Ellanna woke to Sebastian gently shaking her shoulder. "Ellanna, wake up. The sun is rising and we can't afford for the soldiers of The Iron Fist to catch us." 

She opened her grey eyes to his icy blue gaze. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up.

 "Good," he said, "I've made breakfast. We can eat quickly and be off shortly. The Kallima is only a day's ride from here if we make good time."

He exited the tent and she followed shortly. She watched Sebastian carefully as they ate, and when they broke camp. His already pale skin was ghost white, and there was a sheen of sweat coating his forehead. If he was in any pain, however, he did a good job of hiding it.

Upon checking the wound, she didn't find any infection, but his skin felt fevered, and the surrounding veins stood out darkly underneath the skin. Not being able to do anything for him without knowing more, she was forced to leave it alone.

Once they had packed up he helped her on the horse and mounted up after her. Ellanna had an easier time hanging on, and found herself immersed in conversation with Sebastian while they rode.

"So why are you called Frosttouch?" she asked.

"I thought you might've figured that out by now."

"Well you've mentioned that you're not bothered by the cold, and your hair is the colour of snow...."

"I can manipulate certain elements. Snow, ice, wind - all within my ability to control. With a single touch I can freeze solid anything -inanimate or living. It's something I was born with, though I've only just starting really learning to control it."

"Is that the same sort of powers my mother had? The magic you think I have too?"

"No," he paused. "I don't know what kind of magic your mother had. I just know that she was one of the most powerful mages we'd ever had."

"Oh."

They rode in silence, and Ellanna watched as the gentle hills steepened into jagged foothills, and she saw mountains form in the distance,cutting a grey line into the clear blue sky.

Sebastian glanced over his shoulder with a worried expression at the same time Ellanna heard the sound of approaching horses. He didn't say anything, but urged the horses into a gallop. It proved to be a futile attempt to escape the riders as their horses only carried a single rider and could move much more swiftly, and Ellanna saw they were quickly gaining on them.

Sebastian didn't give up though, even as the rider caught up and surrounded them, forcing them to slow to a halt. Wounded as he was, and outnumbered ten to one, he stood no chance. Surrounded by the men, they quickly found themselves unhorsed and sprawled on the ground.

Two men grabbed Ellanna and hauled her to her feet, restraining her. Another three seized Sebastian, dragging him to his knees, while the rest stood back and their leader issued orders. He approached Sebastian, sword in hand, and a look of malice twisted on his face.

"So Frosttouch. We meet yet again. This time, you'll have no chance torun." He raised his sword as Sebastian struggled against the hands restraining him.

A cry tore itself from Ellanna's lips as the man swung his sword. She lurched forward and broke free of the grip holding her with a strength she didn't know she possessed. All of the men were suddenly thrown back by an unseen force as she ran to Sebastian.

He had collapsed to the ground, and there was a trickle of blood seeping from a wound on his temple. His eyes were closed, and his breathing shallow as she knelt down in the snow next to him and pulled his head onto her lap.

"Sebastian, wake up," she pleaded. "Please open your eyes, just say something!" A tear rolled down her cheek and she placed a kiss on his forehead. "Please wake up." she whispered.

She opened her eyes when she heard a soft moan. She watched in shock as the gash healed over and Sebastian blinked open his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked hoarsely.

She glanced around at the men lying scattered metres away. "I'm not sure," she admitted, staring at her hands in bewilderment. "They were going to kill you, and I just couldn't let that happen, and they all suddenly got thrown away. And I thought you were going to die, but then it just, you just healed."

He smiled weakly up at her, and rubbed his shoulder. " My shoulder feels better too... I think that you might've just saved my life."

She helped him sit up. "I'm not sure exactly how I did, but I'm glad. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"I find I'm rather glad myself."

She reached out and wiped the blood off his face. He leaned toward her and brought his lips to hers in a soft and sweet kiss. A smiled spread across her face. 

"Thank you," he said. "Shall we go before our friends here wake up?"

"That would probably be best."

The rest of the journey took only a few hours, and they arrived just before nightfall. Sebastian was greeted warmly, and the leaders of the Kallima welcomed Ellanna with open arms.

As time went on, Ellanna trained with their best mages, and grew stronger in her magic. Though working hard everyday in an effort to stop The Iron Fist was difficult, it was rewarding. And with Sebastian by her side, she felt happier than she could ever remember being.