Aggie was the first one to wake at dawn. The chirping birds, and Declan feeding the animals beneath herself and Arlen, had contributed to her breaking away from the dead sleep she had fallen into for a few hours. She knew she hadn’t gotten enough rest, but sleeping long hours without a worry, would have to wait for when they weren’t in immediate danger.

Aggie checked that her cap was on right, with the remainder of her hair shoved under its leather confines.

Aggie rose slowly, making sure not to stir Arlen, who slept peacefully in the hay bale next to hers, and crept as quietly as she could, on the creaking wooden ladder down from the loft.

When she touched her foot down on the ground, she immediately searched for Declan, knowing that she had heard the unmistakable mooing of the cows as grain filled their trough. As she squinted in the darkness, she couldn’t see any moving figures, and so she continued looking for the innkeeper from the base of the ladder.

It took her a moment to realize, he was standing quite still along the back wall of the barn where the bags of feed were kept.

When she finally spotted him after looking all around, all she saw were his shining black eyes, surprising her into gasping loudly, and stumbling backwards by several steps.

Aggie wasn’t sure she knew it was possible for him to cross the distance between them, as quickly as he did, before he grabbed her elbow, and kept her from falling on the hard stone floor.

She had almost forgotten that she couldn’t speak to him, but caught herself as her mouth went to form the appropriate thanks for preventing her fall (Even if he had been the one to scare her in the first place).

“You and Conner could probably use more sleep. I’m surprised you’re awake.” Declan was whispering softly as he released Aggie’s arm.

She nodded, and pressed her finger to her lips. She was trying to show that she wanted to let her companion rest longer, and not disturb him with their voices. Though, she realized, if the animals becoming impatient to be fed, and the grain being poured and echoing in the troughs, didn’t wait him, then speaking normally wouldn’t either.

Despite this, Declan still dropped his voice for her.

“You should sleep more yourself.”

Aggie shook her head, staring at the man’s chest instead. Or was it his stomach?

“He is way too damn tall.” She thought to herself as she felt multiple itches on her arm.

“Did the mice bite?” He asked as Aggie scratched at unseen spots under her tunic, that felt like pin pricks.

She paused. She hadn’t thought anything of the small bites on her flesh, as the rest of her body screamed in agony at all of her recent strenuous activity. Every muscle in her felt stiff, and ached…

She didn’t want to think about being bitten by rodents, and so she shrugged to dismiss it from conversation, and thought.

Declan regarded her silently in the barn, despite the other animals beginning to become more agitated in their wait for food. Eventually, Declan remembered his guest couldn’t start a conversation even if he wanted to, so he shook his head.

“Bonnie’s just getting the kitchen set up for breakfast, you should head in and help, then you and your brother can eat and be on your way.” Aggie bobbed her head once, then turned to the barn door, and walked as quickly as she could into the faintest breath of morning light.

She breathed in deeply, and winced at the sharp pain that greeted her. Her bruised side felt incredibly sore, even more than the rest of her body. She was not used to moving so much in a day, but she knew she didn’t have a choice, and sternly reminded herself that she would have to deal with it if she wanted to be free.

Aggie marched into the inn, double-checking that her cap hadn’t shifted, even though it itched something horrible. She decided it would be better if she avoided thinking about lice, fleas, and mice, until much later.

The inn floor had been scrubbed clean of all the blood from the previous nights events, and Aggie could hear Bonnie clattering around the kitchen, as she stood in the otherwise silent dining room.

With a shallower sigh than outside, Aggie entered the brightly lit room, and had to squint at the sting of light hitting her eyes.

“Angus! Good morning!” Bonnie smiled beautifully from her worktable, where she was laying out dozens of pieces of bread to be buttered.

Once again, Aggie almost forgot that she wasn’t supposed to talk, so she raised her hand in a quick wave, but in doing so, her bruised side gave her another clip of pain. She hadn’t meant to wince so noticeably, but Bonnie saw it.

“Oh no! I didn’t properly see what happened last night with Gib, is it your side that’s hurt?” Bonnie rushed forward, and Aggie jumped backwards so quickly, that she tripped and fell hard against the door with her back. She grunted, but at least Bonnie had stopped advancing on her.

“Angus, I might have a poultice to help with the bruising or-”

A sudden realization hit Aggie, she lifted her hand, and pointed to her side, gestured behind her, and then pressed her fingers against her lips.

Bonnie took a moment to piece together what was trying to be communicated, but then slowly asked:

“You… don’t want me telling your brother about you being hurt?”

Aggie nodded fervidly.

“Will he be angry with you?”

Aggie shook her head, and then stepped back away from the door, and walked along the other side of the inn table to avoid being too close to Bonnie. She couldn’t let anyone see her properly, or she’d be in real trouble.

Bonnie made an agitated sigh, and then returned to buttering pieces of bread as Aggie noticed a book on one of the smaller tables pushed against the wall of the kitchen. An assortment of pots and pans hung above it, but the table had an inkpot beside the book Aggie had noticed, as well as a blade to sharpen quills.

Aggie opened the book mindlessly, but as she flipped through, she recognized that this was a book of accounts. A book like her father used to have. She liked numbers enough when she learned about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Especially money. She enjoyed mapping out where small amounts could go to grow, to become a respectable pile of savings.

A simple notion, but the break down of budgeting for multiple groups of merchant ships, had proven quite difficult for some in her father's employ. Aggie hadn’t always been able to follow it, but she had done a respectable job of it when her father decided to let her try.

As Aggie stared at the innkeepers book, she noticed a small amount being tucked away into a small column labeled: ID.

Aggie frowned, and wondered what that could stand for. Everything else in the ledger made sense, and was marked more obviously.

She tracked food bills, and their costs rise with the winter months, but she saw the charge for rooms rise with them-, however, every week, a small amount of silver was being stowed away. While she puzzled over that, she noticed near the back of the book, a list of tabs their patrons had started.

The fellow named Gib owed a respectable amount, but nowhere near what some of them owed. Aggie began to wonder if there was a cap involved in having a tab open. As in, when they hit the maximum of the innkeeper’s goodwill, and had to start paying immediately.

Aggie was deep in thought, when Bonnie’s presence over her shoulder startled her.

“Can you read, Angus?” Aggie jumped away from the book. Her eyes darted to the book and back to Bonnie, and she shrugged, panicked.

Bonnie was frowning while looking at her, when Arlen entered the kitchen.

“Good morning Bonnie. I trust you slept well?” Bonnie’s expression transformed, and she gave Arlen the same genuine smile she had given Aggie.

“I slept fine, thank you Conner. Would you boys like some breakfast? I’m afraid Declan will ask for help with the horses again this morning before you leave as payment, but eggs and bread are not nearly as pricey as that beef stew last night was. I imagine it'll only be a few hours of work.”

Arlen cast a glance at Aggie, to see how she was fairing when Bonnie had turned her back to the hearth where a grate, and frying pan, sat over the hot embers of an old flame.

Aggie gave him a flash of a tightlipped smile, before Bonnie whirled around again, and gave her a bowl to start whisking eggs in. Not that Aggie had any idea how to do so, but Bonnie was a willing, and energetic teacher.

That was a lot for Aggie to handle first thing in the morning.

*

Arlen tried to ignore his screaming muscles as he strode outside, and stripped off the black tunic. The day was already warming up comfortably, and shoveling manure tended to get his blood pumping.

Under the black tunic, he had a leather vest, and beige tunic from Killian, and the material breathed a lot better than the winter garment he had used to hide his new wardrobe.

Arlen strode into the barn, and as he picked up the shovel from the corner, noticed a sheathed sword amongst all of the other rakes and spades, leaned up against the barn wall. It's pommel gleamed magnificently in the incredibly faint light that touched it, catching Arlen's full attention.

He frowned as he stared at the hilt of the sword. The pommel had an intricate symbol carved in it of three circles made of knot work, and the smaller image of a sword piercing through all 3 circles.

“See something interesting?” Declan was behind Arlen, and saw exactly what he was staring at. The man moved as quietly as a cat, but Arlen had sensed his presence almost as soon as he'd entered the barn. His stealth suddenly made much more sense.

“A sword from a trained fighter of Magee.” Arlen turned and faced Declan with a very serious expression.

“An observation worthy of a Servicer.”

Declan’s arms were crossed over his chest, and all that passed between the two of them for a moment, was a balmy spring breeze.

“Are you assuming I’m a Servicer?”

“Are you assuming I’m a fighter of Magee?”

Arlen thought for a moment.

“What is the oath of the Magee again…? To protect, to honor, to make way for the better future?”

“To protect, to vanquish with honor, to make way for better to come.” Declan corrected automatically. If he realized he had given himself away unwittingly, he made no expression to show so. Meaning, he might not have minded Arlen knowing, despite his kind being known for being a secret even from Kings.

“So somewhat like a Servicer, you aim to improve the world, but also to protect it.” Arlen eyed Declan evenly.

“What are you getting at Servicer?” Declan’s voice was quiet, but was beginning to take on an edge. Arlen mirrored Declan, and folded his arms across his chest. He took a moment as he weighed his next question carefully.

“I was wondering if you might teach me?”

***

Sean O’Farrell seated himself at his breakfast table, noting that Lord MacDermott had already departed to look for Lady Agnes in the quiet dawn. This had been executed before anyone other than knights on guard duty, could notice him leaving with 1 of Lord O’Farrell’s Generals, and 1 of the General’s esteemed students.

He was certain that within a matter of days, Lady Agnes would be back, and he could put away the need to be so secretive. He knew Lord MacDermott could be trusted not to spread the information of Lady Agnes' flight, and Lady Josephine, the salt of the Earth type of woman; would see sense in keeping it to herself. Sean O’Farrell nodded at the server who poured him water in the silence of the hall.

As much as Lord O’Farrell respected his fellow courtier, he didn’t mind having quiet first thing in the morning.

A plate of sausage, ham, and eggs was placed in front of him. The greasy, delicious fat, was gleaming in the thick meaty helpings, and it would’ve made any common person salivate in pools, but it was just another meal for Sean O’Farrell.

“Thank you Head Maid Bertha.” He said, placing his napkin in his lap, and lifting his gaze to his beloved, only to find that he was staring at Bertha’s assistant, Peggy.

“Maid Peggy.” Sean O’Farrells tone was quiet, but not unkind. Even so, the woman who looked to be in her later 30’s was trembling, with her hands clasped in front of her, and her head down. “No need to be frightened, pray tell, where is Head Maid Bertha. Has she fallen ill?” He even relaxed his normally dower expression, to try and comfort the maid as she stole a quick glance at him.

“N-No my Lord. H-Head Maid Bertha quit, and left early this m-morning.”

Sean stood up so quickly, that his massive chair was thrown backwards.

“What? Where did she go?!” He demanded, his voice louder now, causing several of the heads to turn in the banquet hall.

The poor maid began trembling, and tears spilled out.

“S-She just said she was going h-home.” Maid Peggy sobbed, her slim shoulders hunched protectively around her frame.

“Maid Peggy, please don’t mind my outburst, it was not directed towards you, or angry. I am just surprised, and concerned to hear about your superior leaving so suddenly.” His voice was gentle and caring, but that didn’t seem to surprise any of the knights or Generals in the room. They knew that when it came to the serving staff, Sean O’Farrell was patient and tolerant. He was far harder on anyone that was nobility, than the common folk.

Maid Peggy nodded, tears still running from her eyes.

“”I-I know! S-She didn’t say why, only t-that you would k-know why.” Sean’s expression darkened, but gestured a pageboy forward with a handkerchief, that he readily supplied to Maid Peggy.

“Please Peggy, go rest for an hour before returning to work, everything will be fine.” The knights followed the weeping maid’s departure with their eyes, and waited for the thundercloud that would erupt over them once she was out of earshot.

Despite the nature, and history of their relationship being kept a secret from the general population of the keep, it was no secret that Lord O’Farrell held Head Maid Bertha in high esteem, and relied on her heavily.

“Who saw her leave?” He asked the room quietly, his eyes piercing every man’s armor. “Someone had to have seen her get a horse.” They were silent, all staring at each other. Most of them had no clue, they had been on guard duty indoors, or were sleeping, but a small group, were intently focusing on their full plates, and not risking lifting their gazes to anywhere else in the room.

Lord O’Farrell picked up his eating dagger, and hurled it between two men who were sitting side by side on one of the long benches, that were not turning to look at him. The dagger landed in the middle of their group, making them all jump forcefully. The blade striking the table, and wavering as it stuck up in the table, rung out in the deathly quiet hall.

“Speak.” His voice rasped, as he fought the urge to shout.

“She… She didn’t take a horse.” The youngest knight broke first.

“She what?” Lord O’Farrell was walking behind the tables closer to their group.

“Head Maid Bertha left with a large bag over her shoulder, and walked into Willow Woods just as dawn was breaking my Lord.” The same knight chattered as the rest of them hunched their shoulders over the table, and tried to appear smaller.

“Who else left this morning?” Sean asked daringly, he needed to know exact timelines. Things could still work to his benefit.

“Lord MacDermott left within moments of Head Maid Bertha, my Lord, but we doubt he saw her as it was still dark.” Another knight, a more senior knight, reluctantly relayed the information.

“He must have gone after her to convince her to return…” Sean made himself say the words. Trying to remind himself that things would be better if he did.

Utilizing his dear one’s departure as an alibi for his right hand man to be absent, still made him feel sick though. He didn’t like being veiled in his intentions and actions, and he silently cursed Agnes Beatha for putting him in the predicament.

“Very well.” He ended the interrogation, and turned back to his seat that had been set to rights by one of the numerous pageboys in the room.

He stared down at his breakfast, and ate a few bites before having to admit his stomach was roiling with worry, and as a result, he felt ready to be sick. Every instinct in him wanted to flee the castle to chase her down, but knew where she was going, and knew that he would be able to slip away from the keep sometime over the next few days to bring her home.

He hoped that the return of Agnes Beatha, and making amends with the Lady, would somehow help convince Bertha to return, and so Sean settled into observing his men at arms instead. He had nothing else to do, but wait.