Life is simple in Frostspire, a sleepy little village perched by the sea, cradled in the lap of mountains tall and snow-clad. Yet a simple life is not without its problems. Fortunately, the folk of Frostspire have someone to turn to when in need; a...
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A gentle knock on the door roused Alvar out of an early morning slumber. It was one of those dawns when your eyes opened on their own and you woke well-rested, despite the early hour.
Outside, it was still dark, and a sweet chill in the air foretold the approach of winter, though the leaves still held the red and gold of autumn.
Alvar opened the door to find Lars sitting on the porch. He was busy silently conversing with a firefly on his palm.
"Morning." Alvar sat down beside him with a yawn.
Lars watched the firefly take flight from his hand. "Go get ready," he said. "Today I'm going to take you somewhere special."
"Special?" All sleepiness fled Alvar in a moment.
The wizard nodded, but elaborated no more. Seeing Alvar hesitate, he added playfully, "well, if you've got work to do, that's fine."
No one had much to do on the last week-day. The shop would remain closed. And Alvar had already finished all there was to do, his plants were watered, the fences repainted, the washing done, the house neat and clean.
"How long would we be gone?" he asked, feeling a bubble of excitement in his stomach, already wondering what things he ought to pack.
"Half a day, at the most," said Lars.
Alvar's heart sank. "Oh."
"Just go and get dressed, will you?" Lars said again. "We'll have breakfast on the way."
Alvar went inside and put on his best shirt, tried to brush his hair but gave up halfway, and finished up the look by putting on Gran's old cloak that she used to wear on her mushroom hunts. It was a dark blue, embroidered with golden thread and it still had a wonderful foresty smell trapped in its folds.
Last but not the least, he remembered to prepare some sandwiches for Aunt Elena and left a note on the mantelpiece.
When he stepped out at last, huffing and puffing, the sky had begun to turn gold and birds sang from the trees.
