She ate dinner a tad early the next night, hoping maybe he would too. He wasn't there when she arrived in her cape.

Five minutes later, precisely at six o'clock, he flew over with a smile. "You're early."

She threw her arms around his middle, making him take a step back to catch them, and rested her cheek on his chest. "I missed you."

He kissed the top of her hair. "I missed you too. Are you still needing the honey and sugar treatments?"

A soft growl erupted in her throat.

He chuckled. "I can do them. I just need to know what time."

"At seven."

"Ah, my little minx, you were going to skip them, weren't you? Bernard?"

Bernard lifted up the satchel with an exhausted look.

"I see you're making your guards work for their keep," he laughed.

She grabbed his hand and started pulling him into winter.

He planted himself. "Where do you think you're going?"

"You're going to show me around winter," she frowned.

"Not in your state. When your wings are healed then maybe."

"We're going to stand here all night?" she asked dryly.

With a smile, he sat down on the edge of winter and look her hand to lead her into spring. Then he gently tugged until she sat beside him. With a nod for the guards to give them space, he gently laid her down with his arm around her. "We will talk and watch the stars come out." They lay silently together, and then he whispered, "Watch." He gently extracted himself from her and flew up into the clouds.

She gasped when he cleared the clouds away to reveal the Northern Lights. Then he landed back beside her, covered in snow.

She laughed and stood to help brush it off.

"Look."

She looked up to see dozens of shooting stars and gasped. "Are you doing that?"

"You are," he smiled down at her.

"Me?"

"Whenever I make you laugh, the stars fly," he said huskily.

She gazed up at the sky. "Milori?"

"Yes, love?"

"Wait here." She hurried over to Bernard and whispered something to him. Then Bernard lifted her in his arms and took flight. She signaled to Milori that she'd be back in a moment.

When she returned, she walked over with a beautiful blossom in her arms and handed it to him with a smile.

He smiled and set it down in spring to study it. "Is it a flower?"

She knelt beside him with a blush. "It's a red rose. They mean love."

The tender look he gave her melted her heart. "It's almost as beautiful as you. Thank you, Clarion." Then he cocked his head and studied it. "I wonder if I can take it into winter if..." He softly touched the petal and white crystals formed on it. Then he drifted his hand over the entire rose, spreading the crystals.

"It's beautiful," she smiled and gently reached over to touch it.

"No!" He grabbed her hand with his other.

She jumped.

"You must let it sit for a moment or the frost will travel to you. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He nodded after a moment.

Where she touched it, the frost melted. "Oh no."

He frowned. "Maybe if it's thicker."

She withdrew her hand and he applied another layer. "There. I've never seen flowers like this before. Do you think that maybe at night in the summer it's cold enough for me to come over?"

"I'm not sure," she said, nibbling her lip thoughtfully.

"Can you be in spring at night?" He smiled, his eyes crinkling handsomely. "Good point. I don't know."

They moved into the grass of spring when it was nearly time for her treatment anyways.

He knelt down, gently fingering the blades. "It is soft like this at all times?" he asked in amazement and slowly sat down in it.

"Yes," she smiled, watching him discovering her world.

An earthworm popped up, and Milori jumped back. "What is that?" He gently pulled Clarion away.

"It's a worm," she laughed and walked over to it. She gently stroked the scared creature, and it leaned into her hand. "He won't harm us. He helps keep the dirt soft for the plants to grow."

He cocked an eyebrow. "He looks slimy."

"No," she giggled and pulled him over a bit toward a log. She lifted it and showed him slugs and other bugs hiding underneath.

"Ah, alright. That's good," he said with a disgusted look and held up a hand. "I think I'm glad we don't have bugs in winter."

They were close to the border of summer, and something caught his attention. He walked over to the grass where there was a flashing glow. Pushing apart the blades, he found a bug that was flashing. "Clarion, something is wrong with this one."

She walked over and ducked under his arm to pick it up. "No, it's a firefly." Then she held it out to him.

He carefully patted its head, and the firefly jumped.

"Oh," she frowned. "Maybe you're too cool for him."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Here. Really quick before you get too warm." She took his hand and ran over to the pond. She knelt and plunged her hands in the water. Fish started jumping and the frogs croaked in greeting.

He laughed and knelt down to look through the water where she lit it up underneath. "They live in it?"

She nodded and lifted out some water to drop it into his hands. As it trickled out of his, it formed icicles. He jerked his hands away from the water as the icicles broke off to pierce the ground. She calmly cupped her hands around his, thawing the water. And when she glanced up at him, she saw his brow damp.

"Come on." She grabbed his hand and they started running.

He ran into winter, and she quickly darned her cape and gloves. Then she hurried over and packed ice on his wings even though they looked fine.

He swallowed hard. "The best thing is to get in water."

She helped him up, and he walked past a few trees.

She followed. "Milori?"

When he suddenly knelt, she feared he was collapsing. He punched his fist through the snow, revealing a lake underneath them. "I'm alright. Stay by the trees." Then he jumped in.

She screamed, her instinct that he would freeze. Then she remembered he was cold, and she feared he would drown.

Just as suddenly, he popped back up looking more like himself.

She grabbed her chest and started breathing again. "Don't ever do that again," she gasped, her heart thundering.

He climbed out, shaking off his wings. "No, sweetheart, it's good for a winter fairy to get freezing cold once a week. Alright, now don't panic." He waved his hand over himself, creating a frost that broke off as he moved, leaving him dry. Then he flew over to her.

Her eyes were wide, her mind expecting him to be dead from the ordeal. She touched his cheek to find it icy cold.

"Clarion," he said gently and moved her hand to his chest. His heart beat strongly under her hand. "It is a way for us to heal ourselves. It's alright."

She nodded, although she didn't quite believe him.

He led her back to spring, warmed his hands in the warm river, and gently applied the sugar and honey to her wings and back.

The homely domestic task made her look over her shoulder at him thoughtfully.

A gentle smile spread across his face, and he held her eyes in the fading sunlight. The deep love shining back at her stole her breath, and her heart flip-flopped. She wondered...