America, In My Dreams (United States of America #2.5)

Winter

How was it that the most beautiful things were often associated with death?

Snowflakes rained down from the light gray sky, soon adding itself to the piles upon piles of snow near Wyoming's house, and it was making everything so white that it was blinding. Though, thankfully there wasn't any wind for once, and the snow was allowed to roam straight down, and onto the woman Wyoming was watching very closely.

The woman wasn't like other women however, and it wasn't because of the fact that her skin was so pale it was literally white, the way her pale blue hair seemed to encrust itself with snow that refused to melt once they landed, or the fact that she was wearing nothing more than a short-sleeved long white dress.

This was Winter, the Spirit Queen of Winter.

The queen eyed Wyoming through the window, and even though she didn't actually smile, he could see how her crystal blue eyes shone when she saw him. Wyoming smiled at this himself, and he got up and walked outside, allowing Astrid and Buddy to come with him so they could run around the farm and hopefully not get themselves buried alive in the snow.

Thankfully those two were able to take care of themselves, but there was that one time when Buddy got himself stuck, forcing Wyoming to help him.

Goofballs, that's what those two were.

Winter noticed his approach, and as she continued to dance amongst the falling snow, she held out her hands for him. Wyoming took them, feeling the cold of her hands, but it didn't affect him too much as he pulled her to his chest. And from there, they danced together to an imaginary waltz only they could hear, somehow managing to ignore the two barking dogs.

"Your mother's coming to visit isn't she?" Winter asked as Wyoming helped her to perform a dip.

"She is, and she's bringing the Spirit Kings of the Sun and Moon with her."

"Hm," Winter replied, thinking. "I have to admit that I'm a little excited to meet them."

"The Kings?"

"Yes. I have heard they are a very interesting bunch, but I may have to stay away from the Sun of course."

Wyoming wasn't surprised by that. After all, Winter usually got ill when spring started, and the fact that the Spirit King of the Sun would probably be nearby would not be the best thing for her. But Winter was not the kind of woman who would always run away from her discomforts, so even though she didn't say anything out loud, Wyoming knew she was going to stay whether she liked it or not.

That's one of the many things he loved about her.

"Whoa!" the both of them cried out when they felt something knock against their legs. Wyoming fell onto his back, taking Winter with him so she could land on his chest. For a moment they stared at each other in bewilderment before they gave playful glares to the two dogs near them.

Astrid and Buddy stared back, their tails wagging hard, and Wyoming knew he couldn't stay mad at them for long.

"You two are the biggest goofballs I've ever known, do you know that?"

The only response Wyoming got to that were two barks.