A Favor Given, A Favor Returned.

“Goddess…. Please hear my prayer, for I have no one else to turn to.” The female-knight, despite the fact that her body was adorned with frost and her limbs were starting to lose feeling, clasped both hands as she knelt in the middle of a snowstorm. Under the attack of the Shadowless, their small convoy had been routed and forced to retreat. To complete their mission, they had to make sure that the threat of the Shadowless reached the ears of those who mattered, as well as their location, they had split up to ensure that at least one of them made it back.

Sterlia Neltvik, for that was this young woman’s name, had been surrounded on all sides by the Shadowless at the edge of a cliff. As she was proficient with wind magic, she had leaped into the ravine to escape her pursuers. However there were still a few that managed to trail her, and she had fought a long and bitter battle that had approached death’s door several times. Afterward she had struggled to escape the ravine, for she could no longer muster the strength to cast magic. Coupled with the grievous wounds she had received in the battle, her arms were too weak to try and scale the walls. And to make things even worse, a snowstorm had started to brew.

Sterlia made the decision to rest within a nearby cave to recover her strength, but the snowstorm did not relent even after three days. On the fifth day, the snowstorm picked up, and the temperature dropped so much that she needed to use a bit of fire magic to keep herself from freezing to death. On the seventh day, she had realized that this year’s Whitefrost, for whatever reason, had decided to come almost a month early. It was then she had lost hope and harbored a great fear of her own demise. First came denial, then rejection, then finally acceptance.

In the end she had moved out of the safety of the cave, three days after the last of her combat rations had been used up. She had convinced herself that it was worth a try, and even if she failed, her body or bones would at the very least be in an area more easily found to give her parents closure.. But in the blinding whiteness, she could not make heads nor tails of where she was heading, for even the sides of the ravine were covered in slick white ice that reflected light like heart-stealing gemstones. She had to slowly feel her way forward with her feet, like a blind person without a walking stick. Similarly she had to cloak the confines of her body with flame to keep away the biting cold, if only to last another minute longer.

As soon as she flew out of the ravine, the ravaging wind forced her onto the ground, and like a downed bird she had to slowly walk along the ground in snow and ice that came up to her thighs. All around her was a blank whiteness and for once it was not the darkness from which the Shadowless lurked she feared, but the endless expanse of white.

Sterlia picked in a random direction and moved towards it. It wasn’t even an hour when she had became exhausted and could no longer move.

“Goddess Ecclisa. Forgive me, for I no longer have the strength to continue...” Sterlia was kneeling in the snow, but she could no longer feel her knees, or her hands that were clasped together in a final prayer. “I pray that my body will be delivered unto my beloved, and may he find happiness without me...”

Would her body be preserved to be found once the Whitefrost passes, or will it be picked clean by monsters and predators? How long would her betrothed have to wait for closure? Sterlia worried that once the news of her disappearance came out, he would abandon everything to search for him. Such was the type of man he was, the type of man that she had fell in love with.

Such were the thoughts that raced through her mind, causing a crack in the iron wall she had built within herself. Her resoluteness suddenly faltered, and the reality set in. She was going to die here, and even the tears she shed for the others only froze into ice.

“...Goddess, although it may be greedy of me, but I wish to live.” Her cracking voice- a gentle murmur- was soon crushed by the roaring wind. “I don’t want to die here...”

“Why must I die for the commander’s mistake!?” In her rage she slammed her fists into the packed snow, roaring out in denial.

“Why must the Whitefrost arrive this early?!”

“Why must I be selected on this mission when I was due to be married?!”

“Why. Why. Why! Why! WHY! WHY!” Her screams fought against the wind, but it only earned her a mouthful of snow. Perhaps those were last show as defiance as the last of the flame wrapped around her chest faded out, and she quickly lost control of her entire body. Slowly, slowly, her kneeling figure fell and landed on the snow face down.

“Ah...who knew death was so warm….” The sensation of wind seemed to lessen as Sterlia’s unfocused gaze stared at the ground in front of her. Whether it was in her delusions or hallucinations, she thought she heard the sound of a beast’s breathing as she passed out.

….

“Oh, Telif. Looks like you’ve found something.”

A human female. It seems she has lost her way.

“Don’t look at me like it’s my fault. Those Shadowless were getting too close to my castle, so of course I had to do something about it. What’s wrong with having the Whitefrost early?!”

... Telif did not respond, but she reared her head to look accusingly at Lumnieve. It was obvious what she meant, that the Great Spirit of Frost should not be so whimsical when lives are at stake.

“Hey. Hey. Is that how you look at your master?” Lumnieve playfully patted Telif’s head from her seat behind her shoulders, leaving a trail of ice.

… Telif did not make a move, not even to shake off the ice that had formed atop her head.

“Oh alright. I admit that I did it without giving it much of a thought.”

My lady. Do not forget that you are one of the very embodiments of nature itself. Every ‘whim’ you have can cause the loss of thousands of lives. Just because you decided to let loose a bit earlier, the lesser creatures are paying for it. I’m sure even Lin would judge you harshly for the lack of self control.

“Fine. Fine! Do as you wish you big old dog.” Lumnieve rolled her eyes. “But it’s not like you to take pity on a human. Didn’t you eat nearly an entire battalion once?”

It is not the woman I am taking pity on. Telif walked over to the unmoving Sterlia, and transferred her onto her back by kneeling down, slipping her body under hers, and heaving her up. Even Lumnieve was a bit surprised as the delicateness with which she moved.

It is the unborn child within her womb.

…

Gerrant Lothar sat outside on the balcony of his estate, with a cup and a bottle of fine wine, the chill of the night paled in in comparison to the chill in his heart. The remnants of the scouting expedition had returned two weeks ago, and his betrothed was not among them. His commander had refused his application to join the battle expedition party, quoting that he was not sound of mind. Gerrant had drawn his sword and swore that he was not allowed to join, then he would search on his own. But in the end he was forcibly disarmed and convinced by his close friends that he, who was in the Mage Knight Corps, could not do a better job than the Scouts.

Another two and a half weeks had passed slowly, and his hope dwindled lower and lower. The Whitefrost had begun, causing the mountain paths to vanish, and both the Scouts and the Silver Guard was forced to retreat. Even now, a solemn snow was falling.

“Sterlia… have you truly died?” Gerrant lamented. The Whitefrost was spoken of and taught to all the children in the Holy Land of Ecclisa, for it was a time of danger and precautions taken accordingly. Although very occasionally it would start early, for whatever reason, this was the first time it had occurred an entire month of the normal date, the first week of the second Months of Water- Cloud.

As he was lost in his thoughts, he rubbed his hands together and moved closer to the lantern flame. Did he sit out outside for too long, or did it suddenly get much colder? Before he could ponder the question more, the wind suddenly picked up, and the gentle snowflakes seemed to change into a hail of snowballs and solidified ice.

“What in the goddess’s name...” The temperature abruptly dropped, causing Gerrant to conjure up a shield of swirling wind of around him that kept away the snow and locked in the heat. Before he could shout out to the subordinates, he heard the sound of crushed snow approaching the front of the mansion.

Gerrant glanced down to see a large mass approaching in the dark, the only identifying feature was a large, intelligent pair of yellow and amber eyes.

“A Shadowless with yellow eyes? An abhorrent?” Gerrant instinctively reached towards his belt, only to find himself grasping at air. He quickly glanced down and realized that he was not in his battle attire, and then turned back to get a better look at the creature as it left the shade of the trees.

Except when he had took his eyes off of it, it had vanished entirely. As Gerrant stared at the spot it was prior, he rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

“I must be seeing things now… Too many sleepless nights, too many drinks.” Gerrant sighed as he turned back to his cup, only to see a white tail swaying back and forth. In shock he followed it up towards the roof, where a gigantic white wolf had seated itself. Both due to his shock and the darkness he did not notice the figure that was carefully clenched in its jaws.

The White Wolf seemed to carefully place something onto the ground while maintaining eye contact. Gerrant dared not to look away, for a simple claw from a paw that size could easily decimate him. However, to his surprise, it crouched down and leaped away as soon as it finished, disappearing into the trees. Only after a minute did he dare take his eyes away and bring the lantern closer to the object for a closer look.

“...Sterlia?”

For a moment he thought he heard a young girl’s laugh as he shouted for his servants.

Rureya visits Tel’naraa

“Lilrim, this is Ruri. She’s a half beast like you.” Eullina pulled Rureya towards the front. As soon as they had arrived at Tel’naraa, she had dragged Rureya around to introduce to everyone, making her feel like as if she was some sort of circus animal.

“Welcome to Tel’naraa. You may feel confused and overwhelmed, but we’re all a bit family here. Let us know if you need anything.” Lilrim patted Rureya on the shoulder as she offered a hand. “I have a bit of ogre blood in me, and it sometimes shows, but please treat me well.”

“Um… likewise.” Rureya accepted the handshake, thinking that this large woman’s hands were just as warm as her attitude.

“Hey. Hey! Don’t forget about us!” A chorus of voices called from across the mess hall, and when Rureya glanced over she saw several large burly men who had glasses raised in her direction.

“Those idiots over there are Horly and his motley crew. You don’t need to introduce yourself to them.” Ruri scowled. “They’ll rub you off in a bad way.”

“I heard that!”

“Good!” Eullina shouted back before turning to Lilrim. “I brought a few things back for you and Duncan. For you, several types of spices and preservatives from the Kingdom of Four Winds including a wheel of Naweel Cheese, and for Duncan…where is he?”

“He’s visiting the graves.”

“….Who was it this time?”

“Blake and Corvan. The last caravan that Horly’s crew attacked was armed with guards, and there was one hidden foe among the transported children. They died before they could get back.”

“I see… I should go and pay my respects later.” Their lives in the desert were almost no different from those of mercenaries and bandits, thus it wasn’t uncommon for those that ventured out to not to return. Eullina quickly realized the reason why Horly and the others were so deep in drinks so early in the day.

“On the other hand, we have a few new additions. It’s impossible to smuggle them across the border and with what happened to Haven, they’ll have to stay here for a while. It’s not the best environment for six to eight year old kids, but it beats being put in a cage on display.”

“They’ll get used to it eventually. We all do.”

“...I’m not going to even start to wonder if that is a good or bad thing. How is Airen? I see that he’s not with you.”

“I swear as that boy grows older and older, he’s become less and less sociable. During the year he would often go out and rendezvous with all manner of people. When I asked him about returning with us, he said he already made appointments with Keri to go adventure together. If I didn’t know better I would say-”

“That lucky son of a- I mean, such a shame! At least introduce a brother if he’s going to stay out all night!” Loys popped his head into their conversation, only to receive a solid slap from Lilrim’s spatula.

“It probably rubbed off from this bastard here.” Lilrim grumbled as she reached behind her and handed Loys a bundle of packed foodstuffs. “Get out of here, aren’t you only stopping by?”

“That’s horrible, Lilrim. To think that we have endured all these long years together and now I’m being chased out from my own home...”

“Pft. Someone like you who never stays long enough in one place can hardly call anywhere home except for the horse saddle or caravan wagon.” Eullina rolled her eyes.

“Ahh. One day you’ll understand, little Lina. The joy of going places, seeing things, trying out new foods, and above all- getting laid with an exotic wo-”

Before he finished, Eullina had already delivered a kick to his behind.

Spirit Walker

“Really, did you have to go so far to fill up the barren lake?” Eir sighed as she dipped a hand into the fresh spring water. Their journey has taken them around the majority of the Desolate Tundra, and they had stopped for a while on a small piece of flat land by the side of a mountain. There were signs here that living beings once dwelled here, but perhaps due to the drying of the lake, it had been abandoned.

“If we’re staying here, we might as well.” Lin was carving up a large beast that resembled a komodo lizard, causing a white-yellow blood to pour onto the ground. If not for the barrier that Morrighan had set up, it would likely have attracted more magical beasts.

“You make it sound so easy, filling up an entire lake, when it was I who did all the heavy lifting.” Eir’s face was expressionless as usual, but Lin could tell she was pouting.

“Good work, Eir.”

“How long do you plan on staying in this place?”

“A month or two. It’s a good place to recuperate and restock until we move on.”

“Where to?”

“...Wherever you wish to go, my love.” Lin replied without batting an eye.

“Stop it. We’re both too old for sweet things.” Eir’s face was scowling, but Lin knew otherwise. They knew each other way too well to hide such things.

“Spirits from Ava Na Isla don’t age.” Lin pointed out.

“And neither does the ‘Spirit Walker’” Eir retorted.

“Isn’t that perfect, then? We have an eternity to ourselves.”

“...Pft.” A sound off to their side caused them to grow alarmed for a moment, until the rest of the crew stepped out from side of the cliff.

“Is it me or is it rather hot in here?!” Morrighan smiled cheekily as she dropped the basket of herbs in front of them. “If you two needed some private time, there’s no need to send us away you know~’

“Ahh. The splendors of youth.” Fallas chuckled as he rubbed his beard. “In my eyes the two of you younglings still have a ways to go...”

Tirna on the other hand, did not say anything but instead fidgeted with his hands behind his back. The young fire spirit was too innocent and he could only look down bashfully. After being glared at by Eir, he yelped and murmured. “It was Morrighan’s idea!”

“You got me.” Morrighan straightened her back and shrugged. “It’s simply too amusing watching the two of you.”

“Now, Now, Morrighan. These things take time...” Fallas said quietly, and one would think he was taking Lin/Eir’s side if not for the odd twinkle in his eye. “...It’s a good thing they have ‘an eternity to themselves.’ Kekeke.”

“I… I’m rooting for you two.” Tirna added, except his good intentions were misunderstood.

While Eir was threatening to throw the three of them into the lake and locking them inside for a day, Lin went back to his work with a light smile.

The Secret of the Two

“Come on in.” A voice answered the knocking on the door.

Byrhilda, the Magnolia Valkyrie, quietly opened to the door that leads to the glass garden used by the biology majors and stepped inside, instantly being assaulted by a wave of warmth. The temperature inside was many times warmer compared to the light snow falling outside. In a way, this fire-magic fueled indoor garden was one of the few places of pride and joy for the Royal Knight Academy. She moved towards on end of the garden where there was a table set up, hidden by the plants and trees. Seeing her friend, she bowed her head in apology for being late.

The Princess of Flowers, a title only given to the one that sat at the very top of the female cadets, shook her head.

“It is fine. The tea is just about ready, and I was just watering the flowers. Please, sit.” As Byrhilda signaled her thanks, Priscilla gave a radiant smile and poured her a cup of orange-colored tea. Although Byrhilda was not able to speak, the two of them had grown up together, and it was simple for Priscilla to read her intentions through facial expressions and body movements.

“It’s been getting warmer recently. It’s almost time for the annual tournament, isn’t it?”

Byrhilda nodded in response, making a face and rolling her eyes. If others were to see the normally stalwart and cold woman of steel commit such a gesture, they would have to rub their eyes and look twice.

“Now, now. Even if it’s annoying , it’s a tradition of sorts. Plus, you may even beat me this year, and be titled Princess of Flowers.” Priscilla laughed.

Byrhilda held up both hands and made a pushing gesture.

“You don’t want to? You know that the Sisters from the Heavenly Sonata often recruit the Princess of Flowers as assistants. In the future they may gain the High Priestess’s grace and ascend to be a Sister as well.”

At her words, Byrhilda held out both hands, her right hand holding a spinning piece of stone, an Earth Bolt, and her left hand holding a swirling green ball, a Wind Bolt.

“Times are changing, Hilda. Just because you don’t have an affinity with the Holy Element doesn’t meant that they’ll reject you.”

Byrhilda scowled, pointed at Priscilla, then patted her forearm as she flexed.

“… I really question your way to say ‘strong’ sometimes. Can’t you find a more graceful way?”

Byrhilda shrugged.

“So mean! You’re plenty strong yourself!”

In response Byrhilda pointed at her weapon, then formed a Wind Bolt in her right hand.

“Pft. I’m not going to point out the number of times you defeated your foe before they can even cast a single spell. Just because you’re not as proficient in magic as others doesn’t make you any less a powerful cadet.”

“Ah speaking of which-”

As the night wore on, cadets returning home would occasionally hear voices coming from the garden. There were few that knew of the secret rendezvous of the female cadet’s strongest two ladies, and even when they peered into the garden out of curiosity, but they did not see anything.

Over the last two years, a rumor grew that there’s a ghost in the indoor garden that would converse with the plants.