The horns blared as the coach arrived, taking Freya to the old veterans' home. Retired Lieutenants and Captains milled about sipping on opened casks of what could only be described as 'The queen's own.'

Muk had been suspiciously absent for the past week, and though his note did invite her to the mess, she found that Captain Bell was there waiting for her.

"Miss Uki, the regiment is quite pleased to see that you've accepted your position as the guests of honor at tonight's festivities."

She curtseyed as he bowed.

His full military regalia was on display, reds, and gold accented by a small rack of ribbons on his upper chest. On either shoulder, his epaulets showed silver. His collar as well was accented in silver, showing his rank. A small pin on one side of his collar was of the bars of a captain, the other side was a torch that represented his duty in the regiment. She knew that because Hem made sure that she knew.

An officer's mess, he had told her, is where the brass celebrate themselves and deals are struck. Sure they'll be celebrating the end of the war, but make no mistake that every mouse, fox, rabbit, bird, and mole in that place all are upper-crust gentry who are able to field their own companies. He then jumped into a description of how the aristocracy wasn't really merit-based at the top, and that was when she had tuned him out.

She knew that Captain Bell had enough money to pay for rations and salaries for the scouts. She knew that Lieutenant Chin-Hwa did the same with the quartermaster company. She just didn't care that much about the specifics. Even the queen had to pay her retainers personally though she relied on taxes and her office to do that. It just added another layer of society that she hoped wouldn't translate much to her life as a druid.

"You know that next week is the blessing, right Captain?" She said.

The dull roar of the crowd had slowly built up to what she was used to at a dance.

"Ah! The little ones! I had not realized that it was this late in the season."

"It is usually held later, but the augurs among the druids have told us that those with the skills should begin early this year."

Captain Bell frowned.

"That is odd. I've never heard of such a thing. Perhaps the prediction is of snow? But so late in the season… it could cause a stir."

Freya nodded, accepting a mug of hot apple cider from a passing officer. She sniffed it and found it to be exactly what she wanted.

She had worn a warm dress, something that Marcel and her mother had put together from an older model. Freya would be bringing this dress when she left. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring a trunk of clothes with her, just what she could reasonably carry. It sounded like she wouldn't have any issues.

"The cider is good, I will need to grab another for myself when he comes back around. Miss Uki, I have a letter for you. No, you don't need to read it now, but I can summarize."

Freya sipped her cider, warming herself.

"Is this about a wedding?"

"I hate that part."

"What part?"

"The part about calling it a commitment and making it forever… I.. you know my father and mother have both passed, Miss Uki."

Freya tucked the letter into her convenient pocket- the one on the front- and resumed her surveillance of the crowd.

"I'm sorry for your loss- really Captain, I don't know where you're going with this."

"They both died while I was courting Tulip and it tore me up inside. I didn't know how to handle myself and I made a mess of things. I don't want to do that again, especially to Holly."

Freya nodded. She had heard the sordid details from Tulip's side and could relate to the idea of not hurting the one she was with.

"If you don't want to hurt Miss Bun, then don't. You have to make the choice for yourself. Plus I shall be quite cross at you if you do so."

"I am aware. I should deign not to draw your ire, especially once you are fully trained."

"Indeed," she said.

"Regardless, I would like you to be in attendance at our wedding. It will be a small affair at the-"

"Yes."

"-Bun estate… Thank you. It's the least I could expect. Our two families should be close, not just by distance."

"You're thinking of moving to their estate once you've done all of this?"

"It is nicer than the Bell mansion."

A bell sounded.

"The official party has arrived," the tall rabbit said.

Horns blared in tune to some regimental standard that Freya had only heard for the first time today as five creatures walked in.

Two birds, clearly high-ranking, marched into the area. Behind them marched a rabbit, a mole, and finally Muk himself.

The Yellowrock regimental officers all stood at attention and Freya found that she was also trying to put her hind paws together in a faux approximation of what they were doing. She was immediately both uncomfortable and silly.

"MISTER VICE!" The sparra booked out to the silent crowd.

"YES MR PRESIDENT!" Captain Bell, to her horror, said.

"I declare this mess to be open! Let all airings of grievances between gentle creatures and ladies be spoken and adjudicated tonight and never spoken of before!"

"THE PRESIDENT OF THE MESS HAS OPENED THE MESS!" Captain Bell said, stepping forward.

"MISTER VICE, PREPARE THE GROG!"

"YES MISTER PRESIDENT. QUARTERMASTER?"

Muk stood at attention.

"MISTER VICE, THE REGIMENTAL CASKS HAVE BEEN OPENED AND NOW WE OPEN THE QUARTERMASTERS OWN."

As he spoke two barrels we wheeled out, one by a fox that looked suspiciously familiar, the other by a bluejay she didn't know.

"WE HAVE ONE CASK OF THE FINEST, THE RUTTIEST MEAD EVER PRODUCED IN HER MAJESTY'S LIFETIME."

The crowd cheered.

"WE ALSO HAVE A CASK OF kapi."

The cheers were even louder.

"FOR THOSE THAT CANNOT OR WILL NOT HOLD THEIR LIQUOR. THE TIME TO SETTLE ALL DEBTS IS NOW. MR PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU CARE TO TEST THE GROG?"

The Sparra himself got up and walked to the center and accepted a cup of the grog. Freya giggled inwardly at the spectacle of it all. They had made such a production out of all the details.

All of a sudden, waiters appeared making sure that every paw and claw held a drink. Freya looked amazed at the second mud of cider just moved into her hands.

"MISTER VICE, TODAY WE TOAST TO OUR FALLEN BROTHERS AND SISTER," The claw said, raising his glass.

"TO THOSE THAT PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE," Captain Bell said, the whole room repeating.

"TO THE YELLOW ROCK REGIMENT!" A cardinal on the side said, raising his glass.

"TO THE REGIMENT!" The room shook.

"TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN!" A mole said.

"TO THE QUEEN!"

"TO THE COALITION!" Freya saw Spring saying from the corner.

"LONG MAY IT LIVE!"

Freya stood stock still as around her, glasses were drained. She waited for another toast, but there was none to be had.

The morale of the room had risen significantly if the sounds were to be believed.

The board of the mess and Captain Bell, acting as the 'Mister Vice' then went and began some banter while she tuned them out for a bit. A lot of the officers milled about, but Freya took a seat at the table that she’d been directed to.

Spring, the druid that had months ago came to speak with her about raising chickens, sat there waiting for her.

"Druid Spring," she said, taking up a spot standing close by.

"Ah! Freya! I know you would be at the very important creatures' table. I just didn't know that you would be showing up with Captain Bell."

"I didn't expect that either, but we do what we must for those that request our presence at fine dining events such as these," Freya replied, "It would be nice if the mouse I wanted to speak to was not stuck as a member of the board of the mess."

Freya gestured obliquely to the table where the council sat.

Spring smiled. Though she too was a mouse and if the rumors were to be believed, far older than Freya she had an ageless beauty that was otherworldly.

"I am sorry to hear about your grandfather, Freya… he truly was great. If anyone here is to be believed they'll probably compose a poem just based on what he did out there and add it to the regimental book."

Freya nodded. A passing waiter offered them both steaming mugs of apple cider, which they greedily accepted. They sipped, the wisps of steam passing above them.

"They added just the right amount of cinnamon here. I can't fault their choices."

"True. As this is your first mess, I should let you know that very shortly we'll be entertained by the story of the siege, the very battle thatmade this regiment and coalition what it was," the druid said, smiling.

"Oh? And how do I get that to happen? It seems like there's a lot of grievances going on. That has to be the fifth time that that particular blue jay has been called out and told to drink grog."

"Lieutenant Moritimer addresses Mister Vice!" A sparra said, standing up and looking straight at Captain Bell.

"Mister Vice is listening, Lieutenant, state your grievance."

"Mister Vice, some of us had a problem with Lieutenant Azul blowing up all of the fifth bridge leading from Marwei to the Furrows."

"Lieutenant Azul!" Captain Bell said, "Do you have a defense to this accusation?"

The blue jay stood at attention in front of the grog bowl, ladle in his extended wing.

"No sir, as with the first four bridges, I do not. I was handed explosives and I executed the mission."

He slurped down enough grog to make Freya gag.

Spring giggled.

"He is just trying to not pay for his alcohol tonight I think, or maybe he did blow up five bridges."

"He did blow them up, my friends helped him."

Spring looked at the wobbly blue jay, then back to Freya and laughed even harder.

"What! It's true! All of it!"

"Mister Vice!" It was Lieutenant Azuls' turn.

"Yes, Lieutenant Azul!"

"I have a grievance!"

"You may render your grievance."

"We have not honored the hero of the battle yet."

The entire crowd oohed and ahhed.

The hair on Freya's ears stood straight up and she began to sweat.

"Name the creature that is a so-called hero then that we can honor them!" This time Captain Bells' normal voice boomed over the crowd.

Too late, Freya realized that the board was looking at her. All of them.

She gulped.

"I call upon Miss Freya Uki to bear the responsibility for what she has done for the coalition as well as what her grandfather has done."

Boots stomped and mugs were raised as the cacophony of noise grew louder.

"Miss Freya Uki, please approach the grog."

Freya found herself pushing the part that was quietly freaking out down. She smothered it, trying to keep her cool.

As she made to stand in front of the grog and take a sip, the claw stood. As president of the mess, he addressed everyone present. An aide ran from nowhere with a package the size of an arm. The room went silent again, and the Claws gravely voice held an air of reverence.

"Miss Uki, the entire regiment has you to thank for bringing in the heavy artillery that not only destroyed the morale of the marquis war band but ended the war, short weeks after it had begun. We will always been in your debt. We honor you by naming you a Custodian of the regiment. Though we understand your commitment is to the druids, in your paws we were safe."

The aide passed a small pin to him which he held for a long moment before passing it to her paw. He closed the paw upon it and then whispered to her.

"Thank you for everything you have done."

She didn't know what to say so she just stood there.

"THERE WAS ONE MORE HERO THAT WE WANT TO HONOR!" The sudden shift in his tone caused her to jump. She noticed that the aide was still there.

"HIS HEART WAS PURE AND HIS BLADE WAS TRUE. HE TRAINED AS A RANGER, AND WHEN HIS WIFE COULDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH HIS COMMITMENT TO THE DRUIDS, HE WAS RETURNED TO US A BETTER MOUSE. HE TRAINED EVERY SINGLE CREATURE IN THIS ROOM HOW TO FIGHT."

Once again a clattering of boots hitting the floor washed over her. She hadn’t been given explicit directions to leave, but she hadn’t… the claw put a wing on her shoulder.

"NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY YEARS AGO WE BEGAN A REGIMENT! MOUSE, FOX, AND RABBIT JOINED WITH SPARRA, CARDINAL, BLUEJAY, AND MOLE. IT WASN’T STARTED AS A FUN CLUB OF LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS EITHER."

The mole, the one Freya had been told was the historian of the regiment stood up. Though his voice was high pitched it was clear. It was definitely something that they had been practicing as well.

"NO! IT WAS SURVIVAL! ON THAT DAY, WE CAMPED IN THE YELLOWROCK MESA FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER FLEEING FROM BEASTS. IT WAS THEN THAT WAS WERE FINALLY ABLE TO HOLD BACK THE TIDES."

Muk joined in.

"EVERYDAY MICE PICKED UP SPEARS AND FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL TO PROTECT THE MESA FOR TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS STRAIGHT."

The claw pulled out an ornate sheath depicting members of the coalition fighting in a tunnel. It was brack with golden embossed lines for each creature.

"THROUGH MANY LOSSES, OUR COALITION FORMED," The mole continued, "MUCH AS IT STANDS TODAY, A BEACON OF INSPIRATION AGAINST THE DARK THINGS OUTSIDE OF OUR WALLS. NO BEAST CAN NOW THREATEN OUR PEACE. TO THE REGIMENT!"

"TO THE REGIMENT!" Once again the cheer was deafening.

The claw presented the sheath to Freya.

"Now I believe you already have a sword for this?"

She smiled.…”

“It’s about to happen now isn’t it.”

“Yes, Miss Uki. Enjoy the siege.”