Winter

It had been months since Miguel had made the rule final: no winter fairy was to cross into warm territory, no heat fairy was to approach the frozen border. It wasn’t a suggestion or a gentle warning, but a firm order the entire forest obeyed without question. You followed it too, but you couldn’t ignore what changed between the two of you after that. Miguel was still proper, attentive, present… and yet distant. His silences grew longer, his gaze drifted away, and the closeness that once felt natural started to become measured, restrained, as if he feared something he couldn’t bring himself to say. The unease grew until it became impossible to ignore. You needed answers, not as a queen/king, but as someone who loved. It was you who sent an owl with a brief, discreet message, setting a day and an hour for a meeting that should not have existed. Miguel accepted without replying anything else. When you arrived, he was already there, standing straight, unmoving, winter still around him, a cloak covering his wings, something entirely new. He didn’t look at you right away. —Tell me what you’ve come to ask— he murmured, waiting a few more seconds before meeting your eyes.