Primrose slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was an orange light. Yet, the last thing she remembered was a towering wall of white swallowing her whole. And cold. A deep, deep cold. But now, she felt oddly warm. As her vision began to clear she realized the 'light' was none other than the dancing flames of a nearby campfire. Her body was sore and she could barely move at will, but beneath all of that was a peculiar feeling of a gentle warmth. She blinked a few times and finally was able to see a clearer picture of what looked like the innermost part of a cave. As she attempted to hoist herself up, she realized she was caught in something.
"You're awake."
As Primrose looked up, she peered into a pair of worried onyx eyes, only inches away from her own. The sudden closure sent a viable shockwave through her system, enough to realize not only was she awake, but she was also currently in Olberic's arms. She had so many questions, but firstly...
"W-Why are you so close?"
Olberic cleared his throat, masking his embarrassment, and immediately let her go. Primrose regretted her words the moment his warm touch was replaced by the chilly cave air. He took off the tunic that had been serving as a blanket for both of them and placed it around her shoulders instead, backing away slowly to another nearby spot by the fire.
"There was an avalanche. It swallowed all of us whole. When I came to, I saw you lying in the snow barely breathing. I feared the worst if I didn't take immediate action, so I came upon this cave and tried to the best of my abilities to warm you. It's quite difficult without proper clothing or medicinal supplies, therefore I had to resort to..."
Primrose raised an eyebrow upon seeing the gallant knight's furrowed brow and flustered expression. He cleared his throat again.
"You had to resort too...?" She cooed, already knowing his answer.
"B-body heat."
Primrose chuckled as Olberic looked as if he had just admitted one of the most embarrassing things of his life. She was good at reading men and the Unbending Blade of Hornburg was no exception but by far the most entertaining one to tease. Ever since they agreed to travel together, she would often smile flirtatiously or wink when his eyes would meet hers, only to elicit a grumble and a "vexing woman" remark.
But it was all in good fun and they both knew it. She held such a luxurious attitude with him only because she knew he was good and gallant and ultimately, a true gentlemanly knight. He had helped her win back her freedom from her former 'Master' and was part of the reason she even made it out of that godforsaken desert town. He was a friend if she truly ever had one and she trusted him; albeit more than she trusted any of their other traveling companions; but it wouldn't stop the teasing. It was too much fun.
"Oh my! So you cuddled me in your arms all this time? Who knew the Unbending Blade was so...forward." She purred.
"I did not cuddle you! I saved your life! There was no other way! Had I not, you would be nothing but a picturesque icicle by now."
Primrose giggled at his defiant tone. He turned his head away from her, the light from the fire, however, did not aid him in hiding his red ears. She wondered just how far she could push his buttons.
"I'm not saying I disliked it, it's just a shame I was asleep. Pray tell, would you like to me to cuddle you this time, Sir Berg?"
Olberic stood up, letting out an exasperated huff and began grabbing more twigs and branches from a nearby pile. He kneeled in front of the good sized fire and began tossing them in.
"It's good to see so much of your strength seems to have returned to you, perhaps you can help me chuck the rest of this firewood, Prim."
Primrose suddenly clutched his tunic closer to her body and began to shake dramatically.
"Oooh, brrr! It suddenly got so chilly! I feel so cold!"
Olberic rolled his eyes at her dramatized acting and continued to throw firewood into the campfire. That's when Primrose noticed the absence of a certain snobby thief, hyperactive apothecary, and stoic huntress. She looked around but only saw Olberic's sword propped up against the wall.
"Wait a minute. Where are the others?"
Olberic stopped for a few moments. He stared into the fire with a deep frown before continuing to break and throw the twigs and branches.
"I...I couldn't find them. When I came to, you were the only one I found." He said in a low voice.
"What?! They can't possibly still be out in that terrifying blizzard?! Olberic, we need to go find them now!"
"It's the dead of night, Primrose. The storm is raging outside. I was hardly able to pick up these twigs and branches before it picked up again. If we leave now, it's a death sentence for us too."
'Too?'
Primrose felt her all the blood in her face leave her. She turned towards the opening of the cave only to see a vast darkness. The only thing that came from the outside was the howling echoes of the wind. She placed a hand over her mouth as the last image of Alfyn's shivering face came into her mind. If they had truly been left out there all this time, they'd surely be frozen to...
"Death." Primrose whispered into her hand.
Her eyes widened, not blinking. As if trying to process the reality of the word she just told herself. Olberic chucked the last branch into the fire and looked up from his seat to see Primrose's back turned to him, still facing the entrance of the cave.
"It...It was my fault." She whispered again. A warm tear slid down her face.
"Primrose..."
At the sound of Olberic's voice, Primrose turned around, as if snapped out of her trance. Olberic's eyes widened as he watched tears pour out of her emerald orbs. Olberic's heart stopped. Ever since they had met, he had never seen her cry. When they buried Yusufa, when they left the Sunlands, when she reminisced about her father and her past life with him - she had not shed a single tear. Only a fire, Olberic noted, would burn more brightly in her eyes. But now, that fire was extinguished and in its place, were the tears of a lost, broken girl with a heavy conscious.
"Olberic...It...Because of me! Because I-..I refused to stop at Flamesgrace! They- J-Just like Yusufa!" Primrose cried out. Her exhaustion was finally starting to seep in through the cracks of a perfectly masked facade. She was at her wit's end, physically, mentally and now emotionally.
Olberic kneeled down slowly in front of her. He dropped his head, not able to meet her gaze, as he watched her tears fall onto the cave floor.
"I too... bear this weight." He whispered.
"W-what?"
Primrose peered into his face. Her watery emerald orbs- searching for answers, searching for truths- boring into his downcast eyes that refused to meet her gaze. A few moments passed. He finally lifted his gaze to look at her. A look of pain, sadness, and guilt reflected in his eyes. He suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
"It's not your burden to bear alone. I...I too am responsible for this. I knew that we needed to stop at Flamesgrace. Yet...Yet, when I saw you pleading to continue on the Stillsnow...I... I saw myself. I saw the eyes of the knight, who lost his king, who lost his country, who lost everything... and only wanted to seek out that who took it all away from him. I didn't have the strength to stop him. To stop you. I'm sorry. I...failed."
As if his dejected words signaled the reality of the situation, it was as if something in her, after all these years- all these years of pain, suffering, loss, and grief finally caught up to her in this very moment- and something in her finally cracked.
Primrose broke down and began sobbing in his arms. Olberic could only hold her as her shaking figure clung to him for dear life. This...this wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't how it what supposed to turn out. Yes, she had wanted to reach Stillsnow, but not at the cost of innocent lives. Not at the cost of her...friends. Gods, no. Please. Not again.
"It's alright. I'm sure...I'm sure they're alright. Ha'anit is a seasoned hunter and she's been through her share of perilous situations. Therion? That sly bastard could outwit death itself and Alfyn is a medical practitioner with herbs and all sorts of emergency items in his satchel. He's probably the best off of all of is, given the situation. The minute it hits dawn...we'll go look for them. We'll find them. I'm sure of it."
Primrose sobs only grew louder as she sensed the plea in Olberic's own voice. She nodded her head as if to agree with his words- however feeble attempts they were at making her feel better.
She doesn't know how long she cried, but eventually, her sobs stopped and she was left with a splitting headache. She gripped her head in pain as Olberic finally let her go. He looked at the pained expression on her face as he wrapped his tunic around her again.
"You need to rest. If we are to have any hopes of finding them, we are going to need as much strength as we can gather before the sunrise."
Primrose lifeless eyes looked up to meet his. He gave her hand a squeeze.
"On my honor as a knight, we'll find them. I promise. Now, rest."
He began moving away when Primrose grabbed his wrist.
"Please...stay by my side."
