"Preposterous!" one of the men shout. "Everyone in the village knows that the Winter Vessel can only be a man of white hair."
"It would be more believable to say that that man there is the Winter Vessel, but he keeps denying it," another man claims, pointing at Noel.
The old man holds up a hand to quiet down the other guys then approaches me. Noel blocks the old man's path, but I slightly nudge his arm for him to move.
"Child, what is your name?" the old man asks, continuing his intense stare at me.
"Viola Winter."
The old man reaches up and takes a lock of my mostly white hair into his hands. Noticing how short the old man is, I bend down so that he can get a better look.
"Child, you seem like a smart girl, so you wouldn't make a baseless claim unless you can back it up. Why should we believe you?"
