"«Этот год подходит к концу, но это был один из лучших его дней, а солнце только что взошло. Спасибо, Колька. Подарок, который ты мне преподнес, бесценен.»This year is ending, but this has been one of its best days – and the sun has only just dawned. Thank you, Kol'ka.* The gift you have given me is beyond measure.”
It was perhaps the truest thing Nikolai had heard in his whole life. Certainly one of the most important and he knew that in this moment his world had blossomed. Deep in the forest with nothing but cold harsh winter surrounding them, the spark of spring had already bloomed in Nikolai's soul and for that Valentin had burrowed his way into a permanent holding in his heart. Everything about the senior boy was radiant perfection in his eyes and he knew with every fibre of his being, every beat of his now lightened heart that this really was the true meaning of family. A family he would fight forever to protect and love no matter the consequence for finally he found someone deserving of it.
Kol'ka. Nikolai had never had a nickname before, he had never let anyone close enough to or perhaps no one had ever wanted to be to give him one. It was such a simple gesture, probably one Valentin hadn't even intended to spur such emotion in the boy but it did. For Nikolai it was a sense of belonging, he resented his name as for all his life it felt distant from himself, like it never really belonged to him. It was a symbol of everything he resented of his family, the person he was forced to become. Kol'ka represented freedom, represented ownership, represented the new person he would finally get the luxury to be. If Valentin allowed the boy would bury his head into his chest and hug as tightly as he could desperate to hold onto the moment for as long as possible. There was a primal nature to the way he clung as Nikolai lost all notion of what an appropriate way to act was and let himself simply feel what he needed, what he wanted. For the first time in his life he was no longer burdened by the conventions of his upbringing as in front of him was all the family he could ever need.
Flipping the tangled mess of blonde hair, that curtained his forehead, out of his eyes his piercing blue pupils drifted up towards the seeker. "You Valentin Schnell, have blessed me beyond words. As long as I live I promise to love and honour you in every way I can. In the course of one morning you have warped my world from a monochromatic prison that seemed inescapable to a kaleidoscope of colour and opportunity. Without you I may have lost myself forever but instead, I feel for the first time that I may truly begin to understand who I am. You have changed my world and I will make it my mission to repay you that blessing. The world and all its people are truly blessed to have you in it Valentin, no one more so than me."
If Valentin allowed Nikolai would then help him to his feet still desperately clutching his hand the warmth from Nikolai's spreading through his cold white skin static gently warming the tips of his fingers. Turning on his feet back towards the lake he led the seeker hoping he would follow to the edge of the water where the rocks had thawed the ice allowing the glistening water to dance with the faint twinkle of the winter sun. Nikolai squeezed Valentin's hand gently in a comforting hold, the warmth spreading up his arms to where unbeknownst to Nikolai scars breached his perfect skin. Scars that mapped out the life of Valentin, that told the story of his life. Taking in a deep breath of the brisk winter air the corners of his mouth began to soften into a bright smile as he said "There really is a whole world out there. I always heard people say it but it never really felt true until this moment. Until today the world didn't belong to me, I lived in a carefully crafted snow globe with a set blueprint for how I was to live in it. Until today I was alone. Now neither of those things are true. If you ever need me, I am your sword, your ear, your council and your family Just as you are mine." Blush flustered the boys cheeks in the snowy expanse but he was not embarrassed, there was no emotion could place to this memory but pure unadulterated joy.
Leaning his head on the boys shoulder as they stared out towards the world that would one day be there's he felt the pangs of sadness begin to creep in. By the positioning of the growing sun Nikolai knew he had but a few minutes left in this moment before he must leave for classes. If he wouldn't have his families support his academics were now more important than ever. Nikolai was determined to make something of himself in this world and if he had to resolve to a life without his blood to do so then that was a choice they determined, not himself. In those final moments there was a pride embedded in his heart, a pride of revealing his true self, a pride that could no longer be pushed down or hidden. From this moment on Nikolai Volkov ceased to exist, for he was now Nikolai Vol'ka.
