My this nurse was a sharp one, already just from a scrutinizing glance into the troubled soul of Irina, she could tell right off the bat something indeed bothered this woman to no apparent end, and still...she, like much of these women servants who flounced merrily about the halls of this grand and majestic palace, all had given her that smirk, that conceited wry smile as if they were constantly joking with her and jabbing her with a figurative elbow to the side. Maybe Irina wasn't exactly getting the notion these maids and nurses were trying to pass forth to the bewildered knight, but she certainly understood they were tying to do such. For a while, the knight remained in her unnerving tone of silence, her eyes for a small amount of time following the nurse as she walked back and forth before Irina peeled her gaze from the woman and rather glanced out towards the open windows of the Princess' balcony, across to the hills as the bright red and orange hues of the evening sun submerged beneath those wondrous shades of emerald green, violets and deep blues emerging as the moon was sure to rise and night....to usurp the day. Still quite humorous she found it this nurse toying with her lady, every once in a while gathering up scalpels and long knives, possibly used for amputation or any other ghastly surgery, to spook the easily frightened Princess in her bed, but after her jovial jests of Crystal, Nurse Rosie soon garnered from beneath her cart of medical supplies a thinly woven sack of burlap, and filled it with ice, tying it off and laying it tenderly upon the throbbing ankles of Crystal. That was sure to ease the pain.....for Crystal at least. Irina gave a curt nod to the nurse, replying to her warnings of the Princess' reckless behavior, all too known to the knight already, "Will do, Lady Rosie. Thank you again." And with that and a sly wink in return from Rosie, the nurse had gone....leaving the knight and her Princess...to their own devices. Crossing her arms, Irina for once turned to the girl, but still upon her face that same scowl, the very image of displeasure Crystal had placed upon her, oh that cruel mask of melancholy. And as such, she was practically in a state of comatose, unable to speak to the young lass, even after she had admitted that she was in the wrong for laying all blame upon her Royal Attendant. To that, Irina's only response was a mere sigh. She didn't really....have much of the effort either to cross the room and take her lady's hand either.... Twas during this standoffish occasion a maid had entered the room, carrying with her all of Crystal's trinkets and such she had bought here recent today. Irina's eyebrow seemed to perk a little though at the mention of....a gift for her. "M'lady you..." And for once to the Princess, she spoke. "You...purchased something....for me?" She didn't know what to feel....in that very moment, a surge of emotions rushing over her body and mind, the most prominent being not much cheerful and relishing the fact that the Princess was indeed kind to her, but.....guilt, a deep pang of absolute remorse as she soon realized...what the witch she was being to her lady, in fact it was Crystal scorned by her attendant's dismay towards her, her bitter silence and her cold glares. What the witch Irina felt indeed, glancing mournfully to the Princess...only to again see that smile she began to cherish, and then back towards the heart-shaped box in her trembling hands, wrapped in a red silk and topped with a purple bow, as if to signify this was from her lady personally. Now it was just to wonder what was held within this box? Hopefully it wasn't too expensive for her lady. Yes Crystal was royalty, but Irina...she hated the fact of someone going all out at their own expense, just to acquire a most lavish gift for her. Wasting no time on ponderings however, the knight opened the box, and within it.....was not just the most beautifully crafted snow globe she had come to witness, but.....her most cherished of memories....recollections of childhood long past, now flowing back to her with misty, tearful eyes of such joy returning to her cold and embittered heart. "C-Crystal......" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]"Happy birthday, Irina."[/b] She heard her father speak, his bright and cheerful smile amidst the thick brush of his salt and pepper gray beard. [b]"I got you a present during my travels, from the faraway Kingdom of Alegasia."[/b] Irina, only about maybe six or seven then, her heart was aflutter with rapture as she was practically hopping with joy, "Oooh! What is it, daddy?! What is it?!" She was so excited that she could not wait any longer to see what her father's grand birthday present was, only becoming ever more ecstatic upon learning it was from the beautiful realm of Alegasia. Her father, the tall muscular warrior he was, he chuckled heartily, a firm hand playfully ruffling his daughter's shimmering blue hair, [b]"Now now. Patience, li'l lass. You'll get your birthday present soon. First, close your eyes, and no peeking, you hear?"[/b] Happily young Irina nodded, shutting her eyes as tight as she could, but her joy, it was just too much to contain. [b]"Alright."[/b] Her father continued, she could tell even in the darkness of her closed eyes the man was smiling ear to ear, she always knew when her father was at his happiest. [b]"Now hold out your hands. Careful, don't drop it, okay?"[/b] In her open palms, she felt a sort of heft gently fall into them, and to this bizarre shaped object, almost spherical in a way, she clutched her hands tight. [b]"Okay, now you can open 'em."[/b] Finally, the moment of truth. Little Irina opened her eyes, and.....in an instant they were wide eyed at what befell her hands, the most beautiful and elegant snow-globe she had ever seen, from the magical and majestic castle in the midst of the small white flakes swimming about the polished glass sphere to the ornate decorations of gold and silver that embroidered the stand the globe rested upon. Immediately, she squealed in such a high pitch, "Eeeeee!! Daddy I love it!! Thank you so much daddy!!" In her fit of such joy, such happiness, she had almost dropped the globe, but she managed to hang onto it as she threw her small arms around her old man and hugged him tight. [b]"Aye! You're welcome, my daughter."[/b] Her father greatly returned the affection with one of his famous bear hugs, hoisting his daughter into his strong arms. [b]"You see that castle in there? That's the Royal Palace of Alegasia. It's one of the most beautiful castles I've ever seen, and Alegasia....it's as though the Goddess had brought down a sliver of her paradise and placed it upon the world."[/b] As she listened to her father speak so vividly and so grandly of that far-off and magical land, Irina could only stare in awe of the miniature replica of the Royal Palace, pondering on how wonderful it must've been for her father to view such an amazing sight. "Daddy?" Her little voice carried, a soft smile forming to the petite curl of her mouth. "Do you think I'll get to see Alegasia?" Her father nodded, another soft chuckle rumbling his belly, [b]"Maybe someday, Irina. Maybe someday......"[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And who would've thought this day, here she was not just standing before the majestic Royal Palace, but actually living in it, actually being able to grace its gilded halls of marble and see the very splendor it this amazing castle for herself, and....for that she had to thank her lady.... For a while or so, Irina could yet again feel herself as that very same child, the one who gazed so starry eyed, so happily at the snow-globe in her tiny hands, imagining herself one day seeing the true Royal Palace instead of a porcelain miniature, oh the joy it brought to her little heart, to visualize herself in time standing before those gargantuan towers of white with tops of purest gold. Such a smile it brought to her younger self, and....such tears it brought to her older self as Irina lost herself in the nostalgia. "M....M'lady....." Her blue eyes moved towards the Princess, and for once in this day, her lips curled into a soft and pleasant smile. She sat down the snow-globe upon the Princess' nightstand and approached the white haired girl, immediately throwing her arms around Crystal's neck and hugging her tight. "Thank you, Crystal.....thank you so much...." Twas the most thoughtful gift anyone could've given her, not just a beautifully crafted and most elegant trinket she could cherish forever, but....the memories that accompanied that very snow-globe....