Candy Apple. Ambrosia. (Horizon Tales)
AUTHOR: Shrimp
CHALLENGE: Candy Apple 6. feet; Ambrosia 6. “Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision.”
WORD COUNT: 1,595
RATING: PG-13
NOTES: This takes place shortly after the last piece.
Vala stumbled. It was the third time in as many minutes and she was beginning to doubt that it had anything to do with uneven ground beneath the snow. She was tripping over her own feet. The cold had seeped through the leather of her boots and passed her socks and now she couldn’t feel a thing below her shins. Not that she was having a particularly good time feeling her shins either. Her whole body was freezing and caked in a layer of crisp snow. The escape hadn’t left her with the thickest of clothes, just what she could manage to smuggle out stealthily. She wasn’t dressed for this blizzard.
Vala stumbled again. This time she fell to her knees, catching herself with her hand and wincing at the sharp bite of the snow. She stayed like that for a moment, breathing heavy and rasping breaths. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t feel her feet. Everything that she could still feel burned and stung from the biting cold and ceaseless wind. She felt tired and heavy. Her arm gave out from under her and before she realized it she was lying face down in the snow. She turned onto her side lazily and wrapped her arms around her chest. Was it her imagination or did she feel warmer this way?
No. She had to stand up. She couldn’t just lay there and let the snow claim her. She needed to get to Shore Shine. She needed to see her father’s funeral. She tried to summon the energy to sit up, stand up, get moving. Every part of her felt disconnected. The cold had pierced her and there was no shaking it off. Once she got to Shore Shine she could be warm. She could sit in front of the fire with a blanket and tea. There would be the opportunity for a hot bath and warm clothes. She could feel the heat of her thoughts in her mind but her body still suffered. She groaned and tried to push herself up into at least a sitting position.
“Mama! Mama, there’s someone in the snow!” Through what felt like sheer willpower alone Vala managed to lift herself. She shivered and shook so badly that she was making stuttering noises as her teeth chattered. The wind was so harsh and the snow so thick that Vala was surprised anyone could see her. From what she could hear over the weather the person who had found her was a child and a commoner. That worked in her favor. As long as it wasn’t any of the Fenerrs soldiers she would be fine. It didn’t seem likely that any of the common folk in the area would feel any loyalty to the invading barbarian men. The child stepped closer and Vala was able to make out his silhouette against the snow.
“Please…” She made it to her feet, but only barely. When she tried to take a step closer to the child she stumbled again. This time she managed to keep upright. If she fell again she doubted that she would be able to stand.
“John!” Vala thought the wind had shrieked before she realized it was simply the mother. Her blurry form appeared next to the child and pulled him against her, essentially making him disappear to Vala’s eyes. “Who’re you? What do you want? We don’t have anything for you.” She spoke quickly and Vala could understand her trepidation. She was a stranger in the snow in a time where war loomed on the horizon. No, Vala corrected herself, war is here. She put her hands out in front of her to show that she meant no harm.
“Lord Fenerrs’ son’s taken Hero’s Home.” Her lips were numb making her words come out thick and slurred. She hoped they could understand or even hear her over the howling wind. After a moment she took another careful step forward. “I escaped. But I need to get to Shore Shine.” The woman seemed to relax slightly.
“What about Lord Temen?” Vala shook her head.
“There’s been no word. His son held the castle.” She paused to push the wave of sadness that descended on her away. “He’s dead.” For a while no one said anything. Vala was worried maybe the woman hadn’t heard her or that maybe she just didn’t care what happened to nobles. She had always heard that the Temen family was well loved by the common folk they ruled over. They were descended from heroes, after all, and valued behaving in such a manner. Vala was a high born girl though and the life she had built outside of Uniss had served to show her that the way she had been taught the world worked wasn’t always correct. It was more than possible that the farmers and the millers hated Lord Temen and would be pleased to hear his son had been killed. Maybe they thought they would be better off under barbarian rule.
“Come with me,” the woman said and the next thing that Vala knew she was being dragged through the snow. She barely lifted her feet, but the woman’s grip on her arm kept her balanced. Behind her she could hear the child following them. They made their way towards a stable that Vala hadn’t even noticed she was near. It occurred to her that she had wound up further off the road than she had intended to be. The blizzard had hidden the tracts of the main road and she had been walking off of the path in order to remain undetected. Now she wondered if she was anywhere near where she thought she was. How far from Shore Shine was she? How many more days was it?
When the woman opened the door to the stable Vala smelt the thick scent of the horses before she saw them. The three entered and the child closed the door behind them. The stable was far warmer than the outside and Vala found herself shaking from the drastic change. She wrapped her arms around herself to try and stifle her shuddering. The woman pulled a blanket off a peg on the wall and draped it over Vala’s shoulders. She rubbed the younger girl’s arms through the layers. Blood started flowing again and her arms tingled. She stomped her feet and flexed her toes, or at least she hoped she flexed her toes. She still couldn’t feel her feet.
“Thank you,” Vala breathed humbly. The woman left her side and went over to one of the horses. She gestured to a small hearth at the farthest end of the building. Vala picked her way through the narrow path to stand beside it, greedily lapping up its heat. The stable was set up for four but Vala counted only three. One, the one that the woman had gone over to, was clearly older and in worse condition than the others. With her feet practically in the smoldering embers of the hearth she began to feel the pinpricks of feeling returning to her. “I won’t stay long. Just enough to get warm,” she reassured. A thought occurred to her. “You shouldn’t stay here. You should take your family and get to Shore Shine as fast as possible. Fenerrs’ men will be raiding the land any day now. You should go and tell everyone else to go as well. Shore Shine will take you. Shore Shine will protect anyone who comes.” Vala wasn’t sure what she would find when she got home. A grieving mother, a devastated sister, and likely her uncle in charge of the affairs until her brother was old enough were her guesses. No matter who was acting regent they would have to accept the role of refuge to any that were escaping Lord Fenerrs’ conquest.
“How can you be sure it’s safe there? Or that they’ll take us? We’re nothing more than farmers.” The woman was pulling at the old horse, brushing it down as if she were preparing to ride off on it right then and there. Vala supposed she must just be occupying herself in the anxiety of the situation.
“Shore Shine is a stronghold. It’s made to withstand sieges. It’ll stand against this self-titled Barbarian King.” She hesitated for a moment and then straightened her shoulders and lifted her head to look evenly at the woman. “I know you’ll be welcome because I’m Vala Dorsett and Shore Shine is my family’s home. I’ll make sure you’re welcome.” The woman looked at her suspiciously before nodding. She reached for something behind the horse that Vala couldn’t see and produced a saddle which she began putting on the creature. Understanding dawned on the younger woman. “I don’t think-“ She started, unsure what she was really going to say. She needed the horse. Much to her relief the woman held up a silencing hand.
“Hope’s a good horse but she’s old. Even if we stay she’s not much good to us anymore. We might’ve butchered her already except for being sentimental. I think she might feel better knowing she did something like this before she dies.” Vala watched as the woman spoke, looking at the old horse rather than her. She thought of Little Nevins stuck back at Hero’s Home where she had had to abandon him in her escape. She understood being sentimental over a horse. She hoped Hugh would be just as sentimental and take care of hers now that he owned him.
“Thank you,” she said solidly.
CHALLENGE: Candy Apple 6. feet; Ambrosia 6. “Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision.”
WORD COUNT: 1,595
RATING: PG-13
NOTES: This takes place shortly after the last piece.
Vala stumbled. It was the third time in as many minutes and she was beginning to doubt that it had anything to do with uneven ground beneath the snow. She was tripping over her own feet. The cold had seeped through the leather of her boots and passed her socks and now she couldn’t feel a thing below her shins. Not that she was having a particularly good time feeling her shins either. Her whole body was freezing and caked in a layer of crisp snow. The escape hadn’t left her with the thickest of clothes, just what she could manage to smuggle out stealthily. She wasn’t dressed for this blizzard.
Vala stumbled again. This time she fell to her knees, catching herself with her hand and wincing at the sharp bite of the snow. She stayed like that for a moment, breathing heavy and rasping breaths. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t feel her feet. Everything that she could still feel burned and stung from the biting cold and ceaseless wind. She felt tired and heavy. Her arm gave out from under her and before she realized it she was lying face down in the snow. She turned onto her side lazily and wrapped her arms around her chest. Was it her imagination or did she feel warmer this way?
No. She had to stand up. She couldn’t just lay there and let the snow claim her. She needed to get to Shore Shine. She needed to see her father’s funeral. She tried to summon the energy to sit up, stand up, get moving. Every part of her felt disconnected. The cold had pierced her and there was no shaking it off. Once she got to Shore Shine she could be warm. She could sit in front of the fire with a blanket and tea. There would be the opportunity for a hot bath and warm clothes. She could feel the heat of her thoughts in her mind but her body still suffered. She groaned and tried to push herself up into at least a sitting position.
“Mama! Mama, there’s someone in the snow!” Through what felt like sheer willpower alone Vala managed to lift herself. She shivered and shook so badly that she was making stuttering noises as her teeth chattered. The wind was so harsh and the snow so thick that Vala was surprised anyone could see her. From what she could hear over the weather the person who had found her was a child and a commoner. That worked in her favor. As long as it wasn’t any of the Fenerrs soldiers she would be fine. It didn’t seem likely that any of the common folk in the area would feel any loyalty to the invading barbarian men. The child stepped closer and Vala was able to make out his silhouette against the snow.
“Please…” She made it to her feet, but only barely. When she tried to take a step closer to the child she stumbled again. This time she managed to keep upright. If she fell again she doubted that she would be able to stand.
“John!” Vala thought the wind had shrieked before she realized it was simply the mother. Her blurry form appeared next to the child and pulled him against her, essentially making him disappear to Vala’s eyes. “Who’re you? What do you want? We don’t have anything for you.” She spoke quickly and Vala could understand her trepidation. She was a stranger in the snow in a time where war loomed on the horizon. No, Vala corrected herself, war is here. She put her hands out in front of her to show that she meant no harm.
“Lord Fenerrs’ son’s taken Hero’s Home.” Her lips were numb making her words come out thick and slurred. She hoped they could understand or even hear her over the howling wind. After a moment she took another careful step forward. “I escaped. But I need to get to Shore Shine.” The woman seemed to relax slightly.
“What about Lord Temen?” Vala shook her head.
“There’s been no word. His son held the castle.” She paused to push the wave of sadness that descended on her away. “He’s dead.” For a while no one said anything. Vala was worried maybe the woman hadn’t heard her or that maybe she just didn’t care what happened to nobles. She had always heard that the Temen family was well loved by the common folk they ruled over. They were descended from heroes, after all, and valued behaving in such a manner. Vala was a high born girl though and the life she had built outside of Uniss had served to show her that the way she had been taught the world worked wasn’t always correct. It was more than possible that the farmers and the millers hated Lord Temen and would be pleased to hear his son had been killed. Maybe they thought they would be better off under barbarian rule.
“Come with me,” the woman said and the next thing that Vala knew she was being dragged through the snow. She barely lifted her feet, but the woman’s grip on her arm kept her balanced. Behind her she could hear the child following them. They made their way towards a stable that Vala hadn’t even noticed she was near. It occurred to her that she had wound up further off the road than she had intended to be. The blizzard had hidden the tracts of the main road and she had been walking off of the path in order to remain undetected. Now she wondered if she was anywhere near where she thought she was. How far from Shore Shine was she? How many more days was it?
When the woman opened the door to the stable Vala smelt the thick scent of the horses before she saw them. The three entered and the child closed the door behind them. The stable was far warmer than the outside and Vala found herself shaking from the drastic change. She wrapped her arms around herself to try and stifle her shuddering. The woman pulled a blanket off a peg on the wall and draped it over Vala’s shoulders. She rubbed the younger girl’s arms through the layers. Blood started flowing again and her arms tingled. She stomped her feet and flexed her toes, or at least she hoped she flexed her toes. She still couldn’t feel her feet.
“Thank you,” Vala breathed humbly. The woman left her side and went over to one of the horses. She gestured to a small hearth at the farthest end of the building. Vala picked her way through the narrow path to stand beside it, greedily lapping up its heat. The stable was set up for four but Vala counted only three. One, the one that the woman had gone over to, was clearly older and in worse condition than the others. With her feet practically in the smoldering embers of the hearth she began to feel the pinpricks of feeling returning to her. “I won’t stay long. Just enough to get warm,” she reassured. A thought occurred to her. “You shouldn’t stay here. You should take your family and get to Shore Shine as fast as possible. Fenerrs’ men will be raiding the land any day now. You should go and tell everyone else to go as well. Shore Shine will take you. Shore Shine will protect anyone who comes.” Vala wasn’t sure what she would find when she got home. A grieving mother, a devastated sister, and likely her uncle in charge of the affairs until her brother was old enough were her guesses. No matter who was acting regent they would have to accept the role of refuge to any that were escaping Lord Fenerrs’ conquest.
“How can you be sure it’s safe there? Or that they’ll take us? We’re nothing more than farmers.” The woman was pulling at the old horse, brushing it down as if she were preparing to ride off on it right then and there. Vala supposed she must just be occupying herself in the anxiety of the situation.
“Shore Shine is a stronghold. It’s made to withstand sieges. It’ll stand against this self-titled Barbarian King.” She hesitated for a moment and then straightened her shoulders and lifted her head to look evenly at the woman. “I know you’ll be welcome because I’m Vala Dorsett and Shore Shine is my family’s home. I’ll make sure you’re welcome.” The woman looked at her suspiciously before nodding. She reached for something behind the horse that Vala couldn’t see and produced a saddle which she began putting on the creature. Understanding dawned on the younger woman. “I don’t think-“ She started, unsure what she was really going to say. She needed the horse. Much to her relief the woman held up a silencing hand.
“Hope’s a good horse but she’s old. Even if we stay she’s not much good to us anymore. We might’ve butchered her already except for being sentimental. I think she might feel better knowing she did something like this before she dies.” Vala watched as the woman spoke, looking at the old horse rather than her. She thought of Little Nevins stuck back at Hero’s Home where she had had to abandon him in her escape. She understood being sentimental over a horse. She hoped Hugh would be just as sentimental and take care of hers now that he owned him.
“Thank you,” she said solidly.