Winter
My head felt heavy as I awoke. I opened my eyes slowly, wondering where I was, then everything started coming back to me. Immediately, I sat up slowly my hand on my face. "Fuck!" I cursed because of an headache, looking around curiously.
I was in some kind of hospital with small beds covered with dark sheets lining the room but no other bed was occupied. I looked towards the door at the other side of the room to see Celestine and Cvela sitting on the ground in the hallway outside it. They noticed me, widening their eyes, then hurried over to me while holding their wide skirts with their hands.
"You are up," the little princess smiled down at me.
"What happened?" I asked. Then winced as my head ached harder.
"Ah," Cvela said, "lie back please master. Let me get you a cup of water." The Nimp slave promptly ran out after lowering me back to the bed gently. She's a good kid I thought, as I watched her departing back. Maybe I should free her. I would ask mother for that document when we return home.
Help me, I do.
"Anyway," I turned to my little princess and asked again. "What happened?"
Celestine looked at me emotionlessly. "You were found alone in the Rank halls after the storm. Kina said someone tricked you that I was in danger so you went running like the block headed fool you are, into the storm," she sneered at me suddenly, startling me. "I always thought you were smart and careful. But if you have any ideas to kill yourself let it not be in my name. Curse you Saint!" She started crying and fled out of the room.
I sighed then sniffed. I made her worried didn't I? I have to be more careful from now and start thinking in terms of 'we' not I. I sighed again, I am a long way to go. Though I wonder what went about Rea and the clones. It was unlike Rea to abandon me like that. Or maybe she took care of me till the storm ended and only left after she sensed my companions coming. Then what was the fate of the clones? Did she simply beat them back to their senses like she does in the novel and let them go too scared to consider challenging her in the future, only to do so again when they sensed weakness? I can't play that game though for obvious reasons. I am a smart person after all.
Cvela brought back the water. I took a gulp then dismissed her and lay back alone in my thought. Celestine's words had really hurt my heart. I sighed, ah, little princess you are so merciless to this old man. Though I dismissed Cvela she only drew back to sit by the door but hadn't left the room.
"How did you guys find me?"
"Kina came to find us when the storm just got serious. We went to search for you but couldn't find you till the storm ended..... We kept forgetting what we were looking for each time...."
"I see,"
That's how our conversation went. We fell silent.
After sometime we heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Kina walking over with an icy expression. Eh? For a moment I thought she was about to scold me like she always does when I was younger but instead as she came close to me she suddenly dropped to her knees and bowed. "Please punish me young master!" she cried with extreme grief.
I was momentarily taken aback. I frowned making my head hurt harder. "What's the meaning of this?' I asked tiredly. Are you perhaps a masochist?
"Its because I am useless. I have been sent to protect young master and the princess, but has failed twice. If we were home and you have more options I'll be begging for you to execute me. I have been incompetent, that's why please punish me."
I paused. So that's how it's. Well I can use this to my advantage. "Are you just purely remorseful Kina or is this a cunning move on your side to use me to cure some of your guilt?" The woman looked surprised. "Anyway," I continued. "I am too tired now to come up with something to punish so please rise."
She rose to her feet with a complicated expression. Finally she asked. "What really happened young master? Who did this to you?"
"I don't know," I replied as I couldn't say the clones since it wasn't really their fault. And I feared Kina will kill them all if I did. That's if doesn't even forget all I said to her. That damn god is getting more involved than in the novel!
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I have a lot of enemies you know? When I saw the letter I thought it can either be Sin or the Highvoid, or somebody else. But I couldn't just neglect it since it was Celestine in danger, that's what happened,"
Kina frowned. "There are many things I still don't understand. Did you hide somewhere during the storm?"
"No I jusr kept trying to go to the city till I collapsed."
"In that storm? Shouldn't you be dead?"
I paused recalling the storm. "Was the storm that strong?"
Kina deadpanned, but Cvela gave me a calm look. "Maybe you should look outside master," she suggested.
I frowned then said. "Fine, help me up," Kina gave me her shoulder then supported me to the tower window. I was in an upper floor of the medical tower. The academy and even parts of the city spread before my eyes. But instead of the grand unshakeable buildings and towers I was expecting, what I saw was a city that endured a disaster. Most buildings had a part or two broken, that's those that fared better; in some places there were just ruins where buildings were supposed to be. Snow covered everything.
My heart skipped at a sudden realization. A storm like this added with that dream I had of mother and Viktora... Ah, just perfect, I thought in worry. There was a storm similar to this mentioned in the novel when Resfiya helped Viktora find the Eye of winter, but that was supposed to happen six years ago when Saint Highvoid died and Resfiya craved vengeance. The finding of the Eye of winter set in motion events that led to the Winter wars.
Jack Highvoid had brought the fall of Fen castle earlier, killing his wife and her sister. Seven years later Viktora came back to life still possessing the Eye of winter. So it went, and the war started. If one should look purely by the timeline then the Winter wars is at most eight months from now. Still, Viktora had found the Eye later here than she did in the novel. Then maybe the Winter wars will not be fast coming. Though I doubted that, as the fact that she only found the Eye now when she could start her plans immediately proved that the timeline is well protected, and the story wants to happen.
The winter wars will start soon.
I sighed as I looked down at the city. I am not prepared yet.
Arc ends....
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I won't say much. Have a nice day and see you in the next arc.
ENSII out!