A cold wind blew through frost covered trees.  The snow fell softly, covering the land in a pristine beauty.  It was eerily quiet.  Shivering from the cold, Hazan rubbed his hands over his fur clad arms to keep warm. He didn’t like the cold. He preferred the warmer climes of the Autumn Court.  A smile touched his broad face when he thought of his home. Anything was better than this cold and seemingly barren place.<br/><br/>When the news of the Princess’s abduction spread through Arcadia the Autumn Court wasted no time in devising a plan to further their own gains. Which was why Hazan was here.  Their plan was simple-prevent the exchange from happening by doing exactly what the Winter Court had done. Kidnap the Princess.<br/><br/>Hazan did not envy the girl her lot in life; born a pawn to be toyed with when it suited the Players. With effort he turned his amber eyes back to the task at hand; keeping watch for the arrival of the Winter Courts party.  Hidden in the trees he and several of his men waited watching the clearing in which the exchange was to take place.  It wasn’t large by any means, almost a perfect circle. A set of stones marked the Northern most point.<br/><br/>A small group, no doubt the envoy for the Spring Court, waited at the opposite end of the clearing. They had been there for the better part of an hour and if Hazan read their agitated movements correctly the other party seemed to be running behind the agreed upon timetable.<br/><br/>Movement near the standing stones drew his attention.  Several Winter Thorn guards moved through the stones. Hazan knew immediately which girl was the Princess even though he had never seen her before. The girl had silver hair bound in a braid down her back, and she wore the vibrant blues and greens of the season-the green of new growth and the pale infinite blue of an unclouded sky.  She and her companion stumbled behind the guards. As soon as the girls past between the stones Hazan whistled and the Autumn Court descended upon the clearing.<br/><br/>--<br/>Aisling clenched her teeth together to keep them from chattering as they walked. The snow had begun to fall as they left Winter Thorn Castle behind them and she was cold. The suns warmth was robbed by the wind that blew through the trees and her feet were wet, the cloth of her shoes no match for the snow as it began to stick to the ground and soak through.  She made a mental note to start wearing sturdier shoes as they continued on. Keeping pace was difficult, the guards having some sport at her expense as they travelled.  She found herself stumbling along.<br/><br/>Her spirits lifted somewhat when she caught sight of the standing stones. Surely they marked their destination. She cast a glance toward Eibhlin, hope that they would soon be going home dancing in her sky blue eyes.<br/><br/>“Move along.” the guard behind her hissed.<br/><br/>Aisling concentrated on keeping her footing as they came to the stones, keeping her head up as she moved.  The pristine beauty of the snow fall in the clearing was shattered as they moved into the clearing. A sound, much like the whistling of an arrow drew her attention towards the trees. It was the only sound she heard before the clearing was swarmed.<br/><br/>