❄Winter Nights Tales🌙Luca Balsa x Reader🌨

☁️Introduction to the Snow☕

   Another day, another job __ would look for. As usual, she woke up and looked out her window, seeing the harsh weather that was from those north of the lands. The Ice Valley.

   Seeing all that weather everyday since she were born, it had brought up happiness and comfort. Which were the main emotions that usually got __ off the cozy and warm bed and change to look for another job, as everyday since her 10.

  "Time to get up and face another difficult day, me. Breathe in and out..." A long inhale and exhale filled her body with courage to finally stop being lazy and face the adult life.

   Putting a warm pair of pants and a thick shirt, __ started to change her pjs, then thinking twice for a moment. Before grabbing a cute long dress she had, putting it over all the warm layers. It incredibly made a cute outfit, not to mention how warm it felt under all those clothes.

   "Let's see what should I eat today... pancakes from yesterday, we have eggs and... ew, rotten milk. Let's put this aside, shall we?" __ she said, scrunching her nose and grabbing the gooey box of milk from the shelf then throwing the fluid on the sink and putting the box on the trash can.

   "Alright, I guess I'll eat scrambled eggs then." She said with a soft snicker, grabbing the eggs from the shelf and putting them on the counter.

  __ turned around and crouched, looking for the frying pan on the lower cabinets. As she put the pan on the stove, she started to crack the eggs on a small bowl and add a few light seasonings, to energize a little her breakfast.

   "What does the villagers have for me today?" __ asked herself, sighing softly, gently putting her fresh-made breakfast on a plate. "Only fate might know, I hope is something easy though."

    While eating, she thought of everything she could do for some money. Clean the snow from the roofs, clean the hallways of the houses, help at the shops of the village, hunt some animals, grab wild berries... so many things that could be done today.

    Once she was finished, she put the dirty dishes on the sink and grabbed her bag she always used. Now heading out of her house and locking the door before walking towards the center of the village.

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    The Ice Valley, the north of the lands, is the treacherous and cold parts of the lands, the people that are not from there describe the northern people as cold, merciless, cruel, unforgiving, unfriendly and dangerous. Which is not the case for our protagonist, __.

    The snowflakes softly falling on the snowy roads, the dawn lights coloring the clouds at the sky while the people at the village started to open their doors and a few started to take the snow out of their yards.

   As __ passed by, the old folks and even some children greeted her with a simple waving or even saying good morning. __ is very known around the village.

    After politely greeting the people she knew, she walked to the newspaper shop, looking for a job.

    "Good morning, mister sunshine." __ said, choosing one newspaper from the basket of the shop, her eyes fixed on the big and small letters while she talked to the cashier. Her friend, Theo.

   "Don't call me that." Well, some of the northern people really are cold... but not as much as they say about them. They are just... reserved.

    "Uhum, sure. Oh~ did you see? It looks like Warden imprisoned another one... okay, the usual..." __ said, leaning on the counter of the cashier, holding the newspaper with one hand.

    "For the last time, I do not care about the news." Theo coldly said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Leaning back on his chair, trying to have a little nap.

    "You're a party pooper, you know that?" __ said, rolling her eyes and snickering. "Well, time to work as a... a berrie picker again." Her tone faded from a happy to a depressed one, she have been grabbing berries for days in a row! The bakery have been really popular for her own taste, but it had to be done by someone.

   "Yes, go very, very far from me." Theo said, putting a opened book over his face. Practically kicking __ out.

    "Sometimes you're no fun, anyways, see you later sunshine, I won't take long." She said then slammed a few cash on the counter, then leaving with the newspaper in hands.

   "Warden, Warden... Warden this, Warden that. It's all about him! Where are the news about the North? There's only West, East and South." __ said, walking outside the village while reading the news, which would change nothing for her life. Or would they?

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   Hours and hours, picking up wild berries and pinecones for herself were getting boring. Until she felt a quite strong breeze pass by her, lifting the edge of her dress and her hair.

   Looking at the direction the breeze came from she saw the deep forest, the end of it turning completely dark due the extension of the woods.

   "Snowstorm... I should probably go back to the village, it might..." Her voice trailed off, her head fixed on the source of breeze.

   "What if someone get stuck? I can allow that..." She said, walking towards the dark forest. She knew the way, she knew that woods like the palm of her hand, she wouldn't get lost.

   After some time walking, she could feel the strength of the snowstorm. And she could see the exit of the forest already and haven't found anyone... so she could go back, but something told her to go further, something... calling her. Pleas of help.

  Eyes widening, her hands tightening the grip on her bag that had the wild berries. She ran, ran to the source of pleas and found herself on the other side of the forest. At the ice fields, the forbidden ice fields from her hometown.

   She looked around, looking for the person who pleaded so much for their life, until her eyes stopping at the snow moving beneath her, it wasn't snow. It was a man freezing to death. 

   With a rush of adrenaline, she crunched, dusting off the snow from this man. Now she could see his white hair, his pale skin now red from the frostbite, his body shaking and quivering brutally, his lips quacking rigorously and teeth hitting against itself. This man would die, if she didn't do anything.

"...is this..?

the end for him?"

No, this isn't the end yet.

"Wake up, please... wake up."