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The cold of Coerthas is unforgiving, but it seems today it was slightly less. Its bite didn’t dig so deep into the skin, just barely grazing the bone. Freya didn’t find it too hard on her. She walked the many forests of Coerthas, just as she did now, having been used to living in the cold for so long while she was being raised. She wasn’t sure about her companion.
Just beside her stood one of the children she took care of from her orphanage, a young girl by the name of Lucis. Her olive skin tone contrasted the pale white one of Freya, as did red eyes that looked up at Freya’s turquoise ones.
But, most prominently, a pearl white third eye took up space on Lucis’ forehead, clear for everyone to see.
“Why did you bring me here?” Lucis’ voice barely registered any emotion besides the curiosity behind it.
Freya smiled at her, reaching a hand down to place on the child’s head, giving her dark hair a light ruffle before walking a bit ahead. “I thought you could use the time out. I noticed you’ve been spending more time inside with your tinkerings. Growing children need fresh air every once in a while.”
Lucis blinked once, then looked out at the Coerthan landscape, blanketed in snow. Trees looked as if they were welcoming them, with their branches slightly swaying in the breeze, a breeze that seemed to be the only noise heard at the moment.
She reached down to firmly tug on the sleeve of her coat, to cover more of her arm.
“I prefer the warmer air.”
Freya nodded once. “I don’t blame you. Nonetheless, I decided that you could use some outside time. Away from the others.”
“To do what?”
“Talk.”
“About?”
“Well, anything.” Freya shrugged, then tilted her head in thought, a finger hovering near her chin, “Like…how’s school?”
“School? It’s…fine.”
“Is that so? Isa has been telling me the opposite.”
Lucis stopped walking alongside Freya, who stepped a bit ahead to turn around and face her, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her red coat.
“What did she say?” Lucis asked, head downturned.
“The other kids,” Freya began, approaching the child, “They’ve been pretty hard on you for your…your Garlean upbringing. You know, I could talk to the adults about this. You needn’t take it on.”
“They won’t do anything. Just tell them to stop and leave it at that.”
“Then I’ll bring it up to their parents. Something needs to be done abo—”
“Please, Miss Freya,” she said, lifting her head, tears running down her cheeks.
Freya’s brow raised, lips parting slightly as she saw the young girl in distress. Closing her mouth, she nodded and turned away. As she did, she spotted something.
“Oh…Lucis, come look,” she said, gesturing for the girl to come close.
Sniffling and rubbing the tears from her eyes, Lucis moved over to Freya’s side. She only wondered why for a moment, as when she saw it, her eyes faintly glimmered.
Out in the fields of Western Coerthas, grazing amongst the little bits of greenery, was a herd of karakuls. Fluffy creatures, almost a sphere of wool covering their tiny bodies as they sauntered over to a patch of grass to chew on it.
Despite their diminutive size, or perhaps because of it, the largest one was easiest to spot at the front of the herd. The smaller ones followed behind.
Freya looked down at Lucis, who watched them with some interest. While Lucis was a bit of a tinkerer, taking things apart and putting them back together at her desk, there seems to also be some fascination with animals. But one Lucis always had a soft spot for was the karakuls.
Mostly thanks to Freya getting her a plush of one, sewn by a close friend from a nearby Moonkeeper tribe.
Freya smiled, patting Lucis on the shoulder before taking a few steps aside towards one of the trees, pulling a knife from her belt to begin carving into it.
Lucis saw this out of the corner of her eye, turning her head to see Freya making peculiar shapes.
“What are you doing, Miss Freya?”
The tall Hyur gave Lucis a tiny smile before continuing her work, digging the knife deep into the tree’s bark.
“Karakuls are creatures of habit. If they graze in a certain spot, they regularly do so. Almost every day.”
“And what does carving a tree have to do with this?”
“Well,” Freya said, continuing her carving, “My tribe were hunters, and when we found nice spots where wildlife would be, we’d mark on the trees three things: what animal, what time, and how likely.”
With one final cut downward, Freya smiled and put the knife back in its sheath, stepping away to show Lucis.
Crudely carved into the tree was the shape of a Karakul’s snout, a sun at its zenith, and the letter C.
Freya then pointed to each. “The Karakuls are here at noon every day, or Common.”
Lucis’ eyes shone in understanding, before looking at Freya. “But why?”
Freya gestured to the karakuls. “Well, karakuls move in herds, sticking together through the toughest of times, even the harshest of storms. They don’t get far by doing things on their own, just as we don’t. When I lost my clan, I was lost myself, and without a mark on any tree to show me what to do. I was lucky enough to have people to help me, like Mother Miounne.”
Freya planted a hand on Lucis’ shoulder. “You shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of pain on your own. We can help. And thanks to this mark, now we can come by and watch the karakuls grazing if you ever need a reminder. We know the time and the place by the marking. Whenever you want, we’ll come out and watch.”
Lucis just stared at her, then at the ground. Her face went through a litany of emotions, ones that Freya had really yet to see. Eventually, it seemed like she just gave up and went back to her neutral.
“I…I just don’t want them to get worse. If I try…I’m afraid they will.”
“But you shouldn’t let them. Keep fighting back, just…not literally. You need to keep getting back up. Never give in. Most of all…you need to let others help.”
Lucis pursed her lip, glancing to the karakuls, then back to Freya, who offered the same warm and kind smile she did when they first met in Garlemald.
“Let me talk to their parents, Lucis, okay? Lest we incur another Isa incident with the fountain.”
Lucis put on a small smile. “She was just protecting me.”
“We can’t just throw kids in fountains. Especially not in Ishgard. Too cold.”
They both chuckled, the sound Freya was waiting to hear. After taking care of this child for a bit, it was nice to see her brighten up every once in a while, even though it’s not in her nature.
Freya looked back to the karakuls to see them leaving the field. She turned to Lucis and motioned with her hand towards the way they came, her hand on Lucis’ back to lead her along as they made their way back to Ishgard.
“Come on, I feel like we’ve had enough cold air for one day. Let’s get back home so we can relax with some tea in front of the fire.”
“Can I have hot chocolate?”
"Heh...yeah, of course.”