Yes, another Denam story. But this one would not leave my mind, either. Think of this as my apology to Olivya fans for all of the abuse I've put her through. Yes, I know it's not the most original, but we can't be innovative all the time.

As the game never makes a firm date of how old Denam was when he left Heim, but Olivya obviously remembers and still has a scar from the time, I've attempted to write the young duo as if they were 5 or so, which would make Cerya 13. I've tried to balance "childlike" and "mature" for this story; it was quite the challenge!

Snow

"Denam! Denam! Wake up!"

Young Denam Morne blinked slowly and murmured some unidentifiable phrase neither he nor the invader could understand. He turned curiously towards the voice, mind and body still weighed down by his sleep, his sight a blur of black, faint light, and blue as he sat up in his bed, head heavy. He yawned widely, but covered a small hand over his mouth like his Pa had taught him to do. As he slowly wakened, Denam realized the strange chill in the air. Denam's tiny guest room had little more than a bed, dresser, and a fireplace. Abuna Mrueva had been firm that he would not touch the fire at all if he was a good boy - and Denam was a very good boy - that usually kept his room warm on the cool night. At such a late hour, even the warm embers of his fireplace could not keep the chill permeated through the walls of the Phoraena household at bay.

"Denam!"

The voice called again. Denam, now more alert, looked over to his left and saw his friend, Olivya. She wasn't dour like his big sister, who spent much of her time with her nose in books, and would always take him outside to play – but Pa and Abuna Mrueva always told him it was not appropriate to play at night! Pa was away for the seven-day, on a "job" that he never quite understood, but nodded about anyway as to look like he understood what the adults spoke of. Perhaps Olivya sought to get into trouble with him gone? Denam did not wish to upset his elders, even for the young girl who was his companion and friend.

"Olivya! 'tis night. You're not to be here." Denam scolded her and slid from his bed. Olivya stood a few paces away, with an oversized candle in her hands. Other than the fireplace, it was the only light source in the room, as the moon seemed shy and did not wish to show itself. Without his large blanket, the chill of the air almost overwhelmed him; he shivered and was tempted to go right back under the covers.

"Sister said 'twas fine. Come on!" Olivya took Denam by the hand before he could crawl back into the safety and comfort of his warm bed and pulled him through the deathly silent halls of the Phoraena manor. Denam and Olivya often wandered the halls in the dark of night in search of ghosts or other strange creatures, but they'd never found anything of interest. Instead, it had only earned them both a scolding when they had been found by Olivya's parents. The duo tiptoed through the dark halls; Olivya did her best to hide the bright light of the candle flame, but all it served to do was lengthen their shadows in the silent hallway. Denam held his breath as he walked by the rooms that he knew held Sherri and the Phoraena parents who watched him as his Pa was gone; were they alerted, both Olivya and Denam were sure to be kept in their rooms without playtime on the morrow and instead would be forced to study their letters.

The air in the manor was cool enough that each time Denam breathed, shaky, nervous breaths, he felt a spike of pain in his chest. The fire inside the food and story rooms had been put out, so there was little warmth. He wished he had brought the blanket with him, for his thin pajama pants and top were not nearly enough to keep the small invasive bumps from their spread over his arms and body. The stone floor was equally cool on his feet and he found he lifted his them up over and over again to keep the painful coolness away. His shoes were near the entrance to the house, as Lady Phoraena did not permit any dirt on her floor, so his feet would remain cold until he found one of their large, furry rugs to stand on. Denam looked down and saw Olivya wore some fine slippers meant for a walk around the house at night; Denam had no such items, they were for girls, but he felt something his Pa called "jealousy" as he looked down on them, for she was obviously more comfortable than him.

Olivya stopped as she noticed Denam's uneven gait from the quick steps that kept his feet off the floor. After a moment, her gaze at Denam's uneven, rapid steps turned to something akin to disapproval - she looked much like an angry Cerya. Denam glanced at her curiously, but also with worry; the light of the candle illuminated both of their faces and allowed them to read each other in a way only two friends could - Olivya's frown turned into a smile as she held out the candle. "Hold this." Denam looked at the object with worry; his Pa had told him he was never to touch candles because they were dangerous and would hurt him, but Olivya seemed to have no problem with the object so certainly it could not be that bad, could it? Denam grasped both of his hands around the candleholder with caution; it warmed his digits nicely against the chill air. Olivya leaned down and pulled off her left slipper. She tapped Denam's left foot. Denam continued to watch her and lifted his foot up precariously in response as Olivya put the pale blue slipper onto him. It was a bit small, but it was stretchy and quickly accommodated the slightly larger size of Denam's foot. It was warm, like Olivya; the shoe did not completely stop the floor's coolness, but it did enough that Denam was more comfortable than he had been previously. "Here, we'll share. One each!" Olivya looked up at him and giggled, to which Denam responded similarly.

"So that's where you two've been!" Their amusement was interrupted by the quiet, but very annoyed, voice of Cerya. Denam quickly handed the large candle back to Olivya, who now stood, and clutched his hands behind his back, as if he had never held it. Cerya slowly approached the duo, one hand on her hip, the other with a large torch that lit the room up entirely. She was tall and dressed in a long, thick coat that covered her from her neck to her feet. Did she have trousers underneath the coat? Catiua always said proper women did not wear trousers, but dresses. Cerya had that annoyed look on her face at the young duo's silence; Denam knew Cerya's frown to mean danger and immediately took initiative. He widened his eyes as large as he could and pursed his lips.

"Cerya! Ah. . ." Denam waved rapidly at her before he realized how he worded the introduction. Pa would disapprove. "Good evening, Miss Cerya" Denam was proud of himself for his fast and accurate correction. "I'm sleepy." He declared and, as he did so, a large yawn overwhelmed him and he covered his mouth. If what Olivya said was true, then it was Cerya who wanted to see them. Cerya was a nice girl, though Denam could not say he knew any girls who were not nice, she should let Denam return to sleep where Olivya did not. Unfortunately, Cerya seemed to have other plans.

"You'll sleep more later! Now be silent, we do not want to wake anyone up." They were already down on the lower floor of the manor, would Olivya's parents really awaken from such a distance? "We're going outside." Cerya continued. Denam and Olivya gasped in unison and both looked towards the utterly dark window. Denam held back a shiver; it was his job to be brave, like the Knights in the adventure tales! There were foul things in the dark, like Ogres, that he had to protect Olivya from. Denam uncomfortably took a step back and grasped at Olivya's elbow in worry.

Olivya, too, seemed distressed at the idea. The manor's external torches had been extinguished for the evening and the only source of light they would have was the candle in the younger girl's hand and the larger torch in Cerya's. Cerya's torch burned brightly and loudly, a familiar crackle that reminded him of the fireplace, as if it was one to use in the rain. Denam had been told with great firmness that he was never, ever to touch one of those torches and he desperately wondered why. He mused on the idea for a moment before he turned his attention back to Olivya, who spoke with as much determination as she could muster: "But 'tis night. What of the Ogres?" Denam nodded in agreement with Olivya's fears.

Cerya giggled and shook her head. "We needn't worry about them tonight, Olivya - the fairies are out." Denam's eyes widened and as he looked over to Olivya; he could tell she was equally shocked. The bright candlelight showed she was intensely curious and wanted to immediately follow Cerya out to meet the small creatures from the stories, but Denam did not agree. Denam remembered that Cerya had played a trick on the duo before when she had locked them into a closet - what if she wanted to do it again? What if, this time, she wanted to feed Olivya and he to whatever infernal creatures roamed in the darkness? Denam did not wish to be eaten, he was a good boy! He made a small, unintentional whimper of fear.

"Faries?" Contrary to Denam's terror, Olivya only felt excitement. Olivya handed Denam the candle so quickly that he almost dropped it as she clapped her hands in glee. Denam immediately forced it back into her hands as if it were a snake; Olivya knew Denam was not to touch the candles and gave him a sheepish look in return. Denam had no interest in such girly things as Fairies; he wanted to see a dragon! But still. . .the Fairies seemed to make Olivya happy, and apparently they were very strong, if Sherri's stories were to be believed. Denam grudgingly nodded to Cerya, still worried. If Cerya was to play a trick on Olivya, he had to be there with her to save her.

"Indeed, but if you're loud you will scare them away, so you must be absolutely silent." Olivya and Denam glanced at each other, Olivya with excitement and Denam with a fear he tried to hide. Both closed their mouths in obedience; they had been so excited to speak with Cerya that they forgot they might wake the Phoraena parents, but now, the Fairies! Satisfied, Cerya nodded and turned away, with a quick motion for them to follow. Denam and Olivya remained silent and did as they were told, but Olivya quickly ran over to the table and put the candle atop of it, as Cerya's was much brighter and the smaller one was unnecessary. Denam almost went to pick it up, to keep the demons at bay, but chose against it and instead chose to blow the flame out. What it he dropped it? What if he was caught with it? He would already be in enough trouble if he was caught outside with Cerya and Olivya.

Cerya led the duo to the large door and pushed them open with all of her weight. Denam worried the flame of the torch would start the door, or her hair, on fire, but she was able to keep it out of the way. As the door slowly slid open, Denam and Olivya both covered their chest with their arms to protect themselves from the cool gust of wind that blew in, far more chill than any of the air in the manor. The wind was surprisingly silent, unlike all of Sherri's stories where the wind held inhuman howls if you opened the door at night. Though Denam could only see what Cerya's torch illuminated, he could tell the ground outside was dark and wet, as some of the moisture had seeped under the door. He did not hear any rain, or any laughter from the Fairies like he would have expected, but he slowly approached the exit, as quietly as he could. Like his Pa had taught him, he let Olivya walk through the door first. Denam quickly followed behind her, worried that Cerya might close the door behind them and lock them outside. His fears were unfounded, as Cerya followed them both; Denam shook at the cool temperature and his right, non-slippered, foot was frozen on the ground, so he stood as high on his tiptoes as he could to avoid the chill. He stayed near to Cerya and in the bright torchlight. The elder girl dragged a large stool over to the pillars near the door and lifted the torch to the larger, external torches that were on each side of the door. With the fire now bright and from multiple sources, Denam felt a bit of his fear erode, as the creatures of the night would have to stay away. He could not see any shiny eyes out in the dark of the courtyard, but that did not mean they were not there.

Cerya continued to light the torches along the pillars and wall near the entrance, one. . .two. . .three. . .four. . .five in total. He could see well, and as the light became brighter, he saw odd. . .things float down from the sky. He could not hear them, but he immediately pointed at them to Olivya, who was huddled close to Denam to keep warm. They seemed to land on the ground, which, Denam gasped, was white! Olivya, too, was shocked and they glanced at each other and back at the strange white groundcover. Denam grasped her hand, not sure whether to be afraid or excited. Certainly the light would keep them safe, he told himself, there was no need for fear.

Cool weather or no, Denam slowly led Olivya out into the land of Fairies. Denam had never heard that Fairies turned the ground white, but it was not his place to question the magical creatures. Olivya stayed close, her hand warm in his. He could hear her shaky breath and he grasped her hand in order to give her strength. She wanted to see the Fairies, and Denam would make sure she saw them. He cautiously took a step into the white powder and almost reeled back. It was freezing! And wet! And soft! He put his weight onto the slippered foot and looked up at the odd white Fairies. They floated about around him in the air and landed all on him. Denam gasped when one handed on his cheek and he barely felt it at all. When he put his hand up, he was shocked to learn the Fairy turned to water. Olivya released his hand gently, more confident than a moment before, and began to giggle and run around as she, too, saw the creatures would not hurt her. The Fairies seemed quite fond of his friend and played around her arms, hands, and hair. She danced around in the faint light and she looked almost like what Pa described as a Nymph. Denam smiled and put his arm out into the white, his fear gone. He barely even felt any of the coolness on him, too distracted by the new phenomenon to care about it. The Fairies rarely landed on his hand, but he saw them land all over his arms. When he put his hand on the top of his head he could feel a few drops of wetness from them as well. But why would the Fairies be wet? Were they sad? Did they cry? Denam did not understand. Perhaps they were shy?

Bored with the Fairies, they were not nearly so interesting as the legends spoke, Denam took a step forward into the dark. Maybe Ogres would prove to amuse him more? They couldn't enter the light, his Pa had said, so as long as he ran back into the torchlight he would be safe from them. His heart beat quickly and he shook from more than the cold, which returned as he became less distracted. His breaths came quietly from his lips as he took another step away from the torchlight. He listened to the world around him, the only sound were the soft padded steps of Olivya's feet and her giggles of happiness. There were no shiny golden or red eyes with sharp teeth that waited for him in the dark. Emboldened, Denam took another step. He felt like a knight who ventured into a dark cave to find and slay the dragon and win the fair maiden's heart. Denam took two more steps, more quickly than the first hesitant few; his pajama bottoms were soaked, but he didn't care. The Ogres could not harm him!

"Denam, where are you going?" A loud, girly voice sounded from behind him. Denam jumped in fear and fled backwards into the protective light. Denam was shocked when he saw more than Cerya and Olivya were outside, but also Sherri, Cistina, and the Phoraena parents with them. Cistina looked just as curious at the white objects as Olivya was, but she had larger, thicker boots and a long coat on compared with Denam and Olivya's single slipper and thin pajamas. Sherri seemed to like the little white creatures and she looked up to the sky with a smile, but she paid more heed to Denam; she had been the one who had called him back. Denam lowered his head as he realized he and Olivya had been caught and walked over to Sherri in shame. Abuna Mrueva and Lady Phoraena seemed amused and chuckled at Denam's submission to Sherri. The elder girl covered him with a large, warm blanket. Denam hadn't realized how cold he was, or that he shivered violently, until Sherri grasped him in a hug. Olivya, too, was by Denam's side, and was given a large blanket by Cerya. Cistina was nowhere near as cold as the younger pair and she continued to play with the Fairies. The Fairies seemed to like Cistina almost as much as Olivya, but unlike Olivya, whom the Fairies danced around, they landed mostly on Cistina like they had with Denam.

Sherri lightly tugged at Denam and he followed without thought. Denam looked through the windows into the house and realized that it seemed the entire family had woken up and had lit the candles. As Denam and Sherri re-entered the manor, Denam saw that the servants had started a fire in the story room, where Catiua awaited him. She had a firm look on her features and Denam looked away; he knew he was to get a lecture about his inappropriate actions, and he deserved it, but was surprised when not a word came from Catiua's mouth. He looked up to Sherri, who still held an arm around him, and saw it was her glare that silenced the younger girl. Sherri led him over to the new fire and sat him down in front of it. The fire had not yet warmed the room, but Denam stayed close, closer than was safe. With a light kiss to his forehead and a kind farewell, Sherri left him to warm himself before she ran back out into Fairyland with Cistina. It was little more than a minute before Olivya and Cerya followed Sherri and Denam into the house. Denam was shocked to see Olivya look so pale and frail; she shook as badly as Denam from the cool weather, but she had a bright smile on her face. Denam returned the smile as Olivya sat next to him as Cerya bid her to do. Catiua, seemingly "jealous," sat to Denam's left possessively and grasped his left hand in hers. Denam lightly grasped Olivya left hand, so that both of his hands were held by his friend and his sister and leaned into the fireplace for warmth. After a moment, Olivya quietly removed her hand from his and instead leaned her head into the warm, thick blanket on Denam's lap. Denam smiled at Catiua, who returned the look and mussed his hair, much like Pa did. He was exhausted.

His desire for adventure sated, and his fears conquered, Denam mimicked Olivya's action and leaned his head into his sister's lap. He was asleep almost as soon as Catiua's hand started its gentle stroke in his hair.