As I roam through the halls of the castle I can’t help but sigh continuously. I have lived in this castle for I don’t know how long. But ever since I’ve come back it feels different, I just can’t seem to find anything to do and everything is boring. I’m just waiting for my husband to pick me up from this boring place and take me back to his palace. Back home, where my life is planted, where everything I need is within hands reach and where the love of my life resides. I turn around the corner and I see a letter flying towards me. Flapping like a bird, how strange?

the letter flaps in front of me, waiting for me to grab it. I take the letter and open it:

“Maieing, my dear wife,

I’ve heard about your father summoning you back to his place, but I can’t stand these days without you. How long do you have to be kept from me?

I know that it wasn’t your choice to leave. But because you left so quickly and not taking me with you has made your absence even worse.

My love, I think I have found a solution, tomorrow there is a horse racing tournament not too far from where you reside. I’m sure you’ve heard about it. I don’t know why your parents think I’m not worthy of your love, that is the only reason I see for them to have taken you away from me. But tomorrow at the race I will win first place and show them that I am a good husband.

Please invite your whole family. May they all witness my love for you.

We will be reunited shortly, my love,

Your worthy husband,”

I can’t help but snicker at his cute note. My husband is an amazing man, but he seems to always need to prove his love and thinks that everyone else expects him to do so. Honestly, he’s too sweet. Unfortunately for me, this means I’ll have to sit this horse race out. Since there is no way my man can beat me in a horse race. I continue walking and see Larimar coming out of the staircase that leads to the tree of rinse, looking defeated.

‘Good day Larimar, is something wrong?’ I ask concerned.

‘Well, not in particular, it is just that I can not seem to get the poison out of the tree. Fortunately, the condition doesn’t seem to worsen either,’ Larimar explains and I send him a warm smile.

‘Don’t worry Larimar, I am sure that you’ll be able to fix it. Besides, everyone here is there if you were to need help in any way. We’re all eternally grateful,’ I reply and the look on Larimar’s face just worsens. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put any more pressure on you,’ I add. How could I be so stupid?

‘Thanks, Maieing, I know, do not worry I am sure to cure the tree,’ Larimar replies.

‘By the way, would you be interested to join our family at a day at the races tomorrow?’ I ask Larimar who seems hesitant.

‘I don’t know, what if the situation with the tree worsens?’ he questions and I think for a moment.

‘What if you could keep an eye on the tree at all times? When I was younger I got a deadeye for one of my birthdays. Don’t ask me why I needed a deadeye,’ I reply and Larimar lifts and eyebrow. A deadeye is a box that holds some sort of magical eye. It is connected to a special mirror that will show you what the eye sees.

‘If something were to be off, you can just ask Yinu to teleport you back to the tree,’ I add and Larimar sighs.

‘Deadeyes are quite rare, why spend it on me?’ he asks.

‘Well, I haven’t had a use for it in so long. Besides, I want you to also have fun. I’m sure father and mother would also enjoy you tagging along,’ I explain and Larimar smiles.

‘I can hardly decline, can I?’ he asks with a smile.

‘Then it’s settled, I’ll come over later and hand you the deadeye,’ I state and Larimar nods.

I make my way over to my room to get my deadeye and see if any of my siblings are in their room. But what I find in the circular hall is different from what I expect. Riall and Svin are at each other’s throats.

‘Riall I said I was sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,’ Svin tries to defuse the situation but Riall just becomes angrier.

‘So, now you also accuse me of twisting your words?’ Riall asks pissed off.

‘No, I never accused you of anything. I am sure we can talk this out, we must just have a misunderstanding,’ Svin tries to apologise.

‘No, you insulted me and my husband, how dare you?’ Riall yells furiously.

I step closer and notice Cyvinda and Liang sitting on the couch looking horrified.

‘Sisters, what is going on here? Let’s talk about it,’ I try to intervene.

‘None of you could ever know what I’m going through, but could you not show me a little more compassion?’ Riall is still furious but I can see tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

‘Listen to me Riall, of course, none of us know what you’re going through. But good lord can you stop exploding at everyone? All of us are here for you, how dare you think any of us are against you?’ Svin yells back annoyed. For goodness sake Svin, I know you have a short temper but couldn’t you have just remained calm for a bit?

Riall steps back and draws her weapon, a Morningstar. Which she hides as a small charm on her bracelet.

‘Riall, there’s no need for violence,’ Liang chimes in from the couch but Svin has also drawn her weapon in self-defence.

‘See, you don’t trust me one bit. I always knew you didn’t,’ Riall says twirling her Morningstar around haphazardly and Svin frowns her brows.

‘For those who have no fear, Marzanna will freeze them in place,’ Yinu’s voice chimes throughout the hall and the ground beneath Svin and Riall turns to ice, freezing there feet to the ground.

‘Thank you Yinu,’ I say to my little brother but for some reason, he looks furious too.

‘I am having it hard enough, trying to balance being a priest of the moon, dodging marriage proposals and trying to cure this moon-forsaken tree. I don’t need my sisters fighting as well. So can you all just shut up and act like adult princesses? Because if you haven’t noticed you are,’ Yinu exclaims annoyed slamming his door shut. Everybody looks at Yinu’s door, perplexed. It remains quiet for a minute before Riall breaks the silence.

‘You know what, he’s right. I am acting like a child, I’m sorry. Of course, my sisters would never try to hurt me, I’m sorry Svin, can you forgive me?’ Riall asks she has finally come to her senses.

‘Of course sister,’ Svin replies, holding her arms open and they try to walk towards each other to hug it out but their feet are still frozen to the ice.

‘How ‘bout ya use yur weapons to free yur feet from the ice?’ Cyvinda proposes and Svin starts to stab the ice with her spear but it doesn’t leave a scratch.

‘What is going on?’ Svin questions.

‘Let me try,’ Riall says and flings her Morningstar with full force onto the ice, but once again, nothing.

‘Who created an ice skate ring inside?’ Larimar asks amused yet confused.

Larimar stands beside me and looks at my two sisters desperately trying to free themselves.

‘Yinu did, the two of them had a sisters quarrel and Yinu found it necessary to freeze them to the ground,’ I tell Larimar who can’t help but snicker.

‘Well, at least the two of them cooled down,’ Liang states and neither Riall nor Svin look amused but Cyvinda bursts out in laughter.

‘What? Did you guys get cold feet?’ Liang adds, and Cyvinda dies of laughter, but the rest of us don’t reply.

‘Are you guys giving me the cold shoulder?’ Liang finishes and Cyvinda doesn’t even make a sound anymore that’s how much she’s laughing and I rest my head in my hands.

‘Will you be able to break Yinu’s spell?’ Svin asks Larimar.

‘of course or it will be a cold day in hell,’ Larimar replies and I look at him in disgust.

‘I’m sorry I had to,’ Larimar says while raising his shoulders. Cyvinda is now just rolling around on the couch trying her best to catch her breath between her dying of laughter.

Larimar steps forwards and snaps with his fingers. But nothing happens.

‘This is a stronger spell than expected,’ Larimar states.

He holds out his hands and after a moment of them remaining they're he brings them together, the shockwave that erupts from him doing so blows like a strong autumn breeze. But the ice doesn’t seem to care.

‘What kind of spell did this boy use?’ Larimar questions out loud.

‘I don’t know what he said exactly but he used the name Marzanna,’ I inform Larimar who looks at me, astonished.

‘So he can call upon the gods? Interesting,’ Larimar states.

‘Is today the day that hell will experience its first cold day?’ Riall asks.

‘Of course not, I’ll just have to bring out some bigger guns,’ Larimar states calmly rolling up his sleeves. ‘Ruuv keoz ej leod,’ Larimar chimes and from the palms of his hands' fireballs emerge.

‘Do not worry, I will not harm you,’ Larimar explains and slowly starts to melt the ice around my sisters' feet.

After Larimar has freed my sisters I inform all of them about the plan for tomorrow and luckily, they all agree happily. ‘Larimar, if you have a minute, I’ll get the deadeye and give it to you,’ I inform him and Larimar nods walking with me to my room. I open the door to my empty and organised room.

‘It should be in my storage trunk,’ I say walking to the trunk next to my bed. I open the trunk to see that everything is still stacked nicely, just as I’d left it all those years ago.

‘Here you go,’ I say handing Larimar the deadeye that had been collecting dust. ‘You do know how they work, right?’ I ask and Larimar nods. ‘Very well, then I hope you’ll accompany us tomorrow. If you will excuse me I have to go and invite the snow queen herself,’ I tell Larimar and make my way over Yinu’s room with Larimar trailing closely behind me. I don’t know why he is following me but I don’t let it bother me.

I knock on Yinu’s room and he tells me to come in. I open the door to see him and Noah sitting in the middle of his room. With a kettle in front of them and all sorts of jars, bottles and ingredients spread around the whole room.

‘Noah, been a while since I last saw you, how have you been?’ I ask excitedly. I’ve known Noah since he was just a little boy. Yinu and Noah started their training at the same time and Noah has been over plenty of times. When he was little he was such a kind and cute kid, not that much has changed since then. In my eyes, he will always be a little kid, just like Yinu.

‘Maieing, good to see you. I’ve returned not too long ago so I have some downtime now, what about you?’ He replies happily and Larimar looks over my shoulder at the two boys sitting on the hardwood floor.

‘I’ve been well, thank you,’ I reply with a smile.

‘So, is there anything I can do for you?’ Yinu asks rewinding me to what I originally came in for.

‘Oh yes, tomorrow we are going to the races with the family, that’s okay, right?’ I ask and Yinu nods in response.

‘That should be fine, I have nothing planned at least,’ Yinu explains while picking up a jar that stood beside him. He takes some kind of wing out of the jar and throws it in the cauldron and a trail of smoke erupts from the cauldron as a result.

‘What are you two doing?’ I ask perplexed.

‘We are making some potions, Noah is helping me since you know, I suck.’

‘Right now we are making a healing mulch, I heard the tree of rinse got sick. So, I thought this might help,’ Noah explains.

‘You could have asked me to help you?’ Larimar jumps into the conversation.

‘I mean I could’ve, but you seemed busy and Noah suggested to help me,’ Yinu replies.

‘But, I am here to take care of the tree, you can rely on me to take care of it.’

‘Of course and I trust that you will but Noah and I just wanted to help.’

‘Yes and I appreciate you wanting to help, but ask me to help if you need it.’

‘I’m sorry Larimar but I don’t see the problem?’ Yinu replies puzzled.

‘Let me help, that is what I am here for,’ Larimar says annoyed and storms off.

The three of us look at one another, confused.

‘Did I say something wrong?’ Yinu asks confused.

‘I don’t know,’ Noah replies and I raise my shoulders in confusion.

‘No clue what that was, but Noah you are free to join us tomorrow,’ I reply trying to change the subject.

‘Thank you for the invite, but I don’t want to impose too much, besides I still have some stuff that I need to take care of now that I have returned,’ Noah replies and I nod.

‘As you wish, just know that you are always welcome,’ I reply and take my leave, closing the door behind me.

I look around the hall, what was Larimar’s outburst just now? Is he that on edge because of us? Is he that stressed out by the tree? Now I feel bad that we put this burden on him.

I let out an annoyed sigh and go to find my parents. To inform them of my husband’s ridiculous claim.