A fast update because I was sick today :) I hope you enjoy it~

They faced each other, not breaking eye contact as Mathias puffed himself up in front of me like some sort of cat. "I…have no idea what you just said," he admitted, keeping his rigid posture. "But I don't like the way it sounded!"

The mage and I rolled our eyes in unison. So much for my fearless protector.

"Right," he sighed, looking through his spell book. "Ah, here it is. This should help you understand a little better." Waving his hand, a light kismet dust blew across Mathias's face. "Now can you understand me, imbecile? I said I've come to speak to Lukas. We have unfinished business regarding the creation of this world."

The demon blinked, wiping his eyes. "Whoa. What the hell did you just do? Wait, no, that's not important! What business? Who are you?"

He gave Mathias a hard glare. "I suppose even if you have heard of me, you've never seen my face. I am Arthur: mage, black magician, creator of this world of Norway. And I've come to speak with King Lukas about the payment which was promised to me. I don't believe I ever received it and it's about high time I did."

"Payment?" I wondered, trying to remember when I had met this man. He was so familiar, and yet I couldn't recall a single detail about our first encounter. "What payment did I promise you?"

Arthur frowned, saying, "When we first met and I created this world of your imagination, I requested that you bring me something in return. Convenient for you, not being able to remember. However, even if you escaped back to the real world before giving it to me, you're back now and I will not release you until I am paid. In full."

"And what did he promise you, exactly?" Mathias asked, not releasing his posture.

"The blood of a demon," he said, a smile stretching across his face. "I see you've procured the demon part, but the blood is still in his body. That won't do it. I'm going to need you to kill and drain him."

I stared at him, wondering if I had really promised such an awful thing to this man in return for this universe. Was I really that selfish? "And you say I swore I would give it to you?" I asked doubtfully.

His large eyebrows turned in. "Of course! What reason would I have to lie about it? I've been waiting for nearly a year now. The last thing I want is for this to take any longer."

Mathias looked at me, then back at Arthur, a growl rising in his throat again. "Well, even if that is what my king promised you, you aren't going to get it. He needs my blood for something else! So go find your own damn demon! As a mage, you could conjure one up yourself, couldn't you? "

"If it was that simple, I wouldn't have waited this long. The agreement was that he would get it and deliver it to me. I cannot just breach such a contract willy-nilly!"

The growl stopped. "Willy-nilly…" Mathias snickered.

I elbowed him forcefully in the side. "So you're saying that it must be Mathias's blood and no other demon's? That I promised you the blood means that I have to deliver it to you? Well then you will have to wait just a little bit longer. I'm using his blood for something else first, but then you can have all you want. I will no longer be around to care."

"What do you mean?" the Brit asked, not trusting me.

"I mean, I'll be using his blood to find my mother and leave this world. Permanently. So after I have departed, I give you full permission to take Mathias and do whatever you want with him." I could feel the wrongness of what I was saying like ice through my veins. It was cold…but it was what I needed to say.

Yet it was still difficult to ignore the lonely look that suddenly glazed over Mathias's eyes.

"I don't often take used merchandise," he deliberated, sizing up Mathias. "But with his blood, I would have full access to the hellish world his kind comes from, not to mention I could use it for some new spells I've been trying. Alright, I believe that will work for me." He took my hand, giving it a forceful shake that had black sparks igniting around it. "Now…what is all this about your mother? What on earth would you need demon blood for?"

I explained to him what my brother had told me, that weird prophecy that had sent me out on this mission in the first place. "He said something about 'the blood of Satan' and 'the heart of God' mixing together to create a key to my mother's secret kingdom. So I took him with me, because I figured he would be useful."

"And don't forget that my company is unmatched throughout all of Norway!" Mathias added. At my sharp look, he muttered, "What? You know that was part of it!"

Arthur clicked his tongue, shutting his book and storing it in his cloak. "It sounds as if your brother expected you to summon her. A black magic. It seems the secret kingdom he spoke of was simply the portal to her soul. He was telling you that you would need to mix the blood of a demon and an angel's kiss to release her from her current home. Simple and easy. In fact, you could have probably done it without going on this journey from the beginning."

My body began trembling, rage building inside me again. I dug my hand into Mathias's overcoat, digging my fingers in and turning him to look at me. "You knew," I spat accusingly. "You knew that, didn't you?! You knew that we didn't have to go anywhere and you still dragged me on this journey! What was your goal? What were you thinking?" I could feel my whole body decrease in temperature, m y hands turning frigid.

He flinched away from my anger, but met my eyes. "I didn't know for sure. I thought if we went to the village that she was said to haunt, we would have an easier time finding her and figuring out the riddle. There's that, and…I wanted to get to know you more, King Lukas. The more I learn about who you've become, the more I want to keep you here by my side. I really do love you, even if you won't believe me when I say it."

"You're right; I do not, cannot, and will not believe you. Ever. A demon is a demon, and I refuse to give any part of myself to someone like you!" Shaking violently, my hands turned to claws of ice where I had gripped him, shredding the soft piece of cloth.

"Is that what you think?" he hissed, grabbing me by my own jacket. "You think you won't give me anything? Because I'm sure that we had an agreement. Tonight, you'll give me your virginity. And then you won't be so pure yourself, will you? You won't be a slate of untouched white snow anymore."

For a moment, I forgot that we had an audience, looking into Mathias's passionate, blazing ruby irises. I felt the heat of his touch on me, felt the fear he evoked in me, felt some unwanted desire flash through me as I clutched at him. I didn't want to be taken in by his allure, and yet I knew somehow that I wouldn't mind him staining my purity with scarlet hands. Still, I forced myself to let go, brought my icy claw to the wounds on my shoulder and neck. The moment the skin was met with the coolness, relief spread through me. So Erick had been right about my healing powers.

"I won't back out of the deal," I informed him. "You will have tonight. But if you're going to paint my slate, it better be a decent picture. Otherwise, I may forget you altogether when I'm gone."

"Oh, disgusting," Arthur said, making a face. "This is too much information. I didn't know you were dating the demon."

"I'm not. We had a bet…I didn't lose, but I suppose I didn't win, either. Regardless, I will keep to my word and give Mathias what he wants," I explained, never looking away from my demonic bodyguard. "As long as he also meets my requirement."

Arthur's nose wrinkled. "Please. Anyway, I think we should probably summon your mother now, don't you think? Let's do this quickly. You will get to your home dimension, I will get my demon blood…we'll all be quite happy."

"No!" Mathias snarled suddenly, scaring me. Then, realizing how feral he'd sounded, he repeated more calmly, "No…I mean, not yet. The sun is just starting to set. It's almost night time. If we summon his mother now, he won't be able to fulfill his promise to me. So just give us tonight…and in the morning, if he still wants to go…That's his choice."

"Ugh, fine. If that's what it will take to get what I need, then I will wait until tomorrow. But be ready at dawn. I am already sick of waiting, and I don't want to wait longer just because you two have decided to have some ungodly, immoral relations with each other." Sparing one more look for me, he snapped and exploded into a puff of dark green powder that was quickly stolen by the wind.

I watched him go, a strange feeling in my stomach as Mathias took my hand with a gentle smile, his eyes going back to blue. "Let's get something to eat! Since this used to be a trading post, I'm sure they have all kinds of food around here. And the meat always keeps, since it's so cold here. Ah, I can't wait…I hope they have some raw snow bear somewhere! That would be the best last meal ever!"

I noted his tone change, the stress hidden skillfully beneath carelessness. He was just as nervous as me. "Last meal?" I asked. "What do you mean? Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean you need to stop eating."

"I'm not going to stop eating because I want to. King Lukas, you promised me to Arthur after you leave…do you honestly expect him to keep me alive? He wants my blood, and he wants me dead." He gave me a sorrowful grin. "After you use me up, there will be no will to live left. What is this world without you for me but endless days of winter? I love you. And being without you for eternity is a lot to take in. That's why I won't protest you giving me to the mage. You've done me a favor by finding me a way out."

"Do you really think that?" I wondered, feeling the unfamiliar feeling of guilt. "You want to die…if I leave with no intention of returning? But what about all this time you've spent without me here?"

"I know what it's like now. It was…it's hard to describe. But at least then, I had the hope that you would return here to be with me. Now I know I'll never get to see you again. I'm not really the type of guy who can just live on pleasant memories."

I looked down at the snow crunching under my feet. "You seem like you would be. You're cheerful enough to get by without me. Maybe you could even find someone else to love."

He turned on me again, pain lacing every muscle in his face as he whispered, "If I could…do you think I would have waited this long for you? But this is your world, and you've made it so I have no choice. You will always be the only one I can ever love. I'm trapped by your imagination."

This twisted, sick world that I had dreamed…everyone here was stuck forever in a never-ending, dangerous winter. "If I wake up, you'll be free from me. You can live your own life. You can find someone else to fall in love with. Or…"

Mathias shook his head, digging through a promising-looking store front. "It won't work unless you change our relationship. And then, I don't really want that, Lukas!" He smiled, pulling out a giant leg of some frozen, nasty meat. "Bingo! Hell yeah! Snow bear!"

As if it was the natural thing to do, he tore off a piece and handed it to me before stuffing his own face with the rest of it. I stared down at it in disdain, wondering what had possessed him to think I would want to eat this. "I'm not that hungry," I muttered, handing him the meat back. "You can have it."

"But you gotta eat something!" Mathias protested. "Here, I'll heat it up for you!" His hands blazed with flames. "How do you like your meat?" he asked suggestively.

I decided to mess with him. "Hot and slathered with sauce," I said, licking my lips.

"But I don't have any sauce," Mathias replied, looking fascinated.

"I guess you'll just have to improvise then, won't you?" What was I thinking, flirting with him like this? He was bound to take me seriously and attack me…but maybe that was what I wanted. It would certainly get this night over with more quickly. "Use your imagination."

And just like that, the earlier argument was over and forgotten. I was in his arms, his mouth pressed hotly against mine. I could taste the raw snow bear on his tongue, yet somehow I was still pulling him closer. I kept telling myself that I didn't want him… but at the same time, it was obvious I wanted him more than I would ever be able to understand. I was tired of fighting; giving into my desires was much easier when he was touching me like this. His fingers left trails of heated goosebumps where they caressed, melting the last of my defenses as he pulled me into the nearest building and pressed me against the wall.

The cold, crumbling bricks cut into my back uncomfortably through the fog that was starting to cloud over my brain, but I ignored them. I couldn't control the gasp that came out of my throat as his hand slid into my pants, teasing me, rubbing me…Closing my eyes, I let my mind wander far away from the moment, no matter how good it felt. This was not what I really wanted. I didn't love him, and he knew that, and still he forced himself on me like this. We would have sex, and that would be the end of it. Then I would convince him to stay alive before I left for good.

More than anything this dimension could offer me, I wanted to go home. For once, I was willing to take my father's abuses. If that meant my life would return to normal, where I was simply a childish sixteen-year-old prince, then I would take all the beatings in the world. If that meant not seeing my mother ever again, I would cherish the last moment I had with her. If that meant finding a wife and taking over the kingdom, I would do it. I just wanted to be me again.

It happened exactly the way it had the first time; one moment, I was slipping into a dream, and the next I was a spirit, floating inside of my real room on earth. Human Mathias was still right beside my lifeless corpse, but this time he did not look up and smile at me. Rather, he seemed to be holding the body's hand and looking at in fear. There were moans coming from those cold, blue lips that I didn't recognize; I sounded like I was actually dying.

"Lukas," he groaned, leaning his head onto my chest. "Please hold on. Please. Your father's out getting help right now. I had no idea he loved you that much…but under the way he treats you, he's just a doting parent. So I'm begging you, get better. I know you can do this. I know you can survive."

It was heartbreaking, watching him cling to me with those desperate words.

Wanting to see him flash his normal, warm smile again, I floated down towards the bed, sitting down on the edge right beside him. "Mathias, I'm still alive. I'll be seeing you soon, so quit worrying already."

He didn't respond, as if he hadn't heard me at all. "This is all my fault…" he lamented.

"Mathias!" I yelled, trying to grab his arm. My hand breezed right through him, as if I really were a ghost. "No. It isn't your fault. Mathias, listen to me, you idiot!"

My body gave a gasping cough that had me cringing. Was I really dying in this world? How long had I actually been unconscious? Mathias looked as if he had gotten taller, his hair fractionally longer. Maybe I had waited too long to try to get back home.

"No…" Mathias whispered, his eyes filling with tears. "Prince Lukas, shh." He brushed a hand through my sweaty hair. "Shh…don't worry. You're going to be okay. You have to be. We'll get you out of that dimension. You said you'd come back and I know you didn't lie to me."

This was the Mathias that I had been trying so hard to see in that demon. This sweet, unequivocal gentleness that made me feel safe. The way he treated me with love, even when he knew I wasn't there, made my heart hurt with longing. He was an idiot, but I wanted him by my side.

Abandoning the effort to communicate with him, I sat down and watched him for awhile, until my wheezing stopped. Even then, he kept his eyes on me diligently, ready to hold my hand if I had another episode. Halfway through observing, my father came in with the man that I could only assume was the help he had gone and fetched. Despite being the one to poison me, he was also looking at my ill body with real worry now that he thought I didn't know.

"And you say he ingested some toxins how long ago, Your Majesty?" the doctor asked, taking off his stethoscope and listening to my heart.

"A couple of months ago. He's been unconscious since," my father answered gruffly, shame filling his eyes.

The doctor nodded. "Well, I'll do what I can, but he's not in good shape. First, I'll give him and injection and we'll go from there…" He took out a long needle, jabbing it into my arm.

As the cloudy liquid shot through my veins, I felt my spirit in this world begin to flicker. I was waking up from my daze in the other dimension. Sighing, I took one last look at the teary blue eyes of my bodyguard and let myself be taken away. The piercing pain in my butt and the soft, even snoring of demon Mathias beside me alerted me that I was back. It was over. I exhaled heavily, my hand groping around for some form of clothing to cover my bruised, naked body.