It was another couple of hours before the lake home was in sight. Stephen, Augustina, and Kate stopped for a moment to catch their breath as they took in the sight. The lake was large and held a small island where a massive oak grew and spread over the water. Along the edge, the shore was covered in tall grass.

The house was much more modest than Stephen expected. It was a log cabin with only a few windows, a small second floor that looked more like a large attic, and a cobblestone chimney. Outside the house, there was a much smaller building that looked just a little too big to be considered a shed.

“There it is,” Augustina said with reverence.

“It’s very,” Stephen started, “Not-royal?”

Augustina turned accusingly to Stephen, but Kate spoke up, “It is, yes. This was where we went as a family, long ago, when we wanted to get away from the castle.”

Kate pointed to the smaller building, “That’s where the guards slept. That island in the lake is where our father proposed to mother.”

Kate’s expression fell and Augustina stepped in, “The strange boy’s rudeness aside, yes, there are a lot of memories here. My sister and I used to swim for hours while father and mother took a small boat to the island. Afterward, we’d sit by the fireplace and tell each other stories.”

“Strange boy?” Stephen said indignantly, “What’s with that?”

Augustina didn’t respond and pointed towards the lake home instead, “Let’s rest inside.”

Kate leaned in towards Stephen, “She’s not the most trusting person, she’s just been polite up until now.”

“You’re one to talk,” Stephen retorted.

Kate huffed and moved up to walk beside her sister. Stephen was grateful they’d have a chance to rest. He didn’t want to risk asking for another breather, he wanted to impress the girls by trying to be slightly more reliable. Then again, he was pretty sure they were plenty ahead of him in every area – gaming aside, of course. If the world ever decided to hoodwink the girls, the next time around, he’d show them true skill online.

Kate motioned the other two to law low as she investigated the cabin. Like a tiger stalking its territory, she crept around the cabin, peeking through windows, looking for tracks, and even checking the woodpile for any signs of disturbance. When she was thoroughly satisfied, Kate signaled to her companions.

“All clear,” Kate announced as she opened the cabin and headed inside.

Stephen let out a sigh, “That took forever, but man she’s good at these kinds of things.”

Augustina seemed both impressed and anxious, “She certainly is.”

Stephen cocked his head, “You don’t seem all too excited about it.”

“I’ve been away for a long time,” Augustina murmured, “a lot has changed since then.”

The inside of the cabin was one large room. Each corner was assigned an obvious role by the furniture. In one corner were a fireplace, sofa, and a brown fur rug. Kate immediately worked to get a fire started. Augustina moved to the neighboring corner to investigate some spice jars set across a long narrow table. On the other side of the cabin were a round table and four simple wooden chairs. The last corner was bare, except for a box chest and a bow that rested upon it.

There was a ladder in the middle of the cabin that led to a loft up above. Stephen climbed up until his head cleared the floor and he came face to face with an enormous brown rat.

“Ah!” Stephen lost his grip and fell flat on his back, knocking all the air in his lungs out so he gasped for breath.

“What’s wrong?” Kate shouted, drawing a dagger from her boot. She turned to look up and screamed when she saw the rat looking over the edge to see the ruckus.

It was Augustina who finally settled the matter. Nonchalantly, she glanced up at the rat, who probably sensed her intentions and took off. Without a moment of hesitation, she rushed up the ladder, there was a flash of golden light and a faint squeak, followed by a POP.

“It’s gone,” Augustina announced, holding up half a rat, “Can’t find the rest. I’ll make sure the cots are clean.”

Stephen hadn’t eaten in a while, he realized. Kate’s face was red, caught somewhere between frustration and embarrassment. Who’d have thought a rat, of all things, would catch her so off-guard?

When the cabin calmed down, Augustina climbed down and moved towards the chest and bow in the other corner.

“What’re you doing?” Kate asked, standing up from the sofa.

“Getting dinner,” Augustina said, matter-of-fact.

“You need to rest, I’ll go.”

“I’ll be much faster,” Augustina said with a laugh when Kate bunched her fists, “I won’t be long, I promise.”

Retrieving a quiver and several arrows, Augustina closed the chest and slung the bow over her shoulders. When she left the cabin, Kate stomped her foot.

“Stop treating me like a child,” Kate scoffed and turned back to the fireplace, which was now crackling happily with flames.

“She certainly acts like an older sister,” Stephen said with reverence from the sofa. He wasn’t sure whether to be jealous or sympathetic. He’d always been content being an only child, but there was the occasional moment when he wished for an older sibling.

“She acts like Mother,” Kate muttered as she slumped onto the other end of the sofa, “I could go hunt, she needs to rest. Just this morning, she was asleep and feverish!”

Stephen nodded, “Though, could you even carry the animal back?”

Kate punched Stephen in the arm, it felt like a tiny and sharp hammer.

“It’d be something reasonable,” Kate clarified, “if I know her, Augustina will come back with a boar, or a deer, something much too big.”

Stephen was sitting neatly, his hands bunched together over his lap, his back straight as an arrow. He was incredibly nervous, the sofa was just big enough to have just a little space between himself and Kate, but he’d never been this close to a girl.

Kate didn’t seem to notice. She was lounging, nestled into her corner of the couch as she stretched her legs. Her knees were inches away from Stephen. Her head was propped on her right hand as she traced the different logs in the wall with her left.

“You seem relaxed,” Stephen said, trying to disguise the discomfort in his voice.

“Do I?” Kate wondered aloud, “I guess I’m just relieved. Being in the castle…”

Kate shivered and sat up, her hands came together and she squeezed them tight, “I was always so anxious. Like I was among the enemy and every day they were closing in on me.”

Kate looked up to Stephen, “You were about the only part of the castle I could stand.”

Color rushed into Kate’s cheeks, “What am I saying?”

Kate turned away before she saw Stephen’s face flush as well. He leaned back.

“Ohh? Well frankly I thought you couldn’t stand me, the way you were acting all the time,” Stephen knew it was time to break the tension.

“Well, of course, I couldn’t, you were just so weird, so different,” Kate laughed, “One moment, it was like I was trying to duck around corners all the time, and then the next you came in and things just started getting bizarre.”

“So which is it? Can you not stand me, or are we good?”

“Are we good?” Kate’s laugh grew louder, “What does that mean? Is that something you say where you’re from?”

“What, you don’t?”

Clutching her stomach, Kate finally got her laughter under control, “No, we don’t.”

Kate wiped her eyes, “I appreciate your weirdness. It’s refreshing.”

Stephen couldn’t understand what was happening. He would never say it to her face, but he thought Kate was much weirder.