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I left the curtains open, was Nives’ first thought as she opened her eyes. The moonlight that shone through the thick windowpanes had clearly been what woke her up.
She blearily rubbed her eyes, sitting up on the bed. Nives tugged her hair out from underneath her, running pale hands through the tangled knots. Sometimes having such long hair was a massive pain, and Nives couldn’t help but wish her aunt would let her cut it shorter. Though a part of her ached at the thought of no longer being able to look in the mirror and see her twin. Is Didi’s hair still as long as I remember? The thought brought a wave of deep rooted sadness over her, and Nives realised she definitely wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep now.
She looked back at the window, noticing the full moon. Nives had loved full moons since forever, the magical atmosphere it created being something she used to stay up late for as a child. Sliding off the bed, her sock-covered feet stepped closer to the window as she looked outside.
That’s strange, she thought. The moon is so bright tonight. And it was, the large pale disc a sharp contrast to the dark expanse of the night sky. It seemed to glow unnaturally, lighting up the large snowy plains that made up Nives’ home. She had never seen a moon so vivid before. The beautiful sight was almost enough to make her forget her sadness. Almost.
After some deliberation of whether it was worth being utterly exhausted during her etiquette lessons in the morning and suffering through one of Berglind’s lectures, Nives put on her slippers and robe, before quietly opening her bedroom door.
The first thing she noticed was the lack of a large white wolf. Gunnar isn’t here. It had been a few years since the wolves had arrived at Arcandida, but she had gotten used to the captain of her animal guard keeping watch outside her bedroom. The wolf was always at her door during the night, so his absence concerned her. Nives debated whether it was worth taking one of her daggers, but ultimately, she thought it was likely the wolf had just noticed something strange somewhere else and left for a moment.
Nives walked down the hallway and started making her way towards the library. If there was anything that would distract her from sad thoughts, it would be a good book. Or a conversation with Haldorr, if the librarian had decided to stay up late tonight.
Arcandida looked strange at night, empty and devoid of the people that made it Nives’ home. It felt colder, somehow, though she knew that was just her imagination, given the magical properties of the ice walls. Nevertheless, she shivered as a slight breeze passed by her.
A breeze?
Upon closer inspection, Nives noticed a slightly ajar door to one of the small courtyards. Warily, she slowly made her way towards it, pulling the door open and going outside. In hindsight, standing in below freezing temperatures wearing just her nightclothes and robe probably wasn't Nives’ smartest idea, but curiosity and suspicion clouded her judgement,
The moon was almost directly above the courtyard, illuminating it. Right underneath the moonlight, almost basking in it, sat a dark haired figure on the edge of the fountain.
Nives trembled slightly, not just from the cold, and silently regretted her decision to not bring a weapon with her. Why would I think someone would break in in the middle of the night?! How did they even get inside?
Just as she prepared to run inside and call the guards, the figure turned their head towards her.
It was a boy. His dark hair brushed his shoulders, and what she could see of his skin was pale and covered in what appeared to be half healed scars, though they looked… off somehow. The boy’s face shocked Nives the most, and she jumped slightly. Regret filled her immediately as the boy ducked his head at her reaction. His eye was covered by a gigantic scar, as if he’d been hit by a large sharp object, and it ran all the way from his hairline to his mouth, where she could see a small part of his teeth.
Hesitantly, she apologised. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to be rude.” Why am I apologising to an intruder?!
“...It’s alright.” The boy answered. His voice was surprisingly quiet, with a rough quality to it that indicated a lack of use. “My appearance is… surprising to most.”
“Still, I shouldn’t have reacted that way.”
Somehow Nives found herself standing in front of the boy, looking down slightly. After a few more seconds of silence, as she realized he was unlikely to attack her, she spoke again.
“Who are you? How did you even get here? It shouldn’t be possible through the bridge…”
The boy hesitated before responding. “I’m a relative of Haldorr’s. He invited me to stay here for a day.”
Nives raised an eyebrow. “Really? I’ve never heard of you before. Why wasn’t I informed?”
“From what I know, he asked your aunt. And he’s… a private person.”
“Su-re” she drawled, plopping down next to the boy. “You don’t seem to wish me or my court any harm, so I guess you can stay.”
They sat like that for a while, talking about innocuous things, their quiet giggles breaking the icy silence of the midnight air. Talking to the boy felt familiar in a way. Eventually, Nives realised her fingers were becoming the slightest bit blue.
“I should go now before I get frostbite.” She said.
“Yes,” the boy said. He looked at the sky, where the moon had moved farther down. “I should too.” However, he stood there still, looking unhurried.
Nives paused at the door, looking back at him. “When will you be back at Arcandida?”
The boy looked surprised, but smiled happily, as far as his scar allowed him. “Every full moon. Here, in this courtyard.”
She giggled, “Okay, Mr. Werewolf. Have fun being mysterious and magical.” She slipped inside Arcandida, leaving the boy in the courtyard.
“See you later Nives,” he said to the empty space.
The next morning Nives found Gunnar at his spot in front of her bedroom like usual, and if he was more friendly towards her after that night, well, she was none the wiser. Nives would’ve almost believed it was a dream, if not for the chill in her fingers.
She looked forward to the next full moon.