The children were sitting on the lavish furniture in the lounge, studying the various antiques, objects, and paintings, waiting for Yale to bring the Gnorse upfront. The sounds of wind howled outside the building's walls and there were complaints from the wood of the building. From the corner of her eyes, Eris could see the slight hints of condensation building up on the windows and her mind brought small tinges of cold to her spine, she didn’t want to think about how cold it was outside.

There wasn't much light outside anymore, she could tell that sunset was nearly complete and that the darkness was going to soon envelop everything outside. She continued to peer around the room until her eyes stopped at Zeais, who was staring curiously at a nearby abstract painting.

Her thoughts turned from the cold and began to churn about the boy in front of her eyes. Thinking back to his statement about his own impairment, she couldn’t help but wonder how he got this far in life. The child before her had possibly been through countless days struggling, to become strong enough to be able to overcome his weaknesses.

She was curious and took the time to inspect him. His light brown skin had numerous small nicks and cuts that had healed over. The clothing he wore was in no way shape or form meant for hunts or procurement.

He must really have been enjoying a break then, what did he usually wear though? She thought. He also said he was colorblind, huh. I never thought about it before, but the world he sees is probably much different. If it were me I’m not sure how I could live out here, even now I can’t do much. I want to learn more… Maybe if I travel with him… I could…

Absorbed in her thoughts, she rubbed her thumb and index finger together.

I should ask him before anything starts, she thought.

[Eris: Zeais.]

The boy slowly pulled his attention away from the painting to look at her.

[Zeais: Yes?]

When their eyes met, she averted his look quickly but tried to keep some form of manner and instead looked near his neck. She was not embarrassed, but she felt that she had no choice but to lie, after all, she couldn't just up and leave to go on an adventure so suddenly.

[Eris: I’m going to head back to Don’te after tonight.]

She looked up a bit more to see that Zeais didn’t give much of a reaction at first but soon gave her a nod.

[Zeais: Do what you have to do.]

She gave him a nod in return and looked up to meet his eyes.

[Eris: If we’re going to go to a Lument forest we will need to pick a day and time right? It will take me a while to get there, and I want to bring some things with me that might be useful.]

She didn’t quite understand why, but she felt an odd sense of nervousness trying to explain her reasoning.

[Zeais: Understood… We have a lot of things that might be useful. Do you have to go back to get them? It is a long walk after all.]

Eris’s gaze slowly slipped away from him down to her hands. She didn’t want to go back to her town, but if she didn’t the repercussions wouldn’t be fun. It will be tiring to go there and back, she thought, but it would be better than being around that woman and her servants. She sighed.

[Eris: ...Mmm, yes. I have a few things I made, I think they might help us. I will be quick though, we can meet the day after tomorrow.]

After her reply, she quickly glanced at the walls of the lounge for a second then brought her eyes back to the boy. Zeais’s dark gray eyes were fixated on hers. Again he didn’t say any words while looking at her. His eyes didn’t give any signs that he was all there and after a few seconds, she began to feel awkward. Before she could ask what was wrong, his voice suddenly cut her words short.

[Zeais: In two days then.]

Once he acknowledged her, he suddenly stood up and stretched. He let out a moan of relaxation as he put his arms down and said,

[Zeais: That's enough thinking today for me, I want to sleep.]

Eris watches him do a few more quick stretches and asks,

[Eris: Thinking about what?]

He snaps his head to meet her eyes and with a grin says,

[Zeais: The hunt of course!]

The conversation was cut upon hearing the front door to the lounge suddenly open, both Eris and Zaeis quickly l to the entrance. Yale the Innkeeper, so large that he has to duck through the door, strolls into the room. His breath could be seen from where Eris was sitting, she felt chills fall down her spine as the cold air from outside brushes against her skin.

[Yale: Come on you two, our ride is ready.]

Eris hopped up from the couch and walked over to the door along with Zeais.

Yale looked down to the children and seemed to be inspecting them.

[Yale: You two should invest in more cold weather clothing, the fall season is closing in.]

Eris didn’t say anything about his statement. She touched the clothing she received from the Inn Keepers aunt, it wasn’t long sleeved but too thin for being outside at this time. She wished her coat wasn’t in such a disastrous state when she got it back but things happen and it wasn’t a big deal to her.

Yale escorted the two of them out the door and closed it behind him. The brisk winds nipped at Eris’s face, sitting inside a warm building got the better of her. She immediately tried to stuff her hands in her pockets, but there were none to be found on the long skirt. She smacked her lips and let out a sigh, her breath could be seen and was carried off by the wind. She wanted to run back inside to the warmth of the lounge.

Upon seeing the magnificent beast she adored shaking its head and letting out a huff, it’s warm breath creating vapors that blow off into the wind. She was tempted to run straight to it, but knowing better than to quickly run up to large animals, she slowly walked instead. Taking careful steps down the stairs and trying to approach Charette calmly, she said with a soothing voice,

[Eris: Theerre theerre boy…]

Reaching her hands out to its dark hair, she still wasn’t close enough to give Charrette a pet, but a few more steps and she could dwell in its soft looking hide. The Gnorse was apparently aware of her intentions as it twisted its head slowly to her, it’s equine eyes looked at her with the whites showing prominently.

The Gnorse’s expression gave Eris the feeling that he wasn’t pleased with her trying to sneakily approach him. Eris wasn’t surprised that she was caught, all she wanted was a little touch, but she knew it wouldn’t come so quickly. She depressedly dropped her arms and sulked over to the back entrance of the carriage and climbed aboard.

Eris took a seat in the same spot as when they arrived. She tried to keep her face stoic, but the sigh that she let out by her gave the facade away. A man on the ground gave out a deep loud laugh that quickly turned into a hacking cough before words could even be spoken.

She snapped her head to the direction of the coughs to see Yale let out harsh rapping sounds, as coughs escaped his throat. Eris noticed that he didn’t stumble over this time though, even as he walked down the stairs he was able to get himself under control quickly. Zeais was also staring up at him, looking at the man with an unsure expression that Eris could relate to. If something happened to the man, she would have no idea what to do without knowing what his condition was.

She continued to watch the man as he regained himself. He seemed to have finished and approached his large size partner, whose long slit eyes were staring at him as well. As if his sudden outburst was nothing of importance, he continued with his interrupted sentence,

[Yale: Ahem, nice try little one. Charrette has never let just anyone feel him up. He almost killed a stable worker once for brushing him, kicked him square in the chest. A few inches higher above the stomach and the man would be dead with a crushed heart.]

Yale hopped on top of his stead just as effortlessly as before and looked back to Eris sitting in the back. Her face still held a lost expression, Yale looked like he tried to keep a smile on his face but didn't make any comments when their eyes met. Yale let out a sigh, his eyes gazed downward for a second and his lips curled into a wry smile. He turned away from her to face Zeais.

Eris didn’t really know how to respond to his aversion, but she thought it would be best if she didn’t pry into the business of others.

[Yale: Come boy. If you want to eat some warm food you should hop aboard quickly so I can prepare it.]

Once Yale addressed the boy, he turned to his front and gazed into the dark roads ahead of them. Eris looked out into the dark as well, the streets were clear, and the only signs of life were housing candles.

Zeais stood blankly for a second, staring at the man. He snapped from his trance and hurriedly walked down the steps to join Eris in the back of the carriage. Gusts of bone-chilling wind blew through the wagon causing Eris to quickly cross her arms in an attempt to keep some warmth. She thought she had been safe near the back of the carriage where a short wall could protect her from the wind, it turned out to be useless, and the cold winds still assaulted her exposed flesh.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The shake of the carriage from the young boy hopping aboard gave her the idea to look for something to take her mind off the cold. Eris looked ahead to see Zeias sit down in front of her, she quickly turned her head to the front, the look his eyes had reminded her that their driver could have something very wrong and she was powerless to help. Those thoughts drove her to look at Yale, with his back turned she couldn’t tell what face he was making, but she still got a vibe that he’d rather not talk. Eris had the overwhelming urge to look at something else, other than the two males near her. The current awkward atmosphere she felt suggested that they were all in their own thoughts and the quietness mixing with the blowing winds didn’t make for good conversation. She instead peered up to the lights of the Chiefs office window, which were still on.

Eris wondered where the strange assistant woman had gone to and she could swear that the Chief had to leave for some other type of duty. It didn’t matter much to her, their business was their own, and a nice fresh meal sounded much more entertaining than filling her mind with the company of others.

Despite the silence and her previous feelings of worry, she was quite excited about Yale’s mention of warm food. She hadn’t eaten since the early morning, and her stomach gave complaints about its empty contents. While occupied musing over food, her body was suddenly carried by the momentum of the carriage moving. She thought she was doing a good job at distracting her self if she didn’t hear the reigns whip. The feeling of success was quickly destroyed as the carriage headed upwind. More than ever did she wish she had a travel blanket, she wanted to hide and use any means to shield herself from the bitter cold.

They hadn’t gone very far from the Chief’s office, but her teeth began to chatter, her fingers and face were starting to hurt from the chills as well. It was clear that fall was upon them. She wanted to know if she was the only one suffering and slowly moved her sights to Zeias. He was similarly, holding his knees close to his chest and making himself small with his head tucked in, his body was still shaking slightly, but he used his breath to warm the area where his head was tucked in. She couldn’t tell if that was an actual technique to stay warm or if its just what he usually did.

Her knees weren’t really cold because of the longish skirt, but her face and fingers felt like they would fall off. This is why Fall was never a season she liked, she closed her eyes and laid close to the carriage walls with her arms crossed. She always hated how finicky the weather was, with beautiful looking skies but cold air, or days where it seemed extraordinarily cloudy but decently warm.

It didn’t make much sense to her how the weather couldn’t stay consistent at all times, it made growing plants a hassle outside and changes in temperature meant she would always have to find different clothing. Besides the clothing she earned for herself by growing unique plants and herbs, she didn’t receive much seasonal clothing from the family. Her thoughts drifted, and her mind wandered to other places than where she felt waves of sleep fall upon her. The cold seemed to fade away as she curled herself up on the bench.

The family, the same three people who she has lived with for since the young age of five, didn’t give her nearly as much attention as she would have been given if she were born into their family. The mother was the worst of them, she would scream at her when she was younger if asked to go out and play or completely lose it if she was caught playing with their only son.

Her room was the only free place in the home, the attic, it was a newly constructed home, so it wasn’t deplorable, but from outside that single window, she could see the bustle of the village and the sights far away. Her thirst for more freedom caused Eris to continually ask for something to do. Even if the woman yelled at her, she steeled herself to continue trying her luck.

At one point in her first year with them, fed up with the mundane life of staying inside with nothing to entertain her, every day for a month she asked for things to do. Dishes, laundry, cooking, knitting, toys, instruments, playtime, outside time, clothing, shopping, food, water, warmth, affection, love, hugs, a real family, anything and everything she wanted to do or have, she protested for.

Her tactic came to a sudden halt when a hand suddenly struck her face one day. Her vision was blurred and crowded by a clear liquid, the distorted sight in front of her was a woman standing with shock on her face and a trembling hand. That same woman who had struck her also had tears in her eyes, Eris couldn’t understand why the woman was the one crying when her face didn’t feel like it was set on fire. Her foster mother's face was twisted in horror over her action, but the words she spat out didn’t match her expression. “It was already hard enough without you here!” she screamed to the girl.

Eris wanted to know her reasons for her treatment, but the adults who should be taking care of her didn’t care to give her the time of day. The woman no longer kept her inside the house and Eris had finally gained some freedom, but only at the expense of interacting with the family.

She was told she could play outside and enjoy her time as a child as long as she behaved. Eris thought that she was very well behaved but the treatment she received when out in town suggested otherwise. The shopkeepers, the librarians, the doctors, even farmers knew of the Halo eyed girl. Not because of who she was as a child, but for the actions of her Godmother. The reason she had to endure so much was merely that of social rejection.

Going outside the city limits was still forbidden for her because no teachers wanted to train her because she had “little chance of surviving.” This didn’t stop the little girl from trying, she played and collected inside the surrounding forests, bribed other children with her forest findings into giving her books and even got the traveling merchants to provide her with tips and support with items and hunts.

She studied quietly on her own when she could, children throughout Brights knew her well and would secretly come to play. Eris adored the smaller children for having the courage to approach her, despite them being told not to. Older children who came to visit her did so out of curiosity but knew better than to get acquainted. Eris didn’t mind though, she wanted more out of life than hidden behind the towns mask.

At the age of seven, as much as she tried to tell herself that she was strong, she was powerless to the harbingers of her mind. The massacre of animals that her Godmother tried to stop kept flooding her mind. Since the day she was given to her new family, she could see nothing but hell itself, and the selfishness of the adults who wanted to gain from the misery of thousands of animals gave her nothing but heartache.

Before she was given to her foster family, Eris had a furry friend called Cat. Cat was not a regular cat or even a cat at all. It was a Fenscher, a small fox-like creature with long legs similar to a dog. She gave the animal the name Cat when she was five, because of its large cat-like ears. Eris loved her companion, and her godmother let her keep it because she also adored the small creature.

No longer could she hold it’s soft white fur. The sight of a man beating her furry friend to death because his knife was covered in blood and slippery, and its pretty white hairs falling off its body lazily dancing in the wind drove her mad. The small girl had never felt such pain or fear before, she was furious, her little body quivered with anger. Eris was not the only one, children all throughout the town were bawling, begging for their pets return.

The village was lit by dozens of bright hot mounds of fire, all filled with hundreds of bodies from all animals alike. Her first thought was to bite the man, but a quick fist to the face knocked her to the ground. Her eyes were dyed red, and the sight of her godmother kicking the man in his face gave her a bit of salvation before she went unconscious. The day before her godmother was put to death for “civil disobedience,” she learned that the town had done this because the adult families were promised to receive large sums of currency and goods if they participated in a ritual.

Their greed was nothing short of selfishness to Eris, and the group of travelers that started it all were the highest evil in the world to her. Images of the past four years always flooded her mind, but this was the worst she had in a while.

A sudden floating sensation awoke Eris, she jumped up from her sleep to sit up and look around. Zeias was napping in front of her, unshaken by the sudden bump in the road. The carriage was pulling up to the Inn, just in time. The feel of tears running down her face was quickly wiped away when she felt her face. She didn’t know why she was reliving her nightmares so often recently. What she did know was that it didn’t matter at the moment, she had to remain strong and become stronger. The only way to achieve that was to eat the warm food that made her stomach groan with anticipation.