It began -- as so many of the Queen of Ice's plans did -- with a desire to get popular. Lots of other deities had been "testing the morals" of mortals recently, and playing super cool pranks on them if they did something bad, and giving them cool rewards if they did something good.

Last time Little Mercy -- as she was also called, in the west -- had done a "super cool prank": she had killed a beautiful but evil woman, and placed her in an ice lake to preserve her beauty for all time. This apparently wasn't ironic enough because she was just trying to sell her daughter for money, though, and she had gotten teased endlessly for it.

This time it was going to be different.

She had been sitting around at the crossroads for days, leaning against the sign, but it was too cold and no one was coming by, and eventually she just curled up and fell asleep in her tattered ragged cape and clothes, snow drifting over her body a little.

She was awakened by a woman shaking her shoulder roughly. "Hey. You still alive?" Her voice was rather deep and a little brusque.

She glowered up at the woman, growling. It had been some time since the Princess of The Wastes had had anyone handle her roughly, and just waking up from sleep, it took her a moment to remember she was supposed to be pitiful and ask for help in this scenario, so she could judge the mortal.

But the woman was super pretty, as she looked up at her, and her mouth fell open slightly. Her red hair in intricate braids was nice, of course, as was her red cloak with green diamonds (of fabric) decorating it, and the smell of esoteric herbs that lingered around her, but there was just something in her dark green eyes that made the goddess want to look into them every day forever.

...Not encased at ice! Well... maybe a little bit... but she could not endure another round of teasing, and besides, the woman had done nothing wrong to warrant such a punishment, as far as she could figure, by the rules of "testing the morals".

"...yes. I think so." She slowly flexed her trembling fingers and winced.

The woman looked at her fingers and frowned, moving her hands to hold the goddess's-- her hands were cold, of course, the Harbinger of Winter tended to adjust somewhat to the heat around her, and it was cold.

"...You're going to get frostbite with ungloved hands like that. And lying here you're going to die." The woman sounded more annoyed than anything. "Why are you sitting out here at a crossroads?"

The goddess pondered this for a moment. She hadn't really put any thought into her story, assuming people would either help her or scorn helping her or harm her, as was their wont, and she could treat them accordingly. "It's embarrassing," she said to explain how slow she had answered, "but I got lost. Rather than wander with what little energy I had, I figured that this crossroads would be my most likely way to get to situation."

"You don't look embarrassed... but I guess your cheeks aren't about to turn redder in this temperature." She considered for a moment. The younger-looking woman was cute, but an indefinite guest could become annoying. "I don't want to leave you here, but I can't really take just anyone in-- if you were just wounded, it was one thing, but I doubt spring will come for a while."

The goddess smiled slightly. Spring would never come while she was there. Winter moved with her... or was it that she moved with her? Perhaps it was the flight of birds that controlled winter?

The woman furrowed her brow. "...what are you smiling about? Did you come out here to freeze to death?"

"No! It is my intention to live, obviously, just like all other humans. Just lead me to your town, and I can figure out the rest from there."

"My house," said the woman patiently, "is about a mile down this way." She gestured in one direction. "It's a bit separated from the nearest town, which is about thirty miles in that direction. I don't think you'll survive going that far, unfortunately." She tapped her fingertips against her cheek, pondering. As long as the young woman was obedient... she started to imagine some very fun things she could do with a woman who would obey her every word over the winter. "Very well. I will guide you to my home. But I am set in my ways, and as long as you live with me, you must follow my every order." A smiled played around her lips that made the goddess think that perhaps she was, in fact, evil. "Are we clear?"

...Did that count as a good or a bad deed on her part, basically taking the goddess in as a servant? Fall's End, as a small cult secretly called the goddess, did not know. She wasn't about to let her wander off without being rewarded or punished, though, so it seemed best to go along with her. "...Okay, I'll follow your orders." She stood up.

Even standing up, the woman was taller. She smiled slightly, and pulled off her coat, wrapping it around the goddess. "Good choice. Since we'll be living together a little while, why don't you tell me your name?"

"Is it not the custom to introduce your own name first? But very well, I shall introduce myself-- I am known as Mercy."

"I think I'll call you Little Mercy," chuckled the woman, "like the snow goddess."

Mercy smiled a little at that. If only she knew. "You don't think she'll get offended?"

"If anything, I think she'd be flattered, to have a girl as cute as you named after her." The woman smiled down at Mercy, wrapped her arm around her, and started to guide her down the snowy trek to her house. "Walk as long as you can-- I'll carry you when you can't."

Mercy nodded resolutely. In truth, she could walk until time itself had run out, but after a little while she feigned weakness to see the woman's reaction and get a better idea of what sort of person she was dealing with here.

The woman supported her, and as she seemed to have more and more trouble walking further, whisked her up into her arms.

It was nice for Mercy, being close to another warm being again. Most of the animals feared her, and she didn't quite know how to interact with humans, so she was utterly alone as she wandered, most of the time... not that it was anything she couldn't endure, she was eternal. But, still... it was nice. She looked up at the woman's face, pondering that it was a tragedy that in a hundred years, that beauty would be completely gone... but she couldn't justify killing the woman who was carrying her to safety because she was weak, and she really didn't want another resurgence of teasing about the ice thing.

"Do you like how I look?" the woman asked teasingly.

"Yes," the goddess answered plainly, causing the woman's breath to catch-- she'd probably be blushing, if the icy wind hadn't already turned her cheeks red, but Mercy wasn't astute enough in the matters of women, or humans in general, for that matter, to catch this little reaction.

Before the woman could regain control of the conversation, the goddess asked, "What's your name?"

"Eoforhild. Where do you live, usually?"

"Oh... I was cast out of my house," replied Mercy flippantly. She'd seen this lead to some people's deaths, and guided other people so they didn't die from it, when she was in the mood. Or killed everyone in the house and offered it back to them, but often they didn't seem to appreciate that as much as she thought they would? Humans.

"...for what reason?"

"We were running out of food at a rate that it wouldn't last until spring, and my..." She paused, trying to think of what the right term was, but luckily Eoforhild thought this was merely hesitation to share her painful story. "...my brother. He accused me of being a witch so there'd be an excuse to get rid of me." For a moment, Mercy thought this quite an airtight story.

"And... are you? A witch, I mean."

Right, if Eoforhild thought she was a witch, she might not take her in. "...no?"

The taller woman's eyes narrowed, and she stopped in her tracks. "Part of the deal of me taking you back to my home is that you're obedient. That means no lying."

Mercy stared up at Eoforhild blankly. "Not inherently. You haven't said not to lie."

Eoforhild held herself back for a moment. "...don't lie to me from this point onwards, Mercy. Are you a witch?"

Mercy considered this. She certainly was magical... but a witch? "No... I think? I don't think I count as a witch, as I don't have the training-- but I have made a few things happen as if by magic, from time to time."

"I, on the other hand, do have a little training as a witch-- so if that's something that bothers you, perhaps I should put you down here."

Mercy wrapped her arms around the back of Eoforhild's neck so she wouldn't be able to easily put her down, and looked into her eyes. "Please don't-- I can't imagine what you could do to me that would be worse than the death that any mortal would no doubt suffer out here."

Eoforhild smiled slowly, a little more settled as Mercy told her this... the girl did seem nicely submissive after all. "No, nothing that bad, I assure you." She leaned down to kiss Mercy on her cold lips. The young woman didn't seem to know how to respond to the advance at first, but then started to kiss back a little. Good. A cold fish wouldn't do her much good... she just had to take her home and warm her up... literally, her core temperature was disturbingly low.

Eoforhild quickened her steps, and after a little while, brought Mercy to her house. Smoke funneled out of the chimney, and when Eoforhild opened the door, it was a little uncomfortably warm inside... not that Mercy couldn't survive warmer temperatures, she just wasn't used to them.

"Go sit by the fireplace," instructed Eoforhild, hastening to pour her guest a cup of water from the cistern.

Mercy obediently got closer to the fireplace, and sat down, but shook her head a little. "It's... too hot…" She drank a few sips of the offered cup of water, which was a bit warm for her tastes, before setting it down.

Eoforhild smiled as she realized Mercy was doing something uncomfortable, possibly too dangerous, just because she had said to. "Ah... yes, it's bad to warm up too quickly. You don't need to stay by the fireplace. Why don't you take off your clothes, and I'll take you to bed, where you can warm up more gradually?"

Mercy nodded, and stripped off her rags, feeling uncomfortable with the heat-- or perhaps, more aware of how very cold she was? Either way, Eoforhild removed her own much more elegant clothing as well, and picked Mercy up, carrying her over to the bed in one corner of the room, and laying her on it before snuggling up close and drawing the quilt over them both.

"You are cold... it's amazing you're alive."

Mercy shivered, aware of the woman's warmth slowly seeping into her. "Maybe a touch of the magic again."

"Hmm... a changeling, perhaps? That would explain the alienation from your family."

"I don't think so, cold iron and silver don't bother me."

"Curious."

The two of them laid naked under the covers, skin pressed close, as Mercy trembled in Eoforhild's arms... which aroused certain things in the human, but Mercy seemed to be in a bad condition, and she was patient. Plenty of time to get what she desired when Mercy had recovered somewhat... hopefully the cooling and warming wouldn't harm her too greatly, gradually as they were doing the latter.