Prologue
On a cold Christmas day war broke out, both sides evenly matched, a snow-coated garden their battlefield and snowballs their weapons.
The conflict began when the sound of children yelling erupted, the first strike was thrown by Victor a tall boy wearing an expressive coat and a smug smile of superiority on his charming face. His hands protected from the cold by his leather gloves as he mockingly tossed a snowball into the air and caught it again whilst his eyes searched for a target.
Aside of the boy cowered his younger sister Victoria who, like her brother, wore a costly coat with a hint of colour that Victor’s coat lacked and a matching pair of earmuffs. Frightened by the fight, she had found herself partaking in, the short girl hid behind the cover made from packed snow and shivered as she shrunk herself closing their eyes tightly shut not wanting anything to do with the conflict.
Opposing the siblings on the other end of the garden was Victoria’s mirror. Her twin brother Arthur behind similar defences. Unlike his sister the boy welcomed a fight having prepared a stockpile of snowballs, not caring if he dirtied his pristine gloves. Satisfied with the amount of ammunition he’d made, Arthur turned and looked up to his companion, the hint of a smile on the boy’s face.
Last and certainly least, the odd one out from the group stood defiantly on top of the snowy fortification staring daggers at Victor from across the garden. No doubt thinking of the ways she could wipe the smile from the elder brother’s face. Iris not related to others or the wealth that came with their family, wore a second-hand coat and lacked any gloves.
“I can’t believe I have to play with this runt!” Victor mocked his opponent before he flung a snowball at the girl who dodged the attack just barely, the projectile impacted the snowman behind Iris, smashing its head into little white chunks.
A panicked Iris ducked behind their cover, their heart pounding and her fingers begging for the warmth of a fire as she clutched them close. “Your brother’s a psycho!” She yelled at the boy to her side, who replied with an apologetic smile.
“At least you don’t have to live with him.” Arthur joked. “Whatever happens don’t let him get to you, me and you, we've got this!”
The girl returned with a smile of her own at the boy’s enthusiasm, yet Victor’s harsh words persisted. “Stay still you damn runt! And know your place!” Another snowball landed inches above Iris’s head, producing a sharp scream from the girl.
“Victor stop bullying Iris you have done nothing but try to hit her all the time!” As weak as she sounded Victoria still came to her opponent's defence. “At least hit Arthur instead.”
“I heard that!” Arthur shouted from behind his cover.
“Shut up the both of you!” The eldest brother put an end to both of the twins' comments and smirked at the scream his throwing arm got from Iris. “Was that you runt!? I could’ve mistaken you for a girl!” His laughter echoed across the battlefield.
Reaching the other side a fire grew within the girl, enraged by the insult, she no longer felt the cold in her fingers. “Iris don’t...” The second the words left Arthur’s lips, she had lept from safety and charged towards Victor, forgetting that she didn’t have a snowball in her hand, and not even thinking about what she would do once she reached him.
“I hate you!” She spat out as she rushed into the line of fire, another snowball was thrown at the girl who was now a very easy target. Iris flinched but didn’t feel the snowball strike her, opening her eyes to see Arthur standing in front of her protecting her from his big brother.