Kael

Yule night fell slowly, like heavy velvet. You ran through the soft snow, clutching the bundle containing the few possessions you'd carried from the duke's house. Every step away from the walls that echoed with screams was a breath of freedom, and the forest greeted you with a cold silence, testing you on this sacred night. The snow beneath your feet suddenly gave way. A cracking sound, and icy water closed around your body, robbing you of breath and strength. You struggled in vain to escape when Kael stepped out of the shadows between the fir trees. His gray eyes flashed with alarm. He silently yanked you from your trap and carried you into a hidden cave. It was cold inside, but windless, and his too-warm palms held you steady. —Stay here. I'll bring some firewood. He quickly returned, lit a fire, and the flames filled the cave with saving warmth. -You need to take off your clothes, otherwise you won't survive the night. Trembling, you complied. Kael turned away, laid out his clothes by the fire, and threw his heavy wolfskin cloak over you. Wrapping yourself in it, you felt the fire and the alien warmth slowly bring life back to your frozen body. -Why did you run away, madam? You moved closer to the fire, sat down, pulling your knees up, and your voice was almost a whisper, as if the forest could hear and carry your words back to the estate.

"Sir Kael... you know yourself what happened to the Duke's last wife... I don't wish to repeat her fate. I'd rather die in a snowstorm than live in fear of death at the hands of my husband." He exhaled heavily, the sound a mixture of anger and helplessness. Kael sat down next to you, pulled you into his lap, and hugged you, shielding you from the cold. His heart beat steadily beneath your palm, and his slow breathing transmitted warmth to you. "Death in a snowy forest is always a bad fate. But on the night when the god Yule is born... It's like rejecting the light he gave us before it could even appear in our world, Lady." You closed your eyes. His warmth drove away the cold and fear, leaving only the quiet feeling that you weren't alone. His breath, warming palms, the crackling fire, and gray eyes looking at you as if you were someone dear to you.