“So, you know it’s like, extremely cold in the north, right?” Jowy asked as they walked along the stone trail, like they had been doing for the last two days.
“Yes… you’ve told me like a gazillion times. I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to forget that.” Lunarstar replied.
“Okay. Right. But, you know, we’re going to freeze if we go there like this. We need something to keep us warm.” Jowy continued.
“You mean, like, a hat or a scarf?”

Jowy smiled. Lunarstar was so innocent sometimes. He had to admit that even though he had decided to go with her, he still had some trouble believing she really was from, well, some other place he would never be able to visit. But during the last few days he began to realize Lunarstar was indeed special, somehow… Sometimes she seemed to know so much, and sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder how she had ever survived up until now.

“That alone won’t do, Lunarstar. It’s not just like winter over there. It’s icy. I’ve never been there before…”
“…Like you told me like ten times already today…”
“… but if the stories are true, and let’s hope they are otherwise we’re totally doing this for no reason, we need more than a hat and a scarf to protect us from the cold. We need warm cloaks, special ones, made for the north.” Jowy sighed. When was Lunarstar going to take this seriously?

“Okay… so how are we going to get those?” Lunarstar asked.
Of course, Jowy had been thinking about that as well. Those special cloaks would be very expencive, he knew that much…
“I think we need money. But I don’t have any.”
“Neither do I. Well, not any that’s valid over here, anyway.”
“Right. So we got to work to earn some money.” Jowy proposed, and he saw Lunarstar watching him, something that the last few hours seemed to make him unable to grasp what exactly he was talking about.
“Right. Okay. Well, I was thinking, we might want to work on, you know, like, a farm, or something. Or, I don’t know, maybe you…”

“A farm would be okay.” Lunarstar saved him from further emberassment.
“But where do we find one?”
“Further down the road is a village, according to the signs. Maybe they know where we can find a farm. Or work.”
“Good. So let’s go there.” Lunarstar winked and trotted away.
 “Hey! Wait up!” Jowy jelled as he began to pursue her.

It didn’t take them long to reach the village. It was quite lively, but Jowy had no idea why. There was nothing but rocks and mountains around here, and a few fields occupied by farmers. There was no reason for so many people to be here, right? But no matter how many people there were, none of them seemed to have a job for them. Only in the very last inn left of the village they seemed to have a little luck. They met a farmer whose neighbour’s hand had fallen ill, so they could try there.

“Well, at least we probably have some work.” Jowy said, trying to lift Lunarstar’s spirit. She didn’t look happy at all.
“Do we? We don’t know yet.”
“Well, of course we do. Didn’t you hear what the guy said?”
“Yes, well, he still has to hire us.” Jowy sighed and decided not to reply. He furiously hoped they would get hired so at least Lunarstar would have a reason to start smiling again. She was so beautiful when she smiled…

It didn’t take them long to reach the farm, but it was not like anything Jowy had expected. There weren’t any green fields for animals. Instead there were only long, grey plains of some kind of soil. Half of them seemed like nobody had touched them in years, while the other part looked like someone had recently worked on them. They were greeted by a nice old lady when they walked to the farm house. They explained they were looking for work and the lady was so extremely happy that she actually began to cry.

She explained her own two sons had left the farm for a long trip around the continent about six months ago but her husband had fallen ill not long after. If they wanted to harvest the next summer they would have ot put the seeds in the ground about now but her husband was too ill and she couldn’t do it on her own, either.

They got even luckier when they explained they wanted to earn money to buy some winter clothing for a travel to the north, as the lady’s specialty was creating coats just for that purpose. They agreed they would work two weeks on the farm and in exchange they would receive food and shelter and one cloak each. Needless to say they both agreed enthusiastically.

The shelter wasn’t exactly what they had expected, though. Instead of a nice warm bed like they were both used to they were to sleep in the attic on a bed made of hay and under a blanked that smelled like it was a thousand years old. “What do they need the hay for? It’s not like this farm has any animals.” Lunarstar sighed when she saw her bed. “Well, you should be glad, otherwise we’d be sleeping on the cold wood.”

“Or they might put some effort in providing us a good bed.” Lunarstar commented.
“Oh, look who’s back, it’s ms. Grumpy!” Jowy said sarcastically.
“I… I’m sorry.” Lunarstar shook her head while they sat down in the hay. It was night already, Jowy noticed through the little window. They had been talking all evening with the sweet lady and her husband, and tomorrow morning they would start helping with the farm work.
“It’s just that…” Lunarstar continued, “I had wanted to get home so much sooner. I had hoped I’d be there by now. There is just so much I have to do, and last time I was lost in this world I was back home within a few hours thanks. My parents… everyone must be so worried.”

“Well, maybe it doesn’t work that way.” Jowy said.
 Lunarstar looked as if she didn’t understand, so Jowy began to explain.
“Well, last time you were lost here, it was like, more than a hundred years ago, right? But now you’re here, and it hasn’t been hundred years in your world.”
“Yes, so?” “Well, maybe time goes faster here. So when two weeks have passed here, maybe it’s only two minutes in your world.”
“That does makes sense… When I got back last time I felt like no time had passed at all.” Lunarstar agreed.

“You see, there you go. You don’t have to worry about things like that. And I’ll get you back home, I promise.” “Thank you, Jowy. You’re really sweet.” Lunarstar smiled with her most beautiful smile, and Jowy felt like he was melting inside.

Half an hour later they were both lying in the hay. Lunarstar was asleep quickly; her emotions and all the change of that day had worn them out. But Jowy was still awake, staring at Lunarstar’s beautiful sleeping face. She was so pretty, so beautiful… She was from another world indeed. He couldn’t help but think that maybe she was an angel fallen from the heavens.

But she was going home. And he was sure that once she did, he would never see her again. It was so unfair. She was the first person he had ever met who was so nice to him, and the only reason she was staying with him was because he would get her home. So he had to stay with her on her journey to the north. But maybe… he could escape this world with her. It had brought him nothing but pain, after all, and the only good thing that had ever happened to him was about to escape from it.