The Winter Born [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10 - Life and Death

The paths on the way to the market had been filled with Valarian banners, golden lions on a crimson background, signaling bravery and loyalty but for the Outlanders, it represents lies.

The absence of light in the cold night makes it hard to see but I know that crest anywhere.

But the banners here are tattered, shredded apart and a few, burned. If the Valarians know about this, they would kill half of the people living in the Outlands. I smirk at the sight of a burned piece of the banner under my soles as I jam my foot into it, burying the fabric deeper into the snow. The banner looks good burned but I can't deny the risk of the people tearing the banners apart.

The people are somewhat braver now, willing to set our ruler's banners on fire but then, when did the Valarians become our ruler?

We are supposedly two different lands, why should we kneel to them? You know why. Or have you forgotten your father? A voice whispers at the back of my mind. I grit my teeth together and I expect for tears to start falling like they always do when I think of my father but now instead of tears, I feel heat rising up in me.

And I realize, after all the years, the sadness is gone and now been replaced by anger, burning silently in me. The people must've felt the same and I wonder, just wonder if one day the fire would burn bright enough for the people to rise against Valaria. Then Ethan will die, the voice whispers again. Gods, I forgot about Ethan. If the people would rise, they would be war. And when war goes, death follows. Being a member of the royal family doesn't help either. They would be the first to die if they lost.

I refuse to imagine Ethan dying and instead lift my leg, letting the wind take the charred fabric to the sky along with the idea of war.

I ignore the banners and continue down the road to the bright light ahead. The path is carpeted with fallen snow and every step I take leaves a pattern on it, only to be covered with the freshly fallen snow.

The light gets brighter as I walk closer and I can feel the warmness from it. The sound of people lively chatting fill my ears and there's a warm air here, which is rare on a winter night.

The market is filled with people working together, hanging decorations for the upcoming Winter Festival. That also means my name day. I don't know if that is a good thing anymore.

After the encounter with the witch, I can't sit in peace. And every time I look to the people and the children running around, I can almost cry at the thought of me bringing death to them.

I shake it off and continue through the market, nodding to the people I know and ruffling Nala's hair as I pass her.

I don't stop until I reach Bronya's shop. I push the wooden door open and step into the butcher's home. The scent of blood and meat immediately comes to me as the wind shuts back the door.

The air is damp and is no way having a warm feeling I felt earlier but I have grown normal to the heavy air and walk to the counter to find the one-legged woman.

" Bronya? " I called out.

Suddenly, there is a sound of knife meeting meat from behind the wall of the counter and I hear her familiar voice. " Come to the back. A'm cuttin some meat here, " the rough voice called out to me.

I obey and walk to the direction of the voice and find Bronya sitting in front if the butchering board, cutting a few bloodied meat, no doubt for the festival, and she brings her head up to me.

I smile to her and toss her my filled sack. She catches it easily with one free hand and takes a look inside it before spilling the contents to the side of the wooden board.  She slams down the knife she's holding onto the board and the steel sticks into the wood easily.