She extends her slender and elegant arms, jumps carefully on the strong ice under her soft feet, her legs moving carefully at the beat of her heart along with the graceful movements of her hands, then she stops, breathing deeply feeling her lungs filled with the cold but quiet wind that surrounds her.

A soft clap of hands makes her open her eyes, suddenly remembering that she is not the only person there.

“That was excellent as always your grace!” The girl with Cinnamon brown hair exclaims in pure excitement.

A soft chuckle echoes the cold temple where they are “Thank you Mina, but I own you the excellence, after all, you were the one helping me to make my dance almost perfect.”

Mina shakes her head and hands a little embarrassed at the sudden praise. “Nonsense your grace, the only thing I did was helping, the one who did the most was you, your grace.”

The hazel eyes link with the almost black ones of Mina, she curves her lips in a mild smile. “You are going to make me use my crown powers to make you accept the things I tell you one day.”

Mina lets a little laugh escape from her lips, but before she can answer another voice joins them.

“I see you are dancing as always, your grace.” A woman deep black hair, slightly taller than them wearing a shining silver armor smiles brightly at them.

“Sunmi!” The girl with hazel eyes runs at the woman with shining armor circling her arms around her, feeling the coldness of the armor on her cheek.

Sunmi chuckles circling her arms carefully around the owner of the hazel eyes, her cheek feeling the softness of the silky and bright blonde hair.

They stay in each other embrace for a while until the hazel eyes girl separates a little.

“It’s so good to see you again.”

“I wasn’t here for three weeks your grace, I wasn’t gone much”

“Still, I missed you” The hazel eyes girl smiles, looking at the woman with armor with gentle eyes.

A loud cough interrupts the little reunion between the woman and the girl.

“Excuse me for the interruption but I need to borrow ‘your grace’ for a moment” A petite and a little bit imposing woman with butterscotch blonde hair looks at them along with a blushed Mina.

“Wendy-sshi” Sunmi smiles while she lets go of the girl with hazel eyes.

“Sunmi-sshi, it’s such a pleasure to see you back safe and strong”

Sunmi bows her head in gratitude “I have to be strong and safe for your majesty.”

Wendy nods smiling in approvement then her light brown eyes link with the hazel eyes.” ‘Your grace’ as I said I need your delightful presence for a moment”

The owner of hazel eyes chuckles at the subtle mocking tone of her right hand and nods, before leaving she turns to see Sunmi with a light smile.

“See me later at the great Lake, please”

Sunmi bows with a bright smile “I’ll be there for sure your grace.”

The girl with bright blonde hair smiles gently at the armored woman, she thanks Mina for her class of today, as she starts walking along with her right hand.

----------------

“So, why do you need my delightful present? Wendy-sshi” The hazel eyes girl calls her right-hand name in a mocking tone.

“You are being so funny today Seulgi-sshi”

“Are you being a jester right now? I don’t remember requesting the presence of one” Seulgi chuckles a little knowing that her right-hand doesn’t like to be called like that.

“Keep calling me jester and I’m going to order Jin-sshi to put vegetables on your daily meals”

Seulgi stops chuckling and nods in surrender, how amusing, she is the Queen but her right hand is the one warning her with one of her weaknesses.

“Well, for what do you need me?”

“Boots is making a mess in the barn, and you know you and Tzuyu are the only ones that can calm him”

Seulgi raises her eyebrows surprised by the thing her Right hand is saying.

“Are you sure that is Boots the one making a mess? He is always eating or just calm as the ice”

“I’m totally sure that is him, he is the only light brown horse in that barn, unless there’s another new horse of the same color”

Seulgi and Wendy keep walking until they hear a loud neigh when they are almost arriving at the barn, Seulgi runs to find the horse neighing loudly, his heel almost breaking the door of his stable.

The girl with hazel eyes decides to approach the almost mad beast, she reaches a hand until she touches the muzzle of the light brown horse.

The horse seems to react to the light and gentle touch, he calms abruptly, until his breath returns to the normal pace.

“This is so strange, Boots has never acted like this, do you know by chance why?” Seulgi turns to see Wendy with a worried look.

“I know I’m a muse, along with Mina and many others in the Four Season Kingdom, but I’m sure that we can’t communicate with animals.”

“Maybe not communicate but you can feel his emotions, along with mines and other humans.”

“That’s the reason why I called you, he is feeling extremely anxious almost like he is scared of something, as you know, they have a similar relationship with humans, like us, the muses, if the animal has a special connection with his owner they can know when they’re sad, angered and even…in danger.”

“What are you trying to say, Wendy?” Seulgi looks at her muse with questioning eyes.

“What I’m trying to say is that maybe he felt something about Tzuyu, and not something good, I would like you to talk to Dahyun, she is Tzuyu's muse, she may know if something happened or is just the horse having a bad day”

Seulgi opens her eyes almost shocked at the suggestion of her right hand, she frowns worried, to think that something happened to her precious sister makes her shiver, and even more when she knows that if Wendy feels something is wrong, she is always right.

Then they hear a crash, both turn at the sound to find a pale petite girl with ash blue hair rubbing her leg because she got hit by a bucket of carrots.

“Dahyun, are you okay?!” Wendy asks as she and Seulgi approach to the pale girl

“Y-yes, it hurts a little but I’m okay, Wendy-unnie” Dahyun looks at Seulgi and bows surprised. “Your grace! I was actually searching for you. I want to talk to you, it’s extremely urgent!”

“You can tell me right know Dahyun” Seulgi grabs her dress almost scared of what the pale girl has to say, feeling that the suggestion Wendy said moments ago is going to be true.

“It’s the princess, your grace! I can’t feel our connection… and Sana-unnie… connection is lost too.” Dahyun says in a distressed tone

Seulgi and Wendy gasp shocked at the news, Seulgi then remembers that she felt like the connection with one of the muses, Sana, was weak, but she thought that it was just because she is not in the same part of the kingdom as her.

“How foolish of me! I should have known that something was wrong!” Seulgi makes an angry grimace closing her eyes for a moment, then she looks at the pale girl.

“Dahyun, how long has it been since you lost the connection?” The hazel eyes look at the pale girl with a very worried look.

“It hasn’t been long, your grace, early in the morning, the connection was getting weaker until it disappeared not long ago”

Seulgi sighs deeply, feeling anxious and troubled about the current situation, she looks at the horse who is looking at her like he is extremely worried about his owner too.

“Call all the ladies, send a white bird to all of them, I want Spring, Autumn, and Summer here as fast as they can.” Seulgi orders Wendy in a sharp tone.

Dahyun jumps a little at the almost harsh tone of The Queen but at the same time, she expected a worse reaction, however, she doesn’t know that Seulgi is screaming inside her head, but she has to be ‘calm’ because she is the Queen, and The Queen has to control her emotions almost perfectly, even if she feels like she is losing her head at the thought of her lost sister.

Wendy nods and walks out of the barn, she knows the situation is extremely urgent when the King or Queen of Winter decides to send a white bird, the fastest bird that can make the letters arrive the same day even before the sun goes down.

“Dahyun, I want you to try to return the connection, try as much as you can” Seulgi almost pleads, her hazel eyes filled with sadness mixed with the worry for her sister.

“I will do my best your grace!” Dahyun bows and looks up with a teary look, she hurries out of the barn leaving Seulgi with just the horse.

Seulgi caresses the horse's muzzle again and puts her forehead on the horse's forehead who kindly lean himself to be at the height of the hazel eyes girl.

“I promise, we are going to find her.” The bright blonde whispers softly, knowing that she is making a promise more for herself than the horse.

----------

Seulgi looks up to the big tree beside the Great Lake, she can feel the cold in her feet as expected from the Ice Lake also known as the Great Lake. The ice under her feet like when she was in the Winter temple, taking her daily dance classes with Mina.

“What is troubling you? Your grace”

The hazel eyes turn to find a gentle smile along with dark brown eyes.

“Sunmi” Seulgi whispers, making the armored woman walk to her until they’re face to face when Sunmi sees the dreary eyes her smile fades, and she frowns worriedly, taking the blonde's hand with gentleness.

“Tzuyu, my precious sister, I don’t know where she is, Dahyun lost the connection with her, Sana is missing too” Seulgi speaks in a saddened tone looking down.

Sunmi is shocked by the news, opens to say something but closes again, she thinks and then talks again.

“The princess went on a trip with Sana-sshi, they were going to Spring because the princess wanted to see from where Sana-sshi comes if my memory is not wrong.”

“That’s right, I gave her the permission with the condition of her and Sana going in a carriage, with security and with her sending me updates about their trip, but I didn’t receive a letter today at the same hour of the morning, it was foolish of me thinking that she forgot! I should have taken action at that moment!” Seulgi squeezes a little hard the hand of Sunmi, feeling angry with herself for being naive.

Sunmi shakes her head and squeezes softly the hand that gave her a hard squeeze moments ago.

“It was not naive your grace, how could you have known that something wrong happened?”

“As much as I desire, our kingdom is not the safest, there are a lot of dangerous people out there, it was wrong of me to think that Tzuyu was just being stubborn.” Seulgi lets Sunmi hand go and she puts her hands on her face rubbing them against the soft flesh of her face with an anxious pace.

Sunmi gently stops her hands and takes them between her hands meeting the worried hazel eyes.

“Your grace, stop blaming yourself please, Princess Tzuyu wouldn’t like to see you like this.” The woman with shining armor pleads with a concerned voice.

Seulgi sighs and circles her arms around Sunmi, feeling like she wants to burrow herself in the embrace of the armored woman, almost desperate to feel some kind of safety from her horrible thoughts about what happened to her sister.

Sunmi answers the embrace tighter wanting to transmit security and calm to the blonde girl buried on her armored shoulder.

Seulgi closes her eyes feeling almost calm until a loud crack makes them separate but the armored woman takes her hand feeling alerted by the loud crack.

Both of them search from where was until they look down and find a crack between them in the Great Lake, almost like a signal to separate from each other, they frown and decide to step out from the Lake, Seulgi grabs Sunmi's arm burying herself in the strong arm while Sunmi looks at the crack with a questioning frown almost angry.

Seulgi makes Sunmi look at her and she circles her arms around the strong armored woman again, wanting to distract her attention from the lake to her. The armored woman takes the hint and closes her eyes concentrating just in the blonde.

The hazel eyes girl tries to do the same but she can’t stop looking at the crack on the lake until she hides against the silver armor closing her eyes trying to escape from the uneasy feeling that haunts her.

--------------------

The next morning Seulgi is eating at the fancy dining room of the Winter Castle where she and her sister have lived since birth, she chews her food but at the same time, she doesn’t feel the savor at all, sighing she takes another bite but decides to leave her almost full plate aside.

“You have to eat Seulgi, it’s not good if you don’t eat properly” Wendy moves the plate in front of the light blonde girl.

“I’m not hungry, I can’t even eat properly when I don’t know where my sister is” Seulgi moves the plate aside again frowning with a dreary and frustrated look in her eyes.

Wendy looks at her with a worried frown, but the sound of the door opening makes them end the little conflict about eating or not.

“Your grace” Mina bows “The Autumn, Spring, and Summer ladies have arrived”

“The Summer lady is already here?” Seulgi asks surprised because it’s a really long way from Summer to Winter.

“Yes, your grace, she said she wanted to be here as soon as possible because of your sudden request”

“Summer people are indeed surprising.” Wendy comments because she knows the Summer lady must have had a difficult time, she is almost sure the lady came here without eating or sleeping, just with a really fast horse.

“Reunite them at the Grand Hall, I’ll be there in a few.” The Queen looks at Mina who bows and goes to where the ladies are.

Seulgi gets up, cleaning , she and Wendy head out to the Grand Hall, when they arrive Seulgi looks up to find her throne, the big and graceful white throne, the borders made of the strongest ice with little details of snowflakes, she breaths deeply, even though she is there almost all the time it doesn’t mean that it makes her feel less responsible, every time she sits there, she can feel the heavyweight of her title, being the Queen of the Four Season Kingdom is definitely not an easy task, not that she expected it to be an easy one, but still, sometimes she feels too pressured, like now.

Shaking her head lightly, walking with a straight back, when she is in front of her throne she closes her eyes and sits carefully as always, she links eyes with Wendy who smiles at her, she smiles back and then she looks at the big door.

The big door opens and the three ladies that she requested appear, along with their companions.

“Your grace” The three of them bow, the Spring lady bows softly grabbing a little her simple but lovely white dress, the Autumn lady bows elegantly with her long and classy brown dress, finally, the Summer lady kneels wearing her deep red prince-like coat, the black buttons highlighting the deep red of the coat along with her deep black cloak.

Seulgi can’t help to wonder why the Summer lady always looks like an elegant prince and why she always chooses pants and coats instead of dresses, not that she is judging, everyone can wear what they feel comfortable with she doesn’t like to oppress her people to have a certain type of wardrobe, she waves off the thought thinking that the Summer lady must dress like that because she is a warrior like most of the Summer people.

Seulgi nods in approval, noticing another bow aside them, she notices Sunmi standing beside the companions of the ladies and smiles mildly.

“It’s been so long since last time I saw you, Taeyeon, Nayeon, Jennie” Seulgi calls delicately.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again your grace, but I’m afraid this reunion is not for that reason” Jennie, the Autumn lady, speaks as she moves a little her dark brown hair.

“Indeed, you’re correct my lady.” Seulgi confirms sighing and looking at the three ladies in front of her with a concerned look.

“Oh dear cherry blossoms, your grace.” Nayeon, the chestnut Spring lady exclaims, worried at the confirmation of the Queen.

“Is there some type of threat your grace?” Taeyeon, the summer lady asks thinking like a warrior, that someone or something is threatening the Queen or the Kingdom.

Seulgi shakes her head “I hope not unless someone kidnaped my lost sister.” The hazel eyes girl looks at speechless three pair of eyes looking at her.

“Dahyun, Tzuyu's muse, informed me about the loss of their connection, as you may know, you, me and other noble people, are gifted with a muse, that our gods kindly send to us, the humans, to guide us and help us to follow the right path. Therefore, we have a connection with them, they can feel our emotions even if we’re not at the same place as them, and feel them almost as their own, they can warn us from rough weather and dangerous situations, just to name a few of the hundreds of things that they can do for us. I, as the Winter Queen, have the responsibility to look after our dear muses, that’s why I can feel if they are in danger, their emotions, and almost everything. My sister Tzuyu had the order of sending me updates about her week trip with Sana, a Spring muse.” Seulgi explains and looks at Nayeon when she names Sana.

“However, yesterday morning I didn’t receive the daily letter I was receiving, and my own connection with Sana was weak, extremely weak, later Dahyun informed me about the sudden loss of her connection with Tzuyu” The light blonde closes her eyes for a moment.

“That’s why I requested your presence so hurriedly, I hope that you can understand the gravity of the situation, my sister is lost, and a muse is lost too.” Seulgi looks at them with concerned eyes.

“Of course we understand.” Taeyeon manages to speak while Nayeon and Jennie are trying to process the information. “There are high possibilities of kidnapping…or worse.” The auburn brown hair girl gulps. “Muses help us to keep the Four station kingdom in peace, if a single muse is lost, we can face very unpleasant situations.”

“We are starting to face them.” Jennie decides to step in the conversation too. “In Autumn, we are facing difficulties to find iron and other materials when it was almost easy to find them.”

“In Spring too.” Nayeon says. “The weather is changing drastically, these past days the rain was too strong, some of the apple and other fruits crops have been affected.”

Seulgi frowns even more worried, she can’t help to think why there is some disturbance in the other stations of the Kingdom when Sana has been missing for two days, she decides to think that maybe it was an early warning from the gods.

“An early warning” Seulgi almost whisper but then she looks at the three ladies in front of her. “I want almost every single soldier searching for my sister and Sana in your stations-“

“Excuse me for the interruption your grace” Taeyeon looks at their Queen “But even with our best soldiers, hounds and knights, the search for the Princess and Sana will take 3 months at least, and we don’t have that much time.”

The hazel eyes owner bites her inner cheek a little, Taeyeon is right, but she can’t think about another possible solution, she knows the Four station kingdom is enormous, right now is when she desperately desires for some new ways of searching lost people with more than just hounds and soldiers.

“Then why don’t we ask help to the witch?” Nayeon suggests.

Seulgi looks at her with a questioning look. “Is she real? I only have heard some rumors about her.”

“Yes, she is” Taeyeon answers. “I and other people have seen her, she helps you if you have some issue or request, I’m sure that she will gladly help us”

Seulgi raises an eyebrow, she wonders why she didn’t know about this witch being real, maybe her father the former King knew about it, she looks at Wendy who is equally confused as her, she sighs thinking that again, her father left her with some questions after he retired from the throne a year ago.

“I know you always told me to find my own answers but you should have told me about this, father.” Seulgi thinks.

“All right, where we can find this witch?” The light blonde asks, looking at Taeyeon like she has the answer. “Or who can help us to find her?”

“Oh!” Jennie claps making the three women look at her “The dancing warrior should know where!” the dark brown haired girl exclaims in an excited tone.

Taeyeon chokes and starts coughing making Seulgi look at her with almost wide eyes. “Taeyeon, is everything all right?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine your grace, thanks for asking.” Taeyeon coughs a little bit more.

Seulgi nods hesitantly and looks at Jennie. “And who is this dancing warrior? Jennie.”

“She is the best warrior of the Kingdom your grace, she is originally from Summer and is highly respected by all the knights, almost like a living legend.” Jennie smiles fondly and Seulgi almost thinks that she is talking about someone she adores too much, she turns to look at Sunmi.

“Sunmi, have you met this warrior?” Seulgi asks mildly to the deep black-haired woman.

“I haven’t your grace, but as Lady Jennie said, she is a living legend for us, warriors and knights, she is the only one in the kingdom who can fight with three swords and the one that has refined the ancient legacy of the Summer warriors, the art of dancing deadly with swords.”

Seulgi raises her eyebrows, Sunmi is one of the best knights in the kingdom, one of the few who can fight with two swords and if she is talking with praise and respect about this warrior, she indeed has to be the best, she looks at Lisa, the brownish-blonde tall girl, Jennie's companion.

“Lisa” Seulgi calls making the knight look at her with attentive eyes. “What are your opinions about the dancing warrior?” the light blonde looks at her with expecting eyes, Lisa is too, one of the strongest knights in the kingdom, and Seulgi can’t help to wonder about the opinion of the tall knight.

“I have had the opportunity to fight with her your grace, as Sunmi-unnie said, is almost an honor to clash swords with her, she took me down as if I just learned the art of the sword, with only one sword.” Lisa shares with a light-excited tone.

Seulgi opens her eyes wide, she has seen Sunmi and Lisa clash their swords a few times and the tall knight even though she only fights with one sword she made Sunmi had a difficult time fighting her.

“Well, if she knows where we can find the witch, I request her presence as soon as possible, Taeyeon, I hope that you can take the request of telling this warrior that her presence is highly needed.” Seulgi orders looking at the light brown eyes of the summer lady.

“Of course your grace, she will be here tomorrow, I guarantee.” Taeyeon bows and looks at her hoping that the Queen doesn’t notice that she wants to kill Jennie right on the spot.

“Then, thank you for your presence today, there are rooms prepared for each one of you, if you require anything feel free to ask.” The Queen smiles mildly at the three women.

“Thank you, your grace.” The three women speak at the same time as their smile back at their Queen.

“If there’s nothing more to say, then, I declare this reunion over, feel free to go to your rooms.” Seulgi gets up and everyone bows as she walks out of the Grand Hall everyone looking at the graceful, but firm pace of the Queen.

-----------

Jennie hears a loud knock on her door, she sighs, she knows, since the moment she suggested the dancing warrior, Taeyeon did her best to control herself to not choke her in front of the Queen, she is almost sure that the Summer lady is de one knocking.

“Come in” the dark brown haired girl says.

The door opens and then closes, she turns to look up from the chair where she is sitting the presence of the petite but intimidating Summer lady.

“Why did you suggest her out of all the people?” Taeyeon asks in an irritated but not serious tone.

“Well, maybe because only you and she knows where the witch hides, and clearly you can’t leave Summer for too long so you can’t go to search the witch.” Jennie raises an eyebrow “Why are you mad about it? It’s your sister from who we are talking.”

“That’s exactly why” Taeyeon exhales tiredly “You know how she is, and I’m afraid that she will be sent to the dungeon or worse, if she acts as she always does around woman whenever she is with one, in front of the Queen.”

“I know she is not dumb enough to almost put her head on a plate if she acts like that” Jennie chuckles at the worry of the Summer lady, it’s understandable when the Summer lady's little sister is a free spirit with a unique personality, not easy to describe but at the end of the day, this girl is her dearest friend and she knows the dancing warrior is an amazing and noble woman too.

“Oh I really want to believe you, Jennie, but-“

Jennie raises a hand making Taeyeon stop talking “Our Queen hates violence and only leaves few people without their head, also, I know your sister is reckless but we have to have some faith in her, don’t you think?”

Taeyeon sighs and nods, maybe the Autumn lady is right, but she just whispers a tiny “goodnight” before she goes to her room, waiting that the red bird she sent to her sister, arrives as fast as the sleep that takes control of her as soon as she crashes on her bed.

------------------

“Three…two and…”The owner of the voice currently throwing an apple at the air softly playing with the red fruit while leaning against a tree

“One.” Catching the fruit in her hand again, a red bird stops over the red apple just in time.

“Hello little friend, you have a message for me right?” chuckling, she takes the note from the red bird's leg, reading carefully, she chuckles again and keeps the letter inside the pocket of her brown leather corset, she gets up and hears the long sigh behind her.

“Oh come on! I just came back with some good fish and we already have to go?” the whiny voice of a tall woman with rust-red hair makes laugh.

“I’m afraid that yes but if we are fast I’m sure that in our next destination they will give us some sweet toast with the finest raspberry jelly.”

“Oh well, if there is some raspberry jelly then what are we waiting for?” The rust red-haired woman says as she mounts fast into her white with black spots horse.

The woman with the red apple chuckles, it’s always so easy to make happy her tall companion, she lets the bird go, and watches the red bird fly from where he came fast as a peal of thunder, she mounts into her tall and imposing black horse, putting on her green cloak, smirking at the questioning look from her companion.

“Put on your cloak, because we might have some cold there.”

-----------------------------

Aaand that's all for today folks! I hope that you liked this first chapter, maybe there will be some questions (if someone actually reads this fic ToT) but they're going to be answered in the next chapters ;)

Btw, Red Velvet comeback is getting closer! aren't u guys excited? :D

Anywayyy see u later, eat and rest well! c: