Dawn had yet to awaken. A thin mist veiled the rooftops of Red Tide City, and dew clung to the paving stones and vine leaves, as though the world had just opened one eye.
But this was no ordinary day.
It was the wedding day of their great lord, Louis Calvin.
The sky was still dark, yet figures already thronged the square outside Red Tide City.
People gathered of their own accord in twos and threes. Almost no one carried a weapon or shouted.
They wore their finest clothes, and some had even pinned on Red-Sun Epaulets they had embroidered themselves, bearing the colors of Red Tide's banner.
No one knew who had started it, but household after household brought food for the celebration.
Pots of steaming fresh fish soup stood on cloths spread across the ground, wild ginger and radishes bubbling in the broth, their savory fragrance filling the air.
Air-dried coarse wheat bread was stacked nearby, beside jugs of berry wine that children clutched tightly in their hands. Its rich sweetness carried a tart hint of the wild.
There was no clamor in the square, no urging anyone to hurry.
The crowd sat quietly together. Some conversed in low voices; others simply gazed calmly at the imposing Red Tide Castle.
The castle they had once looked up at on the coldest winter nights.
"He kept us fed through winter and drove back the barbarians."
"He's getting married today. We have to come and give him our blessings."
Though softly spoken, the words rippled through the crowd like a stone cast into water, drawing silent nods.
Someone even wiped away tears in secret: an old woman wrapped in a worn, coarse shawl, her face weathered by wind and frost.
"My son... if the Snow Oath hadn't killed him last