1 A Cold boring winter.

"Wendy is a MUCH better name than Gretchen!"

The young girl mumbled to herself for the fifth time today, as she angrily marched through the ankle deep snow. The crunching snow echoed in the narrow street.

Partially hidden under the heavy shawl wrapped over her head was a covered basket full of freshly mended clothing. She had been greeted by "Gretchen" a moment ago by one of the few city guards wandering about the city. As there were fewer people, more of the residents began to come to know each other.

The massive stone buildings and architecture dwarfed her as she marched around a corner and down another alleyway. A strong gust of wind caused her to cover her brilliant green eyes with her arm as the snow shifted due to the wind. She tucked a strand of black hair back under her shawl and continued her trek. Her thick cotton clothes worn tightly, hiding her appearance from prying eyes and chilling wind. She assumed her age was somewhere around 13 nobody knew for sure as she was an orphan like the others that were still at the cloisters.

There were three cloisters in the old city, full of orphans: east, west, and south, with a cathedral to the north. Up the valley a bit was the New Holy City, a walled city that guarded the wall that filled the only pass through the barrier mountain range. As if the brutal winters here weren't bad enough, these are "The months of Demons". The demonic beasts from the north constantly tried to breach the wall in that crack of the great barrier mountains.

However, the people here recovered their hope once her holiness returned. More than three fourths of the orphans had been sent away to a place called 'Neverwinter'. Before the city was truly snowed in, large amounts of supplies had arrived from Evernite, a kingdom to the south. Even with the damage done to the wheat fields after the failed invasion by the Kingdom of Dawn, the new provisions, provided plenty of food to go around. And behind all that the king of that country Neverwinter seemed to have a big part, but how much she couldn't tell.

This march into the cold was to deliver and pick up clothing that needed mending. Her skills had become quite famous. And the silvers she made from it made her volunteer to stay through the winter. Although now that she was again living in the biting cold, she resolved again that this would be her last winter.

After another left, a right, and a left, through the snow bright streets she came to a thick stone door and raised the knocker three times. A few moments after the echos faded from the street she heard the door locks lifting. The door opened a crack and a curious face squinted into the light. After his eyes adjusted a stubble faced man in his fifties recognized her and opened the door.

"Come in child! You finished them already??"

"Yes Sir, I've nothing else to do really." She answered cheerfully.

After closing the large door and replacing the bar, he quickly fetched a pouch from his side and drew out four silvers. He then handed them to her.

Her eyes widened, "four??" I only charge three."

"No arguments, I've seen your work before and its worth it, Gre...er.. Wendy." he quickly corrected.

For a split second the smile on her face had frozen but then quickly returned. She took out the basket and removed its top handing him a thick cotton garment from within.

"Please tell the others you know about my work," she said as he took the garment and looked it over happily.

"Oh yes, I'll do that!" he said then turning back to the door, he unbarred it and opened it for her.

Once again she dashed into the snowy street so as not to waste the precious heat in the stone building.

He bid her farewell: "Take care now," and then shut the door as before.

Shifting to the south she traveled down the winding lanes that only slightly dulled the wind. A few other figures soon joined her trek to the distribution center in an old formal chapel near the western gate. The chapel had been converted to allow the queue to wait indoors rather then lining up in the bitter cold.

As she waited in line she could hear the other people there speaking about daily happenings.

The distribution center not only provided supplies, the interactions there could also curb the boredom of winter.

"Have you heard the echoes from up in the New City?"

"Oh yes, the thundering sound echoes all over when the demon beasts come, but the soldiers that switch out with the ones at the wall are always in good spirits."

"In past winters anyone who served on the wall were always grim. Yes, they are tired and cold, but still so positive now."

"I haven't seen a single wagon of corpses yet this year..."

"And their discipline is also so perfect, the city guards are really being trained into shape!"

"I want to see her holiness Isabella again... she is so beautiful!"

"Oh yes! her shiny wavy blond hair is so divine!"

Wendy then tuned out the old ladies and looked at the front of the line. The soldiers there were of the new crop, trained by a leader called "Eagle Face," with the understanding they would soon take charge of defending the old city. They worked quickly and efficiently giving out a bag of flour, a bag of dried meats or fish, and some vegetables.

Soon her basket was filled again and she hurried out of the church towards the western cloister.

She didn't have to worry about when she could see her holiness, as Isabella was currently residing in the western cloister.... well at least most nights. She seemed busy with the organizing of the city hall and other matters. But she appeared to enjoy making time to meet with the sisters who were left in the city. She had said that when winter was over she would take the last batch of orphans, and which ever nuns would come, and return to Neverwinter.

Through the snowy streets she hurried home.

The cloister was a massive walled building. It had an enormous thick door standing open and large chains laying on the ground, and a courtyard in the middle. A few other girls converged with their baskets and entered the courtyard.