Chapter Text
Snow crunches beneath her as powdery wisps swirled over the canopies, but the frigid winds will not touch her. The enchantments are curious like that. The snowflakes will fall gently even as a blizzard howls from beyond the borders.
Well, as long as it keeps the kingdom safe. She mused.
But even when protected from the harsh winds, it doesn’t stave off the biting cold of the tundra. A stray breeze brushes past her, making her ears twitch and her tail quiver. She pulls her cloak around her tighter, attempting to fight off the chill.
The path from the border outpost to the south gates was a long trek through lush pine trees. Granted it was a relatively straight path, but it doesn’t do much to make the journey any less miserable. Silvery light streamed from minuscule gaps in the cover of pine needles, casting an almost ghostly glow on the freshly fallen snow.
The sounds of wildlife make her ears twitch as she hums a little tune. She was going to miss her old team, it hasn’t been that long since she was reassigned as a personal bodyguard but she had spent a good amount of time alongside them so she’s allowed to be a bit sentimental.
The emperor was generous enough to let her have her time off surrounded by old comrades, who piled her high with little gifts of gratitude for her service when she left. But friends, dare I say, family, awaited her back in the castle, the first place she considered home.
Being raised there from as far as she could remember, she has been close with the original staff who manned the castle since it was built. Running around, smothered in a fluffy blanket as she snuck into the kitchen with the then young princes. Ducking and weaving between the servants as she played hide and seek during festivals. Being tossed up high into the chilly sky by her late father, the former captain of the Royal Guard.
Shaking away the bittersweet memory, she hoisted her bag higher and marched through the snow.
It was only moments later that her shoulders started aching and she regrets not taking a horse.
What was I thinking, going mining. And filling my inventory to the brim no less. She groans.
She could already hear the seams screaming under the weight of all the ores in her inventory. She shouldn’t have let her old friends convince her to go into the mines.
It's all worth it, She breathes. Redstone dust for Tubbo and Fundy, coal for fuel, cobblestone for Tommy’s unexplainable obsession, and gold nuggets for Techno, Wilbur, and Phil’s penchant for shiny things. Friggin’ instincts. She grunted, motivating herself.
She couldn’t wait to get back, put them away and finally eat something to warm herself up. Dried rations were nostalgic but nothing beats fresh meals.
It's been quite a while since I’ve had any of Niki’s signature cookies. She recalls.
Already drooling at the thought of warm pastries, her mind drifts to the thought of the crackling fireplace and swaths of warm furs.
Such was her folly as she felt her weight lift off the ground. A glance behind her reveals the swirling light of an unknown portal. Violet eyes widened as she scrambles to dig her claws into the dirt path for purchase when it finally clicks that it was dragging her in.
She manages to hold on and a beat passes. And another as the gravel and dirt starts to loosen and her claws tether on a stray root. Her heart dropped when it gave way and by the next moment, she was gone.
She remembers a flash of light…
Then being overwhelmed by unfamiliar sounds…
The impact of falling and the aching pain that lingers all over, leaving her gasping for breath.
Perhaps it was the familiar smell of copper, or the trickle of crimson down her skull, that lulls her to oblivion.