tall and dark, with a mysterious look in his eyes and his long black hair shading his face. I knew him well, and the sight of him made me reel with desire. Kian. It was Kian as I had remembered him, as I had seen him in the idealism of my dreams. He was dressed in full fairy knight armor, silver and shining, that glowed in the moonlight and shone its beams back at me with blinding intensity. Around him I saw the same blue sparks that had been flaming from my fingertips, glowing with a bright indigo flame. With his fairy wings fully extended behind him, he looked like an angel – like one of the stained glass images of the Archangel Michael I had seen in our church at home. He was looking down at me with a gaze so full of love, so full of passion and emotion, that I wanted to cry.
“Kian?” I whispered, my voice filled with tears. I was so terrified of being deceived again, of having my heart broken once more. “Is it really you?” Or was he only a glamour –another false Kian sent to torment me?
“My love...” But I knew the truth this time. The blue sparks coming from my fingertips swirled towards his own flame, and the two tongues of fire met, surrounding us with magnificent blazing blue. I knew this man. This was Kian – the real Kian and none other. Our souls called out to each other. Our bodies needed each other. The magic in our two bodies collided and combined, as the heat from our fire warmed us both.
“Breena!” Kian's face was too solemn for a smile, but the joy in his eyes was clear beneath the mask of pain. I raised my gaze to his, and in his eyes I saw all that he had suffered, all that he had feared and undergone. It seemed an eternity that passed with the two of us looking at each other, trying to make sense of our emotions, to put the pieces of our lives back together.
And then it happened all at once. Kian was rushing towards me and I was rushing towards him, and then I was in his arms, alive and complete, and his arms were tight around my waist and our kiss was electric. The blue fire continued to rage around us, punctuated by flickers of orange and gold. It was a cocoon, I thought – a safe place, laid out for us by this magic that connected us both. Nothing could touch us here. Nothing could reach us here. There was nothing here except me and Kian, except our love.
At last Kian was able to speak. “Oh, Breena, my darling!” He held me closer, tighter. “I thought I'd lost you forever – that I'd never see you again!” He pressed his lips tightly to my forehead. “Seeing you is like seeing some phantasm, some shade. No, not a ghost...” At last he smiled, and his grin seemed to light up the world. “An angel!” He stared at me with wonder and rapture plain upon his face, and I could feel the burdens in my heart lifting. Kian was here. What else mattered? Whatever challenges we still had to face, we could face them together! “When I saw the flames, blue and orange together, in the sky, I knew it had to be you! Where else could I see Summer and Winter magic acting in such perfect unison? And yet I did not dare to hope, dare to dream, until I saw your face, until I was sure that what I experienced this morning was not another lie, another trick borne out by fancy.”
I took Kian's snowflake from my pocket and held it out to him. The pendant sparkled in my hand, sending out beams of light into the stars. “This saved me,” I said. “Your snowflake. It made me immortal.”
He took the snowflake, his hands trembling. “Then you accepted me,” he whispered, his voice so soft, it felt like a caress. “My proposal – you must have accepted, deep in your heart, for this magic to work.” He took hold of my shoulders and pulled me in towards him. “You have become part of the Winter Kingdom. In accepting my love, you have bound yourself to my magic. And our love has brought you back from death...” Our kiss silenced him. There would be time to talk in a moment. But for now, I
“Kian?” I whispered, my voice filled with tears. I was so terrified of being deceived again, of having my heart broken once more. “Is it really you?” Or was he only a glamour –another false Kian sent to torment me?
“My love...” But I knew the truth this time. The blue sparks coming from my fingertips swirled towards his own flame, and the two tongues of fire met, surrounding us with magnificent blazing blue. I knew this man. This was Kian – the real Kian and none other. Our souls called out to each other. Our bodies needed each other. The magic in our two bodies collided and combined, as the heat from our fire warmed us both.
“Breena!” Kian's face was too solemn for a smile, but the joy in his eyes was clear beneath the mask of pain. I raised my gaze to his, and in his eyes I saw all that he had suffered, all that he had feared and undergone. It seemed an eternity that passed with the two of us looking at each other, trying to make sense of our emotions, to put the pieces of our lives back together.
And then it happened all at once. Kian was rushing towards me and I was rushing towards him, and then I was in his arms, alive and complete, and his arms were tight around my waist and our kiss was electric. The blue fire continued to rage around us, punctuated by flickers of orange and gold. It was a cocoon, I thought – a safe place, laid out for us by this magic that connected us both. Nothing could touch us here. Nothing could reach us here. There was nothing here except me and Kian, except our love.
At last Kian was able to speak. “Oh, Breena, my darling!” He held me closer, tighter. “I thought I'd lost you forever – that I'd never see you again!” He pressed his lips tightly to my forehead. “Seeing you is like seeing some phantasm, some shade. No, not a ghost...” At last he smiled, and his grin seemed to light up the world. “An angel!” He stared at me with wonder and rapture plain upon his face, and I could feel the burdens in my heart lifting. Kian was here. What else mattered? Whatever challenges we still had to face, we could face them together! “When I saw the flames, blue and orange together, in the sky, I knew it had to be you! Where else could I see Summer and Winter magic acting in such perfect unison? And yet I did not dare to hope, dare to dream, until I saw your face, until I was sure that what I experienced this morning was not another lie, another trick borne out by fancy.”
I took Kian's snowflake from my pocket and held it out to him. The pendant sparkled in my hand, sending out beams of light into the stars. “This saved me,” I said. “Your snowflake. It made me immortal.”
He took the snowflake, his hands trembling. “Then you accepted me,” he whispered, his voice so soft, it felt like a caress. “My proposal – you must have accepted, deep in your heart, for this magic to work.” He took hold of my shoulders and pulled me in towards him. “You have become part of the Winter Kingdom. In accepting my love, you have bound yourself to my magic. And our love has brought you back from death...” Our kiss silenced him. There would be time to talk in a moment. But for now, I
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