05 | True Love's Tale

   EVERYONE was going crazy about the cotillion coming that night. The only one not quite so excited was Winter, of course, who sat in her dorm reading. They had got back to the school a few hours ago, Winter wasting no time in forcing herself back to her loner personality.

As nice as it had been to feel included, to be with friends, she knew better. It was simply Murphy's Law. The second she got even the slightest bit content, a curveball or obstacle would be thrown at her.

And honestly, Winter really did not feel like dealing with that.

She lay on her bed pondering the short trip that put things into perspective for her. She would be the first to admit that while she had been curious about the Isle at times, there had never ever been a time that she actually wanted to visit.

Even now, after seeing it, it only made Winter feel bad about the ones who were not villains trapped there. It was like no kingdom in Auradon that she had ever seen, even the few cities scattered about Auradon were not that bad.

As bad as she felt, she had no want to ever go back to that place. Well, she almost didn't.

She still smelt the scent of sea salt wafting from him, felt his warm breath in her ear, saw the amazing blue of his eyes, and the killer smirk that no doubt had many going crazy. The roughness of his hands, the lilt in his accented voice, the feeling she got when he spoke to her.

No, not spoke, flirted. Harry Hook flirted with her hardcore, only an idiot would be unable to see that. While Winter may have never been on the receiving end of being flirted at before Harry, she knew enough to recognize flirting anywhere.

She had to, seeing as it was a past time of hers to make bets with herself as to who would become the next couple of Auradon Prep. She often made bets as to who would be the ones to break up, to get married, and who actually had what people liked to call true love.

Just yesterday, she was unsure what true love actually meant. Sure, she loved her parents, her cousins, her auntie, and uncle, but she had never been in love with anyone. She did not doubt the existence of it, she just believed it was not as common as the people in Auradon liked to say.

Ben and Mal had true love, she was sure of that. Then there was Evie and Doug who definitely had it. Her parents, of course, had it. Her auntie and uncle.

But then again, those were all special cases. Audrey and Chad Charming, for example, while they certainly made a good couple, they did not have true love. The only true love those two could have is with themselves.

Winter would never even come close to saying she loved Harry Hook, she literally did not even tell him her name, but she definitely felt something for him. A pull, or a tug, something that made her feel like she was bound to the stupid (but hot) Isle pirate.

She did not understand why no matter what she did, her mind always drifted back to that pirate. For god sake, Harry probably had not even given her a second thought the second she was out of his sight.

(Winter had no idea how wrong she was.)

Winter had to remind herself that it was an impossible scenario. First off, there was the major fact that he was stuck on the Isle and she would not be going back. Second, even if one day he did get off the Isle, Winter was cold as ice, literally (well not really, but still).

It would be like trying to tiptoe around him, she still was not sure how dangerous she could actually be toward people. The only ones she really trusted herself with was her family.

Besides, just because she felt something definitely did not mean Harry did. For all she knew, his little whispers of flirting were just him messing with her.

As much as she wished it, Winterfell Frost knew that a relationship between herself and Harry Hook never could and never would work. Even thinking about him was useless.

A soft knock suddenly came from her door making Winter roll out of bed. She had changed clothing earlier, now adorning her usual smart attire with her classic tight bun.

Today was easier with her powers than yesterday, today there was not even the slightest hint of frost or anything cold in her room. Winter grabbed her gloves off her dresser while walking toward the door, making sure they were on securely before she opened the door.

"Evie?" Winter said in surprise, tilting her head to the side at her blue-haired VK friend.

Last she had seen of Evie and Mal, they were sitting in a circle with Carlos and Jay to have some sort of personal talk. Winter knew the four of them were extremely close, closer than they would ever be to anyone else.

Evie smiled at the sight of Winter, the girl smiling when she noticed Winter was not wearing any shoes. Evie rested her hands in front of her, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Six hours till cotillion," is all Evie said, Winter, sighing when she realized exactly where this was going.

"—Evie—" Winter tried, but Evie shook her head.

"No, come on, Winter. Six hours, that may not give me enough time to make a whole new dress for you, but I certainly can pull one that will be equally as gorgeous for you out of the closet. And I can do your make-up, and, and..." Evie was desperate to get her lonesome friend to include herself in any social event.

Especially after earlier, Evie really wanted Winter to include herself more.

"—No, Evie—" Winter felt really bad, but she just could not bring herself to want to go to the cotillion.

It just felt wrong for her to dress up and party with everyone else. She had never been a big partier, especially the Auradon ones.

"Winnie, please," Evie begged Winter, the girl in question biting her lip as she considered it.

For a split second, she imagined just going out for one night and having fun, but then reality crashed down. She envisioned herself having fun but something would go wrong and she would freeze something and everything would be ruined.

She could ruin it all.

Evie frowned when she saw Winter's previous consideration diminish suddenly, a forlorn look in her eye. Evie was not sure what Winter was so afraid of, but she had a guess. She really wanted to help but she just did not know how to.

How the heck was Evie supposed to stop Winter's biggest fear when it was literally herself. How do you help someone get over being terrified of themself?

"I'm sorry, Evie, but no," Winter said firmly, unable to look in Evie's eyes as she said it. "I have homework to do." It was an obvious lie, both girls knew Winter's homework was long done.

"Fine," Evie huffed, her eyes looking around as she tried to come up with something else, "but how about this, next weekend we go see a movie? That new rom-com that I know you want to see is out..." Winter blushed knowing it was true. Evie picked up on Winter's love of watching happy relationships by the way she read romance novels and guessed every relationship at Auradon Prep.

"You, me, and Mal, that's it."

Winter nodded her head, giving into Evie's wish causing her to squeal. It may have not been the cotillion, but it was certainly a step in the right direction.

"Okay, great, now let's talk about..." Evie's voice went lower as she leaned against the doorframe.

Winter rose a brow at Evie's knowing smile, wondering what she was talking about. "...Harry Hook."

Winter's already big eyes went huge, her cheeks going red against her will. Sometimes she really hated being so pale.

"You mean..." Winter tried to play it off cool, but her body language said it all, "the pirate guy?"

"The pirate guy..." Evie mocked, getting off the doorframe and putting her hands on her hips, "yes, the one who you could not take your eyes off of!" Oh, so Evie had noticed that. "AND THE ONE WHO WAS ALL OVER YOU!"

Winter's eyes went wide, and for the first time in a while, she initiated physical contact. It was rare she touched people on her own, but drastic times called for drastic measures. Gripping Evie's hands in her own silk-covered ones, Winter pulled Evie in her room while slamming the door shut behind them.

The last thing she needed was all of Auradon Prep talking about Winter and some pirate.

"Gosh, your room is so dark," Evie squinted at the dim lighting. "Seriously, what the heck, Winter?"

Winter waved her off, getting back on point. "No matter, what does matter is this pirate that I don't like!"

Evie scoffed, throwing her head back. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that. I saw the way you looked at each other, true love in its finest."

"True love," Winter snickered, "trust me, there is no such thing as true love for me."

Evie got a sad look in her eye, a frown eating at her face. "Uhm, and why not?"

"Because, because..." Winter struggled for an answer before bursting, "because it just doesn't exist for me, alright! It's simple I don't date nor will I ever, I am perfectly fine with my romance books and movies, and besides, I can live through yours and Doug's relationship if I need to!"

"Oh my Gosh!" Evie covered her face, trying not to laugh at Winter's proclamation.

What made it so funny was that Winter was being completely serious. It was entertaining because Winter had a very dry sense of humor and a lot of things she said she meant literally. Not only that, but many sayings and such tended to go over her head sometimes she was just that literal.

"You know what, I am not going to say anything to that," Evie clapped her hands with a smile. "Just know that I am so setting you up with Harry, not that I really need to cause it seems he'll be fine getting you himself."

Winter gasped, her eyes somehow going even bigger. Evie loved how big and brown Winter's eyes were, it made her look adorable sometimes. Evie only wished she would take her advice and stop dying her hair brown.

Evie had not yet had the privilege to see Winter's hair white, but she had seen a few white strands occasionally when the dye started to fail.

"That's not even possible! Harry is stuck on the Isle," Evie had a smirk making Winter panic even further. "RIGHT!?"

Winter always was a big stressor.

Evie shrugged with a smile. "I don't know, I was going to ask Ben about bringing more VKs over, and now that I know Harry is your true love, I may just put in a word—"

"No!" Winter cried, nearly falling down on the spot. "I don't have room for love in my life! Plus, we're not even in love, I just thought he was gorgeous, okay! That's it..."

Evie's mouth had fallen agape, the girl wanting to laugh at how frazzled Winter was getting over this.

"You think he's gorgeous?"

"What?" Winter realized her mistake. "No, that's not what I meant—"

"Harry Hook is coming to Auradon, just for you, I am going to make sure that happens!" Evie said firmly, backing away as Winter continuously shook her head.

"No, please, he's a pirate and, and, and...!"

"Bye!" Evie was racing out of Winter's dorm with a laugh, Winter herself beginning to hyperventilate.

"Shoot, shoot, shoot!"

——————

That night, while the cotillion went on, Winter briskly walked toward the library. She was one of the few still on campus and therefore the only one in the library other than the librarian herself.

But even then, the librarian was sound asleep on his desk. Creeping into the three-story library filled to the brim with towers of books, Winter slowly walked toward the back. In the back of the library was where the books on magic, legends, and other things in that department were located.

Because of Auradon weening away from magic, the library had a strict rule that these books were only to be read for reports and never to be checked out of the library. Not only that, but the section was not as big as it used to be.

However, Winter knew that the book she was looking for would most definitely be there. She noticed in the corner of the library a small television playing live footage of the cotillion.

So far it seemed no one of the courts had been introduced yet, everyone was still arriving. Ducking into the back section, Winter ran her gloved hands across the spines of the thick books.

The library had this permanent smell of ink and paper that Winter loved. Not only that but in the middle were many tables, armchairs and couches, all for students to lounge and study on. Fireplaces sat on every wall, and during the winters, the fireplaces would burn constantly to keep the large library warm.

Seeing as Winter was the only student in the library, her footsteps echoed with each pace. She bit her lip, her eyes zeroing in on a certain cover.

It was not the cover she had been looking for, but it was something that also interested her.

The Legend of Peter Pan

She hastily grabbed the book, fully intending to read it later. She tried to tell herself it was not because she wanted to know more of Harry Hook's origins, but she knew it was the truth.

Her father was actually sort of friends with Peter Pan, but Winter herself had never met him.

She snickered when noticed that the book had been right next to another very familiar story.

The Legend of the Winter King: Jack Frost

Her father's story had been one she read countless times, smiling when her mother was introduced and eventually herself at the end. Her mother, Queen Elsa, also had her own story that heavily intertwined with Winter's aunt, Queen Anna.

It was another story she had read countless times. Eventually, there would come a day when Winter got her own book written, but that day was nowhere in the near future. She could not wait to read it when it was created though.

Walking away from the legend shelf of books with Peter Pan in hand, she quickly made her way to the traditional tale section. It was a large book with a red cover and spine that caught Winter's eye, the title confirming her suspicions of it being the book she was after.

Balancing the Peter Pan book in one hand, Winter easily grasped the book she was after, pulling it out of its spot.

True Love's Tale

While it may have sounded like a story, it was actually a book written to explain just what true love was and the history behind it.

With both books, Winter walked back to the middle of the library and took a seat at one of the tables. Putting Peter Pan to the side, she opened the thick red book. Looking through the table of contents, Winter found the chapter she was after before quickly flipping through the pages to the one she needed.

What is True Love Really?

She read the title silently, her eyes moving across the rest of the words easily.

The term "True Love" is thrown around often and normally without care. However, what is true love really? True Love has been around for thousands and thousands of years, it is an instant forever lasting deep affection from one individual to another.

True Love exists only once in a person's life, it may never even appear at all. It is perfectly okay for true love to not occur, as relationships can still thrive long and happily without the assistance of true love.

True Love; however, is one of the most powerful forces in all existence. The bond between true lovers is one that does not break easily and it allows each individual to understand each other on a level that others will not.

Magical Physiologist, Edward Burnard, studied the field of true love. In his article, A History of True Love, he explains that "...in taking a deeper look at the magic of true love, it can be proven that true love stems from the soul. Ages ago, the term true love was not used to describe this spiritual connection and bond between two individuals, rather the familiar term was soulmate. Yes, it is indeed proven that True Love is the love of two soulmates..." (Burnard, 29).

Winter stopped reading there, a pit forming in her stomach. Soulmates? Really?

There was no way possible, Winter kept telling herself. And yet, a feeling in her heart urged her on, as though telling her this was the truth.

She breathed on the brink of hyperventilating, but a scene from the television in the corner of the library caught her attention. It was the cotillion being streamed live, but Uma was there.

Winter gasped, her eyes wide as she watched Uma launch herself over the deck of the yacht before turning into some huge sea monster. Then Mal proceeded to shapeshift into a dragon, something that Winter had no clue Mal could do.

Winter's mouth was hanging open as she watched Uma and Mal fight in their huge forms, and her shock went up further as Ben suddenly jumped into the ocean.

Winter mused at the fact that only Ben would have the audacity to leap into the ocean and try to stop a fight between a sea monster and dragon. However, Ben was also the only one who had such a benevolence about him that he made people listen.

Uma and Mal stopped attacking each other at Ben's words, Uma sinking into the ocean as Mal transformed herself back into a girl while Ben was pulled back onto the yacht.

"Aww," Winter hummed as Ben pulled Mal into a fierce kiss on the screen.

Smiling, Winter looked down at her True Love book and back to Ben and Mal. Yes, Ben and Mal were definitely soulmates.

Suddenly, after a few more words, something else happened that had Winter huffing in annoyance. Singing.

"What is this? A music video?" She scoffed. "Come on guys!" But she knew they could not hear her.

"What in the world?" Winter threw her arms up, watching as they sang and dance. "Did their dresses just magically change?"

It was true, literally, every girl had been wearing a different dress five seconds ago. How was Winter the only one to notice these oddities about life around them?

"Okay, since when can Doug do a backflip?"

Because of Uma, the yacht had been soaked and now had a large amount of water on board. Everyone was doing some sort of water dance getting themselves soaked and Winter figured she was the only one concerned for everyone's safety.

There definitely should not have been that much water on board.

She was suddenly grateful she decided not to go as she knew water, especially when it was in the tons, made her powers react and therefore that much harder to control. She probably would have ended up turning all the water to ice.

Winter only shook her head, deciding to look away from the television screen and focus back on the book.

She turned the page, her breath hitching at the title.

Soulmates

An image of Harry Hook was at the forefront of her mind. She knew it was wrong on so many levels, but she could not deny the physical attraction. Sure, she had only told him some random fact and not even her name, but she still remembered the thrill she got when she spoke to her.

She cringed when she realized Harry did not even know her name, but then again who is to say he even felt the connection. A part of her knew he did though.

Besides, say they were true lovers or soulmates or whatever, how was Harry even going to react to her being Winter Frost of all people, daughter of Elsa and Jack Frost.

Soulmates can be confusing and that is okay! It is perfectly normal to not understand nor recognize the soulmate bond instantly. Though it is there, some people take longer than others to fully feel and accept the connection.

For those who are not sure whether one is your soulmate, a simple spell can do the trick! If one should mix together rose petals, a mild love potion, a hair of one of the two individuals suspected to be soulmates, it will create a magical cream.

This cream, should it be placed on one of the two suspected soulmated individuals, will cause for the name of the individual's soulmate to appear on the skin. Beware, though, this cream will cause an everlasting scar of the name on the skin.

Winter looked up from the book biting her lip. Her heart was racing.

She went back and forth, but she just had to know. She could not wait any longer, the suspense was killing her.

Winter told herself, as soon as she found out, no matter the name that should appear, she would do nothing about it. As soon as she knew, that was all, she would drop the subject forever and focus on getting good grades.

She huffed, looking around the library. Quickly, she ripped the page with the spell from the book, hoping to God no one ever noticed until she had graduated. Never had she broken the rules, let alone stole something from the school.

If Fairy Godmother knew then she might just have a heart attack, Winter would no longer be one of her favorite students.

Stuffing the page in the Peter Pan book, she quickly put the True Love book back in its place before checking out the Peter Pan book with the loose page and leaving.

She may have had her own magic, but she did not trust herself to successfully perform the spell. Winter was going to need help, and she knew just the person.