Laura stood next to the leaded glass window. Flakes of snow began to fall and cover the grass. Winter’s here. She thought idly. It was always such a hopeless time of year. If the crops had been bad that summer and autumn, they would be in for a long cold and hungry season. Many would die. Only the strong, or ruthless, would survive. Despite what many believed, she and her father suffered alongside their people. If there was not enough food to put on the tables in the homes of the serfs, then there was not enough food for them either. She thought for a moment about whether or not if the people she was with now had planted crops. One winter in her own town had been especially damaging, and with how early the frost had come this year, she suspected it was going to be another.
“Follow me.”
“Where are we going?” Donovan asked her as he shivered in his rags. She hated seeing him like that. He wore a coat but it had holes in the armpits and she was sure the wind sucked the body heat from him. He had nothing and it bothered her because he deserved everything. He had been so nice to her. Such a good friend. She would have given him the coat off her back if she thought he would have been able to get his arms into it. She was just too small. So, she went another route.
Ice had formed on the spindly branches of the trees. They glistened like crystals during the day but at night they became terrifying as they tapped at her window casting shadows across her blankets. The wind whipped around them and their boots crunched on the frozen top layer of snow.
“Where are we going?” He repeated again, this time a bit more nervously. Instead of answering she slid her small hand into his palm and intertwined their fingers. She didn’t wear her gloves when she knew he had none. He gave her hand a small squeeze and she led him to the barn.
“I shouldn’t be here.” He looked around as though someone was going to pop out and catch him.
She looked behind Donovan and nodded at the shaggy brown mutt that was trodding behind them. “Don’t let him scare the horses.”
“Okay,” he said as if it was that easy. For him though, it seemed like it was.
She released her fingers and Donovan let go reluctantly. Quietly she slid open the barn door so they could get through and all three of them went inside. The barn smelled strongly of hay and horses but it broke the wind. “Follow me, both of you.”
She walked up the ramp that was built to easily access hay off the loft. It was too hard to carry it down a ladder. It just so happened to be perfect for the mutt to amble on up. When they made their way to the top she stepped on a bale and he followed. Over in the back corner she had managed to create a small space for Donovan to stay until the weather broke.
The barn was a decent size, and they had collected a lot of hay this year so as long as Donovan was quiet, no one would spot the shelter she had created for him.
“What is this? Did you build a fort?”
“It’s for you.” She said softly and looked up into his surprised eyes.
“What?” His arms wrapped around himself and his mutt rubbed his head against him. I collected some old blankets from the house so there is a bed in there. She just hoped her father didn’t notice them missing.
She looked back down to the space she had built. It had taken her the entire day to put it all together. It looked a bit like what she imagined an igloo to look like. Hay was stacked all around and there was a small entrance to go through. The inside was big enough for both he and his dog. The dog was important for Donovan to use as a heat source.
