"J-Jakob, remind me what we're doin' here again," Benny shivered, snow roaring in his face. The two young men were caught in the middle of a vortex of white, vision limited to only a few snowy meters in front of them. "M-my skin's feeling really b-b-bbad now. I don't think k-knights are supposed to be out-s-sside in this weather." He let out a huge sneeze that echoed through the icy peaks.

Jakob had been ignoring his companion for hours, but finally turned around to glare at him. "This mission is by the order of Lord Garon, himself, you buffoon. It is all for the protection of Lady Kamui. The Ice Tribe has been an ally of ours for many years, and Chief Kilma has said that his two daughters are willing to serve her. One is a skilled maid set to be the next leader of the village, and the other is, well...Lord Xander was very vague when describing her, but I assume she is just as talented." Benny gave a slow nod in agreement, but winced as his skin peel beneath the armor. Jakob sighed and pulled out a Flame Shuriken from his coat. "You see this, lumbering fool? I had a merchant seek this in Hoshido specifically for this mission. For something like this, you need to be prepared, or you die."

"S-sir, with all due respect," Benny pleaded, "I don't think that a b-b-bumpkin like me could afford somethin' fancy l-like that." He reached out to touch the glowing item. "Yow! Thing's burning hot, too! How on earth d'ya handle it?"

"It's called experience. And if you're so worried about money, then why not just fashion some coats from all those animals that seem to be pulled to you? I've heard rabbit hats are quite popular now, and the cold wouldn't be a problem with a bear coat. Honestly." He turned and continued to push onward. Benny shrunk down and trudged after him, embarrassed and frightened for his friends.


The Nohrian Winter Ball was a rousing success. King Leo and King Ryoma, having finally settled the conflict between their two kingdoms, oversaw the event, watching from the throne as soldiers and common folk danced to their heart's content. The best Cyrkensian singers sang beautiful melodies, accompanied by the soothing sound of Subaki and his Hoshidan band. The two musical styles, once separated by years of war, now came together in harmony, a sign of the cultural mixing yet to come.

Jakob was busy doing what he did best: Serving. He darted around the ballroom at lightning speed, making sure that every guest had a taste of Midori's delicious hors d'oeuvres. There was to be no drink left empty, nobody without a napkin to clean themselves, nothing that would make this party anything less than perfect. The other butlers and maids watched him, astounded at their boss's adeptness. Inspired, they began to work even harder, refusing to fall behind. Seeing this, Jakob smiled. Perhaps some of these fine men and women would grow into top-class servants.

As he refilled the glass of a Nohrian duke flirting with a Hoshidan dancer, Jakob felt a tapping on his shoulder. Determined to fufil his duty without distractions, he made sure the wine level was in the ideal spot and spun to give the mystery assailant a sharp gaze. It was Felicia, who stood there with husband and child by her side, a lovely pink flower between the lumbering giants. She jumped back at the sight of his eyes. "Sheesh, Jakob, don't scare me like that! This is a PARTY. We're supposed to be having FUN."

He shrugged. "Felicia, as Lady Kamui's head butler, it's my job to make sure that everything goes smoothly. I can't have you distracting me."

"Well, if you want to be presentable to anyone, then lose the frown. People are gonna get scared if you keep scowling at them. That's what I keep telling my two men here." She stepped over to whisper something to Jakob. Her face showed a sudden glimpse of desperation. "Please do something to get them going. We're a family of nervous wrecks and nothing I say will help.

Jakob gave his head a shake. "Only for you, my friend." He turned to face the two knights, who stood among the dancers twiddling their thumbs. "Sir Benny, Sir Ignatius, how are you two on this fine night?"

Both men nervously looked over. But Benny, relieved to be acknowledged by his old partner, spoke. "Oh-ho, it's b-been alright, Sir Jakob. Life's good and all, with the end of the war and the family, but this…" He tensed up, giving a wide scan of the ballroom, "isn't really m-my cup of tea. Not used to being around crowds, and they're not used to being around me. Ignatius is the same, but he's too scared to even speak. Growing up in the Deeprealms didn't make him all that sociable."

The young knight looked meek without his armor, shaking in his stiff black suit. He tried to sputter out some words, "Hel-ja-tha-o," but "sir" was the only one Jakob could make out. He looked over at Felicia, who mouthed "please" back to him.

"Alright, gentlemen, so the party life isn't something that suits you. Luckily, I think we've got something that will." He gestured to a dark set of stairs near the back of the room. "Downstairs are some elk that we plan to let into the snow once midnight strikes. Of course, we've made sure they're comfortable, but they've been waiting for a while and could use some perking up. The stable keepers might need some people with your talents."

The two men's faces lit up. Both of them hurriedly thanked Jakob and ran off down the stairs to play with the animals. Felicia walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much for that, Jakob. They...they really need to get out more, but I think this was too much for them."

"It's really nothing. If the elk are happy, then it'll be a better show. Just making things more enjoyable for the guests."

"Oh, shut up. I know you've still got a heart under there, even if you only talk work," She sighed and glanced around. "Well, I don't know if there's anyone else here for me...Guess I'll just check in on them. But I will find you later, and I'll make sure you're forced out onto the dance floor." She gave him a little gave and ran off. He returned it and got back to the drinks.


Finally, they had reached the village. Benny was shivering so hard, the guards had to carry him to the chief's hut, but a wave of heat greeted them when the door opened. Waiting for the men was a young maid, not even as old as Jakob, with a smile on her face but worry in her eyes. Her light pink hair spilled down over her shoulders, and Jakob made a note of her ineptitude at basic presentation.

"Hello, Sirs!" Her voice pierced Jakob's ears even more than Benny's shouts of pain, but he held his ground. This inexperienced little girl would not be the one to take him down.

"Hello, young lady. Who might you be?" Benny had managed to stand up, slumped at an angle but still putting on a smile.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but Jakob stopped her. "We're here looking for Kilma Ghiaccio's daughters, not to chitchat. I'd appreciate it if you led us to him."

She looked down, ashamed. "But...S-sir, I'm one of those daughters. My name's Felicia, the one who wants to serve the princess."

"Did I not ask you to take me to Kilma?" Jakob walked over, giving Felica a severe look right in her face. "Young lady, if you truly wish to be a servant of Lady Kamui, then get your act together. Put that hair in a ponytail, we can't have it going everywhere like that. Show off confidence instead of sniveling like a child. And most importantly, listen to what your superiors tell you. Now take. Me. To. Kilma."

Felicia jumped back, tears forming in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and stood up to face him with a pale face. "Yes, sir! I'm so sorry, I'll escort you there right away!" She scuttled down the hall, mortified. Jakob and Benny followed.

"Ey Jakob, I know it's not really my place to speak, but I think you were a little harsh with her. I mean, she's jus-"

"Shut up, Benny."

The trio continued to the chief's room in silence.


The party was beginning to slow down, and Jakob was content standing by the buffet making sure no one overstuffed themselves. But he saw a hole in the dancers moving towards him, a wave that commanded the crowd to be parted. Lady Kamui emerged from it, and ran over to him.

"Jakob!" She cried, jumping into the air and engulfing him in a giant hug. For a second, they stood happily, but Jakob lost his balance and the two tumbled to the floor. He chuckled. He expected this of the Lady, but she still surprised him every time.

"Oh man, Jakob, I really am. It's great that everyone's together like this after all that fighting...well, almost everyone, but you know what I mean." He saw her face drop for a moment before brightening again. So she was missing her big brother and little sister after all."And how are you, Lady Kamui? Enjoying the party?

Three shadows fell over them, one scooping up Kamui and crushing her in another hug. "~Ohhh, there you are, my cute baby sister. Come to Camilla, my girl."

The princesses of the two kingdoms stood over Jakob now, and he quickly jumped up to give them a bow. "Lady Camilla, Lady Hinoka, Lady Sakura, how do you fare?"

Sakura laughed. "We're doing just fine, Jakob, and you don't need to be so serious around us. We fought together all those months ago. Shouldn't we be friends by now?"

"I'm sorry, milady, it's simply the nature of the job. I live to serve the royal family, and that means respect is of the utmost importance."

"Please, it's a ball. Everyone he is trying to out-respect one another, you don't need to flatter us like this." Hinoka had prettied herself up for the night, even pulled out one of Lady Mikoto's old dresses, but she was still as serious as always. Strangely, seeing her hard eyes and straight face relieved Jakob a bit. So there were still some sane people here.

"Hinoka, my dear, please put a smile on~" Camilla whispered. "You're embarrassing all of us. Do you want to be underdressed next to our sweet Kamui?"

The Hoshidan princess grinned a little. "You've got me there."

Sakura piped up, "Ummm….It looks like the dance is picking up again. S-should we go back out?"

Camilla smiled. "Of course. After all, we've got four fine bachelorettes here and a party full of people to play with." The three girls disappeared back into the crowd, and Kamui gestured for Jakob to follow.

"I'm sorry, Milady, but I simply can't. I have a job to do here."

"Please, Jakob? I just need a good friend to have around. Sisters get annoying after a while."

"As a butler, it's my job to serve, not to dance."

"Fine, if you're gonna be like that, I'll give you something else to do." She thought for a second, then lit up with an idea. "Ah! In my old room upstairs, there should be a song that-th-that the five of us used to perform in the winter. Can you get it for me?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"You know I can't refuse a direct order from you, Milady. I will find this song as fast as I can, and you will sing it beautifully." He began to make his way to the stairs when she called out to him.

"Yeah, well you better hope I do, cause I'm gonna make you dance to it!"

"Oh, please, I hope not."


The castle was a maze of corridors and rooms, but Jakob still knew his way around the place. On the way to Lady Kamui's room, he passed through the servant's quarters, thinking about his old days serving here. There was Gunter's room, Felicia's, even his old dark one, all abandoned now and mostly cleaned out. But as he was about to go up the stairs, a bright blue shape flashed in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw it. On the last door, emblazoned on a nameplate, was a familiar name.

Flora Ghiaccio