And getting the bear home was just the beginning of it. He'd have to skin and butcher it before the other animals smelled his kill or their blood.
Then cook it.
No one to help him and no choice except to do that or starve.
She wondered how many days he'd spent with no food at all...
"What about food in the summertime when you have twenty-two hours or more of daylight? I mean, you couldn't preserve the meat for long and it wouldn't give you enough time to plant or harvest anything. What did you do then?"
"I starved, princess, and prayed for winter."
Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Zarek."
His jaw flexed. He refused to look at her. "Don't be, it's not your fault. Besides, the hunger wasn't as bad as the thirst. Thank the gods for bottled water. Before that there always were a few days when I couldn't make it to the well even though it's just a short walk outside my door."
He reached for another ball.
Astrid placed her hand on his to stop him.
He turned to face her, his lips slightly parted. She pulled him into her arms and kissed him, wanting to give him some comfort, some degree of solace.
Zarek crushed her to him. She opened her mouth to taste him fully and to let his strength wash over her.
He pulled back with a groan. "Why are you here?"
"I'm here for you, Prince Charming."
"I don't believe you. Why are you really here? What do you want from me?"
She sighed. "You are amazingly suspicious."
"No, I'm realistic and dreams like this don't happen to me."
She arched a brow at him. "Never?"
"Not in the last two thousand years, anyway."
She smoothed the line on his brow with her fingertip and smiled up at him. "Well, things they are a-changing."
Zarek cocked his head at that, not believing it for a minute.
Some things never changed.
Never.
"Zarek!"
He felt an odd tugging at his chest.
But it wasn't Astrid doing it.
"Is something wrong?" Astrid asked.
"Zarek!"
It was a man's voice calling to him. One that seemed to come from miles away.
"I feel suddenly strange."