Chow Chow turned his head to follow her gaze. "Oh! Don't you recognize it? It's a Qilin, Princess. It must be visiting from the upper realms."

"A Qilin!" Snow echoed. She rarely saw images of the Qilin, though she recalled they were regarded as auspicious and almost as significant as dragons, which symbolized imperial power. A dragon-like head on a deer's body, hooves like an ox and fish scales on its body – what a strange creature, she had thought when she was younger.

If she recalled correctly, they only made an appearance during the reign of a wise and benevolent ruler, or shortly before the birth or death of a great sage. Not surprisingly, her ancestors were eager to claim that a Qilin had been sighted during their reign.

She watched it move away, its flames illuminating the trees around it, before it disappeared into the undergrowth. Wait a minute! It was a very long shot, but she just had to try. "Do you figure we can ride the Qilin back to Earth?"

He goggled at her like she had just suggested they hunt the Qilin for its meat and scales. "Princess, it's a Qilin," he said, emphasizing the last word. "It's not a horse or a mount that you can ride and direct where you want it to go."

"But it does go down to the earthly realm, right? Do you think it can take me back?"

His large, round eyes grew even rounder. "I thought we just had this conversation! Princess, I know you really want to go back, but there is no way back. There is just no way."

Snow was starting to get tired of being told no all the time. "Then how did I get here in the first place? Why can't I go back the same way I came?" She gasped like she had been struck by lightning. "Take me back, take me back to that cave I came out from!"

"You can't do that, nobody's gone back the way they came!"

"Has anybody tried?"

"No! Why would they? Why would anyone leave this" – he threw his arm wide over the water – "to go back to suffering on Earth?"

She blinked, her eyes going over the still waters, brilliant blue skies, and greenery around them. He had a point. Not many people could enter the heavenly realms, unless they had done exemplary deeds or had unblemished souls. But she set her jaw. "Hasn't been done before," she said slowly, "Doesn't mean that it cannot be done."

"Oh!" He smacked his forehead. "Heaven help me!"

"Come on! No time to waste, turn this boat around!" She started paddling with her hand.

"Princess, listen to me." His expression was serious. "What about the Empress? Wouldn't you be putting yourself back in harm's way?"

"She probably thinks I'm dead already, she wouldn't think to come after me," Snow said confidently.

He slumped like the air had gone out of him. "You just have an answer for everything, don't you? You want to go back because of that male, right?" When she nodded with enthusiasm, he continued, "What happens if you could go back, and that's a very big if... but your body is gone? Have you thought of that?"

She had not. She had only heard Erden's voice and seen him outside the cottage, but she had not sighted her body. What if the dwarves had already cremated or buried her? What if her body had already decomposed?

"Your soul will have nowhere to go for eternity. Do you understand, Princess? Do you really want that to happen?"

A wandering spirit for all eternity. Condemned to roam the Earth and suffer unquenchable thirst and insatiable hunger, finding no rest and no peace. A hungry ghost, like the ghosts in Sixth Brother's tales. Really, Snow, do you want to take that risk?

She looked Chow Chow dead in the eye. "I'll take my chances. If I go back to find my body gone... I'll haunt the Empress."

He gaped at her speechlessly, and then his hands flew to the sides of his head. "Aaaaaahhh! It's impossible to get through to you!"

Snow thought he was rather comical but he was so distressed that she tried her hardest not to crack a smile. "Chow Chow, please, I need your help. Help me to go back," she said, shaking him by the shoulders as he curled into a ball on the floor.

He emitted a laugh that sounded more like a moan of pain. "Princess, you're tormenting me, you're wearing me down." He suddenly grasped her by the arms in desperation.

"Princess, please. Stay, stay with me. Think about how happy you'll be here. We can explore the Cloud Forests together. We can gaze at the moon up close and watch shooting stars from the top of the Floating Pinnacles. There are misty waterfalls, lotus ponds and emerald bathing pools I can take you to. You'll never go hungry or grow cold again. The rules of men don't apply to us. We are free to do what we want! Don't you want that?"

"Yes, that sounds lovely. But..." She looked at him, hoping that he would understand.

His black eyes glittered as he whispered, "You really love him, don't you?" He released his hold on her. "I guess even if I make you stay, you wouldn't be happy because your heart is somewhere else. Your heart belongs to another."

"Chow Chow..." She wanted to say more, but she could not deny the truth of his words.

He smiled sadly at her. "You know, I waited for you to come back for me. Though I was in so much pain, I fought to stay alive so that I could see you one last time. When I didn't see you, I knew you were caught up somewhere. I didn't blame you for not being there."

Snow remembered his lifeless body on the courtyard tiles. It was an image she would never forget. "I did come back for you, but it was too late," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

"I know you did." He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. His expression was soft. "To me, even catching a glimpse of you would have sufficed. Seeing you after all these years has made me happy beyond measure."

"It has made me happy, too," she said haltingly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Shh, don't cry for me, Princess," he said, wiping away her tears. "It's foolish of me to expect you to love me, when you love him. It would be selfish of me, and unfair to you if I kept you here by my side."

"It's not fair to you either."

He hesitated, then took her hands in his. His hands felt gentle yet strong. "If going back is what you really want... I'll help you. I don't know whether I can reverse the process and send you back, but I'll do it."

"Thank you, Chow Chow, I won't forget this."

He glanced up at the clouds in the blue sky overhead. "Oh, I'm going to get into so much trouble for this." Before she could ask what he meant, his eyes hardened and his canines flashed again in his mouth. "If he ever mistreats you in any way, I'll come down to Earth and break his hands. And I'll find a way to bring you back. Let's go."

To Snow's astonishment, the boat turned by itself and sliced through the water at speed towards the cave. The cliffs and trees passed by in a blur, and the boat caused long ripples in the crystalline water. The wind whipped at their hair, and waves splashed against the banks, breaking the silence and serenity of the river. Soon, they had the cave in their sights, and when they got closer to the cave mouth, the boat slowed and came to a stop.

Chow Chow got up from his seat to retrieve a paper lantern from the prow. "You're going to need this." Blue flames ignited from his fingertips.

"Oh!" Snow exclaimed.

He hung the lit lantern below the prow before turning to give Snow a parting look. "This is where I leave you, Princess. I cannot go any further than this." He stood up and made to leap out of the boat.

"Wait!" Snow grabbed his sleeve and the boat rocked when she pulled him down.

"Wha–"

Snow threw her arms around his neck and held him close. Her heart hammered in her chest. "Thank you, for everything," she said, her words tumbling out in a rush. She kissed him on the cheek. It felt soft and smooth like ivory. Suddenly emboldened, she gave him a quick kiss on the mouth when he turned to look at her.

He blinked, his long lashes fluttering in startlement. That felt nice, she thought, feeling embarrassed and mortified by her own outrageous behavior. The surprised expression on his face swiftly turned to one of determination when he cupped her face. And then he bent his head, and their lips met.

He kissed her tenderly, slowly. His kiss was sweet – sweeter than any fruit she had ever eaten. He was warm like sunlight, heady like a night-blooming cereus, and he held her like he wanted no other. His fingers intertwined in her hair and she reciprocated, her own fingers grasping the ends of his hair and roaming his lithe back through his satiny robes.

She would have continued, but her senses finally took hold of her and she pushed him away. "Don't, I might... if you do that, I might not want to leave."

He gazed dreamily at her, his chest rising with every breath he took. A smug smile curled on his glistening, reddened lips. "I should have tried this on you earlier."

The smile disappeared when he abruptly turned his head skywards, as if he heard something.

"What is it?" she asked, alarmed by his grim expression.

"They're coming."

Question: What did you think of Snow's first kiss?

Author's note: 

A night-blooming cereus is a beautiful white flower that has a rich, floral fragrance. It blooms once a year at night and wilts by dawn. 

After writing this chapter, I discovered that the Chinese character for the flower 曇花 (tan hua) means floating clouds, which describes the patterns on Chow Chow's robes! In Japan, it is known as the (Gekka Bijin) or "Beauty under the Moon", and in Sri Lanka it is called "Kadupul" (කඩුපුල්) which means the flower from heaven.

While writing these few chapters with Chow Chow, I played the song Stay by Shakespears Sister on repeat! That, and Send Me An Angel by Real Life.