Okay. Apparently, I thought I had edited the past three chapters but when I looked at it again a couple of weeks later, it seems as though I only dreamt of editing it.

Sooooo if you read the past three chapters, those are heavily edited and I'd like to apologize for the wait.

I was never good with these things.

I hope you enjoy.

I did not turn around quickly because I was too stunned for words yet tears escaped my eyes as soon as I heard her voice. Slender arms wrapped around me and a recognizable scent infiltrated my nose. The scent of mint and vanilla; strong and powerful. She kissed my temple and I let out a whimper as I held on to her.

She's back.

She's finally back.

Safe and sound.

"Winter… I've missed you so much."

She held on to me like in my dream. I was resting on her lap and she whispered comforting words to my ear as I cried. How long has it been since I've seen my beloved sister? The heat from her embrace spread out through my entire body and I had forgotten how it felt.

I said her name over and over again as it was the only thing I could do. The emotion I'm feeling right now is too overwhelming for me to understand.

"I see you haven't outgrown your crybaby self." She stated.

I laughed and nodded. As much as I'd love to disagree with her, she was right. I was still a crybaby.

She kissed my forehead and gently pushed me away from her lap so she could stand. She then went to the door and came back with a wheelchair. "I can't believe Father let you walk around with only a cane. He should've given you this." She commented.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I'm taking you out of this room. We're going to see him."

Winter held my hand to assist me as I used my cane to trudge towards it. The look on her face told me that she'd want to carry me but I refused. It wouldn't want to trouble her any further. When I sat down, she took my trusty cane and laid it on the bed.

"You won't be using that anytime soon."

When Winter pushed the wheelchair to the door, I quickly glanced at the mirror where Blake was. She was there waving her hand at me but I couldn't help but feel that there's something missing.

I was worried that Winter would throw the mirror away.

"Hold on. I uhhh…"

'I'm coming back to get you, alright?' I mouthed my words and her eyes widened in surprise.

Was she expecting me to leave her here alone? Or was she expecting that I overlook everything she had done for me? As my sister kept on walking, Blake wore an indistinguishable expression. Her ears were flat on her head, and her gold eyes were looking at everywhere except me.

"Weiss," Winter gazed at my line of sight but couldn't pinpoint where I was looking at exactly. "What's wrong? Finally happy that you're leaving this place?"

One look.

Two flicks

And a moment of silence.

"Weiss?"

"No, it's…" Blake finally said something before disappearing and I turned with a huge grin on my face. "I'm just glad that you're here."

I'll be waiting for you.

"Father has a lot of explaining to do." Winter seethed between gritted teeth. We were still in the labyrinth like hallway and she took sharp turns everywhere. She was walking at a fast pace probably because she wanted Father to explain himself from making me live like that for years.

"I bear no ill-will against Father, Winter." I spoke and we stopped. The look of confusion she gave me was obvious. Who wouldn't be furious when your own father locks you up somewhere without any supervision?

"You can't be serious, Weiss." She continued to push the wheelchair looking rather annoyed. "I told him to keep an eye on you. Locking you up there is nowhere near to what I've said to him."

"But Winter, I really am fine." I pressed. "It was just a little cramped, that's all. He surely has his reasons for doing so."

My sister did not answer anymore thus our dwindling conversation ended just like that. Glad that she dropped the subject, I observed the paintings that decorated the vast walls. I saw a portrait of me and Winter out in the snow. There were also others that looked like from my dream. Baby portraits, the ancestors of the Schnee lineage, and some paintings of snowflakes. What captured my interest was that of that largest painting that showed both our parents with Winter and I.

Pristine ivory hair, not a strand out of place.

Cold blue eyes that differ in shade with every family member. I had the brightest one of all.

And last but not the least, the Schnee emblem stitched on our clothing.

Father used to remind us all the time of the importance of it.

"That is why, my little snowflake, you should learn this by heart." He said while taking a sip from his glass.

"You can never really tell the difference between one snowflake and another. Like us people, we all have the same structure and are pretty similar despite our differences," He ruffled her hair affectionately.

"With literally billions of us, no one is going to notice you unless they care enough to look closely. Someday, someone will find great value in your uniqueness and they would learn to accept you wholeheartedly."

"Just like how you loved Mother!" the little one cried and his Father lifted him up. "And how she loved you back!"

"Indeed. Your Mother was a terrible dancer, she always stepped on my toes when we danced at parties. I've gotten used to wearing hard-leather shoes so there would be less pain." He reminisced. "She had a large appetite for everything and surpassed even me. She was also awful at telling lies. Her incessant mumbling always gave it away."

"Yet you still love her?"

"Why, of course! Your mother may not be a good dancer but she had a voice of an angel. She cooked us delicious meals everyday and I wonder why I'm still so fit after eating as much as she did. Her metabolism was something to account for. She was brutally honest with everything too, Winter got that from her I'm sure."

"I heard you, Father." Winter piped in, sitting down beside them. "There's nothing wrong in telling the truth."

"See what I mean?" the little girl giggled in return and her older sister made a face.

"I am no saint, mind you. Clearly, I have a bit of a short temper regarding specific things just like you little snowflake."

"That is not true!" the little one argued. Winter gazed at him and raised a brow.

"That's not all, you are also quite stubborn with the pettiest of issues." chided the eldest daughter. She smirked when his face twitched. "Prideful and a little conceited."

"Father likes to brag about lots of things too." added the little one as revenge.

"There's no need to pick on little old me," he poked her tiny nose. "And that's what makes us different from each other. Your mother was one of a kind. She made me see things from a different angle and learn to understand things from her perspective.

" I …changed because of her." He whispered the last part with sadness."And I hope you do too."

"Are you going to be alright now that Mother is gone?"

"As long as you two are here, I know that your Mother is watching over us with a smile."

The importance of our emblem was to remind that we are like a snowflake; all different in our own beautiful way and no two are ever alike. The human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action, our problems are most complex and, too often, silently borne.

"Something in your mind, Weiss?" Winter asked.

"I was thinking of Mother." I quietly replied. "Do you miss her too?" She nodded and brushed the top of my head with her hand.

When we arrived at the door to where Father was, Winter didn't miss a minute to barge in unexpectedly. She sure knows how to make an entrance. With determination in her stride, her loud footsteps echoed in the room, signaling our presence.

Father stood infront of a dusty window and turned when my sister addressed him. I had never seen him look so much his age. His once proud hair that he neatly kept back was sticking out in odd angles. Not to mention his moustache that looked like he hasn't shaved for a while. His clothes were a bit ruffled and had the same design but he did not look like himself because the once prim and proper father I once knew had succumbed to whatever feeling he had.

Probably guilt.

"Winter… " He stated in disbelief. "Why haven't you contacted me all this time? I was getting worried when I haven't received a single letter for the past-"

"We need to talk." Winter's stern voice interrupted him and she pushed me towards him as an indication to what the conversation is headed to. She quietly urged me to speak and I was too afraid to speak up. I merely stuttered a word and quickly shut my mouth right afterwards from sheer embarrassment.

He stepped forward and his eyes locked with mine. His eyes grew wide with confusion and continued to stare at me with wonder. I grew uncomfortable to his gaze as I shrunk further to the wheelchair. Under his scrutinizing stare, I began to sweat profusely.

Just when I was about to speak again, he knelt down. "Weiss…" I saw sparks in his eyes like the first time I saw Blake on the mirror. His trembling hand gently brushed my scar and he unceremoniously threw his arms around me. "My little snowflake."

It was like that I was wrapped in his embrace and he pulled down Winter with him. His hot tears sprayed against our clothes and face. "My girls…"

I knew Winter had unfinished business with him but even she can't interrupt him at a time like this. I saw her eyebrows furrow but kept silent through it all. When he was finished wiping his tears, Winter looked down on him and asked.

"Why did you lock her up when I specifically told you to keep an eye on her?"

"Winter, please-"

"No, Weiss. Don't defend him. He locked you up there, in simple terms, he left you there alone while he could've taken care of you. Now, what do you have to say for yourself, Father?"

I fell silent to her and I knew Winter did have the authority since she was older. When mother left, she began to take charge and did things her way. Father had no choice but to answer her honestly. We waited for him to talk as he was still crouching beside me. "I take all the blame for Weiss' confinement because it was the only choice I had at that time."

Winter scoffed at his answer. A well-known action that said 'pathetic'. "I was absolutely terrified. When you disappeared and we were the only ones left, I was terrified of losing both of you." He continued. "I did not know your full condition when you went to war and… I was afraid of someone taking Weiss away from me. To lose both of you… my heart can't bear that much pain…"

"You're the only people I have left… I can't lose anymore…"

The following day, I woke up without Blake at my side. I was in my old room, refurnished to what it was like before. It felt wonderful to be back at my room again but not having Blake's mirror in it was disquieting for me. It didn't feel right at all.

Two knocks at my door and Winter came in, carrying a platter of food. "Good morning, Weiss." She placed it on my bedside and she kissed my forehead. "I take it you slept well."

"Good morning to you too. It felt nice to be back in my room." I noticed she was wearing her uniform and not casual clothes.

"Rest easy for now, Weiss. Father will check on you in a while."

"Are you going somewhere?" I asked while I rubbed the drowsiness from my eyes.

"I have important business to attend to." She ruffled my hair a bit before standing up. "I'll see you in a few weeks."

I shot my hand from under the covers and tugged on her sleeve. "You're leaving again? But you just got here."

"Just for a short while. I'll be back before you know it."

When the door closed, the temperature inside my room dropped a few degrees. I begrudgingly ate breakfast and just sat there on my bed after finishing. My cane wasn't in its usual spot beside me so I couldn't explore my room.

Father came inside my room after I was beginning to fall asleep from utter boredom. He looked surprisingly better than yesterday. His clothes were ironed and his hair was back to its slick form. "Good morning, Father." I greeted with a grin. He sat next to me and poked my nose which I playfully swatted away. "Hey! I'm no child anymore." I laughed.

"Good morning, little snowflake." He replied. He apologized countless times yesterday that I had memorized the words by now. Winter wasn't fully convinced of his explanation as she believed he was still making up excuses. "Are you still exhausted?" He tried to pull the sheets and tuck me into bed but I wrestled him, telling him that I was fine. "I'll let you stay in bed today and postpone our activities." He used this trick on me when I wandered around and played while I was sick. Wrapping me tightly with the covers worked wonders as a child but I beg to differ this time around. I had gotten bigger after all.

"Father, pleaaaase! I want to get out from this room." He chuckled as he removed the constricting sheets and relented to let me take a breather. Father reached on to the dresser where my brush and tie were and started to fix my hair. Winter taught me how to take care of my hair when Mother passed but there were times that Father would volunteer in doing it for me. Quality time with him like this is like no other.

He's gentle with it, taking time from brushing from the top all the way down. The length of my hair has grown quite long and it's been a while since we did this again. He hums a familiar tune sung by Mother and I sang alongside him as he kept on brushing my hair.

To someone as foolish as me,

You gave your love

and your affection.

For listening and crying to this song,

Thank you.

He wasn't as great as Winter or Mother when they tied my hair but he did what he could even if it was a little bit unstable and messy.

"Is my little snowflake ready?"

"Quite so, thanks to you."

He assisted me on the wheelchair and we were on our way to whatever he has planned on this day.

While my mind was pre-occupied with spending time with my Father, I had momentarily forgotten about Blake still waiting for me to call her name.

RIP Blake