Snow

Chapter 7

They spent the day looking at banks and various inns and were able to get a lot of ideas.

It was later that day, and Rick could tell something was wrong. "What is it, Kate? What's bothering you? And don't tell me it's nothing, that you're fine."

"I… I'm having trouble with all of this – you being Richard Castle, me ending up in a realm on a different planet, and I know it is since there is no moon. I'm having trouble with all the magic. There's magic this and magic that. I'm having trouble with Gnolls and Orcs, and Dwarves. Oh, and elves, which I still haven't seen. I'm having trouble with all of it," Kate told him, misery written all over her.

Rick opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. He needed to think.

"I'm not sure what I can tell you. My name is Richard Castle. Ask Bear, he'll tell you. As for Dwarves, you've seen them. And Gnolls and Orcs? You fought them. About where you are, you're in Faerûn, and I guarantee that. Ask anyone anywhere.

"As for the moon that isn't there, I don't know what to tell you. I know I didn't make it disappear. I don't know what else I can tell you. You've lived it. You're not dreaming if that's what you think."

"I know I've lived it, Rick. It's just that actual magic doesn't exist. Dwarves like the ones here don't exist. As for Gnolls and Orcs, I don't know. I can't explain that part of it. Not yet. The places I've been and the things I've seen... I don't know. I. Just. Don't. Know," Kate repeated.

"I don't know!" she shouted.

"Easy, Kate, easy." Rick wrapped his arms around her. "How can I help? What can I do that will convince you? Maybe this." Rick kissed her and kept kissing her. At first, she didn't kiss him back, but eventually, she did. He brushed his lips against hers, then looked at her. "Better now? None of this is an illusion. You're actually here. You're so important to me, and I really want you to help me decide what to do."

"Right, right. I'm sorry, so sorry. It just suddenly hit me. I don't believe in magic, ghosts, demons, devils, zombies, or aliens. Or at least I didn't." Kate saw his face. Something was wrong. "What is it?"

"I hate to break it to you, but Ghosts, Zombies, Demons, and Devils? All those do exist. The chances of you encountering one are…well, they're fairly slight. Now as to Aliens, I can't tell you about that. There also are Vampires, Werewolves, Wererats, and all kinds of things. While I've never personally fought all these, I know they exist."

Kate stared at him. "Really? That's crazy, completely crazy." As if having a breakdown wasn't bad enough for her, Rick had to go and add that. "What else exists? On second thought, don't answer that. I don't want to know. Vampires, really?" Kate wasn't sure she believed him.

"Afraid so. Though your chances of seeing one are slim. They hate sunlight, hate garlic, hate lots of things. They are powerful, however. Try not to think about it." Rick told her.

"Not think about it, right." He had said it, so now she was thinking about it, of course. "How do you know so much?"

"I've been a Ranger for 17 years," Rick reminded her. "I've seen a lot of things, fought a lot of things, too. In my early years, I fought with a group of friends. Lost a few of them thanks to what we fought. Bear is only four years old. I haven't had him for all that long.

"I was in Icewind Dale for a reason, not just wanting to look for that Dwarven mine. I was…I was running away. I lost too many friends. We fought a lot of monsters, and I made a lot of gold. Not a million in gold, that's new. But I've made a lot of gold in my years. I've given away a lot and donated a lot, too, most of it to the parents of my dead friends.

Kate was silent for a time. "Seventeen years. You said you were 12 when you started training, and it took four years to do that."

"Four years following my mentor into fights. I've been fighting since I was 12 years old. After four years, my mentor cut me loose. I joined up with four others, and together, we fought monsters. Antonio was our Magic User. Betty was our Cleric. Rat was our Thief. Not his real name, but he wanted to be called Rat, so we did. Rodger was our Barbarian."

Rick shook his head, looking sad as he remembered. "Antonio was the first to die. Then Rat and Rodger. Only Betty escaped, her and me. I gave thousands to one of the Temples dedicated to my God. Thousands more to their parents when I found them. All done anonymously. They never knew it was me.

"Why do you think I want to retire? I've seen death, more than my share, and I'm tired of it, of all of it. I'm broken, Kate. I want to hide in the Icewind Dale with Bear at my side. With eight hundred thousand, I can do just that. I don't owe anyone any more gold.

"That's my story." Rick slumped as he sat down and waited for Kate to reject him.

Kate had listened, but she didn't know what to think. Some of it rang true, but as for the rest, she didn't know. What she did know was one thing. "I think I love you just a little bit more." She smiled at the look of bewilderment on his face and kissed him.

"You love me?" Rick heard that much and knew it was the most important part.

"Don't let it go to your head," Kate said as she smiled at him and kissed him again.

~oo0oo~

It was the next day. Kate looked around. "What are we here for?"

"We're here to see if I can purchase a Lyre of Building," Rick replied, and they went inside.

"What does it do exactly?" Kate whispered.

"With every play, it will result in 1,000 men building for three days in just one hour," Rick said and approached the man.

Kate thought about that. "A thousand men, building for three days in just one hour... Wow, that's amazing." She came up to Rick. "Is it only a one-time thing?"

"No." Rick turned his attention back to the man. "You said you have one. And its cost?"

"Have you considered going into the construction business?" Kate asked Rick.

"Seventeen thousand gold. I'll take it." Rick turned back to Kate. "What did you say? Something about construction?" He had tried to pay attention to the man and Kate at the same time and missed what she said.

"When we return to Bryn Shander, you should open a construction business. You know, a repair place? After you build yours, of course," Kate added. "There have to be many places that could use some repair or replacement."

Rick was impressed. "That's a great idea. I'm glad you came with me."

A short while later, he came out with the device, and Rick paid him his gold. "That's a lyre?" Kate wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't that. It looked more like a miniature harp to her, just with fewer strings.

They headed directly for the stables and collected their horses. This time Kate didn't need a boost into the saddle, she managed all on her own.

They left Neverwinter and didn't look back. They had an extended ride ahead of them, and once they got to Luskan, they would sell the horses where they bought them. Then, they faced a long walk to Bryn Shander. It would take weeks before they arrived.

~oo0oo~

It was eight days to Luskan, where they would sell their horses. Rick and Kate both wanted to keep them, but the horses would never survive the bitter cold where they were going.

At Luskan, they planned to buy a whole lot of winter clothing. Yes, they had Rings of Warmth, but they needed a backup plan.

On their first night out, Kate came up to Rick. "Make love to me. Bear is outside and not watching."

~oo0oo~

It was their third day, and they were deep inside the path. Neverwinter Wood was on one side, and the coast was on the other. They heard it long before they saw it: someone was having a battle.

Rick kicked his horse into a run. Kate didn't trust she would stay in the saddle if she did that. So, she was going to have to accept a canter. Rick called for Bear, and Kate was left behind.

Rick saw dead bodies everywhere and what remained of a caravan. It was obvious they had been ambushed. It took him a little while to find where the fighting was now, and when he did, he didn't like what he saw. It was three humans remaining from the armed escort. It was a long caravan holding a lot of people. They were fighting two Trolls and losing badly. "Trolls." Rick dismounted and went into battle.

He pulled out his Arrow of Slaying and prayed it worked. He fired and struck one of the Trolls, which instantly dropped dead. "Yes!" Then he lined up his next shot and let the arrow fly. That arrow struck the Troll, but it didn't drop. "Damn. I guess we kill him the old-fashioned way."

Rick drew his sword and entered the fray. The three were happy to see the one Troll fall dead, but they couldn't celebrate quite yet since there was still one more to deal with.

Unfortunately, they lost one of their three before Rick could get close enough and attack. He struck the Troll from behind, who turned to face him.

Finally, Kate arrived. She was just in time to see what Rick and the caravan guards were fighting. Whatever it was, it was tall and green and had bumps all over its body, and was hideous to look at. There were two human guards, and there was Rick. He wasn't using his bow and was in hand-to-hand combat with it.

Kate got off her horse and drew her sword, intending to join the fight. But before she could, she saw it took just one blow from Rick to drop the beast. She hurried over to him, looked down at what remained of it, and was astonished. "Is it healing itself?"

"Yes." Rick sheathed his sword, reached into his backpack, and brought out a flask. He opened the flask, pouring every drop of the contents onto the beast. "Stand back," Rick told them, and they moved at least fifteen feet away.

Rick lit the oil, and the fire burned the beast to a crisp. "What was that?" Kate asked. "It was downright nasty."

"A Troll," Rick said grimly, "and the only sure way to kill it is to set it on fire. If not completely destroyed, it will eventually heal itself, even regrow limbs."

Kate shuddered. "Gross." She watched it burn and sheathed her sword since the fight was over. "You're sure this will work?" It looked like it was working.

"It should. The only way it wouldn't is unless this is a Troll type I don't recognize," Rick answered.

~oo0oo~

They helped the two guards get the mules back together, which had scattered thanks to the fight. "You're sure you can handle this many?" Rick asked, concerned. "There are only the two of you."

"We've tied the mules one to the other, so we should be fine," the older guard assured him. "You said you didn't encounter anything between here and Neverwinter, so we should be good. We've offered you one of our mules as thanks for your help."

"I wish you luck and safe travels," Rick told him.

"The same to you." He pulled the lead mule, and the rest followed since they had little choice.

Rick, Kate, and Bear stood off to one side and watched the train of mules go by, with the second guard bringing up the rear. He waved as he passed, and Rick did the same.

"What did we gain?" Kate was curious.

"Let's see." He left his horse to graze and approached the mule, then removed one of the ropes holding one of the two boxes in place, allowing him to open it. Kate joined him by releasing her horse to graze.

Rick looked over at her and smiled. "Spices! Salt, pepper, garlic, bay leaf, and dried chili pods just in this one box."

"That's wonderful!" Kate was excited.

"It is, but what do we do with the mule when we reach Luskan?" Rick asked her.

"All that will be too much for us to carry. I guess the mule comes with us." Kate sighed. "We just have to hope it survives the cold."

"Yeah. Well, maybe we can unload the box, and the contents will fit in my backpack." Then he shook his head. "No, we can't do that, the backpack is full of gold. You're right, Kate – the mule comes with us." Rick didn't see any alternative.

They let the horses and the mule graze for a while while they ate trail rations.

Rick pulled the mule along behind him when they got started again.

~oo0oo~

They ran across any number of humans traveling to Neverwinter. And every last one of them kept their distance once they spotted Bear.

They reached Luskan without incident. "Rick, can we stay for a couple of days? I'd love some real food for a change. We can stay in the tent outside the city, but I would like to stay," Kate asked.

"I don't see why not. We'll have to find a place for the mule," Rick reminded her.

"Thank you." Kate gave him a quick kiss.

They ended up staying for two days to eat real food: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Kate knew Rick was indulging her, but she was willing to be spoiled. They had eleven days of walking in front of them before they would reach the Ten Towns.

They said goodbye to their horses, and Kate was rather sad to see them go. She had finally gotten used to riding a horse, and her thighs no longer hurt when she did. She would miss Moriah, her mare.

Rick tugged on the mule, and they began their long walk.

~oo0oo~

They didn't stop at Fireshear this time since that meant three days the wrong way. It also meant no fresh fish, but Kate was okay with that. She would eat real food once they reached Bryn Shander.

"What do you think we'll find when we get there? I mean, will we find a place to build?" Kate asked him while they walked.

"We'll probably have to purchase something, have it torn down, and build new. What interests me more is where in the city we can build," Rick said. "I would like it to be as close to the Market Square as possible."

"That would be nice. We could go shopping any time," Kate said with a smile.

"By we, you mean you," Rick teased.

Kate didn't see what the problem was. "I like shopping."

~oo0oo~

They were almost to Bryn Shander when they encountered a caravan leaving there. One of the guards seemed to know him. "Rick!"

"Andy, is that you?" Rick grinned as he greeted him. "How are you doing?"

"I can't complain. You still have Bear, I see," Andy observed.

"Till the day one of us dies," Rick told him. "We didn't encounter anything between here and Fireshear, but then someone would have to be very stupid to risk coming up against Bear."

"Thanks for the information." Andy reached out to Rick, and they clasped arms. "You stay safe, my friend."

"You too," Rick watched him leave. "Andy is a good kid. He'll make a good Ranger one day if he sticks to it and has the stomach for it."

"He's not 12 years old," Kate mentioned.

"Noticed that, did you? No, he's getting a late start. I'll train him if he asks me," Rick told her.

~oo0oo~

They made it to Bryn Shander without incident. The first thing they did was take off the two boxes and store them, then they found a place for the mule. After that, they headed for the restaurant to have dinner.

They stayed outside the city's wall in their tent. Kate could make love to Rick that way.

The following morning they went to City Hall to try and find a space for them to build. They were fortunate and could get in to speak to the Mayor, who sent them out with his son-in-law and a list of available properties.

They went for a walk with Ian Cannon to look over some offerings. "This one is for sale," he said to Rick.

Rick shook his head. "Not exactly what I'm looking for. Not enough land, I'm thinking."

Kate added her voice. "Not if you want to build an inn and a bank. Maybe just a bank."

"I see. I've got one in mind that might fit what you want. It's a mess, I'll warn you." Ian waited for them to say whether they would even look at it.

For almost a minute, Rick stood there and just looked at him before making up his mind. "All right, then take us there."

"Follow me, please." About 15 minutes later, Ian stopped. "This is it. It used to be a restaurant that burned down and took the two closest buildings with it."

Rick and Kate got right into it and walked directly into the remains of the burned-down building. It didn't bother either of them in the least. "I think this one will do nicely." Rick looked at Kate. "What do you think?"

"It's a lot to clear away to get to bare ground, but it's close to the Market Square like you wanted. I think you could build them back to back. Place the inn here and the bank over there," Kate said and pointed. "Maybe even share a wall. A nice thick wall made of stone."

Rick and Kate came back out and stopped in front of the man. "We'll take it."

Ian blinked. They were on the site for less than ten minutes. "You're sure? It's a mess."

"It is, but it's the land that I like. That, and the location. We'll get it cleaned up and ready for construction in no time," Rick asserted.

"Well, if you're happy, then I'm happy," Ian told Rick, thinking his father-in-law would be thrilled since he doubted anyone would buy the land, given what it would take to clear it.

Rick paid him in gold and got all the paperwork indicating he was the new owner. He would get started tomorrow and planned to use the Lyre of Building to clear the land, hoping to have it done in one day. One hour, to be exact.

"You think we can do it?" Kate asked Rick when they were back in their tent.

"I think the Lyre of Building can clear it in one day. Especially if you help me and play it too," Rick replied, waiting to see what she would say.

Kate stared at him, surprised that he would suggest such a thing. "Me? I don't know how to play that instrument."

Rick snorted. "And you think I do? We'll learn on the job. Two hours of playing should clear up the area in one day."

"All right, I'll give it a try." Kate would do it even if she didn't know what she was doing. "Tomorrow. For now, you get to make love to me," she informed him as she began to strip off her clothes.