The sun bade farewell to the sky and the stars began to twinkle hellos, when in the northern lands of Ursulam, a young woman, body covered in a fur coat and face hidden by a hood; made her way back to a quaint farmhouse beside a giggling creek. The house was a small little haven of warmth in the cold winter landscape, shadowed by mountains to the east and a coniferous forest stretching out to the horizon in the west. It was tucked into the foothills of those mountains, sheltered by them from the icy cold wind.

Within the house a large fire crackled in the hearth, the only thing other than its walls and roof that kept the inhabitants alive through the winters of the northern lands. Despite the heat it provided, the young woman who entered the house did not choose to remove her coat as she entered, and instead only bothered to take the hood from her head, revealing brownish blonde hair and a lightly freckled pale face. She made her way over to the fire and held her mitten covered hands over it.

"You know, they'll warm faster if you take the gloves off. Right now, you're keeping the warmth out." The master of the house said, a man by the name of Axel. He was in his mid-thirties, always had the shadow of a beard on his face, and his black hair was cut close to his head. He walked over to the fire and stoked it, causing it to roar up. The girl shot him an annoyed glare and her cheeks became more flushed than they already were. Nevertheless, she removed the gloves and began rubbing her hands together to speed up the process of warming them.

"You know, I already told you, I-" she began to reply, but was cut off.

"-I know. You once lived here in Ursulam. That was the south though, and I assure you, the winters this far north are much harsher. It is foolish to travel up here in these times, much less if you do not understand how to deal with the cold. You are lucky to have found a haven here, or you may have died." He said, scolding her. He did not, however, but not meet the glare she gave him with her emerald colored eyes. Rather, his gaze focused on the fire, the light dancing around in his amber colored irises. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

She nodded, then reached into a coat pocket and pulled out large sheets of bark. She then walked over to a small table nearby and deposited the pieces in a heap there. Axel walked over to observe.

"I'm not very good at alchemical things, but hopefully this will do the trick." She said, confident.

"That isn't what you think it is." Axel replied, his voice derisive.

"What?" she said, snapping her head to look at him in surprise. Her hair was done up in a braid, and as her head turned the braid flipped around behind her. "How would you know?"

He sighed. "Ezmeralda, I was once a knight of the Silver Order. We were trained in at least the basics of medicine. You should have just told me you were trying to gather willow bark. If that were the solution to my daughter's dilemma, I'd have tried it."

"But that is exactly what this is!" she protested, looking down at the strips in confusion.

"Similar, but not the same." He retorted, and then walked away from the table and back to the fire. "That is bark from the shaman tree. It is called that because it looks like a willow but isn't. I suppose the old joke was that most shaman's deliver promises but no results."

She picked over the bark. "But how do you know? Teach me what the difference is at least."

If anything, she was at least inquisitive, he thought. "I know because no willow trees grow this far north, I've looked for them. You'd have to wait for the leaves to grow in to know just by looking at them though. That isn't too far away, the cold will break soon."

An annoyed eye roll from Ezmeralda followed this advice. "Well what good will that do?"

At this point Ezmeralda was beginning to sweat. Axel noted that in her flustered state she had long forgotten about removing her coat, despite being well warmed. She crossed her arms and huffed, blowing an errant strand of hair out of her face, before sitting down in a chair at the table and glaring into the fire.

"Maybe you should take your coat off and enjoy the fact that you're back from a wild day of trudging through winter snow. It has only been a week since I found you and your horse almost dead, at very the threshold of my home. The fact that you didn't die in that time, or lose your fingers and toes, is a miracle." He chastised, hoping that Ezmeralda would not repeat the rebellious and arrogant teenage antics she had already begun displaying to him, and then prayed to the stars that his own daughter wouldn't turn out this way.

Luckily, she did stand up and remove her coat without further comment, placing it across the back of her chair before approaching the fire and sitting down in front of it. She curled up into the fetal position while staring into the flames. The disappointment and annoyance in her face was evident. It was clearly not so much an anger directed at Axel as it was anger directed at herself, combined with bruised pride.

Axel wasn't sure what to make of the small framed young woman who had showed up on his doorstep some six days ago. She had collapsed at his doorway in the middle of a storm, with both herself and her horse on the verge of death. Yet when he had rescued them both, and brought her to the warmth of a fire, he had discovered that neither had been harmed by the bone freezing cold. It was after only a couple days of bedridden recovery that she had begun walking around, in perfect health.

She had worn the same fur coat she wore now, an expensive and luxurious piece of clothing, and in her belongings, which he had searched in hopes of identifying her, he had found a wealth of the strangest things. Among these there were a few small jewels, alchemic bottles and tools, many pencils, pens and ink, paper, and a couple of books in some runic language. There were also various oddities like sulfur, feathers, a pearl, a vial of blood, two crow's feet, and the twigs of some sort of tree which Axel could not identify.

Of all her things though, it was the wooden staff topped by a green jewel that she carried, and the green trimmed red robes that she wore at this moment, which caused Axel to conclude that she was a wizard or sorcerer of some sort. However, what her purpose in the north was, and at his doorstep no less, was still a complete mystery to him.

It didn't bother Axel to not know though. He was just glad to have helped a lost soul. That was what he had endeavored to do for years as a knight vowed to the worship of Light, and that was what he hoped to do now. Ezmeralda seemed to be a kind girl, though perhaps a bit prideful and headstrong. She wasn't very beautiful, but she was a far cry from ugly. Her face had the slight hints of graceful and beautiful angles, while her eyes were like rare gems. Axel was sure that she would probably find a wonderful husband and settle down in the future, raise a nice family, and live out a wonderful life. That was, if she was even peasantry. If not, and she was of noble birth like Axel suspected, then she would have an even greater future ahead of her. Regardless, he felt glad that he had done a good thing by saving her from a terrible fate, and he was thankful that she would have a future ahead of her at all.

These thoughts pleased Axel and he smiled. Then, he stepped away from the fire and walked over to the corner of the room closest to the hearth. There was a bed there, and a small black-haired girl lay sleeping. His daughter. He hoped that she would be able to live a good life too. He carefully reached out and placed the back of his hand against the little girl's forehead. It was slick with sweat and far too warm.

The sickness had come to her just a couple days earlier, almost as soon as Ezmeralda had recovered. He had also felt it and assumed it had been some bad food. Unfortunately, his daughter Eira had not recovered so quickly. She had come down with a very bad fever and had now been sleeping for quite some time. She had become lethargic and complained of pain in her stomach. He kneeled beside the bed, looked skyward, and began a prayer to the star whose name his daughter bore.

"Eira, light of compassion and peace. Please look down on my child. Give her strength and healing, let her bear your light onward into the future, and let her name be a testament to your works and the will of Light." He said, before closing his eyes to finish the prayer and stand.

"Do you think they listen?" Ezmeralda asked, looking over with an expression of pity.

"Do you feel the need to question the faith of your host and rescuer?" Axel retorted. He was getting to be an old man, and while he suspected that Ezmeralda was something of a heretic, he didn't have the fire in him to debate the subject with her. "I know that few of you northerners, especially in this part of Ursulam, have faith or piety. However young wizard I am not here to question you, so please do not question me. I would like my daughter to recover, that is all."

Ezmeralda eyed him for a little bit, the hardened expression on his chiseled face was clearly not amused by her remark. "Fine then, do what you wish and hope she lives. I suppose there aren't many other options. Also, I told you, I'm a mage. I’m not a wizard or sorcerer."

"You didn't tell me that." He corrected, before walking over to the fire again and sitting down beside her. The fire was starting to die a bit, but Axel didn't dare to throw another piece of kindling onto it yet, there was little enough left as it was. The winter had not been an easy one.

"Well, then, now you know." She replied; eyes now focused on the fire.

"So, a mage, but not a Magi I take it?" he asked, standing up and walking across the room to a keg that stood in the corner opposite the one his daughter's bed was in.

Ezmeralda grimaced. "Pfft, of course not. One of those stars worshipping priests? Part of their organization, their church? Never!"

"You know, as a Silver Knight I'm not a friend of the Magi. That said, most would call it impolite to be so blunt about your dislike for religion. Especially around someone who has dedicated their life to the stars, as I did when I was a Silver Knight, and even now." He said dryly. He turned the spigot on the keg and poured out some mead into a tankard. He looked over to Ezmeralda. "Would you like some mead? It will help to warm you after the long day you've had."

She raised an eyebrow. "Mead?"

"Perhaps you've heard it called honey wine?" he answered.

She nodded. Her head moved just a little when she did so. "Yes, please, I would like some very much...Thank you."

Axel grinned, before pouring her some as well. The way she nodded her head and reverted to polite speech, when moments before she had been so harsh, was indicative of his suspicions regarding her nobility. She had manners which she instinctively fell back on. Perhaps he'd get a solid answer about what noble house she was from within the evening.

"The people here make fine mead every year, and I make sure to stock up on it for the winter. This next year I'm thinking about raising bees myself, perhaps producing some of my own mead from the honey." He explained, before handing her a tankard. She sipped it, and then took a gulp. Her cheeks flushed, and she grinned. Happiness dwelled on her face for a bit, before it was evicted and replaced by a sad nostalgic expression.

"My father and mother used to make mead like this. They did call it honey wine though."

"Really? You know you've never said if you're Ursulan or Aerician." He said, poking around for maybe a bit more information on his mysterious guest. This was perhaps their second extended conversation, and it would do him well to get as much information as possible.

"Neither. I was born in Ursulam, and have lived in Aericia eight years." She replied, before eyeing him with suspicion. "You were one of the Paladin's knights correct? That hero of Aericia?"

Axel nodded. "Yes, the Order of Silver, the Silver Knights. Technically I remain on their rolls, as his lordship did not see it fit to remove me from the order. Though I have still departed my official duties...till I feel it right to reclaim the title."

"Well then, I will tell you that he was a great help to my people, many years ago when the Magi and the Aerician army ravaged these lands. That should tell you something." She explained, giving insight to Axel regarding her heritage.

"So, you were originally one of the Veyorn?" he asked. "One of the wanderers?"

She nodded, taking a sip of her mead. "My father was Aerician. My mother was Veyorn."

"...and they lived in Ursulam. An interesting relationship." He remarked, also drinking some of his beverage. This was an unusual turn of things. The Veyorn were not nobility. In fact, it was the opposite. Most of the time the Veyorn were persecuted in some way, as wanderers or wasteland dwellers, people who had lost their homeland long ago, and people who worshipped the stars in heretical ways or didn't worship at all. The Veyorn people of Ursulam were worse for persecution than Aericians, but that hadn't stopped the Magi priests and Aerician soldiers from committing genocide against Veyorn settlements when they had invaded Ursulan almost a hundred years prior. That had been when the Immortal Paladin had first appeared. He had stood alone, and it had been then that the star of peace, called Eira in Ursulam and Mira in Aericia, had descended to earth to stand beside him. With her blessing he had become an eternal and unstoppable warrior for justice. That was when the Order of Silver had first been founded as well, born from the Paladin's few loyal friends. The Magi and Aerician armies had been laid to waste by him and his cobbled together allies, in the foothills of the Dragon's Back mountains.

"After they passed, I moved south to live with my uncle in Aericia. I was raised there, and now I have returned to the north on a quest." She explained.

"And your uncle would be?"

"Lord Elefthera." she replied, before becoming a little defensive. She eyed the mead warily. It seemed she had been trying to keep secrets and had spoken too much thanks to the mead loosening her lips a little. "Wait...why do you ask?"

Axel chuckled. "Curiosity. I'd like to know a thing or two about someone I welcome into my house. It never hurts to be careful about people. What sort of quest is this then? Some sort of pilgrimage? Something related to your studies as a witch?"

"I'm a mage!" She shouted, clearly annoyed that he was getting amusement out of questioning her. Stubbornly, she gulped down the rest of her mead. She stood up, as if to make an announcement. "IT'S TO-"

"Shh!" his finger quickly went up over his lips, indicating her to be quiet. He jerked his head in the direction of his sleeping daughter. "Quiet, you'll wake her, and stars know she needs the rest."

Ezmeralda went silent, and covered her mouth as she realized her mistake. Then, she settled back down in front of the fire.

"You seem to be a good father to her. I noticed how you were up all night last night watching over her." Ezmeralda commented, breaking the silence. Her voice was now very quiet. She turned her head toward the feverish little thing in the corner. The girl was not much more than a toddler.

"No, I'm quite the opposite. I never should have brought her to this frozen land. I am able to enjoy the solitude and think upon the sins that caused me to separate myself from my fellow knights. I'm also able to earn my keep through helping the village nearby fight off hogs, wolves, and the occasional strange beast that wanders out of the forest. However, this is not a land for her. She will not receive the raising I'd desire for her here, if she even manages to live through the land's harshness. I'm thankful for your efforts on her behalf by the way, even if it did not work out as you planned." He said, before he also realized that he was talking quite a bit. Then again, he rarely had someone to talk to except his daughter, so getting the worries off his chest through conversation was a welcome thing.

Ezmeralda nodded. "It was nothing. You’ve let me stay here a week, given me food, I as just trying to provide something in return."

For a brief period, the two sat in silence, the fire crackling, before Axel finished his mead and stood up. The mead of these lands was the strongest he had ever had, and as someone who rarely drank alcohol in his current life it was easy to feel the effects. Now was the time to retire for the evening.

"Well then Lady Elefthera, I'm going to go to sleep for the night. Thank you for explaining yourself a bit better. It makes me more comfortable to know what sort of guest I have in my house."

She shrugged, looking down at her empty tankard. "Rest well then, sir knight."

"You'll have to tell me what sort of quest you've embarked upon tomorrow though, and be sure to rest well yourself. Tomorrow I intend to journey into the village with Eira. There is a shaman there, and though I do not trust them, they may be able to help my daughter." He said, before walking over to the bed where Eira lay. He sat down down on it, looking at her. After a moment of consideration, the man decided not to climb up to the cot above hers, and instead gingerly climbed into the bed beside her. This way, he would know if anything disturbed her during the night, or her condition deteriorated.

Ezmeralda watched the event with indifferent eyes. Soon enough, the man was lightly snoring, and it was just her awake within the dwelling, sitting in front of the fire. Then, when all was calm, she held out her hands to it, and the fire rose and fell at her beck and call. Eyes and mouths appeared within the flames and then vanished, shapes formed and then died.

At a movement of her hand, and at her whispered call, the kindling piled beside the hearth rose into the air and gingerly placed itself into the fire, piece by piece. The flames quickly began to consume it but slowed their ravaging at Ezmeralda's thought. She continued to silently pile a little more fuel upon the fire at a time, building it up for the evening. Had the knight done this, precious fuel may have been wasted. But as it was, the flames would only consume as much as she wished them to, and warm the house a bit more for the evening.

After some time of this, Ezmeralda herself began to doze off in her chair, the warmth of the fire and the exhaustion of her day overwhelming her. She was woken however, by a tug on her mage robes.

She suppressed a cry of surprise and looked down. There she saw little Eira, pulling on her robe. Ezmeralda glanced over to Axel, wondering if he had been disturbed. The man had not, though he tossed and turned in his bed. He recognized that the little girl was missing, though his body hadn’t woken when she’d crawled out of bed.

“Miss Ezmelda?” Eira asked, looking up at Ezmeralda with wearied blue eyes.

“You can call me Ezmeralda, or just Ez, if that is too hard.” She said in a whispered tone. Then, the mage picked up the little girl and set her on her lap. “What woke you?”

“I felt…something.” She said. Her voice was weak, and the words came with difficulty.

“What was that?” Ezmeralda asked, curious.

“How?” she asked. Her finger pointed to the fire and then to the logs Ezmeralda had just moved with magic.

Ezmeralda smiled and held out a hand towards the fire. The shapes and figures within it rose and fell again. Deer leaping, people dancing, and a dragon’s head appeared. “It is magic.”

“Oh. Wow.” The little girl said, looking awed. She then held out her own hand. “Can I do it?”

Ezmeralda smiled and shrugged. “Maybe. It takes practice though, and you have to learn things.”

“Really?” Eira replied, looking up at Ezmeralda with hopeful eyes. She felt heavy and relaxed. She was barely awake in Ezmeralda’s arm, but the excitement in her gaze shone through it.

“Yes.” Ezmeralda said, before growing more solemn. “And it is dangerous…it...it hurt you, it is why you’re sick. But please, do not tell your father. I didn’t mean for it to hurt you, but it did. I’m sorry.”

Eira seemed confused, and then yawned. She got halfway through the yawn, and then coughed. Axel stirred in his bed, but did not wake up. Her reply to Ezmeralda was halfhearted. “I don’t get it.”

“Alright, then don’t worry about it.” Ezmeralda said, in very a hushed whisper. “Back to bed. You need your rest, or you won’t beat this sickness. I barely did.”

Ezmeralda then placed the little girl back down on the ground, and she hobbled over to the bed. She began to try and climb back in it, before Ezmeralda realized she would need some help and came to assist her. Luckily, Axel was a very sound sleeper, and he did not wake up when Eira was tucked back in under the covers beside him.

Soon, they were both asleep again, and Ezmeralda went back to tending the fire. This time she did not come close to falling asleep. Rather, she remained vigilant and unwearied throughout the night, till at last the morning broke.