Once, there was a beautiful meadow, that was overflowing with the most enchanting flowers anyone had ever seen. Not many had seen this meadow, for it was hard to reach, so protected were the treasured flowers. This meadow blossomed for most of the year, but just like everywhere else in the world, Winter always came and found the meadow, and it would destroy each of the lovely flowers in bloom. No different was the year they were experiencing now, and soon, the flowers found that they were not able to play, for they were beginning to grow stiff. They tried for a while, but soon Ice found the meadow. Ice began to cover each of their petals, to move over them with the kiss of death, turning them to nothing. Ice felt no remorse, for this is what he did. He didn’t take pleasure from it, nor any pain. This was the way of his life, and he had never known anything else.
This is the very reason that Ice noticed something unusual this particular year. In the midst of all the frostbitten flowers, stood a magnificent pink flower, as tall as ever. He stood proudly, untouched by all the cold. Ice was sure he had never seen this flower before, for never had the color pink ever touched the meadow, and he found he was curious. How was it that this particular flower found he could live, when all around him was death?
Ice made his way to the flower, examining him closely. As many times as he had visited this meadow, never had he thought to come and look face to face with one of the flowers. How stunning this one was. Instead of freezing, it was if the cold had merely turned to water on him, and now dazzling dew had settled on his petals.
“Excuse me, Flower, but I have to ask you something.”
Ice had never spoken to one of the flowers, and it felt strangely exhilarating to do so now.
“Look around us. All of the others have turned to ice. How is it that you still stand the way you do?”
Flower gazed at Ice, a peculiar look in his eyes, though Ice found it was not a look of hate.
“For you cannot kill me. You can try all that you like, but I will not die. For you see, Ice, love keeps me alive. I have found my true love, and because of that, I shall live forever.”
Flower spoke in a playful tone, like he knew all the secrets of the world, and no one could tell him differently. Ice stared at him in amazement.
“Who have you fallen in love with? Surely they do not feel the same towards you. Everyone else has died.”
“No, they are still alive. And they are here with me now.”
There was no one else there, as far as Ice could see, and he looked at Flower in confusion.
“You see, Ice, I have fallen in love with you, and therefore I shall not die.”
Never had Ice felt a jolt like the one he felt at those words.
“Me? You’ve fallen in love with me? But how can that be? There’s no way-”
Flower laughed, cutting Ice off.
“Don’t be silly, Ice. Of course I can love you. You can’t tell me who I can love, and I love you.”
Ice could see he meant it, but still he couldn’t understand. There were so many other lovely flowers around, and yet Flower loved him. It seemed impossible to think, and yet he could see the honesty in Flower’s eyes. Maybe, there was a way…
It was at that moment a ferrous wind broke out around them, causing Flower to shiver. The North Wind was angry, Ice knew. He was supposed to be done by now, and he wasn’t, and what was more, a flower still lived.
The cold began to surround Flower, and he felt it begin to go through his petals.
“No, Flower, you mustn’t let him take you!”
“Oh, Ice, I can feel him going through me… I can feel him killing me…”
There was a panic in Flower’s voice, and Ice found it hard to find his own. Before he really knew what he was doing, he had thrown himself before Flower, shielding him.
“No, I won’t let you take him! He’s survived for this long, and you won’t take his love!”
Ice didn’t know what he could do to stop it though. The North Wind was above him, and could easily over take him… But he wasn’t going to let him kill Flower. He was too beautiful to die…
Ice turned to hug Flower, to protect him, and suddenly he felt himself spreading through Flower…
Flower’s petals began to turn to a mixture of ice and flesh, the colors of blue and pink mixed in a lovely pattern. His stem turned to that of a green ice, dazzling with the light of the sun above. As much as North Wind blew, nothing happened. Flower stood tall, both living and ice, proud and strong, triumph upon him. Eventually North Wind gave up, and left in anger. It was only then that they dared to speak.
“Flower, what happened? How did we defeat him?”
“Because Ice, you love me too. You might not know that, but I do. Apart we were no match for him, but together, we overtook him. As one, we triumph.”
Flower was right, Ice knew, and he was overjoyed about it. They had won, and no one could take that away from them…
Once, there was a meadow, full of the most beautiful flowers the world had ever seen. But one flower stood out among the rest, for his petals were made of ice and flesh, and his stem was the most beautiful anyone had ever seen. When the sun shone from the clouds, he glistened, for heat could not harm a flower. And when the North Wind came, he sparkled with dew, for the North Wind cannot harm ice. And from that day on, the most beautiful flower in the meadow was the one that was made by love.