Alright, long chapter ahead because I want to get this plot moving so we can get to more interesting stuff.
Mitch's breath steamed in the frigid air, creating a cloud of fine white mist which hung in the air for a moment before disappearing. He breathed out more slowly, creating a thicker white cloud which followed the way of the first. The snow made a hush hush sound underneath the hooves of the horses, the breath of the horses also steaming in the air. He huddled deeper into the fur of his jacket, loving the feeling of his body being nice and warm in the jacket while his nose and ears tingled in the cold, despite the knitted beanie he wore. The snow country always held a special place for him as his mother's grandparents had owned a small house just inside the snow border which he had visited at the beginning of every winter until he was 10, while his father's grandparents owned the army base down south.
"Are you sure this is the right way, Jason?" Ty's voice asked, his face hidden in the hood of his thick jacket.
"Positive," Jason said from beside him. "Head north, past the wide river with two willow trees crossing over to make an 'X', past the dead forest. We should find them soon."
"If you say so," Ty said, standing up in his saddle partly to stretch his legs and partly to try and see the first sign of the kingdom of the Snow Strikers. The landscape was a white carpet as far as they could see but up ahead were several groups of either small mountains or large hills, it was hard to tell which. The sky was overcast and although it had been threatening for the past several hours, it finally acted on its threat and the first snowflakes came fluttering down, settling on the shoulders and ears of the horses before it was flicked off. The hoofprints of the horses faded as a combination of the slowly darkening sky and the flurry of snowflakes blocking them out.
Mitch's horse reared suddenly, flashing its hooves in the air as the snow a few metres in front of it rose up. Mitch, a skilled horse rider practically since birth, easily retained his seat in the saddle and held the reins tightly, bringing his horse under control. The other horses had similar reactions as more figures rose up out of the snow, as silent as the powder around them. Their clothes, thick and form-fitting, were varying shades of light grey and white that made them blend into the snow even though Mitch knew exactly where they stood. They didn't hold any weapons and they were silent, but over their shoulders were bows, and daggers were by their thighs and swords were at their waists. Their faces were covered by the same material their clothes were made of, hiding their mouths and nose while leaving their eyes free. Mitch held his horse in, calming it by patting its neck while eyeing the warriors warily.
"Who are you?" Ty asked, his horse skittish and stepping back from the warriors nervously.
"That is for us to question," one of the warriors said, his voice muffled by the material over his mouth. "It is you who are in our territory."
"We don't want any trouble," Jason told them.
"That is for us to decide," the man said again. "Who are you and why should we let you stay?"
Mitch slowly rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and glanced at Jason, motioning for him to reply. He hesitated for a few moments before doing so. "My name is General Jason. I've been in communication with Queen Anne of the Snow Strikers and we've come up here to make a treaty as the Queen and I discussed."
The warrior nodded slightly as if considering his words. "And what about your associates?" he asked, gesturing with a waved hand to the others.
"These are Generals Mitch, Ty and Quentin," Jason said, "as well as our small escort."
There was a tense wait as the warrior cast his eyes over them one by one, assessing them. Finally, he gave a nod and said "Had my Queen not told me of your arrival, I would have sent you back the way you came. Follow us, the kingdom is not far."
The warriors broke their circle and followed their leader at a light jog, obviously expecting the friends to follow along behind, which they did. There was no conversation, the only sounds being the hush hush of the snow against the horses' hooves and the warriors' feet and the jangle of harnesses. Mitch noticed that they were approaching one of the clumps of mountains but didn't see the base until they were almost at it. The gates, made of a dull grey metal, were covered in snow and blended so well with the stone and snow of the mountains around it that if Mitch didn't know what he was looking for, he would have missed it all together. Even so, he didn't see the figures standing atop the gate until they stood up and moved, going to a cog machine to open up the gate for the group, revealing the shallow valley encased between the group of mountains.
It was very well disguised, the snow being the primary camouflage for the buildings which were dotted in a semi-neat way across the valley. People dressed in warm light blue jumpers or brown coats walked from building to building which were all made of a deep brown wood with wide windows, the roofs slanted at a steep angle to allow the heavier snow to slide off while still allowing lighter snow to grip and conceal the roof. The fire pits spread out at even intervals along the streets, people gathering around them to warm their hands and the lightly falling snow gave the scene a sort of fairytale-like feel.
As they rode through the streets, Ty glanced to the left and saw a squat house not unlike the alchemy building Seto had back at home, with small windows and a dark interior, the roof also slanted. An old man was watering a few curiously shaped plants out the front and he glanced up as if he felt Ty's gaze, his eyes surprisingly young and bright for someone with hair that white. Ty quickly glanced away, a chill going down his back.
The entire camp was protected by walls made by the mountains and a guard of thick pine and alder trees surrounding the camp in a ring. The warriors led the Generals and their escort down the main street which ran straight through the camp, splitting up about halfway to go around a large, central house before running straight again.
The house was by far the largest in the camp. It had three parts it seemed, one double-story section running the same direction as the path while two one-story sections came out of the side about halfway down, one on either side. Like all the other houses, it was made of the dark wood with a slanted roof and had a balcony on the second story that looked out towards the gate. A few people dressed in puffy blue jumpers, two men and three women, stepped forward as they approached the house.
"Dismount here," the leading warrior said, then gestured to the approaching people. "They will take care of your horses for you and make sure they are kept warm. I will also ask you to leave your weapons with George here."
"We don't intend to harm anyone," Ty said indignantly but Jason quickly cut him off.
"Ty, we do the same thing when we get lords to come together to make a treaty," he reminded, already unbuckling his sword. "It's just a safety precaution."
"Trust me, I know what it's like to not have a sword," the warrior said as George stepped forward to take the Generals' sword. "It sucks, but I have the safety of my Queen and my men to think about. Everyone good? Let's go."
The double doors were again made of the dark wood and were simply carved with a rectangle on the outside and vines that seemed to be running down the wood, their wooden buds forever stuck half open. The inside of the house was surprisingly warm, by which the friends were quite delighted. This part of the house was very open, being almost a single room for half of the length of the house with a few comfortable chairs and low tables scattered around. Racks were bolted to the wall to their right, several hooks holding jackets with gloves hanging out of the pockets. They all took off their jumpers here and Mitch stuffed his beanie in his pocket. At the end of the room, a few signs proclaimed that the kitchen, bathrooms and dining room were beyond the doors that were in the wall and to the left and right, passages lead down to presumably more rooms. A wooden staircase was up ahead to the right of the room and multiple fire pits were evenly spaced in the floor, the flames burning low and steady, a ring of solid stone between them and the wood.
"Hasn't that ever set a house on fire?" Mitch asked concernedly. He didn't like the idea of the ground he was standing on going up in flames at any second.
"It's only happened twice," the warrior said. "Your warriors can relax down here, the Queen is upstairs."
"Are you okay Quentin?" Ty asked quietly as Mitch gave a nod to their escort and they followed the white-clad warrior up the stairs.
"Yeah," Quentin said. His voice, however, told differently as it was husky and it squeaked when he talked. Mitch made a sound much like a pig would and started laughing.
"Mitch, it's not funny!" Quentin complained but his voice made Mitch laugh harder, which then made Jason and Ty start chuckling a little.
"Oh, you're losing your voice," the warrior said to Quentin. "Don't worry about it, it happens to all of us with the cold weather and all. I'll get someone to make you a honey-lemon drink, it works magic."
The wooden stairs didn't creak under them as they walked up and the handrail was smooth and held up by circular, curved posts. The upstairs, although it was lacking in fire pits, was still considerably warm and the dark tones made it seem even warmer. The floors were carpeted but the decor was simple. Two women were standing together in the room that the stairs led up to, one holding a clipboard that the two were looking at.
"If we move baits around to these three places-" the slightly older of the two women was saying, "most of the foxes would be caught and then we can release them into a safe place away from our hunting grounds."
"But then we would have to move our hunting parties, and quite a few of our traps are located in this area as well," the other woman mentioned, her finger making circles on the clipboard.
The first woman glanced up and saw the newcomers. "We'll have to chat about it later," she said to her companion. "Ask Matthew for his thoughts, he would have some good advice." The woman nodded and went down the stairs, saying a little "Excuse me" as she passed the Generals.
"Gentlemen," the warrior said. He gestured with his hand to the older woman standing with a small smile and tilted his head down ever so slightly. "Queen Anne."
"Don't bother bowing or anything," Queen Anne said quickly. "The title's more tradition than anything else." The Queen, probably being around 32 years of age or so, had wavy chocolate brown hair which was tied back in a ponytail, making it was hard to say what length it was. Her skin was a lighter colour but not pale and her brown eyes were bright but not naive, and from the way she gave each of them a quick glance, they knew that she was assessing them. She wore a simple long sleeved light blue shirt and light grey pants with soft boots. Mitch's practised eye also spotted an unusual lump at the top of her boot which he knew to be a dagger. The corner of his mouth twitched as he remembered his own dagger, also concealed in his boot.
"Hello Queen Anne, I'm General Jason," Jason introduced, stepping forward. "And these are my friends, Generals Ty, Mitch and Quentin."
Queen Anne gave them all a warm smile. "Welcome to the Snow Striker's Kingdom." She nodded to the warrior who had escorted them. "Thank you, Andreas." The warrior gave a nod and went back down the stairs while Queen Anne motioned for them to follow her through a door. The room beyond was large and had a circular table in the centre, around which were several chairs. The table was scattered with blank pieces of paper and a map which seemed to be permanently attached to the tabletop. A window was set in the wall which allowed them a decent view of the white camp outside.
"Where are the rest of the Generals of which you talked about?" Queen Anne asked Jason, closing the door behind them.
"They remained back at our base," Jason said. "You know, to keep the army running and such."
"That's what I figured. Take a seat, one of our cooks will be making warm drinks for you in a few minutes. I always tell him to do it in his own time and he always jumps to it instantly, it's both irritating and flattering."
"This is quite a well camouflaged camp you have here, Queen Anne," Mitch complimented, sitting down in one of the seats. "I couldn't spot your training grounds, however."
"Just call me Anne," Queen Anne said. "And yes, it is a bit. It took quite a while to build but we got there eventually. Most of it is just using what materials we have to blend into our environment. Our training academy is below the ground, as well as our crops. The snow can be a bother at times, but it keeps us alive and secret. You are the first army to attempt to reach out to us peacefully, as well as the first to have ever seen our base."
"We're always the first to reach out to people peacefully," Ty said with a dark chuckle.
"Indeed," Anne said with a grin. "It's quite refreshing."
The door to the room opened and Andreas came through, holding a tray with five steaming cups on it. From the smell, they held rich hot chocolates and he handed them out to the Generals and the Queen, giving one that smelt more of honey than chocolate to Quentin and saying "Drink it while it's still hot, it works better" before leaving with the tray.
"You're awesome Andreas," Anne called out after him as he closed the door again. She crossed her arms on the table, her cup resting slightly to the side. "Now, to business. You're here to discuss a treaty, so what kind of things are you suggesting?"
Jason, the unofficial treaty-organiser, instantly launched into his regular monologue, outlining agreements for non-violence, the fair treatment of subjects ("Not that that would apply to you very much"), a talk-first-fight-later attitude to other armies, the sending of aid between the two armies and, naturally, a no-attack policy for both armies against each other. About a third of the way during his speech, Anne had grabbed a pen and one of the pieces of paper and had started scribbling down notes.
"Sounds reasonable," she said when Jason finished speaking, nodding a little. "I do have one thing to add, however."
"Sure, go ahead," Jason said.
"A call to war." Her gaze was steady as she looked at each of them. "If either of us are in need of help for a battle and sends for reinforcements, the other will respond as quickly as possible."
There was an awkward silence among the four. After a few seconds, Ty cleared his throat and laced his fingers together, his empty cup beside him. "Ma'am, we aren't a violent army, we work for peace. We don't get involved in battles."
"Then why are you called an army?" Anne asked. "I saw your warriors as you rode in, they are trained and experienced men. But my army hasn't gotten involved in war for years, and I never fight unless I have a very good reason. I can assure you that when I do go to battle, it is for the safety of both my people and others." She gave a small shrug. "The likelihood of my army needing yours is low, I'll admit, but it might be helpful to you to have someone ready to help. You're not going to be able to remain peaceful forever, there will be armies who will come for battle and will not leave until they get it."
The friends glanced at each other and Mitch shrugged. "She is right," he said, reaching down under the table to scratch his ankle.
Anne gave him a small, slightly mischievous smile. "The dagger in your boot causing you grief, General Mitch?"
Mitch froze, his eyes wide and obviously guilty, then he relaxed as Anne didn't seem to mind the presence of his weapon and returned the grin. "I'll give up mine if you give up yours."
"Touche." Anne cast her glance to the rest of the group. "Do we have a deal?"
Mitch glanced at Ty, who gave a little nod. Quentin was busy sipping his honey lemon drink which was basically lukewarm by now but his lack of interjections indicated that he was fine with the idea. Jason glanced at his friends and then smiled.
"Sounds like a deal," he said.
"Awesome," Anne said, scribbling down one last note on her piece of paper with a flourish. "I've got a friend who loves writing up things and she's very impartial, so I can get her to write up the treaty and then you can read over it?"
"Yeah, we will need to get the others as well, to all sign the treaty," Ty said. "That'll take us a few days and then we can double check that everything is in order when we return."
"Honestly, I think that was the fastest we've ever made a treaty," Jason admitted.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was," Anne said, then gave a curious glance to Quentin. "Are you normally this quiet or has the cold weather affected your voice?"
"Voice," Quentin said, his voice still a little horse.
"Yeah, he's become a bit husky," Mitch said with a grin.
"I hate it when that happens," Anne said. "The lower lands are much warmer than here and the temperature change throws you out of whack. Would you like to stay the night or start heading home? There are about five hours of sunlight left and it seems that the snow has held off."
Jason glanced out the window and saw that the snow that had started falling when they arrived had indeed stopped and then he looked to Ty, who did some quick thinking. "We might get going," he said. "The place where we camped last night was about five hours away."
"In that case, I guess I'll see you in about two weeks," Anne said. "I'll get some of my warriors to top up your supplies."
"Oh, you don't need to worry, we have more than enough," Mitch started to say but Anne cut him off.
"It's the least we can do to make sure you get home safely," Anne said, waving off Mitch's words. "The snow is pretty, but it's dangerous." The Queen of the Snow Strikers walked them out of the house, putting on a puffy white jacket with light blue highlights while the friends donned their thick fur jackets before taking them to the stables. It only took a few minutes for their horses to be saddled and packed, ready to ride out. She jogged beside them while they rode to the gate and then stood at the open gate while they left, the snow stretching out before them.
"Safe travels!" she called.
"Thanks!" Mitch called back, but his words died on his lips as he glanced over his shoulder and couldn't see the gate or the warriors standing atop it, both of them having already blended into the snow and mountains.