A.N: The Snow Walker Trilogy and any familiar character belong to Catherine Fisher. The title will change once I think up one fitting enough.
Never before had he felt so alive. Never before had he lived without fear of those around him.
Never before had he been in love...
Kari couldn't help but sneak a glance at his fiancée where she rode beside him. She caught him and flashed a warm, loving smile, her long, sable braid swishing as her horse galloped and as her sharp brown eyes sparkled in the eerie light of the setting sun.
He could hardly believe this. It felt like a dream, this delightful peace and almost weightless happiness.
He was to be wed, and to the fiery young Valkyrie who had been his pillar of strength during his clashes with Gudrun. And now that the witch was sealed away, much like she had once done to him, the two of them had began to focus on other matters, such as the strange fluttering sensations in their stomachs and the sudden bashfulness when around each other.
Finally, after months of playing hide-and-seek with these new emotions, the teens decided to suck it up and confront them head-on. They sought the advice of trusted elders and received the explanation:
They were in love...
Jessa, of course, took it better. Kari had never experienced such a thing before and yet he knew, as the male in all this, he had to be the one to take the reins. Wulfgar, upon hearing the news, ordered an ornate ring to be forged. The Jarl loved to spoil his friends and Kari was often the receiver of his gifts, no matter how much he politely declined, feeling awkward.
The only thing that had been left to do after that was to propose, but he was helplessly shy when it came to romance, and Jessa knew it as well. The young woman waited patiently, almost as if in a declaration that she would wait forever for him, but soon it seemed she would have to do it herself. He had felt her fond aspiration towards him and made the choice just to go for it.
He had waited for the perfect chance, for the perfect mood, before he pounced. Despite his own nervousness and the fact that he was trembling, he asked for her hand right there under the silver curtain of the moon. Then it was her turn:
Jessa had nearly knocked him off his feet as she threw her arms around him, accepting with tears of joy.
Ever since, their relationship had changed. It became more loving and casual. They loved without the prior uncertainty. And it wouldn't be long till it was official.
Their wedding would be on mid-spring day, the day when new life begins and promises of plenty and prosperity are abound. Not just for them either.
The whole realm was beginning to flourish once again. And so were the lives of their friends.
Hakon was quickly working his way up amongst the war band and was even teaching Kari the art of the sword. It was a very slow process though, for the other boy was skittish and feared injuring him.
Skapti too was doing well, though age seemed to be slowly sneaking up on him. Even so, his songs were even more glorious then before, bringing more joy and hope even then the ones he had sung to Kari when he had knew nothing of the outside world. A faithful friend to the end, he was rarely far from Wulfgar's side.
Brochael, however, worried the sorcerer the most. The giant's health wasn't as sturdy as it once was. Kari tried not to think about it, refusing to believe that his keeper would have to leave him one day.
The wood fell silent, yanking the runemaster back into the present like a splash of cold sea water. Unconsciously, he slowed his horse. A couple of strides ahead, Jessa did the same, glancing around and listening warily.
"What's going on?" she whispered to him.
Kari listened too, but more deeply. The life here had been silenced by fear. There was something lurking that shouldn't have been. The only thing he could hear was the sounds of their friends behind them, laughing and carefree, unaware. Yet, even that seemed feeble against the stark, almost dead quiet. But then, he picked the faint sound of footsteps, as delicate as the falling snow. They felt ominous, almost dangerous.
They came from the north...
"We should go back..."
"Wha-?"
Kari gazed over at her, anxious. "Something is coming. We should head back and regroup..."
Jessa regained her brave nature and nodded firmly. Tense, they urged their horses back down the trail.
All Hel broke loose; the lurking beings struck...
A sudden snowstorm roared to life around them, ruthless with a fierce, biting cold. The shrieking gales shook the once green trees and colorful flowers, and the chill of it rotted them brown before freezing them in frail, glassy cases, their leaves curling into themselves as they withered and died.
Their horses screamed and panicked, and they were forced to cling onto them for dear life. Jessa cried out in terror, overwhelmed by the sudden and horrible change, while Kari struggled to make sense of all this amongst the icy chaos.
Shouting reminded them of their companions and lifted their hearts with hope.
"Jessa! Kari!" Skapti called. Even with his loudest hall voice, he fought to be heard.
"We're here! Get us out!" Jessa answered, desperate.
"A snowstorm during the brink of spring?" Kari heard several of the men murmur amongst themselves.
And to think this had started out as a simple hunt, a mere sport...
Abruptly, their beasts stilled and stopped their commotion; whether because they were frozen or something else, they weren't sure. Both teens barely dared to move at first, the storm whistling over their heads, but after a minute, they grew to trust their horses' calm enough to sit upright and lift their heads.
Frost gray eyes greeted them from a thin, unsmiling face. A Snow-walker stood before them, unfazed by the gales and snow. He seemed to be a good ten years older then Kari, his pale face lined lightly and his silver hair containing just a touch of gray.
Numbed by the relentless cold, Jessa and Kari could only stare back, shivering, and wait. Their friends called for them, but they were unimportant now. The threat was here before them.
At last, the other sorcerer spoke, in the unfamiliar language of the Snow-walkers. Kari translated his words silently.
"Greetings, son of Gudrun. I have come to bring you back to where you belong..."
The boy went cold. If this was true, he wouldn't be able to do much to resist. And he couldn't imagine what he wanted him for.
"Wh-what...did he...say?" Jessa questioned unsteadily, the cold beginning to take its toll on her mortal vessel.
Kari glanced at his fiancée. The beautiful young woman looked miserable, her pretty lips blue and her hair dusted with frost and sleet. She was shivering violently and seemed utterly numb. She looked back at him desperately, on the brink of freezing.
He would have to do something soon.
"Will you come?" the man asked gravely. "Or would you rather have the girl die from the cold?"
Kari's fists clenched on the stiff reins.
"Kari..." Jessa whimpered.
He didn't have a choice. She shouldn't die because of him; she deserved better.
"He wants me to come with him..."
"What!" Jessa's eyes widened and she stared at them both of them in bewilderment. "Why!"
"...I don't know, but he won't stop this unless I do..."
"You can't!"
Kari gazed at her softly. "I have to. I love you..." he murmured lovingly before climbing down from his nervous horse.
Jessa protested no longer, helpless. She could only watch him through her tears, which frosted in seconds. She was scared for him. There was no telling what would happen.
Kari fought down his own torment and came before the older sorcerer. Studying his hard face, he nodded in surrender.
Then, he knew nothing...
A.N: For more information on my series, see my profile.