Navia

My door burst open with a loud bang and I rolled over in bed, narrowing my eyes to glare at the poor soul who'd woken me.

It was Sabien. He was giggling and smiling like a little kid.

"Navia, Navia! Get up, it's snowing!" He shouted, jumping up and down.

I bolted upright and frantically rubbed my eyes, whirling to the foggy window beside my bed. I peered out and, indeed, large flakes of fluffy whiteness drifted lazily from the sky.

"See, see?" Sabien said, his excitement contagious. "Get dressed, let's go, let's go!"

I laughed happily, ushering him out of the room with the promise to hurry. I dug through my pack of old clothes that I hadn't had any use for, pulling out my warmest seal-skin parka. I pulled it on and stepped out of my room into the hallway where Sabien was practically bouncing off the walls.

I chuckled and led the way outside, "c'mon crazy. Let's go."

He trotted along beside me, talking a mile a minute. "Is snow fun? It's cold, right? Can we build a snowman? How about we make snow angels? Ooh, can we go sledding? Please, pretty, please? We don't get snow back where I'm from. You get a lot of snow right? You come from a cold snowy place right? You— whoa!" Sabien's chatter was halted when we stepped outside.

I laughed again and crunched forward through the knee-deep layer of whiteness the blanketed the world as far as the eye could see. Sabien stumbled after me, his oohs and ahs echoing in the cold air behind me.

I stopped to let him catch up, "so whatcha wanna do first?"

"Let's build a snowman!" He exclaimed, grabbing a chunk of the powdery stuff and packing it into a ball.

"Okay." I knelt and started on another ball.

About half an hour later, we'd finished our snowman. It was kind of crooked, the middle ball far too small. Its face was just a bunch of rocks and a drooping twig for a nose. We stood back and looked at it, Sabien proudly and me in amusement.

"Best snowman I've ever made!" Sabien told me, and I stifled a giggle.

"Also first snowman I've ever made, but that's not as important." He added nonchalantly.

I rolled my eyes and lightly punched his arm. "Surrrrre. What next?"

Sabien staggered, clutching his arm in mock pain. "I'm dying, I'm dying!" He moaned, then dramatically toppled onto his side. I roared with laughter, bent double and clutching my stomach.

"Hey!" Sabien popped back up, his dirty blonde hair dusted with snowy. "It wasn't that funny."

I caught my breath and straightened, shaking my head. "You are a terrible actor."

Sabien pretended to look hurt. "What? Nonsense!"

I tried to punch his arm again, but he dodged and jogged away. I chased after him, grinning. We ran into the woods and I was gaining on him. We reached a clearing, and I tackled him, bringing both of us to the ground. I rolled off him and stood, brushing the snow off myself. I offered Sabien a hand to help him up, which he took and pulled me back down into the snow. I laid on my back, watching the blue sky. Sabien was swishing his arms and legs back and forth, making a snow angel beside me. He stopped and scooted closer to me, our breaths mingling as white clouds in the cold air.

"What was Christmas like for you?" I asked, keeping my eyes fixed on the sky.

"I... it wasn't enjoyable." He admitted, "I rarely got presents or anything like that." He sighed. "I mean, not that that's what Christmas is about." He added hurriedly.

I fumbled through the snow, reaching for his hand. Our fingers intertwined, palms pressed close.

"What about you?" Sabien murmured.

"I... well..." I bit my lip, twisting the ring around my right middle finger. A shiver ran down my spine. "We didn't really do anything too big. We just sort of had a nice dinner and... yeah."

It was silent for a long moment. Sabien rolled to his feet, pulling me up beside him. "Let's go warm up," he suggested.

I nodded, following him back to the castle. Inside, we were greeted by steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Taking one each, we set off to my room. I took off my parka, hanging it up on the doorknob. Sabien gingerly sat on the bed and I joined him, both of us carefully sipping our warm drinks but neither saying a word.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry." I said quietly, my eyes on the brown steamy liquid in the mug cupped between my hands.

Sabien seemed to startle. "Uh, what for?" He asked, seeming genuinely confused.

"For bringing up the past." I said, bringing the mug to my lips and taking a sip, watching him.

"Ah, that." He met me gaze, his expression soft. "Don't sweat it."

I breathed out a sigh of relief, relaxing.

"But, erm," he set aside his empty cup and turned toward me. "May I ask you something?"

I finished my own drink, setting my cup aside as well then turned to face him. "Shoot away." I nodded, crossing my legs.

"Okay." He watched me thoughtfully. "Where'd you get your ring?"

Now it was my turn to startle. "My uncle gave it to me, right before I left him to join the Greencloaks."

Sabien cocked his head to the side curiously, reminding me of a puppy. "Cool. Is it like special to you or...?"

I bit my lip. "It was from my mother."

"Oh." He stared at me for a moment, then put his arm around me. I leaned my head onto his shoulder and breathed in deeply. He tilted his head to rest against mine.

"Y'know, if any of the others saw this, they be going nuts. Making kissy noises, awing, the works." He whispered in amusement.

I giggled and whispered softly into his ear, "I'm pretty sure they're at the door."

We shared a smirk. "Then let's give them a show, shall we?" Sabien suggested, releasing Eldya from passive state. I did the same with Cerco, and the pair of animals trotted quickly to the door. Sabien dropped his arm from my shoulders and faced me, taking my hands and looking into my eyes.

"On three, then." I told the animals.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Sabien leaned forward and so did I, my eyes falling closed as his did the same. I heard the door swing open just as our lips met. I tasted the hot chocolate on his, smelled his sweat and his distinctly fresh smell. I heard aws, giggles and gasps. Sabien pulled me closer and I smiled into a kiss, warmth filling my veins and rushing straight to my heart.

Annnnnnd that's a cut! Hope y'all enjoyed! ❄︎

edit: 21/12/22
my children,,,
very few edits on this one
I love them sm
hope y'all enjoyed!