"So, what marvel are you going to make next?" Rodrick asks from over his shoulder. He got stuck driving the wagon while we sit in the back.

"Oh, I think I'm all marveled out for now." I chuckle. "That starweave stuff was just a lucky accident. But, I want to practice some more with that and the other textiles." I switch my gaze to Apricot. "I'd like to get good enough that I can make clothes that will fit your normal size. I know you've been spending your time big just for us, and I want to do something special to thank you."

"Aww, Sorrel." Her face takes on a dreamy expression and she wraps her arms around me.

"Nnh, now I want to do something special for her too." Amelia half whines. "I wonder if I can shrink like you grow. That way we could have a pixie day."

"I... don't know." Apricot cocks her head to one side. "But, you should probably practice your other magic first, otherwise you might get stuck looking like your friend Maisie."

"Good idea." Amelia bobs her head up and down. "Sorrel, would you roll up the tarp for me?"

"What the hells!" Her brother sputters when she fires a stream of water off into the trees. "Since when can you do that?"

"Since we-" Apricot tries to answer only to get cut off when Amelia clamps her hand over the pixie's mouth.

"They bonded magically." I answer for the flustered blonde. "Amelia's mana is now connected to Apricot who is connected to the world at large. This is also the reason that Apricot is now human-sized. Unfortunately, we don't really understand how it works."

"Okay..." He doesn't seem to know what else to say. "I was wondering how you finally got the storage spell to work, but with all the excitement of the wolves. I just forgot to ask. So, are you a proper mage now?"

"Oh, gods no." Apricot laughs. "She's got a long way to go if she wants to be even half as skilled as Sorrel. Sorry Amelia, but you know it's true." She gives the dejected-looking blonde a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"..." She pouts for a minute before sighing in resignation. "I know. That's why I want to practice." She goes back to doing just that.

The rest of the day passes peacefully. We chat for a bit with Rodrick, catching him up on our recent adventures. Amelia steadily improves her control, and I work with finer and finer threads. While occasionally taking a break to just relax and enjoy the scenery.

It's during one of those breaks that Apricot pulls out the checkers board and wheedles Amelia into a match.

"What's that?" Rodrick looks intrigued.

"Oh, Sorrel introduced us to a bunch of games from his homeland." His sister explains distractedly while planning out her next moves. "Baby, can you show them to Roddy while I kick some pixie butt?"

"Sure." I give her and the pixie each a kiss on the forehead before climbing up front to sit next to Rodrick. "They're playing Checkers, and as you can see the rules are fairly simple. The pieces can only move in forward diagonals unless they reach the end where they get crowned and can go backward. This one is called Chess, and even though it uses the same board, the rules are a bit more complex." I walk him through Chess and the other games.

I'm just making a proper four-player Sorry! board when we reach the next clearing. We're not the only ones either, a squad of guards on horseback and a laden wagon comes around the bend just as we're pulling into the campsite.

"Those look like the city guards from Riverton." Amelia says when I point them out to her. "Baron Pepi must be sending them up to Southwood to help with the extra patrols."

"Yeah." Her brother nods. "I recognize their leader, shared a drink with him once, but he was just a regular guard then. I don't know if he's married or not, but judging by the age of the others, I'm guessing they picked people without families to support."

"That makes sense if it's going to be a long term posting." I agree. "I wonder if they know anything about Ferne's boss, and if she was involved or not."

"Hello, the camp." The lead guardsman call out just as we're un-hitching Stormie.

"Hello. Uh, Sergeant Simms, wasn't it?" Roddy greets him with a smile.

"Ah!" Simms exclaims. "I knew your name sounded familiar during the briefing. Nice to see you again. Hope you haven't had any more trouble along the way."

"Well, I wouldn't call it trouble, since Sorrel here took them all out in a few minutes." He pats me on the shoulder. "But, we ran into a small wolf pack yesterday."

"That reminds me." I turn to Amelia. "Do you want to pass off the bodies you picked up for me."

"Yes, please." She dumps them on the ground without touching even a single hair. "They keep startling me every time I looked into storage for something."

"Heheh." I chuckle and put them away with the other three.

"Hells!" The youngest looking guard breathes out the oath. "What kind of bow do you use that can punch clean through a wolf skull?"

"This kind." Blackthorne springs to my hand from the back of the wagon, shifting into bow form mid-air.

"Any idea where I can get one of those?" Another guard with a longbow strapped across his back speaks up.

"Uh... Find a lightning-struck tree, and use your inborn Plantkin magic to transform it into a Livingwood staff." I give him an embarrassed shrug.

"I'll get right on that." He looks a bit disappointed, but laughs it off. "Names Corey, by the way. This is Butters, Bobbi, and Jo, they're sisters. And, that's Ashley up in the wagon." Butters is the youngest, Bobbi and Jo look nothing alike, and Ashley seems to be half asleep.

"Nice to meet you all." I nod to each in turn. "And, sorry we're responsible for dragging you all out here."

"Are you kidding?" He laughs. "We're getting paid extra for this, and it's pretty much a vacation since we heard right before we left that it was all set up by the head enchanter."

"Damn. Poor Ferne." I shake my head. "She was so sure her boss wouldn't do anything like that to her. Try to break it to her a bit more gently if you run into her later."

"We will." Simms gives Corey a look. "Alright everyone, you know what to do. Corey, you're cooking tonight." A round of groans rises from the others.

"I still feel bad that everyone had to come out here." I speak over their grumbling. "Please let me make dinner for all of you. I've got most of a big hog sitting in storage, and pork chops don't take much effort."

Simms is about to deny me when he feels the death glares from his soldiers. "Well, if you're gracious enough to offer, we'll just have to be gracious enough to accept." His people cheer at that.

"Can you set up the latrine first?" Amelia looks like she's trying not to do the pee-pee dance. "Please."

"What did you do before I came along." I say with a laugh.

"Oh, she's always hated peeing in the woods." Roddy chuckles. "Says the critters stare at her."

"They do!" She stamps her foot and then rushes into the outhouse as soon as I set a large stack of wipes inside.

"Please tell me you set these up at the other campsites along the way." Jo says as she and her sister get in line to use it next.

"All except the last one." I nod. "We were trying to catch up with Rodrick, and skipped that one."

"Good enough for me." She looks relieved. "We didn't think about the lack of plumbing when we signed up for this."

"Alright, I should get started on the potato salad so it has time to chill before dinner." I walk over to the firepit to get it going, and spot Apricot kicking Rodrick's but at Checkers by the wagon.

"Thanks for taking care of dinner." Corey comes up to me with a grateful look on his face. "My mom never let me in the kitchen, so I never really got the hang of cooking. And, uh... can I ask what they're playing over there." He points over to the Checkers game.

"Oh, that's Checkers. It's a game from my homeland." I'm building the fire while I talk. "Just let me get this stuff boiling and I'll show you how to play." The eggs go in Roddy's pot, and the potatoes get peeled and diced by magic before going into the larger pot.

"I don't suppose you feel like joining the guard?" Simms walks up with Butters a step behind, Ashley is off lying on a blanket reading a book.

"Sorry, no." I shake my head and fashion another Checkers set from firewood, and then one more for him and Butters.

"Had to ask." He sends me a rueful smile. "So, what's this?"

"A game called Checkers." I talk them through how to play while mixing up some mayonnaise from scratch.

Simms catches on pretty quick and is soon destroying Butters as badly as Apricot is destroying Roddy. The young guard begs to switch opponents at the same time the sisters join us. I make a third board and show them how to play while Simms does his best not to lose against me.

"Hey, babe." I smile up at Amelia when she drifts over. "Could you re-freeze the icebox for me?"

"Sure, you want me to take over your game too?" She laughs at the frustrated look on the sergeant's face. "I think you might be a bit out of his class."

"Yeah, that'll give me a chance to get everything else ready." Having magic that keeps things in the same state as you store them, makes cooking ahead a lot easier. "Just try to go easy on him." I laugh as Simms' relieved look turns dejected.

"We only cheat when playing against you." She joins in my laughter.

"Does anyone else want corn on the cob instead of creamed corn?" Lily and mom loved creamed corn, but I never could stand it.

"You don't have to go through all this trouble." The sergeant smiles as he takes one of Amelia's pieces, but doesn't notice that he's just falling into her trap.

"He made a whole ham and all the fixings last night." Amelia has a shit-eating grin as she takes three of his pieces in one move, gets crowned and takes two more. "He was probably going to make this anyways."

"Ashley, get over here and play this game with me." He calls over to the bookworm after the rest of his troops start laughing at how badly he just lost, and refuse to switch partners.

"No more middle watch for the rest of the trip." She bargains.

"... Fine!" He relents.

"Well, alright then." She becomes more lively almost instantly. "So, how do you play?" It doesn't take her long to get the hang of it and, after a few tips from Amelia, she's soon his equal.

"Do you have any more games?" Corey asks after a while.

"A few." I start taking them all out of storage, and then run over to the wagon to grab the Sorry board I was making earlier. "I know some more complex board games too, but haven't had the chance to re-create them yet. I've got a handful of dice and card games too, but I mostly played board games with my family."

Corey and Butters go for dominoes, and the sisters try backgammon, while Simms and Ashley play chess. Roddy asks for something he won't get destroyed at, so the four of us play Sorry. He was about to win too before his sister got a lucky roll.

I let them play without me after that, and make some cornbread while working on some other games, starting with Jenga which I had almost forgotten about. I also add a few simpler games that I forgot too, like Battleship, Connect Four, and Stratego. I even recreate Kerplunk just for the hell of it.

Moving onto the more complex board games, I completely skip monopoly because that game is fucking evil. I did make Risk, but I didn't want to use the original map in order to avoid awkward questions. So, I used an old DnD map making trick where just roll a bunch of dice, draw some squiggly lines around and between them. And boom, you've got a map.

Cluedo and Mahjong are next; I only learned Mahjong because my neighbors in sophomore year had a weekly game. But, their fourth was always flaking on them, so they'd pull me in as a replacement.

After all the classics done, I move onto more recent games like Settlers, and it's easier to play cousin Ticket to Ride. I was just finishing up with that when I notice the sky is starting to change color.

Putting the games to one side; I pull out the pork loin and, using the lovely knife I got in Southwood, I deftly carve out enough chops for all of us. These get seared, then 'baked' with garlic, butter, and thyme.

While the chops cook, I prep some apple pies. I should have done these earlier, while I had more light. But, it shouldn't be a problem as long as I top up right before the sun goes down.

"Clear a bit of room, and I'll throw together a table and some chairs for us." It is a bit crowded with two wagons, seven horses, ten humans, and dozens of board games strewn about the clearing. "I'm kinda glad we haven't put up our tent yet." I chuckle as the guards help Amelia, Apricot, and Rodrick clear some space.

"It wasn't so bad until you brought out all the games." Amelia says while I meld firewood into a big table and chairs. "Though, I do like that one with the boats."

"How was I supposed to know you shouldn't bunch them all up together." Apricot whines.

"Heheheh." I must have missed that when I was working on the other games. "Alright, Glow!" I light up the hedges and top off my magic just before the sun dips below the horizon.

"Are you sure you don't want to join the guard." Simms asks again as I set the table.

"Sorry, but we've got plans for him already." Amelia chuckles and sits down next to me.

"Can we at least get some more of those wipes he put in the outhouse?" Bobbi pleads.

"Hahaha, sure." I agree while serving the girls and myself. "I'll give you a box in the morning. Now, dig in."

"Thank you." She and her sister give me a grateful nod.

"Mmm." Ashley moans around her pork chop. "Please tell me your plans involve starting a restaurant, so I can visit it every day."

"Sorry, but I'll probably be making clothes." I gesture to the girls and myself. "I made everything we're wearing right now, and Amelia says it's the best way for me to make coin while leaving plenty of time to focus what really matters. Like her and Apricot." All the women at the table blush a bit at that.

"I was wondering about your shirt." The sergeant peers at my t-shirt. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"It's knit cotton." I explain. "I'd give you a demonstration, but I need to make sure I have enough magic to finish the pies. Maybe after dessert."

"I still can't believe you're making pie in the middle of the woods." Butters sprays cornbread crumbs all over his plate.

"Did your mom not teach you to swallow before you speak?" Corey elbows him in the ribs. "You know, if you want to punish his ill manners by oh, say... giving me his slice." He has to dodge a swing by the younger guard at that.

"Knock it off, the both of you." The sergeant sighs. "Or, I'll make sure neither of you get any pie."

"Sorry, Sarge." - "Sorry." They clam up and remember their table manners.

"Ugh, boys." Ashley says disdainfully, even though she's the same age.

Bobbi and Jo are too busy eating to comment. The rest of us soon follow suit, and it's not long before everyone's plates are cleared.

"Okay, these just need a couple minutes to cool." I set the pies on the table. "But while we're waiting for that, I'll make us some ice cream to go with it. I'm going to need your help with this Amelia, but I think you'll like it." I pull out a bowl of pecans with a wide grin.

"Pecan ice cream? Yes, please." Amelia licks her lips. "I never thought of adding ice cream to apple pie."

"Yeah, we usually use plain vanilla where I'm from, but I don't have any vanilla." And, boy has that made cooking fun, but luckily, maple syrup works well as a replacement. "So, I figure some butter pecan ice cream should work."

I've been browning the pecans and preparing the custard as I speak. It takes the last of my magic to speed the process up, but I want some à la mode.

"I just need you to chill this while I stir." She's able to cool the entire thing at once, so by the time the pie is just cool enough to be eaten, we've got the ice cream ready to go with it.

I put a big scoop right in the center of my slice, as is the fashion. The others look at me a little weird, but try it out. And, if the moans of enjoyment are anything to go by, they seem to enjoy it.

"Are you guys sure you didn't forget something in Southwood?" Ashley speaks up with a blissful look on her face. "We'd be more than happy to escort you back up there."

"Hah!" Corey barks out a laugh. "Sorry, Ash. But, you're just going to have to put up with our cooking for the rest of the trip."

"Don't even make me think of your so-called cooking while I'm eating something this good." She takes another bite and closes her eyes to savor the taste.

"I won't try to recruit you again." Simms says. "But, if you ever need anything from the guard, feel free to use my name. I may only be a sergeant, but I've got a few connections." The twinkle in his people's eyes makes me suspect that he has more than just a few connections.

"Thank you." I bow my head to him. "In return, let me make you copies of all these games, though that might have to wait until morning. Making the ice cream tapped me out."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to say no to that." He chuckles and returns his focus to the dessert.

***