Jasmine woke up the following day with a chill. Helen or another maid had come in and opened the windows. Her curtains were fluttering in the wind, and rays of light were sneaking through the gaps, right into her eyes. She tried to grab one of her pillows and cover her face so she could go back to sleep to no avail. Finally, she stood up, unable to go back to sleep, and repeated her daily bathing, dressing, and then eating.

Helen was absent all morning, and with nothing to do and nobody to talk to, she left her rooms with Sir Darius and went down to the library. She was supposed to be receiving schooling from a scholar, but she ditched her lessons so often that her parents had given up. They had struck a deal where Jasmine had to prove that she wasn't falling behind her brothers in terms of education. Her parents thought this was harder than school, but her brothers were thick as mud, except for Mikael. He was the only other member of her family that had shared her love for reading.

After a short walk, she arrived at the library, and the guards slammed their spears once in recognition before swinging the doors open. The library was empty as usual, and the only people inside were all hidden away, researching by themselves or just seeking the peace and quiet that a library offered.

She briefly skimmed the aisles of books before going back to her nook in the back of the library. Someone must have cleaned up because her books, including 'King's Requiem,' were missing. Before she sat down, she went back to skim the aisles for a new book, but unfortunately, nothing caught her eye. She moved over to the section that housed the romance novels and ran her hands over all of the familiar titles. Finally, after a fruitless search that lasted for ages, she settled on a book she had read before.

She sat down, tucking her knees to her chest and pulling out the book. She opened the cover a flipped through a couple of pages before reaching the prologue. She started skimming the text to remember what it was about. She was on the third page when she heard Helen call her name. It took a few seconds to register. She looked up at Helen with a puzzled expression.

"What?" Jasmine asked a little too sharply.

"I said," she paused dramatically, reiterating the point to Jasmine that she had already said this. "Your father and brother's party has been spotted. They will be here shortly." she finished with a sigh.

Jasmine stood up abruptly. "How far-I mean how long until they get here?" she asked, excitement creeping into her voice.

"They are around the town, so maybe 30 minutes?" Helen had taken Jasmine's book that she had dropped when she stood up and placed it on the table beside her chair.

Jasmine didn't waste a second. She started walking past Helen and called back over her shoulder, "We need to hurry!" She needed to get dressed and presentable to meet them when they arrived. Jasmine set a brisk pace as she and Helen walked back to her rooms. They arrived shortly, and she promptly let Helen pick out a dress to pull over her and a matching cloak to go with it. They were both dark shades of violet, almost black, and then she added an accompanying black fur to wrap around her neck. Helen pinched her cheeks lightly for a natural blush, and then they departed to meet up with her mother.

The queen was standing in the castle's main hall, similarly dressed to Jasmine, except her gown was a royal blue with gold embroidery. Her mother also sported a pair of white gloves lined with grayish-white fur. She turned and smiled softly and approached Jasmine. She embraced her with a light kiss on her cheek and muttered something about how spectacular Jasmine looked. They stood together, waiting for the signal of the arrival of the king.

A loud trumpet signalled the arrival of the party. Jasmine walked out through the front doors with her mother beside her and Helen in tow. Two large horse-drawn carriages came into view first. Both are a dark shade of indigo with black accents. They pulled, sideways, to a stop a couple of paces from where Jasmine and her mother stood. Her father stepped out first. He looked just as she remembered him, save for a few new gray hairs peppering his thick brown crop. He was Large. He had a physique that showed that in his prime, he was fit and muscular in his prime, but now the years had put on a couple of extra pounds. He had the same piercing eyes as her brothers.

He straightened his coat with a couple of swift swipes and then took broad steps toward Jasmine and the queen. He stopped in front of Jasmine, first looking angry. Then, after a few seconds, he broke into a crooked grin and hugged Jasmine so tight he lifted her off of the ground. When he finally put her down, his eyes were glistening. She had to crane her neck so she could look him in the eyes.

"You look so grown up." She could not take it if he started crying. At nearly every monumental moment in her life, her father wept like a newborn, and she often joined him. When someone else was crying, she broke into tears as well.

Before her father could break down sobbing, her mother stepped forth and gave him a look of pure ice. "Oh, don't mind me, I'm just chopped liver," she said flatly.

The look on her father's face was something akin to a kicked puppy. He quickly grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles, and the queen dropped the angry facade breaking into a large grin herself. Before her father could say anything else, her brother, Darian, stepped out of the other carriage. He was wearing a soft smile, but it was off putt by the large scar from the top of his brow, over his permanently closed eye, and then down across his lips. The cut was old, considering that it had completely healed.

He stopped before the queen first. Jasmine's mother looked just as shocked as she when she beheld the scar. She reached her gloved hand up to trace the scar lightly. "When did this happen?" her mother's voice was quiet.

"This?" he said, gesturing to his face. "One morning, I fell out of bed with a particularly nasty hangover and tripped on a stick." He was amused with himself. At least the war didn't change his sense of humour. Before her mother could scold him, he wrapped his arms around Jasmine and smiled. He whispered into her ear too quietly for everyone else to hear, "I have a gift for you. Remind me later." with a wink, he was back to bickering with her mother.

Jasmine tapped her father on the back of his shoulder. "Where is Isaiah?" Everyone was here except for him. And Mikael, of course. "He should be here any second. He was riding that horse he's so fond of." Isaiah had a stallion like Grace. His horse, Bellion, was the yin to Grace's yang. He was a rich shade of black and was always ready to bolt off. Isaiah had let Jasmine ride him one time, only for her to be nearly bucked off.

More supply carts carrying belongings came filtering through, but Isaiah was not here yet. Her father and mother were beginning to walk back to the front doors when the distinctive clop of horse hooves rang through the courtyard. Isaiah looked utterly different. He left for the war at 14, being only a year older than Jasmine and the youngest of her brothers, and now three years later, he was a man. He had grown into his spindly and lanky frame and was as tall if not taller than her father. He had the same hair but darker eyes, like juniper. He jumped off of Bellion and jogged over to where Jasmine and the rest of her family waited.

"Sorry," he said, smiling mischievously like he was not sorry at all. "I got stuck behind the mountains of junk that father insisted we bring back." He patted Jasmine's head, ruffling her hair, and then moved over to her mother. He hugged her tightly and then stepped back.

"Well then, now that the tear-jerking reunion is over with, can we go inside. I'm freezing my ass off here." Darian broke the silence. Her mother looked like she might tear into him then and there but instead lightly smacked him on the arm and then looped the same arm through her fathers and led them into the castle. Most of the servants were standing in lines awaiting the king's arrival, save for those that were now working on the feast, all bowed in unison as the Verglass's walked in. Her father dismissed them with a smile and a wave, and then they were all guided separate ways back to their rooms.

Darion went by himself, and her mother and father also went together. Jasmine decided to follow Isaiah up the winding stairs that led to his rooms into one of the highest parts of the castle. They walked in silence so that only they could hear the shuffle of their feet on the stone steps. When they reached to top, her legs were burning, and she was breathing heavily.

He opened the door with a light shove and walked right over and plopped onto the couch, with one arm behind his head that sat to the side of the lounge in the main foyer. There were two more chairs, a carpet, and a coffee table in the middle. He pulled out a dagger of its sheath at his side and then tossed it into the air. He caught the point first and then repeated the motion.

"So?" Jasmine asked.

He paused, throwing the knife to look at her."So what?"

"how was..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say. How was the war? Was it Scary? Sad? Did you see Mikael die? "How was the war?" she decided on the safe option.

"Well, for one thing, there was a lot more talking than I thought there would be. Endless negotiations and parleys and messengers bearing white flags. In all truth, it was quite boring." He was now resting an arm across his forehead and covering his eyes.

"What of battle?" She paused and then spoke very quietly, "What happened to Mikael?"

Isaiah clenched his teeth, causing the muscle in his jaw to twitch, "We don't know. There was a fight, and he didn't come back. Nobody could find his body." he spoke quickly, but it didn't sound like a lie. "As for your other question. the bloody details of war should not be the concerns of a lady." He added with a smirk and ended the discussion. "However, we will be holding a banquet or ball or whatever else father intends to scheme up as a show of good graces to the kings and queens and the courts of Lorencio and Nynniaw. They should all be arriving tomorrow or the day after, I believe."

This was big news. Isaiah was up and pacing around the room. He could never stand still without fidgeting, and it was all the worse when he was nervous. He was always scolded when he was being tutored for never paying attention.

"What are they like?" Jasmine asked.

"The royalty? No clue we never had the pleasure of acquainting ourselves. Their soldiers, on the other hand, were tough bastards." For however much Isaiah teased her about being a lady, he always treated her like any other one of his friends, like she was normal. Jasmine loved him for it.

"What do you mean 'their soldiers'? Are we not hosting both the royalty from Lorencio and Nynniaw?" she asked.

"You haven't heard?" He narrowed his brows together, looking confused. "Lorencio and Nynniaw have banded together and are now going to be one country. That is the main reason we were able to come to terms with ending the war." He finished.

She had just learned more about the world in five minutes than all she had learned in the last five years. She stood up and brushed the front of her dress before speaking again. "Well then, thank you for speaking with me, brother. But, unfortunately for you, I must leave to go get a gift from Darian."

"Oh deary me, how will I ever pass the time without your charming presence?" he put a hand to his face dramatically.

Jasmine left before he could say anymore and stuck her tongue out as she left. She may or may not have also added another vulgar gesture. She walked down the halls by herself towards Darian's rooms. Helen was most likely getting her a dress ready for tonight and possibly tomorrow if the other royalty arrived on time. The castle was busy with the return of all of the soldiers and knights. Most of the soldiers lived in the surrounding countryside or the village, but most knights lived in the castle. Maids were all bustling about on various errands.

She found Darian's rooms in no time. She knocked and was ushered in shortly after he called from where he was seated at his desk. When she walked in, he was hunched over some papers and was scribbling down letters almost frantically. After she moved to sit down in front of his desk, he finally looked up and gave her a brief smile.

He crossed his fingers and rested them on top of the desk. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he said, still smiling.

"Well, I believe that there was talk of a gift that you had for me," said Jasmine Haughtily. Jasmine could never refuse the temptations of gifts. So every year at Moormonder, the day of rebirth, she always snooped around and opened her presents early.

"I'm honestly surprised you didn't follow me back to my rooms and pester me until I gave in." he finished, smirking.

"Haha, very funny. Now give me the gift," said Jasmine as she leaned slightly forward.

"Did you lose your manners while we were gone? I seem to remember you were always the one on Moormonder telling me, Isaiah, and Mikael to slow down."

'That's because I already knew what we were all getting' Is what she wanted to say. " Please?"

"Wow, you're using the puppy eyes. How important is this gift to you? Maybe I should wait until tomorrow?" He was choking back laughter. "If you ask me nicely, I'll give it to you."

"Favorite brother, will you please give me the gift that you brought back for me?" she asked with a sigh of defeat.

"Of course, my dearest sister," he said mockingly. He reached below his desk, nearly falling out of his chair, and pulled out a thin and long dark-coloured wooden box. The box was engraved with intricate symbols and designs she couldn't place. The box opened from the top via a sliding lid. Jasmine pulled on the wooden lip of the lid slowly, tensing in preparation for something to spring out at her. Instead, the cover slid off with a rasping wood-on-wood noise and revealed a long double-edged dagger with a black hilt and a pearly white iridescent blade.

Her mouth hung open as she fingered the blade, prodding. The hilt, upon further inspection, was wrapped in a soft black material different from any leather or snakeskin or hide Jasmine had ever seen. Moreover, the blade's surface seemed to be constantly swirling, as if it were smoke. "Where did you find this?" Jasmine asked, astounded.

"Well, to be honest, it's a very long story with questionable morals and motives on my part, so I'll spare you the details. But, anyhow, how do you like it?" He asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I love it." She nearly stabbed him by accident as she jumped over the table to hug him."I love it. I love it. I Love it!" She was practically squealing.

Jasmine had released him from the death grip that she called a hug so he could get a breath in. "I don't know if you'll get to use it often. Honestly, I hope you never need to, but at least you'll be prepared should you need to." He finished, standing up. With one last hug from Darian, Jasmine took the box with the dagger in it and left to go back to her room.

While walking back to her room, she couldn't help but slide the box open and fiddle with the dagger. Every time that she looked at the blade, she swore she could see more tiny details. Arriving back at her room, she was greeted by Helen. She immediately walked to her room and ushered Helen to follow her. She brought the dagger of its accompanying black sheath and handed it to Helen.

Helen, seemingly confused at what to do with it, asked, "Well?"

"Well, isn't it amazing?" Jasmine asked.

"Well, I don't think that it will go with any of your outfits, but it would make a nice decoration."

"Well, I think that it would go with all of my outfits. I want to get belts made so I can wear them at all times. , But, wait, do you think it would be better across my back? Or maybe along my thigh? I don't know... what do you think, Helen?"

Helen, now used to Jasmine's indecisiveness, simply smiles and nods. "I think that they will all look great and that the great thing about being a princess is that you can have all three if you would like, but right now, I think we should go get some dinner."

"Ugh, fine, but I want to wear it tomorrow?" Jasmine said more, asking than stated.

"Of course."