Part 1

Things were finally starting to settle down outside, after several hours. The blizzard had calmed to heavy snow, and the winds had finally died away. The Ranger Captain had further placated the townsfolk by promising them royalty would soon be arriving to greet them personally, before returning inside to the barracks where Taenya was waiting.

"How are you feeling ma'am?" He asked her. "Sorry for the rough approach earlier, but I wasn't sure you'd have been able to keep up."

"Captain for the third time, my name is Taenya. You don't have to call me ma'am, or Lady Valmaris." Taenya answered, exasperated by the Ranger Captain. "But I'm feeling well, thank you."

"No can do, Lady Valmaris. You're nobility, a Valmaris no less, like it or not." The Captain answered back. "We had suspicions over the years of course, cause how many silver haired elves do you see? But the Princess confirmed it, and so did you."

Taenya sighed. No wonder both her grandmother and mother always warned her to never use her last name with other elves. Nobility? Who gives a hoot about that? She just wanted to tend to her beautiful gardens in Dragonpost.

"Please, Captain. I'm just a gardener. My plants bring me my greatest joy in life." Taenya pleaded, trying to get him to be less formal. "I'm no noblewoman, and certainly was never taught to be one."

"How about just Miss Valmaris, Captain?" Jassin offered, seeing the various expressions on Taenya's face over the hours with the stubborn Captain.

"I suppose that is... acceptable." The Captain said after some thought. "Anything on your mind, ma'am?"

"Yes, actually." Taenya said, choosing to ignore the Captain calling her ma'am yet again. "Just how many people are ummm... on the side of Princess Valmaris?"

"Besides us, you mean? Most of the Barons and Counts in the East have been waiting for Princess Valmaris to return for hundreds of years. I know that look, so I'll tell you why we know she'd be back. Because she promised she would. The Avalanche Princess would have never let death stop her, and she's finally proven that right. The West is a bit of a different story. That's where the civil war will begin in earnest, I'm afraid."

The Captain walked over to a map of the Far Frozen North and started pointing at cities. He marked ones he knew would support Valmaris, and placed small figurines at ones that he either knew wouldn't, or probably wouldn't. When he was done, it was a patchwork of alliances and enemies, but Ammangoan was just a question mark.

"What about the capital, Captain?" Taenya asked, pointing it out. "You just put a question mark."

"Because it's up to the Princess on how to proceed for that. Speaking of her, there she is." The Captain said, before pointing at the door of the barracks. Syndra was standing at the door of the barracks, looking much more composed than earlier, but also a bit sheepish.

"My lovely Rangers, I'm... sorry." Syndra said awkwardly. She had been so overwhelmed from hearing Shandalar had lived she didn't know what to say. "I need to speak to my descendent some more, I need to hear more."

Syndra slowly and elegantly approached Taenya, and stood before her. Taenya was unsure what to do so waited for Syndra to speak first. Syndra spent some time studying Taenya's face, and had a faraway look in her eyes, as if she was daydreaming, before she finally spoke.

"Yes, I see Shandy in you. You have her face, there's no mistaking it. But first, a proper introduction is required. You only know my title, after all. My name is Syndra Valmaris, the Avalanche Princess."

Taenya curtsied before introducing herself. "It's so good to finally have a name to a legend I heard about first hand from my own grandparents. My name is Taenya Valmaris, Professor of Creation at The University."

Syndra smiled, of course a grandchild of Shandy would be a Professor, at The University no less. Oh if only she had spent some time investigating over the centuries instead of moping in the woods. She made a mental note to thank Heather later, after this was all over. As she smiled, the snowfall outside gave way to a clearing sky and only light flurries.

"Taenya, I'm glad you came. I'm not asking you to help me with my revenge, but the North is going to become very dangerous, for many years perhaps."

"Years?" Taenya asked. "The Captain's been going over some of the details with me, but said a lot of it is up to you. Can you explain?"

"Of course. It'll take some time, though."