Silver Winds

Chapter 6

“After all, I believe that legends and myths are largely made of 'truth', and indeed present aspects of it that can only be received in this mode; and long ago certain truths and modes of this kind were discovered and must always reappear.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien

Astra sat across from her father, on a small stool in their living room. A fireplace crackled and snapped, and Astra scooted closer to the fire, pulling the blanket around herself. Her damp hair fell around her face as she sneezed again. It felt like the millionth time since they had arrived home. Now, instead of the scent of ozone, the smell of fire and the unique scent of the house comforted Astra.

“The Silver Wind . . . I wish I could have seen it. Everyone who has, man or woman, has come back a bit different. My father had seen it. He sailed from Snowhaven, all the way to a land called Kunin, where a strange people live. He said they’re a little type of people, with straight black hair and satin skin. That is a land close to where the wind is seen. Most of them have seen it, so they are generally kind and helpful. They directed him to a place called Vinda, to the north,” Ole said, finally caving to Astra’s request for the story just one more time.

Astra smiled. The next part of the story was her absolute favorite.

“Then, when they landed, it was like it was greeting them. The Silver Wind appeared, swirling and dancing around them. My father said he could hear a child’s laugh in that wind, that it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. He said he didn’t want to come back, but he was worried about me and my mother. And that’s it. That’s the story, which you’ve heard a million times before. I don’t know why you keep asking to hear it.”

“Because it’s amazing,” Astra replied. “I want to see it so badly.” Ole chuckled.

“I know. You’ve been talking about it forever. Are you feeling a bit better? Heather should be bringing some warm tea for you in a moment,” he said. Volos walked out from his room, his wet hair up in a knot. He looked over at Astra.

“Shouldn’t you change into something that’s not soaked? You’re getting the blanket wet!” Volos snatched the blanket out from under his sister, and held it in front of the fire. “Go wear something else.”

Astra sighed, standing up. She looked at the small puddle she had left behind, and frowned. But it would have to wait until later to clean that up, because Volos kicked her in the rear end to get her moving. She stumbled into the hall, and righted herself before entering her room. She closed the door behind her, hearing the thumping of rain on the wall. Her shirt was the first to come off, followed by her other shirt. Then she removed her pants after Volos’ boots. She looked down, then felt the binding material. It was wet. She unclasped it and let it fall to the ground.

Astra pulled out a long, loose nightgown after she shook out her hair so it wasn’t as wet. She yanked it on, fidgeting with the hems and the frills. Then she sat on her bed so she could brush out her hair.

Holding the comb in one hand, Astra prepared for the intense pain that came from untangling her mess of blonde hair. She held a section of it at the base, her hand touching her scalp, and pulled the comb through it. She grunted as needles of agony shot through her head, burrowing deeper and deeper the more she pulled. She took a deep breath, then it didn’t seem quite so bad. The pain was lessened, since she cut her hair. Astra shuddered at the memory. Though the action was necessary and had many benefits, she still did not like it.

When her hair was freed from tangles and smooth, she took a quick look in the mirror. Her icy blue eyes stuck out, like Volos’ did. Other than that, she looked pretty normal. Well, she would look normal if she didn’t have a large bruise covering her left cheek. She pulled her hair back to the crown of her head, tying it off. A few strands flopped down on her face, but she didn’t mind.

Shivers wracked her body the moment the hair touched her face. She jumped at her bed, hoping it would provide some warmth, but everything had grown cold since that morning. Shuddering and shaking, Astra tottered toward the door and opened the oak slab. She hurried down the hall and back to the warmth of the living room. Volos tossed the blanket at her face, and Astra caught it, wrapping it around her torso.

Hot tea was sitting on the table, steam rising from the amber colored liquid. Astra felt her mouth grow wet, and reached for a cup with her mouth open. She wrapped her hand around the metal cup and lifted it, careful of the sloshing liquid. The entire cup was gone in less than two minutes, warming her gut. It was a pleasant feeling of being warmed from the inside out. Astra sat next to the fire, and Volos scooted over next to her.

“You should tell Father what we did today,” Volos whispered in her ear. “I’m sure he would much rather hear it from you than me.”

Astra nodded, then cleared her throat. “Would you like to hear what Volos and I accomplished today, Father?” She practically melted into the ground as the heat penetrated the blanket and her back burned in the most pleasant way.

“Yes, of course. Do tell, Astra,” Ole replied, kicking his feet up so they were on the table. The small four-legged piece of furniture wobbled for a few seconds before it stabilized.

“Well, we went into Mistport today,” Astra started. Ole nodded, his glazed eyes staring at a point just to the right of her. “That was quite an event. Then we talked to Jarl Fergusen about joining this years training. We had to fill out a lot of papers, and it took quite a while. Then Volos had to talk to the Jarl for a few extra minutes so I had to go outside. After that, this boy came up to me and started a fight. I won, but I’ve got a bruise all over the left side of my face.”

At this point Ole heaved himself out of his chair, and struggled his way to Astra. He put his face a few inches from hers, which was the distance he needed to be in order to see the purpling mark. He touched it, and Astra flinched. Satisfied, Ole moved back to his chair and sank into it. Astra heard the smack of bones on wood, and winced as though an old wound had been opened.

“Continue,” Ole said, sliding his hand through the air in a comforting gesture. Astra swallowed before continuing.

“Then I got to know the boy. His name is Kay, and he’s going to join Volos’ and my Munrskipan. Volos said I could be the Vinr, because I know more about boats. Then it started raining, and we came home. Did I miss anything?” Astra asked, turning to Volos. He shook his head, and Astra laid down in front of the fire, yawning. “Good,” she murmured. She curled up to conserve body heat, and slowly let go of her consciousness.

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A/N: Yeah, it's a bit short, but I feel like it's a needed chapter.