A startled deer raised its head and pranced off through the meadow. The slightest breeze sent chills through Ladybird's bones as she stood bundled up next to her horse. Their breaths escaped from their mouths in phantasmal plumes before vanishing in the cold air.

"Looks like this is the end of the warm weather," Napoleon said as he packed his newly acquired horse. Ladybird wasn't sure how they would manage feeding four horses on the journey to wherever it was they were going.

"I do miss summer," Ladybird said. "Oh glorious summer! Before moving to Massachusetts I didn't know what cold weather really was."

Napoleon checked his horses' load and tack then looked at Ladybird. He wanted to laugh. She looked like a ptarmigan all bundled up like that. He looked across their camp and found her sister gathering some sort of plant while the wolf poked his nose around her.

"I can't thank you enough for helping us," Ladybird said, getting his attention. "After all you have lost you owe nothing to the world. Except maybe to be a good person."

A good person? The words sank into Napoleon like an arrow. A good person. He had spent most of the year to this point stealing. There was a reason they called him Robin Hood. He thought taking from the rich and giving to the poor made him a good enough person but good enough and good were still different things.

"Ting Ting would agree with you," he finally said. "I wish you could have met her. I wish everyone could have met her."

"It sounds I missed out on something grand," Ladybird said. "I pity the loss." Placing a hand on his shoulder their eyes met. "But you knew her, sir and you knew her well. That's a blessing." She nodded to Lazarus who was fighting to keep Sacha from jumping up on him. "And you have a companion sticking closer than a brother. That too is a blessing."

Napoleon took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He looked up at the gray dismal sky, going on forever. To have had was better than to have never had.

"You were loved by two wonderful people, sincerely. Some people go their whole lives without that. And if they were here, they would love you still." Ladybird had to dab a tear from her eye as she thought about her father and mother.

"Be careful going up the mountain," Napoleon said. "Have your gun at the ready."

Ladybird nodded. "Wysteria."

Wysteria hurried over to her sister and put her flower case in her saddle bag. As the sisters road away Lazarus and Napoleon watched them go.

"Are you really going to let them go off on their own again?" Lazarus asked.

"The Windstalkers will be after them." Napoleon said.

"But that is bad."

"And we will be after the Windstalkers," Napoleon said. "And when we meet them we shall cut them off."

/

One hand on the reins and the other holding their scarves over their mouths Ladybird and Wysteria fought against the mountain. There was no trail, no marks to steer them away from possible danger. It was a blind trek into the unknown.

"Wysteria, tie on the lead rope and pass it to me!" Ladybird shouted over the storm.

Wysteria unraveled the lunge from the side of her saddle and hooked it to her horse's reins. Stretching out her arm he handed the other end to Ladybird.

Ladybird searched for a place to tie it and lifting her leg she hooked the loop around the pommel of her sidesaddle. They must have missed something; there should have been a trail...something.

"Ladybird!" Wysteria shouted only for her voice to be swept away. "There, between the rocks, I think it may be a cave!"

Ladybird watched her sister gesturing frantically and followed her pointed hand to the mountainside where a dark line passed between the rocks. Nodding her head she turned her horse in the direction of the cave.

They dismounted at the entrance and Sacha ran in ahead of them and lay down at the back.

"I'm not too sure the horses will want to come inside if he's there," Wysteria said.

"They'll have too if they don't want to became statues," Ladybird said tugging at the reins of the balking mare. "Come on you mule!" With much nagging and tugging she was finally able to get the mare inside. Just hearing the echo of their hooves on the stone floor of the cave was music to the ears of the sisters after trudging through the snow covered mountain.

Wysteria sank down to the floor and looked out of the cave. She had never disliked the color white so much. She examined the cave. There was little room between them, Sacha and the horses. They would be sleeping sitting up. She looked at Ladybird next to her who offered a smile. "I think we picked a bad time of year to do this," she shivered out.

Ladybird felt her face prickle as the sorrel mare sighed on it. "Do you think Beatrice and Mr. Wellbeloved might have turned back?"

Wysteria shrugged. "I can't comment about Mr. Wellbeloved," she said. "But Beatrice won't give up. She's a carnation."

Ladybird smiled. "Why?"

Wysteria faced her sister then breathed into her hands. "Carnations last a long time," she said. "They are a very hardy flower. I always think of Beatrice when I see them. In the Smarts' garden they are the most brilliant pink, and well pink is her favorite color."

Ladybird laughed. "What flower am I?"

Wysteria smiled. "You always reminded me of the ranunculus. They are very soft and beautiful and their whorls are so delicate. Much a fitting flower for a lady."

"I thought you would say I was a marigold," Ladybird said. "Ranunculus." She tried out the name. "I am flattered by the comparison. And what about you?"

"I've always just liked periwinkles." Wysteria said.

"Why not wisteria?"

Wysteria shrugged. "Being a periwinkle is easier," she said. "Wisterias, they like to be up high and seen by all. I mostly prefer to pass unnoticed; especially with Grandmother trying to marry me of to such a man. A wisteria would have stood up and a carnation would flat out refuse!"

Ladybird's lips parted. "...And the ranunculus?"

Wysteria paused as she looked at her sister. "The ranunculus..."

"You can say it."

"The ranunculus lived to please...and is fortunate to have a second chance." Wysteria turned away from her sister quickly after speaking her words. Beatrice, the carnation would have spoken like that, not Wysteria.

Ladybird rested her head back against the cave. "Do you pity pretty flowers, Wysteria?" she asked after a time. "For our sole purpose of adorning ladies' tables and assisting men in their passionate pursuits? For doing scarcely more than looking pretty in our petals on our tantalizing stems?"

"All flowers serve better or worse purposes," Wysteria said and Ladybird knew she was rather referring to people. "The rose has never met one more complex than she and the forget-me-not never one more contrary."

Ladybird couldn't help but laugh. "And the lily?"

"Doesn't everyone wish they had her clothes!" Wysteria said. "But if only everyone knew how much she'd rather be a columbine and lead a simpler life. After all vanity leads nowhere and if you don't believe me, ask the narcissus."

Ladybird burst with laughter until her face hurt. "Wysteria, that was amazing!" she said. "One would think you could talk to flowers."

Wysteria sighed as she watched the snow fly. "Well, you can take a lesson from subordinate creation," she said. "They are perfectly happy to do nothing more but reflect the beauty of our God. And man and all his pursuits in all his achievements and glory can never be as fine as these, this subordinate creation."

"To conduct ourselves as lesser ones." Ladybird said and Wysteria nodded. "You know this trip has shown me so much beauty of the earth, I don't think you can bottle something so fine."

"I think Pa wanted just that," Wysteria said. "For us to see the inspiration in us. When you paint, when I play and when Beatrice carves. We do all this apart but creation does them together. That's where you get harmony, they way a family is supposed to be."

Ladybird nodded then turned to the entrance. "The snow stopped."

Getting to their feet the sisters went outside the cave. They stood in the uncharted snow under a clear open blue sky.

"It's beautiful," Wysteria said. "We still have a few more hours of daylight, do you want to continue?"

"I think we had better take advantage of this while we can," Ladybird said returning to the cave and retrieving the horses. "Each day brings us closer to colder weather. Will you call Sacha, Wysteria? Wysteria?"

"Do you hear something?" Wysteria asked.

Ladybird kept silent and listened. Indeed there was a sound, a sound like air passing through a panpipe. "Where is it coming from?" she asked as she turned in circles. The sun broke through a cloud casting blinding light off the white snow.

Wysteria closed her eyes and put her full concentration on listening. She heard jingling reins, a snort, Ladybird's boots, Sacha exit the cave... She began to hum after the wind. "I dreamt that I dwelt..." she shook her head, that couldn't be right. The wind died down and so did the sound. "You heard, it didn't you?"

"I did," Ladybird nodded. "Do you think someone is up here?"

"Maybe it's Beatrice!" Wysteria suddenly thought.

"Beatrice!" Ladybird shouted. "Beatrice! Beatrice, can you hear me!"

"Beatrice!" Wysteria joined in. "Beatrice, where are you!" The mountain scattered their voices in echoes before swallowing them up in the vastness of white.