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A tall girl with ice-blue eyes approached Thalia and Luna."First-years, female, East Wing," she announced without preamble."Follow me."

They were led through a series of corridors carved directly into the mountain stone.Unlike the grand entrance hall, these passages were utilitarian, with only occasional blue-flame torches to light the way.The temperature dropped with each turn, until Thalia found herself wrapping her arms around her body for warmth.

"Here," their guide finally said, stopping before a wooden door with a simple iron latch."Three to a room.You're the first assigned here."

The door swung open to reveal a chamber that could only be described as functional at best.Three narrow cots were pushed against the walls, each with a thin mattress and a gray pelt.A small desk and stool sat beneath the room's only light source — another blue-flame torch set in a wall bracket.No windows, no decorations, no source of heat beyond body warmth and the furs that lined the beds.

Thalia stepped inside, her heart sinking.This would be her home for the foreseeable future.The door closed behind her with a heavy thud that echoed her mood.

She had just begun to unpack her meager belongings when the door opened again.Ashe Redwood entered, her tall frame ducking slightly to clear the low doorway.Behind her came Luna, who immediately bounced to the farthest cot and claimed it by dropping onto the thin mattress.

"Looks like we're roommates," Ashe said, her expression unreadable.The red streaks in her black hair caught the blue light, giving her an otherworldly appearance.

"I'm glad," Thalia admitted honestly."At least it's someone I know."

"We don’t know each other.Not yet," Ashe replied, but there was no real edge to her words.She moved to the remaining cot and set down her pack — significantly more substantial than Thalia's own.

Luna was already rummaging through her belongings, muttering under her breath."Cold, cold, cold," she whispered, almost like a chant.

Thalia exchanged a glance with Ashe, who raised an eyebrow but said nothing.The northern girl methodically unpacked, her movements efficient and practiced.She pulled out additional layers of clothing and what appeared to be fur-lined boots — luxuries by Thalia's standards.

"Is it always this cold?"Thalia asked, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.The chill was seeping into her bones now that they weren't moving.

"This is warm by northern standards," Ashe replied."It will get colder when winter comes."She paused in her unpacking to study Thalia's thin cloak and worn boots."You didn't bring proper gear."

It wasn't a question, but Thalia answered anyway."We don't have winters like this in Verdant Port."

"You'll freeze before the first month is out," Ashe stated matter-of-factly.

"I'll manage," Thalia said, more defiantly than she felt.

Ashe considered her for a moment, then nodded once — not agreement, exactly, but acknowledgment."We all do what we must to survive."

An awkward silence fell over the room; Thalia cleared her throat.If she was going to be living in such close proximity to Ashe, it seemed wise to get to know her.“What brought you here?”

"I chose Frostforge over the alternative."Her tone made it clear she wouldn't elaborate further, but she added, "Some prisons are more obvious than others."

The cryptic response only deepened Thalia's curiosity.What could possibly be worse than a place where students were openly told they might die?But she respected the boundary Ashe had drawn and dropped the subject.

As night settled fully over the academy, the three girls prepared for bed in silence.The only comfort was the knowledge that she wasn't facing this cold, forbidding place entirely alone.Even so, as Thalia pulled the warm pelt over herself, she couldn't help but think of home — of her mother's kitchen filled with the scent of herbs, her sister Mari's laughter, the humid southern air that had sometimes felt oppressive but now seemed like a distant luxury.

She had never gone to sleep cold in Verdant Port.Poor as they were, there had always been enough warmth.Here, the chill crawled beneath her blanket and into her bones, a constant reminder of just how far she had traveled from everything familiar.

Sleep, when it finally came, was light and troubled, haunted by Maven's words and the unspoken question that hung in the frigid air: who among them wouldn't survive to see the year's end?

***

A sharp cry pierced the darkness, jolting Thalia from her shallow sleep.For a disorienting moment, she thought she was back in Verdant Port, waking to the sound of gulls and the shouts of fishmongers.But the biting cold against her face and the unfamiliar hardness of the cot beneath her quickly snapped her back to reality — Frostforge Academy, where even the night held no peace.More shouting erupted from the hallway, words muffled but tone unmistakably hostile.Thalia threw off her pelt, the cold air hitting her like a physical blow as she fumbled for her boots in the darkness.

"What's happening?"she whispered, though she wasn't sure if her roommates were awake to hear.

A rustling came from Ashe's cot, followed by the quiet sound of feet hitting the stone floor."Trouble," came the northern girl's terse reply.In the dim blue light from their single torch, Thalia could make out Ashe's silhouette as she moved toward the door with practiced stealth.

Luna remained a motionless lump beneath her blankets, either genuinely asleep or choosing not to involve herself.Given what Thalia had observed of her earlier, either seemed equally possible.

Another shout, this one clear enough to make out words: "—told you to shut up!"

Ashe glanced back at Thalia, who had now managed to pull on her boots.Without needing to speak, they moved together toward the door.Ashe eased it open, the iron hinges protesting with a low groan that was thankfully masked by the commotion outside.