The day had finally arrived. Beltane festival had been a back breaking laborious event that had sent Fin to the edge of his patience more times than he could count, but it had finally arrived. He relished the thought that by the end of the day, he could celebrate with a well-deserved pint- that is if he managed to keep his eyes open after the feast was served.

As it was, over the past three days the witch had perhaps been able to obtain eight hours of sleep in total, and that was being generous.

Were it not for Kraken occasionally grooming him on the floor, Fin would not have been aware of him passing out while in the middle of cooking in the heart of the night.

He braced himself with the reminders that the meat was completed on the spits outdoors, and all that was left were the potatoes and the vegetables. The nearby vendors for the fireworks show would serve the desserts, and Fin could not be more grateful for the small reprieve.

He had decided to do a combination of herbs for the vegetables, and to keep the roasted potatoes fairly simple in order to deliver quality side dishes in a timely fashion.

By the time the vegetables were prepped for the oven Sirs Taylor, Lewis, and Andrews looked dead on their feet, while Hannah and Peter both looked worn, but resilient.

“We are six hours away from the end, once these courses go out, do not worry about the dishes. We will deal with them tomorrow, and I doubt the nobles will be up before noon after the festivities, so we can all sleep in.” Fin informed them as each member of his team members swayed on the spot.

“Nnnnooo way. My body can’t move another inch.” Sir Lewis managed, his words slurring together as his knees buckled.

“I know you’re all tired, and you’ve done very well. Take an hour to nap, eat, or whatever else you need to do, but then we need to do one final stretch.” Fin’s voice was strained, yet encouraging. Hannah managed to give him a weak smile, Peter gave a barely visible nod, but the Knights continued to rock on the spot, despite Fin knowing for a fact that they had not had anything to drink since under his command.

That was all he could offer them however. The moment they disappeared from his view, he’d be able to take care of most of the prep with magic, however even he knew it wouldn’t be quite enough to cover all that needed to be done, especially given his low energy levels. If he had been given a few hours a day alone with the proper amount of sleep, he could have easily finished everything, but with everyone coming and going, there was no way he could do that.

The small group stumbled out the door, each carrying pails full off dirty dishware and cutlery, while Hannah and Peter traipsed out with piles of carrots to peels.

Fin blinked wearily at the pile of food in front of him.

Never before had he cooked such large quantities for so long. He could feel his eyelids closing, and was certain he had begun hallucinating periodically, when the kitchen door opened.

Ruby stepped in, her face red in anger, but one look at the man’s drawn face and fluttering eyelids, she clamped her mouth closed, and shut the door behind her. It really wasn’t all that important that Mr. Howard’s tea was slightly late, Fin wasn’t sure if he had dreamed the Head of Housekeeping coming to the kitchen, but decided not to allow his thoughts to dwindle too long on the growing possibility that he was losing his mind due to exhaustion.

*

When Lady Jenoure entered the room after the luncheon hour, she found the cook chopping cabbage at a significantly slower rate than was normal for him, his eyes were glossed over as though blind to the work before him.

Stepping forward, Annika called out to him, but he failed to hear her.

With a smile, the Lady stepped behind the cook, picked up the black kettle that was already filled with water, hung it carefully over the fire, and watched as he completed chopping one cabbage mechanically, then started on the next one, still oblivious to her presence.

Annika brewed an entire pot of tea, and set out a steaming cup for the cook by his right hand while not being acknowledged once, and left without Fin even knowing someone had been there with him. He sipped the myserious cup of tea gratefully, and assumed his magic had made it for him... or maybe it had been Kraken...

*

The parade was celebrated with birdseed and rose petals being tossed joyously into the air as the precession of military Knights marched passed, and carriages of the inner court passed by along with the foreign diplomats, and lastly the royal family themselves.

The slightly lesser nobility waited down by the docks where they awaited to board family owned vessels that would embark on a night sail for the firework display over the water.

Prince Eric tossed candy to the crowds, while the King and Queen waved to their people under heavy guard. Were it not for the Queen’s condition, there would only be a guard or two, but the common people understood. If anything, it only reaffirmed the King’s love for his Queen that he should care so much for her and his unborn child’s safety.

The parade had followed after the main feast, and as a result, the castle staff had the choice of joining in on the festivities, or retiring for an early bedtime.

Most of them opted for the luxury of a good nights rest, but Hannah and Peter remained resolute in seeing the fireworks, while the Knights, barely coherent at the end of the feast, opted for rest in their beds.

Fin had been holding out for his single pint once the last of the dishes had been returned to the kitchen, despite every muscle in his body screaming for a reprieve.

He had just settled outside on the grass by the eastern gardens, which were around the corner from his kitchen, and up near the rose maze of the castle, when he could hear some of the castle maids giggling with their suitors for the night off in the shadows of the flowering shrubbery, earning themselves a disapproving grunt from the cook.

He stood, and turned towards the somewhat forbidden rose maze. While servants weren’t really allowed in there, it was rarely ever enforced as the staff tended to pick night time to explore it, which was when most nobles were already asleep anyway.

The gardening wonder wrapped around the east wing of the castle, and took up nearly the entire side. It had earned its fame throughout the land for its incorporated multiple rose colors that could be viewed while journeying towards the centre of the maze. Fin had heard about its beauty his entire life, and wanted to explore it while the roses were in their full bloom, but decided that it would be better perhaps when he was less exhausted.

He decided to return to the kitchen gardens wearily, while planning on staring up at the night stars in peace, when he bumped into none other than Hannah and Peter.

“Fin! Have you seen the stalls!” Hannah called, her face aglow in the excitement of the evening, and a flower crown adorning her golden hair.

“I have not, I was going to have a drink and go to bed.” The cook answered slowly as he lifted the steel tankard in his hand as proof.

“Oh, but you should! It is one of the most magical nights of the year.” She gushed with rosy cheeks.

Fin glanced at Peter who shrugged briefly, and gave the cook all the indication he needed.

“I am quite alright Hannah, but you two enjoy. Thank you for thinking of me.” Fin raised his pint, and managed a tired smile.

“At least check out the farmers stands near the front of the castle, they have fresh herbs and vegetables!” Hannah called over her shoulder as she skipped towards the festivities.

That caught Fin’s attention.

After the feasts, he needed to replenish some of his stocks, and taking a look at some of the local produce wasn’t a bad thing.

*

The streets were lined with twelve-foot torches, and the stalls all had their finest wares out for the crowd to pick through. Unfortunately, by the time Fin had made it to the stalls nearest the castle, they had been mostly picked through, and there was very little left to choose from.

He had just made the decision his aching body couldn’t take anymore feeble resistance to sleep, and had begun his trek back up the hill to the castle, when he became crowd locked due to a group of noble women walking arm in arm through the middle of the road. No one dared to tell them to move or that they were causing a traffic flow problem however, and so most of the crowd heard their conversation without a problem.

“I know!”

“She claimed she wanted nothing to do with the festival, but then she showed up in that?!” A group of four noble women strolling down the long sloping road were heading down towards the docks. They were giggling behind their hands, their cheeks rosy and eyes glassy from the wines and meads that they had consumed during the day’s festivities.

“I think she is just sleeping around with whomever she pleases, and that’s why the King hasn’t married her off- she is too much of a hussy for another noble to want her.”

“She has really been exploiting the King’s kindness if you ask me. I mean, as if she is actually upset to lose Viscount Jenoure. He was seventy-five when they married! She’s probably cackling that she’s inherited his fortune with no brats while she’s still young.”

“No one wants her because she’s from Troivack!” One of the girls, a young brunette noblewoman with freckles, threw in almost absent-mindedly as she scanned the crowd apparently looking for someone.

Fin rolled his eyes. Gossips were central figures in any community, but he didn’t like being bothered with their nonsense.

He was shaking his head and rolling his eyes, when he caught the rustle of a bright blue teal silk disappearing between the stalls.

Why hadn’t he thought of that? The spaces behind the stalls were green fields with no crowds! He blamed his mental fatigue, and swiftly made his escape.

When his eyes fixed on the figure in the significantly quieter darkness on the other side of the stalls, Fin saw the woman he had followed draw out a long black cloak in her arms, and wrap it around their shoulders and then pull the hood up over the long slightly curled hair, and Fin knew exactly whom he was staring at.

“Lady Jenoure,” He called softly to her back.

She didn’t show any sign of hearing him, so Fin quickened his step until his long strides fell in time beside her own.

“I wouldn’t pay them any heed you know.” He said airily while pressing his hands into his pockets.

The Lady shot him a sidelong glance from under her hood with a raised eyebrow, but continued on in silence.

When they had made it back to the castle grounds where the land was leveled out, Fin instinctively headed towards the east wing to meander past the maze. After growing warm from climbing up hill in the balmy evening, Annika removed her cloak, and turned to get a better view of her company under the moonlight.

Fin’s breath caught in his throat when he laid eyes on her attire for the evening.

Her bright silk teal gown was cut in a wide V exposing her flawless chest with modest cleavage, and its sleeves clung the length of her arms. While the bodice was perfectly fitted to her curvy form, the skirts were bunched up, and fell in thick layers. Her lips had been painted a deep red, and her hair left unadorned, flowing down her back. For her jewelry, she only wore two gold rings, one on her right forefinger, and another on her left index finger.

“While I thank you for your companionship in walking me back to the castle, to continue being in my presence alone could spread rumors, so if you could please take your leave,” She gestured him away with her hand, ignoring that his mouth had come slightly ajar at seeing her dressed up.

Fin blinked twice before placing his hands on his hips, and let out a single sarcastic ‘ha’.

“I tell you thousands of times to leave my kitchen, and you don’t listen to me a whit! Now you think I have to obey to you?”

Annika rolled her bright brown eyes to the starry sky above them before she shook her head incredulously.

“You keep forgetting I am a Lady, and you are a commoner. You are supposed to comply with my wishes.”

“Is that the kind of Lady you really want to be? Ordering around those ‘lesser’ than you?”

“No, but I need-”

“Everyone is at the festival. I just wondered if you wanted to walk through the maze with me before I fall asleep on my feet. It’s the only spare time I’ve had in nearly a month.” He nodded at the bright yellow blooms behind them that arched widely over the maze entrance.

Annika glanced behind herself, then gave the cook a calculated glance.

“You know more Ladies have compromised themselves in that maze than any bedchamber in the castle right?”

Fin blushed brightly.

“I-er- n-no. I don’t mean anything like that I-”

“Something innocent can easily become the canon fodder to any woman’s virtue.” She shook her head while clearly enjoying making him uncomfortable.

Fin sighed, he understood it was a bad idea, and to be perfectly honest, he wasn’t even sure why he had made such a ludicrous request in the first place.

‘I must have gone crazier than I realized.’

“Alright, alright. I don’t have the energy to do battle with you. I will escort you to the castle then leave you be.”

“I am not ready to head in just yet, but have a good night.” She turned towards the maze when he tapped her shoulder.

“It isn’t safe for you to be out by yourself, especially when you look-”

Annika turned with a bright delighted smile on her face, as she waited for him to finish the sentence looking incredibly amused.

“How do I look Finlay?” She asked slyly.

He cleared his throat, and glared at her.

“Some might say they find you palatable.”

“Oh stop, I’m blushing.” She teased waving her hand.

“Women have been attacked for less.” Fin grumbled at her, not appreciating the condescension.

“Ah, so is that always your role? Protector of women? You always want to be their hero?”

Fin’s hands clenched and unclenched at his side, and he stared down at the grass for a moment before speaking.

“My mother used to get horribly beaten by my father.” He said, his heart beginning to pound in his chest.

Annika’s mirthful expression fell.

“He finally left when I was eight or so, but I struggle with the idea of someone being preyed upon, and no one helping them. I am sorry if I’ve insulted you.”

The Lady gripped her fingers in front of her skirts, feeling regretful for touching on a sad subject.

“I am sorry that you and your mother had to endure that.” She said softly.

Fin shrugged uncomfortably. He didn’t need her pity, but she did need to be safe.

“However, not all women are the prey.” Annika gave a tight smile. “I grew up in Troivack, and man or woman, you were supposed to take care of yourself. My mother was from Daxaria, and while doctors say she died in childbirth, the truth is she just gave up fighting to live.”

Fin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Your mother was a Daxarian? But neither you nor your brother show any signs of that-”

“That’s because he’s a half brother. My mother was my father’s second wife. He had three sons with his first, and just me with the second. My skin is slightly paler than other Troivackians, but that is the only way to tell really.”

She folded her arms across her body gracefully as she explained her family history.

“Is it because of your mother being Daxarian that your brother is an ass to you?”

Annika’s jaw dropped.

“Fin! You cannot, and should not, ever say something like that. You do not know how brutal Troivackian people can be. If my brother caught even the slightest hint of your insolence towards him, you would most likely go missing ‘mysteriously’.”

What took the witch back the most, was that he had never seen her look so serious or… worried.

“I can take care of myself, don’t lose sleep over me.” Fin managed to tease quietly while leaning down slightly to smile gently at her in the darkness, hoping to ease some of her obvious anxiety.

Annika’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened and closed once. For some reason at a loss for words…

“Do you know how hard it is to find a good cook? Luca was gone nearly a year before you came along!” She snapped finally, a light blush cresting her cheeks.

Fin chuckled.

“You first tell me that some women can take care of themselves, and I believe it, but it is also possible some peasants can handle themselves as well.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but Fin was already beginning to amble into the rose maze, his hands in his pockets as he struck a leisurely pace.

Picking up her skirts, with a huff, she hurriedly followed after him.

“I am not kidding Fin, you do not know the cruelty Troivackian nobles grow up with. It is easy for them to kill a person and not think twice about it.”

“If your brother tries to kill me, I promise you, he will have more than just two thoughts about it.”

As Fin walked, he breathed in the cool night air, and relished in the sweet smells around him.

“You overestimate yourself.” Annika snapped in frustration while unconsciously following him to continue their conversation.

“You underestimate me.”

“Why are all men equally stupid?” The Lady muttered more to herself than to him.

“Why are all Ladies equally overbearing?”

Fin didn’t need to look to feel the glare he was receiving, but he continued smiling as he walked.

“Are you… are you saying these things to anger me on purpose?” She demanded.

“Not anger so much as distract.” Fin replied while remaining aloof.

“Distract? What do you- oh. You wanted to go on a walk with me that badly?” Annika quipped dryly.

“I haven’t had a walk outside in months, and you happened across my path. I’ve taken it as a sign that we should have a nice stroll together.”

She shook her head while making an aggravated ‘tsk’, but Fin saw out of the corner of his eye the noblewoman try to hide her smile.

“Have I grown that much on you, or is it that you think I’d be bothered by the other Ladies?” She demanded after a few moments of them rounding another bend in the maze where pink roses grew.

“-Or the third option of; I wanted to go for a walk through the maze and thought you may want to join me?”

Annika shot him a dubious expression.

“It’s true. They don’t bother you though? The Ladies?”

“I don’t like them, why should I care what they think?” Annika sounded genuinely unaffected.

Fin shrugged.

“Most people care about being liked, but I’m glad to hear you are the exception.”

The pair continued to walk down the roses that were gradually fading into peach colored blossoms. Annika stopped and sniffed one before resuming her position at Fin’s side.

“Do you think I enjoy your company?” She questioned after yet another turn in the maze.

“You spend a lot of time annoying me for someone who doesn’t.”

“You just are… different. I’m curious about you… we don’t usually get new staff members here. Everyone is born and dies here, so you are something of a novelty.”

Fin stiffened slightly, but didn’t comment. Instead, they found themselves staring at a dead end, the hedge towering several feet above them cradled a stone bench.

“Would you like to rest?” He offered.

“We haven’t found the center of the maze yet, let’s keep going.”

“Have you never been through this maze?”

“Only once before with… with Hank. It was the first time we met.”

Fin reasoned ‘Hank’ was her deceased husband.

“You seem fond of him.”

“He was a good man who… who showed me how a government and country of good people could work.” She let out a slow breath. “I haven’t really spoken about him properly for a long time.”

After several minutes of amicable silence, the duo reached the crimson roses. They walked along their beautiful blooms without a word, until they suddenly turned to white.

“The center should be… here.” When they turned the corner, Fin found himself staring at a square section of the garden where a beautiful marble gazebo stood brightly under the moon. Small sections of lattice and benches were set up in various locations, and there was even a three-tiered fountain that stood proudly in the middle of the brick pathway that began under their toes.

“I think I’ve realized why I keep telling you things I don’t normally tell people.” Annika’s uncharacteristically quiet voice made Fin’s head turn as she stared sadly at the fountain, as though lost in a once happy memory.

“Because you can have me beheaded if I tell anyone?” He tried, hoping to break some of the somber mood.

The Lady shook her head, not moving her gaze an inch.

“You look as lonely and out of place as I feel.” She turned and smiled sadly up at him, then walked over to the fountain.

Fin rubbed the back of his neck as he watched Annika walk away, eventually letting his eyes fall to the ground as he felt something begin to stir in the pit of his stomach.

He was feeling something new… and the slightly unnerving sensation of just not knowing what it was, made the witch all the more rattled.