Our days returned to a simple yet comfortable routine.
The giant house for our new residents required a substantial amount of wood, so the first two days were spent aggressively clearing more of the forest. The effort gained us valuable space, and the mountains of timber were visible from far above.
Zephyr, with some help from the twins, made the Borea Martells a detailed map, marking what to avoid along the way. He then delivered it and returned in under a day. He looked smugly at Carlos, who sighed and paid him a gold coin.
Apparently, he had won a bet and gave the coin to Anna, who had lost all appreciation for gold and fancy jewelry.
On the fifth day after he returned from Dharma, I asked for something stupid.
I had been warned about the cold but felt it had been too long since I'd indulged in my privilege.
And after...
"Told you..."
He held me close, but it didn't help much. My eyelids quivered along with the rest of my body. It was ungodly cold, and I could barely concentrate on the view.
I couldn't believe they traveled like this for hours at a time.
"Y-you d-d-did," I stuttered.
We were on the outskirts of the village, far from our house.
"Hold on, my love."
He pulled my face closer and picked me up a little.
[SWOOSH]
I felt my hair move just a tiny bit, but barely anything else.
He carried me inside our home and placed my frozen body next to the fireplace. I was quickly covered with a blanket and a few minutes later felt much better as the hot tea warmed me from the inside.
"...like you're an idiot. You have certain responsibilities now."
I was receiving my little sister's usual chastising, but like anything repeated a thousand times, it had pretty much lost all its original meaning.
"Blah blah blah, yes, yes. Is Lucian still annoyed with you?" I tried to quickly change the topic.
She looked a little down. "A tiny bit, but... more disappointed in himself, I think."
I rocked back and forth and had to pull my legs back a little. They were roasting near the fire. "Either way, how's the Wold style martial arts coming along?"
Her training methods, once explained to Zephyr and slightly refined, placed her as an assistant master next to her future husband.
"Great. I feel like grappling just pairs so well with Zephyr's teaching."
She was quite proud, and deservedly so.
I was very wrong.
Even if someone doesn't practice martial arts, they can still improve or, at the very least, add to the form. Her grappling technique was wildly popular; it allowed tiny women to handle men twice their size.
"She is a little combat genius. Lucian needs to let go of that silly pride. He's been trying, but it's like he just wants to show off."
Zephyr stood behind me, massaging my shoulders and melting me down while praising my sister.
"There's nothing practical about jumping kicks without any setup. It just looks comedic." He laughed behind me.
He had talked with both of his brothers after hearing how their enthusiasm got the best of them and caused their people to suffer.
They had both been pulling night duty for two days now as repentance.
His duties as a leader barely affected him. He sorted out the best duos for night guard duties and reorganized the men. He created several ten-man squads with their own captains, then adjusted their training so they could fit in at least six hours dedicated to building.
He put the Welks and their team in charge of pre-making essential items like beds, tables, and wardrobes, and he planned a big trip to Malai a few days before the residents arrived to buy everything else needed.
He was born to lead and did it with undeniable style.
"Thank you, brother. I just wish he got there faster," Eli said with an appreciative smile.
I looked up, seeing him upside down. "You leave soon to meet the Acolyte?"
He kissed my nose. "He sounds scary because of the mystic surrounding him, but he will agree or die. The one after him gets the same choice, but there is no choice, really."
He already had half of the participants ready—in fact, his set of holy archers were marching across the lands, protecting our future residents, and delivering the proposition born out of his own mind.
First Acolyte Levitan will either agree or never see another sunrise. Priests or not, his body will hit the ground like anyone else's, unless Ehlite intervenes on his behalf.
"So, you'll be back for dinner?" I asked, hoping.
"Well before that. Once this little excursion is done, we just have to wait for the envoy to reach Malai and our new people to reach us."
Hmm. Things keep evolving. By spring, the village will undergo another drastic change.
"Zephyr, come taste this. I can't trust Julius anymore."
Mother was experimenting with some red peppers we thought were treasures but turned out to be just spicy peppers. Fire fingers of some old fire God. Nonsense.
It turned out mother loved them and was doing her best to recreate a dish called hot ones.
Carlos was still pouting about Zephyr telling everyone his middle name. I don't know, Julius sounded noble to me, but it endlessly embarrassed its owner.
She offered her eighth attempt to recreate the taste.
He swirled around. "That's... probably even better."
"You're not just saying that, right?" She asked excitedly.
"Nope, just like Julius said." He tapped the man resting his head on the table, clutching a glass of water. "I'm not bothered by the spice, but take it easy with your subject here."
He got his wish and had been eating that for two days, four times a day. He loved all of them, even if they started wreaking havoc on his insides, yet Mother was a perfectionist.
"These peppers... we must plant the seeds in springtime. That way, we can always have some."
She had year-round plans for them.
I personally wasn't a fan. Neither were Ilianna or Ciren, who were the main targets of the pepper heist they had pulled before they arrived.
They managed to visit two nations in four days and had time for parties and peppers.
"Alright then. I'll go now." He pulled on his coat and the scarf he was quite fond of. "Once home, we hold a meeting at night. Eli, tell the captains to only leave enough men for the towers. It's time for them to know why we are building again."
"Carlos, wake up!"
He kicked his chair to rouse the man. "I'm here..."
"You haven't visited your villa for a while. Any messages for Lovely?" he asked.
"I... yes, I will have to go home soon enough. As far as they know, I'm rattling around in a wagon back from Dharma. Tell her I will be back in a week at most. Then she is heading back home once the snows melt."
He was sending her home after a six-month stay. According to him, he was meant to be over before the first snow, but then we happened to him, and since his older sister Maria didn't have maternal instincts, his niece stayed.
"Alright then... kiss." He gave me one. "I'll see you in an hour."
He walked back out into the cold and went to achieve something that had never been attempted: reuniting the faith across our continent.