Anna
3 Months Later...

"Anna, what are you doing?"

"Look at the pretty snow!!!" I pointed outside and pressed my forehead against the cold glass of the window.

Mommy sat down next to me and smiled. "Yes, it sure is pretty." She hugged me close and kissed my forehead. "It never snowed in the place I grew up. Usually, winters were associated with rainfall and the blooming of fruit trees."

"Oooh!" I sat in her lap. "Where did you grow up?"

Mommy got really nervous. "U-um, well..." She cleared her throat. "Are you excited for Nagamas?!"

I gasped. "Yeah!!!" I cheered. "Did you celebrate Nagamas when you were younger?"

Mommy played with my hair. "We had our own form of it. It was called Yule's Eve, but it's kinda the same concept as Nagamas. The only huge differences are that we didn't decorate trees or do any of the snow-related activities. And we also didn't do any of the praying to Naga parts of it."

"Oh, cool!" I looked back outside. "Can we go play?"

"Not now, sweetie. It's too cold and-"

"I hate to interrupt," someone came into our room, "but I'm here to steal your daughter away for a few hours."

I whirled around and quickly hopped off the couch. "Ashie!!!" I ran to her and hugged her legs. "Can I go with Ashie, Mommy? Pleeeeeeease?"

Mommy laughed. "Of course. Ash, please make sure she stays out of trouble."

Ashie took my hand. "Will do, Evelina!" We walked out of the room. "So, you excited to help me bake?"

"Yes!" I nodded ecstatically. Even though Ashie was 10 and I am 5, she was my best friend. She's the daughter of the nice innkeepers that were letting us stay here for the cold season. She does a lot of baking and cooking for the inn, and I help her out a lot.

When we entered the kitchen, she pulled her short red hair into a ponytail and helped me onto a stool near one of the counters. "What are we making?" I asked as she fixed my own hair into a ponytail.

"Chocolate cake for the holiday season!" she replied, taking out some ingredients out of the cupboards.

My mouth began to water. "Yummy! What can I do?"

She placed a large bowl in front of me along with some ingredients. "You get the best part. You get to make the frosting."

I gasped and took some of the ingredients into my hands. "Awesome!!!"

Ashie told me how to make the frosting and I tried my best to put her words into action. I whipped up the butter and sugar as hard as I could, standing on my tiptoes and holding the large bowl in place. Within minutes, I heard Ashie slam the oven shut and dust flour off her hands.

"That was fast!" I exclaimed. "You're so good at baking!"

Ashie blushed and strolled over to me. "Thanks, kiddo." She ruffled my hair. "That really means a lot."

"You're welcome, Ashie!"

She smiled and pulled me into a hug. "Gods, I really don't want you to leave!" She gave me a quick squeeze. "You're like the little sister I always wanted!"

I grinned widely and hugged her back. "And you're the big sister I've always wanted!" I giggled. "Maybe I can ask Mommy if we can take you with us!"

Ashie laughed and started to clean the counters. "Honestly, Anna, I wish," she sighed. "I would love to go out and see the world, but my parents need me here."

I returned to the bowl of almost-frosting, but all my attention was on Ashie. "Are you gonna leave home someday?"

She nodded. "Of course! Once I'm older and my baking skills are perfected, I'm hoping to move to Ylisstol and become the Head Baker of Castle Ylisse! It's my biggest dream!"

I stared at her in awe. "Cool! I know you can do it! You're the best baker in the kingdom!" I took the whisk out of the bowl and eyed the frosting. "Is this good?"

She took some of the frosting onto her finger and tasted it. "Yup! Really tasty!" She ruffled my hair. "C'mon, let's keep working. I'm going to show you how to properly pipe frosting!"

"Yay!"

*****

Not really important to the plot but there's baking. Yeah, so life is gonna get even more busy than it already is so I please ask for your patience. Thank you so much for reading and look forward to reading more!