Lady of Nyv

As Ona’s mind toyed with this idea, her heart embraced it as well. Mayhaps she had finally found someone who understood why she did what she did. She smiled at the thought.

The men walked at a surprisingly fast rate. T’wasn’t until Ona looked over her shoulder that she realized why.

Large, black storm clouds hovered behind them. The clouds chased Ona and her men, and they seemed relentless in their pursuit.

Ona’s eyes scanned the mountainside, searching for a cave of some sort where she and her men could take shelter from the approaching storm.

“So you’ve seen them, M’lady?” Lug asked.

“Yes. We must find shelter. Tell the men to gather timber. We shall need all we can find.”

Ona watched as Lug informed the men of her orders. She admired how quickly he had fit in. She thought of their first few days and his devotion to his wife. She wondered if his loneliness had subsided any. Somehow, she doubted it- she could see in his eyes that he missed his wife greatly.

Regardless of his feelings, Ona admired his strength. She imagined their good-bye had been a hard one. She told herself that, were he to die, she would be sure to send his body north. She did not want his wife to continue on, never knowing what had happened to her beloved husband.

The men began to scour the mountainous terrain, picking up anything that could be set ablaze.
Ona continued to search for a shelter. She was about to suggest they build their own when Kol nudged her.

“Look.” He said, pointing slightly east.

There, hidden behind a frozen waterfall, Ona saw what seemed to be an entrance to a cave. She smiled widely.

“Kol, you’re brilliant!” She exclaimed.

“Alright men, we must hurry! We are heading for that cave.” Ona called out, pointing to Kol’s suggested shelter.

The men increased their speed, practically racing one-another to their shelter.

T’was hard to access and the men had to climb one-by-one up a steep wall to reach the mouth of the cave. The process was slow, and Ona watched the clouds intently.

Finally, Ona was able to climb into their shelter. The men, who had already entered the cave, met her inside.

Ona shivered in the damp area, However; she was thankful for the protection from the wind and incoming storm.

The men piled what meagre amount of timber they were able to scavenge on the cold, hard floor of the cave.

“Start a fire!” Ona yelled to no one in particular.

Two men dropped to their knees, each pulling out a flint at the same moment. Ona paused, her gaze fell to the two men, who were competing to see who would be the first to light the hopelessly damp wood.

Ona watched as their frustrations grew with every passing moment. The other men murmured amongst themselves, yet no one offered to aid the two men who struggled with their flints.

Ona had nearly had enough when one of the branches finally caught fire. It was a small fire, and Ona knew t’wouldn’t last long, but it was better than nothing.

“We shall rest here whilst the storm passes. I would like everyone to search for more timber before the storm hits. We shall need it very soon.” Ona said to her men.

Without another word, her men disappeared out of the cave and down the frozen waterfall. All except for Dom.

“I do not trust a good portion of those men.” Dom muttered.

“You shall have to.” Ona retorted.

“Why do you tolerate Kol and his friends? They’ve brought nothing but misery and dead weight to us. They are useless. Send them home.”

“They are good, honest men.”

“You know as much about them as I do. Why are you so easily trusting of them?”

“They’ve done nothing to disprove my instincts.”

Dom’s eyes narrowed angrily. He stepped closer to Ona.

“You like him don’t you? You care for him! How could you be so stupid?” Dom barked.

“These are my men and it is my decision whether or not I shall keep them.”

“You should have known not to get your feelings involved. I always assumed that part of you was dead.”

“The heart wants what the heart wants. However; my feelings are none of your concern.”

“You’ve jeopardised our entire quest by becoming romantically involved with that boy.”

“I have done no such thing.”

“You have been stupid and ignorant and you may have cost us all our lives!” Dom screamed into her face.

“Leave.” Ona murmured, voice monotone.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“But-“

“If you survive the night, you may return. Not a moment sooner. I suggest building a shelter fast. It looks as though the storm has nearly arrived.”

With that, Ona turned her back on her brother. She heard him curse her and her men just as he slipped out of the cave. She chuckled darkly.

Ona peered out of the cave entrance, struggling to see past the frozen waterfall. She searched the ground below the cliff until she saw Dom. She smiled as she watched him desperately search for the materials for a shelter as well as a place to build it. The storm clouds came closer, nearly over their heads now.

Despite having thrown her brother into the cold, unfamiliar land in which they’ve found themselves, Ona felt no remourse. Her heart was as cold as the mountains in which they resided, and the only one who could thaw it was Kol. She sighed.

Dom had disappeared from her view and she turned her focus to her men. She watched as they kicked the snow and ice about, searching desperately for any form of kindling or food.

Ona turned her attention to the pile of bags and other supplies thrown haphazardly against the western-most cave wall. She studied them closely, hoping that they would have enough food to survive this storm, as well as their impending descent into the South. Ona had no idea what the next few days would hold for them.

Slowly, the men began to return to the cave as the snow began to fall from the heavy, black clouds.

“This is all we could find, M’Lady.” Qua said as the men began to throw their findings onto the floor.

Ona sighed deeply. “T’will have to do.” She muttered, dissatisfied.

The men gathered around the small fire they had created, preparing themselves for a long stay in the cave.

“How far does the cave reach into the mountain?” Nix asked, staring into the blackness.

“I’ve no idea.” Ona said, trying to hide her curiosity.

“Mayhaps we shall have to check.” Lug suggested, a playful grin on his face.

“In the morning.” Ona ordered. She wanted to see if Dom would return.

Ona felt a presence behind her. She turned, and saw Kol. She smiled in spite of herself.

“How are you doing, M’Lady?” He asked, his voice like velvet.

“I am well, thank-you.”

“I noticed Dom has disappeared. Where has he gone?”

Ona could hear the lack of interest in Kol’s voice. She suppressed a smile as she answered.

“I forced him to leave. His cockiness finally got him into trouble.”

“I can honestly say I’m not surprised. Do you think he will be alright?”

“I don’t know, and I’m not sure I care.” Ona spat. The words sounded harsher than she had meant them to, but she did not wish to undo them.

Kol was slightly taken aback by her words. Ona could tell that he was thinking very hard about something. She wanted to ask, but held her tongue. She decided that some things were better left unknown.

“M’Lady!” Cas called. “Come and listen to Gef’s story!”

Ona nodded, walked to the fire and sat onto the cold stone floor of the cave. She brought her knees to her chest and prepared to listen.

“I had a friend once.” Gef began, his voice taking on a rather spooky tone as he spoke. “He decided to venture into the Middle Lands to see what creatures inhabited these woods and mountains.”

“A few days into his trip, he reached these very mountains. A storm rolled in and he was forced to take cover. However, he picked the wrong cave.”

“As he began to fall asleep, he heard a noise. He felt something dripping onto his head and when he looked up, the most disgusting, terrifying monster he had ever seen stood above him. It’s teeth were bared and they were a disgusting shade of green. It’s breath smelled of a thousand rotting corpses and it’s tongue was covered in large bumps.”

“He screamed and the monster struck with its claws, striking him in the chest. It pinned him against the cave wall as it decided its next move.”

“It slowly bit off each of his fingers, one by one. It tortured him all night, until daylight came. The monster seemed to be repelled by the light. As it ran to escape into the dark safety of the cave, my friend escaped its grasp. He ran for days, afraid to look back. He made it back to Nyv in a few days, but he then succumbed to infection and died after telling me his story.”

“So, beware of any and all bumps in the night, lads. You never know what could be lurking in the darkness.”

Ona watched as her men tried desperately to hide their terror. She saw them glance at the darkness, clearly haunted by the possibility of a monster lurking in the shadows.

Ona looked to her left where Kol had sat. She noticed he was gripping his sides rather forcefully and his eyes kept darting to the ominous darkness of the cave. She chuckled quietly.

“Scared, Kol?”

“What? Never! What kind of child do you take me for?”

Ona did not press the subject, but she knew that he would not sleep without his bow tonight.
“Well, men. I suppose we shall need to sleep before we can fight this man-eating monster.” Ona jested. “Good night to all of you!”

Ona then grabbed her bag, placed her head onto it and closed her eyes. She hoped her men would sleep soon. Despite not having to continue on their journey tomorrow, Ona still wanted them to awaken early. Mayhaps the storm would be a short one.