AS THEY GOT CLOSER TO THEIR destination, Calissa could tell why Anders had tried to get her to buy that box of lozenges from him earlier. The air was getting thinner for everyone who was traveling to the castle, but Calissa wasn’t able to feel it as she had no issues. She watched as the others traveling with her were wheezing and feeling uncomfortable but was feeling nothing. As they slowly approached the castle, it looked more formidable as they got closer. Even from their distance the castle looked massive, and she remembered that her uncle said it was even bigger inside the castle. It would explain why he didn’t feel out of place to accept guests, as he had more than enough space to welcome an army into his home let alone three wandering friends. When they finally reached the gate, the bridge was already down but Calissa was able to look over to see the vast nothingness that was beneath it. The drop was a lot further down then she imagined it could be, and on the other side of the castle was a step climb that no man would be able to accomplish. The castle provided the kind of isolation that even would make the Hakken themselves pause. Belemast noticed that she was looking and stopped beside her.

  “It’s two miles straight down.” he informed her, “and at the bottom is a river with sharp rocks and shallow waters. If the fall doesn’t kill a man, the bottom will finish the person off.”

  “That’s quite impressive,” Calissa said, looking back at her uncle. “Why do you need it?”

  “I’m a bit of a paranoid man,” Belemast confessed, “And being here provides me with the safety I need to rest easy. Worth every coin that I paid for it.”

  “It’s not lonely?” she asked him.

  “It can be,” her uncle admitted, “But right now it’s not. You’re all welcome to stay as long as you need to.”

  “What about the town below?” Calissa asked, “Can’t we visit just to mingle and resupply on occasion?”

  “I suppose we can,” Belemast conceded, “When the weather is nice.”

  “I was told they hold a very nice festival,” Calissa informed him, “That would be a very nice thing for someone to take his niece to.”

  Before Belemast could respond, Calissa prompted her steed to move on and rode across the bridge and into the castle. Belemast looked back at Alfred and Miyamoto who had observed the exchange, and the confused look on his face.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Miyamoto said, “And learn how to avoid it.”

  “Just like her mother, eh?” Alfred added.

  “Yes, she is.” Belemast agreed, as he let out a loud, bellowing laugh before prompting his own horse to carry on.

  Alfred followed him in and once inside the courtyard, it was massive and could easily hold an army at attention if someone wanted to. You could set up camp here or place a half a dozen catapults as well if you wanted to use them to defend the castle. He was impressed by the space, but Belemast was also correct when he told Calissa that she could use it for her training. A whole class could train there, he thought to himself as he rode closer to the main doors into the castle.

  “As I told the young lady,” Belemast started, “You are all welcome to stay as long as you like. I am, however, only responsible for your safety when within the castle walls. If you venture out and do whatever you want away from the castle, I cannot be held responsible if any of you are hurt or stolen.”

  “We understand,” Miyamoto replied, “This is a very impressive structure.”

  Once the horses were shown to the stables, they proceeded inside the castle and took a quick tour inside the structure. There was a decent sized court inside as well, which would make a good backup for training if things got too cold outside. Belemast helped Calissa carry her stuff inside and led her to a room that was on a different floor from her father and Miyamoto. When the reached the room, he opened the door to reveal a room that was pink, fluffy, and clearly a girl’s room. She looked around the room and then back ag her uncle who was standing at the door with the bags she packed to travel there.

  “I hope this is alright,” Belemast asked, hoping it would be.

  “Whose room is this?” Calissa asked.

  “I thought you’d appreciate it,” her uncle replied, as he could barely keep the secret to himself. “It used to be your mother’s.”

  “She lived here too?” Calissa asked, surprised to hear that detail.

  “We all did,” Belemast answered, “This castle used to belong to our father, and his father before him, and I inherited it after the old man passed. This is where your mother and all her siblings were raised.”

  “How many siblings did she have?” Calissa asked.

  “Four,” Belemast answered, “But two are no longer with us and the other is far, far away doing crown business.”

  “Okay,” Calissa said as she looked around the room, “Thank you.”

  Belemast made a slight bow, “As far as I’m concerned, this will be your room for as long or whenever you need it. I have no doubt this is what she would have wanted. A place you can always turn to if you need it.”

  “Thank you,” Calissa said again, as this time she walked over to the door and hugged her uncle. She could tell he appreciated the hug as he squeezed her for a moment and the respectfully let her go and closed the door behind him.

  Calissa looked back into the room and while it was a little pink for her liking, she had to remember her mother was very young when she resided here. It was something Calissa was going to have to get used to as she had no desire to change anything in the room, keeping it just the way her mother liked it. It came to her later to ask for another room to store her armor and weapons into so that her bedroom can be used just for sleep and relaxing. Considering how large the castle was, her uncle was more than happy to give her another room to store the things she didn’t want to keep in her bedroom, agreeing that the room was on the small side. The room she was given wasn’t going to be a dressing room or even a playroom, rather than an armory that she would use to store her private things to be kept under lock and key and the protection of her family. That way she could travel and roam without having to carry everything she needed with her whenever she chose to venture forth. She trusted that her uncle and his future heirs would protect her possessions to the death and wouldn’t betray her for anything. It gave her comfort, something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

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  Despite how chilly it was outside, Calissa has no trouble going outside to use the massive courtyard to practice with her weapons. Despite the chilled air she was out there with no coat, not even any gloves, and felt nothing. She assumed it was her regenerating cells that refused to let the cold air effect her skin, which meant that if she had to flee in the dead of winter, she could walk through a blizzard and her enemies wouldn’t be able to follow unless they had the same healing powers that she inherited from the Hakken. She was curious to test her inability to die, but it was Miyamoto who warned her to be careful and not push her luck. The last thing he wanted her to do was discover a new way to kill Hakken by accidentally committing suicide. Most of the research into her immortality should be done by experience rather than self testing, a suggestion that she thought was worth heeding.

  “Are you afraid of death?” Calissa asked one day when she was training indoors with Miyamoto. It was snowing that day and he preferred to teach her inside.

  “We all should,” Miyamoto said, “Life is like a massive maze that is neverending, and no one gets out alive.”

  “No one?” Calissa said, “Are you sure about that?”

  “Death will eventually come for us all Calissa, even you.” His master warned her, “A samurai should always be prepared for death, whether his own or someone else’s.”

  “What does that mean?” Calissa asked.

  “It can mean many things,” Miyamoto answered, “Death comes to us in many forms, and we must respect them all. Whether it is our own lives, or those that we take on the battlefield. It can also men to prepare for the eventual loss of companions, and family. Time comes for us all, little one. While it may take a lot longer for you, your time will eventually come as well. When it does, I fear that both your father and I will have passed on long before. Because of your longevity, there are a lot of people you are going to outlive before your time comes. I’m afraid that is also something you must prepare for. There are going to be times when your path is going to be a very lonely.”

  “That’s what you think,” Calissa said, smiling back at her master. “I’m confident that with time and practice, I’ll develop good social skills and make new friends whenever that loneliness creeps up on me.”

  “A sound strategy,” Miyamoto said, nodding. “One that I hope works out.”

  “I might be able to assist with that,” A voice called out. Belemast had been watching them both train from a chair that was located near the weapons rack.

  “He’s right,” Miyamoto conceded, “This man is a master of being a social butterfly. He can talk like no man I have ever seen. You would be wise to learn how this man can use his tongue almost as well as his sword.”

  “Is that true?” Calissa called out.

  “I have been known to talk my way out of conflicts almost as well as I can fight in one,” Belemast confessed, “But sometimes my mouth also got me into as much trouble as it got me out of it. Even the smoothest talkers can run out of luck.”

  “That’s putting it mildly,” Miyamoto said with a chuckle.

  “Can I learn from you?” Calissa asked.

  “You shall,” Belemast said, standing up. “Just sit by my side at each meal, or whenever someone comes up to negotiate a treaty. You can learn simply by listening and picking things up on your own. Pay attention everyday and you’ll pick up the patterns and the tricks.”

  “Alright, I’ll do that.” Calissa said, eager to learn more.

  “I have no doubt you’ll do well,” Belemast added, “If you have the patience to put up with this loaf, you’ll do just fine with me. Carry on.”

  She watched as her uncle left the large room and disappeared into the hallway. He had a habit if never really staying in any room for very long, as if something bad would happen to him if he did. It was a bit of an odd habit, but it was his castle, so Calissa assumed he could do whatever he wanted inside of it. If this was her castle, she would and should be allowed to get away with most of her silly habits as well, so she thought it was no big deal but couldn’t help but notice it. Miyamoto always taught her to see the small differences as noticing the slightest change in anyone could be the difference between life and death in certain situations. She resumed her lessons with her master, but when it was all over, she quickly went back tot her other room to unpack her tools and do a little bit of wandering of her own. She was eager to explore the castle a little and get a feel for it in case this was going to be her home for a while. The longer she stayed at the castle with her father and master, the more time she had to explore and map out the place in her head. Her uncle was not lying about the castle being bigger on the inside as there were massive corridors and even trap doors that led to other wings that were within the large mountain. As she looked around, Calissa imagined that it had to take years, maybe decades to dig out all the space for these areas. The space they had for storage alone would be enough to withstand a siege for years, which she assumed was the original idea when making so much space. The ability to hold out and fight off invaders without having to resupply was vital, and this castle could if fully stock could hold out for quite a while. A few weeks after their arrival, Calissa accidentally bumped into her uncle while she was exploring, and he was so startled that he put his hand on his sword hilt but stopped when he realized it was just his nosy niece.

  “It’s you,” Belemast said, sighing deeply. “Apologies. I’m not used to bumping into anyone in these parts of the castle.”

  “I’m the one who should be sorry,” Calissa corrected him, “I didn’t mean to startle you, and for snooping around as well.”

  “I don’t mind the snooping,” her uncle confessed, “I liked that you’re taking an interest in the place. You’ve been covering a lot of ground as well. How much are you able to retain?”

  “All of it,” Calissa answered, “For some reason, I don’t forget things. I have a pretty good map of the place in my head.”

  “Really?” her uncle said, rather impressed. “I’m not sure if you want to look over here, it’s not the nicest part of the place.”

  “What part is it?” She asked, rather curious.

  “The dungeon,” her uncle answered, “We keep prisoners down here.”

  “How many?” Calissa asked as she was more curious than offended.

  “About a dozen,” Belemast answered, “We had as many as twenty, but I released a few for good behavior.”

  “What about the others?” Calissa asked, “Will they be let go as well?”

  “I’m not sure,” Belemast confessed, “I can’t trust them to not try to stab me in the back the first chance they get. They are too dangerous to be set free.”

  “They why keep them here?” Calissa inquired, “Why not send them off to another dungeon where you don’t have to look over your shoulder?”

  “There are many reasons,” Belemast said, “But some I cannot tell you about just now. Maybe in time when we build a little more trust as well.”

  “Can I see it?” She eagerly asked.

  “Not right now,” her uncle said, “I wasn’t allowed down there until I was eighteen, and I am happy my father made that decision. You don’t need to see what’s down there unless you have to. Let’s keep it that way for the time being.”

  “Alright,” Calissa conceded, “I understand.”

  “That’s good,” Belemast said, closing the door and locking it. “I appreciate your acceptance of my word, and commands. You father and his friend have taught you well. I will do my best to aid with that.”

  “The social part, you mean?” Calissa asked.

  “Yes,” Belemast said, smiling back at her. “We will work on that by playing a simple game with a deck of cards. An exercise that I am very good at, and you will be as well when you learn how to play it right. Let’s go.”