Castle Of Ice

The Early Years

I was born in the city of Atlas. The most technologically advanced in all of Remnant. My mother was beautiful and kind. She always cared for us. She was lively and...now that I look at it now that I'm older, most of that was probably a mask. An act she put on for the sake of us. Or father kept chipping away at her until a broken, withdrawn woman was the only thing left. Two things can be true at the same time, I suppose.
The only stable part of my life was my big sister Winter. Oh how I adore her! Smart, beautiful and confident. Everything I wanted to be.
I was five when I heard mother and father argue for the first time. I ran all the way to Winter's room because I was worried.
"Winter? Are you awake?"
"I am now...what's wrong?" She asked. She was obviously tired but I appreciated her talking to me anyway.
"Mommy and daddy are yelling. I don't like it."
"Yeah. They do that. Come here." Winter said and invited me into her bed. She assured me that everything would be okay. Didn't hear a peep out of Whitley though. But I was probably already asleep by then. I spent many nights in Winter's room. Sleeping, playing, reading, talking. Then father scolded me for it.
"Weiss! For Nicholas sake! You're 7 years old. You're big enough to sleep in your own bed by yourself. You have a room! Enough of this nonsense."
"Father, it's fine. I really don't __"
"You stay out of this. If I wanted your opinion, I would ask for it!"
"Don't you talk to my children like that, Jacques!"
"They're my children too, in case you've forgotten. I'll talk to them however I see fit! The house is huge. Go be irrelevant somewhere else."
"Me? You're the one who..." I wouldn't learn till later what she was going to say. Whitley was crying and covering his ears. Begging the two to stop yelling.
"And take the boy with you. Unbelievable, the only boy but acts like his sisters."
"Couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that he's 5, could it?"
Winter said sarcastically. I giggled and father glared at me, making me run up to mother.
"Come on, Weiss. Whitley. Let's go groom the horses and see if they want to go for a ride. Care to join us, Winter?"
"Maybe later. I to do a little more training first. I need to work hard if I'm to make it into Atlas academy."
"That's my girl. Call for Klein if you need anything. If you change your mind..."
"Thank you...mother." With that, we went down the stairs and out the door.
As the years went by, father and mother grew more bitter toward each other, she became more isolated and started drinking. Just a little at first to take the edge off and eventually grew into a problem. Things had gotten so bad that they slept in different wings, separate balconies at my ballet recitals and concerts. Or one wouldn't show up if the other was coming. The only time they would be in the same room was the occasional dinner and social events. Even then, mother would be off in a corner drinking while father was playing host and rubbing elbows with the who's-who of high society and politics. At my tenth birthday party, mother made a scene and called him out. Father's definitely a problem and I understand why she felt like she's lost control of her life and downing copious amounts of alcohol would be a...solution.  But did it have to be on my birthday? She couldn't get it together for one day? Even Whitley managed to be nice for 24 whole hours!
"Settle down now...honey. You're making a scene."
"Being nice to me in front of your 'friends', Jockstrap? That's refreshing. They're as fake as your hair colour!"
'I wish I was at Winter's study sleepover too. Less drunken hot mess antics. I assume.'
"That is enough. You need to sleep this off. Come on! One moment." Father said and went upstairs with her. He came down shortly after and continued the party. When it ended, all the guests were gone and Klein put a partied out Whitley to bed, I listened in to argument 958 and counting.
"Me? I'm an embarrassment? You're the one failing on all fronts. You're a horrible business man, a horrible husband and worse father."
"And I only married you for your family name. Your looks and your last name are the only redeeming things about you."
And there it was. The truth. He didn't want a family, he wanted an empire. He didn't want children, he wanted heirs. And with the murders of family friends and board members and a string of dust robberies, he's gotten even worse. I was sad that Winter was so keen on leaving. Counting the days until she was old enough to run off to boarding school. I thought she wanted to get away from me but I finally understood. She was prioritizing her own mental health and wellbeing. This place was nothing but a huge gas chamber that fills with poison and kills you the longer you stay there.
It was pretty much business as usual around the house after the events of my party. Mother apologized and promised to make it up to me.
Whitley came to laugh at my embarrassment. Father left the house early for work, so it was just her and us and after breakfast, Klein brought me an extra piece of cake with breakfast. Klein really does spoil us. He always knows how to make me smile.
The rest of the year was more of the same; Ballet practice, piano practice, training with Winter (summoning was still kicking my but) and horse riding. Father working long hours and coming home angry to do more work in his office, mother drinking in the garden, in foyer in her room...anywhere, really. Whitley doing whatever he does. Normal Schnee family things.
Winter passed her exam and left for Atlas Academy. I would miss her dearly but I was definitely happy for her. And soon, I would follow in her footsteps. I only had to wait 6 more years.