Seated atop a midnight black steed, a figure flew over the land to find the next soul that will pass through his hands. His horse's hooves clattered against the hard ground as he landed in a wide open grassy field, white wooled sheep flitting about like clouds.
Sitting on a rock, watching the sheep protectively was a silent figure, a young girl with a thin shawl draped over her shoulders.
The horse snorted loudly and she turned to look at him silently. Kicking the horse he moved towards her slowly, hand outstretched.
She rose but didn't take his hand, "Why have you come?" she asked.
"For you of course." he said, smiling under his dark hood.
"But I'm not dead." she replied.
One hand tightened on the reins. "You know who I am?"
"You are Death, the end of every living thing, the one who every mortal fears. Every living thing, every creature that draws breath passes through your hands. But you cannot have me, not yet."
"And why not?"
"I want to live a long life. I want to fall in love and get married." she said defiantly.
He made a scoffing noise, "You are an ambitious young lady." he said, his voice chilling. "Especially since you are coming with me."
"No."
He dismounted his steed and drew up to her, now standing nose to nose with her. "It is not an option. You can come with me willingly, or unwillingly." he said, touching the bottom edge of her jaw with one, cold hand. "I'd prefer willingly but, unwilling will do if need be." His breath chilled her skin as he spoke. "I like your attitude girl. You know, I could make you my bride; I could give you a horse and hound of pure white. I could make you, immortal." The tempting offers he spoke of filled her mind, slowly rendering her under his power until,
"No. I will not become the bride of death." she said.
Something glinted in his eyes, almost wickedly, "Not yet, but you will be. All you need is to receive my kiss." he turned and remounted his horse, "I will come back for you. You may not even recognize me."
"No matter what form you take, I will still recognize you."
He just grinned and spurred his horse into a run, fading into the mist.

...

3 months passed on the farm without incident until one day...
"Codi, stop yer yapping you silly hound." said a boy's voice. "Always barking about-whoa!" He nearly tripped over the small figure lying in the grass that the large black and white collie stood over, barking for his master.
The figure was a young boy, no more than 16. He had black hair and very pale skin. His clothes seemed to swim on his tiny body.
"Hey ma, pa, yer gonna want to see this!" he called.
Within minutes the family had gathered around the boy, trying to figure out what to do, as he appeared to be dead. It wasn't until he groaned that they realized he was still alive.
"Whoa, he's a breather, let's get'em inside fast."
The boy was carried back to the small farm house and laid out on a bed till he woke up.
"Hey Lira, come look at what we found out asleep in the sheep field." called the young man that had been in the field with the dog.
"What did you find?" she asked, her brown hair falling in curls around her shoulders, "Not another weird rock I hope."
"Naw, this is better." he grabbed her arm and dragged her to the room where the kid was. "Codi found him. We almost thought he was dead. No clue where he came from either."
She was about to ask what he was talking about when she caught sight of the sleeping figure and uttered a tiny gasp.
"Friend of yours?" her brother asked.
She shook her head, "I've no idea who he is. You said you found him asleep in the sheep field Jerome?"
Her brother nodded, "Yeah, maybe he wandered there or something and collapsed." He shrugged and left the room.
She brushed a strand of hair from his face to get a clear view of his face. It was slender and youthful, yet still retaining a look of maturity. He seemed, older than he looked.
She quickly drew her hand back as he began to stir. His eyes fluttered and she saw they were clear and blue.
"Where am I?" he asked, his voice almost musical.
"My home. My brother found you in the field." she said. She was brimming with questions to ask him.
He put a hand against his head as he sat up, "Can I, ask your name miss?"
She felt her cheeks flush, "It's Lira. What about you?"
"It's Nathatos, but please, call me Nate; I hate being called by my full name." he extended his hand to her. "Pleased to meet you."
She gingerly accepted his hand and felt a chill run through her, his skin was so cold. "You must have been out in that field for a while, you're so cold. Here, I'll go warm up some water skins." With that, she disappeared from the room in a hurry, leaving Nate alone.
He smiled to himself; she didn't realize who he really was. "I wonder will you figure it out in time?" he thought to himself.

He said that he had gotten lost in the nearby woods and happened upon their field. He thanked them for their kindness and asked if he could stay for a while and they agreed so long as he helped around the farm, which he said he would.
Lira seemed to take an immediate liking to the mysterious new guest and began spending a lot of time around him.

By the time her 16th birthday was fast approaching, she still hadn't realized the truth about Nate.
"I am surprised a young lady such as yourself hasn't yet found a man." he commented one day as they were shearing sheep.
Her face flushed, "Well, out here there are not many people for me to meet."
"I suppose that would make it tricky." he said as he released the sheep he was holding onto and sent it back into the pen. "Would you, like to watch the starts with me tonight?"
The clearly surprised her as she stared at him slack jawed. "As in, just the two of us?"
"Yes, unless you wanted your family to come." he said.
Her face turned deep red and she stared at her feet, unsure what to say till he touched her chin and pulled her gaze back to his.
"Meet me back here once it's dark?" he asked She nodded and he smiled, "I'll be waiting."

The moonlight he stood in seemed to wrap around him like a cloak as it flowed through the single, small window.
"You, actually came, I'm surprised." he said as Lira entered the barn.
"I said that I would." She stepped into the moonlight towards him as she spoke.
He extended a slender hand to her, a hand that was still as cold as the day they'd found him. "You know, I'm surprised you never figured out who I was" he said as his fingers curled around her hand and he pulled her to his chest.
"But I do know who you are, Thanatos. I've known since the beginning." she said, neither her voice nor her gaze wavering as she spoke.
"But how-"she put a finger against his lips and smiled. Then she pressed her lips gently against his, the warmth of her body flowing into his. The softness of her skin brushed against the stiffness of his. His cool hands touched her cheeks. Her breath warmed him and he smiled. "I thought you weren't going to accept the kiss of death." he murmured. "What happened?"
"A few days before your visit, my family went to sell some of the sheep. I was given some money to spend on myself as we'd made some extra. I, happened across a stall selling, what they claimed were love charms." she reached behind her neck and untucked a small, silver heart-shaped necklace. "She said, it would never beat until I saw my true love and for no one else. It never did anything, until the day you arrived. When I lay eyes on you, it suddenly began to beat.  I wouldn't beat unless you were near."
"But how did you know who I was?" he asked.
She smiled, "The name you gave me, it's an anagram for Thanatos, your real name."
"You truly have a brilliant mind to have figured it out, but then again, I hoped you would."
"Is it foolish to fall in love with death?" she asked.
He wrapped his arms around her middle, "I hope not, or else it is foolish for me to love a human. And I am not foolish."
They stood in the moonlight in a passionate embrace, Death and his lover in one another's arms.
"I have to go" he said pulling back. "But I will come back for you in two years."
She looked at him in surprise, "What, why?"
"I have things to attend to first."
"Why now, why not wait two years?"
"Because, the night we first met you were supposed to die, bitten by a poisonous snake. But I decided to extend your life two extra years. I cannot call a soul back early. Besides, compared to the eternity we'll have, two short years will be nothing." Taking her hands up in his he kissed her firmly one last time.  "Meet me at the place where we first met." Then, as he stepped back into the gentle moonlight, a pair of long, dark, majestic black wings spread out from his shoulders.
"I will always be with you." he said as he took to the air and vanished in a swirl of his dark cloak.
The next morning it seemed as if all memories of their guest had been erased from the family's memories as they didn't seem to remember him. Everyone seemed to forget him, everyone but Lira.

2 years passed and she turned down every suitor who came to her or was brought and her family began to wonder if she would ever marry. Then, the fateful night arrived. The night Thanatos promised to return.
She bathed to cleanse herself and make herself pure. She rubbed scented oils on her skin and dressed herself in a gown of pure white. She fixed her hair up in curls which framed her face.
"If I am to be a bride, I should at least look like one." she thought as she snuffed out the candles in her room before slipping out silently.
As she came to the field she saw him there, dressed black as night, and atop his midnight black steed, a sword at his hip. This time, his hood hung down and the moonlight illuminated his features.
She held her skirts up so she didn't trip on them as she ran to meet him.
"You came." he said, smiling when he saw her.
"Of course I came, although it saddens me to say I have nothing to give you but myself and no ring to offer." she said.
"Trivial things do not matter to me, so long as you came." he said as he dismounted. Taking her left hand he slid a ring on her third finger, the one reserved for wedding bands. "With this ring, I take you as my wife, bonded to me for eternity." as he finished speaking she uttered a gasp, it felt as if a band had constricted around her lungs. She sunk to the ground, Death kneeling with her and holding her hand till the pain ceased.
"What, just happened?" she asked.
"You died; you are now free to walk in my realm with me." He rose to his feet, bringing her as he stood. "Do you, remember what I offered you the first time we met, when you turned me down?"
She nodded, "A horse and hound of snow white, and immortality."
He chuckled, "I have given you the last part already, here are my other gifts." With a wave of his hand she found herself staring at a large, snow white horse, dressed in a shimmering saddle and bridle. At her feet lay the hound, so lean and slim it looked as if it belonged to Artemis herself. With her hand in his he helped her into the saddle before mounting his own horse.
He smiled at her from his horse; she had softened his cold heart and had shown him that even Death can feel love too.
Both horses flew off into the night, carrying their riders to parts unknown.
As for Lira's family, the next morning they found her cold body lying in the field, a strange gold ring on her hand and a snake bite on her ankle.

~End~