Warmth in the Snow
The journey to the capital began with a rhythmic thud of hooves and the creak of wooden wheels.
I rode my horse beside the royal carriage. The wind was cool but it did not bite yet. Elara sat inside behind the glass but she did not stay quiet for long. She pushed the small window open and leaned her head out. Her blonde hair caught the sunlight.
“Look at the fields Julius,” she said pointing toward the rolling green hills. “The grass here is a different shade than in the capital. It is more vibrant.”
I looked but I did not truly see it. I saw a princess acting like a curious child. I saw the woman who had once stood over my dying body.
“It is just grass,” I replied.
She pouted. It was a small and delicate expression.
“You have no romance in your soul. Is this how you treat a lady who travelled all this way for you. You used to be much more talkative when we were children.”
I did not answer. I kept my eyes on the road.
We passed through small villages and bustling market towns. Every time we entered a new place, Elara acted surprised. She marvelled at the local architecture. She pointed at the way the commoners dressed. She acted as if she had never seen the world outside a palace wall.
It was a perfect performance.
On the fifth day, we were attacked. A pack of shadow wolves lunged from the treeline. I reached for my sword but I did not need to draw it. Lucas and the royal guards moved like a single unit. Steel flashed. The wolves were dead before they could even howl.
Elara watched from the window with wide eyes. She didn’t look scared. She looked fascinated.
“The knights of the Duchy are truly impressive,” she remarked after the blood had been cleaned from the road.
We stopped at a town known for its bakeries.
The air smelled of sugar and yeast. Elara insisted on trying the local specialty. She bought a cream bread and stood by the carriage taking small bites. She looked like a painting of a graceful princess enjoying a simple moment.
Suddenly a blur of rags and messy hair bolted from an alley.
“Catch the thief.” A shopkeeper was shouting running behind a small boy.
The boy crashed into Elara. He was clutching a loaf of bread to his chest. He staggered back and tried to run but Elara was faster. She reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Her grip was firm.
“Why are you stealing food?” she asked.
Her voice was not angry. It was calm and inquisitive.
The boy trembled. He looked at her silk dress and then at the guards approaching with their hands on their hilts.
“My father… he was a soldier,” the boy sobbed. “He died protecting the border. Then my mother died too. She worked until she stopped breathing. I… I… have no money.”
Elara narrowed her eyes.
“The Empire pays maintenance to the families of fallen soldiers. And if both of your parents are gone, why are you not at the orphanage.”
The boy hesitated. He looked at the ground.
“The Viscount… he said there is no money for us. The orphanage is full. The kids there haven’t eaten in two days.”
A heavy silence settled over the street.
Elara looked at the cream bread in her hand. It was expensive and sweet. Then she handed it to the boy. She reached out and rubbed his head. Her touch looked gentle.
“Eat this,” she whispered. “Things will get better soon. I promise.”
She turned to her maid who was standing nearby.
“Draft a formal complaint to the Viscount of this region. Use my royal seal. If the funds are not accounted for by the time I return, he will answer to the Emperor.”
“Yes princess,” the maid replied immediately.
She did not seem surprised. She moved with the efficiency of someone who had done this many times before.
I watched from the back of my horse.
Who is she really?
Is she the cold hearted killer who stabbed me in the dark. Or is she this kind princess who cares for a nameless orphan. The two images did not fit together. They clashed in my mind.
The journey continued for weeks.
Elara never stopped talking. No matter how short my answers were or how uninterested I seemed she kept going. She told me stories about the palace politics. She told me about the cats she used to feed in the gardens. Slowly without even realizing it I started talking back.
I laughed at jokes she made. I argued with her about the best way to parry a heavy blow from a broadsword.
Sometimes we stayed at local inns. Other times we pitched tents under the vast blanket of stars. We even duelled a few times during our breaks.
I won every time of course. I was faster and stronger than I had been in my previous life.
She would wipe the sweat from her forehead and smile at me.
“You’ve gotten so strong Julius. It’s almost scary. Where did you learn to move like that.”
For a moment I forgot.
I forgot the fire. I forgot the betrayal. I forgot why I was going to the capital. I forgot my objectives.
It felt like we were just two people traveling together. It felt like the past had never happened. I allowed myself to feel the warmth of the campfire and the sound of her voice.
Then we reached the Everfrost Mountain Range.
The green fields vanished. The world turned white. Massive peaks pierced the clouds. Snow covered everything.
The air grew thin and freezing. There was no blizzard when we started the climb so we decided to push through.
The attacks started almost immediately.
Monsters.
Snow trolls and frost vultures. This area was known for them but they usually stayed away from the main routes. Now they were everywhere.
At first, I thought it was a coincidence. Then the frequency increased.
Ten monsters. Twenty. Thirty.
Lucas and the knights were at the front. They were constantly fighting. The sound of clashing steel echoed through the narrow mountain passes. The white snow was stained with black monster blood.
Something was wrong.
The wind began to howl. A blizzard started blowing with a speed that made it impossible to see. The temperature dropped until I could feel the cold through my coat
We were stuck.
This was a trap. I could feel it in my gut. The timing was too perfect. The monsters were driving us into a bottleneck.
I turned my horse to call out to Lucas. I needed to tell them to retreat. We were being led to our deaths.
I opened my mouth to shout.
A sound like a thousand falling stars filled the air. A deep vibration shook the very foundation of the mountain.
The mountain groaned.
A massive wall of white tumbled from above.
An avalanche.
“Get back!” I screamed.
The world shifted. The road beneath my horse’s hooves collapsed. The ground simply vanished.
I felt myself falling. I tried to grab something but there was only air and ice. Everything went white.
Cold.
Total darkness.
***
A voice.
It was distant. It sounded like it was coming from a great depth.
“Julius.”
I felt something warm on my face.
“Julius wake up. Please.”
My eyes felt heavy. My body felt like it was made of lead. I slowly forced my eyelids open. My head throbbed with a dull pain.
My vision was blurred. The world was a mess of grey shadows and white light.
“Please… don’t leave me too.”
The voice was shaking. It was breaking.
I realized my head was resting on something soft and warm. I looked up.
Elara was looking down at me. Her face was pale and her lips were blue from the cold. Her blonde hair was messy and covered in frost. Tears were streaming down her face and freezing on her cheeks.
She wasn’t smiling. She wasn't acting like a princess. She wasn't the monster from my memories.
She looked terrified.
I tried to speak but my throat was dry. I looked around. We were in a small ice cave. The entrance was blocked by snow and rubble. We were alone.
The silence was absolute.
She gripped my hand. Her fingers were freezing but she held on like I was the only thing keeping her anchored to the world.
“You’re awake,” she whispered. She let out a sob that sounded like it came from the bottom of her soul. “Thank the gods. You’re awake. I thought… I thought I lost you.”
I stared at her.
The woman who killed me was crying for my life.
The confusion in my heart was more painful than the cold of the mountain. I looked at her hand in mine and for the first time I didn't know who the enemy was.
