The Snow Maiden

Brother Shadow

Link heaved on the ropes, lifting up the large canopy above the recently cleared town square. The villagers had insisted on having as the mayor said, 'a little get-together' to celebrate his arrival which was slowly turning into what looked like an all out town party. He could even smell something cooking on the freezing breeze and worried that someone was wasting their scant resources on this, which he didn't know if he could bear. As he picked up an end of the flags to string up along the edges, Kane trotted over.

"Hey! Link! You won't believe what I saw! This guy that looks just like you just walked into the village-well, you gone all black and pale. He said he didn't know you, but he sounded real onry so I think he was lying. Do you know him?"

Link pulled the flag string through a hoop in the canopy post. "Yep."

Kane waited for Link to elaborate. Instead, he knotted the flag strings and moved along the line to the next post. Kane followed.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Is he your brother or something?"

"Guess you could say that."

"What's his name?"

"Uh," Link tied another knot to hold the flags in place. "Shadow."

Kane wrinkled his nose. "Shadow? What kind of name is that?"

"Just don't bother with him, kay? He's not exactly safe."

"Yeah, I could tell he had issues."

"He has more than issues. Seriously, Kane, stay away from him, got it?"

"Okay, okay, jeeze. It's not like I wanted to talk to him anyways."

As Link finished the rest of the line of flags, Kane watched blankly. A few children ran past him throwing snowballs and he side stepped to dodge one.

"Sooo..." he started, "have you figured out what to do about Lady Frost?"

"Is that what you guys call her?"

"More or less."

"I was going to do some investigating, yes, but then you're mother sort of speared me for this flag job."

"Heh, yeah, hard to say no to the dragon look, isn't it?"

Which reminded him; his shadow had seen this girl, hadn't he? He should have asked where she had appeared, maybe he could get a lead on finding her. But even then, what would that accomplish? Kane could tell him all he wanted to know, couldn't he? And once he found the girl, then what? Ask her politely to lift the curse? Draw her near to fire once more?

"Hey, Kane, where did you guys meet this girl?"
"It was different every time, so I can't really say."

"Dang it."