He was freezing, shaking and shivering, his nose and cheeks a bright rose. Fern had carried the boy into the house, Amalia in tow with the food and Fern's basket. The boy stayed near the fire, never letting Amaila or Fern touch him. He would hiss at them like a snake if they tried. 

“What’s your name, child?” Fern would try to ask, but to no avail. The boy would stay quiet or growl like a dog. 

He mimicked the sounds of animals perfectly, which brought Willow joy. The boy made a habit of going to her crib and making the sounds of owls and wolves, or mocking the sound of wind whistling past, to which she would clap and laugh. Fern kept an eye on the strange boy, but Amalia didn't feel he was much of a threat. So, neither did Fern. 

Fern found himself wondering at night what life would have been like if the storm didn’t come. If he hadn't had to help Amalia from under that tree, she would have gone somewhere else, not stayed with an estranged healer. Willow would have gone hungry. He would not have found this strange boy with the affinity to make noises. Fern would have been horribly lonely. 

Amalia had come up to his room to check on him. “It's not very cold up here.” She said. No, with the fire downstairs, the house stayed pleasantly warm. 

“May I ask a question?” Fern said and she nodded. “Why did you leave the land of Carnelian? It is a much warmer kingdom than Larimar.” The joke made her smile for a mere second before fading. 

“My baby didn't make it past his first week. I was so sad and scared I ran away.” Her voice was small and broken. Fern pulled her into a hug as she sobbed. They both realized in that moment that they had both lost what was most important to them. And with this shared grieving, they bonded.

In a swirling winter storm they were wed, Their two children beside them. Their oldest son, who'd they come to call Echo for he could echo any creature's call, and their youngest daughter Willow, who would grow to be a beautiful young girl. They were happy and would stay like that for a long time.