«Pahh!»
This scene was so funny that Remesis held back from laughing out loud. She suddenly thought that in all her two lives, she had never seen anything funnier than this.
Asil was like a puppy that had snatched a piece of meat from the table in the absence of its masters. Her facial muscles were working very fast, and it seemed like she was eating bread without even swallowing. For all that, her gaze was still fixed on Remesis.
Usually beasts guard their food very jealously. One step closer and it would growl, and in a bad turn of events it would tear it apart in the blink of an eye. At this point, the princess was not much different from them.
Though Remesis had no intention of taking anything from her, she still felt threatened and decided not to take any chances. Holding back the smile that was begging to come out, the girl turned away and finished her bread in silence.
Well, at least it was a sight worth seeing. After all, when else would she get to see a ruthless northern devil do something so cute and funny?
Asil: Hrum. Hrum.
This «breakfast» was, of course, the most meager of all that Remesis had to settle for in this life. But the girl didn't complain, happy already that they had at least some food. She ate the not-so-fresh bread and drank water with it. Meanwhile, contemplating their onward journey.
Of course, continuing to stay in this place was not an option.
In their previous life, they had been stuck in a desolate wilderness for almost a month. Those days were remembered by Remesis as the worst days of her life. Not only was she deprived of the usual human amenities necessary for a comfortable life, but she struggled to keep from freezing to death. Not to mention the other dangers of the North.....
Every night the girl was forced to fall asleep to the howling of wolves and the snarling of monsters, which only by luck did not stumble upon their shelter.
At the mere thought of having to go through all that again and eating half raw meat from wild animals, Remesis began to vomit. She still couldn't forget that disgusting taste, and even after they'd been through it, she couldn't look at meat normally for a few more years.
«Anything but that!»
Back then, they were just children who couldn't do anything. They had been left alone to survive in a foreign land that they had never heard of or known anything about before. Children who had survived only by a miracle. However, things were different now.
The time Remesis had spent in those eight years had not been wasted. The girl had explored the northern environs up and down. Even without a map or compass, she could determine their location just by the direction of sunlight. Remesis was well aware of the location of all the local settlements.
Of them, the closest to this place was the small village of Araken.
It had only fifty inhabitants, and the village itself was poor and rundown. Such were the consequences from the onslaught of barbarian tribes that had terrorized these lands and the northern inhabitants for decades now.
The Remesis, however, didn't care. As long as they could find shelter and food — the girl was willing to go anywhere.
Anything was better than continuing to hole up here.
Fortunately, the money Remesis had been saving all this time would finally come in handy. The girl secretly collected jewelry that her older sister had lost interest in. Then she told Seyla to sell them to a jeweler. The proceeds should be enough to sustain them in the North.
At least for the first time.
But when Remesis thought about how to explain all this to the little beast that hid from her in the cave, she only sighed. When they got here, Asil had lurked in the darkest corner of the cave and barely made it out of there.
Remesis could only see a pair of golden eyes that watched her steadily from the shadows. Her eyes stood out strongly in the solid darkness. Such a sight was certainly somewhat frightening… But after a while, the girl even got used to it.
«She really does act like a beast,» Remesis hummed.
At any rate, she had already managed to bait the princess with bread this morning. But the girl wasn't sure if that trick would work again.
Remesis thought for a moment before speaking:
— Mm… Your Highness, I heard that there is a village somewhere nearby.
«…»
The princess didn't answer anything, but faintly perked up her ears.
— There should be food and water there. And also a place to sleep. A place to shelter from the cold… Anyway, I'm going to head there. If you want, you can come with me.
Asil: …
Remesis sighed.
«Okay… So be it.»
As parents usually do with their cranky children, Remesis decided to pull a trick. The girl walked a short distance away from the cave, pretending to leave. She looked back from time to time.
The last thing Remesis wanted to do was risk trying to take Asil away by force. She couldn't really leave her here, could she? But staying in this wilderness wasn't an option either… Anyway, the girl hoped for the best.
And thankfully, her expectations were met.
Several minutes passed before a rustling sound was heard from the cave.
Soon a small dark creature did indeed appear from there. Remesis exhaled a sigh of relief. She continued walking, feeling with her back that small footsteps were following her.
Remesis acted as a guide and walked first, while Asil, squinting at her incredulously, followed behind at some distance.
In this way they walked for several kilometers.
The weather was better today than yesterday. The snowstorm had subsided, the wind had died down. The two small silhouettes made their way through the drifts in the vast snowy wasteland. For eight years Remesis, accustomed to the warm climate of the southern part of the empire, felt out of place. She was just waiting for it to end.
— It's so cold here…
The girl muttered, rubbing her palms together. Her only dream now was to be in front of a hot fire. She estimated that it would take them about two hours to reach the village.
Asil stared at her in silence. A strange spark flashed in her golden eyes for a moment.
But it quickly evaporated when Remesis turned to her.
— Your Highness, aren't you cold?
Asil frowned.
— No.
The princess sometimes answered her with only such short one-word phrases. Remesis even wondered if she could speak anything else besides that. She was probably very unfamiliar with human speech.
— Well… You'll tell me if there's anything else. I don't have any other warm clothes, but I can give you my cloak.
«…»
Asil looked at her impassively, but didn't say anything.
After a short wandering, they reached Araken Village, which was surrounded by a stone wall. Iron spires were erected on top of it, with two rounded squat towers towering above them.
The garrison of the watchtower consisted of only a few stiff-legged men. One of them came down to the travelers, who immediately aroused his suspicion.
— Who are they?
His unkind gaze slid over the children, who looked at best like the offspring of a barbarian tribe. Covered in dirt and blood. Especially the girl with shaggy black hair who looked more like a northern savage than anything else.
— Can we get into the village? — Remesis asked quietly.
— I asked, «Who are you? — The man growled, striking the ground with his spear, «Not the broods of those savages, are you? Then tell your chief we have nothing. Even if they come, they can't get anything!
— We're not barbarians.
— Really? Then what are children like you doing here?!
Remesis sighed heavily. The sentinel was right. They really didn't look like children of aristocrats now, not just children of aristocrats, but ordinary people in general. The sight of them after everything that had happened was horrible.
Especially Asil, who was already suspicious. With her rough appearance and rough manners, the girl could easily pass for the daughter of some northern savage.
So the guard's fears about the children appearing out of nowhere seemed well-founded.
At the same time, Remesis happened to notice that the princess was giving the man no less unfriendly stares than he was giving them. When the guard raised his tone and spoke to them threateningly — Asil growled softly. Remesis was afraid that something terrible was about to happen, and hurriedly took control of what was happening.
Just in case, she took Asil aside, and smiled guiltily. To smooth things over, Remesis decided to use a skill she had learned well in her new life. Lying with an innocent expression on her face!
— We are actually from the capital city,» Remesis said pathetically, «Our parents are merchants and came to the north to sell firewood. It happened that on the way our wagon was attacked by wild animals…
The little girl's heartwarming story was capable of touching the hearts of anyone. The sentinel stood and listened with his mouth open.
— …And so, after much wandering, we finally came to this place.
Even Asil stopped wriggling and stared at her dumbly. The princess and the guard both looked at her in silence. As her story came to an end, Remesis remembered to brush away a few tears. She was really trying her best to get into the village, and preferably without violence…
— Uh… Uh, uh… That…
The sentinel hesitated.
No one could resist the child's big blue eyes filled with pity.
«Uncle, please! We haven't eaten anything for days…»
Gradually, the guard's angry gaze changed to a merciful one.
These girls involuntarily reminded the man of his own children who were about the same age. As a father, couldn't he be sympathetic? In a place as cruel as the north, it was the weakest who had the hardest time.
Besides, the blue-eyed little girl's speech really had a southern accent. It didn't sound like they were from the tribe of those brainless thugs.
The sentinel decided to make an exception.
— Well, all right, come in…» he grumbled grudgingly, putting his spear aside.
— Thank you very much, uncle!
As soon as they managed to enter the village, Remesis saw a less than impressive sight. Like most of the settlements in the north, the people lived very poorly after being ravaged by the barbarians. Not compared to the capital, where even the poorest commoner family owned their own livestock and land.
The market square was just outside the gate, but the wooden stalls were empty. They walked through the muddy village streets, past rows of small houses made of logs and rough stone. The few villagers glanced anxiously at the unknown travelers.
Remesis's heart squeezed involuntarily at the sight. Life in the north was indeed hard. The girl had come here knowing exactly what awaited her. And yet, at times like this, she couldn't remain indifferent.
North and south were so vastly different that it seemed as if they were two different states.
The girl sighed shallowly. One way or another, her sympathy would not help these poor people in any way. First of all, she must change her fate.
After wandering down the street for a bit, Remesis and Asil came across the only tavern in the village. The wooden building was two stories high and, like the rest of the buildings, looked dilapidated and dilapidated.
But Remesis stepped inside without delay, eager to feel the long-awaited warmth.
The tables for visitors were empty in the middle of the day. Remesis only noticed a few drunks emptying the cheap liquor behind the counter. However, the good-natured aunt, the tavern owner, saw the rare visitors and headed straight for them.
— Welcome! Children, what do you want?
Her voice sounded soft and friendly.
It involuntarily had a calming effect on Remesis. In a place like this, she was happy to meet nice people.
— We'd like to rent a room…
— Oh, of course, a room. All of our rooms are vacant right now. You can choose any one you like!
— Thank you. We're ready to move in right now.
— Where are your parents? They're not with you?
— We're traveling alone.
— Alone? Oh, my God! So small… It must have been hard on you.
The hostess' sympathetic gaze rested on Asil. Apparently, her appearance shocked the woman. The little girl's hair was stiff and tangled like a tangle of dry straw. And her clothes, torn in several places, looked more like rags.
Not to mention the fact that she was covered in mud and blood.
— Oh, oh, oh, oh,» the woman mumbled incoherently, completely unaware that the atmosphere was becoming more and more tense, «Child, what happened to you!
The tavern owner's hand reached out carefully to touch her cheek.
«Oh, no!»
Remesis panicked as the woman in front of her was about to do something completely rash. The moment the mistress touched Asil, there was a good chance she would no longer have her hand.
Asil's amber eyes became bloodshot, which meant that things were bad. The princess hated being touched by strangers, and it was as if her protective instincts were kicking in.
Trying to think of a way to save this kind-hearted aunt, Remesis took a desperate step. The girl lunged forward, and found nothing better to do but pull the princess to her.
Her shimmering golden pupils flinched.
— It's alright…» the girl spoke softly next to her ear, «You no longer live in the palace.
After these words, the small body in her arms froze.