Wander Moon / 14 / 1218 A.F.
I wake up and it’s well past dawn. The window’s fogged up with frost and ice. My mouth tastes awful and some hair covers half my vision. I didn’t thrash or scream myself awake. In fact, I don’t think I had a single dream that night. Looking down, I see David still fast asleep with his cheek on my breast. He’s kinda cute when he’s quiet. I slip out from under him, ruffle his hair, bundle up, and head outside. Just gotta do some quick shopping before we leave. Two hours pass and I get my armor fixed and polished, two pairs of thick cleated snow boots, two heavy coats, some snow pants, heated gloves, two extra thick blankets, a backpack, new hunter lance, more crossbow bolts, machete, machete sheath, a collection of hooks and harnesses, two pairs of snow goggles, and a big scarf. It’s long and cerulean. A bit pricey, but I thought it looked nice… I can afford it. Hell, I could buy every scarf in the country and then some with the deposit. Last but not least, I fill up on some rations. Bread, dried meat, four canteens full of distilled water, a bunch of nuts and dried bananas as well. Should last us five days if we ration it wisely. Even if we don’t, I could hunt something and snow can quench my thirst if I eat enough of it.
I had to borrow one of the shop’s carts just to haul all of this back to the inn. When I get back to the room, I see David freaking out and crying into his pillow.
“David?” I toss all the merch onto the bed. “What’s wrong? You piss yourself or something?”
“Astrid!” David tosses the pillow aside and wipes his eyes. “You came back! I thought you had abandoned me!”
“Oh. Whoops. Probably should’ve left a note.” I yawn and shake some of the snow off me. “I just went to get some equipment.” I toss the backpack at him and start putting on the snow boots. “Gear up. We’re going mountain climbing.”
“Can’t we wait a day or two?” David curls himself up in blankets. “It’s so warm and everyone’s so nice here… we could surely use a break.”
“This place is supposed to be caked in a week long blizzard starting tomorrow. I’d prefer to get this over with sooner rather than later.” I lace the boots up and stand tall. Feels like I grew three inches and gained fifteen pounds.
“Oh…” David’s face softens. “Very well then. Could you help me get dressed? I’m not accustomed to such thick clothing.”
Twenty minutes later, I get David and I decked out in all our gear. I feel like I’m going to melt with the inn heating on. All my snow equipment is thankfully just large enough to fit over my armor. However, I still feel like my coat is going to burst open if I stretch my back at all. On my back, I’m carrying the trunk, my lance, my quiver, and both blankets. The blankets are half as heavy, but take up twice as much space as the trunk. Had to fasten them to the trunk with some harnesses just to make them stay on. Crossbow’s at the hip all tuned and ready to shoot. The hand I got from Scarf looks pretty bulky now that I have a better look at it. Look more like a gauntlet than a prosthetic. Fingers are thick, wrist is heavy, but I feel like I can knock down a tree with a few punches. Let’s just hope this one lasts more than a week.
David is decked out in all the gear I am. I hooked a machete sheath to his hip and stored all the rations in his backpack. He. Looks. Ridiculous. He can’t lower his arms to his hips and the gear looks heavier than he does. I can’t even see his mouth since his coat is so big.
I can barely contain my laughter. “Can you move alright?”
David begins waddling. “I can move…” he grunts.
“Good enough. Beats freezing.” I pat him on the back and head to the door. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Upon my hand colliding with his back, David falls forward and faceplants onto the floor. “Ow…” he whimpers like an abused pup.
“Hahaha… aw that’s pretty good.” I pick David up by the back of his coat and place him back on his feet. “Come on. Let’s head out for real.”
We check out of the inn, drop off my letter at the local post office, then head out through the Northeast exit towards the Free Range. Cold and snow already begins to assault us. I feel cold, but thanks to the new gear, I’m not frozen solid. The goggles also help protect my vision from razor winds and blinding snow. The second my boots hit the snow, my mobility improves, but only slightly. “How you holding up?” I stop and gaze up at the mountains ahead of us. Before us lies a long, tall, narrow mountain pass lined with boulders, snow, and some conifer trees. No animals, Mirages, or bandits to be found. Hopefully. I can’t hear anything besides the sound of the wind, David’s breathing, and my own heartbeat. I hope that does not change.
“I can keep going…” David puts his hands on his knees. “I will let you know if we need to take a break.”
“Attaboy.” I bop him on the head and continue ascending up the pass through the Free Range. We hike up in silence for about half an hour. At least it felt like half an hour. It was great. By now, Frigus looks like little more than a city diorama and Fort Yukey is nothing more than a little speck in the distance.
“Hey… Astrid…” David takes a deep breath, but perseveres. “Can you talk to me about something?”
“Huh?” I glance back at him before looking back up towards the trail. “Sure… The hell you want me to say?”
“Something. Anything.” David shakes his head. “Anything to take my mind off this cold.”
“What does your Matriarch look like?”
“She is the most beautiful woman in the world…” David’s voice cracks. “Hair like fleece strown from the heavens’ ambrosia and stardust, skin as pure as milk and smooth as silk, a voice that’s sweet as honey… and her eyes were enough to make even the most hardened criminal fall to their knees and repent. Her touch could cure all maladies an-”
“Okay, okay, I get it. She’s Miss Perfect.”
“And then some.” David continues.
“You ever see her in person?” I hop over a rock and turn left. The wind starts to pick up a little more, so I press my hand against the mountain for support. The wind’s not too bad. It’s annoying, but nothing to be concerned about. Yet.
“I wish.” David stays close to me. I can feel his hand tighten around the harness on my back. “I have only seen her in depictions in the Monastery's books and portraits. We have an entire gallery to her likeness and good deeds if you are interested.”
“I’ll let you know.” The pass becomes thinner with tight corridors made from boulders and heavier snow. I can just barely pass through some of them and have to climb up others, but David can pass through all of the crevices and corridors just fine. “Tell me, would you say the Matriarch is tall?”
“Incredibly so.” David crawls under some big rocks and waits for me up ahead under a big tree. “Taller than the greatest warrior.”
“And does her hair go down to her knees?” I climb over a wall of boulders as tall as me and hop down before David.
“That’s oddly specific, but yes. It does.” David smiles and puts his hands on his backpack straps.
“I think I’m seeing her in my dreams…” I rub my temple, take out some chewable blues, and start munching. Warm numbness spreads through my head and warms my cheeks up a little. I then pass David and continue straight. The left part of the pass eventually becomes steep. Far more steep. The pass becomes only a foot wide with nothing but trees and sharp rocks waiting on the bottom. There’s nothing to grab onto the east part of the pass either. No branches. No footholds. Only slippery, eroded rock.
“That’s a sign of good luck, you know.” David stops and lets go of my harness.
“Hold that thought.” I press my stomach to the wall on the right, stretch out my arms, and begin sidestepping. Thankfully, the wind is blowing me against the wall and the pass is pretty flat too. I’ve tredded far more treacherous ground. “Follow me. It’s safe. Just do what I do.”
“R-right…” David stares at me and refuses to move.
I turn to face David and slide my cheek against the icy rock in the process. “Come on, it’ll be fine. The Matriarch gave me good luck.” I rub my arm against my shoulder and flick snow at him. “And now I’ve shared it with you. Come on.”
“Right…” David closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, opens his eyes, and begins sidestepping through the pass with me. “Could you hold my hand?”
“Sure.” I grab his hand, turn my head left, and continue sidestepping. A whole minute later, we make it to the other side. The pass once again becomes wide enough for three and has a nice little safety wall of waist high boulders and mountain to keep David from falling. Mountain’s still as tall as ever on my side. The pass ahead winds a little side to side, but looks pretty safe. There’s an almost 90 degree incline at the end of the pass, but I can see a climbing anchor attached to the top of the hill at the end. Let's hope it still works. “You okay?”
David falls to his knees and catches his breath. He holds his hands to his chest and sounds like an abused chew toy for a second. “Oh… Matriarch… Oh no…”
“Need some blues?”
“Never…” David folds his hands over his chest and begins muttering something. “Oh Matriarch… give me strength…” he continues muttering for a few more seconds before wiping the snow off him and standing up once more. “I’m okay now… I just… really, really do not like heights.”
“Ohohoho sucks for you. It’s only getting worse from here on out.” I continue forward.
“I’m aware…” David catches up to me and latches onto my back harness once more. “So, what were you saying about the Matriarch?”
“Uuuh… that’s a good question… Umm… I forgot.” I lie.
“Aaww…” David whines. “Please let me know when you remember. I can talk about her all day.”
Soon enough, we get to the climbing anchor at the end of the pass. The wall ahead of us looks to be about forty feet tall. Not too bad. The rope at the end of the anchor looks in good condition too. Just gotta chip some ice off of it and… there. It looks good as new. “Wait here.” I grab onto the rope, dig my boots into the snow-covered mountain, and begin climbing up. This is a lot harder than it used to be… all the gear and armor’s weighing me down a ton. My new hand has a ton of grip though. The inside of the fingers have rough grooves and the grip strength is incredible. If it wasn’t for this hand, I’m not sure I’d be able to make this climb.
After a minute, I make it to the top and lean down over David. “Alright!” I toss down the rope and beckon him. “Your turn!” The anchor beside me looks sturdy. It’s a thick, three foot long metal pike buried into the mountainside with a climbing rope fastened to the end. It looks like it’s been here a while, but it still looks sturdy. Beside it, I can see a little rock the size of my head with the words ‘Keep going! - Courtesy of the Free Range-Frigus Friendship Committee’ etched into it.
“Is it hard?” David looks up at me like a concerned dog.
“Not at all. Climbing’s super fun.” My arms feel ready to fall off and I’m breathing like crazy. My blues also slips out of my mouth and falls at David’s feet. It would’ve been so funny if it hit him in the face… “Come on!”
“Okay…” David grabs the rope and tries to put his feet up against the wall, but they’re too short, so he just dangles there. “Hnngh…”
“Aw come on! You’re a big boy! You got this!”
David tries to climb, but only gets three pull ups in before letting go and landing on his butt. “I can’t do it… I’m not strong enough.” he looks up at me.
I sigh, grit my teeth, and grab the top of the rope. “Grab on. I’ll pull you up.”
“Are you sure?” David tilts his head.
“DO IT!”
“Alright alright!” David does as he’s told. “Ready!”
I dig my boots into the snow and start walking backwards. “Whatever you do, don’t let go and don’t look down. I don’t care how much your arms hurt, you don’t let go.”
“Yes, Astrid!”
“Attaboy…” I feel my back begin to bend and my legs begin to shake. I take about ten paces backwards before slipping and falling on my back. The trunk breaks my fall and my left hand is still gripping the rope tight, but David won’t stop screaming. “Shut up! You’re gonna cause an avalanche!” I hear my voice echo through the range.
“S-sorry…” I feel the rope swing in my hands and hear David bonk against the mountainside.
“Did you let go?” I get to my feet and sturdy myself.
“No.” David sneezes.
“Then you have nothing to worry about.” I continue trudging backwards and pull David upwards after half a minute.
Upon reaching the top, David throws the rope back to the bottom and sprints towards me.
My body tenses up, my stance widens, and I ready a good hook.
David collides with my stomach and hugs me tight. “Thank you… I am sorry… I am so sorry…”
My body relaxes. My arms twitch then loosen. I pull David into a hug and rub his head. “Relax, David. It’s okay. What are you sorry for?”
“Being weak.”
I snort. “You’re like nine. You’re supposed to be physically weak.”
“I am nine and a half.”
“Uh huh.” I give him one more pat on the head before letting go.
David won’t let go.
“David?”
“Just a little more…” David tightens his grip, then let's go, and wipes his face. “Okay.” he flashes a smile at me. “I am ready now.” His smile’s wide, but I can see moist eyes under those goggles… I know those eyes… poor kid’s scared out of his mind.
Then let’s keep going.” I take David’s hand and continue marching up the pass.
Later that night…
The sun went down about half an hour ago. Slopes are getting steeper. Wind’s getting harsher. Actually saw David get blown off his feet two times. I’m covered head to toe in snow. If it weren’t for the scarf, I’m sure my lips would be blue and cracked. Snow and darkness obscure my vision. Can’t see much more than ten steps in front of me. At least there’s no Mist. I’d be a dead woman if there was a Mist Storm right now.
plop
I turn around and see David lying face down in the snow. He looks so peaceful. “Hey, David. Need a hand?” I lean down and offer my hand.
He doesn’t respond.
“C’mon.” I nudge him with my foot. “Quit being a drama queen.”
He still doesn’t respond.
“David? David!” I bend down and pick his head up. His eyes are lazy and unfocused. He’s breathing. Breathing erratically, but breathing. His jaw won’t stop shaking even when I hold his mouth still. “David! Can you hear me!?”
David’s neck is limp, but he manages a groan and a nod. His skin is paler than the snow. In fact, his entire body has gone limp.
“Hold on, David.” I pick him up, hug him to my chest, and continue trekking upward. I wrap my scarf around his neck and press his head against my shoulder. “You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”
David groans again. Sounds like a pup whimpering.
I keep marching forward and forward and forward looking for something - anything - to take refuge in. Nothing but trees and boulders. No animals. No mirages. No life. Only ice and silence. Wind continues to beat and batter me and it’s only getting worse with each second. One particularly strong gust throws me off balance and shoves me shoulder-first into a tree. “Son of a bitch!” I punch the tree with my left hand, steady my stance, and continue forward. “It’s okay, David… It’s okay…” I rub his back to try and warm him up. “The Matriarch wouldn’t let you die here. She’s looking after both of us. Don’t you worry.”
I can hear David start to cry and blubber. It’s faint. It’s weak. It’s nearly silent, but it’s crying… so that means he’s still alive. I march on and on and on up the winding mountain pass. Snow refuses to stop. Wind refuses to cease. I refuse to yield. I can’t feel my legs. My arms are as stiff as stone. I can keep going. Just keep going. That’s all you’re good for.
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crcrcraaaaaack
The sound of the mountain cracking and boulders shifting echoes through the pass. Part of the mountainside on the left edge of the pass crumbles and stones of all shapes and sizes begin tumbling down towards me. No nearby trees or stones to hide behind, so I turn tail and begin running down the mountain. Running is a bit generous. Between all the weight I’m carrying and being knee-deep in snow, it’s more like a panicked waddle. No matter how fast I run, the cacophony of falling rocks only grows closer and closer. It’s no use.
I fall to my knees, press David to my chest, duck my head down, and prepare for the worst. Rock after rock rolls down and collides with my back. One gets my arm pretty bad. One rolls over my legs and makes my knees give out. I fall flat onto my stomach still cradling David in my arms. Some roll past me, others continue to pile onto me. If it wasn’t for the armor… I don’t want to think about it. I feel my armor dent and my flesh turn tender where the rocks struck me. The last ounce of feeling I didn’t know I had evaporates from my legs as the mountain imprisons me in a rocky tomb. The mountain slowly turns silent once more and I am face down in the snow with at least a hundred pounds of sharp rocks weighing me down. I can’t even feel pain. Everything’s too numb. Pain would be preferable. Pain means I’m still alive.
“aaaaaaAAAAAAAGH!!!!” I scream at the top of my lungs. My lungs are emptied, my throat is raw, and my mouth is cold and numb, but I keep screaming. Even if I have no more air, I keep screaming. My stomach hurts, but I keep screaming. I keep screaming like the wounded creature I am. No matter how much I scream, no matter how much I squirm, help doesn’t come. I scream until I’m a hollow husk.
“Astrid… it’s okay…” David whimpers. He wraps his small hands around mine and squeezes tight. “Let the Matriarch take us… It’s okay. We won’t have to suffer anymore. We tried our best.”
“To hell with that… I…” I shake my shoulders, but still can’t free myself. “I ain’t dying… not here… not in this icebox…”
David’s grip slowly grows weaker and weaker and his breathing grows slower.
My eyelids start to close and my back begins to relax.
I see the woman yet again. She’s smiling and playing with her hair. “Thank you, Astrid.” she bends down and runs her fingers through my hair. “You did your best and you should be proud.” The woman kisses my forehead and caresses my cheek. “You’ll have a special place in my ranks.” I feel her fingers sink into my forehead and wriggle around in my skull.
My body rejects her, my eyelids shoot up, and I start shaking those rocks off with all my strength. “TO HELL WITH THAT!!!” I get to my knees, feel a fire burn in my stomach, and continue throwing rocks off of me. I soon get to my feet and look around. The hillside left of me is a shell of its former self. I can see a small enclave behind a shattered collection of rocks and mountain. I make a mad dash for it while keeping David held tight and close to me. “Stay with me. C’mon…” I get up the hill and stare into the enclave. It’s a small cave in the mountainside. Barely any snow in there. Empty. Walls and ceiling feel stable too. I head in and feel the temperature rise just a little bit. The cave shields us from the wind and keeps any more snow from falling on us.
I kneel down, lie David near the end of the cave, take the blankets off my back, and begin rubbing the snow off of him. I unhook the machete from his side, get the snow off his face, and wrap him up under two blankets. Nearby, I can see a small metal container resting against the cave wall under a little etched in message. It reads ‘Stay warm with some fuel. - Courtesy of the Free Range-Frigus Friendship Committee’. I pick it up and shake it around. Sounds like there’s just a little in there, but enough for a fire. I hope. I kneel down and check on David one more time. He’s still breathing. Looks less pale. Isn’t shivering anymore. Doesn’t look in pain any more… not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad sign.
I cradle him for a little, put him down, unsheathe the machete, and head out for some firewood. The temperature plummets, but the wind has died down. Still no mist. Can’t hear anything but the snow crunching beneath my feet. Legs are cut open from the rocks and my right tricep feels concave. Thankfully there’s still a bunch of trees in the area. I plunge my machete into a good branch and get cutting. Just as I finish slicing the branch, I hear something. I can’t make out what it is. It’s distant, but it’s getting closer. I dig my machete into another branch and resume cutting. I see a small, lone foxit sitting on an adjacent branch. It’s bundled under a blanket of snow and refuses to take its marble eyes off of me. Pins and needles dig into my fingertips; my left fingertips. I relinquish the machete, pop some more chews into my mouth, and resume my work. Dammit… I’m almost out already. Not even the chewables are hitting like they used to… Even the pure stuff doesn’t taste or feel as good. I’m not even sure if the numbness in my head is from the cold or the blues.
I cut off another branch and the mountainside shakes again. I’m thrown off balance and land beside a tree. The mountain is quiet. The trees are still, but the ground still quakes. Something’s moving closer. Something big. I need to hurry. Just keep cutting. Just keep cutting. I keep sawing off branches, but the noise just keeps getting closer. Something’s watching me. It’s whispering something. I don’t know what it’s saying, but I get the jist of it somehow. My spine wretches, my neck turns, and my lungs twist and convulse. It’s not right. It’s not right. That can’t be. No no no no. Stop. STop. STOP! “STOP!!!” I wretch out and wave my machete around. I can’t see anything to stab or cut. “IF YOU’RE GOING TO GET ME, GET ME ALREADY!!!” No matter how much I yell or swipe, nothing ever comes. It just keeps watching and continues whispering into me.
Eventually, a hand holds my hand. My left hand. I can feel warm fingers caress and squeeze my fingers and palm. Soft lips kiss the back of my left hand. I look down at my gauntlet and yell until my insides are liquid. My teeth begin to ache. They’re growing. No, no. They’re being pushed out. One by one, my teeth fall out of my mouth and new ones erupt through my tender, bloody gums. My jaw fractures and my gums are pierced by new growths of bone and muscle. My remaining fingers are twisting out of their sockets and something’s chiseling at my head from the inside out. I feel snow hit my tongue and my eyes shoot open.
I’m face down in the snow with my machete and a bundle of branches at my side. The mountain is quiet. The whispering has stopped. I don’t feel my left hand any more. I take the machete, get to my feet, and look around. The sun’s still down. The wind’s still dead. The mountain’s still quiet. The foxit on the branch is nowhere to be found. I pick up the bundle of branches and the machete, turn back to the cave, and see a Liber Wolf staring at me. Twenty paces away. Four feet tall on all fours. Tail as long as a lance and powerful as a warhammer. Pristine silver fur as smooth as silk, but tough as steel and rough as nails. Apparently. I’ve never touched one. I’ve never even heard of someone seeing one. Only legends. Its eyes are bright, bright blue. They’re like two lights illuminating the desolate mountainside. My muscles relax and cold evaporates from my skin in an instant. I can feel the wolf’s heart beat in my chest. Strong, steady, warm, unyielding. I sense no malice, no fear, no anger, no love in the wolf’s eyes. It just keeps staring at me with a dead foxit hanging from its mouth.
I step forward to try and pet it.
The wolf turns its head away from me and bounds away at incredible speed. In just one jump, it leaps over a tree and hops away high into the mountains via the treetops.
Once the wolf leaves, the temperature drops once more and my muscles tense up again. I shake my head and hurry back to the cave. Once inside, I hear something scrounging around near David and some crunching. Sounds like a bunch of rats feasting on a week old carrots. I drop the branches and brandish the machete. “STAY AWAY!!!”
“BWAAAAWAAAAH!” David’s shriek echoes through the cave. “Astrid! Astrid! It’s me!”
“David!?” I lower the machete, kneel down next to him, and hug him tight. “You’re okay!” My arms continue to coil around him. “You’re okay…” My chest feels weird.
“As… trid…” David slaps my back. “Choking… me…”
“Whoops.” I let go and sheathe the machete. “What happened? How long were you awake?”
“I do not know…” David shakes his head and reaches under the blanket. “I just woke up here alone and got real hungry…” David pulls his hand up and I see him press a fistful of dried, salted nuts to his face.
“You were just hungry?”
“Yeah…” a nut falls out of David’s mouth.
“Then why didn’t you say anything?” I hook the machete back onto David’s hip.
“I kept forgetting to…”
I shake my head and laugh. And laugh. And laugh. My laughter fills the cave. My cheeks start to stretch and my stomach starts to hurt. I don’t know why I’m laughing. I have no more air to laugh, but I still laugh. I can’t breathe, but it feels good, so I still laugh. I laugh till my face is red, my chest is empty, and my eyes are wet. I’m lying on the floor like a beached fish.
“Are you okay, Astrid?” David holds the nut container out to me. “Do you need nuts?”
“I’m… fine…” I take a deep breath and push the nuts back to David. “Save the nuts for yourself. I got meat.” I collect the branches once more and start arranging them beside David. Close enough to keep him warm. Far enough to keep him from getting burnt. “But don’t eat too much.”
“Hm?” David looks up at me with big ol’ chipmunk cheeks. “Why?”
“Nuts make you fart. I don’t need you stinking up the place. I already stink up the place enough. I don’t need you making it smell any worse.” I finish arranging the branches, dump what remains of the lighter fuel onto the pile, and light it up with my lighter. Warmth and light fill the cave and the snow around the fireplace begins melting away.
“Ohohohooo… yes…” David puts his hands close to the fire. “Sweet sweet flame…”
“Okay, mothboy.” I pull a blanket off of him and wrap it around my shoulders. “Meat rations. Now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” David pulls his backpack off his shoulders and begins sifting through it. “Which container is it?”
“It’s the one labeled ‘Meat’.”
“I cannot read Athesian.” David shakes his head and picks up a container in each hand.
“I labeled them in Lombard.” I point to the container in his left hand. “It’s that one.”
“What?” David looks at the container. “No, they’re labeled in Athesian. What do you- Oooooh. Now I see it.”
I swipe the container out of his hands and sit down. “My handwriting’s not that bad.”
David laughs and stuffs more nuts into his mouth.
I open my steel container and see a hefty pile of dried meat with eight small rolls of bread stacked around the top . The contents feel as heavy as the container. The sweet stench of dry, marinated meat fills the cave and blesses my head. I tear a hearty chunk off and begin chewing into it. Takes forever to chew, but salty, savory flavor erupts with every torn tendon and muscle. It feels designed to be chewed forever. I would if I could, but hunger demands I consume, so consume I shall. I finish off my small feast by toasting two ration rolls by the fire. “No more.” I seal the containers away and place them back into David’s backpack.
David’s still munching away like a rodent.
“David. No more. We got to save.”
“One more?” David holds up a piece of walnut.
“One.”
David pops the nut into his mouth and reaches into the container again.
“David.”
“Sorry.” David seals the container and stuffs it back into his backpack. “Do you require anything else?”
“Yeah. Gimme the water bottles. We need to hydrate.”
“Oh… uh… I already drank two of them… haha…”
“That’s fine.” I shrug and point outside the cave. “Not like there’s any shortage of water. Gimme.”
David tosses me a bottle and I place it by the fire. “It’s gotta warm up. I don’t need to drink cold water here…” I wrap the blanket around me and bask in the fire’s warmth for a few good minutes. If I wouldn’t get horribly scarred or die, I’d jump into the fire right now. It’s so cozy looking…
Meanwhile, David’s looking around the room. His hands are fidgeting and he’s bobbing side to side like… well, like a kid. “Astrid?”
“Yeah?”
“What is your family like?”
“Oh, that. I got a ma and da like anyone else. They’re pretty nice. Da likes cutting wood. Ma’s a great cook… Not really much to say about them.”
“That’s not true.” David shakes his head, but keeps his eyes on me. “There must be many stories between you and them.”
“I guess.” I shrug.
“Did something bad happen between you and them?” David tilts his head.
“No.” I watch the bread rolls slowly turn golden brown then pluck them from the flame. “Just…” I sigh and take a bite out of a roll. “You won’t leave me alone till I say something, huh?”
“Yes indeed.”
“Alright. What do you want to know?”
“Just something. Anything about your family.”
“Why are you so interested?” I gulp down the roll and bite into the other.
“I never really knew my family.” David curls up and rests his chin on his knees.
“What? Aren’t you the son of one of the nuns or abbots?”
“No.” David shakes his head. “They all say I was left at the doorstep as a baby. They never saw who dropped me off. All I came with was a note that said, “Please take care of David. Tell him I’m sorry when he grows older. Turn him into the man I couldn’t.”
“Oh…” my chest deflates. “Are you happy at the Monastery?”
“Most certainly.” A soft, weak smile grows across David’s lips. “The abbots and nuns treat me well, as if I’m one of their own… I just get curious sometimes.”
“Ma always cooked the best pork noodles.” My mouth salivates just thinking of home. “She’d drag a whole boar on her back all the way from the market. I wish you could see her arms. She could smash apples between her biceps.”
“Why would anyone do that?” David tilts his head. “That’s a waste of perfectly good apples.”
“It’s a demonstration of strength and it was a quick and fast way of making applesauce.”
David’s face lights up. “Oooooh. I understand now. I love apple sauce. One nun makes the best sauce. She would mix in some cinnamon, honey, and some oats and called it ambrosia. I got sick… I think on ten different occasions from eating it too much.”
“How do you eat too much apple sauce?”
“I snuck into the kitchen at night… I could not help myself.”
“Bwahaha… that’s pretty good… my family never ate straight applesauce. It was mostly used as an ingredient for sauces or pies. Ever have a banana cream pie?”
“Pie?” David yawns.
“You don’t know what pie is?”
“No. Please tell me.”
“You gotta be messing with me.” I gulp down the rest of my roll and lick some crumbs off my finger. “How do you not know what pie is?”
“I do not think Lombard has pies… we have cakes and cookies, but no pies.”
“Pfft…” I shake my head. “Absolute barbarians… Pie is the desert of the gods. You get sugary bread, put a bunch of sweet fruit filling into it, and put some cream on the outside. Boom. Perfect snack. Warm and crunchy on the outside, cool, soft, and sweet on the inside.” I lick my lips. “Dammit. Now I want some pie. We’re getting you some pie once we get to a settlement.”
“Now I want some pie too… and some cookies and some yogurt and some cake and- wait. Does the Free Range even sell pie?”
“Probably.” I stretch my arms and yawn. “You can find anything here for the right price. There’s no laws.”
“W-what?”
“Yeah. Not really a government either. Every settlement here operates on a direct democracy system.”
“B-but how can that be?” David shivers and puts his hands next to the fire. “That is anarchy! Do the people here murder and steal all the time then?”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “Pretty peaceful here actually. Everyone just minds their own business.”
“But what about the military? Do you not need a king or a ruler to help defend and organize your country?”
“Everyone is armed.” I cackle. “Hard to occupy a land when everyone’s armed to the teeth. Though to be fair, the harsh terrain and steep mountains help significantly.”
“Even the children?” David pulls the blanket over the top of his head.
“Especially the children. I’ve seen children younger than you making deliveries and cutting down trees. Best behaved children I’ve ever seen.”
“That is… beyond troublesome.” David shakes his head. “Children should not be wielding weapons or laboring.”
“Why not? If a kid wants to work, let them work. If a kid wants to learn how to fight, teach them how to fight. Knowledge and experience can only help you.”
A harsh gust of icy wind blows through the cave and nearly puts the fire out.
“No…” David’s eyes get a little watery and his voice cracks. “Kids should not be doing that… Children should be at home… with their parents…” His hand shakes and clutches the blankets. “Kids should not be wielding weapons either…”
“And yet that’s the world we live in.” I shrug. “You either wield a weapon, or you submit to those who do. People are mean.”
“No one at the Monastery wields weapons and we get along just fine… no one ever fights there.” David sneezes.
“Your monastery’s probably run by a bunch of old farts that’d keel over from a heart attack if they held anything heavier than a dagger and your ‘country’ is surrounded on all sides by a foreign, friendly power that takes care of national defense.”
“That’s not true! The monastery’s not full of old people!”
“Who’s the youngest cleric besides you?” I lean back and grin.
“Uhh… um… I think… forty?”
“There you go.”
“No, wait. Forty-five.”
“You’re not helping your case.”
David sighs and lies down on his belly. “Are people outside the Monastery really so mean?”
“About 90% of them.” I stretch out, lie on my back under the blankets, and stare up at the ceiling. It glows orange from the fire and is covered in old chalk drawings and etchings. I can see some initials, short sentences in all sorts of languages, and some stick figures.
“I find that hard to believe. Everyone we met has been pleasant.”
“Only because I’m strong and because I got a Hunter’s License.” I remove my hand and tuck it in next to me. “If I wasn’t big, or strong, or from the right school, we’d still be stuck in Dead End. Well, I’d be stuck there. Chances are you’d be dead or sold off to some slave market.”
“That…” David sighs. “seems plausible…”
“People didn’t help us because it was the right thing to do. They don’t care about that. All they care about is power and stupid traditions…”
“But people are good. They have to be. If people were not good, the Matriarch would not be searching for Paradise for the sake of everyone.”
“Is that your idea or the Monastery’s?”
“Let us get back to the subject at hand!” David yells.
The room falls silent. My eardrums actually hurt a bit from that. Good on you, kid.
“We will never know how people would have acted because you are big and strong!” he continues and smiles. “H-heck, you are the biggest and strongest I’ve ever seen. You are… you are badass!” David gasps. “Please forgive my foul language.”
Laughter erupts from my belly. “Bwahahaha! Don’t worry about it. Keep swearing all you like. I’m not gonna tell on you.”
“Promise?” I can hear David smile ear to ear.
“I promise.”
“Astrid… you are like a hero from legend. Honestly. You slaughter mirages as if they are mere insects, you tower over other giants, you shrugged off that avalanche and carried my worthless butt all across this mountain! You do not let anything phase you and stare death and demise in the eye and laugh! You make me feel safe when everything is scary and d-dark a-and…” David’s voice begins to waver and become distorted through snot and tears. “S-sorry… I am sorry for crying… I know you hate it.”
“When did I say that?” I smile.
“I do not know… I just feel it.” David sniffs. “You are just cool… and brave… everything I wish I could be…”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re braver than most Lombards I’ve seen. Most Lombards cower in fear at the mere sight of me.”
“W-well you are kind of scary… but in a cool way. Like a wolf.”
“Nah.” I yawn and close my eyes. “I’m no wolf.”
“What are you then?” David sneezes.
“I’m a sword.” My arms feel heavy. “You point me at something until it’s dead, then you give me some gold and put me back down.”
“That is not true. That is not true at all.”
“Killing’s all I’m good at.” I feel my stump grow wet and liquid ooze up my left arm.
“Astrid…”
“Never was any good at painting or cooking or writing… even tried to dance a few times, but I always injured my partners.”
“Astrid.” I hear the blankets rustle and feel a body press up to me. “Stop. Stop saying those things. Please…”
His eyes tear their way into my mind and my eyes roll open. I see David over my covers hugging me tight. His face is buried in my shoulder. My arms no longer feel drenched. I reach over and pat him on the head. “Easy there, David. I’m fine. You don’t have to hug me.”
“No. You are getting hugs.” David tightens his grip around me, but still can’t reach all around my torso. “I am hugging you until you do not feel sad anymore.”
“I’m not sad. I’m just telling you the truth.”
“That is what sad people say.” David clears his throat. “You are a good person. I know you are. Do not ever say you aren’t…”
“What makes you say that?”
“If you were a bad person, would we even be here?”
“You make a fair point, but you’re wrong. So… so wrong…”
“I’m not letting go until you say you’re a good person.”
“Have fun falling asleep then.”
“I will.” David hangs onto me in silence.
While waiting for him to fall asleep, my neck goes limp, my eyelids slam shut, and I drift off to sleep.