Winter (Chocolatefurycat and Mockingjayy)

[Mocking_Jayy]

Serena Thaon

Trembling fingers tightly clung to the fabric of the cape and Serena breathed out a shaky breath as she wearily glanced around. All she saw was white and trees. The thick snow made it harder for her to walk through and she found herself stumbling from time to time. At one point, she finally gave up and just let herself fall into the cold white sheet covering the ground. Serena had no idea where she was nor where to go. In fact...she had no idea who she even was. All she can remember is waking up in the snow and that's it.

The girl curled up into a ball as she hugged her legs to her chest and pulled the cape around her body. Tears that were far warmer than her skin, slowly began to cascade down the side of her face. Where was she? What was she even going to do? More importantly, who was she? The confusion caused for her stomach to whirl and the fear to increase. In that moment, she resembled a child who had lost it's mother, the only difference was that she didn't even know who her mother was. ​

 

[chocolatefurycat]

WILLIAM TAYLOR STERLING​

"Easy there, Excalibur," the prince whispered to his pitch black horse. He slipped the steed a handful of oats. "I know the snow is thick this evening, but you don't want to throw me off, do you?" The great black horse, named after Arthur's famous sword, neighed as though he understood the ashen-haired prince on his back.

William Taylor Sterling, the first in line to the throne of Bryghton, sat straight in the saddle, as his equestrian teacher had taught him to do many years before, and studied his surroundings. After a month of travel, the prince had begun to feel homesick, and had decided it was time to return to the Bryghton Castle, where his mother and father would be anxiously awaiting their heir's arrival. He had written to them a few days previously;

Mother and Father,
It is time I come home and return to my royal duties. I thank you for allowing me to take this trip, and I am delighted to inform you that I will be returning with gifts for you and my younger siblings.

Regards,

William.

The prince, exhausted from constant robe fittings, amendment signings and other tedious royal duties, had begged for permission to take this trip. Touring the Bryghton countryside with nothing but his horse and a pack of supplies was exactly what the heir to the throne had needed; a relaxing break from the castle.

Now, William steered Excalibur along the near-invisible forest path. The snow crunched under the horse's hooves, the only sound in the entire forest ...

... except for the mysterious crying.

William looked around, startled, until he sighted a slim figure, female, judging by the voice, curled on the ground, crying. Even the thick woolen cape the girl was wearing could not have properly shielded her from the cold. William slid off Excalibur, tied the reins to a nearby tree and ran to the sobbing girl.

William crouched beside her. The first thing he noticed was that she was startlingly pretty; fair skin bleached white from the cold, soft, rounded facial features and long, thick brown hair. The second thing he noticed was that her lips were blue; she was suffering badly from the cold.

"Miss?" asked William, his regal accent sounding formal and concerned. "Miss, are you alright? Do you require assistance? Are you lost?"

The girl didn't answer him, but sniffled and shed another tear. Her eyes flickered closed.

William couldn't leave the poor girl out to die in the cold. He put one arm under her knees, and the other around her shoulders; as William was not very strong, it was lucky she was so slender and light. William carried the mysterious girl to his horse and lifted her onto his back. He used the thick scarf around his neck to secure her in place by tying it around her waist, then tying the scarf to the saddle. William secured a length of rope to the saddle and held onto it, giving the reins to the girl.

William looked up at her. She was awake, but seemed to be in a haze; she blankly stared forward. The prince handed her an apple.

"Miss, you will have to hold on, tightly," he said softly. "My castle is but a mere half hour's walk from here. I will get you there, safely, and I promise you, you will be safe."
​

And, with that, Prince William Sterling lead his steed along the forest path, wondering who the beautiful girl could be.

 

[Mocking_Jayy]

Serena Thaon

Time had passed by slowly and the day only seemed gloomier and colder. Serena was freezing to the bone and she couldn't stop her crying, especially since she knew what her fate would be. Surely there was a reason as to why she left here in the snow, other than to freeze to death.

Suddenly a figure appeared next to her and Serena's eyes struggled to focus, but when they did... A young man with ash colored hair and clear fair skin was looking down at her, questions spilling out of his mouth. Though she couldn't comprehend since her mind was in a different state, but she felt relieved so she left her eyes close.

A small, barely audible gasp left her lips as she was suddenly picked up. Then she found herself hoisted onto a dark colored horse. For a moment, she'd just stated forward, wondering who this male was. Was she even in safe hands? When an apple appeared in front of her, Serena blinked before reaching out with stiff fingers and gently took the apple. Her lips felt far too cold for her to even try and take a bite. Taking hold of the reigns, Serena looked over to the male as he began to walk, leading the horse.

"Thank you..." Her voice was a bit hoarse and her voice was barely above a whisper, but she was sure he could hear her since there wasn't much noise, save for the horse and his footsteps. Serena didn't know what to expect, but she figured it was better going with him then staying here and freezing to death. ​

 

[chocolatefurycat]

WILLIAM TAYLOR STERLING​

The Bryghton Castle gates loomed ahead of them, tall structures made from wrought iron. William signalled to the watch tower, where a guard would be waiting. Sure enough, the gates swung open for him, and right behind them stood a stable boy, a handmaid and the castle's butler, Mayfair. Their eyes widened when the noticed the girl on the horse. Shock crossed their faces.

"Sire!" exclaimed Mayfair. "What is this? Who is this girl? What happened?"

"Mayfair, I found her in the woods," said William. He handed the rope to the stable boy and helped the girl down. She was shivering, and weak. She slumped into William. "She was cold, she was dying. I couldn't leave her there."

Mayfair looked concerned. "Sire, I am not sure whether we have the space to keep her -- "

"Nonsense, Mayfair," said William crossly. "We have over two hundred rooms in this castle, and not even half of those rooms are occupied. Sophie," he said to the handmaid, "could you please prepare a room for our guest? And alert a castle doctor?"

Sophie nodded and rushed into the castle. Mayfair pursed his lips. "I shall inform your parents of your arrival," he said monotonously.

Sophie must have called a few other maids; three other girls rushed of the castle as Mayfair walked inside. One took the limp girl and lead her into the castle. The other two began unpacking the luggage tied to Excalibur's back. William walked into the castle.​

 

[Mocking_Jayy]

Serena Thaon

The chilly air didn't bring Serena much comfort. In fact, it made her trembling worse and she felt so cold. If she didn't get somewhere warm soon, she would surely freeze to death. Serena clutched the fabric of her navy blue cape tight around herself, trying to stay warm as the young man led them through the forest.

Once they reached the gates of a castle, Serena was quite surprised and she glanced to the white haired male. Who exactly was he? It seemed as if they heard her question, because not a moment later the gates opened and there stood some people. They immediately greeted the male and she could only assume he was of some high status since they were addressing him as sire. Suddenly she felt his hands around her as he helped her down, her legs were a bit too weak causing for her to sway on her feet. As a result, she ended up leaning on the male who helped her down from the horse.

It felt as if everything was happening so fast and her mind was slow to process things, because next thing she knew, she was in the arms of some young woman. Tilting her head as much as she could as they walked to the castle doors, she glanced back to the male who had saved her life. She didn't even know his name nor had she given him a proper thank you. Frowning slightly, Serena glanced to the girl helping her. "E-Excuse me..." Her voice was a whisper, so she tried to make her voice louder, though instead she caused for it to crack in between some words. "Wha-at is his name?" ​

 

[chocolatefurycat]

WILLIAM TAYLOR STERLING
The handmaiden smiled at the girl. "Why, that's William Sterling, the prince of Bryghton."
​

~​

William knocked on his parents' study door, before stepping in the room. "Mother, Father," he said, bowing his head. "You wished to see me?"

William's parents, King Terence and Queen Mary, sat on a sofa pushed up against the far wall. "William, my son," said Mary, standing gracefully and moving forward to embrace the prince. "Welcome home."

"Mother," said William, embracing his mother in return. "It's nice to see you again."

William's father didn't bother with greetings. "Son, Mayfair tells us you brought a stranger into the castle. Please explain your intentions."

"Father, she was dying, alone, in the woods," William explained. "I couldn't leave her there. I would be as good as a killer, if I had. Are you not pleased with my decision?"

Terence pursed his lips. "Go."

"Father -- "

"William, do not disobey me," said Terence. "Go."

William left the study.​

 

[Mocking_Jayy]

Serena Thaon

Serena found herself laying in a plush bed with thick blankets wrapped around her body, trying to warm her up. The handmaiden had left her to go find the doctor. As a result, she ended up thinking about the male who had saved her life. He was a prince. A prince! Who would have thought? Soon her mind drifted off to the others that had greeted them at gates, more importantly the man who was opposing to the idea of her even staying there. Her brows furrowed, before she glanced over to the door. Maybe she would be a burden to the male, clearly she wasn't completely welcomed here and she did not wish to ruin things for other, but...Where would she even go? Who would she even go to?

Feeling tears well up in her eye Serena squeezed her them shut and refused to cry. She had to get better before she could even figure out who she was. Suddenly there was a knock at the door before an older male stepped into the room. Serena opened her eyes and looked to the man, who in turn gave her a small friendly smile. "Good morning, Miss." He greeted before walking over. "I'm Theodore, the castle's doctor. " After the greeted, the man got to work on checking Serena and making sure she would be fine. "You will need lots of rest Miss, and you must keep warm for the time being. Make sure to eat the meals they offer you here. If you feel worse, make sure to call for me." ​

 

[chocolatefurycat]

WILLIAM TAYLOR STERLING

William, after inquiring about the girl's whereabouts to two different maids, knocked softly on her bedroom door. After hearing a soft 'come in', he entered.

She lay on the bed, looking cold and frail. Her hair fanned out on the pillow, and her skin seemed almost translucent.

"Miss," said William quietly, bowing his head. "Forgive me for not introducing myself before. My name is William Sterling, I am the first in line to the throne of Bryghton." William moved forward and kissed her hand, as princes did when they met maidens. "May I inquire your name?"

 

[Mocking_Jayy]

Serena Thaon

A sudden knock at the door caught Selena's attention and she tilted her head. "Come in." She called out as loud as she could. When the door moved open, she was greeted with the sight of the ashen haired prince. She watched him as he introduced himself and moved forward to kiss her cold hands. "M-my name...?" Serena began to tremble again, not because of the cold but because she was beginning to grow nervous at this whole amnesia situation going on in her head. "I...I do not know it." She murmured as she averted her gaze, trying to think of how to explain her predicament. "Y-you see, I do not know how I ended up in the middle of the forest...nor do I have any recollection of what occurred before I awoke there." Serena sucked in a breath before moving her gaze to look at the young Prince, trying to take in his reaction.

She needed help and the only person so far who seemed willing to give her that help, was him. She slowly sat up, despite the protest of her aching body and took in a deep breath. "I did not receive the opportunity to properly thank you for saving my life." Serena reached out and took one of his hands in both of her dainty ones. "Thank you, Prince William, for saving me. I am forever in your debt." ​