(A/N; This chapter is from Madeleine's POV
It's also a side story, meant to explore the story from a different perspective. Reading them is highly recommended to get the full context of Defying Death :))
Madeleine stepped out of the adorned carriage, the cold air of her home hitting her immediately.
Just as she wanted to thank the coachman, he threw off her luggage and immediately took off.
She just picked it up with a sigh.
It had been a while since she'd been in Silkport, her visit to Dominizia had lasted a few months after all.
And now that she had scored first place in the imperial exams, she felt like she could finally be proud to return.
As she strolled through the frozen streets, she had to admire the beauty of her village once again.
Although it was a place forever encased in snow and ice, the hope in the villagers' eyes never died.
Her train of thought was interrupted by two skiing boys stopping in front of her, quickly yanking off their goggles.
"Maddy! You're finally back! About damn time too!" The taller one of the two brothers, Vlad, grinned at her, revealing several missing teeth.
Madeleine could swear there was one less than when she left.
"Did you manage to get even smaller? Look, you're barely reaching my waist!" Ivan laughed heartily as he compared their sizes.
Vlad took a closer look, before tutting.
"Well, couldn't have expected them to at least give you proper clothes! For Pete's sake, you're shivering!"
He quickly peeled off his giant coat, before dropping it on the much smaller Madeleine.
She just nodded, still embarrassed by her cousins doting on her like this.
"Well, we might as well bring you to Mother. No use in standing around here."
The boys started ushering her toward the town hall, yanking off their skis in the process.
The first thing you noticed about the town hall was that it was warm, thanks to several hearths spread throughout.
The second was the number of stairs leading up to impossibly high places.
It was to biggest pride of Silkport. The building took an entire decade to be completed, though it still stood tall, even a century later.
"C'mon Maddy, don't get lost in here." Ivan was already heading toward one of the many stairwells, waving for Vlad and her to follow.
And so they did.
At the end of the stairwell lay an unsuspecting door.
"Should we go in with you?" Vlad looked down at Madeleine, concern in his eyes.
"I-I'd like that." Madeleine smiled softly at the two.
Ivan smiled back, before knocking on the door and entering, Madeleine and Vlad closely following.
A tall woman was sitting in front of a simple desk with stacks upon stacks of paperwork. In her hand was a stamp that she used to either approve or deny the documents.
"H-Hello aunt Mila.", Madeleine quietly said.
Mila looked up from her papers, finally noticing the three children.
"Madeleine!! You've returned!!! Oh, gods, why didn't they notify me!!" She scrambled to get up from her desk, ushering her niece into a tight hug.
"Did they feed you properly?? Oh my, you're so thin! I knew they were starving you!!! Boys, get some soup for this poor child, she looks like she could use some!" She sent the boys away with an arm wave. They left without much complaint, shooting Madeleine a mischievous grin.
"Ah, those boys are gonna be the death of me.... they didn't even clean the snow off their shoes before coming in here." She tutted, a habit that her children seemed to have picked up, before throwing more firewood in the hearth and ushering Madeleine to sit on one of the stools in front of it.
"So, how was Dominizia?" Her aunt looked at her, a wide smile on her face.
"Well, I uh, got first place in the imperial exam...."
"I KNEW IT!!! It was worth bringing you there!!!!" Mila was grinning even bigger now.
".... Yes and um... I made a friend. At least I think we're friends." Madeleine smiled.
"Oh truly? Who are they?" Mila tilted her head to the side.
Madeleine smiled. "Antoinette Crawford."
Mila's smile seemed to fall from her face.
"Crawford... As in, the duchy, Crawford?"
Madeleine nodded, unsure.
"Be careful around that girl, Madeleine. Her grandfather... Did horrible things to your bloodline. And well... I won't blame a child, but if he had any hand in raising her, she might turn out like him." Mila started pulling hairs out of her perfectly constructed bun.
Madeleine looked down.
She remembered vividly when that bloodstained letter arrived at her doorstep, officially announcing her fathers' death.
She shook her head. She didn't believe that a young girl like Antoinette could be like her awful ancestors.
"Of course, I'm glad you made friends dear, but you need to be careful around her. Especially since you'll be taking the exam next year too.
I'll have your cousins accompany you then." Mila undid her gray hair, putting it back up in a perfectly symmetrical bun, somehow without a mirror.
Just then, Ivan and Vlad burst back inside, four bowls of soup in hand.
And while they were gathered around the hearth, listening to Mila's stories about scams and strange clients while eating their soup, Madeleine's thoughts drifted away, back to the black-haired girl that stood up for her, realizing that with her cousins in toe, it might be a while before she'd get to speak to her again.