"A-choo!"
Solona sniffed, rubbing a gloved hand over her nose. She was bundled up in thick furs to the point where she was waddling, instead of walking. And yet the unforgiving Ferelden wind froze every tiny patch of exposed skin.
Which in this case, was her face. She very well couldn't cover up her face no matter how much she wanted to – not if she wanted to see where she was going. So her bare cheeks and pointed nose reddened, getting sanded raw by the frosty wind slicing past. She shivered, wishing for the crackling warmth of fire to chase away the ever-present cold.
She could warm herself up for magic – but Wynne had told her to preserve mana, just in case. She stuck her tongue out at her from the back, when she was certain the elder Mage wouldn't notice. It wasn't as if her humongous mana pool was going to diminish because of a simple fire spell!
"Cold?" Alistair chuckled, looking down at her as they trudged along the road. She withdrew her tongue quickly before it Wynne noticed.
"Freezing. Cold was when…" when Circle wasn't ripped apart by demons.
"When I was in the Circle." Solona gritted her teeth and continued on, roughly shaking off her horrifying memories of the current state of the Kinloch Hold. "This is freezing. I swear being frozen inside an Ice Grasp would be warmer than this."
Alistair laughed, waving his hand at her.
"At least you're wearing furs. I'm encased in frozen metal!" He whined.
"This is my first winter in Ferelden outside of the Circle." Solona grumbled.
"Aww, are you pouting?" He grinned, reaching out for her.
"Hey, don't touch me with that gauntlet! It'll freeze onto my skin." She shied away, her tone playfully sharp. But Alistair's face fell, and instantly she regretted it. But before she could apologize, or tell him it was a joke, his face lit up once more.
"Okay. I won't touch you with the gauntlet." He grinned, and Solona shot him a wary look.
"You're planning something. Something evil."
"Nefarious, even. Muwahahwhahaha-cough, haa-cough, cough." He wheezed, the evil laugh dying out as he choked. Solona burst out laughing, tears pooling as she clutched at her staff to keep her balance. She shook precariously, almost falling onto the floor at near-hysterical laughter shaking through her. By the time she calmed down, Alistair looked somewhere between embarrassed and annoyed.
"You, are, the best." She gasped, wiping away at her tears.
"Well… I can't say I'm not glad to hear you say that." He muttered, though she could hear slight pouting in his voice.
"But, I want payback." He declared, and Solona couldn't help but smile.
"Okay, what do you want?"
"This,"
And then suddenly Alistair was leaning down for her, his arms wrapping around her thick furs to hold her in his embrace. His blazing hot lips landed on the tip of her nose, and she felt burned at the blistering contact.
Her face had been chilled by hours of merciless icy wind pelting against her skin. She felt his warmth acutely, shivered as his hot breath washed over her face, and bit back a moan when his tongue gently nudged against the reddened tip.
"Fewl wamremr?" He mumbled, his tongue keeping her nose warm, and she nodded.
"So much warmer." She whispered, closing her eyes and leaning into his heat.
"Gewd."
They stayed like that for a moment longer before Alistair removed his lips with a quiet pop noise. Instantly, the winter gusts froze the tip of her face once more, even icier than earlier.
"Agh!" She lifted her gloved hand to cover her nose, dismayed. It was actually freezing, the little bit of moisture frosting over.
"Payback." He chuckled, a smug grin stretching wide across his face. Solona swatted at his arm, huffing, and he laughed, pulled her closer again, and kissed her lightly on the nose, and then on her lips.
And it was so very warm.