Chapter#1: Interloper


Winter was not okay. After hours of arranging… and rearranging things… and then deciding that the entire loop had been pointless, he was beginning to lose it, his source of house cleaning paranoia, was completely irrational, just Lynx coming down to visit for a night before continuing down to manage a shipment of diamond from the sky kingdom. Reason being recently a group of humans had created tools tipped with the gemstones, allowing for saws that could cut iron without needing to heat it, winter had published many a paper reporting on this innovation, and slowly more funding and researchers had found a place in his team. This line of thought however was once again cut off by the impending arrival of Lynx.

"Get it together winter, it's not like its a date, if anything this is closer to a business trip." he ran his talons down his face stretching his eyes, for everything it was worth, he didn't feel like showing her into a complete mess, though what he had done so far was simply too much. Making the guest bed for her, he went over his mental checklist.

#1 Clean up everything.

#2 Dust everything off.

#3 Tidy the furniture.

#4 Catch dinner and get wine.

Through a window he caught a glimpse of the sun, not far over its zenith.

"I should just go get the wine," he grumbled, shaking his head and listening to his spines rattle. Lynx would be upon his doorstep any time from late afternoon onwards, and, seeing as she was one for surprises, she would strike when he least suspected.

Checking over the house one last time, he made his way to the front door, leaving it unlocked in case she showed up while he was out. He made his way through the dusty cobble streets.

Over the years sanctuary had grown to roughly the same size as possibility, the lakeside being popular in the summer to dragons and humans alike, (only then did it occur to him that he could take Lynx there,) it was no substitute for the frigid seas of the Ice kingdom, but beggars certainly couldn't be choosers, especially when the alternative was slowly baking in the heat.

The liquor store wasn't far off now, receiving imports from all over Pyrrhia. Skywing wine was common, many grape plantations resting in the valleys, it was smokey, apparently being aged in charred barrels.

Icewing wine was a delicate white, fairly uncommon as importing grapes at high volume was expensive, Whiskey was a more common beverage. Mudwings made wine too, though it was too hit or miss for his taste. Rainwings made fruity wine, which was alright, just not for him. Sandwings had no room for plantations, they made Moonshine so potent it could change you, he and Qibli had gotten into Thorn's cellar at one point, one thing led to another, and well… no one talked about that. Seawings again needed imports, there was also the fact that it was salty. There were also a select few breweries in Pantala that shipped exotic liquor from time to time. Wine made by Hivewings, was especially full bodied, the treestuff in the barrels giving it a unique pallet, there was however one downside… it was as Riptide would put it: Fucking expensive.

On an ordinary day, that would turn winter away. But today was anything but ordinary, and he planned to make Lynx's time worth it. Picking from a few he landed on a bottle of "Hiveblood''

a bottle adorned with a simple label of a bee, it contained a smooth white wine, and remembering a few years back, would be relieving him of around one hundred gold pieces. Taking it to the cashier, a stocky Sandwing named Taipan, Winter internally groaned, as the Sandwing opened his mouth to speak.

"Going all out?" Taipan's voice was harsh and scratchy, probably related to a mixture of the numerous scars along his neck, and tobacco he would pull through his pipe. In Winter's opinion, it was a miracle Taipan's lungs hadn't crumbled to dust.

"Yeah… got someone coming over." Winter replied, getting some coins out of his satchel, "rare occasion I suppose." Now, by no means did Winter hate Taipan, quite the opposite, the Sandwing was nothing but friendly, but that Scorpion den vibe some Sandwings carried, well better to be cautious then end up with a knife in your back, in many ways the Ice kingdom as winter readly remembered it was the same.

"Well in that case i'll be fity gold, the other half, will be my contribution to you finally gittin a dolly bird!" Taipan laughed, breaking winter out of his thoughts, shoving half the coin winter had put down back to him, Taipan gave a toothy grin, "now git out before I change my mind!"

Winter took this as an opportune moment to leave, he gave his thanks, waved goodbye, and departed for home, a little faster than he had previously.

He's not horrible, just… never mind, let's just get this in the ice box. Winter shook his head, no sense in obsessing over nothing. He hurried home, opening his door… and getting a face full of Lynx.

"HI WINTER!"

He jolted with surprise as she greeted him, barely holding in laughter as he took it all in, Lynx's freckled grin effectively taking up the entire room.

"Hi, sorry I wasn-'' he began apologising before he was cut off.

"It's fine silly, good to see you're out and about for once."

"Thanks?... Here I'll show you to your room." he squeezed past her, leading her up to the second floor. "So how are things up north?" He asked, as he opened the door to the guest room.

"Things have really settled these past few years, the best thing snowfall ever did was take the gift of order down, and after demolishing the ice cliff, the kingdom has had a massive trade overhaul."

"Sounds great, umm… is the room to your taste?" Winter gestured to the light blue bed.

"It looks great, truthfully it's been so long since I've seen you I could have stayed anywhere." hearing that winter's heart gave a little jump, something he truthfully didn't know how to feel about. She sees you as just a friend, Winter, nothing more.

"Glad to hear it, I picked out a bottle if you'd like to go out to the lake." He couldn't help but smile when she shot him a blue freckled grin.

"Well duh! That's perfect! It's not like my schedule gets any more exciting after today."

"Right, Right! Well… you get settled and I'll get everything ready." Winter gave her one last smile and as he closed the door, Lynx called out to him.

"Thanks for this Winter!"

Later that Afternoon Winter called Lynx down, leaving for the lakeside, they took to the sky.

"Didn't forget the wine Winter?" Lynx looked back at him as they cut through the clouds.

"No I knew that if I did I'd never hear the end of it from you!" he called, "the lake is just up ahead." Flying in silence for a bit the lake finally came into view the pair descended, landing on its pebbly beach, the water reflected the late afternoon sky like a sheet of glass.

Popping the cork off the bottle of wine, Winter handed it to Lynx.

"You can have the first sip." he looked embarrassed "we didn't bring glasses…"

"I knew you'd forget something! But if you insist!" Lynx tilted her head back taking a long sip, after a few moments she handed it back to Winter. "That's good." she looked out at the lake as winter had a swig of wine, "Hey Winter…"

"Yeah?" He put the bottle down, "whats up?"

Lynx broke her gaze on the lake to lock eyes with Winter.

"I'm sorry I haven't come down to see you for a while… We used to be inseparable, well at least when I was saving you during snowball fights!" she giggled.

"It's fine… everyone kind of drifted away," Winter responded, taking another sip of wine.

There's something about her… well more importantly something I couldn't just write in a letter.

As the rays of the dying sun made way for the cool chill of night, Winter looked into Lynx's Dark eyes, she in turn looking into his, effectively locking their souls for what could only be described as a limitless moment.

"Lynx… there's something i've wanted to tell you for a while," he paused, finding his words.

"Yeah?" her attention now captured firmly as the three moons in the sky "what is it?"

"You've always been there for me, through thick and thin, you never gave up on me, you bothered visiting even after everyone was done saving Pantala, You… Care… and a while ago I realised, but couldn't bring myself to tell you" he paused for a moment her wide eyes boring into his "Lynx… I lo-" A titanic thunderclap cut him off, and with a blaze of teal, the two watched the sky perforate, making way for a monolith of brilliant steel, having studied the Human language Winder make out a single word laid charred white on red: BOREALIS, the object descended towards the waters below, splitting them effortlessly, finally coming to rest in the centre of the lake, angry waves breaking the glassy serenity, like a fractured mirror.

Winter wrapped his wings around Lynx to shield her from debris, looking into her wide eyes, the only words winter could bring himself to whisper were:

"By the moons."