The Death of Winter

Keiran came up to her side, walking with her as they made their way to her home. He kept close, despite his earlier barriers. He had his guard up, like he expected an attack at any time. "I believe you are in danger. The Summer Spirits are stronger than us, and if they believe they can eradicate the winter, they will do so by targeting me... or you." He let the information sink in before he continued. "If you feel that you are going to be harmed by anyone, come to me. I will be able to protect you."
 
Liz sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. "And now I feel sorry for every single character I put in a situation like this." She mumbled before looking over at Keiran. "So, sorry if this bugs you, but what do the spirits actually... do? Do they make the snow and sunlight and stuff or just guide it so that it goes where they want when they want it to be there?"
 
"It does not. You understand seasons as science and patterns. We understand it as our sole purpose. What you see is the product of our preparation. We craft the snow, and everything accompanying it, and we shower it upon the world. We understand you would not survive in such conditions, so we cycle the seasons. That is why there are differing levels of heat and cold. Our power comes from you. Those who believe and understand the importance of each season gives us the strengths and abilities for us to continue to do what we do. However, many humans think heat and summer are more important. It weakens us. That is why the spirits have sent me here. I must gather enough belief in us again, or we will fade. Summer will reign supreme. That is why Sarin has found me. If he kills me, I cannot finish what I was sent to do. He may target you to reach me. I do not wish for harm to come to you. I... I am sorry that I have included you in this, even though I am in need of your help."

Keiran kept a close eye on their surroundings, but true to her word, her house was nearby. "If you require anything, do not hesitate to come to my home."
 
Liz nodded as she listened. "Thanks, I will." She said, unsure what else to say. She shivered a bit, feeling cold again. Going out in short shorts probably wasn't the best idea after all. She didn't even get some writing done. The brunette wondered how many people Keiran needed to return enough strength to the winter spirits. She stretched then returned to pulling her sweatshirt closer to herself.
 
((Somehow, my phone managed to ignore you and I didn't realize it until right now. o-o))

Keiran looked down at her, watching as she pulled the warm clothing closer to herself. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked, one hand coming to rest on her shoulder. It drew the cold away from her again like last time, but he could only do it for so long before his hand dropped away.
 
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Liz replied with a small smile. "I probably should have worn longer pants though..." She looked down at her shorts and shook her head. She should have known it would have been somewhat cold outside, at least cold enough for her to wish she hadn't worn shorts to the beach.
 
"Your home is close, is it not?" It seemed like a much longer way, and that thought caused him to be alert again. In his worry for Liz, he'd neglected to pay any attention to their surroundings. He felt a heated stare following them. However, he turned to see no one. It wasn't a reassuring sign, and it only made him stray closer to Liz.

He shouldn't have felt bad for putting her in the situation, but she hadn't deserved it. No human he needed deserved that position, but it was necessary.
 
"It is." Liz said, running a hand through her hair. As much as she liked the cold, she preferred being in it in warmer clothes. She didn't notice the stare, but simply focused on not bumping into any poles. She'd hate to embarrass herself in front of a winter spirit prince again.
 
"I would feel better if we picked up our pace. Something is... wrong here." Wrong was an understatement as a swirling ball of flame was launched at him, or Liz. He didn't know the target. He only knew to grab her and dodge, watching as the fire licked around the fence it'd barreled into. Keiran whipped around, one arm still holding Liz behind him. He glared into the darkness, but where the fireball had come from, he didn't know.

A glint lit the darkness for a half second, and Keiran anticipated the next attack. This one was faster, but he had enough time to throw a barrier of what appeared to be ice between himself and the floating inferno. "Show yourself, Summer Spirit. I will not tolerate another attack." A small but muscular woman popped out from the darkness, smiling in such a way to be considered a vicious sneer. Like the male Summer Spirit, she had a mop of short red hair streaked with yellows and oranges. Her eyes were like pools of blood against their dark surroundings.

"Hir-Morana. That was all you could muster? A pity. I would have preferred more of a fight."

"Leave us, Nanili. My quarrel is not with you, or any other Summer Spirit."

"It became so when you decided to show up here. We're stronger than you, and all you could find was one pitiful human? How far the snow has fallen." She laughed before fixing Keiran with a dark glare. "Make no mistake, High Prince," she spat the words, "we will come for you. And when we do, you and your little human will die, and we will rule the skies." In a burst of flame, she disappeared, but not before another cackle echoed on the area. Once she was gone, Keiran dropped to one knee, expelling a puff of freezing air from his lips. How could he defend his only hope when only fabricating a shield reduced him to this?
 
"Bitch." Liz muttered before kneeling down next to Keiran. "Are you alright?" She asked, putting a hand to his shoulder. So that was what the spirits could do, she thought. It scared her to imagine what a war between them on earth would be like, if it got to that point. People dying, crops destroyed, children crying. She wondered how the farmers felt about this heat. They needed the cold for the crops to rest, otherwise the soil would be depleted of nutrients by the time they harvested their crops.
 
Keiran did his best to stand, though his legs nearly gave out from under him. "Yes," he said, but there was no real motive behind the word. With another cold exhale, he shook his head, ivory locks spilling over his forehead. There was a weariness in his grey eyes that he tried hard to hide.

"No," he corrected. "No... I don't think I am." He had to use the fence behind him to hold himself steady. "Nanili did not harm you, did she?" He would hate himself, and then eventually die, if he lost Liz.
 
"No, she didn't." Liz said. "You did a pretty splendid job of protecting me." She walked over to the spirit and gently took his arm, putting it over her shoulders. "Here. I'll help you home." She waited for him to adjust before walking toward the apartment building they happened to both live in.
 
Keira's, after a moment of collecting himself, allowed Liz to help him back to his home. It dawned on him then that they lived near one another. It would certainly make it easier for him to protect her.

Once they were up the stairs, Keiran extracted his cool body from hers. He'd been taking the cold from her body as they walked, so it wouldn't take long for her to warm back up once he was gone.

"Thank you," he said, sincerity behind the short phrase. "I do urge you to use caution around anyone who appears like Sarin and Nanili. You aren't far from me. If you require anything at all, please come to me."
 
"I'll come over if needed." Liz said, nodding. She probably wouldn't, since she hated bothering others. "You rest up. You still have to get to work tomorrow." She gave a wave before walking over to her own apartment. She stretched as she walked down the hall, wondering just how many attacks there would be on Keiran. Hopefully not too many. She quite liked the man.
 
Keiran nodded before disappearing behind the door. He could only collapse on the bed before he was asleep. His last thought was of somewhat contentedness that Liz hadn't been hurt by Nanili.

Keiran woke up later than normal, and a jog to the store found the owner there. Luckily, Liz had already returned the books she'd borrowed. "You're late."

"My apologies, sir. I had... a late night."

"See that it doesn't happen again." Keiran nodded before the owner disappeared. Of course he'd shown up on the day that Keiran was late. Once he was gone and Keiran was sure he was alone, his arms rested on the counter and his cheek on his hands. His eyes closed and he started dozing on and off again. The previous night had worn him out far more than he'd thought.
 
Later that day, Liz walked in, tired and her hair ruffled. "Hey, Keiran." She said, walking up to the counter and leaning against it. She pulled her hair out of its bun and ran her hand through it, sighing as she stretched. She cracked her back a bit to loosen herself.
 
Keiran's head came up as she spoke. "Oh... Hello." His pale face had grimly dark rings under his eyes. His breath was still coming out in white puffs on occasion. He looked terrible, and even though she was in the shop with him, his chin descended to his fingers. "I hope you were able to rest." He certainly had slept, but no good sleep had come from it.
 
"Not really. Couldn't calm down." Liz said, shaking her head. "How about you? Are you okay?" She looked him over, concerned. "You should go take a nap. I'm sure your boss isn't around enough to notice that someone other than his employee is working for him."
 
"No, I... I am strong, but the closer we draw to winter without help, the weaker I become. The Summer Spirits will press down upon me until I fade away. My brethren do not have the ability to send another Spirit here. I am all they have left. It is a heavy burden to bear." There was so much invisible weight on his shoulders. Keiran didn't want to fade away. He wanted to keep doing what he did: provide the humans with winter so they could live their lives. But the Summer Spirits were abrasive and passionate. They wanted to take that away.
 
Liz bit her lip before patting his hand quickly and pulling her hand away. "Well, you have me helping. I may not be much, but I hope I can help you somewhat." She said, running a hand through her hair. She looked around, wondering what else she could do to help the man with the pressure put on him.
 
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