After two days of tireless sailing in the Ossian waters, they arrived at the port of Aerie Isle. Gideon docked the ship and instructed the crew to unload the goods, which were to be carried to the local market on Aerie Isle.
Mirabella pulled the thick woolen scarf around her neck and rubbed her gloved hands together for warmth. When she exhaled, the warm air from her breath met the cold air outside and condensed as a cloud of vapor. Her bright amber eyes looked down at the soft, powdery snow under her feet and rejoiced inside.
Despite visiting this place many times during their expedition, the sight of snow never ceased to excite her.
"Little egg! Make it quick. We have to depart by noon," Gideon yelled from the galley.
Mirabella thumbs up to him and walks toward the market to collect the debt from their regular buyers. The people walking on the snow-cleared path gradually made way for her. After all, with a man of intimating height like a bamboo walking beside her, anyone's reaction should be the same. Besides the peg leg attached to the stump of his knee, people sent wary glances at them.
She didn't pay heed to their reactions.
"Alaric, why don't you collect the money from Mr. Degenher? I will get it from Mr. Fincke," Mirabella suggested with a hopeful look on her face.
Alaric stooped down to see the little lady, who resembled a small grass in front of his giant beanstalk figure. "Captain Bib will have my other leg if I leave you alone here," he shook his head in denial.
Mirabella pouted and placed her hands on her hips. "I am not a child. I will be back here before you after collecting the money".
"Please", she pleaded, her hands clasping together to her front like a child.
Alaric sighed in resignation, "Be back soon; if you don't, I will inform the captain"
Mirabella nodded her head enthusiastically and turned to walk away from the place, leaving Alaric behind. Only after seeing her little figure turn down the familiar path that leads to Mr. Fincke's shop, does he leave to do his tasks.
Mirabella stopped in her tracks and turned her upper body to look behind her. A mischievous grin spread through her lips as she watched the towering figure of Alaric disappear into the distance. Without dallying around, her feet quickly darted in the opposite direction of the market.
Once she reached the backside of the market away from the bustling crowd, she let out a soft whistle. Her ears picked up the rustling behind the snow-covered bush. After a few seconds, a group of small puppies ran in her direction.
A giggle escaped her lips when they circled her, yipping excitedly. She squatted down, cradling a little white one in her arms, and gently caressed its soft snow-white fur that seemed to blend perfectly on this snowy ground.
"You have put on weight again," she teased, poking its snout.
"Ownk, Ownk," the puppy grunted in protest.
Mirabella laughed and took a few bread crumbs from her dress pocket, which she wrapped in a parchment of paper and placed on the ground. The white puppy jumped from her arms and joined the others for the treat. She watched them with a smile playing on her lips.
She had met them two months ago when she came here to collect money from their buyers and soon felt attached to them. Time passed quickly, and when it was time to complete her task, she sighed and stood up from the ground reluctantly. After petting them one last time, she made her way to Mr. Fincke's shop to collect the money.
It didn't take her long to finish her business. After receiving the money, she hurried to the market entryway, where she agreed to meet Alaric. In her haste to reach the place in the agreed time, her small figure collided with the steady shoulder of someone. She quickly bowed down to apologize, muttering a small sorry, and continued to speed up her steps.
The man frowned, his cavernous blue eyes that held the deepest abyss of the ocean fixed on the back of the hastily retreating figure of the woman.
"Did you smell that, Silas?" he asked his confidant, who stood behind him, a few steps away.
Silas's eyes widened as he smelled his armpits. "Did His Majesty find out that I didn't take a bath for two days?" He asked himself worriedly. He wasn't entirely to blame. After all, Aerie Isle was so cold that a drop of water on his skin would freeze him into a snowman.
"Fragrance of the Hall of Void," the man muttered in his low magnetic voice as the curiosity in his eyes began to grow.
He wondered how many secrets the land of Aerie Isle concealed under its snow.
Silas, who heard His Majesty, was at a loss. Void? Then why bother constructing a hall? He still cannot understand him even though he spent years beside his majesty.
"Let's go, it's begun to feel hot here," without waiting for a response, the man walked ahead, leaving the dumbfounded Silas behind.
Hot? Silas glanced down to see the soles of his boots frozen in ice. His body shuddered, whether to the chill air or by his majesty's words is unknown.
People around the market looked at them curiously, as they didn't appear to belong to Aerie Isle. The man walking ahead of Silas exuded a captivating and commanding presence, drawing the attention of both the men and women in the market.
The lustrous flaxen locks above his head glow from the sun's rays, bathing him in a distinct radiance. His thin lips quirked up in a seductive and wicked arc as he walked above the land of snow, melting it with his heated presence.
Mirabelle reached the entrance of the market, but to her dismay, Alaric was already standing there, looking down at her with a disapproving gaze. She gave him a sheepish smile. Seeing her breathless and sweat dripping from her forehead, Alaric chose not to reprimand her and directly led her to the ship.
Once the cargo was unloaded, the crew had lunch at the nearby inn. Since it would take another day to reach the capital of Everdale, Gideon suggested an early departure.
Far away from the port, Silas followed his majesty until they reached the frozen lake on the isolated side of the Aerie Isle. He gulped as his eyes scanned around his surroundings. The forest was completely covered with ice and snow. The tall, dense trees of the forest were blanketed with snow, and their branches were overgrown, making the place look a little darker even in the midday.
"You... Your Majesty, what are we doing here?" Silas asked, wrapping his arms around himself as he looked at the gothic forest warily.
Eros didn't reply to his confidant and kept his gaze fixed ahead at the frozen lake at the edge of the forest. Without waiting for Silas, he walked towards the lake until he reached the center of the frozen expanse. Silas, who was already terrified and concerned for his majesty, felt his miserable soul nearly leave his humble body when he saw Eros stomping his boots against the frozen water.
"Your Majesty!" Silas, forgetting the power of his Hawk's Cry, shouted dramatically at the top of his lungs, causing the sound waves to reverberate through the air and shake the entire frozen land. Eros, who just merely intended to test the ice's thickness, stared at the crack that started beneath his boots and fanned out in all directions.
His lips twitched as he cast a vicious glance at his subordinate. Silas immediately clamped his mouth shut and swallowed hard. Before the frigid layer could crack, Eros transformed into a humongous dark hawk, spreading his black wings wide, and flew away from the ice, landing stealthily in front of Silas.
In an instant, he morphed back into his human form and glared dangerously at Silas. Silas prayed silently that his treasured cauldrons and jugs should retain their shine until he was away. He closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate.
A few minutes later, Eros emerged from the frozen forest, brushing off the snow from his hands and clothes. Without delaying any further, he went straight to the dock to return to the capital.