Ariala sat upon her brown horse in her traditional Spring Robes. A long pink gown flowed down her slim frame. Her blond hair which was usually pulled into a ponytail laid across her back to her waist. Her stomach was in a knot from nerves but she held her head high.

"Its time." One of the elder elves called.

The Spring Elves descended on Earth, riding the light spring breeze and leaving sprouts of various trees and flowers in their path. Ariala sent her magic flowing from her hands to the land under her, creating new flowers and turning the grass a beautiful green color.

Finally, the Spring Elves returned to their kingdom tired from the long day. Ariala immediately took off to find her friends in the ranks behind her.

Dimitrius awoke to the smell of toast the following morning. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pushed back the blankets and sat up on the couch. Looking behind him towards the kitchen, he inquired sleepily, "Feeling better, love?"

Emelaide nodded as she spread marmalade onto the toast, "Lots! I'm really sorry about taking your bed.. The last thing I remember is sitting in the woods complaining about the Storm. How did I get here?"

Dimitrius chuckled as he walked over to her. Placing his arms around her waist, he kissed her cheek, "You fell asleep and I carried you home. However, your parents were still at the feast and the doors were locked so I simply took you here and put you to bed."

Emelaide blushed, "I was that knocked out?"

Dimitrius nodded, "Yes, but in an attractive way, don't worry."

Emelaide laughed as she wiggled out of his grasp and set his toast down at his place. Smiling she turned back around and kissed his cheek before sitting down in her chair, "You're sweet, but I'm sure I was wretched last night. I only remember bits of what I said, but I'm sure it wasn't pleasant to listen to."

Sitting down, Dimitrius smiled, "Nah, you weren't that bad. Insecure, but not unpleasant."

Emelaide sighed lightly, "If you say so. Now, enough of that, let's talk about what we'll do today."

"First, I think you should go home and tell your parents you're alright."

Emelaide blushed as she took a bite of her toast. Swallowing what was in her mouth, she nodded, "You're probably right. Then we should go to the woods and play card, what do you think?"

Dimitrius nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

The couple soon began discussing which card game to play over toast and juice.

"Morning." Erreminette said, sticking her head through the window of Ariala's room. Ariala grumbled and put her pillow over her head. "Come on Ariala. Rise and shine." Her best friend tried again.

"I'm still tired." Ariala mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah." Erreminette said. "I'm bored so you need to get up and entertain me." She leaped through the window and yanked the blankets off of Ariala, who in return mumbled something unladylike and got out of bed.

"I'm up. What now?" Ariala said, searching for clothes.

"Well the elder elves will be taking over mostly and classes don't start again for a few more days so let's find Marreck and explore some." Erreminette said. "We could go swimming at the waterfall." She said, knowing how much Ariala loved swimming.

"Alright, give me some time to get dressed."

After breakfast, Emelaide went home to change, appologize for staying out all night, and get her deck of cards while Dimitrius headed into the bathroom, showered, brushed his teeth, and changed into a simple T-shirt and pants. Throwing on his jacket, he grabbed the canister of Tea and basket of berries Emelaide had set out and headed out of the cottage, heading towards Emelaide's cottage.

By the time Dimitrius reached the cottage, Emelaide was outside waiting for him, "Ready?"

"Of course, shall we?"

Smiling, Emelaide looped her arm through his, took the basket from his hand, and continued the discussion of what game to play as they headed towards the woods.

"Marreck!" Ariala called, waving to her friend. "Want to go swimming with us?"

Marreck hestitated. "I promised my parents I'd help tend the gardens today. Sorry to miss out."

"Its alright." Erreminette said, threading her arm through Ariala's. "It will be a girls day. Bye Marreck."

"Bye." Ariala said as Erreminette began pulling her away. "Let's race." Ariala said, knowing Erreminette would jump at the chance. Without saying a word, Erreminette took off for the forest with Ariala close behind her.

By the time the couple reached their spot in the wood, Emelaide had eaten nearly half of the berries within the basket. Laughing at the look Dimitrius gave her, Emelaide set the basket down and wrapped her arms around Dimitrius' neck, her body gently brushing against his. Standing on her toes, she placed a sweet, gentle kiss upon Dimitrius' lips, "Sorry, Dimitrius, I couldn't help it! They were just so tempting, and I as just so hungry!"

Dimitrius grinned as he tossed the canister of tea into the pile of snow next to the basket and slipped his arms around Emelaide's waist, pulling her closer to him. In moments, his lips were on hers once more as he tenderly kissed her, tasting the sweet berries she had eaten with every kiss, "As long as you're happy, I don't mind at all. I'm not all that hungry for berries anyway."

Giggling Emelaide flashed him a wicked grin, "Well then, what are you hungry for then?"

Flashing her a devious grin in return, Dimitrius slipped his arm under her knees, picking her up in one swift movement, "I think you can guess."

Emelaide laughed as Dimitrius began twirling around the open area, weaving in and out of trees, before falling into a large snow drift, Emelaide still laying on top of him in the position she was in.

Both laughing as they tried to catch their breath, Emelaide rolled off of him and layed in the snow beside him. Slipping her hand into his, Emelaide panted softly, "Dimitrius! You haven't done that in years! What in Winterglade has come over you?"

Dimitrius grinned as he propped himself up on his elbow, bringing her hand to his lips as he panted softly, "I have no idea, but if it makes you smile, I rather like it, don't you?"

Emelaide nodded, "That I do. I think the storm brought out our childishness once more; I've rather missed it."

Dimitrius nodded as he kissed her hand once more, "So have I, love, so have I."

Erreminette reached the clearing at the waterfall first, which wasn't much of a surprise. "I win!" She cried.

"You always do." Ariala said with a smile, beginning to take off her dress for swimming. She wore matching light pink bra and underwear with lace on the edges. "But I'll beat you in the water!" She cried, leaping into the water quickly.

"No fair!" Erreminette yelled. "You cheater!" She laughed, following her best friend into the water, wearing her own green bra and underwear. She dived into the water, using her lean muscles to leap high in the air.

The girls swam in circles like children. Their laughter rang off the trees but Erreminette and Ariala couldn't care less who heard them, it had been too long since they had had a girls' day.

The couple simply laid side-by-side, enjoying each-others' embrace and the feel of their lips pressed together in tender kisses.

While they were kissing, a small flock of birds flew in the sky above them, squawking as if they had been startled, flying from the direction of Elimlee.

Emelaide rolled her eyes when they stopped kissing, startled due to the birds.

Turning her head in the direction of the Elimlee border, Emelaide sighed, "Wretched things.. they always have to cause such a scene and ruin everthing."

Dimitrius shook his head as he gently placed his pointer finger on her chin, using it to gently turn her face back towards his, "No, they haven't ruined anything. Pay no attention to them and let them have their fun." Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, he smiled down at her, "Now, where were we? I'm afraid I can't quite remember, refresh me memory, will you love?"

Emelaide grinned as her hand slid through his hair, pulling his face towards hers and kissing him tenderly. "I'll try," she whispered against his lips before kissing him once more, deepening the kiss as her lips parted and her tongue seductively parted his lips.

"Beat you to the top of the waterfall." Erreminette said, racing up the rocks and leaping from the waterfall, to the stream below.

Ariala immediately followed suit, diving into the water and squealing from laughter. The girls climbed up the rocks together, holding hands and leaping into the water together. The splash from their jump, spilling water over the edge of the stream.

Dimitrius, placing a final kiss on Emelaide's forehead, grinned as he stood up to go sit beside the berries and tea, "What say you to a game Bartok?"

Emelaide sighed lightly as she too stood up, fixing her hair as she walked over to Dimitrius, sitting down opposite of him, she nodded, "Sure."

Taking the tea in her hands, she focused on bringing the temperature up to where the tea was hot once more while Dimitrius set about preparing for the game.

"I love breaks from classes." Erreminette sighed happily, floating on her back in the water.

"You just like acting like a child." Ariala said teasingly.

"Let me tell you a story about a pot and a kettle." Erreminette said, making Ariala laugh. Ariala looked, searchingly, towards the border. "Looking for your Winter Elf?" Erreminette said with a smile.

"No!" Ariala said defensively. "I was just looking around." She finished, rolling her eyes.

A few minutes of silence passed before Erreminette spoke. "Was he beautiful?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yes." Ariala said with a smile. Too bad I'll never see him again...

Placing her final card down, emptying her hand, Emelaide grinned, "I win! Play again?"

Dimitrius chuckled as he threw down his card into the pile, "Why not? You deal though."

As she dealt the cards, her grin quickly turned into a frown. As Emelaide finish dealing out the cards, she spoke quite sarcastically, glancing up every few words to look at Dimitrius' face, "Your little elf find you quite beautiful. The little wretches are swimming close to our border and intead of laughter, I can slightly hear their chatter. Seems one of them is the girl you rescued from the cold."

Dimitrius looked up at Emelaide, quite surprised, "Darling, I don't hear anything, but if the Elimlee elves are swimming in the lake, what am I to do about it? Besides, what do I care what they think of me? There's no reason to be offended, my love, I'm not interested in any of those Elimlee girls; or do you not trust me?"

"Oh no, I trust you, dearest. It's them I don't trust. And then there's the well known fact that you don't notice when a girl is flirting with you, aside from me of course, so you very well may unconsciously lead her on."

"Never. There is no way I would ever unconsciously lead her to believe that I'm falling in love with her."

"We should go looking for him." Erreminette said with a sly smile.

"Absolutely not!" Ariala said. "No way."

"But you said he was beautiful. I want to see." Erreminette supressed a laugh, teasing her best friend was only to much fun. She leaped from the water, still wet, and pulled on her green dress.

"Erreminette, no. He was just an elf, nothing special." Ariala said, pulling on her own dress, leaving it wet where it touched her slim frame.

"Oh come on. I'd bet he's out there just looking for his beautiful Spring Elf." Erreminette said with a wide smile.

"Oh please." Ariala said with a laugh, "I bet he's forgotten all about me."

Emelaide sighed, her thoughts focused on Dimitrius, causing her to not even hear the girls plan to come to Winterglade, "I know.. I just.."

A light sigh escaped Dimitrius' lips as he took her cards, mixed them with his, and began shuffling the deck, "I know. But I promise you, there's no need to worry."

Nodding, Emelaide sighed, "I know.. it was just a moment of insecurity, I should have known better than to let what those wretched girls said get to me, forgive me."

"Don't worry love, there's nothing to forgive. I'd have been the same way if I heard an Elimlee man bragging how gorgeous you were to his friends; completely jealous. Now, what say you to a game of Bela to help us forget them?"

Smiling, Emelaide nodded as she picked up her hand, "Sounds perfect."

"Ariala, come on." Erreminette said with smile, "Any elf boy would be crazy for you. You know you can have pretty much any boy from Elimlee. Why should Winterglade be any different?"

"Because he's a Winter Elf. So he'll want a Winter Elf for a girlfriend. He probably has one." Ariala said.

"Don't be silly, you're prettier then any Winterglade elf. A look at you would at least make him think twice about whatever Winter Elf he'd be with." Erreminette said.

"It doesn't matter." Ariala said, trying to convince herself. "It's pointless to even talk about. I'll never see him again."

Emelaide smiled as she laid down a winning combination and exclaimed, "Bela!"

Dimitrius sighed as he tossed the cards into a pile, "You win, again. Can't you ever let your boyfriend win just one game?"

Emelaide grinned, "Perhaps. what shall we play now?"

"I'm sticking to Go-Fish from now on. I at least have a chance at that game!" said Dimitrius with a laugh.

As Dimitrius dealt the cards, Emelaide's ears pricked up at the sound of the Elimlee elves' voices. Turning her head in their direction, she quickly stood up and began walking towards them, "I'll be right back."

"What's wrong?" inquired Dimitrius with a worried look.

"Nothing, I just heard something. I'll be just a minute."

Dimitrius nodded, "Alright, be careful love."

Glancing back at Dimitrius, Emelaide smiled, "Of course." Turning forward once more, her expression changed to a scowl and her thoughts turned dark. 'What in Winterglade are those wretches thinking coming into our Kingdom with their flowers and warmth and boyfriend-stealing ideas! The nerve of those girls! Wait until I get my hands on them!'

The two elf girls looked down at the border between the two kingdoms. "We shouldn't do this." Ariala said, "He's probably not even out there. Let's just go back."

"Ariala, don't be silly. We'll just say we were going for a walk if anyone sees us." Erreminette said.

"And we didn't see the snow on the ground?" Ariala said, her nerves vibrating. "Someone's coming." She whispered. "Let's go."

"Maybe its him." Erreminette whispered back.

"I cannot believe I'm still here, we should leave now. Those steps are too light for a boys'." Ariala said, barely speaking at all. But it was too late, a figure was coming towards them at a fast pace.

Stopping only two yards away from the girls, Emelaide clenched her fists as she leaned against the snow covered tree to her right. Her gaze was cold, dark, as if she were looking at insects. It shifted from one girl, to the other, before finally landing on blonde.

Her presence was quite alarming; standing in her white jeans tucked into ankle boots, Dimitrius' leather jacket, and a embroidered light blue tank top, her hair pin straight, the only adornment a thin ribbon that matched her shirt tied into a few strands of hair on the right side. Although her attire may have given off the impression of childishness, and the voice that spoke simply added to that impression, this was one elf you did not want to anger.

"You. Blondie. You're the one who was lost the other day, aren't you," her words were short, crisp, and cold to the core. There was no hint of questioning in them, only accusation. Turning her gaze to the red-head, she smirked, "And you, building the girls' hopes up. Do you honestly think she can compete with an elf from Winterglade? You'd best check reality."

Turning her gaze back to the blonde, "My name is Emelaide Ioveanu, Dimitrius' girlfriend. You'd best keep away from him or there will be consequences. Do I make my self clear blondie?"

Ariala was frozen stiff, she hated confrontation. Erreminette on the other hand lived for it.

"Excuse me?" Erreminette said, ignoring Ariala's hand on her arm trying to pull her away. "I don't think Ariala could compete with you. I know she can. Its very obvious. I'd be wary, you're precious Dimitrius must've noticed it."

"Erre, shh." Ariala said, her voice so quiet that Erreminette could barely hear it.

Emelaide simply grinned as she stepped forward.

Now standing only a foot away from the outspoken elf, she raised her hand. Placing her hand under her bottom lip, her fingers facing the red-head, Emelaide let out a long, sweet breath. Her breath smelled of peppermint as it surrounded the red-head. Grinning, she lowered her hand, her eyes never leaving the girl, "I'd watch what you say in the future."

Turning her back on the girls, Emelaide couldn't help but laugh as the red-head, who was still quite wet from swimming, quickly began to freeze where she stood. Through her giggled, Emelaide called back, "I'd carry her quickly back into your Kingdom if I were you. Soon she'll be a little red-headed popsicle and there's nothing your precious little Spring Magic can do about it."

In moments, Emelaide has bumped into someone in front of her. Apologizing as she looked up, she stopped mid-sentence as her eyes locked with the light eyes of Dimitrius.

Dimitrius, chuckling as he brushed a lock of hair from Emelaide's face, "It's alright, love. What are you doing out here so close to the border?" Noticing the nearly frozen girl a few yards away standing next to who he thought looked like the young elf he had met a few days prior, he soon saw what had happened. Turning a cold gaze upon Emelaide, which in turn caused her to blush, he spoke softly through gritted teeth, "Do you realize what you've done? That girl may die from your little trick!"

"What do I care? She's a rude little wretch who needs a lesson taught to her."

Shaking his head he stepped around Emelaide and quickly made his way over to the red-head, who was nearly frozen from head to toe as Emelaide's winds swirled around her, dropping the temperatures into the negatives, and picked her up in his arms. With a glance towards Ariala, Dimitrius sighed, "I'm sorry Miss Gallagher, but if we don't hurry, your friend is sure to die."

Emelaide turned and glared at the sight, "Dimitrius, don't you dare help them."

Dimitrius turned his head towards Emelaide, his gaze softening with a look of sorrow, "Em, I have no choice, she'll die if I don't help them."

"Then don't even think about speaking to me again, Dimitrius!"

Without saying a word, Dimitrius sighed and turned his head back around, immediately taking off in a run towards the Elimlee border.

"Thank you." Ariala said, racing top speed. "I'll run ahead and have a bed prepared." Her nerves had disappeared, it had appeared that her entire body had been set on fire. If she ever saw the Winter Elf girl again she wouldn't need magic, her bare hands would do just fine.

Ariala ran to the village, yelling to Erreminette's parents about what had happened. She climbed the rope, setting out blankets and hot water at an inhuman speed. She had raced back to the base of the trees just as Dimitrius appeared with Erreminette. She hadn't realized that tears had been streaming down her face till she saw Erreminette laying nearly frozen in the Winter Elf's arms.

"I'll take her from here." She said, pulling Erreminette and bringing her up the tree for her parents to warm her. Then she began climbing back to the base of the trees. "Thank you." She said, trying to keep her anger from reaching her voice, it wasn't after all the boy's fault.

Blushing, Dimitrius stammered, "Please, I beg your forgiveness. Emelaide.. she.. she didn't.." Sighing, Dimitrius clenched his fist, "She wasn't thinking. She acts on impulse and emotions. She doesn't think. The bloody idiot doesn't think!" he snarled through gritted teeth as he thought about the incident and punched the nearby tree, resulting in his anger subsiding and scratches to appear on his knuckles.

Hiding his fist, he reached out with his other hand and gently wiped the tears from Ariala's cheeks, "Don't worry, your friend will come out of it with nothing but a cold if you slowly increase her temperature. Be sure not to increase it too much or you'll send her body into shock and kill her. I'm sorry I can't be of more use, I'm afraid my talents lie with the weather, not temperature like Emelaide's."

"Oh, its not your fault. Don't apologize." Ariala said, her anger fading when his hand brushed her cheek. "I guess we kind of...provoked her with our girl talk. But thank you for helping. Its much appreciated."

Ariala looked up into his eyes, memesmorized for a few moments. "I guess you should go and make up with her. I'd feel awful if Erreminette and I ruined your relationship." She said, hoping her lie wasn't obvious on her face.

Dimitrius shook his head, "Nothing you two could have said would have deserved your friend being turned into a Elf-Popsicle," with a light sigh he continued, "But you're right, I had best be getting back." With a weary glance towards the tree tops, Dimitrius blushed as he spoke in a low, soft voice, "I don't think I'm welcome in Elimlee, being a Winter Elf 'n' all. I"d best be going before trouble starts over my being here."

Impulsively, Dimitrius placed a kiss upon Ariala's forehead. An embarrassed smile creeping into his lips, Dimitrius let out a small cough of embarrassment as he looked into her deep eyes that sparkled like emeralds. "S-sorry about that. I- I don't know what came over me."

A deep blush creeped onto Ariala's face. Was it wrong of her to enjoy it when she had just been the cause of his maybe break up? "Oh, that's okay." Ariala said, her face a bright red color. "And know that you're always welcome in Elimlee. Just as long as you don't freeze any of us." She said, attempting a joke but the anger still flashed through her.

"It was a pleasure seeing you again." She said, then added. "I wish the circumstances would've been different."