The Nightrose Chronicles I: Broader Horizons

Comforting Cold

Tessa woke with the light of the sun, and rubbed her eyes before looking up at Lailah, "When did you wake up?" she mumbled.

He smirked, "I didn't go to sleep."

"Angels don't sleep?"

He chuckled, "We only need two to three hours sleep every other day," he explained.

"... You were in my dream last night," she yawned, resting her head against him.

"Yeah?" He smiled.

"Mhm... We had a snowball fight on the moon with a dinosaur..."

He laughed, "Sounds like a fun dream. Who won?"

"I don't remember," she said, "But it was really funny...!" she laughed.

Zidane shifted, sat up, and yawned "You two are already awake?"

"I'm going back to sleep," Tessa mumbled.

He grunted in acknowledgment, before his gaze drifted to the forest, his feet taking him there slowly. "Just need to think," he said over his shoulder.

"Why couldn't Zach or Nate save Blank?" she asked snuggling into his shoulder.

"They could have. But we need to think of the future; who would save Garnet and the others if no one came to Alexandria for Blank?" He asked.

"That's true," She admitted.

A few minutes after Zidane left, the tent rustled, the girls crawling out one by one.

Vivi however took a moment, "Oh, everyone's awake already."

"Everyone except Captain Planet," Tessa joked.

He looked over to Steiner, "I didn't know people could fall asleep standing up."

"Apparently it's possible," Meadow stretched.

"Wait, where is Zidane?" Garnet asked.

"He went back to the forest to think," Lailah said.

"Oh, I think I shall go talk to him."

Lailah nodded to her as Tessa's stomach rumbled, "What's for breakfast?"

"Is that all you ever think about?" Kailynn asked.

Tessa curled into Lailah's side, hiding under the blankets, I'm not fat...

Lailah pet her, You're right, you're not. You're a beautiful girl. A child of God.

Yeah...?

God made you just the way you are, he knows everything about you. He says all the time, look at my beautiful daughter; she's like a rose, elegant and beautiful, yet fragile, sweet, and gentle!

She grinned as warmth filled her heart, Thanks.

You're welcome.

"So how are we getting out of here?" Vivi asked.

"With North Gate and South Gate sealed off, getting outta here's gonna be hard," Zidane said. "But it looks like there's an Ice Cavern just south of here, it might take us to the top of the mist."

"I think we should check out North and South Gate too; there might be something useful there," Meadow said.

"Like what?" he asked.