The Queen was the exact color of an uncooked flank steak, and the King the picture of a guilty person. The royal couple sat before Katelyn Ashowan, who stood regarding them with a cool expression that was not at all how they had come to know her.

“So,” the healer began patiently. “The reason the Princess was born before my guessed timeline was because, despite my orders, you two engaged in marital relatio-”

“We were careful! It wasn’t-” Norman began defensively but was quickly silenced by Ainsley’s warning hand on his arm.

“Your highness, while I applaud your deep love for your wife, it was beyond reckless.”

“In fairness, I had forgotten that the act was completely banned. We didn’t do… everything… just a little-” Ainsley managed before the burning in her face turned scalding and forced her to stop.

With a sigh Katelyn dropped her forehead to her fingertips.

“This is neither here nor there at this point, but your majesties, there is another matter I haven’t brought to your attention as there were more serious issues.”

All at once the embarrassment of the couple drained, and was immediately replaced with worry. Norman reached over and clasped Ainsley’s hand while fixing Katelyn with a stern gaze.

“During the birth of the Princess, and consequent healing of the Queen, I’m afraid there was a great cost.” Katelyn’s eyes flitted over to Ainsley whose stoic expression hardened even further, but nodded to encourage the witch to continue.

“Your highness, you will never be able to conceive again. I had to remove too much…” the healer trailed off, unsure of how much medical talk she really needed to use.

The couple stared at her stunned, and a flicker of the uncertain bubbly woman Katelyn Ashowan was when she wasn’t a Physician appeared. Despite her training, the healer was beginning to fortify herself in the event the royals decided to not only banish her, but hang her for such a massive consequence.

“I… we understand, Mrs. Ashowan, if you wouldn’t mind please giving his highness and I a moment? Please resume healing the castle occupants’ food poisoning as best you can.” The Queen nodded to the door, and Katelyn obliged after a brief curtsy.

Turning to Norman with tears in her eyes, Ainsley leaned her forehead against his shoulder, and swallowed with great difficulty. Wordlessly, he reached up and gently stroked the back of his wife’s head, not knowing what he could say.

After a few moments of the occasional tear dripping off the Queen's cheek onto her husband's sleeve, she spoke.

“I’m so relieved.”

Norman stiffened at her announcement, making the Queen lean back and stare at him with open anguish. “Does that make me a terrible person?”

Reaching up to cup her cheek, the King wiped away the remaining tears on her pale face.

“You have been, and always will be, the best person I know. Even before I knew you, and even after I’m gone.”

Nodding, but crying a little harder, Ainsley returned her husband’s embrace, and thanked the Gods that never again would she have to hold a dead babe in her arms.

*

Striding into the council room an hour after consoling his wife, Norman wasn’t prepared for the sight that met him.

The room was packed full, wall to wall… with noblewomen.

His primary council sat at the table, and every single one of them looked as though there were a hundred archers with arrows notched and trained onto their skulls.

Mr. Howard was shaking his head with his eyes closed when Norman eventually ventured a questioning gaze over to him. The monarch also noticed that mage Lee was missing. It appeared a good amount of the nobility were healed from their unpleasant bout of food poisoning from earlier, though most of the people who had suffered had been those that had tried eating the undercooked bacon for breakfast. Most of the noble women had forewent the fare, and appeared to be in much better shape than their husbands.

“Good day everyone,” Norman began while wondering what fresh hell had occurred in less than a day. Everyone who was seated rose and bowed, while the women curtsied. “Is there a particular reason why we have so many esteemed guests here today?”

“Your highness, it is regarding… the House Witch. Mr. Finlay Ashowan,” Mr. Howard managed while sounding as though he were being choked.

“Son of a mage,” Norman muttered under his breath so that only his assistant could hear before once again addressing the crowd. “What is the issue with Mr. Ashowan?”

The room exploded as everyone began talking heatedly at once.

The King held up his hand and silenced them all, then pointed to Lady Laurent who seemed to have stepped forward from the plethora of noblewomen as some kind of leader…

“Countess Laurent, if you could please explain on behalf of the women here,” Norman gestured around the filled room.

The woman swallowed with great difficulty and refused to look at her husband who was watching his wife with open dread.

“Well, you see your highness… we are all disgusted with how Mr. Ashowan was treated with regards to Baron Gauva’s betrayal. He acted in self defence and was carelessly tossed in a cell after he has been nothing but a model servant to you and the Royal family. Especially now that I hear he was in fact an uncredited hero who helped mage Lee stop Hilda. Us Ladies do not understand why he is being treated as a criminal and forced to take a leave of absence.”

Norman turned to look at Mr. Howard whose arms were folded and eyes gazed off into some distant horror.

“My Lady, Mr. Ashowan was promptly released once I realized he was wrongly imprisoned. Our cook requested some time off and we gave him a few days in our fair Austice,” Norman explained though, he could see on the Lady’s face that his words were doing little to calm her agitation.

“After our husbands were poisoned in the cook's absence, us women were talking amongst ourselves and… well…” Lady Laurent glanced over her shoulder and received several affirmative nods from the wide array of noble females behind her.

“We think Mr. Ashowan should be given a raise and knighted.”

Norman blinked and stepped behind Mr. Howard’s chair while placing his hands on its back.

“Might I ask when Mr. Ashowan gave you all such a strong impression?”

“Well for one thing, he doesn’t poison us,” Lady Laurent began dryly. “For another, he makes the best food we have ever eaten in our lives. He has saved us all, and he treats the Prince with kindness and genuine friendship… He has many wonderful attributes.”

Norman turned to stare at Captain Antonio who looked caught between laughing hysterically and being frozen in shock.

“I see. We will take your thoughts into consideration once Mr. Ashowan has returned.” The monarch managed to say without a hitch in his voice.

“Your majesty, we will be back if Mr. Ashowan returns and no changes have been made!” another Lady, Norman couldn’t remember the name, of burst out.

“My dear, are you threatening his highness?” Mr. Howard asked slowly while finally straightening in his seat.

“N-No,” the blonde lass shrank back into the crowd. She was most likely one of the daughters of the noblemen…

“His majesty has assured you all that he will take your concerns into consideration. Please show yourself out as right now our country is on the brink of war, and we have far more pressing issues than the castle cook.” Mr. Howard stood and gestured to the door imperiously.

The women stayed rooted to their respective spots until Norman stepped closer to his own chair and glanced around the room at them all.

“My assistant speaks the truth. We have greater threats right now. However, your kind words are heeded,” he made sure to add the last part with a slightly warmer tone, but gestured to the door all the same.

Slowly, the women began to shift out of the room, and leave their husbands and fathers to their business.

Still unable to fully understand what had just happened, Norman seated himself and basked in the momentary quiet as the Lords around him all shifted in their seats.

“Did none of you think to stop your-” the King began quietly only to be interrupted hastily.

“Are you able to command the Queen when she decides to do something?” Lord Laurent snapped, his ears a shade of purple that was rather concerning.

Sensing that everyone present was more than a little embarrassed at the show of rebellion the women in their families had shown, Norman made the wise decision to wait before saying anything further on the matter.

Instead, he tucked his chair in, and opened his mouth to begin the meeting, when in burst a Knight under the direct command of Captain Antonio.

“Your highness!” he shouted while bowing deeply.

Everyone looked up startled, and yet somehow… before the Knight even spoke, Norman had a hunch about what could have caused such panic.

“The Royal Cook Mr. Ashowan and Royal Court Mage Lee have sent a messenger to summon us Knights in search of Madame Mathilda’s brothel, but he ah… there is another issue…”

“Of course there is,” the words were out of Norman’s mouth before he could stop himself.

All the men around the table looked to their King in alarm. He waved off their concerned stares and gestured for the Knight to continue. Truly, there was nothing the redheaded menace could've done that would surprise him anymore...

“Mr. Ashowan seems to have convinced all of the… erm… prostitutes to quit work until they receive better working conditions, and funds to better their employment options after aging out of the brothel.”

Norman’s jaw dropped.

*

Fin sat beside mage Lee and continued scrawling out the numbers the prostitutes gave him regarding their payments and expenses. The group mingled in the street directly outside Madame Mathilda’s brothel, and only cleared the road for local traffic. Otherwise the women were quite vigorous in stopping any of the regular patrons from entering the brothel by informing them that there wasn’t a bartender or wench in sight once over the threshold of the house.

The witch and mage had procured some parchment from a nearby business, and with the help of stacked crates and two empty ale barrels acting as two chairs and a table, had begun the arduous task of calculating a fair wage for them all. Many of them only appeared comfortable because of Lee’s presence, and after an unenthused request from Fin followed by several busty women’s pleas, the mage acquiesced to help until the Knights came.

“What exactly is your plan here, Mr. Ashowan?” the elder asked after the second hour of their documentation.

“To unite these women and create a better life for them.”

Lee let out a long sigh. “I mean about how you are supposed to find Madame Mathilda.”

“She won’t be forthcoming, so I figured I might as well spend my time doing something else worthwhile.”

The mage continued looking dubiously at the redhead, until he shook his head and turned back to the parchment in front of himself.

“Not to mention, I’m pretty sure we can ask any of these women if they’ve happened to see or hear anything regarding the Troivackian men.”

The mage turned back to him with a slow smile spreading. “I see, and will it be you who conducts these questions?”

“I can, but I think it’d be best if you talk to the ones you are… er… familiar with.”

Lee had the faintest of blushes, but nodded while clearing his throat.

“Very well.”

After another few moments of watching Fin talk to the last of the women and jot down their information, he folded his arms across his chest.

“You love her don’t you?”

Fin sighed and set the cheap quill he had been using down then stretched his ink stained fingers. There was nothing to indicate he had heard Lee's question.

“Does she love you back?”

The redhead then cracked his neck, still without responding.

“Did I ever tell you about the first time I met Candace?”

At long last Fin replied, “You haven’t.”

“She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant who didn’t believe she should waste her time studying to be a mage.”

“A wise father.”

“Shut up.” Lee cuffed Fin on the back of his head then continued. “My father was his assistant, but I hadn’t ever been invited to the house… until he heard I’d been accepted to the academy. I was fifteen… and when I saw her…”

The mage sighed. “She has surprised me at every turn.”

“I don’t doubt it. She surprised me, too, when I learned you two go to brothels together.”

Mage Lee coughed violently, and after a moment, finally managed to compose himself again to continue.

“My point is, even overcoming the bridge between extreme wealth and moderate, no titles or services to the King involved, that was difficult enough to make acceptable. You cannot bridge the social gap like I did in this case,” Lee explained, watching the redhead’s profile that once again grew blank. “This is not a possibility for the two of you.”

The witch surprised the mage then by suddenly laughing.

“Well… you know… I’m not saying your assumptions regarding the Viscountess and myself is at all right, but by now you should know one absolute truth about me.”

“And what is that?” Lee narrowed his eyes, but was disarmed by Fin when the young man rested his elbow against the small table they had created, and leaned in closer so that no one could overhear his next words.

“Anything a mage can do, a witch can do better.”