~ An Unwelcome Feeling ~

Once a bustle of chaos and chatter, the academy hallways had become a steady stream of order. Students, upon seeing the Royal guards, instantly parted to make way for the Princes and Princess. Winter sighed and leaned into Snowflake as she walked, watching the way their faces paled after setting eyes on one of her pets.

The headmaster rambled on and on about the founding history and establishment of the Academia. Winter wasn't paying attention. Instead, she focused on the architectural aspects of the winding corridors and spiralling staircases. Much like the Palace, the academy was bathed in hues of golden and red symbolizing its extension of the King's will and good favour.

"Do you want me to carry you, Winny?" Lysander asked from beside her. She glanced in his direction and noticed North was perched on his left shoulder.

Winter crinkled her nose. "Winny?"

"It's cute, right?" He said with a wink. "I wanna show off my cute little sister to all my schoolmates. Won't you let me carry you?"

Winter hesitated. "How old are you, Your Highness?"

Lysander raised an eyebrow. "I'm eighteen, why?"

For an eighteen year old, Lysander's eyes glistened far too much with an ingenuousness childlike delight. He carried an air of innocence with him wherever he went, constantly pouring love and affection onto her and Aiden. He kind of looked like a puppy, following her around constantly in hopes of attaining some kind of attention.

Winter giggled. Despite his coddling and touchy-feely personality, she supposed he wasn't too bad.

"Fine," She said, hiding her smile. "You can carry me."

His arms felt warm around her. Winter didn't realize how cold she felt until now. She furrowed her brows anxiously and looked at her fingertips. They looked bright red under the daylight that streamed in from the corridor windows.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, watching her crinkle her face in confusion. He remembered the sight of her attempting to hide her smile a few moments ago. Little by little, Lysander felt as if he was breaking down her ice cold walls.

Winter shivered. "I'm cold again."

Suddenly, a wave of heat enveloped her like a warm hug. It stretched over every inch of her body, fighting off the cold that once ate away at her fingertips. Winter cast a confused look at Lysander, who smiled at her sweetly in response. North nuzzled her head into Lysander's cheek.

"Better?" He said proudly.

Winter couldn't hide her smile. "Yeah, thanks."

She rested her head against his chest and enjoyed the warm feeling of his magic. Maybe Lysander really wasn't that bad, after all.

~***~

"W-What?" Winter stammered.

She was currently facing an audience of eager students and teachers. They watched her carefully with expectant eyes from their seats in the large classroom.

"Why do I have to explain?" Winter said in a hushed whisper. "This is your presentation, Your Highness."

Ezekiel let out a long sigh from where he stood beside her. Snowflake, who seemed to grasp to situation as well, let out a deep growl in response. Ezekiel nodded his head at the wolf, as if they were having some sort of telepathic communication.

"Just talk about their names and where you found them." Lysander whispered in her ear. "No one will judge you here and if they do I'll cut off their tongues."

Aiden, who was clinging onto to Sir Emris' arm, cowered in fear. It was equally hard for him as well. Neither Winter or Aiden did well with crowds of people.

Winter hesitated. "My, my wolf is named Snowflake..."

Snowflake, who seemed to know he was being introduced, put on an eerily human like smile revealing his gruesome fangs. The people in the audience paled with fear. Ezekiel chuckled and ran a hand through Snowflake's fur, the poor wolf's eyes flickered with anger at not receiving the response he initially wanted.

"I found him in an apple tree..." She continued while fiddling with her fingers. "And my Phoenix is named North. She was a gift from Prince Henrik de Aurosilio."

Ezekiel froze. Just the name of that gaudy Prince rolling off of Winter's lips was enough to boil his blood with anger. He absolutely hated the way he drowned her with his gifts and watched her obsessively with his sick eyes. He let out a huff. This was normal, right? He was her knight, after all. That's all this was. That's why he was feeling angry. Snowflake, watching Ezekiel's face contort with several different emotions, nuzzled his head into Winter's side.

"As you all know," Lysander cut in, "Phoenixes are blessed with the ability to live forever. A phoenix resurrects by arising from the ashes of its predecessor."

Winter let out a sigh of relief. Lysander was now beginning his presentation, so she wouldn't have to talk for the time being. She glanced at Ezekiel who stood on the other side of Snowflake beside her. His face displayed a series of passing emotions, changing every so often. She giggled at the boy who seemed to be lost deep in thought and wondered what he could be thinking about at a time like this.

She poked his arm gently and he flinched in response to her touch. 'What's wrong?', she mouthed at him. Ezekiel's eyes widened and a shade of red began to creep over his cheeks. 'Nothing', he mouthed in response while fidgeting with his fingers. Winter smiled at him and his eyes darted away from her face instantly. Was he feeling sick?

She cast her eyes to Aiden, who hid anxiously behind Emris. Her expression soured. It was the first time Aiden clung to someone else when he was anxious. Reminiscent memories of him stifling sobs behind her back and holding onto her in the crammed attack danced at the back of her mind. She pressed her lips together with a slight frown.

Her heart contracted nimbly within her chest and the prickling of needles began to spread from her heart to her fingertips. A wave of coldness ate away at her skin, hugging her body possessively. She glanced down at her hands that were now coloured a strange shade of bluish purple. She felt her heart drop.

"Lysander," She called out with a shaky voice.

He stopped his speech. It was the first time she had ever addressed him casually. The entire classroom was swallowed by a heavy silence as Lysander set eyes on her discoloured fingertips.

She held her shaky hands out in front of her body as if she was scared of them, and her eyes widened with fear. The horrid memories of the first time she had fallen ill flashed through her head. The haunting sight of icicles protruding from the ripped flesh of her hands that night made her nauseous.

The classroom atmosphere grew thick with anticipation. The students and present teachers watched with confused expressions. The Princess' hands were turning blue.

Lysander grabbed her hand and the familiar warm feeling of his magic washed over her body and crept over her fingertips. She let out a sigh of relief as soon as her body started to warm up.

"Hold my hand for the rest of my presentation, 'kay?" He said while squeezing her hand with his.

Winter nodded.

The teacher watched the Princess, observing her every movement and emotion. He wondered if she knew that her wolf was actually a druid. He felt the strong magical presence of a nature spirit emanating from the wolf's heart, one that he couldn't mistake for something else. He smiled to himself. The new Princess was interesting.