My feet drift to the side as I pass through the market shops. I attempt to steer away from the locals as peasants are seen as filth within this part of town. Not too many peasants are able to afford a dress or even dare enter this part of the kingdom. 

The cold nips at my fingertips as I keep the pouch of coins tucked under my shawl. I nervously glance around as I see merchants showing around items, attempting to sell to anyone who makes eye contact with them. My eyes scan over the market as the dress shop is fast approaching. One shop crosses my line of sight, and I freeze for a second when I see the necklace. I gaze around for a second before crossing the road towards the other side of the market towards a small booth. I can only look around in awe with all the gorgeous jewelry; it has all sorts of crafts with a gem of every single color in stock. Looking towards my pouch and grasping it tightly; I quickly search for what originally caught my eye. It is a simple silver necklace with a small sapphire in the middle. I cast my eyes towards the shop owner, a scrawny woman in royal blue robes and mahogany-colored hair. 

"Hello, miss," I bow down to her as a sign of respect before lifting back up to meet her eyes. I take a deep breath, "how much is the sapphire necklace over there?" 

The owner casts a look at me, her eyes lingering at my beat-up shoes and torn-up nightgown. She does not take a mere second before greeting me with a small smile; it is warm and inviting. I am a little bit surprised as owners do not typically like to barter with peasants. 

"It is four gold and three coppers," I cringe mentally as I glance around to anywhere besides her. It was simply too good to be true. 

"Well, thank you. Do you have anything for two gold or is that too little? I understand if you don't because the craftsmanship is absolutely stellar," the shopkeeper looks to think for a moment before fiddling with the necklace in her hands. She glances back at me and walks over. With the necklace in one hand, she raises her other hand to caress the side of my face, flipping a stray bit of my hair away. 

"You look a lot like my daughter. She would, too, have chosen something like this. How about this, I will charge you half that, consider it an early Gala gift," my heart stops a moment as my eyes widen. My hands shake a little as tears start to make their way down my face. 

"Are you sure? I will work for you or pay you later or---"

"Well, there is one thing I might ask of you," I nod as my lips curl into a smile. I go to wipe any tears that were forming, but the shopkeeper is quick to do it for me. She releases her grasp on my face, "I need some help cleaning out my home. The snow got into a crevice, and it is damp, so I had to move everything. Perhaps, tomorrow at dusk you can help me out? I can treat you with Machana tea if you would like Deal?" 

My eyes are wide as my hands shake. Machana tea is something I have only tasted once; it is a tea as sweet as honey and as strong as a niaglic thorn. It is said to heal any ailment that it encounters. 

I nod and look towards the sky as snow continues to drift through the air. It is like winter is laying her hands down and weaving a dance of the snow angels. No doubt in my mind that the weather will have us buried as soon as the sun sets this evening. 

"That will be two gold then. Can I have your name, little mistress," my head whips around back towards the lady and I curtsy my shawl,

"My name is Alice Bennet, pleased to meet your acquaintance, my lady," the lady beams with a smile before packing the necklace into a black velvet bag. I grab the two gold in my pouch and hand them into her hands. 

"Thank you, Miss Alice. I have written my address on a little piece of paper inside the bag. My house is located near the east side of the kingdom, right on the edge of the gates," we exchange the little bag, and I cannot help but notice how soft it feels in my hands.

"Thank you, madam. What is your name?" 

"My name is Celia Zornem, now go, little one."

She waves at me as I look towards the marketplace, now buzzing as more people start to awaken and roam around. I walk back in the direction that I was going previously; the dress shop is only a few hundred meters away. I walk to the entrance and shake the excess snow off my shawl. I grab the door handle and notice that it is warm to the touch. Were my hands that frozen or was the shop that warm? Perhaps a mixture of both. 

I click open the lock and I can feel the immediate blast of warm air. I can see the fire burning in the corner as a young tailor is stitching together a dress on a table not far away. His eyes meet mine before holding up a finger to signify to wait. 

I take the chance to look around the shop and see all the stunning dresses that hang along the walls. Some were ballgowns while others were simple tea-time occasions. They must have been spun together with the finest of materials in a massive array of styles; there were colors all over the spectrum in this one little universe. I walk around and refrain from running my hands over the crafts; it would be extremely rude to touch them with my filthy touch.

I glance from dress to dress, from detail to detail. Every single inch of these dresses is made with passion; the tailor is stunning. 

"Miss, how can I help you," I jump before looking back at the young man. He is not a day past twenty-two, with a youthful face, well-dressed clothes, and a soothing voice, my heart can do nothing but swoon. There is no denying that he is the least bit intriguing. 

"My mother ordered and paid for a dress. It is under the name Alice Bennet," his eyes light up with recognition before nodding and heading over deep into the back of the store. I stand on my tippy toes to see where he was, but my height is no match for the hoard of dresses that block my way. I hear a few clicks and clangs before the light pitter-patter of his shoes makes its way to me. I let out a gasp while looking at the crafted beauty in his hands. 

It is a white wool dress with a fur-crafted hood. The dress falls to around the knees where the ending of it is decorated with fur. It has long sleeves; the endings also being fluffed. Buttons running down the front of the dress and where the waistline is, there is a gigantic white bow. The interior of it, from what I can see, has a corset so that it can fit correctly. It seems to be a dress that the goddess of winter might be fit to wear. 

I am shaking at this moment; I cannot believe this is even real. I look towards the lad and reach out for the dress. When my fingers touch the delicate stitch work, my insides twist and turn with anticipation. It is soft; it feels like I am running my fingers through a Menngien bear's hide. Tears well in my eyes as I cannot help but be just taken back by the sheer magic that this dress holds over me. I do not want to know how much this costed Mama. 

"Well, do you want to try it on? It seems to be perfect weather outside. I also want to make sure it fits correctly before completely sending it away," I agree to the idea, and he hands the dress over to me and points towards a small room for changing. 

I take a few deep breaths as I can only stare at the dress, is this really mine? How much did this cost? What did Mama sacrifice for this? What if it does not fit correctly? 

"Alice, stop," I mummer to myself as I undo my shawl and toss it to the side. I then look at my tattered nightgown; there were holes littering the tips and rips covering the sides. The vibrant pink that it once had is now faded into a grey color; it is quite a few years old now. I take off the nightgown and put it where the shawl is. I then undo the buttons and corset of the dress and slide it on. Immediately, I can feel the softness; I am in awe by how it caresses my skin and the warmth it provides for being so light. I button up the front, but I am unable to do the corset. 

I walk out and the tailor looks at me with an approving nod, "let me do the corset. From my judgment, it fits perfectly. You have a perfect figure, and the measurements are spot on." 

I turn around and he laces up the corset; I can feel the pressure on my waist, but it is a comfort. I am unsure why this dress bubbles hope inside me, but I am simply nothing but ecstatic. 

"Is there a mirror," I ponder aloud as he finishes the corset and twirls me back around. He takes my hand and leads me to a tall mirror near the front of the store. My heart stops as I see the dress on me; it looks just stunning. The waist fits like a glove, capturing my figure perfectly. The color of the dress fits my pale, rosy skin tone, and the cut-off is not too short nor too long. I toss up the hood and it is perfect with not covering my eyes. I cannot help but be stunned. 

"May I ask you something, Sir," I turn towards him as his brown eyes seem to approve. He looks happy with the outcome, and he looks me up and down, admiring the work done. 

"Go ahead, Miss," I blush slightly before putting my hood down. I cannot help but look back towards the mirror, my black hair is a stark contrast to the gentle colored white. It looks like it is simply meant to be. 

"How much was this," I stare towards the ground as I cannot help but count the amount of gold it would take to be able to afford this dress. Certainly, it is at least ten gold and twenty silvers, possibly more. Mama must have been putting gold aside or something along the lines of that. The tailor crosses his arms and looks at me, there is no true expression that I can make out. I am typically good at reading emotions, but his face is void of any feelings that I can read. 

"It was not worth a single gold. It was a request from the king himself, your mother simply gave the measurements," the questions I once had were now exasperated. The king? Does he know I exist? Why in the world would he request a dress like this for a mere peasant who has absolutely no meaning towards his existence? My mouth is left slightly agape as I look from the mirror back down to the ground. Nothing made sense.

"Do you know why," it was a stretch? The tailor certainly would not know. Why would he? Everyone besides the king is simply a pawn in this giant game; we know nothing but the orders we are given and the roles we are assigned. I let out a little chuckle before looking the tailor right in his eyes. He looks a little taken aback, and I can see a little bit of emotional leakage. It is the smallest bit of panic; I do not know why he would be surprised, but it is buried deep within before he shuts it off. 

"I'm afraid not," he is lying. One thing Mama has taught me through life is how to detect lies. It took me a little bit to master, but I can now tell a truth from a lie from the mere pitch in a voice. I do not want to confront the matter; it truly is none of my business. I nod and do not linger on the idea. I will come back to it later if need be. 

"Well, thank you again," I curtsy towards him and make my way back to the small room.

"Wait," the tailor calls out and prepares a small bag for me.

"Wear the dress, for now, a storm is coming in quickly. Use this bag to carry your other clothes so they will not get soaked. I will suggest getting home quickly, okay?"

"Yes, thank you, sir," I accept the bag into my hands and go back to the room. Questions are swarming my mind, but I cannot seem to focus on one simple problem. Today is simply bizarre, and it is not even halfway through the cycle. 

I throw my shawl and nightgown into the small, thin black bag as well as the little necklace. I have decided to give it to Mama as a small Gala gift. After all this work through the past few weeks, it is a well-deserved thank you. I walk back out and towards the exit of the tailors before I feel a pull from my sleeve. It startles me, and I cannot help but retract my arm in panic. 

"Listen, miss Alice, the gala theme will be winter night. That is why the king requested this dress, and" he hesitates for a second while looking past me. I glance behind myself as the feeling of eyes are burning through my back. However, I see nothing suspicious, as of now, at least. 

"Be careful, Alice. You are in danger."