A Wynter's Tale

The night was warm and unusually quiet on the day she was born. Her mother held her in pale arms as her violet eyes looked up to the man she called "husband". "Isis.. How could you?" The man asked. His voice thick with conviction. The snowy haired female let out a soft sigh as her violet gaze returned to that of her newborn daughter. "I-I'm sorry Xander." She said softly, the words almost catching in her throat. "You're sorry?! You're sorry. Sorry will ne ver change the fact that the child in your arms is not mine Isis Rebecca! Sorry will never change the fact that she has a tail." He turned away drawing his dragon like, brown wings about his form as his hand moved to adjust his crown. "Xavier... I can not change the past, But this child, your daughter..." Isis began but was cut off by Xander as he turned back around with a growl. "She is NOT my daughter! I will never accept that Isis!"

A little girl of about six walked in rubbing her eyes. Her shoulder length ebony curls in disarray as she stretched her small onyx wings. "What's going on? Why are you yelling? You're going to wake Livia." The little girl stated. She matched her father in looks, from her dark hair, to her eyes the color of the purest gold. "Go back to bed Macayla." Xander growled. The little girl jumped. She'd never seen her father so angry before. Her gaze moved to the baby in her mother's arms. "Is that the new baby?" She asked trying to get a look at her new sister. "Yes. you will see her in the morning Ayla, now please go back to bed." Isis pleaded not wanting Xander to lose his temper on his oldest child. "Yes mother..." Macayla said as she turned to quietly walk out of the room. She knew that baby had something to do with her parents fighting and she didn't like it.

With Macayla out of the room, Xander turned back to Isis, the look of death in his golden eyes. "When our people find out, they will kill her. They will kill you Isis. It's treason. Betrayal! You are the Queen of this land. But that child holds none of your King's blood. The blood in that child belongs to our enemy. They will not be pleased!" He stated. "They will never know Xander. It will be between us. I promise you..." Isis pleaded as tears filled her eyes. "You promises mean nothing to me! You once promised to forever be mine and that was a lie." Xander stated as he stormed out of the room.

Two weeks past, with out further argument. Isis was torn. Xander had given her an ultimatum, the child, or her marriage. She looked down to the baby. Two small silver eyes looked back as two ivory hands reached up to grab at her mother's hair.

The sound of the palace doors banging open brought Isis out of her thoughts and caused the infant to wail. Isis looked up and came face to face a blue skinned, silver eyed, spaded tailed demon. "Chos.." She whispered silently. "I have come for what is mine Isis. I want my daughter." The demon hissed. Isis flexed her violet wings as she backed up away from the intruder. "No Chos. Wynter is my daughter. She will stay where she can not be killed." She growled to him.

Xander walked down the red carpeted staircase. Spotting Chos his flared. "How DARE you enter my home like this!" He drew a sword from his back and held it out. "Leave my home or I will kill you myself Chos!" Xander ordered as he stepped around the demon to stand by his Queen. Chos laughed, "Do you think I come alone Kingy? You are a fool to think as such. If you k ill me my army will take down this entire kingdom!"

"Xander don't kill him!" Isis said as she turned to look out one of the windows. Her violet eyes widened as she saw Chos's demon army outside by the thousands.

Xander didn't listen, he rushed at Chos burying his sword deep into the demon's gut. Chos let out a low growl as he fell to his knees. Outside the blue demon army began to pillage the kingdom.

Isis turned back and yelled "MACAYLA!" The six year old ran down the stairs in tears, one of her olive hands holding onto a pale hand belonging to a blonde haired girl of about three. "Yes mother?" Macayla asked her small body shaking. "Take your sister's and go." Isis ordered as she placed three necklaces in her daughter's dress pocket. "Go where?" Macayla asked confused. "Hide. Outside the kingdom. If your father and me do not show up by morning, take your sisters and put them in places far from the palace and then go hide yourself." Isis said as she placed the infant in her daughter's arms. "What's going on Mother?" Macayla said , yet again getting the feeling that this baby had something to do with it. "Bad things. You need to go, and you need to go now. Take the servants entrance and go Macayla Anne I will not tell you again!" Isis said as she gave all three children hugs and kisses before ushering them to the secret wall passage in the kitchen. Macayla looked at her mother, tears streaming from her golden eyes as the wall almost silently, slid back into place.

"Where We's goin?" The little blonde girl asked as Macayla led her along the passage, the infant still her arms. "Hush Olivia! Mother said we have to hide so we are." She snapped. "K's..." Olivia said shutting up her pudgy hands holding the back to Macayla's dress.

The passage ended in a cave in the outskirts of the kingdom. Macayla knew they would be safe there for the night. She set up beds for all three out of leaves and twigs. She placed the infant in one of the make shift beds and sat down beside her. The necklaces tumbled out of her pocket. Macayla recognized them to be the family crest . Her parents both wore them around their necks. She picked one up and looked it over. The crest was simple, a silver dragon holding a pure onyx rose in its mouth. She slipped one chain over Olivia's neck, one over the infant's and one over her own.

As night fell, the sounds of someone traveling along the passage could be heard. A dark skinned servant appeared bearing a long sword. "Princess, your mother requested this be given to your sister when she is old enough to brandish it. Please see that she gets it." The sword was placed beside Macayla. The servant then pulled a dagger out of her pocket and handed it to Macayla. "This is for you Princess." The servant said as she fled out of the cave not daring to return the way she had come.

The dagger was her father's. His name was etched along the blade. Macayla lifted the sword and pulled it from it's sheath. She had never seen it before. The blade was a bright silver color with a long stemmed pink rose trailing down the left side of the blade. The hilt was silver as well, the very top looked like a dragon's head with it's mouth open. Whether or not she liked the infant, she would abide her mother's request . The sword would go to Wynter when she was old enough. She sighed softly and laid down pulling Olivia with her. "It's bed time Livia." They slowly drifted off to sleep.

Macayla awoke to the sounds of birds chirping. She opened her eyes and looked around biting her lip as she did not see her parents anywhere near. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. She knew she would have to lead her sisters away from their home. She gently woke Livia. "We have to go now Livia." She said as she sheathed the sword and placed it on her back. She nearly toppled over from the weight as she bent down to pick Wynter up. "Where we's goin? Where momma and dadda?" Olivia asked canting her head of golden curls to the side, her cerulean blue eyes looking up to her big sister. "They aren't coming. Now shut up. The bad people will find us if you keep talking..." Macayla said as she walked out of the cave.

They walked for days, stopping at night to sleep. Olivia and Wynter cried endlessly for food and their mother. Macayla was near tears herself. She was torn inside, unsure of what had happened. She missed her parents terribly, but she kept her feelings to herself and did her best to cheer Olivia up. But she knew she would have to drop Olivia off first. Her chance came as they neared the Kingdom of Everlorum. The hyndes lived there. They were peaceful beings and would take in an orphan with no problem. Macayla walked up to the Castle and laid Wynter down to give Olivia a hug. "You be good for your new mother and father okay? Don't give them any problems. I promise you Olivia, some day we will meet again. We will be a family again I give you my word as a Rose okay?" Macayla said as she fought back her tears. Olivia nodded as Macayla picked up Wynter. She gave a sharp knock on the door before running down the castle steps. As she faded from view she heard the door open. A servant spoke "Oh my! Where are you parents little one?" then she heard Olivia cry. "I's a orpen. I's no has a momma and dadda." Macayla turned back as the servant ushered Olivia inside and shut the door.

Macayla spent the next four days singing to Wynter as she walked down the roads and out of the hynde home land. The next kingdom was Dragon Valley. The place where all the dragon's in the realm lived. As she walked through the valley she saw signs that almost all the caves had signs of hatchlings . All but one. This one was where she laid Wynter down. "You be a good girl Wynter. You grow up big and strong. Come find me when you are bigger." She kissed Wynter's pale head before pinching her to make her cry. She laid the sword beside the screaming infant and ran into the woods. She stayed until the dragon that owned the cave stepped out and carried Wynter in before she started off on her own journey.

"Hush you tiny little thing" The emerald dragon cooed as she on her hunches and rocked Wynter . The silver eyed infant stopped crying and looked up to the massive dragon. The emerald dragon spied the necklace around Wynter's neck and turned it over to see if the infant had a name. Sure enough on the back side of the crest was engraved "Princess Wynter Desrea Rose". The dragon released the crest and smiled only as a dragon could. "Such a pretty name Wynter. I am Fyora." The dragon said.

Fyora made Wynter a bed out of animal skins and laid her down. "You must be hungry aren't you Wynter? You are lucky you were left here. I had welps once, but they were slain by a knight. It wasn't too long ago so I still have milk." She smiled to Wynter as she laid down and shifted scales revealing her milk filled breasts. She picked Wynter up and laid her beside her, placing her mouth on a nipple, Wynter eagerly began to feed. "Many think we dragons do not have milk like your kind does. But they are wrong. We do. Our milk is special too. It gives many young dragons their strength, and it is said that other's that carry the blood of dragons in their veins get a special gift from the Gods if they are brought up on Dragon's Milk." Fyora explained as she ran a hand over Wynter's emerald green wings. You will be blessed my child. I know you carry my kind's blood in your veins."

The years did pass, and soon Wynter was no more a child. She stood a good five feet, six inches tall. Her ivory hair cascaded in soft waves down to her ankles, her silver eyes shifted colors as her mood went. She was quite strong as well. Her milky flesh rippled with small muscles in all the right places. She brandished her family sword upon her back proudly these days as she flew all around the Valley on Fyora's back. But this life was not to last forever, and soon the morbid day had come.

Wynter had come from a hunt. She knew Fyora had not been well as of late and taken to hunting for her with the aid of some of the neighboring dragons. When she walked in her cave home , her heart sank. Fyora was very pale, her once brilliant emerald scales, now a faded, and quite dull malachite. "Fyora..." Wynter whispered as she knelt down beside her large parent. "Hush child.... It is time for you to be on your own now.... The Fates have deemed it so..." Fyora said slowly, the words struggling to com e out as her tired lungs gasped for the air to create them. "You need me Fyora.. Who will care for you if I leave?" Wynter asked not willing to believe the large dragon was dying. "The Fate' s my child.... The Fates will care for me when I leave this place...Now go...And always remember... You are Wynter Desrea Rose.... And I love you...." Fyora said as her eyes closed. A few minutes later. The cave grew quiet as the dragon's pained life came to an end. Wynter lowered her head and let out a mournful wail. She took her sword from her back and slowly cut into Fyora's under belly. She held out a vile and filled it with the dragon's blood. Sealing the vile , she placed it in a soft rabbit skin pouch and took out another, filling it with the last tear Fyora had shed. A third vile contained a single scale from Fyora's head.

She left Dragon Valley as Fyora had instructed. Her heart heavy as she walked down the winding roads. She came across something suspicious laying in the road. As she neared she saw it was a young unicorn. Her heart broke for the creature as she knelt beside it. Fyora had been right, Wynter did have Dragon's blood running through her, and the God's had in fact blessed her with the gift of healing.

She knelt beside the unicorn and tried to remember what Fyora had taught her. She knew the unicorn could not healed the way Fyora had taught her. Dragon's blood was not pure to the unicorn body and it would die if it touched it. She didn't know what to do . She placed her hands on the unicorn to comfort it, gently petting it soft fur. Her eyes faded to a light blue color as her hands began to glow a light blue. The glow covered the unicorn's body.

When the light dissipated, her eyes returned to their silver color. The unicorn gave out a low whinny and stood up. Wynter blinked as she stood up shaking, not too sure of what had happened. The unicorn nuzzled Wynter's hand as it's thoughts rang in her mind. "Thank you for saving me" The unicorn said, the thoughts drifting through Wynter's mind like a soft breeze. "You're quite welcome... though I do not know how I did it." She confessed. "If you give me a name I shall travel with you and teach you how to control that unique gift you have." The unicorn offered. Wynter smiled "Freedom..." She said as she patted the unicorn's muzzle. "I like that name. Get on and as we travel I will teach you." The unicorn said as he lowered to let her climb on.

The two companions traveled for nearly a year until they came to a small cabin outside the city of Ryeden. A small knock was placed upon the door by Wynter as she prayed the owners had a room to spare for the night. One ivory hand moved to the crest around her neck.

A tall woman, about six feet in height answered the door. Her ebony curls stopped at her shoulders, eyes of gold looked to the woman briefly. The woman's gaze traveled down to the crest around her neck, those golden pools grew large. "Wynter?" She asked almost in disbelief. "Yes... That's my name... Do I know you?" Wynter asked as she furrowed her brow. "By the Gods! I thought I would never see you again." The woman pulled Wynter into a hug, which she cautiously gave back. "Who are you?" Wynter asked as she pulled out of the woman's embrace. "I am Macayla Anne Rose Dracule... Your sister" the woman replied. "My..Sister?" Wynter asked not sure about all this. "Come inside I will explain it all to you... Coal! put some water on, we have a guest." Macayla shouted into the house as she ushered Wynter inside.

The interior of the cabin was quaint as Wynter looked around. A large fire place stood directly across from the door, a strange blue flame roaring inside it. A six foot tall yellow tiger-man wearing nothing more than a pair of tattered brown pants and a white bandana sat in a rocking chair by the fire, gently rocking a small black kitten. "Wynter Desrea Rose, this is my Husband Coal Aaron Dracule, and in his arms is my newborn son Fujjin Coal Dracule.. Coal this is one of the sisters I was telling you about." Macayla introduced almost giddily. "Oh and over there..." Macayla said pointing to a half closed door. "... Raehven, my oldest child. She's two."

"I-I'm still confused. How exactly am I related to you?" Wynter asked noting Macayla's black wings which matched her own only a different color. "Sit I will tell you our past sister dear." Macayla smiled.

Wynter blinked, "Wow! That's some history we have...." She said, "Where is the other sister? Olivia is it?"

"I have not found her yet. But with you here I know she isn't far off." Macayla said. "I see... I can't believe our mother caused all that..." Wynter said more to herself. "Make no mistake Wynter, had you not been born, none of this would have happened." Macayla said that old hatred creeping up. "I-I think I should go..." Wynter said sensing trouble brewing. "It was nice meeting you all.." With that she walked out.

Wynter let out a shriek as she stepped out of the cabin. "Macayla came up to the doorway and leaned on it's frame, her arms crossed over each other, a smirk playing on her lips. Freedom laid in a pool of his own blood. "It hurts to see something you love dead, doesn't it? Now you know how I felt going back to the palace and finding my father there!" Macayla growled as she walked back in the house and slammed the door. Wynter turned around with tears in her eyes. "You-You heartless bitch! I will never for forgive this Macayla Anne! You will pay for this!" Wynter vowed as she patted the slain unicorn's head. "I am sorry Freedom..." She cried softly.

For years after she stayed away from her sister. In that time she built a mighty Empire of her own. In this empire she found a child named Calem. She adopted him as her own. She had never had children. She almost wed but her fiancee was scared off by one of her past boyfriends.

She could not stay away from her sister forever though. Macayla was in her third marriage now, and heavy with child. Wynter had to deliver the children four months early to save her sister's life. That started their sisterly bond anew.

When Calem grew into a young adult, Wynter met a man name Azael. The two soon wed and Wynter found herself with child soon after.

The pregnancy was not an easy one. She had fought with Calem a few months before and she had banished him form the Empire and the family out of anger and gone off to live with Macayla, and Azael was away on a mission for the Empire when she fell ill. Calem chose that time to return.

Calem entered her bedroom and fell to his knees at her side. "Mother?! Wake up!" He panicked gently shaking her. Wynter opened her eyes which had lost that bright glow, and were now a dull grey. "Calem... You have come back... "She said weakly. Calem broke down in tears. "I had come to kill you.. But seeing you like this, I-I can't. Forgive me Mother. I am sorry I failed you." She smiled weakly, "You haven't failed me Calem. I am very proud of you. But it seems I'm to be punished for what I did to you."

"No! I won't let you die! I'm getting Aunt Macayla!" Calem said as he ran out.

When Calem returned, he had Macayla, and Macayla's ex-husband in tow. Macayla looked to her ex and cried, "AleXavier, you must save her. She saved my life and the lives of our children. Please Love , Please save my sister." AleXavier nodded and looked to Calem, "Bring me a mortal." He ordered. Calem nodded and ran out again.

He returned shortly later, a young girl being dragged behind him. The girl looked at everyone through wide brown eyes, her knee length ebony hair in disarray. Calem held the girl still as AleXavier placed a hand on the girl's held and set her soul free. The girl's body fell limp to the floor. He moved over to Wynter and set his blue eyes to hers. A dark hand brushed his shoulder length onyx strands from his face as he spoke. "When I set you free, go to that body. Do you understand me?" Wynter nodded, her strength failing by the second. AleXavier placed his hand on her head and whispered the same words he'd spoken to the girl and set Wynter's soul free. It gently drifted into the new body.