Iola's days in Teima passed by in an uneventful, easy routine.

Every morning Zeev would come to her room bringing breakfast, scolding her for not closing the window before sleeping and thus letting the cold air inside. Though he would always wondered how the fire in the hearth still burn bright and hot until morning, when the blowing wind from the open window should’ve blown it out hours ago.

Afterward the wind will always blew a little harder, rattling the pots and cups on the table and Iola had to discreetly glare at the snickering Makani and the amused Fintan.

Then afterwards they will spend the days going around in and out of the many halls and rooms of Greystone Fort. She’d become well-acquainted with the fort’s staffs and attendants who always treated her with the utmost courtesy, especially with Adana, Glasnant’s personal manservant. The bright, cheery young man always spends several minutes chatting with her whenever he had some free time and she made immediate rapport with the friendly man.

He’d make Iola laughed out loud with his many tales of Glasnant’s hidden childish antics (Glasnant caught him in the middle of his tale one time and spend the whole day frowning extra hard). Then at other times Adana would complain of how his master is always grumpy and tired and that he needs a wife to cheer him up (again Glasnant caught him and blushed bright red and spluttered about how servants shouldn’t interfere on their master’s personal live, to which Adana only rolled his eyes in exasperated fondness while Iola and Zeev had to smother their snickering).

When they’re not spending the day at the fort, they will always take a walk to Kahu. On those outside excursion there will always be someone else guarding her besides Zeev.  Most of the times it will be Alik, and he will spend the day bickering and teasing her. She welcomed those exchanges of playful insults, though; they reminded her too much of her usual banters with her brothers back home.

Sometimes it will be Itzal, who prefers to express himself through his shadows. He would be silent though his eyes shone with pleasure and the edge of his mouth curled up slightly, as he made his shadows formed into trees and flowers and stars or any other shape Iola wants.

A few times Vadim also accompanied her and he’d told her stories of Teima, of how the kingdom was found and its history. Iola always listen attentively to his stories; not only because Vadim was a great storyteller, but also because the Teima’s High priest likes to use his magic in telling his tales, conjuring wisps of white smokes from thin air, and Iola would watch mesmerized as the scenes of Vadim’s tale would be projected on the screen of smoke. 

The people in Kahu were already used to see her flitting around here and there, always ready to give her a smile whenever they saw her and their children excited to have a new playmate; more than once did she joined in on the children’s snowballs fights. The Teimans were friendly people; haggard, tired lines may adorned their faces and their shoulder slumped and weary from the harsh cold, but they were still warmhearted and kind. They never fail to invite her to their homes and offer some food whenever she’d finished playing with their children, even though she knew very well they have barely enough to feed themselves. And she can see clearly how they love Glasnant and looks up to him, the same way his personal guards do too.

She didn’t get to see much of  the Teima’s ruler during the days, though; Zeev told her that Glasnant were always busy in matter of the kingdom’s affairs. But most nights he would invite her to his private rooms for dinner, where the rest of his personal companions would be present too. Iola enjoyed those times the best, since usually she would always take her meal alone with only Zeev to accompany her. Dinner at Glasnant’s room were always noisy and lighthearted, with enough laughter and teasing and jokes between the ruler and his companions that she would go to bed with a small smile still on her face after each dinner.

All in all, Iola couldn’t say she didn’t enjoy her time there. If she wasn’t kidnapped without her consent, if she didn’t want to get back to her friends, if the Guardians weren’t coming to get her back, she would say she even enjoyed her stay.

She was thinking of that fact later that night, gazing off into the open window of her room at the city of Kahu below her. The distance was too far for her to see clearly, but she could picture the people inside those houses, shivering and trembling against the cold weather.

“What’s on your mind, human girl?” Makani floated noiselessly beside her. “You’ve been unnaturally quiet.”

Iola tapped her nose in thought. “These people….the Teimans. They’re not exactly bad people, aren’t they?”

She stepped back inside the room, Makani still silent beside her. “They may have a rough way, but I don’t think they’re essentially bad.”

“Where are you going with this, human girl?”

She paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, ignoring Fintan’s face that peered up at her curiously from inside the flames.

“If my friends come, if the Guardians come, there would be fights right? Because they’re going to rescue me and I’m sure the Teimans would not let me go just like that.”

Fintan nodded gravelly from the fireplace. “Yes, I believe a fight will be unavoidable.”

“What about the people of Kahu? Will they be involved with the fight? What if this escalates into another war?” At the silence that answered her Iola groaned and stopped her pacing. “I don’t want innocent people to get hurt because of me, and I sure don’t want another war to come from this.”

Fintan’s thick firebrows knitted in a thoughtful frown. “Then what do you suggest, kid?”

Iola stared at the spirit, her mind whirling through several ideas. She sighed as she walked back to the window, gazing listlessly outside. A nip of chill bit her cheek and she looked up, surprised to see the soft falling of snow.

“Look guys, it’s snowing!”

The wind spirit just looked up in annoyance from beside her. “It’s been snowing for the last ten minutes; you were just too dense to realize it, human girl."

It was then Iola realized that Makani looked rather agitated; he floated here and there aimlessly, scowling and frowning at the snow.

“What’s wrong, Makani?”

“….Nothing.”

Fintan let out a hearty, knowing chuckle from the fireplace. “Oh, I’m sure it’s more than nothing.”

Iola looked back and forth between the spirits. Fintan still had that knowing, slightly sly grin on while Makani glared at the falling snow.

“Makani? What did Fintan meant?”

“Nothing!” The wind spirit answered quickly, still glaring outside. “Just that’s it’s snowing.”

Iola raised her eyebrows. “…..and?”

“And that means she’s going to be here, and I-“

Whatever Makani was going to say was cut by a small blizzard of snow barreling inside the room. Iola stumbled back from the force, spluttering as some of the wet substance stuck to her face. The whirlwind of snow continued on for several tense seconds though Iola hardly felt the cold; tendrils of fire had slithered up and down her body, immediately melting any snow that touched her.

Finally when the blizzard quieted down and there were large wet puddles on the previously dry floor, did she realize another presence in the room, along with the intensified humming in her mind.

“Let me guess,” she said dryly. “You’re the spirit of snow.”

The woman smiled, a hint of mischief playing at her lips. She was beautiful in an eerie, chilly way. Almost translucent that the moon light seems to pass through her pale, alabaster skin, a tiara of snowflakes sat on the top of her long hair of ice crystals and her eyes were the bluest Iola had ever seen.

The woman bowed. “You are correct. I am Talini, the Spirit of Snow.”

“A pleasure to meet you, my name is Iola,” Iola nodded. “And these are my friends-“

“Oh, I know who they are, Chosen Soul, we’re all old friends after all.” Talini nodded her head to Fintan, who only chuckled and let his fire burned higher, before turning back to Makani and looked him up and down. “Long time no see, Makani. Seems that the years haven’t been good to you; you’re getting chubbier at the waist.”

Makani spluttered and the wind blew harder. “I have not! I’ll have you know that I am as fit and slim as the day I first existed!”

“Well, I guess you’ve always been flabby then.”

“What?” The wind picked up speed around them, blowing Iola’s hair all over her face. “At least I’m not having wrinkles all over my face like someone! What did you do, someone finally get tired of seeing your ice mask and smashed it?”

Snow began to fall down heavily, falling in small heaps around the room. “I do not have wrinkles!”

“Says who? Why don’t you look in the mirror and see it for yourself? Oh wait, you couldn’t; it’ll crack because it doesn’t want to see your ugly face!”

Iola stepped back in caution; the forth and back insults between the spirits were beginning to make her wary. Sparing a glance at the fireplace, she was surprised to see Fintan only watching the heated exchange in amusement. The fire spirit saw her questioning gaze and only chuckled in glee.

“Don’t worry, kid. It’s just the way those two are.” Fintan seemed to shrugged as two tongue of flames jumped slightly from the fireplace. “Some people just express affection for each other by bickering.”

At this the two previously bickering spirits quickly turned their glare at the fireplace, though Iola wondered how they could hear Fintan in the midst of their shouting match.

“We have no such things!”

Fintan only raised an eyebrow at the simultaneous answer and even Iola had to smother her snicker. Both Makani and Talini looked back at one another, quickly firing back insults back and forth again at rapid fire.

“Fatty, old man!”

“Wrinkly witch!”

Iola didn’t know whether to be frightened or amused, seeing the two spirits arguing in front of her. Only when the wind was howling in her ears and snow whipped across her cheeks that it threatened to freeze her eyelashes did she step up.

“Guys, guys, stop this!” Iola put her hands on her hip, feeling somewhat like a school teacher breaking up a fight between her pupils.

When the spirits ignored her and continued to bicker, she felt her internal hum buzzed loudly as sounds and colors exploded around her head. She thought she saw two threads twirling in a bundle of knots in her mind and harshly tugged on it.

“Guys! STOP IT!”

Immediately the two spirits quieted down, eyes wide and wary as they stared at her. Iola huffed, feeling the loud buzz in her mind also quieted down until it was back to the soft hum she was used to.

“Now, I don’t know what your deal is with each other, but can you please not do it in my room?!”

The temperature had dropped down significantly inside the chamber, what with the wind blowing harshly and snow still falling from the ceiling. To their credits, the spirits looked sheepish and mumbled their apologies.

Fintan laughed heartily. “Nice going, kid. Usually those two would keep on for hours.”

Iola rolled her eyes and plopped down on one of the low divan, immediately jumping up with a shriek when she realized that the cushion was wet from the melting snow. A tongue of flames shot out from the fireplace, circling around the room until the furniture was dry again and the wet puddles of snow on the floor evaporated. Shooting a grateful grin at Fintan, Iola plopped back down on her seat.

“Now, Talini, was it? How come this is the first time I met you, since I’ve seen the snow piling outside at Kahu.”

The beautiful spirit shrugged, her crystal hair making a clear, tinkling sound. “I was here a week ago and made a snowstorm. Afterwards I went further north before coming back here.”

“Probably just to annoy me with her mere presence,” Makani muttered under his breath, deliberately looking away when Iola glared at him.

Turning her attention back to the snow spirit, Iola tapped her nose as a plan began to form in her head.

 “Say, Talini. You know what my situation here, don’t you?” When the spirit nodded Iola continued. “Can you help me?”

“If I can, that would be my pleasure. What do you have in mind, Chosen Soul?”

Iola grinned. “I have a plan. And please, call me Iola.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yixing felt his nerves stretched taut, thrumming with anxiety and restlessness.

It has been two days since they’d passed through the Teima’s borders and was now only less than a day’s distance from Kahu. It would be so easy to just ride the glaistigs to the capital, but no, they had to stop here, so near and yet so far.

If it was up to him he’d have stormed the city from the start, anxious to get to Iola but the person in question herself had asked the Guardians to not come after her, at least not now.

He walked back and forth around the camp, waiting for night to come and for Iola to contact them. She’d talk to them almost every night since that first time, and Yixing had mixed feelings about it.

A part of him was so, so glad of this new way of communicating between them; seeing her, even for just a few minutes, were the highlight of his days. It eased the ache in his chest, the one that has been plaguing him ever since the Teimans kidnapped her. He would always feel lighter and hope resurfaced in his chest at seeing her, talking to her.

But the more frequent their talks were, the more little details of her that caught his attention that made him worry.

It was in the way she always greet them with a cheerful smile and assurance that she was alright, and yet just minutes afterwards her eyes will be glazed over with exhaustion and her breaths shortened, a pale pallor creeping across her face as sweats dampened the hair on her forehead.

The change was subtle and almost undetected, if Yixing didn’t pay close attention to her. He knew his other brothers didn’t notice it, since she covered it well with the jokes and laughs she’d do to distract them.

But Yixing knew better and it bothered him. He wasn’t sure whether she was sick or injured, no matter how many assurances she’d gave them of her well-being and knew he wouldn’t rest until he’d have her safe and sound in front of him.

He spared a glance at the bonfire, wishing it to reveal her now. In any other situation they would never lit a fire, especially this close to the Teiman’s capital, but considering this is the only way of communication between them, Wufan and Joonmyun had called for Chanyeol to make one as soon as they had landed.

The fire suddenly hissed and cackled loudly, and immediately all the Guardians were on their feet, standing close to the fire. A few tense seconds passed before Iola’s face appeared.

“Hello, guys.”

Baekhyun grinned slightly. “Good to see you, Iola.”

“You’re well, right?” Tao quickly piped in.

Iola laughed, the sound clear and beautiful and Yixing felt warmth blooming in his chest, the previous aching gone.

“I’m alright, little brother. You’ve asked that every time and every time I told you I’m al