Once upon a time, there was a fairy king. His stature wasn't great, his words weren't grand, and his heart feeble.

To understand the source of his immense power, however, one must only look to his humble beginnings. For he started out...human.

The red blood diluting once my foot pressed into the snow conjured up memories of that fleeting humanity now. I could hardly remember it.

In my left hand, I dragged a broken shield, in my right...a body. No one would believe that I did not remember from where this shield materialized or why I sought it out. I knew only that I did. Seldom would I let it drop. And whenever I had, be it through necessity as a fight required my full range of motion, or a momentary rest loosened my grip, I could concentrate on nothing beyond finding it once again.

And so I kept it. Not knowing why...and not caring.

For every rebirth, life came in a fog with bits and pieces shadowing me like a slighted phantom.

I required this shield, and it was mine. Damaged or otherwise.

A heft sent the carcass sailing onto the pile.

The sight of it did not impress me. This one was a griffin. Despite its size, there was no challenge to it.

Beyond that pile, the land burned. The flames suited me fine—I'd put them there. No one dared undo what I'd wrougth.

Women and children cried out. Men gathered livestock in preparation for sacrifice in hopes of appeasing me, but nothing had worked these last ten days and I feared nothing would.

In the here and now, I perceived nothing beyond the bloodlust.

Therefore, I turned and marched to the feeble little faun which had accompanied me till this moment.

"And I ask you again, to whom does this belong? Who now commands my land!"

Head bowed, body drawn up, the faun raised both hands and pleaded, "Hear me, I beg. He is a good man—"

"Who!"

Silence fell over us as dusk crept in and the day retreated for safety, much as it had these ten days.

The faun trembled. And it shivered more when I reached out a bloodied hand to pat its head.

As the fairy king, I attempted to soothe the coward, but my words seeped from my clenched teeth as I bit back my rage. "Your loyalty is commendable. But behold your enemies. I've bested three griffins, and two serpents. Creatures of immense sizes. Creatures who feast upon the likes of you. Show your appreciation now, offer up your ruler."

Despite my touch, the bastard merely whimpered.

"Such ingratitude! I will have his head. I will know his whereabouts and his possessions!" The boom of my voice left the lands humming. And as the threat yielded nothing, the last of my patience left me. I grabbed the faun by the horns. "So be it!"

My vision clouded as the faun stiffened, no longer walking as I dragged it behind me until we reached the gathering.

"Surrender this leader. Or my fight will no longer be with your enemies, but rather, with you all." With one heft of my hand, the faun came into view, held up like an animal prepared for gutting. "Starting with him."

Someone stepped forward—someone I recognized to be a werewolf.

"You are confused, master. Only you rule us."

That was a lie. My body burned. "I summon magic from the lands, and they do not answer. I do not rule here!" Their collective gasps and palpable terror fueled my anger. I have been reborn. Why was no one prepared for this? Surely, my temples and worshipers awaited this moment.

No matter.

I needed no one. It would take time, but I could build my parishioners once more.

Creatures this frightened tended to betray whomever necessary. And I was a patient soul. "So tell me who rules, so that I may take off his head and reclaim my power."

I counted hundreds of people, and not just human or even fairy, but a mix of all creatures with sense and the power of speech. Never had I seen trolls and humans, ogres and brownies standing side by side, all shielding this benevolent leader. Such loyalties never came my way without a threat.

The jealousy in my words weren't lost on me. In truth, that same envy whet my appetite to take on such a challenge. What manner of creature could not only steal my land...but think himself bold enough to keep it?

"Speak," I commanded.

But rather than squawk out the answers, they simply cried, many trading glances.

I waited, and then lost patience. "Very well. Then you can all perish together."

Warmth filled my back as my wings took form.

A flick of the wrist sent the faun flying. One or two humans, of all things, scrambled to help it up.

Such actions and consideration had me baffled. What manner of hell had I fallen into?

Compassion like this was beyond human nature. I'd know—the lack thereof was how I came to be. Seeing it now fueled my rage. Who was this ruler who could bring these creatures together?

No matter. They wouldn't live long enough to care.

"I know who you seek," a gentle voice called.

Murmurs broke out, more than one instance of, "No, Princess. You cannot reason with him! We can't lose you, too."

"Protect her."

"You mustn't go."

"Princess?" Finally. Some progress—someone to speak to of my own stature. I took flight, scanning the crowd. "What manner of princess?"

The creature to step from the gathering looked human but I knew better. I would recognize it even in the grave.

Once my feet touched down in the snow, I allowed my surprise to show. "A fairy queen." The scoff died in the back of my throat. Under my breath, I said, "I might have known." In the thought to dismiss her, something occurred to me. "You automatically supplicate yourself to me, per fairy law. Speak. Confess who rules this land!"

Her clothes looked plain but the radiance in her eyes was captivating.

In her defiance, she attested, "You do."

Night seeped into our sphere, but fury seeped into my blood. Somehow, I managed to hold steady and employ patience. "I cry out to this land to obey me, and it cries back but one name—Wyrn. Who is this?"

She stood bold then answered, "My—my husband."

A sense of surprise filled my body. "As I should have known, even this incantation of you defies me."

Since the conception of the fairy king, a fairy queen was put in place to offer a counterbalance. We'd never seen eye-to-eye. And it was not that I did not find love and respect for the queen, but it was she who never mustered up even a speck of it to give me.

This one would be no different, I knew.

Each time I'd died, it was by her hand, or her carelessness. Another queen would come one day, but I wouldn't allow a defeat this time.

Instead, I decided to take matters into my own hands rather than leave it to chance and fate.

A long yellow light extended from my fist. Once the lance formed, I used it to point to her.

"You won't get in my way again. At least this time you'll be of some use. Once you are gone, your husband will seek his revenge, and I will be free."

If I were truthful to myself, I could admit that my heart wasn't in it. Any of it. But this was my way, and my path, and I could not regain myself until I activated my entire power.

"Sir." A tall body walked from the crowd.

The sight of it took me aback. "Why is a fairy here among humans and refuse?" I demanded.

Eyes cast down, the human-sized Fae bowed. "I am Matax. And I am here to serve you. I know of this Wyrn. I know how to find him, and I know of his power." After a short pause, he picked his head up and told me, "And I will grant him to you. In exchange...."

He turned and gave me his back. His wings flashed, revealing three where four should have been.

Calm came to me. Finally, an ally. At first, I did not believe anyone would betray this Wyrn. For ten days I'd terrorized them to no avail. If this man had caused this fairy's injury, however, it stood to reason that Matax would seek revenge.

But what manner of creature would attack a fairy directly with such cavalier disregard for the laws of nature and magic?

For the first time since shedding my mortal form, I felt something I'd long since abandoned. Fear.

This ruler was strong.

Strong enough that these people would rather die than give him over. His wrath was that great.

Heart pounding, I scanned the terrified faces before me, mirroring their worry though I hid it well, and began to doubt myself. When my eyes settled on the fairy queen—this human princess—I felt only hate. She'd caused this. In preparation for my rebirth, she'd aligned herself with a great power—one so strong that she'd never have to bow to the fairy king again.

"This day should never have arrived," I declared, eyes on the frigid snow below my feet.

"Fix my wings, sir," Matax entreated, "and I will tell you how to defeat such a foe."

"Matax," the princess warned, "stop this nonsense."

He ignored her. I did as well. Though desperate for some clarity, I sauntered to Matax and waved a hand before him. It would cost me some magic to heal another fairy, but I hadn't a choice.

Matax's back glowed and the fairy arched. Once he was whole, he vanished from existence. His attempt at running lasted mere seconds—I caught him and flung him to the ground.

Taking and giving mortal form was the fairy king's right, so I forced Matax human once more and stomped down on his chest, saying, "Speak."

Panic and fear burned in Matax's eyes when he said, "His wife. Take his wife. But do not kill her. Keep her."

This was a miserable plan. "The fairy queen and the fairy king are enemies. Keeping her alive is a detriment. In over two thousand years, she'd never found any love for me. Why would I risk that now?"

Instead of carrying on with his grand—and ultimately useless—plan, Matax trembled. He scrambled for something to say. "If—if—if you keep her, he'll come."

"He'll come if I kill her, too."

A collective gasp left the crowd. One man rushed out, then another. Within seconds, they all formed a barrier before the princess.

This was no longer a lark or in my control.

I stared at them and they me. The defiance there stole my will to carry on.

"It's her husband," Matax attested. "With her alive, she can control him. Take her and go. And when he comes, you'll have won. And you can take his power for your own."

The words pounded in my head. Deep down, I was doubtful, but fear forced me to rethink my original plan.

Her husband. The ruler was her husband. The very same who she allied with to defeat me, would be her undoing.

Bubbling up below my anger came relief. Her husband?

Perfect.

"Good." A smirk fought its way to my lips. "That is a brilliant idea I've come up with. I shall keep her until his arrival. Then he must come and rescue her and then I will take his head."

With a wave of the hand, I used the last of my magic to drown out the daylight. The stars vanished, as did the clouds till nothingness remained. In the black, one figure stood dormant. The princess.

I didn't know who she was or what became of the old fairy queen, and I did not care. What I wanted was my command of the land once more.

It took everything in me, but I whisked us away into the forest of enchantment where my might was always law—safely tucked beside the Lake of the Forgotten.

I would wait for this Wyrn. But first...I'd see to his wife.