As sad as it sounded, Lord Milori and Queen Clarion had grown apart. All those painful years that they had spent apart had taken a toll on their attachment to each other. With every year that achingly passed by, their love slowly withered away into the abyss of their past with apparently no chance of resurfacing.

Milori had a broken heart to match his broken wing.

Three days had passed since the fairies had all banded together to save the pixie dust tree from freezing over. Words couldn't describe the awkwardness that Clarion and Milori had felt at seeing each other again at the border when Periwinkle's wings had nearly been broken. The former lovers exchanged a brief side glance and then went about their duties. They were brought together again only in alliance to save the pixie dust tree, nothing more.

Now Milori sat on a log, gently running his hand over the soft feathers on the head of his loyal owl and having just arrived at the lake a few minutes ago. He watched as the other fairies skated on the frozen lake, laughing merrily with one another. His eyes fell upon Sled and Rosetta, who were holding hands as they skated in the middle of the lake. He looked away upon beginning to feel wistful.

Tinker Bell was holding her wobbling friend Fawn by her shoulders, trying her best to keep her from falling as they skated. Slowly and carefully, Tinker Bell's hands left Fawn's shoulders. Fawn was still wobbling slightly, but she managed to stay on her feet, gently sliding across the ice.

Milori eyed Tinker Bell. There was the little fairy who had played a major part in saving the pixie dust tree. If it weren't for her there would be no flying fairy left in Pixie Hollow. It was the combined minds of Periwinkle and Tinker Bell that had helped preserve the essence of what gave fairies flight.

From the lake, Tinker Bell took notice of Lord Milori sitting on a log with his owl by his side. She was somewhat surprised to him there at the lake of all places. She would have thought that he, being the overseer of everything that went on in the winter woods, would be busy beyond belief. Why not go over and say hello? After letting Fawn wobble off on her own, she skated past the other fairies to the edge of the lake where Lord Milori was.

"Ah, Tinker Bell," he warmly greeted when she was skidding to a stop in front of him.

"Hello, Lord Milori," she replied before petting the head of Milori's owl. "What brings you to the lake?"

"Things are rather quiet in the woods today. Almost everyone is here at the lake." He nodded in the lake's direction. "I figured I might as well take some time to relax."

Tinker Bell put her hands on her hips. "Just sitting and watching?"

"I'm quite content with just that, dear," he chuckled.

"But this is one of the few times that you'll be able to take a break from your job!" Tinker Bell informed with an encouraging smile. "You shouldn't spend it just waiting and watching from the background, Lord Milori."

Despite the coldness of this body, Milori couldn't help but feel a warm, welcoming sensation at Tinker Bell wanting him to join in the activities. "Really, Tinker Bell, it's quite fine. I'll leave the skating to the young ones."

Tinker Bell smirked and grasped Milori's hands in her own and pulled them in an attempt to get him to stand up. "Come on, Lord Milori! Come and skate with us!"

"So persistent, young fairy." He stood. "Believe me when I say that nothing would please me more than to skate with you all...but...there is...one small problem." He coughed and looked away.

Tinker Bell cocked her head. She had never seen this side of the Lord. His usually solemn face was hesitant. His eyes containing something that looked like shame...no...embarrassment.

"Lord Milori? What's the matter?"

He grumbled something in reply.

Tinker Bell leaned in closer. "What?"

"I...don't know how to skate," he bashfully whispered, so gently as though someone was listening in.

"You don't know how to skate?" Tinker Bell incredulously giggled. "But you're a winter fairy."

"All the more reason for me to be embarrassed."

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Tinker Bell assured him.

"Before my wings were broken I focused mainly on flight," he explained. "Skating never exactly caught my interest."

A light bulb flickered on in Tinker Bell's head. "Then how about I teach you how to skate? Right now."

"Teach me?" Milori couldn't believe his ears. "Tinker Bell, surely you don't actually intend to―"

"Come on! It'll be fun! I'm still a little rusty at skating myself, but I could at least teach you the basics. How to stay balanced and skate good enough to make it across the lake."

Milori glanced over Tinker Bell's shoulder at rest of the fairies skating, and then turned his gaze back to Tinker Bell, his eyes full of hesitation. "Do...you even have another pair of paperclips?"

"Of course! I'll be right back." She turned around and slowly glided across the ice to the other side of the lake. She returned to Milori with two paperclips in her hand and a coil of thread. "I always come with another pair of paperclips just in case the ones that I am wearing get too bent out of shape."

"How convenient."

"No kidding. Now just sit on the log and hold your feet out." She bent down to tie a paperclip to the bottom of his bots.

Milori sat, feeling a bit awkward at having Tinker Bell tie the paperclips to his boots. "Tinker Bell, you don't have to—"

"Don't worry about it, Lord Milori," she said dismissively as she fastened the clip to his foot and went to work on the other one. Milori stood up. The skates made him seem a bit elevated from the ground. He steadily took a step; he was still able to walk, but it would be different once he got out onto the ice, he already knew.

"Okay, you're good to go!" Tinker Bell slowly slid onto the ice. "Come on!"

Milori approached the edge of the lake with caution. Was this really the best idea?

Tinker Bell grinned and extended her arm. "Here. Take my hand."

Milori blinked. "What?"

"Take. My. Hand." She smiled patiently. "I won't let you fall. I promise."

Though still a little apprehensive, Milori took Tinker Bell's gloved hand and shakily ghosted onto the ice. Tinker Bell kept her grasp firm around Milori's hand. She gently tugged him a few inches further onto the edge of the lake. At that very moment the stern Lord of the winter woods was hoping to the heavens that he didn't fall and make a fool of himself in front of everyone on the ice. Had it not been for Tinker Bell holding his hand he would have been stumbling back and forth, desperately fighting to keep balance.

"That's it. Just keep your legs together," Tinker Bell instructed. "You're doing great."

"If you say so," he timorously replied.

A few heads turned at the sight of Tinker Bell and Milori slowly skating with each other, hands conjoined.

"Oh...Tinker Bell..." He felt his feet beginning to part in opposite directions. "I think...I-I'm going to fall!"

Tinker Bell turned and grabbed his other hand the moment his back began to arch backwards. "I've got you!" Her wings fluttered. She floated a few inches from the ice, pulling him back up to a standing position. "There we go."

"Dear me..." Milori muttered, looking down at his feet. He could hear the amused snickers around them. "I knew this wasn't a good idea."

"Don't be like that! You're a beginner, Lord Milori. Ice-skating isn't something that's learned in a minute. You just gotta keep at it until you get better."

Milori took a moment to admire the determination that she wished to share with him.

"I thank you for the encouragement, my dear, but I am just not meant to glide upon the ice—" The rest of the sentence didn't leave his mouth. His eyes were blinded by the now up-close beauty of the fairy who was holding his hands. He was getting lost in the blue, sparkling orbs that were her eyes. Her golden hair shone brilliantly from the light of the sun. Without knowing it, he squeezed both of her hands, feeling her thin, delicate digits through her gloves. He had seen Tinker Bell before...but at that moment it felt like he had laid eyes upon her for the first time.

Tinker Bell was both confused and concerned. "Lord Milori? What's wrong?"

"I..." He looked down at their hands and then back into Tinker Bell's eyes. "I..." What was it that was making his heart pound relentlessly in his chest? What was it that he was feeling as he looked down upon this beautiful girl? He let go of her hands and touched her face.

Tinker Bell's eyes widened slightly at the contact. "L-Lord Milori..."

His gaze traveled down to her pink lips. They looked so soft. He pictured kissing them, tasting them. Feeling Tinker Bell return his kiss with her own. Kissing her the same way that he used to kiss Clarion. Nostalgic desire ran through him. He felt as though the hole that had stretched through his heart all those years ago could be filled by the fairy he was caressing. Like Tinker Bell could make the hole be forgotten, along with the love he once held in his heart for Clarion. Everyone else on that lake had become nonexistent to Milori because of the want he was feeling for Tinker Bell.

Milori snapped out of the daze and realized what he was doing. "I must go," he said with haste. He was stumbling to the edge of the lake before Tinker Bell could open her mouth. He ended up on his knees when he reached the edge but didn't let it slow him down. After tearing off the paperclips he sprinted to his owl.

"Lord Milori! Wait!" Tinker Bell called.

"Fly," Milori ordered the owl once he was atop its head. In one flap of its wings it soared from the ground.

Tinker Bell stood there, watching the owl fly away, unable to process what had just happened. What...just happened, exactly? She put her hand to her face; the feeling of Milori's cool touch still lingered on her cheek.

And the way he looked at her.

She could see the longing in his eyes.

"Tinker Bell?" Fawn had skated up to her friend. "What was that...? With you and...Lord Milori?"

Tinker Bell didn't know how to answer the question. "I...have no clue. I...I'm going to go talk to him." Tinker Bell took off into the sky, compelled to follow Milori's owl before it faded from view.

Fawn was left in a perplexed wake.

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed part one. Part two will be posted soon.