Author's note: I'm thinking of making this a few chapters but I'm not sure... let me know if you'd like to read more of this, and I'll try to add to it!
Winter came in harshly that year with a brutal cold that swept over the hills of Caer Dallben. The cottages and farm lay buried beneath heavy waves of snow. Up in a loft in the main cottage, the midnight chill sank deep into the princess's bones as she shivered in the corner of her room, desperately hoping to sleep the cold away. But the incessant chattering of her teeth kept her awake and miserable, no matter how tightly she tried to clench her jaw. For a moment she thought to go down to the room below and start the fire up again but the poor girl couldn't bare to leave the pitiful warmth of her bed.
The door creaked open below and she heard the muffled stomp of boots kicking off snow as the wind shrieked outside, trying to get in before the door shut with a soft thud. The boots shuffled across the room to the fire place and the muted sounds of wood being added to the empty fireplace filled the otherwise silent home.
Muttered curses floated up to her as the shivering voice below lit a new fire. Soon the crackle of flames reached her ears and a gentle light flickered through the curtains surrounding her loft. She waited for the heat to reach her.
More movement and clattering from below made her smile at the silly fool's attempt at stealth. Footsteps crept up the wooden staircase to the loft and she saw a tall, lean silhouette standing behind the curtain. He paused for a moment, then his arm brushed the fabric aside and he walked forward. When he saw that she was awake he stopped and dipped his head in an apology.
"Sorry, Eilonwy, I didn't mean to wake you." Taran tiptoed over to where she lay, still shivering, and she noticed he held more blankets in his arms. "I brought you these. I thought you could use them. It's horridly frigid out there tonight."
"Thank you." She moved to sit up and take the covers but he'd already knelt beside the princess and began to spread the blankets over her shaking body. Surrendering to his clumsy attempt at care, she let her head fall back into her straw pillow and gazed up at him. "Thank you." She said again.
"You're welcome." He smiled briefly, his face kind. It was a rarely seen side of him as the two of them always seemed to be at odds. Eilonwy found she rather liked him looking at her that way; gently.
Taran moved to go but she placed her hand on his arm and whispered for him to wait. He looked at her hand on his wrist then back to her face as she continued, "Would you stay with me a bit? Just until the warmth from the fire has reached up here?" Her face flushed at the improper suggestion but she was so cold that she decided to throw away propriety for the night. "Please?" She added when he hesitated.
He shook his head and shrugged the way Assistant Pig Keepers seem to do and awkwardly settled in next to her. The boy covered himself with one blanket, the rest left as a separation between their shivering bodies; a curtain left drawn shut.
The princess, never one to care for tact or decorum, drew closer to her friend so the warmth from his body seeped into her icy skin. For his part, Taran stiffened slightly and showed no sign of moving closer, but he didn't pull away. After a moment, he let his head fall to rest against hers, her hair ticking his cheek.
I'll leave when she's asleep, he told himself.
Pale, delicate sunlight drifted in through the cracks and onto Eilonwy's sleeping face. She woke from her dreaming, pleasantly warm despite the freezing night. Eyes still closed, she curled into the warmth beside her, wanting to be closer to it. It moved and sighed softly.
Strange, she thought, still half asleep and nuzzling in closer still. I didn't know warmth could sigh, much less move. She stilled, realization rushing into her now wide awake mind. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him sleeping soundly beside her. Taran's lips were parted, his soft breathing the only sound in the little loft; his hair was tousled around his face and the princess couldn't help but notice that he looked rather lovely in the early dawn.
The next thing she noticed was that he was now fully under the blankets he once used to separate them and she was nestled against him; his strong arms held her close and kept the winter chill at bay; her legs were tangled around his, their bodies close together.
Now, she wondered. How do I get myself out of this mess?