~ Meltdown ~

"The Princess is in the garden," Esme told Alexion who had come to find her after hearing she was skipping lessons. "The Prince of Aurosilio sent her a tree, so she wanted to go see where it had been planted."

Alexion gritted his teeth. He didn't understand why his father hadn't killed that gaudy Prince yet. "She's skipping her lessons."

Esme paused. "She didn't seem to be having a good morning, Your Highness. It's best if we don't antagonize her about it."

"What do you mean by that?"

Esme let out a small sigh, carefully watering the plants in Winter's room. Although Winter didn't admit it, Esme knew she liked keeping so many of them there because it made the Princess' bedroom seem smaller. After all, Esme was the one who found Winter asleep in a wardrobe the night the twins arrived at the Palace.

Esme, who had been appointed as Winter and Aiden's personal maid, was moved directly beside their quarters. The twins often had nightmares and she would hear their screams through the walls during the night. Winter's screams last night were particularly bad. She had entered their room to check on her and found the Princess fast asleep in the wardrobe.

"Her Highness has nightmares sometimes," She told him, carefully arranging a vase of blue lilies. "When I came to wake her, she was asleep in the wardrobe again."

Alexion furrowed his brows. "Does she have nightmares often?"

Esme nodded hesitantly. "The Prince and Princess are still healing. They had a rough childhood, after all."

The story of the lost twins was known far and wide throughout the kingdom. The King's favourite concubine had fled when she was pregnant because of the severe harassment she received. The King, mad with rage, killed all his concubines. For eight years he searched for his son and soon found a Princess, as well.

When the twins first arrived at the Palace, they were like rabbits thrown in a lion's den. No one could touch them. No one could even make fast or sudden movements around them because the twins would tremble in fear. Their physical conditions were extremely bad: both children were malnourished and their tiny bodies were covered head to toe with severe scars.

Even though time has passed, Esme could still tell by the look in Winter's eyes that she wasn't comfortable yet. She didn't address anyone but Aiden as family, and still had a hard time dealing with physical contact.

Esme's heart ached for the small child who had to throw away her childhood in order to survive.

"Very well," Alexion said, turning to head towards the garden.

Snowflake, who had been intently listening to their exchange, perked his ears up. He was listening in on their conversation.

"Your Highness," Esme called out to him as he left. "Princess Winter is a child who had to throw away her own childhood in order to keep her and her brother safe. Please be patient with her."

Esme's words played on loop in his head the entire way there.

Winter, who was laying down at the base of a baby tree, was watching the clouds in the sky. She reached a frail hand out in an attempt to catch the sunlight with her fingertips. After spending all her childhood in an attic as Winter, she had forgotten what the clouds looked like. A large looming figure blocked her view, visibly souring her already grumpy mood.

"Alexion." She said, mentally preparing herself for the lecture she was about to get for missing classes.

Alexion, who had sat down beside her on the grass, dismissed Ezekiel.

"Winter," He said softly, running a light finger through her hair that was sprawled out on the grass. "What's on your mind?"

Winter sighed. She thought that she had gotten used to the nightmares, but the one she had last night was particularly bad. Her screaming was loud enough to wake both Aiden and Etrix, but she dismissed their worries saying it was nothing but a dream.

"Were you going to leave me?" She asked him coldly.

"What?"

"In the attic. Were you going to leave me in the attic?"

Alexion was taken aback by the question. "Of course not. Why would we do that?"

"You're lying." Winter said. Her body was once again crawling with the feeling of bitter cold. It ate away at her fingertips.

"I'm not lying, Winter." Alexion told her.

She cast him a cold look. Her eyes, that were only starting to become warm, were once again completely frozen.

"You're lying to me. You were gonna leave me there. You were all gonna leave me to rot away and die."

Alexion began to panic. Just where was she getting these ideas from?

"Winter," He said warmly, "Who told you that? Do you really think we'd just leave you there. You're our family."

Her fingers began to itch. "Stop lying to me," She told him. The skin around her eyes began to grow visibly bluer in the afternoon light. "You're not my family. You never were. You were going to abandon me."

"Winter, calm down." Alexion pleaded.

The ground around her fingertips had frozen over. The blades of grass were entirely covered in frost. The frost began to crawl, eating away at the distance around her.

"Winter," He said in a panicked state. Alexion's affinity was earth. He wasn't capable of controlling fire like Lysander or his father. "Winter, where are your mittens?"

"I want to tear this entire kingdom down," She said coldly, eyes jeering his every movement. Alexion flinched. For Winter to have such a look in her eyes at the age of eight could only mean she had seen terrible things in that attic. He knew that, of course.

"Winter, we're not your enemies. You and I, I thought we were close."

The corner of Winter's lips curled, contorting her face in a way that sent shivers down his spine. "Admit that you were going to let me die in that attic. I wasn't supposed to come here. I wasn't even supposed to be born."

Alexion froze. How did she know about that?

His thoughts were soon dismissed, as he realized that a dangerously beautiful layer of frost was slowly climbing the trunk of the tree.

"Winter you-"

"Winter." A voice he had never heard before called.

Alexion turned and his gaze settled on a boy with pointed ears and green hair.

"Winter, you're letting your emotions get the best of you. Look at where you are right now and what you're doing." He told her in a melodic tone. "Snap out of it and come take my hand."

Alexion watched as he approached Winter and took her hand. Winter, who had been entirely consumed by a rage of fury, regained lucidity as soon as the warm feeling of his magic washed over her. The tree and ground around her were entirely coated with a layer of frost. She glanced down at her fingertips, the blue colour slowly fading back to its original state.

"You." Alexion's eyes narrowed at the strange boy. "Who the hell are you to address the Princess by her first name? Let go of her if you want to live."

The boy smiled, ruby red eyes mocking him. Alexion clenched his fist and vines shot up from the ground, surrounding the strange boy's feet. Red blood pooled out from where their thorns pierced his skin.

"Wait," Alexion froze. Ruby red eyes? "Don't tell me."

"Alexion," Winter called with shaky voice from where she was on the ground next to him. She shook her head, still in a daze. "Don't you dare hurt him."

Alexion flinched at her request, but lowered the vines. The last thing he wanted was to upset his sister after she almost froze the garden.

Winter's palms began to emanate a soft yellow light. Alexion watched with hostile eyes as Winter healed the boy's wounds.

"You," He said in an ice cold tone at the boy with ruby red eyes. "Start talking."