A curtain of glistening frost rolled over the surroundings. Piles of windblown snow were reaching higher and higher to the sky. This once evergreen landscape transmogrified in to a winter wonderland. The landscape becomes a gorgeous sight with the white flakes of snow falling down onto the surrounding earth. The snow piles up onto the buildings, and the grey clouds infest the skies. Lakes gets transformed into solid ice, reflecting the world above it down into the depths where the water runs freely. Children playing with the soft, crystal flakes sent from heaven fills the streets of the ever so peaceful town of Kensington. Townsfolk doing their daily routine was disturbed when a young lady pushes people aside while running.

A middle aged man sends a curse her way when she ran into him, causing the basket of eggs to fall and break, but not once did she share anyone a look. She had no time for these pity matters of commoners, her job was beyond their comprehension. If she doesn’t get to the Duke fast there will be no town for them to live in.

Daphne runs down an alleyway. The parallel walls that makes up the alleyway seems to block out the light, leaving the atmosphere dark and depressing.

Daphne stops running when she reaches a heavy metal door with a small rectangular opening just above her head. Breathing heavily, she knocks on the door loudly three times, than two softly continued by a loud knock. The small rectangular door opens soon after, and a pair of dark brown eyes stare down at her.

“I… I am her to see the duke,” she says weary. A eyebrow raises up as the mans brown eyes continues to look at her. Soon after a deep voice is heard, “Who are you?”

“Oh my, I seem to have forgotten my invitation at Ravenclaw,” Daphne says more confident then last time.

The small door closes with a loud bang and soon a clicking sound is heard from inside. Daphne anxiously awaits for the door to open while playing with her fingers. She didn’t know why she was so worried when everything will be fine once we get control over the Reaper.

Suddenly the big metal door opens with an annoying sound that will surely give you a headache. A big man with dark brown eyes and a cruel scar running across his face, stares down at her small being. She straightens her back and stands tall so not to be intimidated by this man. “Go straight,” the man opens his mouth, his voice as sharp as a knife.

Daphne walks past him and into the dark building. As soon as the darkest infested her body, her gorgeous light blue eyes starts to glow making it a crystal blue colour that sparkles like the late afternoon sun reflecting onto a clear blue lake.

She walks straight until she reaches a door. She gently pushes the door open which reveals a set of stairs leading down. She walks down the stairs and continues to walk. She enters a dark, scary room as she sees a glowing blue hourglass standing inside a glass case. She steps towards the case as she holds the sides. The glass turns blue as it disappears and she grabs the hourglass.

She feels someone’s presence and she quickly turns around to find nobody there. She turns her attention to the hourglass she is holding when she suddenly heard something. She looks around but saw nothing.

“You know, if you keep on staring at that thing your eyes with melt and run out of your nose.”

She continues to look around, when she sees to sharp eyes staring at her. She lets out a small scream which makes the man narrow his eyes.

“We have no time for you to be acting like a baby,” the man says mockingly. “I’m not a baby,” Daphne mumbles has she puffs out her cheeks. “Well you acting like one.” The man says coldly which makes her look away.

“What ever Rowan,” as states as she flips her strawberry blonde hair. Rowan let’s out a soft ‘ugh’ and places his pale hand on her small shoulder. He whispers the word “evavrice” and in an instant they appear in a garden. Daphne gazes admiringly at the pulchritudinous garden.

The soft, delicate, white snowflakes rest upon the rose bushes as the branches of trees are filled with the spectacular pile of softness. The land on which they stand is covered with these flakes that turn this garden into a winter spectacular. The colours of rose’s peep out and blend into the snow.

“You looking at it like you never seen this place in your life, so incompetent,” Rowan implied with a sharp tone. Daphne just rolled her eyes.

Rowan starts to walk to the magnificent castle of the Duke. Daphne holds the hourglass close to her chest and she runs to catch up with his fast moving, long legs.

~❦~

The only sound that can be heard in the silent corridor, is the rushing footsteps of two people. Daphne and Rowan swiftly walked to the Duchesses chamber. Daphne’s rushing footsteps soon changed into a run.

Rowan let’s out a sigh of annoyance towards the woman’s childishness. He doesn’t know why she is in such a hurry, they still have time. He can feel it.

Daphne opened up the heavy, oak double doors of the Duchesses room. She is stopped in the tracks. Rowan comes in a few seconds later, he looks around the room.

Knights are laying all around the room- not sure if they dead or not- and the Duke is fighting a person who is wearing a black coat that covers his whole body.

The person wearing black looks at Daphne then the hourglass in her hands. The person swings his right hand and the Duke is sent flying across the room and knocked unconscious. The person, slowly moves towards her, when Daphne looks at him, her eyes widen with disbelief. A skeletal face looks at her, it’s eyes- nothing but two black holes. She looks at Rowan then back at the thing.

Rowan and her both know what it is. It is called by many names such as, reaper; angel of death; death; eternal rest; finis; decease; necrosis; dying and ending, but the most common is The Grim Reaper. A Grim Reaper—usually a skeletal figure- just like how he is now, often shrouded in a dark, hooded robe and carrying a scythe to “reap” human souls. Daphne looks at him again but there is no scythe insight.

The skeletal being comes at them fast. Rowan pulls her behind him and raises up his right hand and a light blue forcefield covers them. The Reaper holds out it’s hand and suddenly a scythe appears. It swings it’s scythe at them but it only hits the forcefield. The Reaper continues to come at the magical shield and with each hit, it seems to be taking an effect on Rowan. Daphne looks at him then at The Reaper, even though he doesn’t have a face, she could tell that he was angry at them.

“Stop standing there like an idiot and do something,” he speaks though his teeth. “Oh! Yes. Yes, of course,” she nods her head. “We have to save the Duchess,” Rowan explains. “How?” she questions.

“Break the hourglass, that’s our only hope,” he says as he lifts up his other and puts more force into the forcefield.

Daphne bites her bottom lip, then she thinks of an idea how to break this thing.

‘I got it.’

She holds up the hourglass in the air then throws it with all her power, but it doesn’t break. She continues to try while Rowan is doing his best to provide a forcefield.

Rowans feet begins to slide backwards with the impact of the blows that the Reaper is causing on the shield. He tightens his jaw and puts more energy into the shield but it’s not working, the Reaper is to strong. He looks at the angel of death, it’s holds it’s scythe over head and swings it’s on to the shield with alot of affect. The shield starts to crack and then breaks into thin particles then disappears.

Rowan, to tried from over using his powers, falls unconscious.

Daphne who is still trying to break the hourglass stops when the Reaper points it’s boney finger at her.

“Give it to me,” a eerie voice calls out at her. “Never!” she screams.

‘The hourglass is the only hope for the Duchess and Roselle. We have worked to hard to get the Grim Reapers hourglass and it’s to early to let it get taken away. The Duchesses life is worth killing Death.’ She though.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the happiest person or an unfortunate weeper, a powerful beast or a terrifying creature, all is equal in the eyes of The Reaper.” The voice says as if reading her mind.

The reaper grabs her by the neck and lifts her up. She tries to fight back but the inhuman creature is to strong. At a lost for breath, she drops the hourglass. The reaper, seeing no use for her, throws her towards the large windows that overlook the garden. Daphne lands next to the lifeless body of the Duchess. She looks to the Grim Reaper who is picking up the hourglass.

A cry of a baby is heard and then he looks at her and says, “Until we meet again.”

Then he disappears. Daphne utters the name Roselle before she loses her consciousness.