The procession of General Teo McDohl's army continued despite the heavy snow. At the head of the group, the general himself and his two most trusted swordsmen lead the rest with seeming indifference to the cold. It was all a pretense, of course, since no man lacked the awareness to this severe weather. The Imperial Army had provided each soldier with a thick, water-repellent coat and sturdy, high boots, but even the deep hood of the coat provided no defense against the harsh snow.

"Lord Teo," the green-clad swordsman, Grenseal, called up to his master.

"What is it?" replied Teo.

"The visibility is too poor for the foot soldiers to go much longer, my lord."

Teo nodded and turned his dark gaze to the invisible horizon hidden behind the sheet of white. "I'm aware of that. But this place is too wayward for us to camp. We need at least water provisions and some sort of shelter from this snowstorm."

"Shall I go scout, my lord?" Alen offered from Teo's side, his dark hair matted with snow tangled into the strands. His black steed also suffered from the same predicament, looking more like a spotted horse than pure night-color.

"...Yes, Alen. Be back before the nightfall."

"Yes, sir." With a respectful bow and a secret smile just for Teo, Alen picked up the speed and went ahead of the group. His red mantle flew behind his quickly-disappearing figure obscured by the snow.

"Perhaps I should have gone, my lord?" Grenseal whispered to the dark-haired general, his tone slightly less formal. He implied that Alen should have remained by Teo's side for one unspoken reason they both knew.

Teo curled his lips, slightly blue from the cold, and shook his head. "No, Grenseal. I will not miss him -that- intensely. Besides," he gave a very smug side-glance to his right-hand swordsman. "He will be back by the nightfall."

Pretending not to have seen that look, Grenseal turned to the soldiers. "Keep in a tight formation to avoid the chill! Move without rest, take steps where you stand! We will camp in less than three hours!"

Alen let out a sigh of relief when he found a snow-covered forest within a few mile's distance from where he'd left Teo's army. The woodland was large enough to hold the entire group; to make sure that it was not inhibited by dangerous monsters, he lead his steed into the tall thicket at the outskirt.

It's getting too dark to see far. Hmph.

Slowing down the horse's pace, the young man picked up a thick, long branch from amidst the white ground and shook it free of snow. He used his Rage Rune to dry and light fire at the end tip of the stick. It would have to serve him as a torch in the shady forest.

"Not a single moving thing in sight. Is this good or bad?" Alen frowned as he went on deeper among the trees. There was a large clearing, a flat area of no trees but just white snow. He wondered if it would be a good enough of a place for the army to camp.

The swordsman slipped off of his horse and walked into the clearing. Snow was so thick that it came up to his knees. "Hmm... eh?" He stopped in his steps, quite sure that he'd heard a distinctive -crack- close by. He strained his ears, but he didn't hear anything again.

"...OK..."

Another step and Alen was forced to realize what the sound had been. The cracking noise spread from right beneath his feet, spreading to all directions. He didn't understand what was going on at first. When he did, it was too late. The thin ice that he'd tread upon gave way beneath the weight of the snow. A spectacular collapse occurred and took him with it.

Alen thought that he'd died instantly from the stinging pain of the cold water. The shock wore off after a split second and he frantically kicked up and looked around in the lake filled with floating ice and snow. His horse was neighing at its master's predicament but unable to do anything to help.

This is VERY BAD.

Knowing that he'd die from hypothermia if he stayed here, Alen dived underwater and waded beneath the sheets of broken ice, looking for the shoreline where he could just climb up. His clothes clung to him, sucking up the water and turning heavy.

Damn, damn, damn...

Using a bit of Rage Rune to warm the water ahead of him, Alen got to the edge of the lake where the water was a bit shallow. He stood and shoved at the ice above him, pushing it all aside until he could breathe air once again. His teeth chattered against each other from the chill.

"I better dry up or I'll freeze." Air turned white even as the swordsman muttered the words. He pulled himself out of the death-catching water and huddled into a ball, tugging his clothes away. He didn't want to do it, but he made up his mind and set fire on his inner shirt with his rune. The flame gave off blissful warmth, but it died away before he could dry himself or the rest of his clothes. He couldn't burn all this clothes, but he also had no time or power to go about in his drenched body in search for firewood.

"Damn..." Alen hugged himself tight and closed his eyes. He immensely missed being cozy in the bed with a certain superior general. "General Teo..." His horse knelt by him and curled up around him; they tried to share warmth, but it was hard in the blizzard.

Grenseal imagined his dark-eyed friend's trail of thoughts and tried to follow it himself. He didn't know how far or in which exact direction Alen had gone. Their meeting depended entirely upon his guesswork and he didn't like that fact. Even Teo had grown worried enough to send him by this time of the night; the general would never have sent both of his right-hand men away otherwise.

Alen, where are you?

Extra set of fur-rimmed coat and blankets collected snow for every few feet Grenseal rode on. At first, he'd patted it off, but he'd given up a while ago. Only his handsome face remained without residue of moist flakes. His eyes stung from the cold, affecting his ability to see in this snow.

"Alen!!" Raising his voice in a rare instance, Grenseal scanned the distance obscured by the blizzard. He cursed the weather like never before. Luckily, he came across a small batch of trees; greenery was all covered up with snow, but he figured that he could take shelter there from the storm. He also had a good hunch that his friend would be in here, too. Alen and he thought alike in times of trouble.

The forest was dark, even darker than gray snowstorm in the open field. He wished that he had a fire-magic rune to light a torch, but strong wind cut into the woods and he doubted any fire would stay aflame. However, the effect of the storm did lessen once he was within the fence of trees.

"Alen!! Alen!! Alen!!" Grenseal repeated his call a few times, his horse's neighing combined to add to the sound. It was looking for its mate, the black stallion that belonged to the other swordsman. He patted its mane to reassure it and himself. "They must be all right."

"Grenseal! I'm here!!"

The return call came through faint, but Grenseal did not miss his friend's voice. The brown mare hastened toward the source of the call, giving a small whinny upon finding the dark beast huddled next to Alen. Grenseal slipped off of his steed to kneel next to the older man. Alen looked worse for wear with his drenched clothes lying next to him. He was almost naked and shivering horribly.

"What happened to you?" Grenseal asked in as calm a tone as he could manage. He pulled extra gear off of his horse's saddle and wrapped the coat over Alen's body. Using blanket to further protect his friend from the cold, he wiped frost off of the other's handsome face. Alen's lips were blue.

"Fell into that lake..." Alen's teeth chattered as he explained his suffering. Shattered ice and snow covered the lake, making it barely visibly in the large clearing of white. "At least, there's water supply. Gren, will you run back and tell Lord Teo that the army can camp here?"

"You'll freeze like this." Frowning with that mutter, Grenseal helped Alen up and moved him to a side where thick trees grew like walls. The position cut off most of the wind and he urged the older swordsman to use Rage Rune to light remnants of his drenched clothes. Fabric turned dry and crisp in an instant and burned brightly.

"Stay here, Alen. Don't move, no matter what. I'll bring Lord Teo and the rest of men here."

Alen nodded, his lips trembling too much for him to speak properly. He huddled up into a ball and rested his head against his horse's neck. It gave a soft neigh and nuzzled to the swordsman. Worry hindered Grenseal, but he put duty first and mounted his steed. It nibbled at the black stallion's ear once and obeyed its owner, trotting back the way it had come.

Feeling a hand over his forehead, Alen slitted his brown eyes open. His head rang with throbbing ache and he wondered if he had been struck there in a battle. It soon occurred to him that he hadn't been in a battle before losing consciousness. In fact, he had been buried in snow with his horse.

"Alen, are you awake?"

Alen listened to the deep, calm voice, unable to focus upon it for a moment. When he recognized it, his eyes widened and he almost bolted up from where he was laid down. "L-Lord Teo!?"

"Lie still. You're running a fever." The general pressed Alen down to the makeshift bed of mattress and blankets laid on the ground. The tent was also makeshift, consisting of thick fabric used to set up an actual tent but stretched from a tree trunk to another instead of metal poles. Overhead, a sheet of same cloth served as a ceiling.

"...My lord, are the troops camped? Is this the forest with that lake?" A terrible sore choked Alen's throat but he asked nevertheless. Guilt assaulted him that he had disappointed and worried Teo needlessly. He saw thick concern on the older man's face and a large hand stroked his hot cheeks and neck.

"Yes, it is, Alen. Don't worry about anything. I have sent Grenseal to a carry message to His Majesty about our late return."

Alen thought about his friend and smiled knowingly to Teo. "...Will he be staying in Gregminster until we return, sir?"

Returning the same smug look, Teo ruffled his dear swordsman's short locks. "Yes, he will be staying there. ...I also gave him a message for Kohaku. I'm sure he will find ample welcome at my place." Both he and Alen knew the supposedly-secret relationship between Grenseal and the beautiful manservant at McDohl mansion. Teo almost made it his incentive to give Grenseal excuses to visit his home, just to watch Gremio's reactions.

"That is very kind of you, my lord." Alen grinned, but he went into a small fit of coughs. He felt cold creeping all over his body. Fever ran high and worsened his condition.

"Rest, Alen. You need it." Teo tucked the younger man beneath many layers of blankets and lay down right next to him. "We will head back to Gregminster as soon as storm wanes."

"...Yes, Lord Teo." With an obedient, very affectionate murmur reserved just for their private moments, Alen closed his eyes. As was expected, Teo made no move to access his body; instead, the general held his right hand and stayed by him through the snowy night.

Grenseal appeared slightly disheveled to Teo's eyes when he came to greet the returning army at the gate. They exchanged formal greetings and discussed a few issues on their way to the palace, but Teo whispered, "I hope Gremio made you feel welcome last night?" as they passed the mansion.

The handsome swordsman blushed red and murmured, "Y-Yes, sir. I ate some stew and read some books with Young Master." It was clear that he was not telling everything. Teo only nodded and fell silent, regally mounted on his large black stallion as he and his men moved down the central street of Gregminster. Already, maids and soldiers were readying the gate area for their entry into the palace.

"Are you well, Alen?" Grenseal asked his friend, who was riding right behind Teo.

Although a little pale, Alen grinned to the younger swordsman and nodded. "Not bad at all. Fever ran off, and now I'm having a sneezing fit. This is disgraceful." He wrinkled his nose as a small sneeze made his shoulders jump. He sighed and dabbed his nose with a handkerchief.

"Let's hope you don't interrupt His Majesty's speech when he welcomes us," snickered Grenseal.

"I won't. I'll bite down on my tongue and stifle my breathing." Alen retorted and went into another small array of sneezes. He heard some soldiers behind him chuckle and gave them a half-hearted glare. They were under his direct command and he knew every single one of them fairly well. The burly, older soldiers quieted down, but their pleasant smirks remained.

Shaking his head in mock exasperation, Alen straightened his posture and tried to look presentable. The snow was only a flurry in Gregminster and the last night's storm was unimaginable from the clear sky of this morning. He gave Teo's back a lingering little glance before they dismounted to go pay respect to the emperor.