Adda listened while she stirred the tea and pulled forth two mugs made of wood. She carefully tipped the kettle and filled them both and then putting the first one close to Hael indicating that it was for him. Adda held the cup with both hands and let the warmth seep into her before taking a small sip. The tea had a bitter taste but the aftertaste was quite sweet. Adda remembered fondly how her tribe had once served this to her. The elders had drunk it happily while all the children had coughed and made comments on the (according to them) bad taste. Adda had been one of the children who had solemnly sworn to never drink it again. Still she was here several years later, drinking it.
It did get a little tiresome to always trade for the same brand but you couldn't be picky out here. Not that Adda would mind having a little variation.
"Those you talked to should have spoken better. You don' send someone out here without proper tools to survive", she commented before taking another sip and letting him continue his story. Adda loved stories and she didn't care if the boy said his story was a short one. A short story was better than no story just like a small meal was better than no meal.
When he spoke of his dead mother Adda hung her head in respect of the departed soul. Part of her wanted to recite a blessing from her people but she refrained from doing that. She didn't want to interrupt.
He seemed honest too with his story and Adda liked that. This boy seemed like a decent lad. She couldn't understand why his adoptive father wouldn't let him have some of the inheritance. To her all children who lived under her roof was her children no matter their blood. But then again, she had never understood the world of lords and ladies. Too much idle chatter, too little actual work.
"So you lived in the forest then? That means you have what it takes to live here on the tundra!" she exclaimed, eyes gleaming. He had gotten far, she'd admit that, so he couldn't be as green as he said earlier.
"I'd happily show you all the animals and all the spirits living here. To many this is frozen place, a dead place. Those people are wrong. This place is full of life but the life here is clever. It knows to hide when the snow falls and it knows how to survive. Further north we have the hordes of the reindeer traversing this land, following the sun to find grass to graze. If you put your ear to the ground, you can hear the heartbeat of the land mirroring that of the hare and rabbit. And if you feel brave, then step outside me ring of firelight and listen to the soft steps of bears and the howling of wolves", Adda continued, her voice full of passion. She knew these lands like the palm of her hand. But then again these were the only lands she knew. Adda would probably never go on an adventure across the world like Hael and for that she respected him. But she would still share all her knowledge of the things she actually knew to anyone who asked. It would be a shame to see such a brilliant young lad turn into a frozen lump of meat just because she didn't feel generous enough to give him the tools he needed to survive. I mean that would just be rude.
[Ok :) ]