Chapter 1

Deedra opened her eyes slowly, eyelids still heavy from sleeping. It was the dream she just had, that woke her. It was not a bad dream, just… strange. She had seen herself being held by a man in battered golden armour. The man didn’t seem familiar to her, but his eyes reminded her of her fathers, deep warm brown, filled with kindness and compassion.

The family common room was covered in pre-dawn darkness, only faint light coming in through the window behind her, ever so slightly illuminating the room.

She rolled over in her bed, facing the window, looking out into the sky. The clouds on the horizon had begun turning purple, signalling the coming of Zul’tekt, the Great Lifegiver, giving them another warm day.

She lay there, thinking of the stories her father often had told her about the great battle, Zul’Tekt had fought, to be able to serve the people below him, to bring them life and light. How he won with the help of his sisters, Gel’Tekt and Mun’Tekt, who now gives soft light at night to the people below them. Gel’Tekt had been badly burned, according to the story, which was why she had a red face. But her red face was supposed to bestow eternal love, if lovers kissed beneath her face, when she looked directly at them, fully round. Deedra wondered often if her parents had kissed in her full view of them.

A large shadow moved past the window, blocking her view of the sky for a brief second, breaking her drowsy state.

“Ballock,” she whispered with a smile “You’re awake early too, I see…”

The Scraw-bear her father had rescued a little over 8 years ago, would often go into the forest to forage, just when day would be turning to night, and then return some time during the night to sleep in the barn. She saw him as her brother, having grown up together, playing and running through the meadows. He always won ofcourse, given his six powerful legs.

Deedra could vaguely remember the day her father came home with him, so tiny he was, not much more than skin and bones. She could however, clearly remember how angry her mother had been with him, not wanting him to bring such a dangerous animal into their home, near their daughter.

He found the tiny cub, deep in the forest while looking for wild seeds. He was cuddled up against the dead mother, having died in a trap someone had set. Now, though, she loved him just as much as the rest of the family.

He was smart as a whip too. Had taken all the training her father put him to, like a fish learning to swim and now helping with ploughing, hauling, hunting and even playing hide and seek with her!

Deedra slowly slid out from under her covers and let her bare feet touch the cold floor, sending a shiver through her body. Sitting up, she wiped the sleep out from her eyes, while letting her feet find her boots, so she could get this day started.

After pulling her boots all the way on, she got up and went over to the hearth, holding out a hand over the firepit. It still radiated heat. Hoping she had a bit of luck with her, she bent down and gently blew on the ashes, making some embers flare up.

Happy that she would not have to use the flint and steel to make a fire, she drew out some kindling from the basket next to the hearth, as to give the fire something to feed on, before placing two pieces of dry wood on top of the flames.

Heavy breathing and the sound of sniffing coming from the outer door drew her attention. Ballock was aware that she was awake.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming to say goodmorning to you.” she whispered with a chuckle, taking two handfuls of dried berries from a jar on the counter, next to the hearth, one of which she stuffed into her mouth.

Having barely unlatched the door, it was pushed open by the big head of the Scraw-bear, his spiralled horns having made more scratches in the wood. He happily greeted her with a big wet snout to her face. He had become too big to enter fully, but would still put his whole head in, whenever the door was open. He loved to be as close to them as possible.

“Mammi is gonna be mighty mad at you for keeping making marks in her door” she whispered to him, while giving him a scratch along the scruff of his neck and putting the berry-filled hand into his mouth, where she let them go and withdrew her hand, so he could swallow them in one gulp.

“Did you have an exciting night?” she asked him softly, while wiping the saliva off her hand in her nightgown.

The morning air was brisk around her exposed legs, but forewarned that it would be a hot day. Perfect for harvesting the last Sulni-flowers and drying them.

She really enjoyed the tea Master Fremdon, Master Tea Maker in town, made with them. Sulni-flowers being the main ingredient, he got most of his supply from them so they made a fine living here.

Sulni flowers were notoriously hard to cultivate and farm, mostly growing in the wild, but those with the will, knowledge and luck could get them to grow. The flower itself was white as snow, with five long petals and a red centre, drawing in insects with its sweet scent, which would be trapped and devoured by the plant. Deedra would often spend time among them, enjoying their sweet aroma.

Her father had built a wind powered construct to speed up the drying process, so they did not need to let them lay out in the sun for several days, like others that managed to grow the flowers. She had heard rumours in town that some used magic to speed it up, but had never met anyone who could do that. She really wanted to meet someone who could do that.

The creaking of the door to her parents room caught her ear and she looked to see her father entering the common room.

“You’re up early.” her father whispered loudly, as he closed the door behind him.

“‘Morning pappi” she greeted him, giving Ballock a last squeeze, before going over to her father to give him a hug too. Her head only reached up to the middle of his stomach and her hands could almost touch behind him. He stooped over to hug her back and kissed her on the top of her head.

“You hungry?” he asked her, letting go of her and ruffling her long brown hair. She had inherited his hair. Thick, strong and boring brown, she thought. At least she had been blessed with her mothers beautiful eyes.

She hated when he made a mess of her hair like that and started to comb it with her fingers as best she could.

“Yes, a bit.” she answered, as he went over to the hearth, where he took down a cauldron from a hook and hung it over the low-burning fire. He then grabbed more wood to get the fire going strong.

“Is mammi all right?” Deedra asked her father, as she removed her nightgown and boots to change into her clothing. “I heard her scream in the middle of the night.”

“Yes, yes, just a bad dream…” her father reassured her. “Will you go fetch a bucket of milk when you have changed?”

A bit later, they were all sitting together, eating a hearty breakfast consisting of porridge, bread, eggs and some smoked meat. Her mother had dark furrows under her eyes, but she still looked as beautiful as a newly blossomed wild rose, with her raven-black hair, fair skin and emerald green eyes, that smiled at them both, full of love.

They were talking about the things they had to get done today, crops to harvest and equipment to check for tomorrow, when Deedra would go to the market, all by herself for the first time. She was very excited about it, but also a bit nervous. The 1 hour long journey into town was safe, but there were always many more people in town during market day and she had always had her father to lean on in case of uncertainties. At least she would have Ballock to protect her, if anyone tried anything.

Last month, she had done all the haggling instead of her father, with him watching over her, and had shown great aptitude for it, not letting anyone get the better of her. The price for the Sulni-flowers had already been arranged, so she would not have to worry about that. Master Fremdon had been by 10 days ago to evaluate the flowers and her father and he had agreed to 2 silver per pound of dried flowers and 6 pounds of tea, once it was done, which should last them for at least until next year.

“I think the harvest this year will bring in more than enough to buy the materials to build your own room, Dee” her father said to her “maybe even an addition for Ballock, so he does not have to sleep in the barn, all alone.”

“Wrenrik!” Her mother said to him, “I love him just as much as you, but he is NOT getting a room inside the house. He will make a mess of things! Not much worse than you, of course…” she ended, smiling at him.

Wrenrik stopped mid-motion taking a spoonful of porridge, putting it slowly back in the bowl, just staring at her. Then, swift for a man his size, he was out of his seat, got behind her, tickling her and ‘scolding’ her for saying he was a messy person. She screamed in laughter, trying to fight back. “So I make a mess of things, eh?” he said laughing, trying to kiss her neck, which made her scream with laughter all the more.

Deedra got up and tried to save her mother from this onslaught of tickling, but they were no match for him. With an unwilling kick from her mothers legs, they all wound up rolling around on the floor, laughing, food spilled across the table and some on the floor.

He took them both into his embrace and hugged them and kissed them.

“I love you both so much that I would fade away in an instant if I lost you” he said to them.

—

It had been a hard day's work, but everything was ready for tomorrow. The cart was filled to the brim with baskets and crates. 34 baskets alone for Master Fremdon alone took up the majority of the space, 12 pounds each, but also a wide selection of other vegetables and herbs to sell.

Deedra had been exhausted, as her father carried her on his shoulders back to the house, after finishing up, Zul’Tekt low on the sky, but still beaming down light and warmth.

Her mother had drawn her a warm bath, which she went into with delight, enjoying the soothing warm water. Deedra wanted to spend more time in the bath, but she was tired and crawled out of the warm water and into the soft embrace of her mother, who was holding a blanket ready for her.

After quickly drying off and putting on her freshly washed nightgown, she went over to her father, who sat in front of the hearth, humming songs. He lifted her up onto his lap, where she leaned into his chest and looked at the fire with him.

“Pappi? Will you tell me the story of the evil witch and the kind soldier that saved her?” she asked, ending with a yawn.

“That old story?” he said, chuckling “I must have told you that one at least a hundred times by now. I know you know it by heart.”

“But it is much better when you tell it” she protested softly, yawning once again.

Giving her a soft kiss on the top of her still wet hair, he started the tale. “Long ago, in a land far away, there lived an evil witch Or at least, many found her to be evil. She ruled a cursed land that none dared venture into, called The Winter Marshes. Many a king had sent vast armies to her door to vanquish her, but none could, all of them fell to her unparalleled magic.

So strong was she, that she could even command the dead, raising them to become her own army, sending back the dead soldiers to where they came from.”

“I think I will retire to the bed,” Deedra’s mother said, putting a log of wood on the fire, then kissing her cheek. “Sleep well, my little blessing.” she said, as she left them and closed the door behind her.

“Please, pappi, tell me more.” Deedra said, eyes closed, sleep steadily taking hold of her.

“For a century, or more” her father continued, voice deep and softly rumbling “she lived in these cursed marshes, alone and isolated, feared by all.

But one day, a soldier, a single man, lost his group as they were escorting a diplomat from one kingdom to another. They were attacked by bandits, one of which used magic to kill many in a single attack. He had been left for dead, but fate had plans for him still. Not knowing the lands he was passing through, he started to walk and soon had crossed into witches marsh.

Night fell upon him soon enough and he lit a fire to both keep warm, heat some food and to keep all the predators at bay that were regarding him with keen interest.

As he sat there, he sang songs about lost love, broken and mended hearts and growing old together.

What the young soldier did not know was that the witch could see his small fire from her keep. Curious, she spied on him, using her magic. Seeing the single soldier, she was about to strike out and kill him, but his songs made her stay her hand, tugging on heartstrings that she had forgotten she had.

Instead, she moved herself closer to the lone soldier, using her magic. And for a short while, she stood there, hidden in the shadows, listening to his deep voice, singing many songs.

Then, something that had not happened in a long time, a single tear fell from her cheek. She wanted to talk to this either very brave or very dumb soldier.

‘May I join you at your fire, Man at Arms?’ she asked, her voice soft and gentle, as she stepped into the light.

Now, the soldier had been so entrenched in his own thoughts, that the sudden appearance of her made him jump and fall backwards off the log he was sitting on, legs now pointing toward the sky and arms flailing to find a hold.

Such a silly sight to her, it made her laugh for the first time in decades.

After finding stable footing and getting himself up, he looked at the young woman standing there, beautiful and delicate, with long black hair and eyes that shone like precious stones, reflecting the world around them.

Clearing his throat, he said ‘Young miss, I must insist that you stay at the fire tonight! It is not safe to travel alone here, when it is dark’.

She gave him a polite smile and found a seat on a log, close to the fire, as he too sat back down. He shared what little food he had with her and they talked. All throughout the night.

His eyes were filled with compassion and warmth, making her heart long to be forever close to them. She could not detect any deceit or malice from him, nor any kind of bewitching magic. He was just a man, not knowing who he was talking to.

He in turn, had been struck deeply in his heart. He knew from the moment he saw her, that here was a woman, that he would lay down his life to protect. Yes, she felt cold, but it was a sad kind of coldness, the kind that arises when you have been abused, hurt deeply and have become an outcast from everywhere.

He would not, nay, could not treat her like that! He would show her compassion and love.”

Wrenrik paused to see if Deedra had fallen asleep, her breathing slow and steady. He was just about to slowly lift her up to place her in her bed, but the movement made her stir.

“Then what happened pappi?” she said, clearly not fully awake.

Letting out a sigh, smiling and kissing her on the top of her nearly dry hair, he continued.

“As morning broke over the marsh, the marsh itself seemed to have changed, becoming lighter, not as dark as it was the day before. The witch told him of a route to get safely across the lands and to meet with her at a very old tree, two days from that day. She would leave the marsh, that had been her home and domain for nearly two centuries, to come with him.

He followed the path she had given him, making it safely to a very large tree that marked the end of her domain. And true to her word, she came just as Zul’Tekt was setting, carrying only a few things. Among them, her tome, containing all of her knowledge, the things she had learned and made.

She feared for it to fall in the wrong hands, but bound in the skin from a Greater Deamagok and warded with powerful magic, not even she could destroy it. She would keep it hidden and locked away from those not of her blood.

That evening, they set off, to make a new life together, away from their past lives.”

Deedra had fully fallen asleep in her fathers arms. He gently got up and placed her in her bed, kissed her cheek and hoped the Gods would bless her each and every day.

Wrenrik tossed a few logs on the fire in the hearth, before he made his way into the bedroom, where his beloved wife was waiting for him. He found her sitting up in the bed, writing in her journal by the dim light of the oil lamp.

He stood there a bit, just taking in the sight of her, as she sat there, deep in thought, writing. He knew it helped her with her nightmares, a repentance for her past life, before him, before Deedra.

He took off his clothes, laid it on the chest at the foot of the bed and got under the covers with her, giving her a long soft kiss on her shoulder, his beard tickling her and making her turn her head to face him, giving him a loving kiss on the top of his head in return.

They looked deeply into each other's eyes for a few moments, enjoying the love they felt for one another.

She then looked away with a solemn expression on her face.

“Wren, I have been thinking…” she started, before biting her lip, seizing up. “What is it, my delicate winter blossom?” he asked, gently turning her head to face him with a strong hand on her cheek. “She is turning 12 the day after tomorrow and I think she needs to know of her heritage. I can feel her essence is strong and growing stronger by the day. I think it might manifest unwillingly if she is not taught to control it…” she trailed off, tears starting to form in her eyes. “Hey, listen now,” he said to her, as he softly pushed away her journal and drew her in to hold her tight, “you made a pact, but that does not mean you cannot teach her yourself, as long as you are very careful. I trust you and know you can do it safely, for the both of you.”

She cried silently into his bare chest, hugging him as hard as she could.

From today, I will be aiming to post a chapter every 2 weeks, on Thursdays or Fridays. This gives me a buffer with what I have now, allowing me to take it easy, space and time for unforeseen events and not burning myself out, even though I have so much more just filling up my mind. Thank you for reading and I hope it you like it