Winter in Matori?

Emiyn snuggled up against the fur cloak that his grandmother had found for him. It was inky black, almost like the color of midnight, and had flecks of silver and gold hidden in the layers of fur. At first when he had received it as a gift from his mother both of his grandparents had scoffed at the item. Who would need such a thing in Matori? Certainly it sometimes got chilly at night or in the mornings during the coldest of months but never did it dip to such levels to need a coat, especially a fur one. But here he was wrapped tightly in the furs while glancing outside of his home at the falling snow.

I suppose she must have some sort of foresight then. He pondered while absently running his fingers over the smooth material. Did that mean his mother also had magic? Could one even use magic to see the future? Ever since his meeting with Astri the boy had to wonder if indeed that could be possible. More so he had to wonder how she was dealing with the strange cold in Matori. As the village’s wind caller he was certain she was busy helping the ships navigate the suddenly frozen waters. Fishing was down, but some of those who knew of ice fishing had helped out the fishermen once the snows truly began to pile up.

“Surely it’ll end soon.” His grandmother spoke from behind him as she crossed into his room with steaming mugs, “Such unnatural weather will realize that it doesn’t belong here and we can go out onto our warm beaches again.” Neatly dressed in layers of cotton his grandmother seemed drowning in material. Before he was accustomed to seeing her with her gray streaked hair woven into several braids that were then bunned on the back of her head, something which was still the same today. What he wasn’t accustomed to though was how much of her body was covered by the coats she had managed to find. There wasn’t a hint of skin, something that her summer dresses and loose cotton pants and tank tops typically revealed. Truly it was cold if his grandmother was dressing so.

As he realized that she was speaking to him Emiyn blinked and slowly nodded, “Yeah. I mean….if we take all of the snow here then what does that leave for Zena? Do you think they would be having a heat wave to the point that their valleys will flood with waters as new oceans while our oceans turn into new mountains of ice?” A strange thought albeit a bit poetic, but definitely strange.

“You have a curious way of seeing the world, Emiyn.” His grandmother smiled gently before handing over a mug, “Take it. I learned a recipe from some Oban travelers but never had much need for it before. It’s melted chocolate with warmed milk. There’s also a hint of some sugar and spices that I added myself.” She breathed against her mug, “I delivered one to Papa already but he’s still sulking away in his room because he hates this cold.”

“Thank you.” Taking the warm mug into his hands Emiyn blew on the rising steam for a few moments before daring to take a sip. Once he did, however, even the spacey boy’s gaze grew in surprise as he held up the mug towards his grandmother, “It’s delicious!” He blew on it some more before taking another sip, “If this is a cold only thing then I wouldn’t mind if Matori became Zena.” He joked lightly before his grandmother playfully nudged him.

“Oh stop. If you keep saying that your grandfather will disown both of us.” She winked playfully, “But perhaps since you do have that cloak, I still think it’s silly by the way, you could venture out and enjoy the snow. It’s rare to see it in Matori so you better enjoy it while you can before your grandfather gets heated enough to try and shovel it all away and toss it into the ocean.”

Nodding Emiyn watched as his grandmother turned and left the room. Despite not having his mother at least he still had his grandparents. Though in a sense he did sometimes have a mother...just a little bit. He glanced towards the cloak hanging around his shoulders and a bittersweet smile was the only hint at his feelings when it came to that woman living far away from them all in Oba.

[756]