After completing his bow to the King, Fin straightened. He felt as though he were about to pass out at any moment. In a single day he had faced off against Captain Antonio, battled a powerful water witch, behaved inappropriately towards Lady Jenoure, been offered sincere praise and advice by a Coven leader, made dinner, and now he was in a counsel room with some of the most politically powerful men of the continent. All of whom wanted to talk about his relationship to his abusive father that he had not seen in twenty years.

The King, Captain Antonio, Mr. Howard, Lord Fuks, and mage Lee were staring at him with mixed expressions.

“Mr. Ashowan, thank you for joining us. In light of today’s events we have much to discuss.”

Fin nodded and took a steadying breath. A stack of plates had been set beside the shepherds pie that sat steaming centre of the long table. Each man had their dishware and cutlery set before them. Bottles of fine red wine Fin had paired with the meal sat with their corks still nestled in their necks, waiting to be opened.

The cookies were stacked masterfully on a wide platter close to Fin’s end of the long table. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stared at each man present.

Mage Lee appeared calm, Mr. Howard was frowning, Captain Antonio looked skeptical, Lord Fuks had a mad glint in his eye, and the King remained simply stern.

Eloise Morozov’s voice echoed in his mind as he felt the crushing weight of their attention. He took the silence they offered him as an opportunity to sort through his chaotic thoughts and emotions.

What role was a house witch supposed to have?

What suited him and his abilities?

In the somnolent fog of his mind, Fin thought about all the times he had stood while cooking to talk with Prince Eric. He thought about the night that the Knights, Peter, and Hannah had shared dinner with a warm fire at their backs. The peace, comfort, and happiness of each time and place given because they knew they were all safe yes, but after underneath the unspoken knowledge of safety and protection…

Home was the feeling of care and warmth. When Fin felt the most at ease wasn’t when he used his powers to defend his hearth, it was when he used them to make everyone and everything feel good, relaxed, content, and fulfilled.

It was the place where you could rest and be whole. Free of disputes and divides.

Lady Jenoure’s face flashed through his mind. In his kitchen, Fin was able to speak to her without restraint or acknowledgment of their class differences.

The King had felt comfortable enough to drink until drunk and confess his worries to the world…

That was what Fin wanted to use his magic to keep. Even if it was in the castle of the King, he wanted it to not just be a safe place, but a good place.

Fin hadn’t had a full plan when he had entered the counsel room, but… suddenly he knew exactly how he wanted to introduce himself to them as a witch.

‘Well… I guess it’s now or never.’

“Your majesty, Lord Fuks, Captain Antonio, Mr. Howard, and mage Lee, will you permit me to dine with you while we discuss these matters further?” The witch’s left hand remained behind his back, while the fingers in his right began to tingle. The perfect execution of the introduction to his powers rested now solely on the King.

Despite the mounting tension, the redhead’s voice sounded miraculously calm while anxiety still gnawed at him from within.

The King didn’t acknowledge any of the other men as he continued watching Fin keenly.

“I will allow it Mr. Ashowan.”

A smile that was a mixture of nerves and devilish mischief lit up the witch’s face. He raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.

The dishes all levitated. The serving spatula that had been tucked in Fin’s belt rose over to the mouth watering seasoned meal, divided the portions evenly on each plate, then was slowly distributed over to each man’s place as nearly everyone but the mage and King watched slack jawed and wide eyed.

The two bottles of red wine slid forward, their corks squeaking as they both slowly twisted free of their deep green glass bottles. The bottles then drifted around to every empty goblet, pouring their ruby liquids until notes of fullness played from each cup.

The final goblet filled was the one Fin procured from behind his back while he met the surprised stares of the other dinner guests and raised his drink.

“Thank you for allowing me to dine in your esteemed presences.”

The stunned silence lasted a full thirty panic inducing seconds before Lord Fuks burst out laughing.

“Good Gods lad! No wonder I liked you right away! That explains your strange instincts pertaining to cravings!”

“Lord Fuks, you will notice your goblet is only partially filled. While a bit of red wine is healthy for you, you should still be careful.” The cook warned with a strict eyebrow raise.

The Daxarian Chief of Military’s expression immediately soured.

“Royal Cook Ashowan, you control this kind of power? Why hide it?” Captain Antonio wondered while clearly awestricken.

Fin cleared his throat.

“For many reasons I will be happy to discuss at a later date. However, I believe you all have important questions regarding my father.” The witch took that moment to take a long draught from his goblet.

“Yes Mr. Ashowan. If you could please take a seat, we would all like to hear more about this.” The King gestured towards the empty chair beside Captain Antonio.

Fin strode over, hoping he was exuding more confidence than he felt, and seated himself down beside the head of Daxaria’s armed forces. A strange sense of pride began to settle in his chest.

“To start, please explain to those present what your abilities are and their weaknesses. While I have more than these four men in my inner counsel, I am trying to limit your exposure to the other nobility.” The King raised his goblet and drank.

“Of course.” Fin bobbed his head to the ruler in appreciation before addressing the rest of the group.

“I am a house witch. The bigger my home, and more people that share my home, the more powerful I am. I have to visit a place in the house and be in its space for a short amount of time, and afterwards I can do all kinds of things. If I am off the grounds of my home however, I am magically powerless. Though with or without magic, I remain one of the best cooks on the continent.”

Fin had no idea where the abundance of mettle he was producing was coming from- he felt borderline giddy!

The day must have somehow unraveled his inner self-deprecating voice to the point where all that was left was pure nerve…

Fortunately, everyone chortled in response to his boast, as the cook sated himself with another healthy gulp of wine. Fin gave a casual wave over his shoulder- an action that magically opened the windows to the counsel room, allowing for a pleasant evening breeze to sweep through.

Captain Antonio had a far off look in his eyes as though he were remembering something with a sad smile while all the other men gave a small start at the sound of the latches brattled open.

“Mr. Ashowan, Ms. Morozov informed us that the Troivackian Chief of Military is your father. I understand why at the time when Lord Piereva questioned you why you did not confess to your relationship. However, why is it you did not come forward privately?”

Fin did his best to reply in a straightforward manner that would end the discussion as hastily as possible.

“I have not considered Mr. Helmer my father for more than twenty years. I have known nothing of the man since I… well… since I more or less catapulted him off my home island into the Alcide sea. I only learned what he was doing when Lord Piereva mentioned him during the Beltane festival.”

Mr. Howard choked on the wine he had been gulping.

“Would you mind elaborating on what you meant by, ‘catapulted off an island’?” The King’s steady and unperturbed tone helped soften the initial reaction amongst his counsel to Fin’s explanation. It helped that the monarch had previous awareness of his cook’s abilities.

The witch felt his cheeks flush. He took another draught of wine for courage.

“In times of great danger, I am capable of releasing enough magic to push someone out of my home’s perimeters. Sometimes it is done with great force. However it costs me greatly to do so.”

“Force out a single person, or multiple?” The Captain’s lone blue eye sparkled when he turned and fully faced the redhead. Fin knew exactly what motivated the Captain’s question, and he was already uncomfortable.

“At this time, I have only ever had to use such a large amount of power in three separate instances. All times were for a single individual.”

“The possibilities of this ability are quite-” The Captain’s eager tone made Fin’s right hand curl slightly against the polished table’s surface.

“Captain, I hate to disappoint you, but my skills are centered around nurturing a warm and happy home. Should it be treated as a military weapon or tool, the results could be… unpredictable.”

“Unpredictable? How-” The Captain’s severe expression went unobserved by Fin who recanted the words Ms. Morozov had issued to him only an hour earlier silently to himself. The words that had filled him and gently soothed the smarting wounds of his pride and dignity that had existed since he had been a child…

“Captain, perhaps we address the questions regarding Troivack’s Chief of Military first. Ms. Morozov was very clear that Mr. Ashowan will need considerable rest after protecting us from Hilda today.” The king took control of the conversation then, shooting the Captain a look that left no room for argument.

“Thank you for your consideration, your majesty. It has indeed been a long day. I understand that much about my kind is still relatively unknown and worrying to the general public, but I would prefer to take time to individually meet and discuss with you all the details of my magic. For tonight, it is most likely best to address the more pressing matter of Mr. Aidan Helmer.”

Fin felt as though someone else had said his father’s name. He hadn’t spoken of the man in years.

“Mr. Ashowan, I had noticed this before, but even more so now that we are addressing the serious matter of a continental threat. You sound far more educated than a cook- even an accomplished one.” Mr. Howard was staring critically at the redhead.

Fin’s bright blue eyes slid over slowly to the assistant that was in the process of swirling the wine in goblet with a loving twist of his wrist.

“The Coven of Wittica educates all registered witches. They believe that by educating those with power, we will be more controlled and make better decisions..”

“What of Hilda today? She-”

“Hilda’s youth was during the reign of witch hunters and prosecutors. I will say again; for tonight could we please address your concerns surrounding my father?” Fin’s firm tone made Mr. Howard glower, but the redhead somehow managed to maintain his calm and controlled aura.

“Mr. Ashowan is right gentlemen. Lady Jenoure’s Zinferan and Troivackian suitors are due to arrive any day now, and while we can hasten the marriage to firm up Zinfera’s military support, we need every advantage given Troivack’s military strengths.”

Captain Antonio gave a small jerk of his chin then turned back to Fin. Once all the men had quieted, the King once again addressed the witch.

“Would you say your father tends to be on the offensive or defensive in his strategies Mr. Ashowan?”

“Offensive.”

The immediate reply gave every man pause.

“Are you a spy for your father Mr. Ashowan?” The soft voice of mage Lee broke the silence that had momentarily settled in, the sound of which made the cook grit his teeth.

Fin knew he should’ve felt a kindred bond with the man after the battle from earlier, but it seemed ingrained in himself to want to snap at the mage.

“No. My father is a cruel man. Were it not for my mother’s healing abilities, I would have scars marring me beyond recognition.” The room immediately grew somber before the witch continued.

“It should tell you all something that I have only expelled people from my home with magic three times in my life. The first instance was my father, the second an idiot bully, the third was an abusive fiancé that came for a woman my mother was treating. He came after she had fled to us for refuge.”

“You are a protector by nature.” Captain Antonio observed keenly as he slowly picked up his fork and drove its tines into the soft meaty dish in front of himself.

“Being raised by only my mother and educated on the strength of women witches has made me both sympathetic to powerless women, while also aware of their strengths. A strange notion for your Knights.” Fin stared directly at the Captain accusingly.

The air crackled.

“Mr. Ashowan, we would like to present you with a variety of attack plans that Troivack could use, if you could find one that you believe to be most similar to your father’s method of thinking, that in of itself would be of great help.” The ruler swiftly changed the subject while ignoring Fin’s obvious jibe- there were more pressing matters for that particular moment.

Fin bowed slightly from his chair to the King.

“I would be happy to try your majesty. Though it is not out of humility that I again say; I truly do not know much about the man. Even prior to his… timely exit, he did not like to be home often.”

“Good Gods.”

Every head swiveled over to Lord Fuks who had a mouthful of the shepherds pie in his mouth.

“Am I cursed when I eat your food?” The elderly man asked while loading another forkful hastily- his investment in the answer was clearly not overly high.

“Not at all, enjoy Lord Fuks.” Fin replied already feeling himself begin to smile.

The old man grinned back, despite his mouth being full of food. The Lord then idly added,

“I must say, your father sounds like a real-”

“Dick?”

“Yes Mr. Ashowan?” Lord Fuks replied before he realized exactly what the cook had said.

Fin stared at the elder with his eyes dancing with mirth.

The King rolled his eyes to the ceiling, while Mr. Howard pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Mr. Ashowan, I would’ve thought with your education and awareness of the more cultured side of-” The monarch began exasperatedly.

“Think nothing of it, sire. Mr. Ashowan is still in the process of working out his juvenile tendencies. Besides, I too am curious about how I will hold up against his parentage as my opponent.” Lord Fuks waved his fork in the air in a cavalier manner.

“Your majesty, I have every confidence that Daxaria’s Chief of Military will stick it to the Troivackian King.” Fin sipped his wine, his eyes remaining fixed on the King while the Captain choked on the food.

“Don’t worry your majesty, the Royal Cook has a keen mind! Once he experiences some growth of character, I’m sure he will cease his teasing.” Lord Fuks grinned while taking another heaping bite of shepherds pie. The elder shot a mischievous wink to the witch.

“You know Mr. Ashowan, I really am not craving this dish at all.” Mr. Howard nearly shouted the words as he continued to openly scowl at Fin.

“You are craving the entire bottle of red wine. I’m not your mother, you know to eat food with your drink.” The redhead lifted his fork to his mouth while meeting the assistant’s disdainful gaze.

“I feel a tad chilly. Cook, perhaps you could light the hearth?” Mage Lee called over. The man was already down to the last three bites of his food.

“If Keith gives Ruby another piece of advice you won’t need me too. She’ll spit enough acid to burn the castle down.”

Mage Lee had been in the process of raising his wine to his lips, but the cup stilled its journey at the retort. Fin didn’t seem to feel like going easy on the old man, so naturally he set to digging his own grave.

“Then again he nearly made Hilda flood it, so I can understand your concern.”

The King watched the Royal Cook let loose his stream of insulting dry responses with growing surprise and incredulousness.

“Why so terse Mr. Ashowan? Upset that you couldn’t get a woman so you had to settle for a cat?” The mage fired back with a jeer.

“Cats just happen to be less trouble. I have no problem with getting-”

“Your cat has defecated in his majesty’s shoes!” Mr. Howard jumped in angrily.

“The cat did what?” The King’s sharp tone was pointedly evaded by the cook who feigned innocence.

“My opinion still holds.” Fin addressed the assistant evenly.

The bickering and trading of barbs went well into the night. Mysteriously, everyone eventually gave up being insulted and retaliating, and somehow…

They ended up having a rousing good time.

A time so good in fact, that the entire group consisting of a King, a mage, a sassy assistant, a house witch, and a Captain, all wound up being told of their embarrassing drunken exploits by a rather gleeful Chief of Military the next morning.

Though there were quite a few witnesses to some of their more… creative activities that night.