prompt: My life was like the winter season, frigid, lonely, and colorless until I found spring.

~

Sage was running. 

Their wings limply lying beside her arms. With every turn they took their wings were jostled around leaving small blood drops behind.

The Winter Fae of the Seelie Court they had tried to pass without being seen were on their heels.

Sage didn't want to run anymore if they just laid down everything would be alright.

Just for a moment.

-

Several years earlier,

Sage was born in the Winter Seelie Court a trifling Fae lord was their father, their mother had never appeared before Sage's eyes and was never asked about. 

Their life had been empty, but fulfilling. Their days were spent walking in the surrounding forests, learning the names of every creature and tree. 

Friends were few and far in between as most Fae in the village lived on their own.Children their own age were a peculiarity and Sage seldom associated with them. 

The dark blue Fae at the edge of the forest was far more interesting, she told the myths of old to an eager Sage.

"Listen child, you know this town is empty."

Sage dutifully nodded their head, they knew that.

"It isn't without reason. You know, your father won't tell you about this. The poor man is too far gone. Yes, yes he is."

Sometimes she would fall silent and talk softly to herself, Sage would silently wait for her to continue. If something was pretty or important you would have to wait for it.

"We Fae, we shouldn't be alone. Your father tried, and look where it brought him. No we shouldn't be alone."

Sage hadn't understood that then, if Fae shouldn't be alone than why were so many alone in the first place?

"When you grow up and leave to find your person, you will go right. You shouldn't stay here. There's no one here for you. No, you should go as fast as you can. If you stay you won't leave just like the others."

The old Fae stared at rowan tree behind the house.

"Promise you go, Sage. Go to the Spring Court, there's no reason for you to be lonely."

She had died a few days later, Sage left her body under the rowan tree she always wishfully stared at. Hopefully she was happy at the Eternal lands.

Sage didn't went and left for the Spring Court as she should have done.

- 

Winters came and went. Every passing year made Sage grow until they were an adult Fae. A true Winter Fae in every sense of the word. And they stayed.

The cold didn't bother them anymore even when the water had turned had weeks ago. They still walked around outside without a coat. 

Their skin turned the pale blue of the adult Winter Fae and their hair had reached it's full color. A shade lighter blue than ice. As cold to the touch as it's nature equivalent.

Eyes as deep and dark as the ocean.

Sage had become a true Winter Fae as frigid to the eye as to the touch.

Who would want to spend time with one when oneself was sunshine incarnated?

- 

If things had turned out differently, Sage would have spent their whole life in the village. Lived and died there, without ever feeling the warmth of an other's touch.

But things did not turn out that way. 

Humans had been wandering the boundaries of Fae territory for years now. Never truly crossing it, the Fae magic kept them out. Till it didn't anymore.

The humans breached the border with help of the Winter Court. Sage had wandered in a neighboring forest and came back to a destroyed home, they didn't stay to see if something could be salvaged. The Fae in the town were far older and could take care of themselves.

Sage traveled up north towards Unseelie territory. 

It was the stupidest idea of their life. 

Their life there wasn't so different than it had been in their village. But the world was far more cruel, the other Fae weren't just lonely but unfriendly too. Their loneliness made them violent.

Sage didn't wanted to admit to themselves why they stayed there. But deep in their heart they knew why. They were afraid, afraid of what they would find in the south that was both beautiful and dangerous.

In the end the decision was made for them. All the Unseelie Fae had to register at a Seelie Court.

Initially Sage wanted to go to the Winter Court, but realized that there was only one way humans were able to enter Fae territory. With help from a Fae.

The Winter Court could not be trusted.

That was when Sage remembered the long forgotten words of the older Fae about the Spring Court.

"Promise you go, Sage. Go to the Spring Court, there's no reason for you to be lonely."

That was how they had ended up near the borders of the Winter Court, trying not to be seen but utterly failing. An arrow had pierced their wings and no longer able to use them in flight had left Sage with only the option to run.

You can't outrun a Fae in flight. Especially not a determined one.

- 

"Ah good you woke up."

The unfamiliar voice startled Sage and they tried to sit up.

"No don't move, your wounds need far more time to heal. Especially your wings, those are very sensitive even with holes in them."

The friendly voice pushed Sage back down on their belly and fed them some sort of porridge. 

Before they could finish their meal they had fallen asleep again.

- 

The next time Sage woke up, their shoulders no longer felt like they were on fire. Carefully they lifted themselves off the bed and looked around the room they laid in. 

It was an open friendly room with flowers in all shades of blue coloring the walls.

The door creaked open before Sage could stand up and in a flurry of blues a Fae stepped inside. 

"You shouldn't try to sit up yet without help!"

The anxious voice jostled Sage awake, they couldn't just trust this random Fae.

"Come on, you can lean on me. Now that you're awake you should eat something."

Sage let themselves be manhandled by the unknown Fae into whatever place or position they were needed.

"You were in a really bad condition when I found you, it's no shame to not be one hundred percent immediately after waking."

A spoon with a watery substances was placed in front of Sage's face.

"Now open up, you should eat. I'm Yume by the way."

When Sage made no move to open their mouth to eat the spoon disappeared from their view and their head was carefully moved to look right into the eyes of the other Fae.

"Hé, your safe here. I won't hurt you and I'll make sure no one can. If you don't want to eat I won't force you, but if you want to leave you need to be strong and for that you need food. So what is it going to be."

Yume held the spoon up again and moved it near Sage's face. After ample consideration they opened their mouth to accept the surprising delicious soup.

They finished the bowl and leaned back to sleep again, just before they closed their eyes they saw the dazzling smile of Yume, her soft singing nursing them to happy dreams.

-

The road to recovery was long and hard. Sage's body had gotten used to superficial wounds and had quickly healed them. 

Before long Sage was walking around the house helping Yume keeping everything in order.

Their wings didn't heal that well. Every evening Yume would remove the dressing that kept the puncture wounds closed and put a healing balm on it. But despite her best efforts and healing magic Sage's wings didn't heal and probably never would.

Sage wasn't as beating up about it as they should have. Being unable to leave wasn't such a bad prospect anymore, if it meant they could stay near Yume. 

She always managed to light and warm up Sage's world.

-

"They are not going to heal aren't they?"

Yume was applying the balm again when Sage muttered the words.

Her hands halted in the air, the fingers that were still touching Sage's wings were trembling.

"Don't say that your wings will be fine. Just a few more weeks and those yellow beauties will carry you up in the clouds again."

"You don't have to lie for my sake, Yume. I know they wounds were bad, wings just don't heal well."

The comforting warmth of Yume's hands disappeared from Sage's back and for a moment they panicked. Would they need to leave now that there was nothing left to heal.

A warm embrace forced Sage's fears back to where they came from.

"We'll find something to make you fly again. I heard there are certain plants that can work as substitutes. We can try that out."

The words that Sage wanted to say were stuck in their troath.

I don't need to fly to be happy. I already am.

"Oké, trying can't hurt."

The smile that Sage received for that was brighter than a thousand suns.

-

The samara's of the maple tree did the trick. They were too small in their natural state, but after Yume performed her spring magic they became big enough to carry a Fae in flight.

Sage hoped it would work, but didn't have too much hope. If it worked it would have surely been tried out before, right. And they had never even heard of someone with prosthetic wings.

Yume made them sit on a tree trunk and gingerly attached the enlarged maple seeds to their back.

The seeds glowed and fused with Sage's shoulder blades. That seemed rather promising and Sage didn't manage to quell the thrill of anticipation that surched through their body.

"Let's go to the lake and try them out there. If something goes wrong you will at least have a slightly softer landing."

They walked towards the edge of one of the higher points by the lake. Yume took their hands and with a tentative breath lifted them up into the air.

Sage's wings fluttered behind them and slowly created more momentum. They were flying. Unwilling to fully let go, they placed their hands around Yume's waist keeping them locked together in the air.

"You're doing it Sage!"

Sage had been looking at the ground underneath them, but sharply looked up at Yume's excited exclamation.

They're faces were close enough that if one of them slightly turned their heads they would be kissing.

That realization made Sage almost reel back, almost as Yume's lips captured them in a tentative kiss.

The feelings coursing through Sage's body threw them of balance. And they both ended up in the lake beneath them.

Sage watched as Yume resurfaced from under the water surface. Splashing droplets everywhere. Her bright green eyes and auburn hair stole Sage's breath away.

The older Fae had been right. They should have left for the Spring Court ages ago.