Lady of Winter by Caledreth De'aere
She wears winter like a coat
A mantle of white worn in warding
Her withering gaze drawing whispers
But never challenged,
Never disobeyed.
Her spider-web inclusions spread over obsidian skin
Like blackened glass in a humid room
Cool, clean, untouchable
Every smile, a threat
A thin line in the snow.
People see a frozen lake as just that:
A hollow thing wrought from ice alone
They do not hear the patience beneath permafrost
Watching, waiting, wondering when
The time for spring has come
But before a quiet hearth -
- Behind a shuttered door
When authority and responsibility are cast away
Like an overcoat after the rain
She thaws
Her cheeks turn rosy, frost-kissed lashes blinking slow
Eager to enjoy the warmth of another
A warmth so seldom shared
A tenderness falling softly
Like snow in the night.
Hers is the warmth of one kindred to coldness
Who knows how easily it may be stolen
Every touch, deliberate
Every word, a promise
Each and all, a choice
A decision to trust when trust is anathema
To willingly thaw despite the cold
Not an absence of warmth,
But a frozen feeling, waiting
For a name softly spoken
For a fire safely burning
Waiting for the right chance, the right time
To melt
Day 9, Month 7 (Flamerule (Summertide)), 188 AR
Caledreth De'aere