Dark and Untamed

Chapter 9: Cold

It had been four days since Estelle was brought to Frostveil from the deadfalls. And her injuries were now fully healed thanks to her werewolf regeneration. It was a little slower than usual all thanks to the wolfsbane, but oh well, better than being a frozen corpse in the snow. Buried and forgotten. During that four day period, a lot of things had happened. A lot of awkward things.

And because of a certain incident, Estelle now wore a beast skin with thick furs. Meanwhile Adrian had become a lot more quieter than usual. Not like she was complaining. If anything, she preferred his silence.

She got off the bed and stretched. Her healthy bones let out a satisfying pop that was pleasing to the ears. Because of her figure, she looked like a feline stretching than a werewolf. Today... today was the day Adrian was finally taking her out of this place. To her this was highly anticipated moment. One, she wanted to explore Frostveil, and two, she was tired of this damn cottage.

She had already dressed up and wore thick clothes like Adrian told her to. Adrian in question left this morning because an urgent matter came up. His pack hadn't seen him for while so he had to make an appearance too.

Tapping her foot impatiently on the wooden floor, Estelle growled in frustration. “ How long am I supposed to wait? It's been 3 hours already...“

Just as she was about to lose her patience, the door opened. However, instead of Adrian, it was someone else. A tanned man with golden eyes so bright they made Estelle's eyes look dim in comparison. He had black dreadlocks and bone earrings. His eyes looked ultra focused, but tired in a way that had nothing to do with lack of sleep. Estelle frowned warily. She had seen this man before, and had heard rumors of him. “ Ghost of Frostveil.“ Adrian's right hand man.

Darnon Arcus.

“ Greetings, Estelle. Adrian couldn't come so he assigned me bring you to the castle. Please, do not try to run away. It would make my I hate chasing women.“ Darnon said in a lazy voice that didn't match his serious face.

“ Uhhh.“ Estelle felt uncomfortable under Darnon's gaze. She felt like Darnon... was staring at her soul? In front of him she felt naked and all her secrets were laid bare for him. This made her uncomfortable.

As if he reading her mind, Darnon spoke again. “ No need to be so uncomfortable miss, I am the most innocent and harmless person you have ever met. “ He said with a straight face.

Estelle scoffed. 'Innocent and harmless? My wolf tells me you are one of the most dangerous people in Shkrade.'

Not dwelling on it, she was about to step out when Darnon stopped her. “ Wait.“

Estelle frowned. “ What?“

“Here.“ Darnon brought out a mask carved from black wood. “ We wouldn't you to be recognized by civilians who have seen you before. Although you are branded as a traitor and assumed to be dead, Frostveil streets aren't safe for a Winterbourne, Be it a dead one or a breathing one. “ He said in a chilly voice.

Darnon's words hit her like lightning. She stared at the mask for a brief moment, before taking it from Darnon's outstretched hand. The bringing it to her face, she put it on. Estelle had to admit, the texture felt smooth and cold against her face, she kinda liked it.

“ Are you ready?“ Darnon asked.

Estelle didn't respond. she inhaled the stale air of the cottage as if to memorize it. Then she nodded.

Without a word, they stepped out.

The glacial wind hit Estelle like fire-breathing dragons sneezing icicles. Estelle shuddered. Her body immediately remembered the cold from the deadfalls, her steps faltered a bit before she moved on, the snow crunching under her feet.

The air was sharp, cold, and biting. Every breath she inhaled made her lungs feel like they were being pricked by a thousand cold, sharp needles... The sky was a pale, washed-out blue that almost looked grey.

Looking around her she realized that there only few houses in sight. It seems like the cottage she was brought to sat on the edge of Frostveil's settlement, separate from the populated areas. Adrian had brought her there to evade the prying eyes of curious fellows and to reduce the chances of someone recognizing her.

“ If we run, it would take about 20 minutes before we get to the palace. If we walk, an hour or two, choose.“ Darnon's voice pulled Estelle out of her stupor. That was when she noticed that this man wore a sleeveless tunic. He didn't seem to be affected by the cold in anyway!

She was barely managing because of the furry beast skin Adrian gave her. The thing was warm, heavy, and had Adrian's scent on it. Estelle remembered she had thrown a fit about it on the day Adrian gave it to her. Now she didn’t want to take it off.

“ Let's just run until we reach the main settlement. I want to see how your Frostveil looks like.“ She replied. Running might help her warm her body a bit.

___

Estelle pulled the fur hood up while huffing and puffing slightly. In the end in only taken them only seven minutes to get to the main settlement. She had to slow down for Darnon to catch up and give her directions, which was very embarrassing for the man.

Tucking a stray black hair into her hood, she sighed in awe. Estelle wanted to explore as she didn't have to worry about being discovered, the mask hid her face, and the beast skin made her look bulky. But Darnon warned that this might not go well with Adrian.

Frostveil was a beautiful place. Not the desolate and plain place that Silvervale told stories of. Dominated by whites, greys, and deep blues. It was never silent for long, as the quietness was broken by the crunch of snow, the howling wind or some civilians.

Wood-framed houses formed a rough crescent around the a huge black castle. Like wolves circling around a fire. The roof of the houses were steep so the snow would roll off preventing collapse. However, despite this they were still heavily blanketed with snow. Icicles hanged from the eaves like mini stalactites. The light from the hearth gave a warm and comfortable feeling.

The air felt ghostly, cold and glacial, each exhale gave birth to a cloud of breath that reached the end of it's lifespan as soon as it was born.

Paths were organized, narrow and lined with high snow banks. it was obvious the roads were constantly being cleared by the Frostveilians.

Estelle liked the quiet, cozy feeling it gave despite the intense cold. There were several hot springs, mini forests and frozen rivers as well. She finally understood why Frostveilians rarely left their homes, and at the same time she felt intense guilt well up her chest. This was the place her family were trying to conquer and destroy.

After several minutes of walking, Estelle finally, reached the castle. It was a tall imposing structure situated on a small island in a lake. A large wooden drawbridge was what connected the settlement to it and the end of the bridge was a gate made of obsidian. It was a beautiful sight that put Estelle into a daze. The fire lit lamps inside the castle and by the gates amplified it's aesthetic beauty.

At the gates, wolves stood guard, their eyes assessing her, but when the saw Darnon they eased up a bit. They knew everyone in Frostveil. Even if she hid behind a mask or not, her physique was still unfamiliar to them. When Estelle and Darnon finally got to the gate, a guard stepped forward. He was a honest looking man with scruffy beard. He was the one who was assigned to keep order at the gates.

“ Darnon, haven't seen ye ghost these days, I was worried ye turned to a corpse. “ the man laughed heartily Not minding his strange accent Darnon smiled.

“ That's because I don't have anymore beer to give you, so you could leave me alone.“

“ Bah! ye nasty bloke. Ye nae coming here to avoid that Mira gal, aye?“

( Author's note: I didn't make a typo. The ye means you. and nae meanings not. The gatekeeper was raised by a dwarf, because of that, his accent is strange.)

Darnon's eyes twitched several times. Meanwhile Estelle remained quiet while she watched Darnon banter with the man who talked like a dwarf. On the way here, Darnon told her not to say a word until she met Adrian.

After a while the man turned and cast his gaze on her. “ Who's this lass, is she...“ The head gatekeeper didn't complete his sentence but gave Darnon a certain look.

Darnon nodded. “ Mmmh. The Alpha said a new one would be coming .“

The gatekeeper coughed strangely, so did the other guards behind him. Some shook their heads as if displaying their pity. They all knew what happens when a random woman gets into that castle.

Shaking his head, the gatekeeper turned around and yelled loudly, spittle flew out of his mouth.

“ Open da gates!!!“ Less than a second later, the black gates slowly opened with a loud metallic groan.

“ Let's go.“ Darnon said to Estelle who feeling a faint sense of unease.

When the got passed the gates they started closing automatically. However before they could fully close, Estelle heard the gatekeeper's shout from the other side.

“ DON'T FORGET THE BEER YE NASTY BLOKE!“

The gates slammed shut with a bang.

“ What did you mean by 'The Alpha said a new one would be coming?' “ Estelle asked the question that had been gnawing at her mind. She felt a little uneasy. She also noticed the way the guards looked her with pity.

Darnon smiled mysteriously.

“ You will find out soon enough.“