He didn't think for long because his sense of duty nagged at him. There was still one more delivery to make. He picked up two of the remaining leaf-wrapped parcels his mom had prepared. "I'm going to take these over to Thomas and the other patrolmen. I'll be back soon." he said before leaving.

" Hurry on back dear." His mother said, watching him leave through the door.

The walk to the village's edge wasn't as long as one would expect, since the evening was growing near, the ever growing cold spurred him on. He soon reached the villages edge where he found Thomas standing at his post.

His figure looked like a solid, reliable silhouette against the vast white landscape. The other patrolmen from that morning as well as some others were with him, stamping their feet to keep warm.

"Mr. Thomas," Adrian called out as he approached.

The older man turned, his stern face breaking into a smile of surprise as he saw the familiar figure. "Adrian. What brings you here?" He asked yet his eyes were curious when they landed on the objects in his hands.

" I thought it was ok to gift you something. My mother wanted to show how grateful she is of you always looking after the village." He said, inching the parcel closer.

"I'm sure you're already aware but the game we caught was simply too much, so..." Adrian said, handing one of the larger packages to Thomas. "For you and your family. I'm sure you're family wouldn't mind a few extra portions of meat to last during the winter."

Thomas took the heavy parcel, surprised by the supposed gesture. "That's mighty kind of you, son. Truly. We don't get fresh venison like this often. Your mom really is an angel. My wife will be over the moon after getting wind of this." He clapped Adrian on the shoulder, his gesture, one of genuine gratitude.

As Thomas spoke, Adrian noticed the other patrolmen trying and failing, to hide their interest. They were doing a poor job of pretending not to stare at the second parcel still in Adrian's hand, their faces a mix of hope and envy.

Adrian smiled to himself. He walked over to them. "And this one." he said, offering the second package, "is for you all to share. Of course I didn't forget the rest of you. It's only fitting that you all are rewarded with a good meal for all your efforts as well."

The two men's eyes widened. Their stern patrol masks dissolved into looks of suprise.

" Y-Your serious?" One of them asked, doubtful.

" Hahahaha, well I'll be." One struggled to hold back his laughter. It wasn't everyday they were treated with so much heating, not to mention they it was hard to catch game in this season.

"Boy, Thank you!" one of them exclaimed, taking the meat as if it were solid gold.

"You're a true man my boy!" the other added, his voice full of excitement. "We'll not forget this!"

" Three hearty cheers for Miss Melissa's boy!"

" Hip hip hurray!"

" Hip hip hurray!!"

" Hip hip hurray!!!"

Adrian basked in their heartfelt compliments for a moment, feeling a simple, uncomplicated pride. This was what community was about. Giving and gaining.

He believed with their newfound gratitude, they would be more eager to carry on their work. The more they worked, the safer the village would be.

Thomas, watching the exchange, pulled Adrian aside a few steps, his voice dropping to a more confidential tone. "I have to say, lad, it seems like you're really making it big."

Adrian blinked, confused. "Making it big? What do you mean?"

Thomas gave a gruff laugh. "Well, let's see. You somehow end up with three wives, each more striking than the last, and now you're off to the capital! That's a turn of fortune most men only dream about."

The confusion on Adrian's face deepened. The wives, he understood, that was the story he'd told. But the capital… "How did you know about that?" he asked, his voice cautious.

Now it was Thomas's turn to look puzzled. "You told me yourself, didn't you? This morning, when you introduced your… brides."

"No, not the girls," Adrian said, shaking his head. "I mean, how did you know I was going to the capital?"

Understanding dawned on Thomas's face. "Oh! That. The young man you pulled out of the woods, Leo was it?"

" He came around a few days ago. Quiet fellow, but I have to admit, the lad sure is a wonderful young man, not like the usual wealthy folk I've heard about."

Thomas laughed heartily before continuing.

" He asked us to keep a special eye out for anyone bearing his family's emblem, he said he was arranging passage to the capital for his rescuer."

" I'm guessing that offer still stands for your new family." Thomas smiled. "Didn't think much of it until now."

Adrian blinked, then let out a soft, helpless chuckle.

"So that's why." he said to himself.

"Leo's been preparing the ground. Making sure the village watch wouldn't be suspicious when we left nor cause any disturbance for his families people."

" He's smarter than he looks." He muttered beneath his breath. It was a relief, in a way. It meant Leo was taking their leave more seriously than he expected.

He talked with Thomas for a few more minutes about nothing in particular, the weather, the patrol routes, the best way to cook boar meat.

Then, with a final wave to the still-beaming patrolmen, Adrian turned and headed for home.

Adrian pushed the door open and stepped inside. His mother was still by the hearth, carefully turning the strips of venison to ensure they dried evenly.

"Back already?" Melissa asked, not looking up from her work. "That was quicker than I expected."

Adrian offered a tired but genuine smile. Thomas says thanks." he said before his eyes fell upon the last remaining parcel of meat, neatly wrapped in its broad leaf and resting on the table. He walked over and picked it up, there was no time to waste, he wanted to give away this one to that he could finally enjoy his rest.

Melissa glanced over, her curiosity piqued. "And who is the last one for, dear?"

Adrian's smile turned soft, the silhouette of a certain someone emerging in his mind. "This one," he said, laughing lightly. "is for a friend."

******

In her tidy, well-kept home, Elara took a slow, deliberate sip from a delicate ceramic cup. The tea was chamomile, meant to be calming, but it did little to settle the tension that sat like a physical presence in her small living space. Seated opposite her, in Elara's own best chair, was a woman who stood out like a black dot on a white canvas, in the simple room.

The woman was beautiful in a sharp, theatrical way. Her hair was cut short at the nape of her neck, a severe black bob that framed a face with high cheekbones and a mocking smile.

Her clothing, while fine, was wholly unsuitable for the climate, While others wore thick fur cloths, what she had on was a low-cut bodice and a diaphanous skirt that revealed more of her alluring, pale skin than it concealed. In layman's terms, she looked like a performer who had wandered off stage and into the audience.

Elara gently placed her cup back on its saucer. The soft clink was unnaturally loud in the quiet room. "Why are you here, Silvia?" she asked, her voice flat and devoid of its usual warm hospitality.

Silvia's smile widened, she made no effort to hide her true feelings. "Must there be a reason, dear senior? Can't a junior simply wish to visit? To see how you're… managing?" Her gaze swept dismissively over the humble, homely room.

Elara said nothing. She simply stared in silence, her dark eyes holding a deep, weary coldness. The silence soon stretched, becoming heavy and uncomfortable.

After a long moment, Silvia let out an exaggerated sigh, as if vexed by Elara's lack of cooperation. " Fine... very well." She let out an annoyed sigh.

" Looks like you haven't changed a single bit... always so serious." Silvia let out a breath before continuing.

" Well if you must know, I'm here to retrieve a lost target. A little bird just so happened to escape my claws... I'm sure you can understand. Once I retrieve my target, I'll be out of your hair without a moment longer."

Elara's expression did not change after hearing her words, instead her eyes were suffused with even more coldness that the very room seemed to drop in temperature.

"You are still not telling me why you are in my home."

" I find it hard to believe that you crossed half the continent and happened to find me by chance in this little village over one 'lost target.' "

" That reason is far to flimsy and I'd like to believe that you're not..."

Silvia let out a tinkling laugh, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Senior, you're being so mean!" She leaned forward, her posture feigning hurt. "But you're right."

" What more would I expect from the best of the best." Her eyes were filled with praise. " You're still as sharp as ever." She said with a smile before her playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a businesslike sharpness.

"I am here to inform you that he has taken notice of your extended… sabbatical."

' He...' Elaras demeanor turned gloomy at the mention of that single word.

" Yes... He." Silvia chuckled lightly as if she could read the poor woman's mind.

" He requests, and by requests I mean demands, that you stop idling and take up the task you were assigned."

A glacial chill seemed to radiate from Elara. "I thought I made myself perfectly clear when I left. I have no intention of ever listening to him again."

"Tsk, tsk," Silvia chided, shaking her head with a false sadness. "You, of all people, should know it's impossible to truly escape him. The best you can do, for everyone's sake, is comply. It's a simple task, really. Just a minor issue you can simply get over anytime you wanted."

"Get it done, and you can return to your charming little retirement." Her smile was similar to a vixens, alluring yet dangerous. "Or what's left of it."

Elara's lips curled into a sneer. "And what if I refuse?"

Silvia chuckled, her sweet voice turning lower till it resembled a guttural sound that was utterly at odds with her beautiful face. But the chuckle didn't stop there. It grew, distorting, as her body began to shift with it.

Her perfect white teeth elongated into needle-like fangs. Her manicured nails thickened and sharpened into frightening claws. The skin on her head seemed to bubble and split, opening to reveal several unblinking, eyes that dotted her scalp and forehead. Where her mouth had been, the flesh tore open into several vertical, lipless gashes, each lined with rows of rotating, razor-sharp teeth. The alluring woman was gone, replaced by a multi-eyed, multi-mouthed horror lounging in the chair.

"Refusal..." the thing that was Silvia hissed from all its mouths at once, the sound was nerve-wracking , like multiple scraping pieces of metal, "is not an option we are prepared to entertain."

Elara didn't flinch. She didn't even lean back. She simply looked at the monstrous visage before her with the same cold, unimpressed countenance. One of her eyebrows arched slightly. "And you believe this parlor trick gives you the ability to contend with me?"

" Silvia dear, do you really believe that my strength had weaned because of my retirement?" Elara sneered mockingly, not taking in Silvia's horrifying transformation.

The tension in the room spiked, thick enough to taste, yet neither parties released a trace of bloodlust. The air grew still, the fire in the hearth seeming to dim. The two powerful, inhuman forces stared each other down, one a bastion of cold resolve, the other a writhing mass of predatory threat.

It was at that exact moment, as the silent battle of wills reached its peak, that a firm, clear knock sounded on the front door.

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