight but he squeezed his hands into fists. He’d only ever been able to heat up the water to wash dishes. That wouldn’t help them here. 

The line of soldiers began to surge forward, cutting off any escape as they rode in perfect unison. They rode on brightly colored Pegasi, their wings folded at their sides to keep from bumping against each other in their tight formation but Phoenix was sure they were just as deadly in the air with their wings as they were on the ground. 

“P-prince Aspen?” Phoenix questioned, his voice shaking as the line continued to mark towards them.

A growl from behind him vibrated through Prince Aspen’s chest into Phoenix’s back and he felt a blanket of goosebumps erupt along his neck and arms at the sheer dominance behind it. “I’m working on it!” He snapped at him, pulling back on the Chepi’s reins to make it back up. “You’re supposed to be a Spring heir, can you manipulate the earth as your father can?”

As your father can. Somehow, that question alone had his stomach twisted. He would never consider King Midas as his father and, if he did have the ability to manipulate Earth, perhaps he would have known he was of Spring origin much sooner than now. 

“No!” he whined. “I-I can’t do anything!”

“Worthless!” Prince Aspen snapped before he lifted his own hands and an explosion of ice erupted around them, making the very ground they were standing on shake and shudder. The autumn soldiers were well trained, however, and as the ice surged for them, intent on turning them into blocks of ice, the flames behind the soldiers came alive like a giant dragon and attacked the approaching ice. An explosion sounded and pieces of ice shot in every direction but the oncoming inferno pushed on, breaking up the ice as fast as it could freeze creating a perfect path for the Autumn soldiers to press on. 

But the ice beneath the Chepi was  home to the beast and using his claws that were created for such conditions, the beast turned sharply, racing towards the tree line. Phoenix could only watch with bated breath as man and beast worked in perfect symphony; as Prince Aspen laid down a road of ice, twisting and maneuvering around the trees, the beast’s claws took them faster and with ease through the thick trees while the inferno beast devoured it behind them. Phoenix could no longer see the autumn soldiers but a sound above the trees told him that they had taken to the air to follow them. It was only thanks to Prince Aspen’s arm around him that kept him from falling off through the twists and turns. The Chepi’s speed, alone, was staggering. Once it had it’s claws on the ice, it became another creature altogether. And the way they worked together, laying down the ice road, anticipating which direction it would take in a matter of seconds, meant they had clearly trained together for many, many years and could work together without batting an eye. 

Ahead of them, a column of flame erupted, blasting trees in every direction. One large log hit the Chepi square in the chest, sending the Beast skyrocketing off the ice path and into the forest. Phoenix and Prince Aspen were thrown from its back. A scream ripped from Phoenix’s throat as his world somersaulted, only briefly aware that he was being wrapped up in Prince Aspen’s arms, shielding him from the worst of the fall. They hit the ground hard, rolling several times until coming to a stop against one of the broken trees. Pressed as tightly as he was against the Alpha’s chest, he could feel his erratic heartbeat, his scent filled with both anger and fear. He could only imagine what his own scent smelled like. There was no sign of the Chepi and the woods around them suddenly became very silent. The inferno dragon was gone and, if the Autumn soldiers were still around, they were keeping quiet, looking for them.

“Are you hurt?” The Prince’s voice was barely above a whisper but it was just enough that it startled Phoenix. Was he… hurt? His heart was still hammering so hard against his ribcage, sending adrenaline shooting through his veins but he didn’t feel any pain.  

“N-no….” he whispered back, pulling away from the Alpha as he pulled his arms away from him. At least, for the moment, the Winter prince wasn’t treating him like he was disgusting. He sat back on his heels as the Prince sat up, rubbing at his shoulder where part of his clothes had been torn, revealing a bloody mess underneath.