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“I have beaten you. This was never about the sleepers, or this accursed isle, or the lives of mortal insects. This was about beating you, you hidebound hag. About using your own games against you. Kill me now, and you risk destroying the balance of Winter and Summer forever, throwing all into chaos.” Maeve, Cold Days.
…
“It’s strange that you tell me that Queen Titania hates me when your own mother is out with a changeling.” Fix watched the two Queens sit at the booth of the smoking room they were in, having the conversations that they usually did. Lots of things had changed since Lily became the Summer Queen, including their friendship with Maeve. Since Slate was still indisposed, Fix found himself almost guarding both of them.
This scene happened a couple of times before.
Queen Mab would go traversing with Sarissa, someone who still hasn’t chosen between being a fairy or being human, and Maeve would collect them for her own amusement. Once Lily had found out it became ammunition to go back and forth.
Maeve said nothing and did nothing except take another drag.
…
“I’ve been learning tricks, since some of us can’t seem to do anything without their Knight watching everything.” Maeve made a show of covering one eye and looking at Lily. “You have three moles on your lower back, like a V, with the centerpoint being the smallest one. The others have a cluster of freckles around them.” Fix’s stomach dropped and he stood between the two of them, Lily almost shaking despite her confidence.
“Maeve. How did you learn that.” The Sidhe sat back into her seat, exhaling enough to fog the window they were next to. Lily’s reflection was looking paler than normal, like she was fading into a Winter color.
“It’s none of your business, Lily.”
…
“Calm down, Fix.” He was shaking this time, with Lily pressed to his side, and Maeve cooly siting on the bar stool just staring at them with contempt and a thin expression of hate in her eyes.
Another punch came to his stomach when he realized that was her look towards Lily most days. She usually just hid it better. If Mab wasn’t on the brink of insanity and ready to destroy everything, Fix would be more than happy to just take Lily away from there and to the safety of the court.
“He shouldn’t calm down. Your fool of a Knight is lucky Dresden didn’t blast his face off. You think that if he was in league with Mab completely I would have his fucking staff?” It’s true. It was beside her in the bar.
“Maeve, enough. It is not your place to speak freely or not to the Summer Knight in any way!” The air was getting hotter as the edges of Winter and Summer came to clash. The patrons of the bar felt the change in ozone and started to peel out.
Dresden scared him. Mab scared him. If Dresden were to get the same insanity as the Queen of Winter there would be untold damage.
…
“Maeve, you will call off Slate from them. They are under my protection seeing as your idea of protection can’t even guard against a few snowflake.” Aurora had been distant the past few weeks. Maeve didn’t pay much mind to it, except to wonder if Reuel was going to enter any battle lately. He just stood there, watching Slate with disappointment.
“If they want away from my influence maybe they should chose to do something.” Aurora’s look shrunk back a little; she could ignore the pleas of mortals as well.
“Some days I regret that you’re of Winter, Maeve. Your sister…is neither greater nor lesser than you.” She hated it when Aurora came close to hug her. They’d been at this for a few hundred years now, more sister than herself and Sarissa, or…less.
“Maeve, I promise you. I can get this wound to heal. Just be strong for a little longer.” Maeve untangled herself from Aurora. She was in no mood for physical comfort today. Besides, she wanted to witness what Leanansidhe was selling to Mab. Bound to be more fun than watching Slate, but only a little.
…
“The cycle must be broken. Summer and Winter, constantly chasing each other, wounding what the other heals and healing what the other wounds. Our war, our senseless contest, waged for no reason other than that it has always been so- and mortals trapped between us, crushed by the struggle, made pawns and toys.” Aurora, Summer Knight.