Frost

- Five -

      "Will you slow down?" Claire cried out breathlessly. Kilian's long strides left Claire struggling to keep up with him and she kept slipping on the uneven, icy forest floor. Kilian ignored her and just kept pulling her along behind him without a word.

      "Stop already!" Claire shouted again after nearly falling for a third time since Kilian had dragged her from the clearing. Kilian stopped quite abruptly, releasing her hand in the process. Claire nearly ran into him, but managed to pause just shy of hitting his broad back. He turned sharply to face her and she took half a step back to put some distance between them.

      "Well?" Kilian demanded, his face dark.

      Claire frowned, confused by his anger, and also a little scared. "Well what?"

      "Well what? Was it worth it? You almost got yourself worse than killed, over a doll," Kilian snapped back at her before raking his long fingers through his shaggy blond hair. He started to stalk away from her, only to come right back, looking even more flustered than before. His hazel eyes burned like hot coals. "Do you even have any idea what sort of danger you were in back there?"

      "No, I don't, Kilian! I don't because I don't have any idea where I even am, or how I got here, or what is even going on," Claire shouted back at him. "All I know is that a yesterday I was sitting in my living room watching MTV and worrying about which college I was going to get into, and today I feel like I'm trapped in the world's craziest renaissance festival! Except here the swords are real!"

      Kilian seemed unphased by her reply, "That guy back that, Leon, that guy is bad news," he continued, pacing away from her only to pace back again. The forest around them had grown oddly silent, as though even the animals knew it was best to be quiet while Kilian took this time to vent. "You have no idea what he would have done to you given the chance. He would sooner run his sword through the empty belly of a starving man then toss him a crust of bread. I've seen him cut down children for fun, Claire."

      "I'm sorry, Kilian, I didn't think-" Claire began, only to be cut off.

      "That's the problem! You didn't think, you just acted on impulse in a place you don't understand. This isn't your home, things are different here. There is no em tee vee, or college, or whatever, and if you keep acting this way, you are going to get yourself killed!" Kilian's words were sharp, but true. It was strange, but seeing him angry like this made Claire feel warm inside. He was worried about her, though she had no clue why seeing as they barely knew one another.

      Perhaps that is what made it all the more poignant. Her parents had never expressed this sort of scared anger that Kilian was showing now. It radiated from him like heat from the sun, and Claire found herself grateful for it, and more than a little guilty.

      "Thank you, for coming after me," she murmured, her heart feeling heavy in her chest..

      Kilian stopped pacing and looked towards her. He was quiet for a moment and then he sighed heavily, scrubbing his hands over his face.

      "Don't apologize, I shouldn't have let you come out here alone," he said at last, his features softening. It was then that Claire realized he wasn't just angry at her, he was angry at himself as well.

      "It's not your fault, you couldn't have known," Claire insisted, stepping closer. She wanted to reach out and touch his arm, something to assure him that he was not to blame for her impulsive behaviors, but she hesitated.

      Kilian smirked and shook his head. "No, but I should have expected it. For some reason you attract trouble like a pile of horse dung attracts flies." Claire wrinkled her nose and wasn't sure whether or not to be offended by the fact that he had compared her to horse poop. "I shouldn't have let you come out here by yourself."