I sigh, plucking a few wild grapes from a vine as the sun rises over the frozen terrain I call my own. My pale blue skin and eyes blend with the scattered glaciers and my short white-blonde hair blends with the snow. I pop one of the grapes into my mouth, savoring the sweet flavor, and start to fill up on frozen grapes. I swallow the last one I can eat and silently head back towards the ruins of my old village.

"The ashes are fresh," a man's voice says in the distance. I get closer and realize that the voice is coming from the ruins.

"So, there's a runaway out here."

"Or someone could have escaped that witch in the massacre."

At this point I'm not listening anymore and I've gotten to a wall that is still up, and peer behind it, noticing two figures in cloaks. I gasp and press my back to the wall.

"Did you see that?" The older voice questions, trying to keep his voice down. There is no reply but the crunching of snow. I probably shouldn't run now, but I can't just stay. I try to slowly creep forward, but I'm frozen in fear. Instead I try to grab my sword, but can't, so I close my eyes tightly, unable to watch what could happen next. This can't be the end of the snow elves. I won't let it, even if it means I have to run. The crunching comes to a halt in front of me. My shaky breathing is heavy, and I'm afraid of what I'm going to face when I open my eyes.

"I'll do what you say, just please don't hurt me..." I whisper. The younger voice chuckles.

"Fine then, open your eyes," I do as I'm told and notice that the two men have taken their hoods off, revealing long pointed ears like mine, but tan skin like a human. I panic; they're most likely wood elves, or maybe lunar elves, the high elves are too fancy to go after the ruins. Being at war, they are probably here to make sure that nobody survived the massacre.

Including me.

I force my legs to move, sprinting into the trees, my fur boots creating a rhythmic beat in the snow. I move behind a ginormous rock, drawing my sword. The two elves find me and block my escape before I can catch my breath.  I attempt a bold expression and hold my sword out, pointing it towards them.

"Ah! I know how to settle this!" The older one, who has dark blue eyes and black hair streaked with silver, says. "You and Isaac seem to be the same age, what is your age exactly?"

"Sixteen..." I say, sword wavering in my hands.

"Perfect! A duel should handle it, then, and whoever wins gets their way, there will be no death or major injuries allowed in this game, is it a deal?" The older one asks.

"It's a deal," I say.

"I agree," Isaac, or the younger one, who has dark brown hair and green eyes says. He lets his cloak fall as I remove my strange looking puffy brown coat, preparing for the duel.

"And, begin!" The older one says. Swords fly, and I don't even know what I'm doing. Isaac eventually knocks the sword out of my hand, and I'm stuck ducking his blows, trying to reach my fallen sword. Isaac notices and kicks it away. I continue to dodge every swing, until a pain pushes through my gut, knocking me onto my back, into the snow. Isaac points the tip of his sword to my chest.

"I win," He says cockily, putting his sword away. He extends a hand, helping me up. I grab my sword and put it away as Isaac and the older elf start talking, probably deciding what to do with me, but they're not paying attention to me. I take this as an opportunity and start running again, but this time I don't stop. I look behind me and see the other elves chasing me, so I keep running, but take a wrong turn, going onto a detour path. I look back, noticing that my opponents are no longer following me. I speed up, trying to beat the two elves to the intersection between the two paths, my muscles ache, but I keep going. Not long later, my wrists are gripped tightly and pressed against a tree. I grunt on contact with it. I look up and see that Isaac is the one holding me up.

"Don't worry, we're just high elves," the older one says.

"How am I to believe you?" I reply.

The two roll up their right sleeves, revealing a shield marking on each of them that all high elves are born with. I have a similar one, but it has a sword instead. Isaac releases me.

"Well, that was a rather odd way to meet someone," I say. "I'm Winter, by the way."

"Isaac," Isaac says.

"Nigel," the older one says. "You'll need to follow us back to the high elves; they've been looking for survivors."

"You say it like I don't have a choice," I say.

"You don't, I won the duel," Isaac says.

I say nothing, following them back.

"Do you have a shelter? Anything you need?" Isaac asks as we pass the ruins.

"No," I say, my voice trailing off. "I don't have anything." Not anything I don't need.

From then on Isaac and I walk awkwardly in silence next to each other, every so often I glance over, and then back to staring at my boots. Soon we reach a small wooden ship. Nigel climbs in, then Isaac, who reaches a hand down to help me up.

I take it and board the ship, if anyone can help my case, it's the high elves. Nigel closes the gate and starts unwrapping ropes from a post, and tying them farther back, which I notice opens a large piece of fabric, or a sail as they call it. Looking around, I notice a bunch of rope hammocks hanging around the ship. I point to one.

"You wouldn't mind if I...?" I ask

"Not at all," Nigel says. I sit on the hammock, and it reminds me of when I was younger, and had a real bed. When I didn't have to sleep on the ground with a few animal furs as blankets. I carefully watch everything that Isaac and Nigel do, making a mental note of how to work the sails.

As it gets warmer I take my coat off and roll up my sleeves.

"Are you alright with taking a shift at night?" Isaac asks me. I nod.

"Just wake me up when it's my turn," I say.

"Alright," Isaac says as he heads to his hammock, leaving Nigel for first shift as the sun vanishes under the ocean, turning the sky deep colors of blue and purple, speckled with bright stars. The full moon casts a silvery glow onto the deck, and the ocean rocks the ship back and forth, putting me to sleep.

***

"Winter!" a voice whispers near me, out of pure instinct I draw my sword, swinging at the voice, Isaac ducks as the sword passes through where his neck would be.

"Oh! Isaac I'm so sorry!" I say, putting my sword away. "I've just had to live on instinct for so long..."

"It's alright, but next time don't sleep with your sword."

I nod, my face turning purple. I swing my legs out of the hammock and stand up, stretching. I yawn, and sit on the deck, leaning against one of the posts. Isaac wanders to his hammock, and rolls onto his side. I look out to the horizon, noticing how much closer we are to our destination.

Hours pass and the sky starts to turn into shades of purple and dark blue. By now I can make out the shape of small houses scattered around a dock. A little band of pink emerges from underneath the purple, and soon a little orange from under the pink. The brilliant colors take over the sky like an army invading and enemy kingdom. The high elf kingdom is so close now, I notice some of their silhouettes on the dock, pointing at the ship. I stand and face the two sleeping elves that accompany me.

"Good morning you two," I say, and Isaac slowly sits up, noticing how close we are to the dock.

"Nigel!" Isaac says, causing Nigel to sit up.

"I'm up," he says, getting out of his hammock and joining Isaac with the ropes, lowering a few of the sails, but keeping some up to get us there. Soon enough, we're docked and lowering all the sails. Nigel opens the gate to the ship and Isaac steps out, followed by Nigel, and finally a guard helps me out. I take a deep breath of the warm, fresh air, savoring it. Although I do realize this is a historic time for the high elves, the feeling of eyes on me ruins the moment. Paths are cleared for us, and I leave behind a trail of gasps and whispers as I follow the boys to the center of the kingdom, the castle. As we finally reach our destination, Nigel turns to me.

"Stay out here until you are called in, it's very important that we don't bring anyone in uninvited," he says, and I nod. Isaac and Nigel knock on the ginormous doors, and two guards open it, letting them in.

I lose my cool, completely. I start pacing back and forth. I'm meeting royalty... What will I say? What will I do? Will I mess everything up? Will I---

"Miss, they're ready for you," a guard says.

"Okay thank you," I say heading inside. I stop where Isaac and Nigel are and bow. I hope that's what you're supposed to do. I look up to see a queen casually sitting on her red cape, draped messily across her throne. Her blue eyes stare at me, and I direct my attention to something else, like her long blonde hair, which is pulled back by an eleven crown, revealing her long ears.

"Winter, there will be a ball tonight in celebration of the discovery of you," she turns to a woman, "Irene, domina fac hiemem hac nibh." The woman turns to me and whisks me away to a room.

***

"Ow!" I say as a band of leather crushes my abdomen.

"Beauty is pain," Mistress Irene, one of the royal servants says.

"I truly do not care about beauty."

"Nonsense!" she says. "Just like your hair! Why did you cut it?"

"Survival."

"Well, we'll make sure your hair is grown out," she says.

I don't reply, knowing I'll have to get used to it. I grunt as Mistress Irene ties off the corset. She strolls over to a wardrobe filled with gowns, and fingers through them, holding the fabric of each up to me, and finally coming to a cool gray dress, she brings it over, displaying its features. The opaque fabric is covered in a net-like material, which makes up the bubble sleeves. The skirt is shaped like a cone and reaches the floor. I step into it and Mistress Irene tightly laces up the back and grabs a pair of matching flats, placing them in front of me. I slip the shoes on as Mistress Irene moves behind me and braids two strands, one on either side of my face, bringing them to the back and securing them. Mistress Irene looks at me from the front.

"Perfect," she says. "Well, as close as we can get."

***

I fidget in a huge room full of staring elves. Casually I walk to a table of sweets, and grabbing a handful of something I sneak to the doors and exit the ballroom, breathing in the fresh air. I tiptoe to what seems to be a garden and sit down, opening my hand and picking one of the sweets up. I place the sweet into my mouth and a burst of flavor explodes as I swallow it. I gobble the rest up, loving the taste I have never before experienced. I finish the last one, placing my elbow on my dress and my chin on my fist. I examine the beautiful garden, completed with a pond in the center. The moonlight sparkles on the water, reminding me of how the ice glittered just two days ago. That life seems like decades ago, yet I remember the massacre like it was yesterday. Holly and I almost made it that night, and we should have known something was going to happen. All of nature had foretold of something horrible. The trees and bushes had cowered in fear. The clouds had blocked out the sun, and even the moon and its bright, showy stars hid themselves away, yet no one cared to notice the signs. My best friend died that night, along with the rest of the village, including me. Although I survived, I will never be the same. I sigh, returning to reality as a faint voice calls my name. I recognize the urgency in Nigel's voice, and quickly listen for where it's coming from. I pick up my dress and start running in that direction at full speed.

"What... happened?" I ask as I find Isaac and Nigel.

"We've been looking for you everywhere," Isaac says.

"Oh, that's all? I'm just not a social elf," I say.

"The ball is ending early," Nigel says.

"Thank Tarsellis," I reply, "but why?" the two exchange a glance.

"It's been decided. The three of us are back to find the Sword of Snow, tomorrow." Isaac says.

"Three of us?" I ask.

"Yes, you're coming too, you might be able to help, since Nigel and I have been at a dead end for four years." Isaac replies.

***

Unlike last night's ball gown, my royal blue cotton dress fits loosely, allowing me to move around, and my shoes don't hurt my feet. An emerald green cloak hangs over my shoulders, covering most of the dress. A knock sounds through my room, and I open the door to reveal Isaac and Nigel.

"Are you ready?" Nigel asks. I nod and they start heading down the hall. I look back at the room, and walk over to my bed, bending over and grabbing my belt with my sword in it from under the bed. I put it on around my dress, covering it with my cloak, and hurry after the other two elves.