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The forest was building something.
You could tell it was the Forest doing it because none of the people doing the building seemed to be talking or really even paying attention. They moved like ghosts, and I suppose they might have actually been ghosts, I was never really good at telling. First they dug out a deep cavern, then they started building the castle. It was a large castle, not the largest I've ever seen, but big. The stones aged in front of us...like we were watching time move forward really quickly.
It must have taken years to get the castle to that size, but for us it was just weeks. Weeks of watching the ghost men in the thick furs build it up and expand it.
The last thing that went up was a banner. Sora said it looked like a wolf. I thought it looked like one of those gargoyles that stuck out over churches.
We'd packed a picnic to go see them finished. Everyone wanted to know who the new arrivals were, and why they got a castle of all things. The whole neighborhood had camped out on the grass, most of them in coats because it was starting to get really cold around this place for some reason.
I didn't notice it, but hey that's just me.
Nibbling on an apple dipped in blood I gave Sora a sideways look. "Who do you think it is?"
She shrugged, focusing on making her sandwich. "I don't know, but they must be important."
Mimi, who'd gone off looking for information, came up and plopped down next to me. "They say it's a family, some lord from a world that's far away. They're saying that the Lord was killed, and that he managed to not only pass his test, but get the Forest to pick up his family too."
"He mufp be sumphing-" Sora said through a mouthful of sandwich, I'd have shot her a look but just because I was a princess didn't mean I had manners.
We grew silent and ate while they finished the castle. In time it towered over us, finished, and we could hear ravens or crows cawing from somewhere inside and the sound of people actually mulling about.
At some point the crowd stirred behind us, and a path parted up to the gates as a group of people passed by, waving those same banners and flanked on all sides by six of the biggest wolves I'd ever seen. I gulped and scuttled a little closer to Sora as a large raggedy black furred one growled its way past. Up on one of the horses a small child clicked his tongue "Shaggydog!" He called and the dark wolf shifted to walk closer to his horse.
Their progress was stopped as they reached the gates, where my mom and some of the other elders had appeared. "Welcome." My mom said, moving forward and holding out her hand to the man who was in the lead. He was gruff, and looked a little unfriendly, like his frown was his usual expression. But he dismounted and gave my mom a bow, kissing the back of her hand graciously.
When he lifted his head, there was a scar around his neck.
"How did you manage to bring it here? It looks almost exactly the same." I could hear him mutter, looking past my mother at the castle.
"We brought you back from the dead, and you wonder how we could bring a castle to our world?" Eve chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry your head over it. You and your family are safe here. Now please...go in and let us know that everything is to your liking."
"Thank you...I am forever debted to you. For what you've done, for all of us."
"Don't think of debts here. Just enjoy, and please feel welcomed." She smiled.
We learned later that the castle was called Winterfell.
 Rapta · Mon Jun 03, 2013 @ 05:48am · 0 Comments |
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