There was a hype of activities come morning as everyone was filed into the carriages, clutching what little belongings they had in their arms. Derek hadn't realized more than one coach had arrived last night, not until he came out early this morning to see there were five more, each one in front of a cottage across their small community of Carnfell, his in-law's included, and he understood why Captain Connor had made that comment about how he was glad they had brought along all the carriages.

The stranded civilians, all fifty-eight of them, who had taken refuge in his as well as the neighbors' homes, had already been instructed to climb into the other carriages along with the neighbors while his in-laws, Natalie's parents, Rory and Gemma Eton, and two younger brothers, Hayden and Hunter, were instructed to join the one he and his family and a few others was currently climbing on. Including Captain Connor, they packed themselves inside the luxurious vehicle, the likes of which neither Derek nor his family and in-laws had ever seen or even sat in before.

While they all sat on the soft seating on either side with little children on the parents' or grandparents' laps, as little Cora was on Natalie's and young Steven was on Derek's, Grant, who was severely injured and sickly, was in a sleeping bag lying on the floor, a stretcher bed under him.

Anticipation was high as everyone waited while the soldiers did their last routine check, to ensure no one was left behind, and then they were ready to go as Captain Connor gave the order. As the carriages started moving, everyone turned to gaze out the glass windows, bidding farewell to their homes for a short time until they returned in the spring.

Captain Connor, sitting at the head, said, "Everyone hungry?"

Steven put up his hand and said, "Yes, sir. Can we have that creamy chicken thing with rice again?"

A series of chuckles rang out, and Connor said, "Unfortunately, eating something like that on a moving carriage is disastrous. The food will spill everywhere, don't you agree, lad?"

The boy scrunched up his face in disappointment. "I suppose so."

"But, of course," Connor said, "Lady Norsewood has prepared something better for breakfast." He opened the box in front of him and then took out a tray that was stacked with what looked like round white buns. The aroma filled the carriage, and all pairs of eyes were on the unexpected breakfast.

"What are those, sir?" Hayden asked.

"These are steamed buns," Connor said. Or more specifically, Chinese steamed buns. "It has minced meat and vegetable fillings inside. Mind helping me hand these out, lad?"

The young man nodded. "Of course."

"I'll help, too," Hunter, Hayden's twin brother, said.

The distribution of steamed buns commenced, and Steven, once he has gotten his, couldn't contain himself since the smell was so enticing, and took a big bite. He chewed as he widened his eyes and then after swallowing, he eagerly took another big bite. "It's so soft and delicious," he said. Turning to Connor, who was taking out a bottle of a protein shake meant for Grant, the boy asked, "Can I have another one?"

Connor chuckled. "Of course." To the others, he said, "Anyone else want a second?" Everyone raised their hands.

While everyone was eating and Grandma Liz fed Grant the protein shake which he sucked through a straw—a very nifty drinking device in the mind of all the Norsewood people—the adults made small talk.

Derek asked Connor, "It'd take at least a day and half to get to Norsewood town in these road conditions. Where will we be making camp for the night?"

Connor shook his head. He said, "Nay, there will be no camping for the night, although we'll make a pit stop for the horses to rest at the halfway point. Traveling to Norsewood town shouldn't take any longer than six hours."

Derek widened his eyes. "Pardon? Six hours? How? Even with the best of horses, a full day's ride is possible, but half? That is impossible."

Connor chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "With these steeds, it's a different story, Derek."

"Traveling between Carnfell and Norsewood town in half a day is unheard of," Grandpa Joel said. He turned to Rory. "Isn't that right?"

The man nodded his head. "Yes, it is indeed unheard of."

"Does that mean we'll be arriving at Norsewood Lodge not tomorrow afternoon but this very afternoon?" Gemma asked.

Connor nodded. "Precisely."

Everyone felt a bit dazed at hearing that, and indeed, rather excited at the prospect that they'd get to see Norsewood Lodge and be reunited with family and friends earlier than expected.

The journey was uneventful, although there were a few pauses here and there due to the roads being covered with the winter's snow. The group made a stop for an early lunch at Dunwich, another small community where the civilians and the stranded had already been rescued. With the six coaches coming to a stop, the passengers inside filed out to stretch their legs since it was rather nice outside with the clear sky. There was no sign of a snowstorm anywhere, and they felt blessed that their journey was not interrupted by foul weather.

The soldiers went about distributing lunch, which was the classic sandwich with soft buns packed with crunchy lettuce, slices of avocado and cheese, and pieces of juicy chicken, and as expected, there was a lot of marveling at the food, especially the buns and the creamy avocado.

"How..." many asked. "How is the bread so soft?" Of course, they were used to their dark-as-night rye bread being as hard as a rock.

"Is there a method to making the bread this soft, sir?" Natalie asked, intrigued and eager to know the secret, as were the other women.

Captain Connor said, "I don't know what the method is personally, as I'm not a cook, but yes, there are methods, or rather a recipe, I believe. The cooks at Norsewood Lodge know of it. Mrs. Burton is particularly excellent at baking all the breads."

"Mrs. Burton, as in Gladys Burton?" Grandma Liz asked. At Connor nodding his head, she said, "She's a family friend. I must ask her then." Suddenly, the other women begged to be introduced to the now renowned Mrs. Burton.

Derek said, "I know the bread is spectacular, but this soft, creamy thing? What is it?"

Connor said, "It's my favorite, too. It's called avocado. I heard Kent mention they have a few of the trees that grow this fruit, and though still under experimentation as to whether it'd grow sufficiently in Norsewood soil, it seems to be going rather well."

Derek raised a brow. "Does his lord and ladyship plan to grow this fruit in Norsewood?"

Connor chuckled. "Not just the avocado, Derek, but many other fruit and vegetable plants we've never even seen or heard of before. This is not yet official, but since I've been invited to the important meeting, there'd been mention that soon, farmers will be encouraged to grow any sort of new fruits and vegetables they'd like, whether it's for commercial purposes or one or two trees at the back of one's cottage for self-sustainability."

"I see," Derek said, his mind racing. He simply couldn't wait to meet with Kent Ingram and see all the different sorts of fruit and vegetable plants.

Once lunch was over, the group resumed their journey, and it was three hours later, as Connor had estimated, that they saw the grim destruction of Norsewood town which sat abandoned for four years. Snow covered most of the ruined buildings as well as the partially destroyed town's walls, hence the decay wasn't as heartbreaking to see as it would have been during the warmer season when the devastation was laid bare. Evidence of cleanup was noticeable as they moved closer toward Norsewood Manor, as there were less rumbles and ruins, and soon, they saw the manor itself looming in the distance. The place was a wreck and a sense of forlorn spread within the carriages.

"We should be seeing Norsewood Lodge soon," Connor said.

As the carriages maneuvered up the gentle sloping hill around the manor, Derek, as well as everyone else, expected to see a long building made of wood and straw, and since it was winter, they anticipated thick smoke rising from chimneys as well. Not so, however, and the moment the carriages carried them around a curve, they came to see something that could only be akin to a palace standing grandly before them.

Gasps of astonishment could be heard within the carriages as eyes were wide in wonder. Indeed, no one could utter a word, so stunned they were. Then little Cora said, "Mama! A palace! A palace!"

"It's a palace," Steven said. He turned to Connor and asked, "Sir, are we going to be living in a palace?"

Connor chuckled. "That's no palace, lad. That's just Norsewood Lodge."

Derek, shocked to the core, his eyes as wide as could be, turned to Connor and asked, "That's Norsewood Lodge?"

"That is indeed Norsewood Lodge," Connor said, chuckling in amusement. "Ah, it looks like they're ready for us. They must have been notified of our arrival by the surveillance department."

Derek wasn't quite sure what a surveillance department was, but it was true that people were ready for them, for there were many, dressed in a style of clothing Derek had never seen before, waiting at the front of the building.

The carriages came to a stop, and once Connor opened the door, he said, "All right, everyone, welcome to Norsewood Lodge. Let's get you settled in."

Everyone eagerly filed out, and soon, there was a thick crowd and loud chattering in front of the building. While everyone, his family members included, were gazing up at the building that was Norsewood Lodge in amazement, Derek noticed Connor and the young man named Liam talking to Lord Mark Templeton. Connor was also handing Mark something that looked like a ledger. Derek suspected it contained the list of families that had been rescued.

Finally, Mark said, drawing everyone's attention to him, "Welcome to Norsewood Lodge. I hope everyone has been faring well during the unfortunate misfortunes and disasters that have struck Norsewood. By the grace of Lord and Lady Norsewood, during this winter you'll all be residing in Norsewood Lodge until your homes can be rebuilt in spring. Before we settle you in, we first must register you in the registry. Following that, you'll be given a family unit, and then a health check and an orientation of the lodge tomorrow. One last thing before we enter the building. Families with members with severe life-threatening injuries, please follow Lady Eden into the health clinic. Everyone else, please follow me."

Derek said, "My brother Grant is severely injured."

"Then please come this way to the health clinic," Lady Eden said.

"We have a few on stretcher beds," Liam said loudly. "We'll take them into the clinic now."

There was much hustle and bustle as some eagerly followed Mark into the building while others waited for the soldiers to unload the injured on the stretchers. Soon, Derek and his family were following Lady Eden and Liam and another soldier carrying Grant into the building.

The moment they stepped inside, they widened their eyes at the grandness of the foyer with a marble floor, featured wall, and chandelier, much like a king's palace, and the fact that it was so warm. The door opened by itself, and the children, as well as the adults, marveled at this, thinking it must certainly be magic.

Once they crossed the foyer out into the courtyard garden, everyone was surprised and stunned to see so many people about, again dressed in styles of clothing and footwear they had never seen before. Derek had yet to spot anyone he knew, though a few others who came in with them were already waving at relatives and friends on the other side who came rushing over. There were tears and hugs and words exchanged.

Derek shifted his attention away from the people and admired the buildings instead, wondering how such a wonderous thing could be constructed in so short a time span. The last he had been in Norsewood Manor had been six months ago, when he, as the head of the Carnfell community, made the usual routine visitation to report business dealings to the lord of the land. He had been sure this lodge hadn't even started its initial construction phase yet, for he'd know of it because Robert Lamont, a close friend, would have told him as the man and his family constructed all the buildings in Norsewood. The manor, too, had been erected by the Lamonts in generations past.

The tree in the middle of the courtyard—big and grand with the tips of the highest branches nearly touching that majestic glass roof arching across the expansion—caught Derek's attention, and he wondered what type it was, for he had never seen the likes of it before.

"We're here," Liam said as the double doors opened for them.

Derek and his family followed the soldiers, and soon, they were in a spacious room with many beds. Lady Eden led them to one at the end of the room where Liam and the other soldier lifted Grant up and laid him on it. Meanwhile, the others injured were carried in, too, and Lady Eden went off to direct where they should go. Soon, the place was crowded with the sick and their families.

"Hello," a young woman wearing an all-white gown with a red cross at the front, said as she moved toward Grant, who had been awake since they had arrived at Norsewood town. She leaned in and said, "My name is Tiffany, and I'll be looking after you, Mr. Porter."

Grant nodded weakly.

"My dear, are you a healer?" Grandma Liz asked.

Tiffany smiled gently. "No, I'm not. I'm just one of the health committee members. We have yet to start the official training, but we'll do what we can to aid the sick. My lady should be here soon to take care of Mr. Porter. For now, make yourself comfortable." She gestured to the chairs behind them along the wall.

Derek and his family moved to take their seats while Tiffany went to check on the other patients. All the while, they eyed their surroundings, having never seen any place like this before. The floor was smooth and the bed Grant was lying on was small but looked comfortable. The mattress under him looked soft and luxurious, on par of one a lord would own.

The door opened, and Derek saw a mesmerizingly beautiful young woman come in, looking around, eyeing one patient after another. She did not wear the white garment uniform like the other women; rather, she wore an elegant gown that indicated wealth, and he wondered who she was. Norsewood was rather small, and everyone knew those the higher-ups, especially if they were the Templetons. Derek was certain he had never seen her before.

Tiffany rushed over to the young woman, and after a few words, they came over this way, the young woman heading straight to Grant on the bed, and Derek hastily stood.