The knock at the door the next morning caught Silver off guard. He realized he had been thinking about Sage and their evening together. The Guardian would need to steer clear of her again to let the feelings wear off, and he hoped the beautiful woman was not back already. He answered the door warily and was surprised to find Lily with a basket full of goodies and cakes.

"For me?" he asked casually. "What is the occasion?" He reached for a delectable small cake that looked like it would fall out of the basket any moment.

"They are not for you," Lily corrected him as she swiped the treats away and tucked in the loose item. "They are for Ethyn and I and our picnic in the woods." She peeked behind the Guardian in search of the boy.

"Won't your husband be jealous you are going on a date with another man?" Silver chuckled at his own joke. Lily rolled her eyes and graced him with a weary smile as she shook her head.

Ethyn bounded out of his room and headed straight past Silver, not giving the Guardian a second glance. He had eyes only for Lily and the basket in her arms. "I am ready. Let's go!"

Silver grabbed the boy's shoulder, causing Ethyn to jerk backwards. "Why wasn't I informed of this outing?" the man asked sternly.

Ethyn shrank for a second. He had not had to answer to anyone for years. "I did not think you would care," he answered honestly.

"Well, I do. I am not just the town's Guardian, but yours as well." Turning to Lily, Silver released the boy's shoulder. "Take care of him."

"Of course. Like he's my own," she said with conviction.

Ethyn ran through the door and started down the lane. Lily turned to go, but Silver stopped her. "Thank you Lily… for being his friend. He has had a hard life."

"I know," Lily said with wisdom in her eyes, "I think you two will be good for each other."

Without waiting for a response, Lily hurried down the lane toward the wood. Silver watched them go. He realized that for the first time in three years there was a germ of hope in his barren heart. He smiled weakly. 'Becoming attached already? You know that never ends well.' But he could not fight the tiny flame. It was determined to burn.

----

The field was bright and sunny as Lily spread out the blanket. The last warm day of fall always felt like a special treat, and only the colored leaves on the trees hinted to the cold just around the corner. Squirrels scurried around looking for some last nuts to add to their store, and birds paused as they passed through on their journey south. The two had a delightful meal, talking like old friends already. Lily brought a decanter of fresh squeezed juice and produced it along with some sweet cakes at the end of their lunch.

"What is this for?" Ethyn asked curiously, motioning toward the juice.

"I thought we could toast your mother, if that is alright. This feast is in her honor after all." Lily looked to see if she had made the right call and was glad when a wide smile spread across the boy's face. She poured them each a glass and they raised their cups in unison. "To your mother," Lily declared.

"To mom," Ethyn echoed. They clinked their cups and drank deeply. "Mmm… that's good!" Ethyn emptied the cup. It was sweet and satisfying in the early afternoon heat. Happily, Lily refilled his glass. Taking a bite out of the cake, Ethyn groaned again with delight. "It just keeps getting better!" he exclaimed.

Lily flushed with pleasure, as any cook would. "Thank you. I made it this morning. It does not compare to the bread Sage can make. She is a quick study on everything she does. Her bread, when she makes it, is truly divine."

Ethyn's face darkened, "I would be happy to try it if I didn't think she would poison me."

Lily shook her head slowly, "I doubt she would poison you. As far as I know, she has never killed anyone." Lily screwed up her face in thought and then nodded in confirmation. She could see the boy's skepticism and sighed. "I know she can be... a lot to take in, but you should have seen her when she arrived. She's gotten much better."

Ethyn raised his eyebrows, wondering what kind of monster she must have been before. "I will take your word for it."

Lily's eyes were sympathetic but sad. "I would talk to her for you, but I think that would only make things worse. Sage does things her own way."

Ethyn lay back on the blanket and stared at the sky philosophically. The few clouds in the sky drifted lazily in the light wind. "Why are women so complicated?" the boy blurted.

Lily smothered a smile and lay down beside him, propping her the back of her head on her palms. "I do not know, and I am one of them! Why are men so complicated?"

"I do not know, but I am not one yet. If I figure it out, I will let you know."

Lily turned her head from the clouds and looked at him seriously. "I would appreciate that. All of womankind would thank you." Then a broad smile spread across her face as they both laughed.

With a grunt Ethyn sat up and picked up the various dishes on the blanket. He helped Lily rinse everything in the stream and folded the blanket. "Thank you for the pleasant company," Lily said when everything was packed back into the basket. "I need to head back to town for work this afternoon. I traded shifts to get the morning off."

"You go on without me then," Ethyn responded. "I am going to find Silver. I want to see his troops!"

Lily nodded and grinned. Troops was a very generous term. "Be careful!" she called after him, though what real trouble a boy could find with the Guardian around was beyond her.

--------------

The morning wore on and before long it was time for Silver to inspect the group Conall had assembled. He headed for the edge of town and eventually the motley crew came into view. When Conall saw the dark figure approaching, he quickly called the men to attention. They formed a ragged line and stood up straight.

"Welcome, uh, Silver! You are right on time. The men are ready for you." The mayor puffed out his chest, which nearly made it stick out as much as his round belly. Conall looked like a proud lieutenant awaiting his general's approval. The Guardian smirked beneath his hood.

There were over three dozen men and women standing with the eager mayor. Conall had initially objected to adding women to their ranks, but Silver had chided him. "Have you ever seen a woman fight for something about which she's passionate? I'd much rather fight a man any day."

Most of the group were visibly farmers, their shoulder and arm muscles firm from hard labor. A few were shop owners of the town, including the baker, the blacksmith and the tanner. Aristos was there, his tan skin and more solid build a testament to his ability to hunt quality protein. Silver figured he could probably hold his own in a fight as well. After all, not everything you meet in the woods is as docile as a rabbit or fawn.

Pulled from his thoughts, Silver stopped in front of a man he did not recognize. "What's your name?"

"Aiden," The man answered. Aiden was well built, muscular, and stood taller than any of the others. His hair and skin were dark and his face was clean cut. He seemed to be around thirty.

The Guardian nodded, appreciating what he saw. "Aiden, have you ever been a soldier?"

Conall, who had interviewed everyone before telling them the location of the meeting, started to answer for Aiden, but Silver held up his hand.

Aiden nodded and looked straight at Silver, "I was a soldier for over a decade before I came here. I was proud to serve my country. Then a crooked upstart blamed me for some stolen silver at a baron's manor where we both served. I was forced to leave my commission or I would be arrested. Curse that Borit!" Aiden added the remark under his breath, but Silver heard it.

'Did he say Borit?' Silver decided to file away the information and follow up on it later privately.

"Can you fight, Aiden?" Silver asked, sure of the response.

"I would be a terrible soldier if I could not, Guardian." the tall man gave a lopsided grin.

"Very good." The Guardian inclined his head and moved on.

Silver turned his attention to the group and began to pace down the line. Holding his hands behind his back, he peered out at the few dozen faces. While most were avoiding eye contact with him, a few faces showed flashes of amusement. He was not sure what was funny, and it made him uncomfortable.

He cleared his throat, "Ok men. Aiden here is going to lead you in drills twice a week as part of your training. You are weak and out of shape. Most of you have never fought. We need to be fit if we want to best help our town."

He heard snickers ripple down the line. Something was definitely amiss. Silver shot a look at Conall who innocently shrugged his shoulders.

'What am I missing?' The question bothered him. Silver caught one of the men glancing at something behind the guardian and smirking. 'So that's it!' the Guardian sighed inwardly.

Without warning, Silver couched and whipped his leg out behind him in a large circle. Ethyn, who was standing behind Silver and mimicking his every motion, fell to the ground with a loud grunt. The wind was completely knocked out of the mimic as he sprawled out on the grass. Everyone erupted in laughter at the scene.

Everyone, that is, except the silver-eyed Guardian and the boy who was just beginning to realize how much trouble he was in.