IV

My recollection grows hazier each day when I recall my first steps in this new frontier, and yet, a few memories are burned into my brain.

The wind cutting deep into my skin. I couldn’t feel my hands or legs. Nothing but bright white snow covering everything around me, save for the massive towering trees. Not that I could see more than twenty feet in front of me anyway. I was always fond of harsh elements and disasters when travelling, but this forest was something else. Even the most experienced wayfarers can underestimate the danger of an excursion.

I had been travelling for far too long, and was supposed to have at least spotted the settlement by now. A blizzard arrived early, and with the sun already setting, one could have guessed my fate with ease. Just another traveler succumbing to the callous wintery squall.

One foot in front of the other. I still can’t tell you how long I kept that on. Repeating it to myself for an eternity. Marching with my staff and grasping my coat’s hood firmly.

And yet, if given another chance, I would decide to make that trek again. I’d do it a hundred times, for upon my arrival I was cared for as if I was family. The warmth of the air in the village would make you forget instantly about the storms surrounding it.

Goot. The village buried in an endless snow.
I was told it was a miracle I had found it with just a few leads. It doesn’t even appear on most maps.

I could never wrap my head around the kindness I was shown for the long time I stayed there. Grew close with all the townsfolk, aiding in daily errands and community duties. Not just surviving together, but thriving together. The gentle expressions on their faces often return to my mind unprompted. Faces that remain the closest to my heart today.

I’m sure I would have called it home had she not left out that morning.

Notte