"Well I don't see how you couldn't!" Discord enthused. "I don't mean to exclude you either Xarame; Fluttershy is quite skilled when it comes to making remedies for her animals, I'm sure the two of you could exchange notes." He sighed. "But that all seems a long way off now, doesn't it?"
"Aye," Frozen said. He turned to Xarame, "You should rest for now love. If you like, i'll come to the tent in a bit and cuddle with you. For now i'd like to talk to my father for a bit longer."
Xarame rose and nodded sleepily, yawning. Even the Babel Bird on her shoulder seemed to have it's eyes shut, "Yes, it has indeed been a long day; and I think my little feathered friend here is asleep anyway!" She sheepishly gave Frozen a kiss on the cheek and then headed into the tent. "You're a lucky stallion, Frozen," Discord said, watching Xarame slip into the tent.
"Yes," Frozen said softly, as he watched her walk towards the tent, "yes I am." Frozen turned his attention to discord. "Father," he said, "as much as it pained me go see Mauron die, I wanted to thank you for saving my life. I waa angry with you for a while, but now I understand you only wanted to protect me."
"I'm glad you understand," Discord said, nodding. "I wish we could've helped her too, but some battles you can't win, and I couldn't lose you."
Frozen hugged Discord tightly, resting his head on his shoulder. He was thankful for what few good things came from coming to this realm, such as finding his father and finding the love of his life, but he was eager to get home. He had been running for what felt like an eternity, and now all he wanted was to settle down to a quiet life.
"Hey," Discord said, hugging Frozen back, "We've been around a long time, you and I; faced a lot of troubles; we'll get out of this yet. And I just want you to know, you make me a better person, Frozen; helping free these ponies? That's the first truly good thing I've done, and that's mostly down to you. Once we get out of this place, we'll look back on this adventure and laugh, then we'll start writing a new chapter of the Chaos Bloodline. Together. Sound good?" He gently lifted Frozen's head of his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Great. Now go get some rest; tomorrow we go back to being heroes!" He said, trying to remain jovial. "I'm going to stay out here a while."
Frozen nodded, "goodnight dad," he said before patting discord upon the back. He quietly slipped into Xarame's tent for the evening.
"Hey." Xarame murmured, dozily, her head poking out of the blankets she was snuggled up in as Frozen entered. "I do not know how you deal with this cold; already for me it is getting quite old!" Her Babel Bird was sleeping in a small birdcage Discord had thoughtfully provided.
Frozen curled up next to her, "I don't really feel the cold," he admitted, "we're blessed with the ability to live in temperatures most ponies would freeze in."
"And yet you still feel warm," Xarame said, closing her eyes and nuzzling his neck a little. "I would be glad to be with you in any storm."
Xarame opened one eye and raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Are you saying you are going to burn me?" She asked dryly.
Frozen snorted a laugh, "Hah, no, of course not. I was making a poor attempt at a joke," he said as he rested his cheek on her shoulder.
Xarame maintained her serious look for a moment longer, before breaking into a smile and chuckling softly. She closed her eyes again, and snuggled deeper into the sheets with Frozen, glad to finally have an opportunity to rest safely.
Frozen laid awake for a while, his mind wrapped in thought as he pondered all that had occured thus far. He was, in a way, thankful he found his way to this realm. He had been reunited with his true father, and been granted a chance at love. As he drifted to sleep, his last thoughts were of his father.
Discord stayed up most of the night by the campfire, only sleeping a few hours, as was his custom. When dawn broke, he conjured up some cooking utensils and made a start on some breakfast for the trio, assuming the other two would awake soon.
Frozen awoke a few moments after his father. He kissed Xarame's forehead and slipped out of the tent with the intention of letting her sleep a little longer.
