As The Snow Falls

Chapter One (Part One)

Ivaras was always so cold and snowy. Andromeda didn't mind it as much as some people did. She enjoyed the feeling of the freezing crystals on her cheeks, the feeling of the cold air on her hot skin when she was able to step outside during one of her shifts at Twelve Figs. She rubbed her fingers over her temples, trying to soothe the chronic headache that constantly plagued her.

She was not originally from Ivaras, though. It was obvious through her dark complexion and coily hair. Ivaras was the northernmost country on the continent, out of the five countries that were formed on the land.

But Andromeda did not care about the rest of the continent. She cared about her little town, Aresburgh. It was a little sea hamlet, one of the farthest north-western towns in Ivaras. It was the type of place where everyone knew everyone. Children had the same kids in their grade until graduation, and the entire town showed up to an old woman's funeral.

When Andromeda showed up out of the blue when she was eleven, it was a big deal. Her parents, Helia and Fermi got a good amount of shit for taking in an outsider. Even though Andromeda was a Child of Medeis, they were still suspicious of her.

Children of Medeis weren't well liked in the big cities. By big cities, Andromeda meant specifically Epstylium. She hated Epstylium, and so did the right half of Aresburgh. It was loud, polluted, and most of all, no one there liked them. Even if Andromeda wasn't a Child, they would not like her there anyways. Herself and the other Children of Medeis in Ivaras formed their own places. They fled to the countryside, supporting themselves.

She's getting herself caught back up in everything, though. Recently she'd found herself... stuck in the past, for lack of better phrasing. This pounding headache did not help either-

"Andromeda," Helia called from the other side of the door. She turned her head to the screen. "We need you inside."

Twelve Figs was Helia and Fermi's tavern. It was warm, joyful, and open to the entirety of Aresburgh. From midday to midnight, its windows shone gold with candles. Inside wasn't as stuffy as before when Andromeda stepped out for a breather. The crowd had grown quieter, listening to Vixen's fiddle.

Vixen was a friend of Fermi's. They'd met each other in Epstylium, when Fermi was still a part of the Nightworth Clan. Fermi wouldn't tell anyone their story, and Vixen's mouth was sealed tighter than his. All Andromeda knew about the musician is that he was in town for one week, gone the next two. Rinse and repeat. He was strange. Vixen was around Andromeda's age with scraggly light brown hair and a myriad of spots and blemishes traveling up his cheekbones and always wore the same heavy brown-ish tailcoat. It might've been black at one point, but the fabric had been sun-bleached from his outdoorsy lifestyle. She always wondered if it smelled bad, traveling anywhere and everywhere with it on. Who knows when they had the time to wash it. It actually smelled like wildflowers, which was odd, since Ivaras didn't have many of those.

"Here." Fermi slid a black tray laden with plates over to Andromeda. "For table 5." She nodded, hoisting the tray onto her shoulder. Fermi was the cook for Twelve Figs, while Helia was the bartender. They opened a few months after Fermi and Helia got married, and they moved out to Aresburgh. They were- and still are- grossly and sappily in love. Sometimes it was horrible to watch. Andromeda's younger, Elkin, Helia and Fermi's second child, was equally disgusted with their parent's antics.

Right now, Elkin was dancing at the foot of the raised platform. He was nearly ten, his brown hair a little outgrown and wild.

Elkin was a special case in Andromeda's life. They weren't biological siblings, and sometimes it was hard to reason with someone almost nine years younger than herself. She was always caught between wanting to be there for him when Helia and Fermi couldn't, while still wanting to tease him like all older sisters did. Elkin didn't know about Andromeda's complicated past, but neither did Helia or Fermi. At least, the nitty gritty parts.