Morningstar

[CH. 0007] - Two Moons

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. - Coretta Scott King

Nord's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps echoing through the manor. The distant murmur of voices grew louder, punctuated by the occasional shout and even a woman's cry. Her curiosity piqued, she pressed her ear to the door for a moment before cautiously cracking it open to peek into the hallway. Her eyes widened as she saw two men enter Rosemary's room across the way. They emerged moments later, carrying a lifeless form draped in white sheets. The sight sent a chill coursing through her.

Cautiously, Nord tiptoed closer to the staircase, her eyes darting to ensure she remained unseen. As she descended a few steps, the volume of the conversations below increased. Voices engaged in hurried talk, punctuated from time to time by the distressing cry of a woman.

As Nord descended the staircase, each step seemed to amplify the tension in the air. The murmur of voices came into focus, a mélange of tones and accents she couldn't place. The crowd in the foyer looked up as she reached the bottom step, their eyes a mix of curiosity, suspicion, and, in some cases, outright awe.

Adamastor stretched out his arms in her direction. "And as I told you, the new Morningstar, this is Nord. She arrived last night."

A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd at Adamastor's proclamation. Nord felt dozens of eyes examining her, measuring her worth and assessing her place in this new, bewildering landscape. It was overwhelming and somewhat disconcerting, yet she also felt a glimmer of something else—recognition? A sense of destiny unfolding?

"Nord, allow me to introduce you to Doctor Sirona, the Town's Healer," Adamastor gestured toward an elegant woman with a regal bearing and a circlet adorning her brow. Sirona extended her hand toward Nord, her eyes not just looking at her but seemingly through her as if gauging the depth of her soul.

"A pleasure, Nord. Your arrival has been... quite the talk among us," Sirona said, her voice imbued with a note of solemnity that suggested that being the subject of 'talk' among folks was no small matter.

Adamastor glanced at the sheet-covered form that had been carried out of Rosemary's room. "It's been a night of significant change, for better or worse."

Nord felt the weight of the room's attention upon her as if each individual was a node in a vast network, and she was the latest, most unpredictable element. The notion was both exhilarating and terrifying, but Nord found a strange sense of clarity in this moment of collective focus.

She was not on Earth but a stranger in a bewildering new world. But the people around her, in some sense, are now her new community. And if the words of her future self were to be believed, Nord had a role to play here, one whose outlines were only now beginning to emerge from the shadows.

Feeling both humbled and emboldened, Nord nodded at Sirona and Adamastor. "The pleasure is mine. It looks like we have a lot to discuss."

A chubby old man with the most friendly face she ever saw, holding on his vest, greeted her, "I am so glad to see you, Miss Morningstar. You have no idea how much this town needs you! I can't wait for the Morningstar to reopen its inn and salon!"

"Excuse me?"

Adamastor chuckled at the old man's enthusiasm before turning to Nord. "Nord, this is Mayor Paxton. He's been holding down the fort in the absence of a Morningstar."

Mayor Paxton beamed, his eyes twinkling like stars against his ruddy complexion. "Ah, yes! It's been far too long since we've had a Morningstar among us. Why, the inn and salon have been practically gathering cobwebs!"