I try not to act like her answer makes me really excited. “Okay. Let’s do this. Do you have a fur to wear?”
“There’s one in my wardrobe.” I retrieve it for her and bring it back to her. After putting her thickest fur from her bed on her lap, we head out. I walk beside her and keep up a steady stream of conversation. When we get to the end of the hallway, she pauses only for a moment before she wheels herself through. I follow her, and she leads us to a massive door that I haven’t opened yet. There’s a button on the wall, though, and it does what we need it to. The locks disengage, and I push the door open. It’s a little difficult, and I figure it hasn’t been opened in some time. I put my shoulder into it, and it finally gives way. When I look out and see all the snow and ice, I realize this isn’t going to work.
I turn to Auri, but she’s already turning her chair around. “Don’t worry about it; it’s not going to work.”
“Well, with that attitude, it certainly won’t.”
She turns back to me, and her eyes flash at me. “It’s covered in snow and ice. How do you expect me to be able to get out there?”
I keep my voice even. “That’s what we’re going to figure out.”
“This is dumb.”
I don’t let her remark get to me. “Well, you can either help or get out of the way so I can get to work. Let me ask Elowen where I can find two shovels.” A few minutes later, I return with two small metal shovels and hand one to her.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” she asks.
“Help.” I step out onto the back steps and try to shovel off some snow. That doesn’t work, and I realize it’s going to be more difficult than I thought. But I don’t let it deter me. I use the sharp end of the shovel to chip at the ice. Eventually, I get down to the step and then can move that section of snow and ice. It's a lot of grunt work and takes way longer than I planned on. But I don’t want to quit in front of Auri, so I push on. She helps when she can by pushing snow away from the areas where I chipped up the ice. Finally, we clear a big enough section, she can wheel her chair out. It’s actually good timing, because the sun shines brightly. I look over to where she’s sitting and see her eyes are closed. I worry for a moment that it’s too much, but then her lips tug up into a small smile. I look away, feeling pleased.
We don’t stay outside long; I don’t know how she’ll handle the sun after not being in it for so long. But I promise to bring her out as often as we can. Instead of going back to her room, I convince her to wheel into the kitchen. “Well, hello,” Elowensays, smiling broadly.
“Hey, Elowen,” I say, matching her enthusiasm. “We came to see if you have any snacks.”
“Oh, I believe I have just the thing. I just pulled these out of the oven.” She uses a linen cloth to pick up a tray of something and brings it towards us.
“You made sweet biscuits.” There’s just a little lilt to Auri’s voice, but I notice it.
“I take it they’re good,” I say out loud.
She nods. “They’re the best.”
Elowen hands us each a plate. I look down at the round biscuit with light brown icing on it. Auri leans forward to take a bite. “Wait,” I call out, halting her. She freezes and looks up at me. “We have to try it at the same time.”
“Oh. Okay.” She waits for my signal. “You too, Elowen,” Auri says.
Elowen gets a plate with her own biscuit. I notice they both have a fork, so I grab one as well. “Ready?” I ask, and they both nod. “Three, two, one.” I use my fork to cut off a bite and slide the bite into my mouth. My eyes widen at the sweet, chewy texture. I chew it slowly, aware that Auri is watching me carefully.
“Well?” she finally asks.
My lips turn up into a full smile. “That was amazing!”
“They’re my favorite,” Auri declares and takes another bite.
I follow her example and groan, not faking it in the least. “These are really good,” I tell Elowen.
Her eyes sparkle. “I’m glad you like them. You and Auri have similar taste.” I grin down at Auri, and she gives me a shy smile.
The rest of the afternoon passes quickly, and then Auri and I help Elowen with dinner. The three of us eat around the small kitchen table. I can’t help but notice that Auri is so tired, her head keeps bobbing. I know Elowen notices as well because of the glances she keeps shooting at her. Because of that, when we’re all done eating, I yawn and raise my arms. “I don’t know about you two, but I am exhausted.” Elowen shoots me a grateful look. “How about we get some rest tonight and then start fresh tomorrow?” I ask Auri.
“Will we do more stuff tomorrow?” Her voice is so quiet and yet so hopeful, it kills me.
“Of course! I’m not sitting around this house bored anymore, not when I know you’re here. I’ll be in your room bright and early, so you’d better get some good sleep.”
She gives me a genuine smile. “Okay.”
Because I don’t want to disrupt her evening routine, I say goodnight to both her and Elowen and then head to my room. I wasn’t kidding when I told Auri I was tired. I end up soaking in a hot bath for a while and then slowly getting ready for bed. When I lay in bed, I stare up at the ceiling and think through the day. It was a good day, a really good day. I really liked Rauk’s sister, but I’m not naive to think that a battle won't be coming when he returns home. Until then, I plan to do as much as possible with her.
The next morning, I’m up early. My mind buzzes with ideas for Auri and I to do today as I walk into the kitchen. My plan is to check with Elowen to see if Auri’s up yet. I push the door open. “Good morning, Elowen. Is it okay if—” I stop suddenly at thesight of the man at the table. My eyes meet Elowen’s wide-eyed gaze, and she gives me a quick shake of her head. I look over at Rauk. “You’re back.”
