Eek, I'm excited. The last chapter of my other IF fic is almost finished, so to celebrate I'm uploading this one earlier than expected. Mostly because I wanna see how it's recieved, and also because I'm bored and have nothing better to do at the moment. So if it gets enough reviews I'll decide if I wanna upload the rest of what I'm working on, otherwise I'll just work on it for fun and not upload any more.

Also, I still don't own the Iron fey. What a bummer.

Calling in a Favor, Stupid Cat?

Lightning flashed in the distance, casting a sudden and brief white glow on everything and illuminating the silhouettes of the bent and crooked trees that I was headed towards. Rain had yet to fall, but the ground was already damp from the storm that had come not too far ahead of this one. The wind whipped my tight brown curls about my face where they spilled out from my hood. I kept my head low and ducked into the cluster of trees.

The forest was so thick that the breeze barely touched me once I was inside. My brown leather boots made a quiet squelching sound with every footfall, the pressure of each step squeezing moister out of the earth. Branches hung low in my path, almost as if they wanted to keep me back.

'Go back.' The wind whistled through the limbs. 'Go back.'

If only it were that simple.

I hugged my arms tight to my chest, more in comfort than an effort to warm; the cold couldn't bother me even if I stood stark naked in the arctic. I wished that dumb feline could have chosen a cheerier place to summon me to - but of course where he was concerned I would have no control of the situation whatsoever.

Of course, in the end, it was no one's fault but my own that I was in this particular pickle. I cursed myself inwardly once again for ever thinking it a good idea to travel into that harpy den alone - especially when only armed with a dagger and not my usual whip and double-edged sword. If my pride hadn't gotten in the way as it so often did, I really wouldn't be having this problem to begin with. 'Damn that blasted cat for always knowing when to show up and save the day.'

In my quick moment of anger, I had forgotten to watch where I put my feet - a trait I had possessed throughout my years of life - and a fallen log clipped the tip of my right boot. I lurched forward with a desperate yelp, waving my arms ungracefully to regain my balance. "Fuck!" I barely managed to catch myself on a nearby tree's trunk before my face became intimately acquainted with the dirt.

I was just getting done thanking the Fates that no one had been around to see that when a deep, musical chuckle trickled out from the cover of the trees behind me, making me whirl around quickly and adopt a fighting stance. There were two pairs of eyes I saw peering out at me from the darkness. One pair were a bright green - dancing with amusement like summer leaves in a gentle breeze - and the other a steely grey - cold and hard as metal, revealing no emotion. As I stood there, battle-ready scowl on my face, a brown leather boot stepped out into the clearing. It was followed by the rest of the tall, lean body attached to the green eyes. Brown trousers, a white button-up pushed up at the elbows, sharp and admittedly attractive features, and a shock of silky auburn hair that looked like he had just run fingers through it multiple times - but in a good way.

"Already?" He questioned with a quirk of the lips, "You haven't even taken me to dinner yet." A sigh of relief escaped me and I let my posture relax.

"Damn you, Goodfellow, I was ready to take your eye out if I had to." I huffed and ran fingers through my cloud of curls, effectively pushing my hood back. Puck only snickered, unfazed. "What are you and Mr. High and Mighty doing here, anyhow?" Prince Ash, formerly of Unseelie, stepped up beside Puck. He wore the usual grey v-neck and dark jeans with a long black coat. He fixed me with an icy glare to match his birthright, but I didn't flinch. He had never truly learned to appreciate the moniker.

Puck, being the little shit he was, pressed a palm to his chest and gave me a wide doe-eyed look of pure innocence. "Why, Sunshine, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're disappointed to see us."

My unamused gaze bore holes into him. "Me? Disappointed to see the stuck up prince and irritating jester that are known for wreaking havoc wherever they go? Whatever gave you such an absurd idea? And don't call me that." My eyes left him to scan the clearing warily, searching for a sign of the critter that brought me here. "Where's the little ball of fur, anyway?"

Goodfellow tilted his head to the side and grinned wickedly at me, "So the stuck up prince and irritating...-ly gorgeous jester not good enough for you? You need to have the cat, too?" He tsked and shook his head, making his hair look like dancing flames for a second. "Greedy, greedy, greedy."

"Well, gee, Goodfellow. I just can't get anything past you, can I?" I confirmed sarcastically.

"If you are all quite done," A voice rumbled lazily behind me, tinged with mild annoyance. "I have business with the girl." I turned towards the voice, and as my eyes trailed upward I saw a blob of dark fur perched in the fork of two branches. Yellow slitted eyes peered down at me intensely.

"Hey, Grimalkin." I greeted with a slight nod.

"Hello, Mix-breed." He returned the gesture. "I have come to collect."

When I was born, it was cause for much commotion and gossip within the courts of the Nevernever - or Faeryland, as some call it. Mostly because I was the first of my kind.

I was a mix-breed, something they had never even thought of before. A mix between the courts - both summer and winter. Seelie and Unseelie.

I had the thick dark hair of Unseelie - so brown it appeared black in some lights, and curly as hell. My eyes a warm melted-chocolate-brown, from my Seelie bloodline. Naturally dark skin that tanned easily in sunlight - an undeniably summer trait. Warm like a summer fey, but even so the cold of winter court - where I was born - was unable to disturb me.

Even with all the pros to having mixed blood, there was a reason I was the first and only of my breed. A law had been firmly in place since the beginning of the courts that a Faery of summer and a Faery of winter were not to conspire. It may seem silly or insignificant, but if broken these laws were punishable by banishment - in extreme cases, death was even considered. It was all very Romeo and Juliet-esque. And needless to say, a rule wouldn't be a true rule if there were not those rebellious few who chose to break it.

Every now and again a pair of star-crossed-lovers would find their way to each other and decide - to hell with the law. Every time they believe they can get away with it, and every time there ends up being two less sidhe occupying Faery. The only ones I had ever heard of that were able to come back from exile alive were the Iron Queen - the ruler of the newest court in the Nevernever - and her prince consort. But that was only because they saved all of Faery to do it.

Let's face it, that's a one time deal.

Now, to be completely honest, my parents probably would have lasted much longer in secret. They always took the necessary precautions to see each other. They were always careful. But there was a little infant-sized wrench thrown into their plans.

One particularly steamy night, emotions ran high and my poor mom and pop couldn't help but "conspire" all over the place. Not long afterwords out popped a little bundle of totally effing busted.

After I was born - because lets be serious; my warm skin and suspicious mix of glamour was not so easily swept under the rug - there was a huge debate on what should be done with the family. Queens Titania and Mab had both wanted me out along with my parents - dash the fact that I was a helpless baby - but seeing as I was already out of the womb by the time they had a figured out about my parents' secret rendezvous Oberon politely pointed out that I had not broken any laws. There was a law against love between the courts, not happening to be part of both.

In a last ditch attempt to remove me from the picture completely and permanently, Titania pointed out that I would need a caretaker. She knew full well that no one in Faery would enjoy the company of a mix-breed any more than they would a much more common half-breed.

Oberon, who was an all around fair king, volunteered his jester Robin Goodfellow for the job. He had always been the first pick for babysitting jobs like these, seeing as he didn't give a hoot if you had a quarter of fey blood in your system as long as you were susceptible to his pranks. Titania and Mab, knowing they were defeated this time around, could only grin (well, not so much the grin part) and bear it as they were forced to accept that only two sidhe would be banished. The abomination would have to stay.

And so I lived in the Wyldwood - not legally unwelcome in the courts but not willing to face the scrutiny, either. Puck took care of me; he taught me how to hunt and cook, and how to use my glamour. He made sure I knew how to fight, and even fashioned me a whip made of durable vine (I had learned how to add on extendable thorns with a pulse of glamour).

To be quite honest - I loved life as it was. Despite my blood status, Puck saw me as an equal. He wasn't judgmental like the others. He treated me like everyone else, even giving me a dumb nickname to contrast with my sometimes gloomy attitude. I pretended to hate it, but it only further ingrained the fact that I could trust him into my mind. Sometimes he would even bring along the ice prince to teach me a little about my Unseelie side. He taught me how to mask emotions and lie without lying and eventually brought me to get an Unseelie weapon as well - a double-edged blade that looked like it was made of ice with an ivory handle in the middle big enough to fit both my small hands at one time. It was infused with my glamour and very essence, making it unique to me alone and easier for me to wield. Words written in some runic language were carved into each blade: 'May thy blade serve and protect.'

It was a happy time for me. I had daily spars until I was on equal level with both of them, and then I started taking them both on at one time. Ash and I even got a little closer. I wasn't quite like a second Puck to him, but I found that he did let his guard down some around me. It was as close as Faeries got to each other; it wasn't a human friendship, but it was a sort of camaraderie. I was content.

And then I grew up. Sure Puck would still visit, but he had work to do, too. The time the three of us spent together was fleeting, because fey grew up fast and then stopped altogether. I knew how to handle myself in a fight and in court. I knew how to survive in the direst of situations. I no longer needed a mentor. And when Oberon had a new half-breed daughter it seemed I was losing the closest thing I had to a friend as well.

He would no longer come to see me. I would wait for him, sometimes, but my hope quickly died. I got used to being on my own. When he finally returned the first time with the mortal girl, it was to find her brother. I heard of there adventures from other wild fey. He was shot and fell into comatose for a while. I would visit every once in a while, sitting with the tree he rested within till the moon decided to show. When he came to it was right back to Ash and Meghan Chase - I didn't even see him before he left; he awoke while I was away. They defeated the two iron kings and stopped two wars. The Chase girl became queen of a new breed of fey. I envied them. Even though the iron fey were hated by everyone else, at least they had each other and their great queen.

Who did I have?

Not a damn soul. Figuratively speaking, of course.

He didn't come to see me once. Forgive me if I'm a little bitter with both of them.

I went on with my life and Puck went on with his. I guess some people are just meant to drift apart.

Whoop, there it is. Tell me what ya think, yea?