Snow Fall (Book one)

Chapter four

(Listen to this music while you read this chapter!)

Gracelia opened her eyes as soon as the sunlight hit her face, she was excited and ready to start her training. Today was the day she'd prove to her father she could do it, be a knight like him. She threw off her blankets and jumped out of bed, her white hair a curly mesh on top of her head. She had slept fitfully last night because of her excitement for today. She ran over to her door and opened it. To her surprise, a knight was standing outside her door. "Excuse me?" She said in a soft voice to the knight, the man turned his head, his eyes opened in shock.

"Young mistress! You're already awake?" Gracelia nodded her head.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Marquis," He bowed to her. "A pleasure to meet you my lady." Gracelia felt her blood rising to her cheeks, making her skin a light shade of mother rose pink. Upon further inspection she saw that he had black hair and even darker eyes, his eyes reminded her of the black opal's she's seen on her father's ceremonial rapier. Gracelia lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Thank you, a pleasure to meet you as well Marquis." As Gracelia closed the door, Marquis bowed to her. She put her back up against the door once it was closed and she heard the familiar click. It surprised her to see another knight, she had only ever met Sir Lee. She couldn't help but notice he was handsome, she shook her head at the thought. "I'm only seven!" She told herself under her breath, walking over to the windows that looked out into the courtyard she saw that the sun was finally coming over the trees. She opened her balcony door and walked out into the sunlight. She shivered in her sleeping gown despite the sun's warm rays. She loved looking at the world on her balcony, it was one thing she admired the most about her parents, it seemed to her like they knew this room was for her. The breeze blew a lock of her white hair into her face and she grabbed it. Twirling it in her hand, she sighed. Gracelia knew she had grown up and didn't act her age and many commented on it, even her nanny once told her that while she was reading a five hundred page book in the library when she was five.

Many also commented on the fact her hair didn't match either of her parents as they both had brown hair. Gracelia didn't really understand why but Adelina had told her one night while she stayed up crying, feeling like an animal in a cage whenever new guests would come to see her family. That she was born on the night of the first snow, the wet-nurse had told her parents Goddess of Winter had blessed her and would lead a life full of love and prosperity. "Love..." The word seemed foreign on her lips, she couldn't grasp the concept. She knew her father and mother loved each other and her very much but she didn't see the importance. She couldn't understand why love would lead people to war and anger so much like in the stories she had read. Adelina had asked her to read a book she loved called Love Under The Moon but after the first chapter Gracelia had gotten bored with it. The books she loved the most told of knights in armor saving a far away kingdom or about knights fighting dragons.

To her, marriage and kids was a foreign concept. She knew better things waited for her than a simple life; she wanted a life of adventure and excitement. Tucking the strand of hair behind her ear, she watched as the sun rose ever higher and higher, welcoming her personally.

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Gracelia paced in front of the windows to her balcony, the sunlight casting her small shadow onto the blue carpet beneath her feet. Adelina was late, later than usual when suddenly the door opened to reveal a disheveled Adelina. In her hands was a bright blue box, she carefully carried it to Gracelia's bed and placed it on the satin sheets. "Sorry for the wait my lady, the tailor took longer than expected to make this for you on your Father's wishes." Gracelia walked over to the box, examining it. Adelina huffed beside her, winded from running from the village all the way up the hill to the mansion. Adelina smiled nervously at Gracelia's hesitance to open the blue box. "Are you all right?" She asked her young mistress, worried she was having second thoughts.

"Y... Yes!" Gracelia told Adelina, shaking herself from her thoughts. She was worried about what would be inside if her father had kept his promise or had gifted her a new dress to make up for breaking it. With shaking hands she reached for the box, her fingers grazed the cardboard. With a jerk, the lid came off easily. Gracelia gasped, inside was a light powder blue tunic with black pants. "Always blue..." She mumbled, ever since she had been born that fateful night, her mother and father showered her with gifts different shades of blue. Gracelia loved blue but sometimes it was overwhelming. She looked over at her wardrobe, still in a frightful mess from her rummage for any clothes she could wear for training. All different shades of blue and white dresses littered the surrounding floor. She reached inside to touch the fabric, it was softer then she imagined it to be. On the front of the shirt was the Da Mornica sigil, a unicorn's horn wrapped in ivy. She laid it out on her bed and took out the black pants, these however weren't as soft. Under her tiny fingers it felt almost like wool however it was still fall but the days had become brisk over the night following her birthday. She laid them next to each other, when something caught her eye at the bottom of the box, a shiny little thing but she reached in and rolled it into her palm. It was a tiny pin with a snowflake engraved into it with beads hanging off of it. Gracelia looked over at her nanny confused what to do with this tiny treasure.

"OH! THAT!" Adelina quickly took it from the young girls hand and put it in a lock of her hair. "That's how you wear it, also wear it with a bun or ponytail. It's a symbol of your Noble birth." She pulled the young mistress over to her vanity. "Look in the mirror." Much to Gracelia's surprise, in her sea of white hair the pin was a stark contrast with her hair. The beads hanging down moved when she turned her head, the engraved snowflake twinkling when she moved. Gracelia moved her tiny hand to cover her mouth, she didn't wear something this tiny in her hair. The blue flower pins she wore were bigger than this tiny treasure. She felt if it dropped, it would surely shatter.

"I can't wear this." She looked at her nanny in the mirror, Adelina looked at the young girl in surprise wondering why she wouldn't wear such an intricate piece. However to Gracelia, it was a reminder she was a girl, boys didn't like pretty things such as this. She quickly took it out of her hair and placed it on the surface in front of her, watching it twinkle in the sunlight.

(Sorry for the short chapter, I try to update when I can get out of my head to sit down and write. I have depression so it's hard for me to get motivated plus I also have PTSD and Anxiety. I'm also Pagan so I try to pray to my Gods most nights to help with my problems. Anyway I hope you enjoy it. Votes and comments make me a very happy girl so please do comment and vote! Plus if you like this story please follow me to get those updates! Thanks for your time!)