Between the Veil and Crown

Arvek 35

Rasinod did pick up his speed when getting ready, though he still tested the edge of Arvek's patience. If the healer did it on purpose, he hid it well. He would subtly complain about how hard the trip was on him, playing to get sympathy for an hour more for sleep. But such complaints fell on deaf ears.

Even more so with such a cold morning. The entire sky was gray and not a single ray of the suns could be seen. Instead of how it was with other mornings, it did not warm as the morning stretched on. The possibility of snow was on the minds of the party, but it was never voiced in order to avoid having it come to fruition. All the same, Arvek had them go at a quicker pace, hoping to reach the next town before any snow actually fell. While he anticipated the first snow of the year to not be a hindrance to travelers in general, he had seen a few years where a blizzard kicked off the winter season.

With so much on the line, he prayed that this wouldn't be one of those years.

The sky, however, was not patient with him. They were still an hour or so from the next town, snowflakes began landing on his skin and dotting his horse's black coat. They would melt as quickly as they came, only to be replaced a little while later. Soon, the flakes would be replaced by two, then three, then four. And then it was too many to count.

Arvek wrapped his cloak closer to him, urging his horse to faster without breaking out into a canter. He could already imagine Rasinod whining about how he could not have his horse go so fast while hitched to a wagon. Whatever he may told the healer about leaving him behind, leaving him in the snow was not something that would go over well. Despite knowing Rasinod had a point about being the only trustworthy healer if anything had happened to Selim, Arvek would have remained true to his word if he continued dragging his feet. But ultimately, it was a scenario he didn't want, for Selim's sake. If Rasinod could not travel faster in the snow, Arvek gained nothing by leaving him behind.

Something he told himself over and over again as the snow picked up and Rasinod slowed more. Though it became easier to give the healer sympathy, watching him struggle with the reins while also attempting to shield his face from the snow and wind, when Arvek also struggled with the same thing. The snow did not yet build too much on the road to be a hindrance, but the lack of visibility was problem enough.

The only thing to do was to press on, eyes focused on what could be seen of the road. There were no forks, no trails that wandered off to the sides that the road could be mistaken for. Stick to the path, and they would be fine. They would reach the town sooner or later, and then they would be able to shelter at an inn and wait it out.

He heard a couple of the guards call out that they were going on ahead as much as possible, because the town couldn't be too far off now. The only thing he could do in response was nod, though it was questionable whether or not it was actually seen. The guards urged their horses to go just a bit faster, and they soon disappeared into the white.

There was mercy to be found, thankfully, as the town finally came into view, its buildings dark silhouettes in the snowfall. One of the guards who had ahead flagged the party down to bring them into the inn they were able to get.

The transition from the cold of the outside to the warmth of the inn was stark. The parts of Arvek's skin that had been exposed to the wind and snow prickled with the newfound feeling, which created an odd sense of relief. He trudged his way over to a seat, and plopped himself down, closing his eyes as he simply basked in the warmth of the room before taking in anything else. He was vaguely aware of others joining him, but he kept his eyes closed.

When he opened them again, he was convinced that he had fallen asleep for a few minutes. But, those few minutes of sleep felt so very good. He glanced around.