~ Hello, Again ~

The sound of echoing violins played beautiful melodies in Winter's ears. After several tired hours of greetings, the King dismissed the remaining guests in line under the guise of wishing to enjoy the banquet. Winter tapped her fingers along with the swirling notes and rhythm.

"Winny," Aiden asked, offering a gloved hand to Winter. "May I have this dance?"

Winter giggled, remembering how Aiden was too shy to dance at the last banquet. "I'd be honoured to, kind sir."

He took her hand in his and guided her to the dance floor. The guests parted like the sea upon seeing the pair descend from the platform.

"Don't step on my toes," Winter said with a chuckle, placing her hands according to how the Duchess had taught her.

Aiden adjusted his arms to properly support her and bit his lip in concentration. "Yes, I know."

The pair began to swirl and turn with the violins. Winter's feet followed a pattern as if it was natural instinct. After several hours of practice, her and Aiden's strides were perfectly in sync. They had practiced dancing more than anything else in the weeks leading up to tonight's event.

Aiden bowed, smiling proudly after the song ended. "We did it."

"Yes," Winter smiled, dropping into a perfectly executed curtsy. "We did."

The guests who watched them dance smiled with adoring gazes. The twins were truly a sight to behold.

"Oh my, the Prince and Princess are so graceful!"

"How adorable!"

"I must ask the Princess for a dance."

"Sweetie, go speak to the Prince. See if he'll ask you for a dance."

Aiden made a face at Winter who understood his actions like clear instructions. The pair joined hands and headed for the platform, executing an escape from the buzzing guests.

"It's been a while," A voice said from behind her. "Hello, lover."

Winter turned in the midst of her escape and her eyes met a familiar pair of gun-metal grey ones. Prince Henrik. His navy blue hair had been slicked back, revealing his prominent bone structure and piercing eyes. He wore a lavish suit with a cape that fell over one of his broad shoulders. She didn't want to admit it, but he was quite handsome.

"What do you want?" Aiden barked, tightening his grip on Winter's hand.

Flashbacks of Prince Henrik disappearing into the shadows danced in her mind.

"It's okay," She told Aiden, wriggling her hand free of his iron willed grip. "Go without me, I'll be right there."

Hesitantly, he stepped back. 'Scream if you need me', he mouthed to her. She nodded with a slight smile as Aiden cast Prince Henrik a warning look before disappearing into the crowd.

"May I?" He asked with an outstretched hand, eyes devouring her appearance.

She made a face and took his hand. Unlike Aiden, his strides and steps were a bit harder to keep up with. Prince Henrik was far taller than her, leading her with a solid grip and strong arms.

"I assume you have many questions," He told her.

Winter clicked her tongue. "That day. What were you doing here that day? I thought access to the portal was heavily restricted."

"Why I came to see you, lover."

"Stop that," Winter said, twirling around in his grip. "Isn't that illegal? You can't just cross the portal whenever you want. How did you get past the guards?"

Prince Henrik let out a low chuckle, leaning into her neck. Winter shivered as his breath touched her bare skin.

"If it was, what would you do?"

She distanced herself from his close face and frowned. "I'd tell my father."

Henrik grimaced, twirling them around in tune with the piano. "Do you trust your father?"

"Don't ask me stuff like that. I'm the one who should be asking you how you knew about the prophecy. More importantly, how do we know you didn't send the prophets to our Kingdom as spies?"

"As expected, my lover is smart," He smiled, pulling her closer as they twirled amongst the bodies on the dance floor. "I like you, so I asked the prophets from my Empire about you. It's not my fault the information was available."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Hmm, how about you marry me and then I'll prove it."

"Stop that."

"Well, you did accept my engagement gifts. I even went to the desert for you."

Winter hesitated. "Thank you."

He froze, taken aback by her answer. "What?"

"I said thank you," She told him, casting her eyes to the ground. "For everything. The gifts and for North. I, I really liked them. I was gonna send you something too but I'm not good with that stuff."

He smiled. "The letter you sent me was more than enough."

"Really?"

"No, but if you let me kiss you I'll call it even."

Winter tripped over her own feet, but he caught her with a firm hand. "You look beautiful today."

"Thanks," She mumbled, lightly shaking her throbbing toe. "From now on just send me letters, not gifts. We can be letter buddies."

"My intention is not to be letter buddies."

"What is your intention?" She asked coldly, attempting to step away from his embrace.

Henrik, however, pulled her closer to him.

"Let me go, the song is over."

Prince Henrik gazed into her fiery eyes. They were coated with contempt and hatred. It was the very look that drew him to her in the first place.

Being a mage meant he had a great feel for mana and magic, but there was something about Winter's magic that called out to him. It's like it was broken, asking him to fix it.

"She said to let her go," A voice said from beside them.

Etrix placed a firm hand on Henrik's wrist, lifting it from its position on Winter's waist. His red eyes glowed with a menacing fury.

"Ah," He said, stepping back. He bowed, placing a gentle kiss on the back of a frowning Winter's hand. "Until next time, lover. I've sent your gift so it should arrive soon."

"Should I kill him?" Etrix asked, watching the obsessive Prince fade away into the crowd.

Winter sighed, shaking her head. "Don't. Thank you for saving me."

Etrix frowned. "Don't thank me yet. Ezekiel, the King and your brothers are over there screaming bloody murder. You might not make it out alive tonight."

Winter flinched. "Are they mad I danced with a boy?"

"They're fuming," Etrix laughed.

"Should I make a run for it?" She asked, scanning the ballroom for the nearest exit. "I can hide out until they forget."

"I think they'd wage an all out war on the Aurosilio Empire if you did that."

Suddenly, Winter shivered. She felt a heavy presence nearby. It gave her goosebumps and sent chills down her spine.

"Etrix-"

"I feel it too," He said sternly, grabbing her wrist. "Let's go."

She trudged her short heels along the marble floor, smiling politely at the people who greeted her as she went. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Catrina glaring at her with resentment seeping from her irises. The further from the dance floor they got, the further the heavy feeling slipped away.

"What was that?" She asked him as they ascended the stairs to the thrones.

He frowned. "Black magic."