“Now be on your way,” Snow ordered with a wagging finger and as soon as she heard Roy and Todd walk off, she threw the snowballs and smiled when she heard someone yell out.

“I’m hit. It’s a ruse.”

Snowballs started pelting her.

“Get them, Thaw,” Snow ordered and dropped down to reach for the pile of snowballs and started throwing them.

Thaw charged toward the group, barking and snarling as if he was ready to tear someone apart. Snow was proud of him as she continued her assault and smiled when she heard one lad yell.

“Thor’s coming for us… run!”

“Turn to your left and throw,” Roy called out.

Snow did as the lad said, snowballs continuing to rain down on her as she enjoyed the fun of a good snowball fight just as she had done with her sisters throughout the years, even though Sorrell always won.

Snowballs flew, Thaw barked, laughter and yells were heard, then suddenly like a snap of the fingers all turned silent.

“What goes on here?” Tarass demanded.

Snow couldn’t resist, she just couldn’t. She turned until she caught sight of the large gray blur and let loose a snowball.

The sharp, loud gasps let her know she had hit her mark and she wasn’t surprised when the gray blur moved to stand in front of her.

“Did you just hit me with a snowball?” Tarass demanded.

“Since I’m blind and can’t see, you would need to be the one to answer that,” she said with a chuckle and wasn’t surprised to feel Thaw lean against her leg.

Tarass couldn’t stop himself from smiling, though chased it away when he saw the shocked look on the young lads’ faces.

“Be gone or be punished,” Tarass snapped at the lads and they scattered, disappearing in a heartbeat.

“They’ve done nothing wrong,” Snow said, coming to their defense, “except have some fun in the snow. Something I’ve missed myself and was pleased to enjoy with them.”

“You could have been hurt,” Tarass argued.

Snow laughed. “Snowballs bring laughter not tears.”

“What are you doing walking out here alone?” he demanded, noticing how her flushed cheeks brightened the green of her eyes and how her lips appeared rosier in color from the cold. She didn’t only look beautiful, she looked happy, and for a sheer moment he felt a spark of happiness himself and it startled him, not having felt it for some time.

“I was looking for you,” she said.

“Where is Nettle? Why isn’t she with you?” he asked, annoyed.

“Fasta ordered her to the kitchen,” Snow said and thought she heard him swear.

“So you ventured out of the keep on your own?”

“Not on my own. Thaw is with me,” she said, looking down to the pup still leaning against her leg.

Thaw barked.