o.O.O.o

The streets were deserted on this cold winter night in mid December. It was unusually quiet, save for a occasional rustling of a cat digging through the trash, or the howl of a distant wolf far off in the snow capped mountains surrounding the city. There was a light breeze that brought with it a frigid cold, but the citizens of ice town were so used to the cold by now, that is was nothing to complain about. They were after all, in Ice Town, and the name said it all.

Although the vast sky above the village was painted a deep midnight black, the dim lantern lights gave way for the hooded figure darting past them. Its face was hidden behind a burlap hood, and the figure seemed to be in quite a rush as it hurried its way down the alleyways of Ice Town. The figure moved with stealthy speed, as if it knew the labyrinth of twisting corners and alleyways very well. It was headed somewhere...somewhere beyond the castle grounds from which it came. It continued its journey and as it delved deeper and deeper towards the outer boundaries of town, the once proud and magnificent inner court village began to shrink in size and splendor. The castle surrounded by the city was being pushed further and further into the distance as the figure hurried in speed. It was headed into rural farmland on the outskirts of the main village, over ten miles from any sanctuary of the castle grounds.

It seemed like forever until the faint lantern lights of the poorer dwellings of town were in view. A small and sheltered little town was just ahead, but amidst its quiet admiration, it was just as quiescent as the place it was just running away from. Although Ice town was a haven of snow and ice, and not a shrub or fern in sight,, farms still had a variety of winter crops such as turkey grass and wheat. Also ice animals, from fluffy white sheep snuggled close in their pins, and lazy ice cows now sleeping in the fields with their big furry manes rustling in the wind. Ice wolves watched carefully over their flocks, taking the duty of watching them during the night as a serious appointment...as the figure moved through the dusty cobblestone street, the wolves eyed it, with their large yellow eyes wide, ears alert, and tails on high. They didn't know exactly what the figure wanted, but it seemingly wasn't going to hurt them as it turned a street heading for another direction...so they returned to their slumber, but still ever vigil to please their masters command.

The creature had just turned a corner when it suddenly stopped in the middle of a dusty street corner. Above it a lantern hung at a fence post, warmly lighting the street corner, which read 'Albino Alley'. It lifted its hands and grabbed the edge of the hood, but was very hesitant at first, as if fearful for someone to see it. Slowly the figure emerged from the dark abyss of the hood when it noticed no one was present.

It was a woman...with icy pale skin, dark blue lips, and large doe eyes with dark lashes. Her hair was blue like a summer sky, cascading down to her back in layers that curved sideways. Two long horns emerged on top of her head, layered in brown swirls. She had long elf ears that were folded against her head, a sign that she was clearly apprehensive of her situation. The girl turned her head both ways and looked around the empty streets with hesitation evident in her features. She spoke into the nothingness quietly and her soft voice asked, "Shiloh, are you here?"

It took not but a few moments for another figure to emerge, this time from behind the girl. She turned to see another ice woman that looked just like her, only slightly rounder in the cheeks, with a birthmark next to her lips. Her hair was also blue, only she had two long front bangs that ran down to her chest. The girls instantly recognized one another...they smiled at each other, for what seemed like an eternity of forgotten friendship finally coming true. "I knew you would show up Gypsum Frost!" Shiloh exclaimed with hands clasped to her chest. She was smiling warmly to Gypsum, her cheeks flushing red with happiness. Her warmth made Gypsum comfortable, but still the situation was at stake and they were still so vulnerable. "I missed you as well Shiloh. Its so good to see you again.", Gypsum whispered. They hugged each other close, rekindling an old flame of adoration that had once burned out. It had been so long since Shiloh and Gypsum had seen each other...it seemed like a lifetime. "Its great to see you too, but we have to hurry home before someone sees you." Shiloh said, parting from Gypsum. Although she wanted the moment to last, she rather wanted it to last longer instead of the guards finding out of what happened. Gypsum nodded and returned to the sanctity of the hood. Shiloh looked around the street corner to make sure it was safe...then she lead Gypsum down a path towards the farmhouse. Reuniting had been a beautiful moment, and surely the night would be wonderful, but then again, they didn't even notice the figure following them down the alleyway...

o.O.O.o

Shiloh's den was a small cabin on the outskirts of the farm village. Although small, it was quaint and peaceful, which made Gypsum feel so much more at home. Shiloh had built this cabin all by herself after her husband died. She was certainly a kind-hearted soul, a hard working elf woman that held her bearings proudly. She led Gypsum in past a rotting wooden fence and they started down the dirt path towards the cabin door. Gypsum felt the unfamiliar crunch of snow below her feet...everything was so different now that she was out of the castle.

The door opened and she and Shiloh hurried into the house and shut the door behind them. It was very dark inside and Gypsum couldn't see anything, until Shiloh lit a lantern next to the door. The room befell warm with a golden glow and Gypsum felt more at home then she had ever been. It was a small cabin; in the corner there was a couple of seats and a couch next to a big bureau made from cedar wood. The kitchen was behind a divided wall with a counter fixed into it, with two chairs underneath the tabletop. Although Shiloh was considerably under waged, she had a hand with making furniture and sewing clothes. In fact, all the clothes she wore she made herself from scratch. Although used to the regal pleasantries of life, with servants, money, and power, Gypsum had always been partial to a quieter less hectic lifestyle. She'd fit in just fine with Shiloh and whomever else she lived with. It was eons better than the extremely stressful life of being a sheltered young princess.

Oh yes, the story of Gypsum's life was certainly a trifle over the top. She was born into the royal family twenty years before hand. Iapetus Frost was her mother, a tyrant evil queen who ruled the land of ice with an iron fist. Just the sight of her definitely made you think twice before you acted, because she was certainly a very glorious and intimidating sight to behold. Two huge, regal, ram horns fixed perfectly on her head, and they curled sharply just above her ears. Her hair was dark blue and swam straight down to the small of her back. Her eyes were powerful and deadly, like she could read you perfectly with her icy green eyes. Never once could Gypsum remember Iapetus ever try a smile...that is unless a death was involved. She was truly a befitting queen for Ice Town.

Gypsum also had a twin brother, Apollo... he took after his mother in so many ways. He'd always been jealous of Gypsum for being the first born (even if it was about a minute before he had arrived), and because of his mothers temper he was extremely abusive towards his sister. His hairball snow cat, Precious, as it was affectionately christened, was just as horridly tempered... it couldn't go a day without terrorizing Gypsum and her dear pet Snow Snake. But even through all her brothers torment and debasement, no one in Ice Town was as sick and twisted as her arranged fiancé...Brutis.

Brutis was a star husband for Gypsum in Iapetuses eyes. But the only thing he seemed capable of was making Gypsum sick to her stomach. He was the main reason she ran away from home. In simple terms, he was about ten times worse tempered than her mother...just thinking about him made Gypsum paranoid to the core. And the apparently bruising on her arms made that obvious.

Shiloh was no stranger to the terror Gypsum dealt with back at the castle. After all, she had been Gypsum's nanny from the time Gypsum was born, all the way up until Gypsum was eighteen. She'd seen the things Gypsum had to deal with...all because Gypsum was considerably nicer than her ice elf family. Iapetus ordered Shiloh several times to smack Gypsum around, and try to get her to be more impious... Gypsum was an embarrassment for the family, as she had reminded Shiloh over and over again. Of course Shiloh could not bring herself to hurt Gypsum. In return, Iapetus banished her and took away all of her money and rights, leaving Shiloh in the current state she is now. Before Shiloh had left Gypsum, she promised her that sometime, years from now, Gypsum would be free from these horrors and live with Shiloh happily ever after. Not that Shiloh blamed Gypsum for her current surroundings now. Shiloh was content as she'd ever be, and money and fame was never of importance to her.

Now, Gypsum was reunited with her best friend in the world. And they were just about to get settled in on the couch when all of a sudden there was a sharp rapping at the door...

Gypsum's hackles rose... it couldn't be, could it?

o.O.O.o

Against a regal throne surrounded by cerulean ice the queen sat against an open courtroom. She sat positioned above a myriad of steps and at the edge her silver dress spilled over the marble tile. She was a slender creature with a pinstriped corset and a large winter pelt around her neck, making her look frail, but somehow ever more the figure of dominance. A black bear fur over-bust covered her chest, and around her neck was a brilliant golden necklace that shimmered in the dim firelight. Matching the golden necklace were ten earrings, five along each elf ear, going down in a row from lobe to tip. But what definitely made her look so powerful were two thick ram horns that curled against her skull. With her eyes firm, and her deep blue lips pulled back in a grimacing frown, everyone in the courtroom seemed more then unsettled to be in her presence. Especially the guard she was looking down upon from the tip of her nose held high.

Below the steps the guard of the royal army kneeled on his knee, addressing Queen Iapetus. He was heavily adorned with shining armor, and carried a slender staff with a spear at the tip. It had been two hours since Gypsum had been pronounced missing and after finding out, Iapetus had become infuriated with her daughter’s decision. She ordered a following to hunt her down, and leave no pebble unturned in the process, scouring every part of the castle area, inside and out. The castle grounds had been searched many times over by now, and the guard was here to report the news to his queen. Unfortunately as he relayed the information, her dour features were sliding ever lower as she heard what was said.

Below her throne on the steps sat her son, Apollo. He was in every way, the very image of his mother, aside from the fact that he was a boy. Therefore he was hornless...only the women had horns. Even without such a direct role in the royal family, he still treated his title as prince, and made sure everyone in the castle knew this as well. He too looked down at the guard from the end of his nose, loving the negativity it brought upon the elf. The guard was stammering by now, melting in the heated glares from Apollo and the queen. Iapetus was never in the mood for bad news, and drastic things happened when she wasn't pleased. He knew this very well, from past experiences when the last Royal Guard made the mistake to get on her bad side.

After he finished relaying the news, he mourned an apology after the pitiful attempts to be somewhat reliable, hoping somehow that she might spare him, even though she was obviously seething inside. They sat in an awkward silence briefly as Iapetus just glared at him with narrow eyes. Finally she spoke to him, and her words, the guard felt, could have melted the ice throne from them being so utterly vindictive.

"Did I not make it clear enough for you imbeciles to understand?" The queen hissed through clenched teeth. Her nails were digging into the ice of the throne, giving off a gut-wrenching screech. The guard gritted his teeth just to settle the noise down. He gulped, feeling even more in a hurry to just get out of the throne room…any thing but to be in here. "Well, we searched everywhere your majesty—"

"Do you like wasting my time?" She spat, ears lowering against her head…. It was a clear sign she was obviously annoyed. Annoyed being an understatement… her cheeks were flushing red at this point, and a fang was bared in an utterly intimidating way to make her point clear. The guard quickly shook his head in disagreement. "No, of course not your majesty, its just I had to report said statements!" "How dare you!" Apollo cried from beside the throne. "Don’t you have any respect for your queen?"

The poor guard was almost in tears by now. He fumbled, trying to keep himself balanced on his one knee, whilst keeping proper edict for his presence in the court. The only real safety he felt was the three thick layers of body armor protecting him from the queen…but he knew if she wished to she could destroy him anyway…fearing for his life, he went on a tantrum to flatter her. "Queen Iapetus, wonderful queen Iapetus, I promise you that we will find your daughter. We won’t stop until she’s found!" He smiled brightly, trying to put on a face to please her. Somehow it worked…but she still had her ears lowered defensively by the time she spoke. "Not one of your guards will sleep until Gypsum is back in this castle. If it takes you weeks or months then so be it. If I catch any of your men slacking off, you’re personally done for." At that she barred her sharp fangs and lifted one long finger to the door, giving him departure.

"Yes your highness." The guard bowed, then stood and quickly made his way towards the entrance hall. He was more than grateful to be out of the way, even with that bad news still on his mind. As he ran Apollo snickered, watching him go. "You’re relying on such vermin to find your daughter? I thought you’d know better mother."

Iapetus gave a depressing and heavily put upon sigh… she rested her cheek against her hand and leaned against the armrest of the throne. "She’ll get what’s coming to her…we’ll find her either way. And when she’s found, we’ll leave Brutis to deal with her misbegotten behavior." Apollo seemed more then delighted with this idea. Iapetus seemed keen on it as well…allowing a conniving fang to unsheathe itself as she smirked. Uncle Brutis was a delight to have in Iapetuses eyes…. Abusive, hideous drunken madman came to mind, and she loved it. Iapetus had always believed her daughter to be too much of a sucker. Because of her daughter’s unnatural behavior, Gypsum had been shunned from the royal family. Iapetus had arranged a marriage with Uncle Brutis because he’d be the only one to beat her into shape. Only bad ice elves were good enough to take the throne…. Iapetus wouldn’t tolerate such a nice little girl taking her place. That’s exactly why Gypsum’s father had been butted out of the spotlight, so Iapetus could rule alone. Gypsum was just like her father in the sense that they were unnaturally kind royal elves. All royal elves were evil, and the ones that were nice needed to be whipped into shape, in Iapetuses personal opinion.

She hadn’t heard from her husband in over twenty-one years. To be even more heartless she had kicked him off the throne right when Gypsum and Apollo were born. She frankly couldn’t stand the sight of him cuddling his new daughter that first night she was born…. he couldn’t exactly handle Apollo because of the newborns extreme biting tantrum and kicking fits (he indeed was his mothers boy!) but Gypsum seemed to be a very shy and gentle baby. They both had a bond with each other…Iapetus was happy she had broken them apart. All of the love stuff between them would have made her sick to her stomach if she’d continued their relationship. And the thought of her daughter being tormented because of it made her very happy indeed.

But she hadn’t been all-unfair with her husband. He had a small farming area in the mountains on the outskirts of town that he had jurisdiction over…but that was about it. Hopefully Gypsum hadn’t been smart enough to venture into that area…but there was no chance that she did. After all, Iapetus had told her all of her life that her father had died in a freak accident on a family trip when she was born.

o.O.O.o