ZenTar¹ Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind). took a step back and cringed visibly, as if he’d just stepped on something foul and disgusting.

“What the fuck?!”

ZaiWin² Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). sighed nonchalantly, raking a hand through his long, dark, loose hair.

“He refused to return my hairpin,” he simply stated, indicating the boy he held by the other hand with a tilt of his head.

ZenTar’s gaze immediately fell on Snow and a different kind of shiver ran down his spine.

“What’s wrong with his eyes?”

If the kid had been strangely eerie before, with his pale, icy eyes, now that they were practically completely black, he looked even more abnormal. Which was strange, to say the least, since black was a much more common eye-color than Snow’s usual pale-icy tone. And yet, those dark eyes just made him look cold and empty, as if he’d completely lost his usual child-like brightness, which was never a good combination.

“Northing’s wrong. Snow’s eyes were black to begin with.” ZaiWin replied, smiling back at the kid when he looked up at him with an inquisitive expression on his face. Apparently the kid himself hadn’t been aware of the unnatural change. “There’s nothing to worry about. They’ll go back to their normal color in due time,” ZaiWin assured him and Snow lowered his gaze, with a clear doubtful frown on his face.

ZenTar immediately guessed that ZaiWin knew more about that abnormal occurrence than he was willing to say, in front of the kid. And so he held his tongue, postponing his questions to when they could speak in private. On a second thought there was something clearly wrong with ZaiWin as well, he realized with sudden alarm.

“And what the fuck happened to you? Today is not the twentieth, right? Yet I can’t feel a single drop of energy emanating from you!” he accused, urgently stepping closer to him, wanting to check on his health, but ZaiWin raised one hand to stop him.

“I’m fine. I just had Snow seal my energy for me.”

ZenTar’s green eyes widened so much that they almost popped out of their sockets.

“You did what?!”

“You remember, right? I told you that he was able to do it, back when we were still at the Fortress.”

“I remember!! And you asked him to do it again?! Are you completely out of your freaking mind??”

“We needed to talk, face to face. And since his bracelet was broken, there was no other way.”

Snow averted his gaze. Liar! ZaiWin had just wanted to make sure he’d be able to completely neutralize him the next time he lost control! Using him as if he were some kind of portable chain, to lock up the monster living inside him, should it escape his reins again.

“And you willingly placed yourself in such a vulnerable position just so you could have a talk with him?!”

Snow’s eyes widened in sudden realization. That’s right! He hadn’t considered that! Right now ZaiWin was as defenseless as any common man. Worse! ZaiWin had made a point to tell him that he wanted to make sure that Snow was safe, as if he were afraid that he might lose control and hurt him again. And so, to achieve that, he had completely placed himself at his mercy. What if Snow lost control instead? After all, it had become clear that such a thing could easily happen to any of them. How could ZaiWin trust him so much? Even ZenTar seemed to be wondering the same thing, a horrified expression on his face. Or was it that ZaiWin didn’t trust him at all and simply held Snow’s life above his own, willing to accept whatever might happen as a result of his decision to keep him safe above everything else?

“Have him undo it this instant!” ZenTar demanded, but ZaiWin remained completely unfazed.

“Once Vin finishes his new bracelet.”

ZenTar was fuming from anger and frustration.

“Besides, it’s not like I’m in any imminent danger. And I have you, to watch my back.”

“I wish you were a few inches smaller, so that I could bend you over my knee and smack some sense into that empty head of yours!” ZenTar blurted out and ZaiWin smiled at that.

“You really think that would work?”

“There’s no harm in trying it, right? Maybe that’s exactly what is lacking from your education! Fucking shit! I can’t stand having to look at you right now! I’ll go and get VinWei³Literally vin (hard) + wei (crystal)! Let her deal with you!” he retorted angrily and simply stormed out of the small cave.

Snow looked up at him, clearly apprehensive, but ZaiWin simply replied with a calm and confident smile.

“Don’t worry. He’ll get better soon.”

“I could undo it. There’s really no need to keep your energy sealed like this. I’ve already told you, I’m no scared.”

“And I believe you,” ZaiWin assured him. “But I just feel better knowing that you’re able to look me in the face while talking to me. Come. Have a seat.”

Holding his hand, ZaiWin led him towards the table. Snow didn’t argue, taking one of the empty stone seats. He felt immediately better, allowing his weakened body to relax.

Snow had insisted that he felt well enough to leave the bedroom. He hated the idea of having to stay in bed for days at a time. Knowing that ZaiWin wouldn’t be easy to convince, he had tried his best to put up a strong front. But the truth was that his chest still hurt, as if he’d been stabbed by a thin but very long needle. And he felt weak, a persistent tremor tormenting his muscles.

Looking up, he found ZaiWin’s blue gaze fixed on him. Even though he had allowed him to leave the bedroom it was clear that he didn’t believe the strong facade he was trying his best to maintain. And so Snow tried his best to divert his attention from his present health state.

“What did ZenTar mean about my eyes?”

For a brief moment, ZaiWin’s eyes widened in alarm. But then he immediately relaxed in some silent acceptance. Instead of replying to him, he crossed the small room and crouched near a travel bag that Snow knew belonged to VinWei. Unceremoniously rummaging inside it, he seemed to finally find what he had been looking for. Getting back on his feet, he carried it back to Snow.

Snow looked at the small round box ZaiWin had placed on the table. Its white lid had been carefully painted with flowery motifs, the delicate petals depicted with amazing detail, looking as if they had been blown by a gust the wind.

Looking up at ZaiWin just to make sure he’d fetched that for him, Snow grabbed the small box and opened it.

His own face greeted him back the minute he looked inside it. And he couldn’t help think how amazed Sand would have been, if she could have seen that small wonder. But then, reflected by the mirror kept inside the box, were his own dark eyes.

Snow lifted the mirror, turning his head from one side to the other, trying to take a better look. They weren’t completely black, he noticed. More like a dark-gray color.

Closing the delicate box, Snow placed it on the table again. He could feel ZaiWin’s worried gaze on him. He was probably fearing his reaction to what was clearly an impossibility. People’s eyes just didn’t change colors like that. Not that drastically, anyway. But, as far as Snow was concerned, the important question wasn’t why such a strange thing had happened, or when his eyes would go back to their normal pale-blue color.

Holding his cold hands together over the black stone table, Snow looked up at ZaiWin to face that uncertain gaze.

“How did you know?” he asked, and could see by ZaiWin’s confused expression that he hadn’t understood what he meant. “That my eyes were originally black.” Snow added, and this time he could clearly see it, the shock in ZaiWin’s gaze, before he quickly looked away. It was almost as if he’d been caught off guard, doing something he didn’t want others knowing about.

“Your eyes were black, the first time we met,” ZaiWin replied in a half mumble voice, and Snow frowned.

When they’d first met?! Had his eyes been black when he’d finally been allowed to step out that box? He remembered looking at his own image for the first time in many years, reflected by the huge, golden framed mirror that had decorated the Fortress’ richly furnished bedroom. At that time his eyes had clearly been that eerie pale color, the same unnatural color that had gained the appreciation and loathing of the many men and women that had visited his bedroom over the years.

Lowering his gaze to the small box resting on the table, Snow distractedly traced the delicate image with his index finger.

“I didn’t know they could change color like this. I know they used the be black, when I was small. But Madame would always tell me how my weird eyes made me look inhuman, how they were proof that I was probably cursed. How, like my hair, they made me an aberration that should have been drowned at birth. It was clear she hated and feared those aspects of my appearance. She could shave my head. But there was nothing she could do about my eyes. Except blindfold me. At first, I didn’t understand what she meant. But then, even though some of the … people she brought into my bedroom didn’t mind the blindfold or even felt excited by the fact that I was wearing it, others asked her to have it removed. And, unlike her, they seemed to like the color of my eyes very much. Like ice, they said. Like water. The color of silver touched by light.”

ZaiWin curled his fingers into tight fists. He hated hearing him talk about the bastards that had abused him. He hated even more the fact that Snow’s voice always sounded especially soft when he did so, almost as if he were telling a lulling story to a child.

Snow smiled bitterly, and his hands shook ever so lightly, showing his true emotions at the reminder of the dark memories that flooded his mind.

“It took me a while to understand that my eyes couldn’t be black like I remembered. I never understood why they changed color. If it had happened before, Sand would have probably worried herself to death, afraid I might be sick or something. But Madame never said anything about my eyes changing colors either. She always sneered, whenever she looked at her. More than once, I thought she was actually going to hit me, for daring to raise my gaze. So I can only assume that my eyes were already this strange color since the first time she laid eyes on me. I thought that … somehow, Sand’s death had changed them … I know it doesn’t make any sense,” he admitted in an even lower voice, and ZaiWin sighed, taking the place next to him and caressing his soft hair.

“Don’t worry. They will go back to their beautiful, translucent color,” ZaiWin gently declared and Snow couldn’t help blush.

“They’re hardly beautiful …”

“They are beautiful,” he insisted. “They captured me immediately, when I first saw you at the Fortress. You were all dirty and covered in blood, and couldn’t even walk in a straight line. But your eyes were like shards of pure crystal touched by the sun. And I knew, right there and then, that you were special.”

Snow’s already blushed cheeks became even redder, his heart beating a bit faster inside his chest while that warm hand softly played with his hair.

“I wonder why they changed colors in the first place …” he muttered and ZaiWin smiled, a strangely warm, loving smile that made Snow quickly avert his gaze.

“I could tell you my theory about that. But I rather you reach your own conclusions.”

Snow looked back at him again, this time with a frown.

“You know why?”

“I have my suspicions,” ZaiWin confirmed, his smile quickly turning annoyingly cocky. “I will tell you this, however. When I found you in that cave, almost frozen to death, your eyes were completely black. And that’s why I know they’ll go back to being their crystal-like color again.”

Snow allowed his anger towards his obvious unwillingness to tell him more about that to fade away. ZaiWin didn’t look or sound the slightest bit worried about something that would definitely disturb anyone else. And so, somehow, Snow just couldn’t feel worried about it either, even though he rationally knew he should.
With a second thought, he looked up at him again, a different kind of urgency making his heart beat faster.

“And what did ZenTar mean by that? That today is not the twentieth?”

The hand, that up till now had been happily caressing his hair, froze in place, as did the soft expression on ZaiWin’s face, his blue gaze hardening, looking almost threatening. Still, Snow didn’t allow any of that to intimidate or dissuade him. ZenTar had sounded really angry and worried, when he’d realized that he couldn’t feel ZaiWin’s energy. But then he had wondered about the day of the month, as if these two things could be connected.

“What happens on the twentieth?” Snow insisted, and ZaiWin pulled back his hand. And Snow could clearly feel it. Not only his hand. ZaiWin was pulling his entire self away from him, retreating back inside his hard-built, cold defenses. The same defenses that always made him look like a cold, indifferent person that couldn’t care less about what happened to the world around him.

“You know what happens on the twentieth,” ZaiWin replied in a dispassionate voice. Still, that was way better than nothing, Snow told himself. He had been sure that he would be left without an answer. On the other hand … He knew? How? What did he mean?

The sound of light footsteps forced Snow to swallow his next question and, instants later, VinWei entered the small cave.

Silvareiel

Mm, they’re still talking. Good, good. Hopefully, this talking business will stick ?