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“Can Aurora and I go for a really quick fly before we go get ready? Please Dimi?” I asked, turning back to face my brother.

He crossed his arms over his chest, looking ready to say no, before he saw the pleading look on my face.

Emotion flashed across his features, then he sighed and shook his head, knowing I had won without saying another word.

It seems I would always hold a soft spot in my brother’s heart.

I grinned, unfurled my wings, and launched myself into the sky in one quick motion.

My bone white hair whipped across my face as I soared upward in a spiral, then leveled out.

I looked down to see Aurora hot on my heels.

My smile broadened, and I pumped my wings even harder than before, prepared to out-fly her.

Despite being stuck inside the castle the majority of the time, I’d always been able to beat her and Dimitri in a race in the sky.

I took off in a counterclockwise circle around the castle, feeling the chilly wind reach between every silver tipped feather of my white wings like an icy caress.

I took the opportunity to look out across the kingdom I called home.

Gatlyn Castle was nestled between the western portion of the Salic Mountains, providing natural protection on almost every side.

To the south lay Hollis, the largest establishment of citizens in our territory.

The city sat at the base of the mountains just below the castle, nestled nicely into the largest valley in the entire mountain range.

We often called it the Tower City, as many of the buildings here practically touched the sky and had ledges that us winged fae could fly straight into, with bridges connecting them all.

As I glided through the sky, I came to the edge of the mountain range where it suddenly dropped off into Cynth Bay.

I paused, holding myself suspended in the sky with a gentle pumping of my wings.

I opened my arms wide and tilted my chin towards the clouds above my head, taking in every second of this moment that I could.

I loved being a child of the sky, and the freedom that came with it.

I would live up here with the clouds as my neighbors, if it were possible.

The sound of frantic wing beats snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned around to find Aurora coming to a halt in front of me.

“How do you always manage to leave me behind in the clouds like that?” Aurora exclaimed, slightly out of breath.

“By actually trying ,” I teased.

“When Dimi is here, I can usually use him as an excuse for being left behind like that. But alas, today I have no such excuse. I really need to step up my game. Maybe I’ll even beat you home this time,” Aurora replied, grinning.

Dimitri’s own white, silvery-gray tipped wings—the spitting image of my own—didn’t get as much use nowadays with all of the meetings Father has had him attending lately.

Six months ago, Father appointed him to be a part of his War Council.

Dimitri had been ecstatic, delighted at the opportunity to be of greater help to our people.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to share much of what went on in the meetings, but he always assured me most of it was a bore, anyways.

“Speaking of home, we have to get going. Dinner with the Southern ambassador starts at dusk,” Aurora said, blowing out a breath.

I sighed. I knew she was right, but I hated it all the same.

Just as I opened my mouth to try to convince her of helping me sneak out of dinner, the snow began. Small snowflakes clung to my eyelashes, hair, and clothing. Aurora squealed and quickly flew to my side. “Zirilium please, Viva! We can’t look too horrid for dinner! ”

A part of me wanted to relish in the moment and let the snow soak into my bones, but I knew my friend—my sister—was right. Father would be furious if I showed up to dinner soaked and frostbitten from the snow.

Aurora moved closer as I took a second to focus.

I focused on the feeling of joy and freedom I had felt in the sky just moments before.

Since I wasn’t allowed to openly practice my wielding, it doesn’t come as easily to me as other Northerners.

Tapping into my emotions gave me something to focus on when my surroundings weren’t calm like my mind needed to be in order to wield.

Enveloped by that fleeting memory of peace, I waved a hand over our heads, letting a constantly moving air current escape me. The snow, not being able to get through the rapidly spinning disk of air, continued its descent to the ground around us, without another snowflake touching the two of us.

“Let’s get back to the castle. Then we can get you all fixed up and ready for what I’m sure will be a great dinner.

” Aurora spoke loudly so I could hear her over the wind and snow, remaining positive as always.

I nodded my head in response, and together we made our way back to the castle under the protection of my air zirilium.

***

The next half hour was a fury of dress picking and hair braiding.

Aurora had selected for me a beautiful, lilac-colored, silk gown that grazed the floor with a white, lace accented corset, complete with a floral pattern at the end of the sleeves and on the small train that trailed behind me.

She braided my hair into a waterfall type style and wove in small lilac flowers.

For the final touch, I clipped my necklace on, resting the five small, pale stones at the end of the chain between my breasts underneath my dress, so they couldn’t be seen.

Five moon stones, one for each Northern zirilium I was able to wield.

I didn’t expect to need them tonight, but I always found it comforting to have them on.

I caught a glimpse at myself in the mirror and paused, even though Aurora had just told me to hurry out the door.

I looked… pretty—for once. Usually, my royal stylist made me look much older than I am, but this outfit looked as though it had been made for me alone.

Aurora knew exactly what I liked, and what I needed tonight.

I’d likely never feel completely comfortable in all these priceless dresses Father deemed necessary for me to wear, but tonight was the closest I’d likely ever get.

I turned to my best friend and closed the distance between us, pulling her into a hug.

“Thank you,” I whispered into her shimmering blonde hair. I felt her wrap her arms around me, holding me like she may never get another chance to.

“I love you, you know. Now, we really do need to get going,” she said, stepping towards the door and opening it for me.

“We forgot something!” I said over my shoulder as I rushed back into the heart of my chambers.

My large, wood framed bed sat in the middle of the room against the far wall, colored in the North’s signature colors of silver and blue, with wooden bookshelves and silver accents taking up every inch of space they possibly could along the far left wall.

The right wall housed the entry to the washroom.

Next to that was my vanity where I had sat just moments before as Aurora meticulously put every hair in a specific place atop my head.

Sitting on the left side of the vanity atop a white, velvet pillow sat my mother’s tiara.

Father had passed it down to me on my thirteenth birthday, and since then, it had been among my most prized possessions.

Now, its aquamarine centerpiece shimmered as I reached for it, as if it could sense it was about to be worn again after so long.

I rarely had an appropriate opportunity to wear it, seeing as I didn’t usually get the chance to represent my nation in front of anybody, let alone somebody from the South.

Everybody in the North already knew who I was, as most have watched me grow up—at least from afar—so the tiara more often than not remained on its perch, watching and waiting.

“Here, let me help,” Aurora said, striding over and gently taking the tiara from my hands. I turned to face her as she placed the tiara on top of my head, nestling nicely atop the braid she had woven.

“There. Now you’re ready,” she said with a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. I peered at my reflection in the mirror one more time. A smile crept onto my own lips as I realized how much I looked like the paintings I had seen of my mother, even if only for tonight.

“Alright, let’s go,” I said to my best friend, linking our arms together. Knowing I could face anything so long as my best friend and twin were present, we walked out of the door and towards the unknown of the evening.