Middle Earth: High King of The Avari

Aurion woke to a sharp, biting pain in his face. His cheeks felt raw, as though the frostbite had lingered overnight. Groaning softly, he got up from the pile of blankets in the closet and pushed the door open.

Lossiriel stood by the window, her Blonde catching the morning light, her back to him. She seemed lost in thought, her arms crossed over her chest as she gazed outside.

"Lossiriel," Aurion said, his voice hoarse.

She turned quickly, her eyes widening. Before he could say anything else, she crossed the room in a few swift steps and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm so sorry for hitting you—and for the frostbite."

Aurion hesitated for a moment before returning the hug. "I'm fine," he said, though his face told a different story.

"No, you're not." She pulled back, her eyes searching his face. "Sit down."

He obeyed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Lossiriel knelt in front of him, her hands gently cradling his face. He flinched slightly at her cold touch, but then a soothing warmth began to spread from her fingertips, melting away the frostbite and easing the pain.

"How are you doing this?" Aurion asked, his voice laced with awe.

Lossiriel didn't look at him at first. She focused on his face, her lips pressed into a thin line. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet. "It started when I was a baby," she said. "Only my mother knows about it. She's always been careful with me because of this... curse."

"A curse?" Aurion frowned. "Lossiriel, this isn't a curse. It's... incredible."

She shook her head. "It's not incredible. It hurts, Aurion. Whenever it happens, it feels like shards of ice stabbing into me from the inside. That's why I've tried to suppress it for so long. It hasn't happened since I was a child." Her voice cracked, and she lowered her hands, the frostbite gone. "But it came back two nights ago—because of you."

Aurion's chest tightened. "Lossiriel, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"It is," she said bluntly, her eyes sharp. But then her expression softened. "But... I was scared, Aurion. When I saw you like that, I thought I was going to lose you."

Aurion dropped his gaze, guilt gnawing at him. "If I had come a day later," Lossiriel continued, "you would have died. The poison was spreading faster than I could stop it."

Her words hit him like a hammer. He reached for her hands, holding them tightly. "I shouldn't have done it," he admitted. "I was reckless."

Lossiriel gave a bitter laugh. "That's putting it lightly. And now my father's guards have found a body in his chambers—a dead guard. Care to explain how you ended up there?"

Aurion's heart sank. "I… I was trying to find something."

"What?"

He hesitated, then decided there was no point in lying. "The formula for galvorn. I needed to find it. It's the reason I came here."

Lossiriel stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You risked your life for a metal?" Her voice rose, and the temperature in the room began to drop again. Frost formed on the edges of the window, creeping inward like icy veins.

"Lossiriel, please—" Aurion began, but she cut him off.

"My father is ruthless, Aurion! If he finds out you're here—if he even suspects you—he'll kill you without a second thought. And you're sneaking around, making things worse for yourself!"

The frost grew thicker, the chill biting into his skin. Desperate to calm her, Aurion reached out and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he murmured, holding her close despite the cold. "I was selfish. I didn't think about how this would affect you. I'm so sorry."

Lossiriel stiffened in his arms but didn't pull away. The frost receded slightly, though the air remained cold. She buried her face in his shoulder, her breaths shaky.

"I hate you for making me worry," she muttered.

Aurion smiled faintly, despite everything. "I deserve that."

For a moment, they stayed like that, the tension in the room easing. Then Aurion tilted her chin up, meeting her tear-filled eyes. "Lossiriel, I—"

Before he could finish, he kissed her. It was impulsive, but he couldn't hold back anymore. To his surprise, she didn't pull away. Instead, she kissed him back, her icy aura melting into a warm glow that spread through the room.

They lay together on the bed, the room finally at peace. Lossiriel rested her head against Aurion's chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns on his arm.

"I hate you," she said softly, though her tone was affectionate.

"No, you don't," Aurion replied with a grin, running his fingers through her silver hair.

She sighed. "I don't. But you drive me insane."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you," he said, his voice low and sincere.

Lossiriel looked up at him, her eyes shimmering like stars. "I love you too."

Aurion held her close, vowing silently to protect her no matter what. They drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, the frost and tension of the past days melting away like snow under the morning sun.