Repairing the Broken

[»Míríel«]

Beauty is something that can be found in all places if one looks hard enough. Somehow it can be felt in the breeze of a spring morning, seen in the pattern of minerals in stone, or displayed in the beauty of the sunset. Each one had a different sort of beauty, a different essence of the whole that way one could enjoy the different facets in different places, making beauty being a surrounding element.

Miriel stood by the beauty of the Twisting range. This beauty was a rough, sort, composed of the jagged cliffs, the reaching peaks, and the smooth soft snow. Even though the wind was biting and the temperature was low, there was something about the sight that warmed the heart. Usually one, when wrapped in a warm clothing, would smile at the scene. Most did, this time though Miriel did not. She could not be lumped into that group. Instead of seeing beauty, she saw pain.

It had been a couple days after her fight with Jaedon, perhaps even a week. Miriel wasn't quite sure, days had been blurred before her fight with Jaedon, and they had only increased in blending together since then. She had been on the move constantly. First she flew to the falls, stayed for half a day, then moved farther away. There was a fear of being found again, or of Jaedon coming closer. Right now Miriel wanted nothing to do with her friend, nothing at all. She had felt violated, her trust had been broken, and the friendship was on the edge currently. The more Miriel thought about it, the madder she became. Jaedon had forced herself into Miriel's mind, knowing she was weak, so that she could pry into her past to curb her curiosity. It was wrong. Very wrong. Forgiveness was going to happen though, Miriel knew, eventually. Though if such a thing happened again Miriel didn't think she would be able to forgive Jaedon. Privacy was very important to her.

One thing that the fight had made her do was go to the place she least wanted to, besides Cecily's house where Damion was, and that was where the fight happened. Here would be a place no one would expect her to be. Perhaps she could find peace, here at the place where peace had deserted her. So she wandered through the snow, beating her way upwards to the spot. As she went she forced herself to not heat up to counteract the cold. Instead she let herself shiver, and let her skin grow cold and pink. She looked like a lily among the snow, a snow encrusted lily. Snow sprinkled her hair, her nose was running from the cold, and her cheeks were flushed from the wind's merciless movement. She was waiting for someone to come along, brush the snow off, pluck her from the cold ground, and bring her close, protecting her from the elements that swarmed around her. The only person she knew that could do this would be Damion, the one person she loathed the see the most.

Ever since the fight she hadn't been able to bring herself to him. She had visited the house many times, but when she went to cross the threshold, her feet froze, her hands shook, and she couldn't budge. It was as if someone knocked the breath out of her and stole her strength. You could call it cold feet, of the fear of the unknown, both were acceptable and both were true. The thing was, she knew Damion would forgive her, yet that made her feel all the worse for hurting him. True she hadn't known it was him, but the blind rage she had been in, she would have killed anyone in that rage and so she proved later with killing Eventide.

Miriel had thought with Eventide out of the picture things would be fine, but it made her more ashamed than ever. Damion would see her as a spotless flower, pure and innocent, yet she felt like a filthy wretch, dripping with blood from her victim. How could she hide the death from him? She would have to tell him, yet she dreaded doing so. Why was life so hard? Things had been so clear earlier, now a cloth had been pulled over her eyes, a cloth of blind rage. How could it be pulled off again.

Finally she made it to her destination. Miriel knew it from the trees that were still singed. It had been a two weeks at least, and still the earth was recovering. Her mind filled with memories as her feet carried her blindly. When she shook the memories away she found herself standing at the edge of a little divot in the ground. It took a moment for it to register in her brain. This had been where Damion had fallen when she had delivered what was supposed to be the death blow. Miriel bowed her head and stifled as sob as she covered her face with one hand while the other arm wrapped around her chest. Oh Damion...

[saerwen]

Damion was glad to finally be free from Cecily. It wasn't that he hated the girl. It was quite the opposite, he thought quite fondly of her, but he had become aware very quickly that privacy and personal space were her most treasured possessions. She had taken care of him in every way possible so that she could kick him out as soon as possible. With her type of personality, he was starting to understand why. She was such a strange person that it was clear she needed her space.

As soon as he was able to walk, Damion had had a longing to do one thing, find Miriel. She had been avoiding him for the past few days, and thanks to a fairly informative report from Jaedon, he knew why. Jaedon had been hesitant to tell him at first, scared that he would get worried and worry himself sick again. However, he wasn't in the mood to get sick again. He had worked as hard as possible on getting better so that he could find her and figure what was wrong.

He had seen her on some occasions when she would get half way to Cecily's house and then, with the look of a deer facing headlights, she would turn and fly away. Miriel was scared of something. From the sound of what Jaedon said, she was angry with herself and she was scared that she would hurt Damion again.

Damion just shook his head. He had a hard time swallowing the fact that Miriel was a phoenix, but when he finally did, he had been one of the happiest men in the world. He started his side of their relationship with a realization that Miriel could kill him, she could turn on him, she could do whatever she wanted to in combat, and he would get the rough end. There were certain dangers with being with Miriel. However, he knew that even if Miriel did ever turn on him, he would rather take the death that she gave him than live knowing that he had fought back. He would never turn his powers against her unless she were about to hurt someone else for no good reason. When he had realized the danger, he had also realized that he wouldn't be able to live without her. If it came to life or death, he would rather die.

Damion hoped that Miriel knew this, and that he would never be angry with her. He couldn't have been. It might have hurt, but it hadn't been her fault. Damion had fallen in love with his most deadly enemy. If something happened, it was his fault for falling in love with her. He was going to make sure that she didn't stay angry at herself for very long.

He had known that she would not revisit the sight that she and Jaedon had fought at, but he also knew of no where else to look for her but the place that the fight had happened. That was the only thing that would have made sense for Miriel in her current state. If she was so miserable with herself, then she would go to the place where it had all begun. He was delightfully surprised to see that he was right.

She was standing on the brink of the crater that his large form had left on the ground. Even though he was glad to see her, when he took in her appearance, his heart broke. What was she doing to herself? Damion was wearing a short sleeved polo and felt fine simply because he was such a cold blooded creature, but when he looked at Miriel, also in a short sleeve shirt with her skin turning pink from exposure, he knew there was a harsh difference. Miriel was not comforted, but frozen solid in a manner of speaking.

It took him a little while to reach her since the pain from his wound was giving him some nasty grief, but he finally made it to her, his feet sinking into the snow silently. When he was right behind her, he heard her sniffling and crying. Yet again, his heart was ripped in two. He very carefully slid his arms around her, pulling close to her, wrapping her into a fairly tight embrace. She was still warmer than he was, which made Damion glad. If she had been the same temperature as he, he would probably have really started to wonder if she was freezing over.

He placed a gentle kiss on her lovely black hair that was rushing wildly around in the wind. He could feel her sobbing still. He wanted to dry all of her tears.

"Oh Miriel, stop crying. Please don't cry," he spoke in a whisper, close to her ear, "I am alright, and I am here now. Please stop." His arms tightened around her waist. He was so glad to be near her again. It had felt like an eternity since he had seen her and now all he wanted to do was hold her to make sure that she was close and didn't leave again.

[»Míríel«]

Tears were falling freely now, and they froze on her face in a matter of seconds. It was so cold up here. Still even in the weather she denied herself the comfort of warmth. Comfort felt like it was something she was to unworthy of. Her descent into depression was heading farther and farther down, deeper and deeper. First she had lost her appetite, her sleep, her upkeep, her innocence, almost her friend, and now she was starting to lose a grip on her sanity. IT seemed she was on the edge, just like she was before the "crater" in the ground.

Miriel never sensed Damion, nor heard him come closer. To her, arms suddenly wrapped around her waist and felt herself being drawn close to someone. Her body stiffened, if she had been more like herself, she probably would have lost her skin, or grown so hot that one would have had to let go. This time she did neither, feeling so numb to the current world the only resistance she could put up was not relaxing.

The embrace, something was disturbing about it. What was it? She blinked, it was because it was so familiar, so gentle and caring. A kiss was placed on her forehead and she knew immediately who it was. Damion" The cold arms, the gentleness, the overwhelming love. It had to be him. Then he spoke close to her ear, asking her to stop crying. Instead of obeying Miriel's emotions launched her off into more tears, and she felt like her legs were going to collapse. "Damion!" She turned and wrapped him in a hug. Burying her head into his chest she just sobbed and clung onto him for dear life. "Damion. You're alright, I was so worried! Oh Damion!" She continued to sob, his shirt now was wet and was turning into ice due to his temperature and the surrounding temperature. "I thought I would never see you again!" Her voice was muffled in his shirt, and sounded like that of a child's who had been scared. "I was so scared."

Her whole body was relaxed in his arms, the stiffness that had been there had melted like snow. Now she was pressed against him like the world was ending. Her mind was peaceful for a second. She was in Damion's arms, everything would be alright. Her eyes, which she had closed flew open. She was in Damion's arms! Her body stiffened again she pulled away from him.

Taking a step back then another she came at the edge of the crater again. Her eyes were wide and the wind tossed her hair this way and that about her, almost giving her a wild appearance. "Don't touch me Damion..." She dropped her gaze and ran her fingers through her tangled hair, "I... I don't want to hurt you again." Her cheeks reddened, this time it wasn't because of the cold, but the shame she felt. "I'm so sorry Damion! I'm so...sorry!" She started blubbering again, tears fell from her eyes and she drew her arms about her tightly. "I didn't know it was you! I didn't! I thought... I thought..." Her watery eyes continued gazing at the ground. " I thought you were someone else."

[saerwen]

When Miriel started to let out a fresh set of tears Damion knew that he had come at just the right time. Miriel was falling apart, or more like tearing herself apart. As she erupted in tears and desperate cries, Damion continued to hold her gently, letting her pent up grief flow out. Feeling her head against his chest hurt slightly, but he wouldn't show it, knowing that it would cause her to recoil and start her worries afresh.

He knew that why she had stayed away after this outburst. She had been worried about him, but she had been scared. It was understandable, but Damion hoped that it would pass soon. He was glad that she could finally relax now that he was better and she didn't have to feel guilty anymore. However, when she pulled away, Damion began to wonder if Miriel really was going to give it up.

He watched as she came close to the crater, instinctively reaching out to make sure that she didn't take another step and fall into it. He stopped when she started to speak. She better not let her guilt eat her away. It wasn't even her fault!

He let out a sigh when she was finished, "Miriel, I knew that there was a possibility that I would get hurt that very first time that I kissed you. I knew that I was playing with fire and that eventually I was going to get burned," Damion smiled gently at her, "I know that you didn't know it was me. I know that you saw an old enemy instead of me. It's alright! I am fine now!"

He then sobered up after this, coming closer, he put his hand under her chin, and lifted her face. His eyes locked with hers and in a serious voice said, "Miriel, there is no way, on heaven or earth, that I could live without touching you. I can't ever make a promise to stay away, and no matter how hot you might get, I won't stay away. I would rather burn."

[»Míríel«]

So Damion knew he would be burned eventually, and so he had been. This didn't relieve any of the guilt within her. "But I still did it...I just wish more than anything I wasn't fire, that I never had this fiery demon inside of me!" When he mentioned everything being alright Miriel looked him over. HE appeared to be alright he did. Still she was worried for hi. Pulling her arms about her tighter she gazed at him. "Are...are you sure?" She hoped he wouldn't lie to her face. She wanted to know the truth about his condition.

When he came closer and place his hand under her chin and lifted her face, at first she kept her eyes tilted downwards, but then she looked up at him. His ice blue eyes were so loving and soft. He still loved her. Somehow she knew he would, but that didn't ease her pain. When he mentioned that he would rather burn than never touch her again she blushed and looked down. He still didn't know, he still thought her as a picture of pure innocence. "Damion..." It was time to come clean. She pulled away from him once more and turned her back to him. She wouldn't be bale to say this while looking at him. "I...I wanted to let you know that... I've changed." She turned toward him . "I've changed so much. HEr eyes were still brimming with tears and her hands shook as a sign of nerves as she pushed her hair behind her ear once more. "I killed someone in a fit of blind rage." She turned from him and lifted her hand to push her hair back, only to remember she had just done so. Her hand dropped to her side limply and she looked down. "Eventide has felt the fire of a phoenix's rage and the strength of their talons." She paused for a moment, shaking off the memory, " I had thought that once I had her out of the way I could visit you, being shame free, but I was mistaken. My shame only increased, for now I feel her blood and..." She blushed, "Yours on my hands." She shook her head, "Then I got in a fight with Jaedon... It seems like I am longing for a fight, I have been on a high with rage, now when I don't have it. I feel empty. What has happened to me" Her eyes shifted to Damion as she drew her arms tighter around her to contradict the sharp wind. " What if I never go back to who I was? Damion, I don't like who I have become."

[saerwen]

"Miriel, how can you say that? Fire is who you are, what you are! I would never want you to be anything but fire. You are the one person that gives me a taste of something I have never known. I have never known what warmth feels like. When it is a gentle heat, it can provide such comfort! Miriel, I love who you are, what you are! I love your fire!" Damion was trying everything that he knew to try and stress to her that he didn't want her to change, to feel miserable, to think that everything was her fault. It wasn't.

"Of course I am fine! I will admit that I am not perfect and that it does still hurt a little bit, but that will take more time," Damion smiled at her and rolled his eyes to stress that she was worrying for nothing, "If I weren't fine, do you really think that I would have been able to climb all the way up this mountain and still be standing?"

Damion was quite taken aback by her confession. Miriel had killed someone. Who had she killed? Did he know them? "Eventide..." So Miriel had taken her rage out on the sneaky little tramp. Damion sighed and his eyes fell from Miriel's figure to the snowy ground. The snow was so pure. It was so clear. That was one reason why he loved it. It was an unattainable thing, to be as white an pure as the snow, but he knew that the snow could easily be dirtied. Eventide had done more damage than Damion had at first thought possible. She had not only stolen Miriel's confidence and replaced it with guilt, but she had also aroused the harsh feelings within her that had once filled Damion. It pained him to think about the fact that, in all reality, it should have been he who killed the little demon. However, he had been unable to save Miriel from that. He was not disappointed with Miriel, but he did mourn the fact that Miriel had lost her claim to clean hands, free of blood stain.

"Miriel," Damion raised his face and his eyes back to her. It might have looked like he was disappointed with her at first, but you could now tell that he was quite the opposite. He was very glad that Eventide was gone, as much as he hated to delight in the death of anything. "The truth is that if you hadn't killed Eventide, I would have. She was just too much to leave alive. She would have continued to hurt people and eventually someone else would have found the guts to take her down. When there are no governments to protect people, the only thing left is the death penalty, left to the people to carry out. You have done the right thing, Miriel. I know that the feeling of having killed someone is...harsh to say the least, but you have done the right thing."

"I don't think that you are longing for fights, I think that you have just been so lost that they found you and scared you enough to make you react. Am I right? Our fight scared you, Eventide scared you, Jaedon scared you. They all made you feel vulnerable. It's not that your changing, you just haven't found some sturdy ground to stand on yet," he paused, considering his words carefully, "I will help you find whatever it is that will make you feel like you are on sturdy ground again, Miriel. You will return to who you were because you never really changed enough to prevent it."

[»Míríel«]

Fire is who she was. She blinked. That was true, it was who she was. Fire made her, it gave her shape form, even life. Every phoenix knew that in order to be reborn, one must commit themselves to a burning pyre. Still she wished she could be closer with Damion and not have to worry about hurting him, or him hurting her. When he mentioned that he loved her fire she just stared at him. Miriel felt her cheeks burn red with pleasure.

When he mentioned being fine she gave him a look over. He did look fine, but appearances hide many things. What he said about climbing the mountain was true. If Damion was weak still, if he was in immense pain, he wouldn't have made it and, knowing Cecily, she wouldn't have allowed him to think about leaving. Still the reassurance was encouraging.

As Miriel watched Damion's reaction to her confession she saw him studying the snow. Shame burned her soul like white fire. He was thinking of its purity, its innocence, and how she was now soiled, useless. Had everything that Damion said before now get crossed out by this single fact? Miriel shifted her feet but when he looked up her heart sank. He looked, disappointed. When he spoke her name her stomach leaped to her throat. What would the outcome be?

Shock is a slight understatement to what Miriel felt. Damion's words were like a clear, pure, light piercing through her fog of thought. It was as if she could see clearly again through his words of reason. Eventide was evil, and though she had taken the girls life, it was heading for the girl anyway. This didn't excuse her, but it put it in a better position. The more Miriel looked at it the more that she saw that what she had done had been for the better after all.

A weight was starting to lift off her chest, it only needed another push and it would be gone. Damion's last words did the job rather nicely. Miriel listened intently then her eyes widened, this time not if fear, shock, or confusion, but understanding. He was right, she was scared. The ground beneath her feet had rocked, and almost fallen to pieces. For once, in a long time she had felt vulnerable in many levels. Her hand raised to her collarbone as she thought it over.

Her hand dropped and she looked at him shyly, it seemed like her innocence had returned slightly. Bit by bit the old Miriel started shining through. Her senses were returning. Taking a step closer, eyes averted, cheeks red with a blush, she inched closer to him, and closer. Then standing close she spoke in a gentle, and soft voice, like a child, "Damion..." She reached by his side, grasped his hand and brought it to her cheek. Closing her eyes she pressed her face against his hand, soaking in the sensation. It was nice to be close to him again, how she had missed it. "All you need to do, is be here. I only need you." Her voice was velvety as she looked at him, "You are my sturdy ground."

Suddenly the urge to be closer to him overwhelmed her and she threw herself at him, holding him tightly. "I love you." He words were muffled and barely discernible above the wind. How was it that in Damion's arms everything was alright, it didn't even feel cold anymore, it felt secure, peaceful. She was where she needed to be.

[saerwen]

Damion had to admit that he had started to like the look that Miriel took on when she blushed. It was nothing other than cute. It made Damion feel strange, like there was something that he could do to please her. That was something that he wanted more than anything. He wanted to be useful and pleasing to Miriel. He wanted to be the one that she could run to when something had gone wrong or when she didn't feel well. He wanted to be the one that would keep her strong and secure.

Her confidence and strength was returning, and Damion was so glad of it. If her quavering faith had continued to shake, Damion would have really gotten worried. However, now that she was better, he didn't have to worry and he didn't have to think of other ways to convince her. He was tired from walking up the mountain, and despite how good the cold felt to him, it couldn't heal how tired his mind was.

When Miriel brought his hand to her cheek, it felt good, but not for the reason that Damion wanted it to feel good. She was so cold. Her skin felt like it was freezing over. Damion had meant what he said about loving her fire. He loved it because it could balance him perfectly. Right now, she wasn't using her fiery side at all. She needed to start warming herself up because he certainly couldn't provide any physical warmth for her.

"I love you too, dear Miriel. However, in order to be your sturdy ground I need to protect you. Miriel, you need to get yourself warm. It won't hurt me. Please use your power to heat yourself up," he looked down at her with a smile and kissed her on the forehead, "I can't have you getting sick when I'm still recovering. There have been too many people visiting Cecily lately."

It was then that another thought came to him, "Miriel, what did you and Jaedon fight about? She told me you had an argument, but nothing of what it was about. I thought it nearly impossible for you two to fight. I mean, after all that you have been through together, I didn't think there was a crime as awful as killing your father other than maybe killing me, although I flatter myself in thinking that I am that important to you," he was curious and speaking in good humor.

[»Míríel«]

Miriel listened to Damion quietly and pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. "But...Are you sure?" She looked at him with eyes of concern. Now that she had him, she didn't want to hurt him. Miriel knew that he was right though, she was shivering slightly from the brutal cold and once he mentioned Cecily she knew she would have to heart up. "I suppose you are right. Poor Cecily, I bet she was going pretty well insane...well...more insane." She smiled crookedly before allowing her natural heat to come flowing through her body. Even though she was warmer, she kept it still colder to keep from Hurting Damion to much. True the cold about him probably protected him better than anywhere else. Still, she wanted to be close to him. So she was at a comfortable temperature where she would be slightly warm, but not hot like usual.

When he mentioned Jaedon she averted her gaze. "Jaedon..." Miriel sighed deeply as anger lashed in her eyes. Speech didn't come from her until the anger dimmed and melted into sorrow. If Damion had seen it, he would have realized how deeply what Jaedon had done had cut Miriel's bond between them. Yet, because the anger faded, it was obvious that the bond would heal. IT would take time, lots of time. In truth, Miriel didn't want to talk about it, it was to soon after the fight, but Damion, she would tell him, right now, she would tell him everything if he asked. Well, almost anything. "Jaedon came upon me when I was...weak, my guard was down and my emotional stability..." She winced and looked at Damion for a second with a blush of shame, "Wasn't as it should have been." She averted her gaze down to the ground and took her hands from him so she could fiddle with her fingers and stare at them. "She wanted to know about my past, why I had seen what I had. I didn't want to talk about it because it wasn't a good memory. So Jaedon barged into my mind, like I said, taking advantage of my weakness and pushed her way to where I didn't want her so she could see all. " If Damion could see her eyes he would have seen pain and grief. " I didn't want her to see those things, I didn't want her to know." She balled her fists together. "But she had to, she wouldn't wait until I was ready to talk. Instead she violated my rights and stuck her nose where it shouldn't have been." Miriel brought her hands up to her eyes, covering them, and bowed her head slightly. Once again she looked like a lost child. The memory hurt her, but the memory of her fight hurt even more. She still felt anger, and it pained her and disturbed her. Anger, it was so delightful, so powerful, but it left a bitter taste in the mouth. Miriel knew all to well what destruction it could bring, and she hated it. More than anything she didn't want to walk the path someone she loved dearly had. Miriel wanted to banish Anger from her, but it keep reappearing. "That's all." She tried to make light of it, but failed miserably. In fact, if anything, the last statement made all to clear how much it bothered her.

[saerwen]

Damion was satisfied when he felt Miriel warming up. It was true that it made it a little harder for him, but his skin adjusted to it very quickly. The pink that was on Miriel's nose and cheeks from the cold began to fade and she stopped shivering so much. Hopefully she had reversed the effects of the cold soon enough to prevent anything from settling in a getting her sick.

Damion was surprised at how vehement Miriel got when talking about her spat with Jaedon. There were still some harsh feeling there. He had never thought that those two could ahve gotten angry at each other, but Jaedon had managed to make it happen. He knew that Miriel was probably being a bit over-protective of her past, but that still didn't clear Jaedon of barging in uninvited. She had a nasty habit of doing that. Somehow, the power to read minds and leave nasty suggestions gave her the right to go in whenever she wanted.

Damion didn't want to step on any already well-worn threads, although curiosity bit into him hard, wondering just what it was that Miriel didn't want Jaedon to know. He figured that he might as well do the smart thing and wait until Miriel was ready to tell.

When she tried to make light of it, Damion almost laughed. It was admirable that she was trying, but it was a horrible outcome. This time effort didn't pay off. A large grin lit up his face, "Oh, Miriel, you really are pretty easy to read," he ran a hand through her tangled mass of black locks, "I am sure that Jaedon was trying to help, in some twisted line of logic. I hope that you guys will be able to work things out."

He then decided that now was the time to get a little more serious with Miriel, "Miriel, I need to ask you something," he paused as he thought about how to say what he needed to, "Are you...I know that you love me Miriel, and I know that I love you more than life itself, but I really have to ask you how far I can let myself take this. Miriel, this past fight has shown me that I really am relying on you a lot. I don't want to get to where I would do something irrational if I couldn't stay with you. If you don't think that this could get any more serious then tell me now, because I know that further down the road, I won't be able to handle heart-break and it is going to get harder and harder to restrain myself." It all came out in a flurry. He hoped that Miriel understood what he was asking her.

[»Míríel«]

Miriel blushed when he mentioned how easy she was to read. It was true, she had problems hiding her feelings. Many had told her that she should be proud of this, that she let people inside so easily. It made it easier to help her out. Miriel saw this as a weakness, but didn't know how to stop it really. Once one is a free spirit, it is hard to capture and constrain it again. He did raise a valid point against Jaedon. She probably was trying to help, but barging in on someones memories without being asked was beyond rude, if Jaedon hadn't been such a close friend... Miriel didn't want to think about it. Still, Damion did help her see somethings that she hadn't before, like always. She felt her anger cool slightly towards Jaedon.

What came next Miriel didn't see coming. She knew it probably was sometime, but so soon? It wasn't that Damion's plea was unwelcome, Miriel had been waiting for him to say it and the last experience had made her realize how much she needed him. IT was more of the fact that it was random and out of the blue. Everything he said she had known through actions, but it was wonderful to hear it fully for once. To hear the words had so much more power than thinking them.

Feeling heat rise to her cheeks she covered the red blush for a moment. Her eyes glowed with happiness and shyness. She felt like a schoolgirl whose crush just admitted that they liked her. Yet this time ti was so much deeper. The memory of the ice phoenix seemed to loose power, he was just a memory and he would never even hold a candle to the man Damion was. More than ever Miriel knew that Damion was right for her, she loved him. This love that she felt wasn't the warm and gooey type of love, though it had those qualities, but it was something that was more of a commitment. She knew that she had found a man who she could stand by for support, for kindness, and for love even though he had failings. It would be a love that would last, and she knew it.

She bowed her head as her hands covered her eyes, shoulders shook with her tears. Then suddenly she unveiled her face and turned it up toward him. The tears didn't bring down the mood, instead they seemed like diamonds on her face, sparkling like her eyes. Laughter danced from her lips as she swamped Damion in an embrace by throwing her arms around his neck. "Do I even need to answer?" She pulled back to look him straight in the eyes. The green in her eyes shone like grass on a summer day laden with fresh dew. They were warm, welcoming, happy. One could be transported to a happier place just by glancing this look. "Damion, I tried to live without you, I tried, and failed. Just like you, this past fight has shown me how much I need you. I can't believe I hadn't realized it earlier." Her cheeks glowed the innocent red of a maiden's blush. "Damion! I -" She brushed her finger through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes where the wind had playfully placed it. "love you." How her blush grew deeper it is a mystery and her eyes glanced down as a smile of satisfaction came to her face. That four letter word she spoke had such weight behind it, more than it ever had before. It was the taking of a commitment, not identifying a feeling. "I couldn't be happier if we walked through life side by side." She had raised her eyes back to his. She was so shy when saying this, it was obvious that it was the first time she had ever gone this far with someone. Miriel had thought she had loved the ice phoenix, but now she was realizing that that relationship wasn't even in the shadows of what love truly was. Her heart was beating wildly with her confessions to Damion. "I hope I will never break your heart Damion. It is very dear to me."

Somehow, in the deep snow, the chilling wind, and the grey sky, Miriel had found a place of peace, of warmth, and of happiness. Right now, nothing around her seemed to exist, only Damion. Beyond them was only a sea of white mist, beautiful and pure.

[saerwen]

Damion hadn't really realized it, but he ahd been holding his breath the whole time. He hadn't wanted to lean towards one answer being more likely than another. If he had leaned towards Miriel saying yes than if she had said no, he would have had trouble recovering himself. If he had leaned towards her saying no then it wouldn't have been as bad, but he would have beat himself up if she had. It was so hard to control himself as he waited for her answer. Her cheeks dying pink only made it harder. He wanted so much to sweep her up in his arms and never let go, but if she didn't want that then how could he go against her?

Was this confession too soon for her? Was it too soon for him? There was no way that it was too soon for him. He loved her heart and soul and if he held it in any longer without getting her answer, then he would probably explode. He just hoped that she felt close to the same way. He had even thought of proposing to her, right then and there, but he had known that really would be too soon for both of them, as much as he might have thought the opposite. They needed to spend more time together before making that kind of commitment. However, it began to look more and more tempting as the seconds squeezed by.

When he saw her tears, his heart jumped into his throat. Oh no! I didn't meant to upset her? Wait is she crying because she is happy? Geez I can't tell! His poor mind started panicking, but then she soothed everything with one question and action. His heart went back to its rightful place and a large grin spread over his face. As he listened to her rather heated and meaningful confession, he felt relief well up in his heart.

"You have no idea how glad it makes me to hear you say that, my dearest Miriel," Damion said very gently as he pulled her closer into a tight embrace. He ran his hand over her hair and then slowly pulled away placing a kiss on her cheek, then lifting her chin, he bent and placed his lips gently on hers. His cold lips met her rather warm ones. He pulled away slightly and then kissed her again. He would never be able to get enough, he knew that now. He wouldn't ever let her go now, not unless she just couldn't stand it. He didn't even think that he would pull away from this kiss. He didn't even feel the need to breathe when things were like this. Miriel was his breath, she was all that he needed.

[»Míríel«]

"You have no idea how glad it makes me to hear you say that, my dearest Miriel"

Miriel smiled at him. Dearest Miriel She liked that. She knew that he meant what he had said. When his arms embraced her she sank into the embrace willingly. His cool body was refreshing to her, like a cool breeze in the summertime. She felt her breaths grow deeper as she was soaking everything in. It was good be be embraced, to love and to know that the feeling is being reciprocated.

Their lips touched, a warm feeling rushed over her like a wave. Somehow the mixture of fire and ice was so perfect, yet so different. She smiled as his kiss lingered on her lips and she realized that if things continued to go the way they were, which she hoped they would, Damion and she would be locked into the best combination of fire and ice. Summer and winter would mix and become spring and autumn.

Miriel broke this kiss to catch a breath and let out a sigh of happiness. Running her fingers through his hair she pressed closer to him and landed another kiss on his mouth. She could get used to the coolness that met her. Damion would cool down her fiery side with his cool reason, she had nothing to fear of that. Miriel pulled away from the kiss once more and brought her eyes to his. "I am glad it makes you glad, my love." She kissed him again and she felt herself warm up more. Something in the back of her mind brought her attention to it. Damion didn't need that right now, he had just recovered from her heat, and they were so close together. So she broke the kiss, smiled at him and playfully planted a last teasing kiss on his lips. Then she lowered her head on his chest, by his left shoulder and encircled her arms around his neck.

How could one be so happy? She didn't know that such happiness could be achieved, and something that had such depth as well. Right now she just wanted to be with Damion, to cling to him, stand, sway, dance, or die, she just wanted to be there. How had she lived without Damion? Their meeting felt like such a long time ago, yet compared to her life, it had only been a fraction of time, a blink of an eye. It was strange to feel like she had known him her whole life, when in reality it was a different story.

Miriel was also glad that he had confessed his love, but hadn't proposed. It was to soon. Both still needed to recover from the last hardship and both needed to nurture the love so that it would blossom time and time again and flourish with vigor and health. Even though Miriel wanted it, she knew that she still had time to grow, sort out some things before it came to be. She wasn't ready, though she longed to be.

[saerwen]

Damion was glad that Miriel was just as passionate as he was. She seemed just as eager to kiss him as he was to kiss her. He smiled as she kissed him again and again. The last one was the worst though. He hated it when things like that happened. He knew why Miriel had stopped. He could feel her warming up and his chest began to ache slightly. He knew that it normally wouldn't have bothered him that much since his own person would have just gotten colder and colder, but his heart was just beginning to refreeze. Thawing it out again was not a good idea. Miriel knew that, and as upset as it made him, he knew it too. It's alright Damion, it's not like this is the only time that you will have to kiss her. She just said that she wants to be with you forever and considering that you are immortal, that is quite a long time. Take it slow, pal. He tried to convince himself that it would be fine and it worked, especially since Miriel hadn't really pulled away from him, she had just made sure that she didn't do anything to heat up. A smile tugged at Damion's lips as he held her and thought about that. Miriel's passion was shown in her temperature, unlike his own, unless he was close to changing forms. He liked the fact that it didn't take much for him to turn her temperature up.

"Miriel, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but I was sort of curious," Damion had randomly thought of something while considering everything that had happened, "Why don't you like to tell anyone about your past?" He wasn't going to press the issue, he didn't even want her to tell him her past, he just wanted to know if it was because she was ashamed of something she had done, bad memories of old friends, or just a conglomeration. He kept one arm around her waist and ran the other up her back. He pulled her closer and planted another kiss on her forehead.

[»Míríel«]

Miriel was enjoying being close to Damion. She hoped she wasn't hurting him, but she knew that if she was, he would let her know. She was so relaxed. Her body was starting to give her clues and complain about what she had put it through, not sleeping or eating much more than what absolutely necessary. She wanted to fall asleep in Damion's arms, he would watch over her.

When he asked her the question about her past she sighed. "Hmmmm" She had closed her eyes, head still rested on his chest, and her hand was playing with his hair in an absent minded manner. "It's just painful I suppose." Her voice had a dreamy quality, showing that her mind was somewhere else. It was on Damion, the feeling of being close to him, his smell, his presence, and the feeling he stirred within her. "Many bad memories, my dad wasn't always friendly, my friends weren't true, and life was hard." It may have seemed like she was going to continue and go deeper but she didn't. Like the kiss it was just a teasing amount of information, enough to wet your appetite. IT cautioned you not to ask to much further, but lured you to want more.

Miriel didn't mean for this to happen, she just skimmed over the top, not wanting to bring out the bad and ruin a perfect moment. Perhaps the two would talk about it, about each others past. Share one memory for another, but right now, she didn't feel up to it. Her emotions had been put through the wringer the past couple days. If Damion asked, Miriel didn't have the defenses to refused, or she didn't think she did.

Miriel snuggled closer to him. "I just don't like looking at the past hardships, unless good came from them." She sighed again, though it was almost like a yawn. "Though if you asked, I might just tell you. You'd have to be really nice to me though though." Her voice had a playful tone to it. She inhaled deeply locking his scent into her mind, "I'm so glad you found me."