“We're leaving now.” Came the small voice. It was my mother, the Queen. When I did not immediately reply, she continued, “Listen, Rilon, you don't have to come out of you don't want to, but could I come in?”

I rose from the bed and murmured, “Please?”

My mother opened the door slowly, and gazed around the room. I saw her emerald green eyes flash with relief as she seemed to see that the room was not a reckless mess, as though she had hoped it would.

Sheepish, I lowered my gaze to my lap in some sort of awkward bow. “Do you have to go?” I asked.

I peeked up to see her smile sadly. She walked over to sit beside me on the bed, took my gloves hands on hers, and stroked them gently. “It's only two weeks, my dear. It won't take long. Just to negotiate trades and other things.”

Somehow, those words didn't reassure me, though I said nothing in protest and yanked my hands away. A frown crossed my face.

“Is there something wrong?” The Queen only blinked.

I shivered. “I... I still don't trust what you are saying, like... like there's more to it than what you are telling me.”

A shadow crossed her face. I didn't prompt her why then, and now I realize that I should have done so.

“Just to negotiate trades…” She repeated her earlier words. “Your father is putting his brother in charge until then.”

I didn't even need to hear the name to feel my heart drop to my stomach.

My uncle. In charge. For two weeks. I couldn't do that.

I could recall his cold amber gaze staring at me, burning into my skull, though I had been a young child the last time I had seen him in person.

He had seen what I had done to my brother, how I had nearly killed him through my own stupid actions. My magic made him judge me. If I had been normal, perhaps he would not have judged me as much as he had that day.

Perhaps I was judging him too much, overanalyzing him. He was my uncle after all, a carbon copy of my father, alike in every way but for personality. While my father seemed to care and was more involved in Kingdom matters, my uncle was never around, hidden within these walls, concealed like a shadow within pitch darkness.

Still, I said nothing to my mother. My uncle would only be involved in diplomatic things, and relatively uninvolved with me, at least I hoped so.

“Is there something wrong, darling?” My mother had noticed my long silence, and peered into my gaze with curiosity, as though hoping to find something hidden behind my eyes.

I shook my head but shivered. “No,” I said quietly, before I quickly changed the subject. “Has Asi seen you off yet?”

Perhaps there was some chance I would see him, or be with him before my parents left for their journey.

“No he hasn't. Is there a reason why?”

“Could I see him… at least for a few minutes, Mother?”

She paused for a few moments, then shrugged. “I don't see why not.”

She got up from the bed and headed to the door, when she opened it, the light of the large hall window flooded into my room. I hadn't seen the outside hall during the day in so many years, and I felt a longing to go out there. The voice that had been silent on my head for several weeks now begged me to do it, to go outside and enjoy the castle.

For once, I listened. I bolted out into the hallway, nearly running into Mother. I felt like a child again, not my eighteen year old self.

My mother had to restrain me, for she knew that if I got too excited, there was a chance that someone undeserving would see a show of my magic, and not even I wanted that.

“Hold on, Rilon.”

I paused at the window, feeling my heart pound against my ribcage. I'd never seen the kingdom from this window before. It was so bright. I could see the sparkling waters of the fjord beyond the city, the bustling activity of the town, people walking to and fro. There was even a little marketplace nearly out of my sight down by the port. I dreamed of going there during the day, but the idea of talking to new people made me shiver. I had only talked to mother, father, and the voice for most of my life.

What would I do then?

“We're nearly packed. You're uncle should be arriving soon to take care of the rest.”

I pulled away from the window and spotted my father talking to a younger man. They were both dressed identically, in olive green formal suits, but my father wore a red sash and a crown atop his head, symbols that denoted him as the king.

The younger man was taller, with darker hair like mine — with the exception of a thin white streak. Yet his hair was done up in a braid that encircled his head like a crown, while mine was tied back in a simple ponytail as always.

“Are you ready, my dear?” My father paused before my mother, who still stood before my door. The younger man beside him shied away, but looked at me with a strange intensity.

“Asiah, it's alright.” The king smiled at the man, who was now trying to regain some pride. “You'll be taken care of.”

Asiah. Asi. My brother. I smiled at him, and waved nervously. He seemed to hesitated for a minute before waving back at me. His smile was sheepish, as though he hadn't considered this scenario beforehand as I had done.

“I don't see anything else that needs to be done, so -”

My father was interrupted before he was done speaking. My gaze turned upon a new man heading down the hallway towards us. His footsteps were loud, as though he did not care about his approach. He was wearing all black for the exception of a silver sash. His black hair was slicked back, but the ends curled around his ears. There was no expression upon his face, but his amber eyes held some air of annoyance to them.

He was identical to my father in every way but presentation and personality.

I shuddered.

This was Lear.

I turned back toward the window and attempted to ignore him in every way, but his first question was directed at me.

“So you're finally out.”

I gripped the windowsill tightly but forced the reply back down my throat.

He needs to shut up, doesn't he?

I wish you existed. I wish you could help me.

I could. You'd just have to wish hard enough.

“Rilon?”

Though I wore gloves, I felt ice prickle under my fingers into the sill. Jagged spikes formed where my hands did not touch. I do not want him here. I did not want Lear here.

“Rilon, it's just two weeks.” My mother tried to call me; I heard Lear's footsteps shuffle as though she had pushed him away. “It's just two weeks. You'll be alright.”

You'll be alright. You'll be alright.

Somehow, her reassurance did not being me any comfort. The spikes grew larger and the ice spread, nearly taking over the giant sill. I attempted to steady my breath, repeating her words, but it would not work.

“I... I think it'd be best if I showed myself to my rooms.”

“Yes,” My father sounded as tense as I was. “Please go.”

Lear offered nothing but an annoyed snort, before his loud footsteps retreated out of earshot.

Two weeks with him. I'd only met this man once before, and even then he had an air of distrust around him. I could not trust him with my life, even if his involvement in it would be relatively little.

But it was just two weeks. Two weeks and my parents would be back and Lear would be gone from my life, off to hiding in the shadows of this castle. Two weeks and then I would never see him again.

“Rilon.”

I was startled out of my thoughts once again by my father. I backed away from the windowsill, gathering in the mess I had made of it.

It was entirely covered in a thin frost, blocking my view of the outside, and spikes the length of my arm protruded sporadically from places on the sill. There was no way to thaw it with my magic, and as usual, the mental suggestion was to let nature take its course with it.

I turned around, praying that my brother had not seen, and, thankfully, he was too involved in staring at the floor to notice what I had done.

I clasped my hands before me and fixed my posture. Sheepishly, I echoed my brother and stared at the ground. My thought began to whirl again, bringing up pessimistic possibilities of the future.

I was broken out once more by my mother, who had fixed back a stray lock of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail. A sad smile flashed upon her face before disappearing. There was something on her mind, but at this point I was too afraid to ask what.

“You'll be fine,” she murmured, then turned her head to look at my brother. “Both of you.”

Asiah startled and his gaze shot up; for a brief moment, our gazes locked. He smiled and looked down again, his feet shuffled uneasily.

My mother turned back to me and cupped my chin in her hand. I cherished the touch as it lasted, and shivered when it ended.

She turned to my father and adjusted her dress. “We should head to the port. We've kept the captain waiting long enough.”

“Right,” My father replied bluntly. He looked as if he wanted to follow up on such reply, but kept his mouth shut.

As if on cue, my brother pulled him into a tight hug. My mother joined in seconds later, and looked back as though expecting me to follow.

Reluctantly, I did. I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath to calm myself. If I had known then that that particular hug would be the last, I would have protested. But my foresight was not superhuman, so I cherished that hug even when that ended as well.

My mother promptly took my father's hand afterward, taking off the scarf she was wearing. She stared at it regretfully for a moment before she pulled out of my father's grasp and headed back to me one last time.

“If you ever miss me,” she said, gently placing the scarf around my shoulders. “Wear this. Even if I'm not physically there, I will be with you.”

There was a lingering sadness in her eyes as she pulled away from me. She hugged both me and my brother once more before she joined my father as he walked down the hallway.

I grasped onto the scarf and felt a calm wash over me. I smiled and stared at my feet.

My silence and peace were both fairly brief, as my brother broke them with a shuffling of his feet.

“Do you think… do you think Lear got lost on the way to his rooms?”

I couldn't tell if he was trying to lighten the mood, but shook my head anyway. “Good riddance.” I muttered.

“Should I go find him?”

I narrowed my eyes; the grip I had on the scarf tightened. “Please.”

I needed to get back to my room. I had been out for too long. I know that I had been distracted by my parents' departure, but that had been distraction enough.

“Alright,” Asiah glanced sideways at me. “Go back to your room if being out is too much for you.”

I know he had meant the words as a comforting gesture, but I couldn't help but think that he had said the words coldly. Still,I knew then I should've heeded his advice, and I did.

The walk was only a few short steps. I opened the door, sparing only a glance at the frosted window across the hall, before I closed the door and locked it behind me.

After what only felt like a few short seconds, I was startled awake by a pounding on my door. It wasn't a rhythmic knock, so it couldn't be my brother. It was too heavy and forceful to be a guard or an advisor. It could only mean one person otherwise.

I drew the covers over my body.

“Your brother's already up and in the hall.”

I bit back a curse, but the voice spat it for me.

Fuck off, Lear.

“Aren't you coming out?”

I sat up in bed and stared at my hands.

With some luck, I could freeze the lock. There was no point in hesitating.

I threw my right hand in the direction of the door. Ice immediately shot from my fingers and hit the door with a loud crash. I smiled smugly when ice began to spread, covering the entire facade.

Good luck getting in now, asshole.

“I will get a key, Rilon.”

“Good luck with that,” I muttered. I stood from the left side of the bed and crossed the short distance to my bedroom window.

The sun hadn't even risen yet, so what was Lear's problem? My parents didn't care when I got up, just that I was ready for the day afterwards. But then again, Lear wasn't either of my parents.

Having given up, Lear began shaking the door. I startled from the window — ice swiftly spread from the windowsill to the ceiling — and shot another stream of ice at the door. My breath began to shake and I hugged myself.

That was about the extent I could do without panicking,and even then I couldn't stop myself.

I was shaking by now, and when I looked to my feet I began to see a small film of ice cover my floor, crawl up the walls, and cover the ceiling. Everything began to flurry — a small snowstorm began to form within the confines my room.

“What is the meaning of privacy?”

Does this man have boundaries?

“I wish,” I snarled. “I wish he did.”

I needed to steady myself. I needed Lear away from my door. I needed him out of the palace.

But I had no power over him, but rather he had power over me. Oh, how I wished that it was the other way around.

“I know what you're doing,” Lear's voice deepened to an inhuman snarl. “I know what you did to the door.”

I turned to stick my tongue out at the door, but I said nothing to retort.

Still, he wouldn't stop yanking on the door, and I reeled when he eventually forced it open. Instinctively my hands shot in his direction, but he stepped out of the way, and almost luckily so. Had he been seconds too late, and I would have impaled him.

Though cold, his expression was no less than impressed. Lear stepped around the bed, and his gaze flickered to some unknown expression that even the smartest of minds couldn't figure out.

He's getting too close.

I didn't have much room to back up to. The space between my bed and the window was only a few feet at most, and Lear made up about half of that. He was shorter than me, but more intimidating; his amber eyes burned into my skull as he stared up at me.

“You are coming to the hall whether you like it or not.” He grabbed my wrist. His touch was scalding against my cold skin.

I felt an immediate instinct to lash out, baring my teeth and throwing myself back against the wall. “Don't touch me.”

Lear looked to his hand, then back at me. He let go and brushed his hand off on his jacket. “Ten minutes. Dining hall. I will allow you to get dressed and no more. I will know.”

I said nothing, though my mind spat many curses his way.

Ten minutes.

Enough to get changed into dayclothes, to grab my gloves, and get out of my room.

Ten minutes.

Right now, that felt like an eternity.