A swift gust of wind ploughed through the main entrance of the Pixie Dust Tree, sending pixie dust flying and many fairies and sparrowmen coming for their daily pixie dust scattered on the ground. But they all very well knew better that it was not an unusually strong wind that had left them all overwhelmed and slightly irritated, but that of the speed at which Princess Skylar had sped past them, the will to escape clear in the speed she possessed and used on more occasion then some. The urge to fly over all of Pixie Hollow sent adrenaline streaming through Skylar's body and propelled her dragonfly like wings into a faster pace of fluttering than she thought possible and it only excited her even more. The Minister of Spring had been asked to come and teach her on this day about the very nature of Spring and how without it, no other season could live, but the very thought of that arrogant, pompous, overly paranoid sparrowman coming to teach her, made her escape that much more grateful.

Skylar was informed enough when it came to the seasons, especially Spring considering how close she was with the Garden Fairy, Rosetta, and the Animal Fairy, Fawn, but just having to imagine sitting through the Minister's constant drown made her feel like falling asleep in mid-flight and Skylar had learnt the hard way that flying while feeling tired was a stupid and dangerous idea.

Skylar came to a sudden halt as she tried to calm her breathing, an eager smile planted on her most likely red face and stared in vast wonder at the magical world around her.

No matter how many times she flew up to what seemed like the clouds height in the sky, she never lost the intrigue and unconscious pull she had to Pixie Hollow. Not only was it the vast expanse of the world she lived in that amazed her, but of the entire intricate details one might overlook.

Skylar enjoyed the different, varying colours of that the Spring, Summer and Autumn regions boasted and how all of them were very different, yet shared so many similar traits, but if Skylar had to pick her favourite place in Pixie Hollow, it would have to be Tinker's Nook. It didn't take much room up in the Autumn Woods and just as its name implied, it was in a nook, but maybe that was what she loved so much about it, the simplicity of it. Skylar admired the Tinker's greatly, especially the head Tinker, Fairy Mary, and her successor, the bright, and sometimes thick-headed, as Vidia had told-warned-her about, Tinkerbell, a fairy that had changed Pixie Hollow with her bravery and determination through the hardest of situations. And it was all thanks to her and her sister, Periwinkle, a frost fairy to many pixies' surprise that Warm Season Fairies were able to cross the border between autumn and winter and freely interact with Winter Fairies.

And then there was the Winter region and its vast whiteness. Skylar turned in the sky and looked out into the snowy depths of winter that was always clouded by falling snow. Tinkerbell had told her it was like a barrier that kept prying eyes from learning the secrets of Winter, but Skylar had just stared at her like it was a joke expecting the truth, and to that she told her it's clearer once you move further into the Winter Woods, but also colder. She had also warned her that she was to never cross without getting her wings frosted but Skylar stared at her in confusion at the statement. She had not said anything more but only started humming a tune Skylar had recognised as a little Tinker's jig that many Tinkers sang when they started working, a happy, encouraging song that showed what was the very being of a Tinker.

Sounds of yelling pulled Skylar from her thoughts and she looked down to see a face she always dreaded seeing. Viola, Queen Clarion's personal Summoning-Talent Fairy, followed by many other summoning fairies and sparrowman, and none of them looked very happy, but they didn't look annoyed either, just tired.

Viola's face said differently, as she composed herself well in front of her peers, Skylar could practically feel the anger and frustration Viola felt for her actions and she was pretty sure Viola's fellow Summoning-Talent Pixies could feel it as well from the wary glances they cast at their leader, despite the indifference they played out. A devious smile spread on Skylar's face as she flew down behind Viola and tapped her on the shoulder. The fairy whipped around and glared at the intruder, only to mask her emotion and give a curt nod towards her, despite the vein Skylar could see throbbing in her temple.

"Well, hello, Viola, Noah, Falon," she greeted kindly, addressing other Summoning Fairies with curt nods, "what brings you to the sky?" Viola tried to focus her breathing before she answered but her voice still came out cool with a hint of irritation to top it off.

"You, Princess Skylar. It seems you have shunned your lessons with the Ministers again and we have been sent to bring you back to the Pixie Dust Tree." Skylar cringed at the word 'shunned'. It wasn't as if she always skipped her lesson, it was that many just seemed too time-wasting and flat-out boring and pointless that she felt the need for her little escapades. She preferred to be surrounded by the things she was learning about, to feel the energy that flowed throughout Pixie Hollow with the effort of all the fairies and sparrowmen working at their respective talents, instead of being trapped in a classroom, cut off from the outside world that was full of life, and being drained of her vigour from the drawl of one of her many changing mentors every second they talked. As she could, well every pixie really, see, she was a 'do now, think later' sort of fairy but despite her best efforts to show that, she was always dragged back by the arrogant Viola and the rest of her squad.

Not this time though. Just like every other time before this when she would escape, and the indefinite possibility of her escaping in the future, she wasn't going easy without a fight, or in this case, a chase and this time she wasn't going to get caught.

"But my dear Viola isn't the Minister of Spring preparing for Spring now? He shouldn't strain himself at times like these just to teach me things that I already have ample knowledge about." Skylar stated in a voice that held feigned interest and started walking as if she was actually stepping on a path instead of bare sky. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Viola reach for the horn that was always strapped around her waist, and her mouth curled up in amusement.

"Princess, please don't make this any harder than it has to be." Viola stated, straight to the point.

"Oh Viola, you know me too well," Skylar started as she faced her straight on, hands crossed in front of her chest.

"Far too well for my liking." Muttered Viola as she rolled her eyes and glared at her.

"So you know the drill," Skylar gave a small laugh and positioned herself as if she was about to run, "only if you can catch me." The second the last word had left her mouth she was speeding down towards the ground at a speed even a fast-flying fairy would envy and the blaring of Viola's horn reverberated throughout the sky, alerting probably all of Pixie Hollow of Skylar's absence from her lessons. She heard blunt yelling and could feel the presence of other pixies in pursuit of her, none of them, though, ever having the thought of catching her in flight. She knew she was faster than most pixies, so did they, but of course, that didn't stop them, so she pushed herself onwards, seeing the ground rise up to her in shocking clarity.

At the last moment, she pulled up swiftly, sending a sharp burst of wind scattering many of the well prepared piles of acorn kettles and baskets filled up to the brim with different assortments of seeds. The groans of many fairies and sparrowmen who had to clean up the mess resounded loud and clear. I'll hear about that later, Skylar thought solemnly as she yelled quick apologise and promises of helping clean up later over her shoulder.

Entering Buttercup Canyon, a haven all garden fairies treasured, she soon spotted a familiar face and sped forward even faster.

"Rosetta," Skylar called out as she realised she couldn't slowdown in time and started to panic, "umm help!" Rosetta turned to the call of her name and saw the flailing princess and her eyes widened. She quickly sprinkled some fairy dust on a nearby sunflower making it sprout up to twice its height, and just in the nick of time, came a spiralling Skylar who hit the sunflower in a puff of pollen.

The flower curled down and revealed a pollen covered Skylar whose nose had started to twitch. She took in a couple of big breaths and sneezed, sending a spray of the pollen landing on Rosetta, who only sighed. Rubbing her nose, Skylar looked over with an apologetic smile but then snapped out of her daze and curled over the edge of the sunflower.

"Hey Roe, thanks for the save and have I ever told you how awesome you are?" she asked rubbing the back of her head. Sighing again, Rosetta stared the princess down, hands on her hips, an unimpressed look on her face.

"What did you do know, Skylar?" she asked in her twangy southern accent, "or better yet, what do you need me to do?" Skylar went to say something to argue against her friend's accusations but the sound of horns stopped her train of thought and she looked down pleadingly.

"Hide me." She quickly whispered, gripping a petal of the sunflower tightly. Rosetta fluttered up and closed the flower petals of the sunflower, not before she saw the winning smile of Skylar who wrapped herself in her shimmering blue pointed dragonfly wings.

In no more than a few seconds later, Viola flew past, almost completely ignoring Rosetta but flew back and narrowed her gaze at the closed flower that she hovered by.

"Rosetta, have you seen the Princess? She has neglected her studies again." Viola got straight to the point, while Rosetta gave a sideward glance at the flower. Putting on her best smile, she clasped her hands together and fluttered over to another flower and started brushing one of the petals with her hand.

"Why no Viola, I haven't but if I were you I would check Tinker's Nook. She's always so fascinated by that place." She answered smiling while glaring in her mind at what she knew would be Skylar hopping up and down when Viola would leave to go search Tinker's Nook, like she had suggested. Viola only looked at her for a moment before sighing.

"Ok I will check there now, thank you Rosetta, oh and what is wrong with that sunflower?" she asked narrowing her gaze.

"Oh it's just shy, I'll get to it soon, good luck with getting the Princess." Rosetta quickly finished hoping Viola wouldn't see through her blatant lie. She gave the flower one last look before fluttering away in the direction of the Autumn Forest. Before Rosetta could unfurl the flower, Skylar burst through the top, already twitching to fly off again somewhere.

"Thanks so much Roe, I'll make it up to you I swear." Before she flew off Rosetta grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her towards her, starting to brush her off of pollen that still remained planted on the excited fairy.

"You can make it up to me by telling me where you are going." She simply stated, brushing off the yellow substance that was caught in the Princess's deep chocolate-brown hair that was braided to the side with her fringe framing the right side of her face. Her deep blue headband made no difference in holding her hair back, Rosetta thought, as she pulled back stray hair from in front of Skylar's face. Rosetta paused from her fixing and tilted her head slightly.

"What happened to your crown?"

"Hmm? Oh it's in here." Skylar smiled patting the brown bag that hung across her chest and sat at her hip.

"Mhm and I see you ditched the dress?" Now it was Skylar's turn to give her a pointed look.

"What do you think? You know how much I prefer just this." She replied gesturing to the clothes she wore; a simple deep blue petal shirt without sleeves that fell just past her hips matched by her same coloured three-quarter length pants and her white tattered scarf that was wrapped around her neck in one loop despite whatever season she visited.

"You still didn't answer me where you are going?" Rosetta asked again stepping back a bit to survey her brisk fixing up. Skylar crossed her arms in front of her chest and smirked.

"And you never finished telling me about what you and Sled were going to do on your next date?" countered Skylar smugly, making Rosetta blush faintly.

"Fine, fine just go," she said shoeing her away with her hands, "just be careful, and don't injure yourself." She warned but Skylar only smiled as if she had waved her off happily.

"Will do," she waved at Rosetta but then paused, a devious smile spreading the width of her face, "Oh and Roe, I'll say hi to Sled for you." And Skylar was out of sight the second her last words were out her mouth. Rosetta just gaped at her when realisation hit her.

"She's going to the Winter Woods." She groaned and her head snapped back to the spot Skylar had just been only moments ago. "And she knows nothing about Winter yet." Fanning herself with her hand as bad thoughts entered her head, she made her way to the Pixie Dust Tree in frantic search of the Queen.