They spent the whole afternoon outside in the snow. Aurora is taught how to make snowmen and soon, an army of snowmen stands out on the front yard. Aurora's room is decorated in splashes of yellow to her delight. It has been her favourite colour for a while now.
After all the excitement from the day, it's no surprise that Aurora was still hyper at the end of the day. Her parents normally didn't let her stay up past her bedtime, but Milori wanted to make an exception just for today.
"It's so pretty!" she sighs, eyes taking in the sight of the aurora in the sky.
"It's called an aurora too. We named you after it." Clarion bounces her in her arms. Aurora sat huddled in her mother's arms, the two sharing a blanket since the nighttime cold was slightly too much for the toddler.
"Does it come out every night?"
"Pretty much. You can see it anytime you want." He smiles.
A particularly harsh gust of wind blows suddenly, causing Clarion to shiver. Milori suggests they retreat back into the house where the fireplace provided enough warmth for them. "Do you want to go to bed, Ari?" Milori asks.
Aurora settles herself within the pillows of her parent's bed. "You're not going to tell me a story?"
"I don't have any books here for you yet, Love."
"But we always read a story before bed." She pouts, snuggling into Clarion's arms.
The queen runs her fingers through her hair. "Why don't we tell you a story then?" she suggests, sending Milori a look. "This story is a real one." To which Aurora agrees.
"A long time ago, two fairies met and fell in love." She starts. "One was a winter fairy and the other was from the warm seasons."
Milori chuckles endearingly. "Do you remember the border we were at? The two fairies met at that same border every sunset." He continues.
"At that time, we didn't know how to cross yet. So the two fairies would sit and talk for hours. Sometimes, they would stay until the sun rose."
"That sounds boring, Mom."
Clarion laughs, "When you meet someone you love, it's almost as if time stops for you and nothing matters but that someone." she smiled, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment. "But soon just talking wasn't enough."
"Did they cross?"
Clarion nods. "And one of them broke a wing. After, it became forbidden to cross and the two fairies had to say goodbye, never to see each other again."
The princess studies them carefully. "I didn't want a sad story."
"But it gets better." Milori said. "Because after years of being apart, they never fell out of love. And they were reunited in the end so you can say they lived happily ever after."
"And now they have the most wonderful daughter anyone could ask for." Clarion pinches Aurora's sides, drawing giggles from the princess.
"This is about you isn't it?"
Milori grins, "How did you know?"
"It's so obvious, dad."
Clarions kisses her temple. "You're so smart."
Aurora looks back up at him, "Do you miss your wings?"
He just smiles down at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Not anymore. I would trade both my wings for a lifetime with you two. Besides, maybe next time you'll find that flying with an owl is much more fun."
"But that's not for a few more years, alright, Honey?" Clarion interjects, making him laugh, linking his fingers with hers. She loved how perfectly they fit together.
After all the pain they endured all those years ago, this was not how Clarion thought her life would go. But in that cottage in the middle of winter with the ones she loved the most, it was all she could ever ask for. And she wouldn't have it any other way.