At the end of a small, winding mountain pass, about midway up the shortest peak of the Stellarian Mountain range, sits the fabled Winter Witch Lodge. In the early morning of the 42nd day of Summer, Wendy walked onto the balcony of her loft suite (as she did every morning), to watch the sun rise from below the flat, southern horizon. As it drifted past the horizon, it sent beautiful beams of orange, red, and purple light bouncing between glaciers and snowy peaks, creating a dancing light show that, as far as she knew, couldn’t be enjoyed from anywhere else in Tyrellia.
Taking up the entirety of the top floor of the Lodge, Wendy’s suite was larger than even the biggest of its vacation rooms, but she managed to fill the space surprisingly well with her extensive personal library, sizable bed, alchemical station, ongoing enchantment projects, and all sorts of furniture, storage, and decorations. Still, Wendy’s favorite feature of the room had always been its twin balconies: one facing up the mountain's peak and one facing down the mountainside, where she stood this morning. She looked down at the snowy hills that gradually transformed from a deep blanket of white into an ancient evergreen forest, stretching for miles unhindered except for a tiny winding path splitting the trees in two. Below the forest, fields of windmills and wheat slowly faded out of view into a flat horizon, broken only by the small, distant city of Direcliff.
Wendy smiled and breathed in the warm summer breeze that rose up the mountainside, lamenting that the season was nearly half-way over before commencing her daily routine of sipping on freshly brewed, steaming hot coffee while brushing out her long, blond hair and eventually tying it up into a tight bun. Just as she was finishing, she spotted something in the distance: a group of four people, trudging up the snowy mountain pass, presumably through the night and into the early morning. Considering their speed and the distance they’d already traveled up the mountain, it looked like they would be reaching the Lodge in just a few short minutes, before she’d even had time to finish her coffee. Wendy sighed and returned to her room, heading downstairs still wearing her slippers and striped silk pajamas.
Wendy glided down the stairs and into the third-floor hallway, instinctively tracing arcane sigils on the walls and muttering her protective incantations to reinforce the Lodge’s enchantments as she traveled through the halls. On a normal day, she might stop to interweave an additional countercharm or antispell, but today, she couldn’t afford to spend more than a few moments refreshing the Lodge’s defenses (in case these travelers weren’t here for a pleasant vacation) and she rekindling the blue flames in each fireplace (in case they were).
Finally, as she descended to the first floor, she heard the unmistakable sound of three of her frequent lodgers, the Anderson boys. What are they doing awake at this hour? she wondered. Probably still up from last night, considering how they were drinking.
The lobby was only accessible by traveling through the lounge, and as soon as she crossed the threshold, she was greeted by a chorus of cheers from the triplets. “Good morning, Ms. Wendy!” they sang in unison before shouting “Jinx!” at each other.
Such adorable synchronization (even from the boisterous boys), never failed to put a smile on Wendy’s face. “I see you’re still up then?” she asked, making the disapproval clear in her tone despite her face’s betrayal.
“Just until breakfast,” answered Henrick. “I’m beat, but I’m also starving.”
“Is it even breakfast time already?” Harmon asked. “Seems early, but I could go for a fat stack of waffles right now.”
“Thanks again for everything, Ms. Wendy,” Harris added. “We really appreciate you.”
“Not to worry, boys,” Wendy reassured them. “Breakfast is coming, but let’s head to sleep after, okay? You three will probably have hangovers as it is, and I’d hate to waste those heating enchantments I put on your beds.”
“Nuh uh!” Henrick yelled.
“You didn’t!” Harmon cried.
“Oh, Ms. Wendy, you’re the best,” Harris chirped. “Did I mention you look very cute this morning in your pajamas? Those bunny slippers are simply adorable.”
“Uh huh; I did; and yes, I am. Thank you, Harris. Flattery will get you everywhere in life,” Wendy answered sequentially. “Now, I will have breakfast on the table soon, but I do have new guests coming today, so I’ll need to check them in first.”
“No worries,” said Harris.
“No problem,” said Harmon.
“If I volunteer to carry their bags in, can I get breakfast faster?” asked Henrick. “I’m starving right now. Harmon ate all of the snacks you left for us, and I HATE HIM for it!”
“Look, bro. It’s not my fault you gambled away the last of your cookies in a desperate bid to win back your 10 gold,” teased Harmon. “You should know you can’t bluff me. I’m your goddamn brother. I’m been watching you lie since you learned how to talk.”
“THAT’S NOT EVEN–” Henrick started.
“Whoa, deep breaths, bro,” Harris interrupted. “He’s only pushing your buttons because he thinks he’s funny. But he’s not funny: he’s just a dick.”
“Yeah, stop being a dick, Harmon,” Henrick spat, flicking his brother. “I’m trying to ask Wendy if I can help with breakfast.”
“Alright, Henrick,” Wendy sighed, already tired of the triplet’s tedious squabbling. “If you really want to help, head into the kitchen and start the fire. Do you know where the deep freeze is?”
“I’m not even sure if I know what the deep freeze is.”
“Oh, it just keeps things cold. I’ll show you today. Do you know where the chicken coop is?”
“Yes! I have met the chickens. Lovely bunch.”
“Great, go fetch their eggs, and I’ll probably be done by then.”
“You mean… from underneath them?”
“Where else would you find them?”
“But won’t they be upset?”
“Why would they be upset?”
“Well, aren’t we taking their children or something?”
“Do you have any idea how chicken eggs work?”
“Well, sure! When a mommy chicken and a daddy chicken love each other very much…”
“No, please continue. What do you think happens then?”
“Well… they… you know… make the rooster with two heads.
“Wow, nope. That’s wrong on so many levels I don’t even know where to start.”
“Oh…” Henrick mumbled, perplexed.
“Wait, what?” Harmon asked.
“Yeah, I’m confused now too,” Harris added.
Before Wendy could explain further, a chorus of chimes rang out from the front door, indicating that her newest guests had arrived. She promised the boys that she would explain chicken eggs to them after breakfast and dashed through the parlor to open the massive front door.
Both Henrick and Harmon tentatively trudged to the chicken coop, the hunger temporarily suppressing their fear of pecks and scratches from angry hens.