CHAPTER 13

Alex had lost track of time. He didn't know whether it was day or night, whether dawn had already broken, or whether he was still trapped in the previous night's darkness. Outside the tent, a heavy snowstorm reduced visibility to a minimum, and the temperature had dropped drastically.

“Don't worry. We're safe here. The tent was designed to prevent the snow from collapsing it,” said Lÿarah as soon as she woke up and saw the worried look on the boy's face.

“Hi Lÿarah, are you feeling better?” he said, smiling when he saw her face looked better.

“Thanks to you,” she said, smiling. “You know, I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“I always underestimated you, never took you seriously... I always thought you were a cowardly, fragile person who grew up in a comfortable environment... In my mind, unconsciously, I projected myself, not only onto myself but onto my entire tribe, with an air of superiority... which now proves to be artificial.”

“Wow... that’s deep. You know, I’m not upset about that. Not even within my own people did they take me seriously... it would just be... just another time this would happen again..., but you know what? I also had prejudices against you guys... I truly believed you were barbarians, rude, wild, and dangerous... But look at this: you’re a warrior; you probably never set foot in a classroom in your life, and yet you speak eloquently, have deep wisdom, and can philosophize about many things in life.”

“All of this is to tell me that you think I’m smart?” Lÿarah said, slightly embarrassed.

“Very smart,” Alex said enthusiastically. “By the way, your people have incredible wisdom, culture, and knowledge. Your technology to overcome the adversities of such a hostile environment outside the walled city is fantastic. Look at this tent; that alone proves it.”

Both smiled at each other and paused for a few moments.

“Want to eat?” he said, breaking the silence. “I used the heating stone to improvise a hot dish, typical of the city... we still have strips of meat in the supplies... so I prepared...”

“I want to.” Lÿarah didn’t wait for him to finish speaking.

Alex served Lÿarah happily. He never imagined he could cook anything in those conditions.

It was nothing special. Just some roots and strips of meat that he managed to roast improvisationally over the heating stone.

“Delicious! I never thought eating roots could be so tasty,” she said, amazed. “And the meat tastes so much better this way.”

Alex just smiled happily.

“Eat more, go ahead!” he said, pointing to the meat.

“Thank you very much. I’ll put a heating stone in each home in the village and tell everyone to start preparing food like this.”

“That will be a revolution.” Alex laughed.

“No, an evolution! That’s more like it.” Corrected Lÿarah.

They continued eating until they were full.

“Are my clothes dry?” Lÿarah asked.

“Sorry... I used the stone to cook and...”

“It’s okay. I’m warm here under the blankets. Don’t worry.”

“Of course I worry. We’re vulnerable... and if the bear comes back and...”

“Relax. No predator will come. They all feel intimidated by Gruoh’s size.”

“I keep thinking about her outside... poor Star.”

“You don’t need to worry about her either. She can stay still under the snow for days. Gruoh, without a doubt, is the most resilient creature in this world.”

“Truly... he’s very powerful. Magnificent creature.”

“I agree with you. Do you mind putting my clothes back to dry?”

“I already did that as soon as I finished cooking and cleaning the stone.”

“Thanks. It’s dangerous to keep traveling in these conditions. We should stay here until the snowstorm weakens.”

“Yeah... despite everything, it’s been nice spending this time with you.”

“Thank you. I feel the same.”

She looked at the space beside her on the bed.

“Finished your tasks?”

“Yes, I did. Why? Do you need anything else?”

“You must be cold. Come, get under the covers with me. It’s not right for me to monopolize all the blankets and pelts.”

“No... no need... and your clothes are...” Alex was caught off guard and stammered as he tried to respond.

“We’ve moved past that phase. Well, at least I think so. Now... if you don’t want to... that’s okay.”

“I’LL GO,” he suddenly said loudly. “I mean, I said... I want to say... I will. Thank you.”

She carefully used the last layer of pelts to cover her nudity and waved her hand to invite him to snuggle beside her.

“Thank you... Excuse me.”

“Now, yes. You’ll stay warm. We’ll survive another day.”

“Yes... and your injuries and burns?”

“It’ll be fine. The ointments with Yggdrasil roots speed up skin regeneration. Holy medicine.”

“Very good, I’d like to take this knowledge to my people as well.”

“Feel free. Let’s rest. We’ll need all the energy we can get. We have a long journey ahead.”