Minutes later, the fairies were flying back across the border. Fiona carried Tinker Bell, while the winter fairies zoomed overhead. As they passed through to the Autumn Forest, they all stared in shock.

“The freeze is moving so fast,” Tinker Bell said, gazing at the frozen landscape. “We have to get to the tree.”

Back in the center of Pixie Hollow, Queen Clarion, Clank, Bobble, Fairy Mary, and all the fairies were hard at work trying to protect the tree. They passed thick, mossy blankets to one another and carefully laid them along the branches. But for every blanket they put in place, the cold wind whipped another one off.

“It’s not working,” Clank called out anxiously to Fairy Mary.

“The wind is too strong!” Bobble added.

The queen’s face was etched with worry. Suddenly, they heard a growl behind them. Everyone turned and watched in disbelief as Tink, Peri, Gliss, and Spike rode up to them on Fiona’s back.

“Tinker Bell?” Queen Clarion cried in surprise when she saw her with the three frost fairies.

“Queen Clarion, they can help,” Tink explained. “Their frost is like a blanket. It can protect the tree.”

Queen Clarion studied Tinker Bell’s face for a moment. Then she turned to Periwinkle, Gliss, and Spike. “Do it,” she instructed them.

The warm-weather fairies all watched hopefully as Peri and her friends flitted from branch to branch and began frosting the tree as quickly as they could. But the freeze was advancing fast.

“We should hand out the rest of the blankets and use them to protect our wings,” Tinker Bell called to Clank and Bobble.

They began distributing blankets to all the warm-weather fairies. One by one, everyone began hurrying inside the Pixie Dust Tree. It would be warm and safe in there until the freeze passed.

Meanwhile, up above, Periwinkle, Gliss, and Spike were growing tired.

“The tree is too big,” Spike panted. She eyed the freeze line. It was getting closer by the minute. “We’re never going to make it.”

Just then, far off in the distance, an owl screeched. Everyone turned toward the sound. Lord Milori was flying in on his majestic snowy owl! Beside him, Dewey was perched on the back of the young owl that had first carried Tinker Bell into the Winter Woods.

And together, they were leading an entire squadron of winter fairies toward the Pixie Dust Tree! There were hundreds of them.

“Lord Milori!” Periwinkle cried in astonishment.

“We’ve come to help,” the lord said in his deep voice when they landed.

Periwinkle quickly explained how they were frosting the tree to protect it, but that the tree was too large for them to cover on their own.

“Understood,” Lord Milori replied. He faced the army of winter fairies. “Start at the freeze line and spread out to the other seasons,” he commanded. “The rest of you, cover the tree!”

Instantly, the winter fairies sprang into action. Sled led a group to frost the meadows and fields while Lord Milori directed the fairies blanketing the Pixie Dust Tree from atop his owl. Soon, all of Pixie Hollow was a glittering landscape of frost. When the last branch was covered, Lord Milori swooped down to the ground.

“We’ve done all we can,” he said to the frost fairies around the Pixie Dust Tree. He looked at Tink and her friends. “You must take cover.”

The warm-weather fairies hurried inside the tree, out of the cold. But Queen Clarion remained outside a minute longer. She looked at Lord Milori and shivered. “Will everything be all right?” she asked.

Lord Milori gazed at the queen for a long time. “I don’t know,” he answered finally. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Queen Clarion shivered again. Lord Milori took off his cloak and gently placed it around her shoulders. “Please take cover,” he said to her.

Before she left, the queen stole one more glance at the Lord of Winter. When her old friend turned, she could see his broken right wing. The legend that she had told Tinker Bell was in fact the story of her love for Lord Milori. Without another word, she joined the others in the depths of the Pixie Dust Tree to wait for the freeze to arrive.