A/N: In honor of my birthday, I have decided to give you some IceLiech. Or... I guess you can think of it as IceLiech!Friendship, but it was originally intended as normal IceLiech. Btw, it only occurred to me after writing this that an angel as young as Lili may not have earned her wings yet, so please forget about that angel detail. She has wings in this. Btw, children are difficult to write for me... Oh well. I hope you enjoy~!

The winter months were harsh for the north. Every inch of sight was filled with nothingness; exposure consisting mainly in the blinding whiteness of truth and vulnerability. Footprints, belonging to that of a child, were scattered in a disarrayed sequence across the fields, with little holes penetrating the single shaded vastness where hurried steps had pushed through against the will of the storm. Within the embrace of the intimidating trees a little boy huddled in a finicky loneliness. His chilling breaths were huffed scarcely, in vain attempts to conserve the little warmth still residing within him. His boots were drenched through with the blizzard's wrath and his snow coat was stiff with thick, confining cloud tears. Inward flowing silver locks framed his youthful face and his violet hued eyes were shut tight in frightened defiance.

The storm flurried about in indisputable chaos, trying in earnest to choke him down and take the boy into the harshest of custodies. Giving a shuddering gasp, his eyes flew open. The little boy let out a cry of desperation and collapsed into the snow. He pounded tiny fists against the powdered forest floor as his vision fogged with the wells of defeat.

'Too cold… Too cold. Big brother, it's too cold. I'm sorry big brother… I didn't really mean to leave. Please come save me...'

He shuddered as his breaths became more frequent and rattled. They were short and soft, indistinguishable over the rage of the winds. He coughed in a wracking fit and waited for the mounds of pale storm light to overcome him, burying him beneath its blanket of purity. Nothing except the sounds of the storm could be louder than his sobs as he hunched down in exhaustion.

"You don't have to do that, you know."

The boy gave a startled yelp and sat up, blinking through the thickly churning snow to a little figure sitting quietly atop a frost-slicked boulder under a tree. His gaze turned to one of confusion, lifting his head to watch warily.

"You don't have to be so tense either. It is pretty cold, hmm? I swear its almost frozen my wings through and through. Honestly, you really shouldn't be out in this weather." Sliding down from the rock, the creature came closer; large wing-like structures trailed behind. Stopping in a crouch just above him, it leaned inward toward his face. The sight that was revealed was none other than a little girl with short blonde hair in two pigtails on either side. Her teal eyes wore a wide, innocent expression as they flicked over him in scrutiny.

"Being mad at your brother really isn't a good enough reason to run out in such a violent storm. I really thought you knew better." She smiled and pulled him up by the arm with a surprising amount of strength. The boy was slack jawed, staring in disbelief at her large, feathery appendages. They were tinted the same shade as her hair and fluttered impatiently in the striking wind. She watched him carefully and tilted her head to the side.

"Are you going to introduce yourself?" Shaken from his thoughts, he finally looked back to her face and stuttered a reply.

"E-Emil Steilsson… Why are you in the storm if it's supposed to be so bad? And how do you know about my brother?" He narrowed his eyes in a way as close to suspicion as a child could get. She only gave a good hearted chuckle.

"Well first of all, my name is Lili. I had to come out into the storm to get you of course! It's my job. I know all about you Emil!" She grinned, before pausing.

"That sounded a bit creepy didn't it? Maybe I should explain for you…" Lili rubbed her chin in concentration and flopped down in the snow, becoming quite the literal snow angel. Emil didn't appear comforted by her explanation, instead staring at her in obvious mistrust.
Lili snorted at his expression and continued; "Well… When you were born, so was a guardian assigned to protect and guide you as you go through life. An angel, if you will. That's me, see? And since you've entered this situation I've been sent down to give you some choices. In the end, it's you who decides." She smiled and took his hand softly, rubbing soothing circles over it.

"Would you like to stay here and chat or would you like to take a walk with me?" She looked at him in hope over the latter and it was hard to say no.

"I guess…" At hearing his confirmation, Lili clapped her hands together and tugged him along, talking about nothing and everything simultaneously.

"...And one time my big bruder told me that the best way to guide is to leave them subtle hints in order to make their own decisions… I get that; most of us do lead that way, but contacting the person I am destined to protect… having them know that there is in fact someone looking out for them every day… that just seems really special to me… I don't know if it's just because I'm young, I prefer this- but I promise it's going to prove something tonight."

Emil could only nod at her determined expression.

'Still so cold...'

Over a frozen creek and through a thicket of brambly bushes he and Lili ventured, sometimes turning in an unfamiliar direction or walking through the deepest of snow dunes, but she never once let go of his hand and she never once stopped telling her stories. It took his focus away from the biting, tearing cold and brought to his attention her serene tone and comforting aura instead.

"So tell me about why you decided to come out here." Lili broke their relaxed silence abruptly. Emil looked at her, a little embarrassed.

"You should already know about it though, if you really are my... angel." Lili nodded for him to continue. Emil sighed, knowing she wouldn't stop staring at him until he spoke.

"M-my brother Lukas and I had a fight… So I ran out here to get away." Lili's eyes softened and she placed a tentative wing around his shoulder.

"What was the fight about?"

Emil looked up from boots which he had suddenly found quite interesting and huffed.

"Lukas wants to marry this girl who is really annoying and loud and…" He felt tears beginning to build, straining to be released into December's hands.

"For as long as I can remember, it's just been me and him. Then he met her and she started spending time around us all the time. I didn't think he even liked her that much… They always argued and said mean things to each other…" He took a small breath.

"But then I saw them… kissing. Big brother tried to tell me he was gonna marry her… But what if he forgot about me? What if he loves her more?" His lower lip quivered as the last word came out, barely more than a whisper. Only when he noticed they had stopped did Emil look up at Lili. The tiny blonde child had her arms wrapped tightly around him in a protective hold.

"My big bruder was in love once… I sometimes think he still is. But he never stopped loving me because of that. People's hearts can create as much love as they're willing to share, and if your brother has loved you all this time, why should he stop now? He may have gained a new affection toward someone else, but now he's made room for both of you! I'm sure you'll come to appreciate his fiancé too, in time." She faced him.

"If you continue to love them, there is no doubt in my mind they'll love you in return. And whatever you may choose in the future, you do have someone who loves you enough to listen and see." Lili let go of him and smiled brightly.

"Thank you for walking with me, Emil."

In a sudden rush, light flooded the area as shouting voices were heard in the near distance. Two figures emerged from a small cottage, fully bundled in heavy winter clothing. Emil could only stare at the taller, swiftly approaching form as his older brother appeared in front of him, bending down to embrace him.

"Emil! Why would you go out in this storm? You could've died and we might not have ever found you! Do you even know how worried Jenz and I were?" His normally stoic brother held him tightly and stroked a soothing hand over his head. They sat at the edge of the tree line, dark forest growth looming overhead as it drooped with the burden of freshly fallen endings. Something clicked in his mind as Emil felt the strong, protective arms of his brother and Jenz as they whispered prayers of thanks and kissed him repeatedly. Something clicked.

"It was Lili! Lili walked me home after she found me! She must've known where we were going the whole time!" Emil grinned at his realization and spun around to introduce his new friend and thank her for rescuing and comforting him. He stared into the densely white ambiance. Lukas and Jenz looked on in confusion.

"Emil? What is it? Who is Lili?" Emil couldn't answer. His tongue felt cold and rough in his mouth and his breath had all but stopped.

Behind him were the same towering trees and the same blanketed world of winter. But no Lili. Resting quite out of place atop a dune of snow was a small, blonde feather, its tip iced from writing where it lay; "You are loved."

Emil turned around slowly and took in the sight of his brother; composure regained and face red from the bitter temperature. He turned his gaze to the tall woman next to him with disheveled blonde hair and a concerned expression on her normally joyful face. He made a decision then.

Emil walked up to the people he knew to be his family and flung his tiny arms around them, snuggling into their chests as they accepted his sudden show of affection.

"Come now Emil. Let's get out of the cold." Lukas took his hand. Jenz beamed at him and planted one last kiss on his head before linking her arm with his brother's.

"Yes… Big brother. I'd like to go inside. I'm ready to start feeling warmer."

A/N: That last line sits weird with me... But I wanted it to sound like something a child would say. *Shrugs* Jenz is meant to be Fem!Denmark, but if you prefer, you can think of her as any random Scandinavian lady Lukas somehow felt attracted to. Not like I really care. So... How'd I do? First story written another year older! Hehe... IceLiech is going to be the death of me. Feel free to drop a review and let me know what you thought! Love ya, my little petals!

~With Love, from Rosemary ;)