1 Preface

It was a cold winters night. The snow was falling, allowing a cold blanket to wrap the Earth in its beauty. The snow was drawing the unsuspecting stranger in as she continued to stumble her way through the cold dark woods. The moon causing the deathly white ground to sparkle like a jewel, a prized possession meant only for her. The price to possess that jewel was not one she was willing to pay. Her determination and will were the only things keeping her frozen icicles walking.

Suddenly up ahead, she saw the snow change from it's ghostly white color to a warm golden color. With quiet puffs that turned into mist the moment it touched the freezing air, she stumbled towards the small cozy looking cabin. At this point she had no other options except to lay down and allow the cold blanket to put her into an eternal sleep.

Reaching the door of her temporary destination, her blue fist reached up and knocked. Now that she wasn't moving she could feel her body slowly shutting down. Fighting to keep herself upright she heard the door open. The warm glow of the cabin reached out to her feet, beckoning her to come in. Slowly she accepted it's invitation.

"H-Hello?"

Her frozen voice cracked from being used after breathing in the bitter air from the outside. All that answered her was the crackling of the warm fire from the middle of the cabin wall. Slowly looking around she saw a bed on the other side of the small cabin. She had no time to think, her mind running on autopilot at this point. She stumbled to the small bed and collapsed. The warmth from the fire began to slowly creep across her skin and wrap around her body. The feeling of defrosting made her sigh in relief with sleep following closely behind it.

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Zachariah was exhausted. He was ready to enjoy a quiet meal by the fireplace and head to bed. Walking into his cabin he didn't notice the frail body that lay on his bed in the corner of the room. Quickly making himself some oatmeal he turned and almost dropped his bowl. The young woman looked pale, almost the color of the snow that lay outside on the forest ground. Quickly walking over to her he placed his hand on her head and was alarmed at how cold her body was.

Zachariah quickly grabbed some more logs and placed them on the fire to get some more heat in the small cabin. He then hurried to take off her shoes and place her on the bed properly before wrapping her in every blanket that lay on his bed. That night he sat on a chair by the table carefully watching the beautiful stranger as her chest rose and fell. That was the only indication that she was still alive, but it was enough to give him a sense of relief.

"What could have made you wonder around in the woods, especially in this cold?" he whispered.

From his experience, anyone wondering the woods was either lost, or very desperate. As his thoughts ran ramped he filled a tub up with warm water and dabbed a cloth on her face. Normally a warm bath would help, but he didn't feel right undressing her while she was unconscious.

Zachariah took this time to truly look at her. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. She had high cheek bones, long lashes that lay gently against her cheeks, and full lips that were slightly blue from the cold. Her hair was everywhere, but it still looked so soft to touch.

Shaking his head he finished dabbing her cheeks once he saw some color slowly return, and went back to his chair. Placing his boots off to the side, he leaned back and closed his eyes, allowing his exhaustion to settle in and sleep to overtake him.