On midwinter’s day, already short and cold, there was an extremely rare double eclipse. The smaller moon crossed in front of the sun in the morning. The larger moon blocked it in the afternoon. It basically felt like a day of darkness from beginning to end. Magical creatures hunkered down, feeling a drain on their magic as the moons pulled magic high into the atmosphere.
Kaitlyn woke in her own bed. The bed Haytham and the dark elves had gifted her. She was naked in her covers. Every muscle stiff and sore. She slowly sat up and for a long time stared at her hands. It took a few moments for it to register. She had on her right hand an emerald ring. Delicate filigree words formed both the circle of the ring and the clasp for the gem. Welcome and Protect formed the ring itself, while Travel and Grow acted as the filigree clasps around the gem.
She slowly lifted her hand to look at the ring more closely. It wasn’t perfect. It looked like the person writing the words had a jerky, almost slashing motion rather than a smooth curve. If she had been able to spend more time, she would have liked to do a prettier job, but it had been a solution under pressure.
Kaitlyn slowly stood and moved to the wardrobe. She stopped. This wasn’t her room. It was her bed. In a different room. This room had stone floors with a lovely blue rug with large yellow flowers woven in it. A big fireplace dominated one wall, a bright fire crackling and dancing merrily. A huge copper tub stood near the fireplace. Two tall back chairs with a table stood to the other side.
Kaitlyn turned in a circle, admiring the tapestries on the wall. She had never actually owned a tapestry before, although her mother had made them on her loom. Neither tapestry displayed the usual kind of images, instead consisting of calming waves of blues, greens, with threads of yellow or gold. The pattern was both intricate and very soothing.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The clothing in the wardrobe was wonderfully simple, skirts and blouses, warm parkas, gloves and a pair of tall boots. Kaitlyn dressed and hurried out of her room. She was right next to the kitchen now, tucked behind a stairway to a second story. The kitchen was larger, with enough room for two work tables and ovens on each side of the oversized fireplace.
The tavern’s main room was also larger. A huge fireplace dominated the center of the room, the stones creating four arches to allow access, the chimney stones looking like a spiral of white in dark rocks. Kaitlyn could not begin to guess at the kinds of rocks, neither were something she recognized.
Several smaller tables stood along one side, a long trestle table with several benches stood near the front of the room. It was certainly a comfortable tavern room for a strange variety of guests considering the odd chair sizes which sat along the far wall.
She stepped outside and found the front yard also changed. The well now stood to one side, a low stone wall around the edge of the property about waist height. She smiled and turned to admire her house. Her house.
It was still a hut, barely larger than before, but sturdier now. The walls were no longer crumbling stone,but instead firm and clean wattle and wood. Windows stood on either side of the door which was nestled on a cute little porch. The thatch was taller now, and windows stood on either side, with a small gabled window poking out of the front. It was still a house too small outside for the space inside.
Kaitlyn reached out with her magic and touched the wooden frame next to the door. Using flame, she carved a symbol on the wood. A large black kettle, the traditional image associated with a witch, but the smoke shaped a loaf of bread. Kaitlyn lifted her hand from the stone and smiled, “Welcome home.”