The Dungeon Inn - English

B02C27 - Sarahs desire

"Sir, this time I felt the cold when I fell asleep. Did you notice it too?"

"Hmm, I fell asleep quite well as usual. However, I did notice that it was colder than usual."

"Perhaps you are just less sensitive to it. It didn't keep me awake for long. I probably only noticed it because I was paying attention to it."

"Possible. I will keep an eye on it."

Sarah always tried to do the housework before I came down the stairs. So I wasn't surprised that I saw her when I was on the stairs with Sven. The only unexpected thing was that Mia was with her.

"Have you eaten nuts downstairs, Sarah? Can I try some too?"

"No, Mia, they're from Chippy."

"Oh, that's right, he sleeps downstairs with Bruno."

"Good morning, I didn't know that you were looking after Bruno too, Sarah."

"Good morning, Master Marco. Unfortunately, he can't do it himself and since you leave the housework to me, I see it as my job."

"That's very nice of you. I hope it doesn't cause you too much trouble."

"Well, it would be much easier if Chippy didn't always eat on Bruno's stomach. The nutshells are not only on the floor, but also on the blanket and sometimes in Bruno's hair."

"I'll be happy to help you with that, Sarah, if you want."

"That's nice of you, Mia, but the cave isn't open to you. So you can't help me with that."

"Too bad, I thought I could help you."

"If you really want to help me, you can do it up here. We have more than enough rooms, so I'm always busy for some time."

"Gladly!"

From then on, Mia often accompanied Sarah at her work. Because Sven only guarded me in the morning and evening, it didn't clash with her other duties.

One day, however, when Albert's troop was outside clearing away the snow, she spoke to me.

"Master Marco, would you mind it, when i leave for a while?"

"What are you planning?"

"I sense snow children nearby and I want to check on them."

"Snow children?"

"They are winter creatures, like Friedrich and I. As their name suggests, they are still small and still have to grow up. We snow women take care of them until they are ready."

"I understand. Shouldn't a snow woman already be with them then?"

"I hope so, but I would rather check. Unfortunately, it worries me a little."

"How long will it take you to make sure?"

"They seem to be further away, it will certainly take a while. If I'm unlucky and they move away from me, it could even take days."

"Can't we send Friedrich secretly?"

"As the master of winter, his job is only to spread the snow, i.e. to provide a good habitat for the snow children. We snow women are solely responsible for raising them."

"He is only supposed to make sure they are OK and not alone."

"There is already a Lord of Winter in the forest. I would like to avoid conflicts and who knows how the snow women would react to him."

"Hmm, the snow outside is now so deep that I am not expecting any more guests. So Sven should be able to take over guarding without any problems. If it bothers you so much, I will allow you to leave. But you must not take any unnecessary risks. If it becomes dangerous, you withdraw immediately."

"Thank you, Master Marco. You do not have to worry about me. As a snow woman, I am at my strongest in winter. Only a few should be able to seriously challenge me at this time of year."

"The forest has its name for a reason."

"I will take it to heart. You should be a little careful, though. I can sense a snowstorm, and it will certainly arrive today."

"Then I will warn Albert. Before you go, you should freeze a few slimes for me. So that we are still able to eat pudding."

"If you allow me, I would also like to take some for the children."

"That shouldn't be a problem. We still have a lot of mana left."

Since Sarah was in a bit of a hurry, we immediately made a few for her and she set off. Unfortunately, we had taken too long to prepare and Albert's group came in just as she was fighting her way through the snow towards the forest.

"Where is Sarah going?"

Of course Mia wanted to know what was going on. It would have been so easy if she hadn't seen Sarah, then I could have just told her that she had stayed in bed. Unfortunately, Sarah didn't want to wait for a better moment.

"She's supposed to check something in the forest for me. The guild has asked us to observe the forest and before we're completely cut off, she's supposed to check something again."

"Shouldn't we do it first?"

"You're responsible for the roof, so you're needed here."

"But isn't it dangerous for her alone?"

"She's stronger than she looks, you don't need to worry about her."

"But..."

"Mia, Marco said we shouldn't worry. Let's leave it at that. Come to the fireplace and warm yourself up."

"But Albert..."

"Mia."

Mia reluctantly followed Albert's warning command. She looked after Sarah worriedly through a window.

I went to visit Friedrich to get his opinion on the subject. I had to leave Sven upstairs because he was now the only one left besides Karl. At least I didn't want to rely on Hilda for protection.

Friedrich listened to what I was saying and reacted rather uninterestedly.

"It's like Sarah said. I'm not responsible for the forest and it would only complicate things. It's better if she takes care of it herself. Snow women have always been very sensitive about the offsprings."

"Aren't you worried about the children?"

"Why should I? It's the snow women's job to take care of them. As long as one is near them or looking for them, they are more than protected. Only a fool would challenge us in winter."

"Don't you want to meet them?"

"If I wanted to be with snow children, I would have become a snow woman and not a lord of winter."

"So the children can choose what they become?"

"Yes, they have to find out what they want to do in the future. Once they have decided, they develop further."

"Where do snow children actually come from? Is it like us humans?"

"No. Snow children are born where it is winter and there is a lot of mana in the air that they absorb when they are born."

"Could they be born down here too?"

"No, because the air doesn't hold mana. But if you want some, you can certainly summon some."

"Do you think Sarah will bring the children here if she doesn't meet another snow woman?"

"Unlikely. Snow women are very caring, but they know that if the children grow up too sheltered, they will become weak beings. She will leave them outside in the danger zone so that they become strong. Of course, she won't risk anything and will protect them if the worst comes to the worst. But she won't eliminate the danger."

Enriched with the new knowledge, I went back upstairs, where I was to find a new problem.