The Princess of Fleurdelis

Princess Aveline Lichtenia stood in the middle of the academy courtyard. She wore a dark blue uniform with silver embroidery. The fabric was tight, showing off her slender figure. Her hair flowed freely down her back and a pair of elegant silver glasses rested delicately upon her nose.

She gazed around the courtyard with observant eyes. The scenery differed. She recognized a few trees and flowers, but most of them were foreign to her. A few butterflies fluttered nearby, dancing gracefully in the air.

Students were sitting on benches or reading books under the shade of the trees. Three different types of uniforms were present. Silver embroidery marked the first years, Gold marked the second years and Red marked the third years.

Aveline bit her thin pink lips as she continued searching. The note in her hands was clear, 'A boy with blue hair and a mole on his right cheek. 7th son, timid, shy, introverted.'

Her eyes scanned every person who passed by her, hoping to find someone fitting the description. Unfortunately, no one met her expectations.

"Excuse me miss, can you please move? You're blocking the way."

Aveline turned around and was surprised to see a blue-haired boy standing behind her.

His hair was cut neatly, falling just below his chin. His skin was pale white, almost translucent, and he had a mole on his right cheek.

He wore a navy blue robe with gold accents and carried a leather bag full of books.

She held her breath. This was the person she searched for. A gleam appeared in her plant-colored eyes, as she looked directly into his eyes.

"As of today, you will be my partner." She declared.

The boy furrowed his brows. He glanced at Aveline and then at the students surrounding them.

"Um, I'm sorry but no thank you." He said politely as he took a step back.

Aveline blinked a few times.

"What do you mean 'no thank you'? Do you know who I am?"

The boy took another step back, his eyes wide with fear. He clutched his bag tighter as he continued moving away from Aveline.

"Y-yes, I know who you are, but I don't want to partner with you."

She rubbed the back of her neck as she pondered her next action. Her gaze returned to the boy. He looked terrified. He stared at her as he kept rubbing his arm.

"Why not?" She asked curiously.

The boy took a deep breath before responding. His voice trembled as he spoke.

"Because you're scary.", the boy started to walk away, "And I don't want to be your partner."

He ran past her, bumping into a few students, causing them to fall. He quickly apologized before continuing on his way. Aveline stood motionless for a moment. She could hear soft laughter from the students, they did their best to silence it but failed miserably.

She sighed as she took another look at the note. It contained information about three students. A blue-haired boy named Conall, a blonde boy named Armand, and a redhead named Julian. Apparently, all of them were first-years.

'How hard could it be?'

Conall had been easy to find. But getting him to agree would prove more difficult.

"Armand it is."

She walked through the courtyard until she found a blonde boy reading a book. He sat on a bench, underneath a large oak tree. They had the same uniform. His hair was short and neat, with bangs covering his forehead. 

Next to him lay a girl with long, curly, light brown hair and freckles dotted her cheeks. She wore a silver trim uniform and had a huge smile plastered on her face.

Aveline approached the pair cautiously. They seemed unaware of her presence. She cleared her throat loudly, drawing their attention.

"Are you Armand?" She asked bluntly.

The boy looked up from his book, startled by her question. His expression changed instantly when he spotted Aveline standing there.

"Ah yes, that's me." The boy responded respectfully, as he placed his book down.

"Then from now on you shall be my partner."

"Pardon?"

Aveline moved closer to the duo, closing the distance between them. She stared intently at Armand. He tensed up slightly as he stared back.

"You are to be my partner, is that clear?"

"What but he's mine!" the brunette girl interjected loudly.

"Shut up, you're just a commoner." Aveline growled.

The girl clenched her fists tightly. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she glared at Aveline.

"How dare you! This is not the Fleurdelis Empire!"

"So what if it isn't? I can do whatever I want. I am above you in every way imaginable."

The girl gritted her teeth angrily. She stood up, and stepped in front of Aveline, blocking her view of Armand.

"Armand belongs to me!" She yelled loudly.

"Nonsense, he's just some noble."

"He's a prince and he's mine!"

"Fine." Aveline shrugged dismissively, as she turned to leave. She paused for a brief moment.

"If you take a step in Fleurdelis I'll have you thrown in a dungeon." She warned before leaving.

The girl watched as Aveline left the courtyard. Her face burned red with anger and embarrassment. She grabbed Armand by the collar and began shaking him violently.

"Ow, ow, ouch, what are you doing?!" He cried out painfully.

"How could you let her speak to me that way?!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I don't care! You better make things up to me!"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," The girl smiled wickedly as she released her grip on him, "You'll see."

Aveline walked through the hallways of the academy, searching for the final boy. A small frown formed on her lips as she scanned the crowd. Everyone looked the same. No one stood out. She sighed as she continued wandering.

'This is taking forever', she thought to herself.

Aveline turned a corner and entered a corridor leading to a classroom. There was no one in sight. It seemed abandoned. She quickly scanned the area before leaving.

"There you are," she exclaimed as she approached a boy with short, bright red hair and a clean-shaven face. He wore a silver uniform. He stared blankly at her.

"You're Julian, right?" She asked as she entered his personal space.

Julian looked confused by her question. He stared blankly at her as she drew nearer.

"Yes, that's me."

"Good. We are partners from now on."

A smile spread across Julian's face. He nodded his head vigorously.

"Sure thing," he agreed eagerly.

Aveline let out a huge breath.

"Let's go to the flora-binding room immediately."

"Can we talk first?" Julian asked.

"No." she replied as she started to walk towards the flora-binding room.

A teacher assistant was standing in the room. She greeted Aveline with a smile and opened the door for them.

"What can I do for you, Princess Aveline?" the assistant asked politely.

Aveline glanced at her for a moment before responding, "I'm here to bind myself with my chosen one."

The assistant looked taken aback. She stared at Aveline in surprise.

"Already?"

"Yes. Tell us the procedure." Aveline ordered.

"Okay, first the boy has to kneel."

"You heard her, get on your knees." Aveline said to Julian.

"Wha- Are we really doing this now?" he asked, looking unsure.

"Yes." she replied coldly.

Julian reluctantly lowered himself onto his knees. His hands were trembling as he stared at her.

"Now allow him to touch your hand, and he will place a kiss on your hand. After that, he'll say the binding chant and if you're compatible you'll be bound."

Aveline stretched out her hand, letting it hover over Julian's head. She stared at his face, observing his facial expressions.

"Do it." She commanded.

"Okay," he complied, as he planted a small peck on her palm.

"Now chant the words 'floral soul bind' and you'll be bound." the assistant instructed.

Julian took a deep breath, and then he recited the chant.

Slowly Julian's body started to take on a snow-colored hue, from his head to his toe. He started to tear up. After the third tear touched the cobblestone. His skin froze. He couldn't blink as he gazed at Aveline. Julian died as his blood turned solid while he knelt to the speechless Winter Queen.