A snow day was considered the most perfect of all days for the inhabitants of Jewell Ravenlock?s house. Those of her bloodline were all attune to the element of water in any form; the three that were not of her blood bore similar affinity for that element. Of course, for the latter three, getting wet usually meant taking on their mer-forms.

The day started with the twins, urged on by the elder Amanda, dashing into Jewell?s room to jump on her bed. Being jumped on, over and over again, by a set of three-year-olds was better then an alarm clock. Amanda, bent over in laughter at the door, aided the process. ?Snow snow snow!? They shouted over and over again, giggling in excitement.

?I?m up,? she groaned, grabbing a twin with each arm and pinning them down on the bed. Eager fingers dug into their sides, tickling them to further provoke their wild laughter. As they reached that gasping phase, when laughter became painful, she relented her attack. She sat up and urged them off the bed with gentle nudges, ?Go wake up your brothers and sister. We?ll have a quick breakfast and get right to playing!?

The two ran off, trying to catch Amanda before she had all the fun of waking up everyone else. Jewell was just as eager of them to get the day started. She peered through her velvet curtains to the snowy wonderland that awaited her outside. The fluffy white stuff was still coming down in a light flurry, having already coated the ground in at least a foot. She loved gazing on the back yard, unmarred by little feet- pristine. It wouldn?t remain that way once they got outside. Instead, forts, snowman, and snow faeries would decorate it.

She pulled the curtains apart letting the bright light that reflected off the white, flood her dark room. Exchanging her nightshirt for one of her older dresses that served to be worn about the house, she moved quickly out of the room- she could already hear the stampede of little feet tromping down the stairs to the dining room.

Breakfast was always quick work on a snow day. Anything that could be made and eaten in under five minutes-mostly toast- was the standard fare. Once the food was consumed and faces washed, it was back to the bedrooms to suit up for the winter weather.

Jewell was the quickest, pairing an old wool dress and leggings with worn riding boots and a cloak. She spent the rest of the time before escaping into the outdoors getting the triplets suited up. They always made sure that no part of their skin was exposed except their little faces, still round and childish. The rest of the children had it a bit easier- they didn?t morph forms if they happened to get a little wet.

She led the procession outside. Devyn, the smallest at three and the youngest girl, leaped from the doorstep into the first drift she saw. She found herself up past her waste in snow, much to the chagrin and laughter of the others. After plucking the little girl from the pile, she sent them off to attack the front yard first. It sloped downwards to meet the pond- the perfect sledding area. She rode one of the wooden sleds once or twice herself before being regulated to the task of pulling the children up the hill and pushing them down again. They liked it best when the sled carried them far enough to skid out onto the ice, sending them spinning about in circles.

?Mama mama, come get us!? Oz and Eva-Jade called to Jewell, standing at the bottom of the little hill with Oz?s clumsy gloved hand gripping the string of their sled tightly.

?Oh, I?ll get you all right!? They shrieked as she charged down the hill, moving much faster then they ever could in the snow. They only got several feet, abandoning the sled to its fate, before Jewell was upon them- grabbing both small children in her tumble to the ground. Raven, upon seeing his siblings so afflicted, jumped into the fray with two handfuls of snow dropped upon Jewell?s head. ?You little rascal,? she cried, blinking the snow off her eyelashes and dragging the little boy to the ground besides her.

Amanda busied herself and Moradin in making the best fort ever seen. She peered out from behind one of the walls she was constructing out of snowballs to see someone coming up the way towards the house. ?Moradin, look! Someone is trying to assail our wintry fortress and catch us while we?re at play,? she pointed out the rider to her almost always-silent companion. The little boy?s eyes widened at such a description of their visitor that made him sure to be of some sinister nature.

He followed after his older sister, forever to be her shadow, as she charged out of the fortress-knocking down half their work in the process-and headed towards the snow covered lane that led to their home. ?Mama, someone?s come!? Amanda called out to Jewell as she trudged through the snow. She was much closer to the lane then her mother was, Jewell now making snow faeries at the foot of the small hill with the youngest of her children. She sat up, snow decorating her dark hair and falling down the back of her cloak as she looked towards the approaching figure- recognizing him only moments before Amanda?s squeal of delight betrayed that she, too, knew who it was.

When Jewell had returned to RhyDin, feeling so very much like an off-world stranger to the land, she had a great need for the stability her family had given her upon her first arrival. When a recreation of the past could not be achieved she had set about built herself up again with the help of some amazing friends. She never set aside the old ones, even those long gone.

For Brian to ask if he could spend some time with them; to feel that he had to ask, was not acceptable. One lesson from her family, one which her blood brother would never understand, was unconditional love for family. Jewell lived by it. She taught it to her children.

Children. An odd concept, still, to Jewell. Despite what Brian may think, that she looked the part of the mother, she rarely felt it. She still thought of herself as young, independent, and occasionally wild and out-of-control.

Jewell stood, lifting the twins from off their backs. She was ready to take the initiative in making sure her brother felt comfortable in her home, with his family. Amanda took the lead, this time. As soon as her uncle was done addressing her mother she was upon with with a snowball, followed by Moradin- eager to follow in his sister's footsteps.