Part 3

Cricket opened his eyes slowly, to see Heather staring right back into his, her eyes teary.

"Cricket!" Heather yelled, squeezing him in a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I've had worse." Cricket said with a wince, slowly sitting up. "Is that maniac gone?"

"She vanished right after she uhhh... squeezed you." Emma replied. She was sweeping up the remains of the front door that Sirene kicked in, and looked annoyed. "What was that even about?"

"I suppose, since the Emperor revealed some of it for you, to reveal the truth of my past." Cricket said slowly, sitting in his chair with the help of Heather. "Jakob, you might want to get a book on Elvish Mythology from your shelves, as recalling millennia old memories is a bit hard."

"Mythology?" Jakob asked, surprised and intrigued. "Which book?"

"The one about my life. An entire book was written about me, but I didn't find out for a very long time. You might know its title, The Avalanche Princess." Cricket replied, stopping to cough.

"I know that story. But it can't be, just how long have you been a fairy?" Jakob asked. 

"I was murdered by Vordea, and I don't use that term lightly, as Eigengrau used the same term, in the year 3513. I'll save you the math and tell you it's been nearly a thousand years. I was the Avalanche Princess, hundreds of years before that. But Jakob I can see it on your face, as my name was lost to history. You want to know what it was. Well, Emperor Lazarus already used it, but I'll say it again, the full title. I was Princess Syndra Valmaris the Avalanche."

As Cricket finished speaking, a chill spread through the room, and snow began to fall outside, despite it being late spring. James rushed outside and looked up, to see the sky filled with grey clouds.

"I was afraid of this. My true name has been spoken, so my curse has been renewed." Cricket said, sighing in resignation. "Despite what the book says, it was not a blessing, Jakob. But I suppose it means the time for disguises has long past. Emma, could you help me? My wings don't work, just put me on the floor in the centre of the library."

"Cricket are you okay?"

"I will be." He replied with a sad smile.

Emma nodded and picked up Cricket gently, before placing him exactly where he asked. Cricket closed his eyes briefly and nodded, before looking down at his hands. He held the pose for a few moments, before flooding the room with mana. Tears in his eyes, he pulled a dagger from his coat pocket, and stabbed himself with it. He fell to his knees, and his body dissolved, filling the room with blue smoke.

"Cricket!" Emma shouted, starting to move closer.

"Stop. Fairy bodies are made of pure mana. He told me that nearly 15 years ago, Emma." Heather said, her small face extremely serious. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think he's reforming his body."

"Always too clever, Heather." A smooth female voice could be heard saying from the smoke. In an instant it cleared, revealing an elvish woman wearing a white skirt, a white bandeau, and little else. Her long silvery white hair covered most of her upper body, and her equally silver eyes stared at Heather. "As I said, the time for disguises is long past. My name has been spoken, the curse renewed, I cannot hide my fate. I am Syndra Valmaris the Avalanche."

"Ah, here we are. The Avalanche Princess. Endless snow follows in her wake, burying those who are foolish enough to stray too close." Jakob said, opening a dusty tome, encrusted with silver. "They said it was because you were such an icy cold person the Gods themselves blessed you with this."

Syndra smirked at this sentence. The look alone told much of what she thought of this rendition of events before she even spoke. But in seconds her smirk faded and a general sadness came over her. She looked at Heather before speaking.

"Remember what I told you when I first met you? That I wish I could have done more for my family? It was the loss of my beloved husband. I haven’t been truly happy in a very long time, but Tarron would never forgive me if I killed myself to be reunited with him. The snow began to fall around me the day he died, and never stopped since." Syndra stopped speaking and looked down. Tears were forming in her eyes but they turned to ice on her cheeks. She cleared her throat and looked up. "I apologize. I won’t tell you why I stole the Amulet of the Corpse King, but I think you can make a good guess. But maybe I can still avenge Tarron. I must go to spare you the effects of the curse, but I’ll return. Look for the snow that falls no matter the season and you’ll find me."

"Wait, before you go." Emma said. Syndra looked at her expectantly so Emma continued. "Sirene called you the Fairy King. What does that even mean?"

"It means I was the oldest fairy, nothing more. Don’t read too much into it, sometimes the truth is mundane. Emma, before I go, you’ve grown into a fine person. You as well James. Don’t deny your hearts. Use the Emperor’s gifts wisely. Good bye."

With those words spoken, Syndra left through the door of the house, and started down the street. The snow was already enough to cover your shoes, so she knew she had to hurry towards the North to prevent problems. With a strange gesture from her right hand, a very old form of magic not used in hundreds of years was activated, and she began to fly north.