To be honest I started this chapter with all to many ideas in my head for this and future chapters. I hope I can navigate it correctly as to not spit to many things at once. Overall I kind of wanted to resolve something that bugged me in the book, and other things (; Anyways I hope you like it!

-A/N

A furry white tale swooped back and forth… There stood a wolf not just any wolf- It was Ryu- he looked at her with intelligent eyes and a low whine escaped his throat, blood crawled from his white fur and dripped down his maw. "Ryu?" she pleaded horrified. She was standing in a unknown place a place she had never seen before. Dark green straggling layered tree coated with this white deposit surrounded her in every direction. Everything was a fresh white, the same white deposits sprinkled down landing on every object in sight. One piece landed on her nose and she felt a prick of cold "snow" she thought. A smile slowly spreading across her face but quickly receding just as fast as it came, she remembered and tottered through the snow, bare feet pinched by the fierce cold. As she came closer blood drops fell from Ryu's coat and stained the snow in turning the pure snow, disgusting and tarnished by humanity's evil. She finally reached Ryu not knowing what to do but running her hand down his silky snout. Suddenly she found herself hypnotised by his eyes which seemed to turn a familiar shade of icy blue. This had to be a dream. She was no longer there, She was waking up. Only things were unfamiliar. She was inhibited by this strange wolfish spirit that seemed to have possessed her, she found herself jerking her head back and forth and letting out hushed wimpers. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and heard a familiar sight. She could've identified that voice or presence anywhere it was Jacin. Her conscious was wavering however still strong enough to sense what was around her. She felt another familiar hand softly brush a curl of hair out of her face, and then words that she could not believe came from his lips. "I love you Princess," he whispered. That alone sent chills spiking up from head to toe. She felt him trace the planes of her face absentmindedly. Then he leaned with all the love and delicateness as if to be handling precious china, and pressed his lips against hers. At that point she could swear if there was a medical condition for one's heart bursting, she had attained it. Sure, her present self had kissed those lips more than one time, but never like this. There was some type of finality to it, and yet hope, an inexpressible love that she could now possess as her own. Then he repeated "I love you, Winter. I always have." Suddenly her dream self's eyes were dragged open, she heard Jacin snap "Dammit, … how long…Were you just pretending to be asleep?" Except in this not completely sane, wolfish state that seemed to take hold of her, all she could do was give him a drunken grin. The scene shifted back and she was in the cold snow again. Sitting face to face with the wolf only this time she noticed all a mound of bloody corpses lying at Ryu's paws. Most unfamiliar but then she saw a few she could recognize. That maid that she used to see in the halls, one of her old guards, A woman that looked vaguely how Winter had pictured her mother, Levana, her father, Jacin... everything felt so real, she felt like she could reach and touch their cold pale hands. She felt bile rise up in her throat and a scream escaped her lips.

She was awake, only thrashing and screaming. Cold sweat slipped down her spine. Suddenly her panting was broken by a loud swing of the door and a booming masculine voice "Your Majesty are you okay?" Only it wasn't Jacin who she would much rather have over him, or anyone for a fact.

She sat up straight and replied "I am fine, just had a nightmare, you can go back to your post now."

"As you wish your highness." With that he left the room closing the door promptly.

Since the insurgence threat all guards worked double-time protecting those of the council and palace in general. It was just a dream she kept telling herself, but everytime she closed her eyes the expressionless faces of the dead flashed across her vision, frightening her more than any of her visions of spiders and ice.

She laid back down, but her brain seemed on high alert, every impulse telling her she was not safe, or rather no one was safe. This paranoia haunted for the next hour of sleepless laying, until finally, she decided to get up. She was going to go to the one person who could make her feel good at times like these, Jacin.

She slipped a robe over her flowy nightwear, feeling a creeping resolve burst in her thoughts. Her curls lay in every which direction, but remained just as silky even in its rougher conditions. She opened the door from her room and attempted to slip out as stealthily as possible, but the guard seemed very attentive even at this hour and notice her failed escape. "My Lady, where are you off too at such times in the night?" He asked concerned.

"Oh, I have been having a craving for some of that earthen caviar I was just about to head down to the kitchens to get some, I did not want to call the maids after all is very late." She said with an innocent smile.

"If you are leaving, I will come down to the kitchens with you-"

She interrupted, "Oh, there's no need for that I am sure I can find my way to the kitchens easily on my own-"

"But your majesty-"

"There is no need for a guard to keep watch over me at every second. I appreciate your concern, but I am simply going to retrieve a snack. I am sure I will not take too long." She gave him one of her innocent smiles, and walked off without looking back. She walked the familiar, and yet, not so familiar corridors that led to the guards quarters feeling anxious. Every dark corner seemed to hold a lifeless face, every staircase a fathomless pit. All she could think of is the blood and the pale faces and those sharp eyes staring keenly at her. She needed to get to Jacins quarters before she burst into tears and would lose all sense of direction.

She walked for what felt like an eternity before finally reaching his familiar door. She crept through the door quietly as she could, and heard movement Jacin woke up groggily and squinted into the inky back darkness.

"Winter? Is that you?"

He wore simple nightwear, his hair seemed to be irregularly disheveled. She wasted no time on formalities, she couldn't wait any longer it felt like every second would bring a new horror to her consciousness. She sped up towards Jacins bed, and fell into his arms. Taken by surprise he asked "What's wrong? Oh stars, Winter your shivering" he wrapped his warm arms around her and held her tightly.

"I had a nightmare." she whispered into his shoulder, she felt tears slip down her cheeks and onto his worn bed.

He pulled her back so her face was only a few inches from his. "I thought the chip was working, that you would stop having such horrible nightmares?" His eyes looked deeply into hers as he brushed his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tears.

"No it's not the lunar sickness, these dreams feel more real and I guess the reality of it is if not more frightening."

"I guess getting the chip does not protect you from having regular nightmares, does it?" He was now running his hands through her, trying to calm her "Just try not to think about any of it, it's just you and me here, right now." With that he resumed holding her, running his hand up and down her back, and letting them just lay there until she felt better.

She was already starting to feel better, it was as if being in Jacins company could bring her out of any trance, out of any nightmare. He is the only thing that is real.

"Jacin?"

He looked down, "Hmm?"

"When I had the dream there was a part that seemed to give me this strange deja vu, flashback feeling."

"What happened?" he asked.

She blushed thinking of the moment. What was she doing? This isn't the time to act all flustered, but what he had said in the vision had felt so intimate, she almost regretted bringing it up. It had been afterall the first time Jacin had openly expressed his true feelings; void of his usual indecisiveness and sarcasm, but what if it was just a dream. Did it really matter?

"Well, I was unconscious then I heard your voice. We were in this medics center. I kept on whimpering like a wounded wolf, for some reason, then…" She took a breath and looked into his eyes with a clear sense of purpose. He looked back her confused. "Then, you said you loved me, and you kissed me. Afterwards I began to regain consciousness, but for some reason I was still not myself; I was in this surreal state. I said something that I can't remember, and then I woke up."

She felt a spark go off in his eyes, he looked at Winter speechless. "How did you remember that? It happened when you had that mental break-down, you still don't remember anything else of it."

She grabbed his hand "Wait, that was real?"

"Yes, it was the first time you went lucid."

Her heart pounded, "So you finally said you love me?"

He interrupted, "Winter, I was feeling hopeless it broke my heart seeing you like that, some part of me thought it would somehow help. It felt like my last chance to admit my feelings." He took a breath, " It probably sounds ridiculous now, but my feelings are always going to remain the same I do love you, I-" She felt a an inexpressible warmth grow in her chest. All she could think of was how sincere, how loving he had said those few words I love you, Winter. I always have. Before anything could stop her she swooped up at caught his lips on hers

"I love you too."

He smiled and resumed kissing her. With all of this she completely had forgotten about the nightmare, all she could think of was how soft his hair was running through her fingers, and how his muscles seemed to shift with every movement. She opened her mouth, and kissing him seemed to reach a whole new level of intimacy. Suddenly she could not get enough of him, she grabbed his face and pressed closer to him then she could ever remember. His hands shifted from her hair, to her neck, to her waist, playing with the hem of her shirt. She leaned forward until she was practically on top of him, both legs straddling his waist, she stripped off her robe, feeling feverish and giddy, she then moved to kissing down his jaw and strong neck.

He let out a groan, she knew he was struggling not take over. It often felt like she was the one to take the first move, but once she started he would not let go of her. She felt heat rise in her abdomen,.She felt suddenly aware of her surrounding We are on his bed she thought In the middle of the night she added Making out, but none of this could stop her when every sense felt so pleased, and every movement so good. She leaned in and started rolling his shirt up his bare chest. He was just as muscular as she'd imagined. She remembered when they were kids and he had been practically a twig, but the difference was vast in many aspects from then to now.

She traced her lips down his chest, his skin seemed so much paler when she compared it to hers which was shades darker in the night.

"Ughh, Winter, you are going to be the end of me some day." She looked up, and smirked, "Is that why you call me Trouble?"

He leaned up, she could see his eyes sparkle "No, because your Trouble, because I would get into trouble doing anything for you." With that he resumed passionately kissing her while attempting to tug her shirt over her head of dark curls. Once he finally got her shirt over her head she silently laughed at the awestruck look on his face when he saw her shirtless. He then proceeded to attacking at her collarbone and and moving on to her chest. She breathed heavily.

Something like this would have never happened under Levana's rule. So many flaws could have occured. The guards could have notified her of Winters disappearance, the cameras could have picked up her walking to the guards quarters, not to mention all of Levana's minions who kept always kept a constant eye on her. But know she was free to be with the boy, no the man she loved. She was no longer another chess piece on Levanas board, allways consenting to Levana's will. She was Winter Hayle-Blackburn, not the crazy princess, not a subject of the Queens constant mockery. She could kiss whoever she wanted, although there was and would only ever be one person she would ever want to kiss.

She felt her hands slide down his chest and grab onto the small of his back, then moved to pressing her fingers around his pantline. She felt low moan escape her mouth, he felt so good pressed against her, giving off immense heat. She reached up her back to undo her undergarment, but she felt his strong hands grip around hers.

"Winter, I don't think we should do anything more. We just haven't moved this far yet, and I don't want us to rush anything."

She leaned down and kissed him lightly. "If that's what you want," she breathed in his ear.

He groaned, "Dammit Winter, you are not making this easy."

"I'm Trouble remember? I'm not supposed to make anything easy," but with that she scooped up her shirt from the floor and readjusted herself on the bed.

"I guess I'll have to settle for cuddling now, won't I?" he sighed.

"It was you not me, remember? But yes you will have to settle for cuddling," she laughed. With that he layed back down on the bed pulling her with him, and before she knew it they were both fast asleep.