After several miscarriages due to ill health Serafina finally gave birth to a baby girl. Serafina’s husband, Gavriil, named the baby Nadzieja meaning ‘one filled with hope’ in an attempt to bless her with good fortune in spite of her star sign.
Nadzieja’s earliest memory is of her mother singing her a lullaby as she cradled her in her arms whilst her father stood trembling at the entrance to their home with a tear stained face. She remembers he was shaking so hard he almost dropped his axe. Over her mother’s singing Nadzieja could hear the sound of horses’ hooves, harsh voices speaking in an alien tongue and the screeching of a creature that still haunts her dreams. As she grew older she knew these were men from zza and the bestial scream was from something not of this world. Her parents would tell her legends of men and womenwho would never grow old served by undying creatures in magnificent buildings said to rival the Tzarina’s palace.
In heart Nadzieja was glad she did not live near the sea for fear of druchii slavers and Norsca raiders. She used to dream of her home being attacked and as she watched her father die and her mother tormented she would scream. The scream would grow in her belly and get louder and louder. As it reached its crescendo the floors would crack, the roof would shake and everything became encased in ice. When Nadzieja stopped screaming everything would shatter and icicles would pierce her flesh. These dreams started when she was about five and she would have them at least once a week, when her parents found out her mother’s colour drained and her father immediately went to his kvas skin.
As she grew it became apparent to Gavriil that his daughter was not like other children. She would become full of vim and vigour as the harsh winter months set in and when the world would thaw she became limp and lifeless. He would often take her hunting as she had a keen eye for her surroundings and she would move as quietly and quietly as a winter hare. Serafina taught her daughter to sew, cook and use the leftover charcoal to paint her eyes. Serafina said men found that sort of thing attractive and one day she would need to find a husband.
In the early winter of her eleventh year Nadzieja and her father were in the nearby tirsa trading furs for supplies. Two children ran into the market square screaming as their friend had fallen through the ice of a nearby lake. A group of people from the village, including Nadzieja and her father, ran to the lake. As winter had only begun to creep into their part of the world the ice was thin and the child was nowhere to be seen. Nadzieja scared for the child’s life ran out onto the ice, her father took two steps towards her but he sank straight up to his knees into icy water. As she reached the hole Nadzieja took off her cloak and moccasins before diving into the lake. Moments later she resurfaced with the boy. She wrapped him in her cloak, picked up her shoes and carried him back to the shore.
The village healer said she was unsure if the boy would live but they needed to warm him quickly. Turning her attentions to Nadzieja she was surprised to see the girl was not shivering and hadn’t seemed to notice her feet were bare. A murmur went around the crowd and Gavriil grabbed his daughter by the arm and quickly returned home. That night Nonna came.
Nadzieja was settling for bed a woman advanced in years arrived at their home, asking to share their hearth. Serafina apologised for their humble offering but the crone was indeed welcome. As her parents shared their kvas and fire with the woman she began to tell tales of her home, Nadzieja fell asleep listening to stories of the great white bears in the north.
As morning broke Nadzieja woke to the sound of her father sobbing and her mother saying ‘Please, Lady Nonna…Is there any other way? She is our only child.’ When she stirred the three adults turned to her. In the daylight Nadzieja could see Nonna clearly. He eyes were the colour of the first winter morning, her hair as pure as a fresh drift of snow and her skin was so pale she could see tiny blue veins. ‘Mumiya…Papa... Who is this woman?’ As Nonna explained Nadzieja sat silently, transfixed by her answer. As kindly as Nonna’s manner was to her parents there was no doubt in Nadzieja’s mind she would leave her home with this woman.
As she was readied to leave by her parents her mother slipped her a tiny package ‘This was for your birthday, Papa and I have been saving for it. It’s to help you get a husband.’ Nadzieja pocketed the gift. Hugged her parents goodbye and left her world behind.
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