"Father, where are you going?" the girl asked almost in tears.

"I have to take Aunt Zelda and Uncle Matt to a safer place, my child. You stay with Mother and take care of little Amelia." He placed a loving departing kiss on his beautiful daughter's black hair. "My little sunflower. Stay safe."

The girl cried herself to sleep again that night and that was the last time she ever saw him again.

***

I woke up suddenly. The dream a distant blur already. A noise had woken me up and I saw Serena was up at the door; it was hard to tell whether she was coming in or going out. "What are you doing?" I asked with a raised eyebrow taking in her complete winter ensemble.

"Uh, why are you up so early?" she asked with teasing narrowed eyes and sat on her bed.

"That's not the answer to my question, is it?" I sat up whole and saw over her shoulder that Rosa's bed was unmade too. "What time is it?"

"Only a few hours short," Serena tilted her head to a side, "of noon, Eleni. Wake up." She giggled as she saw my confused face.

"It's that late! Why didn't you wake me up?" I put my feet down on the surprisingly not-so cold floor. The temperature of the rooms had been controlled by the heating spinners, which were the products of Summer Realm. They warmed up the air in the room with some weird magic and propelled it farther into the surrounding. I didn't really comprehend the working, but was deeply grateful for it. The guests of the other Realms were all provided the little reprieve of enjoying normal climate when they were in their rooms. I groaned at the thought of going out in the open again. I had not been able to exercise at all. So damn cold.

I thought of how excited I had been to see the Winterland and had dreamed of gliding through the slopes of hills and throwing snow up in the air only to have it splash on my face back. But reality had hit me hard like an avalanche. We had been sick from the week-long journey and had felt dizzy as our legs landed on firm ground. The first sight of the coast of the Piscean district, the seemingly wonderous, white, magical snow had put us in awe. The cold had been unbearable but the phenomenal sight gave a relief though only for a fleeting moment. Serena and Rosa, had seemed to gotten used to the cold better, and even Kevyn who was a gangly young kid my age. But not me. We had then made our way through the swept pathways that lead up to the dockyard and found Winter Realm's carriages awaiting the guests. Thank goodness, the journey had been finally done with.

I cleaned up myself a bit hastily after Serena left for the working tent, not wanting to be late on the first day. And stepped out in the blazing cold, wrapping myself into every single clothing I had bought. I found everyone had been already in the somewhat-warm tent for a while, that was allocated to the Liberan Corresponders. It was right up next to the accommodations that House of Libra, were given. There were several other tents of off-duty Air Guards, the royal domestics, and of ladies-in-waiting. I went up to the smartly dressed, older letter-writer, Violette who had already scribbled my notes in her disgustingly ineligible handwriting, which I and Serena had mastered understanding quite well.

I read the first sentence absent-mindedly and realized that this news-journal had to be written and duplicated into thousands of copies by tonight and was to be sent out to the Spring Realm by the next evening. It was about the health and fitness of all the twelve Defensors of each Realm who were going to take part in the Conquest of the Thrones. So that meant all the Defensors were already here and getting acclimatized to the weather. Would I get to see any of them?

I sat down next to Serena who gave me a small wink and went back to copying a subtext from the similar horrible hand of Violette. She was scrawling about the abundance of trees and fresh air despite the cold of the Winter Realm and how the environment had been sufficiently altered for the Spring, Summer and Autumn Realms' guests.

I pulled out my favorite feather-pen from my small satchel and started scribbling in what seemed like my natural handwriting now; the embellishments, the curvy strokes at the end of every 'j', 'y' and 'g', the sharp edges of straight lines and the flourish of beginning with perfectly drawn artsy capital letters. Calligraphy had been something that I had developed as a self-taught skill. Wanting to always impress my elementors at school I used to punctually finish my assignments, stand out in the theoretical assessments, but above all, I ensured all my work looked appealing to the eye. The habit had stayed and I had jumped at the first opportunity of becoming a calligrapher and had now taken my skill to another level. Well, the skill in turn had taken me to another Realm altogether.

***

If there was one thing that I had wanted to see the most, it was the Winter Gala's greenhouse exhibition. There were dozens of buildings in the Piscean district's downtown, that had apparently showcased the most wonderous plants from all over the world. I hoped the errand boy that I had appointed back at home, would not forget to water my small garden that was on the left of the house. I had honed and nurtured my mother's skills of gardening after she had disappeared a few years after father had. I knew I had to keep it all the same for the day she returned. I just wish she would.

I had convinced Serena and Rosa to accompany me. They had been reluctant at first as the evening chill was a little harsher but we still set out. We rode up on the carriages waiting outside the high gates of Spring Realm's embassy. The town path was as picturesque as the drawings in my childhood fairy tale books. The embassies of all the houses were situated on the threshold of the eastern part of the mountain range Nixus that was spread far and wide across the northern upland and extended east-west alike; as a result, the path to the central Piscean was a gentle slope and the horses were easily pulling down the carriage. The hustle-bustle of the gala was fast-approaching and the unmistakable smell of roasted food hit our senses and made us grin like crazy.

"I am suddenly very hungry after the long day of articles and more articles. The conquest hasn't even begun yet and people are so desperate for any kind of news that we are working our bottoms off." Serena groaned. 

I thought of Amelia in Liberan, waiting for the latest post about Winter Gala. I felt my heartbeat thundering as I remembered her final words. Vacuusha. The Vacant. It was one of the foulest words in all the Realms alike.

I was brought out of my reverie by a sudden jerk of the carriage as it halted suddenly, propelling me forwards and the horses neighed loudly. I saw Rosa had hit her jaw on the hilt separating the driver and passengers. She screamed yet with a fury I had never expected from her. "What in the name of heaven was that?"

We stepped out of the carriage as we realized our driver had already gotten down. And saw an absurd scene taking place in the middle of the street. Our carriage's driver was apologizing profusely to apparently the driver of another carriage who had collided with us.

I took in the carriage's lavishness and spotted the flag of Summer Realm flowing in the cool wind, with the sigil – an arrow piercing through the horns of a ram intertwined with the symbol of lion - stamped brightly on it. A Royal Carriage.

"Oh no! It's a royal carriage, Rosa, get back here..." Serena had hissed just as Rosa treaded forward with an unnerving show of confidence.

"What do you think you are doing apologizing to these hooligans?" She stared point blank at our driver and his eyes widened. She turned to the other driver who was leaning onto the royal carriage nonchalantly. "And you, look at my jaw..." 

He turned his head slowly towards her with an incredulous look. I noticed his thick eyebrows first and his dark brown eyes that shone on the edges. He was a bit tanned but firmly built. His long brown wayward hair was sweeping with the cold breeze. The long overcoat that he wore over a black tunic did not look cheap.

"Lady, please, calm down. They are our esteemed guests." Our driver gave Rosa a pleading look and I placed a hand over her shoulder. She shook it off.

"You," she continued at the strangely well-to-do looking driver, "You apologize because we are esteemed guests too. Aren't you supposed to be careful driving that thing?"

And as she moved her eyes towards the vast carriage her eyes snapped over the flag too, realization hitting her. She turned to us hastily and Serena and I gave her an affirmative nod in sync. She backed down. "Well..."

The other driver suddenly smiled broadly. "Miss, does your jaw hurt too much?" He said with a weird twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, uh yes, but it will be fine with a little ointment, I suppose." Rosa made to turn around but he stood up straight.

"No. I mean it. Is there anything that I could do take the pain away from your jaw?" He said a little too cheekily. Rosa looked at me and then at Serena, asking for help.

"She will be fine. We should get going." I said to the stranger and felt myself going pink in the face as his gaze swept over me. 

I looked at our driver hastily and said, "I think we will just get down here. We will need the carriage after about two hours near the greenhouses. Thank you." The driver nodded solemnly and hurried to get back in his seat. Rosa and Serena hooked their arms in mine and we started walking away from the scene.

"Uh, miss!!" The man called back as we walked some ten feet away. We froze midway in our step.

Serena clutched my arm tighter and whispered. "Do you think whichever royal is in there is mad at us now?" I felt her fear and Rosa's gasp. I shushed them both and turned.

"Yes?" I asked maintaining a normal face.

"You might want to go to in the opposite direction if you are looking for the greenhouses." He said with a smirk. Sneaky rat.

"Oh well, thanks." We turned around and left hurriedly past the carriages without sparing a glance.

"Guess, the Autumn realm is not really good with directions." He said with a deep chuckle as he rounded around to get in his driver seat.

"We are not from the Autumn Realm," Serena said and I nudged her in the side.

"Strange." He looked at us with narrowed eyes. "Well then, Spring it is." And he winked. At me. And took the reins of the horses and rode off.