Fix You

7. Mortal

Selene

It had been 3 days since my stepmother's sudden visit. Everyone finally seemed to be calming down. I was feeling particularly lazy, so I headed to the library.

The library looked and smelled like how it always was. Shelves covering the whole wall separated from one another with windows, some were window seats stuffed with comfy cushions.

"Princess!!" squealed Ophellia from somewhere behind me. Ophellia was in charge of the library, you could say she's the palace librarian. I turned around and there she was walking as fast as she could towards me. She would have run, but Nancy 'banned' running everywhere in the castle.

"Hello, Ophellia," I smiled at her. I hadn't gone to the library for quite some time and she was usually always in the library, so technically I hadn't seen her for quite some time too.

"It's been a while since you came here," she beamed at me.

"Sorry, I was busy playing around," I looked around the library and looked back at her, "Still looks as pristine as I remember. Good job, Ophellia."

Her smile got brighter than before, if that was even possible. "Thanks, I hope it'll stay as pristine as it is now when you leave later."

I chuckled. "I hope so too." I walked to my favorite window seat, the one with grey covering and the one overlooking the palace gardens and the pine trees beyond.

I opened the drawer underneath my perch. It was filled to the brim with my favorite books, I randomly chose one and put it on top of a grey cushion. I opened the windows, the wind freshened me, the smell of winter jasmines and all the other flowers in the garden greeted me. The sky looked like there would be snowfall later on, but that's nothing new. I could see the black lampposts dotting the forests and garden and the occasional squirrel darting from tree to tree.

The endless pine trees covered in pure white snow merging into star magnolia trees. Trees giving way to shrubs and bushes of winterberry holly and cotoneaster. Shrubs and bushes turn to snowdrops, winter jasmines, lenten roses, and a whole lot more. My mother's pride. The palace garden was my mother's pride, she would smile proudly every time she looked at them.

I read for some time before giving in to my desire. I ran down the stairs and to the floor to ceiling glass door that marked the entrance to the palace garden. I really hoped Nancy wouldn't find out the princess had been running around the castle. I opened the glass door and stepped outside. Inhaling the fresh air mixed with the sweet fragrance of winter flowers and the coldness of snow. I walked down the path winding its way to the garden. The path branched off multiple times, taking people deeper into the beautiful world of winter florals.

I sat down after some thirty minutes or so of wandering around getting lost in the colorful landscape. Snowflakes were my favorite thing to make due to their intricate patterns that were never the same. I made them dance in the air with thin finger-like ice as partners.

Then they suddenly fell without me intending so. Was I not concentrating enough? So I tried again but the snowflakes and ice had already became one with the snow and they didn't seem to be coming up to answer my call. Something was wrong.

The wind picked up and snow started to fall from the skies. Cold. I shivered. Something was definitely wrong. I had never felt cold before, the cold never bothered me since it was a part of me. I was starting to get nervous and afraid. I walked to the trees trying to find something that would shelter me from the cold wind. That's when I caught my reflection in the frozen fountain. Off, it felt off. I could usually see clearly from here, but I couldn't. I walked closer to the fountain and looked down.