A cold breeze blew in through the window, pushing the curtains up and casting a golden halo over Blossom's resting frame. She shivered slightly and curled tighter into herself, tossing to the side so the thin line of sunshine heated her face. Letting out a satisfying groan, she arched her back and stretched her body out over the sheets.

She felt like she had slept for a thousand years. Her body weighed down and the corners of eyes crusted from sleep. The room around her seemed foggy as her eyes slowly adjusted to the light.

She looked around the room, the door to her room still thrown open wide and a pot of steamy water sat on the dresser at the foot of her bed. She was still dressed in her clothes from the other morning before and her bed a mess from her night's rest.

The mornings sun peeked through her curtains lighting her room with a yellow glow each time the wind blew, letting in the tingling smell of fresh frost.

"Six hours."

She turned her attention to Nigel who now leaned against her door frame. A long silver tray in hand as made his way over to the foot of her bed.

"Six hours of uninterrupted sleep. No screaming. No tossing and turning. Just peaceful sleep." He hummed, a smile glowing on his face.

Blossom rubbed the kink in her neck and smiled back at him. "I didn't realise how tired I was…" She looked down at her wrinkled dirty gown. "Or that I had fallen asleep at all…" She admitted sheepishly.

Nigel clicked his tongue at her. "You fell asleep with that dirty book in your hand. Nose to the pages and still seated upright. At first glance I didn't even notice your eyes were shut." He waved off, carefully setting out small plates of bread, cheese and a few pieces of smoked goat.

The scent made her nauseous from how hungry she was. Cups of water weren't exactly as filling as she wanted them to be.

Continuing with his tasks, Nigel flung open the curtains and marched over to the almirah. Gently he removed a few fur lined dresses and hung then up for display on a tall standing mirror. "I have reserved a large pool in the hot springs for you. You smell like rotting wood, you need a bath."

Blossom opened her mouth to object but Nigel put a finger to her mouth before she could speak.

"Shh. Not a word. We have plans today. Your nightmares didn't terrorize your mind, so I am taking it as a sign that we don't have to worry about it for today. Instead we can spend the day worrying about you."

Blossom crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. She was fine. She didn't have time for these distractions.

"Do not look at me like that." He huffed, placing his hands on his hips and glaring at her. "I may be the dead man here. But you are the one who reeks of it." He snapped, dramatically pinching his nose.

Blossom sighed and made her way over to the two gowns. Nigel had nothing better to do with his life than to argue with her and seeing as he was an already dead being there was no point in fighting him

Blossom danced her fingers over the white fur collared dress. This dress would hug her frame tightly making it hard to do anything other than sit and was often too hot for her day to day tasks. Although it was a beautiful gown with a shimmering rose gold colour, it was one of Blossom's least favorite out of them all.

"What are the plans exactly?" She asked, eyeing the gowns.

"Breakfast, bath and perhaps a walk through the town. Fresh air might heal your mind." Nigel nodded, stealing a piece of smoked meat.

Blossom settled on a pale pink dress. The chest piece hugged tightly but was harder to tell from the short cut long sleeved white fur coat she wore with it. The bottom skirt breezed out and gracefully danced around her ankles even with her flatter brown nosed boots. It was easy to move and breath in, while still looking professional. It was also a comfortable wear, and something she could adjust depending on how the temperature grew.

"Fine choice my dear." He nodded, taking it in his hands and leading Blossom through the halls.

With a quick look back, Blossom decided to wait on breakfast and hurry after Nigel.

Her castle often remained empty besides a few guards who insisted on staying and Nigel. The halls were littered with cobwebs and mountains of untouched paintings and statues. It was also roughly half the size of most castle like structures and barely met the title itself. It was more of a slightly larger stone home. She had her study, kitchen and bedroom and that was all she really needed. Before the wall was put up a war room used to own most of the castle, but now it remained as an empty map room.

Blossom rubbed her arms as Nigel lead them outside into the crisp air. It'd been a while since she's taken a trip to the hot springs. The springs weren't too far from the castle, but far enough it may have been a wiser choice to wear a small jacket of some sort.

Fresh fluffy snow covered the demolishing town and graced the land with a sparkling white coat of hope. The chilled air filled her lungs as if she had just swallowed a handful of mint.

"For the queen of ice you sure are letting the cold get to you today, my dear." Nigel spoke with clear amusement in his voice. Of course as an already cold dead being he could never understand just how chilly this morning really was.

Blossom frowned, wrapping herself tighter. "Not the queen of ice. The queen with a heart of ice. That's what they would call me." She corrected him, shaking her head trying to forget those times.

It had felt like only yesterday she couldn't leave the comfort of her home without mocking voices rushing her ears.

They didn't understand the choices she made were to protect them. To do what was best for not just her but her people in general. They weren't easy choices. She fought with herself and questioned what she did nearly every night until a new challenge presented itself. But in their eyes she was the woman who ruined their lives….

She felt a pair of boney arms wrap themselves around her. Before she could object Nigel cradled her head into his shoulder as she burst into tears. His voice soft as he spoke.

"Those times are over. That happened a very long time ago. You're the longest living queen yet you dwell on the past far too much." He let her go, turning away and walking back down the path. "And as I said, the queen of ice. My dear you are the queen of Tamilu. The frozen land. You have mastered the whispering winds incantation when no other being has even been known to spark a small amount of that power. You are the one and true ruler of this icy prison. Blossom the queen of ice." He said proudly, every word he spoke was nothing but the truth.

Blossom smiled, quicken her pace to match Nigel. His weird actions and awful speeches never failed to make her feel better.

"You do have a heart made of ice. The very same ice that shields these fields and chills our enemies. Take pride in it. And use it."

Blossom nodded her head, relaxing her shoulders and letting the air chill her to the bone. It was oddly refreshing for her. But only for a moment before the goosebumps crept to her skin and she held tightly onto herself once again.

Nigel stopped just before towering iron gates. Images of blossoming roses and thorned branches prevent anyone from slipping past the fence. Twisted white steam peeked just above the gate and the smell of mud in fresh rain followed close behind. A small stone hut could be seen just past the bubbling pools of water.

"Now, Juliet has prepared a private pool for you. As well as warmed some towels and has been armed with a brush and scissors. So please do not fight her." He did a once over on the frail sickly woman.

Blossom shook in her boots holding tightly onto herself. Her hair still frazzled and untamed. It would take more than a bath and a fresh haircut to bring her back to her original state. But it was a start.

"I don't want to come back to a skeleton who fell into a burr bush." He narrowed his eyes before shoving the gates open.

Blossom rolled her eyes and shoved past the man disappearing into the clouds of steam and into the warmth of the bath house.

The hot water felt good on her aching body. She couldn't remember the last time she had taken a bath. It had felt as if she had shed her old skin, leaving a raw new softer layer instead.

She danced her fingers on the surface of the water, watching the ripples hurry away from her. A closed wooden door sealed all sound inside, leaving her completely alone and at peace.

Slowly as she lifted her fingers the water rippled back to her, colouring the water a dark red as it passed. The candles around her blew out causing the room to flicker into complete darkness. The water grew heavy and sticky, dragging her under. Her eyes burned and her throat filled with the red water. As if someone held onto her ankles, digging their nails into her skin forcing her deeper. Denying her air.

Ghostly figures laughed at her, poking and jabbing at her as they circled. Familiar faces of people she had known or knew now flashed before melting away. Cries of pain and pleads for help swirled in her ears.

She clenched her eyes shut and clawed at the water desperately trying to reach the surface. The water around her began to cool, slowly freezing the surface and sealing her under just as her fingertips brushed the top of the waters.

She threw her fists against the ice screaming for help, only to breath in more water and forcefully dragged deeper into the never ending pool.

Thick arms hooked under her arms, forcing her body up. Her torso burned as the two beings began to rip her in half. Tugging roughly in opposing directions.

A faint voice called out but she wouldn't listen. She continued to fight and scream. Water thrashed and mute bubbles failed to surface.

"MY QUEEN STOP FIGHTING ME!" A thick voice yelled, shattering the ice above.

Strong arms lifted her from the waters and threw her onto the rocky ground beside it. She landed headfirst with a hard think, cutting her forehead. The room spun faster than she could focus, not quite catching the strangers face before everything clouded over into nothing.

"You must be more careful…" Juliet sighed, tucking in the tale of the bandage in. "Perhaps a private bath wasn't such a good idea?" She joked, making a mental note for the future.

Blossom sighed, feeling around the growing lump on her head. In her struggles she managed to give herself a decent sized gash as well as a growing lump on her head.

"Nigel is going to be upset. He sent me away to get cleaned up. Not come back looking like a dog who lost the fight." She shook her head lightly.

The small amount of movement spun her around enough to make her sick. She clutched her stomach, trying to take even breaths to calm herself. Her discomfort going unnoticed by Juliet.

The strong woman flashed her a toothy smile.

"I know just the trick!" With a wink she turned her back to Blossom, rummaging through her large leather bag. "I used this very trick on my girls this morning. Tiny Tina was a little to rough and really did a number on her sister." She chuckled turning back.

She snapped the thin pair of scissors between her fingers a few times smiling over Blossom.

"Don't cut too much. That's an order, as your queen." The injured woman gritted between teeth.

Before she became queen, Blossom would wear her hair in a short style or tied high on her head. She was never a fan of the light tickle her hair did when it got too long. Or how often it would get caught in everything. Luke was the one who had begged her to try growing it out. At first it was a joke, but after he said he liked it she never changed it. Slowly growing it longer while they were together. Of course he liked her short hair as well. He liked everything about her.

Juliet grabbed a fist full of the hair that covered Blossoms face and cut off a large amount. She continued to trim and brush Blossoms hair until it flowed nearly down her back and the hair in front was cut neatly into bangs just past her eyebrows.

Juliet took a step back to admire her work and tapped her finger to her chin. The large bump made her bangs appear slightly lopsided causing the hair to part just enough for the bandage to peek through.

Blossom huffed blowing her bangs off her face and rolled her eyes. "I feel like a child…" She grumbled.

"It is about to get worse." Juliet smirked, taking the silk ribbon from around her neck and tying it into a large floppy bow on top of Blossom's head. "There. Now no one will notice the goose egg."

Blossoms cheeks burned a bright red and raised her hand to object. "No one will take me seriously like this…" She whimpered. Before she could get another word in Juliet pushed the gown into her arms and turned her back.

"I would have left you alone to change. But you're not trusted enough to bath alone, so I'm afraid to let you dress yourself." Juliet teased.

Blossom huffed in response, glaring at Juliet. Her eyes never leaving the woman's back as she disrobed.

Thin long hand prints were left purple and bruised on her ankles. Lines of dried blood stained down into her shoes. She brushed the marks with her fingers and winced. They burned as if someone held a red hot coal in between her fingers and ankles.

The marks squirmed as she drew her hand back, crawling up her legs and sliding up to her back. As they moved she could feel them, slithering as if they were snakes under her skin.

Blossom grabbed at her skin as the marks moved trying to catch it, afraid of what was hidden under her.

"You alright dear?" Juliet asked, her head tempting to turn towards the ruckus.

"Yes! Yes everything is fine. Just an issue with my skirt!" Blossom called back, snapping her attention to the crumpled dress on the ground.

"Do you require assistance?"

"No. No thank you, Juliet. I think I have it all figured it out."

Blossom snatched the dress on the ground quickly tugging it over her head. "I suppose I should go back and meet Nigel now… Thank you Juliet. For everything. Truly." Blossom smiled, ducking out the door and hurrying out of the bath house.

The air around her was different than when she had entered. The clouds circling like vultures above the town. The chill that once crept to her bones now was nothing more but a warm breeze.

"Blossom. I'm afraid our day must be cut short." Nigel whispered, hooking his arm around hers.

Blossom looked up at him confused as he quickly pulled her back to the castle.

"While waiting for you I took a short trip to the shops. Everything seemed fine at first… but.." Nigel bit his lip and glanced around.

Blossom raised a brow. "What is going on. Nigel if something is wrong I must know. This is my kingdom."

"Blossom. Back when I was a young lad, a very dangerous disease circled around. Our entire population almost died out. It was brought to us by a Grilbend Soldier."

"Are you assuming that somehow it's back?" Blossom chirped.

Nigel nodded.

"The same oozing blue and red sores are glowing over the townspeople again. I don't know how it's returned. But if it's brought by the Grilbend men again then…"

Blossom shook her head. "Impossible. The wall protects us from any one who wishes to intrude." She turned her full attention to Nigel. Studying his face. "How did you get rid of it before?"

"Locking the sick away and letting them die in the hollow ice floors. Far outside of the walls."

Blossom narrowed her eyes and nodded. "I want the sick secured in their homes and have what medical staff we have left do what they can."

She took a deep breath and turned to the path leading to the city center.

"I won't give up on my people. I won't leave them to die in the cold."

Nigel shook his head. "We didn't leave our people last time. We were saving them. Not everyone can be helped Blossom. And I will not lose you over your foolish attempt to save those who are already dead."