"Young miss, it snowed again. I would say there's about a foot and it stuck this time!" Nina exclaimed.

"Do you think papa will come out and play with me?" I asked.

"It's worth a try." Nina smiled back at me reassuringly.

I dressed warmly in white clothing, white wool pantalets, white dress and a white coat. As I made my way to the door, a voice precipitously stopped me from moving any farther.

"Hang on, young miss. You should put on a scarf before you go outside." Nina smiled.

"Do I really have to?" I asked.

"Yes, unless you want to catch a cold. Master is in the dining room and breakfast is ready." Nina smiled.

I made my way into the hall and hurriedly made my way through the gloomy hallway. I got to the corner and turned facing the stairs. I started down the stairs and made my way into the dining room.

Papa was sitting at the table with his reading glasses reading a newspaper while the crackling fire was burning.

"Papa, after we eat, can we go outside together?" I asked.

"Sure I guess." He replied.

It was rare that he had anything to do with me.

After we ate he got up from the table, and started walking out of the room so I quickly followed as we made our way outside.

The white snow fell softly without wind.
You could hear the calm singing of the cardinals.
It was peaceful.

"Aisha
Aisha
Follow me, Aisha." A voice called.

"Huh?"

I turned around and I saw something.
It was like a glistening light.
So, I followed the light.

"Aisha
Over here, Aisha." The voice whispered.

The light stood by a tree and I made my way over to it.

"Under here, Aisha."

Leaves started twirling around a spot under the tree.

I moved the snow and started to dig.

I couldn't believe my eyes,

For what was hidden in the ground

a small dark oak chest with a lock.
Beside it, a diary labeled A.S.

A.S.?.... Ashley Savelli!
But, why is it here?

"Aisha! Let's go inside!" Papa yelled.

I quickly placed the chest back and covered it with leaves, and placed the diary in my coat pocket.

I will be back.

"Aisha! Young Miss!" Nina called.

"Coming Nina!" I yelled.

"It's freezing cold out there, you will end up catching a cold! Come inside,
I will make you some hot tea." Nina said as she took my coat.

I loved Nina, she is like the mom I never had.

I don't really remember a lot about my childhood of those years because Doctor Estridsen said I had gotten sick, developed amnesia after I woke up after seven days, and within the time that I was sick, my mother had gotten sick and passed away.
I don't get how because everyone said that she was perfectly healthy.
That was many years ago.
Papa rarely has had anything to do with me so Nina filled in that role. The role of a parental figure.

I've tried so hard to earn any sort of love or compliments from Papa, but alas, none of my efforts had any of those outcomes.
He barely acknowledges me.
He barely acknowledges my existence at all. It's almost as if he thinks of me as some sort of problem that only tries to cling onto him for dependence.

I remember every night before bed,
I prayed to God for Papa to shed a little bit of hope, light, love, any sort of attention to me.
I did it for three whole years, but unfortunately, nothing changed.
But, I guess that was too much to ask.

I'm just selfish, aren't I?

I should be thankful enough to even have a parent figure, a person who cares about me and takes care of me.
Instead of weeping about one not loving me.
I learnt that the hard way.
I studied hard and got good grades according to my Davidson, as he is my teacher.
I learned to play piano, and I learned how to dance. For years I've tried to mold myself into a person that could fill in the role as a perfect daughter.
But yet, he barely ever batted an eye to me.
I guess I'm just not good enough in his eyes.

But there was one person in my life that found me good enough and made it well known, and that was my best friend, well, my only friend, Jackson.
Growing up, I've only had one friend, our family doctor's son, Jack.

Jack is only three years older than me but yet he's less intelligent than I am even though we are home schooled together sometimes.
I was expecting to see him, as I saw him almost on a every other day basis.

I made my way back inside, I left my shoes by the door and I made my way back upstairs to my room. Until suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Nina answered the door, and there he stood, my best friend.

"Jackson!" I ran to him and tighly hugged him.

"It's Jack, Aisha." He smiled.

Jack said as he swept his black hair to its side swept position as per usual.

"Hmm... Jackson suits you better." I giggled.

His jet black hair truly did complement his dark blue eyes.
I swear, you could get lost in the boy's eyes. I've stared at them long enough before that it was almost as if I got lost in the depths of a dark blue ocean, well, what I believe an ocean would look like, as I've never seen one. I've only seen it in paintings.

He's the type of boy that if he went to regular school, he would be friends with everyone and girls would be all over him.
He was a good kid, for the most part. Just a little naive and curious that sometimes led to him being rebellious.
But other than that, he was the type of boy every girl wanted.
Tall, pretty, funny and nice.
He has an angelic face and I always told him that he'd make a beautiful girl.
I will admit, there had been a time where we'd go out to play and he would talk about some girls that tried flattering him around his house that was right down on papa's property and I would get upset at him.

Was I a little jealous? Well, yeah.
They were bothering my best friend, and of course, as any good friend would do, I would have stepped in and shooed them away. But there was only one problem with that, that problem being, I have never seen the world outside of my father's property. Which means that I can't do anything about girls outside of the property bothering my best friend, which is frustrating.

"Jack, let's go to my room, I'll have Nina get the tea. I have something important to talk with you about that I can't ask Papa." I whispered.

Jack looked at me funny.

"Wait.... Something you can't ask your dad.... WAIT! AISHA! DID YOU START-"
I covered his mouth.

"No, you idiot!" I screeched.

"Aisha, it's okay, no need to be embarrassed. If you need anything just ask me. I have sisters, remember? And my mother has told my sisters that warm tea with ginger might help so -" I stopped him.

"No, Jack! That's not what I mean! You idiot! I'm only 13! Shut up and come on!"
I said with my teeth gritted.

"Oh... Then what do you mean?"
He asked.

" I will tell you what I mean, just follow me, please. It's not safe to talk here." I whispered.

And just like a puppy, Jack followed me right behind my trail.
It was all fine and dandy, until my legs started to hurt.

Cringe warning

Third Person's Point Of View

"Why does this house have to be so big. These hallways are endless too. My feet always hurt going all around this house." Aisha grunted.

"Aisha, you will be fine. Just keep putting one foot forward." Jack sighed.

"Why don't you just carry me?" Aisha sighed.

"Because you are obviously too big and I will drop you. That head of yours alone probably weighs about 7 pounds." Jack laughed.

"Wow, so rude." Aisha gasped.

"See, after I distracted you, we are already at the staircase. Now, let's head up the stairs and go to your room." Jack smiled as they both made their way up the East Staircase.

"Ugh. I'm too short for all this stair climbing. My legs hurt." Aisha whined.

"You want some cheese to go with that whine, my lady?" Jack asked.

"Wow. Very funny, Jack." Aisha huffed.

"I know, right?" Jack smiled.

"So... Where are we going?" Jack asked.

"My bedroom duuhh." Aisha teased.

"What are we going to do in your bedroom???" Jack laughed.

"Ew! You dirty child! Stop thinking like that!" Aisha slapped his arm.

"Like what?" Jack asked.

"Like that!" Aisha replied.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He smiled.

After walking through what seemed like endless dimly lit hallways, they reached Aisha's room.

Aisha abruptly stopped and looked around, and then finally opened the door.

"Come in." Aisha whispered.

Aisha welcomed Jack in and peeped outside the door, looking for a clear coast.

"Why are you doing that?" Jack questioned.

"Shh... Sit down." Aisha hushed.

Aisha led jack over to the bed and sat down. She patted a place beside her and Jack sat down on the linen and cotton bedsheet.

"Jack, listen. You have to promise me that everything I tell you now and in the future stays between us. I also have a couple questions and you have to be honest with me, okay?" Aisha pleaded.

"Uhh... Okay. What?" Jack asked.

"How much do you know about my mother?" Aisha asked.

Jack's face distorted into confusion.
Aisha had never really asked about her mother before to anyone.
He guessed it was because her dad wouldn't tell her anything about her mother.

Jack hesitated for a moment as it wasn't his place to say anything.

"Jack, please." Aisha's eyes sparkled in an almost hypnotic way.

"I know she's not blood related to me but a bestowed aunt by my mom, she passed away because she was sick, she's your mom, she was married to your dad, and technically still is, uhhh... I know what she looks like... Umm, that's about it. Why?" Jack asked.

"Jack, I have a feeling something has been watching me...
Trying to tell me something...
It knows my parents, Jack...
It knows me....
It knows where things are..." Aisha sighed.

"What???" Jack questioned.

"Jack, it led me to a diary.
My mother's diary, Jack.
It led me to a chest but it's locked."
Aisha lightly banged her fists on Jack's chest.

"Jack, something is definitely wrong.
IT LOOKS JUST LIKE ME, JACK!
SOMETHING IS WRONG!" Aisha started screaming, crying and shaking.

Jack took hold of Aisha's shoulders.

"Aish... Aisha! AISHA! LOOK AT ME! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Jack huffed.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Aisha looked down.

When the tears came down her sparkling blue eyes it was almost like looking at a waterfall.

Jack pitied her.
Pitied her for having those eyes.
The eyes that longed for something.
The eyes that longed for something that she'd never had.
The eyes that longed for paternal love.

"Look, maybe you just need some rest." Jack whispered.

"JACK! YOU PROMISED ME! YOU PROMISED YOU'D BELIEVE ME!
JACK YOU-!!!"

"AISHA!" Jack yelled.

He looked her straight in her eyes and pulled her into a hug.

"Jack.... I promise... I'm not crazy..." Aisha's voice was hoarse from crying and yelling.

"I know, Aish.....
I know..." Was all that Jack could say.

Jack's Point Of View

It hurts to see Aisha in tears.

A girl who wouldn't even hurt a fly didn't deserve to be in tears.

She needed to be protected from what she can't protect herself from.

The Cold World.

"Jack... I don't care how long this takes!
I have to figure this out!
And I need you to help me!
Please, Jack..." Aisha's voice was hoarse and trembling

I gently wiped away the tear that was rolling down her snow-white-face.

I walked over to her white vanity, picked down her family sword and put it in Aisha's hands.
The handle of the sword was gold and had a Rose carved in it.
Making it a Golden Rose,
The symbol of the Savelli family.

I knelt down on one knee, took her hand in mine, kissed it and placed it on my forehead.

"Aisha Rosaura Althea Savelli
I pledge my allegiance to the Savelli family.
To Aisha Rosaura Althea Savelli.
Please knight me in your name, underneath God as our witness."

Aisha: Meaning "Life" in Arabic

Rosaura - A combination of Rose and the Latin word for golden, Rosaura was first used in a seventeenth century Spanish novel.

Althea - Healing

Derived from Latin, Savelli means 'promise' or 'word.'

"JACK! GET UP! YOU ONLY GET DOWN ON ONE KNEE WHEN YOU'RE PROPOSING!!!" She was blushing and it was kind of cute.

"Then why don't you marry me too?" Jack smiled.

"JACK! THIS IS NO TIME FOR GAMES!
THIS IS SERIOUS!" Aisha screeched.

"What if I am being serious?" Jack questioned.

"I-"

"I will ask you every week to marry me until you do it, Aisha!
And that is a promise!" Jack smiled.

"Anyways, do you think your dad will ever remarry?" Jack asked.

Aisha's point of view

"No way.
It's been a bit over 15 years since he was married and technically, like you said, is still married." I sighed.

"Why don't you try talking to him about giving you some of your mom's stuff?
You are her child.
Shouldn't you inherit it?" Jack asked.

"Why should I even bother?
It's not like it's going anywhere." I huffed.

"Well, what are you gonna do if he gets married and gives your mom's stuff to her because it wasn't in your possession?" He asked.

"I don't think he would do that." I replied.

"You never know." Jack whispered.

"Jack, shut up! You read too many drama books!" I laughed.

"Well, in case if it ever does happen, I know how you can solve it." He smirked.

"And how's that, Genius?" I asked sarcastically.

"By marrying me, you became an Estridsen instead of a Savelli, I save you out of here and you can come live with me." Jack smirked.

"What is it with you wanting to marry me?!" I laughed.

"Because you're the only woman in my eyes, Aisha!!!!" Jack smiled brightly.

Jack leaped into a hug and we fell backwards from sitting on the bed to laying on it with him on top of me.

"Ew! Jackson! Get off of me!" I pushed.

"Only if you marry me." Jack smiled.

"Fine! After we solve all of this, I'll marry you! Now get off of me! You're too big!" I pushed.

"DO YOU PROMISE?" Jack giggled.

"YES! NOW GET OFF OF ME!" I screamed.

Jack got up and looked me in my eyes.

"You better just remember that promise, Mrs. Estridsen!" Jack smiled.

Our shenanigans were interrupted as there was a knock on my bedroom door.

"Young Miss, when do you want us to bring you the tea-"

The door opened.

"OH MY GOODNESS! I AM SO SORRY!
I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE!"
Nina quickly fled the embarrassing scene.

"WAIT IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!-" I warned.

The door slammed shut.

"JACKSON ESTRIDSEN!!!" I yelled.

I thumped his head.

"AAHHH!!!! MY BAD, M'LADY!!!!" Jack yelped, rubbing his head.

The door barely cracked.

"Um... Miss, master called you and Mr. Estridsen to dinner in an hour..." Said Nina.

"Oh, okay! We'll be there!" I yelled.

"Damn it, Jack! Now you caused a misunderstanding!" I cried.

"Hey, maybe this could be to our advantage for your dad to know that we're in love so you can marry me." Jack smirked.

"WHO WANTS TO MARRY YOU?!" I blushed.