The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is a attempt to write a complete (and very rough) draft of a novel by writing for fifteen minutes each day. I have taken a timed writing from one of the daily prompts done in 2021, cleaned it up a little and used it as my jumping off point into a story. Each day I will take the last line of the story written the day before and use it as my sentence starter and write for fifteen minutes, growing the story as the year progresses.
Day 31: ‘Maybe that’s it. It is colder in the north.’
‘Maybe that’s it. It is colder in the north.’ Anya left the warmer dress laid out on the bed and folded up her original dress. She pushed it into her travel bag and refastened the straps. It was clean and ready for when she left, but she thought it best that it remain out of sight until she was certain that no one was looking for her.
With her clothes sorted and no one from the laundry remarking upon the strangeness of her clothing, it was one less worry for her to carry around. She left her room and rejoined the others as they each received their supper.
Supper was a thick and heaty stew that was warm and filling. It was served with a slice of bread similar to the one served with breakfast. While Anya was accustomed to some meats, in Tyrin they were near both the seaside and a series of deep lakes and rivers. Fish and other sea creatures, boith fresh and saltwater, were more her usual fare, beef and venison being foods for special occasions. It felt somewhat decadent to be eating the thick stew laden with tender chunks of beef on an ordinary day. But no one here seemed to think there was anything special about it.
‘We aren’t near the sea here,’ Anya thought. There was no tang to the air and no scent of the ocean. ‘But there wasn’t in the tower either.’
It was something that bothered her. The lack of the scent of the ocean. Without a tint of it on the air, she felt as though the air itself was missing something. The younger woman was once again more talkative now that she didn’t have to pay as much attention to her stiches. Despite her boasting about her stitches being better than last year, Anya knew she still had to focus. She also knew that with time and practice the skill would increase.
When dinner was through, the younger girl went off to her room while the other woman took her towards the matron’s office. Anya felt her heart beat a little faster as they approached the door. She didn’t want to reveal she was from Tyrin but she wanted to know where she was in relation to Tyrin. She hoped that by seeing the map she could at least find that out. How she was going to keep from pointing out her home to others with her was something else.
She had never had to think about what she had to hide before. There were occasional hurt feelings that she tried not to let show, but overall, most in Tyrin knew who she was, or could find out easily if the need arose. Her past and status were known, her place established.
At the matron’s door the woman with her knocked and opened the door without waiting for an answer. The matron was sitting at her desk and looked up as they entered. She smiled at their intrusion rather than looking like she resented it.
“I beg your pardon for interrupting Matron, but our new arrival was wondering if she could look at the map in the library. It seems her late arrival was due to taking the wrong road on her way in.”
“Was it now?” The Matron replied. She smiled as though something amused her. “Well it is always good to know where one has been.” She stood up from her desk. “Why don’t you go on and I’ll take her up to the library.”
“I really don’t mean to be a bother,” Anya said. While she thought she might be able to avoid pointing out Tyrin to her day’s companions, the matron had a shrewd look to her eyes. Anya thought the matron might see more than she felt comfortable revealing.
Ten til Midnight 