The icy wind bit at my limbs, it’s howl piercing in the silence. Feet and hands have long lost their feeling, frostbite and hyperthermia likely settling into a new home; me. I’d been walking for hours, forcing myself forward for the sake of the person on my back. For the sake of our kingdom.
Someone needed to be there for our people.
That is what I had told my husband when he insisted on joining me on the frontlines. A king protected his country, Hayes had argued back. I knew his body was weak from his younger years, his magic faded. I should’ve tried harder to keep him home. To keep him safe.
Now he’s dying on my back and there was nothing I could do except keep walking. And walk I did.
When the demonic being, a mix between a bear and lion, had swiped Hayes back I lost it. Rage and grief at the sight of blood on my husbands back, his blood, tore my senses to shreds. Hayes had still been conscience then, enough to grasp my hand in his and tell me to breathe. The vortex of ice surrounding us had slowly died into nothing, leaving behind a barren battlefield filled with dead beasts.
The once thriving mountain that separated the monsters den no longer flourished. Instead it was now covered in white with freezing winds.
On the other side of this mountain was our temporary base where our soldiers prepared to to take down the vicious monsters wreaking havoc in our country. I had gone to scout out the area alone during the night. No one was supposed to know and I should’ve been back by the morning with intel on the den and zero conflict. But Hayes had followed me, had pushed me out of reach of the lion-bear beasts sharp claws.
He had gotten hurt because of my stupid mistake.
“Kirsi,” Hayes mumbled my name in his dazed state. He’d been drifting between wakefulness and unconsciousness ever since he got injured. “Kirsi... I... love... you. Don’t... leave....”
His words pierced my heart like a knife. Memories of our younger years when we’d first began courting each other flashed in my mind. I’d learned many things about my husband and his... less than pleasant family dynamics in that time. Hayes magic and health had fallen due to the cruelty of his parents and an evil plot they had revised involving the sacrifice of their son.
And now he’s injured again and this time it was because of me.
I had bandaged his back with strips of my cloak, a lame replacement for actual medical supplies. It wouldn’t do much and my Husband would die soon if I didn’t move faster.
This was all my fault.
Exhaustion ate away at my mind and body, leaving me dizzy and stumbling in the snow I created. Air entered my lungs in gasps and my whole body aches with every step.
To create so much snow and ice I had to use a lot of energy, and now the effects were hitting me with full force. If I didn’t make it to the other side of this mountain soon, we’d die.
So I continued forward.
Hours later, when the numbness had spread to my legs and made it near impossible to walk, a light glow caught my eyes ahead.
Hope sparked in my chest, force enough to push me forward.
“Hey!” I yelled out, “Over here!” The light got closer, illuminating the silhouettes of a few guards. The familiar blue crest bringing relief to me immediately. “Help, the King is hurt!” I shout as the guards get closer.
“Kirsi! Hayes!” The closest soldier gasps. I sigh at the familiar voice. It’s Jerykl, one of our most trusted generals and a close friend. “Where have you been! I’ve been worried sick!” Jerykl helps hold up Hayes as he voices his worries.
“I went to scout... Hayes followed me... Beast attacked and he pushed me out of the way. He... needs medical attention right away.” I explain as I gasp for air and try to keep myself from crashing.
My efforts are for naught however as the world twists to the side and more shouting reaches my ears. Then, darkness consumed me.
A groan of pain left my lips before I could even open my eyes. Everything hurt. Such is the result of over using my powers, and carrying my husband across a snowy mountain.
My eyes shot open at the memory of what had happened and I attempted to push myself into a seated position as my eyes began to frantically search the room. A firm hand gently pushed me back down onto the bed. Whipping my head around, I came face to face with the man I had been searching for.
“Hayes,” I croaked, my throat feeling sore and dry. Tears pricked at my eyes as relief flooded my entire being. “You’re alive.”
Arms surrounded me as I let myself sag against my husband’s warm body, a welcome change to the environment on the mountain.
After a moment, I realized something. “Should you really be sitting at my bedside? The injury you got should’ve left you in bed for at least a couple of weeks.” Taking in the appearance of my husband I realized his hair had grown a bit longer and rough stubble covered his chin and cheeks. All things that should’ve taken a couple of weeks as well.
“Kirsi, honey, I’m alright now.” Hayes pulled me into another shaking hug. Which one of us caused said shaking was unclear. “You’re awake that’s all that matters now.”
“What do you mean I’m awake now?” I asked frantic for an answer. I hated losing time, whether it be through drunken nights, injuries, or other factors. Time was precious. It was something we had too much of and yet, never enough.
I’ve seen to many people embrace the inevitability that comes with time. Like my family, my friends. So many people have left at the wrong times. Too many.
“Shhh, Kirsi. It’s alright. We’re both fine,” Hayes soothed, running his fingers through my hair. I hadn’t even realized I started crying. Shaky breaths and croaking sobs escaping my lungs. I clung onto Hayes like a lifeline.
Once I’d fully calmed down, I asked once more, “How long?”
Hayes seemed hesitant at first, only fuelling my worry more. “About a week and a half,” he admitted. “You used too much of your magic and killed every single demon within the mountain area. Then you carried me across said frozen mountain because I got injured.”
Nodding my head, I forced the bubbling panic down as much as I could. Before I could say anything though, Hayes spoke once more.
“It’s all my fault.”
“No!” I nearly screeched. “If anything it’s my fault! I didn’t notice the demonic beast. I didn’t kill it in time. I froze the mountain and nearly killed us both!”
Hayes gave a tired glare. “I shouldn’t have followed you! If I hadn’t then maybe that beast wouldn’t have found our hiding spot.” Hayes waved his arms in the air almost hysterically. “You wouldn’t have had to use so much of your power that you ended up in a coma for nearly two weeks! You wouldn’t have had to drag me through a snowy mountain for hours because I was unconscious and injured.”
Both of us were gasping for breath from our yelling, glaring at each other in defiance. Neither one of us would yield to the other and we both knew it.
Eventually Hayes let out a sigh, a small, soft smile growing on his face. “I love you, you know that?”
I copied his smile releasing some of the tension in my body as I snuggled closer to my husband. “Yeah, yeah I do. And I love you too, you know?”
Hayes chuckled softly. “Yeah, I know.” Carefully he laid us down on the soft bed that I faintly realized was ours from the palace. We must’ve been brought home. “Let’s not go on anymore dangerous missions for awhile. How does that sound?”
“That sounds lovely, my dear husband,” I replied, sleep consuming me once again.
