My body was cold, sure, but maybe even because of that, I felt electric. Each path forward became clearer the longer I held time standing still. After a while, I found one I liked. A seamless series of moves that was both effective and precise, and most importantly I wouldn’t have to move around too much. ‘I guess… All that’s left is to push play.’ My mind singularly focused on the path laid out in front of me, the one I had chosen, and instantly it started playing out just how I imagined it. First, I calmly readjusted the blankets to free my left arm, still feeling awkward I readjusted them again, but then it was time to move.

With my body fully recovered my legs ran so fast I surprised myself. It took me a single lunge to close the distance and then with a swift, magic-enhanced kick, I caved in his left knee, buckling it and sending it to the ground. From there I stomped on his other inside knee, forcing it outwards. I didn’t send him to the ground all the way, but I didn’t need to. With my newly freed arm, I quickly jabbed him in the throat and his grip on the knife loosened. As I pulled my hand back from his neck I swept the dagger away and jumped back, creating a faint gust of air lifting some dust off the ground as the blankets swept the floor.

As I steadied my footing my whole body shuddered, still not fully over the chills. “Next time this ends up in your eye.” I groaned, flipping the knife around and Pointing it at him.

His head slowly pulled itself back to neutral as He resumed his original posture, the way he moved was so lifeless that it almost reminded me of the zombies. It was like he was unaffected at all.

The memory of slamming my gauntlet through one’s chest cavity and having it keep going jumped into my mind and I had to force myself to swallow, suppressing a gag. ‘At least my arm didn’t get stuck.’ I paused. ‘That’s something I really didn’t need to think about…’

“Why are all the women in this family so freaking scary,” Airsidh said, once again making a joke that somehow seemed to cut the tension as he walked up and tried to take the knife from me.

I may not have been tense… But I still wasn’t eager to give away my only weapon until I knew for sure what Keigan would do. I wouldn’t let go. “You picked now to inherit the stubbornness?” He grumbled jokingly, rolling his eyes as he grabbed the blanket over my shoulder instead. Feeling a tug lift the fabric off my bare skin, I inhaled sharply and flinched.

Of course, he was only bluffing, taking the opportunity to steal the knife from my hand before spinning away like an oversized ballerina.

I let a long pause hang in the air as I awkwardly readjusted the blankets yet again… “Airsidh that was–”

“No fair?” He said smugly.

I tightened my grip, folding them over each other. “I was going to say really mean…” I whined, trying not to look at either of them as I slowly backed away.

With a huff, my father did the same. Turning to stare intently at the lake.

Airsidh flipped the knife up in the air before sliding it between some of his belts. “Come on, It’s not like I would have actually done it. I wasn’t being serious.”

“Neither was I…” I muttered, my voice cracking. Keigan turned to glance at me for a moment, making me jump. “I was… Just trying to make a point…”

He let out a timid laugh. “Well, you certainly had me going. If that bluff didn’t work I was worried I might have—”

“If you say do it for real I might stab you in the eye…” I grumbled, scowling at him.

“Course not. My backup plan was to shower you with compliments until you were too embarrassed to fight back.”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

‘I really hate how likely it is he isn’t lying…’ With a deep sigh, I finally felt the tension I was feeling start to fade away and the heat in my face from the embarrassment faded with it. “Can you check my gear for me? Just like, get the water off so it doesn’t rust and stuff.”

“You sure you want a guy going through your clothes?”

‘Is he trying to piss me off?’ “If you're trying to make me embarrassed again it’s not working… You just sound creepy…” I glanced over to the far end of the cave where Zu was still standing with his back turned. ‘Completely opposite ends of the spectrum…’

He was more than hesitant to so much as turn his head, still facing the other direction ever since I started to take my armor off. When he finally did turn around his eyes immediately glanced to where my clothes were lying on the ground, which started to make me just as uncomfortable as he was. That fact confused me though, since I felt fine with the way Air was acting and he was being far less respectful. Of course, the fact he wasn’t related to me helped… Didn’t help? Whatever.

My eyes tracked back to Airsidh who was going through my things just like I asked… And suddenly I realized why he had asked me what he did… ‘So, was he actually just being considerate instead of trying to annoy me? Honestly, I can never tell… It feels like he’s somehow always doing both.’ I let out another deep breath, forcing my whole body to shudder to try and put an end to my shaking. “Sorry, you weren’t being creepy, and… Thanks…”

Keigan let out a deep hum. “Your training made you immune to the cold… Otherwise, you wouldn’t have survived, So…”

I glared at him. “Maybe you should try it and see for yourself. I’m sure It’ll feel great…”

He placed his hand in the water. Snapping it back as if he had just been burned. ‘How did they not know it was that cold? Didn't one of them get me out of the lake?’ I looked between the other two, but sure enough, neither of them were wet.

“How can the water be so cold and not be ice?” he mumbled to himself.

‘Pft. maybe next time don't just go throwing your daughter into an icy lake just because you're sick of the way she looks…’ “Didn’t you use something similar when you first taught me magic?”

True to character, he didn’t respond. I didn’t even get so much as a grunt. My feet were still tingling but I had enough feeling back in them to be steady, so I went ahead and just stood up and started walking away. I figured it was better to be as far away from the lake, well, him, as possible. The cavern was surprisingly large, even with the magic lake, so there was plenty of space for me to create enough distance to feel less crowded.

“Where are you going?” He asked. Still kneeling next to the lake.

“Away from you…” I said coldly, walking to the far end of the cave and finding a nice rock to sit on. The moment I sat down I let out a sneeze, another set of shivers running through me as my ears and head failed to warm up with the rest of my body. ‘I bet I could dry my hair with magic… What are the odds I singe it instead… Wind magic? It ignores magic though doesn’t it?

Airsidh sighed, taking off his breastplate and shirt, stepping up to me again, this time more slowly. “It might not smell the best, but here. It's still dry, and I haven’t been sweating that much. This is the (frozen) labyrinth after all.

I laughed. “It's the frozen labyrinth and you guys were surprised the water was cold?”

He pushed it up against my face rubbing it all over my head. “I wasn’t the idiot that threw you in now was I.”

“Agh Hey!” I coughed, scrunching up my face and trying to turn away, never once daring to lift a hand away from the blanket to actually fight him off. Thankfully he didn’t push it too much. “When we get back I’m telling mom you tried to make me drink your sweat.”

He just laughed. “Go ahead, she wouldn’t believe you anyway.”

I rolled my eyes, awkwardly putting it on after making myself a little tint with the oversized covers. It didn’t actually smell bad like he said it would. Honestly, compared to my armor, that stank of rotting flesh, the scent of my brother was a more than welcome change… In a strange way it made me feel safe, other than the fact that I wasn’t practically naked anymore I mean…

Finally covered by something, I dried my hair a bit and wrapped a blanket over my head, never becoming brave enough to try using my magic. I felt… clean. It was hard to describe, but it was like I had just dried off after taking a bath where every part of my body was scrubbed with the finest soap. My nose had stopped burning from the stench of the dungeon, and even the scars on my skin felt smooth. Ever since I became a popsicle I hadn’t been able to grow hair anywhere except my head, so when my skin was suddenly spotlessly clean, healed, and rejuvenated by magic, the gravily texture was completely inverted.

I lifted the collar of his shirt up past my nose, taking a deep breath in. After how bad everything got, a part of me almost started to wonder if I would even be capable of smelling after it was all over. Thankfully, that part of me was wrong.

I tried but failed to push the sleeves up, settling for what I had. ‘It’s easy to forget how big he is.’ He wasn’t as tall as our father, But wearing his shirt, and having it fall down past my knees… Compared to me he was a giant.

‘I definitely doubted him before, but as trippy as it was I actually got to see how much the spring changed and healed my whole body.’ “Hey Airsidh, what about now? Do I look cute now?”

“I’m not answering that question when you're wearing my clothes.” He said bluntly before turning away, picking up my weapons, and setting my gear out to dry.

‘Yeah… That’s fair… Although I bet I totally do.’ I lifted my arms, playing with the massive sleeves for a second. ‘I wonder if he’d let me keep this when we get back?’

I let out another sigh, leaning my head against the stone wall as I silently watched the others. Airsidh kindly laid out my clothes to dry, Zu laid down to take a nap, and my father sat at the edge of the lake, still staring at it like a fine painting.

‘He’s in a lot of pain, isn’t he? Why doesn’t he just go in?’