Princess of the Phrost (the miniseries): Creation

So It Begins

 The rest of dinner went smoothly but by dessert, both Aymon and Safri noticed how bland the other's background was. They both had many questions, questions that couldn't be answered without risking exposure so neither decided to dig deeper. At least not on the first date.

"Is mythology a hobby of yours?" Aymon asked suddenly.

"Elves are said to be vibrant and beautiful creatures, but the girl in your painting, while undeniably beautiful, lacked the kiss of the sun" he continued. He'd caught her off guard as they made their way to the car to continue their night. Once inside she'd turned to face the window, he could hear her accelerated breaths, and feel her nerves unravel as he spoke.

"May I ask why you portrayed her that way? Why taint such gorgeous brown skin with that lackluster greyish hue?" Aymon prodded while heading to a bar to continue their night.

"Do you really believe that the woman in the painting is beautiful?" Safri asked before she could stop herself. The car crawled to a stop at a light allowing Aymon a moment to face her. He thought to continue their game of answering questions with questions, but something in her eyes drove him to be honest. He could feel that she not only needed to hear his opinion, but that said opinion would mean a lot to her.

"She's the second most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I love the hair color" he grinned, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. She didn't let it show, but on the inside Safri was holding back both screams and tears of joy. Not just because he found her true self beautiful, it was because after seeing herself through his eyes; she too began to believe she was beautiful.

"Let's get back to the elves... is that what the Lessers call us now? Tiny toy makers in ugly pointy shoes" Safri frowned, getting back to Aymon's previous question. Aymon however had finally caught her slip. "Miya" had just referred to people as "the Lessers" and was offended that they associated "us" with elves. It wasn't much but Aymon was patient, would be patient, as long as it took to figure out just who Miya Stevens really was.

"Everywhere isn't as beautiful as it is here. There are dark places in the universe, places where the sun could one day refuse to shine. Where the land is dead, the wildlife is dying and your dreams are your only solace" Safri whispered, turning to stare out of the window once again. She spoke as if she knew of such places intimately but Aymon couldn't fathom such a place existing in this realm. They rode in silence, both lost in their individual thoughts when the Safri's phone that had been charging in the cupholder brightly lit up the inside of the dark car.

"You did what!" Safri shouted with wide eyes. Ryna quickly launched into the backstory, claiming that soon after Safri had left, Mel and Ashley had a falling out since Ashley was refusing to walk back to the dorms on account of the rain.

"She went to her room to calm down but came back a zombie. She was completely spaced out but had packed a bag and said she needed to go back to Jackson" Ryna whispered. Safri was livid when told that they'd left hours ago but after scrolling through her phone that she realized was on silent, she'd missed 11 calls and had 20 unread texts from the girls.

"We came with her because I didn't know what to do and we stalled as long as we could. She needs medical attention" Ryna suggested. Amelie was currently in the bathroom readying herself for a night out to both Ashley and Ryna's objection and Ashley was threatening to call 911.

"NO! No police and no hospitals! I know I'm asking a lot of the both of you, but I need you to trust me, and I mean really trust me" Safri begged.

"I'm on my way but keep her in the room. I don't care if you have to tie her to a chair, do not let her leave" she stressed, promising them the truth later. She hadn't decided on which truth just yet, but she'd give them enough to drop it.