“Won’t you please come in for a brief rest? We have the finest food in town and we are the best at entertaining our guests,” a mellow voice sounded louder than the others, and Snow raised his head to look at the woman that had spoken, but a strong arm immediately surrounded his shoulders, pulling him against a hard, wet body.

“Well, don’t mind if we do,” ZaiWin sang back in the same dragged tone of voice and the woman in front of them giggled, making way and leading them inside.

Snow focused on the three steps he had to climb and then a warm waft of air thick with sweet perfume washed over his face.

“If you would please be so kind as to follow me,” the woman replied and the arm around Snow’s shoulders guided him towards a flight of red-carpeted stairs, much wider and brighter than the ones back at the in.

The woman walking in front of them wore a pale-blue dress that dragged behind her, covering the last step she’d just climbed, the light flowing fabric sprinkled with small silver speckles that glistened with her every move, reminding Snow of small, bright stars. Unlike his yellow dress, hers fit her like a glove, accentuating her narrow waist and round hips and bottom. She had dark hair, that fell over her naked back in gentle waves, and it had also sprinkled with shimmering silver flakes.

Once they reached the top of the stairs his lowered gaze would only allow him to see the red carpet under his feet again. Printed with a royal-blue pattern, it looked expensive and luxurious, at least at first glance. At a closer look, however, one could easily see that it had seen better days, the fabric looking worn, the color faded where people walked on more frequently. The light in the corridor was also dimmer, making everything look as if it had been tinged in red.

The woman stopped in front of a white door and pushed it open, stepping to one side to allow them in. ZaiWin’s hand on his shoulder squeezed him harder as he made him go inside first. Only then he finally released him, turning back to talk to the woman.

“Would my lord require any kind of entertainment? Or maybe your lady? We have all sorts of professionals at your disposal. All you have to do is make a wish, and we will make sure it comes true,” she giggled. “A younger companion to make your lady more at ease? Or maybe some dancing. Maybe a massage to help you relax. We also have a few bath oils that can work wonders on a young man such as yourself. We can guarantee you won’t be disappointed and that you’ll spend an entire night of happy fun.”

“I thank you for your suggestions, but that won’t be necessary. We really just require some undisturbed time, if you know my meaning,” ZaiWin added with a chuckle that sent shivers down Snow’s spine. Snow couldn’t imagine what his face would look like with a smile stretching his lips.

“But of course. Please make yourselves at home. And if you need anything or change your mind about any of our services, please let us know.”

“I most certainly will.”

The click of the door closing and the sigh that left ZaiWin’s chest finally allowed Snow to relax as well.

Raising his head to take a look around, Snow found himself in a new bedroom, this one all painted in red and gold, the large bed at the far end hidden behind a bed canopy of transparent, flowing curtains. Much larger than the inn’s bedroom, the floors were covered in a soft-looking carpet, also red. Two armchairs and a round table had been placed in front of a tall window. An incense burner rested on one of the bedside-tables, slowly filling the room with a musky scent that promised to give him an headache. And the burning flames flickering inside the eight fire-holders placed around the room burned low and slow, projecting strange shadows on the walls and floor.

This wasn’t the first time Snow had been to a place like this, although this one looked much more luxurious and bigger than the one from his memories. And something about it, about its heavy atmosphere, about the mixed scents, was nauseatingly familiar.

“Get some rest,” ZaiWin told him, walking by him and stopping three steps later to look back at the unmoving brat he’d dragged all over town. If the pattern was to repeat itself, he was just going to stand there, by the door, and probably end up sitting on the floor once his legs got tired.

Annoyed that he had to care about such things, he retracted his footsteps and pulled Snow’s hood down, untying his cloak.

Startled, Snow took a step back and looked up at him with a frown, the cloak sliding from his shoulders, falling around his feet.

“What? Since you’re just going to stand there like a freaking statue I’m going to undress you and drag you to bed! Your clothes are still wet! And I cannot afford to have you getting sick or something like that! We’ll have to leave the city in three days! If you’re not healthy enough to travel I’ll just have to kill you and bury you somewhere!”

Snow lowered his head.

“I can … undress …” he whispered and ZaiWin took a deep breath.

“Good! Be quick about it, too. And go to bed and sleep! Don’t make me drag you and tie you up!”

The boy in front of him shuddered at the sound of those words, his hands shaking when he pulled the dress up, over his head, and ZaiWin sighed, crossing the room to peer out of the window. With a second thought he leaned his sword against the wall and took off his jacket, hoping it would dry faster if hanging from the armchair.

The soft sound of padding followed by the bad creaking told him that the brat had obeyed his command, and when he glanced towards the bed, the only thing he saw was the top of a head covered in short, silver hair. Everything else was tucked beneath a heavy-looking golden quilt. He looked so small beneath it that ZaiWin knew he’d curled up, knees bent against his chest, like he always did before going to sleep.

With a sigh he dragged one armchair across the room and placed it strategically, so that he could watch both the door and the window. One of the advantages of places like these was that the doors actually locked and, as ZenTar had once pointed out, there were so many people around, inside and outside, that it would quickly dissuade anyone planning a sneak attack. He could only hope that this was the case, and that the men that had barged into their room still weren’t desperate enough to try to kill him twice in one night, and with all those witnesses around.

Taking a seat, holding sword against his chest, ZaiWin took another peek towards the bed. He was so quiet and silent that it was as if there was no one else in the room with him.

Not that ZaiWin hadn’t expected this, but it still annoyed him, seeing how quickly things were starting to crumble all around him, his hard-earned peace of mind completely gone. He really wanted to hate the brat for it but, the more time he spent with the kid, the harder it was to accomplish that.

If Snow was really a Celestial, he was nothing like any Celestial he had ever known, and he wasn’t even thinking about his obvious abnormal physical appearance. Celestials were usually soft-spoken, gentle, frail and obedient to a fault, doing everything they were ordered to, and doing nothing at all if no one told them what to do. They were devoid of instincts of self-preservation and would even end their lives without so much as a blink if ordered to do so. They never cried, rarely laughed, and even though they did take care and protect their Chosen Ones, they were mainly cold and detached, especially so to everyone else outside their Chosen One’s Household.

But that brat, he was nothing like that.

If he spoke gently or nothing at all was because he was afraid he might hurt those around him, not because it was in his nature to do so. His pale, icy eyes would almost glow from pure enthusiasm at the most insignificant things. It was written all over his face, every time he found something he liked, every time his heart was moved, every time he felt sad or hurt.

Most of the times Snow did follow his commands but, more than once, he’d seen his expression turn sour, as if he wished he could argue with him, which he would probably do, if he didn’t fear his own voice so much. If that weren’t enough, there were also times when he didn’t obey him at all, simply doing as he pleased. And he most certainly didn’t need him to order him around the entire day. He clearly held a will of his own and acted according to it like any other person would do.

He was equally annoyingly nice to anyone who was nice to him, which meant that he actually had a better relationship with MenTar than he had with with him. And he clearly did not want to die. ZaiWin was sure he would refuse to do so, even if he ordered him to simply go and kill himself.

All in all he was very much like any other person, like any other kid his age. He’d been deeply traumatized by the harsh life he’d been forced to endure so far, but he was also lively enough, bright enough, to be able to overcome it all in time, should the world around him grant him the chance to do so. Which was not about to happen, ZaiWin reminded himself with a bitter smile. And that’s what made everything so hard.

Were he like any other Celestial, a mere beautiful, moving doll, ZaiWin wouldn’t had had any qualms slicing his throat and being done with that. But the damn brat, in all his abnormality, was actually too normal, too much like every teenage boy he had ever met. He had been dealt a bad hand, and had been through enough. Were he anyone else, ZaiWin would have happily welcomed him and helped him out, even protected him, for he most certainly deserved the chance to have a normal life. But instead here he was, hoping that there was some way to strike the final blow and quickly end his young, innocent life.

When he realized what he was doing, he’d been unconsciously touching his own lips, which made him blush and quickly lower his hand.

Shit! He’d been trying very hard to simply ignore what had happened. After all, people were also saved from drowning by having someone else press their lips to theirs and breathe new air into their lungs. What had happened was no different from that!, he told himself, annoyed that he was still lingering on it. Sure, he had only been kissed like that once or twice in his life. Most of the few ladies that had actually dared to kiss him had been too shy, quickly running away after their lips brushed. That the damn brat actually knew how to kiss like that was even more annoying. Because that meant that, even though he was still so young, he’d obviously had more than enough experience. And he couldn’t help wonder what else he might be experienced on, his annoyance quickly turning to anger at the mere thought of it.

“Nothing is yours! Not the clothes you wear! Not the air you breathe!! Do you understand me??” the words echoed in his mind and he took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax.

No matter how strong that damned link got he couldn’t forget that. He had never had anything he could call his own his entire life. Of all the things he might consider trying to make his, he most certainly would never try to claim a freaking Celestial!

Never say never, my friend! 😈