"Ptarmigan, please, we need your help!" The Grand Duchess threw herself to the ground and begged. "Lady Taiga is still sick and you're the only one who can help her!"

 "Your Grace, I'm sorry. I've told you many times, but there's nothing more I can do to help your Majesty. I've never seen anything like this before." I tried to remain calm so as to not yell at the young and ignorant Stella-Maris. She was our empire's much admired Grand Duchess of the Ice.

 "There's no way this illness is natural. Someone is trying to kill our Lady! It's your job to protect her! How could you let this happen?" The Grand Duchess whined. She pushed herself off the ground and walked away from me. I never understood the rudeness of royalty.

 "Your Grace, I'm just a healer. I'm not part of the guard." I reluctantly corrected the young girl and immediately regretted my decision. It only made her angrier.

 "Then why aren't you doing your job!" It was more of an accusation than an actual question. In a fit of something you might call grief, the Grand Duchess swung her arms aggressively, knocking over a line of objects that were sitting peacefully on a shelf. I was confused as she stood in complete silence for a few moments. I almost jumped when she reached for a gleaming silver case resting on the now catastrophic shelf, a single shining beauty amongst the chaos.

 "Your Grace, is everything okay?" I stepped forward and reached my hand out to her, but she moved aside to avoid my touch. She looked back at me with icy eyes as she tightly gripped the silver case. I could see her quickly wipe stray tears off her cheeks before she fully turned around to face me.

 "This used to hold a precious family heirloom." The Grand Duchess preceded to open the oblong container to reveal nothing inside. "We always treated the locket inside as a last resort, never to be messed with unless presented with extreme situations. It holds incredible abilities, one of them being a healing ability." Before I could interrupt, she kept going. "I don't know how or why, but someone has stolen it. Since you cannot heal my mother by normal means, it is now your duty to find the stolen object and return it."

 I stood silently and considered this for a few minutes. If the Grand Duchess knew about this heirloom, why didn't she use it when things got bad? It couldn't have been stolen too long ago or she would have told someone and gotten it back by now. If this locket she describes is so incredibly strong that it's only used as a last resort, what else could it possibly do other than healing? There were too many questions and I was too scared to ask for answers. I couldn't object.

 "I'm sorry, your Grace, but could you describe this locket to me? It might be difficult to find if I don't know what it looks like." I forced a smile in an effort to lighten the mood, but it obviously only made the situation tenser.

 "Now is not the time for jokes. Are you really stupid enough to think I'd let you walk out of here just like that with no information?" Being talked down to by someone so much younger than me was definitely humiliating, but now was not the time to be concerned with that. "The locket is a vibrant, crimson red. Its color should make it very easy to find. I suggest looking for it in the homes of the poor."

 "Do you expect me to raid people's homes for this locket? Or do you think they'll just give it to me if I ask?" I don't know what got ahold of me in that moment, maybe it was the shock of being assigned such a difficult task, but it was an extremely dumb thing to say.

 "You really are stupid! This is your job, not mine. You figure it out for yourself. It'll do you some good in the thinking department." And with that, the Grand Duchess showed me out of the castle and back into the bland arctic.

 I don't really know why Stella-Maris told me to search the homes of the poor. Anyone who was considered poor had no place to hide such a jewel. I set out anyway, bracing the harsh wind. I was always amazed every time I stepped outside and the strong gusts didn't whisk me away. On days like this, the ice streets were barren of people, but that was every day.

 It was obvious that I couldn't just walk into people's houses. If no one was outside, they were at home. Instead of taking on a barbaric approach, I thought I'd do better reciting a short speech of reassurance. Surely the people would have to open up for the Grand Duchess.

 I wasted no time and started knocking on the translucent ice doors of the numerous houses that lined the empty streets. I searched and I recited and I charmed, but there was no locket to be found. I kept changing my story and I was running out of lies to tell. That was, until, I came across a suspicious character.

 "I'm so very sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I need to ask you some questions by order of the Grand Duchess." I gave a charming smile to the young woman. Her light hair was in large double braids that fell over her shoulders all the way to her waist. I was almost jealous with my own braid barely reaching my shoulders.

 "Why is that so, sir?" She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight. I noticed how restless she was, unable to stay still. Maybe the mention of the Grand Duchess made her nervous, but for what reason?

 "Don't ask me what goes on in the mind of royalty, ma'am," I laughed, keeping my smile. "If for some reason, you would rather not participate, then I'll just tell the Grand Duchess." I had to manipulate her into a confession. I could visibly see her tense up.

 "No, please, come in." She almost seemed to force a smile as she let me inside, but maybe it was my mind wanting this to be the one. I examined the room before sitting on a wool couch on the back wall.

 "What does your financial situation look like?" The young woman gave me a concerned look as she sat on the opposite side of the couch. The wool felt good quality, like something Stella-Maris would wear as a dress.

 "Why does the Grand Duchess need to know?" I understood her precautions, but it was not helping my situation. Why do you care what the Grand Duchess needs to know?

 "I'm just trying to do my job here, ma'am." When she didn't answer, I stood up and sighed. "Do you mind if I take a look around?" The house only had two rooms and I wanted to get this over with as quick as possible.

 "Do whatever you'd like, sir." I walked around, keeping my eye out for anything shiny and red. It put me on edge when she stood up and followed three steps behind me. "I guess you could say I'm on the poor side of the spectrum."

 "Is that true? I would never have guessed with such a fine wool couch like that!" I was excited to hear her excuse.

 "Oh, the couch? That was a gift. I never considered it to be that great, but I thank you for the kind words, sir." I ignored her story and continued looking. I picked something up from behind and line of leather bound books and swung it around.

 "Are you sure about that? This necklace seems kind of on the expensive side to me." I teased as it swayed back and forth. I laughed when her eyes widened. "Let me guess, this one was a gift, too?"

 "You don't know what you're getting into." The woman resorted to pleading. She skipped the stories altogether, it almost troubled me. "You can't let the Grand Duchess have this! Please, I'm begging you!"

 "Do you have some kind of hatred for our empire? This is going to save Lady Taiga. Why would you want her dead?" I held the small locket in my hand tightly as she fought to pry it away from me. Something about the situation worried me. What could our wonderful Lady Taiga have done to make someone hate her?

 "You're going to regret this." I grabbed both of her hands and held them behind her back. The Grand Duchess would want to see the person responsible. When I led her outside, she abruptly started to struggle and I lost my grip. She ran into the blank white of the arctic, the wind seeming to carry her away. I figured it wasn't worth it to go after her and headed back to the castle. Saving Lady Taiga was more important.

 "I'm back, Your Grace." I ignored the guards as I rushed into her room, the mysterious locket in hand. At the sound of my voice, the Grand Duchess immediately stood up and turned around, hopefulness obvious in her eyes.

 "Did you retrieve it?" She looked up at me with wide, eager eyes. For the first time, the young girl looked her own age. I nodded and watched as her face lit up. I couldn't help but smile as I handed over the necklace.

 "I tried to bring the woman who took it, but she ran away. I figured she could die in the middle of the arctic if she wants." I reassured her. It almost bothered me as she walked away as soon as I gave her the necklace. I expected more praise.

 "I thank you for your stupidity, Ptarmigan." Those were definitely not the words of praise I was looking for.

 "Excuse me? Is something wrong, Your Grace?" I asked reluctantly. Did I somehow bring back the wrong family heirloom? That certainly could not be the case. I knew as the gold chains laced around her dainty hands lit up in flames.

 "Yes, there is. I don't think Lady Stella-Maris has a good ring to it."