The morning air was cool. As the sun inched its way across the sky, Fátima could feel a warm tingle across her skin through the window of her car. She took one hand off the steering wheel to rub her cheek. The soreness was fledging on being unbearable. Despite the pain, she maintained a straight face as she pulled up towards a metal gate. Beyond it she could see along white trail amidst a vibrant green garden. Beyond that was an ivory mansion in the distance that she could barely make out the finer details of. 

The man in the booth next to the entrance gave her an almost murderous glare as she parked next to him. He wore a typical security outfit, complete with a blue button-up top, an officer's hat and a black tie to complete the ensemble. There was a rifle mounted on the wall next to him, easily visible to anyone that drove up next to the booth. "State your name is business!" he declared, almost shouting but his words still remaining clear. 

"Fátima Nascimento," the kendoka replied, not breaking her calm demeanor. "I was told to come here to assist with..." She paused as she stared into the guard's face. His eyes narrowed as one arm looked as if it were poised to pull a holstered gun from his hip. "I'm here to assist with a martial arts training regimen."

"Let me see some identification," he stated in a quieter manner. Fátima obliged. She reached into her bag and fumbled through it. Her eyes widened when she realized that the necklace had been removed. Despite being angered by the revelation, she put her desire to swear on hold as she extracted her wallet from the bag. 

"Here," she said as she handed over her driver's license. The guard scrutinized it under the light from his booth before accessing his computer. He clacked away for a few moments before giving the card back to the kendoka.

"Keep straight on the trail and take a left as soon as you can. That's where the parking is for special guests," the security guard replied as he jutted his head out of the booth's window and pointed in the direction he had told her to go. Fátima squinted and could see a small structure that was separate from the mansion. The ornate metal bars then swung inwards.

"Thanks." Fátima cruised her car along the path, taking in the sights of the estate. To her left she could see an assortment of workers attending to the sprawling lush lawn. The sprinklers were on, creating a series of small rainbows as they doused the almost endless green expanse. On the other side was a vast, azure pool with its own set of employees taking care of it. 

As she strolled, another rush of pain came, this time to her arm. Fátima reached over and pressed her hand against her shoulder, only momentarily relieving a bit of the sharp pain from the gash. She removed her hand from the wound and gazed at her palm. She let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that her bandage wasn't leaking. 

The turn that the guard told her about came up. The white road split; one path going straight while the other went left. She eased her car down the fork and the garage that she saw was more visible. It was as large as a house and inside she could see a multitude of sports cars and motorcycles. She slowed down once another guard walked in front of her, this one a woman. Once Fátima stopped her vehicle, the guard moved to the side.

"I'll park your car for you, ma'am," she said as she approached the window. 

"Oh, alright," Fátima replied, somewhat confused and nervous. She unbuckled her seat belt and fumbled with her bag to make sure that everything she needed was still inside of it. She then unlocked the door and stepped out before flinging her sack onto her still good shoulder. The guard then hopped inside her car and shut the door. 

"Hey," Fátima said softly. The other woman looked up at her. "This is my first time here. I'm supposed to do some martial arts instructing. Do you have any idea where I should go?"

"We were informed of your arrival. Malthe should be here shortly to take you to the training location."

"So I should just wait here then?"

"Yes." The guard turned her head to the side. Coming down the path was a small motorized cart. "I think that is him now."

Fátima froze. She looked at the small vehicle heading in her direction. As it came closer, she could see the outline of a familiar white mask become more apparent. Despite the guard driving off with her car, Fátima couldn't keep her eyes off the rapidly approaching cart. It didn't take long before it parked in front of her, sideways with Malthe sitting in the back. The empty seat in the rear was right in front of her. Malthe turned his head, giving the kendoka a drawn-out scan with his eyes. 

"You arrived on time," he said in his usual calm yet serious tone.

"I know how important punctuality is in a business like this."

Malthe patted on the empty seat with his hand. "Sit down."

Fátima obliged. She sat herself down and rested her bag on top of her lap. 

"Take us to The Barracks,” Malthe said to the driver. The other man silently obeyed, backing the cart onto the main road and taking of down the trail.  

"Nice place you got here," Fátima said as she continued to look out at the long field, turning her head away from Malthe.

"This is not 'my place.' Everything you see here belongs to the Ingwersen family. Or at least what remains of it."

"I'm guessing you mean all of this belongs to Ulyssa now."

"Precisely. A tragedy what happened to her parents earlier this month. And the audacity of those... hooligans to even contemplate trespassing. Let alone following through..." Fátima turned her head to look at Malthe. One of his hands stuck out from underneath his cloak in a clenched fist. "Regardless. You are correct that this entire estate is the sole property of Ulyssa. Along with the entirety of the White Swan army."

"That's a lot for one girl to have," Fátima replied with a smile. "She thinking about sharing it a special someone?"

"That's none of your concern." Malthe's delivery of the statement was swift, loud and clear. The smile on Fátima's vanished as soon as it had disappeared. "You are here to instruct members of the White Swan on how to properly defend themselves. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Fátima replied clearly.

"Good. I don't want you thinking that you are one of the White Swans and are entitled to the same information. Ulyssa pays you to teach martial arts. Not to meddle in her private affairs."

The conversation turned silent. The sound of the cart's wheels traversing over gravel overtook their dialogue. It didn't take long for the driver to take them towards the far end of the mansion. Large glass windows glistened as their cart drove past. Men in crisp white suits and some women in dress tops and skirts moved around the area in an orderly fashion. By the entrance to the building, a pair of men with long rifles guarded the entrance. 

"These are The Barracks, Fátima. It is where the soldiers go to train and congregate."

"Is there where I'll be spending most of my time?"

"Most likely all of it." The cart came to a halt in front of the building. Malthe got out first and Fátima followed suit. The bodyguard then led her towards the main building. With a friendly bow towards the two guards standing at the front, the two armed with weapons stepped to the side and held the door open wide for him. "Now come on inside," Malthe said. "There are a few people here that I would like for you to meet."