Heavy footprints crunched the snow next to me. I opened my eyes and tilted my head up to see Jerry standing over me, giving me a sense of deja vu from when Airsidh had found me in a similar position. “Hi, Jerry,” I said calmly.
He scrunched his eyebrows together as he squatted down and lowered his voice. “Are you doing alright, miss? I thought you were still sick in bed.”
I smiled, “Nope, I'm all better now.” I sat up and showed him my hands. They were red and wet from the melted snow, but they certainly weren't blistered or frostbitten like before.
He grimaced. “Your mouth is blue.”
“O-oh… Well, the blisters and burns are all gone… That's what I meant.”
A small sigh escaped under his breath. “Well, that's a relief. We were all worried about you. After Catherine patched you up she wouldn't tell us what happened, she just went straight to her room and closed the door.”
Flashbacks of when she had helped wash all the acid out of my eyes suddenly came to the forefront of my mind followed by the vague memory of me mistaking her for my mom.
I looked over to the side, embarrassed about the whole situation. “Yeah, sorry about that…” I chuckled, scratching my head with my wet hands.
He laughed rubbing his cold leather glove through my hair as he patted me on the head. “Hey, don't you worry, as long as you're fine that's all that matters. Still…” He slowly poked at the bruise on my face.
“Owe…” I groaned, unamused. ‘Why would you poke it if you could tell it was a bruise…’
I could see a small smile appear on his face at how unfazed I was. “Let's get you inside. Even if you can hack the cold, we should do something about that swelling in your jaw too, before it makes it even harder for you to talk.”
“Harder?” I hadn't noticed before, but in saying that I heard it. I sounded like part of my face had been numbed by a dentist.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
What he was already doing was more than I was used to, and the more I felt like a kid the more I acted like one. “No… That's fine, it's not far.”
“Very well then.” He began walking away. “Tough as nails…” He whispered under his breath.
‘Is it really that impressive though? I guess if I wanted to make it sound bad it wouldn't be hard. If my mouth is really blue I'm going into hypothermia again, although I don't feel that cold.’
‘A little girl with hypothermia lying in a snowbank after getting kicked in the face. Yeah, I guess I could see why he would think I was tough for choosing to walk barefoot through the snow after that.’
Despite my circumstances, it was still hard for me to think of myself as tough. All I had done was survive, and I still couldn't take a weak hit from my brother without getting sent to the ground. Not that I minded. I liked people thinking good things about me instead of being disappointed, I just wish I felt like I earned it.
We walked over to his house on the far side of the castle, next to the barracks. Every so often he would turn back to check on me, and then slow down, outpacing me like Airsidh was. By the time we made it, I was short on breath again, but it was manageable.
He brushed the snow off his feet before entering and taking off his boots. “You doing alright?” His voice felt farther away than my eyes were telling me he was, and his movement felt slightly blurred.
My senses were numbed, and my balance felt a little off, but it wasn't like I was falling over. I was just a bit lightheaded. “Y-yea, I just need to sit down for a minute.”
“What's this?” His wife asked, peeking out from behind a door frame into the main hall. “Jerry, is that?” She looked slightly concerned as she asked the question, but it seemed like all that concern went away when he smiled back at her.
“Do we still have an extra pair of boots and a coat for Efah?”
She looked like she was trying to force a smile, but never managed to make it convincing. “I can get them, have the poor girl sit down by the fire. Efah!”
A small curly-haired kid came halfway down the stairs and started leaning over the railing, “Yes momma?”
“Can you bring some hot Anise Milk to your father and our guest in the other room?”
“Yup!” She said confidently. Her curly green hair bounced up and down as she walked to the bottom of the stairs. It was weird seeing someone shorter than I was.
Still, she was eight, six years younger than me… The fact that she was only shorter by a couple of inches made that feeling a melancholy one.
“Here, we will get you warmed up.” Jerry's voice resonated from behind me. I turned back around, having to catch myself from spinning too fast to look back at Jerry.
It almost felt wrong. I was rarely allowed close to the fire in the name of toughening myself. Anise milk was something I had heard my sister mention, but I had never tried. Mara only let me drink different bitter teas that were supposed to have varying benefits, not sweets.
Yet, suddenly before me in the other room, there were two chairs and a small fireplace that was burning brightly. Jerry sat in one, and I took my place on the floor between them, assuming the other chair was for his wife.
“Siya,” He leaned forward, “You can sit closer to the fire if you want to.”
It was true that the chairs were a fair distance away, but for some reason, I was nervous about getting any closer. “T-this is fine…”
He leaned back in his seat. “Then at least take the other chair.”
“No, I'm fine here.”
“Ok, let me grab you a blanket then.”
I could feel my face start to turn red. I was really fine, but I didn't want to keep saying no to his hospitality. “Uhm… O-ok.”
Before I knew it I was wrapped up in a large fur blanket. It wasn't as nice as the one my parents had, but it was still more than enough. “Is that better?”
I nodded, feeling uncomfortable and wanting to hide again. ‘Why do fur blankets always make me feel like this… They must be evil…’
Heavy footprints crunched the snow next to me. I opened my eyes and tilted my head up to see Jerry standing over me, giving me a sense of deja vu from when Airsidh had found me in a similar position. “Hi, Jerry,” I said calmly.
He scrunched his eyebrows together as he squatted down and lowered his voice. “Are you doing alright, miss? I thought you were still sick in bed.”
I smiled, “Nope, I'm all better now.” I sat up and showed him my hands. They were red and wet from the melted snow, but they certainly weren't blistered or frostbitten like before.
He grimaced. “Your mouth is blue.”
“O-oh… Well, the blisters and burns are all gone… That's what I meant.”
A small sigh escaped under his breath. “Well, that's a relief. We were all worried about you. After Catherine patched you up she wouldn't tell us what happened, she just went straight to her room and closed the door.”
Flashbacks of when she had helped wash all the acid out of my eyes suddenly came to the forefront of my mind followed by the vague memory of me mistaking her for my mom.
I looked over to the side, embarrassed about the whole situation. “Yeah, sorry about that…” I chuckled, scratching my head with my wet hands.
He laughed rubbing his cold leather glove through my hair as he patted me on the head. “Hey, don't you worry, as long as you're fine that's all that matters. Still…” He slowly poked at the bruise on my face.
“Owe…” I groaned, unamused. ‘Why would you poke it if you could tell it was a bruise…’
I could see a small smile appear on his face at how unfazed I was. “Let's get you inside. Even if you can hack the cold, we should do something about that swelling in your jaw too, before it makes it even harder for you to talk.”
“Harder?” I hadn't noticed before, but in saying that I heard it. I sounded like part of my face had been numbed by a dentist.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
What he was already doing was more than I was used to, and the more I felt like a kid the more I acted like one. “No… That's fine, it's not far.”
“Very well then.” He began walking away. “Tough as nails…” He whispered under his breath.
‘Is it really that impressive though? I guess if I wanted to make it sound bad it wouldn't be hard. If my mouth is really blue I'm going into hypothermia again, although I don't feel that cold.’
‘A little girl with hypothermia lying in a snowbank after getting kicked in the face. Yeah, I guess I could see why he would think I was tough for choosing to walk barefoot through the snow after that.’
Despite my circumstances, it was still hard for me to think of myself as tough. All I had done was survive, and I still couldn't take a weak hit from my brother without getting sent to the ground. Not that I minded. I liked people thinking good things about me instead of being disappointed, I just wish I felt like I earned it.
We walked over to his house on the far side of the castle, next to the barracks. Every so often he would turn back to check on me, and then slow down, outpacing me like Airsidh was. By the time we made it, I was short on breath again, but it was manageable.
He brushed the snow off his feet before entering and taking off his boots. “You doing alright?” His voice felt farther away than my eyes were telling me he was, and his movement felt slightly blurred.
My senses were numbed, and my balance felt a little off, but it wasn't like I was falling over. I was just a bit lightheaded. “Y-yea, I just need to sit down for a minute.”
“What's this?” His wife asked, peeking out from behind a door frame into the main hall. “Jerry, is that?” She looked slightly concerned as she asked the question, but it seemed like all that concern went away when he smiled back at her.
“Do we still have an extra pair of boots and a coat for Efah?”
She looked like she was trying to force a smile, but never managed to make it convincing. “I can get them, have the poor girl sit down by the fire. Efah!”
A small curly-haired kid came halfway down the stairs and started leaning over the railing, “Yes momma?”
“Can you bring some hot Anise Milk to your father and our guest in the other room?”
“Yup!” She said confidently. Her curly green hair bounced up and down as she walked to the bottom of the stairs. It was weird seeing someone shorter than I was.
Still, she was eight, six years younger than me… The fact that she was only shorter by a couple of inches made that feeling a melancholy one.
“Here, we will get you warmed up.” Jerry's voice resonated from behind me. I turned back around, having to catch myself from spinning too fast to look back at Jerry.
It almost felt wrong. I was rarely allowed close to the fire in the name of toughening myself. Anise milk was something I had heard my sister mention, but I had never tried. Mara only let me drink different bitter teas that were supposed to have varying benefits, not sweets.
Yet, suddenly before me in the other room, there were two chairs and a small fireplace that was burning brightly. Jerry sat in one, and I took my place on the floor between them, assuming the other chair was for his wife.
“Siya,” He leaned forward, “You can sit closer to the fire if you want to.”
It was true that the chairs were a fair distance away, but for some reason, I was nervous about getting any closer. “T-this is fine…”
He leaned back in his seat. “Then at least take the other chair.”
“No, I'm fine here.”
“Ok, let me grab you a blanket then.”
I could feel my face start to turn red. I was really fine, but I didn't want to keep saying no to his hospitality. “Uhm… O-ok.”
Before I knew it I was wrapped up in a large fur blanket. It wasn't as nice as the one my parents had, but it was still more than enough. “Is that better?”
I nodded, feeling uncomfortable and wanting to hide again. ‘Why do fur blankets always make me feel like this… They must be evil…’
