Visiting Cai’s Family (December X1476)
Mazey shivered under the layers of blankets and sweaters, rubbing her palms together under her mittens to stimulate some sort of heat. She snuggled deeper into Cai’s right side, desperate to steal even some of his warmth. She suddenly wished he would’ve taught her some fire spells before this trip.
Cai, however, seemed completely content with the frigid weather. He wasn’t wearing a hat or mittens, much less a scarf like herself. He looked down to his fiancée, chuckling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Are you cold, hon?”
She nodded her head. She wasn’t even sure if she could speak with her numbed lips and chattering teeth.
“You’re so cute,” Cai mumbled to himself, wrapping the blanket tighter around her. “We’re almost there anyways. I’m sure Ema will have the fire roaring and some hot chocolate for you.”
The sled bounced around for a while longer, the occasional huff of one of the reindeer sounding as the driver urged them forward. “Woah, woah,” The driver sounded at last. It was one of the first things he’d said the entire trip, probably due to the language barrier, and the command wasn't even directed at them. The reindeer slowed and the driver looked back at the couple without saying anything, although his gaze urged them to leave.
Cai stood up, the blanket dropping from around his waist and pooling on the wooden floor of the sleigh. He went to the back of the sled and jumped off, holding his arms out for Mazey.
She stood up and hastily wrapped Cai’s blanket around herself, frantically searching for any house in sight. “He wants us to get off here?”
Cai chuckled again, resituating the backpack on his shoulders. “My house isn’t far from here. The path is too narrow this time of year to get there by sled.”
She trudged to the back of the sled, tugging the blanket around her tighter. He held her slim waist firmly as he lifted her off the sled with ease. Cai walked around to the front of the sled, handing the man something wrapped in brown paper with a green ribbon, saying something she couldn’t understand. The man nodded his head and cracked the whip on the reindeer's backs, the sleigh beginning to glide through the white powder once again. “Mangé tak!” Cai called in Ukian, Mazey recognizing his words as “Thank you,”
The nearly set sun gave the forest a blue Twilight haze as Cai led them down a narrow path, seemingly going nowhere. He held her hand tightly as he brushed evergreen branches out of their way, Mazey dragging her winter boots along behind him through the deep snow.
After walking for what felt like hours in the plummeting temperatures, Cai brushed one last branch out of their way to reveal a building. The cabin was small, at least much smaller than their home. On the left side of the house was a front porch with two rocking chairs seated upon it. The front door was to the right of the chairs, decorated with a wreath and what appeared to be mistletoe in the arch of the door. A Christmas tree was centered in the window on the porch, wrapped with popcorn and cranberries, the lights twinkling.
To the right of the front porch was a room with a thick stone chimney, smoke pouring out the top and joining the stars in the night sky. A few candles were centered in the large frosted windows, decorated with garlands of pine needles.
Cai sighed, looking over his childhood home before turning to Mazey, admiring her rosy cheeks and frozen lips as she stared in childlike wonder at the house. He took a few steps forward, breaking his fiancée out of the daze as he trudged through the snow to the front door. He kicked his boots off on the rug and raised his hand to the door. Before he could knock, the door swung open violently.
A woman jumped out and wrapped her arms around his neck with surprising force. Cai stood there for a moment in surprise before wrapping his arms around the woman’s waist. She mumbled something in Ukian before pulling away and exchanging a few more words Mazey couldn’t understand. The woman was nearly as tall as Cai with his same green eyes. The short and messy braid of her hair was thrown over her shoulder, a shade of deep mahogany. She wore a basil green skirt with a white over-the-shoulder apron, dark laced boots, and a knitted black sweater. Cai and the woman laughed, breaking Mazey out of her observation.
The woman turned to her, smiling at her before pulling her into a hug as well. It was at this moment that Mazey began to panic; she had never met Cai’s family in person. The only communication she’d had with them was the occasional letter that Cai had to translate.
The woman, who she assumed to be Cai’s mother, pulled away and gripped Mazey’s shoulders firmly as she examined her face. Her sparrow brown eyes, her rosy cheeks, long lashes littered with snowflakes.
“Welcome home,” A deep rumbling voice sounded from the doorway, stumbling over the Rurik accent.
She looked over Cai’s mothers’s shoulder, trying to discover the source of the voice. A man stood in the doorway, his long gray beard littered with twigs and sawdust. He wore a knitted green sweater with brown pants, his feet barely covered by the holes in his white socks. His shoulder-length gray hair was tied back into a messy ponytail but a few strands blew astray into his gentle green eyes.
“Otak!” Cai hugged the man tightly, patting him on the shoulder before pulling away.
Cai’s father smiled warmly at Mazey, stepping away from the doorway and inviting them to come inside.
