As Einar and Torstein trudged back into the village, the noise and adrenaline of the fight gradually faded. They walked their usual path through the village center, the late afternoon sun baking the freshly laid snow around the cleared dirt path. A few people were visible, busily carrying boxes loaded with tools, meats or weapons. Every square inch of green land around the buildings of the village had been converted to farmland and even Einar had a small collection of hardy vegetables that could grow in the cold. This did limit the variety of greens the people of Frostdale had available, forcing them to rely on hunting game on either side of the wall as it seemed that their king had all but forgotten about their ceaseless fight and duty, preoccupying himself with the matters of the south i
