Chapter 132: Different Customs
When Hauke finally reached the front gates of the fortress, he moved stiffly with a bone-deep weariness. Captain Lennart had offered to pull him most of the way on a sled, but the young man had his pride. Unlike Ashlynn and Virve, he’d suffered no real injuries beyond the strain of his encounter with the ghosts of the ancestors. He refused to be carried when he was capable of walking. When he reunited with Ashlynn in the small gatehouse, however, he was surprised to see how much she had changed in the time it took for him to return with the others.
Ashlynn had traded the comfortable and practical clothing she wore to the fishing trip for an elegant green dress trimmed in luxurious black furs. Her long blond hair had been styled into an elaborate braid that included a long strand of emeralds and a second strand of sapphires as if to provide a subtle reminder of how closely she was entangled with Nyrielle.
The most shocking part of her appearance to Hauke, however, was how refreshed she looked. While he moved slowly and stiffly with fatigue, she stood with her back straight and the elegant grace of a refined noblewoman. His fur hung limp and heavy with frozen lake water while she appeared fresh and ready to attend another banquet.
"Zedya," Ashlynn said, turning to the vampire servant standing attentively nearby. Despite Heila’s willingness to return to Ashlynn’s side tonight, Zedya insisted that the diminutive horned woman rest her body after their ordeals. For tonight, Zedya would take Heila’s place as both attendant and translator.
"Please help Hauke the way you helped me," Ashlynn said before turning to the little lord. "Hauke, appearances are important for what’s about to happen. We will have justice tonight," she said firmly. "But to obtain it, we need to arrive like a thundering lion, not like a pair of drowned cats. Do not resist Zedya’s help."
"Your father sent men with a change of clothes for you," Zedya said, her amethyst eyes beginning to glow as she stepped around Ashlynn to address the young Frost Walker directly. "Before they help you change, I need you to listen carefully to my words."
"Carefully," Hauke repeated numbly, nodding at Zedya’s instructions while his eyes reflected her amethyst glow.
"You have great strength," she whispered to him, placing a hand on his chest and looking deeply into his eyes. "Your mind is clear, your body is free of aches and pains. You have slain Tuscans and faced an unspeakable horror, you can stand tall and proud in your victory."
As she spoke, Hauke’s demeanor shifted subtly. His body no longer troubled him and his fatigue melted like ice in the summer sun. By the time she was done, he felt better than he did after a full night’s rest and he had begun to radiate a faint aura of a victorious warrior.
"It’s important that you remember that the way you feel now is false," Zedya cautioned after her eyes stopped glowing. "You still have wounds that have not healed and your body is still very drained. Do not attempt to use sorcery or fight right now, you will overdraw yourself if you do."