Arvium

35: Kidnapped

Month 1, Day 3, 7:45:06; Arvium, Northern Mountains

Aella shivered as her eyes fluttered open, then squinted against the bitter cold wind. She was in semi-darkness, a cave? Something covered the entrance, with the exception of an inch or two showing bright light outside. The ground beneath her was hard and crunched as she moved. She ran her hand over the surface, and curled her body tighter. Snow.

She frowned as she realized she was wearing gloves. She looked down at her body and tensed. Her hand moved underneath the white and gray spotted coat and she breath a sigh of relief. I'm still wearing my uniform. She sneezed as the fur around the collar tickled her nose. She wore thick pants as well, tucked into thick fur boots.

She leaned her head back against the snow and searched the black ceiling. That's right. Last night I was--

She groaned as bright light filled her vision and she covered her hands with her eyes.

"You're awake," a man's voice called to her. The snow crunched as he walked forward, then squatted next to her.

Aella blinked, seeing only a black outline. The sun was behind him, making it hard to look in his direction. She scrambled backward as the cave suddenly moved, and she squeaked as the dragon moved to its feet and shook its body, sending a drift of snow onto her.

She glanced up at the man and froze. He was standing, his arms crossed in front of him. The dragon walked over behind him, stretching out its wings. In its shadow, she could see him. He wore full-body black armor, but it was form fitting, rather than being bulky. His face was covered by a black helmet.

The wraith.

"Are you going to sit in the snow all day or get up?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

Aella shivered as an icy gust blew against her, making her lean into the snow. She pushed with her legs against the pile, using her knees to push it aside.

"Who are you?" she said, glancing around. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene.

They were in a valley between massive, craggy peaks covered with snow. Most of the terrain was covered in ice and glacier. She turned in a circle, seeing no entry into the valley. Other than the dragon.

"You don't know?" he asked.

She whipped around to face him, feeling her sword clang against her side. She felt it with her hand, and frowned.

He stepped toward her, then paused. "I mean you no harm, Princess" he said, bowing to her.

This guy is crazy. He's a crazy man. She shook her head and shrugged. I've been kidnapped by a crazy man.

"Catch," he said.

She glanced up and jerked as he tossed her a full-face white helmet with a black visor. She caught it and stared down at it.

"Put it on, then come get your pack."

She glanced at the man as he turned and patted the dragon on it's rib cage then walked over to the remains of a fire, turning his back to her. He picked up a white backpack and slung it on his shoulders. She turned to look at the valley, feeling to urge to run. But there is nowhere to run.

She sighed and hung her head. "This was not in my grand plan." She slid the helmet onto her head and walked over to the fire.

***

The helmet was a useful addition. It protected her face from the stinging wind, and the visor filtered out most of the blinding sunlight on the surface of the snow. Gray rock peaked out of the drifts, deadly in its rugged texture. They had been climbing a narrow path for two hours, most of the wind blocked by the twelve-foot high snow drifts on each side.