About a month and a half passed since the night I got lost in the forest, and from that day on I asked Preon every evening to sleep beside me. We rarely spoke once we were in bed, but his presence calmed me, and it often happened that in the middle of the night I would find myself clutching his arm.

  The days, though monotonous, never bored me. Every morning Preon would wake me, and together we would go downstairs to the kitchen to have breakfast.

  Some days, in the morning and afternoon until the sun set, he would go out with the other men to cut and deliver firewood to the houses for winter or take care of other tasks. Unless we were invited to someone else's house, we spent every lunch and dinner together, and recently I had even started learning how to cook their food. It was much simpler than I had expected, and I enjoyed it a lot.

  During those weeks my human language improved greatly. Even though I still couldn't read or write, I was finally able to communicate.

  I quickly became friends with the women. We often gathered to prepare things for the winter or to take care of the animals in the stable. Even when I struggled to learn certain practical tasks, the others always explained everything patiently.

  One evening only Tao came to eat with us. He was much taller and more muscular than Preon, with green eyes and black hair tied back in a small ponytail. Despite how I had imagined him, he seemed extremely cheerful.

  I didn't speak much, though my studies were finally beginning to bear fruit. I could follow their conversations almost naturally now, without too much effort, but the idea of actively joining in still made me uncomfortable. I limited myself to answering when someone asked me something, never inserting myself into the conversation on my own.

  “Our Guest must not have lived in a very pleasant place if she chose this forgotten little village as her winter refuge,” Tao said, looking at me with a smile, though his gaze seemed distant, as if his thoughts were somewhere else.

  “Yes… you could say that.”

  I couldn't continue the conversation. I had nothing to hide, but I didn’t want my entire past to come to light like that. The fear that they might discover what had happened years ago, the slaughter, held me back.

  Even without speaking much, I enjoyed the evening. Tao was different from the others. Sometimes he seemed almost intimidated when he looked at me; other times he seemed lost in his thoughts, and then suddenly he would burst with enthusiasm.

  At the end of the evening, after Tao left to return home, Preon turned to me with a worried expression.

  “Did he bother you?”

  Caught off guard by the question, I simply shook my head.

  “Why?”

  “Well… he has a rather particular personality. Since he lost his daughter… he’s changed.”

  Even though I couldn’t fully understand the situation, I knew how much such a loss could change someone. After all, it had happened to me as well. At first he had seemed a little strange, but now I felt a certain closeness to him.

  A few days later the village seemed unusually lively.

  We women were gathered at Bianca’s house, and from the window overlooking the square we could see the men entering and leaving the Inn, carrying food, wood, and other things I couldn’t quite identify.

  The four of us sat around the table, embroidering.

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  As the months passed I had learned many things about the others’ lives: Liz had been engaged to Cole for several years, Tristan lived in the same house as Tao and his sister Malù ever since they lost their daughter, and Edune had become a widow even before arriving in Agene. She often kept herself busy baking sweets for all of us, which we happily ate with a cup of tea, just like that afternoon.

  “You know, Arya, today we celebrate the end of the year! Tonight we’ll sing and dance at the Inn and exchange gifts! It’s going to be so much fun!”

  As always, Liz grabbed my hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

  Edune and Bianca exchanged a sigh.

  “I wonder if Malù will come this year…” Bianca set her cup down and looked out the window. “She didn’t show up last year either…”

  Liz slowly let go of my hands and picked up her cup, staring silently into the steaming tea. Her enthusiasm vanished instantly, making me uncomfortable. Seeing Liz in a low mood was rare, very rare.

  Malù was rarely mentioned. Usually Tao or Tristan spoke of her.

  Not knowing what to say, I lowered my gaze and focused on my cup, imitating Liz.

  A sudden knock on the table made us jump. Edune stood before us, looking at us sternly.

  “Come on, girls, let’s not lose heart. Sooner or later things will work out. Thinking about it too much will only ruin the celebration. Let’s focus on preparing a beautiful gift for Malù and giving it to Tao. Eventually she’ll feel like coming to celebrate with us again.”

  The woman smiled at us, and Bianca nodded.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring everyone’s spirits down. We’d better finish eating quickly and get back to our work.”

  A couple of hours later I entered Preon’s house carrying a small package.

  Inside was an embroidered centerpiece I had made myself, the first one I had ever completed. With the others’ help I had managed to finish it in time for the celebration. Liz had told me that exchanging gifts was a tradition that night and had convinced me to make one for Preon.

  I wasn’t sure why she had insisted so much. After everything he had done for me, a simple piece of cloth felt almost ridiculous as a gift of thanks.

  Maybe it’s better not to give him anything.

  The lights inside the house were still off, but the fire was already burning. I tossed a couple of logs into the fireplace and ran upstairs, placing the package on my bedside table.

  Then I opened the wardrobe.

  There weren’t many clothes, but the few I had had become incredibly precious to me. Edune and Bianca had given them to me, some were dresses they had worn when they were younger, others they had sewn by hand especially for me.

  I took out the green dress with long sleeves. It had become my favorite. It was simple, decorated with white and gold embroidery on the sleeves and neckline. I didn’t know why, but wearing it made me feel as if I were home again.

  Edune had made it herself, and I still felt I hadn’t thanked her enough.

  The fabric was thick, perfect for the cold evening.

  I carried it into the bathroom and prepared warm water for a bath.

  I dressed quickly, hoping I wasn’t late, though even in the short time I had spent in the village I had already learned that no one could compete with Liz’s legendary delays.

  I put on my boots, picked up the package for Preon, and went downstairs. After making sure the fire had enough wood, I put on my coat, also a gift from Edune and Bianca, and headed toward my friend’s house.

  I knocked.

  “Liz, it’s me.”

  I didn’t even wait a minute before the door burst open. Liz stood there wrapped only in a piece of cloth, her hair still wet, dripping water everywhere.

  Even though I had seen her like that many times before, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

  “Did I interrupt a date with your bathtub?”

  She stuck her tongue out at me without answering and ran back to the bathroom.

  I sat down in the living room and looked at their fireplace, abandoned with only a bit of glowing ash left. I sighed, wondering how much patience poor Cole must have.

  I rekindled the fire and sat on the sofa, waiting for my friend.

  “Aryaaaa, come on! I’m freezing! And we’re late, let’s go!”

  Liz bounced in place, unable to contain her excitement for the celebration, or perhaps simply trying to warm up.

  The village was quiet. Snow fell gently, making everything feel even more peaceful and magical. Standing outside in the freezing cold probably wasn’t a good idea, but for me there was nothing more beautiful than watching the snow fall around me.

  Still entranced by the drifting flakes, I suddenly felt Liz grab my wrist and pull me along the small road toward the square.