I could feel my limbs. That was the first thing I noticed as I woke, because it was in such stark contrast to the numbness I had grown accustomed to before whiting out. My eyes fluttered open, and I looked up at bricks of ice that had been made to form a shelter. 

Maeve: “Oh, thank Bedlam… You really scared me there, lover boy!”

Maeve threw her arms around me, holding me tight. I was very glad to have the feeling back in my body, because her warmth meant everything to me right now. It was hard not to get choked up - her embrace reminded me of what we had nearly lost out there in the snow. I looked around, but it was just the two of us.

Seth: “How did we…?”

Maeve: “Wolfgang. After you keeled over, I carried you for a while… then Zy fainted. Wolfgang hoisted him on his other shoulder and kept going. Then… then I fell.”

She paused, needing a moment to slow her breathing.

Maeve: “Back in Ptarmigan, Wolfgang’s parents had assembled a search party, and they found that stubborn bastard by nightfall. Wolfgang carried us, Seth. Two at a time, ten feet at a time, for hours. He refused to leave us behind, and simply because of that, he refused to die.”

I shot out of the bedroll. 

Seth: “Wait, how is he? Is he going to make it!?”

Maeve: “That’s the thing. I thought I was the invincible one, but he hardly even got frostbite… It’s a true Ptarmigan miracle.”

A face I hadn’t ever expected to be friendly suddenly peeked into our shelter. It was Koa, and the strain in her facial muscles suggested she wasn’t used to feeling apologetic.

Koa: “Um. Hello…”

We turned to her nervously.

Koa: “I… I’m sorry. For earlier. We like to think we have life all figured out here in Ptarmigan, and because of that we tend to look down on outsiders before we even know anything about them. And I’ve made a terrible first impression. After listening to Wolfgang, I can tell how much you all mean to him - and I appreciate now that together, you can do the impossible.”

The dragon…

Maeve: “Oh, you definitely had some nerve-”

Seth: “We have at least as much to apologize for. We simply ignored your traditions entirely and went ahead with our bullheaded plan.”

Maeve: “Oh… yeah. I guess that was pretty rude of us.” 

Koa: “Look… we all believed Ikterwal existed, but we didn’t think for a single moment that you would actually be capable of slaying him. That was why we decided to follow you - I didn’t want my son to be torn to shreds because of that oafish hubris he gets from me. The truth is… the legends of Ikterwal became more and more frightening over the years. There may have been a time where he truly respected our way of life and looked out for us, but when some of the other tribes started to go missing... “

She shook her head.

Koa: “Ikterwal only remained a sacred beast out of convenience. We began to fear him, and he seemed to like that we bowed our heads to him. It is not hard to imagine that if you had not struck him down today, we may be the ones the snows would bury tomorrow…”

We fell into a brief silence. I decided I couldn’t hold back anymore. I had to know.

Seth: “Koa... may I ask you something?”

She nodded.

Seth: “When you spoke of the ‘corruption we bear’... what exactly did you mean?”

Koa looked between Maeve and I, at war with herself over how to answer.

Koa: “The Ardenscar got its name for a reason - the corruption that leaks from it is the very antithesis of our world. We who are attuned to the land feel this the most strongly. And within the two of you, that otherworldly corruption has somehow taken root and been allowed to grow. It is… difficult not to feel repulsed by you, but Wolfgang assures me you are in control of yourselves… for now.”

Maeve glanced over to me and shrugged.

Maeve: “Sorry, lover boy. Guess I’m rubbing off on you…”

Koa looked at her gravely.

Koa: “I’m sorry, but… your corruption is hardly a fraction of his own.”

I didn’t react. I couldn’t.

Maeve: “W- what did you say!?” 

Wolfgang: “Elder, I thought I asked you to leave these two alone!”

He hurried into the shelter and walked right up to her, placing his hands on his hips.

Koa: “Oh, Wolfgang. We were just starting fresh, weren’t we?”

Maeve looked to me, uncertain. 

Seth: “...of course. It was great to meet your mother properly, Wolfgang.”

Maeve: “Oh, honestly, Wolfie. She’s a real hoot.”

Koa: “Well, I’m sure you’ll all need a moment. We scrounged up a little extra today for your friends, Wolfgang. Come to us when you’re ready to eat, we… well, we have a bit of a surprise for you.”

Wolfgang: “Oh? ...Thank you, elder. We’ll be there soon.”

Koa nodded at her son, a thousand emotions in her eyes, then excused herself from the shelter.

Seth: “Okay, Wolfgang. Did you seriously drag us halfway across Ptarmigan!?”

He got embarrassed.

Wolfgang: “Ah, well… in truth, the dogs sometimes rolled you for a time, once the snows weren’t as deep.”

It was impossible to tell if he kidding. I couldn’t hope to express my gratitude in words, so I just threw him into a bear hug. Maeve seemed to have had the same idea.

Maeve: “You’re literally just too stubborn to die, aren’t you? I didn’t know people could be that pigheaded.”

Wolfgang: “Ha ha ha!! And who exactly are you to talk?”

Maeve simply grinned.

Wolfgang: “Well! We’d better gather the others. They’ll be glad to see you two up and at ‘em!”

Though we left the shelter in good spirits, I couldn’t deny that what Koa had said aloud was something that had been silently weighing on my mind for some time now...

//Time Skip//

The five of us were gathered around a roaring fire that the elder had asked Xenna to light. Wolfgang’s eyes went comically large at the request and stayed that way during the rest of the dinner preparations. Before long, a modest meal of fish and caribou meat was brought out. The tribe all looked expectantly at Koa and Rhy.

Koa: “All of you knew the legend of the dragon Ikterwal - that he protected us from roaming Cenotaph, and even other dragons. But as the tribes closest to his lair began to disappear in recent years, we began to realize that something within him had changed, and he was no longer our protector. I refused Wolfgang’s offer to hunt the beast out of fear. Ashamed to admit that truth to myself, I hid behind old traditions and let him walk off alone to face my fears ”

Koa: “Yet despite my failings, we are proud to announce that my son and his companions have done precisely what they set out to do - Ikterwal has been slain.”

There was enthusiastic cheering from the younger Ptarmigans, but the older generation seemed conflicted about the news. 

Koa: “Rest assured that this was for the best. Ikterwal had been twisted from noble beast to spiteful tyrant, and even he assured them that death would be preferable to losing even more of himself to hatrid. There is no denying that a part of us has died along with the last of the dragons, but we Ptarmigans swear to remember their legacy for as long as we will live.”

A moment of silence was held as the tribe considered her words. Then Wolfgang’s father spoke up.

Rhy: “In happier news, I am overjoyed to share that the elders have had a meeting, and it was unanimously decided that slaying an ancient dragon more than qualifies as a harrowing enough experience for the Soulbind ritual. Wolfgang, Xenna, get up here!”

Wolfgang reeled at the announcement. Xenna looked like she wanted to hide in Wolfgang’s shadow, but she pushed past her embarrassment and led the stunned Wolfgang to stand beside his mother and father.

Koa: “As is our custom, if you are both willing, we can unite your hearts and souls as one. Wolfgang, will you take Xenna as your mate, now and forever more?”

I thought Xenna would die of embarrassment on the spot from the use of that word again, but instead she was searching Wolfgang’s eyes, awaiting his answer with bated breath.

Wolfgang: “Nothing could make me happier.”

Rhy: “And Xenna, will you take Wolfgang as your mate now and forevermore?”

Her voice came out in a joyful whisper as she held back her tears.

Xenna: “I will.”

Koa: “Then with the land itself as witness, we declare you to be soulbound.”

Wolfgang lifted Xenna into a passionate kiss which she emphatically returned. Rhy laughed happily, and Koa dabbed her eyes with a bolt of fabric. Maeve grabbed my hand and looked at me with mischievous eyes.

Maeve: “Well what do you think, lover boy? Should we go up next?”

I leaned closer, matching her expression as I answered. 

Seth: “I don’t need a ritual to know that you’re my soulmate.”

As I expected, the look on her face was absolutely priceless. Hot embarrassment reddened her cheeks. She pushed past it to regain control of the situation, leaning even further and whispering into my ear.

Maeve: “Remember that ‘vengeance’ I mentioned on our first date? You’d best prepare yourself, lover boy, because sooner or later, it’s coming for you...”

//Time Skip//

We spent the rest of the night dancing as the tribe played music to celebrate the soulbond. Wolfgang and Xenna were adorable as they twirled in each other’s arms, their difference in height making for quite the spectacle. Whenever he wasn’t dancing Ptarmigan’s traditional steps, Wolfgang was breaking out in the goofiest dances he could think of. Xenna managed to bust quite a few wild moves throughout the night herself - she was having the time of her life. Zyturak seemed to have been granted a divine gift from some unknown deity of dance and was the talk of the event as he swept Ptarmigan after Ptarmigan off their feet. Maeve tirelessly danced the night away, and I joined her for as long as my stamina would allow. It felt really good just to see her letting loose around everyone.

The moment I would never forget, however, was when Zy borrowed a woodwind instrument to play a traditional song from Zerinn. The melody reminded me so much of Maeve - otherworldly and hauntingly beautiful. She and I were lost in each other's eyes as we slow danced. Under the light of the moon everything else seemed to fade away, and I realized then with certainty that I was completely and utterly in love with her.

--END OF ACT 2--