Fantasy novel with 40 year old protagonist

Chapter 11

"Maybe it was trying to speak to you," Annaisha said, splayed on Dacy's couch and browsing her phone, the history book she got at the library today next to her.

"Please stop," Dacy replied from the kitchen, where she was putting together a cheese plate.

"Just hear me out," Annaisha answered. "I'm going to tell you a story. Be patient and listen till the end, and I promise it will all make sense," she said, too excited to be contained. For the first time ever, she could use her knowledge in a real-life situation.

"I actually like stories a lot. I'm skeptical about yours, but I'm listening."

"Thank you. I'll give you a bit of an introduction so you know where I'm coming from. A really long time ago, before Romania was even a thing, this place was called Dacia. I won't go into details, but the people who lived here had a fascinating culture, one that I dreamed my entire life of studying in detail and now that I am here... Nevermind, I digress.

Unlike nowadays, these people had a calendar separated into two, not four, seasons.

Summer started on March 1. It was the season of light and of the sun, and it was governed by the horse. It was all about nature reborn. Think of woods turning green, flowers blooming, and crops as far as the eye can see.

In contrast, winter was the death of light, the season of the moon and the wolf.

We don't always have rich information to decipher everything about the civilization that inhabited these lands. Nevertheless, their culture seeped past them and can be found hidden in plain sight in the traditions, legends, and even religious icons nowadays.

March 1 is a great example. On this day, Romanians give women a type of charm made of intertwined silk threads in red and white. These represent the two seasons of the year, where red symbolizes summer and white, of course, represents winter. Are you still with me?"

"Yes. I don't see the connection yet, but it's interesting." Dacy said while bringing the food and individual serving plates into the living room. "Please continue."

"Perfect! I've been reading about this recently, and while some people believe that March 1 was also the start of the New Year because of all the rebirth, this was only the beginning of the agricultural new year. Up to this day, Romanians still don't use solstices and equinoxes to separate their seasons. Instead, March 1 is the beginning of spring, June 1 of summer, September 1 for fall and today, December 1, is their national holiday and also the first day of winter.

Now, back to yesterday. It may not seem like much now, when the entire world celebrates New Year's on January 1, but November 30 was actually the first day of the New Year in those days. The people who lived here believed that not just summer but the sun and their entire world were dying and being reborn on this day. Because of this, for the next twenty-four hours, the boundary between this world and the other weakened, allowing spirits to cross it.

And, interestingly enough, they also thought that animals could speak in human tongue on this day."

"How do you know so much?"

"I told you history is my thing, and studying this particular history has been a long-time dream."

"I have to admit, your stories are beautiful. But why would a wolf want to speak to me?"

"Maybe it wasn't a wolf at all."

"I'd like to hear you make a compelling argument for this." Dacy smiled and threw a grape in her mouth.

"It would be my pleasure," Annaisha smirked back and dumped several cubes of cheese and some mini round crackers with a hole in the middle onto her plate. What do you know of Romania's history?"