Aurelia was expecting a lot of bad things when she was informed she was to take care of the lands and people of Khal. The region the County was founded on were originally fertile farming lands covered in green fields. In the last few years however, the Northern Frontiers had been covered by thick storms of ice and snow, and Khal started to lose its life. Aurelia was even more surprised that these lands were still inhabited even, as rumors of wild beasts attacking villagers were not uncommon even amongst the rank and file of the expeditionary forces that had served that far north.

What she wasn't expecting however, was the sight she saw as the carriage slowly made its way through the paved roads that lead into the County itself. True, everything was covered in dead ice and frozen snow. But the landscape and the sights she saw from the window of that vehicle proved to be...Captivating. The enormous mountain ranges surrounding the area made her feel safe, as they acted as natural barriers against any possible invasion from the Northern Seas, where monsters and other barbarian clans were known to inhabit. Truly a chaotic land.

As the carriage arrived at the Lord's Manor, the door would be opened and Aurelia would step down on her own. Despite her new tittle as Countess, she was not yet used to all the weird behavior and etiquette the nobles loved so much. Not even her clothes were up to par with what would be expected of someone with blue blood. Being no stranger to the cold, Aurelia could get away with looser clothing than what she was recommended, her skin was tough and she could handle the freezing wind like a stone stands stoic against the crash of the ocean.

As of now, though, her appearance certainly showed that she was no stranger to war either. With thick pants of cloth and linen, to a shirt, longcoat and snow boots. There were no dresses in her small collection of outfits, and this one she had kept with her during the muddy and rainy winters back in the south.

As usual, her longsword remained at the left side of her waist. Nicely strapped against her hip with a leather belt that had known battle for far too much time. And although her attire revealed her lack of modesty for nice dresses and expensive jewelry, her body in and of itself showed just how different she was from the typical noble lady.

Her skin was tough and course, her hands were covered in callouses, she stood at nearly 1.9 meters in height and describing her as "Strong" would be appropriate. Despite this tough appearance, her body still held some sort of feminine touch to it. As if the Gods had intended for everyone else to remember she was, in fact, a woman. Although her body was firm and toughened from years of battle, she held a somewhat curvy figure. Genetics at work, of course. Her chest was not modest, nor was it extremely uncomfortable. Her legs were long and had a nice curvature to them up to the thigh and then to the waist. All in all, her physical appearance could both intimidate and charm with ease.

But most importantly, her radiant indigo eyes were capable of piercing deep into someone's very own soul, and her red hair waved like a chaotic flame when in battle. Despite this fearsome details, her face was actually quite handsome. Faintly scarred from previous encounters that didn't end so well, and with a slightly shifted nose from a fracture that didn't quite heal fully, Aurelia had as many good points to her appearance as there were bad. 

In any case, standing strong in front of the manor, she inspected the outsides of it. The place looked...Oddly clean. There was no visible dust in the windows, only some small clusters of snow, but that was to be expected. Certainly, the County's servants had been informed beforehand of Aurelia's arrival. Otherwise, why bother cleaning up the Manor of some long-dead Lord?

As she pondered about this small and intriguing detail, the doors of the Manor were opened and a man stepped forward to greet her. Standing at a few centimetres below her height, his hair was as white as the snow that covered the ground beneath their feet. His eyes were slightly tired, but they held a flicker of light that could only be found in those that still had a life to live. The wrinkles in his face indicated age, but the lack of any sadness or contempt in his expression showed both experience and humility. If Aurelia had to guess, he would be...

"Welcome to Khal, My Lady. My name is Konrad, and I shall serve as your personal butler for as long as you may reign."

Her suspicions were responded accordingly before she even had to ask. Certainly, it looked almost as if Konrad was greeting an old master he had known for years rather than a random stranger that was to reign over his land. This caused an innocent smile to spread in Aurelia's expression. Something that had not occurred since long ago. And Konrad's sharp glistening eyes caught wind of this rare occurrence, and decided to smile as well. Though they differed greatly in age and background, they were able to read each other at such a level that an understanding was made right there and then.

"It is a pleasure, Konrad. Allow us to continue talking inside, it is getting quite cold out here and I don't want our dear Carriage conductor to be frozen in place." 

Surely, someone had to take notice of his existence soon enough. With a simple gesture of Konrad's hand, the conductor took his leave. Most likely driving the carriage to the stables before heading into safety. A snow storm appeared to be brewing deep in the skies, as the winds rushed down and far up again, causing the rise and fall of the clusters of crushed ice she noticed previously.

Entering through the front door, the inside of the Manor was mostly as expected. It wasn't a marvel of architecture, but who needed that when you had to face the harsh conditions of the frozen wastelands? Aurelia certainly didn't care about beautiful designs when finding warmth inside the building.

"I see you have prepared the fireplace already. You are quite kind, Konrad. I wonder if the rest of the servants share that same sentiment to my arrival. I fear I may be replacing a seat that was better occupied before." Aurelia was cunning, of course. But when facing this strange situation...She couldn't handle lying and using fancy words when discussing such important details. Her worry about replacing their Lord was well-founded, but Konrad knew better than to keep his response vague.

"I am afraid the people of Khal had went through worse hardships than the replacement of our Lord. My Lady has nothing to worry about, if she was entrusted with these people...Then I am certain she is most capable of handling such tasks when the time comes."

"You flatter me, Konrad. But I fear flatter is not going to be what's needed to help Khal. We need action, and I don't know a damn thing when it comes to ruling a County." Aurelia decided to be honest with the old man, since he had experienced so much in life that his very own gaze could be capable of conceiving such deep emotions, then his honesty and words would be able to carry the absolute truth of their situation.

"What Khal needs is a Lord, My Lady. And you are providing precisely that." He retorted, a hopeful smile on his face. It had been so long since Aurelia didn't need to worry about dying in the battlefield, yet being this peaceful felt strange to her. War was the only thing she knew after all, that and the merciless streets of the Capital.

"Here, let me go and fetch My Lady a cup of tea to warm your hands and your stomach. We may discuss the details of the land afterwards. I may also serve as an advisor, as you may know, since our previous Lord couldn't....Let's say keep his hands to himself. Now that My Lady has taken his place, we will be able to call back the maids and maidens to duty." Aurelia's spine was covered in chills upon the mention of the previous Lord's 'Hobbies' related to the maids.

Such thoughts only crept into the voids of her mind, messing with her powerful imagination and mental aptitude for detailed appraisal of not only conversation, but also intention. That one sentence was enough to tell Aurelia that, at the very least, she was already doing better than the previous person in her place. And although this line of thought was concerning and somewhat disgusting, it offered comfort to her inexperienced soul.

And thus she waited until Konrad returned with a copper plate. It wasn't silver, as she expected, but the material mattered little to her when the contents of the cup that rested upon it were far more intriguing to taste. After the tea was served and the both of them remained by the fireplace that kept burning like a candle that never ended, Aurelia and Konrad would share stories of better days as they talked about the current situation in the estate.

At the very least the first day wasn't going so bad for Aurelia. She had even made a new friend. Although older by a few decades or even generations, he shared both the wisdom and the horror that comes with experiencing war. Be it against other fellow humans, or the cold of Winter itself.