“You... Want me to go?” Len asks her mother shakily, her gaze locked on the contents of the letter they had just read together.

'Apothecary

I accept your offer to place a herbalist at Beira Castle for a full year of work.

An escort will depart from the town square on Sunday at dawn, please have your herbalist meet them there.

Signed,
Hellebore'

Everything about the letter felt cold to Len. Even the seal had been made with an almost pure white wax, as if it were frozen shut. A cold letter from a Winter dragon that nobody in the village had ever seen.

Len had spent her life in the alpine town of Annerik, a town framed on one side by the harsh but magnificent Beira ranges, and the Lake Annerik on the other.

When the mountains were hostile, the wind would carry the full force of the cold with it. But it rarely carried the storms. In the coldest months you could go for weeks without catching a glimpse of the peak where the dragon's castle was.

Her head filled with images of the rocky lifeless mountainside battered by blizzards and hail. She felt her stomach tighten into a ball, and fought back the childish urge to spill tears and beg them to let her stay.

If her mother wanted her to go she must have a reason.

The concise letter had been penned by Hellebore, the reclusive dragon who took control of Beira Castle only a few years prior.

It was normal for dragons to stay fairly hidden, but she was on a new level for this town. They knew nothing about her, not even her age.

All they really knew was that the Winters had become harsher every year since she arrived, and the townsfolk of Annerik were growing more and more anxious about what that meant.

Some, like her parents, thought it was only a coincidence. Others supposed she must be a fledgling, too weak to handle the job on her own yet. But there were also a few vocal townsfolk were sure something had angered her.

Before Ash left for his studies he told Len that it didn’t make much sense to think she was angry. She was reclusive, sure. But there were still people working at her castle. 'If she were angry with us, why would she let them stay?' He'd ask.

Len has always had the feeling that Ash was sceptical of the dragons’ necessity, but he’s never been one to voice an opinion before he was completely sure. Probably for the best, as their parents were more traditional in their beliefs. She wondered what he would think of her working for one.

“You have to go, Len.” Her mother replied finally. She sounded apologetic.

Len looked up at her father first, then to her mother. She could read the hesitation on their faces as easily as she felt her own. 

“But what can I even do for a dragon?” She pleaded. “I can only grow herbs and make simple things like ointments or tea… Not like you. I… I don’t understand why you’re sending me. What if they need a proper apothecary? How will I do the job on my own?”

Her mother sighed, and began nodding silently as if she needed a moment to convince herself before responding.

“You’ll go.” She said firmly as she lay her hand on her daughter's shoulder for reassurance.

“There’s no need to worry, Len. You’ll be doing the same work you do at the shop now… Easier, even."

Len felt her heart stiffen as the decision became final.

"We’ll send you with enough basic supplies, and if you need anything with magic you can send a request to us. The castle is only a day away, two if the weather is poor."

Len's father sighs and slouches into the chair beside them. Was he upset too? Len was unsure.

"You won’t need to do anything special, but you have to go." She pauses for a moment. "We have to send someone.”