Winter looked out past the towers and guard towers to see the Capitol.

From high up in the tower, despite the howling wind, she could still hear the faint sound of music and cheers. She stuck her head out, letting her black hair whip at her face.

She leaned forward more and then someone tugged on the back of her skirt, pulling her back in.

"What are you thinking?!" Cora hissed at her.

Winter rolled her eyes at her governess and tried to smooth back her messy hair.  Winter braided her hair as Cora closed the window with a snap.

"Are you trying to die?!"

"No," Winter said, "I wanted to hear the music."

"Then why not go down there yourself, Milady," Cora said as she pulled apart Winters messy braid. "Why not tell your father?"

"You know why," Winter grumbled, "Besides, I go there on a daily basis--Ow! Cora!" She tried to pull away as Cora pulled on her long hair, trying to tame it. It was being difficult.

She tried pulling away again as Cora twisted her hair to make it look sensible rather than a rats nest, "Princess Morgan is coming up to see you and-"

"I know," Winter sighed 

"Then you have to look sensible," Cora stood up and walked up to the mahogany wardrobe in the corner of the room. She shuffled through the contents, looking for something white and innocent for Winter to wear.

Looking out the window once more, Winter couldn't help but wonder why she was allowed to go to the ball tonight. Whenever she requested father, she had gotten a solid no. Morgan was no different, she didn't like Winter and made it a known fact. At this point, trying to talk to Morgan was trying to reason with ice, cold and heartless.

Winter knew why she was hated by family, she was the reason why her mother was dead and for the first time in three hundred years, the kingdom was Queen-less.

She had tried scouring the castle for a portrait of her mother but all were taken down. There was not even a mention of her in the books. All she wanted was to see if it was true, did she really look like her mother?

"One of the Duchess's sent you a gift," Cora pulled out a lilac dress that was encased in soft fabric. "She wants you to wear it to the ball."

"Which Duchess?" Winter asked as she examined the dress.

"Duchess Martha," she said. 

"Oh?" Winter didn't even know Duchess Martha. She'd only met her once when she was playing in the courtyard, Winter had accidentally ran into her pompous skirts. She remembered she spent the day with her, trailing along with her as she went to social event after social event.

"She was my godmother, wasn't she?"

"She is your godmother," Cora corrected. "Now, you wouldn't want to disappoint her and all you dresses don't seem to fit you anymore," Cora set the dress gently on the bed. "Remind to take you to the tailor, you need new dresses."

"Why bother the tailor, Cora? I can sow my own dresses, I just need cloth."

"You're a Princess, my dear. Not a peasant and I refuse to have you live like one," Cora scolded. "Even if your father and sister prefer that."

"But Cora, I'm just like you. It doesn't matter if I have a title or not, I'm still a human. You know I don't really care about that."

She threw a scarf at Winter which hit her in the face. "Put it on, Princess Morgan is going to be here soon."

Just at that moment, the door to the tower opened. Winter stiffened and gripped the post of her bed as she heard those familiar footsteps. Cora put a hand on her shoulder, knowing that Winter was trying to contain her fear.

The door knob twisted and in came strolling Princess Morgan, her head held high and her eyes burning holes into Winters.

She was dressed finely, with beads around her neck and a elegant blue chemise. If Winter was a spitting image of her mother, Morgan possessed her father sharp face. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. If she smiled more, she would have been radiant.

"Winter," she said that word like a bad taste in her mouth.

Winter looked to the floor and curtsied---or tried to. "Um...what brings you to my humble tower?" She asked, looking anywhere but at her face.

"Message from father," Morgan leaned against the doorframe and continued in a bored tone, "since it's almost you eighteenth birthday, he's allowing you to go to the ball tonight. Just. This. Once. I opposed to it because, in all honesty, let's face it. You wouldn't last a minute there."

"I bet I could," Winter mumbled. This caused Morgan to glare down at her.

"Choose you words carefully, I can make you disappear and nobody would say a damn thing. Especially not father," She hissed.

Winter clenched her jaw, angry at herself and her father for not being able to stand up to her sister. She wasn't capable of hate but being around Morgan brought out darker feelings, it always came after the fear. Somehow, she was able to push it back.

"Understood," Winter said through clenched teeth.

"You're missing something else," Moragan said, "What comes after?"

"Understood, your holiness."

"Be carful, Winter. I'm powerful and much more stronger, testing my patience will get you nowhere," she turned on her heel and walked out. "See you at the ball!" She snarled.

Morgan shut the tower door loudly, causing the entire tower to shake slightly.

Winter felt her knees give out. She fell on to the floor as her breath turned rapid and the world spun. She was still clutching on to the post as the bravado and anger wore off. She was having a panic nags attack as she felt hot tears rush down her face. Cora rubbed circles on her back as she tried to regain herself.

"Why.....," she gasped, "W-why am I.....so scared? Evertime!"

"Nobody stands up to her, Princess."

"I.....I.....don't-" her vision blurred as her lungs screamed for oxygen.

"Deep breaths," Cora said. She felt a sting of pain as she watched her charge cry and struggle always after she meets Morgan that she collapsed in on herself in fear.

"Cora!" She said after calming down, "I don't want to be here anymore. I want to leave and never be a princess again."

"Don't say that, that's the words of a child speaking ," Cora hushed her.

"I want to leave and never, ever, ever come back."

"That's every child in the world," Cora pulled her charge up and inspected her, "Go to the gardens to calm yourself down and then come back up here, we need to get you dressed up for that ball and you need to clear your head."

"Okay, Cora," she whispered, her eyes still focused on the fair grounds beyond the castle  ground