I'm Right Here

Before The Exile

Mornings in the snow border were consistent and mundane. The air was frigid as the sun shyly peaked through the trees, gently stirring the forest to life. The birds peeked out of their nest, the deers shook the snow from their heads, and the small cottage stood lifelessly. Though the cottage appeared lifeless, it was quite lively on the inside. The hearth has yet to be used, which is quite the mistake in the snow biome. The woman sleeping soundly in her small room would soon realize this as when she woke up.

Harley, the owner of the cottage, could never get accustomed to the cold. She has been living there for about four years, yet she still doesn't remember to keep plenty of coal in her furnaces to keep the house warm during the night. The screeching of crows caused Harley to snap awake in alarm, where she soon regretted all her life decisions. Her house was freezing, which meant her stone floors would compare to walking on ice. Harley wrapped her thick blanket around her bronze skin, providing a weak shield from the cold. She hastily searched for her slippers, dancing around her room to avoid keeping her feet on the ground. She quickly slipped them on, satisfied that her feet no longer were touching the frigid stone. Harley began to make her way down the stairs of her cottage, directly to the kitchen where she could feed the furnace more coal.

Harley eagerly tossed in some coal and the fire roared to life. Feeling the warmth of the fire, Harley began to go about her day. She placed a teakettle on the furnace as she went back to her room to put her blanket back. Harley made her bed, which was small and plain. She went to leave but stopped in front of her mirror. Staring back her were dark eyes, nearly black. Her golden was in a slightly unruly braid that reached her lower back. Harley was taller than the average height at a whopping 5 feet and 9 inches, not the tallest, but tall. The nightgown she adorned was wrinkled from sleep and stopped just below knees like a giant t-shirt.

Not caring about her looks, she continued down the stairs back to her kitchen to make herself her coffee. However, when she opened her icebox there was nothing except an apple. "Hm," Harley closed the box before turning back to the furnace, "I guess I need to go back to the village today." With a plan in mind, Harley removed the kettle and turned to go change in her room. Searching through her chests, she eventually came across a fairly decent outfit. It was just a simple set of Black trousers and a thick yellow turtleneck sweater. She strapped on her heavy-duty boots and placed her heavy black cloak.

Once ready, she strode downstairs to grab her bag that was hanging on a hook by the door, and walked out onto her porch, which was old and rickety (she'll have to fix that later). Determined to get food soon, Harley went to her stables to grab her black horse, Winney. She was a sturdy horse, quite fast and strong. Harley had found her when she first came to the Overworld; an animal she had never seen before but quite similar to a Strider in a way. The only difference is that Winney shied away from the random lava pits in the Overworld and she is far more pretty.

Harley gently guided Winney out of the stables and climbed onto her horse. Once settled on, she took off over the snowy hill and into the mountains. The land was mostly bare with a few scattered spruce trees. It took a little over 30 minutes, the Dark Oak forest eventually coming to view with the village outskirts being visible. Harley slowed down when she reached the path, bringing Winney to a stroll.

"Good morning, Harley!" the farmer called to her from his plot of land with a wave. He was a sturdy man, a lot of brawn from the labor of farming. He wore an old straw hat with a bright red ribbon around it and he had a very nice beard as well.

"Good morning, Joseph. How are the wife and kids?" Harley asked as she climbed down her horse and guided it down the path to Joseph.

"Oh, they're great. Martha is actually down in the market," He gestured towards the market which was just past the town center. It was under the shade of the Dark Oak Trees, which made it perfect for shopping.