A Wild Spring

The grounds in the Spring Court were quiet as they had been for so many years now. Birds still chirped and critters still roamed, but not as frequently or as excitedly as they once had. With the downfall of Tamlin, the ruler of the land, it seemed the ground itself had accepted the same sad fate that the High Lord felt doomed him now.

That is why the disturbance the morning of the spring equinox raised concern in Tamlin. A ripple of energy pulsed from the forests, laced with primal power. His hair rose on the back of his neck at the thought of a new, evil creature appearing so soon after the many strifes they had seen in recent decades.

But the sensation came and went and nothing had changed. He visited the forest to be greeted by nothing new. His regular patrols yielded nothing of note so he pushed his concerns aside, keeping note of the phenomenon in the back of his head, but not dwelling on it. When you got to be as old as him, you learned to prioritize. And the priority right now was building the Spring Court back to its former glory - perhaps even better than anything Tamlin had seen himself.

Bry strode through the forest like she had everyday of her life thus far. Born of the trees themselves fifty years ago she had wandered from town to town in the Spring Court, visiting some in the Summer Court and Autumn Court as well. Anywhere she went, the wind sang, plants rustled, and animals seemed to stir.

When she was born of nature, the earth celebrated her arrival. The dying Spring Court began having a renewed hope at this Fae-but-not-Fae that was now one of them but not one of them. She was the hope they had to restore the life force to this slowly, slowly dying land.

She was sitting in a tree, bare feet dangling off the low branch she occupied, watching a hive of bees farther up in the tree do their jobs diligently. Her dusty brown hair was loosely braided back and her pale gray eyes observed thoughtfully. The instincts of animals never ceased to amaze her - the bees knew exactly what to do without fail.

Footsteps approached and she felt a shiver of power. Bry looked out into the woods, the thick foliage obscuring many things from her, but the plants whispered to her - a visitor.

She simply stared, undisturbed, until she finally caught a glimpse - a glimpse of reflective eyes. Predator’s eyes. But this wasn’t an animal. It was a creature. And a very strong one at that.

Bry smiled as she met its eyes. “I see you and know you. I can feel it.” Before she could do anything else, a rustling in the bushes indicated it had moved. Based on the calming of the air, it had left for the time being.

She leaned back against the trunk of the tree, pondering about this new event. That power… it must have been a shape shifter. But what kind? Her mind roamed around this idea, slowly expanding to new theories, as she sat, unbothered. Nature had always protected her and would continue to do so, she was sure. And if it was her time to go, she trusted the earth to know best and to accept her body back from where it came.

Tamlin paced. Fifty years ago - fifty years is when that ripple spread across the land. Since then, the wilderness had grown back in abundance. Animal populations boomed and plants grew in a frenzy, new plants he’d never seen springing up. Some new creatures were downright disturbing and had taken up a considerable amount of his time by bothering him, requiring they be slain. At least hunting had been good and easy.

But he thought he had finally seen the source of this power: a girl, lazing in the forest. How had he never caught her before? She had no scent, blending in with the plants and the wind near her. She had seen him somehow, yet had been unbothered. Was she insane? Or was she that confident in whatever protection or abilities she possessed?

He shivered. New pools of power appearing in courts was never a good thing. It only meant a risk to his rule, regardless of how little that now meant.

And if it was a new creature, then she had the potential to be legendary - the all-encompassing aura she emitted seemed to have a life of its own, weaving into anything living nearby. The power it implied seemed never ending. But was it power she even had control of, if it seemed to be its own entity?

Tamlin sighed. He’d come to a decision: he had to find a way to scout her out. His weapons must be prepared and he must prepare for the worst.

Azriel watched in amusement at the young woman, yet again. She was arguing with a deer. The poor thing had gotten itself stranded on an isolated bank in the center of a river and she had been trying to move it for at least ten minutes. His view of the situation flickered - the shadows allowed him to see and hear many things, but viewing things like this wasn’t reliable, especially when such a large power source was nearby. The power she possessed interfered with how clearly his information came through.

The ripple of power that swept the Spring Court had been felt in other courts, although not as intensely. With word of a change in the world, Azriel was immediately sent to keep an eye on things at the source: Spring Court, as they found out.

So for fifty years, the Night Court had an eye on this strange Fae who managed to affect the world so greatly, yet also not at all: a grand show of power and force when she was born, yet nothing since. They had noted the wilderness in the Spring Court seeming to grow more wild since her birth, but she had done nothing herself. Babysitting wildlife, chastising even cruel creatures in the forest, traveling the world - she seemed to be a strange yet happy nomad, and nothing else.

But they knew she was more than that. Everything about her screamed power, strength, potential - even Rhysand felt it. They suspected a new High Lady might be entering the field, with Spring Court. Yet Bry had yet to seem interested in Tamlin in any sense.

Azriel knew Tamlin was falling apart at the seams and would be surprised if he didn’t somehow know about this female. The man smirked inwardly - he hoped Tamlin was sweating. While Rhysand and Feyre weren’t sure if they wanted Tamlin de-throned or not, Azriel knew where he stood on things. Although, it might depend on what this female ended up truly being like.

In the meantime, Azriel watched yet another segment of this Fae managing to wrangle up a scared creature to take it to safety, where it would seem to remain in her realm of safety until it felt confident enough to venture away again. Everything seemed to know the female was there to help. Almost like a part of everything was a part of her.