A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Since they were to go on the land that was between the two streams, Tarhuinn picked (f/n) up and carried her across. He also did so because it would be harder for the pixies to take her away from him. His rather secure grip didn't go unnoticed by her. She didn't mind it, though. They had no idea what arrangement would be formed, and, among all of the snow pixies, she felt safer being held by him.

When they reached the land, there was a thin stream, which seemed to be trickling from the center area of the land. Beforehand, they hadn't caught sight of the stream since large amounts of snow did well to hide it. Tarhuinn had to walk one step at a time to keep his feet in the small path. Even then, his feet were nearly going out of the water. No doubt, escaping the pixies if need be would be all harder because of the path.

She could see small heads pop up from behind stones or out from the sides of trees. The sun reflected off of the snowflake-like veins, which covered all of their body except their face. They all glittered under the light, and only thin dried leaves, used as clothes, dampened the sparkle of their reflective skin.

As they progressed further in, the trees formed a circle, but the stream continued its straight path. White rose bushes surrounded the perimeter of the circle while at the very center was a single stone column. Twigs and branches were wrapped around it. At the top, there were two thrones made out of twigs. Dried rose leaves served as cushions for the two royal pixies.

In the chair to her right sat the king. The snowflake-like veins were more intricate on him, and a dried leaf skirt wrapped around his hips, flowing down to barely touch his knees. Long white locks descended to his chest while a twig and leaf crown sat atop his head. As for the queen, the dried leaves wrapped around her chest and descended down into a form fitting dress. Like the king, she bore a crown similar to his and had more detailed veins. Her hair fell down past her hips. Both had large pale blue, nearly white, wings extending from their backs.

Their pixie guide bowed to her rulers before she pointed to (f/n). "My king and queen, I have brought the unwanted visitors to us. As you can see, the one is a human. I thought that she might be of interest to you both."

"Thank you, Ilexa. You may wait nearby to hear of our decision. A human is a rare treat for us," the king voiced, his light blue eyes traveling from the pixie to (f/n) and Tarhuinn. "What a lovely match," he mused as he sat a little straighter on his throne. "Still, you may set your partner down, kelremm. We'll not steal her away from you."

Tarhuinn didn't listen and held onto (f/n). Letting out a light laugh, which gave off the image of snow's first fall, the queen reassured, "We promise that we won't harm your wife. We only wish for her to come closer so that we can see her. It's been a long time since a human has crossed our paths."

(F/n) rested her left hand on his left shoulder. She gave him a simple nod to indicate that it would be best to listen. Granted, she didn't want to go anywhere near the pixie royals, but if Tarhuinn disobeyed them again, their polite demeanors might fade away. Hesitantly, he put her on her feet and off the stream. Slowly, she took careful steps towards the pair. To not cause insult, she bowed lightly to them. When she brought her head back up, the queen was directly in front of her. A frightened squeak left (f/n)'s lips as she jumped back some.

Another laugh exited the queen's lips. "You bear such perseverance, yet you're greatly terrified of my kind. Still, you stand before us. Tell me is this because of that human's tale? The one where we eat humans after bringing them to our caves? Do you see any caves around you?" A tiny grin was on her pale lips as she flew back over to her chair and seated herself once more.

"Well, yes, I've heard of it. And, there are no caves, but how do you know about that?"

"My king and I have been around a long time. That tale has existed nearly as long. It was spread by us after all and served to protect our kind. We whispered it into the ears of humans while they slept, and it eventually spread around until humans feared us. Stories are a useful weapon if you craft them as such."

"You must have questions, though. As does your husband," the king pointed out, glancing between the two. "We'll answer those inquiries upon forming an arrangement for your passing. We know why you have come to this forest as some scouts of ours have informed us of the chat that your husband had last night with the haasna. So, you must know the danger that we're putting ourselves in for seeing you. You both should understand that because of that your passage will come at a fair price and that it will involve you, my dear." His attention locked onto her.

"What would you have me do?" she questioned, her mind coming up with a list of horrid things. Even if the pixies had made up that gruesome tale, it didn't mean that they weren't capable of other atrocious acts.

"You both have heard of the mage that travels with the two authors. This mage is a threat to my kind, and the only reason why my wife and I agreed to stop all unwanted visitors for those three. Their fire magic would wipe out my kind very easily. We could've moved, but this has been our home for centuries, and we won't abandon it because of those wretched three. By offering you passage, that mage will most likely kill some of my kind as punishment. So before they come back and discover our betrayal, we'll need protection from our own mage."

"I don't even know where a mage would be," answered (f/n), wondering how she could accomplish what the king was implying.

"We've heard rumors of where one lives. We've never approached the place, though, because of these rumors. Down by the lake, there is a cabin. Smoke rises from the chimney every so often, indicating that someone does indeed live there. As to who, we haven't checked," the king began before Tarhuinn cut him off.

"And, why haven't you checked? What do these rumors say?" His hands were resting near his dagger belt while his tone took on a hostile one. It looked as though he would pull (f/n) back and start attacking.

This time, the queen spoke. "We haven't confirmed the person of this residence because the rumors speak ill of them. This mage is said to be unstable unless confronted by someone of his tastes. My husband and I would prefer to not have our scouts killed if we can prevent it. So, we have had them keep their distance and ask creatures in the nearby vicinity that have traveled closer to the cabin.

"This supposed mage moved in several months ago. The haasna that lives closest to the cabin tells us that this mage brings in a woman once every three weeks. She told our scouts that the mage comforts the woman for a time before he grows an appetite for them. I won't go into the details that the haasna described, but this is why a human woman is important. Your looks are also a benefit to us."

Blood drained from (f/n)'s face, and she felt like she might faint. "W-why would y-you w-want som-someone like th-that to pro-protect your k-kind?" she stuttered out as what they desired became very clear.

"And, how would you expect her to get that man over to your side?!" Tarhuinn shouted, stepping forward. "You're condemning my wife to a terrible death! No less, you ask her to give herself over to this man before she's murdered! I'll not permit that!" He was by now directly in front of the king. A dagger was pointing between the king's eyes, but the royal remained calm.

"If you try to strike me, you'll be blinded before that blade leaves a mark on me. You may be skilled, but you shouldn't underestimate a pixie king. Now, put down your blade, kelremm, before we attack, and your wife will be guaranteed a permanent meeting with death."

"Your threat falls deaf upon my ears," Tarhuinn growled, raising the blade.

Swiftly, (f/n) ran over to him and grasped his arm with the blade. "Tarhuinn, stop! Please! They've made it clear that this is the only way to get past them. If we fight, we'll be killed. You saw how many of them there are. We can't take them all; you know that! So please, calm down. I don't like this plan, but we have to keep pushing forward. Like you stated before, we can't go back now. Tergii and Bimaa will have us one way or another unless we get to them and catch them off guard."

"I'll not have another man possibly touch you, (f/n)! That's unacceptable. You're mine. You're my wife. I won't listen to any more ridiculous proposals. Now, let go of me, my chosen!"

Her legs grew weak, and her body wished to fall against him. (F/n) lost her grip on him before she collapsed to the ground on her knees. She looked up to the pixie royals. Using all of her strength and fighting against the urge to agree with her partner, she told them, "Please, knock him out. He's not thinking rationally. Please, don't kill him."

An enraged expression fell on Tarhuinn's countenance. "You would break our agreement?" he asked in a harsh and hurt voice, but her words distracted him long enough. Before he could attack a single pixie, the queen blew a wind towards his face. His dark blue eyes fell upon (f/n). She couldn't meet fully his disappointed and pained gaze. He fell backwards and impacted the snow. The soft substance puffed up into the air as he grew unconscious. Thankfully, his feet remained in the water, and no further damage had been done to him.