Chapter 157

• The Queen smiled at Daniel. "Do you Daniel Butler of Alaska, solemnly swear on your very essence that you will protect and defend Winter at all costs; that you will not shirk from your duties, that you will obey the edict of your Queen, and that you will fight for our way of life until the end of all?"
• Daniel couldn't help but feel pride and joy at the honor of being asked to be one of them. He knew the answer in his heart even before he said it. Despite the cold reception he'd received (no pun intended) when he first arrived; he realized that he still wanted to be here and apart of this life. More importantly, he wanted to do anything he could just to stay with Lily. "I do so swear," Daniel said with a lump in his throat.
• "Maidens," the Queen gestured to her retinue. "You too," she said to Lily, who bounded up with joy. The Maidens all joined hands in a circle around Daniel and the Queen and raised them high. The Queen put her hands over Daniel. "Then our power, we grant to you. Do not squander the gift that you are given, but use it to advance our kind and for the good of all. Daniel felt something that could only be described as the feeling of a warm blanket settling down over him, surrounding him, engulfing him, and then wrapping tightly against his body. He suddenly felt the cold air around him melt away as his skin turned a paler shade and his eyes flashed from brown to blue. It was like he could feel every molecule of water that was around him. He took a deep breath, his first as a newly reborn Fae.