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Oriana set her quill down and stared out the window of her study at the vast sea of white. There was no life, no trees, grass, sun... nothing. just dreary gray clouds, howling wisps of the wind, and the millions of snowflakes that fell daily.

She looked back into her dark oak study at her lazy mutt who had made himself comfortable on the rug in front of her dimming fireplace. turning around and resting her hand on her hips she stared at the dog for a long while, and when the dog returned the look with a wagging tail, she smirked, "Want to get some food?"

The dog leaped up to his feet and ran in circles.

She smiled and opened the study door, allowing the dog to run past her and rush down the flight of stairs to the kitchen. Oriana took her time gracefully walking down the hall, and walking down the steps as though she were modeling for someone. And by the time she got down the stairs and into the kitchen her dog was already passed out on the kitchen rug curled up and snoozing.

She frowned at the dog and filled his bowl with some chopped up meat coated with gravy, then grabbed the water dish to refill, but by the time she had returned the dog had already finished the food, and was patiently sitting by his dish Hickuping.

She set the water down and giggled, "No more food for you... you'll get yourself sick if you eat that fast!"

After the dog lapped up the water he laid by her feet at the kitchen table and fell asleep instantly.

Oriana smiled sipping her cup of coffee and reading a book about healing, but soon lost her place due to the dog's snoring. she shut her book and sighed, leaning back in her chair and looking out the window at the light snow falling down.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"A Beach Party!" Hali squealed as she swam about, "I'm going to throw a beach party in a few days." her friends looked at here funny and laughed, "And how do you intend on attending it, Hali, You're a mermaid."

Hali looked around cautiously and held out a beautiful gold necklace with a pearl every few inches and a single shard of an unidentifiable material in the center. Her friends stared in fascination by the pretty glow it gave off.

"Wow, What is it?" one asked as she reached to touche it.

Hali quickly stashed it away in the bag she carried it in, "I don't know, but i need it to talk to some people on the surface about some stupid stuff pretaining to the realm, but after that i get to party!!!" she giggled and danced.

"Didn't your mom wear that once?" another asked.

"Yeah yeah... Dad gave it to her for a wedding present... " she looked at the crystal again, "It's shine is supposed to be something like some borialice thing... i dont know what it is, but it happens on the other side of the realm," she groaned as she zipped the little bag in her purse, "Whatever it is, it can't be as cool as anything over here! I mean how great could some stupid lights be anyways..."

They finally reached the gates of her underwater palace, and she dismissed her friends. she needed a long nap after taking all those stupid classes. why'd she have to take them anyways? she had already took so many years of Aquious history, and manors, and Economics... she didn't pay much attention, but she passed them.

She waved the thoughts past her as she swam through the palace and finally made it to her room. just as she flopped down on her bed there was a knock. "Come in," she chimed with a slight hint of irritation in her voice.

A palace guard entered and smiled, "Rough day?"

"Yeah," she groaned, "I'm going to be taking a nap, so don't let anyone in my room till I wake up alright?"

The guard bowed respectfully and left.

She pulled her mother's necklace out of her purse and admired the glow, "I wonder how my sister is... Tomorrow i'll have to look for some more males for her." she laid the necklace on her end table and let her eyelids close as she slowly drifted to sleep.

The dog leaped up and looked around the room with his ears sticking straight up. Oriana looked around the side of the table and shook her head, "Stupid dog... there's nothing there."

The dog looked back at her, walked to the front door, and sat there. She followed it and laughed, "Oh, you have to go outside... Why don't you just use your damned doggy door out back?"

He scratched the front door and looked up at her. she sighed, "Fine fine... " she opened the door and saw a man laying on her doorstep. the dog walked out and sniffed him then began growling. she peeked out the door and seeing no one else around she drug him in the house.

she knew she couldn't lift him up to place him on the couch so she laid a blanket down in front of the fireplace and laid him out on it. she then took another and placed it on top.

"You," she pointed at the dog, "Lay next to him till he wakes up, and when he does... bark for me."

He obediently obeyed her command and laid behind the stranger waiting for him to wake. Meanwhile She went upstairs and began reading about healing and hypothermia.

Oriana heard the dog barking, and closed her book. "That was quick," she thought to herself, as she rushed down the hall of her second floor to the stairs. she dashed down them and noticed the man struggling with some armor. the dog went quiet and joined her at her side.

She approached cautiously, "Would you like some help?" she asked. Her dog growled as she got closer to him. "Shush you!" she scolded and the dog backed away. "Sorry about him... he can be quite annoying sometimes. Did my sister send you here?"

"Oriana, Queen Oriana," she said, the title almost seeming to burden her. she gently removed the armor and placed in a neat pile. after she had got enough of it off to reveal the waist up she wrapped the blanket up around him and stood up, "I'll go find you some warmer clothing while you remove the rest of your armor."

Before turning to leave she looked down at the mutt, "Watch him," she ordered, and the dog laid down and watched his every movement.

Oriana returned to the man in her living room and set down a thin black long sleeved turtleneck, a thick black wool sweater, and some thick baggy gray cotton pants, "This was the warmest stuff i could find in my dad's room... i brought the turtleneck, because he always wears one when he wears wool since it's itchy on bare skin."

She turned to leave the room, but stopped in the doorway, "After you change i'll bring you some soup... do you want any coffee?"

She poured a bowl of soup and placed some buttered bread on a plate next to the bowl, then grabbed a cup of coffee and silverware for him. she placed it all on a serving tray and brought it out to him, "Pleased to meet you. Now, what on earth were you doing out in the middle of one of my temper tantrums?" She asked as she created a mini table out of ice to set his tray on.

She sat in a cushioned chair just to his left, and her dog went and laid on her feet. sitting up from her chair she looked down at him rather irritated, then gave up as it being hopeless and leaned back in her chair waiting for Kaiser's response.

She sighed, "My mood tends to affect the weather on my half of the realm... hence the snow and ice." she closed her eyes and paused, "As for a mercenary... I have no one on my s**t list as of right now, but give it a few more days and i'm sure there's a few men i could have you chase out of my sight."

Oriana opened her eyes and looked at him, noticing his odd behavior, "Is it that cold in here, or are you that nervous?"

Kasier looks up at Oriana with a confused look "What? It's not cold in here. As for 'chased out of sight' do you want them chased out of sight, quietly killed, or messily and violently splattered all over the place?"

Kaiser drank his coffee heartily, even though the cup was steaming hot. Shivering with the heat flooding through his system, he felt life painfully returning to his toes and fingers.

"Man, mood swings that ******** the weather over. And here all I have is the ability to make myself disappear." Kaiser set the mug down and took the bowl of soup and started drinking it, in between spoonfuls, managing to get out "Oh, and don't look through my stuff. Mainly because I carry weapons that kill instantly on inhalation."