CHAPTER 290: IDEAL IN EVERY WAY

Irene noticed that most buildings in this abandoned township were in a similar a-frame design as the small dwelling she had stayed in at the bottom of the foothills. Since these buildings were in better shape, she was finally able to tell that they truly were the most effective in the snow.

Even when the snow piled high on either side, there was still space at the top for chimneys and so that all of the weight of the snow wasn’t set on the load bearing beams inside of the buildings.

Her trek took her along the outskirts where there were surprisingly more fortified buildings while the smaller and less protected buildings stood on the inside.

Occasionally she would slip off of Sammy to peer into a building or see if it was someplace she could stay. However, she was having no luck since many of them had no doors or it seemed entirely impossible to get inside no matter how much she tried.

Since she couldn’t use all of her energy trying to axe down doors, she simply went on, hoping that she would find a door that was easy to open. She had wasted her energy plowing out a few buildings that had snow nearly to the top of their doors only for them to be unsafe to sleep in or tightly locked.

This led her further into the heart of the township. As her green eyes traveled along the buildings, she spotted something a little bit away that was seemingly in the very center of all of the buildings.

It was a bit different from all the rest, other than its large triangular roof that practically touched the ground. Unlike the others, it had a rock foundation that put it up a few steps from the main level that all of the other buildings were on. It was also quite a bit bigger than any in the area because it was much longer despite having similar design.

The girl slipped off of her horse and went towards the steps that were buried deeply but still had a rough outline of steps regardless.

"There’s even a pen here!" Irene exclaimed to Sammy who merely shook his head at that to swing around his mane. "I know. I feel a bit regretful having to leave you in the cold while I sleep inside. Perhaps there’s room for both of us. This place is rather massive. Just wait, Sammy! I will dig out a way in."

She saluted dutifully and laughed at the lack of reaction from her loyal steed. She wished she could see the inside of his head and what he was thinking.

The snow went halfway up the front door and she searched for anything useful to dig herself in. While her axe was an option, she preferred not to dull it on something such as digging through the snow. Since it wasn’t quite as covered as some of the others, it would be less trouble digging the door out so that she could attempt to open it.

However, by that point, she had wisened up and would test the door to see if she could even move it an inch before finishing unburying it all the way.

"Yes!" she cried out, feeling victorious.

To her relief, it moved even if it took a bit of force and let off a groan of disagreement. The harsh weather had been cruel to such a structure. It made her wonder if others weren’t actually locked but that mother nature had taken her toll on everything around with the constant freezing and thawing cycles.

That late afternoon, she was feeling less energetic and had already hunted the day prior so she certainly wasn’t going to starve if she waited for another hunt. All she was hoping for was a place to rest that was nice and warm. For so long, she had been going and going without a break. While she was used to traveling across the duchy during the summer, winter was normally stagnant.

All she figured was that her body had gotten used to lazing around during winter. That meant she was going to have to continue forcing herself to keep going forward because the lessons she would learn would be valuable for the rest of her life and the future of the Sunstoian people.

Finally, the door was able to be pushed open and Irene nearly fell flat on her face after putting all of her force into getting it unstuck.

She had been working herself so hard that her shoulders were heaving and she needed a moment to gather herself before she could even pull the scarf off of her face and look around the place she had stumbled into.

Her eyes first went to the massive hearth at the center. It was rectangular and had a rusty pot hanging over logs that had been eaten away by time. Everything contained a thin layer of dust. In front of it, there was a long table that could be used for meetings or even just gatherings.

Her curiosity was piqued at the purpose of this place.

When she righted herself, she could walk in further and keep exploring. She quickly realized this wasn’t her average dwelling.

Along one side of the room, beds lined the area. If there were six other people with her, they would be able to sleep comfortably.

However, there was a platform that lifted one of the larger beds above all the others and she wondered if someone important had slept there at one point in history.

As she went forward, she saw that the bed lifted also had intricate carvings on the wood that made up the bed. Even though it was cracked and covered in dust, it was still remarkable to her that these sorts of decorations could still last to this day.

Relief spread through her when she went towards the left wall from the entrance and realized that there had been wood piled high in that house. Whoever was there last had planned to stay, but the only remnants left of that person were preparations and things. She made sure that there wasn’t a sign of a body throughout the entire place.

Once she made it all the way to the very back of the place, a smile appeared when she realized these people brought their animals inside of the house. If she wasn’t mistaken, there were cows carved onto the post so that’s probably what it was. Rather than a cow, it was a perfect place for her to put Sammy for the night so she wouldn’t have to worry about him the entire time she was asleep in such a comfortable house.

Irene quickly rushed back outside and grabbed her horse’s reins. He seemed resistant at first when she started pulling him towards the house, but his obedience took over and he gingerly stepped up the buried stairs and followed the girl through the door that he didn’t have to duck to walk through.

How strange it was to see a horse inside of a building even though she knew there were people in the wintertime in Chemois who brought their animals inside for a bit of extra warmth. It turned out Sunstoian were much of the same.

The girl opened the pen and, with a groan from the hinges of the door, she stopped Sammy.

"Hold still for a moment," she requested as she placed his reins over one of the posts.

There was a shovel she used to push the old hay to the side in case it was rotted or hiding any creatures.

Fortunately, it was very dry over anything else so when she pushed a bail that had been left in the corner, it crumbled but still covered the ground a decent amount so that she could smooth out a bed for her horse to lay in for the night.

When Sammy was in his pen, Irene removed his saddle and saddlebags, then she was able to start the hearth and get a meal together for herself with some frozen bird meat she had obtained the day before.

Rather than the fancy bed on a platform, she opted for one of the lower and smaller beds that she covered with her blanket roll and made herself extremely comfortable inside. Plus, it was closest to the fire. She wondered if someone cold like her slept there so they wouldn’t complain either. The thought caused her to smile.

As she pulled out her books that she read nearly every night, she decided to count the pages she had written on and found out quickly she had been traveling for over three weeks. Each page was covered back and front. Hopefully when she found a market or storehouse in this place, there would be notebooks as well so she wouldn’t have to be lonely and unable to write anything down.

When she was satisfied with her entry, talking about the township she had discovered but how sad she was that it was completely empty, she felt extremely heavy and opted to go to sleep with her face towards the fire. It’s comforting flames were the last thing she saw that night.

Irene woke up late the following day and her entire body ached as if she was getting sick. She quickly realized it was far different from that.

With nearly a month of travel, it also meant that it had been about the right amount of time for her monthly cycle to begin.

She knew it was possible it could happen twice during her journey, but she still couldn’t help being annoyed with it.

At that, she decided to rest a bit longer for the first time since she left home.