“- And she didn’t think to curb her tongue even after all of that?!” Kate gasped in laughter as Jiho finished his story of becoming an official noble.

“She was a proud woman and didn’t like to admit defeat. Often, most nobles damn themselves by refusing to be anything less than absolutely right all the time.” The Zinferan chuckled as he finished his third tankard of ale that evening.

Kate hiccupped and Fin rounded the table slowly.

“How about I help you to bed, mum?” He offered while gently clasping his mother’s upper arms.

“Ohhh I’ll be fine!” She attempted to step up out of the chair, and would have fallen to the floor faster than a bag of potatoes were it not for Fin holding her up.

“It’s fine, I needed a breath of fresh air anyway.” The cook remarked with a small chuckle.

“G’night Jiho!” Kate cheered with a half wave as she allowed her son to escort her from the kitchen.

The mother and son stumbled along the waxing moonlit path to his cottage in amicable silence when Kate suddenly threw out both her arms and turned her face up to the moon with a beaming smile.

“Oh I haven’t felt this divine since before you left! You know it is terribly lonely without you there. I know I was away too often, tending to people in Rollom, and for that I’m sorry.” She whirled around in the moonlight, and Fin managed to smile slightly as she fixed him with a most complex expression of regret and love.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t enough to make up for your father’s awfulness, and I’m sorry I didn’t throw him out sooner. I won’t regret marrying him though- because it brought me you, and you are the best thing to ever happen to me. Why you seem to know so many powerful people… to say I’m impressed and surprised is an understa-statement” She explained sincerely while slurring as she stumbled along the path ahead.

“Glad I’ve exceeded your expectations mum.” Fin replied with his hands deep in his pockets and his tired mind still working desperately not to think of a particular Troivackian woman.

“Oh love, that isn’t what I meant and you know it. You know I had a long talk with a lovely woman today. She was hovering outside the Queen’s chamber- had a devil of a wound in her side I helped heal, but-”

“Annika?! I mean… Lady Jenoure, you saw Lady Jenoure?” Fin burst out, too stunned and his mind too dulled by ale to mind his tongue any better.

“…Yes! Annika Jenoure! Lovely woman.” Apparently the ale had dulled his own mother’s perceptions for she had missed her son’s sudden attentiveness as she skipped along the path.

“She and I had a lovely chat about how you are not assertive enough. I believe that you are too vocal as is, while she believes you aren’t vocal enough for your own purposes. She truly is a brilliant woman- why if it were up to her, I have no doubts she’d have you ruling the country by the sounds of it!” Kate trilled happily as they approached Fin’s cottage door.

The redhead kept a wary eye out for any Troivackian Knights that might be following, and noticed a shape or two shift in the distance, but they thankfully were too far away to overhear the conversation.

“I’m sure Annika was merely being charitable as she enjoys my cooking.” Fin reasoned aloud as he opened the door for his mother and she stepped over the threshold with only a slight trip in her step.

“I know you know the King, the Queen, Lady Jenoure, Mr. Howard- even Jiho is incredibly important now! How did this all happen?” She wondered aloud as she stumbled her way towards Fin’s bedroom.

“Coincidences.” Fin supplied with a small shrug of his shoulders as his mother pulled off her shoes and stockings and clambered into his bed.

“Oh son, the Goddess had a plan for you and she’s seeing to it! Don’t be so naïve. You must have great importance to have crossed so many wide paths. Why are you not forging your own?” She asked as she settled her head on the pillow with a contented smile on her face.

“Probably thanks to the following repetitive phrases while growing up;

‘You think you’re special and you’re not.’

‘Don’t burn more than you have, you’ll die out quicker.’

‘Find work you enjoy and don’t demand more.’

‘Save others from themselves whenever you can’.”

Fin muttered to himself idly while rubbing his eyes distractedly.

“My dearest, why would you listen to anyone but yourself? The Goddess talks to you about what you alone can do.” Kate sighed happily as her eyes fluttered closed.

Fin smiled to himself at his mother’s flushed, happy face.

He stepped into the small room and drew the quilt up over her shoulders while also magically adding a log to the hearth, and stoking the flames slightly higher.

As he began to turn to leave the bedroom, his mother’s soft hand darted out and gently clasped his own.

“We didn’t get to have a proper chat yet, tomorrow we will, yes?” She asked softly in the darkness.

“Of course mum.” Fin assured while giving her hand a small squeeze before resting it back on the bed.

He had just set foot in the doorway to the room, when on impulse, he turned back around and asked a question that had drifted through his mind idly for years.

“Why did you marry my father?”

For a moment, he was certain that his mother had already fallen into a deep sleep, and so began to resume his exit.

“You’ve never asked about him since he left. Aside from wondering if he’d ever return…” Kate’s voice was quiet, and Fin could hear the exhaustion thickening her words. “Well my love, you aren’t so darn handsome for no reason. Your father was the same back then, and when I saw him it was like I’d been struck by a vision from the Goddess. He was so passionate, and in the beginning so… vibrant. His ideas back then weren’t as radical as when you were a child…” Fin could hear sleep claiming his mother, but she managed one final phrase.

“To be honest, I barely knew him. That’s love though, you pick someone you like and play the hand that your choice deals you.”

Fin’s spine went rigid.

He walked out of his cottage on stiff legs, and headed back to his kitchen. His mother’s words were deeply troubling for some reason…

He’d sleep in front of the fire and possibly do more prep for the next day’s meal. The redhead sincerely doubted he’d get any better sleep than the night before.

The castle lawn was already dewy, and the temperature had cooled to far more comfortable temperatures, making Fin eager to feel the warm embrace of his kitchen.

Upon pushing open the garden door however, he found that Jiho still sat at the table, his hands folded on its surface as he stared blindly into the low flames of the hearth.

“I’m surprised you aren’t in bed yet.” Fin observed, unable to fully disguise his bleak tone.

The Zinferan turned around and smiled, but it wasn’t the bright shining one he had worn while visiting with Katelyn Ashowan. It was a sad one. His eyes had drawn up their new cloak of nobility, and Fin felt his stomach churn.

This was not going to be an easy conversation.

“We really do need to talk, Fin.” Jiho stated calmly. As the cook summoned his tankard and filled it with ale.

“So talk.” Fin strolled around to stand behind his table as he began summoning beans from around the room. Unable to stay still however, he then busied himself by walking over to the water pump along the wall and filling shallow basins.

“Would you sit down? You make things more awkward when you avoid me like that.”

“I’m not avoiding you, I just have more than two hundred mouths to feed, three times a day, every day.” Fin snapped with a dark glance over his shoulder.

Jiho’s face turned stony.

“Sit down Fin. We can’t keep avoiding this.”

The dark look on the redhead’s face indicated to the Zinferan that the order was not well received.

Despite releasing the pump, the iron handle continued working on its own to fill the basins, as the cook rounded his table, snatched up his tankard, and stared dangerously at the Zinferan that was meeting his gaze without flinching.

“What do you want to discuss?” Fin demanded in low tones after sending a single pulse of magic out to ensure the room was locked and sound proofed.

“So you and the Vicscountess… you know that if you want to become ennobled you would have to-”

“I’m not getting ennobled. I like being a cook, and the Lady Jenoure and I have no relationship to speak of.” Fin’s curt tone and tense expression made Jiho sit up straighter.

“So it’s a one sided love affair? Her loving you? Or vice versa?”

“Not your business. All that is your business is that there is no relationship. There is no scandal or shame attached to Lady Jenoure.” The jarring forceful response was followed by a hasty draining of the tankard recently filled in the cook’s hand.

“On the contrary, I’d rather know ahead of time if my bride is in love with another man.”

While his expression didn’t change, Fin’s grip on the handle of the tankard tightened.

“You’re already calling her your bride. I take it she has agreed to be your wife?”

“She has an agreement with your King not to declare her intentions until after the costume ball being held for the Prince’s birthday. However King Norman has made it clear I am his first choice.” Jiho explained evenly while watching the redhead carefully.

“I was unaware the King was selecting a mistress.” Fin replied wryly while sending his tankard back to the barrel to top up his drink.

“Fin… you know how this works. Gods… I remember your study notes for your politics lessons. I came here because you’re my friend, and I’m sorry, but unless you are going to try and become ennobled, Annika will marry. Better myself than one of the other two here.”

“Oh you think so do you? That Troivackian wants to travel the world to learn how to be a better Lord and provider to his tenants. He isn’t bad looking and they have a shared respect for Troivackian moonshine. You are a little too confident I think.” Fin shrugged, pretending that his insides weren’t raging in fury and pain.

“Annika is a skilled political player, she loves the thrill of it- that much is obvious. Lord Miller is a lump of fanciful Troivackian mush that she’ll dominate, and be left thoroughly unsatisfied. She adapted incredibly well to an entirely new continent before, she’ll do well in Zinfera. I can imagine that she’ll bring several of the more unruly harem women of our Emperor to heel.” Jiho mused with a slight smile as his eyes drifted to the worn surface of the table.

There were no words in Fin’s mind, only an all-consuming roar that bore his will to decimate his surroundings and the Zinferan in front of him.

“Annika has friends here.”

“She is close with the Queen alone. She will still return to visit on occasion. Fin, I know I seem like I am being cruel, but you need to be rational. If you aren’t with her or seeking a way to marry her and not ostracize her, should she spend her life withering away?” Jiho pointed out evenly, his keen brown eyes watching the redhead in a most disconcerting manner.

“You’re not being cruel. You’re being an ass. I know what I cannot have, and I have made the right decisions to protect someone I care about, and yet you seem to think it a kindness to rub my face in what I’ve sacrificed. Get out of my kitchen.”

“Sorry Fin.” Jiho stood giving the redhead a pitying shake of his head. The witch had never considered hurting a friend before that moment.

“I know you’ve had life kick the shit out of you more than a couple of times, I don’t mean to add another blow. Just know, I promise I’ll take care of her.”

“… What kind of two-faced tadger are you?” The witch’s voice sounded ragged with restraint.

“Fin I-”

“Gods Jiho, you started as a dockworker that was shit upon by everyone, when did you getting a lucky break mean you got to take your turn dousing us peasants with your nonsense. Especially those of us who were there for you when you were on death’s bloody doorstep?” Fin only took a single breath before continuing. He knew the ale had loosened his tongue and deadened his mind, but he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“You’ve become a pretentious fuck. I don’t want to be a noble and I’ve accepted that that means I have to take some thicker lumps at times, but why do you get to look down on me for choosing a profession I like? I can’t be with someone I…I… For the love of- Jiho I am trying to be a decent person here. Yet you’re using the knowledge that that’s exactly who I am to kick me while I’m down. What the hell? We were friends!”

The fire behind Fin roared to life, surging up and over the stone’s mantel in a fury.

“For the love of Gods man, do you know how lucky you are to even have a chance to be ennobled? To climb the ranks? Men have slaughtered for a lot less than your opportunities. You’re behaving foolish and juvenilely.”

“Because I don’t want to become a pompous ass?”

“Because you could make a Godsdamn difference. You know what it is like to be kicked around, you could help change that! But you don’t want to!” Jiho’s volume had risen exponentially as he stood slowly and glowered at the redhead.

“Don’t shove your own damn, self-imposed ambitions on me. It’s my own damn life and just because I’m a peasant doesn’t mean I’m worth less than you.”

“I KNOW!” Jiho took a deep steadying breath, centering himself again while briefly closing his eyes. When he once again met Fin’s cutting gaze, he was back in control.

“Fin, I’m trying to make you aware of the consequences of your choice. If you aren’t happy with the destination after the toll you paid to get there, you might have chosen the wrong path.”

“No you aren’t. I’ve made a horribly difficult decision I believe to be right, and you are only making it harder because it isn’t what you would’ve done.”

“Fin come on-”

“Gods no. You don’t get to talk to me like that anymore. Even the Godsdamn King of this continent calls me Mr. Ashowan. So that’s what you should call me from now on. You’ll refer to me as a noble refers to a respected servant. A noble that has no Godsdamn business commenting on the servant’s private affairs when it has deliberately not interfered with your own.”

Dishes began rattling around the room, and a look of pale astonished fear filled Jiho’s features. Lightning sizzled and crackled around the room.

“You’re going to start a fire!”

The room settled slightly, but Jiho could still smell the metallic note of lightning in the air. Fin’s eyes were shining in an unnatural way that Jiho had only ever seen once before, and at that time he had not been the cause of the swell of power.

“Fin, if you’re in love with Annika and want her, then for the love of Gods do something about it before you blow the castle up.” Jiho remarked, despite every hair on his arm rising up and pulling his flesh upwards as though begging him to flee.

“Oh sure. I’ll have her denounce her title and have her wealth be taxed until it dwindles next to nothing as punishment for her disobedience against the King. I’ll stop her committing to the necessary political marriage that would save the country. She will be alienated from the only true friends she has ever had, all to toil her days away bearing my children and cleaning our cottage.”

“Right. Then what is it you want? Do you want Annika to end up with the Troivackian? Because that means the country still falls to war where Daxaria loses. If she marries Lord Nam she will most likely smother him in his sleep on their wedding night. I’m her best political match. I’m sorry, but I am. This is the reality. You always said you’d count yourself lucky if you found yourself a quiet woman who would be happy to garden, knit, help your mother, and visit with the locals so you’d never have to. To be honest, that would suit you best. You always said your personality matches your powers, and that kind of woman certainly suits your abilities.” Jiho pointed out logically.

Fin didn’t like the logic though. He had no words to explain what precisely was the matter with it, but any thought of another woman not Annika being meant for him caused violent urges.

Then there was the idea of Jiho being her husband.

“I promise I won’t marry her here in the castle. After she agrees to have me, you’ll never have to see us again. Just try and keep a bit of dignity and self-control until then.”

Fin’s eyes met with Jiho’s calm, distant brown eyes that had the impenetrable barrier of nobility shining through.

Everything in him snapped all at once.

Jiho was launched from the kitchen and through the forest beyond the castle lawn by an explosion of invisible magic that could only be felt by the Zinferan, and heard by the door bursting open.

Fin didn’t know where the man landed, but the hinges on the garden door would need to be replaced in the morning.

He spent what felt like an hour regaining control of his breath and settling his magic down. Once he did, he conceded he needed to sleep.

Grumbling to himself, Fin set out his mat in front of the fire and laid down with his tankard still in hand. The ale dulled his awareness of the repercussions of his actions completely, and all he could think of was how peaceful everything finally was. Unable to sleep, he magically continued sending his tankard to the ale barrel and summoning it back only to be drained shortly after again.

He had never been drunk and angry before…

That didn’t register to Fin’s addled mind however.

What he lacked in sleep, the cook made up for in exuberant drinking until the pink fingers of dawn splayed over the horizon.

Fin stood while swaying noticeably, but instead of attempting to sleep more or drinking water, he sent his tankard over to the barrel of ale and topped himself up yet again. He had long lost count of the number of drinks he’d consumed.

The only coherent thought the cook managed through the pleasant haze was;

‘Might as well get fired if I’m so set on burning bridges.’