Meghan and I are ridding, looking for shelter. I do not feel the endless winter cold but Meghan does and I will not have her suffer by continue ridding through the night.
"Ash?" Meghan questions from behind me. "How much farther are we going?"
Her teeth are chattering against my back as she burrows closer against me, some her blonde hair is over my shoulders it has a faint smell of strawberries. I know that by now her lips that are usually a warm pink colour are probably a blue ice colour from the cold.
"Not far," I call back while covering her hands with mine, to warm them. "Another mile or so."
She doesn't reply but I know she is grateful. Meghan does not like to complain out loud which is why she has been silent most of the evening, trying to be brave. I have this feeling that she does this a lot, seeing her in Action in the Iron kingdom and watching her pursue her journey to get her brother back has given me a kind of admiration for her, i know i love her, is it wrong for me to love her in such a short time? I say no, she is a likeable person, but for me she is a loveable person.
A while later I see a path that leads into the cave and follow it. Ice hangs from the ceiling and flowers grow encased in ice. There are intricate patterns in the ice and i can just feel Meghan's curious eyes following the beautiful patterns that weave so elegantly between frozen flowers. The cave has paths leading into smaller caves and I take Meghan to the farthest one, where I have supplies from previous stays.
Pulling the horse to a stop, I swing off and turn to lower Meghan to the ground by her waist, pulling her to me. She is so small and fragile looking that she might get carried on a strong wind. I know that it is all an illusion, she is stronger than that. Feeling her so close to me makes me want to do things to her I shouldn't.
"Thank-" she cuts herself off knowing these words tend to offend fey.
I nod, showing that I understand she is grateful to have been helped dismounting a horse. I hide a smile remembering that fey steeds have not been friendly to her. Twice she has been thrown off their backs. This gives me an opportunity to be close with her, seeing if she is okay.
I turn back to the cave and open a truck filled with quilts, pull one out and drape it about her shoulders hoping she will be warmer, i know how easily some humans can get pneumonia when they get too cold. The horse is gone, returning home.
"There are more quilts to make you more comfortable tonight," I inform her, not wanting her cold.
I unroll a pallet that I keep here to sleep on and put many blankets together for her to cover herself. When I was done I took food out of the saddle bags and sat at the foot of the pallet while she sat in the middle. I offered her bread, dried meat and a small slice of fey cake, I had gotten it as a treat for us. I knew that fey food was not safe for this half-human girl but this cake would not cause her harm.
We ate in silence and when I noticed that she did not touch the cake I told her, "It won't give you any side effects. It's safe." As I said this I tried to get her to trust me with this with my facial expressions.
Meghan must have noticed this because she decided to take a small bite, she then smiled. I cannot tell how that made me feel. I gave her something that made her feel better and it warmed me. After taking a few bites Meghan silently handed it to me, offering the rest. I took it with thanks, it was a favourite of mine.
A few minutes later she broke the silence, "We'll be there tomorrow?"
I sighed, not wanting to take her to my queen. "Yes."
"We can't be civil in front of your court and family, can we?" She asked, looking at me.
"No," I told her. "We must be enemies, again. Our feelings must be hidden and we must hate each other. It's the only way to survive."
Meghan looked sad but knowing. She knew that she must be strong or they will break her and I will have to watch. My mother could order me to hurt Meghan and I would have to do her bidding. There was no way around my queen's orders.
I looked at Meghan and she was watching me. Our eyes met and held. The world seem to disappear while I stared into her deep blue eyes. Not knowing who reached first, our lips touched.
Her kisses were full of passion and her breath was warm and sweet. I explored her mouth and trailed kisses down her neck while her fingers ran through my hair and the other hand pulled me closer.
I pulled away and looked at her again. Love shone through her eyes that she would not say aloud. Gods, how I loved her too. I wished i knew how to show it. I wish we could run away and be together. But I made a vow that I would bring her to Mab, there was no way to break it. No matter how much i wanted to.