Crown

Se Jaedos Tēgembōñ-The Summer Isle

"That's enough Yukimi. He was just startled. That's my fault."

Yukimi scowled and retracted the ice. A sudden wave of relief washed over Ri-is as his vision returned and he was able to take in warm air once again. He fell to his knees, gasping for air. Little puffs of fire escaped his lips as his body desperately tried to warm itself again. The figure, now revealed to be Yukimi shuffled to her mother's side.

Ri-is hazily gazed up at her. She had pale blue lips with the same golden eyes as Shimonami. Her hair was was short and an icy shade of blue. Her white robes flowed down her slim body like a river that curved around every inch of her body elegantly, her devil red sash was ablaze on her snow white body and her melancholic expression was surprisingly the most entrancing thing Ri-is had ever laid eyes upon.

"What...are you..." He breathed out.

Shimonami smiled. "We're the snow spirits of the mountain."

"Why are you kidnapping the villager's children?"

An annoyed scoff echoed from Shimonami. "They're hardly their children. Let me ask you, if you want to grow a flower, but I have the seed, whose flower is it really?"

"I-I suppose it would be yours unless you gave it to me?"

A satisfied "hmph" came from the woman as she straightened herself. "Have you ever heard of the white sea's snow women?"

"No...mother has books on them...I'm sure she knows a few as well...but I personally have never heard of them."

"We are a clan of only women. There are different tribes among us but ours has been in these mountains for many centuries. As I've said, there are no men here. Which means when we want to have children we have to go down to the village and find a suitable mate. We pretend to be humans and marry but if the husband ever finds out about our true nature, we must leave. It's a rule that's kept us alive for ages.

The only reason we don't kill them is because we need someone to care for our children until they grow strong enough to withstand the conditions up here. Though, if he were to tell anyone that the children are ours or speak of our existence then we would have to kill him. We aren't kidnapping the children we're just taking them home and the men we've killed were either unfaithful to us, or have broken the promise. It's simply a matter of survival for us. Yukimi almost burnt to death, trying to drag you up here. She's always been the toughest of my children but she's also the most rebellious. What possessed her to save you, I don't know."

Shimonami shook her head and sighed. Ri-is looked around in silence. His eyes rested of Yukimi who averted her gaze when they made eye contact. Her white skin shimmered under the rays of light that drifted into the room. He was never very good at making friends and had never experienced the feeling that played inside him but at that moment, he couldn't help but stare. Shimonami watched the two. Clearing her throat, she waved her hand and more women entered the room with trays and drinks.

"You must be hungry. Stay, eat. When you're ready let us know and we will make a path through the blizzard for you so you may return. You can stay for the night. We can't prepare a warm bath but I'm sure you'll be able to warm it yourself. Feel free to take one later. Yukimi will show you the way."

Without much of a choice, Ri-is thanked her and accepted the food. Yukimi sat down next to him without a sound and poured him a drink.

•~•~•~•~•~•

The evening sun began to set, just as Ea and Zur-Sin made it through the narrow pass between The Great Rift and Hia Miu. As they passed The Great Rift and rounded the Oceanic Rift, they split up. Ea was the second to reach his destination, the Summer Isle of Artignia, a small island just off the South West of the continent.