Saving Salvi

Things moved quickly over the coming weeks. We had set out for the old house and renovations had begun. Sigi and Cynthia had left to oversee them and they returned every other day. Salvi had been surprisingly forthcoming when it came to showing them the way.

She had changed. I could see it and I knew the others could too, at first she watched and studied as she followed me around. Never speaking or acknowledging anyone that we had crossed paths with, but I saw it, I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was longing for friendship or comfort.

It was on a sunny morning when she asked something of me since I had been the keeper she had not spoken and yet this morning was different. She had requested that I allow her to the library so that when we sat outside in the evening at the celebration to see Ildi she could read.

It shocked me at first that she did not take me for someone who read a book or divulged in fantasy stories of other worlds. I agreed and that afternoon as the rest of us ate and erupted in conversation she sat quietly to the side and read until the sun went down. The conversation changed to music and dancing and yet she stayed still her nose stuck in a second book.

I watch her quietly as the familiar feeling of warmth stems from the hand that is now placed on my shoulder.

*” You know instead of just watching her, maybe you should go and talk to her”* Ivar is softly spoken as he takes a seat beside me.

“It is not that I don’t want to talk to her. I do not know what it is I am to say, I know she has been mostly pardoned for now. However, she and I both know there is a limit to that, as soon as Frode is old enough her life is over. How do you speak to that”

*” I do not know but I do know that you and she are not so different”*’

“You have more reason than most to despise her and yet you don’t seem to “

*” I have told you before, I was angry with her but now... I simply pity her. She has nothing and no one. She also knows that she is not long for this world, I’m sure she could use some family, she deserved to know what it is like. “*

This man shocks me every day I thought I knew everything about him from the stories I had heard, from the people in his pack, but he has a soft side that rarely gets to be seen.

I do not reply to him instead I rise to my feet and head towards where she is sitting under the shadow of a tree. Sitting down beside her she doesn’t notice at first completely lost in whatever she is reading.

**” Is everything okay?”** She looks at me as though I am going to ask something of her; it's a face I have seen in the mirror many times before.

“Nothing. I just... Well, I was hoping to get to know you.”
**” What do you mean, you already know me”**
She closes her book and places it to her side.

*You are right but that was not the real you was it? What I mean is all of that stuff we spoke about, you were told to say to me, it would be nice to get to know the real you”

You wouldn’t think that she was older than me from the way her eyes drop to her hands and she begins to twiddle with them.

“It is fine if you do not want to I just know what it’s like to not have anyone know the real you, our situations were not so different”

**” You didn’t try to kill your family, to destroy the last of your family under the influence of a madman”**

“You think your father was mad?” She surprises me. I had only ever heard her speak of Marel with adoration and longing.

She raised her hands and smiled. **” you’ve caught me, I realised what you all knew. My father was crazy”**

She chuckles softly and lifts her hair to look at the crowds of people.

**” Being here and seeing all these people, all these look so happy. They look like they all know where they belong and I realised I never had that. I thought we were happy but we are not”**

“Well I mean the man tried to kill you, Salvi. I don’t think he was going to win dead of the year anytime soon”

We continue in conversation, it starts to flow freely and I learn more about her. That she loves to read, that she found her mate when she was younger but she and her dad were passing through so she never saw him again.

**” Honestly I wish I could have looked for him, we were both so young and it was only brief I’m sure he doesn’t even remember it”**

“Why don’t you look for him then, do you remember the name of the pack?”

He turns sombre. **” There is not much point in that, I’m not long for this world am i”**

It aches in my chest to think that she has to die, I’m no longer sure if she deserves it. I’m no longer sure if she had a choice if she knew what she was doing was wrong.

“I am sorry. I am sorry that your end has already been decided for you”

Part of me wonders if I should speak to the sisters, to try and get them to listen to hear me out. I think Artemis and Selene might listen but Cynthia would have no intention of listening to my pleas to rethink her punishment.

We finish speaking and she agrees to join the crowd, people do not warm to her directly but soon they speak to her, inviting her into the conversation. With a few pack members who are fighters, I begin to see her shoulders relax as she joins in, the first normal interaction she has probably ever had.

That night replays over and over as we all head to the house of our ancestors, Cynthia called us there stating she had something to show us. I chat with Salvi on the way asking her of the things she found when she lived there and she admits that there were many areas she never went to under Marvels orders.

Cynthia is standing outside beaming, with each passing day she seems to accept her new fate as queen. No longer does she try to protest it instead she silently accepted it and began the restoration of this once great house. She leads us all to a large room at the back of the house, I don’t remember it from my time here, but it is then I notice the sides of the wall have been knocked down and this room was hidden.

Once we step inside my jaw hits the floor as the sight of it, hidden behind a mould ridden wall are two large wooden doors carved in words from a language lost a long time ago Cynthia pushes the door open a grand throne room reveals itself hidden in plain sight. The thrones still situated on a raised platform the once shimmering gold now covered in dust and dirt, the carpet leading to the black with mould and now ridden with holes.

No one speaks a word as we spread out into space, the windows boarded up and only vague shimmers of sunlight are managing to escape through. Calder and Ivar pull the boards off of the window and more light floods into the room illuminating just how beautiful this place is.

The high arched ceilings are lined with images of what can only be described as the god-like wolves, each of their eyes shimmering with bright colours as though they are alive and still living.

“This place is amazing”

My words are echoed by the sisters each of them gasping at as they look around, seats are lining the room like a church only more regal. Everything is adorned with gold but not enough for it to be obnoxious, subtle but in the most beautiful way.

**”Í ljósi sólarinnar getur þú fundið miskunn”**

We all look over to see Salvi staring up at a small patch of the ceiling where there are words from what I can only assume is the same language on the door written in silky sparkling gold.

We all head towards her and Cynthia is the first to speak.

*” You can read that ?”*

She nods shyly, clearly still intimidated by Cynthia’s presents.

**” It is the language of the old, my father.. I mean Marel taught me how to read it”**

Cynthia makes a small noise once that I can only sense is her being impressed.

*” So what does it say ?”* She moves closer to Salvi this time she is interested in

**” It says *In the light of the sun you can find mercy* A similar thing is written on the doors. “**

They continue in conversation and Cynthia points to words around the room and Salvi reads them out loud and explains to her what they mean.

A few hours later we are all seated around a fire having fully explored the house and found things that no one had probably seen in years.

We are eating and drinking and everything around me seems calm, I feel a connection to everyone seated here right now. My mate my cousins and for the first time, I have included Salvi in that I’m genuinely glad she is here.

*” You know I have been thinking Sekreta”*

I lift my head to meet Cynthia’s gaze. She is smiling and looking at both Salvi and i.

*” I was thinking perhaps I could spend a little time with Salvi, I think she would be a great help to understanding all the secrets of this house. And besides, I figured you could use a little break from babysitting “*

She winks at me and then looks directly at Ivar and my cheeks flush. I can feel the heat rising as all other eyes are stuck on me. Trying to divert the attention I face Salvi.

“Do you want to ?”

I see the flash of excitement in her eyes that she is finally getting to do what she wants.

**” I would like that actually “**

Cynthia smiles at Salvi, its bright eyes and real. For the first time since.. Well ever actually the smile she is giving her is genuine.

It gives me hope that maybe when I do approach the three of them about Salvi they may listen to me. They may forgive her enough to let her keep her own life.

This could be the start of that she has the opportunity to live for the first time, I know in my heart that I cannot stand by and watch as we cut it short. I may not ask then no or even next week I might wait a few years. All I know is that at some point I will be asking to save Salvi her future needs to be as free as my own.


*A/N
Thank you so much for reading.
There is only 2 ore chapter after this one, both of which will be updated on sunday. +