No... no... no... no!
You've got to be kidding! When Uriel said 'early', I thought that he meant a few hours after sunrise, but this guy has been gone since the first light pierced the sky. Does he even sleep?
The stable boy made it clear that he always searches for his horse at the first ray of sunshine and only comes back once the sun is fully risen at the 8th hour. It's five in the morning and he's been gone since four.
Normally, I'd give up. After all, he'll be back soon enough. However, I want to make sure that he sees me and knows of my intentions immediately.
So, I decided to wait him out.
I covered myself with the squirrel fur coat Uriel had managed to get his hands on and slowly began weaving the straw from the haybale I was sitting on. All of the horses looked at it like it was a delicious snack, but I was taught at a young age that straw-weaving was an art.
Women weaved straw braids and handed them to their loved ones before they departed for war, and since they had no value, even if they died, it would not be removed from their body. And just like the straw, their bodies will return to the earth.
I continued to weave a special pattern that my mother had taught me. If I'm being honest, I can't believe I still remembered how to do it. I'd spend hours in the evenings watching her fingers muddle through the thick pieces of straw, making baskets and even summer hats.
"My talent doesn't bring back a lot of money like yours, Less." she'd say. "But it's honest work all the same."
I don't remember when the cold made my eyelids so heavy that I could barely keep them open. I can't remember when I leaned back and curled myself into a ball, slowly drifting to sleep.
-----------------------
Hours flew by, until a cloaked figure rode through the gate just as the world began to rouse from its sleep. Thrown over his shoulder were two rabbits, both as pure as the blanket of snow surrounding the castle.
Upon dismounting in front of the stables, a wolf jumped and stood by his side as he slowly drew the horse towards the individual booths.
The wolf froze and looked up at the cloaked figure. "I smell someone unfamiliar." the wolf declared to his master. The man proceeded with caution, slowly making his way towards the door before throwing it open to reveal...
A woman, curled up in a ball, hugging her cloak, looking as serene as can be.
"That's a female." the wolf mumbled, slowly making his way towards my sleeping self, unaware of the dangers of the world. "And she smells good, very good!"
The cloaked man took a step forward before noticing the red fingers and the flushed cheeks of the woman.
"At this rate, this woman will get sick." he thought. "Well, it was her own fault for falling asleep outside in the wintertime."
He turned around to leave only for his path to be blocked by the wolf. "I like her scent. Can she be my playmate, like Ur-eel and Ste-ffen?"
The man frowned, unshaken by the animal's plea. He took a step forward, almost running over his wolf in the process. But the animal wasn't going to give up so easily. With one quick motion, he ran behind his master and grabbed his cloak in his teeth, pulling him back.
"Mwashter, prease don't weave witheut dwing someting!" he snarled, fabric in his mouth. He growled until the man finally yanked on his cloak, making it rip off the fur lining it.
"DOG!" the cloaked man shouted, looking at the wolf menacingly. The animal cowered back, lying down all while chewing on the fur.
"Mmm..."
Both of their eyes immediately found the sleeping beauty trapped in her dream, slowly lulling her way back to sleep after rousing from their fight. Dog slowly walked towards the woman and pulled her cloak over her shoulder, lining her boots with the fur he had stolen from his master's cape.
"I'm staying here tonight." the wolf declared, jumping up and lying down over the woman's head. "You don't need to prepare my reward."
The man didn't seem pleased with that. As the wolf got comfortable, he finally caved and swooped under the woman's legs, lifting her up with practically no effort. She was so deeply asleep that she didn't even realise she was being taken away by a strong cloaked man.
The wolf followed them both triumphantly as the man brought her inside, where she was immediately passed off to Uriel at the front door.
"W-What's going-"
"Take her to some guest room, I don't care where you put her. Clearly she wants to die if she fell asleep in that dreadful chill. Help her back to her home in Fountainfall."
Uriel went to add something but the man had already disappeared. He sighed and looked down at the young woman who he knew full well wasn't just some other woman from the village.
"Seems like you've finally met your future bride, Bastian." he declared before slowly walking up the steps to drop her off in her bedroom. And somehow, during all of this, the young woman still didn't open her eyes and dreamed the midday away.
Make sure to add me to your library so you know when I update. Do it now so that you don't forget~. #contest