Love is Cold

The One

          It felt much colder, now. The temperature was well below zero. It made a shiver crawl up my spine and I shuddered a little. It had been a couple hours since I had become tired and crawled into my sleeping bag. Even in it's protective layers, I still was freezing. Leo, who was sitting by the fire, glanced at me. I snapped my eyes shut when he came over.

          He sat down, cross-legged, next to me and started humming the song he wrote for Prince Michael Sebastian's wedding ball. It was a slow, melodic tune that I found very comforting. He asked me to dance with him and he taught me how to waltz.

          When the song was over, he bent and kissed my cheek. My cheeks felt hot, now. They were the only part of my body with heat. He put one arm under my knees. The other under my shoulders. I felt a sense of weightlessness, then the earth on my back as he set me down.

          "Good night, my princess," he lovingly whispered into my ear as he placed me next to the fire.

* * *

          For one night out if the six I had spent in Glacies, I slept without nightmare. It was nice to wake up normally again. Except for the butterflies. I felt different and looked at Leo the way he looked at me. Those sidelong glances and a hint of a smile. I was blushing, too. It was like a big sign that read: 'Kiss me again' was attached to my chest. I must have looked really strange, acting like that.

          Meals were silent, and for the first time since I hugged him, I felt pain. The dream came and left a new weight on me. The feeling of, 'If he loves me, what happens.' I'm mortal and he lives forever. Plus, the dream means I die fairly soon. Leaving him broken. It couldn't happen. Never.

* * *

         "So,... I was just wondering," Leo began, "if we could talk?" He seemed nervous, so I went along with it.

          "Ok," I replied. I wanted to try and amuse him, because he was actually speaking to me again and we both were kind of bored.

           We when back and forth asking different questions, while we sat by the fire for a few hours, talking. Some of the questions were harder to answer and some were personal. I learned that he is over one hundred years old, his parents were mortal, his favorite color is green, and he's only killed one person; his father.

            "So," I asked, "Who's name do I say in my sleep?" I could see him get tense. He, closed his eyes and bit his lip. Then he exhaled when he knew I had him cornered. 

          He edges towards me as if to tell me a secret. Instead, he gently grabbed my hand and held it in his. He looked me strait in the eyes and I understood. He's the one who saves me and I knew it all along.