[for Foxie]

[wannabethehero]

[The wind was getting worse by the minute, and the bard could barely see an inch in front of their nose. Every step forward through the knee-deep snow was like pushing through molasses, even without the whole weight of the unconscious witch against their side. They didn't know how long Miriam had been out there, facedown and half-buried in the snow, or how she even made it this far with her injuries. All they knew was that as soon as they tripped over the broom that fell a few feet away, all other priorities were out. Forget the overseer, forget the hero, even forget the impending doom. The only thing that mattered was getting her to safety.

They'd been following the silhouette of something in the distance, having no other landmarks to go by, and just as they thought their half-frozen legs were going to fall off, they'd finally reached...an enormous castle? It made the bard dizzy trying to see all the way to the top. This was far too big to be the overseer's castle...right?

Well, either way, it was the only shelter they could find. Readjusting Miriam's arm around their shoulders, they pushed themselves forward, using the poor weather-beaten broom as a crutch to balance themselves against the limp body they were dragging. The gap under the door was big enough that the two of them could squeeze through, and inside the bard couldn't help but exhale a misty-breathed sigh of relief to be out of the wind. But what was this place, and why was everything so...

...huge?]

...Hello? Is anyone home?