Blades of fire and hearts of ice

Flight to a new life

As soon as we take off, Ash gently wraps a hand around my waist as I hold onto one of Snow's many huge scales. The flight itself is nothign liek I have ever experianced (obviously). Snow soars above the clouds and then dives back under. Ash tightens his grip on me, his fingers warm even through my top, unlike my own always-cold hands. The wind howls in my ears and pushes my wavey black and red hair back into Ash's chest behind me. 

After a while of smooth soaring, my eyelids begin to feel heavey and I slightly lean back into Ash's grip. He whispers something in my ear, but his voice is drowned by the wind.

"WHAT?!" I hollered, trying to make myself heard

"I SAID, YOU SHOULD GET SOME SLEEP!" He yelled back

"BUT I'LL FALL OFF" I replied

"NOT IF I HOLD YOU, I DON'T FEEL LIKE SLEEPING, SO DON'T WORRY" Ash tells me

I'm too tired to reply, so I just sink into his body and let my head rest gently on his chest. His warm hand still holding me and I slept almost at once. I wake up to Ash's gentel shaking. 

"Nora, you should see this" She says softly into my ear

I open my eyes and blink, my eyes adjusting. I look around. We are still in the air. Ash points to the bright orange sun, rising, the whispy clouds around a beautiful hue of pink and orange, streaching out into the vast sky. 

"Its so pretty"  I mumble to myself

We flew in silence for a while. I turn a bit to face Ash. 

"Aren't you sleepy?" I ask him 

He merely shruggs "We are stopping after the sun rises for a while. Snow will need rest too" 

I nod. The cold wind causes me to shudder slightly. I am reminded of Rex and his warm coat, the way he would wake me up every morning with his hungry whining. I sighed softly, wishing I could have him with me. I also remember Amelia's content breath everytime she exhaled in her sleep, the soft chimes of the beads on the dreamcatcher hung by Chloe in every room on her first christmas at the orphange. 

Before I know it, a small tear fell down my cheek. I can't beleive what has happened in the past 24 hours. My home was destroyed, one of my best friends died and I am going to a place I don't fully beleive exists with a boy I have know for barely 2 weeks. More tears stream down. 

So much had changed in a matter of minutes. I had not even thought properly on going to Arcadia. What was I doing? What had I been thinking? I had no idea where I was, I was lost, alone and I just wanted life to back to normal, with Chole's sunshine smile everytime she pulled a prank, Amelia's bubbly voice telling her about nyhtign and everything 24/7 and Rex's licks and hugs.I could not beleive how much I had taken for granted. 

Was this how life would be? Looking back on memories of what you loved the most? I wanted to go back... I wanted to go home... I wanted to go back to a reality where I was normal, where Chole was alive, nobody was hurt, Amelia was supporting me on the side and Miss Thorn would keep taking extra classes. 

I had began sobbing now, but I did not care. I wanted to go where even Miss Scott was there, yelling at Frank to stop rolling his R's, to Rex's wet kisses, to Mr. Lee's bakery, to the town library, to my old life...

"Nora? Nora are you okay?" Ash asked me, his voice filled with more concern than I thought anybody would have for me. 

"I just... I just want everything to go back to normal..." I choked out "It sounds childish but I just want to go home, I don't want to be a child of the king and queen, I don't want to be here, I just want everythign back the way it was" I sobbed out, my entire body trembling. 

Ash did not say anything. He simply wipped away my tears from behind me and pulled me into a warm enbrace. He sushed me until I was calm and had let all of it out. 

"The sorrow is always going to be there, may as well let it out now.." He whispers to me in a soothing voice "I know you hardly know me, but if we want to make it to Arcadia alive, we need to trust each other... I know you want to go back, but it will only hurt more people that you love, more attacks would happen and mor epeople would die." 

"I- I..." I try to thank him, but he just shushes you

"Its okay, holding the sorrow in is worse... Trust me..." He says, that look back in his amber eyes. 

I just squeeze his warm hand with my still-cold one. 

"Why- Why are your hands so cold?" He asksme sincerely 

I laugh for the first time since the earthquake. "I really don't know... My hands get cold pretty fast I guess" 

He nodds quietly, and rests his head on mine. "You remind me of this cousin I had..."

Had. Past tense. I wonder why...?