Hendrik nodded and opened the door once again, leading Feyra and Ida out of the house. He went to the elderly, who were screaming at each other about what they still needed to do.
"That needs to be moved over there!", an old man said, who already needed a cane to walk.
"Huh? What did you say?", an elderly woman asked back, who was preparing food.
"I said this needs to be moved over there!", the man said again, pointing at a big pot which wasn't standing in the right spot.
"What?", the woman screamed back.
Hendrik turned to Feyra and coughed slightly. "These are the elderly people who often prepare food or little presents. These two over there are... Justus' grandparents. They don't hear well anymore, so they often scream at each other. In the back are even more people who don't hear well anymore."
"What did you say!", a woman screamed at the top of her lungs, which could be heard to the front, where Hendrik and Feyra were standing.
"You see... They're getting on in age and not a single one of them believed they would make it past eighty. Yet we got a few of them here...", Hendrik explained, walking over to the guy, who was still displeased with the position of the pot.
"Helmut! Tell this woman over here where to move the pot. She wants to help."
"Okay! What's your name, child?"
"My name is Feyra. Ida and I want to help you!", she said back, and Helmut nodded. Then he pointed at the pot and Feyra moved over to lift it up.
Helmut then pointed his finger to a different place where Feyra put the pot down. "Well done! Thank you! Now go help the others!"
Feyra looked over to the woman, who was cooking soup, and went over. "Do you need any help?"
The woman looked at her, squeezing her eyes, before looking at Ida and doing the same. "Ah little Ida! You can help me get some ingredients.", she said, waving Ida over, who listened to the woman carefully.
Feyra went further in the back in the meantime, where a lot of boxes needed to be carried around.
"These boxes should go there! Those are flowers!", a woman screamed at the top of her lungs. The guy who was carrying the boxes didn't seem so pleased. "Do you even know that my back isn't the best anymore too!?", he screamed back, before the boxes in front of him disappeared.
"Where are they supposed to go?", Feyra asked with a smile. The woman, who had just screamed at the guy, walked down the stairs and signaled for Feyra to follow her.
"Come, come! These flowers need to still be arranged.", the woman said, walking with her cane to a woman, who was sitting at a table. She wore a bun on top of her head and had earrings. Her clothes looked more like some from the Capital and she wore some lipstick.
"Put the boxes there. I'll take care of it. Oh a new face?", the woman looked at Feyra before Ida also came running to her.
"Done. Justus' granny is now only doing a few more things before the soup is ready. I'm allowed to help with the flowers.", she said, climbing onto the bench that was attached to the table.
"Little Ida is here too? That's quite a rare sight.", the woman said, taking out a small bag and looking for something. She took out a round little ball and put it in front of Ida.
Ida took the ball and put it in her mouth. "Thank you Granny Nyx!"
"It's always good seeing you smile. Now to your companion... I'm Nyx, also known as Granny Nyx now.", she said, showing Feyra to sit down with them.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Feyra."
"A Fallen Angel I suppose?"
"Yes.", Feyra answered, putting her bags down and looking at the flowers.
"The people in the Capital love these fairytales. Little do they know a lot of them are true.", Granny Nyx said, before also sorting a few flowers and instructing Ida and Feyra about how to arrange the flowers.
"You know about the Capital? Are you from there?", Feyra asked, taking a Forget me not and putting it in the vase. Next she took some leaves and grasses, and placed them around the flower, before choosing another flower.
"I'm from the Capital. After my husband died I decided to go back to his village. My village is destroyed. It has been destroyed before I was even born."
"That village near the Capital that has been destroyed 125 years ago?", Feyra asked, taking more flowers that were pink and purple.
Ida took flowers that were red and also some roses, arranging them like a fire would be.
"Yes. Did you pass through it?"
"I did."
"It's rare to see people pass through that village nowadays. Many avoid it as they think it's cursed.", Granny Nyx explained, also taking some grasses now and putting them in a big vase. "You see I've already lived for 79 years... Things change over time. Many here have passed the eighty. Their hearing gets worse. Yet I opt for a quieter place.", she said, showing the vase to Feyra. "This symbolises age and forgetfulness but also life and adventure."
"That is beautiful. You know a lot about flowers."
"I was working in the government district in the past. Yet when I had nothing to do I would tend to the flowers. Later Shiba became my successor. While teaching him, I was able take care of the flowers even more. He is a kind and smart person, even if he is a little peculiar. He hides secrets that no one knows of."
Ida was listening carefully while arranging the next vase.
"One represents the old age and flow of time, one youth and spirit while the last here represents memories and knowledge. The vitality of life is with you two. Mine is coming near its end.", Granny Nyx explained, looking at the respective person she meant.
Feyra was wondering how she was able to tell this but then she noticed the kind of flowers they had all used.
"You saw that from the flowers we used. Clever."
"Haha. It's nothing special. Frankly speaking, it would have nothing to say, but Ida doesn't know as much about flowers so she simply chooses whichever ones she likes. I take flowers that remind me of the past and current day while yours... It carries something with it... Memories, the Forget me not, as well as knowledge and deep thinking. These colours feel too deep and specifically chosen as to have any other meaning.", Granny Nyx explained.
Feyra was stunned hearing that. She asked more questions while they prepared even more vases, until all the flowers were gone.
"Now look at that. All the vases are filled with pretty flowers. Well done Ida and Feyra. Say, that name Feyra... I've heard of the name Freya but this one feels so weird. How did it come to being?"
"Oh that... The people who named me didn't want to use the name Freya as it was reserved for a God. But they wanted something similar so they just changed the name slightly, that's how it turned to Feyra.", she explained, a little embarrassed knowing that she had to thank the Father for that.
"It's pretty. And it fits you.", Ida said, walking over to her. Feyra took her up and smiled.
"Thank you. Now let's see where else we can help."
Granny Nyx smiled and stood up too. "I'll get something to eat then. There should still be some things that need to be done."
Feyra and Ida looked around, before an old man blocked their way, trying to lift up a box full of potatoes.
"Sir can I carry this box for you?", Feyra asked and the man nodded. Ida looked at him before she signed something to him and he signed back.
But he just understood me?
"This is Kurt. He is mute but can still hear. I learned sign language from him.", Ida explained, before signing to Kurt Feyra's name.
"I understand. Then would you be so kind to tell me where I should bring these potatoes."
Kurt signed something and Ida translated it. "He says they should go to Justus' grandma. She needs them for another dish she needs to prepare.", Ida said.
Kurt, Ida and Feyra went to the place with the stove in a slow pace and brought the potatoes to Justus' grandma.
"Thank you.", she screamed, before looking at the potatoes in the box.
"Kurt says thank you and he also wants to tell you he isn't deaf. You don't need to scream.", Ida said, first looking at Feyra and then at Justus' grandma.
"Huh? What?", she screamed again. Kurt shook his head and signed something again, before Ida told Feyra they should follow him again.
"He says that there is a box of wine in the cellar he can't get out. Would you be so kind to get it?", Ida said, pointing at the door leading to a cellar.
"No need to worry. Let me do it.", Feyra said and went down. It was dark but she found the box soon.
Squeak!
Feyra looked around before she saw some mice and rats scurrying around.
Now it makes sense why they don't like going here too... Not to mention this may be an explanation for why Ida's parents got the plague.
Feyra took the box and went outside again. "Do you know that there are rats and mice in the cellar?", she asked and Kurt nodded. He signed something that Ida translated.
"They're aware of it but don't know how to get rid of them. Hendrik has been looking for something for a while. He at least got rid of the ones who caused my parents to go...", Ida got a little sad. "Not even my home remains. They said it would be best if the house would go too, knowing the rats had found a way inside."
Kurt patted her head, trying to calm her down a little, but Ida still started crying.
With the help of Feyra and Kurt, she soon calmed down again and they got back to work.
"He says this box needs to go to Hendrik. Kurt also said that you should rest after that. It's getting late."
Feyra nodded and took the box. Kurt and Ida were walking beside her and talking about various things.
"Kurt wants to know where you're from. He hasn't seen anyone like you before."
"I'm from the Kingdom. From a time when the lost princess still lived.", Feyra answered.
Kurt seemed quite intrigued by it and signed something to Ida again.
"Kurt says that he didn't expect you to be so old. He has only heard tales of the lost princess. He also asked how things are in the Kingdom."
"Frankly speaking... Horrible. The Kingdom has always had issues, but over the course of time, it has gotten worse. When the lost princess was still alive, the Kingdom was thriving. The people were happy. But the ones who had more money and power were displeased. Such a shame it went back to how it was..."
Kurt expressed his feelings towards the Kingdom too. He had also visited it, when he was younger, with his wife, but they had already noticed that the plague was far more than in the Alliance.
"He says that he has never seen so many people suffering from the plague. The Alliance has done a lot to surpress it. Only few people get sick nowadays, but in the Kingdom things are far worse.", Ida translated, not fully understanding what was meant with all these words.
"Indeed. The Kingdom only cares for the people in power... Yet it's the farmers and common people who make it possible for the Kingdom to exist."
They arrived at Hendrik's house not long after, Kurt waved goodbye before heading back again. Ida went inside and ran up the stairs to her room before she came back down and showed Feyra her room.
Hendrik followed them, after he had put the wine into his cellar, which was only for temporary storage.
"Ida is a smart child. She may not look like it but in comparison to the other children she is ahead of them. Not only does she have powers but she has also learned a lot from the elderly.", Hendrik said, before showing Feyra the room. "The bathroom is there. The bed is not the best. We wanted to change it but then Ida came here and we didn't have the opportunity since then. Rest well." With that Hendrik left and Feyra could finally put her bags down.
As she was starting to sleep, her door creaked open and Ida crawled into her bed snuggling up to Feyra with her Teddy in her arms.
Oh? Well whatever... Sleep well Ida.