Lena became conscious and threw up what felt like her guts and all of her organs, but all that truly departed her body was water. Gallons of water. The first thing she sensed was brightness, although her eyes remained shut. She smelled fish and then recognized the sound of crashing waves. It was a blustery day. 

An echo was brought from afar; someone speaking in earnest, but the voice did not reach her. Eyes, frail and sleepy, opened heavily. The voice was not speaking, it was begging and sobbing, and it was not from afar, as its volume increased the wider her eyes opened up. It was right in front of her. Everything was hazy, shapes and colors merged into one fascinating soup of vision. She could make out a person, haloed by dazzling light, hovering over her.

"Please, please, please," was all she could hear. It was a familiar voice.

"Finn?" she thought, but hardly made the sound of breathing. 

The harder she tried to say his name, and the stronger she fought for his attention, the louder she thought she was screaming—but her lips didn't move.

"Please—wake up, please."

In her mind, she shouted until her lungs quaked and satisfied the burning pain within. At long last, her mouth unfolded, and with great trouble, she achieved to weakly mutter his name.

"Finn."

His flooded pupils looked at her with shock.

"I—" she tried to lift her head, but it was glued to his lap. When she began to talk, more water was coughed up. "I told you—not to leave me."

"Oh thank god you're alive!"

He hugged her with caution and boundless affection. She was wrapped into a hefty roll of animal fur, while Finn himself had icicles growing from his nose and chin. His eyebrows, which had usually a dark brown tint, were now white from the snow, matching his hair. He had no blanket to shield himself from the freezing temperatures, but he assured her that they had almost arrived. 

Lena blinked and felt the weighty coat of ice on each of her eyelashes. As if she had woken up from a long slumber, she looked around in confusion and found herself on a cramped rowing boat. She lay in Finn's lap for as long as he was rowing them toward the land.

Lena was quiet for a while, not knowing where to start with her questions. Eventually, she asked Finn how he had found her.

"I came to Boreas for you. I assumed Arrakis took you here, but you were nowhere to be found, leaving me to think you had never been here in the first place. I was at the coast when I saw your ship. It stood in the middle of the air as if painted to the sky. I had a weird feeling about it, and a friend lent me this boat. When I got to you, you were drowning, and I jumped after you and pulled you out."

"Slow down. You have a friend here?"

"Well, I just met her two days ago, but she offered me her couch to sleep on. She is very generous and kind."

"I have so many questions."

"I know. And I promise that I'll answer them all, but first, we have to get indoors."

The boat came to a stop at the dock between two stilt houses. Finn connected the boat to a post by tying a rope. The look of it brought unpleasant memories to Lena's mind. 

Finn then carried Lena inside one of the houses, where heat greeted them like an old friend. It was a compact place, offering one tiny bedroom, an even smaller bathroom, and the living room and kitchen area that one would see first upon entering the house. It consisted mainly of wood, with endearing decorations for a cozy ambiance, such as the fur carpet between the sofa and flames that moved like a waltz in the fireplace.

On the carpet, Finn placed Lena to let the near fire warm up her body. Her hair was stiff, as it was soaked and had begun to freeze in the wintry wind. Finn took off Lena's shoes and placed her purple toes closer to the stone border of the fireplace.

"It b—burns," she said, with chattering teeth.

"Yes, it'll warm you up in no time."

"No, it burns inside of me. My lungs."

"Oh—try to rest a little."

"Finn?"

"Yes, Lena?"

"Please don't leave me."

"I promise; I won't."

As if given long-awaited permission, she immediately fell into a drowse. She heard voices, one of them being Finn's, but she could not listen to what they were saying. On the contrary to her usually nosy conduct, she was not interested in their conversations. All she wished to hear was the sounds of his voice while she slept.

The room felt like a sauna, and Lena woke up to thirst and sweat. She looked at Finn, still by her side, and the orange light that flickered on his cheeks. She smiled at his smile. Her eyes kept wandering and spotted the fire next to her, which she had forgotten all about. She jumped for distance, right into his arms, but noticed quickly that the fire was not a threat.

"Where are we?"

"In a house on Boreas."

Rumbling noises came from the open kitchen area. It was a minor portion of the living room. She looked to the stove and the young lady that stood before it. Lena could only see her back. She had a slim figure and her hair was cut off before reaching her shoulders. It was brown and wavy, and tucked behind one ear.

With a pan in her hand, she turned and gave a friendly impression. "I hope I didn't wake you." Her voice was soft and merry. She put the pan down and walked up to the small green sofa. "Your friend Finn told me how he pulled you out of the sea. You're lucky, you know that? Usually, people swallowed by the waves don't come back."

Lena had no words. Too many questions brawled inside of her head. She looked up to a window and, from her angle, saw nothing but a dimmed sky escorted by snow. Her eyes wandered to the right, where a framed photograph adorned the stone neck of the chimney. It showed two jolly siblings with their mother at sea. In the corner of the room rested an elegant bow, between a chest and high shelves crammed with books and additional small frames.

Lena noticed her dry clothes and the aptitude of her fingers that had providentially returned. Remembering what happened came as a difficult task, and she had yet to find an answer to the question of Finn's presence. She progressed to sit up and pushed Finn away when he offered to assist.

"Why are we here?" she asked sullenly.

"I told you, this is my friend's home."

"No. What are we doing on Boreas?"

"I came here to save you."

"And what in the world made you think that I'd be here? Of all the places in the universe, you came here?"

"I—"

"You looked at the hard drive," she interfered with his answer. "Didn't you?"

"Yes," admitted Finn flusteredly. "But—"

"So it is true then. You did not come for me."

"That's incorrect."

"Tell me: What information did you find on the drive? Is it in any coincidental way related to this trifling village?"

"Please, don't be upset."

"Is it? Well, say something! It gave you the location of the ship, am I right?"

"You're right, but Lena, listen to me—"

"Why should I? You're a pathetic wimp and a fraud too!" A witless retort, and words tumbled out before she could stop them, "What's worse is; you are a liar! Do you deny it?"

Finn took hold of her grappling arms to calm her down and make her listen.

"Don't touch me!" She pulled away.

Finn noticed the bruises and cuts on her wrists and froze from shock. He was deeply ashamed for his grip around her arm.

The young woman, who had been standing awkwardly in the center of the room, now walked to the door that led outside. "I think I'll give the two some privacy. There is fish if you're hungry."

After she had closed the door upon them, Lena sobbed and turned away.

"Do you have any idea what I've been through? Arrakis treated me nothing like a human. Not even like an animal, more like a possession. One he would have thrown away if he saw no use."

"I can't even pretend to comprehend what it must have been like. I will make sure that he will never lay his hands on you again."

"I already made sure of that," she whimpered. "He's dead, and it's all my fault."

"If anyone deserved to die, it was him."

"Not like that."

"Lena, look me in the eyes as I sincerely speak the truth. I didn't lie to you. I came here because of you. If I had believed that you were on Pluviam, I would have gone there, regardless of the ship's coordinates. I promise it to you."

"So did you find the ship?"

"No, I haven't looked for it. I was looking for you only. But if I got to Boreas first, then how did Arrakis know that I'm here? Nothing makes sense anymore."

"I don't know. A friend of his sent him a message, informing him about recognizing you by your hair, but at that time we had the island in sight, and Arrakis knew where you were heading far sooner than that."

He nodded and pondered. "Are you still mad at me?"

"No. I wasn't mad. Just a little hurt, that's all."

"Because you thought I ditched you?"

"No, because I thought you lied to me."

"I made a promise, and I will keep that till the day my heart stops beating."

"Thank you, Finn. I'm sorry for shouting."

"It's okay."

"It's really not. I'm extremely embarrassed about my behavior. What I said—it was—I didn't mean any of it. You're nothing like that. You're brave, and you're honest. You're smart, selfless, and caring. You saved my life again. And for that, I—"

The wooden door popped open and wind and snow came flying in. With quick pace, the owner of the house stepped in and locked the door behind her.

"I'm sorry guys, but it's a bit stormy out there and I would have turned into a snowman if I stood there for any longer." She knocked the snow off her boots and removed her large winter jacket.

Humiliated, Lena said, "I should be the one that's sorry. This is your home, and I wouldn't have lived if it wasn't for you. I'm sorry for flipping out. I think I was just overwhelmed, but it's not an excuse for that horrible first impression."

"I'm going to stop you right there. You had a stressful day, I totally get that. No need to apologize. You know what always makes me feel better? A warm meal. Come on, let's have some tasty fish."