Mariel remained in the small cabin for five days as her body healed. All the while, Kisando kept asking her questions about her origin, her story and how she had washed up on the beach. Outside, a thick blanket of snow had covered the forest and the ground, and temperature had fallen well below freezing. So far, she had not heard anything of her friends, and her concern had started to take a toll on her mood.

“Are you ready? We’re leaving.”

“I’m ready… Where are we going?” She had been given Kisando’s spare set of clothes to wear, they were several sizes too large and very heavy, but would easily keep her warm even in a storm.

“Well, since you’re too naïve and trusting to be a spy, I’ll take you to Radirvin… It’s a city not too far from here… We’ll need skis to traverse the terrain, and I guess you don’t know how to do that.”

“No… But I’m a quick learner!”

“We’ll see…”

They went outside, and already, she felt the cold bite into her face and lips, even her normal breath caused big puffs of frost. The whole forest was covered in white about ankle deep. Kisando went in behind the cabin and soon returned with a big backpack and two pairs of what to her looked like wooden boards, together with two pairs of wooden sticks.

“Right, so first, let’s get you into the skis… Put your feet on them like so, then close and secure your boot with the metal lock. Take these staves, and give it a go…”

She gently slid one foot forward, followed by the next. Two seconds later, she landed head-first in the snow as her awkward movement had made the skis go backwards. Behind her, she could hear him snort. Annoyed, she carefully got back up and tried again. First foot, followed by the second, she kept herself up purely by leaning on the accompanying staves. Clumsily, she turned around and slowly returned to her starting position.

“Well… Not the worst, not good either… But I guess it’ll get you the first stretch without problems…” He sighed, and handed her a backpack. “Since I’m lending you the clothes and skis, you’ll be carrying some of the meat. I got a whole lot of mouths to feed.”

“You have a family?”

“Of sorts. You’ll meet them soon enough.”

At crawling pace, they began the journey through the forest. The silence was total, and the forest too remained eerily quiet. She attempted to engage him in small-talk, but only received curt responses. She managed to drag out of him that Radirvin was an industrial city, and not too far away. Questions about his family, work, and hobbies fell flat.

“That bow you carry looks incredible… Though, it’s not just a normal bow, is it?”

“No. There used to be a shop in Radirvin that produced hand-made bows. The metal parts are there to improve its power and ease the draw and aim. It can easily outperform your bows and crossbows altogether.”

“Could I try it?”

“No.” He hastily added.

“…”

“I don’t trust you with a weapon… I can tell you’ve seen combat… That naïve façade no doubt fool many, but I’ve seen through you… You can hold your own in a fight.”

“Mm, I can, I’m happy you noticed!” She smiled, momentarily taking her mind off her robotic movement. Seconds later, she was lying on her side in the snow.

“You may know how to hold a sword, but skiing… You’re terrible… Here, let me help you.”

He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Now, prepare yourself, there’s a bit of downhill ahead… See how I’ve placed my skis? Do that to slow down, or you could try to zigzag down the slope. Just remember to lean when you make a turn… And if you can’t do it, sit down in the snow.”

“How steep is it?”

They soon arrived at the edge of the slope. From their spot, they could see chimney smoke in the distance. A vast city laid claim to much of the ground leading up to the horizon.

“I’m going to die going down this hill.”

“Probably. With that attitude… Actually, you’ll probably die.”

“Can we go around?”

“Nope.”

“…”

“Just take it slow, you’ll be fine, maybe.”

“I’ll walk.”

“Are you really going to make a bunch of hungry kids wait for you to walk down this hill? Sure, we elves tend to live a fair bit longer, but hunger can kill us just as quickly as it will do your kind in.”

“And breaking my neck going down this slope will certainly kill me.”

“You’ll be fine… Off you go!”

Before she could utter a word of protest, he gave her a push, and with a shrill scream, she went over the edge, down the hill.