New Year's Day.
A clamor like never before filled the two towns of the Grey Marsh Territory, Newly Town and Minas Tirith.
Colorful strips of cloth hung in the streets. Though simple, they washed away the gloom of the past.
In Mi Port especially, wooden stages had been erected in several large squares, where multiple theater troupes were energetically performing a variety of plays.
Not just "When Candy Comes Knocking" and "Rocky," but also several newly written plays.
The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and ale, as children weaved through the crowds, their laughter echoing all around.
Inside the banquet hall of Mi Port's newly built Lord's Mansion, the atmosphere was just as lively.
Velin stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows with a cup of black tea, watching the bustling scene in the square outside.
Kael walked up behind him.
"My lord."
He handed over a stack of parchment documents.
Velin took them but didn't look at them right away.
