The Wylleran Tundra, 100 years ago...
"Al? Why does Baba hate me?"
"He hates everyone," Aldeheid said simply. A stiff wind blew across the white wilderness, stinging his skin. He and Wenry had been walking ever since the gates had been shut behind them. All feeling his feet and hands were gone, and he hadn't stopped shivering since he set foot outside the castle.
The sun was up, but the tundra rejected its rays, shunned them. Warmth was an unwelcomed guest here, along with hope. He huffed out a cloud and ground his teeth together. If anger and bitterness and resentment could generate heat, he'd be a walking bonfire.
Not only had Jayer plotted to kill him, he'd framed the high priestess for it. And he had the nerve to call Baldavin a monster. He was no better. The King kicking out Wenry was just salt in the already festering wound, but it was a move they should've expected.
Baldavin took every opportunity to assert his power, especially so when he believed he was losing control over them. It was likely he'd seen Aldeheid's defiance as a symptom of that, and thusly endeavored to break them by punishing Wenry. It was cruelly calculated tactic.
"Maybe if we go back and apologize, Baba will let us back in," Wenry was saying.
Aldeheid envied her naivety. He very much doubted that she understood the gravity of their situation. The unbeatable beast they were up against. "A simple "sorry" isn't going to fix this."
"But my feet hurt. I want to go home."
"We have no home, Wenry!" he snapped, stopping dead in his tracks. "Don't you see? This..." He waved at the endless ice surrounding them. "This is it for us!" The crack of his voice was snatched away by the frigid winds, leaving them in silence.
Wenry's bottom lip trembled and her eyes rimmed over with tears.
Nice job, you idiot. It was bad enough that she'd been kicked out with him, and yelling at her wasn't going to make things better. He gave himself an internal kick and softened his voice. "Wenry, I'm sorry." He knelt so they were eye level. "If we could go home, that would be the first place I'd take you. But Baldavin has decided that this is our fate."
She sniffled. "But we can't stay out here."
"I know..." He breathed a sigh. "But we'll figure this out, somehow. Alright?"
She gave a jerky nod. "Do you want your earring back?"
"You... have it? Here? Now?"
Wenry reached under her coat, and pulled out a small cloth bag. From one of the pockets she produced his earring. "I was guarding it like you asked."
"Wenry, you are a gem." Aldeheid grinned and wasted no time sticking it in his ear. It's familiar weight was a much needed comfort. "What else do you have in there?"
When she held the bag up, ether stones glittered at him from the inside. "Jay was going to help me with my spellcasting."
Aldeheid's heart did a little dance. He didn't know what angel of mercy was shining down on them, but he was grateful. "Ether stones too? We could use these to make sunorbs."
He took out a handful and clasped them between his hands before reciting a spell. Golden light spilled from between his fingers, and warmth tingled along his palm as the magic formed a solid sun stone in his hand. And that warmth gave him hope that maybe the Tundra's Embrace would be forgiving.
The second one he made was a bit smaller, and he frowned as he realized he should've divided the ether stones equally. No matter. He gave Wenry the larger of the two. "Here's what were going to do. You and I are going to find a new home."
Wenry's brows came together as she frowned. "How?"
"Look." Aldeheid pointed to the twin peaks at the southern side of the tundra. "Do you see those mountains? If we can get around them, we might be able to find some people who can help us."
There were towns beyond them, he knew. They used the mountains as a natural buffer from the tundra's winds. Their only problem was the sunstones. The magic would wear off with time. Then there was the matter of making their rations last.
But even with those obstacles looming over him, Aldeheid was determined to beat this frozen wilderness. Just to spite Baldavin.
"Would you like to ride on my back for little while?" Aldeheid asked Wenry, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Alright. Let's keep moving."