I went to Osbert today. I needed to be somewhere that was not inside my own head.
I asked him about the weather. How long this winter would last. He did not pull out a book this time. Instead he invited me to sit down for tea.
Auril. The Frostmaiden. A goddess who settled into Icewind Dale and decided that winter would not leave. The cold, the dark, the frozen lake, the people cutting holes in the ice just to eat. All of it is her will.
I sat with that for a moment.
It reminded me of Hellen. What Dakuryon made of her. How she spread cold and suffering because she could no longer help it. But Hellen could not help what she became. Auril chose this. That is a different kind of thing entirely.
Osbert looked at me intently as I sat there. I do not know what he saw on my face. Whatever it was, he said nothing.
I thanked him for the tea and the information and left.
I will have to tell him my story one day.