Author's Notes: First crack at a romance story and what better platform than my favorite book series and one of the most interesting characters I've ever read?!

Basically, a Soulforge AU

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonlance or any of its characters- Klea is mine though

13th Winter

Snow drifted gently down through the trees into the small clearing. It had been heavier during the night, forming a thick blanket over top of the fallen tree trunk in the center, which had a while ago been dragged to its current position in the clearing by young, soft hands. Those hands had gotten no end of splinters from dragging it, but the excellent seat it provided had been worth Weird Meggin's digging about in his hands for them.

Raistlin smirked at the impression his feet left in the snow, marring the perfect covering of the ground. He was leaving his mark, proclaiming his presence long after he left this clearing until either the snow filled it back in or melted away completely. Not that there was anyone there to notice his presence.

Although, that was kind of the point. This was his hideout from the stupid boys who thought that snowball fights were such fun- as if being soaked to the skin in freezing weather held any appeal. This was Raistlin's solace from the boys, his classmates, who called him the Sly One and either taunted or completely ignored him. In all honesty, the latter was worse. Even though teasing and violence was negative, it was still attention. It showed the children considered him enough to take time out of their day to interact with him. Their complete dismissal of him on the other hand communicated that he was no longer worth that. He was of no further interest to them, he might as well disappear and no one would care.

Raistlin's smirk turned to a sneer.

He brushed away the snow piled upon the log and took a seat. The wood was wet and Raistlin's nose was already starting to run as he opened up his book. Maybe it wasn't worth it today, to read out here alone. He'd just go back inside, maybe sit with Marm in the kitchen. With a sigh Raistlin closed the book, stood up from his seat hoping the wetness from the snow hadn't seeped into his robes yet, and took a step to return to the school.

CRACK!

Raistlin stumbled in alarm at the sound and slipped to his knees in the snow, jarring his elbow painfully on the tree trunk behind him. His gaze flickering around the clearing for the source of the sound, his eyes widened as they found something that should not have been there.

A girl.

She seemed to be a bit younger than him, maybe ten or so, or maybe she was just small for her age. Snow fell lazily down to get caught in her hair, looking like she had adorned her brown waves with jewels. Her green eyes were just as wide as Raistlin's were as she looked around somewhat fearfully at her surroundings.

"Where in the Abyss am I?" the girl thought out loud, gazing up at the trees and drifting snow. She turned on the spot dazedly and jumped back in shock. Her gaze fixed onto the boy kneeling in the snow staring at her with much the same expression as she had.

"Wh-who are you?" the girl demanded.

Raistlin's brows knit together and his lips tightened into a thin line. Here this girl pops out of thin air into his hideout scaring him half to death and she was demanding to know who he was?! Raistlin scrambled hastily to his feet with a stern expression.

"Who am I? You're the one that just appeared out of nowhere! Who are you? What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily. The girl quirked an eyebrow and put a hand to her hip.

"I'm Klea, and I would answer the other question except that I don't know where I am, you tell me!" the girl named Klea snapped peevishly.

"You don't know where you are?" Raistlin asked contemptuously. This girl was crazy, how did she not know where she was and how did she get here in the first place?

Klea was not in the least intimidated by Raistlin's attitude.

"Well, duh! That's why I'm asking you!" she rolled her eyes.

"You're outside of Solace, in the woods near Master Theobald's school," Raistlin answered, though with a significant amount of sass.

"Solace?!" the girl repeated in alarm. "Are you kidding me? This stupid thing took me halfway across the continent?!" Klea exclaimed ripping a silver ring off her finger and fixing it with an affronted glare before slipping it inside a pocket.

"Wait, what?" Raistlin interjected in confusion. "How did you get here?"

"This stupid ring! I just put it on and 'poof!'" the girl threw up her hands in exasperation. "I wound up here in this stupid little clearing, in the freezing cold, in freaking Abanasinia!" Klea shouted as her arms hastily dropped back down to wrap around herself as she shivered.

It was then that Raistlin noticed the girl was dressed simply in a tunic, breeches, and thin shoes. Suddenly feeling weighed down by his own layers of clothing, he glanced down at his outer cloak.

"Here," he grumbled, unclasping his cloak from around his shoulders and holding it out to Klea. "Take my cloak before you freeze to death."

Klea stared suspiciously at the proffered cloak and then up at Raistlin. Raistlin's brows furrowed and he shook the cloak.

"Well? Are you gonna take it?" he demanded, a bit sharper than he had intended. Klea pursed her lips.

"Taking a strange item was what got me here in the first place," she retorted.

"It's not a strange item! It's my cloak!" Raistlin replied in exasperation.

"Well, you've refused to tell me who you are! So you are a stranger, and thus anything you have to offer is a strange item," Klea stated logically. Raistlin rolled his eyes. He had just met this girl and she was already grating on his nerves.

"I'm Raistlin, now, will you please take the stupid cloak?" he snapped. Klea glared at him but snatched up the cloak and tossed it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"You're welcome," Raistlin sighed. He continued to watch her speculatively as she fumbled with the clasp and then wrapped her hands in the fabric and pulled it tighter about herself. "How did you get here?" he asked curiously.

"I told you, this silver ring," she grumbled, glancing up at him suspiciously. "What kind of school are we near?"

"A school for magic," Raistlin answered unhesitatingly. "Where did you get this silver ring?"

"From a mage. Are you a student at this school?" Klea returned just as quickly.

"I am. How did you get a magic ring from a mage? Did you steal it?"

"No! I didn't steal it!" Klea shouted reproachfully, but with another thought her brow quirked. "Well... I guess technically I did steal it. But not like, just pickpocketing it from a random mage down the street. I know her! I'm actually, well, her student," Klea clarified shamefacedly. Raistlin couldn't hide his shock as his brows shot to his forehead.

"You took a magical artifact from your master?" he asked incredulously.

"I didn't take it per se. I was just looking at it. She had asked me to straighten up the shop- she owns a mageware shop too, and since I'm her best student," Klea said the last rather proudly, "she has me work in there with her, just to help straighten up, like sweeping and stuff. So, she asked me to put these artifacts on display, and I may have, out of curiosity, just been looking at this one ring, and I sort of, accidentally, put it on, and then the next thing I know I'm here!" Klea explained, dodging around certain facts much like a kender would explain "acquiring" something.

"So you're studying magic, too?" Raistlin asked, suddenly intensely curious about this girl. Although she was irritating, she didn't seem like the bumbling boys that were his classmates, simply at the school because their parents didn't know what to do with them. If he believed her account- which he though himself crazy for actually doing so- then she was skilled in her studies, or at least serious enough about them to put in the effort to get better.

"Yeah, up in Palanthas, which is a long way away from here," she sighed.

"I'm surprised they even have schools of magic up in Solamnia," Raistlin admitted.

"Well, it's not something we go about proclaiming to our neighbors, but it's also not like we have angry villagers coming to burn down the school!" Klea chuckled.

"Much the same as here, then," Raistlin said, though he surprised himself a bit at how openly he was talking with this girl who literally just dropped in a few minutes ago.

He didn't continue the conversation after this realization, and Klea didn't seem to have anything else to say either. The two children glanced at each other awkwardly, before seeing the other do the same and quickly looking elsewhere. Klea shifted in the snow, her shoes getting soaked through and her feet beginning to go numb from the cold. She cleared her throat.

"Well, not that this hasn't been interesting, but I'm beginning to lose feeling in my toes, so I'd best be off," Klea announced.

"Oh, um, how are you going to get back?" Raistlin asked.

"Well, this ring got me here, hopefully if I just put it on again it will get me back," Klea said, digging the ring out of her pocket.

"And if it doesn't?" Raistlin pressed.

"Then I guess I'm gonna start walking!" Klea returned with a grin. "It was nice to meet you, Raistlin."

"Nice to meet you, too," Raistlin returned.

"And thanks for the cloak," Klea added as she slipped the ring onto her finger. Her eyes went wide as she realized his cloak was still around her shoulders, but before she could move she vanished with a 'CRACK!'

Raistlin stood in the snow, staring at the empty spot where Klea had disappeared. Her footprints were still sunk into the snow, but even as he watched they began to fill back up with new-fallen powder. The snow was getting thicker now and a gust of wind set Raistlin shivering with the loss of the added layer. Well, he'd probably never see that cloak again!

By the time Raistlin left the clearing to return to class, the snow had filled the marks left by the strange girl as if she had never even been there.

Spring

Raistlin sat on the fallen tree trunk, bent down over a paper pressed against his knees as he scribbled down letters. He spoke each letter as he wrote it in the language of magic, trying to perfect the pronunciation as well as how to write it. He had learned the correct pronunciation and formation of the letters long ago but he was determined not to ever forget or mess up.

His quill pen punched through the parchment and Raistlin swore. He was still grumbling when a loud 'CRACK!' interrupted him and sent him tumbling off the back side of the tree trunk in alarm. He hit the ground hard and groaned as he heard a faintly familiar voice calling out.

"Raistlin? Are you here?" Klea called out, looking around the small clearing.

Her gaze flitted over the log which was empty, but suddenly turned back to it as she saw white fabric poke out from behind. Klea hastened over to the log and peered over it at the thirteen year-old boy struggling to a sitting position.

"What are you doing down there?" she asked. Raistlin glared up at her.

"I fell," he grumbled, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Why'd you do that?" Klea grinned.

"It's not like I meant to! You scared me half to death!" he snapped.

"Oh, well, I was just returning this," Klea said as she dropped a cloak onto his head.

Raistlin fumed as he struggled out of the cloak as Klea just rambled on.

"I was gonna come straight back with the ring after returning to the shop- it did get me back by the way, the ring- but my mistress came in and so I had to put the ring up. And then I wanted to get it cleaned and dried before returning it to you, because I am not one of those rude people that borrows something and then returns it dirty, no—"

"No, just one of those rude people who drops in unannounced," Raistlin grumbled under his breath as he got to his feet. He was lucky Klea didn't hear him or that would've started an argument; one that Raistlin may not have been able to win.

"So, once I got it cleaned, I had to wait for another moment when my mistress left me alone in the shop, which, let me tell you, was not for a long while! I think she may have suspected I messed with something. Anyway! So when I finally got a chance to use the ring again I did and I came back here- but you weren't here! That happened a few other times before finally- Ta da! Here you are!" Klea finished, spreading her hands out towards Raistlin as if displaying something to a crowd.

"Yes, here I am. I appreciate your returning my cloak, but if you could, please-" Klea didn't let him finish.

"Sorry for how late it is, and you probably don't even need it now, you know, since it's warmer and all," she apologized.

"Yes," Raistlin deadpanned, glaring at her. "I was actually in the middle of something, so if you could- wait, give me that!" Raistlin ordered as Klea picked up his ruined parchment.

"You're writing your letters still? We moved on from writing individual letters a while ago and are on writing certain words, I'm surprised you guys are so behind, these are really good though, way better than mine!" Klea said examining his work.

"We have also moved on from writing each letter individually, but I just wanted to make sure I had each one perfect still," Raistlin snapped, snatching the parchment from Klea's hands. She raised her brows and held her hands up, backing off. She watched him as he smoothed out the parchment and glared at the tear in it. His brows were drawn low over his eyes which seemed to burn with anger and his jaw was clenched firmly.

"Are you okay, Raistlin?" Klea asked gently.

"I'm fine," he snapped back, not even looking at her.

"You don't seem fine," Klea muttered, digging the toe of her shoe into the dirt. Raistlin sighed in exasperation.

"Shouldn't you be leaving?" he remarked angrily.

"Oh no, my teacher won't be coming back for another couple of hours, and there's nothing to do back at the mage ware shop but clean," Klea replied.

"So what were you planning on doing here?" Raistlin asked grimly.

"Well, I don't know, I thought you and I could just, hang out or something..." Klea's voice faded off as she shuffled her feet, only casting brief glances up at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

"Why?" Raistlin asked incredulously. Why in the world would she want to sit here with him? They'd met once before and argued practically the entire time.

"No reason, I'm just sick of being alone in the shop is all," she shrugged.

"There is no one else at the shop? No other students or employees?" Raistlin asked.

"Well, it's closed right now, and when it's open it's usually just me, Mistress, and a local boy guarding the door outside. Sometimes I'll talk with the boy, but they're generally pretty thick-headed. Mistress... isn't much better herself," Klea rolled her eyes.

"Master Theobald wouldn't know a goblin from a hobgoblin," Raistlin chuckled darkly.

Klea smiled. Raistlin returned it before even realizing. He quickly dropped his lips into a terse line and clenched his jaw, looking away from the girl. She must've noticed because he heard her give a sardonic chuckle. He could practically feel her eyes roll.

Well, the girl certainly showed no signs of leaving anytime soon, and Raistlin had recess for while still that he didn't really want to spend inside the uncomfortably hot school with Marm. Especially not when someone was willingly spending time with him, even if most of their conversation turned to bickering. Raistlin cleared his throat.

"So, how old are you?" he asked, but sensing her turning the question on himself he hurriedly added: "I'm thirteen."

"Oh? Same," Klea grinned. "Let me guess, winter baby!"

"Actually, summer," Raistlin replied.

"Really?" Klea's brows shot practically into her hairline. "Well, I was off on that one!"

"Now it's my turn I would suppose," he said with a questioning glance to Klea, to which she nodded. He looked at her speculatively, taking note of her coloring, mannerisms, and attitude. He also recalled all the sayings about times of birth and how that influenced one's personality. Raistlin didn't actually believe it, they seemed more local tales than fact. The saying that those born in the summer are more jovial certainly didn't ring true in his case. "Is your birthing day in the spring?"

Klea's mouth gaped as she stared at him. Raistlin assumed he was correct.

"How did you guess?" Klea questioned.

"Well, people say that those born in the spring are usually energetic but also quick-witted, among other things, and these seemed to apply to you better than say, patient and careful," Raistlin explained with a slight smirk.

Klea glared at him but her slight grin took any sting out of it. Now that Raistlin noticed it, her grin was crooked, like Kitiara's.

"My sister grins like that," he commented, not really thinking.

"Like what? You have a sister?" Klea prodded.

"Crooked, where one side smiles bigger than the other, though hers is a bit sinister sometimes," he remarked. "Kitiara, she's my older half-sister."

"Do you get along?" Klea asked, focusing on the 'sinister' comment. Raistlin shrugged.

"She takes care of us, my brother and I. But she's not very caring," he explained, quirking his head, feeling he wasn't making any sense. Klea seemed to understand as she nodded knowingly.

"So, brother?" she asked slyly. Raistlin wondered if this girl performed some kind of spell that just made him reveal everything. To him there seemed no other explanation; conversation just didn't come naturally to Raistlin, especially not with girls!

"Yes, I have a twin brother, Caramon," he seemed compelled to answer, even as he swore for revealing so much to a stranger.

"Ooh! Twins! That sounds great. I have an older brother, but he's a lot older so it's not really the same. I sometimes wish I had someone closer to my age," Klea shared, settling down on the ground, leaning her back against the tree trunk.

"He feels the need for us to be constantly together, but we're very different, so it can be… aggravating at times," Raistlin remarked as he sat down next to the girl. His brows furrowed as he thought of his twin. Strong, jovial, thick-headed; Caramon was everyone's favorite. As opposed to Raistlin: the Sly One.

"I can see that," Klea nodded. "Do you guys look alike?"

"Not in the slightest," Raistlin answered quickly, though that wasn't necessarily true. They had some similar features, but they were nowhere near identical.

"Hmm, so you guys are sort of like opposites? That'd be cool to see," Klea smiled to herself.

Raistlin's face grew hot as he imagined she was picturing the opposite of himself. Instead of thin and weakly, she pictured a strong and healthy boy, with an open, honest face; a handsome version of Raistlin. He suddenly wished that Klea would never meet Caramon.

"When do you have to get back to class?" Klea asked, pulling Raistlin from his jealous thoughts.

Glancing hastily to the sky, trying to determine the position of the sun, Raistlin scrambled to his feet.

"I'm guessing now," Klea grinned.

He hurriedly gathered up all his things: his quill pen, book, and sheaves of parchment. Grabbing his practice letters, noting the tear in the parchment and the miniscule mistakes in a few letters, Raistlin snarled and crumpled it, letting it fall to the ground. Klea picked it up as she also rose to her feet.

"Well, since you're leaving, I guess I'll be off too," Klea said. "Although, I still have some time. I could hop on over to town, maybe try to find your family," she commented to herself, the last spoken well under her breath but Raistlin heard and his cheeks burned.

"I apologize for rushing off," Raistlin grumbled having gathered all his things. He turned to bid goodbye to Klea and found her looking at him with genuine friendliness in her slight smile. "It was nice speaking with you," he said, actually meaning it.

"You too," Klea grinned. "Well, good luck with class!"

"Yes, you as well," Raistlin's lips twitched upwards ever so slightly. "Goodbye," he said hastily and turned to rush off to the school, leaving Klea standing in the clearing staring at her shoes.

Raistlin barely made it back in time and was the last student to enter the classroom. Theobald glared at him as if he was holding everyone up. The other students pointedly ignored him, looking forward as if seeing straight through him.

Raistlin didn't notice any of it.

AN: Please review, let me know what you think! I'm currently working on a bigger story as well, so this one may not update consistently or quickly. This chapter is basically like a One-Shot to see if there's interest so let me know if you like it if you want to see more!