As they walked, it seemed that the icy landscape of the Unseelie territory was just as beautiful--and dangerous-- as Oberon's domain. Icicles dangled from the trees, sparkling like diamonds in the light. Occasionally, a skeleton lay beneath them, spears of ice between its bones. Crystal flowers bloomed along the road, petals as hard and delicate as glass, thorns angling towards the Seelie fey as the approached.

Ash and Puck didn't say a word to each other as they traveled, which was probably a good thing. The last thing wanted was another duel to the death. The prince kept a steady, silent march ahead of them, rarely looking back, while Puck tried to entertain the ladies with jokes and useless chatter. He was probably attempting to keep their spirits up, to make them forget about Ethan. Grimalkin vanished periodically, bounding off into the trees, only to reappear minutes or hours later with no explanation of where he'd been.

She keeps pace with Ash, ignoring Puck's useless jokes and chatter as she continues to think of Ethan. She doesn't look around, keeping her head bowed as she glares at the path.

She doesnt cheer up.

Later that afternoon, they reached a range of jagged, ice-covered peaks, and the trek turned sharply uphill. The path grew slick and treacherous, and the Summer fey had to watch where they put their feet. Puck had fallen back on the trail; he kept casting suspicious looks over his shoulder, as if he feared an ambush from behind.

Lin stays silent the entire time.

She's steady on her feet, striding gracefully around the most slippery parts of the trail.

By late evening, it had begun to snow, and big, soft flakes drifted down lazily from the sky. They literally sang as they fell past their ears, tiny voices dancing on the wind.

Ash stopped in the middle of the path, looking at everyone. Flakes dusted his hair and clothes, swirling around him as if alive. "The Unseelie Court isn't far ahead," he said, ignoring the eddies that spun around him. "We should break from the road. Mab has others besides me looking for you, as well."

As he finished, the snow whirled madly around them, shrieking and tearing at their clothes. Lin's fur coat clanged as the blizzard pelted them with snow. It was getting hard to breathe, and their limbs were frozen stiff at their sides. As the whirlwind calmed, Claire and Lin were encased in ice from the neck down, unable to move. Puck was similarly frozen, except his whole head was covered in crystal glass, his features frozen in shock.

Ash was unharmed and stared at them blankly. What happened to the deal?!

She sighs softly and stares at the ground.

She sneers at him, "Don't you even think about it, we made a deal! Ash!" She shouts over to blizzard, she was sure she had frostbite by now. She suddenly frowns, looking at him sadly. "We made a deal..." She whispers, casting her eyes downwards as she somehow knew he wouldn't go through with it.

"A deal?" whispered another voice. The whirlwind of snow solidified, merging into a tall woman with long white hair and blue-tinged skin. A white gown draped her elegant body, and her black lips curled into a smile. "A deal?" she repeated, turning to Ash with a mock horrified look. "Do tell, Ash, darling, I believe you've been hiding things from us."
"Narissa," Ash murmured. He sounded disinterested, bored even, though his fingers twitched toward his sword. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

The snow faery regarded the girls like watching an insect in its web, before turning pupil-less eyes on Ash. "Did I hear that right, darling?" she purred, drifting over the ground toward the prince. "Did you actually make a bargain with the Summer fey? As I recall, our queen ordered us to bring a Summer fey to her. Are you fraternizing with the enemy now?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Ash's voice was flat as he leveled a sneer at them. "I would never betray my queen. She wants a Summer fey, I will bring her one. And I was in the middle of doing so until you showed up and interrupted my progress."

Narissa looked unconvinced. "A pretty speech," she crooned, running a finger down Ash's cheek, leaving a trail of frost. "But what of their companion? I believe you swore to kill Robin Goodfellow, Ash darling, and yet you bring him into the heart of our territory. If the queen knew he was here-"
"She would allow me to deal with him on my own terms, " Ash interrupted, narrowing his eyes. The anger on his face was real now. "I've brought Goodfellow along because I want to kill him slowly, take my time with him. After I've delivered the half-breed and the other Summer faery, I'll have centuries to exact my revenge on Robin Goodfellow. And no one will deny me that pleasure when it comes."

Narissa floated back. "Of course not, darling. But perhaps I should take the Summer fey on to court from here. You know how impatient the queen can be, and it really isn't fitting for the prince to be the escort." She smiled and drifted towards them.