09 | SOREN'S TRUTH
"AND so that after that, I literally had to jump out his window to avoid getting caught by Fairy Godmother—"
"You jumped out the window?" Jack Frost cackled at the huge wooden dinner table, everyone else only holding horrified looks at Sitara's story.
"Yeah, he was on the second floor too, so I had to climb down the tree! Anyway, long story short, we didn't end up working out and I think he's married now..." Sitara exclaimed, ignoring the horrified looks her parents, aunt, and brother were sending her.
Winter was biting her fist trying to keep in her laughter. Winter had just finished telling everyone what had occurred during the year and her parents were not happy at all about her going to the Isle, but Sitara thought it was wicked.
She left out all the bits about Harry Hook, knowing her parents would go insane if they knew she was true lovers with the son of Captain Hook. After that, Sitara being the best cousin ever, helped Winter out by bringing the attention to her and telling an even worse story about her time at Auradon Prep.
At first, it was a story about how she was nearly arrested for loitering in a park with her boyfriend after hours, and then it proceeded into how she was almost caught screwing him in the dorm rooms by the Headmistress.
Yes, Anna and Kristoff were mortified, but seeing as Sitara was already graduated there was only so much they could do. Jack Frost and Winter were the only ones who found the story funny, Jack being far more verbal about it than Winter.
Luckily though, it did its job because everyone forgot about Winter and her trip to the Isle.
"Okay then!" Kristoff clapped, deciding to move on from the story of his daughter screwing someone before he broke something. "Let's talk about you, Soren! Have you asked out Hadley yet?"
"Oh, that sweet girl who works in the town bakery?" Anna rose a brow while Elsa smirked as though she knew something no one else did.
Soren groaned at the attention falling onto him, Winter watching as he shook his head. "For the last time, father! I do not like Hadley as more than friends..." he trailed, looking toward the table.
Winter tilted her head sensing that something was off about Soren. He seemed a bit sad at the comment.
Elsa drank some of her red wine, watching her nephew with a careful gaze. He looked to Elsa as well, both of them sharing some sort of secret between their eyes. It appeared as though Winter was the only one to notice this; however, when she glanced at Sitara she realized that the red-head was leaning back in her chair with a smug smirk as though she was also in on this.
Well, whatever this was.
"Alright, alright..." Kristoff held up his hands, "I was just wondering."
Anna giggled as well, thinking the forlorn look on her son's face was one of longing rather than what it actually was... sadness.
"Gosh, you guys are almost as bad as the trolls at this point," Sitara casually kicked her leg up onto the table only for Kristoff to immediately knock it back down.
Winter giggled but it was cut off by a loud yawn, the girl covering her mouth. "Sorry," she apologized as Jack and Elsa gave her a soft smile.
"Time to go, I think?" Jack questioned Elsa who nodded while standing up.
"Aww, you need to swing by tomorrow, Winter. Ice skating in summer?" Sitara questioned causing Winter to nod.
"Of course," she once again yawned, the goodbyes being brief as Winter was eager to get home to rest.
When they got outside, Jack grabbed onto Elsa who glared warningly. "Don't worry, I have rugrat following me, I can't go so fast..." Jack said playfully causing Winter to glare at her dad.
Crossing her arms, she popped out a hip. "Are you kidding me, Papa? I can beat you in a flying race anytime..."
"Want to bet?"
"No," Elsa stopped them both firmly, "Jack Frost, you will not race with me in your grasp!"
Jack groaned as Winter simply winked. "See you later, slowpokes!" Jack yelled as the wind quickly carried Winter off at speeds he was not exactly expecting.
She was getting quicker. Oh no, his own daughter could not beat him in a race, shoot!
Winter hollered in glee as she soared above the clouds, the wind taking her at amazing speeds over Arendelle and past the Enchanted Forest. She was covering miles in a matter of seconds.
It felt amazing, the girl having not flown by the wind in what felt like ages. She loved the way her hair flew everywhere, the feeling of the wind in her face. She put her hand in a cloud as she passed it, smiling at the moisture feeling it gave.
With another cry of glee, Winter sped up watching as the dark sea came into view. Many outsiders called it the dark sea, but to the Northuldra people, Elsa, Jack, and Winter, it was the Ahtohallan River.
The river which separated their home from the rest of the lands.
Soaring over the stormy and raging Ahtohallan River, a place which was nearly impossible to cross unless you had either Jack, Elsa, or Winter, she caught sight of the snowy island she called home.
Going lower to the ground, Winter smiled at the snow falling. She flew through the forests covered in snow and ice, going straight through the thick fog. As soon as she emerged on the other side of the fog, the towering castle which she called home greeted her.
Large gates protected the enormous building, Winter easily flying over them and landing at the front entrance. Unlike Arendelle, there were not many servants here. Only a few snow and water nymphs which chose to serve their King and Queen.
Nymphs were an interesting species as they tended to remain in areas heavy with their particular call to nature. The nymphs of water and ice were loyal to Elsa and Jack and were honored to serve them.
Elsa and Jack were not harsh about it either as the nymphs were free to come and go as they wished. Sometimes, after a few years, certain nymphs would leave but others also came. More were coming to live on Ahtohallan and the Enchanted Forest more than ever as the rest of the lands began shifting towards less magical means.
Immediately, the ginormous doors made of wood and ice opened. To most the emptiness may have seemed daunting and slightly scary, but not to Winter. Never to Winter.
As soon as Winter entered the castle, her footsteps echoing the place heavily, a woodland person appeared in front of her.
All nymphs, in general, were shorter than the average person. The tallest nymph Winter had ever seen was a male who stood at 5'4, but the males were usually around 5'1. The female nymphs were no larger than 4'9.
Despite this, nymphs were still incredibly strong. Though their powers could not compare to Elsa, Jack's, or Winter's, they were still a force to be reckoned with.
"Oh, Winterfell," Winter looked as a familiar female nymph wearing frosted clothing hurried through the foyer toward her, "allow me to take your bags."
Winter had been carrying her two backpacks and suitcase.
"Thank you, Denala, but I am perfectly capable of taking my own bags up," Winter smiled at Denala who nodded back.
"Very well, and may I say, it is good to have you home." She smiled in Winter's direction.
Winter nodded back, quickly closing the large doors behind her and setting for the large grand staircase located in the next room. The castle was large, so it took her a second of walking before she had finally opened the door to her bedroom.
Her bedroom, alike to the rest of the castle, was large. Rugs scattered every inch of the stone ground, a huge bed sitting against the wall and a fireplace that was not lit opposite to the bed. There was a huge balcony that looked out to the back of the castle, the glass doors showing Winter that it was not snowing too heavily outside.
Even in summer, it snowed on Ahtohallan. A summer on Ahtohallan meant that it would only snow lightly and sometimes not at all. However, during the winters, it was a snowstorm every night and sometimes even during the day.
Trinkets from Winter's childhood sat around the room along with pictures. Shelves of books and journals flurried about, the girl's closet still open from when she was rushing to pack at the end of winter break six months ago.
Couches and arms chairs, as well as a large desk were placed smartly around her room.
With a smile, Winter kicked her door shut while dropping her bags on the ground. Rushing over to her bed, she leaped in the air before falling onto the fluffy softness of it
"Mmm," Winter murmured sleepily, looking the familiar engravings of her bedroom ceiling, "home sweet home."
——————
"I don't know how you do it Winterfell!" Sitara laughed from her place on the courtyard which was currently covered in ice to make a skating rink.
Winter had made good on her promise from the previous night and as soon as morning hit, she flew over to the Arendelle castle and created her own makeshift ice rink. She and Sitara had been skating for hours.
Anna was in some royal meeting, Kristoff was cutting ice up at the northern mountains, and Soren was somewhere inside doing who-knows-what.
Both Sitara and Winter were wearing casual summer clothing. For Sitara, that meant a tank top and breeches, and for Winter that meant leggings with a flowy tunic. Both the girl's skates were made of ice.
Sitara watched with bright eyes as Winter performed multiple leaps and spins looking nothing less than the epitome of elegance.
Winter laughed, skating forward and grabbing Sitara's hands, spinning around the ice with her.
"So, anything new?" Winter said as they spun. "Relationship wise?" Winter was taking a page from Evie's book.
Sitara smiled, knowing that Winter loved listening to a good love story. Sitara had grown up with the fact that Winter loved listening to romance stories and yet would never want her own romance.
She had been working on Winter and romance even longer than Mal and Evie, and yet Sitara barely even made a dent. Sitara's cousin was definitely stubborn, that was for sure.
"Oh, you know, same old. No love for me, I choose to explore the town and things..." Sitara smiled.
"Still want to move to the city?" Winter questioned.
"Hell yeah!" Sitara cheered as Winter stopped spinning them.
Shaking her head, Winter waved her hand causing her ice skates which she created of ice to disappear. Winter's feet were bare, the girl normally not wearing shoes while home. She had never been cold in her life and her feet—while her feet were soft—were also protected by her magic. It was rare she wore shoes other than when she first arrived or was leaving Arendelle.
Her gloves were also currently not covering her hands for the first in a while. It felt nice to be outside with her hands bare. Her hands were pale alike to the rest of her body, her fingernails long and colorless.
"I am going to use the restroom, I'll be right back," Winter said before turning around and walking barefoot across the ice perfectly fine.
She did not slip or even stumble, the ice ground feeling as any other ground would to her. Winter navigated the way easily, finding the closest bathroom and using it. It was not until Winter was on her way out and she was passing by one of the three libraries of the castle that she heard an odd noise coming from within.
Furrowing her brows, Winter stopped at the large oak door, tilting her head as she heard the soft noises once more. Walking closer to the door, Winter slowly placed her ear against it, her lips puckered trying to figure out what she was hearing.
"Ugh," it was a low groan, obviously coming from a man, "God, yeah that's it!"
"Oh yeah!" It was another voice that was practically a moan, but Winter recognized it.
What the hell? That was Soren, her cousin, and practically big brother.
Winter was not sure why because she was 99.9% sure she knew what was happening, but she just had to make sure. In retrospect, when she slammed open the door, she was fully expecting to see her cousin getting it on. However, what she was not expecting was just who her cousin was doing it with.
Winter's jaw hit the ground at a very naked Soren laying on top of an equally as naked man, both of them lying on one of the larger library tables. The man below Soren was someone who Winter had never seen, his hair was dark and he seemed to have a scruff of a beard.
It was obvious what was happening by their nudity, the sweat gleaming on both their muscular bodies and how the man below Soren was bouncing. The wood of the table creaked and Winter had sworn she saw Jesus at that moment.
She had never been more disturbed. She felt tainted after witnessing this.
And in seconds, when their moaning reached an all-time high and it was apparent they were barreling towards ecstasy, the loudest scream that Winter had ever given birth to ripped its way from her throat practically shaking the room around.
Soren and the man below froze, both their heads whipping in the direction of Winter who stood horrified. If Soren's heart could stop, it would have stopped at that moment.
However, the man below Soren only smirked, seeing a rather beautiful girl standing in front of him and his lover.
"Hey sweetheart, want to join?" The dark-haired man questioned, his body shaking and sweaty.
"Oh my god!" Winter nearly sobbed, finally finding it in herself to move and cover her eyes with her hands.
"That's my cousin, you fool!" Soren hissed as Winter turned around, racing out of the library.
Immediately, Soren was off the man, and any trace of lust now washed away as though he had jumped into a freezing lake. The man below Soren cringed, looking to his lover apologetically.
"Ooh, sorry..."
Soren ignored him, changing at the speed of light while swearing.
Winter had already made it around the corner when she ran into a fratic-looking Sitara. Sitara studied the horrified sixteen-year-old, her eyes huge.
"Winter, I heard you scream, what happened?"
"Soren was naked and... and... and...!"
"Gross, did you walk in on him in the bathroom or something?"
"No, he was..." Winter did not get to finish her sentence for Soren and the dark-haired man suddenly rounded the corner, both looking extremely disheveled.
Sitara's eyes widened in understanding, her look turning to one of panic at Winter who was staring at Soren as though he were a stranger. Winter was not disgusted at Soren being with a man, it was the fact that she had to see him naked!
Not only naked, but actually doing it!
She wished she could gauge her eyeballs out.
Once again, Winter began screaming as she imagined a naked Soren. Sitara put her hand over her cousin's mouth, ceasing her screaming as Soren and the man rushed over. Winter made sure to be careful to keep her breath at a normal temperature while Sitara's hand was on her mouth.
Last thing she wanted was to freeze her cousin's hand off.
"You idiot, where were you that Winter saw?" Sitara hissed.
"The library,"
Soren glared at the dark-haired man who answered for him, the man in question only shrugging at the look.
"Stupid, it's like you guys are trying to get caught!" Sitara exclaimed.
"Well, we will get caught if you keep screaming like that!" Soren hissed right back, his blond locks falling into his eyes.
"I have an idea, how about you just don't hide it anymore?" The dark-haired man suggested causing Soren to sigh and Sitara to give her brother a pitying look.
It was then everything finally clicked into place for Winter. From the sad looks last night to now, it was apparent that Soren was gay.
All three looked to Winter as she tried saying something from under Sitara's hand. Sitara rose a brow, removing her hand so Winter could speak.
"You're gay?" Winter questioned.
"Bisexual," Soren corrected before motioning to the guy behind him, "and this douche is my boyfriend."
The douche in question rolled his eyes, waving to Winter. "This douche's name is Alexar, at your service, your highness!"
"Sorry about the offer and all, I had no clue you were his cousin and well," he chuckled, "we've been talking about adding another person to our relationship..." Alexar trailed off, stopping at the glare his boyfriend was throwing him and clearing his throat.
Sitara gaped at this, looking to Winter who still looked disturbed. "You offered our cousin a spot in your relationship?"
"No!" Soren was flustered, his face red and embarrassed. "He did, not me, that's disgusting!"
Alexar laughed silently, earning a slap on the back of the head from Soren.
"Okay, wait, you're going for a three-person relationship now?" Sitara was wide-eyed, Winter still processing this.
"I mean..." Soren was blushing, "...yeah?"
"My mom knows about this, doesn't she?" Winter gasped, realizing that her mother did know about this by the way she was looking at Soren last night.
"Yeah," Soren sighed as Sitara smirked.
"Auntie and I walked in on them in the kitchen last month." She laughed, before looking grossed out. "You guys really need to keep it in the bedroom."
"Hey," Alexar shrugged, "we want to hit every room in the castle."
"How many have you hit so far?"
"Don't tell them," Soren begged only for Alexar to answer anyway.
"Twenty-five."
"Twenty-five, holy crap!" Sitara exclaimed, looking to Soren who was hiding his face in his hands. "At this point, you might as well tell Mom and Dad, they're bound to find out anyway. Plus Winter already knows."
"Yeah, well Uncle Jack doesn't know!" Soren tried only for Sitara and Winter to both scoff.
"You think Uncle Jack of all people will care?"
"No, but..."
"Oh, so it's settled, we're telling your parents?" Alexar questioned causing Soren to groan and shake his head.
"Not yet, I still need to think about how to bring it up to them."
"You could let them find out how I did?" Winter suggested with a slight glare, still upset about what she had to witness.
"What? No!" Soren shivered. "But promise me you won't tell anyone, Winter."
Winter was suddenly reminded when she made Mal promise not to tell anyone about the soulmate thing all those months ago.
"Of course, I won't, but please don't ever invite me to join again..." Winter cringed as did Soren, Alexar only smirking.
"Great!" Sitara clapped. "Now back to ice-skating!"
"Oh, can we join?" Alexar asked, causing Soren to smile slightly.
"Sure," Winter smiled, and the rest of the day was spent with the cousins and Alexar hanging out.
Happiness spread like wildfire, and that is how it was for the rest of the summer.
~ CONCLUSION OF PART I ~