A bitter wind ran past Florina's face, playing with her orchid colored hair. It twisted and teased the strands, but Florina could do nothing about it as she was scanning the skies. Scout duty…again. She was already used to it, and even though the frigid air might have been even colder up in the atmosphere, she was used to that too. Since she had joined the Academy, weather no longer became an issue to her.

They were plunging higher up in the Bern Mountains. Their terrain was now marked by snow and icy slopes. Here their enemy had the advantage; they knew the best routes and just where all the pitfalls laid. Heath was able to aid them, but they had still had been surprised by a few ambushes by Wyvern riders, but fortunately, they were unorganized and random. Still, Florina was beginning to fear they were losing hopes in the ability of their scouts.

Snow was anything but graceful, especially at such a high altitude. Ice hit her face, slapping against her cheeks like tiny daggers. Soon, her vision was completely obscured by the gray and white of blizzard clouds. With a few words of encouragement to Huey, she turned him around and began to seek the army.

They stood out against the white. Most of them were bundled up as well as they could be. Still, Florina knew their clothes were worn through, and there was little warmth in their threadbare coats.

"Florina!" Mark called out. He pushed his way to see her as she landed. She could barely see his face through the hood of his cloak and the mop of brown hair on his head. However, his nose, which stuck out in a comical manner, was red and sore. "It's good to see you."

"I-It's getting bad," She told him. He nodded.

"I can tell," He shivered. "Farina and Heath have already returned. We're just waiting for Fiora, but I think we're going to set camp up here." Florina looked behind him to see that most of her comrades had begun to pitch their tents. She slipped by him and went to Merlinus for her own materials.

With the wind whipping around her and ice building up around her feet, Florina struggled to set up her tent. The poles were freezing quickly, and it nearly burned her hands to handle them. Since tents were occupied in pairs, she usually had Fiora to help her. But Fiora had yet to return, and Florina hoped that that her sister was all right.

The tent sloped over once again, and as she reached over to fix it, the other side collapsed. An arm reached out and steadied it for her. All she caught was a glimpse of brown hair.

For a split second, Sain entered her mind. Had he taken her advice and chosen to help with her tent? Or was it merely a kind gesture on his part? Or-

"O-oh, thanks Wil," Florina mumbled after realizing whom it was. The archer grinned at her.

"No problem," He said. He assisted her with the rest of her work. "It's alright; Rebecca and I already got our tent pitched." He attempted to chat with her.

"You and R-Rebecca?" Florina said slightly confused. "But I, um, thought L-Lord Eliwood said that, well, that men and w-women weren't allowed to share tents." Wil's eyes widened when he realized what he just said.

"I-I mean, well not me and R-Rebecca…we're not doing anything bad or-" Wil started to stutter as he tried to cover it up. Finally, his shoulders slumped over in defeat. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" Florina could not help but to give a small giggle.

"O-of course." After she thanked him meekly, Wil walked off, leaving her to enjoy the feeble protection that the tent offered her. It was still cold, but at least, there was a thin barrier between her and the gusts, even if that barrier did tremble and shake with every new puff.

She laid out the bedrolls, knowing Fiora would be exhausted when she returned. She cleaned out as much slush as she could from the ground, until she reached the frozen earth underneath it all. By the sound of it, things were only worsening outside, all the more reason for her to find busywork within the tent. At long last, she had nothing to do but lay on her bedroll.

She didn't realize how tired she was until she shut her eyes and sleep claimed her. The next thing she knew, someone was crying out "Fiora!". She heard the neigh of the pegasus over the roar of the wind and sat up in anticipation, but for several minutes, nothing happened. She quivered at the thought of Fiora injuring herself in the blizzard and being whisked away to the infirmary tent. That would mean Florina would never know about her sister's welfare until the storm cleared, and with Farina sharing a tent with Isadora, there was no one there to comfort Florina.

Florina stood up and decided to venture out to find Fiora. She was sure that she had arrived. As soon as she stumbled out in the whirl of sleet, she regretted her decision, but she was determined nonetheless. Blindly, she fought her way against the current of the wind. Soon, she couldn't tell one tent from another, and she had once mistaken an ice-covered boulder for the infirmary tent.

She had no choice but to choose a tent and go in it, or else she would perish in the storm. The one she had picked, albeit randomly, was empty. It was a little nicer than the rest, and a single bedroll was present. It resisted the squall much better than Florina's. Trembling, she sat down, limbs shaking uncontrollably.

"Florina!" Someone called out. Immediately, warm arms encompassed her. "Are you alright?" She cracked her eyes open to see Sain holding her. She nodded a yes, but he seemed unconvinced. "You're sick."

"No," She murmured against him. "I-Ilians are i-immune to the cold."

"Just because they can't feel it doesn't mean that they can't become ill off it," Sain said. "Let me carry you back to your tent."

"No, no," She said, pushing herself off the ground. "I-I, uh, walk." She stumbled a few steps before she collapsed against Sain again. He caught her, brushing her hair aside and pressing his hands to her cheeks, as though that would warm them. "W-where is F-F-Fiora?"

"I remembered where you had set your tent, and I escorted her back there," He explained. "And she panicked when she saw you weren't there. I need to get you back so she won't worry." Despite her protests, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out. She leaned her head against his chest, still protected by his armor. It was a hard pillow, but Florina still was able to drift off against it.

When she woke, she found herself in her bedroll. An extra blanket had been wrapped around her. She realized, with a blush, that it was actually Sain's burly black coat. And something else was waiting for her by her side.

She gasped as she picked them up, three in all. She fingered the delicate bloom's frozen stiff into placed yet still soft and fragrant. They were still a faded pink color, the usual tone for such a thing, and the stems were bright and cheerful.

They were Ilian Roses.

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Author's Note: Well? I know there must be some sort of reaction going through those minds of yours. Share it with me in a review. Cuz I always like reviews.

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