Winter, Day 13, 514 AV
Wind was slamming against the pink cheeks and already red nose of the poor and trapped herbalist. Tiny snow flakes, usually harmless when drifting calmly from the sky, turned into sharp needles after being flung violently around in this air current. Her cloak, which she was tightly gripping around her small body, was flapping dangerously around her legs, making walking even more difficult than it already was. The wind was pushing itself in the opposite direction Ashryn was trying to walk, making travel a straight up exercise. Her head was bent low aainst the barrier, scalp horizontal, nose perpendicular to the ground. Her hair, unrestrained as an attempt to use it as a warming material, backfired as the blast of air sent it spinning in all directions. From behind her head to the side of it until whipping back down to her face, leaving her nerves screaming in tiny pain as her hair turned against her. Trying her best to ignore all of this ridiculousness, the girl focused on her task of returning home after her visit to the Windmount Stables.
Earlier in the day the weather began to turn ugly and everyone could tell there was a storm coming. The cold blue Winter sky turned bland as a huge white/grey cloud washed over the city. Already low temperatures dropped even more and the air began to sting as it was sucked into lungs. Noses began to tingle from the coming wind as it lightly brushed across faces, not yet transforming into a horrible cyclone of oxygen. Slowly a few small flakes of snow drifted, lonely, across the cobblestone streets and gathered upon roofs and the cracks in the stone wall.
Worried about how the Stables would protect their residents from the coming storm, Ashryn had headed there a few bell ago to check on TwelveKnives and talk to some of the staff to ensure her animals safety and warmth. So only meant to stay maybe a maximum of a bell or so, but got distracted by her horses' strange behavior. She realized now that his constant whining and stomping, along with most of the other mounts in the stables, was simply their warnings of the horrible storm to come this afternoon. Unknowing of how horrible the weather would become in such a short time, Ashryn allowed herself to be distracted and it wasn't until the stable hands began to close the huge wooden doors of the building and started ushering her out in hurried moves, did she realize how cold and dangerous it had gotten outside.
So with a quick pat to the Kavinka's nozzle she permitted the stable workers to quickly push her out of the structure. She began her trek across the city. It wasn't that difficult to get from the Stables to safety in the Nettle District. The Stables were located just inside the Windmount District, right next to the border of the Nettle District. By the time she got to the enclosed walls of the district, her ears, nose and fingers had begun to freeze up. She spent a few chimes in the warmth of the huge castle, rubbed her fingers together, twitching her nose and holding her cloak over her ears to return their feeling.
The tip of the Nettle District is small, thin and it only takes a chime to cross it back into the courtyard of the Gates. There is where the Traveler's Row, or Ashryn's home, is located. So in reality it is not a long trip from the Stables to her apartment. The girl spent a few extra chimes in the building, taking her gloves from her pack and wrapping her hands up in them. Thinking that she probably should have done that whilst still in the warmth of the stables. Although she was rudely rushed out. She pushed the hood of her cloak up around her head and ears and pulled the cloth down so it was as close to her face as possible. Then she grabbed the edges of her wool cloak and hugged her body, enclosing herself it its thick fabric and prepared herself mentally to return into the budding storm for the rest of the journey home.
She could barely open the large doors that lead out of the Nettle District, the wind was blasting so hard from the other side, but with enough force she managed to pry it open just enough for her frail body to slip through the crack. She was instantly bombarded with needle flakes and slicing wind as she reentered the open air. The storm had strangely gotten worse while she spent only a few chimes in the enclosed Nettle District. The wind got harsher, the temperature colder the air more gnawing. And perhaps it was simply because she had warmed up inside and was experiencing the shock of the storm again, or that the weather had actually gotten worse.
She started to cross the courtyard, pushing her way past the Welcome center, and then the Gates, where a few lingering Knights were guarding the now closed doors. One guard spotted the girl making her way and ran, somewhat slowly up to her. He shouted over the wind, asking where the small girl was going. Stepping closer to the large man, covered in shiny, and probably completely frozen metal armor, she explained that she was headed to the Traveler's Row. Actually she just shouted 'Traveler's Row' at him and nodded her head in its direction. He nodded back at her in acceptance. The apartments were directly next to the gates to the Knight was assured that she would be able to make it there without injury. Still good to his word though he offered himself as an escort, to fully make sure the citizen was safe. She shook her head, though, she could make it the rest of the 50 feet. He nodded once again and jogged back to his post at the gate, yelled something to his fellow gaurds and they nodded back at him the continued their work. She presumed he was updating them on herself. She continued on her way.
It wasn't long before she finally reached the door of the Traveler's Row. Though she could start to feel her nose loosing its feeling. She hoped she wasn't getting frostbite, she was only outside for a few chimes anyway, could the storm really be that bad? It sure felt that way. The freezing temperatures were only made colder by the falling snow and extreme wind. As she pulled the door open, it was a struggle at first, but then it was forced open the rest of the way as the wind pushed it open. She stumbled a bit as her tight grip on the handle tore her to the side as the door opened. When she regained her balance she stepped inside and was greeted with warmth on one side, the cold still biting on the other. Matilda rushed over and helped the herbalist pull the door shut, thankfully she did, the girl was unsure if she could have managed by herself.But when the door closed and the wind was barred from entering Ashryn relaxed her shoulders and back, which she didn't even realize were balled up and she let out a sigh of relief.
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