Aravis and Cor have never seen snowfall before. Corin has.

Just a short friendship scene between Aravis and Cor, after they've been at Anvard for a few months. Can be seen as backstory for my other Narnia story 'The Brothers of Archenland', but it stands on its own as well. Newly revised chapter. Should be a stronger story now.

First Snow

It was white. All of it. And Aravis didn't know what had happened.

Well, she did, because everyone had been talking about it. But she'd never seen anything like it before. Or felt the coldness seeping into her toes and biting her fingers. As she knelt in the fluffy carpet, it crunched, adjusting to her figure. It was almost deep enough that she could disappear if she ducked her head.

And it was still falling, catching in her hood, speckling her hair white.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Shasta, breathless.

He crouched next to her, holding his hands towards the sky to catch the flakes.

They were in the field nearest the castle and Aravis could hardly believe how quickly the whiteness had obliterated all the greenery. It coated the ground and clung to the trees in heavy sparkling mounds. And every now and then, clumps would slip off the branches and thud to the ground.

"Snow," said Aravis, testing the word. The Calormene word for it meant cold white sand, but Aravis didn't really like that word because it didn't quite capture the essence of this fragile, icy substance. Snow was not cold white sand. It was not sand at all and the landscape around her couldn't have been more opposite to the arid landscapes she'd grown up in.

She felt a strange twisting in her stomach at that thought.

Next to her, Shasta pulled his furs tighter around himself. He didn't seem to be as affected as she was by the snowy landscape. "I know everyone said it would be cold," he said. "But I didn't expect it to be this cold."

Aravis prodded Shasta's chest. "Aren't you supposed to be born for this sort of weather?"

"Allegedly," said Shasta.

Aravis hmmed. It wasn't that she was envious of Shasta. Just frustrated that he seemed to have an easier time adjusting to their new life than she did.

Maybe because he had family here. Maybe because he wore their clothes. Maybe because he looked like them with his blonde hair and blue eyes and pale skin. Whilst Aravis had no family and wore Calormene trousers and looked completely out of place with her brown hair and brown eyes and brown skin.

"Still can't seem to put on any weight though," said Shasta.

It was true. He was as pole thin as he'd been when she'd first met him. "Maybe you just have a fisher boy's soul," said Aravis.

Shasta crossed his arms over his chest. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Aravis thought about saying something biting, then decided against it. "That you're utterly charming and you save people from lions," she said.

Shasta grinned. "Really?" he said.

Aravis nodded. "I wouldn't say it if it weren't true."

"Yesterday you said I was an ass," said Shasta.

"My point stands."

Shasta nudged her. She nudged him back and a fire lit in his eyes. Aravis' muscles tightened and not a moment too soon, because suddenly his arms wrapped around her shoulders and he pulled her down into the snow.

Ice-cold flakes flurries under her cloak and she gasped.

Shasta gasped too like he hadn't realised it would be quite this cold either. Or quite this wet. Aravis shuddered as snow melted on her neck.

"I am not an ass," said Shasta. "Say it."

Aravis struggled out of his grip, managing to push herself to her feet. She tried to run away across the snowy field, but her legs sunk into the snow up to her knees and slowed her to half her speed. Shasta caught her easily. As his hand gripped her arm, Aravis braced to push him away again, but when his arms wrapped around her shoulders, he didn't pull her down into the snow like she was expecting.

Instead, he pulled her into a hug. "Too cold to roll around in the snow," he offered, teeth chattering slightly, in way of explanation.

Aravis was about to say: "And you call yourself an Archenland prince," said Aravis.

Shasta. went suddenly still. Aravis pulled back so she could see his face. His usually pale blue eyes were even paler in the winter sun.

"Aravis, can I tell you something?" he said.

"Of course," said Aravis. "Though if you're going to confess to being an ass as well as a prince, I assure you, I'm already aware of it."

Shasta huffed. "Well maybe I won't say it now," he said, though he still had his arms around her shoulders so she wasn't sure she believed him.

"Say what?"

"Tell me I'm not an ass," he said.

Aravis rolled her eyes again. "Fine, you're not an ass."

"Well if you say it, it must be true," said Shasta with a smirk.

"Allegedly," said Aravis. Then: "What were you going to say, Shasta?" she said.

"Sometimes, I don't feel like I fit in here," he said. "Sometimes I feel out of place."

Aravis felt suddenly awful. She'd assumed he was having a much easier time of it, but maybe he wasn't. Maybe he got that strange twisting in his stomach like she did.

She meant to say something nice then, something comforting, but all she couldn't find the words, so she just tightened her arms around Shasta's torso. The tension drained out of his muscles and he tightened his arms around her shoulders in response, burying his face in her hair.

"Can I tell you something else?" he said. She nodded. She felt him smile against her cheek. "I never feel out of place when I'm with you."

Aravis' chest squeezed.

"You're one of the best friends I've ever had," he said.

Now Aravis felt even worse. And stupid for feeling frustrated with Shasta in the first place whilst all he thought about was how glad he was that she was his friend.

Shasta nudged her cheek with his nose, the cold tip sending ripples along her skin. "Aren't you going to say it back?" he said.

She moved back and studied his face. Those pale blue eyes that weren't quite enough to feel fully at home here. Then she clasped his face with her puffy-gloved hands, pushing his mouth out like a fish.

"Shasta of the asses," she said. "You are one of the best friends I've ever had."

"Not an ass," he said, grinning.

She grinned back and then something heavy clunked into her side, spattering snow in all directions

A few metres away, Corin was gathering up snow, grinning from ear to ear.

"Did you just throw something at me?" shouted Aravis.

Corin nodded, pressing his hands together. Then lobbed something - a clump of snow.

"Hey," said Shasta as it smacked into his shoulder.

"Look, you're not both going to be completely oblivious to the wonders of snowballs forever," he said. "I have to make the most of it."

He gathered up more snow. Aravis and Shasta shared a look.

"We could take him together," said Aravis, scooping up a handful of snow herself. Shasta nodded.

"I heard that," said Corin.

"Then you'd better run," she shouted back.

He threw a projectile. She dodged.

Then grinning at each other, Aravis and Shasta ran towards the younger prince.

Might turn this into a series of winter-themed or snow-themed one-shots, if people are interested. I just thought it would be cute to write something from when Aravis and Shasta are still young.