The cold is severe, but my worries are worse. As I trudge through the forest to go back to the house, all I could think about is the fact that my dreams weren't just dreams. My dreams were real events that happened over a hundred years ago. I want to ignore it, but if I do, several generations of Winter Vessels will get upset that they have been searching for nothing.
"Lady Viola! You must be freezing!" Noel runs up to me as I emerge from the forest and wraps me in one of my thicker blankets.
I grab onto Noel's sleeve and look up at him dazed. "Noel, can you... take me to... my room?" I ask before passing out from mental exhaustion.
Noel picks me up and cradles me in his arms while Delic adjusts the blanket so that it covers me. The calm winter breeze and the soft sound of snow crunching beneath Noel's and Delic's feet temporarily cast my mind away from my current worries.
---
"Noel, can I ask you something about our conversation last night?" I ask while sitting in the bathtub.
