The Ice Kingdom. A land of everlasting cold and completely carved out of ice. It was a kingdom known for its fragile beauty and the ethereal occupants within. The King and Queen ruled over their subjects with a firm hand, but they were loved dearly for their kindness. However, a sadness swept over the land when, as the King and Queen grew older, there was no heir to take their place. The Queen, as she aged, became very frail. It became clear that if they ever succeeded at conceiving a child she would die giving birth. Nonetheless, the Kingdom rejoiced when the Queen was going to have not one, but two children.

The lovely twins were born, a boy and a girl. The eldest, the boy, was given the name Luke, and the girl was named Isis. Their births brought great joy because they became the future of the Ice Kingdom. However, their joy soon died when the subjects learned their Queen had died. The King mourned for many years, but gave the love he could no longer give to his wife to his two budding children.

Luke and Isis, like normal siblings, rarely got along, and the tension became even worse as Luke's coronation drew near.

"I don't understand, Daddy! Why does Luke get to become King? Why can't I be Queen?" The King gave an exasperated sigh. Isis had demanded the answer to this question time and time again, but her question had always been pushed aside to a later date. Her father had refused to answer her question, but this time she was adamant. She would not back down today. He gave her a long hard look before walking over, placing a hand on the small of her back and guiding her to the seat in front of her vanity mirror. Isis sat down gracefully, at her own pace, as her father began to brush her hair.

"You have such beautiful hair," her father's voice was soft, filled with sorrow, his eyes far away as he saw someone else in Isis's place. "Just like your mother's. You know—"

"Daddy! Stop trying to change the subject!" Isis whirled to face him, her pale blue eyes like fire as she glared at him. "Why can't I become Queen!?" She was five seconds away from snatching the brush away from him and throwing it across the room. He always did this! He tried to guilt her from continuing her tantrums, but not today.

The King looked down at her, his eyes sad. She rarely saw a lively spark in them. The servants told her stories about how her dad used to laugh and dance when their mother was alive. Isis wished she had gotten a chance to know that man. She knew he was trying to love her and Luke, but it seemed like, no matter what they did, they could never compete with their mother. "Daddy…please tell me. You can't act like I'm not old enough now, I'm almost nineteen! You tell Luke everything! It's just not—" He placed a soft finger against her lips, silencing the fiery princess.

"You are quite right, my little snowflake. You are old enough." That didn't stop the hesitance in his stature. Isis, her goal finally in sight, couldn't sit still in her excitement. Finally! She could be in the loop! She didn't even notice her father's reluctance. If she had, she would have known that she was not going to like the answer. It was the only time her father hesitated in anything. He did not like to cause strife, especially if it meant angering his one and only daughter…who had a tendency to explode. He gently grasped her head and turned Isis's face to the mirror before resuming his task. Isis closed her eyes as her father brushed her hair. It was so soothing, and very distracting.

"Dad…" Another sigh from behind her.

"Fine, fine. Isis, you cannot be Queen because you are younger than your brother." Isis grew very still. She could detect that there was more, something that he was not telling her. Obviously, this had been the easiest thing to tell her, especially since it was something she already knew.

"And?" She pressed, her voice low as she opened her eyes to stare at her father. The King continued to brush her hair studiously, avoiding eye contact as he worked on a stubborn tangle in her hair.

"…And, now remember Snowflake, this is only tradition, but it is because you are female as well." Isis jerked away from her father, the movement strong enough to cause the chair to topple at their feet. She whirled around to face her father, her face filled with undeniable fury.

"Because I'm a girl!? I knew it! That is so incredibly sexist! I can't believe I couldn't rule because of that! I mean, what if Luke died? What then? Hmmm!?" The King looked incredibly uncomfortable. It took all her effort not to sneer at her father. He was weak, unable to stand up to his own daughter.

"Well…you would become Queen." A spark of intrigue alighted inside her. So there was a way for her to become Queen? She was so fascinated by this tidbit of information that she failed to hear the 'but' in his voice. "But you would have to be betrothed to another. You would not be allowed to rule alone. I'm sorry, princess…" Isis scoffed and turned away from her father.

"Don't remind me. Luke gets to become King and I'm stuck with nothing." Her voice was bitter as she placed her hands on her vanity mirror. Her father placed a delicate hand on her shoulder. The old man was so frail, no wonder he had to give up his throne so quickly to the next available heir. Isis was again reminded that she could become Queen. It only took a little bit of effort…

"You will not have nothing, Isis. Do not be so gloomy. You will find love one day and rule over another kingdom."

"But I want to rule this one!" Isis persisted, but all she got was another pat on the shoulder. Her father kissed the top of her head before leaving her room. Obviously, what she wanted could not be helped. Isis lifted her head to stare at her reflection. Her light blue eyes were no longer so stormy, just resigned. Snow white hair framed her face in a glowing halo. She touched her face with a pale hand. Even if she could become Queen, maybe no one would ever want her. She was so plain. Average. Nothing extraordinary about her at all.

"Awww, are you fretting over a pimple again?" A voice mocked from behind her that sent Isis whirling. Her eyes widened and she dodged the glint of metal that sliced into the wood where she had been standing only seconds before.

"Luke!" Isis shrieked, her eyes still wide. He had tried to kill her! Her brother laughed at the expression on her face.

"Oh calm down! I had the edges of the sword blunted!"

"But you swung at my head!" Her brother cocked an eyebrow at her, failing to see the obvious logic behind her distress. "You still could have killed me you idiot! You would have crushed my skull if I hadn't moved!" Her brother just shrugged and Isis fumed. They were giving the throne to this immature brat? He couldn't even comprehend the simplest consequences of his actions!

Luke laughed again and yanked the blade out of the wood. Isis whimpered softly. That had been their mother's vanity mirror. It was ruined now and the brute didn't even care. He held the blade casually, letting it rest against his shoulder. "So what has you so upset?"

"None of your business." Was the snooty reply he got from her. It never failed, Luke always came to kick her when she was down. It was moments like these that she really thought she could kill him. An image of smashing in his skull with her heel filled Isis's head, but she quickly shook it out. Luke might deserve a lot of things, but death wasn't one of them. "What do you want?" Luke looked puzzled. "Well you came up here for a reason, didn't you?" A light seemed to go off in his head. Isis resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, did people not notice that her brother was not the sharpest arrow in the quiver?

"Right! The stable boy wanted to see you. Something about your stupid horse." Isis froze and then dashed out of the room without another word. She was going to hurt Luke if her horse had been dying the entire time he had wasted talking to her. She ran through the hallways, blowing past various servants, even her teacher. "Sorry!" She called out over her shoulder to anyone she happened to run in to. It took too long for her to get outside, to leap over the fence that separated the castle from the stables, to fling the barn doors open. Her eyes fell on her prized mare, a beautiful black creature with the kindest brown eyes she had ever seen, perfectly safe and unharmed. Relief flooded through her as she rushed to her horse.

"Oh Skye! What would I have ever done without you!? I would have been left alone in this place filled with nothing but idiots and—"

"Now I hope you don't include me when you mean 'idiots.'" Isis, startled, looked past her horse to see a familiar pair of twinkling purple eyes staring at her. A tinge of heat graced her cheeks as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Uh, um, of course not Gumball! You're my only friend here!" The stable boy grinned and gave her a playful nudge.

"That's what I thought. As you can see, nothing's wrong with Skye, but saying something is wrong with Skye is the only way I can make you remember my existence." Isis blushed even harder. Gumball grinned before turning away, pretending not to notice her furious blushing. For this, Isis was grateful. Gumball was always so considerate and…he understood that they could never be together. She was of royal blood, and he was just a poor stable boy her mother and father had found in a ditch when he was only a baby. Sometimes, when she was daydreaming, she would wish with all her heart that things could be different. It would save her so much heartache and cross one problem off her list.

"So, I was wondering," Gumball began a little uncertainly as he messed with some of the tools in the barn, "how the suitor search was coming." Isis stopped stroking Skye's mane and looked over at Gumball. Anyone else looking would have thought he didn't care at all that her father was looking for suitable suitors for her hand, but Isis knew better. She could see the tense set of his shoulders and hear the forced cheerfulness in his tone. Isis's gaze softened as she watched him, resisting the urge to walk over and convince him that he had nothing to worry about. She was not interested in any other man.

"It goes…my father has really brought in some weirdos." Isis shuddered at the memory of her most recent suitor. He had been from the Candy Kingdom and was the last thing from attractive. It was a shame really. If he had cleaned up a bit, Isis was sure he would look appealing. He actually kind of looked familiar. Pushing the thought aside, Isis finally walked over and placed a hesitant hand on Gumball's arm. The stable boy stiffened and she quickly withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to…"

Gumball turned around, his eyes sad. He reached for her hand and cupped it in his own, his eyes lowered. "I know, but I don't want to make this any harder than it is." Isis's heart ached. She had crossed the line this time; it was plain on his grief-stricken face. The princess withdrew her hand and slowly turned away.

"I'm sorry." Isis repeated before leaving the barn, the visit cut short. Mentally kicking herself, Isis rubbed her hand across her face. How could she be so stupid? What had she been hoping to accomplish? They could never be together. Ever. The sooner she got that out of her head, the sooner she would stop pining after him. Feeling a gentle hand on her arm, Isis looked over her shoulder to see Gumball. Her heart started to beat faster from the look he held in his eyes.

"What is it—" She was silenced by a kiss. He kissed her with a desperate need that surprised her, but before she could even respond the kiss was over.

"Just once. I wanted to do it just once." With that Gumball ran back into the barn, slamming the door behind him. The sound resonated deep inside her and Isis couldn't help but feel that their separation had become a reality. Isis stood up a little bit straighter. It wouldn't solve anything to cry over something she couldn't fix. It was time to grow up, be an adult. And adults had to sacrifice things, especially the things they love most. With misty eyes Isis made her way back to the castle where her future awaited.