Almost all of the young men in town were off to war, a part of the Unicorn Brigade- Highland's special youth army. Most of the rest of the men and women of viable age were away as well, the men enlisted into the regular army, with most of the women volunteering for medical duties.

Only the old men stood outside of their houses that day, remembering a day nearly thirty years before. The people of Kyaro had heard, of course, that the war was coming to an end. Princess Jillia -who sometimes resided in the southern end of town- had gone to Muse herself and hammered out a treaty with the formidable Lady Annabelle herself.

But there was no celebration, no exultation at the impending peace. The old men remembered the days thirty years previous, when a similar peace had seemed imminent. That peace had been dashed upon the ground before the day was done though, and due largely to a disagreement over this very town.

Therefore, when a young woman strolled into town late in the day, she was noticed -and made note of- very quickly. After all, how many travellers made it through the mountains that surrounded Kyaro without any supplies? Or reasonable equipment for that matter? Old men speculated that she was a runemaster, or perhaps even a monster in disguise. After all, how else could she have made it through the packs of grey wolves that thrived in the country around Kyaro?

The eyes of the town still watched her suspiciously though as she walked down the road and into the inn...

"Uh, excuse me," a voice startled the innkeeper. He glanced up from his book to view the new arrival. "Um..." the girl went on, "Uh, hi... Um... My name's Viki!!! And ummm... I was wondering if you could tell me... Um... Where I am?" she asked, a hopeful (yet somehow puzzled) expression on her face.

The innkeeper felt there was somthing wrong almost immediatly. Somthing was not right with this person... "W-where you are?" he began hesitantly, "Ah, well, you're in Kyaro Town."

Viki blinked several times rapidly. "Kyaro Town? I've never heard of it. Uh... What country is this?"

Somthing was DEFINITELY not right with this person. "W-what country you're in? *ahem* Uh, this is the Highland Kingdom," the innkeeper replied, reaching for the old sword that he kept under the desk. Just in case...

"Highland!" Viki exclaimed, "Well, I went in the right direction this time," she said her voice falling, "I guess I dropped short though..." she muttered to herself. She returned her attention to the innkeeper on an inspiration. "Uh, has anyone named McDohl checked in here in the last day or so?"

The innkeeper's hand tightened on the grip of his sword. "McDohl?" he asked wonderingly, "You mean THE McDohl? The one who took down Barbarossa?"

Viki nodded emphatically. "Yeah!" she said excitedly, "He dissapeared in an... um... accident a few days ago, and... well, I thought I'd, well... look for him."

A series of four leather clasps held the innkeeper's sword to the underside of the desk, designed to hold the sword firmly yet be released easily. The first of those clasps opened with a tiny *snick*. Viki didn't seem to notice the sound. "Uh..." the innkeep stammered, sounding, for a moment, quite like his guest, "Umm... I, uh, I thought he dissapeared like, uh, two or three years ago... It was big news back then..."

Viki stared at him, wide eyed. "Huh? Two or three years? B-but... Oh no... Not again... I failed. I failed..."

The second clasp released with a imperceptable *pop*. "And uh..." the innkeep hesitated, uncertain of what to say. He had a sudden insperation. "Um... are you going to be staying here for a while then...? Uh... and wait for McDohl...?"

Viki looked at him in surprise. "Huh? Uh, yeah. I'm pretty tired... It's getting late... Uh, I guess I'll take a room out then. Um... how much is it?"

His hand relaxed on the grip of his sword. Perhaps she was as harmless as she looked. "Well," the innkeep answered, relaxing a bit, "We get so little business here in the sticks... I'll tell you what; If you pay for dinner, the room'll be free."

"Huh? Oh wow!" Viki answered happily, "Okay, thanks! But say... what's going on in town? Everyone seems on edge..."

The innkeeper sighed, replacing the clasps under his desk. "Bah! Just war jitters I guess," he lied, "Nothing to worry about," he furthered, compounding the lie. "Take room number twelve, on the second floor. It's the same as all the other rooms, but it's got the best view."

Viki took the key from him happily, then headed up the stairs. The innkeeper watched her go, then returned his attention to the large window in the front of the lobby.

The old folks stood watch.

They had seen enough in their lifetimes to know that history, while never forgotten, was rarely learned from. The mistakes of the past repeated themselves.

Dark clouds could be seen, drifting over the mountains to the west.