The night had been brutal, the biting cold still preventing much sleep, despite how close they huddled together for warmth. Erik stirred and sat up, his fingers stiff as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The storm had finally passed, the whistling winds had given way to an eerie silence that was broken only by the occasional creaking of branches in the distance. Looking outside of the shelter, he could see the soft orange glow from the sun peaking over the distant mountains, it was morning. The teen glanced over at his partner Derk and was comforted at seeing the steady rise and fall of his chest.
All that was left was the girl.
He looked over to find that she hadn't woken up and so he leaned over to place his hands on her forehead. Relief flooded through him as he felt that her once icy cold body temperature now matched his own. He could also now see a reassuring rhythm in her chest, signaling that she was now breathing. She was alive. Asleep, but alive.
He got up and stretched, feeling his joints crack slightly at the motion and releasing the stiffness in his body. After stepping carefully over Derk and the girl, he made his way to one of the walls of the shelter to get a closer look at the carvings.
Weathered writing and symbols adorned the wall and at the forefront stood a depiction of Yggdrasil, the world tree of Erdrea. He strained his eyes and leaned forward to gently touch the worn out words that sat beneath the tree. It appeared to be a plea, with the words 'Sacred World Tree Yggdrasil, protect-' decipherable. Whoever carved this, had made a prayer to the world tree that was now lost to time. He'd briefly hoped the prayer had worked before letting his eyes wander down to another symbol.
It could only be described as a complex web-like drawing. Its interconnected lines stretched outward from a central point, with three X's closely intersecting, and three vertical lines sitting atop them. The symbol looked familiar, though at first he couldn't quite figure out why.
Then he remembered the girl's headband.
He turned his attention back to the girl, his movements slow and cautious out of fear of being caught. Kneeling beside her, he reached out toward her forehead once more, this time his fingertips brushing against the fabric of her headband. As he slowly peeled back the fold of the cloth, he confirmed that it mirrored the symbol engraved on the wall. People don't wear a symbol without it being meaningful, and so Erik knew that this would be a clue to her identity. It also showed that she hadn't found this shelter by chance, she was connected to it.
Symbols were used for many things in Erdrea, a family crest, directions, stories, prayers, the list could go on. It was likely that this symbol didn't mean much, but it intrigued him that it was also in such an old shelter. Perhaps there was once a village here that her lineage could be traced back to before she was entwined in those roots. It was also possible that the weathered stone wasn't as old as he had thought. High winds in this area could have worn down the stone much faster than in other locations.
He resolved to keep the image in the back of his mind and ask her when she finally awoke. At the moment, his focus was pilfering through her bag.
The cyan-haired thief's gaze flickered down to where the girl's bag lay beneath the fur blanket, hoping that his promised treasure lay within it. With practiced ease, he carefully slid the bag from her side without removing it, mindful not to risk waking her up by suddenly exposing her to the chill of the morning air. Once the bag was in his possession, he looked up to find that she still had not stirred, reassuring him as he looked back down to the bag.
He untied the small piece of cord securing the bag, and peered inside to find that his hopes of treasure had been dashed. Instead of precious artifacts, the leather sack held a meager array of common adventurer items. A few bottles of elixirs glinted in the morning light, their contents could be used to heal or grant a temporary enhancement. Next to them lay a small bag that jingled with the promise of coins, a consolation prize if nothing else.
Amongst the supplies, however, one item caught his eye - a spell tome. It looked weathered, but it was the only item that held any potential value, if the spells within it were rare or powerful that is. Nearby, a pair of metal bands, their silver glint dull with age, sat against another book. Erik couldn't tell what the book was for at first, but it held his curiosity more than the bands, and so he shifted his focus to removing the book to inspect its contents.
It was a leather-bound book, with an intricate etching of Yggdrasil, the World Tree on the cover. The thief's fingers traced the delicate engraving before he flipped open the cover. On the first page, a small inscription caught his eye and he leaned closer to make out the words in the low light.
'My dear Raeyla. May you chart every star'
Raeyla. The name echoed in his mind, at least he now knew her name. He continued to turn the pages of the book and found that the inscription had given away the purpose of the tome, each of the pages containing star charts. He sighed at the realization that the book held nothing of value, only the dreams of a stargazer, before closing it and placing it back in the bag.
Frustrated at the lack of anything of worth, Erik's disappointment simmered. The trip had been largely a waste of time. While the girl would be thankful for being saved, she possessed nothing of value that could be considered a 'treasure' as Torna had promised.
After returning the bag to its original position, he took one last glance at her to confirm that she remained oblivious to his presence. He reached forward and placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking it in an attempt to wake her. Now that he had finished pilfering through her things, they would need to move soon if they wanted to avoid getting trapped in another storm. She refused to stir, causing him to concede defeat before turning his efforts to his partner Derk.
He stood and took a few steps toward Derk, no longer making an effort to move silently. He knelt down and shook Derk's shoulder, immediately earning a grunt in response. "Huh!? Erik? Is it morning?" Derk mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"It is." Erik confirmed with a nod. "The storm has passed, come on we need to go."
Erik's words reminded Derk of their current situation, eliciting a more alert reaction from the portly man. He sat up quickly and turned over to face the girl, Raeyla. His face scrunched up in confusion at the sight of her still sleeping form. "But she hasn't woken up yet."
"I'll carry her. If we stay much longer, another blizzard could come in. Without any food or heat, we'll eventually die here." The cyan-haired teen reasoned back as he reached down and pulled the fur blanket off of the girl, folding it and packing it safely back in his bag. The action spurred Derk into motion too as he stood up and started to pack his belongings as well.
Erik finished tying his cloak around his shoulders and moved to crouch down beside the sleeping girl, considering the best way to carry her. It would be a long and tiring journey regardless, but he was determined to get the group out of the freezing snowfield. Gently, he slid one arm beneath her legs and the other around her back, carefully lifting her body off of the ground. He then shifted her position, maneuvering her until she was securely positioned on his back. He then adjusted his stance to ensure that her weight was evenly distributed so that he could maintain his balance during the journey ahead.
When he was satisfied with the position, he straightened his posture, feeling the full weight of her unconscious form pressing against his back as he rose. He jostled her one more time to secure his hold on her legs before turning to Derk, who had finished packing. "Are you ready?"
Derk nodded his head and the pair began their journey south. The day was long and tiring, with the weight of the girl bearing down on Erik's back, each step through the deep snow feeling like a battle. By the time the sun had begun its descent, it felt as if three days had passed. Despite the difficulties, they had made significant progress and were relieved to spot the familiar sight of the inn in the distance. Derk's change in mood and sprinting at the idea of a warm bed and hot food dragged a laugh out of Erik as they approached. The teen was just as excited as his partner, though unable to move in the same way due to the girl on his back.
Upon entering the inn, Derk was already at the front desk, arranging for a room with three beds. The woman behind the counter cast a curious glance at Erik, her eyes flickering to the girl on his back. "Is she ok?" she inquired, concern evident in her face. Erik offered a reassuring smile. "She's just asleep, nothing serious." Satisfied with his response, the woman handed Derk the key to their room before returning to her tasks.
In their room, Erik carefully placed the girl on the bed that lay against the wall and instantly felt a wave of relief wash over him. He stretched his back and heard a few cracks before Derk spoke up, "Do you think she'll wake up soon?" His question hung in the air, both of the boys knew that their plans hinged on her waking up and providing them additional information. Neither felt right leaving the girl in the snow, but leaving her at the inn, or carrying her all the way to Heliodor would be too much. It would be faster to carry her to Snifelheim, even if it was in the opposite direction they were intending to go. "Let's hope so. Come on, I'm starving." Erik replied, eager to get downstairs and get some food in his stomach.
Downstairs, a steaming bowl of potato and beef stew awaited them, providing warmth and a full belly. After dinner, Derk indulged in some of the inn's ale for some extra relaxation. Erik wanted nothing to do with the alcohol and instead excused himself back up to the room, his exhaustion had caught up with him anyway. As he entered, his gaze briefly lingered on the girl lying across from him, her blue eyes regarding him curiously from beneath a veil of black hair.
Her blinking caught his attention, and he found his feet rooted to the ground at the room's entrance. "You're awake." He stated, surprised and with slight disbelief. She continued blinking rapidly, hinting at her still in the midst of fully waking. Her voice was strained, yet light as she finally spoke, "Where am I? Who are you?".
"Name's Erik. My partner and I found you in a snowfield," He began, his tone friendly so that she wasn't alarmed. "You're at an inn, about a day's travel south from there. Care to explain how you ended up wrapped in a tree root?"
Her brow furrowed in concentration as she searched her memory, but her response was as elusive as it was concerning.
"I don't remember."