The following day nobody commented about how Evanna and Arawn sneaked back into the campsite an hour before first light. Some heard their silent return, such as Garrett, who seemed a little too tense t sleep deeply and Fiza, who had been on duty guarding the others while they slept. Now their little group walked through the first thin layers of snow covering the sloping countryside.
Evanna looked at everything wide-eyed while forcing herself to move quicker, dancing and skipping when the cold seeped into her bones too quickly. She was like a child, laughing and singing elven songs her mother taught her about wintry landscapes of snow. Arawn and Garrett exchanged knowing glances at the tale but did not comment on it. The princess was too much in a gleeful mood to pick and decipher this look. The men behind them huddled together while Fiza, in the most revealing clothing, seemed unfazed.
