Above her was a stretch of sky, and though the pale blue colour was inviting in its own right, leering into it echoed nothing but forlorn thoughts. The sky; a hue so gentle between the clouds and baby-blue, the female watched each bird upon wing. It was one of those spring days with a kiss of coldness that somehow heightened the warm rays of the sun. Her steps would all but falter as she paused to admire the flowers, to sense their aromas, to be in the moment with their transient beauty. Beyond all, it was a day of gifts, all there simply for noticing for letting the steady nature-given happiness in.

”Pretty.”

Her words were directed to no one in particular, as she plucked a piece of cherry blossom from the branch, while the flowers bloomed to their fullest. In all that expanse of green, they have the courage to be anything else, to sand out with a beauty that draws her close.

”And if that feeling is a cage, let me dwell within it for it feels the same as the wind and the open sky; a belonging that reaches inside to cradle the heart.”

She watched them bloom, the white bells, pure in any dark night, shining at the rising of the sun all the while the light is given. They are an art unrivalled by the works of man, the definition of perfect born of emotion rather than the convolution of subjective thought. While a young female laid bare beneath the cherry blossom tree, she thought about these things. Twirling the flower between her fingers, she observed it carefully and absently brushed aside a wisp of hair that had come loose before she tucked the flower behind her ear.

Perhaps if she had a mirror she would have been interested to see if the new addition complimented her appearance and she wondered how her lover would have responded if he were to see her now. She sighed, a weak whiteness flying towards the sky as she pondered how to deal with the day when she was still so hung up with how far she’s been thrown off her primary objective.  

The assassin had her eyes on the sky again, and she fears it’s now an impulsive habit of hers to commit to the clouds when she had nothing on her mind. From a distance, a sound akin to that of birds and dancing winds momentarily drew her attention away from the heat, enough for Snowflake to consider angling her head the other way to see the approaching figure of a…woman?

Her journeys were very rarely mundane as she was, at best, quite gifted in assuming a stroll whenever the times were the most interesting. Its as if there had been a compass implanted into her head that always directed the woman to a fascinating venture in wait, where greater adversaries were seemingly wriggling in their impatience, allies bound to be part of the scheme, and she was surely more than willing to involve herself when an opportunity such as that came to present itself.

In the event that Pegasus mage encounters a soul with even the slightest memories of her, her reaction is almost always an awkward mix of confusion and awe, but mostly the latter; and it was only very recently that she’d decided to don a relaxed disposition when someone familiar stumbled upon her. This should have been how it played out as soon as the coral haired woman called out to her from a short distance.  

”Long time no see, Alice.”

At a passing glance, one might think her eyes were blue or gray, perhaps even green, depending on the colour of her clothing but her gaze would soon land on the other female’s abdomen, which appeared significantly different from the last time she’d seen her. ”I see you’ve become a mother yourself,” a small smile grew on her lips, proud of her acquaintance for pulling through the most difficult times. Being a mother wasn’t easy—or so she heard, and she couldn’t help but envy the courage and bravery of mothers on this planet. She could never imagine of herself being one, not that she planned to any soon. ”Congratulations, you ought to let them meet me for once.”  

Her tone was calm and collected as usual, though sharing a few of her smiles every now and then, more than how she used to be amongst other humans. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she’s encountered quite a handful number of people in her life, that she’s learnt to communicate with those around her better.

”How have you been?”

”Two months…” she trailed off, wondering how time has passed so quickly in just a blink of an eye, and during that that she felt like nothing productive was done apart from a couple of trainings. It wasn’t a habit until a few months ago, and her idle days have grown into something more rigorous and strict, bidding her own laws and crafting straw dummies by hand. Snowflake was compelled to fight shadows in the dark not because of an ultimate goal that she’d instigated into her life. She simply obliged to the yearnings in the pits of her soul that pushed her, almost literally in that sense of the word, an uncontrollable driving force that spoke her in whispers as she dreams.

”Oh, I would definitely love to,” said the female, accepting the offer to visit the Knight’s children. Though she never had a preference for children since she found them rather irritating, somehow, she was enthusiastic to see Alice’s little ones—perhaps she was just biased. ”I’ve never done babysitting before, but I could offer my amateur skills to you whenever you’re busy.” Of course, that was meant as a joke, whether or not it was taken seriously, but even if it was, she wouldn’t have minded to join in on the activity.

The assassin had her eyes on the empyreans once again, and beyond her was the sky, stretching on for eons without seeing the end to it. She’d see rays of neon colours radiating through the entire sky, painting it almost as if it was a piece of art. A long sigh left her lips, not sure where to begin telling her story upon the other female’s questioning. ”Decent, if I have to begin. I altered my appearance slightly. Hope I don’t look too different,” she tugged the strands of her translucent silver hair gently, twirling it by the tip of her finger. Despite her changing features, it appeared that those around her always seem to unveil her without much effort, nor her telling.

"Care to join me on a walk?”

She’d leap onto her feet, carefully dusting away the sand particles off her outfit, and speaking of which, perhaps she could’ve worn an attire akin to the flower festival, but that could be saved for another day. ”What’d you think of this festival?”

As the two women began walking through the park where the festival mainly eventuated, she’d notice how the grass floor became so thick with petals that it reminds her of the beautiful fishes she’d seen in the lake during one of the dates with her lover. The colours overlap with a heady vibrancy that raised her hand on instinct as she collected falling petals in her palm, as if the heavens had rained down flowers upon them. She lets her fingers touch the perfumed ‘scales’, holding them up briefly to take in their aroma before letting them tumble from her hand back to the garden path. Every shade of rose petal is there, so large and scalloped that they have collected morning dew. Intermingled are the shocking oranges, purples and fuchsias of the asters, their petals long and thin.

”I see, that’s wonderful,” replied the female with an understanding nod. Though she had no hint on who her husband, Snowflake assumed that he must have also been a busy man, considering that they were both wizards of Fiore. Having children wasn’t easy after all, especially when you have duties to attend, it would have been very difficult to provide the utmost attention to the little ones, which was why Snowflake had never thought of starting a family to begin with. Perhaps it was just herself who found children as a nuisance and distraction to her goals and ambitions, but who knows, she might change her ideals as time passed by.

The snowy beauty continued to fiddle with her hair, simply due to the fact that she yearned for her longer hair that flowed down her back like a waterfall more than she ever did. On a side note, she was glad that Alice was able to spot her easily even with a change in her appearance, but that also could have been her aloof demeanour giving away.

”Orchidia is your home?”

Snowflake had heard how there had been an advent of war and the struggles between a few other guilds, but she had no detailed information about any of them, nor was she interested as long as Blue Pegasus was kept away from the troubles. After going idle for a short period, the woman had lost touch with all the information that she would use to obtain. Perhaps if Alisa was aware of the mess, she could possibly provide her a thorough explanation of what occurred. ”…Did something happen in Crocus?” she questioned. People were bound to share the whispers of any incident that took place, but Snowflake wasn’t one to trust the rumours unless the information was given from someone she could trust.

”I agree, I don’t like crowds either.”

The flower festival had made nearly all the citizens in Fiore to travel down Orchidia, which wasn’t a surprise, though she must admit that her experience would have been better if there weren’t too many tourists. ”Well, is there anything you’d like to try now then?” Unlike Alice, there wasn’t anything specific on her mind and though she wasn’t one to dwell on things she hasn’t experienced, she would have loved to participate in activities that she wasn’t familiar with.

With a responsive nod, Snowflake began, ”Orchidia is a nice place to settle in,” a soft sound to couple nicely with her soft appearance. If she were to find a place for herself and her lover, it would have to be Hargeon; hometown to their guild. Despite not being a huge lover of water, she still enjoyed being around the sea and the occasional visits to the beaches, especially when it provides such a magnificent sight during the dusk and dawn. The hint of salty waters in the air and the sight of seagulls weaving and dipping into the ocean was also something she could never grow sick of.

”Oh, the emperor’s speech,” spoke the frosty maiden as she began to travel down her memory lane, to where she’d listened to the speech for the first time. It was no doubt that the entire country received the infamous words from the emperor and even while she was idle, she would hear the rumoured gossip everywhere she travelled. Things were complicated back then, and her own guild had many troubles regarding to Grimoire Heart, considering how the two guilds went to war several months ago. A part of herself wishes to forget the pain of the death of their previous guild master and the destruction of their guild, but it was also one of the reasons that motivated her to strive forward.

There was disorder within Grimoire Heart—or so she’d heard, and shortly after, the faction disbanded. Snowflake wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be elated or disappointed when she received the information, albeit, seeing how Blue Pegasus quickly regained the ground after its fall, she figured that it would be unnecessary to chase the ones who caused havoc.

Returning back to the conversation held at the moment, the snowy beauty raised an eyebrow. ”Siblings, eh?” she folded her arms across her bosom as she stared beyond her. According to the knight’s explanation, that was quite the crazy situation. Unlike Alice, Snowflake never had siblings, but she’s never heard of a brother nor a sister attempting to kill each other. ”Having that kind of sister must be tough.” Occasional fights were indeed possible, but delivering threats to the other was completely out of hand. Although the details were unknown, the silver haired woman was curious of what might have led to this fight, but she left her doubts unspoken. Being her own acquaintance, Snowflake was worried about the well-being of Alice, but she was aware that she would be able to handle it well on her own.

As the two strutted among the streets, she’d catch Alice glancing around the area and followed her gaze to which she settled at, ”Wine tasting.” Without a hint of hesitation, she nodded in approval. ”Wonderful. Let’s give it a try.”

”Me neither.” During the incident, Snowflake was idle and lost contact with the rest of the world. Even then, words travel fast; anywhere and everywhere, which was how she came to discover such news. There were many things that she didn’t understand, but she was in no position to question her doubts. Besides, those times have been done and passed—it wouldn’t make a difference even if she had her own opinions about the event.

It seemed that Alice had many complications in her family and despite then, Alice always appeared positive in front of her and she couldn’t help but admire her courage. Perhaps it was a sensitive topic for her to bring it into discussion, and if Alice had felt uncomfortable, in no way the frosty maiden would have forced answers from her. Not once did the girls ever had a conversation like this; one that regarded their problems or them simply discussing the things that were on their mind. Alice and Snow had always been distant acquaintances, albeit, at this moment, she felt as if their relationship grew slightly further.

”I truly wonder as well,” she began. ”But, let’s not worry ourselves too much. When the time comes, I’m sure we’ll be able to solve them just fine,” the ice mage bore her friend a light smile, but she felt her breath catch a little in her throat, hesitance breathing through her mouth. The truth was that her statement didn’t exactly reflect on what she felt; she wasn’t sure if the peace within the country would last long, or if more severe wars and many foreboding troubles were to occur ahead. There was nothing she knew certain of, and only time would tell.

For now, Snowflake believed that her Holy Knight acquaintance and herself should just forget past their worries and enjoy the moment. Much to her appreciation, the place wasn’t crowded, which was probably due to the fact that it was still bright in the afternoon. The couple would proceed towards a vacant table and upon mentioning that they were here to do the wine testing, numerous glasses would be placed on their table in the next minute, while the waiter poured different bottles of wine into each separate glass. Some of them red, some white and some in gold champagne colour, the snowy female struggled to decide on which glass she should try first.

Once all the glasses were filled with wines of different colours and brands, came in a colourful brochure handed to the two girls by one of the staff members. Inside the booklet was a list of wines that were available, which she assumed was everything displayed in front of her, along with some appetisers for them to enjoy. The list of names weren’t ones that the white haired female was familiar with, but then, she had never been a big fan of wine either—she was the one to enjoy stronger types of alcohol.

Snowflake took the initiative to be the first one to do the wine-testing, as her icy blue hues shifted between the numerous glasses, while she pondered which glass she should select first. She settled with the glass in the middle, closest to herself, consisted of dark cherry red wine. The frosty woman swirled the wine in her glass, breathing in a fragrance that only years in an oak barrel can achieve. When the liquid settled, she brought it to her rosy lips and let the fluid sit in her mouth a while before swallowing. It was different from what she would normally drink in a pub—she finally understood why people would enjoy drinking to this marvelous liquid.

Sweet yet, bitter; the taste was like an elixir to life. ”Mmmm,” a soft sound escaped her lips unexpectantly, but it only meant that the drink was that good. She never thought that she would actually enjoy this, albeit, she’d always had a soft spot for a good champagne—perhaps one of the reasons why she was heartily enjoying the drinks. It almost didn’t feel like she was here to have wine-testing, but to enjoy a long chat with a friend with some drinks and snacks, as if they were what people these days would normally call “hanging out”. ”It’s good, you should try it,” suggested the female before taking another generous sip from the glass.

”Oh, we’re just fine,” she spoke, sinking back into her chair while she crossed her free arm over her chest. There were a few things on her mind; things that she didn’t know if she should discuss with other people or if she should just keep it to herself. ”Watching you prepare for your wedding, I was just wondering if it’s time for me to settle as well.” The thought almost seems scary to her; she didn’t want to feel like she was being chained down by a person and marriage was too serious for her to be considered at this point. Apart of her still wants to enjoy her pre-adult life as much as she can, but at the same time, she wonders if it was already time for her.

Chelvaric was most definitely someone she loved; someone she wanted to spend her life with, and she knew it was the same for her lover but knowing that, they shouldn’t be in a hurry to be promised to one another, right? ”What’d you think?”

Snowflake took another sip of wine and swirled her glass once again. Already the worries of her day were beginning to fade—just watching its gentle vortex was hypnotizing enough, and at the same time, she was lost in her own thoughts. Indeed she was still young to settle in; she was only in her pre-adult years after all, albeit, people say that you’d know when you’re ready whether you’re young or old. Seeing herself being indecisive, perhaps she just wasn’t ready to think too far ahead of their relationship. She has already found her lifelong partner—what was there to be hesitant about?, she wondered.

Truth be told, the young woman feared how her life might change in any way if the couple were to get married. It wasn’t an issue of making life-long decisions, rather, it was something more akin of her habit to over-think things if her lifestyle would become any different. Those were the thoughts that filled her head and kept her worried at all times, but honestly, there was nothing for her to be truly concerned about. Chelvaric was one who preferred if things were the way it was, and even after they were wed, he would still remain the same loving boyfriend he had always been. Perhaps she was the only one who was stressing herself out over negative thoughts.

Another sip of the wine and before she knew it, her glass was already empty. She’d frown mildly before idly grabbing another glass and held it within her fingers. She knew it was a wine testing event, but she decided to refrain from drinking too much, especially when there were so many glasses of wine to taste—she didn’t want to return home tipsy after all. The question that Alice brought into discussion easily caught her attention as she turned to look at the Knight. Without knowing what to answer, she returned her gaze to her own glass. Snowflake took a moment contemplating on her reply and she’d briefly walk down the memory lane, recalling the times she had with Chelvaric.

Certainly, they had their ups and downs, like every other couple does, but what she experienced from this relationship was joy and happiness, and she received more from him than what she could possibly give. She’d learnt so much from him and it was because of Chelvaric that she became who she is now, and this only brings to the conclusion of providing the one final answer.

”Yes.”

Cerulean optics crossed over the gaze of hazel as she confirmed her answer. ”I would.” Her eyes were fixated on hers, without a hint of hesitation or regret and it seemed as if all her questions had been answered and her doubts were being washed away—just like her sorrows with wine. It wasn’t an ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I think’, which was how she would have normally replied to such a question, but a simple and complete ‘yes’. A sigh left her lips; out of relief that she finally figured out what she wanted, and no one could possibly describe how she felt at that moment. Perhaps a small chat with a friend was what she needed all along.

Who would have known that a simple question provided all the answers that she had been searching for? Perhaps it was coincidence that Alice had met her earlier, and to enjoy a lovely chat inside a wine store. The wine-tasting event was a bonus to their encounter and maybe it could just be their luck that they happen to stumble upon a shop that stated that they were providing free drinks for customers to taste. ”Thank you,”—was all she could say to Alice. If it wasn’t for the Knight, Snowflake would still have been a lost soul as she was before. It was a good choice to have sought for advice from a person who was almost married, after all.

There were still quite a few glasses left to taste but she knew that she would begin to get tipsy with a couple more drinks, and she didn’t want that. Some glasses of wine were strong, some—not so much, nevertheless, she still enjoyed tasting a variety of them. The young woman had never been a fan of wine, but now, perhaps she could be considered one. Wine would be the drink she would seek for if she were to end her day with a luxurious and relaxing drink, instead of a strong one to wash her stress away.

The final glass she had chosen was champagne. For someone who used to be an avid drinker of this particular wine, she could immediately tell what it was by seeing how golden and crystal clear the liquid was. The beauty wasted no time chugging it down her throat, relishing the flavour as she closed her eyes briefly and released a long breath from her lips. ”I’d rather not drink too much, unfortunately. Don’t want to get too tipsy,” she placed her empty glass to the side of the table, among the rest of the empty glasses.

The waiter came by their table, collecting the glasses that were finished. ”The wines tasted lovely. I’ll make sure to drop by soon again,” spoke the female, nodding in gratitude towards the waiter. Her stay had been welcomed and was provided well and thoroughly by the store’s customer service—the only thing she could return was the feedback of how well they performed, not to mention, of how the wines tasted as well. The man only bowed graciously with a smile on his face before he walked away to polish the glasses away. Snowflake turned towards her friend seated beside her. ”Shall we go now?” Of course, they would only have to leave when Alice was ready.

”Oh, I completely understand,” the woman chuckled slightly. Whenever Snowflake was out drinking, she’d have to use every bit of her self-control not to drink more than her body could take, since she cared about her reputation and image enough to not get herself drunk.

When Alice invited her for a walk, Snowflake replied without a hint of hesitation, ”I would love to”, followed by a quick nod. Having a quick chat together with luxurious glasses of wine was a pleasant surprise for the white haired girl, and it seemed that it was also something that she desperately needed.

The streets were busy with a lively tempo—even when the events were almost over—as people flocked to places they were supposed to be, finding things they were supposed to do. The ice mage observed her surroundings, just like she always did, watching people continue with their daily lives and vendors beginning to open their stores in the town’s shopping district, while two young women briskly walked past the crowd that roamed about the streets of Orchidia.

”Are you travelling anywhere soon? Or have you decided to remain here longer?” she’d begin to strike up a conversation, in an attempt to fill the time with some idle small talk, whilst staring out into the distance, her eyes dazed, dreamy and lost in her own thoughts. Beyond her was the sky, stretching on for eons without seeing the end to it. She wondered how long it has been since she last enjoyed the beautiful sight of nature; the trees, the empyreans and the white puffs of cushions drifting by, when she had been so busy with solving her own issues. Oh, how she had missed this.

Despite the number of times she’d visited Orchidia, the roads remained foreign to her, as they always will, considering how horrible her sense of direction was. The young woman was distracted with the small talks in between, and Snowflake had unexpectedly let her guard down—a mistake that she should have never done. As she took a step forward, she felt something tingling through her skin. It was as if she had entered an invisible door, her surroundings felt entirely different from where she was before. The woman raised her gaze, and she froze. One moment they were in the lively streets of Orchidia and the next moment they found themselves in a completely unknown location.

”What…is this place?”

Her eyes darted over the vicinity instinctively, taking in everything that enters her sight. The ambience of the area was gloomy and there was something eerie about the place; something that she couldn’t quite put a finger on. ”I have a bad feeling about this.”

The two somehow ended up in an abandoned alleyway and as she looked behind her, she would see nothing but a wall of brick and brown sheets of old newspapers and posters sprawled on the ground. Though she had witnessed Alice’s attempt to see if the brick wall was nothing but an illusion, the snowy beauty wanted to confirm it for herself as she hoisted up her hand and rested her palm against the wall, her fingers brushing over the rough texture of the structure.

Nothing.

They were directed into a foreign territory without themselves even knowing and according to what they have at hand, there wasn’t any exit that could possibly lead them out—not at the moment.

Within the short period of time, Snowflake had come up with a few theories; one that included a person teleporting himself into the location and perhaps forgot to close the portal that he had opened. It was merely an assumption, albeit one that made sense to her out of all the other reasons she conjured in her restless mind. ”Well, there’s no exit…” she placed her hands on hips, breathing out a sigh of exasperation. Apart from the dull ambience, it doesn’t seem that anyone had noticed them; not that she expected anyone to, considering how they were dumped in a filthy and contaminated alley where people discarded their garbage, presumably.

The white haired woman raised her eyebrows at her acquaintance upon her comment on skeletons. At first, she thought that Alice meant it as a joke to lighten their spirits, until she mentioned ’walking skeleton’. She simply blinked in awe. ”I thought they didn’t exist,” she whispered under her breath, without the intention of being heard but her habit of speaking her mind out loud must have done the opposite.

As she peeked out of the corridor, the townsfolk continued about on their daily lives and two strangers would be muddled through the crowd, unknowing of what to pursue first or where they should head to in this unfamiliar location. ”From the look of it, no one seems to notice that we’re here,” spoke the ice mage, her eyes still fastened ahead of the path ahead. She gathered everything in her sight; anything that might give her a lead to identify what the place was, and though that might be more difficult and enduring than she had imagined, it seemed that the frosty maiden had already gotten a clue from her observations after weaving through the crowds for a good amount of time—perhaps. The people around her always appeared to be dress in dull clothing, if not, a black cloak that conceals almost their entire bodies.

Either they felt that the weather wasn’t warm enough in this spring season, or that they didn’t want to be discovered in this region.