A/N: So I'm really into this right now and want to proceed forward. I'm thinking of putting the other stories on hold until I finish this one. Who knows, I change my mind all the time. Continuing on with the story, here's chapter two and a little warning I forgot to mention in the previous chapter.

The characters are a bit- OOC, but mind you this is an AU fic, which means that the events taken place in the original doesn't necessarily happen in this one to construct their natural personalities. Thus, they may appear different than their original counterparts.

Update: 12/6 Chapter 1&2 have been adjusted. Minor changes, but just a heads up.

The next time she opens her eyes, the familiar scene hits her like a slap to the face. The wooden roof, the dim lighting, and the same pair of bosoms nearly colliding her face, soon to be replaced by the same goofy smile from her pink haired frenzy of a friend.

"Ulrika-chan!" she exclaims with joy. The frequency of her shrill voice scratches against Ulrika's ear drums causing her to wince. "You're awake!"

"Yep, fine and dandy," she slurs a bit, rubbing the pain out of her ears. Et on the other hand bounces around with joy at her awakened friend, but suddenly freezes and screeches sending another painful breach against Ulrika's poor ear defense.

"I have to tell Enna! He's worried too!"

Suddenly, the moments of white and blue clash in Ulrika's head as she remembers her unlikely hero in the midst of the blaring winter cold.

"Ah! Et, wait," she calls after the ecstatic girl, "tell Enna-!"

But she never finishes. The pink girl runs out of the room as fast her attention span leaving Ulrika unattended.

She sighs at the girl, but dismisses her worries. Instead, she wonders if Enna was really able to carry her back. She remembers the details of his lean frame that hardly carried any muscle. He looks like the kind of guy who has trouble opening the cap of blueberry jams and just trying would mar his delicate skin.

Further away, she could hear Et's loud voice and Enna's cry to calm down. Actually, it sounded as if he just woke up. Glancing at the window view, it was dark once more. She wonders how long she slept and reprimands herself to not make it a habit.

While Ulrika sat in bed, she wonders how long it would take for them to come back, or maybe she should just go to them instead. Getting out of bed, she makes her way down the hall, but does not proceed further than the bathroom. It's been a while since she checked up on herself, she thinks. Eh, why not? She can spare a moment.

Grabbing the handle, she turns the knob, but it remains stuck in place.

'That's weird,' she thinks, 'it was fine earlier today.'

She tries again with no such luck and the door remains closed.

'Could it be broken?' she wonders as she tries again. The door appears jammed and much to her annoyance, she attempts once more to open the door

"Ugghh! What's wrong with this stupid door?"

Ulrika adds more force into her arms and pushes against the wood. Mustering all her strength she presses hard against it while leaning in with her weight. Her hands still on the knob, she twists it with so much force she could make lemonade and not waste a single drop of citrus.

"Oh come on! You. Stupid. Door. Open. Waah!" she wails as the door finally unlocks and flings her across the other side. Ulrika lands with a soft 'umph' with her body sprawled across the warm, wet, soft surface. She thinks to herself she's lucky there's carpet, but realizes there's no fur flanking her. Instead she's graced with smooth, silky, flesh, warm and wet from a bath.

A cough is from above her head. Emerald green meets aqua blue in a clash of whirling sparks.

She notices damp, turquoise tresses clamped around his cheeks and another mess on his forehead. He quirks his eyebrows in slight annoyance, but the pinkish tint on his cheeks suggest embarrassment. For a moment she believes she sees Enna, but the difference is obvious.

His damp outstretched hair clung to his shoulders and fell towards his broad chest. His jaw is longer and more constructed than Enna's. She could also feel over his layer of skin that underneath were tough and sinewy muscles. Although he didn't appear much bigger than Enna, he seemed to carry more weight and strength in his refined physique. But the most obvious difference was in his eyes. Although it displayed the same hint of annoyance, she could see a somewhat cold and distant existence beyond the blue dark depths. The shape of his eyes were sharper and smaller than Enna's wide and almost doe like eyes. They appear cold and mean, almost, but in a way, beautiful in its own right.

She hears coughing once more and stiffens instantly. The man before her stares at her and purses his lips, then unseals it to produce a deep, velvety voice.

"Do you mind?" he asks.

At this point, Ulrika doesn't know whether she should scream in embarrassment like a shoujo manga girl and blush like crazy or faint from a nose bleed with a good dream on its way.

The answer is neither.

"Ulrika-chan! Oiiiiiii! Where'd you go Ulrika-! Oh...Ah, Enna!" yells Et.

"Keep it down would you! Baka onee- uwahhh..." gasps Enna as he comes into view.

"I-it's not what it looks like," Ulrika replies weakly.

"Hm? What does it look like? Ne, ne. Roze, why is Ulrika-chan on top of you?"

They all blush with the exception of Et.

Ohhh goddess, could anyone be anymore ignorant.

...

The night slowly slips away and morning comes into view once more. Ulrika acquired little sleep as she shared the bed for the night. After last nights incident, an awkward atmosphere intruded the small cabin. With only two rooms available, Ulrika was asked to share a room with Et, but according to Enna, she snored frequently and quite loudly. Originally they thought to have them share the bed Ulrika was using, but Et turned out to be a dangerous sleeper as well, grabbing and clinging to whatever she gets a hold of. Even from a distance, a sudden impact against the stomach from a very known direction is at risk, says Enna. Again, its an amazing feat to survive her monstrous strength.

There were many options for rooming, but in the end she ended up in the most bizarre and awkward arrangement. Few pieces of furniture laid out in the living room, but not quite big enough to sleep in, neither was it suitable unless you like the feel of rough wood and waking up with splinters.

So Ulrika ended up in the guest room which turns out to be the master room. The room apparently belonged to the new stranger, or should she say owner of the cabin. His bed was also the biggest, a queen size, which meant it could hold two people, while the siblings had twin size beds.

Enna almost roomed with her for the night, but there was a feeling of intrusion amongst the male's privacy. Also, apparently Enna was the only one capable of ignoring his sister's ridiculous snore and sleeping habits.

Ulrika ended up sharing the bed beside the 'unintentional' owner who promised to keep to himself. They split the bed in half and secured a good amount of space. The owner brought out an extra pillow and blanket from his closet to use. There weren't enough sheets or blankets to spread on the floor and it being winter made it extra uncomfortable. Wary from the night's events, the owner exchanged only brief words and lumbered into a deep sleep.

Ulrika on the other hand struggled to find sleep as she slept a good few hours earlier. She knew the male would not harm her in any way, but thoughts continued to plague her. It wasn't until hours later that she finally became wary of her internal struggle that sleep came to her. And as she lulled herself to sleep, she couldn't help but notice she never properly introduced herself to the owner.

…..

Ulrika wakes up to find herself alone in bed. By the time she woke up, breakfast (or maybe it's lunch) was already prepared. She scurries out of bed and hurries into the bathroom to liven up before heading to the dining room.

When she reaches the table, she notices that the owner isn't there.

"Ne, Enna, have you seen Roze?" asks Et.

"Ah. He went out to shovel a path since it snowed in a bit yesterday. He says that he has business in Terin tomorrow so he's clearing it for foothold. It won't fall for a while so its pretty safe out for now."

"Ah, then I should help him," offers Et, but before she could decide, the sound of creaking wood swishes and shuts with a clank. They turn around to find Roze by the cabin door smothered with snow. He takes off his coat and hangs it near the chimney to dry.

"Yo, nii-chan. Lunch is ready," calls Enna.

"Ah. Thanks Enna, but I think I'll take a bath first," he replies.

"Oh, we're melting the snow now so it should be done by the time you finish eating."

"I see," he replies and walks over to the table. "I hope you don't mind me taking a seat, miss."

Ulrika looks up at him and eagerly shakes her head. His behavior compared to earlier is different. His sudden politeness takes her by surprise.

After Enna lays out the dishes, they all take a seat and prepare to eat.

"Ah! Sorry," apologizes Et. "We haven't introduced you guys yet. Ulrika-chan, this is Roze, he's the owner of the cabin. Roze this is Ulrika-chan. We found her in the what's that flower field on the other side of the mountain."

Roze looks at her with mild surprise and turns his attention to Ulrika. Ulrika looks at him with confusion, but extends her hand in a formal matter.

"Nice to meet you, Roze-san," she says politely. Regaining his composure, he takes her hand to affirm their handshake. It feels incredibly awkward at the table, but leave it to Et to not be able to sense the mood.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ulrika-san," he responds.

"Please just call me Ulrika. It's more comforting to my ears."

"Then please just call me Roze." Even though they dropped the formalities, common courtesy was still in play. That awkward barrier remains prevalent.

Not many words were exchanged between them as they munched on their meals. Roze was the first to excuse himself for a bath. The others stayed with Ulrika to keep her company.

"Roze isn't much of a talker," informs Enna. "He's a good guy though."

Ulrika simply nods.

"I'll help you clean up."

"Thanks."

...

After rinsing and drying the silver ware, they put away the china safely storing them in the oak carved cupboards. Ulrika decides to clean the kitchen while Enna and Et went out to fetch more wood and snow for the bath. Having finished with chores, Ulrika heads down the hallway to find Roze warmly dressed in a thermal long sleeve and sleek pants. She watches him eye the bathroom door and constantly tinkering with the door knob.

She feels nervous and keeps away, but her head tells her to quit being a wimp and buck up. She slowly approaches him and greets him and he acknowledges her in return.

"What are you doing?" she asks curiously. She found it strange to fawn over a single door, the bathroom door no less.

"Checking to see if it's broken," he answers her reverting his attention. She blushes as she remembers forcing the door open and landing on him. She opens her mouth to apologize, but he cuts her off.

"Don't worry, it's working properly."

"I-I didn't know you were in there," she defends.

"I figured."

Still not looking at her, Roze turns away and proceeds to his room. Ulrika frozen on her spot, couldn't comprehend his sudden brashness. It irked her a bit, but she knew it was her fault. If someone nearly destroyed her property, she'd bring hell to his/her haven and make sure they paid in full. Not only that, but if a guy were to magically pop up on top of her, she was sure she'd send him flying back to lala land.

But she let it slide. Instead, what she really wants is to get over the uneasiness. It was already decided she would stay, without his knowing and she couldn't possibly handle days, weeks, maybe months of ensuing nervous chats and quiet dinners.

She enters his room and finds him leaning against the window. She doesn't realize until now just how empty the house is.

The living room has a small wooden chair seated near the fireplace and a table with stationaries. The dining room contains the basic ornaments used in daily life. Aside from the necessities, she found no pictures or decorations for that matter. She caught a glimpse of Et and Enna's room, earlier and saw picture frames set on their dressers. A separate table lay at the edge of the room filled with boxes and utensils. They even had a desk to work on.

Roze's didn't have those things. There were no boxes or trash laying around, or even a table with personal items. Besides the bed, it was basically empty.

Roze catches her gaze on him and gives her a quizzical glance. Ulrika marches forward and views through the window beside him.

He doesn't say anything and lets her be.

"Do you want to be alone?" she asks.

He merely shrugs. "I don't mind you being here."

"Am I bothering you?" she inquires and he shakes his head.

"Can I keep talking to you?"

He ponders for a bit and replies, "suit yourself."

It's quiet for a few minutes, but Ulrika finally pipes up.

"What do you do for fun, Roze?"

Again, he ponders. "There isn't much to do here. I mainly stay at my dorm in the city."

"Then, what do you do over there?"

"I work."

"What do you work as?"

"A knight."

"A knight?"

"A knight," he repeats with slight annoyance.

"Then why'd you come back? Aren't you busy?"

"I live here." His tone is flat and dry.

"I know," she huffs with a tint of frustration.

"Et and Enna are from the city, but they're staying here temporarily right? What did you do before they came? You...don't have much stuff. Aren't you bored being alone?"

"I wasn't always alone."

"Huh? Oh, well yeah...no one's always alone..." Ulrika drifts. She feels as if she stepped on a landmine. The nervous tension drapes her like a scarf and she doesn't know what to say.

"My parents passed away when I was too little to remember." Roze looks at her with a vacant expression. "I lived with my grandpa up until five years ago. He passed away just after I got my honorary title."

Ulrika stares at him for a moment and mumbles a small apology. He shakes his head and tells her it isn't necessary. After moments of senseless rambling, Ulrika finally shuts up after running out of questions. She doesn't know what to say or do to break the tension that comes with his Idon'ttalkmuch aura. Compared to before however, she definitely made progress.

"What about you?" he asks. At this point, Ulrika no longer believes he's as antisocial as she presumed.

"What about me? She asks.

"Where are you from? What do you do? Those sorts of things."

"Oh," she mouths and scratches the back of her head with unease, "ummm... I'm not really sure where I'm from."

Her answer is returned with a quirked eyebrow and arms crossing his chest.

"I'm not lying," she mumbles, remember the conversation with Et and Enna. "I don't remember the name for some reason and I can't recall it either. I can tell you that my village was warm all year round and never snowed. We had harvest festivals, but that's as festive as it got, besides the New Year's cheer."

"New Year's cheer...we have that here too."

"Really? Great, I want to join in on the fortune frenzy. Last year, my fortune told me I would have the worst year ever!"

"Hm, so how did the year go for you?" he asks, slightly amused. His expression is still a bit cold, but at least he seems relaxed.

"It really was the worst." Ulrika grunts. She grits her fist and shakes it angrily as she recalls her misfortune.

"I lost my favorite scarf, my necklace was stolen, and because of my terrible timing, I was framed for taking the mayor's prized hat." As she continues to ramble, he finds her stories interesting and 'funny' to listen to.

Not only that," he hears her say, " I was cursed by my best friend-" she stops.

"Ulrika?" he calls, but she doesn't waver. Her abrupt silence is strange and unbecoming.

"My...my best friend...?" she asks. Roze looks at her slightly worried. Ulrika's complexion turns almost as white as snow.

"Hey..." he calls again, but this time it seems to faze her.

"A-ah right, s-sorry. I can't really remember much after that..."

It's strange, but he believes her. The look on her face was that of a lost lamb.

"A-anyways," Ulrika proceeds, "Enna says this village is famous for it's winter festival. What's that like?"

He eyes her for a moment and realizes she wants to change the subject, so he follows her lead.

"It's a three day event. The first day is customary. We parade the town with flowers picked from Ibis' meadow and offer it to the souls lost during the Raidaru war. They say that the goddess ordered the villagers to tribute the flowers as a sign of penetance."

Ibis' meadow? Raidaru war? They ring a bell in her head, but she's unsure of its familiarity.

"The second day is the day we feast and share our fortune with family and friends as a sign of good grace. And the last day is known as the Winter Bloom."

"Winter Bloom?" Ulrika questions. He nods. He's sure he piqued her interest.

"On that day, we go to the summit and pray for the lost souls so they can find peace and move on. We also pray for our loved ones and wish them protection. We also thank the living and the goddess for her hospitality and if our prayers are heard, the Winter Bloom occurs. It's the main and last event."

"Wait, you still haven't told me exactly what it is," she gives him a pleading look and eagerly waits for the details. Her reactions are ever changing and he wonders if he can keep up with it.

"Et and Enna found you in a flower field right?" he asks. She nods.

"That's Ibis' meadow, it was once a lake. Neah is the only place that sprouts flowers during winter. I'm guessing they haven't told you the legend."

She nods again.

"A thousand years ago, this land headed to war. There was a maiden who was torn because of the war and tried to prevent it, but no one listened. Eventually the goddess grew mad at their greed and punished the people with heavy loses. She stripped the land of its harvest and plummeted the people into famine and threw a blanket of sorrow over it, thus the snow. Both sides grew too weak to fight and perished. There was no winner.

After that, it is said that the maiden was overcome with grief and offered herself to appease the goddess. The goddess took her and the land was once more able to produce fruit, however, the snow will forever linger as a reminder of their foolishness. It is said that the lake is where the maiden resides and the flowers represent her feelings. It symbolizes sorrow and love and the never ending cycle of life and death. By offering her flowers, we show that we understand our mistakes and promise to love and live peacefully so that no other life is lost in vain."

"It's a beautiful tale," Ulrika murmurs. She doesn't get why, but oddly enough it wrenches at her heart. She was never one for sap stories, but then again she has avoided them on more than one occasion.

Roze notices her distress is gone and in place was pure intrigue and so he continues and nods in agreement.

"That brings us to the Winter Bloom," he says and immediately she is sucked in.

"Right, you still haven't told me yet."

"I'm getting there," he scoffs.

"Well?"

"Hmm..." Roze hums. "Let's see...how should I say this?" He taps his chin gingerly thinking about the best way to word it.

He turns towards Ulrika to see a blend of curiosity and eagerness apparent in her eyes. Without realizing, Ulrika had slowly marched into his proximity, due to her excitement, leaving only centimeters apart. She doesn't seem to realize just how close they are until Roze abruptly leans down and brushes the tip of his nose against hers. He stares at her with twinkling amusement and she blushes from contact. Ulrika feels the hotness of his breath tingle against her skin, but she is too scared to pull away, thinking she might offend him.

He moves across to her ears and lightly whispers,

"You'll have to stay and find out."

A second later, he's out of her face and half way across the room. Ulrika on the other hand is left rooted to her spot, gushing with embarrassment. Well, now she knows she's welcome to stay...

'So much for getting rid of the tension' she thinks and she knows that against her will, good dreams will visit her tonight.

End of Chapter 2

A/N: I forgot to mention that I changed Roze's appearance a bit. In my story, they are older so I had him grow out his hair. Can't help it, I have a thing for guys with silky long hair that can send my stomach aflutter.

Oh yes, and reviews are very much appreciated. Also, i've changed the name of the meadow because of certain controversies and have named it after our very lovely Pamela, "Ibis". So if you want, she can be our goddess.