Bitter cold on the border.

Every year in winter, everything withers and snow drifts for thousands of miles.

This is naturally comfortable for those who sit at home basking in the sun and holding the stove, but for many poor families, it means that this year's cold winter will be more difficult.

A wooden cart struggles along a snow-covered driveway, with half a cart of charcoal on it.

The two of them were pushing the cart forward with great difficulty, their heads were covered with heavy wind and snow, their toes were shivering from the cold, their cheeks were already red spots, and they kept coughing up a mouthful of white fog to push the cart forward.

Two people, one big and one small, trekked through the snow.

Adults pull in front and children push carts in the rear.

The little girl was dressed in thin and pudding clothing.

After a difficult walk, I finally returned to my home in a remote corner of the village.

It is said to be a home, but it is just a wooden house, barely built against a fairly thick wall, which can shelter from the wind and rain, and a small fireplace, which is already a safe place for mother and daughter.

The door was closed, and the gap was sealed with fur and straw, so that no wind could continue to blow in.

The little girl shook off the snow above her head, and immediately ran to the fireplace and began to make a fire, her movements were skillful, but her hands were so cold that she did not obey the call, and she failed to start the fire several times in a row.

It wasn't until the mother put the car away and walked back with charcoal, putting the girl's hands under her armpits to keep warm, she touched her daughter's ears in distress and bit her lower lip slightly.

"It's warm." The girl leaned into her mother's arms and said, although her cold little hands were cold and her face was red, she did not even complain.

The children of poor families are in charge of the family at an early age.

In this frontier land, it is even more bitter cold and barren.

She heard that before she was born, her parents actually lived in a bright and spacious house, living in a town with convenient transportation, she used to have beautiful toys and beautiful dresses, but then her father became addicted to gambling, he would drink every time he lost money, and the more he drank, the more he lost, and within a few years he had already gone bankrupt, and even for his mother who tried to control him, he even threatened his mother with his savings and sold the child if he didn't give it.

Later, my mother was afraid that she would really be sold, and the family had no money at all, so she was pointed at when she went out, and her debts were not repaid, and she was scolded by others...... She had no choice but to take refuge in this impoverished frontier land, and as for her father, she later heard that he had drowned in the river after drinking.

But she doesn't feel that she is unhappy, because her mother loves her very much, but she works very hard, and she has to go out early and return late every day to support herself.

And even in this bitter cold place, the people in the village are not friendly, and they all exclude themselves...... The mother is very beautiful, and when she is cared for, she is jealous and secretly gossips.

She also once reasoned with other children, won the battle against those children, and was approached by adults, and her mother protected herself behind her, and after those people left, she did not have a word of reproach to her daughter.

The girl knows that it is hard and hard at the moment.

How much she longs for herself to grow up quickly and share the pressure of her mother.

Originally, the family was waiting for lunch, and soon there was a knock on the door outside.

After the girl opened the door, she timidly looked at the two cloaked figures outside the door, and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?" ”

“…… You're Elyse, right? The tall figure in a black cloak took off her hood, revealing a gentle face, and she slowly crouched down: "You have grown so big. ”

She tried to reach out and touch the girl's cheek, but she immediately avoided it carefully, her eyes full of wariness and caution.

The woman's movements paused, her fingers stiffened for a second, her eyes were full of pity, she opened her mouth and sighed softly.

At this time, the mother walked out and stood behind the door and looked at the two women outside the door: "You, why are you ......?"

"We've been looking for you for five years." There was a hint of anger and sadness in the eyes of the woman squatting on the ground: "Why did you contact us! ”

"I just...... I'm sorry. ”

"We are relatives! Whatever the reason, you shouldn't just say goodbye to know how ...... we are."

The little girl thought it was a quarrel, so she hurriedly hugged her mother's arm, and showed a threatening expression to the two strange women, and unconsciously hissing in her hair, and a small snake came out of her hair and made a threatening sound.

This cute little movement attracted the attention of the two women outside the door, and they glanced at each other, and couldn't help but restrain their emotions, and their eyes showed a trace of helplessness.

The mother opened the door: "Anyway, let's talk first." ”

Welcoming the two women into the house, the little girl immediately fell under the hot cocoa and sweet sweets brought by the other party, and at the same time realized from the conversation that they were actually her mother's two sisters, that is, her two aunts.

They had been looking for their mother for a long time, and they finally found her, and they came here today to welcome her back.

The weather-beaten woman didn't want to agree, but she was silent in the other party's words 'You don't think about yourself but also about your children', and chose to agree.

The two women left, saying they would come back in three days, that everything needed to be kept secret, and they disappeared into the snowstorm.

That night, her mother hugged Elysée and said a lot of things, and it was not until she was older that she understood what her mother meant by what she said.

She didn't want to go back because even if she did, it wasn't safe, and she didn't want to sell her soul.

But the mother still gave in, and she could give up her principles for the sake of her daughter.

……

In the evening of the next day.

Elyse is picking up firewood outside, which is her daily habit, picking up some firewood every day, adding up a lot, and saving a lot of costs for starting a fire.

I accidentally picked up some more today, and when she stepped on the moonlight to go back to the house, she suddenly heard a hurried sound.

She thought it was a wolf pack or some kind of large animal, so she subconsciously squatted behind a tree and cautiously poked her head out.

But instead of wolves, a group of strangers on a sleigh came.

They wore cloaks and showed clear faces in the bright moonlight.

It's human.

Elyse rarely sees humans, because this border village is a subhuman village, and there are almost no pure-blooded humans inside.

The group of people was carrying weapons on their backs, and the number was not clear, and she couldn't count them at all.

"Greyhound, this is it?"

"That's right, head of the regiment, I've already seen this border village, and no one will come, it's covered with heavy snow every year, and no one cares about it for at least two months."

"What's the peculiar race?"

"There are more ice wolf clans here, there are also a lot of horn clans, and there are other ......"

"Forget it, let's talk about it." The bearded man interrupted the other party: "If it's not a rare race, no one will collect it, so I can only sell it to the farm, I hope I won't lose money this time." ”

He raised his hand and pointed forward: "Brothers, the old rules, whoever catches it counts!" ”

The crowd made a deafening noise, causing the snow to fall from the trees.

Elysée covered her mouth to keep herself from gasping.

Fortunately, the snow has a soundproof effect, and no one notices anything strange here.

The group went in the direction of the village.

The girl's legs went limp, and she tried several times in a row to get up.

Those people...... It's a slave catcher.

The slave catchers were notorious for catching the slave trade...... But this is the Holy Roman Empire, and the slave trade to the submarines has been banned.

But this is the border, and no one cares about whatever you do.

She looked at the village, and the next moment she ran wildly, she wanted to find her mother, and now it was too late to warn the people in the village, and she had to get out of here as soon as possible.

Thankfully, my home is far away from the village, so my mother should be okay and should be ......

She didn't dare to think about it, so she could only run home while panting.

I don't know how many times I've fallen.

She was already working as fast as she could, but when she got home with a swollen nose and a swollen face, all she saw was a burning house.

A few extra stone carvings in the snow were already facing away from their mothers.

She stood in the midst of the stone sculptures, and there were red blood stains on the ground.

"Mom's ......"

After hearing the faint voice, the mother turned to look at the girl, and in that moment, her purple-black eyes returned to normal, and she no longer had the strength to stand up, so she could only hug her daughter.

She had several fatal wounds on her body, spilling crimson blood from them, staining large swaths of snow red.

The girl's tears kept dripping.

"Mom, you're bleeding, I'll go get the medicine." It was as if she was about to plunge headlong into a room full of flames.

"Don't go, Elyse...... I can't do it anymore. The mother grabbed the crook of her arm and endured the sting: "You are alone, you must be fine." ”

"No, I don't want it, I want my mother to be well!"

"Elyse."

"Mom!"

"Elyse!!" The mother's serious expression made the girl stop crying.

The woman stroked her daughter's cheek, wiped away her tears, and then took off a necklace around her neck from which hung an eye-like orb.

"Elyse...... Take this and run out. ”

"Anyway, hold on until Auntie finds you......"

The girl looked at her ignorant and asked, "Well, what about Mom?" ”

The mother didn't say anything, just silently and gently stroked her cheek.

She knew that her daughter was very smart, and although she was only a teenager, she already understood a lot of things.

Including this sudden parting.

"I ......" Elysée wished she could be willful for once.

But she knew that she couldn't, and her mother gave her life in exchange for the opportunity, but she didn't even have the qualifications to stay and turn back.

After watching her daughter leave, the woman stood up again, her snake-haired and purple-black eyes looking not far away.

"To kill me...... He did not hesitate to blend in with the slave hunting group. ”

"The cunning rabbit dies, the lackey cooks ......"

"Why don't you understand such a simple truth, even if you complete all the tasks...... He won't set us free. ”

Covering her wounds, she staggered to the burning village.

There is no hatred in the eyes, no sentimentality, only a faint reluctance, and ...... Tired relief.

……

"Captain, it's actually a gorgon, this is a rare thing! This head is worth a lot of money! ”

"Well, it's a windfall." The leader of the slave capture group was pleasantly surprised, but he was soon surprised: "But even if she was seriously injured to death, she still killed more than half of us, how did she get seriously injured?" ”

"It's pretty good-looking, but it's a pity that the dead are not as valuable as the living."

"And a small one!"

Someone on the side suddenly shouted.

"What did you say?" The leader of the slave hunting group stretched out his hand and grabbed a young man of the wolf clan: "Make it clear!" ”

"There's a little one, as long as you let our family go, I'll tell you where she is!" The man's voice trembled and he shouted.

"Heh, it's really interesting...... "The head of the slave hunting group glanced at the cowardly man: "Just now, the other party tried his best to save you, but you were not grateful, but betrayed the other party's daughter?" ”

"I, I can tell you, as long as you let ...... go," the man continued to speak, trembling and repeating.

The head of the slave hunting group suddenly drew a knife and stabbed through the other party's heart, and the man spurted blood from his mouth, and he died within a few seconds of falling to the ground.

"Commander, why did you kill it?"

"Just kill a brute, don't talk so much nonsense."

"What about that little one? Don't catch it? ”

"It doesn't take much effort to catch a little guy." The head of the slave hunting group sneered disdainfully: "Don't question Lao Tzu's professional level, bring a hunting dog...... The footprints on the snow are the best tracking records, how far can a little girl run! ”

(End of chapter)