Oathkeeper

Chapter 63: Sixth of His Name

The group managed to arrive in the Frostfangs two days after meeting Mundy. Being that the girl lived right next door to Jon for all her life, she remained in their company during her journey back home. Although Jon, Mundy, and Winter walked ahead of Ilizabeth for the last three days, she kept up with them. They trudged through the snow on the small mountain and stopped at the start of the path that ran through their entire camp for a over a hunred kilometers. As far as they knew, there were no freefolk occupying anything east of them. None that still had blood coursing through their beating hearts anyways. Whoever was still alive, and desperately wished to continue doing so was here, awaiting Jon's return in their half huts.

As they began to ascend down the moderately steep hill, Ilizabeth began to feel overwhelmed. Her naturally mature nature managed to keep her distracted from the pressure that came with being responsible for the lives of others. It was even easier to set aside when you didn't know them. But now she was set to meet them. She would anxiously walk behind her uncle as he prepared to present her as the solution to their depleting fate. She'd struggle to resist the urge to look upon each and every one of their starving faces without the slightest clue on how she was meant to do anything about it.

The narrow path forced them to walk in a line. Jon was at the front with Mundy behind him, and Winter behind her. Ilizabeth remained in the back as she fought through the cold. The Frostfangs almost looked exactly as she imagined. A sea of huts, furs, firepits, and other contraptions made to create the things they used in their day to day life. All sprinkled across a relatively flat piece of land. The only thing she didn't imagine was how much it managed to snow in these parts of the country.

Today was the first day they'd been able to travel without having to shield their eyes from the harsh winds since they left the hut in the Giant Stairs. They'd gone the entire morning, and afternoon without spotting a single falling flake. The post stormy evening caused a cluster of fog to drift over the village. The sun remained tucked behind the rows of strung out clouds allowing for the darkening blue hue of the sky to bounce off of the white snow and cast a gloomy light over the area.

They must've passed fifty huts before finally stopping in front of a cluster of larger ones. The average enclosure was small, and shaped like a lemon if you cut it in half both ways then stuck it in the ground. Barkless sticks were used to hold the fabric together and thick scratchy wool was used as a curtain to keep their homes closed in for the night. But the large huts were much taller, and had torches posted outside the entryway.

"This way," Jon gestured to one of the homes.

"I'm goin' home," She said to Jon, then faced Ilizabeth as she returned the chest she carried for the girl, "Come and find me later, I'll show you around,"

Ilizabeth wondered if there was something suggestive underneath the girl's tone. Over the last year she'd grown more used to hearing compliments. In the eyes of everyone except her mothers, she blossomed into a woman when she got her first period three years back. But if her monthly visitor didn't make her a woman, having ten and six years definitely would. Plenty of the little lords and future knights subtly yet still outwardly suggested wanting to be with the princess. In many different ways. She imagined there would be a line full of men that ran all the way through Winter town, waiting for her when she returned home.

But everything about Mundy's existence made it harder to tell. For starters, she was a girl. And Ilizabeth had never been hit on by another girl before, at least she didn't think so. Mundy wasn't just an average girl either, she was a freewoman, who always seemed to have the right words to get undeath Ilizabeths skin. In the short amount of time they'd spent together, Mundy managed to pluck at every last nerve in her body. And the grin she wore after every jest only made things worse.