In many ways, words depended on other words. Arine Thorne was familiar with the linking of words, 2 needed to clearly define a situation. In the case of the Rose-Grayen Kingdom, devastation and desperation were 2 words that presented how everyone in the Kingdom felt. 

The Kingdom was formed in the year 1100 and for 400 years, no dilemmas had occurred, except for wars. The Kingdom was well ordered, so anything going wrong seldom ever happened. 

It was the seasons. It was believed that the King and Queen, and their noble men had the blessed power of the God to control the weather, for as long as they served. Never had there been a time where the season of the year was skipped.

There had been many signs of a growing issue of seasons. The winter solstice lasted longer than usual, causing the living conditions of the Kingdom to turn to hardship. 

Many people wailed that the Blessed of the God were frauds. Or they weren't worthy enough. Others were distressed the number of sacrifices made wasn't enough to please the God. 

Arine knew that everyone and the Blessed of the God—which included her mother and father, the King and Queen—would not be forgetful of their sacrifices nor not be plentiful with them. 

Arine was outside, helping the unskilled people of the Kingdom to quickly gather inside the castle. The clouds were dark, the ground a pale white. 

Tailors rushed in with boxes of fabric, fur, threads and needles. Farmers hurried to store their tools in boxes. 

Once everyone had entered the safety of the castle, the doormen shut the doors, and ordering everyone to go to their assigned rooms. Arine though, had to speak with the King and Queen first, before going to her room. 

It was one of the upsides of being a princess, daughter of the King and Queen. You would have more freedom to communicate with the King and Queen themselves. No lower rank ever or rarely had the honor to privately speak with them, with exceptions of messengers. 

Arine went up flights of auburn colored staircases, trying not to trip on the heels she wore. She reached the quarters for the nobles, King and Queen, and Arine's own bedroom.

She had passed these quarters many times, seeking for different things. Comfort. Safety. Forgiveness. Answers. Arine was now going to them for answers.

Once Arine was in front of the door, she noticed no guard was near. She also heard the voices of her mother and father, discussing something. Driven by curiosity, and the hopes of them answering Arine's mysteries, she put her ear on the door and listened.

"This has become such a disaster!" the Queen said loudly and sighed heavily. 

"Indeed it has Lena. The God must be disappointed at us." The King said in a calm voice, mixed with worry. 

"What shall we do! How do we keep everyone safe and not decease them, for death will be looked down as our crime!" the Queen yelled. 

"We must keep them in the castle," the King said firmly. "Everyone in their cottages must stay there. We'll need to put out an announcement."

"What about our daughter's Academy?"

The Royal Academy. For young princesses, princes, nobles and such to train to be who they are supposed to be. Arine had been waiting to go there for so long once she reached the age of 16. Now, because of the lockdown plan, she wouldn't be able to attend. 

At that moment, she pushed open the doors. The King and Queen looked up in surprise, then in light exasperation. 

"Arine honey, were you listening to our conversation?" her father asked. He didn't need to ask, both her mother and father knew.

Arine still nodded.

Her mother sighed. "Arine, you need to stop that habit. It is most unladylike."

"Well perhaps I would be more ladylike in the Academy." Arine said sharply.

The King bit his lip and the Queen looked down. 

"We're just trying to keep you—" her father started.

Arine put up a hand. "Safe. Yes, I know. But it can be safe enough to go there. It isn't too far. I could even go myself!"

"NO!" her mother shrieked. "Under no circumstances are you ever going there by yourself! Do you know how atrocious that would be?"

Arine looked away from her mother and set her gaze at her father. He was looking disapprovingly at both of them; of her mother's dramatic horror and Arine's interruption. Arine's shoulders sunk as she took in the information that she could not go.

"Okay, so I understand I cannot go there. But what are your plans for this weather? How do we fix it? We can't have winter all year long. We cannot be stuck in the castle all year long." Arine said.

The King's face tensed. "We'll...er, we need to see what happens next. A meeting will be arranged  sometime soon. In the meantime, no one will be allowed to go outside the castle or the gates. I will set up guards and traps tomorrow night for anyone who denies the rules. Understood?"

Arine nodded    

                                                            .............................

Night fell as everyone got to bed. It was 9 pm in the Kingdom. Arine waited for all the sounds of feet to vanish, until only her breath could be heard. 

She wore a dark blue cloak with the hood on. It could be the last chance she would get to go outside for the month, or worse, the year. Arine shuddered at the thought of it.

She quickly went out of her room, closing the door behind her. She went down the stairs, away from the royal quarters.

No guards were in sight. The Kingdom didn't need much protection, for it was already strongly protected. Arine feared that would change very soon. 

Once Arine reached the door entrance, she pulled it and realized it was locked. A sense of dread filled her. She knew she couldn't steal the key from a guard or closet. It was too risky and she didn't know where it would be. 

Arine scanned the vast room, trying not to be upset. Her eyes stopped at a large window. There were windows a few meters above the doors. When Arine was little, she'd try to climb on high objects like shelves or tables. She smiled. 

She gripped on the doorknob and jumped, her foot barely holding on to a crack on the wall. She grinned. The castle wasn't so perfect after all. 

Her hand reached for another crack or something to grip onto. Her hand caught at the window frame. She tried to push it up as much as she could, which did nothing. She tried again. Her wrist  started becoming sore and her foot was starting to lose balance. Arine fought the panicked thoughts in her mind and gulped. She pushed at it with the back side of her hand and...

SLIP! She lost balance and her back slammed against the doors, making an audible sound. Arine blinked and saw that she was sitting on mushy snow, outside. 

So that's how you open the doors. Arine thought with amusement. The thought vanished when she realized how loud the doors opening was. She surveyed the room quickly to see if anyone woke up. A miracle it was that no one heard the noise. Arine breathed a sigh of relief. She got up, brushed the snow from her pants, closed the doors quietly, and ran, away from the castle.

Arine had a place to herself that she always enjoyed being in. It was a small garden, that was protected from the snow with a glass box. Arine went here when she wanted time to think, or some relaxation. 

Some of the flowers did wither, though, in winter days. It made Arine worried about them being able to survive and still be a garden. But every year it always grew back. 

Arine reached the glass box covering the garden and slid the screen open. She went inside and sat on the bench, looking at the plants. It was a bit claustrophobic, but that didn't bother Arine much. 

There were marigolds, daisies, roses and a whole variety of flowers in the garden. Despite all the concerns of winter, and the risk of being caught, Arine smiled. When the lockdown started, she wouldn't be able to see this garden and she knew she had to see it one last time. 

None of the flowers looked like they were starting to die, well, most of them didn't look , they were. Arine noticed in the corner of her eye, a flower drooping. She stood up from the bench, crouching while walking for the glass box didn't quite fit her height, and bent down toward the plant.

Arine gently picked it up in her hands. It was a rose, with one of the petals falling down. Arine was about to let it go when the rose started glowing. 

Arine gasped.