"Ho! T'is now the season for snow!

High time for rest and laying low!

Heat mulled wine, as you watch snowflakes,

Lay on down, time to have a break." - Dwarven poem describing winter, dated from before the burning of Stonehammer, unknown author.

Cal ended up spending a relaxing week in Al-Shan. During that time, she learned several things that had happened during her trip. Apparently when Aideen had came over to help Layla with Farah's Birth, most of Cal's family had come along as well.

That made sense to her. In a way, she did always consider Xain and Layla as children of her own, despite their nonexistent blood relationship. She did watch them grow up from birth after all, and they remained close to her heart even now.

She knew most of the children their age who grew up in the loyalist camps during the civil war also considered her a foster mother or big sister of sorts.

The one news she had not expected was that Lakhsman turned out to be courting Idania of all people. Something that apparently started during the family's visit earlier that year.

Cal spotted him taking her out to dinner - Idania happened to be visiting casually - during her week of stay, but had not bothered them. Either way Lakhsman was an adult who can make his own decisions, and as for Idania… Cal wouldn't presume to give relationship advice to her much older half-sister.

Layla had laughed so hard she was rolling around on her divan and hitting the table with her fist while in tears when Cal had related the news. She then in turn told Cal openly that many of the boys her age, who had grown up under her care back during the civil war… apparently looked up to her as their ideal woman in some ways.

Her twin brother Lakhsman had been one of those. Like the others, he knew all too well that there was no chance of Cal returning such feelings. Perhaps those lingering feelings attracted him to Idania instead, as she was quite similar in looks to her Cal after all.

Cal herself had no comment on such developments. She honestly had no issues with it as long as both sides were happy with the circumstances. Besides, with Idania's late husband already being gone for several decades now, it would not be bad for her to find a new relationship.

Apparently, Elaina and Sidonie had not heard of the news yet, and both sisters embraced their mother to congratulate her when Cal told them of it. Idania herself blushed with some embarrassment, but returned the well-meant gesture from her daughters warmly.

Most of the rest of the winter, Cal just relaxed with her family and friends. Her students had remained in Paradise. Giselle explained that they were thinking of going into the adventuring profession, with Paradise as their hub. Since they had free access to the teleportation gates, Cal thought it was a clever idea.

She also helped Kyara show Ashani around the city. They had arrived early enough to watch the winter's festival of wonders, and the display had boggled the young therian girl's mind.

Ashani was also particularly interested in watching Cal's students spar with one another, if the battle between the three blood mages could be called a spar. Cal had devised a sparring plan that allowed them to both exercise their magic and their combat skills, one that looked particularly gruesome to outsiders.

She simply allowed them to use their weapons freely, but none of their armor. Each hit they take, were taken straight to their bodies, which served as training for their innate blood magic. As a result, the spars looked more like three people earnestly trying to kill each other, with wounds that would be fatal to most a common occurrence.

Willa had grown far stronger over the years compared to Ognar and Giselle, so she took them on two against one for a relatively even match. Ashani would often watch the bloody battle between the three, mesmerized by the savage violence and inhuman resilience on display.

Sometimes Cal herself took on all three of them as their sparring partner. She felt proud that they made the task far more difficult than the ease with which she had cowed them back when they first met, just a scant few years ago. Willa had started to give her a real fight even.

She showed them no quarter and demolished them though, her far greater experience and well-honed skills triumphed over youthful energy and enthusiasm.

At times, Aideen would deign to serve as a sparring partner for her students, to which she delivered a sound trouncing as well. The ancient unliving woman showed why just pure brute force was not enough in the most poignant way possible, as any of Cal's students were faster and stronger than her.

Cal had also planned for her trip next year, where she planned to visit the southern side of the Great Emerald Forest, then continue south to Alfheim, and visit the Kingdom Down Under before she returned to Paradise.

Fyodor had volunteered to be her guide to the dwarven kingdom, as he apparently had distant relatives living there. On the other hand, Vernon and Martha tagged along when she mentioned she was headed towards the forest.

Overtly, they were visiting some relatives of Martha's. Covertly, Martha had come along to introduce Cal to her elder brother, who happened to be the Champion of Space. The very same elven sage who had built the Ether Road many centuries ago.

Apparently, another few champions were researching in secret in the forest, in a secluded place administered by Martha's brother. So the visit would allow Cal to meet them as well along the way.

Kyara, being a relatively new champion herself - she became one barely twenty years ago, she had told Cal - had visited there before. She and her granddaughter Ashani further added to the size of the group for the trip, making it quite a merry one.