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Two nights ago, they got caught in a snowstorm. Just like they had always done during sandstorms, they tied a rope around each other's waists, hoping it would work so they wouldn't get separated during the snowstorm. Yusuf was still sure it was Nicolò's willpower and strength that prevented Yusuf from giving up walking because it was so hard walking in all the snow.
Suddenly, the rope went slack, and Yusuf was gripped with fear that he had lost Nicolò in the snowstorm. Yusuf walked as fast as he could through the heavy snow while shouting Nicolò's name, but Yusuf knew the cold wind's howling drowned his voice. After walking for what felt like hours, Yusuf bumped into something sturdy, and he somehow knew it was Nicolò, which helped with the fear. It turned out Nicolò had walked around Yusuf when Nicolò heard a cry coming from a little boy who was lost in the snowstorm. They couldn't understand what the boy was saying, but they were able to calm him enough and get him to show the direction he thought his home was.
It was almost dawn when they reached a small village. They couldn't believe their luck, but it turned out that it was the boy's village, and it made them both so happy to see the boy in his mother's arms. Everyone in the village wanted to thank them for finding the boy, so before they knew it, some people had taken their horses, and they were shown into a small hut by other people.
"Uhm, Nicolò," Yusuf said. "Do you have any idea of what they are trying to tell us?"
The men and the women were pulling at their clothes.
"My guess is they want us to take off our clothes," Nicolò replied. "And I don't think they want to harm us."
"Neither do I," Yusuf replied. "But I really don't feel like taking off my clothes. I'm freezing."
"I know," Nicolò replied. "Let's just do as they want us to do. Then we can assess the situation from there."
The moment they had removed most of their clothes, two women disappeared with it, leaving them alone with a young man. The young man opened the door to a hot room and got them to sit down on a bench before he closed the door. Seconds later, the room was filled with hot steam, and they could feel the warmth streaming back into their bones.
"I never thought I would find a steam bath this far north," Yusuf said. "Do you know if there are others nearby?"
"No, I don't," Nicolò replied. "But it's worth finding out."
Yusuf agreed, and they enjoyed the steam bath until the young man ran out of snow to put on the hot stones. When they got out of the steam bath, they saw that the women had mended their clothes.
"I know they want to show us their gratitude for finding the boy, but they are poor people," Nicolò said. "We shouldn't take advantage of their kindness."
"I can only agree, but I think we should stay until the snowstorm is over so we won't get lost or worse," Yusuf replied. "We can always stay in the barn if it's okay with them."
Nicolò agreed, and after getting dressed, the young man showed them over to the house where the boy was staying with his parents. There, they were placed on a bench, and two bowls of soup were placed in front of them. While eating, it was clear that everyone tried not to stare at Yusuf because they had never seen anyone look like him before.
"I start to feel how you felt back in Egypt when everyone stared at you," Yusuf said. "At least they are not trying to kill me."
The boy's mother poured more soup into the bowls. They gave her a smile as thanks.
"Sorry for that," Yusuf said. "I have still not forgiven that innkeeper and what he did."
"He didn't know better, and with the rage after the Crusade," Nicolò replied. "In a way, I understand him."
Yusuf wished he could forgive people as easily as Nicolò seemed to do. After eating the soup, Yusuf found some paper and started to draw animals. When the children saw the elephant, they couldn't believe their eyes.
"They think you made up that animal," Nicolò said. "It's sweet."
"They remind me of you back when you saw an elephant for the first time," Yusuf replied. "You also looked like this."
While Yusuf drew animals, Nicolò decided to use the opportunity to learn some cooking. The boy's mother was kind enough to show him how they made bread.
When it became the childrens' bedtime, the boy's father showed them over to the barn, where other people in the village had prepared two beds for them in the haystack. There were dry blankets and a nice fire to keep them warm. They thanked people for their kindness the best they could before they were left alone.
"This is better than sleeping outside," Yusuf said. "Should we take turns to sleep?"
Nicolò placed his head on Yusuf's chest before Yusuf wrapped his arms around Nicolò's waist.
"Something tells me we're safe here," Nicolò replied. "And if someone enters the barn, the animals will tell us."
Yusuf ran circles around Nicolò's back, which Nicolò also did on Yusuf's back.
"You know what?" Yusuf asked. Nicolò shook his head. "It has been ninety-one days since I last have held you in my arms."
Nicolò chuckled. It was something he only did when he was alone with Yusuf.
"Incurable romantic," Nicolò replied. "If you're counting the days, I bet you also know how long it has been since we last kissed."
"I do, yes. It has been ten days," Yusuf replied. "But not the longest we have gone without kissing. First, there was the time before we knew each other. Then there was the time before we..."
To stop Yusuf from speaking, Nicolò kissed him.
"When spring comes, and there is a chance I won't freeze my ass off while being naked," Yusuf said. "I'll bed you again."
Nicolò chuckled again before they kissed again.
"Can't wait for that day," Nicolò replied. "Should we get some sleep so time flies faster?"
"I can get behind that idea," Yusuf replied. "Come. I'll hold you in my arms tonight."
They lay down in the haystack, and after placing the blankets over them, they snuggled up together. When they woke the next morning, they decided to stay in the village until the snowstorm was over. During the day, Nicolò would walk around the different houses, trying to learn some cooking, while Yusuf would draw animals for the village's children, who still thought Yusuf was making the animals up.
Five days later, Yusuf woke to silence, and he knew the snowstorm was over.
"Nicolò?" Yusuf asked. "The snowstorm is over."
"It's too soon to get up," Nicolò muttered. "Too soon."
Nicolò started waving his arm in the air, which made Yusuf laugh as he caught the arm. After tucking Nicolò's arm under the blanket and kissing his cheek, Yusuf decided to have a look at the village now that the snowstorm was over. Yusuf had just opened the barn door when he came face to face with something he hadn't seen before, which made him walk back to Nicolò, where he tried to wake his sleeping Lover.
"Nicolò?" Yusuf whispered while shaking Nicolò gently. "Please wake up."
"Didn't I say it was too early to get up?" Nicolò asked. "And why are you whispering?"
"I want to show you something," Yusuf replied. "Something beautiful."
Nicolò sat up and took his boots on because he knew that whatever Yusuf had found was worth looking at. When they got outside, Nicolò saw what Yusuf had seen.
"Nicolò?" Yusuf asked. "Do you know the name of that beautiful animal?"
"That's a stag," Nicolò replied. "It's also known as the king of the forest."
The stag nipped at a bush.
"I can understand that," Yusuf replied. "It's truly a king."
"And it's not often you see a white one," Nicolò said. "When I was in the monastery, I was told by a fellow monk that the white stag was partly responsible for the conversion of the martyr Saint Eustace. Eustace saw a vision of Christ between the stag's antlers and was told that he would suffer for Christ. There are also other myths about the white stag."
"Interesting," Yusuf replied. "Maybe we could look into those myths one day. Just like we did with the myths back in the Maghreb."
"That would be fun," Nicolò replied. "But we better keep it between us that we saw a white stag. It doesn't deserve to be hunted down."
"I can only agree with you," Yusuf replied. "Because that stag is yet a proof that the world is truly an utterly amazing place."
"And I love seeing the world through your eyes," Nicolò replied. "It makes the world more beautiful."
Yusuf smiled.
"So do I," Yusuf replied. "And we got so much to see and discover together."
After a couple of minutes, the stag moved on, and they decided to walk around the village where people had started to take advantage of that snowstorm was over and they could get some work done. They decided to stay in the village and help where they could as a way to repay all the people for housing them during the snowstorm.
Four days later, they were ready to leave the village. Their horses had gotten new shoes, and their saddlebags were filled with food. They also got new warm clothes, boots and blankets from the village's people. Before they left, all the children hugged them, and it was clear they were so happy about all the drawings Yusuf had made for them while the women handed Nicolò some of their recipes.
When they reached a hilltop, they looked back at the village.
"I think we should return to this place one day," Nicolò said. "I would love to see it in the summertime."
"So do I," Yusuf replied. "I bet it's just as beautiful as in the winter."
They exchanged a smile before they got their horses going for the long journey towards Agnafit and their sisters.