Gunwitch

Ola slowly pushed the door open. What I saw inside blew my mind.

Despite a million other things going on in the room my attention was immediately drawn to the massive wooden bed. It had four wooden posts and was made of the same polished dark wood as the floor. The poles held up thick, white velvet curtains that went all around. I had no idea what that was for. Maybe they enjoyed building huts like I used to as a child? Maybe they wanted to create some kind of room within a room? Except it was a bed and not a room. Though it could function as a separate room, considering its size.

Every bit of wall and ceiling was covered in elaborate paintings done by someone who was undoubtedly a master at his craft. It showed scenes of griffons flying through the sky. Men wearing chitons in deep conversation. Portraits of more men, this time wearing the classic Graecian style of armor. And behind the bed was a painted scene that reminded me even more of home. Carved stone pillars and Graecian plants that I hadn’t seen in Silesia. A clear blue sky. Pyrion looking down on the bed.

Clearly whoever had painted this had been to Graecia at some point. Perhaps he had even been a Graecian himself. I hadn’t encountered anyone from else from Graecia here, but it would be foolish to assume there weren’t any around.

I pointed at it in awe. “Did you do this for me?”

“This was how we found it,” Ola said with her signature smile.

It surprised me to find so many references to my homeland, my culture, and even my people’s religious beliefs, in the land of Stvora. And it had been here all along. Someone had requested this long before my arrival. Maybe things were not as black and white here as I was led to believe. They definitely seemed to be pretty black and white, though. They probably just thought it was some nice art. Our stories likely spread further than Graecia, but to them they must have just been stories. Something fun to tell children. If they only knew how real they were… Silesia would have looked a lot different.

“This… this is like a picture of home,” I said, vision suddenly blurry.

I blinked rapidly, trying to force the moisture back into my eyes. In this moment, I missed Graecia more than ever. Despite all its flaws, it was still home. Like always when I needed it the most, I felt Kasia’s gentle hand on my back, filling me with warmth. I glanced at her and smiled. She smiled back. I guess Graecia was not my only home anymore. Kasia felt more like home than Graecia ever had. How lucky and how blessed I was to have found someone as kind and loving and understanding as her. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve someone like her in my life, but I was grateful. So, so grateful. For once I felt like there was someone who really wanted to understand who I was, who cared for me unconditionally, who I could be myself with without fear of judgement. With her I felt truly seen.

She didn’t care if I said dumb things or did dumb things. She just cared. That made me feel very safe, despite me supposedly being her protector.

“So this is what Graecia looks like?” Kasia asked.

I looked back at the elaborate scenes filling the walls. “Well, yes, but also no. I’ve never seen that many griffons in one place flying freely. I mean, technically, it’s possible, but I don’t think you’re likely to see anything like that. The rest is pretty accurate. The clothing and armor are spot on. Whoever did this even got the plants right. Even the details on the pillars are exactly how they are supposed to be. Whoever painted this must have been Graecian or must have spent a significant amount of time there.”

“It looks nothing like Silesia.”

“Yeah, it’s like a completely different world. Kind of crazy when you think about it, huh?”

Kasia nodded. “I always wondered what it was like. It’s nice to see what your home looks like.”

I stared at her with immense fondness and appreciation. Yeah. It’s nice.

Then Ola seemingly appeared out of nowhere, carrying a dress. She put it on the bed so I could inspect it. It was a vibrant, emerald green, and relatively tight at the top, with a wide bottom. “Dyed first with woad, then with weld,” she said. “The wool is unmistakably from Flamandrovie. It’s what they are known for. Excellent quality. It will keep you warm and feel gentle on the skin.”

It definitely looked nice, but I saw an obvious problem. The sleeves looked like they’d be extremely tight on my upper arm, then at the elbow the fabric turned wide and so long that they would probably touch the floor. That would be very unpractical, since I kind of needed my arms, which would be hard when your sleeves are so long they touch the floor. I wouldn’t even be able to hold anything. And while I could shoot bullets from my ears if I wanted to, I wasn’t planning on turning my trump card into a daily thing. Best to keep it as a surprise.

“It looks nice, don’t get me wrong,” I said. “It’s just those sleeves. I need my hands to be mobile and unobstructed. I could also see myself tripping on the bottom.”

Ola inclined her head. “I can make adjustments. I just wanted to present them to you the way they were before we changed anything.”

The next dress she brought out was a deep red. This one looked much more form-fitting than the other one, and it didn’t have ridiculous sleeves. She ran her hand over the fabric. “This one is made of silk velvet from Lucca, Hesperia. It truly is beyond soft. Only a [Master Weaver] can produce this.” She pointed at the white fur with black spots that lined the low neckline. “Ermine, there is nothing better. The silk velvet’s red coloring comes from kermes, they aren’t found here, and importing them is quite costly. This is why only the wealthiest are able to wear red in Silesia. This dress is the pinnacle of wealth and status. I believe this one would suit you best.”

Kasia walked up and touched it. “Oohhh, you should feel this, Hecate, it’s so nice.”

It was indeed a nice looking dress. The color would definitely look great on me, and with the way it was cut I wouldn’t have to fear that I’d look like a tomato or something. I touched the fabric as well. Really soft. Only problem was that such a form fitting dress would leave me unable to move my legs properly, and running around was kind of my thing.

“Ola, do you think you could make slits on the sides? It’s super nice, and I really love it, but I need to be able to run and jump. When I’m shooting people in the face, you know? I do a lot of running and diving and jumping and sliding. You never know what might happen here, so I’d like to always be prepared.”

Ola hesitated for a moment. “I could, but… that would reveal a lot of skin. It is not customary here to show that much exposed leg. Especially not for ladies of stature.”

“Pah,” I waved her off. “It’s just a little bit of leg. Where I’m from people don’t even look at you funny if you walk the streets naked. On a hot day you’ll see more than a bit of leg, and we have a lot of hot days.”

I thought back to Eusarkos, a local legend who was famous in Asteria not just for his rotundness and complete lack of hair, but also for his refusal to wear clothing. He said clothing made him hot. He was always sweaty, so I guess he was also hot without clothes. A happy, shiny ball of a man, who always greeted people enthusiastically, and always had some coin for a beggar and was always willing to buy some food for hungry kids. Where he kept his coin purse I did not know. Probably wouldn’t want to. I decided not to mention him to them, just in case they would ask. It would probably be the first thing they wondered.

“If it is what my Lady wants, then it shall be so,” Ola said.

“I could help!” Kasia offered.

Ola inclined her head. “I would appreciate that.”

“Maybe my Lady would like to sit on the balcony while we work?” Ola asked. “The view of the gardens is quite nice from up there.”

“This place has gardens?!”

She calmy walked up to the balcony doors and opened them. “Right through here.”

I stepped outside and the fresh mountain air once again filled my nostrils. Such a great smell. The garden was beautiful too. It had a big fountain right in the center, which was surrounded by paths lined with neat, low-cut hedges. Very pretty.

It was a crescent moon today, and I said a prayer to Mēnē, thanking her for her guidance, for her protection and for giving me such great fortune.

Ola walked out onto the balcony carrying a heavy-looking, cushioned armchair that looked too heavy for her. She probably had some points into Strength as well. She followed up with a small side table.

“Let me know if you need anything,” she said.

I let myself sink in the impossibly comfortable chair. Suddenly, Silesia didn’t feel all that bad. This was pretty great, and I congratulated myself for the great decision of claiming this town for myself. Surely this would all work out. I mean, it already was working out. Things would only get better from here on out.

I looked up at the sky, wondering what I should do next. Just sit here? Do nothing? That wasn’t me. The crescent moon reminded me I still had Bies’ book. It had the same symbol painted on it. I could read a little bit. Learn a little bit. At least then I wouldn’t feel like I was wasting time. I could relax and be productive at the same time. Yes. That was another great idea.

I pulled out the book and put it on my lap. Something was different this time. The symbol on the book glowed brightly, and the rest of the book also had a slight glow to it. I glanced back up at the moon. Huh. Interesting.