It's #WorldWaterDay, which is dedicated to innovative solutions to water scarcity, and I thought I would honour that by beginning with a discussion of water in The Winter Court. Some of the symbolism was intentional at the time, and some I'm just coming up with now.
1. The Dreaming Sea
Faerie is a living land tied to the Mortal Realm. The Dreaming Sea is a perfect example of this: all of the dreams that have ever or will ever be dreamt by a human collect here. It's changeable, unpredictable and wild.
Ava Storm Queen makes her home here, and holds the most power over dreams of anyone within the Courts. That isn't to say that she controls the Sea, because who can control the unconscious mind? But the Storm Queen draws her power from the unpredictability of dreams, as does the rest of her Court. This makes them especially adept at illusion magic.
2. Lake of Nightmares
Just with the Dreaming Sea, the Lake of Nightmares is where the nightmares of humans come to collect. It is fed by their fears, irrationalities and anxieties. It becomes particularly noxious during times of great strife in the Mortal World, such as during times of persecution and war. It has a strong sulfur stench and will create an unshakeable feeling of malaise in anyone unlucky enough to fall in.
The shores of the Lake of Nightmares are home to the lesser Unseelie Fae, as most of the sídhe refuse to go near it. They are also susceptible to fears like humans, and a particularly cruel punishment of Maeve's is to send those who displease her there for a century or two as steward.
3. Ice and the Winter Palace
Maeve's palace in the Winter Court is made of ice, as she draws her strength from fear and anger. The bite of the ice is reminiscent of the bite of fear, and the way that your heart pounds and your fingers go numb.
Courtiers that displease Maeve will be turned to ice, though it's no surprise that she's a reactive ruler. She'll usually unfreeze them... eventually.
4. Running Water and the Fae
Mortals take note: running water can neutralize most enchantments, but don't rely on finding any to save you, especially in the Summer Court.
In order to maintain a strict control over her people, Titania has restricted most of the water sources in her Court. She does this, she says, to protect the weaker Fae who live in the meadows, but she's not as altruistic as that. You'll see.
#WorldWaterDay #faerie #fairies #YAFantasy #Fantasy #YAFiction #new #followme #reading #thewintercourt #fiction
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