Kit walked into Mira's room without knocking. If he caught her halfway undressed, he considered that a bonus. He dropped off some more paint powders that Mira loved to use. The finest in the kingdom. He bought extra brown this time. The exact color of his hair, to be specific.

She still hasn't painted him yet and that has to change.

She wasn't there.

He glanced on Mira's table, which were laden with sweets and gifts and flowers. He opened a chocolate box and peered inside. Then he opened another and looked into it as well. Apparently, each one had beautiful, expensive chocolates as well as a tiny love note inquiring about Mira's day.

Mira opened the entrance door. Kit made a puppy face. She laughed.

"All right, you can have some." She relented.

Kit grinned at her. "In exchange," he said through a chocolate-caramel bonbon, "I have some new paints for you. Fresh off the markets."

Mira grabbed them and opened some of the leather bags. She peered into the different shades and commented, "I'm actually working on someone special this time~!" Kit raised an eyebrow. "Is it me?"

Mira grinned, "I can tell you want me to paint you. Look at all this golden-brown! I'll paint you as soon as I finish this one, okay?" Kit smiled. "Who is it?"

Mira shook her finger. "Oh, no, I'm not telling you that..." She glanced through the bags and realized something. "Why isn't there any blue?" Kit felt his heart drop a little. Of course she needed blue. The North King's eyes and hair were both blue.

"The blue paint's shipment was delayed. I'll get it tomorrow." Kit said, closing the box of chocolates. He no longer felt hungry like he usually was all the time. The sweets in his mouth turned into sand.

"Oh, if the stewardess would let me go the markets that sold paint! I know they are pretty far and full of thieves, but Ash agreed to go with me... And I wouldn't have to trouble you so much!"

"No, I love getting paints for you, princess," Kit said, grinning. He twirled a lock of her hair around. "Next time I'll get blue, and a more red, if you want to be painted in with him."

Mira looked confused for a moment. "I... Do actually need more red! My, aren't you just telepathic today, Kit."

Kit smiled one last time and then left.

He had ten goddamn years to woo the princess in her childhood and he wasted it all on being her friend. Now she was head over heels in love with a king she didn't even know! How can people even fall in love that fast?!

Somewhere else in the kingdom, Wolf was asking himself the same question. Every time he thought of the red-eyed warrior his hand went limp and his papers got splattered with ink, and his heart decided to go dance tango with his liver and his lungs.

He picked up his quill again and sat up. No, he was not in love with her- His hand shook and the quill fell down once again. He felt a tiny worm of guilt in his heart. He was engaged to Mira, the princess of royal blood! He couldn't-

Goddamn those red eyes. That long black hair. That sharp, strict face. If she curled her hair, and softened her expression, and wore something... Pink? No, that didn't suit her... Blue? No, too... Too much of something. Black was depressing, purple was too elegant and royal for her passion...

Green. Light green with white lace, what would he do to get her into that-

There was a click Mira opened the door and smiled at Wolf. "Good morning, my king."

Wolf turned around and smiled back at her. "Good morning, Mira." She blushed at her name. "I'm sorry, I meant: Good morning, my queen."

Mira shook her head. "No, it's okay! You can call me whatever you like. I always thought 'my queen' was too formal for me- I don't really rule anyways. There isn't much to do but fight the shadows... And my sergeant has that completely covered."

She's like a little rabbit, Wolf thought. A tame, adorable, charming little bunny. "Alright then, Mira, call me Wolf." Mira blinked, flushed, and stuttered. As Wolf half-listened to her awkward apologies and excuses, but then she finally whispered, "Wolf."

He smiled at her. For a second, he thought she had fainted, but she got up and smiled weakly, and then left a packet of perfectly baked cookies and ran.

He got up, picked up the packet, knocked on the door because he knew she was on the other side catching her breath, and said, "These are delicious," before he even took the first bite.

Ash saw the letter first. Even before she read the second sentence she knew it was bad. She rang the alarm that called for an emergency meeting.

When everyone was seated, Ash stood up. There was a stifled gasp somewhere in the audience, but Ash didn't stop to wonder why.

"There has been a large gathering of shadows in the North, a few days after the king had left his kingdom. It is an emergency- they plead that the king goes back, or that reinforcements are sent as soon as possible." Ash declared straightforwardly. Whispers erupted, and Ash shot her glare around. The whispers died.

She then went over to each leading member of the councils that led Gemma, and collected votes. Wolf watched as the woman named Ash led the conference with expert guidance and supreme power. He looked at Mira, who sat next to him. "Who is she?" He whispered. He hoped that nobody noticed his surprised gasp at seeing her again, and leading a meeting no less!

Mira grinned. "My best female friend, sergeant Ash. I hope you two get along. She might be a little cold and strict and overprotective, but she's practically saved everyone in this room's lives three times over."

Wolf watched as Ash went around, discussed with each person individually and settled arguments. He fidgeted, and waved a serving maid over. He told her to get the letter, and once he finished reading he, He looked at Mira. "I have to go back," he said. "The situation is terrible."

He stood up. "Sergeant Ash, I have to go back. My people need a ruler at this time-"

"I kindly ask for you to sit down, your majesty," Ash said calmly. "I will collect votes, and then I will take in yours. As much as I respect you for wanting to go to your men, I'd rather not this be an emotionally made decision."

Wolf sat down. Kit snickered. Wolf looked over to him. Kit grinned down. "I'm the other best friend of Mira's. Kit, at your service. I'm a sniper."

Before Wolf could introduce himself, Kit continued. "Isn't she a sharp piece of glass, hm? Don't take it to heart. She's just as harsh on everyone. She offends the nobles a lot, but she means well."

Ash raised a hand. Everyone quieted down.

"The council of debts votes that Wolf goes, council of records votes that he stays, council of agriculture... Goes, stays, goes, stays..." Ash quickly ran through the list of representatives, and then she looked up. "So... It's decided. His majesty Wolf is going with only three large troops- that way the travel will not take as long."

Wolf nodded in agreement, but Mira's expression was shocked. "That's way too little," she gasped. "But..." Ash continued. Everyone tensed up. "Kit and I will go with him." Ash finished. "Everyone is dismissed."

Mira stood up. "Wait!"

"I want to go too!"

Mira sat in the library, opening a thick old book about shadows. She had to become a better queen, for her people... For Wolf! She flipped to the very first page, which had all the common knowledge.

Shadows are beings of mist that come out of the Umbra, the dark forest that completely surrounds Gemma. In their misty bodies, shadows have a "heart" or a dense part. This "heart" or dense soul-containing structure can be any shape, size, and can be found at any part of their body.

Mira flipped a few more pages to the combat section.

To kill a shadow one must be very careful. If you touch the mist with bared skin, your skin will receive a deep black burn. You must find and locate the heart, and then strike it. A long-range weapon is recommended, such as a spear or a gun.

Be warned, though, they come in various size and speeds. Some may be slow, others may be extremely fast. If you choose to be a sniper, you must be extremely keen in the eyes and fast with the trigger, as well as be able to locate the heart at a large distance.

Complete head-to-toe armor is recommended. Bright colors will also differentiate you and the shadows on the battleground; white is recommended.

Mira closed the book. She knew that she was not good at this stuff. She was better at cheering the injured up. People have been said to heal faster if she visited them daily. She left the book open on a library table and went to the kitchen.

As she mixed cookie dough, she pondered on the uproar that occurred when Mira announced her desire to go to the North.

Ash was extremely steely, saying that it was dangerous, and that it was cold and uncomfortable and foreign. Kit added that it also had loads of different diseases that she had not been exposed to before. Wolf, however, was silent. And Mira loved him for that.

She put the sheets of cookies into the baking fireplace and set to cleaning up, but before she could do so, a bunch of giggling serving maids pushed her away and quickly wiped up the mess she had left behind.

Mira sighed. They never let her do anything by herself. She took a basket of brownies and went to give them to the injured soldiers at the front.

Kit smiled over the balcony that was connected to his quarters through a window. "Ah~ I like this plan." If the Wolf goes to the North, fights a good fight and dies... Now, wouldn't that be a fairy tale to be proud of!

Ash dumped a bucket of water onto Kit's head from the balcony above. "Oi, what are you thinking, you stupid motherf- oh, sergeant Ash."

Ash smirked down at Kit. "I was just watering some ugly jealousy lilies that were growing on your dirt-brown hair, sniper Kit."

"My hair is golden-brown, thank you very much!" Kit shouted up to her. "And I'm not jealous of anyone!"

"Oh, please, you've been in love with Mira since you entered this castle."

Kit blinked and ruffled his soaked hair. "It doesn't matter anymore. She's in a fantasy world with a handsome king now. What does she see in him, anyway?"

Ash glanced down at her partner. "Well, just yesterday, I saw him pat her head and call her a red rabbit."

"I've been calling her beautiful for ten years! He calls her a rabbit for two days! How come he gets the girl?!"

"He bought her two new beautiful dresses and said that he was thinking of what she would look the most beautiful in as he was buying them, and he was stuck between the two and so he just bought both."

"Oh, I get it now, he's rich." Kit muttered.

"Don't forget handsome," Ash laughed. It was fun watching someone else suffer from the same type of jealousy that she had been hiding for years. "He's got the most beautiful blue eyes."

"My eyes are golden in the sunlight! Try topping that!" Kit looked up at Ash. "And at all the praise you're heaping on him, you might be falling in love with him yourself!"

Ash smirked down at Kit. "Oh, that would just break your heart, now wouldn't it?"

Kit stuck his tongue out. "Not at all! He can have you! He'd live in an absolute terror married to the shadow-slaying Sergeant of the South!"

Ash hid the pang in her heart with a carefree smile.

Kit suddenly stood up. "I gotta go see the king."

Ash raised an eyebrow.

"I have to get some paints."

Wolf looked up from his paper as Kit entered his room and walked to his desk. "Hello...?" Wolf said. Kit abruptly leaned down and looked deeply into Wolf's eyes without saying a word.

And continued staring for a long time...

Wolf was beginning to feel uncomfortable, averting his eyes from Kit's golden-brown ones. "Good afternoon, Kit. What brings you here-"

Kit leaned in closer, putting both his hands on Wolf's face to hold it still, and Wolf leaned slightly back to avoid accidentally brushing lips. Kit suddenly stood right back up. "Light Columbia Blue! That's the color of your eyes!"

Wolf felt his eyes go flat. Kit backed away, messed up his hair and grinned. "Ahahaha~! The color of your hair is strikingly Palatinate Blue, that was easy to figure out! Your eyes, however... Well, have a good day!"

With that, Kit ran right out of the office, leaving Wolf to sit there, stunned.

Kit went back up to his balcony and waved at Ash. "Well, I've confirmed that Wolf's not homosexual~!" He sang up to her.

Ash sputtered, spitting out some of the coffee she was drinking. "How in Gemma did you figure that out- wait, Kit, what did you do~?! Are you sure?"

But it was too late- Kit was gone. Gone to find some paint powders for the princess.

Ash knocked on Mira's door.

Mira opened it.

"You can go," Ash said, and was suddenly enveloped in a tight hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!" Mira shouted joyfully into Ash's shoulder-plate.

Ash sighed. "It was for the best after all. I don't want to leave you behind, you have to go to the North sometime anyways, it's better to go earlier than later, the North wants to meet its new queen, and you can rally the people up to fight against the shadows, since we aren't bringing that many troops so that we travel as fast as possible..."

"What about the wedding?" Mira asked.

"It's been postponed to next spring. That's good, right? You have the winter and spring to get to know him." Ash picked Mira up as if she weighed nothing and walked into Mira's room. She closed the door behind her and dropped Mira onto the bed.

Mira sat up on the bed and said, "Oh."

Ash raised her eyebrows. "You wanted to get married as fast as possible? Wow, princess, I didn't think you'd be so eager-"

"No, no, no!" Mira exclaimed, blushing. "I-I was just, you know..."

Ash chuckled, but then stopped abruptly. "Princess, we're leaving tomorrow. I'll help you pack."

Mira blew a raspberry into Ash's face. "Oh, please, go fight some shadows or something. I can pack by myself. I know your tricks, Ella, if I let you pack with me, I'll have nothing to wear up north but pants, boots, and a shawl!"

"Princess, it will be very cold up there. I advise you to not bring summer dresses..."

"I know, I know! Now, get out!" Mira tossed a lace hat at Ash. "If you say another word I'll order you to wear an elegant gown and attend the next ball while I hold your spear and play-fight with Kit in the dirt!"

"We weren't playing, we were practicing!"

"Oh, excuses, excuses for missing out the last winter ball... And practicing doesn't come with that much laughter, Ash! Now leave!" Mira retorted. She pushed Ash out of the room and then went to her drawer to search for the winter dresses.

Night fell

Mira pushed the last dress into her bag and tied it closed. "Done!" She sighed triumphantly. She looked around her room, where dresses were scattered all over. It had been a rough three hours, going around and comparing which dresses looked the best and yet was the most comfortable.

There was a knock on the door. Mira opened it, and looked up at the face of Wolf.

He grinned down at her. She blinked, taken aback. "Hello, my king-"

He pulled her out of the doorway and closed the door to her bedroom. He tugged her hand and started to walk down the hallways in a quick pace with her in tow.

"My king? Where are we-"

"I told you to call me Wolf, Mira." He said. He turned around, picked her up princess-style and started running. She was stunned into silence. In a few minutes they arrived at the rose garden, where he set her down.

"You have a rose garden!" Wolf exclaimed. "How beautiful! My god, why did I not see this when I came in?!"

Mira was still flushed from being carried through the hallways. "Yes, yes, we do." She said, smiling at his wonder. She didn't think someone who looked like an ice prince would be so soft on flowers. "It's one of the most prized attractions."

Wolf looked down at Mira, and then at the rose garden, his expression almost pleading.

Mira found herself wanting to giggle. "Oh, you can go in! Anytime." At soon as the words left her mouth, Wolf practically flew inside. Mira followed him into the garden.

She stood back and watched as Wolf roamed the rows of plants and carefully trimmed trees. "I saw this through my window in my office and I couldn't believe my eyes," he said as he looked around. "In the North we don't have many flowers," he explained. "There's just trees, trees, and more trees."

"How beautiful," he whispered. He turned around, his blue hair glowing. He looked at Mira. "You're like a rose, aren't you, with your red hair."

Mira blushed.

Wolf smiled. "Even more now, with your face pink."

Mira shook her head.

Wolf looked about, and then smiled ruefully. "I guess I've ruined your expectation of a cold, hard, ice prince right? Not so manly to like flowers..."

"Of course not!" Mira shouted. "I think it's wonderful you like flowers."

Wolf glanced at her and smiled.

"I see that this kingdom is lucky to have such a princess. How easily it comes to you to make people fell better about anything." Mira opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything in return. She flushed deeper instead and closed her mouth.

Wolf looked around, and then suddenly thought of Ash. He sighed. The sergeant undoubtedly would look down at him for liking such trivial blooms. He took Mira's hand and held it tight. The princess was a light rose fairy. Why was he attracted to the warrior?

"Let's go. I'm sorry for interrupting what you were doing in your room, but it says that this garden is yours, so I thought I needed your permission to enter it."

"No, it's not mine," Mira laughed. "It's only dedicated to me. The one who nurtures this garden isn't me." Wolf tilted his head. "Oh. Then who takes care of this garden, then?"

Mira chuckled. "Oh, you'd be surprised, but it's Ash."

Wolf blinked. His heart started to beat faster, and he felt his skin tingle. "Oh?" He said nonchalantly.

"Yes! Isn't that surprising? She might be cold and strict, but she has the loveliest way with the roses."