Frozen Hearts and Liquid Memory

"Upon this well I cast a spell,

from deep within the heart will tell.

Provide me answers and speak only truth,

I give you a voice, now tell me,

Where are you?"

Velziah, the witch of the Winter Forest, thawed the ice at the bottom of the well. She knew that water holds memory, and the ice holds it as a moment in time, but this well sits between the witches' domain and the other, of which she didn't know the name.

A cold wind burst from the well into a gust of ice and blizzard before descending into the air. As she peered her head over the edge, her silver hair wistled with the wind. Safire-colored eyes pierced the darkness in search of any sign of life or its memory.

She listened for some time with her pointed ears turned downward, but what she heard would shake her bones.

"Forgive me, my love, for our time together will remain frozen in my heart as a cherished memory. I treasure the touch of your pale skin, thawing within my warm grasp. I will honor your words as a last spell upon this life onto the next. Live now. Be free from my restrictions, and I pray that I shall reincarnate into your life once again."

Frozen tears grazed her pale skin as they fell into the well. Velziah had been looking for her lover within the woods for days after hunters followed him to her home. Ronhill was but a lost commoner just a mere months ago, but his warm touch had thawed a way into her heart.

His kindness held true even in the memory of the tidal waves after he fell deep within. Trapped far below what any mere human could climb, with a view of only the stars, whether day or night.

She dreaded not casting a spell that could track where he may be at all times, but she never thought that the time they shared would stop so soon. As an immortal creature who has roamed these lands for longer than what a mortal's history could tell, it never became over her how momentous and precious seconds, minutes, or hours could become.

"You may join me once more, but never again as you are," she spoke to his spirit that lingered at the bottom of the well, still waiting for her, "but you may only become my familiar. I do not wish to part from you ever again. Will you accept?"

The icy winds stirred the forest surrounding them, scaring the onlooking creatures that dwelled within. Her sapphire eyes now glowed of a rare blue moon as she conjured forbidden magic to bring back souls and trap them within a form of this world.

Valziah knew that he could never be human again, nor cross over into the life that they travel when this one comes to an end. Ronhill would become an immortal connection to her as their souls intertwine, and a contract is formed under the divine.

An orb appeared above the well, glowing bright red and spinning at a dangerous speed, creating sparks across the forest floor. She braced for an answer. Whether he'd accept or not would be up to his soul, and if he shouldn't, she would accept her life of solitude. Never to stretch out her icy hand towards another, for her heart would always belong to him.

"What form have I taken?" A familiar voice echoed within her ears, but she was too scared to open her eyes, in fear that it was merely a delusion of her heart's desires.

Cold fur brushed against her exposed thighs before a large head nuzzled into her neck. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gasped at the sight before her: a large Silver wolf with sapphire eyes similar to hers.

"Is it really you?" Her heart couldn't take it.

"It is me, my love. I hope that you would love me in this form." His gentle words vibrated within the connection that only the two of them shared.

"You chose forever with me, but why?" Those frozen tears grazed her face once more.

She couldn't fathom herself worthy of such a sacrifice. For Ronhil to extinguish his freedom as a human to her familiar for an eternity. She told him about such a contract before and still remembers the uncertainty on his dark skin. His brown eyes drooped to the floor as his long locks followed.

"Eternity with you is worth my life and many after. No matter the form I have become, I will exchange it all again and again as long as it is to stay by your side."

Velziah embraced her lover, not just in body but in soul, for it wouldn't have mattered what was to become of him. Her heart will forever yearn for his warmth.

"My love exceeds the barriers of physical appearance and needs only the warmth of your presence." She spoke to him as well as into his heart.

She would lead the great wolf deep into the winter forest where their home waits for them. Their travel would extend from day to night. Ironically, the rare blue moon is shown above the small cottage in the woods. Its appearance was a mere delusion, the massive landscape that would appear once you'd enter.

It only became clear to her after crossing the threshold of her door that he would not fit through its frame. As she turned to cast a spell to expand it, her eyes widened as her lover walked through without a struggle. Not as the grand wolf, but as the human he once was.

"How could this be?" he asked her, staring at his dark hands stretched out in front of him and pulling at his locks. "Am I human again?" His excitement was apparent.

He rushed to Velziah, lifting her and twirling around. She, too, was excited, but puzzled at its possibility, until she remembered the rare moon.

"The ritual was performed on the day of the rare blue moon when you still had your human soul. It must have attached itself to the iminating power of the moon, but I am sure that you will return into the form of the wolf by the morning."

Ronhill lifted her tilted chin and pressed his lips against her, melting the ice from her tongue.

"Then let us make the most of this night. Shall we?" His cunning grim aligned with the heat of his body and the throb of his muscle.

"Yes, let us enjoy the delights of what this night has to offer. " Velziah returned his grin before sealing their agreement with a deep kiss.