It was some hours later when Eostre finally awoke. A searing pain coursed through her body as she tried to get her bearings. With each movement, the pain intensified, causing her to grimace.

She tenderly manoeuvred herself so she could stand, shakily trying to take her first steps. Looking up, she felt overwhelming nauseam, having seen exactly how far she had fallen.

"That should have killed me."

Timidly, she made her way forward, following the remainder of the tunnel, hoping to find an exit but only to be met by despair demons. She was too tired to fight.

As the despair demons enclosed around her, she reached out tore at the sky, causing a rift to open. The demons screamed pierced her ears as their forms were sucked back through.

A huge sigh of relief left Eostre as she continued onwards, eventually finding her way out onto the side of the mountain. There she was greeted by the signs of carts, presumably abandoned by those fleeing Haven.

A renewed feeling of hope developed within her as she raised her arm to shield her eyes from the blizzard, hoping to find more signs of life.

More hours past and Eostre grew weaker and weaker, her will to continue dwindling by the second. She fell to her knees in the snow, panting hard as the excruciating ache from her injuries made it difficult to breathe.

She closed her eyes, ready to accept death when thoughts of Cullen filled her mind. Her heart became enriched with an abundance of emotion, compelling her to continue.

Soon, she came to a gap in the mountains, leading down to a clearing where she could the lights of many fires, surrounded by tents. In the distance, she could see figures approaching.

Smiling, she fell to her knees, and then face-first into the snow, finally succumbing to the discomfort and passing out.

Meanwhile

Cullen paced back and forth in the snow, his eyes growing weary from the lack of sleep and his heart heavy. His mind was clouded with nothing but angry thoughts, the hatred within him radiating that no one dared approach him.

Everyone assumed his anger came from the losses of haven and the lack of preparation for the onslaught the Elder One and his army brought, but the truth was he was angry at himself for not preventing Eostre from firing the last trebuchet.

"I should have protested, even dragged her away"

The guilt within his heart became excruciating, causing him to clutch his chest.

"Cold, so very cold." Cullen stopped and turned slowly around to be greeted by Cole. It was only by Eostre's insistence that Cole had been allowed to stay, but that didn't mean that Cullen had to like him.

"Must…. keep…. moving. Must…. find…. camp." Through gritted teeth, Cullen hissed "what are you talking about!?"

Cole looked up at Cullen, his eyes were soft.

"She is nearby, I can sense her."

"Who?"

"Eostre."

Cullen's face suddenly dropped, "WHERE! WHERE IS SHE!"

The camp fell silent as he almost screamed the words out. "There," Cole pointed to the gap in the mountains where, not hours earlier, the survivors of Haven had passed.

Cullen moved towards the gap, trying desperately to move as quickly as possible through the heavy snow that had fallen during the blizzard.

"You four, with me," yelled Cassandra as she started after Cullen, catching up quickly as the snow limited his movements.

The closer and closer he got, the more determined Cullen became, even starting to put some distance between himself and Cassandra until he stopped.

In the distance, a figure emerged staggering before dropping to their knees, then falling face-first into the snow.

Cullen forced himself to move faster through the snow, Cassandra and the soldiers following quickly behind. Eventually, he made it to the figure, dropping to his knee and rolling the figure over.

His heart almost leapt from his chest when he saw the face of Eostre, covered in cuts and bruises. She had ensured hell and survived.

A warm smile crossed his face as his mind cleared but he quickly became neutral as Cassandra approached. "It's her!" He lifted the exhausted body of Eostre and began to make his way back down the mountain to the camp.

"Thank the Maker," Cassandra exclaimed with relief. She and the soldiers watched as Cullen carried Eostre down the side of the mountain, before following quickly behind. As soon as he made it to camp, Cullen lay her on a bedroll, kneeling beside her and taking her hand in his.

"Rest Commander, there is nothing you can do for her now. She is alive but weak, she will need her rest." A warm reassuring hand lay upon his shoulder as he turned to see the warm smile of the Reverend Mother Giselle.

"Yes, maybe I should rest. Please, tell me if she wakes."

Hours passed and Cullen sat on a bedroll, in a tent facing the sleeping Eostre, watching her. The remorse that lay within his heart grew heavier each second that her eyes remained closed.

He had managed to sleep but only for a few hours, anxious not to miss a single second, not when there was a chance she may never awaken. Suddenly, his attention became focused on the being standing over her.

Cole began to kneel next to Eostre, who had started to fidget violently, in her sleep. Alarmed, Cullen rose and hurried to her side. As he went to grab her hand, Cole reached out and seized his, preventing him from potentially calming her. Cullen began to speak, protesting this action only to be silence by Cole.

"Everything hurts. Where am I? What happened? Is everyone safe? Must find a way out, must find everyone. The snow is deep, the blizzard … how will I find them in this? Must keep going. Must find them. Can't move much faster. Can't hold on much longer."

Cullen's eyes widen as he listened to the softly spoken Cole. "Must…. keep…. moving. Must…. find…. camp. Embers? Recent? …. Must keep going, lights? …. Am I close? …. I am so cold …. I must rest …. Someone is there …. Someone is coming …. Cullen …."

Eostre's body relaxed. "She is okay now, bad memories in her sleep. I have been watching over her in secret, no one could see. I was with her but hidden. She has been strong."

Cole turned his head to Cullen. "She had thoughts of you. You kept her going. She feels strongly for you. I do not understand the feeling. It is…. new to me."

Cullen turned towards the now peacefully sleeping Eostre, a faint smile across her face. He gently rubbed the back of his hand against her cheek before pulling away quickly as soldiers passed by.

"You feel strongly for her too, but you hide it. You do not want anyone to know. Why?" Cullen stood up and walked away without a word to Cole. "I will not tell." He turned back to reply but Cole was gone.