When Summer Dies

After Cerron had walked her back to her room, Maria changed into a nightgown and cuddled up next to the crackling fire. When she’d left the room for dinner, the fireplace had been empty and cold, but Dinna hadn’t wasted a single moment in lighting it up after five moons without use.

Maria grabbed her scarf and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her knees up to her chest as she tried to rub some warmth back into her fingers. It was a futile attempt, as the cold wasn’t a physical one. It had somehow wormed itself in under her skin and into her bones, causing her not to shiver, but to tremble.

Shaking her head, Maria sighed softly to herself and reached out for the most recent book she’d been reading – a collection of historical events rewritten as fairytales. It was quite captivating, and she had already read it twice.

She wasn’t able to read more than three pages or so, however, because there was a dull thud of something hitting her window. Maria’s hands twitched towards her back, and she had to remind herself that there were no arrows nearby, nor any bows.

In one fluid motion, Maria stood up and edged over to the window. There was a round, stained spot on the outside of the glass, and as she watched, some of it slid down and fell off. In the darkness, she couldn’t tell what it was, and so of course, she assumed the worst.

Before she could stumble away, however, something slammed into the window with a dull, wet thud, and Maria realized that someone was throwing – well, something – at her window.

“What on Undera-?”

Grabbing the nearest candle, she flipped open the hook that kept the thick glass panes closed at all times. Pushing at the glass, the large windows swung open, and the frosty night air rushed into her room and made her pull her soft scarf tighter around herself.

Maria leaned forward and peeked out. She couldn’t immediately see anything, but her eyes quickly adjusted to the dense darkness, and as she held out the candle, she saw what had been throwing things at her windows in the middle of the night.

Maria gasped.

There was a horse at the lawn underneath her window, and there, just one store below her, stood a slender man. He was squinting up at her, but when he saw whom she was, his face broke into a huge grin. “Princess!” he whisper-yelled. “Come on out! I’ve come to save you!”

Maria’s eyes went as wide as saucers, and she gaped. “H – how did you find me?”

“Climbed up into the tree,” the man – knight, Maria thought, he’s wearing the symbol of Suno’s knights – informed her, and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at a tall oak tree. “There were no guards here, so I snuck in! Stupid baboons, trying to enter the castle of Leron by force – and stupid Demon, thinking that no Humans have any brains!”

Maria blinked, and pushed back the anger at the man accusing Cerron of being stupid. “O – okay,” she said. “Just let me change and pack my stuff, and I’ll come!”

She stumbled back from the window and slapped a hand over her mouth to keep in a shrill gasp. A knight had gotten through Cerron’s defenses? How?

There had never been any guards under her windows.

Without thinking, Maria rushed over to her desk. She grabbed the bag that hung by the door and stuffed some of her warmest clothes into it. The book she’d been reading, Stories of the Ice and Stone, went into it, too.

After a short pause, she threw the Täk dictionary Cerron had given to her into the bag, as well.

Then, as if an afterthought, she tore off a piece of paper from her notebook and scribbled down a brief note on it. Her mind was torn about who she was going to address it to, and so it turned out like this:

Dirron;

A Suno knight got through the defenses. Next time try to put some guards underneath my windows; some knights will try to sneak past instead of breaking through.

-Maria

And then she slipped out of her nightgown and pulled on some of her more robust clothes, before rushing over to the window again. “Okay,” she called out. “I’m ready.”

The knight nodded. “Jump!”

“What?”

“Jump!”

Maria closed her eyes. She put her hands on the windowsill and pushed herself onto it. The snow covering the ground would ease the impact of her bag hitting the usually hard grass, and so, she threw it out through the windows. “Here I come,” she whispered. “I’m going home.”

She jumped, and for one fleeting moment she was falling freely through the dark night, and he wasn’t going to catch her she was going to die, and then she landed in his arms with a soft oof.

“Ah, good job,” he said, and then hurried back to the horse, still holding Maria in his arms. “Okay, on you go. Let’s do this as quickly as possible.”

Maria nodded, dimly, and frowned into his shirt. Her stomach ached dully, and there was a bitter taste in her mouth. She forced it down, and helped the man as best as she could when he placed her onto the horse.

“What’s your name?” she asked, while he swung himself into the improvised saddle.

“Keri,” he said, and with a sharp nudge, the horse sat off into the night.

Even as Maria held on to Keri’s shirt with all her might, she twisted in her seat and stared at the castle that was quickly fading away into the dark night. Her eyebrows twitched, and she bit her lip as the last light, coming from her open bedroom window, faded. “I’m going home,” she whispered.

Somehow, it felt like a lie.

It hadn’t even taken Maria ten minutes to fall asleep behind Keri. In her defense, it had been a long day, it was nearing midnight, and the familiar movements of the horse were all helping her feel tired and sleepy.

Keri hadn’t woken her up, and when she opened her eyes again, they were riding through a beautiful forest. It was the first time she’d ever been outside of the castle or the Royal Gardens, and she hadn’t been sure what to expect. Something darker, that was for sure. The snow, however, reflected the small amount of light that shone through the clouds, and made everything seem a little brighter.

Maria hadn’t packed anything to eat, and Keri was running low on food, so it was obvious that they either had to hunt or go into one of the towns to find food there. Keri didn’t know how to shoot with a bow, and when Maria had tried to say that she could hunt, Keri had only laughed and told her it was a good joke.

Therefore, Keri decided that it would have to be a visit into a town. He grumbled on and on about being suspicious with all their layers of clothes, and how villagers were going to discover who they were, and even Maria’s reassurance wasn’t enough to encourage him.

“Keri, it’s normal,” she’d told him. “If we wear ten layers and cover our faces like a wererat in Miko, it will still be nothing out of the ordinary.”

Finally, after realizing that they were probably going to starve, Keri huffed and said that he’d decided it would be best if they went grocery shopping in a nearby village.

Maria nodded. Of course it would be best.

Keri took the lead. He tied his horse, Joen, to a tree in the outskirts of the forest, and strode into the village. Maria followed him closely, and every time someone focused on her for too long, she’d pull the scarf tighter around her head. She was shivering through the soft wool, and at the first opportunity bought another scarf with a very mild warming charm.

She let him buy the food without much complaint, and instead chose to enjoy being among normal, loud and nosy Demons. The first thing she noticed was all the sounds; at the castle, it had always been very quiet, and when somebody moved around it was without any racket. Here they yelled at each other, there was laughing, a kit screamed, and people haggled about prices on fish. Everyone were bustling around, and there was so much to see and experience.

Unfortunately, Keri didn’t seem interested in any of it, so Maria settled for polite greetings in Täk whenever she had the opportunity to. She bought small trinkets or local food to taste, whenever it seemed that Keri would use some time paying.

Every now and then, they’d pass great barrels with burning oil, and there would be Demons and Hybrids alike huddled around them. Their clothes were torn, their fingertips nearly blue because of the cold, and Maria would press small silver coins into their hands if they were brave enough to look at her when she walked up to them.

Keri scoffed at it, but didn’t comment.

Maria didn’t say anything about any of the food he bought, but when he walked towards a boot that sold herbs, she perked up and tuned in to his conversation. “Are you planning on using the two of them in the same dish?” she asked, and pointed at what she recognized as the Lerro root and a Meintay flower, clutched in Keri’s hand. They were both native to the Demon Kingdom, and worked quite well as spices (Meintay) or food (Lerro), but there was one downside about it. “If they’re used together they react badly and become poisonous.”

Keri frowned. “This man tells me they can be eaten and used as spice.”

“Yes,” Maria said, and nodded patiently. “But not together.”

Keri shook his head. “I’m pretty sure they can be eaten together.”

Maria, slowly losing her patience, scowled lightly. “They can’t,” she repeated. “Aren’t you listening to me? I’ve studied this!”

Keri shook his head again. “That might very well be, but I’m going to be making dinner, not you, so I will decide what to buy and what to leave.”

In the end, it turned out that Keri wasn’t too keen on the Lerro root, as it was one of the spiciest roots in the whole of Undera, so he dropped it and only bought the Meintay and used it in that night’s dinner.

“See,” he said, the next morning. “I wasn’t poisoned! I told you it would be fine.”

Maria shot him a disbelieving look, and wondered if he was just an idiot or actually trying to be mean.

The next morning, they packed up in silence. Only Keri’s chattering teeth made noise. “Are you cold?” Maria asked, even though she knew it was a stupid question. Of course he was cold. Everyone was cold during Winter. “Would you like to borrow my scarf?”

Keri scoffed. “Of course not,” he muttered. “That’s for women.”

Maria frowned. “No, it’s not. This is meant for men to wear; you can tell by the stings and the-”

“I said no,” Keri snapped. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

Maria nodded, meekly, and picked up her bag before climbing onto the horse. She knew how to ride a horse. It was one of the few things her dad had allowed her to learn.

Keri hadn’t believed her when she’d told him, and judging by the deep lines between his eyebrows, he didn’t really believe it now, either.

“So,” Maria said, trying to strike up a conversation after ten minutes of riding in thick silence. “Uh, where are we headed?”

“Demon/Were Barrier,” Keri replied shortly, without turning around to look at her.

“Oh,” said Maria. She didn’t say “obviously”. When she’d tried to be sarcastic with Keri earlier, he’d acted offended and snappy for a long while. “Uhm. How do we get there?”

“By horse,” Keri said, and he sounded like he wanted to roll his eyes.

Maria also wanted to roll her eyes.

Maria rolled her eyes.

You don’t say, she thought. “Where do we ride?” she nagged, trying to pry their travelling rout out of Keri.

“South,” he growled, and Maria shut up then.

She could see the worn world map from her Geography classes in front of her inner eye, and frowned as she mentally zoomed in on the Demon Kingdom. They had to go south, obviously. There was nothing but ocean surrounding the Demon Kingdom except for the five-mile-long [TK – make sure that this is right?] connection with the Werefolk Kingdom.

With a sigh, she realized that they had a long and exhausting journey in front of them. First, they had to get from Leron to the Barriers. That took nine days when she had travelled on the roads and in a carriage. It would probably take nearly two weeks or more when Keri and she travelled by one horse in the forest.

Then, they had to cross some of the Werefolk Kingdom, which would probably take five days or so. After that, they had to get from the Human/Were Barrier and to Suno, the Human Capital and dad’s castle.

It would take them more or less one moon before they would arrive to the Human Kingdom.

Half of that journey would be in biting cold, darkness, and on the back of a horse while trying to stay hidden.

Glorious.

Maria watched Keri preparing dinner, and noticed how his hands fumbled for the ingredients when he wasn’t sure what to do next. She wanted to offer her services, so that the food would at least be eatable in the end, but she knew that Keri wouldn’t let her do it.

Her gaze strayed towards the pot simmering over the fire, and she frowned. Those vegetables didn’t look very fresh – how old were they? Couldn’t Keri tell when something had wasted or not?

With an internal sigh, Maria gracefully kept her face straight when Keri lost the spoon into the pot.

He wasn’t even trying to fake knowing what he was doing. If he’d ever heard the saying fake it until you make it, he’d dismissed the idea entirely.

When Maria had taught Cerron how to repot plants, he’d been staring at her with rapt interest, and even when he didn’t know how to do something, at least he tried.

After the third time Keri made a mistake without realizing, Maria spoke up. “What are you making?”

Keri started, and looked up at her sharply. “Chicken stew,” he said. “My mom’s recipe.”

Maria nodded. “What’re the ingredients?”

Keri grunted. “Different kinds of vegetables. They’re used because of their taste and durability.”

“I recognize them,” Maria said, and smiled in excitement. She was having a somewhat civil conversation with him, and by the looks of it, it would turn into a discussion of some kind. “They’re native to the Human Kingdom, yes? Tering and golden roots.” Keri nodded uncertainly. “That’s an odd choice,” Maria remarked. “Personally, I’d use mentin, carrots, or rontens.”

Instead of getting a mild “oh? Why?” in response, Keri snapped, “Are you doubting my mom?”

Maria widened her eyes. “Wha – no, no! Of course not! I’m just saying: carrots, mentin and ronten have the same characteristics as tering and golden roots! They are also far cheaper.”

Keri scowled heavily at her. “But mom always used tering and golden roots, so I’m doing that, too.”

“Okay,” Maria said, and held up her hands. She scooted a bit away from the fire, even though the freezing air tore through her clothes and made her shiver. When Keri, without a word, returned to his cooking, Maria sighed and gripped the hem of her scarf.

She felt so on edge around him! One moment he would be kind and understanding, and the next moment, his blue eyes would flare up in anger. All without reason!

For Ünnen’s sake, she was just trying to have a friendly discussion about the usages of different vegetables!

Keri was silent throughout the whole evening, and when Maria huddled up as close to the fire as she dared, she was still cold to the bone.

That night she dreamed of greenhouses, warm sun flitting across her face, and a laugh that made her feel loved.

“Hello,” Maria greeted. “I’d like one of these, please.”

The brown-haired Demon nodded, and grabbed a paper bag before slipping the warm loaf into it. “Here you go,” he said, and handed over the bag. “Was there anything else?”

“No, thank you,” Maria smiled, and money exchanged hands. “Have a pleasant day.”

The Demon nodded, and smiled back. “Have a pleasant day.”

Maria tucked the loaf into her bag, skillfully ignoring her mouth watering at the familiar smell of freshly baked bread. Keri and she’d been travelling for six days, now, and he’d finally deemed it safe enough to split up while shopping. He’d tasked her with buying a loaf and some butter, and then he’d disappeared into the crowd.

Inhaling deeply, Maria smiled softly at the bitter smell of Winter and market. She sped up, and let her gaze sweep over the booths she passed. There wasn’t anything really interesting in them, except some local foods that she’d like to taste if she ever got the chance.

Oh, there was a booth that sold hot cocoa! To her right was one that sold mittens and gloves, and over there was one that sold roasted pig! This was so exciting!

Maria’s gaze fell upon a particular booth, and her heart stuttered. Before she could stop herself, she smiled widely, and rushed over. “Hey!” she greeted. “I, ah, I’d like this, please!”

The old Demon raised his eyebrows at her. “Is that so?” he asked, and his smile reminded her of dry bark cracked around the edges. “Who is it for, then? A sweetheart, perhaps?”

Maria laughed, even as heat bloomed in her chest at someone treating her normally. “No,” she smiled. “It’s for a friend.”

The Demon grinned. “Well, in that case,” he said, and reached out after the dark wooden heart. “Say hi from me.”

“I will,” Maria promised, and took the heart from his wrinkly, calloused hands. “How much?” She untied her money pouch, but before she could pull out any coins, the Demon laughed.

“Oh, no. This is free.”

“What?” Maria raised her eyebrows at him, and instinctively, her fingers tightened around the heart. “Oh, but such a beautifully carved heart!”

“And a gift, for such a kindred soul as you,” the Demon dismissed with a warm smile. “Keep it, dear. Make your friend happy for me.”

Something broke inside of Maria, and for one horrifying moment, she fought back a thick lump in her throat. “-I will,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

The Demon nodded at her, and then a young boy ran up to him, and a stranger pushed her aside.

Maria’s eyes went wider than before, and he clutched the wooden heart to her chest. “I – I don’t think I can,” she whispered, and her thumb traced the D carved into it.

“Hey,” a voice said, from behind her, and Maria started around. “I, ah. I wanted to apologize.”

“Keri,” Maria breathed. “You scared me!”

Keri winced. “Sorry,” he muttered, and scratched at his neck. “I know I’ve been acting like a dick the last few days, but it’s been a tough week! I’m not used to Winter, or snow, or anything, and I’m so nervous around you…” Keri trailed off, and looked away from her. He rubbed his hands together. “And now I’m scared that I’ve ruined everything, and that you’ll never be able to feel affection towards me, and I’m really sorry.” He reached into his pocket and extracted a brown paper bag and a small glass vial. “I’m a nice guy,” he assured her. “I really am! So, this is me saying sorry…”

He handed her the bag, and Maria, bewildered, took it. She recognized the smell of roasted almonds coated in honey, and her eyes widened. “-oh,” she said. “Okay.”

“Perfume. Smells like flowers, the lady told me,” Keri sniffed, and held out the small glass vial. “I thought you’d like it.”

Maria didn’t have the heart to tell him that perfumes gave her a headache, and accepted the vial with a small smile. “Thank you,” she said, softly.

“And really, I don’t want any hard feelings between us,” Keri offered. “That makes marriages turn sour before you can blink.”

Maria froze, and suddenly it hit her what Keri rescuing her meant.

She would have to marry him.

Marry him.

It took all her willpower not to stumble away from him, and instead, she gritted her teeth.

Why did this bring her such pain to think of? Hadn’t she wanted someone to love, and for someone to love her? Hadn’t she wanted someone to accept her, to agree with her, to see her for who she was?

Yes, she had – so why was she suddenly so frightened?

“Ha, y – yeah,” she stuttered, and did her very best to give him a smile. Judging by the stiffness in her cheeks, it didn’t work. “I, ah, I forgive you. I know how harsh the Demon Winters can be.”

Keri’s eyes lit up. “Really?” he asked. “Thank you!” And with that, he threw his arms around her in a tight embrace.

Maria, too shocked to do anything but gape, squeezed her eyes shut. This is what I want, she reminded herself. This is what I’ve wanted my entire life.

She hugged him back.