Annie shivered under her blue coat. Freljord was too cold for its own good, and trying to keep warm by super heating the air was difficult. The spell drained mana if used for too long and they had been traveling since the morning. She nestled deeper in Willumps arms as the big yeti trodden along the snow. The mountain trail was well worn, and provided a gorgeous view of the village nearby. The valley that nestled the village was coated in a thick blanket of snow, and every house had a column of smoke rising out of their chimneys. The festive comradery infesting the town echoed up to their ears. Annie could make out a few songs if she concentrated hard enough. It wasn't fair, how can they have nice warm fires and cozy houses to stay in while she had to rough it out in the woods. "Bah Humbug!" She said, willing the words to reach the village below.

"Ba-what-huh?" Nunu leaned over from atop Nunu's head. He wasn't at all bothered by the cold, of course he wasn't he had grown up here since he was young. Well younger that is. The boy adjusted his hat before it could fall off. Tying the two tassels on the side so it hugged his chin. A few flecks of snow fell down off his head from the movement. Annie's heated aura melted them before they came too close.

He was still looking at her and she sighed. He won't stop until she told him. "Nothing. Just something from a story my dad told me. He always told it around this time of year."

"Oh you gotta tell me it. Especially if I haven't heard it before!" Nunu said and Willump growled in agreement. The two were always up for a new story. If the story was good, and it will be if Annie likes it, then he'd add it to his own list of stories to retell. Nunu slid off Willumps head, and the yeti scooped him up in his other arm. He got comfy and looked at Annie bright eyed and waiting.

Annie smiled, she couldn't resist once Nunu started looking at her with excitement.

"Winter has come, and with it Snowdown. And… and." She started strong but let her words fade after the first sentence, mouth slowly frowning as she remembered the full story. It was a story that was suppose to encompass all the warm feelings of family and companionship during Snowdown, to say even an ol scrooge can find happiness even after being so stingy and spiteful in life. Right now, feeling the cold air around her and seeing the houses far below where happy (together) families lived, didn't really help her own abandoned feelings. Especially now as she thought that this would be her first Snowdown without her father.

"Annie…" Nunu leaned forward, voice soft and caring. "You're crying, are you okay?" He leaned forward and brushed a mit across her cheek. Annie flinched away as she took in what he said. She brushed her own mitted hand across her eyes, wiping away any tears. She didn't notice when she started crying.

Annie sniffed hard, and rubbed an arm under her nose. "I-" She shook her head, she decided to change the subject, if only by a little bit "Do you celebrate Snowdown?"

"Of course! I mean, Freljord is always snowy anyways, but we still have the festivals and the feasts. This one time my mom..." Nunu's smiled cracked into a frown. He understood now. Snowdown meant family and they had lost theirs.

Willump growled, and held the kids closer together in a tight hug. Nunu pushed away from the hug or else he'd drown in the fur. A small chuckle escaped his upturned lips. Annie yelped as she fell beneath the yeti's arms. She waved a single hand out from beneath the fur, looking for purchase. Nunu grabbed onto her hand and hoisted her up so she can breath again.

"Willump is right…" Nunu said, his voice getting a bit melancholy. "I miss my mom… you miss your dad… but together, at least we aren't entirely alone. We can still celebrate Snowdown if we want."

Annie pursed her lips in a half forced smile, she knew on some level he was right. She wasn't alone anymore. She had been traveling with Nunu and Willump for weeks now, and this has been the best she had ever felt in a long time. But...but that doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt. She brought up Tibber to her face, burying her chin deep in his fluffy back. The smell of cherry wood embers brought her back home, her mind remembering how her father and her huddled close to the fire as they drank spiced melted chocolate. She wanted to have a Snowdown just like that one. A Snowdown with Nunu and Willump.

"I'll tell you the story, but only if we find shelter that's not a cave." Annie said

Nunu's smile returned, "Pff, easy peasy."

...

"At least it has four walls." Nunu said as he walked up to the entrance of the mill. Willump was walking the perimeter, checking for anything dangerous. The worse he found was that the creek wasn't entirely frosted over. The duo were quite pleased with their find.

"There's no roof!" Annie stamped her foot on the cobblestone path. The crooked building leaned heavily to one side. The wood was moldy and she was sure there was an infestation of rats huddled somewhere in the building. The old mill's waterwheel was frozen solid due to the weather and the added weight made the building lean. Either the shift in weight or the wooden gears jamming up was the cause of the collapsed roof. Annie guessed that this building had been abandoned since.

Nunu popped his head out of one of the broken windows. "It's actually quite nice here." He slipped back inside and popped out a different window. "The roof only sorta fell inside. All it is, is a bit snowy."

Willump came out from behind the building. All four of his arms full of firewood. Some of it was useless as it was frostbitten. Luckily that wasn't a problem Annie couldn't solve.

"C'mon Annie, we'll have to shovel all the snow out before we can stay inside." Nunu waved from the doorway. He checked how much daylight was left, if they hurry, then maybe he could hear her story before sleep overpowers him.

Annie sighed. She followed the boy inside and took in the interior. The mill was also a house it seemed. Part of the second floor had fell into the first when the roof collapsed, but it was still easy to see the different bits and pieces of furniture among the debris and snow. Annie moved carefully around the room. Her feet trudging through the untouched snow. Nunu was right beside her, using his magic to part the snow and start the clean up process. There was half a couch, the stuffing of its cushions were exposed where a seam popped. What looked to be a dining table and a set of chairs. Most of which were intact, the table though had two broken legs. And some shelving where moldy books gathered dust.

If this place was also a house that meant- The sudden thought of an actual bed made Annie's mind race. Annie was so sick of sleeping on the hard ground night after night. She ran upstairs and only vaguely heard Nunu's warning. She made sure to skirt around the broken floorboards and avoid what was left of the banister. She opened the first door she found and squealed. A bed, an honest to god cotton bed. The bedding and pillows were still intact if a bit dusty, any snow in the room was on the opposite end, where a missing wall lead back where they came.

Annie took a step forward when Nunu caught her by the hand.

"Wait," Nunu gestured to the room. "This room is right next to the hole. We don't know if it can hold us. Let's clear the snow out first, then check out the house."

"Ugh fine." Annie huffed. Together they walked down the steps. The floorboards creaked under their feet with each step. They could see Willump below rolling the snow into balls, and chucking them out the door. Nunu jumped the last few steps and began rolling his own ball of snow, magic aiding his movements. Annie looked across the room from her higher vantage point and saw that more than half the room was full of snow. In one corner it actually reached the ceiling. She jumped the last step and pushed Nunu and Willump aside. "Move."

Fire engulfed her hands, and the air around her rippled from the sudden heat. Nunu tugged at his collar as sweat instantly formed at the back of his neck. Willump wrinkled his nose as the blast of heat caught him off guard. Before either could say, 'overkill', Annie unleashed the torrent of flames, and the room was filled with fire. Then just as quickly, steam. As the steam escaped through the open roof, Annie clapped her hands together, pride puffing her chest. The house was clear of snow, mildly damp, and only one corner was singed black. Nunu had to agree that was much quicker than their idea.

Now that the snow was gone, the trio got a second look around the house/mill. There was a doorway to a kitchen the snow was hiding, as well as three strong looking support beams that held up the second floor. Looks like they'll be able to get to that bed after all. There was also a side entrance to the mill side.

"Hey there's a fireplace." Nunu walked over to the far end of the living room, now that they can tell where the living room began and the dining room ended. He bent down into it and looked up the chimney. "Looks collapsed. No wonder we couldn't see the top of it from the outside."

"That shouldn't matter, the roof is gone anyways." Annie said with only a the smallest hint of annoyance, already setting up a stack of the firewood Willump found on the hearthstones. Nunu scooted out of the way, and Annie pushed the wood stack into the center. With a snap of her fingers the fire was lit. She loved watching fire dance, she would have stared for hours if she didn't have anything else to do. Stepping aside, Annie began sorting through the rest of the firewood, separating out the frostbitten logs from the pile. She laid out those ones in front of the fire to thaw and dry out.

Willump slumped near the fire while Annie worked and rubbed his paws together. Yeti or not, being warmed up by a fire always felt good.

"Don't get took cozy buddy. We still need to go hunting for dinner. If it gets too dark we won't get anything to eat." Nunu tugged at Willump's arm. Even if the beast was easily five times his size, Willump made a show of falling over at Nunu's insistence. Nunu dragged Willump across the floor comically and out the door. "We'll be back before dark, Annie."

"Okay, I'll see if I can clean this place up some more." Annie waved them off, and turned to survey the room once again. If she can find the linen closet maybe she can make a makeshift tent to protect them from the snow. First she'll have to figure out what to do with all the debris from the roof.

...

Willump draped the young elk over his shoulder, it was already skinned and gutted before coming anywhere near Annie. Last time she fainted when he skinned a rabbit in front of her, and was visibly upset while she ate it (Poor little bunny). As they got back to the millhouse, Nunu pointed for Willump to head out of sight so he can start cutting the meat into more manageable chunks. This should easily last them two days. Willump's portions were a lot bigger than Nunu's and Annie's. Nunu poked his head inside and was surprised.

A pillow fort, it could only be a pillow fort, was constructed in front of the fireplace. The bed was brought down, Nunu guessed with a lot of effort, and was placed at the foot of the fireplace. Flanking its sides were the remnants of the couches, expanding how much room was available to lay about. Chairs were stacked up upon one another and were draped with fur blankets to act as a barriers against the cold. Tied up on the second floor, before it became a gaping hole, was a large linen sheet that was pulled taught and tied again at the corner of the pillowfort. Through the sheet, there was a healthy orange glow from the fireplace radiating inside. Nunu circled around the fort, looking for his red headed friend. The dining table was tipped over, the edge of it and the fur from the chairs made the entrance. Annie wasn't inside. Nunu turned around to the rest of the living room. She even cleared away some of the debris… or burned it until it was nothing but ash. From the small soot circles on the floor, most likely the later.

When he couldn't find her he called out her name.

She called back from the kitchen. Inside he saw Annie at the water basin. "There's still water in whatever reservoir the house uses." She said. This was fortunate, they had almost ran out of water, and Nunu was worried they'd have to start drinking from the ice he created. Which was a last resort kind of thing. Now they can refill there waterskins with fresh water. "I also found a bunch of utensils, so we don't have to eat with our hands for once!"

"Cool." Nunu came over and looked at the water basin. There was some light steam rising out of the water. She had heated some up to start washing some plates and utensils preemptively. Figuring she'd be done soon, he gestured back to the front. "We're gonna eat and sleep in the living room?"

Annie turned around, so she could look at her pillowfort. "Oh uh… yeah, cause the dining table was too broken to use, and it'd be too cold sleep upstairs without the fire nearby. I tried to make it so no snow would get on us when we sleep. We should be fine."

Nunu tapped his chin, "I can maybe make a roof of ice if you're that worried about the cold."

"The fire's good enough. There was a bunch of fur and blankets in the closets upstairs that'll work. I even made sure there was enough room that Willump can sleep with us, so we can cuddle up with him if we need to."

Willump growled loud as if he had heard his name. The noise grabbed their attention. Nunu beamed, "Willump's done prepping, I'll grab our share of elk and start cooking it. Check if there's any spices left in these cabinets."

Annie nodded and put the plate she was washing down so it could dry. She rummaged through the spices and double checked if they had gone bad. Some of the dried and sealed jars were still good, maybe. Some water got into the salt, so that wasn't useful anymore. There was moldy bread in one section that made Annie gag. Who knew how long that was sitting there. Not much to work with, but at least they won't be eating elk bland.

…

The elk meat turned out good, despite the kids accidentally overpowering it with too much spices. Annie charred her share to a black crisp to mask the mistake. With dinner done and the night sky above their head, Nunu felt a song coming along. Willump drummed his tummy to the beat of svellsongur. No words came along as the spur of the moment melody took them by surprise. Annie watched as Nunu's fingers slid from note to note in a complex improvised dance. Her hands beat out a tune on her lap, using whatever was in reach to add to the song. Nunu peeked over to see Annie smiling and laughing as she decided she wasn't a musician and instead made Tibbers dance.

Nunu played one last note, letting it linger in the air. Annie was always enraptured by his playing, it was so soothing to listen to, and his stories always so enthralling. She and Willump clapped as Nunu finished with a flourish. He stood atop his mass of pillows and bowed to his two companions. "Thank you thank you… and now up next Annie." He did a smaller second flourish and waved his hands at the little girl, mentally putting a spotlight on her.

"Me?" Annie looked back and forth to the two in front of her.

"Yeah, you promised us a story if we found a place to stay." Nunu plopped down and tucked his into his arms. Willump nodded, she did say she'd tell them.

"I don't think this really counts." She looked around the pillow fort and the run down house beyond the furs and blankets. Her gaze landed back on the exaggerated sad eyes Willump and Nunu were throwing her way and she giggled and shook her head. "Okay fine."

Annie scooted over to the other side of the bed. She stood to take center stage, so to speak. She heard Nunu tell his stories so many times, she wanted to make sure she put on a good show for him and Willump. Nunu leaned forward with all of his interest and attention. Their eyes met, and Annie suppressed a blush that crept onto her face. She shook the embarrassment away, Nunu would love this story just as much as Annie already did. Her father told her it so many times that she knew it by heart. With one last breath to calm herself down, she began, putting on her best Piltovian accent.

This will make for a good Snowdown Memory.

A/N: Kinda of a spur of the moment one-shot. Honestly I didn't think I'd write another chapter for this story, but hey it's the holidays and if that doesn't scream Nunu and Annie, I don't know what does. Had no idea where it'd take me once I started writing this chapter, it's more or less just a small slice of life moment of these two's travels.

Anyways, Happy Holidays. See you all later, Love you, BYE!