Hale did love her. That was the problem. He was strong enough to admit how he felt about her. He didn’t know exactly what love was, but he didn’t know of any other word to describe his feelings for Pandora. She was the only one he would die for. The only one.

The idea of Pandora injecting herself with some strange liquid that could potentially kill her was becoming his worst nightmare. She was voluntarily risking her life. He didn’t understand why she thought it necessary. While he endangered himself every day, he didn’t think that mattered. No one would miss him. The galaxy would be better off without him. All he did was take and take. Without people like Pandora, the universe would be lost. He would be lost. Didn’t she see that? She was his new reason to keep going.

He could overpower her and force her to stay with him so that she couldn’t harm herself. But that was a terrible thought. She’d never love him if he did that. And he wanted her to have what she wanted in life more than anything. Her happiness was far more important than his own. Happiness was something he lost when he was five years old. Pandora had reminded him what happiness was like.

But he could just as easily forget. She couldn’t.

“Damn, you’re so emotional these days,” Zaya scoffed.

Hale looked up at her, having lost his train of thought because of her interruption. “I’m trying not to be.”

“It’s not working,” she replied bitterly. “Now I understand better why you were so afraid to fall for someone.”

He could have been annoyed with her for criticizing him with her every breath, but Zaya had always been like that. Oddly enough, he was glad Zaya hadn’t changed. “Moral to the story, stay away from nice girls.”

“Agreed. They’re the worst.”

He smirked. “So, that’s why you go for the bad boys?”

“All boys are bad at heart.”

Hale still had to admit he liked her humor. “I suppose I appreciate the honesty.”

“I didn’t know that was something men appreciate anymore.”

“Whatever,” he said, restraining a laugh.

Zaya reached over to him and patted him on the shoulder. “What are you going to do about your precious princess?”

She just had to bring Pandora up again. He was enjoying talking about nothing. Zaya could be funny. And for a moment, he felt bad that she was tied up. He didn’t trust her though.

“I don’t know. I guess whatever she wants,” Hale replied.

“Ouch. Giving her that much control?”

“Yeah,” he admitted. Just kill me now.

Hale watched Zaya laugh in front of him, at him. He couldn’t have felt more pathetic, but he was too mentally exhausted to say anything more back.

Hearing the back room door slide open, Hale jumped up out of the chair to his feet. He hadn’t expected her to come out of the bedroom so soon. He leapt over to the control board in the front of the bridge to make it look like he was doing something other than waiting for her.

He turned and looked behind him when she entered the bridge. She was dressed fully for the cold and held the large book in her arms.

“I hope I’m not interrupting you, Hale,” Pandora said politely. He didn’t register any underlying hatred in the tone of her voice.

“Of course not. What’s going on?”

She walked over to him and put a small piece of paper in the palm of his hand. “I found this in the book.” She waited for him to finish reading it before continuing. “This is worth checking out to me. Whoever wrote this note might be able to help me.”

Hale handed the note back to her. “I doubt this person is still alive. Nothing can survive on this planet.”

Her expression was understandably disappointed. “I’m going to look for them still.”

“Not by yourself.”

“I have to go, Hale.”

He smiled. “I know. I’m coming with you.”

Her mouth fell open slightly, and her eyes began to tear.

He began wiping her tears as they fell. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re making me feel bad.”

Pandora was still stunned that he had changed his mind. It must have seemed so sudden to her. He looked over to Zaya for a second, who was watching them. Hale resisted the urge to pull her into his arms because of the unwanted audience.

“Thank you.”

Hale nodded. “Just let me get my stuff, and we can leave.”

He sprinted back to the bedroom and quickly slipped on his long-sleeved shirt. He secured his belt carrying two pistols around his waist and grabbed his backpack as he was walking out the door.

“That was quick,” Pandora noted as he came back.

“I try.”

Gently, he pried the book out of her arms and shoved it inside his backpack. Then he opened the exit ramp. Hale waved to Zaya before walking down the ramp. Pandora gave Zaya an awkward smile and then followed him.

“Can I see that note?” Hale asked.

After she handed it to him, he turned it around and studied the back of it. He understood it to be a map. He scanned the note with his translucent map screen he kept in his backpack. If the map on the note was accurate in anyway, his tech would pick up on it and pinpoint the exact destination for them. To his surprise, the messy sketch of a map was extremely accurate. The hologram of the map that appeared compared their current location with the final destination and marked a path for them.

“This is promising,” Hale told her.

With a sweet smile, she took his hand and clasped it tightly. “I can’t thank you enough for doing all of this for me. I know how much it bothers you. But it means everything to me.”

“It’s because I can’t lose you, Pandora.”

* * * *

Pandora kept replaying in her mind the way he said I can’t lose you as they traveled across the icy plains. He was so sincere. In that moment, he told her exactly how he was feeling. He was afraid to lose her. She had never felt more wanted by him than now.The biting coldness of Garra couldn’t touch her this time because his words somehow made her feel warm.

They didn’t say much to each other as they followed the map. But she enjoyed his company even in silence. Several times, she caught Hale staring at her longingly. After the first few times it happened, she reached out and held his hand. Neither of them could feel each other’s skin because they wore gloves, but that didn’t prevent her from feeling sparks every time they touched. She knew he felt it too.

They passed up the large chasm with the library and entered territory unknown to them. The landscape was the nearly the same; it was always icy and always unstable feeling. Because Pandora had poor balance, she had to be extra careful as they stepped across the slippery ice. She wasn’t too nervous because Hale was there to catch her. And she was thankful that he agreed to come. He had no idea how grateful she was. Hopefully, when this was all over, she would have a chance to show him.

It took them about four hours to reach the destination. The sky was much darker, and the frigid air was colder. According to the map, this was the destination. They stood at the foot of a great mountain of solid ice, and directly in front of them was a cave. Although Hale stared at it indifferently, Pandora was very intimidated by the cave. It looked desolate. And she swore she heard strange echoes coming from inside when she stepped closer.

“Do you really think someone would actually live here?” Hale asked.

Pandora swallowed hard. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

Hale pulled off the glove covering his right hand and stuffed it in one of his pockets. He lit up the palm of his hand and then took the first step into the cave. The bright flame illuminated the entrance. He held out his left hand to her. She took his hand eagerly and blushed as though it was their first touch.

“Are you ready?” Hale asked.

Pandora nodded. “Yes. Just don’t let go.”

It was his turn to blush. “Of what?”

She rolled her eyes. “Me….”

He tightened his grip on her hand in response and pulled her closer to him. “I am your humble servant, your Majesty.”

The entrance to the cave was several feet wide but only a meter taller than Hale’s height. The walls were solid ice from what she could tell since the only light source was from Hale’s flame. Pandora reached over with her free hand to touch the ice, and she could feel the coldness through her glove. She couldn’t imagine someone would choose to stay and live here. It wouldn’t shock her if the person who wrote that note had already moved on. But she wouldn’t let herself worry about that thought for long. The cave was frightening enough to hold her attention. She wondered how far it went on for. And she feared that they might get lost. Hale wasn’t using any type of map or technology in the cave. Clearly, she was more concerned about it than he was.

They walked down the passage for a few minutes, and then Pandora noticed something strange. Looking ahead, she was used to seeing only darkness down the tunnel. But she noticed an orange glow further down the passage. This wasn’t coming from Hale’s fire. She pointed it out to Hale. He immediately put out the flame in his hand, making her jump into his arms because she feared the sudden darkness. But the loss of his flame caused the lights ahead to appear brighter to them.

Simultaneously, they both picked up their pace and moved towards the lights. The passage started getting taller and even wider until it turned into an entire room, basically like a small house hidden inside an ice mountain. On the frozen floor were fur rugs and some wooden furniture such as a tables, chairs, and a bed. All along the tables and walls were candles which kept the room well lit. It was obvious that someone was currently living in this comfortable home.

The temperature was much warmer too. There was a large stone fireplace on the back wall. Pandora started to run for the fireplace, but Hale grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her towards him. Pandora wanted to scold him, but then she noticed he had unholstered one of the guns on his belt and held it up in his hand. He pointed it near the fireplace. Pandora looked up again and noticed that someone was sitting in a chair facing the fire.

She stepped behind Hale as he approached the person.

“There’s no need for violence,” the stranger said with a chuckle.

Hale stopped still but held up his gun.

The stranger rose from the chair and turned around to face them. He was an old man with a thick white beard. He wore a long cloak the covered his entire body. The old man’s brown eyes caught Pandora’s attention. She knew he was an Elani. She saw the same energy within his eyes.

Pandora stopped hiding from Hale and walked closer to the man. “You’re Elani too.”

He smiled. “It has been far too long since I’ve seen those of my kind.”

She looked at Hale. “You can put your gun away. He’s not going to harm us.”

Hale nodded, but his gaze was still skeptical. He went up to Pandora and took hold of her hand once again. “Who are you?” Hale asked demandingly.

“A friend,” the man replied. “We are all looking for the same thing. Did you bring the book?”

Pandora nodded. She wrestled her hand from Hale’s grasp and turned him around so that she could access his backpack. She opened the main pocket and pulled the book out. She held out the book to the man, but he didn’t take if from her.

“I suppose you found the note I left?”

She fished the small piece of paper out from her pocket. “I brought it with me. It’s how we found you.”

His smile faded, and sadness overcame his face. “How is Elani?”

She pitied him. He looked extremely worried. She walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not good. But that’s why I’m here.”

“Thank you, child. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been home. So, I can only imagine how bad things have gotten.”

Hale place a hand around her waist and pulled her back to him protectively. She glared at him. They didn’t have any reason to be fearful of him. But Hale was Hale. Always distrusting everyone.

“It’s not looking good for Elani, but together, hopefully we can fix this,” she said pushing Hale’s hands off her.

“I hope so,” the old man said. He walked over to the large wooden table in the center of the room. He pulled out two chairs from the table. “Why don’t you two have a seat?”

“Thank you,” Pandora replied, sitting down. She glared at Hale and motioned to the seat next to her.

He glared back as he obeyed. She was imagining him thinking that sitting was such a more vulnerable position for him to be in. Pandora nearly laughed. It was an old man. Why would Hale be so paranoid around someone like that?

The old man set two wooden cups of water in front of them. “I thought you might be thirsty. The water is a little warm. I just melted it down.”

Pandora eagerly took a sip. “Thank you again.”

Hale hesitantly sipped the water. He must have been extremely thirsty to risk drinking something that a stranger had given him.

The man then placed a bowl of fresh fruit in front of them. Hale immediately spit the water out that was in his mouth into the cup. “That’s impossible.”

“What?” The man asked.

“Fresh fruit. Have you seen the ice ball you live on? Where would you get that from?”

“Maybe he leaves the planet sometimes?” Pandora suggested, trying to calm Hale down.

The man sat down across from them. “Unfortunately, my ship crashed when I came here so I have been stranded ever since.”

“Well, how’d you get all this then?” Hale motioned to the fruit.

“I grew it myself,” he replied.

“How? I’m sorry if I don’t trust strangers,” Hale muttered.

“I am an Elani just like you both, don’t forget,” he said as he held out his hand.

Pandora watched the man’s hand. A seed sprouted from his palm and turned into a bright, red fruit that looked delicious to Pandora. He placed the fruit in her hands. And Pandora took a bite from it. The tart fruit crunched when her teeth bit into it.

Hale looked slightly defeated. He must have realized he got all worked up for absolutely nothing.

“What are your names? If you don’t mind sharing,” the old man said.

“Hale.”

“Oh, I’m Pandora.”

“Good to meet you. How did you end up here?” The man asked.

Hale didn’t attempt to say anything. He stared at Pandora, prompting her to speak.

“I could feel that something was wrong with the central crystal. It was dying. I have the gift of healing, but I knew that I wasn’t strong enough to heal an entire planet. Which is why I decided to search for the book.”

The man gestured towards the book. “You did well. You found it.”

“With Hale’s help, yes.”

Smiling curiously, he turned to Hale. “You doubt her, don’t you.”

Hale glanced at Pandora. “Uh… I don’t doubt her. I doubt what she’s doing. But I want to help her with whatever she needs.”

Pandora reached for his hand. She wanted him to know that she appreciated it when he said things like that. She needed verbal reassurance sometimes. The sound of his voice was enough to make her heart melt. So, when his voice spoke kind words about her she wanted to sink into his arms forever. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about what had almost happened between them in Zaya’s ship. When would he give her another chance?

“It seems to me you two probably make a pretty good team,” the man commented.

“I think so too,” Pandora replied, her response earning a small smile from Hale.

The old man stretched his arms over the table and tapped on the book. “Do you mind if I look at it?”

“Of course you can,” Pandora said.

He flipped through the books ever so carefully. “For years, I studied this book. And eventually I came to the realization that there was nothing that I myself could do. All I could do was wait for someone to search for the same thing, which is why I left the note. I could only hope that someone would find it and then find me.” He left the book open on the chapter about healing, Pandora’s gift. “I figured this gift would be the key to fixing Elani’s problems. The Elani are so fortunate that you have put your own life at risk to come here.”

“I’d do anything for Elani,” Pandora said, meaning every word. “I know I was given my gift for a reason. This has to be it.”

Hale caressed the top of her hand. “I just don’t want her to get hurt by trying some crazy experiment. You can’t promise me it will be fine, can you?”

“I’m afraid I can’t,” the old man replied.

Hale shook his head. “Just make sure this is what you want to do, Pandora.”

“Hale.” She placed a hand on each side of his face. “I know it’s going to be okay. I can’t explain it. I just know.”