Helle comes quiet into the Meadow. Her great, elegant head lowered to the ground. She sniffs at the dust, blowing little swirls with her nose, before nudging the barest little tufts of grass along the edges. The trees here are thin, no more than saplings reaching with spindly fingers towards the silvery sky. There would be rain soon, she could smell it and feel the coolness of the air against her skin.
The days had been hot and they pulled her along. Each step she took had thus far been slow, haggard--she felt exhausted and hungry from such a long journey. Helle had left home and found herself on this strange island alone.
Not a single soul she knew, her family left behind, her homeland a distant memory. Odin help her, she was alone. A wandering vagabond in a place unfamiliar. But she was not afraid deep down inside her. No, she pulled the strenght from somewhere outside herself and kept moving forward.
Her heart felt for the first time like it was both open and heavy, like a stone but also like a bird with great wings. So many things she had left behind her and yet, so many things still lay open ahead.