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The King and His Advisor] A man dressed in a long silk robe, busted into the King's bedchamber and said exasperatedly, "Your majesty, about your-" The king turned from his desk and sighed, "what has he done now?" "He has escaped his guards again, this time in the garden and has fled towards the city." The king shook his head as a small laugh escaped from his mouth. He ran a hand through his greying hair and pushed back his chair so he could stand. Looking out the window near the desk he gave a wry smile as he looked down onto the court yard. "That boy is more and more like his mother with every passing year. What am I going to do with that boy? Come Aestro, let's take a walk, it will do us both some good." [The Grounds K&A] The two men looked almost comical as they walked the castle grounds. The king was nearly twice the size of Aestro and was built like a bear. The only signs of ageing on the man was his graying hair and the slowly receding hair line that accompanied his battle worn face. Aestro on the other hand was a tiny man with white hair. But he was no less fierce when it came to his words. While he lacked the king's physicality he made up for it with his brilliant mind. They strolled for around an hour before disappearing along the path into the forest. [The Marketplace and A Stranger-W] [Two Years After Jaqs Left-J] It has been two years since the king made me leave my job. Today I returned to my old home and hopefully I will get to visit him at the castle. I worry about him the last time I spoke with him...that night...i hope he has forgiven me for not telling the truth. I miss that idiot. As I settled in and started unpacking a sharp knock sounded at the front door. As I go to open it the person knocking gets louder and louder. I tell them I'm coming and as I open the door I am practically dragged out by an old friend, Sara. "Wo, hey, what is wrong? Not going to say hello?" Sara scoffed, "yes, yes, hello. Now come on, you need to come with me." At her worried look, I let her drag me through the market and into the woods outside of the city. We come up to the familiar path that leads to the castle, two years and it hasn't changed at all. "Alright now can you tell me what is wrong?" "It's about Prince Winter." By the tone of her voice I could tell that something was very wrong. "What has happened?" "Do you remember how Aestro and the King were acting weird before he made you leave? And how they started isolating the Prince?" "Yeah, wasn't it because of his sickness?" Sara paused and turned around, quietly she whispers, "I think they made it worse, I overheard a conversation between them a little over a year ago and then suddenly the Prince was bound to his room. No one has gone in or out in over a year, and from what I am told he is forced to wear that amulet, the one that hides his you know what and suppresses his powers. The last time I saw him was from the garden, I was looking up at the tower and saw him, he didn't look good, he looked.... I'm scared that they are killing him. There has also been construction lately, placing bits of the stuff in the amulet into the walls." Fear suddenly hit me like I've never experienced before, the idea of Winter dead struck me and I knew Sara wasn't joking. And as we quickened our pace, I told her. "I need to see him, talk to him." Sara gave me a sad but knowing look, "I know. Which is why I had the orphans tell me the minute you got here. I have a way in, a friend in the guards. He is in charge of guarding the Prince's room and he will help us out." "What are you doing for him in return, nobody helps in that place without a price." Sara snorted, "nah, he's a good guy, plus we are kinda courting I guess? We are going on a date later, I get food and a good alibi, plus he is cute." I laughed, "well at least there is some good news. Why didn't you tell me about him in your letters?" "A girl has to keep her secrets. Come on, we are almost there." We came out of the woods and entered the garden, I look up at his window and a memory flashes of when I first saw him with his horns. They were extraordinary, black like the darkest of nights, and shockingly smooth considering how sharp the the tip of them were.He was fascinating, part man and demon, one of a kind, a being of the cold. He was leaning out the window in his tower, his hand lightly gripping a branch of the tree the circled up the side if the tower. Snow was gently falling and covered the garden in a glittery blanket of white. He was singing gently in a mysterious language, it was mesmerizing and as it turned out, that would be my first day of many working at the castle. Sara rips me from my memory by dragging me through a door and down a hall. To the right is the stairwell that I used to take everyday to wake up Winter and as I expected we continued onto the stairs and headed up into the main floor. Two guards were stationed there and Sara pushed me against the wall and told me to wait for her signal. She walked up to the guards and started chatting with them. The one on the right must be the guys she is seeing because he instantly understands whatever she said and starts joking with the other guard. Sara gently waves her hand behind her back for me to head towards Winter's door. I sneak pass and gently open the door and slip inside. Sara says good bye and when they got distracted again slipped inside, quickly closing the door. "Let's go." We head up the next two flights of stairs before coming up to Winter's bedroom. We head inside and close the door. The room is pitch black except for the tiny bit of light seeping from the garden window. It reached Winter's bed where we saw him laying down, he looked very frail and weak, and was so pale, even for him, that it was concerning. His breathing was so weak that for a moment both of use held our breath hoping that he was still alive. Relief seeped into me when I heard him take a shake breath. Sara slipped out into the side moment after saying that she would give us a moment. She didn't want to overwhelm him and wanted to get him something to eat and drink if he was able. I approached his bed and sat down next to him, looking at him broke my heart, I gently squeezed him hand and it was ice cold. "Hey, Winter, it's me. It's Jaqs." After a moment he shifted and his eyes opened, instead of being a brilliant ice blue, they were foggy and white. "...Jaqs?" Winter whispered in a raw voice. "Yeah, I'm here." I brought Winter's hand to my face, "I'm right here." Winter frowned, "i...i can't...i can't see you." "Hey, it's okay, it's alright." I told him. His hand gently touched my face and he said, "you have a beard, you didn't have a beard before." I chuckled, "Yeah, it’s a new development.”