It had already turned winter and I tasted the first drops of snow on my tongue. I'd bought a coat lined with fleece yesterday and now I'm glad. Cleon had only returned for a week in October and Kel in November but I was still all alone. "Sarah!" Some one called. Just my luck I thought to my self, Dom. "However have you been?" He spoke in a posh voice to me expecting me to laugh but I only laughed on the inside, on the outside I was a wreck. Enjoying winter was what I'd always done but not with out Cleon. "Come with me," He said and dragged me along the icy streets. We had come to the stables, but why? I looked at two of the closest horses and grinned. Kel's and Cleon's. "Now come on and smile," He held my hand and walked me back to the palace.

Dom was the kind of person who flirted with everybody and anybody, being girls that is although I think I would laugh if he flirted with guys. I guess it runs though his family because Neal does it to, all the time. Even Kel says that it's probably all they know how to do. When ever Dom smiles at me I turn to butter and it's killing me because I find him a pain, yeah I guess he's funny but I don't overly enjoy his jokes because they're mean most of the time.

"Cleon!" I shouted as I walked up the palace steps, "Thanks," I whispered to Dom.

"Okay really," We smiled at each other for a minute before Cleon came and hugged me and dragged me away, leaving pour Dom mid-sentence on the cold steps. I wonder what he was going to say?

We found Kel practising her longbow with Raoul and Prince Roald, who Cleon and Kel had been friends with since there first year as pages. "Hi," Roald says to me. I'm suddenly all shy in front of him probably because he's the prince and I don't even qualify for any title.

"Hey," I say to him and go quickly to watch Kel. Kel hit some good shots and then offered for me to have a go. "I don't think I'll even hit the board," I commented but she insisted I at least tried. My first shot I got an eight and a few applauses from my small audience. She gave me another arrow and I got the same an eight. I can do it, I thought to my self.

The small audience got a few extra guests including King Jonathan and Queen Thayet, Roald's parents. I pulled back the arrow and sighed. I stared down the arrow and gripped the bow tighter, it's easy I told my self and fired.

It sawed through the air and landed right in the centre of the board. Bulls eye. I got a mega cheer from my crowd. When I looked back I saw more than just the few I'd started with. Neal and Dom had joined and so had Inness. I went red with embarrassment as Cleon patted me on the shoulder and Neal ruffed my hair. I hadn't had so much fun in ages. "Sarah!" Dom cried, "When in Mithros name did you learn to shoot like that you're even better than me," I allowed my self a smile before I walked off to join Kel, leaving Dom staring at me as I walked away.