The lovely fall was turning into a chilly winter. Mallen was surprised when he felt the softest of snowflakes tumble down on him, their powdery cold touch welcoming.

Mallen stood outside for a moment, watching the land slowly turn from green to white. He knew humans would be overjoyed to wake up the next morning and see the entire land blanketed in snow. As a vampire, he got to enjoy seeing the landscape change colors throughout the night.

Usually, he didn't care for snow or rain, preferring dry cloudy weather, but being around Iérti changed his perspective on many things, including nature. Mallen walked slowly, the grass becoming wet underneath from the snow. The more the temperature dropped, the more the snow would harden and become packed underneath his boots. For now, it was a soft powdery snow that made everything wet.

Mallen took the time to enjoy the scenery, taking a longer route home. He was almost reluctant to go inside. He took one last look at the falling snow before going into his castle. Mallen's castle was always brightly lit with candles and lamps, providing light so the castle wasn't entirely dark. Mallen went up the staircase and entered his room, but Írásom wasn't there.

He found her outside the stable, combing her horse with a brush. The night sky looked amazing with the land covered in snow. The snow continued to fall softly around the peaceful atmosphere. It looked like Írásom was standing in the middle of a winter wonderland.

Mallen approached her, his boots crunching lightly on the snow. Írásom kept combing Midnight and looked up when she saw Mallen approach.

Írásom smiled affectionately, thinking Mallen looked like a medieval prince in a velvet green tunic over a white shirt, the white showing in amid the slashes in the sleeves. It was carefully and stylishly made, an elaborate way of showing off his silken white long-sleeved undershirt. The green looked amazing with his dark raven hair, loose this time instead of tied back with his usual olive green ribbon. noticed Mallen kept his ribbon neatly folded in his pocket. His classy-looking dark purple breeches were paired well with his dark brown boots with gold accents.

In turn, Mallen was pleased to see Írásom was wearing a tasteful outfit herself. The upper part of her dress was white and long sleeved while the bottom part was entirely black as night. It descended from a corset at the waist and flared out in an elegant way. The white was feminine and brought out her chocolate brown eyes, which seemed to sparkle.

Their eyes met in the silence of the falling snow. Írásom put the comb in the small saddle bag and almost instantaneously collided into Mallen's chest, making the snow bounce off him. She gazed up at him, her lips parted as Mallen held her in an embrace.

"Don't you remember what I plan to do shortly after I turned?" Írásom asked, her face just a breath away from Mallen's. Mallen thought for a moment, wondering what it was, when he suddenly remembered. Before he could say anything, kissed him eagerly. "I want to marry you, Mallen."

Marriage. It was the one thing Mallen never thought he would ever have in his life, as endless as it was. The only person he came remotely close to even thinking of marrying was Katlyn. Had she remained alive, he would've continued to try to romance her, to make her fall in love with him instead of her husband. Her death changed everything for him. And now another woman he loved was wanting to marry him.

For the first time, Mallen felt hopeful for his own future. He barely thought of it, knowing he had all of eternity ahead of him, each day just another adventure or another peaceful night. He wanted to spend it with someone, but he enjoyed being a vampire too much. With humanity, he was much more considerate and thoughtful. For once in his life, he was being given something he had always wanted, without having to take it by force.

Mallen very gently reached out to touch Írásom's cheek. Tears welled up in his eyes as he gazed at Írásom, unable to believe the woman standing before him wanted to become his wife.

Mallen brushed the tears from his eyes, surprised he allowed Írásom to see them. He never let anyone see him cry; whenever he cried, he cried in the privacy of his room. This was the first time he allowed tears to show in the presence of someone other than Iérti.

Taking a deep breath, Mallen looked deeply into Írásom's eyes and asked, his voice emotional, "Will you marry me, Írásom?" He almost expected her to say no. It felt more like a dream or fantasy than it did reality. Even the words felt strange, like he was trying to bring a secret hope to life.

Írásom smiled happily and kissed him, barely giving Mallen time to breathe. So enthusiastic was her response that the two of them tumbled into the snow, Írásom on top of Mallen. "Yes! An infinite yes! I want to marry you tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" That's hardly any time to make a wedding dress. Mallen moved so that he was halfway on top of Írásom, his arms pinning her on the snowy ground. "Be realistic, Írásom. We need time to plan this out. I've never had a wedding before."

"Really? You've never taken anyone to be your wife?" Írásom asked, surprised. With that gorgeous body and irresistible eyes, how has he not married before?

Mallen shook his head, getting off her. Írásom leaned forward a little as she sat up, her palms resting on the ground. A short distance away, Midnight neighed softly, shrugging snow off her mane.

"Just how old are you?" Írásom inquired, wanting to know.

Mallen bristled. "Older than any vampire in the land."

As Mallen began to lead Midnight back to the stables, got up and followed, saying, "should be the one to give me away."

Mallen froze mid-way in the closing of Midnight's horse stall. After a few moments of stunned silence, Mallen pushed the lock in place. "Are you sure about this?"

Írásom seized Mallen, his back against the wall as she got close to him. She ran a hand through his hair, her lips softly brushing against his.

"I never thought I would feel so free. As a human, I was so weak and vulnerable. I was so terrified of your kind. scared me the most, but only because he was the vampire leader. Before he brought me to you, I had to fight off nightmares every night, covering myself with a blanket, trying not to scream at the memory of what was done to me."

Írásom's grip tightened before she let go, dropping her hand to Mallen's chest. "Being a vampire is so liberating. I don't fear anything anymore. No one can ever harm me again. I'm strong and powerful, something I could never be in my human state. I have a new life now and I want to spend it with you, Mallen. You showed me vampires can be human. You protected me even when others jeered at you for protecting a human. Iérti showed me mercy, but you showed me love. The kind of love my former fiancé couldn't give."

Mallen pushed himself from the wall, Írásom's arms around him. "I will always protect you, Írásom. Even in your new vampire state."

put her head on his chest as Mallen drew her close, holding her in an embrace. He kissed the top of her head, grateful to have in his life. He never thought he would be designing a wedding dress for his soon-to-be bride and was floored by the very thought of having a bride.

In his mind, Mallen already started thinking of ideas for Írásom's wedding dress, thinking of the perfect cut and design to bring out her soft skin, her lovely doll face, her long black hair and chocolate brown eyes.

She would look so beautiful, Mallen thought, imagining Írásom in a wedding dress. He wondered how Iérti would react once he learned the news. He is not going to believe I'm getting married.