CHAPTER 14

The heavy snow stopped, and Lÿarah and Alex packed up camp and continued their journey. They were only a day away from the walls.

“If we keep up this pace, we'll reach the point my father marked before it gets dark.”

“Even from so far away, the walls look so majestic.” Alex mused.

“And they are; you can see them on the horizon from my village if the visibility is good, of course. But nothing is as exuberant as Yggdrasil, reaching up to the clouds.”

“I must agree. It’s beautiful.”

“Well, let’s go. Come on, girl, let’s move!” Lÿarah ordered Gruoh to march.

Some time later, the windstorm started again. They were protected by clothing that left only their eyes exposed.

“I can’t feel my fingers, Lÿarah...”

“I know... I’m having trouble too, especially at the tips of my toes. It’s dangerous to leave it like this; extremities are the first to suffer and necrose in extreme cold. Warm your hands by holding your blade. Cast a warming spell. It doesn’t make the blade incandescent or produce flames, but it makes it quite hot. Since you won’t hurt yourself with this heat, just be careful not to touch Gruoh with it, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll be careful.”

They continued their journey in silence. Alex had fallen asleep the night before from exhaustion, but something was bothering him. He could swear that during the night, Lÿarah had clung to him and hugged him under the covers. Did that really happen, or had he dreamed it?

He was going to ask, but hesitated. He decided not to. What if she took him for an idiot for not noticing something so obvious? Or worse, she might be offended if she hadn’t done anything like that and it was all just a figment of his imagination.

Minutes later, something else caught his attention.

“Is it safe for us to approach the city so directly? Could we be seen?” He asked as the wall drew closer.

“It’s safe. No sentinels guard the wall. No one would withstand the cold there, and besides, those walls have proven to be impassable. No one scales that with the winds blowing up there. Not to mention, the fear of being besieged is minimal; nature itself is their best defense.”

“Why?”

“What army could camp and lay siege here? Look at this climate. They would perish in a few days without damaging any structures. The city’s inhabitants just have to wait and watch the invaders fall at the hands of their best soldier: the cold.”

“I see.”

“That’s why the secret route my father gave us is so valuable. Before risking my warriors’ lives unnecessarily, I need to be sure it’s still a valid passage.”

“I understand. And how did your father get this information?”

“Sorry, I can’t explain that right now.”

“No... That’s okay then, no problem. Let’s keep going.”

•••

Without stopping, they reached the spot just as dusk fell. It was practically the chimney of Muspelheim’s boilers, an artificially built mound designed to look like a smaller volcano.

“Interesting. It’s like a volcano always in activity; that’s why no one ever suspected all that smoke.” Alex said.

“Clever...” Lÿarah also noted. “I imagine no one ever thought to go inside that hole to see what’s inside... after all, what do you expect to find inside an active volcano besides lava, sulfur, smoke, and ash?”

“Yeah...” Alex’s expression turned worried. “I don’t want to believe we have to go through that scorching hole to get in.”

“No... we’re not going down there.” Lÿarah pointed to the hillside. “There, there must be a hidden entrance.”

“Hidden for so many ages?”

“That’s why it won’t be easy to find... because if it were, someone probably already would have found it. And we’re talking about thousands of years of history.”

“So... shall we start?”

“Tomorrow. It’s not safe to risk it at night.”

“Let’s set up camp nearby then... well, not too close... I think it’s wiser to keep some distance; after all, that smoke doesn’t seem healthy.”

“I agree.” Lÿarah turned to Alex hopefully. “Can you cook for me again, please?”

“Of course.” He replied with a smile as he started setting up Gruoh’s tent.

•••

Both ate well and felt very tired from the long journey. They decided to turn in early so they could start exploring at dawn the next day.

“What are you doing?” Lÿarah asked, surprised to see Alex setting up his bed.

“Getting ready to sleep... why?”

“And are you going to set up your bed separately? We've already slept together twice; we can share our blankets in one bed. We'll stay warmer.”

Culturally, ‘sleeping together’ meant something very different to Lÿarah than it did to Alex. She was being pragmatic. Literally.

“Oh... I mean... well... yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Every time the physical space between us gets smaller, I notice that your expression, the way you speak, how you behave... changes quite a bit.” She observed.

“No... imagine... that's nonsense.” He said, stammering.

Lÿarah laughed delightfully.

“So, a brave guy like you is afraid to get close to a woman?”

“No, I’m not afraid, you’re wrong and...” He interrupted himself. “Wait... what? Brave?”

“Huh? Isn’t he?”

“And why do you think that?”

“Well... let’s see... only a very brave guy, or reckless, or both, would sneak onto a navigator’s ship without knowing exactly where he was going or what he would find there.”

“Look... according to you, in another conversation... I was just running away...”

“Exactly! Running away from a woman. Looks like my thesis is being confirmed.”

“Okay... okay... yes, I ran from a marriage. I was afraid of a woman I didn’t know, but I wasn’t afraid to sneak onto a ship and go somewhere unknown... Alright, point for you.”

“Besides, even though you’re not a warrior, you faced a bear.”

“Your kindness in calling that a ‘confrontation.’ I was just scared of it.”

“And how many would have run just at its roar? I am a warrior, as you already mentioned. I know what courage is, young man. I had many doubts about whether I should bring you on this journey. Luckily, I chose well.”

“I was afraid... in all these situations.”

“We all have fears. I have fears. Do you think courage is the absence of fear?”

“Isn’t it?”

“No. Courage is doing what needs to be done, even when you're afraid. A trustworthy person is someone you know will act, even in the worst situations. Because the survival instinct speaks louder, fleeing is the body's most obvious response. And I don’t condemn self-preservation, but fighting fear with a goal in mind is extraordinary, and few species in the world can do that.”

Alex began to see himself differently after her words.

“Sometimes our insecurities are just in our heads.” He reflected. “It’s good that someone can help us see something we can’t see ourselves.”

“What’s wrong? Come on! Lie down here.” Lÿarah called Alex to her blankets. “Or haven’t you gotten over your fear of girls yet?”

“No! I mean... Of course... of course...”

He settled in the blankets with her.

“There, see? I don’t bite. I mean... not without reason. If needed, I bite.”

“What did she mean by that?” Alex wondered.

“Ah... Good night, Lÿarah.”

“Good night, Alex.”

The two then lay side by side. At first, back to back.

“Lÿarah?”

“Yes?”

“Did you hug me last night?”

“I think so. I was cold. Why don’t we switch and you hug me tonight?”

Alex was taken aback. It wasn’t the answer he expected.

“What’s wrong? Don’t want to?” Lÿarah wondered at his slow response.

“No, no! I mean... I don’t... I mean... Yes. YES!”

“Yes or no?”

He turned around and hugged her from behind.

“Like this?”

“Yes.”

They stayed in that position for a few seconds.

“No one has ever hugged me like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve never been with a man before. I always thought it would be unpleasant, but to my surprise... it’s not bad. Quite the opposite.”

Alex held her tighter. Her body was more rigid and muscular than his, but he stopped caring about the physical difference between them.

She didn’t seem to mind either.

Exhaustion took over, and the two fell asleep in that position, staying that way all night.