Tyel opened the door for him and helped him down. Ledus’ eyes grew wide as he gazed upon the gorgeous oasis. There were tall trees, lush flowers, and a beautiful shimmering blue pond snuggled in the center. It simply didn’t seem to belong in the desert, yet here it was, almost sparkling in the sunlight. He took a step towards it but Tyel grabbed his hood, stopping him in his tracks. “First, promise me you won’t touch the water, you’re cold enough as is.”

“Promise.”

“Second, don’t stray out of my reach.”

“I won’t.”

“Third,” Ledus’ smile seemed to dim with each new rule, “keep your skin covered from the sun. I don’t want you to burn.” Tyel gave Ledus an umbrella, then sighed “ok, go ahead.” Without a second's hesitation, Ledus began walking around the small oasis, Tyel following closely behind.

Every once in awhile, Ledus would ask Tyel what something was or point out something he thought was wonderful. To most people, these were all common boring things, but for Ledus, it was all new and exotic. Things that he had only ever read about or seen in paintings. He was like a child still trying to discover the world.

After having circled the oasis 4 or 5 times, Tyel could see that Ledus was becoming tired. “Ledus, let’s go back and get ready for dinner, after all, we have to get back before the sun starts to set.” Ledus stopped walking. Even from afar Tyel could see his shoulders shivering. Without turning he spoke.

“Can’t we stay just a little longer, please?” Tyel sighed and walked over to the boy stepping in front of him.

“Ledus, your lips are blue. We need to get you back to the palace to warm up.” The boy’s face was so pitiful it actually hurt Tyel to see him like this. “I’m sorry Ledus, but I promise I’ll bring you again.” He gave him a gentle hug. This made Ledus feel a bit better, after all, he loved Tyel so dearly.

“I know he just wants to keep me safe.” He looked up and smiled at Tyel, “I understand, Let’s go back.”

Tyel led him back to the carriage and helped him settle in. He could see that his shivering was getting worse. “Just stay under the blanket, I’ll get us back as fast as I can.” He shut the door and rushed the carriage back. “Remember, stay awake!” He called back. Ledus curled into a ball, he tried to focus on the town but the cold was just unbearable.

The carriage came to a halt. Ledus felt Tyel pull him out of the carriage and carry him inside. “You, get me another blanket, you stoke up the fire in his room!” As the servants ran off Tyel set Ledus down on a bench fixing the blanket already on him. “I’ll carry you up but I need to carry you on my back ok.” Ledus gave a weak nod.

Shortly the servant returned with 2 blankets. They wrapped one around Ledus, “Ok, help me get him on my back.” After settling him in position, the servant placed the other blanket over both of them, tying it in the front. “Great, please follow us up, just in case.”

Tyel carried him up the tall tower as fast as he could. Every now and then he would ask Ledus a question to make sure Ledus was still awake. Although the most he would get back was a meek grunt. “Sir! He’s slipping a bit, wait just a moment.” The servant quickly adjusted Ledus’ position and the climb resumed.

The room was warm when they arrived. A giant fire filled the center of the room. Tyel took Ledus over to a pile of pillows near the fire pit and gently set him down.”There you go, warm up.” Ledus lay shaking violently, staring blankly at the flames. Tyel repositioned the blankets then stood and began talking with the servants. “Is the meal cold or warm?”

“It’s a warm stew with fresh bread.”

“Great, please bring it up.” He turned to the other servant, “Please help me shut the room.” They each began untying the curtains then dragging them across the window, closing out the light of day.