Nothing compared to the cold of Wintherdalle.
Not even the blood of one of the residents of the capital, who now dripped from her fingers.
That was one of her first discoveries. The inhabitants of Wintherdalle although they have the characteristics of the kingdom, dozens of them are descendants of other kingdoms.
Kingdoms that were lost hundreds of years ago.
Only the Pure have white blood. The blood that now dripped on the floor of the little tavern was blue. The man had descendants from the kingdom of Seany Land.
Taking a deep breath, she crouched down, tearing off the tissues that covered the man's now lifeless body, and covered herself. Sooner or later the royal spies would find out about his offspring.
The young woman just hoped they would never discover her offspring. Looking at the cave, she noticed an empty wine bottle, reflected by one of the torches that were still lit on the walls. She stared at her reflex and sniffed, there was no time to contemplate who she had been in the past.
The young woman got up with her head held high, and headed for the exit as she pulled the lighter from her pocket. As soon as she opened the door of the wooden tavern, the gust of wind found her white hair, making it blink slightly, protecting her vision.
She hated the winter. She hated the cold. She hated Wintherdalle. She repudiated the fact that it was the only habitable kingdom.
She snorts with her own thoughts, the young woman ascended the lighter and threw it into the tavern as she walked away from the establishment without worry.
The young woman whistled the sequence that only she and one more person knew, and then chaos settled. People started screaming, breaking glass were heard, and their laughter was drowned out by the sound of gunfire. The residents of the capital ran everywhere as she was relaxed. The sound of his laughter made her sway to the side, just to be pushed back.
— The last to arrive is the next to eat Dharys' food.
Vaxter shouted as the others laughed. Dharys herself laughed at the threat as she let her colleagues run in front of her.
— Wait for me!
A sharp voice sounded in chaos, causing Dharys to slow down a little. The young woman reached for the child, and as they always did, the little creature jumped into the air and Dharys took her in his arms.
— Fleurie, you should be in bed.
Dharys scolded her as she pressed her to her chest, transferring heat. Fleurie smirked as she removed a stir of hair from her eyes from the wind.
— You are not in bed, or are you?
Dharys rolled her eyes, and lost to her, since Fleurie was the only one to rip off Dharys's sincere smiles.
— Funny.
— Poor Fleurie, you'll have to eat Dharys food.
Vaxter's brother mocked when they entered the house they used as a hiding place. The child turned to Voxd and raised the finger Dharys had taught her to get up when someone had "silly attitudes."
Vaxter and Dharys looked at each other and burst out laughing. Voxd narrowed his eyebrows and approached Fleurie, who was still on Dhary's arms. Vaxters Brother puffed out his chest, ready to fight Fleurie, but Dharys interrupted him, placing one of her hands against Fleurie's head and pulling her to her chest as she turned sideways, ready to hurt him if Voxd dared to hurt Fleurie.
— If I were you, you wouldn't mess with her.
His brother advised as he passed him, patting his back. Voxd watched his brother angrily. He tilted his lips with disgust as he shook his head.
— Just because you share the covers with her doesn't mean she won't kill you like she did with Alexhander.
Dharys's feature became colder than winter itself, and more mortal than her sword made of ashes. Dharys put Fleurie on the floor and patted her back, pointing her to the bedroom. Vaxter approached facing his brother, as if ready to kill him. However, Dharys glanced at him in threat.
Vaxter fought her for seconds, but knew she would always win.
— Alexhander got what he deserved. One more comment, and your end will be worse than his. You decide.
With a frightening calm, Dharys responded by looking Voxd in the eye, as if she could eat his soul behind them. Voxd smiled bitterly.
— I'm not afraid of you — he spat.
Dhays's lips curved down, smiling just as she smiled at her enemies before killing them.
— Then why do you sleep with the door locked, Voxd?
Her eyes caught fire with the taste of her own words. She knew why.
— You're lucky I consider your brother my family, because if he wasn't, your body would already be rotting nailed to the wall just as Alexhander rotted under the floor that you are stepping on now.
Voxd shuddered. She knew he was staring at his brother over her shoulder.
The others arrived seconds later, opening a cue for Voxd to go to the bedroom. Dharys took a deep breath.
— He's an asshole, just ignore it.
Vaxter whispered as he squeezed her shoulders, massaging her lightly. Her body was tense, and Vaxter was the only one who knew why.
— I ignored Alexhander for years, and look where it took me — she said, turning to him, ignoring the fact that others put various foods and artifacts on the table.
— I know, you i didn't have to be so ...
— I needed to. If I don't defend myself, no one will — Dharys interrupted him.
Vaxter sighed, moistening his lips, ready to retort.
— I will never be respected or feared here if you defended me forever. It's my turn. They need to see what happens if someone messes with me or my family.
— I understand. I just think you should tell them. That would stop the comments.
— Let them believe what they want. My secret dies with me, and with you — Dharys replied, putting an end to the discussion.
❄️
Fleurie slept huddled under the rags that served as a cover. The child was only 7 years old, and had been through things that not even Dharys could imagine. Dhays was 5 years old when she met Vaxter.
She had just lost her mother to the cold of Wintherdalle, which for some reason cooled more each year. The inhabitants of the kingdom of Wintherdalle can withstand temperatures that the lost kingdoms could never. But since the magic was lost, something or someone has stopped controlling the air level.
Maybe Ellse really had abandoned them.
Dharys was huddled in her mother's lifeless arms, crying softly, her tears turning to ice when she heard Vaxter. A boy with white hair, like any other, but with a slightly different eye color.
Instead of having his blue eyes, like all the inhabitants of Wintherdall, one of his eyes was gray, while the other was white.
Vaxter was blind in one eye.
And the white eye could only mean one thing.
Mutation.
The uncontrolled cold and lack of magic affected all the inhabitants. Years ago, magic reigned. Now only royals have magic running through their veins.
Not even white blood, the pure, have magic. But Vaxter was an exception. He did not control the air, or the cold.
Vaxter's white eye resulted in the ability to find lost things.
That's how he found Dharys.
