Forever Winter



Princess Isabelle awoke from her so-called ‘beauty sleep’, disrupting the royal purple blanket that had been rested over her after she fell asleep. Her dainty feet slipped out from the cover of the blanket, out in the open for less than a second, and then placed into small white slippers. Soon Isabelle’s whole body emerged from the elegant four-poster bed and into her robe, slipped over her light blue nightgown. She tiptoed to the Grand Hall, where her maids and servants served meals and where she could sit down and relax from her princess duties. Isabelle got to the Grand Hall with maids at her feet, offering things like pancakes or waffles.

“Would you like some crumpets and tea?” Another maid, this one Ursula, said.

“No thanks, I would just like a scone and some tea with honey.” Affectionate Isabelle announced. Two maids went to go carry her order to the chefs.

“Here, your food will be here in just a minute.” One of Isabelle’s favorite maids, Angela, pulled out a chair for her. Isabelle waited in the soft burgundy cushion that was embroidered into the chair. She heard her father coming down the stairs from his and the queens’ tower.

“Good morning, Father.” Isabelle greeted him.

“Good morning. Maids, fetch me some tea and crumpets!” He sat down across from Isabelle. The morning sun was rising, its soft rays starting to melt the cold, hard frost off of the stained glass windows. Isabelle’s cat, Rey, streaked across the stone floor, his orange pelt a sun against dark clouds. He leapt onto Isabelle’s lap and she began to stroke him.

“Father, why is it always so cold?” Innocent Isabelle asked.

“Because of Queen Regina, she controls most of Regoni. She felt as if we, Armagons, hadn’t gotten enough Winter this year. She is extending it into Spring and we will have a short time to plant our crops, and the harvest will come late.” He explained to Isabelle as her scone and tea came out, and a maid poured honey into it. “The reason why, I do not know. She is an evil spirit..” Soon enough King Luke’s food had arrived. Then an airy sound of ‘pitter patter’ came from Prince Jacks chamber. He was only nine, and expected to wake up rather late. Queen Helaina was gone on a trip to visit the Armagons that lived in Armagon City, Armagon’s pride and joy.

“Good morning Belle, Father.” He greeted the royalty taking a seat across from Isabelle. Maids brought him some pancakes and tea, as usual. Then, all so suddenly, The castle doors squeaked open to reveal a gray-clad Queen Helaina.

“Someone’s got to stop Regina! She’s going to make Winter last forever!”












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Isabelle rode her silver horse into the woods. She was traveling to Armagon City. Rey was in her satchel, along with her father's sword and her mother's’ beautiful silver chain necklace, embedded with emeralds. As Luna, her horse, cleared a fallen tree gracefully, Isabelle’s auburn hair whipped against the wind. She pressed her body flat to Luna’s neck, encouraging their canter to a gallop. Her usual blue gown had been changed to a purple riding coat and tan-colored riding pants along with black boots that went to Isabelle’s knees.

“Mahugred!” (Attack!) She heard a scratchy yell coming from the forest.
Goblins.
Ferocious creatures, looting random people for gold or silver, taking whatever they could. There was a legend about a poor man who got his heart stolen by a goblin. It was a good thing Isabelle had taken Goblin as a language in Academy instead of the usual - Mermish.

“Igiglibre!” (Hurry!) Another goblin shouted and Isabelle unsheathed her sword and brandished it.

“Gramed ut yethas!” Isabelle shouted to the goblins, it meant ‘stay away’ in Goblin. But the goblins came anyway, their pointed green faces popping out of trees and behind tree trunks. They slowly emerged, their sharp fingers ready to grab anything. Isabelle spotted the largest goblin, no doubt the pack leader, and targeted him. She swung the blade expertly through the air as a warning. She twirled it around in the air and as a goblin approached her, she swiftly and cleanly cut off its head. More goblins attacked and Isabelle stabbed three in the stomach with no sympathy. Isabelle turned around and swung her blade through two goblins at once, their top halves coming clean off.

“Gramed-ut-yethas!” She yelled, in between strikes to the goblins, they would only leave her if she killed the leader. More goblins swarmed her, this time coming from the trees, but Isabelle hit them with the blunt side of the blade, knocking them out. She yelled a battle cry and ran towards the leader. It grabbed her easily and swung her into a tree, leaving a bruise and Isabelle catching her breath. She ran towards the leader and jumped off of a slanted tree, flinging herself over the leader goblin. It looked confused as she stabbed the blade into its back. It crumpled to the ground and all of the other goblins scattered away, into the trees, behind tree trunks. Isabelle wiped the blood off of her sword and jumped back onto Luna and kept riding. I rode into a clearing and slept for what seemed a day.









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Isabelle faced the giant with stamina, cunning and swiftness. She deftly ran around the giants legs, swinging her sword at its legs. The swiped barely made a scratch against the giants tough skin as he pounded his club right where Isabelle had been the moment before she leapt through his legs, cutting his knee. ‘Giant toes, huh?’ She thought, racing towards a tree to hide for a few quick seconds.
‘Giant toes… hmm.. what did Professor Tyro say about toes and balance?’ Isabelle leapt out from the tree and bounded across the clearing where the giant had destroyed trees and sliced a part of the giant’s leg. She quickly dashed behind a large oak tree, remembering Professor Tyro. ‘The big toe is a major source of balance throughout the body, he had said’ Isabelle thought with her quick mind and clever answers as she dashed towards the giants big toes. She cut one off with ease, giants don’t have tough bones. She then dive-rolled to the giants other toe while it was still grumbling about its first toe. Isabelle sliced it halfway through when it came off.

“Easier than I thought!” She praised herself. The giant had fallen, she now stood in between its legs and then jumped onto its leg, running towards its chest. She stabbed it, hard, through his chest and then ran to Luna, riding her as fast as she could. She managed to wipe off the blood of the many cuts on her arms and face as they rode to Queen Regina’s castle.

The stone walls came into view as they passed an orchard, picking up some of the last okay-looking apples to eat off the ground. She rode Luna until they came to a small garden about a quarter-mile farther than the castle doors. Just far enough so Regina’s archers couldn’t see her. Isabelle tucked her hair into a ponytail, tied Luna up to a nearby tree, and sat in the shelter of a hollow bush. She ate two apples and the last of the food that she had packed. Isabelle then touched her rosy cheeks to feel how cold they were. Not cold enough for frostbite, she decided. She heard someone coming, probably the orchard-keeper. He strode past the bush that Isabelle was hiding in, but then stopped, looked back and stared straight into Isabelle’s bright green eyes.

“Hello?” The boy asked.

“Hi, I’m here to save your orchard and your life.” Isabelle stated.

“Interesting, here to battle Regina?” He assumed.

“No, I came here for the experience of meeting goblins, giants and orchard-keepers.” Isabelle rolled her eyes.

“Well, I’ve been meaning to talk to Regina about this Winter, my apples and pears have all stopped growing, these are one of the biggest supply for our city’s fruits!” He exclaimed.

“If we’re going to be working together, we should know each others names. I’m Isabelle, princess of Armagon.” She twirled her sword around as if it was a common fact.

“Nice to meet you, princess of Armagon. I’m Ethan, an orchard-keeper.” Ethan replied, running his fingers through his short brown hair.

“You have a sword?” Isabelle asked, putting her sword into its leather holder on her hip.

“No, I’m more of a dagger or bow and arrow kind of person.” Ethan looked off to his apple trees.

“Interesting, lets say we ride to Regina’s Castle tomorrow at sunrise? We could sneak to that patch of woodland that touches one side of her castle and break in.” Isabelle offered, re-doing her light brown hair into a long braid and tying it with a gray ribbon.

“For now, come into my cottage, it’s not much, but it’ll do for one night.” Ethan lead the way to his cottage and Isabelle dragged Luna along too.











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“Ethan! Get up!” Isabelle shook Ethan. She was already in her outfit, her riding clothes with a iron chestplate on the front.

“I’m up Belle, it’s only dawn.” Ethan complained.

“I’m making breakfast so we don’t starve on the ride. You have a horse, have you not?” Isabelle turned, her long braid swooshing to one side.

“Yeah, he’s Shadow, he’ll blend in with the forest well.” Ethan rolled out of bed, quickly finger combing his tousled hair. Isabelle was already downstairs making omelets for the both of them. Ethan got dressed into his outfit, his fathers riding outfit with a chain chestplate and shin guards.

“Ethan, breakfast’s ready!” Isabelle called upstairs as Ethan rushed down to find two beautifully made omelets with tomato, basil, cheese and probably more.

“Did you use up the last of our food?” Ethan joked.

“No, that would be very un-princess-like.” Isabelle stuck her nose up as she ate her omelet.

“You are quite the interesting girl, Belle,” Ethan said flatly, “very interesting..”

“I’m not sure whether or not to take that as a compliment or an insult.” Isabelle looked back down at Ethan. She took her sword from a nearby counter and polished it, making the iron shine like crystal.

“Better get your daggers and whatnot.” Isabelle finished her omelet.












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“We’re here!” Isabelle shouted over the raging wind that had nearly ripped all of Rey’s fur off. The sun was just above the forest that the two were about to enter. It touched one side of her castle, luckily the side with a door - that no one used. Luck seemed to be in their favor.

“Good, I’m tired of all this wind, the forest will block most of it!” Ethan yelled back as Shadow gracefully leapt through the air over a fallen tree. Shadow was a pure black male horse that loved to jump.

“Through here, Eth-” Isabelle was cut off by a branch flung into her face. Ethan laughed and rolled his head back for too long, for the same branch hit Ethan.

“I said, through here, Ethan!” Isabelle exclaimed, exasperated.

“Why don’t we ride Shadow through here, they might see Luna, she’s very light colored.” Ethan suggested and Isabelle shook her head no.

“Luna is fast, they’ll never see her!”

“We’ll see who’s faster!” Ethan challenged. He urged Shadow faster, leaping bushes and fallen trees like he was born to do it. Isabelle rode Luna into a gallop, sliding in between trees and branches like the wind. Luna fell behind by a neck, then caught up and slipped through two tightly placed trees, as if she was a snake. Shadow was too bulky, he had to stop then curl around the trees in between a boulder.

“I see the door, slowpoke!” Isabelle teased. The door was nearly unnoticeable, its cobblestone wall blending in with the castle wall, but small crevices around the edges gave it away. Isabelle pushed on it, but it didn’t budge. She whispered some Goblin into it but it didn’t open either.

“Hey, I heard they primary language in this castle was Elvish, I speak it. Maybe there are runes somewhere!” Ethan suggested. He then inspected the door carefully, the whispered some words, probably Elvish, into a small hole. The door dissolved into nothing and a staircase was right behind it.

“Lets go,” Isabelle whispered, motioning to the stairs.

“This probably leads up to the kitchen or the maids’ rooms.” Ethan snuck up the stairs, looking for doors off of the side. In the castle, it was very warm, even in the stairwell. Isabelle took off her riding coat and slung it over her shoulder, leaving her shirt and chestplate on. There was finally a door and it read, ‘Kitchen’. Isabelle then cracked the door to see servants and maids bustling about the grand kitchen, full of pots and pans and utensils. She rolled into a cart silently and gracefully, then slipped under the cover of the drapes hanging down its side. She motioned for Ethan to do the same, but he crept into a non-moving one and waited for someone to push it. Finally a male servant pushed him right after Isabelle’s, and she motioned for them to get out when they get through the door and hide.

“Now!” Isabelle whispered. Ethan, not so gracefully, leapt out of the cart and landed on the cold stone ground. Isabelle dove to a corner and quickly pulled into a roll, landed perfectly and told Ethan to move to the Grand Hall. All castles are built fairly the same, but one thing that Isabelle knew was that kitchens were always connected to the Grand Hall. They crept into the Grand Hall and saw Regina eating her breakfast - waffles and tea - peacefully. Isabelle took one side of the table and Ethan went to the other. They silently, slowly snuck to Regina while she was not surrounded by servants and maids, all clad in blue, no surprise. When they stood up, Regina lay conscious of what they were doing.

“Give it up Regina! We’re here to end this foul Winter!” Isabelle bravely shouted, raising her sword.

“Oh, poor child. You mustn’t know how to greet royalty,’ Regina snarled, no sympathy in her voice. “Let me show you how to!”

“Don’t move a muscle,” Ethan came up from behind and had his arrow pointed to her head, and she mocked to be scared.

“Oh! Poor me! Please don’t kill me!” She wailed.

“Rehuy grat jesaf..” (Do you mind..) Isabelle whispered in Goblin. Regina waved her wand unexpectedly and transported Ethan and Isabelle to a dark room with swirling walls, must be her chamber.

“You’ll never win!” Ethan challenged.

“We’ll see about that, deary.” Regina shot a spell at Ethan but he dodged it. Isabelle swung her sword at Regina again and again but it didn’t work. She kept dodging the blows! Isabelle stepped back to let Regina attack and Isabelle ducked or swerved everything.
“Hmm… Magic Containers, must either contain someone who does magic or stores extra..” Isabelle thought as she looked at the giant box in the corner of the room. She dashed around all of Regina’s spells, Ethan keeping her distracted. Isabelle stabbed a giant hole in the box and a giant swirl of purple cloud came out and just made Regina stronger. But then it turned into a vortex. Isabelle knew that neither her or Ethan did magic, they wouldn’t be sucked in. Regina resisted it, but a flash of orange fur and claws charged into her and pushed her backwards. Rey! Regina stumbled backwards and then took on a hideous smug look. She grabbed Ethan and pulled him into the vortex also.

“Ethan! No!” Isabelle shouted over the vortex. Ethan held onto the edge of the box and Isabelle tried to pull him out desperately. No matter her trying, Ethan was sucked in.

“I will find you!” He shouted as he slipped in. Isabelle grabbed Rey and ran towards the vortex, as it got smaller and smaller.

“No!” She said determinedly and jumped into the tiny hole. It spat her out as if it couldn’t take any more than two people. She sat down in a corner and started to weep.
“I- I will find y-you!” She yelled.