~ North ~

The phoenix's black eyes peered curiously into Winter's from behind bars. Its red and gold feathers seemed to glow brightly and it stood majestically perched on the artificial branch within its bird cage. It looked about three feet tall with a long tail and a dazzling beak. It had long golden tail feathers that were hot to the touch. Winter's heart contracted at the sight of such a creature being trapped inside a cage. Prince Henrik truly was a psychopath. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. Just how did he manage to catch the phoenix?

Nevertheless, Winter simply couldn't bring herself to keep the creature. Life in captivity for it was like a death sentence. Confining the magical creature was a cruel and dangerous thing. She frowned and watched the bird with sad eyes. Winter opened her bedroom window and the brightness of day spilt in. She felt the rays of light against her skin and the subtle wind that blew her hair back.

The phoenix deserved to be free. She closed her eyes and wished for it to achieve a sense of freedom, one she longed for the moment she became trapped by the cage of her early death. With a steady hand and sorrowful eyes, she pulled the latch on the birdcage's door.

"Go." She told it. "Fly away."

The bird watched her with curious eyes and stretched its magnificent wings out. Winter watched as the bird flapped its blazing wings and took flight. It hovered in the air, before swooping down and perching itself on her frail shoulder. Its talons held tightly onto her body.

"What are you doing?" She asked it as the phoenix nuzzled its head into her silver hair. "Don't you want to be free?"

~***~

The mushroom soup, well seasoned greens with tomatoes and rare roast beef slices were all to Winter's liking. She hummed to herself quietly and savoured the mouth watering tastes of dinner. She was feeling better today and decided to join everyone for dinner for the first time since she fell ill. It would've been a lovely experience, if it wasn't for the stares.

King Caderyn watched his daughter nibble away at her small portioned dinner. He frowned at the sight of a phoenix, an unattainable and rare magic bird, perching itself on her shoulder. What was even worse was Snowflake's ruby red eyes glistening with a murderous aura as he gobbled down his serving of meat next to her. Just how did his daughter manage to tame a phoenix and a supernatural wolf? He gripped his utensils tightly and let out a long sigh.

That Prince was acting far too gaudy for his liking. It was clear that he was completely smitten with Winter, but clearly stating his intentions of obtaining her hand in marriage after a mere greeting was far too much. The King's hands itched with the desire to snap the bird's neck.

"Winter," He said after some time. "Do those things have to eat with us?"

"You ask me that like I have control over them, Your Majesty." Winter said, crinkling her face in disgust. "Snowflake stays by my side purely out of his own free will. I also gave North the option to leave earlier. If they ever wanted to leave me, I would let them go. They're not things. They're living beings, too."

The King made a face. "You named the phoenix North?"

"North is indicative of cold weather and heavy winters," She explained. "I thought I'd keep a theme going."

The King let out an exasperated sigh and cut into the meat on his plate. Winter glanced up at Aiden and he smiled in response. She was worried about how the incident had affected him, but he seemed to be doing fine now. Since then, he would randomly take her hands in his and inspect her fingers. She also noticed that he would pile blankets on top of her during the middle of the night. He spent as little time away from her as possible, running back to their room during his study breaks and showering her with warm hugs every five seconds.

"Father," Lysander said. "My bestiary course at the academy, the one that deals with the study of wild and domestic creatures, requires a presentation. Would it be alright for me to take Winter and Aiden? It'd be nice to show off Winter's pets and I'd like to show them around the academy as well."

The King nodded his head. "Only if they're okay with it. You'll have to take several guards and the Royal Physician with you. Winter hasn't fully recovered yet, so know I'll hold you accountable should anything happen to her."

"Really?" Aiden asked with wide eyes. "I get to see brother Lysander's school!"

Winter sighed. If she had it her way, she wouldn't step foot anywhere near a school of aristocrats and other nobles. She hated aristocrats and everyone who supported them. They were spiteful people who looked down on everyone and anything with a lower status, holding their heads up high in order to reinstate their position of superiority over them. But Aiden's eyes gleamed with blissful joy, a look that she longed to see more often.

"Okay," She said. "If Aiden wants to go, I'll go."

Snowflake let out a low growl as if he was agreeing with her statement.

"I'm so happy," Lysander chimed. "My cute little siblings are the best."

Winter's eyes practically rolled backwards. She still couldn't get used to Lysander's displays of affection. His warm personality and cheerful attitude reminded her of Aiden. That is if you took Aiden's personality, multiplied it by five hundred and then blew it up.

"Winter should also start taking lessons." Alexion interrupted. "The doctor said she's recuperating well. She's also anxious to learn, so we shouldn't hold her back from achieving her full potential."

"Very well." The King replied curtly. "I'll speak to my aide and arrange for her lessons to commence after her visit to the academy."

The King paused and his eyes were washed over with a menacing expression: "If anyone so much as looks at you wrongly at the academy, have the guards gouge their eyes out."

Winter froze. She really hated nobles.