"Notredram? What do you mean?" was her immediate response, fear replacing the fieriness in her voice. Also there was a hitch in her breath, made easier to spot by the cold visible breath we were each exhaling.

My reaction was not much better but I kept myself from revealing to her my disgust at the statement I had made. Regardless of the fact that she was from Notredram, my cheeks were flushed as I was ashamed for disrespecting Notredram. It surprised me that I could feel such an emotion for the Walled City, but perhaps it was because of a man and not the place. I could not think about Shaw right now, and somehow I knew he would understand. My only thoughts needed to focus on this woman and how she and I were going to survive the night.

Regardless of the fact that I disapproved of the way that marriage was done inside the Walled Cities, she did not know that. Discussing my views was problematic, as pointing out that I knew what she was running from without being told would no doubt earn more distrust from her. No I needed to acquire some form of neutrality with her, if we were to have any hopes of surviving the storm, which had only gotten worse in the minutes we had spent in our exchange of words. My clothing was covered in a fine layer of snow and becoming damper by the second.

Paying close attention to her reaction I calmly informed her, "I do not judge a person based on where they grew up. Some of the Outlanders might, but I will not. Life is too short to judge someone just because they grew up different than you."

Her relief was immediate as she digested my statement. I meant it, which she must have realized as she replied quietly, "Thank you."

Having achieved what I wanted, I told her, "Stay here. I am going to start building a shelter. It will be a far cry from the house you grew up in, but it will keep us just warm enough to survive this storm and get some sleep as well. If you hear or see anything that is not me, do not hesitate to call out to me. There are wolves and bears in these mountains, and I have no desire to deal with either today."

Striding over to the largest of the trees in the stand, I pulled my hatchet out from its spot on my belt. Aligning myself with the trunk, I swung the hatchet deep into the bark. Pulling it out with a slight screech as the wood was beginning to freeze, I began cutting down the tree. Every other blow I switched from cutting straight to cutting at an angle from above or below the first cut. It was slow going as while a hatchet could do the work, an ax was much more effective for felling trees.

During the short break I took to allow my hands a rest from the constant friction, I asked my new companion her name. Of course she did not know what I meant at first, as following Outlander tradition I called out, "Z."

Understandably confused at my single lettered statement, I clarified at her confused look, "My name is Zachariah, but I prefer Z."

An odd silence followed this and confident that she had no response and was not going to give me her name I prepared to return to my cutting. Just as I readied to swing the next stroke, she quietly replied, "Kaelyn."

Keeping my back to her as I worked so that she could not see the twinkle in my eyes as I repeated her name, I put all my effort into cutting down the tree. Complete darkness was coming and I wanted to be inside the shelter before it brought a chill to the already cold air. Kaelyn would probably not like the shelter or the concept that we would be so close together, but she did not have much choice unless she wanted to freeze to death. Cultural notions about what was proper did not keep one alive in a snow storm.

Distracted by my thoughts, I lost track of my swings and was brought back to reality by the sharp crack as the tree began freeing itself from the stump that had just been its base. Moving to the side, I watched as the tree fell to the ground, sending a puff of snow up into the air as it thudded against the ground.

Casting a glance over at the fire, I nodded my head in approval as Kaelyn looked up at me while she stood near it, trying to add some branches into the fire. Nodding my head in approval, I returned my work.

Hopeful that she would be able to keep the fire going, I began the task of forming the actual shelter.

Removing a clump of branches at the base of the tree to allow entry, I wormed my way into the hole. Carefully, so that I did not cut a branch that would be used as the frame for the structure, I cut branches so that there was enough room for two people to rest comfortably. After cutting the last branch, I dragged them out of it so that I could examine the shell for weaknesses. Wherever there was a gap in the needles, I wove the spare branches in. This process took me more time than I would have liked but I had little choice.

When I was finally content with my improvised structure, I returned to Kaelyn and the fire. Having lost feeling in my fingers during the work, I extended them until they were just barely touching the flames. Next time I made this trip I would remember to pack a pair of winter gloves.

While I allowed my hands to warm up, I asked, "How can you stand to wear such clothes? It is freezing and besides they look painfully tight."

Giving me the slightest of looks, she replied through gritted teeth showing just how cold she was, "They really are not that uncomfortable. True I am freezing despite this fire, but I was unprepared for this weather. A storm like this is early for the season. Normally I would have a shawl or cloak of some kind to fend off the cold. Besides they make me feel like nice, and that I am respecting the position and wealth my family has. Seeing how even your women wear dresses of some kind I don't think there is such a difference. Besides are fashion choices really the best thing to discuss right now?"

Her last few words came out in a stutter as she shivered with a cold wind that passed through the camp, sending the flame flickering and the tree tops shaking. Despite the fire, Kaelyn was not faring well, and if she did not get warm soon her deteriorating condition would become something even I would struggle to remedy. Looking at her clothing confirmed my fears that she was soaked and becoming colder. Kaelyn needed to get warm and get warm quickly before she started feeling the effects of frostbite. Without much light left anyway, now was the best time to crawl into the shelter and try to get as comfortable as possible.

Crunching through the thickening snow I grabbed my pack, the pellet gun, and my rifle from where they lay in the snow. My fingers were aching now, though it was normal after having become numb and then warmed and then going towards numb again. They would be numb for most of the night, as I would keep them close to me so that I did not lose them to frostbite, but this cold weather would still make them uncomfortable.

Moving to the shelter as there was nothing left to do, I called out, "Kaelyn you go in first. I will follow behind after I make any necessary changes to the outside. If you have a blanket I suggest you get it out when you are inside."

Even though I had expected that she would be shocked by the shelter, I still had to grit my teeth to keep from arguing with her when she stared at the small fallen tree and squeaked, "This is it? You expect us to sleep together in that? Have you never spent time with a woman before?"

Keeping my voice calm as shouting would not improve this, I replied, "The storm is not going away. Night is fast approaching and it is only going to get colder. I know that unmarried people do not sleep in the same area as each other where you grew up, but this is the best chance for us both to survive the night."

At this she blushed and replied, "But it is so small. Is it even worth going into it? Surely we will be fine by the fire?"

Shaking my head at this, I agreed, "Yes it is small. I know we just met, but you have to trust me that I know what I am doing. That fire will not keep us alive when the temperature stays below freezing all night. This shelter while small will keep the wind from touching us and will trap some of our heat..."
"I know I am asking a lot of you. But if you believe in anything believe this, I will not touch you in anyway not appropriate for an unmarried man to do. Your body is safe from unwanted attention."

Curling inward on herself for a moment, Kaelyn looked ready to argue but a cold wind rushed through the camp, nearly knocking her over. Sighing, though from the situation or nearly being knocked over I did not know, she cast a glance at the shelter. Squaring her shoulders she got on her knees and crawled into the tree.

Allowing her time to get comfortable, I checked the safety of my rifle and pistols before with a word from her I crawled in as well. Despite the small space we both fit with a blanket each as we dared not sleep under the same blanket. All thought of the days events faded from my mind as I enjoyed the warmth I had created and Kaelyn added to. Before I knew it, we were both asleep as the storm continued to shake the trees and cover everything in snow.