The First Visit.

Christmas had passed. Now everybody in Xeldia was exchanging greetings and preparing for their new year celebrations. However, we weren't going to be around for any of them.

"Come on Freya! We were supposed to have left twenty minutes ago, just pick one!"

"Okay okay okay. Here." I tossed him two coats, then covered my eyes with both hands. "Choose."

"Oh you've got to be kidding m-"

"I won't argue with your decision!" I yelled, quite aware that our parents had called for us way over twenty minutes ago and I still hadn't picked the coat I would wear.

"This one." He threw the blue coat with white fur lining at me. "Now wear it and let's go." He said through clenched teeth and left the room. I wore the coat and stood in front of the mirror.

"But this isn't the one I wanted..."

"FREYA!"

"Coming! I bolted out of my room, down the stairs and into the courtyard, where the coachman, my parents and my brother stood waiting for me.

"Hehe... so... are we going now?"

"Yes. Yes we are." Father answered very stiffly before he turned to enter the carriage, mother following.

I was already one step away from entering the carriage when I remembered one small detail.

"My bag. I forgot my bag! I left it in-"

"Ahem."

I looked to see my small brown leather bag hanging from Fern's grasp.

"Oh. Thanks." I smiled and climbed in. The coachman closed the door after me, and went up to the front.

Off to Asïgos then.

°°°°°•••••°°°°°•••••°°°°°

Watching the little bit of snow fall to the ground could be quite hypnotising. I had my elbow rested close to the window as I continued to stared at the white world outside.

In the distance, I noticed something moving in the snow.

"Hey. Fern look." I tapped his leg to get his attention and pointed outside

"What? I don't see what you're pointing at..."

"What's that you're looking at?" Father followed our gazes.

"I think I just saw a white wolf."

"Really where?" He resumed searching with vigor, then frowned. "I don't see it."

"Sergio dear, it's a white wolf in the snow, and I don't think it's polite to stare..."

"Why not?" I asked, as the carriage rode on, I didn't see anything moving in the snow anymore.

"To stare at them, especially in the eyes, would mean you're challenging them. I don't think you'd want to challenge such a creature. You'd be amazed at how far they can see."

"How far?"

"Far enough. Now stop it." Mother reached across and turned my face away from the window.

Silence settled over us like a blanket. Asïgos was a long way from Xeldia. But we were getting close.

"Fern, could you help me check in my bag for-" I was cut off. In a moment, the feeling of the seat beneath me was gone, and an acute pain cut through my mouth. When the feeling of shock lifted, I pushed myself up from the floor and back into my seat. The metallic tinge of blood filled my mouth, letting me know I had bitten my tongue. Hard.

"You okay?" I turned to Fern who was tending to a spot on his head.

"Yeah... I'm fine. You?"

Before I could tell him about my injured, and now swelling tongue, I heard my parents groan from their seats and saw that they too, had been caught off guard by the sudden bump.

"Children, are you alright? I think we ran over a pothole."

"We're fine."

"Kind of." I shrugged.

"Yes yes." Father opened the window to call to the coachman. "Mr. Bayz? Is everything alright up there?"

The man came scrambling to the window, a little bit of snow on his face and looked like a nervous wreck.

"Forgive me sire. We hit a deep pothole, the tyre's stuck, and it seems the horse has been spooked by something. It won't move."

"Oh dear." Father sighed. This would only cause more delay, yet we were almost to the front gates of Asïgos-not close enough to walk- but close. "Right then, let's get the tire out of that hole. Honey, you and the children will have to step out for a bit." He followed Mr. Bayz to the front.

"Come on, out out out." She ushered us out, closing the door behind her. We stood on the side of the road while father and Mr. Bayz worked to lift the front left tyre out of the hole.

"Alright, I lift. You pull." Father huffed as they began their task.

I took down the hood of my coat to look around. There really wasn't much except white ground and frost covered trees. A good painting, but it's missing something...

The horse pulling our carriage was quite agitated and kept stomping all over the place. However the reins connecting to the carriage restricted it's movement.

Can't have it running away and leaving us all to the mercy of frostbite.

Hopefully the horse wouldn't try to go full gallop before they lifted the tyre out.

I watched closely as the horse continued to neigh and stomp nervously. "What are you so afraid of...?" I wondered to myself, and on some sort of instinct, I followed the horse's gaze to somewhere between the trees. I squinted as if it would help me locate whatever I was looking for.

Then I saw it.

As quick as it came, it was gone. But it was enough for me to know that someone or something was actually there. As if on cue, our horse let out a particularly loud neigh and reared up on it's hind legs before coming down on the ground with so much force, I feared the ground would crack like a half frozen lake.

I quietly stepped backwards, towards the woods, away from my family. Something moved in the snow again, this time I was able to determine the exact spot from where I saw movement. However the shade of the trees made some spots hard to see.

I moved closer, and stood still. The silhouette of something rose from the shady snow, staring at me with incredible blue eyes. It was hypnotising. So much so that I couldn't find the will to move. A million and one questions on what in the world was looking at me raced through my head. For all I knew, it could be a predator. A very dangerous one.

Nearby, a pile of snow fell from a branch too weak to support the weight. It let a little sunlight shine on a part of the creature's face.

A white wolf.

Not only was I now taken back by it's eyes, but also the sheer purity it's fur radiated. Mother's warning of direct eye contact with wolves echoed in my memory. But here I was, having a staring contest with one in it's natural habitat.

"Freya!" Two hands grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. My brother's face came into focus, worry written all over it. "What are you doing here? Why did you wander off?"

"I... I..." My mind drew a blank, and I was now searching for words to form a coherent sentence.

"Huh?"

"I... The wolf! I saw it! It's right there!" I pulled out of his grasp and turned to where I had seen the wolf. But nothing was there.

"But... It was ther- it was right there!" I pointed to the exact spot it was standing. I even moved closer to check for footprints, but the snow there was untouched. "I don't understand... It stood here. It looked me straight in the eye."

"And it didn't attack you?" Fern asked from behind me.

I looked to the woods and beyond, not seeing any signs of life or any movement. "No... it didn't."

"Well then count yourself lucky." He came to my side and offered a hand. I took it and pulled myself up. "We need to get back. They've lifted the tyre."

"Oh... How long was I gone?"

"You mean how far were you gone."

As we walked I realised that I had actually strayed quite a ways from my family. When we emerged from the woods, the stern faces of my parents gave me-sadly-not butterflies in my tummy.

"I didn't know I had been gone for that long." I whispered to Fern as we neared the carriage.

"No kidding. You've got frozen mucus dangling from your nostrils."

"Wait really?!" I swiped at my nose.

Fern snorted. I now understood that there was nothing there.

"That's what you get for making me worried." He suddenly got right in front of me. "Never. Sneak. Off. Again." He warned before entering the carriage.

I was halfway in, when the unmistakable howl of a wolf rang through the air. "Did you hear that?!" I asked everyone, but they all met me with faces of uncertainty.

I sighed and entered, resigning myself to a quiet state. Fern's hand came over mine, he gave me a reassuring smile.

But I really did see it...

°°°°°•••••°°°°°•••••°°°°°

Upon arriving at the Asïgos, we were greeted by the Bultez family. Our parents exchanged their familiar greetings, while we... stared at each other. Well, May and Fern were able to give small smiles. I looked Alexander straight in the eye, displaying the most stoic expression on my face.

"Freya!"

"Alex!"

Our father's warned us simultaneously.

Grudgingly, we had to comply.

"Hi."

"Hello."

And that was it. Father and mother hugged us and assured our stay would be full of excitement. The only exciting thing that's happening right now is the snow ever so slowly picking up. Father saw my disbelief in his words and focused on me. "Trust me." With that, he embraced us one more time before he and mother entered the carriage and rode out of sight.

I felt a little something poking my heart as I watched them leave. They've never actually... left us before. And even though I knew they were coming back for us in Spring, it still felt...sad.

"Ahem..." Someone sad loudly to grab our attention. I saw that two servants had come to carry our bags inside.

"Snow is quite endearing to watch," King Richard began. "But I have some lovely cups of tea with your names on them. Shall we?" He gestured inside. We followed his hand, into the castle.

The inside was amazing! I spied the arrangement of furniture and several hand molded sculptures that were in different corners of the rooms we passed till we came to the dinning room.

"Dinner is about to begin. Alex, May? Kindly show them to their rooms."

"Yes father." They chorused, and their parents left us to ourselves.

"This way, please." May's gentle voice beckoned. She and her brother led us up a few stairs, on the way, I noticed some paintings that adorned the interior walls. I recognised some of them done by the rumoured Phantom Artist of Asïgos.

"How were you able to get these?" I stopped at one particular painting of a woman with flowing deep blue hair. Her dress was white, and the hems faded into the beginning of clouds. Her hard silver stare was one that could root the bravest person alive in their spot. "I thought nobody could go near one of these."

"We didn't." May stood beside me to admire the work. "But we had copies made and brought here. The real ones are still in the-"

"Cave of the Phantom." I finished for her. A memory of one of Hans' lessons floated through my mind. He did keep us well-informed on most things that happened outside. I almost miss him now.

While admiring the painting, my eyes landed on a sort of scribble in the corner. It was hard to make out. "An irreplaceable gem..." I read out. I looked at the woman in the picture once more. Her face held no emotion, the background was painted into a blur as well. But overall, "She's beautiful."

"Yes. She is."

When I turned away from the painting, I saw that my brother and Alex had left us behind.

"Let's catch up with them." May said.

°°°°°•••••°°°°°•••••°°°°°

"So if you don't mind me asking, do you two venture out of your home frequently?" Queen Halete asked from her spot at the dinner table.

"Hardly." We chorused, looked at each other with questioning gazes then focused on dinner.

Something about answering at the same time seemed to have sparked excitement in Queen Halete. "Does that happen often?"

"Not really, no." We answered again. I furrowed my brows at Fern across the table, but he just shrugged. Queen Halete, smiled widely at us.

"I beg to differ..." She sang before taking a sip from her glass.

After that, we dined in silence. Occasionally glances were made between me and Alexander. I had no idea what Fern and May were smiling about but I liked it. It's nice to see my brother getting along so well with someone besides me.

Once more, I felt Alexander's annoying gaze on me, and I met him with a brow raised in question. "What?" I mouthed. Just as he opened his mouth to answer, King Richard tapped the table to get everyone's attention.

"Freya and Fernando. On behalf of the royal family of Asïgos, I welcome you to our Kingdom." He said with a warm smile. We thanked him, and he continued. "Now, your father has told me that one of you is a big fan of horses, and the other... not so much."

"I love them." I raised my hand.

"I strongly dislike all animals." Fern did the same.

"You... don't hate them." May tried to affirm.

"Exactly!" Fern exclaimed while emphasising with his fork. "There is a possibility of me eventually liking them, or at the very least, just not be bothered by them. But that possibility is only an itty-bitty, teeny-tiny, sprinkle-winkle, of a possibility. So in short..."

"You may never like animals." She looked like she was holding back a smile.

"Correct! But the possibility is there for the benefit of a doubt." He grinned like he had just broken down the hardest equation in the world.

He lost me at 'itty-bitty'.

On the other hand, his rambling seemed to have charmed everyone at the table as they were now all smiling at his antiques. Yes, even Alexander had a smile on his face.

He looks different when he smiles.

"Well then, I suppose you caught a glimpse of a large field to the side of this castle when you came in? It's our practice range for horses. And since you love horses, I thought it would be nice to go down there for a tour tomorrow. What do you say?" King Richard waited for my answer. Of course I'd say yes.

"I think that would be wonderful your Highness. Thank you." I bowed my head a bit. "But what about Fern?"

"Oh I'll be fine as long as I'm not following you to that field-"

"May is your tour guide." King Richard coughed out.

"But if you insist, then I have no other choice but to come along." He looked to me. "We're stuck together for tomorrow."

"Looks like it."

°°°°°•••••°°°°°•••••°°°°°

The field they had here resembled what I think, could be a haven for horses, although there were others domesticated animals like dogs and sheep. They were kept far enough from eachother.

May led us to a man in a secluded part of the range, who watched two horses prance about near him. After May and him talked for a bit, he smiled and beckoned to us to follow him. He gestured towards the two horses, "These are the horses his Majesty told me to prepare for you. They're our most... unique pair." He suddenly whistled sharply and both horses came to him.

"This here's Maisy." He pointed to the white one. "She's the older sister. And this one is Galen." He pointed to the black one beside Maisy. "He's the lil' brother. Take your pick." He went back to his chair and watched.

First step. Approach from the side or front, preferably the side, where it can see you properly.

Before I moved, I turned to Fern, who looked a bit... shaken. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. If you think you can, then go for it."

He paused, looking between the horses and me.

"Can you?" I asked one more time. He shook his head, and went back to May and the horse trainer. I took a step towards Maisy. Then another. She raised her head to look at me, gave a huff, then turned her rear end towards me.

Rude.

After several more attempts, it become quite obvious that this horse had no interest in getting to know me.

"Well I didn't want to know you either." I said in a low tone. She just dug out a patch of grass from the snow and began grazing.

"You're doing great!" Fern yelled from where he stood, flashing a double thumbs up. He looked pretty silly and I laughed a bit.

"Are you cheering for me or the horse?"

I returned my focus to getting a horse. Maisy just outright rejected me so I could only hope Galen would be more accepting.

"Hey there Galen. I don't suppose you'd want to be friends with a princess?" I subtly made my way over to him.

He stopped eating and looked at me-

Please don't turn your rear. Please don't turn your rear.

And started walking towards me.

YES!

He sniffed around my head, then around my dress.

"Right. Treats." I picked a cube of sugar from my pocket. "Here." I offered. He sniffed my hand again before licking it off my hand.

"Careful! He won't be satisfied with just one." I watched the trainer rummage through a bag that was strung across his shoulders. "Give this to him when he lets you on." He tossed me an apple, to which Galen responded with new excitement.

"Easy now... Easy..." I distracted him by waving the apple around a bit.

In a little while, I had hoisted myself into the saddle while stroking Galen. "Take that Maisy."

"What was that?" Fern asked, coming closer to me.

"Nothing." I continued to stroke Galen. "Nothing at all."