Winter's Kiss

The Kiss of Winter

Once upon a time, in a land far to the north, there was a kingdom of snow and ice. The kingdom itself had no shortage of strife, for it was a small kingdom. Yet it was home to the most beautiful lady in the land: Princess Luna.

Once upon a time, in a land far to the north, there was a kingdom of snow and ice. In that kingdom, lived a knight most gallant, most loyal, most beloved. He was known as the knight that held the invading army at bay. He was the only one brave enough to hold his ground while the army fled. For this, the king summoned him to his castle, and gave him the honor of Captain of the Guard and charged him with the mission to protect Princess Luna. This gallant knight was forever remembered as Captain Noctis.

One afternoon, Noctis was standing outside of Princess Luna's chambers, thinking about how empty romance felt. He was with a girl from the castle town the previous day, and the entire time they wandered around town, talked about the weather, and admired the town, he just felt empty. He smiled, he laughed, but everything felt fake... and then, she walked out of the room. Each time he saw her, it was like a storm came in her wake. His heart felt heavy, his chest felt tight, and his world filled with color.

Princess Luna looked at me like no one has before, like she actually saw me. "Come into my rooms and sit down for a minute." She turns towards her attendant and asks her to fetch some tea. She rests her clear gaze upon me once more, and I feel the weight of the world lift from my shoulders. How did she always have this effect on me? "Standing at attention all day guarding me must be most exhausting."

His lips curve up into a small smile, "If you will forgive me my brazenness, the sight of you strips away all exhaustion I have." The smile she gave me, turned my world upside down. And so the afternoon passed into evening and evening into early night. For a brief time, all duties and status between them were forgotten. But all things must come to an end and end it must.

Each time her schedule permitted, we would spend the day together. Eventually, the boundaries between us started to fade, and I dreaded having to define what was between us. I turned on the couch, laid my head in her lap, and let her rub my hair. It was so nice and relaxing, and I felt all inhibitions slip. I put my hand on her cheek and I whispered, "While my love for you runs as deep as the sea, I am but a mere farm boy. Your father would never permit you to wed someone of my status."

"Yet you are a commoner that single handedly stopped an invasion and became Captain of the Guard."
"Be that as it may, I won this title by merit. Merit alone will not change my birth status, and the future queen may not marry a mere commoner. It is our fate to be forever split apart. Though I may wish otherwise."
"Flee with me," she said while staring into my eyes. Oh how her eyes sparkle when she talks to me. I think... this is the feeling I was searching for when I talked with the village girls. Woe to me for loving someone I cannot have.

The door opens, and in walks a man dressed in a cloak of the finest silk, boots of leather only the richest could afford. He looks behind him, snaps his fingers, and in comes foreign soldiers. I'm too stunned to resist as I'm dragged off of Princess Luna's lap, and all the boundaries we had broken by falling in love with each other flashed through my mind. Inside I broke... and I was dragged before the king.

He stares down at me with such contempt in his eyes, that I feel contempt for myself for loving a woman I know I shouldn't have. The wrath in his gaze reminds me more than ever that I trespassed in a world in which I have no place. The richly dressed man walks up to the king and whispers in his ear, then shrugs out of his cloak and drapes it on the arm of the throne. Only now, do I recognize the sigil the soldiers wear. Only now, do I realize why he's so finely dressed. Only now, do I realize why he's here. Only now, do I know true fear. The Crown Prince of the mightiest empire in the world is standing before me. Crown Prince Ardyn of Adrestia, and there's only one reason he could be here... for his betrothal to Princess Luna. Fortunately, I was wrong.

He looks at me and says but two sentences. Two sentences scorched into my mind. Two sentences that remind me of my place. Two sentences that make me curse my birth. "Rise so high, in mud you lie. Return to your pigsty plebeian."

I was tossed out into the snow. As I wept, my tears turned to ice, and I felt a cold seeping over my soul. The emptiness I felt with other girls that had been filled by Princess Luna was already creeping back over me.

Years pass, I've returned to my town and am but a hunter now. News reaches me of Princess Luna's betrothal. I feel a stab of pain in my chest. I had not forgotten her for a moment, the princess of a small kingdom, the queen of my heart. When I heard the news of her betrothal, though I was crying in pain, I wished her all the happiness in the world. Sometimes the best thing you can do for the one you love is let her go.

As I take a deep breath, the cold air stinging my lungs, the afternoon she first brought me into her rooms burns before my eyes. Though it may be wrong, though I may be a bother, I could not bear the thought of handing her off to someone else. I abandon my hunt, and begin the hunt for my love.

One Week Later

The wedding bell tolls, the city has gathered to celebrate the marriage of the princess, everyone had the day off, everyone was invited. Everyone, except for me.

I wander the crowd, looking at the guards, knowing where I would hide the bride and groom if I were the one to have organized this. I walk with purpose, and I see an understated building with two guards outside of it. Two men I had fought with, brothers, I would never betray. I look at them as I walk up, and without the need for words, they kneel. I whisper an apology and knock them both unconscious.

I throw the doors open with the authority of Fate itself. Ardyn and Luna pause in the middle of their conversation to stare at the man who had the audacity to challenge the greatest empire known to mankind. As I behold them, my breath is stolen, colors seep back into the world, colors I didn't even know were missing. Luna's face is flushed with the cold, but never has she looked more beautiful to me. Never have I wanted to fight for someone more. She is trembling and I cannot tell if it is with anger or happiness. She covers her mouth and starts to cry, and I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she had not forgotten me through these long years.

Crown Prince Ardyn stands up, and I brace myself for a confrontation. Instead, he glances between us, smiles, and waves her away. I wish I could have hated this man. I wish that he would've shown himself to be someone I could justify stealing her from. Yet from that gesture, and that gesture alone, I knew him to be a man of kindness. I hated him for casting me away from my queen. But I could not hate him for giving her back. As I look at him and he at me, all of our emotions pass between us. I feel a connection with this man, he could've been my brother in another life. Then all thoughts are driven from my mind as a weight hits me and drives me to the ground.

Everything I'd been through, the chance I'd taken, the love I'd felt, all of it was validated in that one moment. Never will I forget this moment, though I may die, though I may lose my memories, this one moment is carved into my soul. The feeling of completion. The feeling of love. The feeling of wholeness.

So I say to you, never give up hope. For love and kindness are rewarded. There's someone out there who will love you despite your flaws, who will think you're perfect, who will dare to rewrite the stars to spend but one more second with you. There's someone out there who will hug you so tightly, all of your broken pieces will be put right back together. Don't ever settle, for you will never find true happiness.