Riverden City, located along the Riverden River, a branch of the Whispering River, was named after the Riverden River. Its location wasn't ideal, or rather, in the winter, it was particularly bad.
This was because the Riverden River froze over, making travel by boat impossible. The road between Riverden City and Whispering River was so long that even by horse-drawn carriage, it would take a whole day to traverse. As for traveling on foot, one would likely freeze after walking for just half a day. Consequently, Riverden City had become an isolated city.
The lord of Riverden City, Martin, was troubled as he sat in the castle, his daughter, Camilla, with short black hair and brown eyes, standing beside him. Both were worried about the city's food supplies.
"Father, the food in Riverden City will only last us about twenty more days, and that's with everyone scrimping and saving." Camilla said softly.
"This..." Martin opened his mouth, but all that came out was a helpless sigh. What could he do? Riverden City had always been poor, and on top of that, just before winter, they had been robbed by bandits, leaving the city with even fewer supplies.
Going to other cities to buy food? How could that be possible? In winter, many cities don't sell wheat, and even more importantly, they don't have much gold.
Martin was a baron, and his family had been the noble rulers of Riverden City for generations. Riverden City was an old city, having been ruled by five generations of the Martin family. The next lord would be Camilla.
In reality, Martin, the lord of Riverden City, was living worse than an average merchant. He cared too much about the common people of Riverden City. He was what one would call a good noble, a noble who loved his people.
Martin didn't exploit the common folk, and as a result, his own life was a difficult one. It felt more like he was a village chief rather than the ruler of a city. His life was just a bit better than that of the commoners, but he was loved deeply by them. Whenever there was an issue, the common people would rush to help him without hesitation. That was a small consolation for him.
"Father, why don't I take the knights and go hunting?" Camilla placed one hand on the hilt of her knight's sword, trying to comfort him. "At least this way, we can last a little longer."
"Forget it, hunting will be difficult in winter. I don't want you to freeze and end up worse off." Martin shook his head, stopping her. He couldn't bear the thought of his only daughter going on an adventure. She was all he had left.
Martin's life had been tragic. His wife passed away when Camilla was only thirteen, and he never remarried, raising his daughter alone.
"Father, why don't I go to another city and ask for some wheat? We can repay them next summer after the harvest?" Camilla couldn't bear to see her father so troubled all the time.
"They won't lend it to us," Martin shook his head with a bitter smile. He knew the other nobles too well—selfish and self-serving. Otherwise, he wouldn't be mocked as the nice guy.
Riverden City was just a small town with about 2,000 people. Many of the townspeople were related to Martin by blood. Some of the commoners' ancestors had even been Martin's knights. How could he bear to watch these people starve?
"But..." Camilla was getting desperate. Nothing seemed to work—was she supposed to wait until the wheat ran out and everyone was waiting to die?
"Go on, let me think things over." Martin waved his hand, signaling her to leave.
"..." Camilla looked at her father's face. There were more wrinkles around his eyes, and his hair had grown even grayer. She pressed her lips together, her brown eyes flashing with determination. She turned and left.
She had to find a way to get some food, no matter what it took. She couldn't stand by and watch her aging father fall ill from the stress.
Camilla put on a few layers of sheepskin clothing, strapped her knight's sword to her waist, and gripped her spear. With these two items, she left the castle. Standing outside, she gazed at the crumbling walls of the fortress, her brown eyes filled with resolve.
"I'm sure I can turn Riverden City into a big city, and the castle will grow too. Father, you can rest assured," Camilla encouraged herself inwardly, turning and heading out of Riverden City.
A few hundred meters outside the city was the Riverden River, a river over thirty meters wide, which was completely frozen over. The ice was about two palm widths thick.
"Whoo... it's so cold," Camilla muttered as she stretched her arms and legs before stepping onto the frozen surface of the river. She was planning to break the ice and fish, an idea that had just occurred to her.
She had always been good at fishing, often using her spear to catch fish. Each time she succeeded, it had been a joyful moment, especially when she could bring extra food for her father.
"Whoo~~" Camilla took a deep breath and then gripped her spear tightly. She started jabbing at the ice. It was surprisingly tough; it took over twenty minutes to create a hole in the ice about the size of a bucket.
"Whoo, hah, whoo, hah..." Camilla panted heavily. Winter exercise was really draining, especially when food was scarce.
"Good, now we just need to see if any fish pass by." Camilla crouched next to the ice hole, holding her spear, employing the simplest method: standing still and waiting quietly for the fish to surface.
She had no other options left. Hunting in winter was difficult; it could take days without finding any game, and the food supplies, especially the wheat, would be consumed to keep up the energy, making it a much worse situation.
Ten minutes passed, and the ice hole quickly refroze, frustrating Camilla. Unable to contain herself, she jabbed at the ice again with her spear.
"Huh?" Camilla froze for a moment. The sensation of her spear was different; she had struck something. She quickly pulled it up and found a fish the size of her palm impaled on the tip of her spear.
"Really... there's a fish?" Camilla's brown eyes widened in surprise, a flash of joy sparkling in them. She was overjoyed and quickly took the fish off her spear.
"Great! Let me catch a few more and bring them back to make soup for Father," Camilla thought to herself, standing still once again and repeatedly stabbing at the ice hole.
However, it seemed as though Lady Luck had abandoned her. An hour passed, and Camilla was now exhausted, gasping for breath, yet she hadn't caught another fish.
"Gurgle~~"
The worst part was that Camilla's stomach was growling from hunger. Unable to bear it any longer, she slapped her stomach and said, "Stomach, hang in there, just a few more fish, and I'll go back."
"Whoo~~" Camilla stood up straight, stretching her arms and legs, especially her constantly bent back. She rotated her neck, but as she did, she noticed a dark spot moving in the distance.
"Huh? Is that a person?" Camilla frowned, puzzled. "Who would be walking out here in the dead of winter?"
Since winter had arrived, no outsiders had come to Riverden City, and no one had left either.
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