Book 2: The Mysteries of Winter

Chapter 3: The Winter Ball

Many years and one decade later...

It was midnight during the winter solstice and Airis was throwing a winter ball. The winter Dryads had transformed the ballroom into a winter wonderland as the Satyrs provided the music. Phil and the yetis prepared the food.

Endor was in a dashing silver leaf suite, and instead of his usual tree branch crown, he wore a crown of silver bramble thorns. He smiled brightly as the Dryads and Satyrs were laughing and dancing around him. The ballroom was rounded with a set of double doors at one end of the room leading into the grand hall that connected to the Airis's throne room, while the large sweeping double staircases that connected to the hall that led to Airis's bedroom was at the other end. The walls, windows, and ceiling were arched only to come together to form a six tipped, snowflake shaped chandelier in the middle of the ballroom.

Endor smiled as he thought to himself.
"So this es Airis's ballroom. No wonder she never let me inside, it's perfect!" He was glad she never showed him the ballroom. His plan had to be prefect and with this beautiful setting, it was going to be.

He wanted her to be surprised for when he popped the question and asked her to marry him. His knees were shacking at the thought of asking her. He loved her with all his heart and soul. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach he needed to clear his head so he walked over to the ice water fountain and dunked his face into the ice-cold water to freeze away his nerves.

"Are you looking for a bath Endor?"

He pulled his head out of the freezing water to see Atlanta and her sister Lunaria giggling at him. Atlanta was the one who spoke. He shook his head like a wet dog flinging water everywhere and smiled as Lunaria used her manipulation over gravity to deflect the flying water away before it ended up spraying them.

"No just needed to clear to my head."

"Well your hairs dripping wet! Don't want Airis seeing you like this now do you? Here let me take care of that."

Atlanta smiled and then bended the water droplets out of his hair and into the fountain; Atlanta is the elemental Guardian of Water, whereas her sister Lunaria is the Guardian of the Moon and were both very good friends of Airis.

"Thank ya Atlanta. I hope ye two are enjoyin' the ball."

"Oh I'm sure Atlanta and I will be enjoying ourselves greatly Endor. The Dryads out did themselves with the décor. You on the other hand had best keep Airis happy or else Phil will have your head." Lunaria said that with a kind silver-lipped smile while Endor laughed.

"What I 'ave planned for tonight will do more than that Lunaria you and ye're sister will just have to suffer through the night before I show my little surprise to Airis. Ya two look stunnin' by the way."

"Thank you." They both said in unison.
Atlanta was wearing a beautiful turquoise mermaid style dress that faded to a deep indigo while blue roses were entangled in her turquoise hair. Lunaria wore a long sweetheart neckline silver and black Grecian Goddess style dress with sliver lotus flowers that were handmade by the dwarves tangled into her long black hair while part was held back in a silver leaf hair tie in the back. The flowers and leaf hair tie were a gift from Airis for the party.
Suddenly it started to lightly snow from the ceiling. Airis had made it snow for a more dramatic appearance.

Endor turned to the staircase and his mouth opened in shock. While Lunaria and Atlanta giggled over his reaction. Airis was stunning she wore a beautiful white ball gown with lace sleeves that started below her shoulders. She had pale ice blue snowflakes sewn along the top of her dress that teared down the seams of the dress and flowed out along the bottom. She wore white eyeshadow and lipstick that made her electric blue eyes pop. Her hair was down and flowing around her shoulders and was pulsating with electricity. Upon her head, she wore an icicle crown.