It was a brisk winter morning in Colhen; the fragrant aroma of Tieve's pancakes permeated the air. Colhen's aged architecture and woods were coated in a blanket of white as it snowed.
The enfeebled wooden door of the prominent inn creaked open, followed by the subtle vibration of metal on snow. The owner of the sound trudged sluggishly towards a weathered snow-covered panel made of ancient wood.
He was a mercenary, dressed in his conventional plate armor with two swords of similar make suspended on his sides.
"Damn!" Lann muttered to himself. He forgot that it was Christmas. To make matters worse, he also forgot to procure a present for his esteemed lover.
Lann face planted into the marketplace board. He spotted a crumbled paper that was tacked onto the panel. He realized that it would be the ideal gift for her. Pirate earrings.
She had a fascination with pirates. She even had a nearly complete set of pirate armor. She might have hinted to Lann that she desired an earpiece. If Lann bought the earrings, it would complete her set. He might even acquire something special in return.
Lann beamed at the price stamp in dismay. "Four-hundred thirty million gold coins? How could these tiny earrings be worth so much? I wonder how the hell Fiona was able to afford a whole set of armor!" exclaimed Lann.
Lann shoved his hands in his pockets. As he excavated the depths of his compartments looking for his wealth, the hatch at the inn unlocked. A young lady wandered out, dressed in a chunky fur coat and wearing a balmy woolly headpiece. Her subdued footsteps amplified as she approached Lann.
"Morning!" she said. "Watcha doing?"
Lann jumped in place and turned around sharply. He sighed as a wave of relief washed over him.
"Thank god. Evie! Help me, please" Lann blabbered and dropped to his knees, clapping his hands together and wearing a puppy-eyed expression on his face.
Evie rolled her eyes in disbelief. "What is it this time?" She scoffed. Lann requested another favor for the hundredth time.
Evie planted her hands on her hips. "Sorry, Lann, I do not have that kind of money on me right now."
Lann face planted, again, into the snow. He turned around with his arms spread out, exhaling slowly. He had a look of defeat on his youthful face, as well as flakes of snow covering his hair.
"B-but... It's Christmas." he spluttered.
Evie sighed deeply. "Look, the best I can do is to hunt for some rare fangs with you, okay? Then you can just sell them for some quick profit."
Lann sat up and clapped his hands together for a second time. His eyes gleamed with hope. He bowed and then looked up to his colleague in awe. "Oh thank you, thank you. You're a lifesaver!" he said.
Embarrassed, Evie's cheeks turned into a shade of red. "Oh, it's nothing really. I just wanted to see you get torn apart by-Hey! Get off me!" She swatted her hand at Lann, who was on all fours and kissing her feet. A hard smack hit Lann squarely in the cheek. He shrieked in pain and rubbed his cheek, peering at Evie with fury in his eyes.
A couple of onlookers observed the peculiar scene. Evie noticed them and promptly acted as if the situation was orderly. When they moved on, she turned her head to glare at Lann.
"Geez, a simple 'thanks' would have been better. You didn't need to embarrass me like that!" She hissed.
"Sorry." whimpered Lann. A clearly visible small red handprint formed on his left cheek. Evie hoisted Lann up with a flick of her hand and strutted hastily to the docks, Lann followed after her.
Fiona lay in her bunk, wide awake, staring at the low ceiling of the inn. She climbed out of bed and combed her lengthy dark hair, pulled a pair of boots on, and dressed in her winter gear.
She gently pushed the door of her room ajar and descended the wooden staircase, taking in the scent of pancakes. She looked at a table in the distance, occupied by two men who sat and ate. She traversed through the spirited tavern and paused when she reached the two familiar mercenaries.
"Good morning Kai, Karok." Fiona said lazily, spreading out her arms into the air and yawning.
"Hello, Fiona." replied Karok.
Kai looked at Fiona for a moment, and then went back to eating his pancakes.
Fiona looked at him in bewilderment. Karok cleared his throat loudly.
"Don't mind him, I haven't heard a word from him since I awoke." said Karok.
Without uttering a word, Fiona pulled up a wooden chair and helped herself to some pancakes in silence.
Karok sat, watching as the two mercenaries ate. He sighed and exited the inn.
Kai looked up from his plate and faced Fiona. "So, how are you and Lann doing?" he said abruptly.
Fiona looked up from her empty plate and wiped her mouth with a cloth. "We're doing fine, I wonder what he got me for Christmas." she replied.
Kai nodded. He grabbed his bow and quiver, which rested on the floor of the inn, pulled his hood over his head, and headed out the door.
Despite the fact that it was the holidays, several mercenaries were still burdened by several tasks and chores. However, Fiona sat in her chair staring into space, ignoring the clamor of the tavern. She had already completed her assignments days ago.
She climbed the stairs of the inn slowly, brushing her hand along the wooden rail, thinking about Lann. She retreated to her room briefly to prepare her gift for Lann.
The gargantuan corpse of a green cobra lay lifeless on the jungle grounds. After spending copious amounts of time slashing the beast repeatedly, Lann finally brought an end to his hunt.
Five dark black cores spread out from the corpse and flew around the landscape, landing in random patches of grass. The duo spent minutes collecting their cores and regaining their energy.
Lann cursed under his breath. "No luck." Lann fell to the ground in defeat, his arms and legs were sore and his body was bruised all over.
Evie stared at the object in her hands with excitement. It was quite large, about the size of Evie's palm, and very sharp. She looked over at Lann, who buried his face in his hands. Evie frowned at the sight and walked over to the swordsman, gently laying the large fang on his lap.
Lann wiped his face and gawked at the object in amazement.
"Is it really? For me?" he said.
Evie nodded. "What the heck, it's Christmas. What are friends for?" Evie replied, flashing him a warm smile.
Lann shoved the fang into his pockets. He got up and hugged Evie very tightly that she almost choked.
Evie coughed a little and pushed the muddy swordsman aside. "I'll give you a week to repay that ginormous debt to me, by the way." Evie said in a playful tone, winking at Lann.
Lann stared at her wide-eyed. "Oh... Yeah! Totally. Not a problem. Don't worry about it; I'll repay you in no time." Lann said nervously while scratching the back of his head.
Evie giggled. "I'm just joking. Come on, let's get out of here, you smell really bad." Evie pinched her nose.
Hours later, Lann and Evie cleaned themselves up and gathered within close proximity to the mercenary outpost.
"Well, I'm going on shopping spree with Vella. Good luck selling that thing!" Evie walked away and waved at Lann.
Lann smiled at Evie's retreating figure. He took out the fang from his pocket and looked at it. After a few seconds, the mercenary walked toward the familiar snow-covered board.
He looked at the post concerning the pirate earrings. Just then, a brilliant idea had crossed Lann's mind. 'What if I just ask to trade with him?' he thought.
Lann rummaged through his guild's shared storage chest for a quill and ink. He dipped the pen into the ink and hastily scribbled the words "Interested in trading with you, meet me in front of the inn. Look for the handsome man with the awesome looking armor, thanks. -Lann"
Lann grinned to himself and stored the pen and ink away. He walked to the front of the inn, sitting on the bench and petting Tieve's beloved dog, Theo.
Minutes passed and Lann grew weary. He rested his head on his hands and perched himself down on the bench. A middle-aged man approached the mercenary and paused. He awkwardly stood there for a moment while staring at Lann.
"Hello... Are you Lann?" the man croaked.
Lann sat straight up in an instant, gazing at the fellow mercenary who called out his name.
"Yep, wow, you sure are old. How long have you been here?" replied Lann.
The mercenary looked at the swordsman in annoyance. "I'm not old, I just have a lot of experience." he said. "Oh, and were you looking for this?" he held a pair of shiny crystal earrings with his fingers.
Lann hastily dug into his pockets. "Uh, yes sir, I was. Will you accept this fang in exchange for such a masterpiece?" he held the fang out on this palms, looking at the mercenary with hope.
The mercenary scratched his chin and inspected the fang. He paused briefly. Lann looked at him with concern.
"Alright, this'll do. May this masterpiece aid you in your future battles." he said.
The two men traded their materials and parted ways. 'Now all I need to do is put this in a fancy box and give it to Fiona!' Lann thought.
Lann sprinted back to the storage chest and pillaged its contents once more. He found a cute little box that was encrusted with colorful ornate patterns.
"This storage unit is mighty useful" Lann said to himself. He placed the earrings carefully into the small box which made a perfect fit.
Nearby, the door of the forge opened, and the warmth engulfed Lann. Lann turned and saw Fiona, who was carrying a rather massive case. He held the box in his right hand and hid it behind his back, then walked towards Fiona.
"Hey Lann, where have you been?" Fiona called out.
"Oh, nothing. Just getting you... This!" Lann pulled out the small box proudly. Fiona gasped and stared at the object in wonder. Placing the large case down, she slowly grasped the box from Lann and opened it with care.
Fiona's dark brown eyes twinkled when she saw the masterpiece.
"You shouldn't have. This means so much to me! Thank you so much Lann!" Fiona hugged Lann tightly.
"No problem. So what's that you got there?" he said, pointing towards the box that lay beside Fiona.
"Go ahead, open It." she said.
Lann bent down to his knees and opened the package. He pulled out two beautifully crafted spears and stared at it in perplexity.
"Wow. I don't even know what to say! Thanks, my love." he said.
Fiona blushed. "Oh, it's nothi-" Lann pulled Fiona closer and kissed her.
"Merry Christmas." he whispered in her ear.
"You too." she whispered.
Author's Note: The aggregate numerical value of my published chronicles has reached an insignificant value of four. Inasmuch as my creative writing expertise is currently a work in progess, constructive criticism is most welcome, and is highly encouraged as well. If you take notice into any grammatical absurdity, or stiff sentence structure, indulge me by sending forth a private message, and I shall remedy the delinquency of my wrongdoings post-haste.