Mareen cringed. “Better to burn it all down,” she said shaking her head.

“That is a bit extreme,” Jenny replied with a sigh, “especially since it would be some as yet unborn child rather that Burrach who becomes the lord. The child’s path should help lead them the right way.”

“Children take after their parents in more than path,” Mareen replied doing the best to keep the emotion out of her voice. It is not even the same village...

“I believe that,” Jenny gave Mareen a sly grin. “When your son came back and started arguing with the king’s man, I knew I had seen that defiant look before. I knew exactly who his mother was.”

“I do not know what you are talking about,” Mareen said quickly before the words fully sank in to pull her from the darker memories. “Wait, what do you mean he was arguing with the King’s man? Your letter said Orn did something to help the town.”

“Oh he did,” Jenny replied taking a sip of her drink. “just before he all, but caused a riot.”

“Wait. Wait,” Olivia interjected laughing. “The perfect boy started a riot? Really?!”

“This is not funny, Olivia,” Mareen glared at her, before turning back to her childhood friend. “That does not sound like Orn at all. He is is so well behaved.”

“Oh I thought he same thing at first,” Jenny began and started to explain what happened. “… Then he starts demanding 20 gold, because the guild only offered 8. That was when it really sank in that the ear the size of a serving tray, on my counter, was from a goblin mother. One the polite young man had killed.”

Mareen groaned and placed her head in her hands hard enough that the table to shuddered as her elbows hit it. She started shaking her head, he face still hidden by her hands when Olivia chimed in, “Another one?”

“Another one?” Jenny asked slowly. “You mean he has done this before?”

“Yes,” Olivia replied brightly. “I think he was five or six the last time.”

“Do not remind me,” Mareen groaned. “You did not mention it so I assume he is alright?”

“He is fine. I did not see a scratch on him,” Jenny replied patting Mareen shoulder. “I am actually more worried about you. You seemed to have gotten exactly what you wanted.”

Mareen looked up from her hands to stare at Jenny. “What?”

“You always wanted to be surrounded by men like the heroes from your grandmother’s stories,” Jenny smiled mischievously. “So you went out and married Krazzak the Fool, and now you have Orntrech the Breaker as a son.”

“You have no idea,” Mareen sighed, trying and failing to not regret the name she insisted on. “But if there is nothing wrong with Orn, what were you worried about? Is it because he argued with the king’s man? You were vague in your letter.”

“Sorry, I had to write that way since I did not know who might read it,” Jenny said leaning forward and lowering her voice. “Burrach is currently in jail after Orn let everyone know that he had pocketed the reward money. But he has a lot of money from the deal with the king, and it bought a lot of power. I was worried that he may go after your son when he got out and I did not know when you would get the letter. I know Burrach cannot go against a noble directly, but that may not stop him. Honestly, I expect Burrach’s contacts in the capital will weasel him out of jail before long.”

“I would not use the word weasel,” a large figure said from the doorway. “Being released after being falsely imprisoned is called justice. Who are you telling such lies t….” the words trailed off as recognition flashed across his face, “Mareen?...”

Mareen stared at the figure and felt her breath catch. Suddenly the world narrowed, and she desperately wanted to be anywhere else. His voice was barely any different and he mind raced back.

...

Suddenly she was a child again. The plaster of the shrine was rough on her back, but she pressed into it trying to get away as he loomed over her. Why will he not leave me alone?! My parents just died why will he not leave me alone!

She tried to slide past, but he slammed his hand against the wall to bar her way. She could feel his breath, No, too close! Go away!

She lifted her hand to move it between them, and he snatched it aside pressing it against the wall beside her. It hurt! He was crushing her wrist.

He was staring down and her eyes followed his down. Her shirt was torn! She wanted to scream, but only a whimper came out. She was frozen her body was not responding. Please let me go. Go away… Please...

“What is going on here?!” Jenny’s father called down the gap between the buildings, and causing Burrach to back away, and race out the other side of he alley.

Did Jenny’s father always sound like Tnok?

{Olivia’s POV}

Olivia stared at the look of terror on Mareen’s face. She grabbed her wrist and gave it a squeeze, but she was staring into the middle distance. Ms. Jenny was telling the man to leave, and called for her husband, but the man said he heard his name and was invited. When Ms. Jenny said she would call her husband he only laughed.

The sound of the laugh sent a shiver through her adoptive mother’s body.

She yelled for Tnok, and reached up to touch one of her hairpins. The sharp one. It was too light to throw far, but two more steps and the large man would definitely need a healer.

“What is going on here?!” Tnok’s voice echoed through the space, a split second before she heard a door crash open behind them. The sound most have done something as Mareen stopped shaking.

“Him!” Oliva yelled pulling out the hairpin. One more step...

The large man froze and she felt the wind rush past her as Tnok came into view. Tnok’s form immediately interposed himself between the large man and their table.

I need a better angle to throw, she thought as she release Mareen’s wrist and started to rise. Before she could move from her chair she felt a hand grab her wrist. Mareen had grabbed her, and was taking slow breaths.

“I...I am alright,” she said slowly. “I am not alone anymore. We are not in any danger.”

Olivia stared as Mareen’s breath slowed. Those words are definitely more for her than me.

She turned to glare at the large man. Tnok is in the way, but the man is staring at Tnok’s knife. If I am quick I may be able to get him in the leg…

“No,” Mareen said softly and Olivia felt another hand touch the hand on the table.

She turned back to see Mareen watching her. Not wanting to upset her further, Olivia slowly let go of the hairpin. When she placed her hand on the table Mareen’s hand grabbed it.

“Tnok,” Mareen’s voice seemed more steady, but Oliva could tell she was struggling to keep herself calm.

Olivia recognized the look, it was the same one she had when she heard Orn was hurt by the goblin mother. She is forcing it all down. I do not know what is going on, but she just pushed it all down.

“I need to have a discussion with that… man,” Mareen’s voice was level, but she nearly spit the last word.

The large man began to back up, but Tnok was faster. He grabbed the large man and pulled him with such force Burrach nearly fell. In a smooth motion Tnok twisted the man’s arm behind his back and forced him forward.

“Kneel,” Mareen said when they were a couple steps form the table.

Tnok did something to the man’s legs that Olivia could not quite follow, and the man landed heavily on his knees. The man gasped in pain.

Olivia stared at Mareen. For the first time since Olivia met her adoptive mother, she seemed cold. All emotion was missing from her expression. She did not even flinch when the large man started to yell.

“You will not speak unless I give permission,” Mareen said looking at the man, though her eyes seemed to be staring through him. “Tnok.”

Olivia heard Tnok’s fist make contact with the man until the yell became a whimper, but she never took her eyes off of Mareen. Mareen was staring at what was happening, but there seemed to be no recognition of what was happening in her expression. What is happening?

“Look at me,” Mareen said in the same emotionless voice. There was a pause before she continued, “I was told that you threatened my son.”

“I do not,” the man started, but Tnok immediately silenced him again. Mareen might as well have been a trance.

“You walked in here and said may son brought false charges against you. Threatening a noble, and slander of a noble are crimes,” Mareen said as if reading a boring fact from a book. “This is the king’s land. As a knight of the king my husband could sentence you to death. Sadly, even as his representative, I cannot give you the punishment you deserve.”

“What is this?” a man said walking in. “I am the king’s man and I demand this stop at once.”

Oliva turned to see Tnok sizing up the man by the door. In the square behind the king’s man she could see several people watching what was happening inside.

“Good,” Mareen’s said. “As king’s man you shall serve as witness. I am Countess Blackthorn, wife and representative of Count Toln Vorn Blackthorn, sworn knight of his majesty Toakn the second. By the power vested in me as my husband’s representative, I declare this man guilty of slandering and threatening a noble of the kingdom.”

“Noks help me,” the large man pleaded, but the king’s man stood frozen, staring at their table. No, Olivia corrected, he is staring at Mareen.

“Tnok,” Mareen repeated, and Tnok turned from the king’s man to hit the man on the ground with the pommel of the knife in his hand.

Olivia watched the king’s man flinched clearly wanting to intervene, but he did not move to intercede on the Burrach’s behalf.

“That is enough Tnok,” Mareen said as if asking him to stop the carriage. “Burrach for your crimes, you are now outlaw and exile. Lieutenant…,” Mareen cleared her throat. “King’s man Noks.”

“I object to the way this is being done,” the king’s man looked at Mareen, his eyes pleading. But after a long moment he slowly stepped forward. “As the king’s man I witness the sentence of Burrach Holder. As outlaw your assets are forfeit. As an exile you must leave the kingdom.” His steps took him mechanically to stand in front of the kneeling man. In a quick motion he grabbed the man’s jaw and pulled his knife. With a couple flicks of his wrist he made a pair of cuts on the man’s cheeks. “You have until these stop bleeding to be gone. Afterwards the law demands you be killed on sight.”

“Let him go,” the king’s man said to Tnok.

Tnok ignored the man and looked past him to Mareen. He let Burrach go only after Mareen nodded.

The large man’s shaking hands touched the sides of his face. When his hands came away he stared at the blood dripping from his fingertips in mute horror.

“Get out of here you idiot,” the king’s man snapped and kicked Burrach. “I hate you, but I do not want to have to kill you.”

Burrach stared at the king’s man as he clutched at his injured side. But the kick got the message across and he shakingly rose to his feet and staggered toward the door.

“Tnok please get the carriage,” Mareen said rising slowly. Olivia rose with her doing her best to not draw attention as she returned the hairpin to her hair.

“Jenny I am sorry for disturbing your home,” Mareen said to the red haired woman staring at her wide eyed. She reached towards the seated woman, but stopped a hand’s breath away. After a moment’s pause the hand dropped and she started to turn away. Before she could fully turn, Jenny reached up and grabbed Mareen’s hand.

“Someday…,” Jenny started then cleared her throat. “Someday, I hope … Please try to not cause as much chaos,” Jenny said forcing a smile, “the next time you visit.”

Jenny squeezed Mareen’s hand again and they shared a look that must have meant something to the two of them. Mareen gave a slight smile, before she released Jenny’s hand.

Mareen grabbed Olivia’s hand and walked toward the king’s man who was staring out the door. Olivia could feel a slight tremble in the hand that held hers.

“I am glad you made it back from Wall, Noks,” Mareen said looking out the door with the king’s man. “You have done well for yourself.”

“I… I swore that I would uphold the law. Justice. This was not … not supposed to happen when I became the king’s man here,” he said is eyes never leaving the doorway. “I wanted this to be a better place. It was the kind of place you once said you wanted it to be too...”

Mareen did not respond. Instead she turned and walked out the still open back door to where Tnok was hitching the horses to the carriage.

…

Mareen broke down in the carriage once they were out of town. Olivia held her shaking form as the carriage rolled on. Eventually Mareen explained what happened. How she had remembered that horrible day. How Jenny’s father had saved her, before anything else happened. She did not look at Olivia as she talked simply holding her and looking out the opposite window over Olivia’s shoulder.

She told Olivia about Jenny’s father taking her in and sending her to the far fields to keep her safe. She spoke of her time caring for the flock and of the king’s man, then a soldier, coming to town. How she always debated whether she could come back, and whether she should.

Then Orn had stopped there and he could be in trouble. Then when Burrach appeared and she relived it all.

“I thought I could face him, but it all came back at once,” Mareen said softly. “I had heard what Jenny said and I knew he had not changed. Then I heard his voice.”

She shivered, and Olivia tightened her embrace. “I knew. I knew he was the same monster he had always been. I saw you face and you were so scared. I knew he would try to hurt my children.”

She paused. “Then I felt the skill become active. I never felt that happen before. I suddenly felt nothing. The fear was gone. Even thinking on it now it as if I hear someone else distantly telling Tnok to hit him. All I could hear was a soft voice repeating ‘protect the children.’ That I had to protect my children.”