"It's a girl, Your Majesty."

Unlike with the bulk of these sorts of time rifts that Hat Kid had entered, the visions that followed played out with their main focus on an entirely different set of people—specifically, two royals and their newborn daughter. Vanessa… Short as it was, the child could still recognize the future queen's vibrant, golden hair. The girls were now stuck watching the young knight watch someone else.

Although it wasn't uncommon, it made her all the more concerned on the knight's behalf. Time Rifts that focused on multiple people had their reasons for doing so. Sometimes, it was because of shared memories: Other times, it was thanks to how much attention the Time Rift's owner gave to others and their importance in that individual's life. For example, Vanessa was tied to her prince and the Dwellers were tied to each other. Unlike those though, this set of memories clearly showed signs of manipulation through magic. These memories weren't necessarily important to the knight himself, but important thanks to the corrupt power over him robbing his attention of anything else.

The next vision was bathed in the same muted tones as the first. While the small crowd around them celebrated the then princess' birth, he and the other guard present stood near the bedroom door with stern, almost vacant expressions. Only her first cries of life seemed to move them, twitching as if in reaction to a perceived threat before forcing themselves at ease once more.

Although Hat Kid had read some things about Vanessa's mother form her scattered diary pages, she hadn't seen anything about her father. Vanessa didn't share much of a resemblance to him, instead—save for her darker shade of blonde locks—looking like the spitting image of her mother. Nevertheless, the king fawned over her at first sight, leaning against the bed and gazing at her like an eager puppy.

"A girl!" he echoed the midwife's words with a bright smile, "So, you're finally here, our baby girl… Oh, love, she's beautiful!"

In contrast to her husband, those seemed to be the worst words anyone could've given the exhausted queen. Despite how delicately she held the wailing newborn in her arms, she looked angry—not necessarily at the young Vanessa, but at the world for adding another victim to the tragic cycle that ran through her bloodline. As descendants of a snow woman, all girls in their lineage inherited her elemental power. A human body couldn't regulate that, and it inevitably took their lives.

Even now, going through childbirth looked like it had taken more out of the queen than it already normally would. With a pained grimace, she waved her hand in a weak motion, "Someone close the curtains, please…"

One of the maids obeyed and the room suddenly became a whole lot darker. Another placed a cool rag on the queen's forehead as the king leaned over with a gentle, concerned touch, "Are you alright, love?"

She offered him a small smile before pulling her face into an emotionless expression that wouldn't shift again, "Just tired, dear. Let me rest a while and I'll be fine."

He took a step back as she passed the infant to one of the other ladies. Concern lingered in his gaze a moment longer before the king nodded, "We can hold off her public presentation until after you've recovered."

"You want to hold that old custom?"

"Of course! She's the crown princess and I'm her proud father. Why wouldn't I want to show her off to the world?" Regaining his bright disposition, he looked over to the guards, "We'll need you men in top form now! I want our daughter to live a safe, fulfilled life. We're counting on you."

Both of the guards bowed in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The king stepped toward the time rift's owner, gripping his shoulder. His voice dipped into a softer tone, "You've climbed the ranks in such a short time. It would mean a lot to me if you acted as my daughter's personal guard… You know my queen's constitution: She'll likely inherit it. I need eyes on her at all times."

There was a glimmer of pride in the knight's otherwise dispassionate answer, "Yes, Your Majesty. My heart will always be devoted to the royal family—to this generation and forevermore."

The second level had been smaller than the first. Its design hadn't been all that surprising, mimicking one that Hat Kid had already been to of a frozen forest. It reminded her of the chaos she and Bow had to return to, again urging her to hurry despite the timeless state of the rift.

The third level was more unique, with two more storybook pages to add to their steadily growing collection. The manor had become a fragmented labyrinth. Giant furniture barricaded their paths and large toys bridged the way from one section to another over bottomless gaps. The scenery made them feel smaller than they were, giving them an early sense of foreboding for what would come next.

The next flashback carried them a few years forward in time, but only to the next room in the manor: Vanessa's bedroom. Hat Kid almost didn't recognize it: Rather than the sophisticated, somber reds that were familiar to her, the room was covered in bright spring colors. The canopy bed was decorated in pinks and greens, with a mobile of flowers and miniatures of nature spirits hanging above its head. A large dollhouse as impressive as the manor itself sat it one corner of the space, surrounded by a pile of plush toys.

The young princess was tucked under the sheets cradling a fancy-looking stuffed bunny in her arms. Her father sat beside her with a book open on his lap. Standing in the doorway once again was the same guard watching the scene alongside the girls.

"'…so, the soldier revealed the truth of the Underground Castle to the king, showing off the twigs of diamond, silver, and gold he had collected on his journey,'" the king read aloud. "'With the princesses safe at home and their curse broken, the soldier was able to marry the king's eldest daughter at last, and they all lived happily ever after.'"

Toddler Vanessa snuggled deeper under the blankets with her bunny and a smile on her face, "I wish I could be in a fairy tale."

"What are you talking about? You're already in one! A princess living in an enchanted forest, full of amazing creatures and people who adore her…" he chuckled, then kissed her goodnight on the forehead, "You complete Subcon's fairytale, my little sundrop. And one day, I'm sure you're find your happily ever after, just like every princess should."

"And I'll have my prince then too."

"Well… let's hope that part of the story is still a long way off."

Rising from the bed, the king walked over to one of the windows to close the shutters. Eyes widening, Vanessa quickly sat upright and called after him, "No, Papa! Please don't shut it."

"It's only getting colder these days, Vanessa: You'll catch a chill."

"But I'm not cold, and the fairy might come back!"

Again, he grinned, thinking her words were just something of a child's wild imagination. Still, there was enough doubt that he paused, "You saw a fairy?"

Hat and Bow walked further into the room, following to where she pointed to a large sheet of paper lying flat on the nearby desk. Although it was far from a masterpiece, it was eerily similar to a painting Hat Kid had seen before, hanging in that very room. It was a pale girl with long, blue ponytail dancing on a snowy night. At the time, she didn't think much of it—especially as she hid and ducked for her life—but given all she knew now, she thought it was a bit of an odd treasure for Vanessa to keep.

"A snow fairy, Papa, like the ones in 'The Nutcracker!'"

In contrast to the two aliens' curiosity and his daughter's starry-eyed gaze, the king's smile faltered as he looked at the painting—not of a fairy, like Vanessa imagined, but more assuredly of a snow woman. Despite the different reaction he had to Vanessa's birth compared to her mother and how lighthearted he remained around her, he clearly knew enough about the curse of their bloodline to worry about what such a spirit's presence could mean.

"Even fairies need their sleep," he replied at last, swallowing his nerves. He briskly put the painting back down and finished shutting the window. Then he took a long look outside, examining the wood that surrounded the manor. "Just like you. Sweet dreams, sundrop."

"Goodnight!"

Hat and Bow followed the king out as he stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him, leaving the knight there to keep watch. The mirth in his eyes vanished when he was out of Vanessa's sight and he whispered to the young man sternly, "I want more guards on night duty. Keep an eye out for spirits. Do whatever you can to keep them off the grounds and away from the princess. The last thing we need is for them to take too much of in interest in her as well."

The relatively pleasant atmosphere of the previous vision was immediately shattered by the angry scream that greeted the two aliens as soon as they entered the next. Still a toddler, Vanessa was sprawled out in the foyer floor, throwing a tantrum. Her mother looked down at her as still as a monolith, seemingly unshaken by her daughter's cries. If anything, she only looked frustrated. However, even more jarring than that or the cold that emanated from both women were the equally unmovable expressions that surrounded them from the handful of knights and servants nearby.

A kid as young as Vanessa was at the time, having such a fit, inevitably got some kind of response from the people around them. Judgement on the child or the parent; annoyance toward the loud, bratty behavior; pity for whatever hurt the child was going through… Even if a person chose to ignore it and continue on their day, there was always a reaction. Not here. Here, people just stared or kept their heads down with completely, alarmingly neutral expressions. It was as though they were all swayed by the same, strange spell that the knights put themselves under.

"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill, Vanessa," the queen scolded, adjusting the shawl around her shoulders, "It's unbecoming of a princess and if you keep acting like that, we won't reschedule your playdate at all."

"We were s'pposed to have fun today! You promised!" she wailed, kicking her legs in the air, "It's not fair, it's not fair!"

Her mother's tone came out sharper, "Your father and I are going out for work, not fun. Get up, Vanessa."

"Nooo!"

For a moment, it looked like the queen would rip her child off the floor herself, but she stopped short. Reigning herself back in, the woman instead took a deep breath and brushed the skirt of her dress with her hands as though a single wrinkle could disturb the aura of steady calm she pretended to keep. All the same, she didn't offer any comfort either.

Instead, the queen walked around her daughter with the same, bare regard a person might give a mud puddle—just enough to avoid the inconvenience of dirtying oneself. A maid rushed to open the front door for her. A carriage was already waiting. "Will your Majesties be home for supper, or are you dining out?"

"Have a meal ready. We shan't be gone late."

Vanessa froze. At the sign of the woman leaving, she finally lifted her head from the floor with a horrible, tearful gaze. Out of all the ways her own mother could've responded, it seemed the painful was dismissal. She rose to her hands and knees, scrambling to grab the queen's dress before she could walk out.

"N-no… Mommy, no. Take me with you, I still wanna go too! I'll be good!"

The queen watched her daughter softly beg a moment longer, then her eyes drifted down to the tiny hand that grappled at her clothes. Like her, Vanessa already had light skin, but her hand had begun to grow paler. More noticeably, however, was the thin trail of frost that traced the fabric at her fingertips.

She sighed, forcing the child back, "Not today, Vanessa. Not when you keep throwing tantrums like this."

"Mommy!"

The queen's eyes rose to the guard's. Apparently, this had happened so often that he didn't even need an order. Stepping forward, the young man placed two gentle, but firm hands on the princess' shoulders to keep her back while her left the manor. Resuming her fit, Vanessa fought and screamed, but couldn't escape his grasp until the door was shut once more and enough time had passed for the carriage carrying her parents disappeared down the path and out the manor's tall gates.

By then, everyone else had cleared the hall to return to their duties, leaving the guard to handle Vanessa alone. Hat Kid frowned, actually feeling a little sorry for the ice-witch-to-be. Training to be Clocksmiths for as long as they could remember, both she and Bow Kid knew what it meant to take on responsibility from a young age. It meant growing up a little faster and learning how to pick your problems a little sooner. At this point though, Vanessa couldn't have been any older than four, barely old enough to understand her own feelings—much less gage whether the way she acted on them was right or not. At least the young aliens were raised with the kind of support needed to help teach them that.

Vanessa's guard knelt before her, a mild sense of concern breaking through his dispassionate look, "Princess… Please don't cry. What can I do for you? What would you like to do?"

The toddler was still sobbing, hard enough now that her breath hitched and a clear cloud left her with each exhale. Hurt and fury burned in her gaze as it met the young man's. It took her a minute to steady herself enough to shout, "I wanted to go with Mommy!"

The strike came like lightning. Suddenly, Vanessa raised her hand and smacked the knight across the cheek. Although it wasn't powerful enough to throw him, the sound was loud enough to echo through the empty foyer. His eye widened at the impact.

Vanessa seemed surprised by her own actions, flinching with a whimper. Her eyes flickered from the knight's reddening cheek to her own hand and, however softly, she only began to cry more. The young man, meanwhile, didn't really react after the initial hit. It caught him off-guard, but couldn't really hurt him.

He didn't scold her or leave her: He didn't say anything at all. Instead, he just continued to stare, as if her tears alone had consumed his every thought. From an outsider's perspective, it might've looked like tender concern. It took a closer inspection to see that it wasn't true sympathy that drove him, but more of a strong need to pacify the princess by nearly any means.

She knew it and she hated it. As if to dare him to react this time, Vanessa slapped her hand across his face again. And again, there was nothing. She tried it a third time, a fourth, a fifth, and so on until she started screaming once more because not even letting out her anger that way could satisfy her. All the while, he let her have her way; a lonely girl venting to a solemn and cold statue of a person.