Frozen Stone

The sun streamed past the wide balcony and into the second storey of the modest Pentos housing. Hiding in a rare spot of shade lay a white direwolf, his tongue flopping onto the cold tiled floor as he panted in attempt to cool himself. A shadowcat stretched its limbs in the sun, soaking up the heat with its dark fur as it seemingly smiled. Two women with dark hair sat in well crafted chairs on the balcony, browning their pale skin as they watched the bustling peasants in the street below go about their mundane tasks. Men lugged around carts of goods, women balanced fruits in baskets atop their heads, and children ran in between the adults somehow not bumping into them and causing a spill.

“I don’t know if I could ever get used to this,” Osha remarked, Maranda remaining quiet as she knew her friend would continue on without prompting. “The sun and heat is nice, I won’t deny that. But you’ll never get me to wear a dress or to fit in with their way of life. It’s too different.” Maranda grinned at the thought of Osha in a dress, then at the not particularly pleasant glances Osha had so far received from some of the men in Pentos because of the bottom half of her attire.

“Well I don’t know if we ever could blend in; we were born and raised in another world,” Maranda replied as she spotted a young boy stealing a coin from a man’s pocket before scurrying off. “Do you think this place is safe?”

“Define safe.”

“We stay alive and happy,” Maranda answered after a brief pause of contemplation.

“Well I don’t think pretty boy’s brother will hunt us. Once he heard we boarded a ship, he probably forgot all about our crimes because we’re too difficult to reach now,” Osha began, hesitating as she thought over what little she knew about Essos. “This place seems fine, for now at least. If we keep quiet and don’t make any enemies…”

“I guess you will start wearing dresses then; to not draw attention to us, of course,” Maranda said genuinely, only able to hold her serious expression for a couple of seconds before it broke with laughter. Once their chuckles had died down, she squinted at Osha and found to courage to ask a question that had been pestering her for a while now. “Why didn’t you stay with the others and continue travelling, to wherever they are going? Why stop and stay with me?” Osha turned her head and met Maranda’s eyes, giving an expression that spoke ‘really?’ without a single word, and Maranda smiled to herself. Having such a close and trustworthy friend in her life had definitely made her alleged crimes and travels worth it.

“I bought a bottle of juice of a fruit whose name I cannot pronounce,” Jon announced as he reached the top of the flight of stairs. Ghost lifted his head to address his owner before he flopped it back down on the cold floor, more interested in relaxing. “And I managed to buy a basket of food for tonight without being overcharged, so I think I’m making progress with the locals.” Maranda gave him a smile and watched as he poured a sample of the juice into three mugs, noting and adoring the ways his muscles shifted beneath his thin shirt. It had definitely been pleasant to see him without a heavy fur cloak slung across his shoulders and thick armour draped over his torso, in the same way she assumed he liked seeing her in silky dresses fit for a lady instead of her dirty travelling gear.

“Shall we have a toast?” Maranda suggested as she took her mug from Jon, standing and allowing him to take her seat. She slid onto his lap instead, his arm instinctively curling around her waist. Osha and Jon raised their mugs with Maranda and she found herself suddenly speechless, only able to think of just one thing that summed up what she was grateful for. “To life.”

“To friendship,” Osha added.

“And to love,” Jon finished and they clinked their mugs together.