To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Author's Notes: This story is using information exclusively from the Tinker Bell films or gleaned from the Disney Fairies Wiki. So for the most part, yep I'm just making it all up. :D

Also, in the first movie, there are some scenes where winter fairies are seen in warm areas...but since The Secret of the Wings conveniently ignores that detail, so shall I!

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, his laugh broke into a million pieces, and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies."
- J M Barrie, The Little White Bird

In the beginning, there were no fairies in Never Land. The land was full of plants and animals and magic, so much magic that it could not be contained within the land itself. The magic burst forth and stretched up to the sky in the form of an enormous tree, and still the magic overflowed, spilling from the tree in a steady golden stream.

It was the magic of the tree that attracted the first fairy to Never Land. She was only a seed, a fragment of a laugh, when she arrived. As her seed landed at the base of the great tree, it sprouted rapidly into a perfect, tiny figure with glossy brown hair and shimmering wings. The first fairy stared in awe at the giant tree and its golden waterfall. She reached out a hand to caress the rough bark, and at her touch the tree knew her and bathed her in its light.

When the light faded, the fairy looked down at herself. She was wearing a long glittering dress and her wide wings sparkled behind her. Both of them were infused with the same colors as the waterfall. Her hair had changed too and she touched it gently, discovering that it had woven and twisted itself around a delicate crown that seemed to be made of the tree's own glowing twigs.

She stepped closer to the waterfall and looked down into the pool to see her reflection, then gasped. Kneeling, she dipped her fingers into the pool and found it to be not water but dust. Pixie dust, flowing from the heart of the Pixie Dust Tree.

Her wings spread, lifting her gently into the air as she slowly circled the great tree, admiring its beauty and power. Her spiraling ascent took her into the wide, sheltering branches, and then above them. As the bright sun spilled over her, the fairy took her first look at her new home.

The land around her was lush and tangled, an explosion of life. Plants grew and blossomed and lived and faded and were reborn all around her. Birds circled over the trees, then dove and dipped into the canopy before re-emerging elsewhere, and she could hear a hundred different animal sounds coming from each direction she turned. It was as if everything was happening everywhere, all at once.

Then the fairy knew in her heart that she had been brought here for a reason and entrusted with a great purpose.

Smiling, she let herself sink back into the shade of the Pixie Dust Tree's leaves. She would make a home here in these branches, a home big enough for herself and for all of those who would come after, to help her with her mission.

It was not long before the first of her companions arrived. She saw the seed floating in on the warm wind and hurried to the base of the tree to await its landing.

The seed blossomed into a tall, thin sparrow man. He looked around in astonishment before focusing on the lovely fairy before him. She held out her hands and greeted him with a warm smile.

"Born in laughter, clothed in cheer, happiness has brought you here. Welcome to Pixie Hollow."

They were the first words she had ever spoken and the first time she had named her land out loud.

"Who...are you?" He asked tentatively, placing his hands in hers.

She had not thought of her own name before, but as soon as her fingers touched his, she knew. Her smile widened. "I am Clarion," she answered, "and you are Hyacinth."

"Hyacinth," he repeated slowly, and then nodded, a smile growing on his face.

"Now we must find your purpose," Clarion told him, leading him to the row of objects she had selected: a twig, an acorn, a flower and a maple leaf. Each item had a hidden meaning.

Hyacinth went at once to the acorn and picked it up, cradling it in his hands.

Clarion smiled again. "You are the Minister of Spring, Hyacinth. I give into your charge the Spring Valley." As she spoke, she lifted a hand to gesture to the east and Hyacinth turned to look.

The forest changed before them. Flowers that had been blooming retreated into buds. Trees shed their leaves and grew tiny blossoms instead. Plants near the end of their lives fell to the earth to give way to new life that sprouted from their remains. Each living thing in the valley adapted to the spring-time of its life cycle.

Hyacinth's mouth had dropped open at the changes and now he turned back to her with happiness lighting up his eyes. "It's beautiful! Thank you, Queen Clarion." He gave her a small bow, and then flew off to survey the land that was now his responsibility.

At the end of the day, Hyacinth returned to the Pixie Dust Tree and Clarion shyly showed him the home she had been shaping in the branches of the tree. Hyacinth was delighted and immediately set to adding his own touches of Spring the treehouse.

Soon after, they were joined by the ministers of the other seasons.

To Sunflower, a vivacious fairy with a mass of curly hair to match, went the Summer Glade, where flowers bloomed and trees bore fruit and the sun was always brightly shining.

To Redleaf, a deep-voiced sparrow man, went the Autumn Forest, where shades of orange, red and amber cycled endlessly through the flora.

And to Snowflake, an elegant fairy with pale hair to match her season, went the Winter Woods, where snow and ice constantly blanketed the earth.

In each case, the new minister went immediately to survey their lands, but the Minister of Winter received a shock. When Snowflake crossed into the season of Winter, the bitter cold immediately bit into her skin and crippled her wings. The other ministers quickly helped her back into the warm air and after a short time her wings regained a healthy glow, but Snowflake was distraught.

"How can I take care of a land I cannot enter?" she pled to the queen.

Clarion shook her head sadly. "I don't know. For now, we must make sure that none of us or any others cross into the Winter Woods." She led a disheartened Snowflake away from the boundary between the seasons.

Over time she learned about each of her ministers. Unable to do anything else, Snowflake took a scholarly approach and studied everything she could about winter. Hyacinth and Redleaf were both diligent in their duties, though Hyacinth was more likely to panic at anything unexpected whereas Redleaf would take it in stride. Sunflower was very different from her fellow ministers and her methods were extremely disorganized in comparison, but she still managed her land well and Clarion enjoyed her cheerful, bubbly personality.

As other fairies arrived, new talents were discovered and the house in the Pixie Dust Tree grew into a palace. Soon the tree began to feel crowded, and the queen and ministers worried that expanding the palace too much would damage the tree. Luckily, they discovered a towering maple tree not far from the Pixie Dust Tree, in the Summer Glade. The maple tree, soon dubbed the Home Tree, made an excellent place for all the the fairies to live and soon the Pixie Dust Tree was only used for official functions and for greeting new arrivals.

Thanks to all the new talents that the fairies were bringing, the Home Tree was quickly organized into apartments, workshops, a library, and more. The palace in the Pixie Dust Tree was transformed into a theater, a ballroom, and even a gaming coliseum nestled in its roots.

Clarion still greeted each arrival personally and most of the other fairies joined in the ceremony, bringing a token of their talent to see if the new fairy would take to it.

One day, the Minister of Spring hurried to see her, his face twisted with anxiety. "Queen Clarion!" He called urgently. "Something new is happening!"

Clarion smiled fondly. She was growing used to Hyacinth's outbursts over anything that didn't fit into his plans.

"Calm down, Hyacinth," she soothed. "What is it?"

He wrung his hands. "It's...well, it's...it's a flower, Your Majesty!"

Clarion blinked in surprise. "A flower?"

"Yes!" He nodded vigorously. "The evergreen flower! It's...it's blooming!"

She smothered a laugh, not wanting to offend her minister. Then the name he had said registered. "The evergreen!" she breathed, her eyes lighting up. "It's fine, Hyacinth." She placed a hand gently on his arm to calm him. "I've been waiting for this to happen."

Hyacinth calmed under her touch and tilted his head curiously, raising an eyebrow. "You have?"

Clarion nodded. "Yes, it means it's time to share Spring with the world. This is our purpose!" She beckoned to the other ministers, who had been drawn by Hyacinth's outburst.

"This is the purpose of Pixie Hollow, the reason it is divided into four seasons. At the appropriate time each year, we must take each season to the world. The evergreen blooming is the sign that it's time for Spring. Soon we will see a sign for Summer, then Autumn, and finally Winter before the cycle begins again."

The ministers were all stunned by this revelation. Hyacinth actually glared at the queen. "Oh there is so much to do now!" he wailed, flying off towards Spring Valley in a rush.

"Oh my," Redleaf spluttered, "I'm glad I have several season to prepare before we need to share Autumn. Poor Hyacinth!"

Sunflower threw back her head and laughed. "Poor Hyacinth indeed! Well, it can't be that difficult. I can't wait until it's Summer's turn!"

Snowflake said nothing, merely frowned thoughtfully and stared at the Winter Woods with an intense longing. Clarion's heart went out to her minister. Now it was even more important that they figure out what to do about winter.

Then a few days later, Clarion caught Snowflake poised at the boundary. The Minister of Winter was wearing a long, thick white dress that glittered as if decorated in ice crystals.

"Oh, what a beautiful gown!" Clarion gushed as she approached her minister from behind.

Snowflake jumped and looked at the queen guiltily before smoothing her face into a serene mask. "Some of the tinker-talent and animal-talent fairies made it for me together," she said. "They expect it will be warm enough to allow me to visit my lands." Seeing the queen's frown, she hastily added, "For short periods of time, at least."

Clarion nodded reluctantly. "Very short, Snowflake," she cautioned. "We don't know what will happen if you get too cold. The damage to your wings could become permanent."

Snowflake solemnly nodded. "I will be careful, my queen," she replied formally.

From that day, the Minister of Winter began to cautiously explore. Though Clarion worried, she saw that Snowflake only spent small amounts of time in the Winter Woods, increasing the length of her visits gradually as she learned the limits.

One day there was a great commotion at the base of the Home Tree and Clarion emerged to find Snowflake mounted on the back of a snowy owl. The queen hurried forward, smothering her own fear as she saw the other fairies backing away from the bird and looking to her for guidance.

"Snowflake, what is this?" she demanded, approaching cautiously as the minister slid down from the bird's back. Snowflake scratched the owl under the chin with a smile.

"This is Flurry, Your Majesty. He and his kind are friendly and highly trainable. With his help, I can explore all of the Winter Woods before the cold overwhelms me."

Clarion stepped up beside Snowflake and slowly reached out, scratching the bird's chin as Snowflake had. Flurry tilted his head into her caress and cooed happily. He looked so adorable that Clarion couldn't help the giggle that slipped out.

Snowflake smiled back at her and then became serious. "Your Majesty, there's more. While I was surveying the land, I discovered an astonishing thing." Excitement filled her voice. "There are fairies living in the Winter Woods!"

Clarion gasped and heard her astonishment echoed by the other fairies that had gathered. "But how can that be?"

"They're cold fairies, not warm like the rest of us!" Snowflake explained eagerly. "The snow feels as pleasant to them as the grass does to us."

"I must see this for myself," Clarion decided. "Have your friends make me a coat. We must go as soon as possible."

Snowflake nodded and within hours the two fairies were sailing through the chilled air on Flurry's back. It was Clarion's first real view of the Winter Woods and she found the glittering whiteness breathtakingly beautiful.

"There!" Snowflake pointed with a mittened hand. In a clearing below, Clarion could see fairies gathering, staring up at them. Flurry dove smoothly to land in the clearing and the two fairies climbed down.

Clarion looked around in awe. She was surrounded by fairies in sleeveless tops and short skirts or pants, oblivious to the freezing weather surrounding them. Their clothing was mostly made from pale, frozen leaves. Though their hair colors varied as much as warm fairies' did, most had black or silver hair, and they almost exclusively had very pale skin. They approached the queen with smiles, overjoyed that she had finally come to visit them.

"How is this possible?" Clarion murmured in amazement.

"Look," Snowflake pointed again, and Clarion gasped. There was a second Pixie Dust Tree here!

Clarion approached it reverently and laid her hands upon it. "It's part of the original tree," she said, surprised. "The roots must travel underneath the land, all the way here so it can provide dust for the winter fairies that can't leave the cold."

She turned to the waiting crowd. "Winter fairies, which of you was the first to arrive here?"

A sparrow man stepped forward, a broad-shouldered man with silver hair. "I was, Your Majesty." He dropped to one knee before her.

Clarion stared at him. She had no idea who he was. She had met and named every other fairy as they arrived, but she had not even been aware these winter fairies existed. "Please, rise. What is your name?" she asked tentatively.

The man stood. "Milori, Your Majesty." His voice was deep, with an unusual accent. She wondered if all winter fairies spoke the way he did.

"And who gave you that name?" she questioned.

He frowned. "When I first arrived, I was standing right here in front of the tree. As I looked at it, I just...knew." He looked uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the queen and her minister. "Later, others arrived and I knew their names as well. We also discovered we have a few different talents amongst us."

Clarion nodded. His experience was much like her own, but specific to the Winter Woods rather than all of Pixie Hollow. She caught Snowflake's eye. "I think we have a solution to your problem," she told the Minister of Winter with a smile.

Snowflake's eyes widened in understanding and she studied Milori with piercing intensity. He frowned but refused to be cowed, and Snowflake gave him a small smile of approval.

"Milori," she began, stepping forward so they were an arm's length apart. "Will you consent to be my superintendent in the Winter Woods? To govern it fairly, as I and Queen Clarion cannot?"

Milori looked stunned for a moment, his eyes darting between Clarion and Snowflake. Clarion gave him an encouraging smile and he straightened his shoulders to stand proudly. "It would be my honor, minister."

Clarion touched Snowflake's shoulder and she stepped aside so the queen could face Milori. "Then I hereby name you the Lord of Winter. Lord Milori, you are given charge of the winter fairies and you will report to Minister Snowflake."

Milori bowed to them both. As he straightened, his eyes met Clarion's and smiled.