Monotonous was the only thing Irene could use to describe how the winter had panned out for her.
While inactivity was normal for anyone in that region during the snowy months, she hadn't considered just how bleak it could feel to attend to the same schedule every single day. She would wake up motivated but finish the day tired as if she was going into hibernation like one of the monsters lying in wait in the forest.
At least when she was at home with her brother, Arne, she would have someone to chase around and bother the maids and her parents until they were forced to separate them. She never thought she would bitterly miss those days, but it was creeping up on her.
While Felix and Leif were her friends, the only time they could get up to mischief was when they were attending practices in the icy mornings and trying not to freeze off their fingertips.
