"It's cold.."

She muttered as Yugo helped her undress the drenched complex tied clothing from behind.

It was a royal one-piece dress made of thick black colored cotton fabric. At the ends, it's in a similar shape to the one she always wore but covered up with a red corset like top above with certain noble flower/plants ingredients. Renate and canar made her wear it for her fathers funeral that took place today.

The ceremony didn't last long, it started to rain and as soon as they set up the gravestone everyone returned to the dinner hall thus fastly moved on to the final part where everyone gathers for drinks and food in the end. Some people less affected some devastated.

Amalia though wouldn't leave her spot in front of her fathers grave. In the vast green of their Sadida garden where she could see bright colors and share happy memories, there is nothing more but a fill of dark green colors getting more and more robbed of their saturation by the dim tearful weather.

She chained her eyes to the gravestone in front of her. Blended out all the sounds and touches around of her people or even friends offering an umbrella or tugging her, trying to make her tag along worryingly but Armand told them off and to leave her alone. Trying to do something right this time, as Evangelyne tapped his shoulder seeing the distress in his eyes while he tried to act tough for their kingdoms and Amalias sake, he immediately went off to the hall.

Evangelyne and Tristepin sent Amalia a second look before they both turned as well.

"Don't take too long you will catch a cold."

Hearing Evas voice she reacted, turned her head a bit to look at her face with a faint smile and nodded.

She was perparing herself for this to happen, she somehow knew he might not make it anymore the more she sat by his bedside talking to him. Even by the time they traveled back to the world of twelve from the Inglorium she got to witness his final breaths. She decided to stay strong and assured him she would normally resume her life, to stay cheerful and fulfill her duties to make him proud. However now on the day of his funeral she could feel that confidence crumbling.

About an hour went by but Amalia wouldn't join them. Evangelyne started feeling restless, while she observed the crowd... many feeling better and laughing again, some drinking as much as they had fun, shouting some silly things. As well as Tristepin, her eyes grew wide when she noticed how delighted he stomped on the table with Rubilax as a massive fist in the air to mess with the Sadida warriors again. She promptly complained to him and told him to cut it out then she noticed Yugo behind him but not sitting at the table but at the half-open window farther away while Adamai and some others seemed to be focused on a silly game someplace else.

She decided to walk over to him.

„Yugo, you're here but you wouldn't show your face to Amalia at all today." Eva noted while noticing him just watching the rain pour outside the entire time. „Yugo?"

She wanted to poke his back to make sure if he wasn't actually ignoring her right now but he replied.

„ The rain just won't stop.."

„You're worried about Amalia.. ..hm. Thought about looking for her?"

He leaned arms crossed on the windowsill and nestled his head in them. He frowned.

„ I think seeing my face would make her feel just more miserable."

„What's he getting on about?"

Pinpin sneaking into the conversation.

Evangelyne sighed.. she heard some of the things that happened between them in the tower.

„Don't think about your current relationship too hard, you're her friend at least right? She knows she can't count much on me anymore" her eyes wandered to Tristepin who gave her a questionable look.

„Or maybe she doesn't want to depend on me that much anymore, I respect that, though I can't help but worry.. either way, if you could go instead of me that would be- "

He got up quickly surprising Evangelyne and the other guest around them. Quickly pushed the chair to its place while letting out a somewhat opposing short groan and ran off shutting the front door behind him while everyone gawked after him.

Outside the building, he hurried to the grave tapping through the soggy grass.

'Yeah ok, so why him?', 'wouldn't he perhaps accidently give her the wrong idea again?'

He wished it could be someone else taking care of her so he won't have to worry anymore. Then again by the thought of it being a lover and life partner at her side, which would probably be the very case, the deep envy would suffocate him. He can claim to be no good for her just as it is no good for someone else to be with her.

Especially.. a thought that swirled since not so long inside his head at times.. and he even found himself weird for.

The very idea of some other man getting.. kind of.. lewd with her? Because... – Oh! Why! Not!

Could he leave her in just someones care like that? She can be too tender.. and sweet.. endearing... He can't imagine how a different possible suitor could even restrain himself from her deep brown and gentle eyes, smooth skin.. mesmerizing scent.. curv-

Annnd Stop!- sealed!- burned!-

Exactly these thoughts were troubling. He sometimes felt like he got completely daft since their first kiss. It was more of a mistake than he thought cause stupid thoughts like this would fill his mind occasionally.

He rubbed and slapped his flushed face as he ran.

Almost reached his destination.. but Amalia was nowhere to be seen. He shivered, the cold rain overcame him quickly.. making him wrap his hands around himself and stoop a bit...

'No way... she must be freezing..' he held a hand to his mouth to shout her name while using the other one to make portals to search for her in the forest.

After some time he came to the idea that maybe she went to her small hideaway on her tree.. probably even taking shelter there and departed for that direction.

The rain was getting pretty hard now and was hitting his face rather vicious. Just as the stormy cold wind assailed his limbs and torso relentless.

He took a short break right before he reached his goal.. bent over, with his hands on his knees panting for a bit. Then he walked over to the small mountain where the tree lied on and climbed the hanging vines and roots instead cause during the storms great influence and his own hastiness his Wakfu power almost wore out to get on top. He huffed and started some annoyed trivial griping.

„If she's not there I'll just..- uff..- intrude and take shelter for now-„

"Hyaah!"

„!"

It was probably because of the brown color and the neverending rain which wouldn't stop teasing his eyes and sight he mistook her leg for another branch on the bigger one she was sitting on and he straightly gripped her fibula. She was sitting right in front of the entrance of her little tree house.

There was a moment of silence. Yugos head tried to look up slowly with his eyes trailing along her body.. it was laughable unintentionally.. but he was getting quite the awkward view.. like he could see her underwear under her dress and how her dress just as herself was fully drenched in rainwater..

If he wasn't paying much attention to her body before it was now at the worst moment possible.

Amalia was startled at the sudden rough touch but lost it again after she saw the familiar face. Though was too consumed with her depression to register that current embarrassing moment.

She bends her head down to get a closer look at the boy sharing his warmth on her left leg. Her hair was tied up at the beginning of the funeral but with all the wind and rain it probably became a hassle so she let it loose.

„Yugo ?"

Yugo blushed and out of the fear to get kicked all the way down again, he swiftly opened a portal with his regaining powers to stand next to her on the branch.

Her tears were visible on her face although that might as well have been the cheeky rain doing its work still.

Then he noticed her quivering and glared at her.

„ What are you doing outside? If you're all the way here you might as well go inside. Take better care of yourself-„

She stared at him and then looked away.

„ You're right.. it's strange though. I could easily complain about being cold normally.. but now it doesn't bother me at all.."

She held out her hand to feel the raindrops on her palm.

„ Your lips are blue already, your nose is bright red you know? If you go on like this you will get sick, go inside. Maybe it's even to late"

Somehow that phrase angered her.

„I can- do as I please can't I?

I feel good like this and I came here so I can be by myself.. There's no need to worry Yugo you can just join the banquet again.."

„Well in this rain I certainly won't go back again, cause I don't want to catch a cold.. and since I'll be intruding now.."

He walked behind her and lifted her slowly from under her shoulders to get her on her feet. „You will join me."

She inhaled deeply. She didn't know how cold she actually was until she felt his warm hands sidle under her forearms, grasping her and pulling her up gently. When her feet got hold of the wood beneath she lost balance and fell backward into his chest.

'Ah..' unconsciously pressed a little more into him.. 'it's so cold yet.. he's still warm' she was about to doze off until his hand shifted to her shoulders.

„ Are you okay? Can you stand? You are cold and stiff like a corpse.. Yeah, I see how good this weather is to you- ?"

She slowly turned around, as stiff as he noted. She managed though as she supported herself with hands on his arms.

„Alright let's try standing up for now."

He said and got up leaving a gap between them making the wind chill through and it got cold again. He wasn't even completely up yet she swung his arms around his neck on reflex, forcing him to go down again.

„Uwahh! A-Amalia?!"

He slipped, fell and was lying way too much on the edge of the branch about to fall off.

It was shocking but his eyes widened even more at the scene below, of her slowly stroking her cheek right near his collarbone a bit.. and the sudden blush spread more as the seconds passed.

"..What are you..?"

If he could he would toss his insanely racing heart right outside his body because like they are now she must be hearing everything.

His shirt was just as drenched as hers but it mattered less to her if it means to feel his soft warmth.

„hnm... Yugo.."

Somehow she really had a way of casting spells on him.. cause he completely forgot their risky position on the bough, his gaze glued on her.

He brought up both his hands but instead of gripping the wood to get up he held the back of her head with one hand and used the other hand to slowly stroke her cheek below her hair. He quietly began to breathe openly.

Unpleasantly he got torn out of it though cause the bark started scratching his back nastily mostly because of the extra weight on him. And he realized he was being pulled down by the gravity at last. They both almost slithered off the branch to hit the ground.

But he spends one last effort to make a portal and hit the less hurting grass in her little haven.

„Ouch!.. that was dangerous.." he sat up to lean against a root inside.

And began to relax in the dry warm and homey smell and feel from being out of the rain. He wished he could just nod off right now but then he saw Amalia slowly getting up from the ground too. They needed do something against their soaked clothing.