It was some time later that dinner was delivered, along with a basin of water and clean cloth so that he could clean himself up from the earlier fight. He ate the soup and bread quickly, shaking his head that even this simple spread was extravagant in taste. He removed his leather bracers and pouches and laid them out on the desk, frowning at the burnt material and deciding that he would have to replace them. Then he stripped off his outer garb and inner shirt- sighing in relief as the heat of the day disappeared into the quickly cooling night air. He picked up the cloth and set about wiping the sweat off, humming quietly to himself. He gently dabbed at the tender skin on his cheek, sure he was sporting an angry mark from the effects of the beast’s blood. He spotted the small vial of soothing gel that the inner city physicians had created to treat burns. It soothed the pain from the burn, and he knew that scarring was unlikely.

Quiet nights such as this would be rare, he might as well enjoy it while he could.

He was suddenly startled as the door to the small room was pushed open, and the bane of Alois’s world stepped in- head held high as he surveyed the small space and then finally Alois.

The ruby eyed man was careful not to shift under his gaze, even though he wanted nothing more than to cover his regrettably exposed chest before the King. Yulian shut the door softly behind him after dismissing the guards outside. Alois set the cloth aside with a soft sigh, knowing that whatever peace he had thought he would get tonight was now lost. The guise of poised command slipped away from the King, and he was now instead looking at Alois softly, as he had ever since that fateful winter night so many years ago.

“Can I help you Yulian?” The smaller man eyed the King wearily.

“Why do you treat me as a bane to you?” Yulian took the only chair in the room, Alois careful to make sure there was space between them. “I only want what is best for you Alois. Yet you keep pushing me away. No one else in my Kingdom can say that. No one else can say the King favors them as I do you.”

Alois grit his teeth while Yulian talked. He had to do this carefully. Yulian seemed to be in his forgiving mood, and could heed any request Alois made if he went about it in the right way. It seemed the earlier take down of the beast had satisfied the King, and that he would be more open to hearing the Hunter out. He remained silent, knowing Yulian wasn’t done. The older man leaned forward, green eyes shining, almost pleading in the half light. Yet the stain of blood had never seemed to fade from the King’s skin in the mind of Alois, those green eyes still haunting despite not having the cold anger in them now.

“You are strong and talented. The other Hunters respect you, if their obedience at your command earlier proved anything. And if you were to take the position as my Shadow you will answer to no one but myself. You will be my right hand. I would trust no other with this task.” There was a long moment of silence as green met red in the flickering light. It was Alois who finally spoke.

“I...I thank you for your kind words. And for helping me grow all these years. I really do appreciate it Yulian. I just have one request...if you grant me this request, I will take up the position as your Shadow with no reservation or regret.”

Yulian seemed to light up, a smile appearing on his lips. “Yes. Anything you want I will grant. I want you happy by my side.”

Alois was careful with his next words. “One year. I desire a year to travel with my squad to the north. I hear the mountains there are breathtaking… and that..” He flushed slightly, but he needed to show his honesty to appeal to Yulian. “I hear that it snows there quite often. I...very much want to see it in the winter time.” He shifted under the other man’s gaze. “And if you plan to expand there, I can lay the foundation that will help set an invaluable starting point for future expeditions. I can provide an in depth look at the surrounding countryside and its usefulness for our country.” Alois sat straight, not breaking the eye contact with the King. He was sure to emphasize that he considered the kingdom both of theirs, something that they would share together. Another moment of silence stretched on between the two men as Yulian seemed to search his gaze.

“You’ve thought this out. I would sound an utter fool to turn down such a proposition. You will come home at the year’s end?”

Alois could feel the hope rising in his chest. “Yes. I will.”

“And you will become my Shadow?” Yulian pressed, eager to hear the words he’d been trying to pry from the younger man.

“I will become your Shadow, yes.” Alois pushed the lump in his chest aside at that thought. He would handle it when the time came. The smile on Yulian’s face lit up the small room, and almost made Alois feel as if everything in his future would be ok, that it would be filled with a bright promise of a better world.

“You have my blessing to go then. You can stay here tonight to rest up after today, and I will send word to your squad that you will be joining them. You may join the preparations in the morning.” Yulian reached out to brush his fingers against Alois’s cheek then tucking a stray ivory curl back behind his ear. “I will miss you while you are gone Alois. But if this helps to settle that wanderlust inside you, I will gladly allow it.”

Alois nodded, opting not to respond. His nerves were on fire, hoping the King would not decide to stay with him that night. Holding very still he waited a few long moments while Yulian gazed at him, then the King stood. “Rest well Alois, you will have a lot of work to prepare for this trip.”

He waited until the King was gone and the door firmly shut before falling back onto the bed, ignoring the leather digging into his back. A whole year. He felt laughter bubbling from inside him, and it filled the room as the candles flickered in the gentle breeze.

Several days later found a large caravan making its way north through grassy hills and gentle sloping valleys. At it’s head rode Alois, excitement bubbling within him as their group made its way north at last. He’d tolerated Yulian’s coddling the last few days, with the prospect of his year of freedom, he hadn’t minded it as he normally would. Not even the King’s insistence on the entirety of last night being spent with him could dampen Alois’s mood. Now that he was in the open air, not even the heat touched his high spirits and it spread to every soldier that was accompanying them. Alexander and the rest of the squad had been overjoyed to hear that Alois would join them on their expedition, and they had held a small celebration with a few of their fellow Hunters. Muto especially seemed pleased, having not understood Alexander’s explanation on why they would have to leave Alois behind.

Now though, the five moved together, camping under the night sky as the air became lighter the further north they traveled, and the stars shone brighter. It was as if a weight had been removed from them- and they were determined to make the most of their time together. Once they had arrived at the camp they quickly surveyed the three buildings that had seemingly been hastily erected to provide shelter. With exasperated glances, the squad laid out plans for improvement in shelters and in protection. The forest that lay just beyond the clearing was daunting, silent and dark even in the summer sun. With plans finalized, they set to work on gathering supplies and drawing out the foundations for newer, stronger buildings. In the first month, Alois set out to visit the nearby villages to meet with their leaders to organize trade for supplies in exchange for protection from the Hunters. He was welcomed with open arms and treated as family by everyone he met, and it made his heart swell. Here were people who still needed warriors like himself, who still appreciated what risks they took to face the monsters in the wild.

Two months had passed, and the air took on a slight chill in the evenings. A wall now surrounded their camp, more of a village in itself now that they had been hard at work erecting shelters and buildings. Stables were made and pasture set aside for the horses and newly acquired livestock. Dorms were built where each soldier could easily have their own sizable room should they desire too, but most decided to stay within their squads. Everyone was quite content working with one another, and news from the Capitol was just rare enough that Alois was able to relax into this quiet life.

Icchorian appearances are also rare, and attacks even more so but easily dealt with. More than once Alexander comments on how unusual the beasts are that show up- eyes wild and the disregard for life shining bright. That and the seemingly complete disappearance of any who had exhibited almost Human behaviour before. It was just like the one that had barged through their training camp, and they all had the same single mindedness to destroy. Many Hunters speculated that perhaps the ones who had intelligence had hidden themselves, no longer able to fight against the growing strength of the Humans. Other rumors surfaced, saying the Icchorians had retreated to build a civilization of peace deep underground while others proposed that they were merely building their numbers before they would assault the day dwellers. All of it was speculation, as no one had seen an Icchorian willing to hold still long enough to confront them. One would be lucky just to kill them before being torn apart.

Most days passed quietly however and Alois found himself growing fond of not only the countryside as autumn came, but with the locals as well. He had yet to get to the ones that lay to the far north, but he had plans to make it as soon as winter set in, determined to see the snowfall that would herald the darker months. Alexander would tease him often, saying his hair curling in his eyes should be enough white in his lifetime. The ruby eyed leader would stick his tongue out, childlike even with a killing record such as his.

It was a quiet evening that the first frost set in on the dying leaves that littered the ground. Alois had pressed against the glass, feeling the cold on the other side of the pane that made him shiver with excitement more than the cold. His squad watched him fondly, Nai making a comment that he wasn’t aware they hired children to play pretend as captains. This had the gathering laughing in shared amusement at the youth’s expense, who could think of no retort. This contented bubble was shattered though, by the door banging open revealing someone the group did not recognize but was escorted by one of their scouts.

“Captain! Sorry for the intrusion but this man comes bearing grave news from further north.”

Alois stepped forward, beckoning them inside to sit by the fire, allowing the two to catch their breath. He called for blankets and warm drinks to be brought to them, urging them to rest a moment before speaking. Finally the stranger, who introduced himself as an inhabitant of a small village that was the furthest to the north of the Human territory- Riambet. Alois pulled over a map, having the man indicate its location before starting his story.

“My village has survived in the valley for many, many years- even before the Hunters of Leben Festung approached us. We are far away, milord, and are often not in contact with your men. We’ve never really had the need for assistance, except for very rare occasions.”

“Such as the one that has brought you to us? You have traveled far.”

The man nodded. “It has been five days of travel since I have left sire, and I have not stopped but once. Please hear me out, we need your help. We’ve heard of you- of your unparalleled skill in battle. You have a way of defeating the Blood Monsters, do you not?”

All was silent. Here seemed to be a real threat at last since their arrival. Alois nodded, indicating the man to continue.

“Our home is protected by the mountains, the cold wind of winter never touches us, though it affects the woods around us, occasionally cutting us off from the rest of the world. But we have survived. There are many legends as to why this is, all involve the presence of the Große Schloss.”

A few of the men exchanged glances at the word, having heard it in legends from other local villages- spoken of fearfully.

“Whatever the case, we have never felt the bite of winter. We can grow crops when they should die, we can raise livestock when other animals would perish. We are very grateful to the land for allowing us life where there should be none. Despite this, we are still susceptible to the occasional threat from the outside. Our children are raised in the wilderness around us, they can find their way through the forest and back again, so it is not uncommon for them to go out to hunt or play. This was the case not two weeks ago. They traveled, tracking some prey to the land around große Schloss when one of them was dared to enter the courtyard of the castle, as they often dare with one another. In all my years, milord, there has never been anything in that place. It just leaves us unsettled. We feel that we should never disturb whatever spirit may rest there- that their suffering has been tenfold and our presence would only worsen its fate. But children are adventurous where we are cautious.

Two boys entered- so daring as to even step inside the main doors. One of the boys recalled the room was vast and empty, quiet even with the wind blowing outside. They saw various things strewn about on the floor, one being a wooden toy sword. Of course they thought these abandoned, and one of them immediately lay claim to it. It wasn’t long however that they realized they were not alone. A towering man was there with them and it had the eyes of a devil- a monster in Human form. It flew at our boys, and was able to ensnare the one holding the sword- a measly weapon when faced with such a beast. He….” The man choked, voice failing him. Alois rested a hand on his shoulder.

“You do not have to say. Did he survive?”

The man shook his head, taking a moment to collect himself before continuing. “His friend was only able to escape while the beast was distracted. We have not dared to approach to retrieve anything that may be left.” His head fell forward. “We are ashamed in our cowardice to bring the boy to rest.”