After what felt like hours but couldn't have been more than a few minutes of introspection, Edith concluded that she needed to get out of the kingdom before nightfall. She was unsure whether there were any other survivors besides her, but she had no time to look because the land would soon be swarming with soldiers from neighboring kingdoms looking to claim what was left of her smoldering home. Luck must have been on her side, though, for it turned out she wasn't the only survivor. Grabbing the horse by the reins, Edith swung herself onto the lone stallion and spurred him onward at a steady canter, hoof beats reverberating down the empty cobblestone street.
⚜
The candle in her lantern flickered feebly against the howling winds and Alaois, as she named him, trudged wearily on through the thick blankets of snow. Eventually, the wind died down to a quiet murmur and the sun rose, gently casting its morning glitter upon the ice. Edith had never seen snow before- only hail, once- and despite the bitter cold that came with it, Edith couldn't help but feel it possessed a certain magical quality to it. She was distracted from her thoughts by the glare of fire against white and the hushed whispering of nearby voices. Edith hadn't seen people in at least a couple of weeks, steering clear of major kingdoms out of fear that there might be a bounty on her head as an infamous ex-assassin. Instead, she kept to the wilderness, relying on lady luck and her skills to survive. She wasn't sure whether to turn tail and flee or check out the source of warmth for herself but wasn't given a choice in the matter. Out from the trees came two men and a woman, wrapped tightly in fur coats and holding in their hands hunting rifles.
"Oh, my goodness," the woman cried, "what's a child doing out here all alone in the cold?" Edith was startled by her question, to say the least. No one had ever referred to her as a child before.
"Shouldn't they be wary of a stranger like me?" Edith couldn't help but wonder as the group muttered anxiously in front of her. She didn't have much energy to voice her question though; her face had gone numb from the cold and the syllables wouldn't form properly in her throat. And so, when they began to lead Alaois and her away, Edith didn't protest, and instead succumbed to the fatigue that had slowly crawled its way through her worn out body.
⚜
Edith awoke suddenly to the smell of fresh bread. She blinked sleepily, eyes still adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings. It was a small room, with several cots lining the walls and a few decorative pieces here and there, but nothing more. Carefully, Edith slipped out of her makeshift bed and wandered over to the window opposite the room. The spring-time sunlight had melted most of the snow and Edith watched as children raced around outside, jumping in puddles of muddy water and playing tag down winding dirt paths. There was nothing extraordinary about the little village save for the peaceful way in which everyone went about their business, as if there were no possibility they could die tomorrow from a sudden invasion.
"Would you like something to eat?" The voice to her left startled her slightly. It was a different woman from before. Her voice was soft and her eyes were gentle.
Edith cleared her throat before answering quietly, "Uhm, sure, that would be nice." After a moments pause, she added "thank you" to the end, the word still foreign on her tongue. The woman smiled kindly, before disappearing back down the stairs. In the kitchen the woman was arranging a mixture of fruits in a bowl. Edith wondered briefly where they came from since it was only early spring, but was soon distracted by the basket of fresh bread lying on the wooden dining table. Edith tore off a piece for herself and sighed happily at the taste of something other than charred rabbit.
"I'm Phoebe," the woman called out without looking at her, "This village has no healer so when they found you last night they called upon me to make sure you were alright." Edith thought her features looked a little different than normal, not to mention the way she spoke, like cursive or maybe silk. "She must be of dryad descent," Edith mused. For the longest time, she had thought that dryads were only a thing of fairy tales and folk lore, but here stood one in the flesh. In those legends, dryads could travel between the different worlds, although Edith had forgotten how exactly. It must be nice, though, an escape from the constant war and destruction that plagued Agrilad. One's own little bubble of paradise.
"What's your name?" Phoebe asked gently, setting the bowl of fruit down beside the basket of bread.
"Edith," she responded absentmindedly, reaching for an apple slice. A warm hand grasped her shoulder and Edith turned to look at the woman whose eyes had begun to water.
"I'm so sorry," Phoebe whispered, voice cracking.
"Why?" Edith whispered back, confused by the woman's evident sadness for her.
"Because you were all alone before." And as Phoebe moved closer, Edith felt tears prick her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying exactly, but maybe it was because she had never been hugged before.
⚜
The candle in her lantern flickered feebly against the howling winds and Alaois, as she named him, trudged wearily on through the thick blankets of snow. Eventually, the wind died down to a quiet murmur and the sun rose, gently casting its morning glitter upon the ice. Edith had never seen snow before- only hail, once- and despite the bitter cold that came with it, Edith couldn't help but feel it possessed a certain magical quality to it. She was distracted from her thoughts by the glare of fire against white and the hushed whispering of nearby voices. Edith hadn't seen people in at least a couple of weeks, steering clear of major kingdoms out of fear that there might be a bounty on her head as an infamous ex-assassin. Instead, she kept to the wilderness, relying on lady luck and her skills to survive. She wasn't sure whether to turn tail and flee or check out the source of warmth for herself but wasn't given a choice in the matter. Out from the trees came two men and a woman, wrapped tightly in fur coats and holding in their hands hunting rifles.
"Oh, my goodness," the woman cried, "what's a child doing out here all alone in the cold?" Edith was startled by her question, to say the least. No one had ever referred to her as a child before.
"Shouldn't they be wary of a stranger like me?" Edith couldn't help but wonder as the group muttered anxiously in front of her. She didn't have much energy to voice her question though; her face had gone numb from the cold and the syllables wouldn't form properly in her throat. And so, when they began to lead Alaois and her away, Edith didn't protest, and instead succumbed to the fatigue that had slowly crawled its way through her worn out body.
⚜
Edith awoke suddenly to the smell of fresh bread. She blinked sleepily, eyes still adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings. It was a small room, with several cots lining the walls and a few decorative pieces here and there, but nothing more. Carefully, Edith slipped out of her makeshift bed and wandered over to the window opposite the room. The spring-time sunlight had melted most of the snow and Edith watched as children raced around outside, jumping in puddles of muddy water and playing tag down winding dirt paths. There was nothing extraordinary about the little village save for the peaceful way in which everyone went about their business, as if there were no possibility they could die tomorrow from a sudden invasion.
"Would you like something to eat?" The voice to her left startled her slightly. It was a different woman from before. Her voice was soft and her eyes were gentle.
Edith cleared her throat before answering quietly, "Uhm, sure, that would be nice." After a moments pause, she added "thank you" to the end, the word still foreign on her tongue. The woman smiled kindly, before disappearing back down the stairs. In the kitchen the woman was arranging a mixture of fruits in a bowl. Edith wondered briefly where they came from since it was only early spring, but was soon distracted by the basket of fresh bread lying on the wooden dining table. Edith tore off a piece for herself and sighed happily at the taste of something other than charred rabbit.
"I'm Phoebe," the woman called out without looking at her, "This village has no healer so when they found you last night they called upon me to make sure you were alright." Edith thought her features looked a little different than normal, not to mention the way she spoke, like cursive or maybe silk. "She must be of dryad descent," Edith mused. For the longest time, she had thought that dryads were only a thing of fairy tales and folk lore, but here stood one in the flesh. In those legends, dryads could travel between the different worlds, although Edith had forgotten how exactly. It must be nice, though, an escape from the constant war and destruction that plagued Agrilad. One's own little bubble of paradise.
"What's your name?" Phoebe asked gently, setting the bowl of fruit down beside the basket of bread.
"Edith," she responded absentmindedly, reaching for an apple slice. A warm hand grasped her shoulder and Edith turned to look at the woman whose eyes had begun to water.
"I'm so sorry," Phoebe whispered, voice cracking.
"Why?" Edith whispered back, confused by the woman's evident sadness for her.
"Because you were all alone before." And as Phoebe moved closer, Edith felt tears prick her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying exactly, but maybe it was because she had never been hugged before.
by Straka