Hale stepped down the ramp closely her by her side, closer than she wanted most likely. Her attitude towards him was colder than the freezing wind that was trying to penetrate his clothing. He stepped off the ramp first, onto the surface of Garra. The ground was harder than he assumed it would be. He figured there would be patches of snow. But surrounding them for the next few miles was solid ice.

Although his boots were slip-resistant, they would only do so much for him. He would have to be careful. Fast movements weren’t an option, unless he wanted to fall on his back. He was confident he would make it to wherever Pandora needed to go without slipping. He had great balance. But he wasn’t sure how Pandora would fare.

Hale payed close attention when she stepped off the ramp. He was ready to catch her at any time. He held out his hand to help her as she made her first few steps on the ice, but she pushed his hand away and glared at him. Hale glared back and put more distance between them. So, she still hated him. Fine. In the moment, he wouldn’t have cared whether she fell on her face or not. He might have even laughed.

He pressed the screen on his gauntlet, making the ramp of Zaya’s ship close behind them. Hale stood, still beneath the ship, and studied the landscape of the icy valley. He appreciated the high visibility of the atmosphere of Garra because that was something that most other frozen planets lacked. The hills of the valley were gentle slopes, nothing too extreme, especially when compared to the mountains surrounding it. He hoped that wherever Pandora’s destination was wouldn’t lead him over any mountain.

After taking in the landscape for a few minutes, he turned his attention back to Pandora. She had listened to him. Currently, she was wearing Zaya’s clothing that he had grabbed for her. But still, he could tell that she was very, very cold, though the coat was well insulated. Her nose and cheeks were turning red, and her body shivered. He despised the way she had been treating him lately, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to hold her.

Without a warning, he reached over and pulled the hood of her coat over her head. She frowned and leaned away from him.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just can’t take it. You look so cold.”

She glared at him for what felt like the one hundredth time. “I am. I’m absolutely freezing. What do you expect.”

“Maybe Zaya has another jacket?”

“I’ll be fine, Hale. We really need to start moving.”

Hale nodded in agreement. “Where to?”

Pandora started striding out from under the ship. Her pace was too fast.

So, he wasn’t surprised when she started to fall backwards. Although part of him wanted to let her fall, he was there to catch her. He grabbed onto her waist and prevented her from hitting the hard ice waiting for her on the ground. She rested her back against him as she recovered from having almost fallen. Hale still held onto her tightly. He missed being able to touch her, and he was stunned that she was leaning against him for so long. The initial shock she felt must have worn off, but she was still leaning on his chest.

Hale slowly ran his hand down her waist, and then almost reached her thigh. Almost. She looked up at him with eyes that demanded he let go of her.

He released her immediately and watched her as she walked forward. Hale followed close behind.

“I should have warned you that the ground is very slippery,” Hale said nervously.

“It’s a little late now.”

Hale laughed to himself. “I could have let you fall, you know.”

“I’d prefer that than you making me feel like I now owe you.”

Hale place his hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving forwards. “You’ll never owe me. For any of this. I want to help you. I want to protect you.” He turned his head away from her gaze.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

The two of them stood still and silent for a while. Hale wondered if Pandora was as confused as he was. She wounded his heart every time she pushed him away. But he didn’t believe that it would last for long, which is why he was willing to be here with her. He was the reason she was upset. Although Zaya had played a part in that, his past actions were truly at fault. He wasn’t sure if an apology would be best. What good would it do? He couldn’t change into the man she deserved.

The silence had become rather awkward. He noticed Pandora’s eyes alternating between the landscape and him. He flinched when he caught her looking at him.

“So….” Hale felt as though he needed to say something. “Do you have any idea where we need to be going?”

“Of course. I’m looking for a ruins of a city. There I’m hoping to find a library. Do you remember the book that I told you about?”

“Yeah, the ‘Ancient Book.’” Hale couldn’t withhold his sarcasm. Why couldn’t the book have more reasonable name?

Pandora narrowed her eyes. “That’s what we need to find. I would imagine that the ruins are lower. We should look for some kind of chasm.”

Hale slipped off his backpack and held it out in front of him. He opened it and took out his digital map, a small rectangular screen that was translucent. After Hale put his backpack on again, Hale turned on the screen and held it up to the landscape. The device scanned everything in view and beyond what his eyes could see, and a blue replica of the landscape appeared on the screen. Hale scrolled through the representation of the landscape, and he stopped at a chasm.

“This might be the place?”

“We should go check it out.”

“Luckily, it’s only a couple a miles away.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh.”

Hale started walking away from the ship unannounced. She could follow if she wanted to. It was up to her.

After walking several meters, he glanced behind at her. She was coming, just not quickly. He huffed loudly and slowed his pace. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if she actually fell, and he wasn’t there to catch her. Not that she needed him to catch her... but ice was a funny thing. It didn’t give anyone much of an opportunity to catch themselves. Really, he just wanted a reason to believe that she needed him.

They walked across the valley together. Hale stayed about a meter in front of her and constantly looked back to check if she were there.

Neither of them spoke on the way there. Hale preferred silence. But this time it made him feel uneasy because this silence meant that something was wrong between them. Now wasn’t the time for him to speak. Anything he could have said would have angered her.

* * * *

Having reached the chasm, Pandora stepped perilously close to the edge of the chasm and peered down at the surface. She couldn’t tell exactly how far down it was. She knew it was quite deep. She leaned over further, attempting to get a clearer view of what was below. She thought she saw the ground. On the other side of the chasm she noticed what she thought was a building, or a part of one. She shifted carefully closer to the edge to get a better view of the building she thought she saw. The building was partially covered on the sides by thick ice. Only the central tower, nearly reaching the top of the chasm, was visible and left untouched by the ice. She could hardly contain her curiosity to see the more of the building. Maybe if she leaned further she could see a little more?

Pandora leaned. And her feet couldn’t grip the ice. She started falling forwards. She felt something pulling her coat back, and she was dragged on her heels away from the edge.

Pandora took several fast breaths before standing back on her feet. She turned around and faced Hale, who was holding back a smile.

She glared at him. “We need to go down there. I think that’s the library I’ve been looking for.”

Hale placed his warm hand on her shoulder. “I agree. But let’s not fall off the edge this time.”

She pushed his hand off of her. “Any ideas?”

Hale nodded and pointed in the distance. “See the side of the cliff right there? It doesn’t drop off there. It’s more of a slope.” He started walking forwards. “I’ll show you what I mean.”

Pandora followed Hale for about one hundred meters following along the edge of the cliff. He stopped where the slope began.

“We can slide down. I’ll go first. Then I’ll catch you. The ice will make you move really fast. So be careful.”

Hale sat down with his legs hanging off the edge. He pulled two knifes out from his pockets and held one in each hand. He pushed himself off the edge and started sliding down the slope. Pandora now realized how steep the incline truly way. Hale acted as though it wasn’t a big deal, but Pandora found the slope intimidating. It took less than five seconds for him to reach the surface. Because he continued to slide, he dragged the knives into the ice to slow himself down. After he stopped completely, He walked up to the slope and looked at Pandora.

He signaled for her to come. “You can go now. I’ll catch you.”

Pandora sat at the edge like Hale had just before he pushed himself off. The ground was so far down. Hale looked small. She didn’t think she was afraid of heights. But sliding down a slope that steep, starting from that high was terrifying. She hoped that she was far enough from Hale so he couldn’t see her fearful expression.

“Are you scared or something?” Hale shouted.

Pandora shivered. “No, I’m just enjoying the view.”

Hale crossed his arms, and she swore she saw him laughing.

Pandora refused to move, though the ice was freezing her body. She felt pathetic, but she couldn’t stop herself from being afraid of the slope. She had never slid down anything so steep before.

“It’s okay if you’re scared. I promise it’s not as bad as it looks.”

She felt better that he wasn’t judging. However… his reassurance did little to make her less afraid.

“I will catch you, Pandora, I promise.”

She sighed. Never did she doubt that he would catch her. He had so far caught her twice today. Why would he stop now? It was the drop and the velocity that terrified her. She looked over toward the building. If that was the library, she was far too close to stop now.

She closed her eyes.

She rested her palms on the edge.

And she pushed herself off. She kept her eyes sealed shut as she slid not wanting to see how fast she was going. Less than a moment later, her body jerked forwards as she came to a complete stop. An unmistakeable warm touch gripped both of her cold hands. When she opened her eyes, his gorgeous eyes, bluer than the ice itself, were waiting for hers.

He still longed for her. She could see it clearly in his eyes. Usually he was better at hiding his feelings. She returned the look and then quickly turned away. She could feel her already pink cheeks flushing harder.

Hale helped her stand to her feet. His hands held onto hers for as long as he could, until he knew he had to let go.

“Thank you, Hale,” she said softly.

He nodded and began walking towards the building. Pandora remained at his side. Occasionally, she would catch a glimpse of him, making her shiver. He wasn’t the only one who was hurting. She wanted him too. She craved his affection. But her heart knew better. Zaya hadn’t told her anything that surprised her. Zaya just reminded her of who Hale was. Pandora couldn’t allow herself to forget.

Every passing moment, Pandora fell deeper and deeper for him. So when he did break her heart, it would hurt a thousand times worse. She wasn’t in denial that he would break her heart eventually. She hoped desperately he didn’t. But she couldn’t give into that hope.

Pandora had to choose. She could put her foot down and push him away, saving herself any possible heartbreak. Or... she could give in and completely fall for him in every way, loving him as if she didn’t know the future.

She wasn’t sure which one she wanted yet.

When they reached the building, they both stood still. Pandora was now confident that it was the library she was looking for. She was left speechless. This building looked to be over a thousand years old. The structural patterns of the library were ancient, looking similar to the ones she saw in her digital history textbooks she read growing up.

Hale stepped up to the wooden double doors and tried to open them. But they were locked shut. They were partially rotten, but still in good condition for as old as they were. The cold must have preserved them. Pandora admired the intricate carvings of flowers and leaves on the doors. She doubted Hale noticed.

“Do you think you can get the doors open?” Pandora asked.

Hale rolled his eyes as an arrogant smirk appeared on his lips. He lifted his leg and kicked both doors in effortlessly. To Pandora the motion looked effortless. Standing in the threshold where the doors used to be, Pandora stared into the dark room, hoping to see anything that resembled shelves or books. The darkness kept the inside hidden.

Hale stepped inside first and illuminated the room with a bright orange flame at least five feet long stemming from his hand. Pandora gasped when she was able to see.

“What?” Hale asked.

“I think this is it. This is the library.” She scanned over the countless shelves of books.

Hale furrowed his brows. “This is going to take forever. I just know it.”

“What do you mean?”

“So many books to look through.”

Pandora smiled. “Well, I guess we’d better get started then.”

“Uhh… if you haven’t noticed. It’s pitch black in here. The only reason you can see is because of this.” He moved his hand holding the flame closer to her body.

She jumped back, glaring at him. “Maybe we could make a torch?”

“Hale rolled his eyes. “Out of what?”

“I don’t know.”

He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. “That’s helpful.” He walked past her off into the darkness.

Pandora grabbed and held onto his hand. “Don’t leave me, idiot.”

She continued to hold his hand as he moved forwards. She had no idea where he was going, but she didn’t want to be alone right now. She wasn’t afraid of the dark. She wanted an excuse to hold his hand. He made her feel warm in the midst of the icy temperature of the air. Hale stopped at a pedestal in front of one of the bookshelves.

He lit the tip of a candle on the pedestal with his finger tips. “Looks like someone has been here semi-recently. This looks much newer than the building.”

She let go of his hand reluctantly, and he went over to the next shelf, lighting the candle on the other pedestal in front of it. He continued this process until every candle he could find was lit.

“That’s better,” he said.

She looked up at the ceiling. “There’s some on the chandeliers. Can you reach those?”

She turned to him, seeing him smile. By the time she looked back up at the chandelier right above them, it was already lit.

Hale sighed. “Let’s start looking for that book… I guess.”