On the surface it was easy to presume that Blackfrost was just like the season that birthed him: frozen and aloof, merciless. The truth was more that his natural reservation and courtly demeanour both concealed and abetted his loneliness, and his heart was kind and longing, and utterly enraptured by the beautiful doe that had looked past his pretenses and kept him company. When she had told him the news, he had hardly known how to convey the warmth that had spread through his chest. He had never known such a feeling possible.
That was also the moment that Blackfrost discovered he was a worrier.
After some days of fretting and subtle fussing, he was finally seized with the idea that he ought to find a Legendary, and seek their blessing. A Legendary blessing would serve better to ensure the safe passage of mother and children than "casually" asking, "Are you sure you're warm enough? It is still quite cold," for the millionth time. And so Blackfrost took a deep breath and ventured beyond his usual haunt of icy land, and set forth for the bower of the infamous swamp witch, because he didn't get out much, so she was the only lead he'd heard of.
The first thing that happened was that he got lost.
That was also the second thing that happened, and then the third. By the time the winter lordling had finally found his way to the misty bower, he looked more like a walking burr. He'd also completely forgotten the script he'd practised on the way there.
"Hello?" the walking burr called timidly into the bower.
The witch was there, looking as promised, leaf-antlered and decidedly swamp-touched. Her eyes widened at his approach, and then she was barrelling towards him from across the marsh.
"Fascinating!" she cried, and then deflated when she got close enough to take an proper look, "oh, you're just a very dirty buck."
It was a little hurtful.
Then, she skittered back a few steps, like a nervy spider, and warily said, "Yes?"
The words: "I, doe, blessing, babies, please," rolled around uselessly in his head, the remnants of his script.
"I," he said.
After a moment with nothing else forthcoming, she seemed to deflate somewhat.
"Are you here for a curse?" she said – then, like an afterthought, added, "oh - or a blessing?"
That was not worrisome at all.
"Blessing," he said.
"If I bless you," she said, "will you go away?"
"Yeees…?" he said. Was that the right answer? He hoped it was the right answer. What else was he supposed to do?
"Oh, good," she said.
Okay.
She stood there, unmoving. Her eyes might have glazed over.
"Excuse me?" he said, after a while.
She blinked, "Okay, you're blessed. You can go now."
"But – hang on a minute, did you ask for the safety of both children and mother?" he said, with alarm, as parts of his script came back to him in these harrowing times.
She froze.
"Both children and mother?" she said, "uh. Just a second."
Her eyes glazed over once more.
This…this was not worrisome…at all…
"Alright, both children and mother," she said, when she finally blinked again, "now please leave."
"Thank you," he said, "for your –"
"Please just go."
Alright then.
It perturbed him – it must. The veracity of such a strange and secret blessing was difficult to trust. But then, she did seem decidedly swamp-touched – the glow of her eyes seemed not like normal Kin. He had heard she held mysterious power – she had certainly acted mysteriously. And she had known what he had come for…even if, well, not the specifics. Star Lit Path would be safe, he thought, and their children together as well. That was all he desired, however it came to pass; that was good.
Now his only problem was finding his way home.
END