As Fin stood at the crest of the hill of Austice with the castle behind him, his eyes glowing and his arms outstretched, Mr. Howard regarded him with his usual look of irritation and mild contempt.

“Are you aware that you have flour on your tunic?” the assistant asked dryly.

“Can’t say I’m surprised. I had to bake Annika some bread this morning.”

“You do realize you have servants now who can do that for you, right?” Mr. Howard stepped closer to where Fin was working and noticed the strange ancient symbol that was glowing on the lawn.

“We both know mine is better,” the redhead replied without bothering to look at the man.

“Was it your massive ego that seduced your wife, or was it the food I wonder…”

Fin’s eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze to the exhausted assistant who didn’t appear to care the slightest bit that he had irked the Viscount.

“So what is this trap supposed to do?” Mr. Howard asked after giving his head another shake and turning his attention back to the scroll of parchment that had been stuck to a piece of sturdy wood for him to be able to take notes and walk.

“This will collapse into a pit that will be approximately twelve feet deep, and will span the width of the castle,” Fin replied while turning his attention back to his task.

The assistant looked up at him in great alarm. “Where does that start?”

Fin pointed a few feet down the slope of the road leading down to Austice where another symbol glowed.

“Good lord that… if timed right could take out-”

“That’s the plan. We’ve actually been able to set up a few traps throughout the city just with some ingenuity from the Knights.”

The assistant looked impressed as Fin then turned while rolling up his sleeves towards the castle. He had a few more places he needed to go set up traps for, and not all could simply be a massive hole.

“By the way, Kevin, how did you know that Annika was having twins?”

Mr. Howard tripped as he walked beside the redhead, his head jerking upwards to stare incredulously at the man who had addressed him so casually.

“Did you just… call me… by my first name?”

“Well, I’m your superior now aren’t I?” Fin’s smile was devilish and the assistant didn’t like it one bit.

“I’ll have you know, Ashowan, that were it not for my talents, your ennoblement would still be bogged down in a stack of paperwork so thick that your children will not only be born, but also fully grown by the time it could ever come to fruition.”

The witch stopped, and with his hands on his hips turned to stare at the assistant whose cheeks were tinged with red.

“You reeaally don’t like being called Kevin, do you?”

Mr. Howard almost looked like a child he was so flustered. “I just don’t appreciate your attitude this morning!”

“You could’ve been ennobled at some point I’m sure, why haven’t you been?” Fin asked suddenly, curious.

The assistant immediately made a face of disgust. “Ashowan, the responsibility, and the stress? Terrible. I prefer to be one of the highest paid non-courtiers who has great influence and perks with none of the downsides.”

“... You raise a good point. Truthfully, I hadn’t really wanted to be a noble.”

“You don’t say?” The assistant rolled his eyes, then noticed Fin’s unimpressed expression. “Becoming a Royal Cook doesn’t exactly scream ‘I want to be a Lord’. You can’t fault me for stating the obvious.”

Fin rubbed the back of his neck and resumed his walking towards the castle with the assistant at his side.

“Do you want to get married at some point?”

“Absolutely not.” Mr. Howard’s response was incredibly quick. “I’ve had two relationships in my life and they were all suboptimal. No. Work, wine, and good food are my life objectives. Though I greatly look forward to watching your struggle with whatever monsters you’ve bred.”

Fin was in front of the assistant, his eyes glowing with magic in a heartbeat. “Talk about my family like farm beasts again and I will make it my life mission to ensure every drop of wine you taste be sour.”

Mr. Howard faltered, and with a sudden grimace, his shoulders slumped forward. “My apologies, that was perhaps a bit too uncouth. I blame the stress of war.”

The Viscount nodded his forgiveness then continued on towards the castle.

“So how did you know about the twins?” Fin asked again, looking for a change of topic.

“Oh, that maid of hers, the one from a fallen noble family? Clara, I believe. Anyway, she took great delight in telling me when we happened to cross paths.”

“Clara was a noble?!”

“Yes, her and her sister Farrah are now servants, however, to pay off their father’s vast debt… Farrah is Prince Eric’s governess currently.”

Fin recalled the woman who seemed wholly unprepared to mind a child, and recognized then the similarities in the shape of her forehead to Clara’s.

“Huh… why did Annika hire her?” the redhead wondered aloud.

“I believe Clara was caught trying to steal from her, and somehow the two formed a bond…”

‘More like Annika was impressed over some kind of cunning ploy,’ the Viscount theorized silently to himself.

“Ashowan, I must ask…” There was a strange waver in Mr. Howard’s voice that drew back Fin’s attention. “What was it like… when you died?”

The witch glanced at the man, and suddenly with great clarity realized that the threat of thousands of deaths was weighing far more heavily on the man than he liked to let on.

“I won’t lie, getting stabbed to death was more painful than I could’ve ever imagined… Then it felt like I was growing weaker… then it felt cold… and dark. It was…”

Fin trailed off, his eyes growing haunted.

“Anyway. Then, next thing I knew, death’s carriage had dropped me off in front of the forest, only I couldn’t remember anything or anyone. I was just in a beautiful place that felt warm and peaceful. I could be alone, or I could wander around and find someone to talk to if I wanted…”

The men had reached the front steps, but had stopped before mounting them to prolong their privacy.

“You won't really remember the pain, or the ones you loved so that you don’t worry about them… The Gods only allowed me to remember because they gave me the choice to return.”

Mr. Howard appeared deeply distressed. “Did you know what… coming back would mean?”

A shadow of sharp grief moved through the redhead’s features. “No. I didn’t know coming back meant my mother would die. Honestly, if they hadn’t told me about Annika being pregnant, I don’t think I would’ve returned even without knowing what it would cost my mother… I’d done everything I felt I needed to do. As much as I wanted to end my father’s terror, I’m not a killer. The only man I ever killed was in self-defence during the raid in the inn.”

“I notice you use past tense when talking about murdering your father,” the assistant observed carefully.

Fin fell silent for a long moment, and turned his eyes out towards the city of Austice. “He’s caused a lot of pain, and… I don’t even want to try and figure out what he would do if he found out about Annika and our family. If there were a way to bind him to no longer cause danger that did not entail death, I'd still consider it. Sadly, I know that he will never stop.”

Sensing a touchy subject, the assistant turned towards the castle and began mounting the steps.

“Well, Ashowan, you’re going to have to figure out what you want done with him soon. By tomorrow, the ships are supposed to arrive.”

*

The camp had been set up and was already bustling with people who were waiting on carts to move the elderly, or sick, or children whose sole parent was a soldier.

Night had fallen around them, and while there were torches lit, and food being passed around, the darkness that grew in people's hearts and minds could not be quelled easily.

Fin was exhausted by the time he arrived at the camp to meet with the King, but knew everyone was just as, if not more, tired.

“Your Majesty, everything is set. Mr. Howard is finalizing the official report of what I have set up around the castle grounds and will have it for the Captain and Knights to review tonight. I will need to go to sleep soon so that I can be ready for tomorrow,” the Viscount addressed the monarch who was seated beside his wife as they spoke with local merchants about using their carts.

“Yes, thank you for your hard work, Lord Ashowan. Ruby arranged for you and the Viscountess to take over one of the more spacious quarters that one of our courtiers has vacated,” Norman explained, his weary gaze in the firelight barely even registering the witch.

“Thank you, Sire.” Fin bowed to both the rulers, and turned to head back towards the castle, when he saw something that stopped him in his tracks.

Slowly striding across the camp to a particular small tent ladened with blankets and pillows sat a group of children all in their sleep shirts, staring up at three Knights who had a child on each of their laps as they… told them a story.

“-and then, he fled from the ball before being caught by the wicked brother who was momentarily distracted by the bard,” Sir Andrews stopped his enthusiastic tale abruptly when he noticed Fin standing at the entrance of the tent with his arms crossed and an interested smile on his face.

“Then what happened, Sir?!” One of the little girls in the front row squeaked as she clutched her well-loved stuffed bunny toy to her chest.

“Ahh...err… then the… poor soldier… punched the brother in the face…” Sir Andrews was blushing fiercely, and as Fin continued listening, wondered what the Knight was so embarrassed about until he heard the names of the characters in the story.

“-Then Fred and Annie lived happily ever after!”

It then dawned on the redhead that the story was based on a very real couple… and suddenly he understood why Sir Lewis and Taylor were trying desperately to stop laughing.

“They didn’t even kiss!” The little girl with her bunny exclaimed sadly.

“Eww! Who needs kissing! Why didn’t the brother fight him back! One punch and that was it? Too easy!” A little boy with dirt smudged on his cheeks had sprung up in the middle of the group, his fists in the air.

“Well, there were a few more details…” Sir Andrews cleared his throat awkwardly as Fin leaned his shoulder against the tent post.

“I think it’s time for sleep, everyone,” Sir Lewis announced, earning several loud disagreements.

“Why do we need to sleep when the soldiers might come get us?” A different little girl with messy dirty blonde hair asked, her eyes wide and fearful.

“If you don’t get some sleep and the soldiers come, you won’t be able to run as fast as you can away from them, that’s why.” Hannah’s voice made Fin jump as he realized she had joined him at his side with a tray ladened with what looked like a jug of warm milk and honey, with several wooden cups.

“While I pour this for everyone, why don’t we have Sir Taylor sing us a lullaby, hm?”

The boys groaned, while the girls stared adoringly up at the Knights, bringing a smile to Fin’s face before he realized what he was doing.

Sir Taylor nodded to Hannah with a friendly smile, then, lowering his gaze to the children, began to sing.

“The market is empty

The butcher's gone home

The candles have spent - soon the light will be gone

Soften your brow, dear

Breathe slow and deep

Let your eyes close as you drift off to sleep

The moon in the window

The sun in the sea

Now is the quiet - just baby and me

And the sun will sleep in the ocean tonight

And the cool of the water makes everything right

And the ocean once dreamed it could shine high above

But protecting, reflecting the sun is enough,”

As the song carried on, Hannah’s voice, quieter… not as powerful as Sir Taylor’s bass joined in. Gradually, one by one, the children’s eyes began to grow heavy. The pull of the soothing tones too comforting and warm to win against.

Fin didn’t know why, but the sight of the kitchen aides, with Hannah singing and comforting the group of children somehow made him want to cry.

There was something loving, sad, and precious…

“They’ve been practicing while cooking.”

Fin turned to look at Peter and Sir Harris- who technically was Lord Harris then, as they strolled over to where he was standing.

Peter, who had spoken, fixed Fin with a somber gaze as he stepped forward and lowered his voice. “I’m sorry I was not more careful with your secrets… thank you for insisting to His Majesty I should be released.”

Fin nodded, a small meaningful smile touching his face. “I know it wasn’t done on purpose.”

“So,” Sir Harris asked, his hands pressed into his pockets while clearing his throat. “Think we’re ready to face them?”

Fin stepped away from the tent and gazed out towards the Alcide sea where there still weren’t any signs of ships. “One way or another we’re going to find out, but I hope so.”

Everyone fell silent then as they all drifted into their own anxious worries of the times to come that would be filled with immeasurable hardships, and heartbreak.

Their peaceful days in the kitchen had come to a close, and it was unclear whether or not they would ever return again.