Robbed of her divine powers and secluded within her mountain, Beira, the ancient Queen of Winter, will do the unspeakable to exact her justice, even if she has to employ the help of hags and doom her own children in the process. But as she gains strength, so do her children. * * * * * The Well of Youth is a mythic Fantasy based on loosely interpreted Scottish legends of Beira/Cailleach Bhearra. Content warnings: contains a couple of dark scenes (gore). Recommended reading age: 16+. The art on the cover is mine. #1 on Wattpad in #BadMother stories and for a good reason (as of August 2019). * Winner of EarnestyCommunity Weekly Contest for Memorable Hello. * This story is a backstory to The New Order of Merlin series but can be read independently. There, Beira is the villain. If you're reading The NOOM, to avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this story after you finish Book 1, The Gathering, and Book 2, Cursed, though the real spoilers start at chapter 9 (Raven's Letter). I included a warning at the beginning of that chapter in case you decide to read up to there. Current status: waiting for the plot of Book 2, Cursed, to catch up. * Disclaimer: Starting from Chapter 5, this story blends the myth of Beira with the series The New Order of Merlin (open fanfiction). The Well of Youth will not turn into fanfiction. However, there will be character names mentioned which come from that series. You do not need to read The NOOM or be familiar with any of the fandoms in order to enjoy Beira's tale. After all, THIS is the backstory, not the other way around. But The NOOM is a good series, so I do recommend it. Happy reading, everyone!