BECAUSE THEY LEFT THE CASTLE EARLY in the morning, Belemast and his niece managed to make it to the small town just before lunch as it was only a few hours ride away from the castle. The town was an ideal place to use whenever they needed to resupply the castle, and Belemast paid extra to make sure that his orders were given priority, so it wasn't like they didn't know who he was. The master of the palace in the mountain was well know there, as he came down often to take care of business and even defend the town if there was ever trouble. Having a town to act as his hub to connect to the rest of the world was ideal to him, so Belemast made sure the town was well protected. He also felt as a former soldier for the crown, that protecting towns was something he was morally obligated to do, which was why he and a cluster of his men were heading out for the town to take care of the trolls when he met up with Calissa and her father. He never liked the idea of towns being harassed and bullied by monsters, but he could also never resist the chance to brush up on his skills as a monster hunter. So, whenever a town ever called out for his help, it would take a lot to keep Belemast from getting out there and going on the hunt. When they were halfway to the town, two of the scouts that were sent ahead to make sure there was nothing wrong came back to report that the town was doing alright, and that the festival was going on without any incident. Belemast sent then back to town and ordered them and all the other scouts still there to keep watch and make sure that it stayed that way. Calissa looked back at her uncle, and grinned.

  "What?" Belemast said, trying to figure her expression out.

  "A little protective?" She asked him.

  "I take these precautions every time I visit town," he assured her.

  "Of course," Calissa said, "And how often is that?"

  "About once a year," her uncle answered, "Usually never during winter."

  "You've never attended this festival before?" Calissa said, surprised.

  "Never with my consent, usually against my will and better judgement," he confirmed with a smile, "Right now I couldn't think of a better person to share the experience with."

  "Not even my mother?" Calissa countered.

  "Not even her," Belemast confirmed, "If your mother is up there looking down on us like so many want to believe, I can assure you she is green with envy. She loved this festival and would do anything to be in my place with you."

  "You are going to have fun," Calissa said, teasing him a bit.

  "I'm not sure about that," Belemast replied, "But I will try."

  "That is all I ask," Calissa said, smiling back, "Thank you."

  As they started to ride into town, Calissa could see the changes the festival made to the town compared to the last time she was there. The decorations were works of art and the town were all dressed up as well, all in whites and light blues to celebrate the holidays. She could now understand why her mother liked wearing the dress she had on to the festival as everyone tried to wear those colors to indicate who was celebrating and whom to leave alone. A dress code was something Calissa was unaware of, but her uncle knew, or someone at least reminded him so they could make sure she was dressed appropriately for the event. Belemast didn't take any chances and spent the majority of his time after that fateful card game gathering intel about the event so that he could properly prepare himself, which in turn would allow him to make the best of the situation. Maybe even have a little fun. As they were riding towards the town, Calissa could tell that a lot of the townfolk were looking at them and were even surprised to see them. She was confident that it was her uncle who was the man standing out, considering he mainly only visited for supplies, and nothing else. It was at this point where some plump man came running up to their horses and bowed to greet them.

  "Your lordship," the man said, rather surprised himself. "I remember your people picking up supplies for the palace a few weeks ago. What brings you to visit us during these festive times?"

  "You answered your own question," Belemast said, "I have come down to take part in the festival."

  The mayor looked around, and then cracked a smile. "You are?"

  "I am indeed," Belemast confirmed, "This is Calissa. She is my niece, the only child of my younger sister. It was her idea to attend, and is even more excited to partake than I am. So, if you'll excuse us."

  "Of course, my lord." The mayor said as he stepped aside, "Enjoy the festivities."

  "Thank you," Belemast said, bucking his horse to carry on.

  "I take it you don't make a lot of social calls?" Calissa asked.

  "Never," Belemast said, confirming the towns response. "Especially during this festival. This is the first time I've been here for it since I was a child."

  "With my mother?" Calissa asked.

  "Yes, and our other siblings." Belemast said, "Your mother and grandmother really enjoyed attending, so it's not surprising you'd like it too."

  "What shall we do first?" Calissa asked.

  "Well, I'd recommend the market." Belemast said, handing her a small bag of coins. "This is some of the coins your father gave me, so this isn't my money but in fact yours. Spend it wisely, maybe get something nice for your room to spruce it up and make it your own."

  "Alright," Calissa said, "Thank you."

  "Don't wander off, so we can keep an eye on you," Belemast added, "And after doing a little shopping, we'll do lunch at my favorite pub before the play starts."

  "The play?" Calissa repeated. '

  "Yes," Belemast confirmed, "If memory serves me right, the town's children always hold one for the holiday. I'll purchase some tickets. Off you go."

  Calissa dismounted her horse and handed the reigns off to one of her uncle's men who took them all to a stable to rest and feed while they walked the festival market and enjoyed themselves. She put the coins in one of her coat pockets, and slowly began to walk around the market and browse all the tables that were set up by local stores and merchants who had traveled from other towns. Calissa wasn't in a hurry as she wanted to browse around as much as she could to see what deals could be had. She stopped at one cubicle to look at some very fine blankets, some with some unique designs that might look good in her new bedroom. As Calissa was looking at the new blankets, someone walked up behind her to offer advice on what she was checking out.

  "It's a nice choice," the voice called out from behind, "This person does amazing work, and I know up there in the mountains you'll need more than a few of them."

  Calissa turned around to see that the person speaking to him was the same young man that was working at the shop the last time she was in town before moving into her uncle's palace. She had thought about him every once in a while, and while a part of her had hoped to see the young lad again, she was still surprised how pleased she was to see him again as she greeted him with a warm smile.

  "Hello again," she said pausing as she tried to remember his name.

  "It's Ander," the young man said, returning the smile.

  "Yes!" Calissa said, "I'm sorry, I just had a momentary fog. It happens sometimes."

  "It's the thin cold air," Anders said, thinking nothing of it. "Happens all the time."

  "I'm not used to winters this cold," Calissa confessed, "It is usually like this?"

  "This is pretty mild actually," Anders said, chuckling a bit. "It gets much colder, especially after the holidays. I'd recommend getting at least one blanket if you plan to see the play. It's held outside so you might want one to keep warm."

  "Thanks," Calissa said, clinging to the one she liked. "I want to buy this one anyway, so now I have another reason to do so."

  "I can help you with that if you want to browse for more things." Anders offered.

  "Alright," Calissa said, passing it over to him. After she paid for the blanket, she turned to face him, "Any other great deals around here you can give me the inside scoop on?"

  "Right this way," Anders said.

  They spent the better part of an hour browsing together and Anders was even a good haggler as he knew what items were being sold at a fair price of what was overcharged for the festival. She appreciated his help and was enjoying his company, when suddenly Belemast arrived to stand before the two of them.

  "Greetings," Belemast said, looking at them.

  "My lord," Anders said, making a small bow.

  "Did you get everything you need?" he asked Calissa.

  "I did," Calissa said, smiling back at her uncle. "Is it time for lunch?"

  "Yes," Belemast confirmed, "Let's get going."

  "If it's not too much trouble," Calissa said, "Can my friend join us? He's been very helpful, and I wanted to buy him lunch to show my gratitude."

  Belemast paused for a moment, but he did recognize the boy from the shop the last time they were in town and didn't see the harm in it. He nodded his approved and walked off in the direction of the pub and the two teens followed him.

  "How do you know him?" Anders asked.

  "He's my uncle," Calissa replied, "My mother was his sister."

  "You're royalty?" Anders said, surprised.

  "No," Calissa said, though she wasn't really sure. "Just a niece."

  "Oh, okay." Anders said, accepting her answer.

  They walked into the pub while Belemast held the door for them. They all walked over to a table and Anders was about to sit across from Calissa but Belemast shoved him aside which forced him to sit on the other side.

  "Sorry about that," Ander said, sitting beside Calissa rather than across from her.

  "Force of habit," Belemast said, "I prefer to have my back to the wall for defensive purposes. This angle makes it better to protect you both and look out for ambushes."

  "Appreciated uncle," Calissa said, "but I prefer to eat in peace."

  "We all do," Anders said, "Being prepared is not the same as being paranoid."

  "Thank you," Belemast said, as he appreciated the comment of support. "Tell me, do you still work at the shop?"

  "I do, with my parents." Anders answered, "I'm not there today because I have the day off for the festival. I wanted to see the play and I'll cover for my parents tomorrow so they can enjoy their favorite part of the festival."

  "That's sweet," Calissa said, as she was hanging on his every word.

  Their talk was interrupted as the pub lady arrived with food and everyone started to eat quietly at the table. There was some banter and information about the festival exchanged, but Calissa couldn't help but notice everyone was staring at her uncle. His very presence must have made some of them uncomfortable as he normally didn't make a habit of coming down just to attend the festival. Calissa remember seeing that same response from the town's mayor when they first arrived, he was unsure why they were even there. Calissa chose to ignore it and go about her meal. It was closer to end of their meal when Calissa felt a pain in her stomach that caused her to lose her breath. She paused for a moment, thinking it was just the food causing cramps but then she was able to recognize the feeling; something she had felt in a while. She took a few deep breathes and that's when the men at the table noticed something was wrong.

  "Are you alright?" Anders asked.

  "I don't know," Calissa replied.

  "What are you feeling?" Belemast asked.

  "I'm sensing something," Calissa replied, "The last time I felt this was when we attacked and had to abandon our home."

Belemast didn't respond, but slowly began to move his hand over to his sword hilt. He gripped it till his knuckles turned white and waited for the danger to come to him.

  "What kind of danger?" Anders asked.

  "Him!" Calissa said, pointing to a man at another table. "He's the one I'm sensing!"

  The moment she pointed a finger, both men jumped to their feet. As Belemast was drawing his sword, the man instantly started to transform into his wolven form. Patrons either hid under their tables or scrambled for the door as the Hakken in there let out a loud roar. Belemast charged at the beast and tried to take a swing at it, but it was far too strong as he swatted the man out of the way and started to charge at the two teenagers. While Anders closed his eyes and tried to brace for the attack, Calissa jumped up from her chair and counterattacked. The wolf tried to take a swipe at her with its claws, but she caught the creature's arm and used it to flip him away from their table and onto the floor. Before the wolf could recover from being flipped onto its back, Calissa reached under her fluffy dress and unsheathed a rather impressive dagger that was hidden under it. It was the same dagger that Miyamoto had loaned to her, which meant it was silver and thus lethal to Hakkens. Without hesitation, she drove the dagger into the wolf's heart and both Anders and Belemast watched with stunned faces as the wolf blew up into dust and was gone. Calissa stood back up and brushed the wolf's dust off her dress. She looked back to Anders who was still sitting at the table but looking rather petrified.

  "Are you alright?" she asked him.

  "What the hell just happened?" he countered.

  "Someone tried to take us out," Calissa said as she walked over to her uncle and helped him to his feet.

  "That was unexpected," her uncle started, "But you didn't appear shocked to see him."

  "We've been dealing with them for a while," Calissa said, "That's what I've been training for all this time."

  "Are there any others?" Anders asked, still rather scared.

  "That's a good question," Belemast said, looking around.

  "I can't feel any others," Calissa said, "I think he was kind of like a scout, that that doesn't mean he was alone either."

  "Then it's settled," Belemast said, grabbing some of Calissa's things from the market. "We need to get back to the castle before it's too late."