Chapter 14

"Strange."

For some unknown reason, Norna had had the feeling that she was being watched all day.

It had started when she was on her way to the bakery early in the morning to get fresh bread for herself and her father. She had initially written the feeling off as residual tiredness, as she had stayed up far too late reading the night before and got up far too early.

While she had chatted at length with Mardha about her son in Minthral and the farmers' harvest bets this year - it was going to be a sunny summer! - the feeling had faded into oblivion, only to reappear when she made her way to the local hunter to get some meat for lunch.

Again and again on the way there, she had suddenly turned around to catch her supposed pursuer in the act.

Maybe the neighbor's children who are playing a joke?

But there was no one there, only empty air and the leaves of the bushes moving in the wind greeted her.

Surely I'm not going mad? she asked herself anxiously for a moment.

"No way!" Norna chided herself, consciously pushing the irrational thought away.

You only went mad if you ate too many of the iridescent blue mushrooms that grew behind Uncle Brag's house. After all, every child knew that.

She entered Jorg's store and bought a large basket of venison. Then she made her way back home along the main path that meandered through the village.

And there it was again, the feeling of being followed.

What's going on today? she thought in frustration. She was so lost in thought that she almost ran past Trina.

"Hey Norna!" her friend greeted her cheerfully. "Isn't this a great day? It's finally really sunny again!" Trina chattered on.

Norna's carousel of thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

"Hey Trina!" she replied and hugged her friend with a smile. A good mood displaced the frustration she had felt earlier.

"Yay, really great weather! Just right for doing nothing but sitting in the sun," she agreed with a grin.

Trina took a step closer and whispered quietly, "Have you heard, the Bregstig family are getting a visit from relatives soon. Otrud's sister and her two sons are coming to visit for a few days," she raised her eyebrows meaningfully. "Her sons, who are the same age as you and me."

Norna rolled her eyes.

"You're welcome to have them both, I'm not interested," she replied.

She knew Otrud. She had probably invited her sister and her sons with the same ulterior motives. And the way she saw it, Otrud, and presumably her sister too, were looking for a proper housewife.

And that, Norna was sure, was something she would never become in this life.

*****

Lord Mitten was annoyed.

Today was his departure day and he had planned to inform Norna about his disappearance and his somewhat different identity.

After getting up early in the morning and walking to her house, he had unfortunately discovered that she had already gone shopping.

The Ancient Being had no interest in sharing his identity with the whole village and decided to wait for Norna in a quiet minute when no one else was around.

He walked behind her at a safe distance and increasingly realized that carrying out his idea was proving to be more complicated than expected.

After visiting the baker, they went to the hunter,

...oh, there's venison tonight, Lord Mitten realized with a sigh.

And after the hunter, just as he was about to step out of the shrubbery and approach her, she had a chat with her friend Trina, whom she had bumped into.

Today, of all days... and of course the two teenagers have a lot to talk about. They only see each other several times a week, after all, he thought wryly as he sat in the bushes.

"Mrh," he grumbled to himself, impatience spreading through him.

After another three seconds of waiting, Lord Mitten decided he was tired of this boring chase and stepped out of the bushes.

He strutted up to Norna, sat down on the ground next to her and stared at her demonstratively.

Norna interrupted the conversation and looked down at him.

"Uh, hello Lord Mitten?" she said in astonishment. She looked at her friend Trina and shrugged her shoulders.

"He never does that. I usually have to look for him outside of feeding and petting times," she explained.

"Are you all right?" she asked, turning to him.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Lord Mitten continued to stare at her impassively.

---

"Hm, I think I'll have to check on things at home. Who knows, maybe there's something wrong with his breakfast," said Norna. She said goodbye to Trina and left.

At last, thought Lord Mitten and walked after her.

*****

Norna went into the farm garden behind the house to check on the cat bowl that was placed outside the back door.

"Well, it's like this...," began Lord Mitten, who was sitting behind her and watching her.

Jerkily, the young girl turned around and moved her head frantically from left to right and back in search of the sudden voice.

"Ahem," Lord Mitten cleared his throat.

"Down here."

He waited until she had lowered her head and stared at him open-mouthed in disbelief. After all, the only way to have a proper conversation was to look each other in the eye.

"Well, it's like this...," he began for the second time.

"You can talk?" Norna cried out.

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Is this a trick? It must be a trick," she muttered to herself and opened her eyes slowly again.

"All right, you've won! You can come out now!" she shouted into the high meadow behind the house, where she apparently suspected the culprits.

"Haha, very funny! I was scared, you've won!" she added, searching the tall grass with her eyes.

Lord Mitten had to admit to himself that a talking cat was probably more unusual than he had originally thought.

He cleared his throat again.

"Norna."

Norna seemed unsettled by the lack of response from the meadow and when asked her name she looked at him again.

"Nor - na." he spoke again slowly and clearly.

"You can really speak?" she whispered in disbelief.

Lord Mitten could see from her face how her mind did a full stop and her logical thinking fell to pieces, only to reassemble itself shortly afterwards to try to make sense of the whole situation.

"Indeed," he replied gravely.

She stared at him.

"...But why?" she asked slowly.

Her mind didn't seem to be fully functional again yet, Lord Mitten realized.

"Well, it's like this...," he continued for the third time in a row.

"In fact, I am a magical being, a kind of 'monster' as you might say today. A 'monster’ who wanted to relax a little after a few centuries of hard work - incognito, of course."

Norna listened to him silently, nodding attentively at the appropriate points to encourage him to continue talking.

State of shock, Lord Mitten realized as he continued to explained. But better silent than screeching.

"I came across Anaholm on one of my hikes and I liked the peace and quiet here and the comparative proximity to a few friends."

"Friends," Norna repeated slowly.

"Friends," Lord Mitten confirmed.

"So I settled here for a few years and enjoyed your hospitality," he concluded his explanation with satisfaction.

"Huh."

Norna still seemed to find it difficult to find her own words. She looked at him for a long time and finally sighed heavily.

"Couldn't you at least have said something to me?" she asked bitterly.

"I... oh no...," a terrible thought seemed to manifest itself inside her. "That means... you've understood everything I've told you over the years?!"

Teenagers, Lord Mitten thought, shaking his head inwardly.

There you are revealing to them that you are a powerful being and the first thing they think of is the embarrassing conversations they've had with you.

"That is correct," he replied truthfully.

"If it's helpful," he continued. "There's little I haven't heard in the last thousand years, and I can't recall anything significantly interesting from you."

Norna stared at him.

"Somehow you were cuter when you weren't talking," she said when she had regained her composure.

"I've never been cute," he contradicted her.

They were both silent for a moment.

"So why now? Why are you telling me about yourself now?" Norna asked hesitantly after a while.

Lord Mitten looked at her.

"My time here is over," he said.

"And you wanted to spare me the trouble of searching for my cat over the next few days and weeks?" she asked slowly.

"Something like that," he admitted reluctantly.

Who would want to make a human child cry? Nobody! he justified himself inwardly.

Norna knelt down in front of him and looked at him.

"Thank you."

Lord Mitten averted his eyes.

"Hmph, you're welcome."

Her mind seemed to be fully functioning again.

"And what exactly are you going to do now, if you don't mind me asking?" she continued.

"I plan to open a store for historical and magical books and artefacts in Minthral." he replied.

Norna froze for a brief moment.

"Books?!" she exclaimed in surprise.

She quickly regained her composure and looked at him with fervor.

"Can I come with you?" she asked excitedly.

"No," Lord Mitten shot down her request without hesitation.

"Oh, okay." Norna slumped down.

After a while, she seemed to have regained her composure a little and raised her eyes again.

"Maybe later?" She looked at him hopefully.

Lord Mitten looked into big blue eyes and realized that he would not be able to say no to her once and for all.

I really do seem to have softened my heart, he sighed inwardly.

"Maybe later," he answered her after a moment's thought.

To what kind of nonsense could a girl like her even get up? He could offer her a job in the store in a few years' time, as thanks for the daily provisioning in Anaholm. One underling more or less really made no difference, he told himself.

"Then we have a deal," Norna said, smiling broadly at him.

She continued hesitantly, "Do you want to be stroked one last time?"

Lord Mitten paused.

Why not actually?

It would be a long time before he could be petted again. After all, it was quite different to be petted as an ordinary cat or to demand it as an Ancient Being. He had his pride, after all!

He made himself comfortable and let Norna, who had settled down next to him, stroke him one last time.

"I hope it's obvious that this conversation and my identity will remain a secret?" he said, looking at her scrutinizingly.

Soft-heartedness is exhausting, Lord Mitten realized. One had to rely on the assurances of others in order not to experience any unpleasantness.

"Definitely our secret," the girl replied with a smile.

But he decided that it would be all right once in a while.

After all, what was the point of being a powerful being if you couldn't afford to give in to the odd irrational impulse?

A few minutes later, Lord Mitten stood up, nodded solemnly to Norna and set off in the direction of Minthral.

He made his way through the forest, leaping from branch to branch with breathtaking speed. It would have been easier to move along the canopy, but Lord Mitten was not interested in attracting unwanted attention - it was in the middle of the day, after all.

For the same reason, and many others, he also avoided flying.

Suddenly, an artifact in his dimension sphere that was linked to his consciousness lit up red.

Without hesitation, Lord Mitten turned around and hurried in the opposite direction.

B’ellfyth had finally woken up.