A bell rang three times before the gates of the fortress opened and Aefstine was desperate already to see the inside.
Rain was falling down from the sky in buckets. His body was turning blue inside the carriage because the temperature was so low, Aefstine was sure it couldn't be normal.
The guards seeing the party coming shouted and called names to and fro.
Won by curiosity, he stuck his head out the window, leaning on Kynan who cursed at him offhandedly. The wind and rain hit his face but he managed to see two guards gesturing for their carriage to enter, waving a banner.
Under the rain and the disarray, he couldn't really tell what any of those people looked like.
When the carriage finally stopped, servants, Aefstine assumed, came to help them. He and his siblings put on the coats with the hoods they carried on travels and one by one they got off the carriage.
Aefstine's boots hit the muddy ground and he s
Aefstine’s room was by a corridor that was up a very big stair,but he was too tired to inspect it.If the castle was weirdly warm, this part was for sure the warmest. It was as if the sun itself was living inside these walls, making Aefstine very comfortable. If this was how the castle was kept the whole winter, Maud didn't seem so bad.He went to the window and gazed at the landscape, the horizon full of spruce and pines, and he could see the mountains in the distance even with the rain, pouringmuchtamer now. It was so comforting seeing the cold outside knowing he was all safe and warm behind these walls.He shivered at the warmth and for a moment, wished to stay there, looking at that scene forever.I'll never see this again after my father’s business is done here and we leave.He shook his head. It doesn’t seem right to call his oldest sister’s marriage a business, but he was lost
The dining room was big and had a rectangular table in the middle, with all kinds of decoration on the walls, from armors to big red curtains.The table was adorned with carvings on the wood and nice tapestries, upon which lies all kinds of food. But the smell of red meat made Aefstine's stomach cramp and suddenly, he wasn't very hungry anymore.The warlord king was there as well, at the head of the table, looking powerful as always. His eyes zeroed in on him when Aefstine entered and followed his moves. Seated on his left was his father, a vacant seat on his right and next to that is Cheana.Aefstine was about to sit beside Cheana’s right, away from the warlord king, wondering where Syteiner was and assuming that the vacant seat on King Randal’s right side was for the old manwhen Randal reached for the chair on the said unoccupied chair and pulled it back, calling him by that strange name."Dallikath."Unable to den
Aefstine was awake.But why?It wasn't morning yet.Hmm… Something made a noise.Where?Aefstine moved under the blankets.There it was! That noise again!It came from the foot of the bed.Aefstine tried to open his blurry eyes and saw nothingat first. It was really dark, no lamp nor torch lit, and the fire by the hearth was already dead. By the moonlight, he could only see silhouettes.He could see one now. Looked like a huge person. The figure was rummaging through the big trunk, it seemed. The top was open and whatever was inside made a sound of clashing metal when the person moved stuff around.Aefstine calmly observed that from his lying position, still half asleep.The figure stilled, as if sensing Aefstine was awake. The silhouettelooked up and murmured something. The voice was deep, like...Was that Randal?Was he dreaming?The figure mu
Surely, Aefstine wasn't supposed to be wandering around the kitchen but he was feeling alone."Cealy… does the whole kingdom have this sort of food on their tables or… or is it just this castle?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend but needing to know.She frowned at him from the soup she was stirring, as if trying to understand the question. He winced, his father had told him more than once that he should keep his mouth shut."I… I didn't mean like- I'm sorry.""Oh! You mean if the kingdom is poor!" her face lit up with understanding, and his stomach dropped at the rude words. "Oh, Dalli, what a good heart you have. Do not worry. Maudians were nomads once, we know how to hunt in these mountains. And the people that can't, Xiath Randal gives food away at the Great Kitchen downtown. That's why the cooks are always workingbusy.Well, usually most of them are at the Great Kitchen, but Xiath is letting them
Aefstine took longs gulps of the water and swallowed another chunk of the fish.It was so good!Syteiner was extremely amused by the contented sigh and the blissful face Aefstine was making. They were in a nice little room with a small round table where lunch was laid, and two chairs on each side.Aefstine liked the big window that the room had. He could see the snow outside.Syteiner told him that his family had apparently went- without him- to see the city and would be late for lunch. He didn't mind.Syteiner was nice and hadn't made any comments about Aefstine's less than dignified table manners. He usually wasn't this bad, but he was so hungry.And it was fish!You had to eat it like you were dying, there was no other way around it."Where is King Randal? I haven't seen him around," Aefstine asked, only realizing after the question that he had been looking for the king unconsciously.He hasn't seen the
Aefstine was feeling warm and cozy, sitting on a well cushioned chair by the fire and a book ‘stolen’ from the castle's library in his hands.He had told the guard not to let ANYONE enter without knocking, and stripped down to a night shirt.The book he was reading was in Maudinian, but he was having fun with the pictures. Apparently, Frost Giants were like humans, butway taller andtheir skin were a shade of grayish white. Once born, their skin will be blue in color then turn grayish white upon growing up, just like what Cealyhadtold him.There were pictures of them standing by fires, and enormous structures Aefstine supposed was their homes,all over the mountains. It made him look at the icy mountains out the window a bit differently. The females were eight feet tall and the males could reach nine feet.It was afternoon, not even close to evening, but he was feeling lazy that day. It wasn't just the
Aefstine walked to the dinner table guided by Phye, and was surprised to see his family already there, having an early dinner.He walked up to themand took an apple from the fruit bowl on the table-this freakishly tasty maudian apple - and sat on a chair. There was no sign of Syteiner, nor the WarlordKing.Aefstine nodded to his father, and did a double take when he received a smile back. His mother was also smiling, looking relaxed for a change. Cheanawas a little downcast, but that was to be expected.Kynanlooked at him curiously."Those clothes are strange.""His Highness Randal invited me for a hunt today. He told me to wear these clothes," Aefstine said, picking at the fur and the oversized brown cotton shirt.It looked like it was made for a Maudian but it was pleasantly warm, something that Aefstine was unwillingly starting to associate with the Warlord King.
Aefstine looked closer, walking up to the border of the stream, and saw that small silver fishes were jumping up and down the river.The bigger ones were at the bottom.Randal brought with him a quiver that was as beautiful as the bow, but Aefstine spent less time looking at it, quickly taking an offered arrow.The first arrow went straight into the river, but came floating after some seconds. Aefstine gave Randal an embarrassed smile and the king’s lips twitched again in that almost smile of his.He went to take the arrow back, but looked down at his new clothes and frowned. He didn't want it to get wet. The water was probably really cold too.Randal appeared in his vision with a thin and sharp long lance. He threw it at the river with such an easy, calculated strength that made Aefstine take a step back.The lance went straight into a big one at the bottom. The fish trashed a little but the lance had gone through