This is my Christmas present to you all: IceLiech! This is set in an AU where there are 'kingdoms'. This fic is set mainly set in the Kingdom of Fire and Ice, the smallest kingdom in the land, ruled by the Nordics. The Great Kingdom is also mentioned, which has no royal family but each part is governed by a European nation (their land is called whatever their country is called in real life, but in their own language, e.g. the character of Hungary's 'land' is called Maygar). Everyone is human in this fic. Also, seeing as I haven't quite figured out what 'religion' there is in this land but I wanted it to to Christmassy, I have simply called it 'The Day of the Messiah'.

Prince Freyr - Iceland
Lady Lili - Liechtenstein
King Mathias - Denmark
King Berwald - Sweden
Queen Ingrid - Fem!Norway
Queen Kristiina - Fem!Finland
Lord Basch - Switzerland
Lord Roderich - Austria
Lady Elizabeta - Hungary

Enjoy, and a Happy Christmas to you all~!

Live A Little

It was a crisp November morning in the Kingdom of Fire and Ice. King Berwald turned to his three fellow sovereigns and said, "I've inv'ted s'me nobles fr'm the Great Kingd'm."

King Mathias laughed loudly. "Great! Now we can have a banquet, get drunk –"
"No," interrupted Berwald. "I inv'ted them t' strength'n dipl'matic relations."
"Why?"
"They're neutral, we're neutral."
"I'm not –"
"We're off'cially neutral."
"Which nobles did you invite, Be?" Queen Kristiina asked quickly, wanting to avoid an argument between the two kings.
"L'rd Edelstein 'n his w'fe, 'n L'rd Zwingli 'n his sister."

"What? But they're so boring –"
"Shut up," snapped Queen Ingrid, cuffing her husband over the back of the head. She was by far the most regal-looking, with her long pale hair and intricate gown. She also had an icy expression that would onto break into a tiny frown or an even smaller smile once in a blue moon.
"When will they arrive?" asked Kristiina.
"One week."
"I've never met any of them," came a deadpan voice. It was Prince Freyr, younger brother to Queen Ingrid. His blank, bored expression was directly inherited from his sister, and he rarely concerned himself with any matters of the court. The last one had been the Britannic King Arthur, who had ignored him, and before that was King Ivan of the Long-Winter Kingdom who had stared at Freyr more than the white-haired boy had liked. To tell the truth, the fifteen-year-old just didn't care about foreign nobles visiting.

Four days later, a steam train in the Great Kingdom

"Brother, are you all right?"
"Just fine, Lili."
The siblings sat in silence as their train carriage rocked slightly back and forth, both reading worn hardback novels.
"Are you comfortable?" asked Basch after some time.
"Perfectly comfortable," smiled Lili. She was wearing a knee-length green dress with fluffy white petticoats, long brown boots, and a small green hat. Her older brother wore a coat in a matching green, a white shirt, brown trousers and short boots. "This train is simply wonderful. They say it can go ten times faster than a horse!"

Basch nodded. "We're taking this train to the border, and then a carriage from there to the palace."
Lili picked up her book, scanned the page for about two minutes before setting it down again.
"Why are we not in the same carriage as my Lord Roderich and my Lady Elizabeta?"
"Do not call him 'my lord'," sighed Basch gruffly. "He is our cousin, just call him Roderich."
Lili nodded embarrassedly – the politeness was a hard habit to break.
"We are in separate carriages because I don't think I could tolerate him for a whole day in an enclosed space."

Once again, Lili picked up her book, and once again she set it down again after reading a single paragraph.
"Big brother?"
"Yes, Lili?" This girl really needed to improve her attention span!
"Please tell me about the Majesties we are visiting," the girl said shyly. Basch, unable to resist the sweetness of his little sister, sighed and folded the page of his book.

"There are two kings and two queens. King Mathias is obnoxious and loud, his wife Queen Ingrid is icy and unfeeling, King Berwald is stern and cold and Queen Kristiina is emotional and silly."
"I am sure they aren't as bad as you say!"
"Well, maybe I am exaggerating a little," admitted Basch. "But that's who they basically are. Do not trust any of them, except maybe Kristiina. There is also a Prince, Ingrid's brother, but you're not to go near him, understand?"

"Yes, brother," replied Lili, shaking her head slightly at Basch's overprotective tendencies.

Three days later, the royal court in the Kingdom of Fire and Ice

When the nobles arrived, Freyr was playing chess with Ingrid in the throne room.
"Lord Roderich Edelstein of Österreich, and Lady Elizabeta Hedervary of Magyar," announced the guard, as a bespectacled man with dark hair and a mole on his chin entered with a green-eyed long-haired brunette lady on his arm.
"Freyr, I've arranged a hunting trip for you, now off you go," said Ingrid in a very condescending tone. Freyr was about to answer back – he was fifteen, not a child! – when all four monarchs shot pointed looks at him that seemed to say Go away! Leave the adults to talk! Going red, he got up and strode angrily out of the room as if he didn't care about what anybody thought.

"Ingrid, that wasn't very nice," said Kristiina quietly as Berwald lead the guests to be seated at a small table prepared for them.
"Lord Basch Zwingli and Lady Lili Zwingli of Schweiz," announced the guard.
Ingrid shrugged, and turned to the newest arrivals.
"Honoured guests," she said in her customary bored tone of voice.
"Your Majesty," replied Lord Basch and Lady Lili in unison, bowing and curtseying respectively. The Lord wore a guarded expression, but the Lady – a young Lady, no more than fourteen years of age – offered her a sweet smile.
"It must have been a tiring journey for you all," said Ingrid. "Perhaps, my Lady, you would like to have a bath before dinner?"

After a long and completely fruitless hunting session, Freyr pulled off his boots in the kitchens of the palace and stomped up three flights of stairs. He wanted to go and snap at his stupid older sister for sending him out like a child when the foreign nobles had arrived. And so, without knocking, Freyr threw open the door to Ingrid's bedchamber – only to see a bathtub and a screen, and promptly flail back out into the corridor, the door swinging shut in front of him.

I nearly saw Ingrid having a bath! he thought, shuddering. But wait… Ingrid had baths in the morning, didn't she? And she wouldn't decide to bathe the night that important guests arrived. Being a teenage boy, he wondered who was bathing in his sister's chamber… it couldn't be one of the guests, could it…?

Feeling very bad, and yet curious at the same time, Freyr crept back over to the door and cracked it open. He saw a small green dress hung over the edge of the screen, along with a petticoat and a small corset. The young prince felt his face heat up. Suddenly, the figure dashed out from behind the screen and hopped into the full bath.

It was a girl. A petite, blonde, pretty girl. She looked about fourteen, and was very slim, with rosy cheeks and big green eyes. Her golden hair was cut very short – for a girl, anyway – and was glinting in the sunlight that streamed through the window. Freyr watched intently as she scrubbed her shoulders and arms. Then she sat up more in the water and oh – Freyr felt blood pooling in his cheeks and, er, somewhere else.

He was leaning on the door too hard, and it suddenly creaked loudly.

Lili jumped. The door had made a noise! …Could there be somebody there? Somebody… watching her? With a small squeak, she sank deeper into the water so that she was submerged up to her nose. She was all alone, and the pistol her brother had given her was hidden in the body of her petticoats, which was hung up on the screen out of her reach.

Lili shivered. She was scared. So, lifting her head out of the water, she did what Basch had told her to always do if she was ever scared: she screamed.

Shocked by the sudden shriek, Freyr bolted and was in his chamber by the time he heard running footsteps and a male voice shout "Lili!"
So, this girl was one of the guests? Then he would formally meet her at dinner tonight. Freyr lay back on his bed, eyes shut, remembering her hair and her shoulders and her face.

Lili felt very foolish indeed. She had made her brother and her hosts run to her aid, and all for nothing! The young girl sat and looked at her lap, still blushing. The two kings, the two queens, Lord – no, just Roderich, Elizabeta, Basch and herself were seated at a long table in a warm, richly decorated dining room. However, there was one empty chair next to hers.
"Please excuse Prince Freyr," said Queen Kristiina with an apologetic smile. "He's very meticulous in his appearance, and I'm sure he will be with us very soon."
Roderich inclined his head politely.

Suddenly, a boy – older than Lili, but not that much older – entered the room. He was wearing a white shirt with a smart brown waistcoat, brown trousers, and knee-length white boots. Around his neck, a brown ribbon was tied. But it was his bright white hair and violet eyes that were dulled by a completely disinterested expression that caught Lili's attention. He took the seat on the edge of the table, perpendicular to Ingrid and next to Lili.

"My apologies," he said – not very sincerely sounding – to the rest of the table. There was a moment of awkward silence before the first course was brought out, and King Mathias started the conversation.

Since much of the talk was of politics, international relations and diplomatic affairs, the two younger members of the table kept quiet. Freyr glanced at Lili beside him. She was wearing a green dress that really brought out the colour of her shining eyes. The prince suddenly had a flashback of the bath and concentrated hard on his fork to prevent himself from blushing. He needed to act as though he'd never seen her before.

When she finally glanced at him, he held her gaze and nodded to a small bow in her hair.
"That ribbon looks nice," he commented.
"Thank you," she smiled. "My brother gave it to me. I like your ribbon too." She gestured to the bow tied into his collar.

"So, why did you come here?" Lili's face fell slightly, and Freyr realised he sounded rude. "I mean, why did you want to accompany your brother on a diplomatic visit? Surely you wouldn't find it interesting?"
Lili fiddled with the edge of her dress, twisting it around her index finger.
"I asked him to let me come," she replied quietly. "I had never been out of the Great Kingdom before, and I wanted to know what it is like in other places."
"Were you not happy in your home?"
"I am very happy," replied Lili. "I am blessed with a beautiful house and a wonderfully kind big brother."
"Then why did you want to go somewhere else?" Freyr frowned.
"I was curious." Lili gave him a confused look. "Are you not curious?"

Freyr shrugged and shook his head. "I've never left this kingdom before. In fact, I've never left the region."
"What?" Lili said incredulously. "Don't you get frightfully bored?"
"I'm always bored," said Freyr. Lili looked shocked.
"Well, I will help you to live a little," she vowed seriously, before blushing and looking down, "if that is fine with you, your Highness."
"Of course." Freyr looked the girl up and down. He was definitely interested in her. It was a… pleasing feeling.

"How long are they staying, Ingrid?" asked Freyr once the guests had retired.
"For the whole of the holidays, and one week after the New Year."
"Two months?"
"Is that inconvenient for you, little brother?"
Freyr scowled. He hated when his sister was in one of these moods. "Two months is a very long time for a couple of diplomatic chats," he muttered.

The next day

Freyr was woken up the next morning by somebody knocking on his door. He lay there in his warm swathe of sheets for a few seconds before reluctantly hauling himself out of bed and treading lightly across the smooth wooden floor of his chamber to open the door. His sister-in-law, Queen Kristiina, was standing in the doorway.

"Good morning Freyr," she smiled cheerfully. "Breakfast will be served soon, and your sister doesn't want you to be late again."
"Well, I suppose if Ingrid commands it," replied the prince dryly, making sure to say her name and not 'my sister'. He didn't really like advertising that they were related.
"Very true," chuckled Kristiina happily. Of the four sovereigns, Freyr liked Tiina the best. She didn't patronise him (Ingrid) or annoy him (Mathias), and she actually conversed and had a laugh with him (unlike her stoic, workaholic husband Berwald).

"I'll get dressed then," said Freyr, turning back into his chamber, but Tiina caught his hand and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I worry about you sometimes, Ice," she said, a little sadly. "You always seem so lonely."
"I'm not lonely," Freyr replied automatically.
"Of course not." The shorter young woman gave him a sweet smile before letting go of his hand and walked off down the hall, humming a merry tune. Freyr went back into his chamber and pulled on some dark blue trousers, a white shirt, and a blue embroidered waistcoat. And on second thought, he also tied a white ribbon around his neck.

Their breakfast of porridge, meat, eggs and various fruit was a small but warm and hearty meal – exactly the type one needs on a cold winter morning. Lady Elizabeta and Lord Roderich were chatting amiably about pastries to Queen Kristiina. Mathias was too busy shovelling porridge into his mouth to talk. Freyr and Lili sat next to each other, as they had done the night before. Basch was eating quietly when suddenly, Berwald spoke up.

"M'Lords and Lady, t'day we've much to d'scuss." Berwald gestured to Lili. "If m'Lady Lili doesn't wan'to sit through th'meetings, m'ybe Freyr c'ld show her 'round?"

Basch frowned and said in a strained voice, "Forgive me, your Majesty, but I can't allow that."
"Hn?" Berwald looked confused, more than anything.
"I – I am – I would rather keep my sister by my side."
"Whatever you are insinuating about my brother, I can assure you that even though he is a teenage boy, he does not think that way," remarked Ingrid, managing to bring out blushes on the cheeks of Freyr, Basch and Lili with one sentence.

"If I may, my Lord, I think that Berwald's idea is wonderful," Kristiina said pleadingly. "Freyr and Lili have nobody else in court who is their age, and I think they would be very good companions to each other."
Basch huffed quietly and turned to Lili.
"It is your decision, sister," he stated, trying not to fume.
"I trust his Highness," replied Lili, taking her brother's hand and trying to console him. Her older brother was obviously finding it hard to quell his natural over-protectiveness for the sake of being polite.

After breakfast, the two teenagers were excused. When they parted ways to get their cloaks, Freyr let his brain go into overdrive. Where do I take her? What should we do? What if she thinks I'm boring? What if –?

They met again in the dining room. Freyr thought that Lili looked adorable in her heavy green cloak and fur-lined boots, but forced himself to remain cool and calm.
"So. Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"Well, your Highness, I would love to meet your friends," she replied shyly.

That one caught Freyr out. He didn't have any friends. But he didn't want to be a pitiful loner in Lili's eyes…

"Here is my friend."
They were at the Royal Menagerie, where King Mathias kept all of the wonderful animals that diplomats and royalty sent them from all over the land. They were at one particular enclosure, where a large black and white bird with a pink bow around it's neck sat.
"A puffin?" As if on cue, the bird squawked, and Lili smiled. "It's cute! Does it have a name?"
"His name is Mr. Puffin," replied Freyr nonchalantly, and when Lili giggled he felt an irresistible urge to grin. "I named him as a young boy, I'm not really so unoriginal."
"You are funny, your Highness."
"Freyr," the white-haired prince corrected. "Please call me Freyr."
"… Only if you call me Lili."
"That's a deal, Lili."
"The deal is accepted, Freyr."

Over the next few weeks, they spent every day in each other's company. Usually they went to the library – Freyr would have a fire lit, and they would read companionably and chat. Lili found that the prince with the blank expression she had first met was not the young man she now knew.

"I understand now," she said suddenly one afternoon, "why this Kingdom is called the Kingdom of Fire and Ice."
Freyr looked up from his book and frowned slightly. "It is because of the year-round ice in the north, and the hot geysers and springs in the south."
"No, it goes far deeper than that!" insisted the blonde girl.
"Tell me."

"Well, King Mathias, he is like fire. He is energetic, and talkative and –"
"Rude and annoying," interrupted Freyr.
"Of course not! I find him… full of life."
"You are just too polite," replied Freyr with a faint smile.
"Moving on," said Lili, grinning back, "where King Mathias is like fire, King Berwald is like ice. He is cool and in control."
"And he melts when he is alone with Kristiina," noted Freyr.
"Exactly, because Queen Kristiina is also like fire, warm and cosy and inviting!" Lili was happy that Freyr understood, before pausing. "Wait, how do you know how he is when he is alone with Queen Kristiina?"

Freyr grimaced. "Let me just say: I didn't mean to intrude."
Lili blushed slightly, and continued.
"And your sister, Queen Ingrid, is also like ice, because she appears hard on the outside but I am sure that she is very sweet and kind on the inside."
"What about me?" challenged Freyr with a glint in his eye. "Am I like fire, or am I like ice?"
"You are both." When he looked confused, Lili said, "You act like ice, cold and hard, but inside you are like fire – I see it when you smile, or blush."
Freyr mimed holding a hand to his heart. "You think I act like ice?" he whispered. "I'm heartbroken!"
"Oh no, I didn't mean to offend!" Lili said frantically, pulling his hand from his chest and bowing her head in humility. "I apologise!"
"Oh Lili, I was joking." Freyr lifted her chin, and they shared a smile, before realising that they were still holding hands.

"What do you think of the young Prince?"
Freyr stopped when he heard his title. The voice was coming from around the corner, and if Freyr was remembering the voice correctly, from the mouth of Lord Roderich. Peering around the corner, he saw Lord Roderich, Lord Basch and Lady Elizabeta.

"I don't have an opinion," replied Basch shortly, scowling.
"From what Lili tells me of him, he is a charming young man," said Elizabeta happily. "She seems to quite adore him, you know."
"What if they were to marry?" asked Roderich thoughtfully. "That would forge a very strong union between the two kingdoms."
"I am not marrying my sister off!" spluttered Basch, going red. "Lili will marry when she is old enough."
"They wouldn't marry right away," replied Elizabeta soothingly. "And you know that fourteen is a perfectly respectable age to be betrothed."

"Although truly, I think that King Arthur would be a better marriage," remarked Roderich. "A larger, stronger kingdom, and a more powerful seat."
"Lili is not getting married!"
"Arthur would treat her well," argued Roderich. "You've seen how he treats his cousins, the princesses Amelia and Madeline. They want for nothing."
"This discussion is over," snapped Basch, turning as if to leave.

"Basch, you are head of a small house surrounded by stronger powers. If nothing else, think of Lili's safety."
"We are strong!" Basch rounded on Roderich, anger written across his hard features.
"You may be strong now," acknowledged the dark haired lord, "but for how much longer?"
With that, Roderich swept away down the corridor. Elizabeta shot a sympathetic look at Basch before following her husband.

Once the hallway was quiet again, Freyr was going over in his head what he had just learnt. They want her to marry the Britannic king? No, only Lord Roderich did. Lord Basch was most against it, and for that Freyr was thankful. For some reason, he hated the idea of Lili being sent to marry some foreign king. Then he remembered the first part of the conversation. Lord Basch hates me, he thought. But… Lili adores me?

The Day of the Messiah finally came. That morning everybody lay in, and their brunch was a veritable feast. Lili wore her best dress.
"Happy day!" shouted King Mathias, holding his goblet in their air with a happy grin. Everyone was willing to indulge him, and raised their cups of hot wine. The visiting nobles presented gifts to the monarchs, and even Freyr was given a set of playing cards with illustrations of mages and dragons on the back. He was touched that he had been remembered – usually he was ignored by guests. Then he stopped. Normally he wouldn't be so pleased over a small present, he would just think that they were tossing a gift his way to make themselves look kind, in his usual cynical manner. When did he thaw out so?

"Freyr?" Lili held out a small parcel to him, blushing slightly. "I made this… for you… happy holidays…"
The prince took the package tentatively and undid the ribbon, unfolding the paper as gently as possible. Inside was an intricately embroidered handkerchief, with a picture of a grand castle surrounded by colourful flowers and great trees. Freyr could see a tiny puffin nestled in one of the trees. It was a truly amazing piece of work.
"It is beautiful," he breathed, inspecting the careful stitching. "Outstanding! You have a true gift."
Lili blushed redder and clasped her hands together. "I have worked on it ever since I arrived here."
"You made this in five weeks? So short a time! It's incredible!"
"It's a small token," insisted Lili shyly. "A token of how much I – of how much I enjoy your company."

"I have a gift for you too," said Freyr, reaching under the table for the beribboned box he had hidden earlier that morning, nerves on edge. "It is small, and I must seem terribly lazy to you, who has made such a –"
"Your Highness." Lili stopped his nervous speech with a smile. "I am sure I will love whatever you have chosen for me."
That was all it took for Freyr to calm down and hand over the box. The blonde girl lifted the lid of the box and grinned.
"They're lovely!"

Inside the box sat two dolls, a boy and a girl, dressed in traditional Fire and Ice clothing, complete down to the small wooden ice skates on their feet. Lili lifted out the girl doll and stroked her straw-coloured plaits.
"These are so adorable!" she cooed. "Thank you so much, Freyr!" She gave him a smile that made the once-icy prince feel like he was walking on air.

Two days later, when the official holiday was over – until New Year – but everyone was still buzzing, Freyr couldn't find Lili anywhere. He searched in all the places they usually spent time together, but didn't see hide nor hair of her. As a last resort, he went into the kitchens, where to his shock, he found her.

Rolling dough.

"Lili?"
"Your Highness!" The polite title always slipped out, even though they called each other 'Freyr' and 'Lili' nearly every time.
"What on Earth are you doing?" Lili was standing on a small crate, rolling out some sort of biscuit dough as if she knew exactly how to do it. The cooks were watching her with approval, albeit some surprise. The girl was frozen solid, staring at the prince with an expression of profound shock and fear on her face.

Dammit, I've said the wrong thing, Freyr inwardly cursed himself. He held out a hand.
"Why don't we take a walk?"

"I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way," said Lili in a small voice, as they walked arm-in-arm through the palace gardens. The snow was thick and heavy now, and their boots crunched through the virgin white.
"Offended?" Freyr wasn't offended. Surprised, yes. But not offended. "All I want to know is how you knew how to prepare food!" he said with a smile.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Lili asked, stopping abruptly.
"Of course." Freyr guided her to a wooden bench, covered by a canopy, set between two tall hedges, and they sat down. "You know that you can tell me anything."
"Right." Lili took a deep breath. "IlearnttocookbecauseI'."
"What?"

"When I was five years old, I was taken in by the Zwingli family," Lili said slowly, looking down at her boots, which were now covered in slightly-melting snow. "I had wandered into their castle grounds. I was an orphan, alone and starving. My big brother – although I suppose he is not my brother in blood – found me and brought me to our – his – parents. They were truly kind, and took me in. Being many years younger than Basch and a girl, I was not fit to inherit much anyway, so Lord and Lady Zwingli saw no problem in adopting me into their family. I was taught to cook, clean, mend clothes, and run a household like every middle-class girl. I was so happy in my new, warm home with two loving parents and my wonderful big brother. Everybody said that I wouldn't inherit anything, but I didn't care." Lili was smiling now, before it fell slightly as she continued, "When Mutti and Vati died in the carriage crash, Basch became head of the family. He promised he would always protect me, regardless of whether I had been left anything. But then, they discovered that Mutti and Vati had left me a… substantial sum of money and a title. I am now both an heiress and an ordinary girl."

After concluding her tale, Lili looked up at Freyr again. His face was strangely expressionless. "That is my story," she finished. "I wished to make some biscuits for you, Freyr, but I am sorry for surprising you."

Freyr was… in shock. Lili not being a true blooded Zwingli was one thing. But… the idea of her once being alone, hungry, dying even, and having nobody there to protect or care for her… was it because his heartstrings were so rarely tugged that now they were being pulled mercilessly it hurt more than ever?

"I hope you don't think any differently now that you know that – well, now that you know."
"Of course I don't!" Freyr choked. "You're still the wonderful girl that I have spent so much time with over the past month. Nothing can change that!"
He took her hand and brought it to his mouth to give it a gentle kiss. Lili blushed sweetly, and Freyr ran his lips over her small knuckles once more before standing up and helping her to her feet. They walked back to the castle in even closer companionship than before.

"Berwald!"
The tall king turned at the sound of his name being called. It was Freyr, he noted with surprise.
"I just wanted to ask where you are going on your next diplomatic trip," asked the prince with his general deadpan expression – but something was different. The hint of emotion in his voice, the slight shine in his eyes that usually wasn't there.

"Th'Eastern K'ngdom," replied Berwald. Why did Freyr want to know about that?
"I was just wondering… if it wasn't too much trouble…" Freyr scuffed his boot on the floor embarrassedly, "if you would allow me to come with you."
Freyr wanted to come with him? On a diplomatic visit? He'd never been more than fifty miles away from the castle! And he wanted to travel all the way to the Eastern Kingdom? Well, Berwald was all for Freyr branching out a bit. He'd been a bit worried about the boy, hiding in his room and the library all day, never talking or having friends.

"'s no trouble at all," Berwald assured the boy. "'m goin' 'n four months."
"Right. Great. Thank you, Berwald." And with that, Freyr hurried off, Berwald watching him as he went. Odd boy.

"I did it!" grinned Freyr.
"Well done!" Lili applauded him. "You won't regret it, travel is the most interesting thing!"
"It's only because of you that I'm going," admitted Freyr. "You encouraged me, and without you I never would have been able to ask."
"I promised you I would teach you to live a little, didn't I?" asked Lili. Freyr held out his hands, Lili took them eagerly, and he spun her around in excitement and happiness.

It was the eve of the New Year. The two young nobles sat in their usual, plush armchairs in the warm library. A fire crackled in the grate. Freyr watched Lili reading, her emerald eyes scanning the page with grace that he didn't know it was possible to have.

Freyr shut his book, stood up, and went over to the large gramophone in the corner of the room. It was a hefty object, the newest in the recent leaps on technology – Mathias had eagerly sent for one as soon as the patent was finalised. They only owned one record; a violin symphony of Ingrid's choice. Freyr had listened to the first ten seconds before deeming it 'boring', but that had been a good few months ago and in his new frame of mind, he decided that he might enjoy it.

The white-haired young man lifted the large, delicate black disc out of it's sleeve and set it gingerly on the record table. He set the needle down, and suddenly out of the horn came a chorus of strings. Lili looked up at the sound, and when she saw Freyr standing, watching the gramophone, his hair glinting in the firelight, she thought that he had never looked more handsome.

He turned, and held out a hand to her.
"Would you care you dance with me?"
Lili smiled, and took his hand. They moved together in a slow waltz, maybe closer than Lord Basch would have liked, the sweet violin in the background.
"I am sorry if my dancing is not up to scratch," murmured Freyr. "I have only ever danced with Ingrid, Kristiina, and a Lady… I don't recall her name."
Lili was ever so slightly jealous that Freyr had danced with another girl, but she was also happy that he couldn't remember her – that meant she hadn't made an impression.
"Your dancing is perfect," she replied, "although I certainly hope that when you have your next partner, you can remember dancing with me."
"I could never forget you," he whispered into her hair, sending a shiver down her spine and a stirring into her stomach.
"Nor I you," she whispered back.

When the record finally drew to an end, they didn't stop dancing. Instead, Freyr lifted Lili's chin and said quietly, "Which obstacle course would I have to battle if I wanted to marry you?"

The girl's breath hitched. "If I am truly happy, Basch will allow me anything," she said in a weak voice. Was he asking to marry her?
"Are you truly happy?" Freyr asked, gazing deep into her eyes. All the dullness that Lili had seen on the night she had met him was gone, replaced by a fire that she was sure was mirrored in her own eyes.
"I have never been happier," she breathed. And then, he kissed her.

Slowly they wrapped their arms around each other, unfamiliar but eager to learn. They stayed entwined for who knew how long, before breaking off only to breathe, and to embrace tightly.

"We must go," said Lili, her words muffled into Freyr's shoulder. "They will be wondering where we are."
"Let them wonder," replied Freyr with a grin. "Live a little – you taught me how to do it, Lili."

If you liked it, please tell me - reviews make my day! I am hoping to write more stories in this universe, so look out for them. Have a wonderful holiday whether you're celebrating Christmas or not!