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Nozel Silva hated things that didn't make sense. This world was a simple one, as far as he knew. The amount of magic a person had dictated their entire life: whether they could join the magic knights, whether they were royalty or nobility, and whether they were worthy of Nozel's acknowledgement. As the Captain of the Silver Eagles squad, he only chose the very best to fight alongside him. Those with powerful magic that came from their bloodline, rarely a commoner that just managed to get lucky.
And yet...
You somehow made it into his squad.
Your magic was amazing, he admitted that much. It was Wild Magic, the ability to create temporary creatures that you could command on your own. It was as close as someone could get to creating life, something many mages had sought after. You were the hot pick for that exam, and everyone was surprised when you were taken into the Silver Eagles, a squad well-known to be exclusive to nobles. However, you weren't fazed by it in the least. Even Nozel had to admire you. However, the same wasn't true for his two younger siblings.
"You won't believe what I saw the other day," Solid sneered. "You know that commoner in the squad? I caught Noelle talking to her! Like they were old friends, too."
"How disgraceful... Noelle, speaking to a commoner? I mean, I guess she would stoop that low."
Nozel said nothing, just nodded along with a blank expression on his face.
"That mage in the woods has been stealing a lot from our storehouses lately. We really appreciate you tracking them down for us."
Nozel wasn't sure how he ended up on this mission to the boonies. This was work more befitting of a lower squad such as the Black Bulls or the Grey Deer. But he had to go, it was the Wizard King's orders. The one problem was...
"Don't worry, sir, we'll catch this crook in no time!" you told the mayor proudly, saluting. "The Silver Eagles are the very best you could wish for!"
The two of you walked off into the woods after that, searching for any sign of the troublemaker. You hummed to yourself as you walked, your cloak swishing behind you and your hair bobbing around your head. Nozel caught himself staring out of the corner of his eye and quickly looked away. No, no NO! She is NOT cute. I do NOT think she's cute. "You know, you shouldn't be so optimistic in front of the civilians," Nozel finally said, referring to your behavior earlier. "We're used to more important tasks, after all, these types of missions are menial. Also, don't be so friendly. They'll start getting friendly, too."
"I don't get what's wrong with being friendly," you answered, scowling a bit at his words. "And this is important. Our job is to protect the kingdom, right?"
"I'm Royalty. The affairs of peasants don't bother me," he replied, glancing back over at you. "There are much more pressing issues we could be dealing with right now."
You suddenly stopped and placed your hands on your hips. "I'm royalty this, I'm royalty that, honestly Nozel, you're a magic knight. You swore to protect every member of this kingdom, right?"
Nozel was shocked at the audacity, but it was also... kind of hot. But you were still talking back to your captain. "I don't appreciate being talked to like this," he snapped. "Anyway... yes, I swore that. But the way I see it-" Suddenly, he stopped, sensing mana behind you. "Look out!" Without hesitation, he leaped forward and pushed you to the ground, a moment before a spike of ice went zipping by. "This might be the criminal, let's go!"
You nodded and sprung back to your feet. "Wild Creation Magic: Power of the Pack!" Instantly, four wolves materialized around you, their eyes glowing. They sniffed the air and took off in the direction of your attacker. "This way!"
Wow... that's pretty amazing, Nozel caught himself thinking. NO! Get your mind straight... He shook of the thoughts and ran off after you and the wolves.
"They should be right up ahead..." Suddenly, your eyes widened as the mana from your wolves disappeared. "He's strong! And-" You spotted another flurry of ice shooting towards Noel. No! Nozel! Thinking quickly, you grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way while yelling out another spell. "Butterfly barrier!" Nozel blinked in surprise as the ice was blocked just before it hit him. You spotted a small cave as more ice rained down, at least that would be a covered area to launch a counterattack. You and Nozel jumped inside before turning around. "Now, we can-"
Ice was suddenly covering the entrance, trapping you inside. Nozel grit his teeth, "This isn't a problem." He sent a few mercury spears, but they glanced off the ice without any damage. "Huh? It's really that durable?"
The criminal ran away, leaving you two to futily try to chip away at the ice. "No! We're going to have to wait for it to wear off..." you groaned, sitting down heavily on the ground. Nozel kicked at it for a few more minutes before slumping down against the cave wall. "It's your fault we're in this mess."
"My fault? I just saved your worthless life," you spat back. Nozel opened his mouth to say something back, but then looked away. She's right... she saved me. She's right about a lot of things...
You sighed, casting your gaze down. "I'm sorry... that was uncalled for,"
"No. It was." Nozel turned back to look down at you. "...Thanks for saving me. We'll probably have to spend the night in here, though."
You nodded, then shivered as the ice started to cool down the cave. Nozel noticed, then cautiously scooted closer to you. "You're cold?"
"...yeah." You hugged your knees to your chest, trying to trap in your body heat. You glanced up as Nozel was suddenly only inches away from you.
This is embarrassing... yet, I may not get this opportunity again. I'm a fool, after all. "If you're uncomfortable, we can...uh... you know..." Nozel gulped and looked away, doing his best not to blush. "...share body heat."
You stared at him for a moment, incredulous. Nozel thought that your silence was a rejection, but then he looked back to see your cheeks dusted with pink.
"Ah... okay."
Wait, she actually said yes? Nozel snapped out of it and awkwardly wrapped an arm around you, pulling you into his chest. His eyes widened at how cold you were. "Here..." He took off his cape and spread it over the two of you like a blanket. "The only reason I'm doing this is because it's practical, you know."
You raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then, I can do this to rest my head, right?" He stiffened up as you gently laid your head on his shoulder. After a moment, he relaxed.
"I suppose."
The two of you laid in silence, passive-aggressively cuddling each other as the sun went down and the cave went dark. The feeling of your body next to his was comforting... no, thrilling.
Look at me. Am I really falling in love with a commoner, aren't I?
"Nozel?"
"Yes?"
"...I'm sorry for talking back so much today. I just... really don't like the way you Royals look down on commoners."
"No, I deserved it. In fact..." You felt his head come down to rest on top of yours, making your heart flutter a bit. "Thank you. I need someone like you to tell me when I'm wrong."
You smiled to yourself at the admission, letting your hand rest on his chest. "...damn right you do."
With that, you both eventually drifted off to sleep. It was cold in that cave, but by morning, the ice had melted from the entrance. You had a feeling that ice was melting from someone's heart, as well.