Sleeping that night came easily. Each had their own single bed in a large room that could have slept 5 more. They were exhausted from the days events and it took no time at all to fall asleep.
The next day they awoke bright and early, enjoyed a healthy breakfast and were soon on the road again north. The sun was shining brightly, the birds sang and played, it was another beautiful day like yesterday.
They were headed as far north as they could make it today, stopping when they needed to and only exploring as far as they could see the road. They looked forward to exploring more but they all, including Yugi wanted to get him his training as soon as possible. Once they could confidently defend themselves they were more than happy to explore but those spiders were hard to beat, and the jaguar Yugi fought when he first got here was intimidating. He didnt particularly fancy fighting something that they weren't prepared for.
As they walked Mai tried to tame a deer which succeeded, so now they walked along side a deer which Tea loved to pet.
They met a few travelling merchants who sold potions and materials for crafting but they had no need for those at the moment. They were able to tell them if they were on the right track though.
They walked all day until they reached the last village before the snow hit. The temperature was getting cooler already and Yugi was already feeling it, so quick as he could after paying for a room he jumped into the hot spring and relaxed. His friends joined him too only this time Tea stayed beside Mai and Atem stayed relaxing beside Yugi, politely refusing to play again like last night. Yugi told him quietly they he could if he wanted to but he insisted he could use the rest.
Yugi stayed in for as long as he could, in the end competing with Joey for how long they could stay in for. Even Atem couldnt handle it and instead left to cool down and eat something. In the end Yugi won but he got out with him anyway and found their friends enjoying some time by the hearth and hot drinks.
"So who won?" Duke asked happily.
"I did." Yugi said proudly.
"Couldnt handle the heat huh?" Tristan joked to Joey as he sat down.
"I'll give you heat!" Joey threatened playfully.
Yugi sat beside Atem.
"Hot cocoa boys?" A maid asked them.
"Not for me thanks. I'm still hot from the bath." Joey said declined politely.
"Yes please." Yugi nodded and gave her 50 silver pieces for it.
"So our destination lies on the other side of these mountains, through the snowy region. Theres a path that will take us directly there, should take us no more than 6 hours." Duke said as he showed them his map.
Yugi felt apprehensive when he saw how close they were to snow. He wasn't sure why, he was used to snow by now but he felt something like an innate fear of it.
"6 hours? Is there no way around?" Tea asked.
"We can. But itll add 2 days onto our journey, or 3 if we go the other way."
"We can do 6 hours. We'll just make sure we're well equipped before we go." Joey said confidently.
"Yeah and with Atems and Yugis magic we shouldnt have a problem keeping warm." Mai said with a wink.
"I'm not the biggest fan of the cold myself but I can handle 6 hours if it means getting Yugi his training sooner." Atem agreed.
"Right. Settled then. This village should sell some gear for travelling in the cold. We'll pick some up and head out tomorrow morning." Duke said happily.
That night Yugi had trouble getting comfortable. There was a fireplace in their room and plenty of blankets for them each but he couldnt get warm enough. He was curled up in his bed as tightly as he could he, hiding full under the covers in Hope's his own breathing would warm him but as the early morning chill began to kill the flames of the hearth he found himself only getting colder. Not even shivering was helping.
Everyone else was sound asleep, cosy and warm enough under their blankets but Yugi was feeling the cold freeze him and it was making him frustrated. They had a long day ahead of them and he was freezing, exhausted and increasingly fearful of what tomorrows weather would bring.
"Yugi." He heard some one whisper from outside his blankets. He peeked out to see Atem bent over, hand hovering over the covers and big worried eyes looking down upon him.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I'm just cold. Are you okay?" Yugi asked. His voice quivered unexpectedly.
"I'm fine. I noticed you weren't able to get to sleep yet. Mind if I climb in with you?" He asked as he rubbed his arms.
"Sure." Yugi said as he scooted backwards.
When Atem gently took the cover to climb in himself Yugi flinched and shivered violently from the sudden burst of cold. Apparently it was warm under the covers just not warm enough. Thankfully he could immediately feel the heat coming from Atems body and when he was settled he nestled in against him.
"You are cold… but how it's so warm under here." Atem whispered while Yugi cuddled up to him as tightly as he could. "Not even I was using all the blankets we were given."
"I dont know. I'm just f-freezing. Im not looking f-forward to tomorrow." Yugi said quietly.
"Your skins so cold despite being right next to the hearth. Are you okay?" Atem asked him as he felt his forehead with his free hand.
"I'm feeling better now. You're so warm." Yugi yawned. It was so nice to be able to finally stop shivering and actually get comfortable enough to let sleep take over.
"Sleep well Yugi." Atem smiled when he realised Yugi was quickly falling asleep now.