“Several hours must have passed since the sun went down, although it is difficult to know the time being in this place.”

They both try to get comfortable without the possibility of starting a fire because that would suffocate them, forcing them to rely only on their coats and the proximity of their bodies to share some warmth.

"What do you think was there that needed so much protection?" Lyaria asks remembering what happened a short time ago.

“I'm not sure, it's not the first time we've come across some protected elven artifact. You remember?”

"Yeah, right, I almost forgot." The same thing happened with that monolith, only these statues looked much stronger.

The conversation dies and slowly Lyaria begins to feel like the dream was taking away her consciousness, but Ezer's voice wakes her up.

“I… I'm tired of running. Ever since I was forced to leave my home, I have always been running away from everything. The only time I took anything head-on was when I was fighting the bear, and even then, it was from being cornered.”

“You faced that beast and almost ended up dead, it's not bad to run away from danger.”

“Yes, but still…” Ezer can't finish the sentence, he knew that everything would be easier if he had the strength to face his problems head on instead of having to look for complex solutions that could well go wrong. Things never go as expected and Ezer has enough time in the darkness to reflect on this, though it reaches a point where Lyaria's soft breathing reminds his body of exhaustion and he falls asleep as well.

Feeling the fresh morning air again comforts them after breathing stagnant air inside the cave. The pile of debris and snow was thicker than last time taking longer to clear, but they were rewarded with sunlight filtering through momentary holes in the gray clouds.

"At least it seems that the bear lost our trail. Do you think that bird...?"

"I'm not sure, we never negotiate with beasts because there are few with enough intelligence, and if there are, they are as unpredictable as they are cunning. I don't think the blue bird would help us without something in return.”

“We should focus on going south and… escaping from these mountains. Just because we are a little further away does not mean that the winter will be less harsh, do not get overconfident.”

“I know, I have enough information about those lands. It's not my first time.”

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“Then let’s go.”

Dozens of kilometers and several days later, Ezer sets foot again on his family's land, which he was forced to abandon at the beginning.

The white of the snow was still there, but at least it wasn't knee-deep like some places in the mountains. Ezer and Lyaria were within the lands of the Inmerlan without finding a trace of civilization.

“There should be a path ahead, that is if it's not completely blocked by snow.” Lyaria points as she is the guide.

"It's frustrating that you know more about my lands than I do. If I can still call them mine...” From the moment they decided to head south, passing through these places, Ezer takes on a pessimistic attitude without realizing it. Clearly his past weighed more heavily on his heart than he realized and Lyaria sensed this.

"You never read a map? Or did you have a teacher to teach you?” Getting education at a young age was normal for children of the nobility, without this, they wouldn't be much different from commoners.

“A scholar taught my older brother, while my mother took care of me. At that time my health was not the best and... I don't remember much.”

“I see...”

“I don't think it's good to go into the heart of the domain.”

“We will not, although we could use the main path that way, I prefer to use other less known roads. Places that don't even appear on a map.”

The sun was high in the cloudless sky, the cold was always present, but at least it wasn't enough to penetrate the coats and get to the skin.

"This is the road, if we follow it west, we should come to a town. No, I guess calling it a village would be more appropriate.”

"If you hadn't said it, I wouldn't have noticed the road. It looks more wild than a commercial one.”

“There is no winter trade in remote places like these, and when there is, it is rare.”

“You know a lot.”

“Yes.” Lyaria notices her mistake and decides to be more careful. She supported Ezer, although at some point she would have to influence his actions to benefit her people, she just didn't know when and how to do it.

When the light of the sun hides, they decide to camp to continue the next day. As they follow the path, they repeatedly notice the marks of wild animals and those of one or another larger beast, but what surprises them are the traces of blood that lead them to a body not far from the path.

“He died at least a day ago, his body completely frozen.” Lyaria brushes the snow off the man's head being the only part sticking out. A necklace of animal teeth catches her eye and she carefully removes it from the hardened neck.

“He was a hunter, which means the village is not far away.”

"Let’s go, we can't bury him." They couldn't even do it even if they had the tools, the frozen ground wouldn't allow it.

It was not long until they found a house by the side of the road, although it was in ruins and uninhabited, so they decided to continue until they finally found several houses with large spaces that were occupied by crops in spring. If it weren't for the smoke rising from each chimney, Ezer and Lyaria wouldn't have known that someone lived in the seemingly desolate village.

“They saw us, but still they don't receive us.” Ezer notices how some of the shutters open slowly, almost imperceptible if he wasn't paying attention.

“Strangers are not welcome, that hardly changes anywhere.” It was just at that moment that the door of the nearest house opens with force and a thin woman, too thin judging by her face, approaches them wearing clothes that bring cold just from see them.

"Are you coming from the trail!? The forest!? The woman was clearly desperate and made it obvious with her voice and gestures.