Pure, glittering snow fell upon her skin, sharp and cold as the cut of a blade.
"Avelisse?" someone called out.
She heard the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow behind her.
Caedryn rushed forward and held her gently in his arms. "It is bitter cold. Why have you come out here?"
It was cold indeed. The biting wind tore at her heart, stripping away every spark of warmth still left within her.
Her voice was faint, almost breathless. "Caedryn, since Maerith came to live here, I have not once seen the sky so wide and clear."
Caedryn's grip upon her hand tightened. "I shall find a way. And when I do, you shall walk beneath whatever sky you choose. You shall go wherever your heart leads."
Avelisse turned and looked at him.
These past days, he had watched over her without rest, w
