It finally happened.

Lumi was bored of the snow.

At least for now she was bored of the snow.

She stood in front of it, but didn't feel like touching it.

She turned back to face the King.

Unlike the other days, he didn't have any papers in front of him. He actually seemed....tired.

His eyes were closed as he sat on the throne.

Lumi watched him, before suddenly, his eyes opened to meet her stare. She started, shocked at being caught.

He moved his head to the side, eyes narrowing to look at her. She slowly walked up to him, caution in every step.

He did not make a noise in protest when she stood before him at the foot of the steps.

"Can I do something for you?"

The shadow that stood next to the king made a face with wide eyes. It was only then that Lumi realized how her words could have been interpreted.

He continued to stare at her. She was almost about to turn away before she heard him whisper.

"Can you sing?'

His request sounded more like a threat. Lumi inhaled sharply, nodding slowly.

His blue eyes were piercing into her. She felt pinned to the ground as he made a motion with his hand.

"Sing."

He had heard her sing before. He had actually told her to stop. She wondered if he meant those ancient songs that she had expressed in the prison. He seemed irritated at her hesitation as she looked across the room to the guards.

"You," he pointed to Lumi, "stay. Everyone else leave."

There was a silent pause. The man at the King's side slowly bent down, whispering something in his ear, but the King looked up at him.

Even Lumi had to look away from that stare. It was a dangerous look that made the man take a step back and turn to motion for the guards to leave.

He stared at Lumi, an unknown expression showing on his face as he also exited the room.

"Now, you can sing."

Lumi sat on the bottom step of the throne, looking up to the King. She slowly turned to put her back to him, and without another word, sang.

She wondered if he was curious about the meanings of the words she spoke. She wondered why he had requested such a thing.

She sang several songs, before slowly turning back to face the King.

She almost broke her rhythm at the sight of him in a deep sleep on top of the throne. Lumi had to quickly compose herself to stop the gasp of breath that wanted to leave her.

She was reminded again of how beautiful he was.

Slowly she rose, still singing as she ascended the steps. She just wanted a closer look at him. That was all.

She found herself face to face with the King, her words cooing in their sound, even though the song she whispered was a battle hymn.

She sat back down at his feet, continuing her stare. She realized how wrong this was to stare so openly at him like this, but Lumi couldn't think of another time when she would be able to.

She continued to sing, noting the dark shadows under his eyes, the worn out look that seemed etched in his face.

He had been ruling alone for six years is what Jodi said. Six whole years. She didn't know how her father managed some days and he had his wife and four sons to help him.

What had been the North King's name again? Lumi felt astonish at not being able to remember until it suddenly hit her.

Theros.

She thought it fit him.

Lumi felt the melody go deeper as the use of her voice became strained, but she had created a connection in her head that if she stopped singing, then he would wake up.

She judged the amount of time that passed by watching the sun through the open doors.

The snow illuminated a pink and red glow, showing to her that the sun was falling.

She had never been allowed to stay in the throne room for this long.

She continued to sing, watching the snow's reflection. She had crossed her legs and realized that somehow through the hours, she was leaning directly against the throne chair, her back to the front of it. King Theros' legs were just inches away from her face.

She changed her singing then to something mournful. She continued to stare out to the open doors, but the weight of that openness hit her. She was trapped. And she would be trapped for the rest of her life.

She felt tears come down her face as her song continued. It was a song sung during a time of death and Lumi felt it was right. She was mourning the death of her freedom. The death of her family that she would no longer see. The death of her county that she would not be able to live in, to grow in, or even die in. She was to stay in this strange, cold land and forever be a part of it.

A movement of King Theros' legs caught her attention. The smallest one, but it made her look up to meet his open and alert eyes.

Lumi shrunk back. Fear jolted through her that he was awake. He had probably been awake for a while now. He stared at her.

She did not move. She didn't even move to wipe away the still falling tears from her eyes. Again, she was reminded of a wolf. A predator. His gaze made her unable to look away or move. He had trapped her and she was now the victim of it.

"I'm..." she didn't want to say sorry. She didn't even know what she should apologize for. The words had just started to form in her mouth before she could even think about it.

Lumi shook her head and quickly pushed herself away to have space between.

"That last song..." His voice was a whisper. Lumi regretted it, but she had to move her head closer to hear him.

"That last song....what was it?"

She cringed. She could lie. He didn't know the language after all, but even the ignorant could tell there was something deep and sorrowful in her words as she sang them.

"What were the words?" His voice seemed almost desperate. Lumi stared at him in disbelief. He didn't seem ashamed at his question. Something about his expression made her think he really needed to know this. Like...he had found a key to a lock. She couldn't explain it well, but it was that look- the sliver of vulnerability that he showed, that made her answer truthfully.

"It's a song my people will sing during a time of death. For mourning." Lumi inhaled deeply, frantically translating the words in her head.

"I'm not sure...how to best describe what the words mean...there are so many different types of words for love in my language...it's hard to compare it to the single one in this but..."

Lumi closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead to try and consider the loosest connection she could make. Of course, it rhymed in her language, but when translating it, it didn't really sound connected. It just didn't make sense to Lumi how she could explain what the words meant.

"The words."

She opened her eyes to stare at him. He had regained control of his emotions. His gaze was back to being blank. Showing nothing.

Lumi smiled sadly, "We are all stars, my love, and when you fell you came to me to be of this world, and when you are taken, my love, I guess you will rise again. The stars you have become, to the stars I will sing. Until we meet again. Until we meet again."

King Theros blinked. Lumi rose to her knees. She walked quietly to him, crossing her arms on the armrest of his throne and placing her head there to stare up at him. For some reason, at this moment, she was not afraid of him.

"Why do you want to know?"

He did not move away from her. Lumi wondered if her closeness startled him. If it did, he didn't show it. Instead his eyes were set forward, staring straight ahead.

"I fell asleep."

"You looked tired," Lumi confessed.

He turned to stare back down at her. Suddenly, he smiled. It was nothing but a small curve,, but it still took her breath away.

"You didn't run."

"Where would I go?" Lumi grumbled. She had to look away from his face. Her heart had done an unhealthy jolt that made her chest hurt now.

She heard him hum. It was the same tune of the last melody she had sung. But somehow it sounded different with his voice. The deepness of his pitch fitted the meaning of the melody more. Lumi found herself closing her eyes. She found the roles being reversed as she laid her head back down, and fell asleep at the feet of the King.

* * *

She woke up in her bed.

It was still dark outside. But she was in her room.

Lumi stared out her window, wondering how she had made it back.

Someone must have carried her. Maybe Marcos.

She pushed away the thought that King Theros would do something like that. He had hit her. He had locked her away. He would never carry her.

Lumi sighed and laid back on her bed.

She suddenly sat up, grabbing the red cloak that had been placed at the foot of her bed.

Twisting it around her, she opened the door and peered out into the hall.

She was stupid.

Lumi sighed and sat down at the doorway. She looked out down the hall, staring into the darkness. She wished she could step over the threshold, and into the darkness that sat before her.

But she didn't.

She debated in her head, but reason won out in the end. She had earned a little trust in the King. If someone could even call it that. She wasn't going to break it so easily.

With a deep sigh, Lumi stood and closed the door.

***

Lumi poked the snow in front of her. She looked at the King, feeling a deep sigh leave her. She was sighing a lot now.

He didn't look up. He never looked at her, and that was fine with Lumi.

She edged her way to the doorway, until with a shrug, Lumi walked out into the open.

She heard a guard protest at her action, but from the corner of her eye she saw the King wave him away.

Something broke in Lumi. She stood out in the open, in the small courtyard that held nothing but several empty flower boxes, an unused fountain, and marble benches- all heavy with snow.

Lumi stood in the open air and with a crash of victory ringing in her she raised her hands to the sky, letting her palms be free and open, closing her eyes to the smallest of warmth she was able to feel for the first time in these weeks of living here.

She exhaled, letting her breath puff out and be visible before she exhaled again and again, soon feeling light headed. Lumi wandered to the benches, scraping off the snow and uncovering them. She went to the fountain, inspecting it and wondering why it wasn't running, or even why the winter kingdom would indulge in such a prop.

She took the snow off of this also, climbing to stand on top of the edge of the fountain before carefully holding her hands out and walking around and around in the circle that it made.

She looked up to find the King's eyes on her. She smiled at him, wanting to convey her gratitude in some ways for allowing her access to the outside world.

She turned back to look at the flower boxes. There was nothing growing in them. Lumi hopped down from her perch, wondering if there were any flowers that could grow during the winter. She wouldn't know having lived in summer her whole life.

It seemed impossible for something to live and grow in this weather, but she recalled seeing miles of forests when her and daddy were passing through the lands of the north.

Lumi pushed aside the snow from the ground, testing the dirt.

It was hard and unyielding.

She frowned at that. There wasn't much she could do about it, but Lumi wished she could plant something.

She stared at the ground and unexpectedly, put her hand against the dirt. She examined the colors, comparing them both side by side. Hers was richer, more full of life, but the ground and she shared the same hue.

She smiled sadly, remembering her grandfather's words of how they were people of the earth, the first of this world, molded from the ground itself. Created from the soil, they were of the first generation.

She looked up to stare at the King and his guards.

They were like the snow. They always seemed to remind her of the snow.

They were blank, and untainted. Something you wanted to touch but cold when you finally were able to feel.

Lumi turned back, staring at the ground. She didn't realize how much time she actually spent staring at it until the King spoke, saying it was time for her to leave.

Before she departed, Lumi stopped and stared at him. She wondered if she should thank him out loud. Would that be okay in front of the guards?

She didn't know, but she voiced out a hesitant "Thank you," anyway.

His blue eyes flashed at her before going to look back down.

Lumi figured that would be that only acknowledgement she would receive from him, and so she left.

Hope you all are doing well and STAYING SAFE!