Chapter 47 Traveling Is Important So You Know More Things About Yourself Honestly
The three trials of the Elves were as old as time itself— considering how they were born from the stars and all of that hullabaloo which is not part of my story to give, they were made to guide a person closer to Vashka, and they were mostly done in marriages.
Why?
Because it was believed to be a sacred union between two people who Vashka had brought together. Each one, to prove that they truly belonged as one, and to show that this was an actual union blessed by the goddess, went through three carefully selected trials.
One, the Trial of the body.
Elves were to find some ‘sacred’ animal. No one truly knew what it was the thing looked like or was supposed to be because apparently, after one saw them, they were supposed to meet the chief of the village and he would confirm that it was indeed what they were supposed to see.
And then of course, very conveniently, they forgot what it was.
The second, was perhaps the hardest.
The Trial of the Mind.
An actual singing to the forest and getting some sort of response back.
And the Trial of the Soul.
Seeing Vashka herself.
Now, these were all things she told Adrian before they started their journey up the mountain— the poor male walking through most of it as Thomas seemed to dislike him being too close, and things he had taken note of.
But it seemed like she had forgotten all of them.
For one, Maeve could not stop complaining about how cold it was. Yes, the elves had given her a completely new set of clothes which was currently wearing sewn in furs.
A tunic of soft hide hugged her torso, heavy enough to trap warmth without stiffening her movements. Over it was a thick piece of pale mountain fur, long-haired and dense, which was sewn heavier along the shoulders and spine to protect her from the cold better.
A wide pelted belt stayed tight around her waist, bone clasp cold against her skin, while fur-lined trousers wrapped her legs in short, shorn warmth meant for climbing rather than actual prettiness and what nots.
Adrian had nothing— he said he didn’t need it.
Which Maeve… suspected. He was from the north and was practically ice. It was fine. The journey up the mountain on the other hand… she could feel the cold digging into her skin, through the fur and her nose kept hurting like she was about to have a heart attack.
NACE had finally gone silent, something she was thankful for because she knew it would probably be laughing its ass off at her. The food the elves had given her given for the journey stayed preserved as well, mostly due to the cold.
Maeve took note of that.
And Thomas… he did his best. Carrying her. Staying next to her. But it seemed as if his body was slowly readjusting to the cold and it seemed unbearable to have him around her.
So naturally, her mood changed.
The further they went, the more depressed she felt. It was almost as if she was losing whatever adrenaline she had before. She knew it. Adrian most certainly knew it.
At first, he only stared at her, watching as she slowly grew quiet, then stopped sleeping, and one day he said, “You don’t like the cold,”
She had responded without looking at him. “I don’t know the cold. It’s… strange. Didn’t know I could have actual winter depression. Never had the chance to go somewhere completely different,”
“Never left the main city?”
“Yeah… that,”
The next day, Adrian showed her a flower. Or for better use of words, he gave it to her. Maeve let herself laugh for the first time in a while, “What are you going to say now? That I’m as delicate as this flower and can survive through any weather?”
“Glad to see you haven’t lost your delusional sense of humor,” Adrian continued, not bothering to look at her. “This is a Cyranthus Nivara. It grows when the ice is strong enough to kill other normal plants. It thrives in it. Sometimes, it even lets the ice form over it as crystals, resembling teardrops strong enough to withstand shattering,”
“Ah. It sounds… dramatic,”
“Winter in itself is dramatic, but fascinating all the same. Vicious, but it takes care of the things that it must. I found more flowers. Can I show you?”
Maeve didn’t care for flowers. She didn’t see a reason to… but she said yes.
At first, he decided to flood her head with so much information about flowers that she did not care for, and she truly wanted him to shut up… but it was… distracting.
The snow worsened the further they went, but it was… calming hearing his voice. Adrian had some sort of… stoicism in the way he spoke. Empty, like a continuous drone going on and on… but it was so boring it soothed her somehow.
And one night, while she arranged the flowers and put a rope she found around it, he said, “You do not have to keep them with you,”
“I am fully aware, but they’re mine. T for Thanks,”
“Do you… like them? Flowers, I mean,”
Maeve stared at the ones in her hand then at him. His expression was unreadable, as always. She smiled. “Yes.”
His response was immediate. “What did I say about you being a terrible liar?”
She sighed. “I don’t hate it. Okay? Is that better?”
“You liked it. Or you used to,” He responded, his eyes moving to the fire between them. “It was what drew my attention to you the first time we met. You knew every flower, even the ones in the north which was… fascinating. I suppose I have known you are not… the same person I met, but… watching you not correct me even once when I said the wrong names proves it.”
Ah. That made things awkward. “Uh… sorry?”
“I did not know you… much, but the least I can do is make you aware of who you were before you… forgot,” He did not sound like he believed the last word but he continued nonetheless, "Would you still like to know?”
Maeve rebooted, for one second, then another, and while she blinked confused at him, she asked, “For free?”
“What could you possibly offer me that I do not already have?”
The question cut her off guard because of how true it was. With everyone else, they wanted… something from her, but with Adrian, the thing he wanted… was the real Isabella. Which she was not. “Touché, but yes,”
Once again, Adrian did not understand what word she had said but he nodded, “There was a revolution starting in some parts of the realm. I had been sent to… quiet it down as much as possible so the nobles didn’t discover it. The uproar and the fear would bring… chaos. I rushed to it, hoping I could quell it as fast as possible… and to my greatest surprise, you were there. Leading it,”