Getting to his feet, Nathan didn't want to let go of Mark's hand. He didn't want whatever was happening to him to end. His heart sank a little, when Mark pulled his hand away to put his supplies back into the shelter. Donner stretched, moving out of the shelter so that Mark could lock it up. Prying the dead fish from Aputsiaq's teeth and claws, he tied a string through its mouth and hung it on Donner's harness. Donner sniffed the fish, then snorted, shaking his head with its large rack of antlers. For the first time, Nathan moved closer to Donner. He'd been afraid to touch him before, but he felt more confident to try now. Donner looked up at him with big brown eyes, fearlessly watching his hands reach toward his nose. The warm puffs of breath misted Nathan's palm as his hand drew closer. Biting his lip, he almost touched him until Donner made a low grunting sound. Yanking his hand back, Nathan blushed. He didn't know how to behave around reindeer. Mark patted Donner's back, extending out his hand for Nathan's as he told him. "It's ok. He's just talking. Look." Mark moved his hand to slid it up Donner's long nose to scratch him between his antlers.

Donner grunted more, tilting his head up against Mark's chest like he liked it. Reaching out again, Nathan put his hand on Donner's nose and exhaled in relief. Donner's fur was so soft and warm despite the cold. Running his hand along the fine fluffy fur, Nathan asked Mark curiously. "Has he ever hurt you with his antlers?" Mark chuckled, then answered honestly. "One or twice by accident. Usually when he turns his head or tries to rub his head on me. It's not a problem in the winter though. Being a boy, he loses his antlers in the winter... but it's technically summer. So, you just have to be careful. He can't tell the distance between his antlers and you." Nathan ran his hand along Donner's neck to his side, while Mark lightly held onto Donner's antlers as he scratched him the way he liked. Smiling, Nathan raised an eyebrow when he asked. "He loses his antlers? Won't he need them?" Mark draped an arm over Donner's neck, informing him casually. "Actually, Male reindeer only need antlers to attract females in the summer. Then they lose them, and the females grow antlers in the winter to protect their babies." Nathan straightened up, telling Mark with peaked interest. "I didn't know that. Where did you learn that? I've never seen any reindeer in Arendelle."

Mark's smile faded to a small grim one but answered openly. "The trolls told me about them. They said that the reindeer used to be a big livestock animal before... Well, before the war. They are better in winter climates than horses and most other livestock." Nathan stroked his hand along Donner's back, asking a little excited. "Do you still ride him?" Mark nodded, chuckling out. "Of course. He's as strong as a horse." Nathan started to wonder what that would be like, when Mark asked him softly. "Want to ride him?" Nathan jerked his hand off Donner, nervously chuckling out. "Oh, no. I couldn't." Mark beckoned Nathan to him, telling him confidently. "Yes, you could. It's just like riding a horse. Come here. I'll show you." Nathan dragged his feet as he walked around Donner. Despite shaking his head and trudging over, he did want to try. Mark took his arm, pulling him over to Donner's side. Patting Donner's back, Mark informed him over his shoulder. "Once you are on, you'll want to grab this strap on the harness. It is attached to the chest piece and with it, you can steer him... kind of like a horse." Nathan didn't move, letting Mark guide his hand to Donner's antler upon adding. "To get on. Grab his antler here to steady him and yourself. Then carefully swing your leg on. Try it."

Swallowing, Nathan gripped part of the antler and tested trying to lean his weight on Donner. Donner's head resisted being pushed down, allowing him to get the leverage he needed. So, he ungracefully hopped onto him and tried to swing his leg into position. He'd never gotten on an animal without a saddle to give his legs help. Mark grabbed his leg to help give him a bit more support, which allowed him to finally sit up properly on him. Mark then patted his ass to get him to scoot forward more on Donner, telling him calmly. "Sit up by his shoulders. Just like that. Good. See. That wasn't so hard." Nathan timidly lowered his hands to the harness strap, but when Donner shifted his weight, he felt like he was going to fall. So, he quickly grabbed his antlers to steady himself. Mark patted his thigh, trying to relax him as he said. "Relax. Just lean your weight opposite to his steps. Otherwise, you'll pull him over." Nathan shook a little, asking anxiously. "Mark... I can't steer him... I need reins." Mark shook his head, then to Nathan's surprise, he swung up onto Donner with him. Scooting up close to him, Mark whispered over his shoulder. "No, you don't. Let me show you."

Mark's hands moved across Nathan's hips to hold the harness strap, then told him in a deep buttery voice that calmed Nathan to his core. "Let Donner go. Lean back into me." Releasing Donner's antlers, Nathan inhaled sharply as he leaned back uneasily. Mark stayed close, holding him in place until he relaxed. The feeling of Mark's warm breath along his shoulder made him bite his lip. He could barely concentrate on anything except how close he was. Mark's breath trailed up his neck to his ear, when he whispered to him. "There are many different ways to get Donner to move. You can tell him. Or you can signal him like this." Mark patted the side of Donner's neck and Donner started to walk. Nathan tried to resist the urge to grab onto Donner. Only to end up grabbing Mark's legs instead. Mark didn't appear to mind though. While he held onto Mark, Mark told him calmly. "Now. If you want him to turn. Just pull on the side of the harness that you want him to go in. The firmer the pull, the sharper the turn he makes." Mark demonstrated by lightly lifting the harness with his fingers to get Donner to slowly start veering to the right.

Then if he pulled up more on it, Donner turned into an abrupt U-turn. Nathan turned his head a little, asking Mark a bit breathlessly. "How do you get him to stop?" Mark pulled up both sides of the harness and Donner stopped. Locking eyes over his shoulder with Mark, Mark added in a soft loving voice. "To back up, just pat his back. Or one of his back legs to make him back up into a slight turn. Easy." Nathan nodded, whispering back. "Ya..." Unable to stop himself, he kissed Mark. Mark's hands moved up Nathan's torso to hold him closer during their tender kiss. When Nathan finally pulled away, Mark whispered to him. "You try it." Nathan put his hands on the harness strap, becoming a little distracted by how Mark's hands held onto his hips. Clearing his throat to force himself to focus, he patted Donner to get him going again. Nathan couldn't believe how well trained Donner was, or that he was riding a reindeer. Turning Donner into a U-turn, Nathan chuckled out. "This is so much fun." Mark's hands moved up his torso, causing Nathan to look back at Mark with a bright smile. Mark grinned back, asking him curiously. "Do you wanna see him go a little faster? We can do a lap around the lake?" Nathan blushed, asking timidly. "Is it safe?"

Mark chuckled, telling him warmly. "Of course. I won't let you fall." Mark grabbed the harness strap, telling Nathan excitedly. "Hold onto me and lean with me on turns." Donner shifted on his feet, like he could sense that Mark was going to change things up. Mark tapped his heels against Donner's sides and Donner sprang into a run. Nathan grabbed Mark's arms, yelping as Donner took off through the snow. Donner sprinted into a fluid trot with his head held high, his hooves lightly prancing across the snow. He was used to bouncing on a horse unless they were running. However, Reindeer didn't run the same as a horse. They always had one front foot and the opposite back leg on the ground when they ran. Which made them feel faster and smoother when riding them. Clinging to Mark's arms, Nathan squealed until he got used to the difference. While Mark laughed and steered Donner out around the frozen lake. On the frozen lake, Aputsiaq dashed after them, keeping up with them despite her small size. On the turns, she used the ice to drift around flawlessly on all fours, passing Donner for a short time before Donner passed her on the straightaway.

Nathan relaxed and leaned forward more as he got used to how Donner moved. Placing his hands on Donner's neck, he cheered as his adrenaline started to spike. He imagined this was what it was like to fly. As they came to a fallen tree, Nathan's eyes widened in fright, but Mark leaned into him as Donner leapt into the air to clear it. The leap gave Nathan goosebumps as Donner just seemed to take flight and gracefully land back into a run like he had never stopped. Mark sat up to look behind them briefly, before meeting Nathan's eyes with a chuckle. Nathan shared his chuckle, then belted out a loud excited cheer. When Mark started to slow Donner down, Nathan moved Mark's hands off the harness strap and blurted out like a giddy kid. "One more time! I wanna drive!" Mark laughed, wrapping his arms around Nathan as Nathan kicked Donner back into a run. Donner happily dashed off and Aputsiaq seemed just as hopeful that she could beat him this time around. This time Nathan was ready for the jump and went into it with a craving to feel the sensation of flying.

On the ice, Aputsiaq leaped over a small stick and went into a drift around the corner with pride. After the lap, Donner panted a little heavily. Nate winced, asking Mark nervously. "Is he ok?" Mark slid off the back of Donner, telling him sweetly. "Ya. He's ok. He's just not used to carrying two. He may be able to pull like a horse over long distances, but reindeer don't have a lot of stamina when it comes to running with passengers. On his own, he could run pretty far though." Nathan started to move, saying guiltily. "I should get off then..." Mark stopped him, replying lightly. "No. It's ok. Stay on. I'll walk with him." Resting a hand on Donner's antler, Mark walked beside him, calling out behind them. "Aputsiaq? Let's go." Glancing back, Nathan watched her blow ice over the fishing hole to seal it up, before scampering after them. Running up to Mark, she leapt to cling onto Mark's back, before crawling up across his shoulders. Together they made their way back up to the ice castle. When they reached the icy steps, Mark took the fish off Donner and let him follow a bouncing Aputsiaq around to the cave entrance. To Nathan's joy, Mark reached out for his hand, and he took it. Holding his hand as they made their way up and inside to the kitchen.

Once there, Mark let him go to start prepping the large fish to cook it. Nathan sat listening to Mark hum for a bit, until his eyes drifted to the mandolin on the table. Picking it up carefully, he fine tuned it and gently started to play it. Mark paused in his cutting to look back, giving him a brief smile before working again. Nathan finished up a song, prompting Mark to tell him as he finished propping the sticks with fish bits over the fire. "You're pretty good. How did you do that last bit with your hand though..." Nathan got to his feet, bringing the mandolin over. Handing it to Mark, he stepped to his side and moved his fingers with his own to set them up. Telling Mark to play, he showed him how to apply the pressure on the different strings at the same time and how to slide his fingers down the cords better. Having professional tutors had paid off to fix the issues that a lot of players had. Mark tried it on his own but kept screwing up as he tried to get it down. So, Nathan just stayed close and kept showing him until he started to get it. Finally taking a seat, Mark asked him with a smile. "I envy how easy it was for you to learn how to play with professionals."

Nathan leaned back against the counter, mumbling out. "It wasn't all that fun. Sure, they taught me how to play. But they also forced me to learn other things." Mark lifted an eyebrow, asking a bit wickedly. "Like what?" Nathan rolled his eyes, shrugging out innocently. "Like how to dance." Mark stopped playing to blurt out in shock. "You don't like dancing?" Scoffing, Nathan shot back. "No. I don't have a problem with dancing. I just... I don't like dancing with strangers. And that is all those balls are for. Just a way to flaunt money and power to strangers at court. Everyone looking down on everyone else. Judging. Looking for weakness. It's just all so... fake." Mark set his mandolin aside, uttering out softly. "Sounds boring too... but I still would love to know how. Never know when it might come in handy." Nathan rolled his eyes. After a few seconds, he smirked and straightened up. Clapping his hands, he gestured Mark to get up and told him. "Here. You wanna know how awful it is. Get up. I'll show you." Mark casually got to his feet and Nathan gently took his hands to walk him through the long grueling process. He had started it to show how boring it was, but soon found himself laughing with Mark over it. Mark was a pretty quick learner and what few mistakes he made were not all that bad for a beginner. It had taken himself months to get steps right.

Switching to let Mark try to lead, Nathan commented casually. "You're picking this up faster than I did. That's not fair." Mark twirled him, then pulled him close when he answered so beautifully. "Maybe I just have a better teacher." Nathan's lips parted but he was speechless. Mark danced with him around the kitchen to no music. Yet, they both smiled and kept going like a soft song was playing. For a brief time, Aputsiaq and Donner watched them from the doorway before leaving them. After spinning Nathan around, Mark pulled Nathan up against himself and whispered over his lips in a deep wispy voice. "I should check on the fish..." Nathan brought his lips closer to his, whispering in return. "Don't... I'm not very hungry..." Mark's lips brushed over his with some reluctance, upon whispering a bit teasingly. "It will burn..." Without looking away from Mark, Nathan raised his hand and let frost burst from his palm. The fish became incased in ice and the fire solidified into an icy statue of fire. Mark glanced briefly at what he'd done. Allowing Nathan to breathlessly mumble out with a tiny flicker of hope. "Now it won't. So... What do we do now?"

Mark looked back at him, his lips seeking out his in a long slow kiss. Nate leaned into Mark, his hands sliding up his muscular arms to hold onto his biceps. The moment their lips parted; Mark whispered to him very softly. "Depends... What do you want to do? Your highness?" Nathan didn't even think about it. Wrapping his arms around Mark's neck, he pulled him into another kiss as he answered in a voice swept away by passion. "I want you." To Be Continued...