It's been a long time guys, sorry! This chapter may be a little short, but I should be back to a regular weekly uploading schedule after this! Enjoy

What a meanie.

I know we just met, but it shouldn't be THAT bad having to sleep next to me right? Right? It was so cold too! How can he leave me here alone?

Maybe he thinks you're ugly. I thought. I mean, men do that kind of stuff to women they find pretty right… I banished the thought. He said so himself that he wasn't the type of guy who judged based on looks.

"If I was that shallow, I would've proposed to you by now."

I felt some heat rise to my cheeks as I remembered his witty comment. Sure he may have meant it as a joke, but he said it with such enthusiasm that he must've meant something by it…right? I rolled over in my leaf mat to look at him. He had his back to me, still looking out for the monsters that would probably never appear. What kind of beasts hunt during this climate at this time of night anyway? He's probably just looking for reasons to not sleep with- I shook my head. If he won't do it, he won't do it. No need to force something like that. It was still quite a ways to Mistral from what I gathered, so maybe I can make something work between us… Again, I shook my head. Don't fall for him so easily you idiot! He may turn out like that jerk prince!

My thoughts drifted to his promise of taking me to the Winter Solstice Festival. He's different. I thought. Maybe…just maybe…he'll be the one to show me true happiness… Thoughts of Kuda continued to fill up my head until I gave in to my exhaustion from the sheer cold and fell asleep.

...

I woke up to the crackling sounds of the fire and the odd scent of something burning. Sitting up, I saw Kuda spinning two sticks over the fire with some sort of blue and purple squid attached to it.

"Managed to sleep without me eh?" He asked, smirking. When I gave no reply, he handed me one of the sticks. "I killed these while you were sleeping. Have some roasted Rantoul." The squid smelled good enough to eat, but that may have been a result of my empty stomach. I took a cautious bite and my mouth was instantly filled with the savory juices of the squid. The skin was crunchy, but the flesh itself was soft and melted in my mouth. It was easily the best meal I had eaten in a while.

"Mph, mish weally gwood." I said, wolfing down bite after bite of the roasted squid. Kuda gave me a confused look, but nodded his head and continued to soon as he had finished, Kuda stood up and proclaimed "Get up. It's time to go."

I stood up slowly. "Already? But-"

"We're gonna have to leave now if we want any hope of passing through Mount Craylia before the sun sets."

I nodded my head. "Alrighty then." It was already cold enough at the bottom of the mountain and I could only imagine how much worse it would be trapped in the snow during nighttime.

We left our makeshift campsite behind and began our slow climb up the mountain. Here, the snow only created a thin layer across the ground, with the occasional rock or tree poking through. The slope of the mountain wasn't too difficult to scale, even with my awkward heeled boots. Hey this isn't so bad I thought to myself, Maybe I can-

"I'm gonna have to warn you." Kuda said suddenly. "It's chaos at the top. There are always heavy snowstorms and hungry monsters waiting for a traveller to be exhausted by the cold before striking. I've never travelled with anyone before, but stick to me and you should be fine".

"No problem-o Kuda!" I said, running to his side and clutching his hand. "You'll protect me!"

"Eh? What are you…? Oh whatever, do what you want." He replied, some red appearing on his cheeks. I giggled at this and focused my attention forward as we continued our trek up the side of the mountain.

...

I could feel the air becoming thinner and thinner as temperatures dropped around me. The snow I used to crush underneath my boots was now slightly higher, sending a chill from my ankles whenever I put my foot down. The trees that graced the path grew scarcer and scarcer as a light snow began to fall. I shivered.

"D-d-do you have a technique for end-d-uring this w-w-weather?" I shakily asked.

He laughed, "You just get used to it after travelling through here so much."

I gave a casual "Hmph." And pushed myself against him. He stiffened at contact, but continued to walk as if nothing happened. He's surprisingly warm I thought. I wonder if that's because- I mentally slapped myself. No. No. do NOT think about that now. Focus on surviving.

The snowstorm began to slowly increase in strength around us, the small crystals that fell were replaced by huge globs of white powder that pelted me from all angles. The snow was now up to my shins, making me take even bigger steps as I trudged along. I shivered and clung tighter to Kuda, forcing a small grunt out of him.

"H-h-how much longer?" I spoke, beginning to lose feeling in my toes.

"Distance doesn't matter anymore, just keep walking." Kuda yelled, his voice barely audible as the winds picked up around us.

I squinted. The blizzard was now thick enough to prevent me from seeing anything in front of me. The snow got deeper around me, covering anything below my thighs. Ever step I took sent a chill through my body as the cold slowly began to take over my senses. Thoughts of freezing to death began to enter my mind. Would I even make it out of here? Would…we even make it out of here?

Suddenly Kuda froze, his eyes darting back and forth around us.

"What's-"

"GET DOWN!" Kuda yelled, tackling me into the snow. He scrambled onto me, laying over me as if to protect me from something. If it hadn't been for the extreme cold, I'd be blushing immensely at our current position.

"W-what are you-"

"It's an ambush." Kuda whispered. "There are Sahuagins surrounding us waiting to strike."

"We can beat them right? I mean, they're not really strong…" I trailed off hopefully.

Kuda shook his head. "Not like this. This blizzard is crazy and I can't see anything. I was always warned never to travel here during winter, and I finally know why."

Even in the midst of my panic, those words stood out to me. He knew it would be dangerous to travel through here during this time of year and decides to go with me anyway? Why?

My thoughts were interrupted when Kuda suddenly whispered, "Alright here's the plan. On "three" we run. There's a cave not too far from here that I usually stay in overnight. It's not exactly comfortable, but it'll provide us shelter. You ready?"

"W-well no I…" I stammered. How does he expect me to keep up with him? I can barely move my feet in this cold…

"Good. Onetwothree RUN!" Kuda yelled, pushing off of me and taking off. Shrieks from the Sahuagins echoed around us as Kuda began to disappear in the blizzard.

"Wait for meeee!" I cried, desperately scrambling to my cold feet and starting off after him. Spears whizzed past me as the Sahuagin growls got louder and louder. Chills shot through me with every step through the thick snow, but I ignored them and kept going. Suddenly, realization struck me; Kuda was nowhere to be found. Worry started to spread through me as I looked around hopelessly. Where did he go? Why did he run away so quickly? D-does he want me to- My thoughts were interrupted as searing pain shot through my back. I collapsed to my knees in the snow and carefully felt my back for the source. I felt three talons and immediately recognized it as one of the Sahuagin's weapons. I looped my hand around the hilt and cried out as more pain shot through me. So, no point it pulling it out then. I mused. I began to shake, not from the freezing blizzard, but out of fear of what was going to happen to me. There was no way I could outrun the Sahuagins in my current state, and fighting them is definitely not a possibility. If Kuda was here he'd- I sniffed and held in my urge to cry. He's not here anymore, remember? He left you just like that prince… Doubts began to return to my mind as I knelt down cold and wounded in the snow. It all makes sense now, he never really wanted to help you, he just wanted the perfect opportunity to kill you after you knocked him out. That promise of his was a lie! He…he…never loved...And then everything I had gone through since the start of this perilous climb came crashing down on top of me. I began to sob.

Why Kuda…why…

Any adrenaline I had in my body dissipated as I collapsed completely onto the snow.

I thought for sure…

I rolled over on my side and brought my knees to my chest.

…that you would be….

I heard a growl from behind me and closed my eyes, waiting for my life to end.

…the one for me.

As my consciousness slipped away, I could hear a voice ring out from the blizzard raging around me. It was a voice of anger, like when a parent scolds their child. It was a voice of frantic searching, like a man looking for a bag full of zel. It was a voice full of worry, despite how angry the speaker was. But most importantly, it was a voice of love. The same type of love that causes someone to sacrifice anything they deemed reasonable as to be with the one they loved. It was….his voice.