Naturally, Lios did not stay away from Rose. After the fight, he promptly returned Keagan's sword, leapt off the stage, and approached his friend with a grin.

  “You seriously going to marry that prick? Good fighter though!” Lios laughed as some in the crowd made room for him. He motioned for her to follow him away from the crowd as she formed a response.

  “Not if I can help it... Still have a few years to convince my parents it’s a bad idea. By the way, I was expecting you to win for my honor. What happened?” She asked teasingly, seemingly not bothered by her friend's loss. Perhaps his joy at experiencing a good fight was rubbing off on her.

  “He’s higher level is what happened. A little sloppy in technique at times, but I wasn’t fast or good enough to make that matter. I’ll get him next time, I’m sure.” As they exited the crowd, Lios suddenly found himself face to face with his parents and Rose’s uncle.

  His mother’s worried expression had shifted to one of pride, while his father still had a cloudy grimace on his face. Darren was the first of the three to speak, as he came forward and clasped Lios’s shoulder in a meaty, calloused hand. “Good fight, Lios! A wonder ta see those skills o’ yers in action!”

  The older man smelled of mead, the sweet honey scent lingering on his breath. In the hand not holding Lios, was a near-empty tankard. His grin showed through the graying, ember-filled beard he always wore.

  “Thanks boss man! Wish I coulda won, but that was a fun fight.” He turned his attention to his parents, perplexed by his father’s visage. “Didn’t expect to see you guys here, did you just get off work, Pa?”

  “I did. Now, I’d like to speak with you when you get home. Don’t be too late tonight, okay?” His voice was gruff, and Lios was unsure if this was about the fight or something else. Before Lios could properly reply, Ezekiel turned and walked away. Elaine gave a strange look to her son before following his father.

  Darren glanced between Zeke’s retreating back and his apprentice a few times before sighing. “No Idear what tha’ was all abou, but I don’ rightly care neither! Alas, if only ye were ol’ enough ta drink I’d share a pint with ye! As t is, I must get a refill. Enjoy te festival!”

  With that, the drunk smith sauntered away, visiting a stall with a rack filled with bottles of mead or wine. They also had some barrels of ale on tap, but only two flavors. It wasn’t like America, where thousands of craft breweries sprung up seemingly every other year.

  After that, the boy and his friend wandered about the festival, though there was now an air of awkwardness, one that wouldn’t go away. Before long, they separated, with her heading back to her family's tavern to play some songs and bus some tables. Lios returned home with a faint trepidation.

  On entering the house, he found his parents playing a game of cards at the table with a sleeping fox in each of their laps. Both set their cards down as he approached. He noted his father’s frown and his mother’s nervousness. Clearly, Ezekial had explained his ire to her on their way home.

  “I admit I’m a bit surprised at how upset you seem, Dad,” Lios started casually as he pulled a chair out and sat. Luka perked up from his mom’s lap but did not deem moving to be worth the effort and sank back down.

  The older guard let out a heavy sigh, tugging at the finely groomed beard that had come in over the past several months. “What do you know about the boy you fought, Lios?”

  “Other than he’s insufferable? Not much.”

  “Don’t let him hear you say that...” His mother’s voice barely reached him.

  “His father is too. Unfortunately, his father is a friend of Duke Fontaine, and the leader of the Iron Tigers guild. Meaning, he has influence.” Zeke leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers. The movement irritated Sky, who nipped at him before jumping from his lap to the floor.

  “To be clear, I was not irritated that you fought the boy. Nor that you lost. I was worried that should you win, the brat would do something extreme. There's already been two cases of Ethan and his band roughing up other folk from his guild outside of duels and spars. He thinks he has enough influence to get away with anything, and frankly, he does. His father will cover anything up, and should I attempt to arrest either of them, the Duke himself would likely come to their rescue.”

  “And this is the same Fontaine family that Mom was meant to marry into? Was it the Duke’s son?” Relief flooded Lios that his father wasn’t irate at him, but the situation. That his father was concerned about him.

  “The very same. Yes, it was his second-oldest son, Theodore. Truly a horrid family.” Elaine snarled at the last bit; the events from her past still infuriating.

  “Anyway, son, the point is that you should avoid trouble with the boy. I don’t want to see you harmed, and I don’t think you should have to risk yourself against someone like him.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be quite as simple as not engaging with him. He’s Rose’s betrothed, apparently, and I refuse to stop being her friend. At least, as long as she wants to be friends with me.”

  “Are you sure there isn’t something... more going on with you two?” Elaine asked, a glimmer of a tease and maybe a smidgeon of hope twinkling in her eyes, her earlier rage at the Fontaines vanishing.

  “I’m sure. Maybe when we’re older, I’ll consider it but for now, well... With my history, it's a bit awkward.” A blush crept up his cheeks at the direction of the conversation, but he humoured Elaine all the same. “To be honest, it feels manipulative to go after her. I am much older than she is, even if I don’t look it.”

  One had to remember, despite him being ten and a half outwardly, and her being twelve, he still had a bit over twenty years on her. To him, any affection she might show was likely a result of grooming, intentional or not. Plus, he couldn’t look at someone under eighteen, or even older than that, as a potential partner. The age of consent was ingrained in him, and he could find no attraction in folks below a certain age even if he tried.

  He shuddered at the thought. He knew Rose would be a woman someday, and likely an attractive one given how her stats were distributed, but he couldn’t imagine at this time being anything but friends. The mere thought of it made him disgusted with himself for even imagining it.

  “Somehow, I always forget about it. Your past. How strange it must have been for you to be reborn. To experience entirely different cultures and foods and a completely different way of living.” The boy's mother looked at him with sad eyes. They weren’t filled with pity or sympathy, nor empathy, for she could never truly empathise, but simply a moroseness that could not be identified.

  “To be honest, the choice of whether to tell you guys or not was the hardest I’ve made in two lifetimes. I felt guilty that you didn’t know... especially when you took me to the church to decide if I was a demon or something.”

  After that teasing comment, the conversation devolved. Soon, Lios shared a story from his other world. The great tale of the Hobbit sprang to his mind as they settled in for the evening, enjoying some needed family time. Of course, such a long story wouldn’t last the night without some paraphrasing, nor did he know it word for word even with his skill of recollection, but it still made for a great tale that his parents greedily soaked in.

  Months passed with autumn making way to winter. Winters in Arborton, at the southern end of Jorial, were different from those of the northern cities. For one, Lios had yet to see snow fall in Arborton. In fact, though he had no temperature gauge, he doubted he had ever known the temperature to fall below forty degrees Fahrenheit.

  This all changed one day in late winter. Lios, as usual, went outside in the early morning to practice. As soon as he stepped foot outside, though, he noticed something was different. Truly, he would have been a fool to miss this.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Snow crunched underfoot as flakes danced on the wind, coating the ground. Somehow overnight, winter had come to Arborton.

  Wonder and excitement flooded the swordsman, hardly contained as he bolted back inside to locate first his coin purse and second warmer clothes. His rush back inside startled his father, who sat at the kitchen table with the foxes, and his mother, who was still sleeping in the other room. She grumbled quietly as his feet did their best impression of a herd of elephants, his excitement too much to contain.

  “What’s got you so excited, boyo?” Ezekiel asked from behind a glass of fruit juice as Lios dashed back toward the door, having donned a wool cloak that was far too small for him.

  Reluctantly, the child slowed and turned back toward his dad. “It’s snowing! I was gonna go get some gloves and maybe get all the other kids to play!”

  Surprise lit his father’s features. Lios wasn’t the most social with other kids, but that wasn’t all. In the years since he and Elaine had moved to Arborton, it hadn’t snowed a single time. The guard stood and peeked out the window. The dark of dawn made it difficult to see, but he still confirmed that indeed the ground was covered in powdery snow.

  “Well, I’ll be damned, it sure is...” By the time he turned back around, his son was out the door.

  Lios ran towards town, the satisfying crunch of frozen leaves under his boots. The snow itself was just past his ankles, around five inches deep, and would be perfect for either sledding or snowball fights. Internally, Lios began to consider all he would need to make a proper snow day for his friends and the other kids around town, how to cement this day in their memories.

  After all, he may have had plenty of experience with snow, but for many of the people of Arborton, this would be the first time they ever even saw the stuff. Possibly the last. A special occurrence such as this deserved to be celebrated.

  Gloves, cloaks, what else do we need? He thought as he neared the city gates, slowing down. Standing atop the gate, a tired guard shivered and looked down at the excited boy. Recognizing him, he called out, welcoming the change in scenery. “Oy, Lios, tis a bit early for sparrin with the guard, aint it?”

  “Aye, you’d be right! But I’m not sparrin yet; I need to get some gloves for my friends so we don’t freeze in the snow!”

  “I see, I see, but ya know... Lars Leatherworks don’t open ‘till after the sunrise. Ain’t nobody open till then, really.” The guard mused tiredly, tilting his head as he looked down at the excited ten-year-old.

  Lios simply looked up at the guard and cursed internally. He was right, and the boy knew it. Grumbling, he turned around to head back home. “Thanks for reminding me, Gerald! Guess I’ll be back after dawn!”

  He didn’t even hear the guards' response as he went back to the space behind his home to train as he had intended when he first woke that morning. Around midway through his routine, he was aware of his father heading out. When finally the sky lit up enough to be considered dawn, hidden as the sun was by the clouds, Lios rushed back inside to drop off his training weapons and scoop up his foxes.

  With both of them squirming a bit in his arms, he ran back outside, calling out to his grumbly mother, “I’ll clean it up when I come home, I promise!”

  This was naturally regarding the trail of snow he left on the hardwood floors leading to and from his home.

  On his way back out, he caught a glimpse of orange hair heading his way, a smiling twelve-year-old grinning at him in wonder. “Lios! Lios, it’s snooowing! Is this real? It’s sooo cold!”

  “Rose! Just the gal I wanted to see. Let’s go get you a cloak and glove, aye? And maybe we can find Ento and the others?” Lios grinned back.

  Rose nodded and reached out, taking Sky into her arms as she gazed about in wonder. For once, she wore pants, typically preferring skirts and dresses. She shivered; the cloak she wore was too thin to offer any real heat. The two walked a bit more calmly than when Lios had headed toward the gate that morning, chatting idly.

  They hadn’t seen each other much since the festival, both being busy with work and practicing, and Rose being busy appeasing her fiancé. She complained about Ethan as they strolled. More often than not, it was actually her parents she complained about, given that they were pushing her into marriage with the psychopath.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I know they think they’re doing what’s best for me, but Ethan is just... He’s a bully. I don’t want to marry a bully!” She said as they neared the gate. “Plus, he said he only wants to marry me so that he can have the prettiest girl in town. I’m more than my looks, ya know?”

  “Definitely. He’s a creep. I get what your parents are thinking — that he’s rich and can set you up with a good life, but they don’t see how he talks to you and treats you, I’m sure.”

  “Exactly! He just sees me as his property, and I’m not even married to him yet! He already told me he was going to make me sunder my class when we get married! Can you believe that? But Mom will not listen!” Rose growled as she confided, her frustration at the situation apparent. “Whatever, we don’t have to worry bout it today.”

  As they neared the market square, the dour conversation shifted to excited chatter as Lios told Rose his plans and ideas for the day. She knew little about snow-based activities, and so he shared with her all sorts of things they could do on their way to Lars Leatherworks. He wasted no time once he got there in buying a dozen sets of too-large gloves, leaving the store with his coin purse a few silver coins lighter.

  Their next stop took them to a tailor, where they purchased the same amount of cloaks, hopeful they would be able to get ten or more kids to join them in their festivities. After a few more errands, most importantly a stop at a bakery to pick up some ingredients, the two started looking around for their friends.

  They plodded through the snow as they searched, chatting idly, until they found Ento, Keagan, Ralphy and their two party members. They saw them from behind and decided swiftly on a course of action. Lios held a finger to his lips before crouching down, scooping up a handful of snow, and forming it into a ball. An instant later, like a laser beam, the ball of snow smashed into the back of Ento’s head and broke apart harmlessly.

  “Hey! What was that!” Ento yelled out before turning to see his old sparring partner crouched and making another ball, Luka mewling pathetically as the cold snow froze his paws.

  Before the older swordsman could say anything else, and as the rest of his party was turning to see what the hubbub was about, a second snowball zipped through the air and smashed Keagan in the cheek. He sputtered furiously and raised a hand to wipe the melting powder from his face as the rest of their party, catching on to what was happening, laughed at their friends.

  “Come on, Ento, why so serious?” Lios called out playfully, rising back up to his feet with Luka now in his arms, attempting to curl up in the boy's cloak.

  “Lios, what the hells man!” Ento called, glancing back at Keagan, who still brushed off his face.

  “Come on, guys, let’s go have some fun with the snow, aye!” Lios replied before he and Rose took off toward the gates, sure their friends would follow. “Catch us if ya can!”

  The group exchanged glances before taking off after the mischievous duo. They raced through the city streets, sparse of traffic due to the cold weather. Not everyone could afford the sudden expense of warmer clothes, so they stayed inside with a cozy fireplace instead. A few other ten to fourteen-year-olds saw, however, and with Lios calling out to them, some of them followed as well. It didn’t matter if they knew each other, it was time to play.

  Adults all around watched with wry amusement. Watching kids run through the streets was not an uncommon thing. Still, many of the adults needed to work despite the snow and went on with their business; it was a luxury of childhood that they could shirk off to play.

  After not so long, a bit more than a dozen kids stood in a circle behind Lios’s house, the clearing between the house and the trees offering plenty of space for what was about to occur. The snow was even a bit deeper than it had been before, nearly eight inches deep by the time they all gathered, but that would be all the better.

  Without much prompting, they split into two groups. Lios, Rose, Ento’s party, and Maya, who had given chase on seeing the children run through town, formed one. A smattering of other children formed the second. The two groups split up and made rudimentary snow forts, mostly just mounds to duck and hide under — nothing fancy.

  Then, without prompting, snowballs flew. They pelted each other with the ammunition, laughing whenever someone was struck. Curses were spouted and war began, snow smashing into people and trees. Yells rang out with childlike glee; excitement was palpable to any who watched.

  It was their first time seeing snow, playing in it. Their first time witnessing this majesty of nature, and for the day, at least, they could forget about any troubles and instead focus on smashing each other with harmless balls of frozen powder.

  A few adults gathered nearby to watch, taking in their children's joy and wonder. Elaine hosted them in their humble home, inviting them in to partake in some hot cocoa, courtesy of Lios as he had dropped off the ingredients upon returning home. They chatted about their kids as they watched from the windows or open door, listening to them call out at each other.

  After a while, once everyone was tired from the activity, the kids were brought their own mugs of hot cocoa, some of the adults having gone back home to bring spare mugs over to accommodate the eighteen kids. They enjoyed the warm, sweet drink for a while before going back out into the winter wonderland, now set to make some snowmen.

  The activities continued late into the afternoon. At some point, they managed to get their hands on some shields the guards used for training and located a hill where Lios showed them how to sled. Miraculously, nobody sustained any injuries as they all participated. By the end of the day, the entire group was bruised and tired, but each child wore a smile on his or her face, and their parents did the same.

  By the end of the day, everyone was tired, but Lios was sure they would remember this day for years to come.