MIYAMOTO SPOKE WITH THE TOWN’S LEADERS and based on his recommendations, no one was allowed to touch the troll bodies. The were already starting to decompose and they had a habit of being more poisonous than typical bodies, so they were all load into wagon and then carted them into an open field outside of town. Once a decent distance from town, they stacked the bodies and then torched them all at once. The stench from the fire was as grotesque as the creatures themselves, maybe even worse, but they burned none the less. The flame was even a light green as a chemical in a troll’s blood caused a different reaction during their cremation. The old samurai stood there and watched the weirdly colored flame, staring deep into it as he used it as a focus point for his current meditations. He stayed there for close to an hour until he heard a commotion coming from the threes not far away. The warrior got back to his feet and had his hand on his sword hilt, afraid that it might be more trolls coming to avenge their kin. Turns out it was a small crew of humans that looked armored up and ready to fight. Miyamoto kept watching the dozen men emerge from the forest, and then relaxed as he recognized someone. Their commander had a face he could never forget.

“Belemast!” he called out, delighted to see another old friend.

“Miyamoto!” the man called out, as he directed his men to stop. “What are you doing in this part of the world? I thought you went home!”

“I did,” Miyamoto said, as he walked closer to shake his friend’s hand. “I returned to repay a debt to a common friend. Alfred Higgins and his daughter are in the town behind me.”

“They are?” Belemast said, again surprised. “There must be an amazing story behind that, but I’m here on business. I heard this village was being tormented by a small pack of trolls. I’ve rounded up a band of men to dispatch them.”

“They’re already taken care of,” Miyamoto said, gesturing to the fire. “Five of them, all taken care of in town.”

“They attacked the town?” Belemast repeated, “That’s not like them, they usually prefer not to enter towns or cities.”

“A lot of creatures have been acting out of character,” Miyamoto agreed, “I’m not sure how or why, but the chaos is real as are the people being hurt.”

“These are indeed strange days,” Belemast confessed, “My men and I shall stay a little while to make sure all the trolls are gone. That will give you plenty of time to tell my what you’re doing here with Alfred and his child.”

The two warriors stood there at the fire and talked for hours as Trolls took a lot longer than usual corpses to burn. Even when they’re dead, trolls somehow manage to be a total pain in someone’s arse. Miyamoto managed to tell most of the story but kept Calissa’s Hakken issues to himself, waiting for that to be shared during a moment with less ears around to hear them. Once the trolls had been cremated to a reasonable dust, they all walked back to town and met up with Alfred at the pub and spoke more over food and mead. It was during this conversation that Belemast finally broke in as he was eager to get his say on the matter.

“I have a castle,” He said, proud as a damn peacock, “I inherited from my uncle, and have been living in it for a while now. It’s heavily fortified and the ideal place for someone to run off to and seek secure shelter. It’s rather big so no need to worry about taking up space. You should come back with me and crash for a while.”

“Are you sure?” Alfred asked, “We don’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense!” Belemast said, chuckling. “I would enjoy the new company. And I have a large courtyard where Calissa can resume her training.”

“What about the Hakken?” Alfred asked, looking back at Miyamoto.

“They can try to come after you again, but they are not fools.” Belemast said, beaming with pride. “They will lose many if they try to break into my home, and even they don’t wish to lose that many just to snatch one girl. They are not that desperate.”

“Sound points,” Alfred said, “What do you think, Miyamoto?”

His friend sat there, his eyes closed, as he thought over the idea. And opened them again as he reached what he thought was the right choice.

“It’s a good offer,” Miyamoto said, “And it’s better to not risk these towns being stuck between us and the Hakken if they are in fact still after us.”

“Then it’s settled,” Alfred said, as he wasn’t in the mood to debate. “We’ll accept your more than gracious invitation. You don’t mind the baggage we bring?”

“I’m used to it,” Belemast said, chuckling. “There’s always something happening at my castle, so it would be no different for me. It would be nice to have the company as sometimes things can get so slow and boring up there.”

“I’m sorry,” Alfred said, as he clued into something, “Up there?”

“It’s on a mountain,” Belemast said, “So while it’s a bit cold, the solitude provides a very comforting peace that you will appreciate.”

“How do we get up there?” Alfred asked, a tad concerned.

“There’s a road,” Belemast said, enjoying his worry. “That’s what makes is so difficult to attack. Unless you can fly there is only one way in and one way out. Your Hakken will not enjoy following us there if they dare to do so. One look at my challenging abode, and they’ll tuck tail and run.”

“I like the sound of that,” Miyamoto said, “We could use the time to train and live-in peace for a while. We’ll be alright.”

“Then it’s settled?” Alfred asked.

“What’s settled?” Calissa asked, as she arrived to join their table.

“You must be Calissa,” Belemast said, looking rather surprised.

“I am,” Calissa said, “And you are?”

“Belemast,” the man replied, taking the young girl’s hand, and kissing it. “It is great pleasure to meet you. You look just like your mother.”

“You knew my mother?” Calissa asked.

“I did,” Belemast confirmed, “She was a good woman, and I miss her.”

“I do too,” Calissa agreed, “Can you tell me more about her?”

“I’d love to,” Belemast said, “We’ll have plenty of time to discuss it on the way back to my castle.”

“Castle?” Calissa repeated.

“We’ve been invited,” Her father explained, “To a distant castle that is secure and will keep us safe from the Hakken. A tad cold but it will provide you a safe place to resume your training.”

“I’m not used to the cold,” Calissa confessed, “But I’ll learn to.”

“That’s the spirit!” Belemast said, hitting the table to add emphasis.

After supper was finished, Calissa went back to her room and packed for their trip even though the were not going to leave that quickly. She didn’t like this town very much and wanted to put the incident with the trolls far behind her. While Belemast had feared there were other trolls nearby, after sweeping the forest a few times, his men found no signs or tracks to suggest there were more than the ones that were killed in town. So, the next morning Belemast was content to leave town without having to worry about future attacks. The mayor of the town was pressured and paid Miyamoto the reward for killing the trolls, giving the warrior about a hundred coins per corpse also for helping to properly dispose of their bodies without stinking up their area. Miyamoto gave all the coins with Belemast, to offset his cost of bringing his men over to help and also to help with expenses of them residing at his castle. Belemast was tempted to refuse, but knew his friend was a stickler for honor and paying his own way. He took the coins but decided to use it to purchase extra supplies so that they can have a few great feasts to welcome his new guests to his home. He was excited to have good friends stay a while and to help them out in their time of need. He anticipated the young girl to start badgering him once they were on the road but was surprised to see that she waited a few hours before riding up beside him.

“Good morrow,” he said, nodding to the young girl.

“To you as well,” Calissa said, looking rather excited. “So, we’re going to a mountain?”

“Yes,” Belemast confirmed, “But no climbing will be necessary. We have a road that will lead us straight there.

“How do you keep your enemies from using the same road?” She asked.

Belemast grinned as he was amused by her curiosity. It also reminded him of her mother who was always looking for answers and knowledge.

“There is a bridge,” he answered, “When raised there is a steep cliff that blocks you from entering my castle. Half of the castle is outside the mountain, but what a lot of people don’t know is that the other half is actually inside it as well. It’s a lot bigger than people assume and that’s why we can hold out very long sieges. The only way in is to cross my bridge or climb a very steep mountain that is harsh even on calm days. You will appreciate it once you see it for yourself.”

“I’m sure I will,” Calissa said, already eager to see it. “So, how well did you know my mother?”

Belemast smiled again, “As well as someone can, considering she was my sister.”

“Sister?” Calissa said, shocked to hear it.

“Yes, my older sister.” Belemast said.

“You’re my uncle?” Calissa asked, putting it all together.

“Yes, I am.” Belemast said, chuckling again. “That’s why you’re all welcome in my humble home. You’re family.”

“Why haven’t we seen you before?” Calissa asked, trying not to sound too judgemental.

“That would be my fault,” Belemast confessed, “I was occupied with commitments to business partners and the crown. Things that I wasn’t able to avoid until it was too late. I was very sorry to hear of your mother’s passing. She was a wonderful lady who deserved a better fate. You remind me of her so much, it’s scary.”

“I see,” Calissa replied, “Tell me how that is.”

Alfred couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he watched as his daughter and Belemast spoke for hours, enjoying each other’s company and killing time on the road. He wished he could hear what was going on, and was tempted to ride closer, but Miyamoto stopped him from doing so.

“Let them bond,” Miyamoto said, “He’s got a lot of catching up to do.”

“Just wish I could hear them,” Alfred whined.

“There is no need to worry,” Miyamoto said, “He loved your sister almost as much as you did, he wouldn’t say anything that would dishonor you because that would dishonor your wife’s memory. I realize you two didn’t get along back in the war, but he respects you enough to behave. You have nothing to fear.”

“Fair enough,” Alfred said, deeply sighing.

Their journey to Belemast’s castle was a rather long one, taking almost four days for them to get near its location. Yet the riders took a detour into a small village to take a break and gather supplies before taking the last leg to the castle.

“This is our last stop,” Belemast said as he dismounted. “Gather what you need here because there are no other places to do so before we reach the castle.”

“Noted,” Alfred said, as he also dismounted. He turned to face his child.

“Let’s take his advice and gather what we need,” Alfred told her, “We might not be back for a while, so let’s stock up.”

“Alright,” Calissa agreed, as she let her father help her down. “I’ll try not to spend too much but get enough to last.”

“Take this,” Alfred said, as he gave her more than a few coins. “Get what you need and some other things to help you with the coming solitude.”

The young girl nodded and then took the coins to what looked like a general store and started to browse around. She grabbed a few treats, a few books, and even some extra blankets since she was told the place would be very cold. As she was looking around, a young man around her age walked up to her.

“Can I take these for you,” he asked, “I can leave them at the counter so you can keep looking without dropping them.”

“Oh,” Calissa said, as she realized he worked there and handed the items over. “Thank you very much.”

“Happy to help,” the young man said as he took her things to the counter where they could sit while she continued to browse.

He walked back to see she was still looking at some books. He smiled as he walked over and picked out a book and offered to give it to her.

“I read this one a few months ago,” he informed her, “Don’t let it’s size intimidate you, it’s a real page turner.”

“Oh, thank you.” Calissa said, taking the book from him.

“I’m Anders,” The boy said, smiling back. “Are you new here?”

“I am,” Calissa said, shaking his hand. “I’m Calissa, I will be living near here but not exactly here.”

“That’s interesting,” Anders said, trying to act cool. “It’s not like you’re going to that dark fortress in the mountains, right?”

“Well,” Calissa said, grinning at the irony. “That is where my uncle lives.”

“Oh,” Anders said, just as surprised, “I hear it’s very quiet. It should be ideal for reading great books.”

“I thought so too,” Calissa concurred, “Hence why I’m picking up more than a few of them.”

“I hope you don’t plan to stay up there all the time,” Anders said, “We hold a pretty incredible winter festival that’s worth checking out. You should talk your uncle into maybe coming down, you both might enjoy it.”

“Thank you,” Calissa replied, “I will consider it.”

Anders had to go back to work as there was a someone at the counter waiting to purchase something, but as he went about his business Calissa couldn’t help but watch the young man do his thing and admire him from a distance. He was a cute boy but she hardly knew him, so she went back to picking out some more books, yet she held onto the book Anders recommended as she was eager to read it and see why he liked it so much. After grabbing a few more things, she walked back to the counter and Anders already had her other items stashed nicely away in a decent bag. She made her purchase and easily paid for it.

“One more thing,” Anders said, showing her a small box. “You might want to consider these for the trek up the hill.”

“I’ll be fine,” Calissa declined, “But thanks for the bag.”

She casually strolled out of the store and handed the bag over to Miyamoto who was still on his wagon, and he tossed it behind him for the rest of the ride.

“I hope you didn’t buy too much,” he warned her.

“I got enough,” Calissa said back to her master, “I don’t know when we’ll be back so I gathered what I might need for a long stay.”

“That’s fair,” Miyamoto agreed.

“And I hope we don’t stay up there too much,” Calissa added, “This is supposed to be a trip, not a prison sentence.”

“That’s for you and your father to decide,” Miyamoto coolly sidestepped. “We are doing this for your protection, not to punish you.”

“I understand,” Calissa said, mounting her white horse. She just wished the adults would realize that solitude from people her own age was sometimes like a punishment, and she seemed committed to make sure it wasn’t like that going forward during her stay at her uncle’s castle.