The Winter Court

**The Winter Court** is an event held once a year by the Unseelie Court and is managed by the monarch's Inner Court. It opens with a masquerade ball, or Masque, after which the Court traditionally runs for 21 days.

## Appears in

Main canon:

*The Court of Five Thrones*

*The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire*

Canon extras:

*The Ash and Gwyn Interludes*

## Details

During the Raven Prince's reign, the Winter Court is an inter-alignment event, and Augus Each Uisge seemingly helps to run it at least some of the time. But Augus doesn't hold it during his reign as King of the Unseelie.

Once Gwyn ap Nudd becomes King of the Unseelie, he announces during his Triumphal Entry that he will be reopening the Winter Court, to the excitement of the fae in attendance. Ash Glashtyn is responsible for managing a large portion of the event, including using his dra'ocht to ensure that tensions are kept controlled, and the alcohol is kept in abundance.

'It was a rule of the masquerade ball – the opening of the Winter Court – that the monarch was to arrive fashionably late, indicating his symbolic lack of power in the Winter Court.' Before Gwyn formally enters the event, he chats for a time with Ash, where the pair bond over a mutual love of dogs.

Gwyn is surprised to 'see the night gardens sprawling with trestle tables, thousands of tiny baubles of magical light hanging in the canopy, clinging to the underside of fungi that sprawled at the boles of trees . . . There were an immense number of fae milling around in fantastic masks and costumes, many in hybrid form now, showing off their wings and horns and claws, raucous laughter and loud voices mingling amongst live music. Gwyn’s nostrils flared and among the myriad scents of food and liquor, he could also smell lust and the unchecked aroma of sex, knowing then that some fae were doing what they normally did at these gatherings.'

During the Masque, Gwyn spends time speaking with the various fae in attendance, including Iliak and Amaley Manytrees. This is the first time Gwyn encounters Mosk Manytrees, and the pair bond over archery. Prince Vane takes advantage of the event to flirt more with Gwyn. Kabiri later seeks Gwyn out, to call in Gwyn's first life debt. Kabiri demands that Gwyn release Ifir from custody, and promote him back to Court. Their conversation is fraught with threats, and Kabiri briefly changes into his Cadmilus form. Kabiri also reveals that 'Firebeard', the Mage who granted Ash the Soulbond, wasn't all he appeared to be.

Although they don't have the opportunity in the Masque proper, this is also when Augus and Gwyn dance together, in private.

When Gwyn pulls Ash and his other Inner Court aside to discuss 'Firebeard', they realize that 'Firebeard' was actually Olphix in disguise.

The Winter Court is briefly interrupted by Albion marching on the courtlands with the Seelie military, but some time after the battle, Ash informs Augus that some of the Unseelie had returned and revived the Winter Court themselves. After tensions continue with Albion, who is pressuring mixed-alignment communities, Gwyn opens his Court to Seelie fae who wish to seek asylum. This is the first time the Winter Court includes both Seelie and Unseelie fae since the Raven Prince's time.

Gwyn's Winter Court continues on through the Wild Hunt and finishes once the 21 days pass. Even afterward, however, the Seelie trows who come for asylum remain, living alongside their Unseelie counterparts, and Gwyn doesn't have the heart to make them leave.

The tradition of the Winter Court is upheld in the years following. During a later Winter Court, Munaciello attempts to manipulate Ash into providing him with Augus' secret alcohol stash, to pay off one of Augus' supposed 'debts' to the linchetti, so that Munaciello can lord it over Augus. Even later, during the events of *The Ice Plague: Book 1 - Forest of Fire*, the Winter Court is in effect when Eran Iliakambar arrives at the Unseelie Court with Mosk in order to seek justice for the ice plague.

## Quotations

* Ash: 'our masquerade balls are way more badass.'
* 'I needed a breather,’ Ash said. ‘You’d think I wouldn’t, right? But…ahhh…I’m trying not to drink tonight? It’s the first time I’ve been to some fae shindig and not gotten plastered, and I’ve gotta say, it’s just all a bit much sometimes. I prefer humans. They don’t all have hundreds of different types of powers and energies and dra’ocht and shit warring with each other.'

## Trivia

* The Seelie Court has an equivalent to the Winter Court known as the Summer Court, which Gwyn said was 'all about daytime and brightness'. Though it is not explained in further detail, it is likely that the Summer Court takes place in the summer and follows a similar reversal of power as the Winter Court, in that the Seelie Inner Court takes command for 21 days. Much like other formal Court events, Gwyn did not care for the Summer Court.
* The Masque in *The Court of Five Thrones* was the first fae event where Ash tried to abstain from drinking as much alcohol as normal.
* The Masque serves as confirmation that Ocypete's people - the harpies - did not forgive Gwyn killing Ocypete when she participated in Ifir's mutiny, as none of her people attend the Masque.

## Image Gallery

Fanart of Augus Each Uisge and Gwyn ap Nudd dancing at the Masque by Imias from "The Court of Five Thrones", Chapter 47: Redirection https://imyasart.tumblr.com/post/164371175834/since-ive-read-about-augus-and-gwyn-dancing-in
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 June 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9186013. Chapter 46: Masque.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 12 June 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9291202. Chapter 47: Redirection.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 21 February 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2489719. Chapter 42: Anam Cara.
4. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse.* Archive of Our Own, 5 September 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/4957257. Chapter 8: Court.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 15 January 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/70548654. Chapter 11: Debts Unclaimed.
6. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 June 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9186013. Chapter 46: Masque.
7. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse.* Archive of Our Own, 17 July 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9893795. Chapter 52: Unravel.
8. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 24 July 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/10022663. Chapter 53: Arrow.
9. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 4 September 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/10796753. Chapter 59: Epilogue: Futures.
10. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 27 October 2017. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/28495692. Chapter 6: The Court of Five Thrones.