and i'm still waiting for a life that never was
Alys giggled at the courier's dramatic flourish, having more fun than she'd had in ages. She'd never been a particularly playful woman, even as a child, and so this snowball fight was revealing a side of her that had never been seen before. Her dark curls tumbled about her rosy cheeks, her eyes alight with mirth. When the dragon destroyed the remnants of her snowballs, she practically howled with laughter as she scampered away.
Alys scooped up snow as she went, juggling a few snowballs in her arms as she ran. A little out of breath, she hid behind another snow bank and paused for a few moments, listening for the crunch of footsteps in the snow, but she heard nothing past her own labored breathing. Suddenly, Tal popped around the side of her snow drift and flung a snowball at her! She yelped and dodged, but not quickly enough - this one hit her on the hip before she scrambled away. Hiding behind a nearby snow bank, she had an idea. Using her illusion magic, she made it look like her footprints went towards a different drift; if Tal followed her fake prints, she hoped to have a perfect shot at his back, and prepared her next snowball for just that eventuality.
Alys scooped up snow as she went, juggling a few snowballs in her arms as she ran. A little out of breath, she hid behind another snow bank and paused for a few moments, listening for the crunch of footsteps in the snow, but she heard nothing past her own labored breathing. Suddenly, Tal popped around the side of her snow drift and flung a snowball at her! She yelped and dodged, but not quickly enough - this one hit her on the hip before she scrambled away. Hiding behind a nearby snow bank, she had an idea. Using her illusion magic, she made it look like her footprints went towards a different drift; if Tal followed her fake prints, she hoped to have a perfect shot at his back, and prepared her next snowball for just that eventuality.
Alys
