I’m laying in bed, comfortable under layers of furs. The warm light of the fireplace and the candles casts a warm glow about the room. A storm is raging outside, but I care little about it. She’s bent over in a bath robe, stroking the fire with a poker. When she’s finished and there are new logs on the fire, she comes back to bed. She lays back against the pillows, and I lean over her to press a kiss to her lips.

She smiles and laughs, pushing my shoulder gently. She’s beautiful- taller than I am, and just as muscular as I am. And she’s a charmer, too, despite the awkwardness. An inventor and an artist, her brain is one of the most beautiful things about her. My hand comes up to rub along her side, and she kisses my forehead. We are an affectionate coupling, much to the dismay of some of the older Grisha or palace staff.

I’m struck by the need to ask a question, so I let it slide past my lips. “What did your family do for Yule?” I ask, our foreheads pressed together. I feel her warm breath on my face as she sighs. “I don’t remember much, as I was taken to The Little Palace for training quickly. What about you?” She asks, kissing me gently and slowly. It’s just a peck, but it makes a smile stretch across my face, which makes her smile.

I sigh as I begin to think. “We don’t celebrate Yule in Shu Han, but I remember Winter Solace banquets and markets.” My smile softens as I reminisce, and she kisses both of my cheeks as we hold each other close. I think back to my days on Captain Strumhomd-who-was-really-King Nikolai’s boat. I remember sleeping in a cot, with the sway of the water beneath us. I find myself glad the we no longer sail, or I wouldn’t have met her.

I lay there, and allow her to trace my facial features. Since I don’t celebrate Yule, she’s lit candles on the window and made offerings to the Saints, like I would at the Solstice. Her lips slide onto mine, and I completely forget whatever I had been thinking about prior. For this moment, there is nothing but her lips against mine, and her hands holding my face. My hands move to her waist, pulling her on top of me.