Morning light struggled to pierce the blizzard as it settled over the small village of Snowhaven. The storm had not relented all night, yet the villagers had long grown used to its endless howl.
Rose woke early, as she always did. She moved quietly through her family's home and the attached restaurant, sweeping floors and wiping down tables before helping her mother wash clothes. Because of the blizzard, the laundry had to be dried inside a small, warm back room heated by the kitchen fires. The restaurant doubled as the village's only inn, so there was always work to be done.
Once her chores were finished, Rose bundled up and crossed the snowy path to her grandmother's modest house.
"Hey, Grandma!" she called cheerfully as she stepped inside. "Did you rest well?"
Her grandmother looked up from her rocking chair with a warm smile. "Yes, my dear Rose. And you?"
"Of course," Rose replied, setting down a small basket. "Mom baked fresh bread this morning. She wanted you to have some."
"Oh, how lovely. Please thank her for me."
Rose chatted with her grandmother for a few minutes before heading back out into the cold. She pulled her hood low and made her way toward the village wall. Her father, the chief, had been standing guard since before dawn.
"Dad! Good morning!" she called up to him.
Her father, a sturdy man with a weathered face, turned in surprise. "Rose? What are you doing here? You didn't need to come all this way in this weather."
She smiled. "Can't a daughter greet her father? Besides, Mom made dinner and asked me to bring you some. You've been out here since before sunrise."
He hesitated, glancing back at the white horizon. "It never hurts to be careful. The mountain monsters may not have come near us in years, but…"
"Come on, Dad. Just eat something warm. It won't take long."
Her father's stern expression softened at the mention of food. "Well… I suppose a short break wouldn't hurt," he admitted with a small chuckle.
At that moment, one of the other guards stiffened. "Chief! Something's coming!"
The group tensed immediately. A tall figure was approaching through the blizzard, moving steadily toward the gates. Even from a distance, the silhouette looked imposing—broad-shouldered, covered head to toe in thick white-and-gray fur, with the massive head of a king bear serving as a hood. The creature's empty eyes and fangs gave the traveler a fearsome, almost monstrous appearance.
"Hold steady," the chief ordered, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Be ready."
Rose peered over the wall, heart beating faster. The stranger looked terrifying. The thick bear-fur coat, the height, the way the storm seemed to cling to him—it was like something out of the old stories.
The figure stopped just outside the gates and looked up. Snow swirled around him. His face remained hidden beneath the bear hood and mask.
The chief's voice rang out, firm and authoritative. "State your name, your purpose, and why you have come to Snowhaven!"
A moment of silence passed before the traveler answered, his voice slightly muffled but steady.
"I'm… a traveler. I'm just looking for somewhere to spend the night."
The chief raised an eyebrow. A traveler in the coldest of the seventeen regions? Rare, but not unheard of. Still, caution was necessary.
"Traveler, huh?" he replied. "That's unusual in these parts. If you wish to enter, you must surrender your weapons, prove you carry no ill intent, and submit to a search."
The stranger nodded without hesitation. "Of course. You can search me."
The gates creaked open. Alton stepped forward into the village.