Cold, But I'm Still Here

He got me to start reading these books, an epic fantasy series eleven books long. In one of the books the two main characters, who at this point are deeply in love with each other, are forced into a situation. The problem is this; the girl, a level headed rational woman, believes that the man must do something so against his beliefs, in order to save his life. This thing she believes the man must is so horrific that he actually perceives her asking as a betrayal, as her not loving him anymore.
Driving home today the leaves on the trees were gorgeous, it was sunny and relatively warm, and the sight was so true to what I love about fall. But I didn't see any of it. My vision was fogged over, the details in the leaves all blurring together, the sun like a fine mist covering everything as opposed to a sharp column. Driving home today I realized that fiction is only fiction because it hasn't happened to us. So what does it mean when fictions turns to fact?