The Third Who Fell

The Third Who Fell is a walking oath bound in frozen flesh and iron resolve—a Sidhe soldier whose name was lost to time, replaced by the moment of his death. He was the third to fall during a brutal assault against the Winter Court, pierced through the heart upon a field of black ice and crimson snow. Yet even as his lifeblood soaked into the frost, he did not surrender. His Oath of Duty, sworn before the throne of Queen Mab, burned too fiercely to be extinguished by death. He rose again, not alive, not undead—but bound, animated by sheer will and vow alone.   His face is pale and bloodless, untouched by warmth or rot. His voice is dry and distant, a whisper carried by winter winds. Beneath his armor—once polished, now dulled with frost—no heartbeat stirs, and yet he moves with purpose. He does not rest, does not eat, does not speak unless spoken to. Where others wield magic or malice, he carries only his oath, etched visibly into his skin in Sidhe script, glowing faintly like cold starlight. He is the Winter Court’s living memory of sacrifice, a tale of what it means to swear fealty to ice.   Now, he serves as one of Prince Cyrix’s guard, silent and immovable. Many have tried to test the young Prince’s aloof demeanor, but none who raised a hand against him made it past The Third Who Fell. His blade is quick, but his restraint is colder still; he does not act in anger, only obligation. The Court respects him not for eloquence or beauty, but for what he embodies—the unyielding strength of a vow kept, even beyond the veil of death.   To newer courtiers, he is a grim curiosity. To veterans, he is a reminder: the Winter Court rewards loyalty, but it never forgets an oath. Some say his spirit will not pass on until the war he died in is finished, or until Cyrix himself is safe and sovereign. Others believe he remains because duty is all he has left—and without it, he would crumble like thawed snow. Whatever the truth, when The Third Who Fell takes his place beside the Prince’s chair, spear in hand and eyes like winter stars, none dare doubt the strength of the Winter Court’s word.