The afternoon was grim and colourless, just as every other spring day in the land of Varðifold. A shadowy creature traversed across the sky, its wings extended with conceit while its two pairs of eyes stalked the wooded area. The place was packed with lofty birches shrouded in fog so thick, it muffled the guttural calls of willow grouses. The blackbird's inky eyes flashed on two heads emerging from the haze now and then, in an instant, it plunged through the clouds, keeping a safe distance from their figures.
The two men sauntered around the forest, following a narrow trail fading away as the woods grew denser. Frey wrapped his arms around himself and walked stiffly, observing the surroundings with a dirty look on his face.
"We have not met a single human being in hours, where in the hell did you bring us?" he whined.
The dragon King followed behind nonchalantly, his expressions calm and gentle as always.
"Oh, forgive me for transporting us expeditiously to the opposite side of the world. I shall let you board a ship on your way back." Yuan said as he played with the fan in his hands.
The boy paused letting a flock of brown chicks cross the pathway. They continued in silence, hearkening to the peculiar sounds of birds in an otherwise serene place. The four-eyed blackbird landed on a branch and peeped at the shivering youth when suddenly a rhythmic noise in the distance diverted its attention. Wheels brushed the cold ground, squeezing the life out of freshly emerged flowers. An elderly donkey was having a hard time drawing a cart. It walked at a snail's pace, the woman holding the reins exclaimed a few annoyed words and shook her head. She tugged at the animal to cease as she became aware of the two individuals who did not fit with the plain old woods. The cart stopped between them, Frey stared at her, then at his friend motioning him to speak.
"Visiting the village, sirs?" The woman asked. Her narrow face revealed as she lowered the scarf that covered her mouth. She was middle-aged, a white strand mingled with her dark hair in a loose braid.
The boy did not hesitate to answer, "quite frankly, we have lost our way thanks to my companion, he has no sense of direction."
The woman turned at the dragon King, sniggering.
"Worry not for our village is right beyond the woods." She gestured at the path. "I would have offered you a ride, but I'm afraid old Hafli will kick the bucket before long."
Frey was already caressing the donkey's forehead, his mouth curved into a smile as he reached a glowing palm on its muzzle. Its gloomy-looking fur suddenly turned smoother, the barely dead eyes flashed with energy, Hafli brayed and stroked its wet snout at the boy's chest.
The woman gasped, she quickly examined the donkey and turned at him with her jaw slack.
"Mister, are you a sorcerer by any chance? What business do you have in a place as such? Please, allow me to guide you," she exclaimed and gesticulated towards the carriage.
"A sorcerer? Heaven forfend!" Frey laughed to cover his annoyance.
For the remaining of the journey, the dragon King stayed sullen, listening to the unintelligible conversation between the other two. The woods became sparse and the earlier fog dispersed slowly. Oak houses looking like upside-down ships came into their view. As they passed the dirt road that connected the farms, they were met with the local people dressed in warm cloaks. Children abandoned their games and diverted their amusement towards the two strangers that looked like total opposites in their eyes. They held their breaths as the taller one leaped from the carriage with grace and dusted the straws from his elegant robes, he pulled the other by his collar and rushed him to get down.
"How truly humiliating. Please, ask the residents of that woman's whereabouts and let us be on our way. This place seems utterly poor and smells even poorer." He covered his nose with a sleeve.
Frey gave an awkward chuckle and patted the head of a kid that came running to him, little by little the women of the village approached as well, staring in awe as they mumbled at each other.
"Bryja wants us to stay for the night meal… there's fish and potatoes she says, and elderberry soup. I heard it is incredibly delicious."
The dragon King sighed. "I see what you are trying to do. All right then, we may stay a bit longer but do not forget our purpose here."
The woman led them to a longhouse at the side of the village surrounded by triangular buildings with their roofs extending all the way to the ground. The yard was full of bustling women of all ages; the elderly sat on benches chattering and crushing herbs with the stone grinder, a cranky old lady launched a potato towards the giggling teenagers, they scattered around, their fruity laughs ringing through the village.
Hung along the walls of the house was dried ginger and bunches of thyme tied with twine, coupled with shields dyed in vivid colours. The smoke from the large fireplace hit them all at once, causing them to tear up. Bryja left the door open and cast her fur at the bench, she then proceeded to stir the broth boiling in the soapstone pot.
Yuan felt the boy's stare and shifted closer to him. "I have noticed something peculiar."
"Yes, it seems there are no men in this village."
The woman signed them to sit at the cushions placed on the carpeted flooring. She yelled at one of the girls postured at the entrance.
"Daughter, have I taught you no manners? Bring mead for the gentlemen!"
The dark-haired girl rushed outside and returned with cups and a ceramic jug. She served the drink to Frey, gawping at his cat-like eyes. The youth reciprocated with an awkward smile and took a swig of the booze.
"I can tell you lads are not local. What brought you to our poor land?" asked Bryja.
Frey straightened. "We are looking for someone. A lady. Young, with dark hair and strange marks on her arms. I had heard she was last seen north of the capital, maybe she passed by your village?"
Fear crossed the woman's face, she turned away and paced around the room.
"There was a girl who came three months ago, riding along with a few soldiers. She had an agreement with my husband. You see, our village was famished, we barely scraped by when she offered us resources, cattle, grains, even some horses. All she asked in return was for our men to assist her in battle. I had never seen my husband so terrified… He spoke to me the day before we parted, urging me to take our daughter and leave this place." She took in a deep breath. "Get away as far as you can. Those were his words."
The dragon King glanced at Frey, an uneasiness washed over him as he saw his serious expression.
"What battle?" The boy's voice sounded unsteady. "Did that girl mention anything else?"
"I don't know the details of their discussion. She demanded every man capable of combating, even boys younger than you."
Frey approached her and held out his hand, a crescent flashed on his palm.
"Can I see?" He asked.
The woman studied him for a moment, after a while she nodded. A white glow emerged as the boy's hand touched her forehead, colour drained out of her face, her eyes dulled.
Frey scanned his surroundings, the village houses were now enveloped in snow, and the dirt road was frozen entirely. Dense clouds swallowed the winter sun, preventing even the tiniest rays of light from stroking the earth. A black destrier stormed from the timber fence, followed by other three. The rider was a girl barely in her teens. Hair like ink tied up in two buns, a coronet of two horns bound with flowers and feathers was rigidly attached to her head. She hopped from the horse like a wildling and marched towards a burly man, the toes of her bare feet flushed pink in the snow. She muttered something in a low voice, and the man waved off the village troopers. The image faded, and a different scene appeared before him. This time it was dark, and the muscular man was seated on a highchair in a candlelit hall. The flame danced at the gush of wind that entered the room, the boy sensed an unfamiliar rage as he approached the chief rapidly, he felt himself screaming at the man in a husky female voice that he had heard moments before. The man stood up and pulled him in a tight embrace. For a moment, the boy felt uncomfortable prying into the intimate scene. He distinguished an apology from the man's low mumbling and a warm feeling drowned out the previous anger.
Upon awakening, his eyes met with Yuan's face. He sensed the ground and the firm arms around him and could not help but smile.
"You fainted once again," the man said.
"I'm alright." He sat up and reassured the woman crouched beside them. "I must apologise. The girl… she is not the one we are looking for."
The woman was still in a daze, staring at the boy who rushed his friend outside. He turned at her before leaving. "Thank you for your hospitality, and for the disclosure, but I'm afraid we cannot stay for the meal." He stopped, his face became serious. "I think you should consider your husband's advice."
Bryja wiped the tears from her eyes and followed them outside, but the figures had quickly disappeared into thin air, leaving behind thunderstruck faces.
☾
Frey scurried through the familiar birch woods in silence, behind him chased Yuan.
"Where are we heading? Did you find out her location? Frey! You will not tell me what the matter with your powers is, at least let me know what is going on."
The boy slowed down his pace. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about the young maiden I saw in her memories. She… this will sound truly weird but, she seemed like one of us."
"Do not start again. Apart from the fancy attires, we resemble humans more than some humans do. So please clarify how exactly did she look like us."
Frey rolled his eyes and stepped over a tree root sticking out from the ground.
"Don't you ever get this feeling of familiarity when you meet a complete stranger? Like you have seen them before but you haven't really."
"I do not. And I believe the nostalgia of our homeland has clouded your judgment. How long has it been since you visited last time. Eighty, ninety years? Perhaps that is why you get exhausted when using even the simplest spells."
"That's nowhere near close, you're just fabricating motives for me to go back."
"Then maybe you feel drained because you indulged that royal associate of yours with spiritual energy, just how you did with that miserable donkey." He saw the boy halt at the remark. "Did you help his soldiers too?"
Frey stared at him for quite some time, then continued walking.
"I haven't broken any rules if you are so concerned. They would be dead if I had."
"Choosing sides like this, you understand how hypocritical that is? We came here with an intention to keep earth in order. Getting involved in a war between humans was a foolish mistake from the beginning, yet I did not argue with you since it made you happy… Break any laws you want, I couldn't care less, but quit harming yourself for their sake. What makes that kingdom so important that you would go to such lengths to protect it?" Yuan's harsh voice sounded around, disturbing the birds that were perched on tree branches.
The youth did not look back, instead, he stopped in front of a massive stone brick set firmly into the ground. Frey crouched and observed the stone like it was the most valuable jewel. Upon first glance, the stone looked dull and fractured, and with no particular traits, but he noticed a tiny mark carved in the language of ancient Gods. The letter meant 'shield' and was often used in creating different kinds of barriers. His face suddenly brightened and he rushed deep into the wooded area as the man chased after him.
The birch trees became sparse and the boy vanished into the grassy field dominated by the fog. Yuan shouted, but his words were trapped in the grey haze, the sudden murkiness of the place gave him the chills. He noticed several more blocks that erected in front of him, arranged into what once was a high wall.
A faint clank sounded from behind, the man turned around immediately, seeing nothing but bricks engulfed in grey. His face remained calm as he proceeded towards the unknown when a pale hand emerged from the fog and pulled him by his sleeve, his wide eyes fell upon the grinning boy.
"Where did you wander off? Come, you have to see this." He said and dragged him deeper into the woods.
The dragon King let the boy lead him, the soft ground at their feet slowly turned into a rocky pathway and the fog faded away. Old ruins came into view, at the edge of a cliff stood a large citadel wrecked and soiled by time. Two arched columns stayed strong, while the walls around them were crushed, exposing the empty halls.
Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Is this supposed to be her residence? Last time we met, she acted all high and mighty… that pompous shrew."
"You think so? But look at the view. Can anyone resist such beauty?" He gestured at the twisted river and the mountains still covered in snow. The north was known for its long winters and bleak environment, but just like every other land on earth it had places that could cause the envy of heaven.
Frey stepped further into the ruins wanting to observe the area better when all of a sudden the floor under him gave way, dropping him in the dark hole at once.