Scaramouche x Traveler-- Fantasy AU

Lightning and ice

The freezing wind howled and whipped around me, seemingly slicing through my several layers. Ice and snow pelted me from every angle, whirling together to fluently I couldn't see five steps in front of me. I squinted and walked onwards, dragging my boots through the heavy snow. Was I even moving? For each step I took, it felt like the wind pushed me back two.

Something stopped me in place. It was... a change in the air. A buzz that made my hair stand up on end, a dangerous shiver in the icy air right beside me. My instincts screamed at me to move. Blood pounded in my ears as I sprinted to the side- just as a bolt of blinding light and heat stabbed into the ground yards away from me. Chunks of stone and ice shot outwards and I was shoved face first into the snow with a yelp. A spike of stone longer than my body shot by , shattering against the craggy mountainside. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. Several bolts struck farther away, but in an area that unmistakably surrounded me. I felt the ground under feet of snow vibrating, shaking. This was new- even in a magical, dangerous land, this was definitely new.

What in the world was that-?! I crawled away from the crater quickly as I could, gasping for breath. My head banged into a skeletal tree, bringing me to a halt. Then I felt the same buzz... the same danger. Oh no. I stared at the tree and scrambled backwards, hands sinking into the snow as I shoved myself away. The high-pitched buzz in the air peaked and I closed my eyes, throwing my arms up. I saw another bolt arching downwards, a lethal, fascinating strike. Next thing I knew, all my senses had vanished as I flew backwards through the air. My vision went black.

Wind was tugging at my clothes. Frost nipped at my exposed face, and slowly, my senses returned. I can feel my body. I still hear the storm. Come on, you need to get up. I scolded myself. You need to get up or you're going to die. My muscles jolted into action and I sat bolt upright, eyes shooting open. The storm hadn't lessened at all. If anything, it had gotten worse. My eyes widened as I looked ahead. A large crater was just yards away. I stood, stumbling forward until I was at the edge. I gasped at what I saw, slapping a hand over my mouth.

There was a person in the crater. Curled up, in dark, tattered robes. Bright red burns were scattered over their- no, his- pale skin. He clutched an elaborate hat with a wide brim at his side. Arbitrary cords and strips of fabric looked to be tied to the hat's brim. As I watched, more snow swept forward to cover his face and messy indigo hair.

What are you doing, just standing here and staring?! He needs help! I slid down into the crater, spiked boots skidding along the icy rock. My gloved hand grabbed his shoulder without thinking. His whole body was trembling violently. I shook his shoulder, knowing he had to get up now. If he didn't, he would die.

"Hey! Wake up!" I yelled over the wind. He tensed when I shook his shoulder again, curling up even further. "Come ON!" I yelled, getting to my feet. I tugged at his arm, trying to pull him upright. After a couple attempts, I had his limp arm around my shoulders and my arm around his waist. Climbing out of the crater was a struggle that left me breathless. But I forged onwards, inwardly cursing the howling blizzard. There has to be a cave nearby. There has to be. 

"N-ngh... ow..."  I thought I was hearing things. One hand against the mountainside, I felt for an opening to a cave. "S-stop-" the boy hissed. His hand gripped my shoulder and I stopped in shock.

"You're awake! Hang in there, I'm going to find somewhere safe!" I said. But when I started moving again, he cried out in pain. "I'm sorry, but we have to keep moving!"

"N-no! Get away from me!" he said, trying and failing to plant his bare feet.

"You can go back when the storm's over!" I said, dragging him forward.

"I- I can't..." his voice faltered and he went limp again, slumping against me.

"Oof, you aren't making this easy, you know." I grumbled. I leaned over and slipped an arm under his legs, lifting him up into my arms. His head lolled back but he kept holding onto the hat as if his life depended on it. I could hear his weak breaths right by my ear as I battled onwards. I was terrified, heart racing. What if- what if I was too slow? What if another lightning bolt struck? But by some miracle, I soon found a crevice in the mountainside. Barely wide enough for the both of us to squeeze in, but once we got inside I realized it was the perfect hiding place. We were almost completely sheltered from the storm, and the narrow passage opened up to a small cave with dry, nearly humid air.

There wasn't any time to relax. I threw my cloak around the boy, wrapping him up tightly. His skin was white as snow now, and I spotted pale blue at his fingertips. I set up a fire with supplies in my pack in a rush, hands moving so fast they were a blur as I struck flint and steel together. It caught on the scrawny pile of firewood, and I ransacked the cave for any bit of wood I could find. Someone had been here before us... a very long time ago. I found a stack of old logs with coated in cobwebs. I tossed some onto the fire, sending up a flurry of sparks.

"Whew..." I sighed, dropping to the ground beside the boy. My pulse calmed to a normal tempo and I caught my breath. I glanced over at the boy and pulled him upright, making sure he was close enough to the fire. "What happened to you...?" I wondered as I removed my gloves, clasping his frigid hands in mine. He'd finally dropped the hat behind him. The fire grew and crackled warmly. Feeling returned to my feet, then hands. I felt the boy's skin grow warmer and saw color return to his face. But he still didn't wake up. "I guess he's tired, too." I yawned. Questions ran circles in my head, but over them loomed exhaustion. I needed to sleep... they would need to wait for later...

My eyes closed and I rested my head against the boy's, hoping my own warmth would help him. I fell asleep listening to the relentless screams of the blizzard outside, trying to reach inside the cave with claws of ice.