The wind was so cold and harsh that Snow thought they were up in the mountains again. Which wasn’t completely wrong. But they weren’t in just another rocky mountain, Snow concluded taking a wide look around. They were atop a dark wall made of stone, and there were several dark houses down bellow, the largest of them all, looking like a small castle, built against the wall itself.
Shivering at the sudden difference in temperature, it took Snow a while to register that there wasn’t a single person in sight. And, on a second observation, to notice that the houses he saw were clearly abandoned, most of them without a roof, many with crumbling walls.
“Welcome to Noxin1Literally nox (night) + suffix in (center), meaning the center of the Province of Nox, in other words, Nox1Literally nox (night). Where Nox is the name of the Clan, also the name of a Province.’s Capital. All Capitals of all Provinces are named as such.[/modern_footnote]. Nox’s Capital,” ZaiWin2Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). said, still holding on to him, and Snow took another wide look at the citadel.
Nestled against the hard face of the mountain, surrounded by a thick wall, it was a fairly large complex, or it had been, was the correct wording. As it stood, it looked as if the city had been the victim of a harsh, destructive war, and then had been left abandoned a long time ago.
The arms around him squeezed him gently and then they weren’t there anymore. Instead, they reappeared in a large hall all made of dark, polished stone. At least it wasn’t as windy, but it was still cold.
The smooth, shiny floor was covered in large debris, making Snow look up to find that most of the ceiling had collapsed and was practically gone. In the center of the hall there was a large, rectangular table, also made of stone, that somehow had survived whatever had happened in that place. And old, torn banners half-hang from the round columns, some in such bad shape that they rested in pieces on the ground, the once vibrant colors completely gone.
“This was where we first arrived when we moved to Nox. ZenTar3Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind) and I,” ZaiWin declared, his voice sounding cold and lonely, echoing across the empty room. “The place where they sent us to.
"Back then the entire citadel was riddled with feimao4Literally fei (raging / furious) + mao (beast / monster). Raving beasts that appear in unbalanced, ungoverned lands. They possess destructive markings that in turn corrupt the land even further. Hard to explain in just 2 lines -_-; Anyway. Bad, vicious things that need to be killed.. They were everywhere. And it was snowing. Everything was covered in white, cold snow. I was just a child, so ZenTar had to carry me and fight his way out of this place. Even now, I still find it hard to conceive how he managed to keep us both alive.
"We only returned here seven years later, and with a small army of volunteers at our back. It took us almost an entire year to clean the entire city. When we finally managed to drive all the feimao away, dark, empty ruins were all that was left. And since the land around it is mostly dead, no one wanted to move back here and rebuild. After all, they would only be left stranded in a cold city made of stone.”
Snow stretched a hand to touch the smooth surface of the stone table, and ZaiWin finally released him, allowing him to study it from up closer. Engraved inside the stone, beneath its smooth, sheen surface, was a silver symbol that looked a lot like a moon.
“It’s actually a bow and arrow,” ZaiWin declared, correcting Snow's initial assumption, and Snow looked up at him, a silent question on his face.
“Nox wasn’t called Nox, before. It was actually called Noc5Literaly noc (hunt). Old name of the now Province of Nox, which means hunt. I was told these lands were abundant with all kinds of prey, because Noc was home to very distinct landscapes. Of course, there were the mountains, but there were also thick forests and golden plains, home to many different animals. Back then water wasn’t lacking and the rivers and lakes were full of fish. And, of course, there was the sea, to the east.
"The people were mainly hunters and fishermen, and they had apparently developed their way of living mainly based on that. They would craft artifacts and tools made of bone, clothes made of pelts and jewelry made of seashells, pearls, and corals. And they would sell them to their neighboring Provinces, in exchange for other goods they did not produce.
"But then their Governor was sentenced to death and, with time, the people lost their way. They waged wars against each other, they hunted for pleasure and not for need. Then the feimao appeared and things only got worse. The land started to die, the animals too, drinking water was practically gone, and there were disease and famine everywhere. They changed its name to Nox, which means night. A place lost in darkness, where light has no place.”
Snow looked at the bow and arrow imprinted on the dark table. He still felt that it looked more like a beautiful, silver moon crossed by a delicate arrow.
“I never lived here. But I guess you could say this is home.”
This?, Snow wondered, looking around at the large, empty hall, at the fallen ceiling, at the rotting banners. It was cold, barren, dark, lonely. The home they had given him. Even his small, poor shack under the bridge had felt more like a home than this. Snow wanted to go to him, but he was getting tired very quickly again, his shaky legs telling him that standing up was already more than they could handle. So, instead, he silently stretched out his hand, and ZaiWin was immediately there, standing in front of him, holding his cold hand.
Picking him up as if he were no more than a child, ZaiWin sat him on the table. And Snow couldn't help avert his gaze when he quickly stepped forward, fitting his tall body between his legs before Snow could close them. His face was almost at the same hight as his again, and he was standing just a bit too close for comfort, making Snow’s heart beat too fast in alarm.
The warm hand that landed on his head made him cringe a bit, but then ZaiWin was simply ruffling his hair like he’d done so many times before, allowing him to relax.
“I didn’t tell you all this so you could worry about it. So stop trying to figure out a way to heal the entire land in one day,” he gently chided him and Snow couldn’t help blush, since he had practically read his mind.
“I can help …”
“And you’ve done so already. More than you know,” ZaiWin declared with such vehemence that Snow couldn’t help peer at him doubtfully.
When? Sure, he had cleansed that forest and somehow managed to find water, twice. But that was nothing compared to what needed to be done. Even without ZaiWin telling him those things, he could clearly hear it, through the land’s whisperers and murmurs. It kept calling him, edging him on, pleading for help. What he’d done so far was close to insignificant.
ZaiWin smiled and held his hands in his. Even in that cold, ZaiWin's hands were still warm, Snow couldn't help notice when the elegant fingers gently brushed his skin.
“I wanted to bring you here because this is a very important place for me. I often come here on my own, to think, to decide what I should do next, how I should proceed. This place always reminds me of the most important events of my life. Some are good, some are bad. Still, they all pushed me to be who I am today. This is where I stopped being who I was and began being who I am. And now it’s happening all over again. I was someone who had a lot. I became someone who had nothing. And now … I have you.”
Snow felt his cheeks warm up but he still couldn’t avert his gaze from those bright-blue eyes as they stared intently at him.
“This will not be easy,” ZaiWin stated, lightly squeezing his hands. “Even if everything goes according to plan, we will be taken to the presence of the same people who sent ZenTar and I here to die. And you … Although I know you’re intelligent enough to understand a lot of things, you’re still too young and too inexperienced.”
Snow frowned at that. So what if there was a lot he didn’t know? All they had to do was teach him!
“Up till now, all the people you’ve met since we left the Fortress, have been fundamentally good. ZenTar, MenTar, VinWei. They may have their shortcomings, but their mostly honest people. But once I take you out there, you’ll be surrounded by deceiving, cunning people, whose only goal will be to either use you or step over you, in order to attain their goals. They will lie to you and betray you the first chance they get. And I don’t even know if such concepts have room inside your head.”
“I am not that naive,” Snow protested, but the blue eyes staring at him looked even more doubtful.
“The Celestials I met were all intrinsically trusting and obedient.”
“I am not like them,” Snow immediately countered and ZaiWin gave him a half-smile.
“Well, you're obviously not the obedient kind.”
“I’m not trusting either.”
ZaiWin's smile immediately faded away. There was a sudden heavy silence between them. Trust was an issue they both felt very hard to deal with.
ZaiWin took a deep breath and gently caressed the cold hands he still held. He wanted Snow to trust him, but he didn’t dare openly demand that of him. Not when he, himself, still couldn't trust him completely in return. So he simply jumped over the trust issue and made his way to more important, objective matters.
