Stuck in the Snow... and Lost

[stelmarisa]

"Not to me, you're not." Kaven smiled indulgently as Zurna protested, ruffling her hair. "You are everything that a princess should be." He frowned in concern as she coughed and wrapped his other arm around her as she snuggled close.

"Oh yes. I told her all about the strange women up north, who are so beautiful but protest every compliment, so desirable but begrudge you every kiss, and so lovely to your pony but tease you at every turn." His tone reflected her teasing one as he replied, but softened when he next spoke.

"Would you like me to read you what I wrote?"

[GoblinFae]

A weak chuckle sounded through the tent despite her efforts to squelch it. "Ah yes, how is dear Equi? You can't blame me though, out of the two of you he's the one that looks the least like a horse's ass," Zurna jested, gently elbowing Kaven in the side.

"If you wouldn't mind. I like listening to you. Your voice is soothing. Besides," she sat up straighter, "I have to verify that you haven't made any mistakes. It wouldn't do for your sister to think any more of us than is true. I would die if you gave her a good impression." Another kiss and a wink followed as the woman fell silent once more.

[stelmarisa]

Kaven grinned. "You just wait. He may like you now, but if he hears you insulting me, he'll... probably still love you," he admitted. "But when you meet Sisi, you'll have a rival for his heart, she adores him he's her baby."

He laughed at her jest and pulled a sheet of parchment out of his pocket. It was covered on both sides with his neat handwriting, full of news about his travels. He turned it over to the second page, which still lay unfinished, and began to read, running his finger under the words as he did so. It was an automatic gesture, picked up from his mother when she taught him to read.

"... That was when we got lost. Can you imagine, Equi and I in the middle of fields of snow, white all around us, no idea where to go! We were hopeless. But salvation came in the form of a snow angel.

Well, not quite your traditional angel. Zurna is from a family of nomads that live here in Hyoite full-time - if you can believe that anyone does so! I know how you feel about the cold.  She turned up out of nowhere and led us to her home, where she and her family took us in. They are the reason that I am still here to send this letter to you. But there is more than that. Sisi, I have fallen in love.

I know you will adore Zurna. She is beautiful, so striking looking that she takes your breath away. But she is lovely on the inside too. She is gracious and giving, and thinks nothing of sacrificing everything to look after someone else. She has finally driven the demons out of my heart and next to her I sleep peacefully, because she is there. She gives me hope for the future and puts life into my days. And perhaps most tellingly, Equi is already fond of her.

I will be staying here over the winter, hoping to convince her to fall in love with me as I have she..."

He stopped here, just before the letter cut off. A deep blush had spread over his face as he spoke. He held nothing back from his sister, having no secrets between them, but he couldn't help but be embarassed reading the letter out in front of its subject.

[GoblinFae]

His soothing voice and heartfelt words froze Zurna in place. She all but melted against him as his words floated into her ears. 'I am beautiful to him even though I am plain. His demons are gone, but what of mine? He has already begun the fight with Ezra. Will he continue to shoulder the burden? Hope. Future. Love. I like the sound of those words. Convince me? Oh Kaven, I love you already, never doubt that.'

Tears slid down her pale cheeks as she listened to his praises of her virtues. The silence that followed startled her so that she jerked slightly and furiously brushed the moisture away as she sat up. "Well," she began, clearing her throat. "It's a start I suppose but you forgot something."

Leaning forward she hastily bumped her mouth against his own in a poor attempt at a kiss. "I lov-love to torment you." A soft giggle escaped her lips as she fell over from the laughter into his lap. Zurna stared up at him from where she was and smiled softly. "Is there more, or was that the end?"

[stelmarisa]

Kaven smiled fondly as he felt Zurna pressing against him, her weight warm against his body. He was surprised to look down and see her tears, but his words were interrupted by hers.
"Well, I suppose I will need to include that part." He smiled and lifted a thumb, wiping away her tears gently. "That is something the two of you will be able to bond over, although Sisi's torment takes the form of practical jokes and teasing... yours is much more enjoyable."

He leant over and gave her forehead a butterfly-light kiss as she collasped into his lap. "That's pretty much it. I still need to finish it... the hardest part of writing a letter."  He took her by the shoulders, gently pulling her back upright.

"Maybe you can help inspire me." He took her head in his hands, and leaned forwards to kiss her on the lips, soft but passionate.

[GoblinFae]

Zurna kissed back for a moment before gently pushing him away. "Sorry, there's this thing called air and I need it," she giggled, pointing to her red nose. "Although I don't know how I can be much inspiration to you. Just end the letter with how you miss her and love her. A sister always wants to know that her big brother hasn't forgotten her no matter how far away he is."

She rested her head on his shoulder though and looked at the letter in his lap. Her fingers traced over the smooth paper, memorizing the way it felt beneath her fingers. "You know if you teach me to write I'm going to have to teach you how we make our maps. Since we don't use words to convey dangers."

[stelmarisa]

Kaven laughed and kissed the end of Zurna's nose, his lips tender on her sore skin.
"You inspire me to write more about how wonderful and lovely you are. I will write something like that, but I need to explain that I'll be staying here with you over the winter... so a bit of extra complimenting might be in order I suppose." He was a little worried that Sisi would be upset about his failure to return home for winter, but it wasn't to be helped.

"That would be nice. I'd love to find out how you make them." He shrugged off the worry and smiled, placing his hand over hers on the letter. " Perhaps I can start teaching you this evening, whilst we're both recuperating."

[GoblinFae]

The woman scowled at the idea of more complimenting but kept her comments to herself. 'Like he needs to add anymore. How much is left to compliment? Surely he has said it all by now. Right? I give up. I've never understood men, ever.'

His hand was warm against the clammy skin of her own. It made her feel dirty and want to pull away from him. 'Why do I ever get to thinking that we could be together? Because I'm a fool.'

Sighing she pulled her hands into her lap and snuggled down deeper into the furs. "Then whatever shall we do now Kaven? My compliments cannot be so numerous that it would take you all day to write them."

[stelmarisa]

((*Sneaks back in sheepishly* xP))

Kaven laughed as he released Zurna's hand from his own, and tucked the letter away into a pocket. "Of course they are... I'm sure I could write an epic poem about your accomplishments - if I were at all skilled with words!"

He smiled and rearranged the furs about her.  "Perhaps tomorrow, if you are feeling better, we could visit Hyoite to send the letter on its way? Sisi goes into town every month to check for post from me, and she's had to wait a woefully long time."

"In the meantime, why don't you tell me a little about Hyoite? Seeing as I managed to completely miss it when I got lost in the snow. I still don't know very much about what it's really like here."

[GoblinFae]

"Then it is a good thing you are no wordsmith, for I very much doubt your family would like what you would have to say about me. No amount of flowery words could hide the truth of my barbaric nature from them forever," she chuckled dryly.

For a moment her eyes closed in thought before she released a mighty sigh. "Hyoite. Not sure what you would want to know, not a very interesting place in my opinion. Carvans come through there in the summer and if you're lucky you can sell your liquor and skins there. It's one of the few stationary settlements you'll find on the tundra. A bunch of misfits, we sionadyaki are mostly of foreign blood. Many come here to hide, few ever leave, like Sonia. She fled and became one of us. She will never go back, no matter how much she squawks on the contrary."

Zurna kept the part about mail traveling all the way to Hyoite and back was very rare. She did not want to upset Kaven when he seemed so excited to share news with his family. 'Like I'm even news worth sharing.' She hummed softly as a thought began to invade her mind and take over.

"Kaven? Maybe after we go to town would you like to take a small detour? There's a place not far from Hyoite that's really pretty. Since you keep saying you want to see the beauty of my lands I thought you might like it too. We don't have to though. It will be quite a long day once we get there and then to come back as well. I up to you I guess," she mumbled at the end, burying her head under the furs.

[stelmarisa]

"It all sounds so simple." Kaven smiled at Zurna's description of Hyoite, picturing the quiet settlement. "In a way, I suppose, it's not so dissimilar to La'marri.... but a lot colder of course!" Quietly he considered his journeying - from one sleepy village to another - and soon, back to the first. It didn't seem to add up to much in the grand scheme of things.

"Still, at least I found you," he murmured, hardly aware that he was speaking aloud. As he spoke he was recalled to the present by Zurna's question, and thought over it for a second before answering.

"A detour? Why not." He smiled and kissed her temple. "I would like to see this mysterious place of yours!"

[GoblinFae]

Zurna adjusted her position against him again, until she deemed it perfect. "At least?" she huffed. "You would have died without me. Poor Equi, he would have been so traumatized. But, I'm glad I found you." She paused to stare up at him with a gentle smile. "Tormenting the dead is no fun after all."

Giggling, the young woman closed her eyes and sighed. "Can we stay like this all day? I don't want to move." Movement of the tent flap warned Zurna of her mother's return. The old woman placed her hands on her hips and stared at the pair.

"Go back to sleep you too. You can talk all day tomorrow. Today is for resting. And don't you dare protest Z," she chided, cutting the girl off before she could start. "I have heard all of your arguments before now. Now, I'm going back out and if you aren't asleep by the time I get back I will make you take some more cough medicine."

"Yes, mother," Zurna grumbled out, closing her eyes once more and pretending to be asleep already. The moment her mother left though, her eyes were back open again as if nothing had happened. "Mm, do you want to bring Equi tomorrow? It would be an awfully long day for him in the cold."

[stelmarisa]

"Yes, tormenting my poor frozen self would have just made you mean, I think." Kaven laughed and rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "And you wouldn't have found such an ally in Equi, I don't think."

He nodded respectfully at Minali as she entered, listening quietly to the conversation between mother and daughter. As they were left alone again, he pulled another fur onto their pile, tucking it over himself and Zurna.

"Your mother's right, you know," He petted her hair gently. "You should rest, and get some sleep. Especially if we are leaving early. But, as regards to Equi... I'm not sure. I'll see how he is in the morning. He won't want to be left alone whilst we're out all day, I don't think."

[GoblinFae]

The young woman frowned grumpily at the coddling and pulled one of the blankets up over her head like a hood. It was all more for show than actual displeasure though. She was quite tired and knew she needed the rest if she wanted to surprise him tomorrow. It would take all the energy she had just to convince her mother to let them go to begin with.

"You're no fun," she declared between a pair of small mewling yawns. Zurna cuddled close to Kaven, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest as she closed her eyes in preparation for true sleep. "Don't stay up too late she," she murmured before a very soft "I love you," and then silence she plunged into the deepest of sleeps where no dreams could plague her.

[Stelmarisa]

Kaven smiled as he awoke, blinking in the dim half-light. It was still before dawn, but the embers of the fire were clinging determinedly to life and cast dancing shadows around the tent. The light was falling over Zurna's face, still resting on his chest, and it gave him a sense of contentedness to know that, whatever troubles their sleep had brought them, they had ended up cocooned together again.

At least to his mind, sleep had not brought with it the usual terror. Most of his dreams - and long, winding dreams they seemed too - had been comfortable: a sleepy afternoon where he had walked with Zurna hand-in-hand, through a wood that felt only vaguely familiar. Only for a short while, directly after midnight, had he been plagued by a vision of mountains and swirling mist and for the first time, the dark stones of a ruin. It was this last image that he pondered as he readjusted their furs, throwing an extra layer over their entwined legs.

"Morning, sunshine," he murmured, reaching down to kiss that pale forehead. It was a shame to awaken such a beautiful sleeper, but they had a long day ahead of them.

[GoblinFae]

She grumbled under her breath, stirring to snuggle closer into the warm chest of her companion. "Shh, I can almost go back to dreaming," Zurna muttered, pressing her ear close above where his heart beat deep within, enjoying its lulling rhythm as she fought her way back into the fog of peaceful sleep.

The kiss to her forehead made her smile though and she clung tighter to him for it. "Go back to sleep," she whispered once more, attempting the very thing and knowing she would not be allowed to. For now though the morning was still and cold. She was going to enjoy it with him while she could, before she would be made to endure on foot.

[Stelmarisa]

"Come on, there'll be time enough for sleeping later," Kaven smiled as he gently shook Zurna's shoulder. "And you'll appreciate it all the more after a long day out." He stretched out his arms, the cool morning air sending goosebumps rushing along his skin and setting the fine ends on point. Quickly he ducked his arms back under the soft covers and back around her comfortable body, wriggling close. "Although I must admit that staying under here is a nicer prospect than going outside into this frozen wilderness that you call home," he gently teased.

He let a moment or two go by without saying anything more, during which his eyelids began to grow heavy again, and he felt the soft comfort of sleep begin to wash over his mind. Blinking rapidly to fight the onslaught of drowsiness, he yawned and sat up, carefully extricating his arms from around Zurna.

"But no, we really must get up," he insisted. "Lots to do today - including your detour, remember? Then we can come back to bed... and I can dream about you again."

[GoblinFae]

Zurna almost allowed herself to ignore him and completely doze off when she caught the tail-end of what he was saying. Suddenly she was wide awake and squawking. "What?! Dream about me? What is this? Am I not woman enough for you to enjoy during the day? You would rather dream about me than enjoy me in the flesh?"

Her hand struck her breast as she fell away from him. "Oh how my heart dies as the very thought. I am more sought after in dreams than in life. Such heartbreak!" She was not able to keep up her act long though before she was laughing at her own antics, giving away that it was all in jest.

[Stelmarisa]

Kaven watched this little display, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried not to laugh at Zurna's  antics. "Absolutely, that is what I am saying!" he exclaimed in return. "In dreams you torment me much less with teasing and recriminations... you are gentle and docile and never mock me when I try to be sweet to you!"

He caught at her hands and stood up, pulling her with him. "And yet you are so delightfully enchanting when you do so that I cannot bear to be apart from you in a minute, whether it be in dreams or in person." Letting go of her hands, he kissed the tip of his finger and pressed it to her forehead before stepping back. Shivering in the cold air, he bent to retrieve his tunic and slipped it over his head, pulling the cords to close the fabric tightly over his undershirt for warmth. As he did so he looked back to Zurna, mocking up an injured expression.

"Don't you want to know about my dream?"

[GoblinFae]

A brow raised in response, as Zurna listened to him talk. Once he had released her and she was on her feet, her arms crossed over her chest making it known that Kaven was about to get himself a world of attitude for his remarks.

"Why should I ask when it would only make jealous? For the woman you dream of is obviously not me. Way to insult a girl," she called over her shoulder as she threw on some layers on her way out the door. Her haughty attitude outwardly remained as she made her ways to where Equi was housed. At least somebody would be pleased to see her as she was, she mused, trying not to smile.

Personally, she felt fine despite a niggling sense that she should possibly be offended and curious. For Zurna though it was more of an act than anything. She was for all extents and purposes, content.