The first major difference was the smell, with the spicy tones of incense shifting to the rich, dark notes of damp soil and moss. Sounds of the city had also faded, giving way to hissing streamwater and the calls of an unfamiliar bird. Cold seeped into her bones from wind whipping through the trees. When she opened her eyes, a rich conifer forest greeted Emerys. A brown leather satchel waited at her side, storing a journal with three weeks’ worth of notes on the stars. Additionally, she housed ten silver coins, a small glowing white crystal orb, and an ancient tomes from some old professor discussing the stars. As much as she spent the past few weeks daydreaming about shifting into another world, transferring to a forest without much to survive off of wasn’t what she’d had in mind.

The stream forked its way down the slope. In dipping her fingertips into a stream, her finger ached after three minutes. Pinching her cheek brought a dull pain. She had, in only a few minutes, found herself in a strange forest, when she had been situated on the outskirts of a bustling city beforehand. Perhaps she should have questioned her reality a bit more, but instead, she turned and made her way downstream, following the sloping landscape.

Bitter winds passed through the air, whistling through the tree needles. Cold pinched her clothes, leaving her to grimace. Throughout the forest, leafy underbrush carried the full weight of the growing season. Flowers flourished in some mossy underbrush. If this was summer, it was among the coldest she’d known.

When she paused, she stood near the edge of a waterfall. A woodpecker drilled into the tree above her. Upon pivoting to the side, she grabbed onto the rocks and slid down to the basin. Mist hung in the air, finding its way to cold body. Soon, the droplets clung to her tight brown curls. She shuddered, then she turned and continued forward.

The forest stretched on for many leagues. Even after hours of travel, not a single human voice broke the silence. Compared to just a few hours ago, or that morning in her old city, there was the constant chatter of people, the echoes of music, and the sound of horses. For the first hour, it was almost peaceful. But as time stretched on, a loneliness lingered.

She kept expecting the forest to grow dark, and for a short period, it had. But the sun never truly set. Rather, it left her in a light which carried a soft glow one might see in the evening. When the sun climbed back up in the sky, Emerys took a moment. She should have asked more questions. But everything she had heard about northern climates–whether it was through songs or stories–would have aligned. Somehow, even still, she found it in her to be skeptical. Even with the pain and the cold confirming her reality, this new reality felt like a strange dream.

Halting during the meager twilight, her stomach growled. She’d last eaten bread made of barely, olives, cheese, and she had paired it with some wine. The food had kept her company. Sitting atop a mossy rock, she pulled out her journal.

The daylight has lasted through midnight here. 

Having rested for two hours, she did not dare to sleep. Not yet. She did not know much about these forests yet. Despite the protests from her soles, she continued downward. Her stomach continued to complain of the lack of food, and the rest of her body complained from the lack of sleep. She wanted to turn back, or to leave. But there was one thing that kept her company: the divorce proceedings from Yesterday morning.

Her last words to Jakob outside of the courthouse rang in her head. Additionally, her words to Verina afterward still lingered, for that matter. While she had gone back to the study in tears, Verina remarked that this would be a good opportunity for Emerys to focus only on her stuidies. The pain and loneliness of both conversations still followed her in this forest. At some point, she wished she would stumble upon another person in the forest. A few days ago, she would have killed for the silence. But after experiencing it for the first time, especially with her past decisions haunting her, she wished the silence could break.

The second day concluded, and a new wave of mist hung over her. Emerys wiped a dark brown curl off her face. Her hair had been bound in a light blue triangular headcovering, but it still left enough curls to where they clung to her brown skin.

She wrote the following in her journal:

The cold, misty weather makes it feel as though it is not summer at all, even for such a place as this.

On the third morning, the sound of voices broke the forest’s silence. Upon closer inspection, the words were hard to make out, other than the fact that the sentences had a lilting pattern.

A clearing revealed a town square, as well as stone paths which lead to farmland harboring sheep. The once small stream had led to a large river splitting the forested land in two, with mountains looming in the background.

The smell of freshly baked goods found her nostrils. Emerys’ stomach protested once more as she found a market stall with two women behind a pale wooden counter.  A fireplace waited in the background, made out of a thick grey stone. A woman with pale skin, blonde hair blue eyes and a sturdy build, turned toward Emerys, her eyes narrowing. She then gestured at the second woman, who had auburn hair and green eyes. Both women studied Emerys for a long moment, before one of the women spoke.

The intonation in their voices had been a contrast to what Emerys knew. It took a long moment to realize that they were addressing her, their eyes narrowing after several attempts.  Emerys pointed at herself to make an introduction, giving her name. The two women paused, glanced at each other, and before the blond-haired woman likely asked another question.

“I don’t understand you,” Emerys said weakly.

After a long moment, the woman with blonde hair gestured at herself, and then at her partner. The blonde-haired woman was named Ingrid, while her partner was named Gudrun. Emerys wanted to ask more questions, but what was the point?

She pulled out the ten coins, then she gestured at one of the pastries. Gudrun glanced at it, then she grabbed a coin, spinning it slowly in her hand, her brow furrowed. She then held up two fingers.

The pastry consisted of turnips, a flaky crust, the meat of one of the lambs, and potentially some cabbage. The warming flavors gave Emerys some relief. And upon giving the women two more coins, the second pastry staved off the last of her hunger.

Ingrid gestured at Emerys, then she pointed beyond the market square. Moments later, Ingrid had invited Emerys into a small hovel. Emerys sat back in one of the chairs, bear fur creating the rug beneath. Nearby, a stone fireplace stood at the center of the house. The fireplace remained inactive.

With her rapid speech and some gestures, Ingrid made it clear she would return to her partner’s side. Meanwhile, Emerys took her time inspecting the quaint home. It would be challenging to house three people here, but there was still something warm about the living quarters. The smell from the wooden walls permeated the area. 

The pastries were warming, although if I were to eat them without a voracious hunger, I would likely find the seasoning to be lacking. At any rate, even still, I feel as though spending four coins was a poor decision.