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A servant appeared, face red and panting for breath

"Doctor! Cohness and--"

"No--it’s the nursery! Princess Selene!" The servant’s voice pitched so high it cracked

A chill rolled across Levana’s skin, but she ed to maintain her baffled expression

"Whatever could be--"

"There was a fire Please, you have to co at Levana, then back at Winter

Gulping, Levana took a step forward "Well, of course, you er, youthe doctor needed As she scooped up a , Levana turned to the servant "What’s happened? What about a fire?"

"We’re not sure, Your Highness They were in the playhouse and it caught fire … we think they …"

"They?"

"The princess and her nanny" Gaze alighting on Winter, the servant suddenly started to sob "Thank the stars Princess Winter wasn’t there too It’s awful Awful!"

It took only a few seconds for Levana to become annoyed with the servant’s wails

Winter hopped down frorabbed her wrist and dragged her after the doctor "Not now, Winter We’ll come back for theony, all her fantasies accu in that breathless moment But she didn’t want to carry Winter, and princesses did not run

Future queens did not run

She was still gripping Winter’s hand when she s of footsteps reverberating through the floors

A crowd had gathered by the ti up the corridor

"WINTER!" It was Evret, his facehis way through the crowd, he stooped to lift Winter into his arainst him "I didn’t knohere you were … I didn’t know…"

"What’s happened?" said Levana, trying to push her way into the nursery

"No, don’t look Don’t go in there It’s horrible"

"I want to see, Papa"