The Kitchen aides had just begun lunch preparations after sending out their haphazard breakfast offerings to the occupants of the castle, but didn’t waste a moment of time before they scrambled to begin preparing for the day without their cook’s assistance. Peter had joined them and was equally mortified by the situation as his fellow workers- though in considerably sunnier spirits than the rest of the aides with his healed ribs.

Fin was passed out on the floor behind the door, and the best solution the group had come up with to hide him was to stack potato bags around his unconscious body. While they worked, each one of the aides braced themselves for the chaos that would dictate the day- they all wondered how in the world they were going to pull it all off.

Ruby was the first threat to their tenuous grasp of the situation.

Upon witnessing the sight before her of the disastrous kitchen and the aides frantically working, the Head of Housekeeping raised a skeptical eyebrow at the ragtag team that were all desperate to not appear suspicious.

“Where is Mr. Ashowan?” She asked loudly enough to make all heads turn to her. The Knights shared uncertain glances

Ruby narrowed her small eyes at the Knights who all visibly paled, when Hannah stepped forward.

“Fin seems to have come down with the flu and is resting. He says he’ll try to be back in time to prepare supper.” Hannah’s face was emotionless, but her big blue eyes were fixed on Ruby, her tone perfectly insouciant.

“I see. I thought he sounded strange this morning. Perhaps I should send his mother over to see him, she has a way with healing I’ve never seen. Why- it’s almost as though she’s magic the way she has healed some of those Knights.”

The aides all shared strained innocent expressions.

“Oh we couldn’t possibly ask her to see to Fin. He’ll be fine, she needs to focus on the Knights, I mean after all they are the ones preparing for a war.” Peter jumped in swiftly as he strode forward to stand beside Hannah.

Ruby glanced back and forth between the two dubiously, but nodded slowly after a moment.

“I’ll leave you all to it. Make sure you clean up this mess before Mr. Ashowan sees it, you know how particular he is.” Then with one last sweeping glance she cleared out of the room leaving the group to let out their held breaths.

“Fin owes us big for this.” Hannah announced angrily as she turned back to her task of slicing tomatoes for the luncheon sandwiches.

There was a muttered agreement amongst the aides as they became engrossed in their objectives, and the thoughts regarding the cook's debt to them stayed on their minds through every fumbled cut and burn they received.

While they succumbed to the general panic of their day, and attempted to complete their designated tasks, the group failed to hear the faint litany of curses drifting closer to the kitchen as a certain Zinferan stomped up the garden path.

“Where the hell is that bastard?”

Lord Jiho Ryu appeared in the kitchen door, and looked as though he had been through a losing battle with a muddy hill for most of the night.

Dark bags smudged under his eyes, no less than three errant twigs were entangled in his mussed black hair, and dirt was splattered all over his once fine clothes. The Lord’s previous composure and aloof air was long gone, his gaze instead was deadly, and his ire was visibly growing hotter as it remained coiled in his chest.

The aides all looked up and immediately became weary. A new obstacle had appeared all too quickly.

“Mr. Ashowan is ill, perhaps tomorrow he will be better and-” Peter started slowly as the Zinferan openly glared around the room.

“His cottage is that way?” The man asked pointing in the direction of the cook’s home.

“Err… we think so.” Sir Lewis answered vaguely. The group was a little uneasy about lying too extensively to a member of nobility.

Spinning around on his heel the Zinferan stormed off.

“He’s going to come back here isn’t he?” Sir Andrews sounded resigned, but the dread was apparent in his eyes as he removed the skillet he had been cooking with from the heat of the hearth.

“Probably.” Sir Harris admitted while still exuding his normal aura of carelessness.

“Is Lord Ryu capable of punishing us as a foreign noble?” Hannah asked with a slight note of worry in her normally confident tone.

“Us Knights not as easily, you and Peter are a little different.” Sir Andrews explained, his tone apologetic while his eyes remained trained on the door.

“Well… can’t do anything but keep cooking. Maybe throw Fin his tunic.” Peter announced assuredly after a brief glance at Hannah who was beginning to gnaw on her lower lip.

The group had resumed their harried new duties, when they heard the much louder unmistakable cursing of the Zinferan Lord. As they all stared out the open door, they could see in the growing daylight the noble exhumed the occasional plume of dust as he stormed back up the garden path.

“I swear to the Gods none of you will be punished- unless you fail to tell me where the emotionally stunted giant redhead is.”

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bread.” Sir Harris said carefully as he poured a cup of water from a pitcher on the cook’s table.

“It’s bed not bread.” The Zinferan snapped as he continued glaring at the entire staff.

“Oh no. In your case it’s bread. You are crusty in more ways than one this morning my Lord.” Sir Harris offered the Zinferan the cup of water with a cheeky smile.

Jiho stared at the grinning Knight stonily for a moment.

He then slapped the cup of water from his hand while maintaining eye contact.

“Well. You certainly know how to make a splash when meeting new people.” Sir Harris feigned a hurt expression.

Sir Taylor behind him slapped his forehead, Sir Lewis’ jaw had dropped but was unable to look away, and Sir Andrews was visibly fighting against laughing.

Hannah opened her mouth after another beat of silence, when there was a low moan from under the potato bags.

Slowly, while pulling his tunic over his head and sending several potatoes cascading free from their sacks, Fin sat up.

He rubbed his eyes and stared drunkenly up at the people in his kitchen.

It had only been an hour since he had fallen unconscious, and he was still magnificently inebriated.

He began to stand when Jiho rounded on him. The Zinferan punched Fin hard across his left cheekbone, and grabbed hold of him by the front of his tunic.

Yanking the redhead who was several inches taller than him over the barrier of potato bags, the Zinferan then hauled him outside the garden door.

“You sent me leagues into the forest you idiot!” Jiho seethed before his nose suddenly wrinkled. “Gods you reek. Have you just been drinking endlessly while your staff scrambles to cover for you?!”

“It’s fine. Jus’ll get fired. It’s fine.” Fin slurred with a half grin, his half open eyes deadened.

“You’re going to throw away the job that you claim is more important than the woman you’re in love with?!”

“I’ss can cook anywheres.” Fin fought to straighten himself against the wooden fence of the gardens, only to have Jiho give a sharp uppercut to his gut.

The cook immediately vomited while doubled over.

When he finished and stood unsteadily while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Jiho once again grabbed the front of Fin’s tunic.

“You have a team of people that are risking getting flogged and demoted for you, without knowing a single reason as to why! A team who has to know you’re a bloody witch because there is no way that they prepared an entire breakfast without any help from you. You’re going to screw over these good people, destroy your reputation as a cook, and our friendship because you won’t go after her?”

“We’re getting flogged?!” Sir Harris’ incredulous voice burst out of the kitchen, making Jiho’s eyelid start fluttering ever so slightly as though he were actively trying not to twitch.

Fin didn’t say anything for a moment, his drunken features stilling as he stared at his friend. Then, for the first time since he’d come to be aware of his pull towards the Lady Jenoure, he showed his true emotions.

His defeat, weariness, and hopelessness was so potent that Jiho released the cook without thinking.

“Fin… come on. Why won’t you try? This is insane and doesn’t make any sense.”

“I ‘lready told you.”

Jiho’s face hardened and his gaze sharpened.

“Do I need to hit you again?”

Fin’s shoulders sagged and he gave a hollow smile.

“Go ’head.”

The Zinferan was about to do just that, when it just so happened that the only force in the world that could ever command full obedience of him made their presence known.

“Jiho. Lord or not you will cease this instant and tell me what you think you two are doing.”

Katelyn Ashowan was striding up the garden path, and while she wasn’t hurrying, she was moving like a general moving to command his troops.

Jiho turned, his mouth opening and closing several times as he tried to find some way of explaining what was happening.

“Fin, are you sick? A woman calling herself the Head of Housekeeping said you came down with the flu.” Once she was standing in front of the two men, they both shrank under her level stare as though they were once again rambunctious youths.

“No.” The redhead muttered as he raised a shaking hand to rub his eyes.

“Are you drunk?!” Kate demanded as she noted the unsteadiness.

Before Fin could lie, she had snatched at his hand, though she immediately let it go with a hiss as a fire blazed in her eyes.

“Is this what you’ve been doing since you’ve gotten here? Working drunk? You take this opportunity- this job so lightly?” She bore down on him in such a way that the slight healer seemed more like a giant towering over the cook. At least that was how it seemed to Jiho and the aides that watched transfixed.

“He’s never done this before.” Sir Taylor interjected from the overcrowded doorway.

Katelyn Ashowan turned her irate gaze to the bear of a man, and he visibly winced.

“Pardon the interruption Ma’am.” He added hastily.

“I see. So what is so damn special about today hm? The two of you getting into trouble again?”

“I have nothing to do with-” Jiho started defensively, but one threatening look from the matron had the Zinferan firmly closing his mouth.

“Is it because you think I will let you drink as much as you like and I’ll make you as good as new whenever you please? Because I said it to you before when you first tried your first drink and I’ll say it now; if you choose to be an idiot, you will suffer like an idiot!” Fin said nothing in defense, only nodded quietly while rubbing his face slowly.

“Wait! You can sober him up?!” Hannah had launched herself from the doorway before a second thought could stop her.

Kate glared at the new interruption, and while Hannah did take a step back, she braved speaking again.

“Ma’am, I understand that our cook is behaving badly… but… we really need him back to normal. We’re barely managing to keep up.” Hannah pleaded while folding her hands demurely in front of her skirts. “Could you please help him if only for our sakes?”

Katelyn’s jaw set as she turned with flashing eyes to her son.

“I have never been disappointed in you before today. I cannot believe you are my son. That you would abandon your staff like this…” She trailed off angrily, and Fin’s cheeks flamed red as he fixed his eyes on the ground.

Everyone present shifted uncomfortably in the silence after her ringing reprimand.

“All of you get back inside. Your cook will be with you shortly. None of you will want to see this.” She announced placing her hands on her hips as she continued glowering at Fin.

One by one the aides and Jiho filed back into the kitchen. Once they were all back inside, Sir Taylor hoisted the door off the floor and set it against the door frame to give the redhead and his mother privacy.

Once that was concluded, it began.

The sound of retching carried on for several minutes.

It was then followed by a long period of silence, followed by even more unpleasant sounds.

After nearly an hour, Fin returned.

His face had tinges of green, and he appeared to be a bit wobbly on his feet, but it was clear he had sobered significantly.

When he strode into the room with his mother behind him, he didn’t meet anyone’s gaze as he turned to the door and with a snap of his fingers, the hinges in the wall began to reattach themselves. The door was mended within a minute.

Once that task had been completed, Fin turned to the expectant faces that varied in emotions as they regarded him.

The Knights all bore sympathetic expressions, Hannah looked hesitant, Peter looked serious and intent, Jiho looked annoyed, and his mother continued baring a dark cloud that could crack at any moment.

“I want answers, now.” Katelyn Ashowan demanded tightly.

Fin let out a slow breath.

“Before I do, I would like to apologize to all of you. It had not been my goal to be unable to perform my duties and leave you all stranded. I made the mistake of thinking I could handle myself, and I am very sorry for my misjudgment. I will never place any of you in that position again. Thank you for your consideration and for covering for me when I did not deserve it.” Fin gave a small bow to his staff, which effectively made them all grow incredibly uncomfortable.

Their cook wasn’t one for long speeches, or for vulnerability. To see him in such a state was more than a little unnerving.

“Good. Now, what in the world has gotten into you?” Katelyn’s firm tone wasn’t less angry, but it was quieter than it had been previously.

Fin stared at Jiho directly.

“He and I had a fight regarding a matter that is affecting me more than I thought it would.” The redhead explained vaguely.

Hannah rolled her eyes to the ceiling, muttered an expletive then turned to Katelyn.

“Mr. Ashowan is in love with Lady Jenoure- you’ve probably seen her by now if you’ve been to see the Queen. Black hair, curves that make most men forget they have tongues?”

“I have… met…” Kate began slowly as she turned with a new shocked expression on her face to look at Fin who was staring at Hannah in frozen horror.

“You… knew… everything?” His voice was ragged.

Peter stepped forward looking slightly less intense than before though no less somber

“Yes. You forgot to charm the window Lord Fuk’s gave you for the first two days and we saw your magic. We also happened to overhear a few conversations between you and Lady Jenoure… it wasn’t hard to figure out what was happening between you two.”

Fin raised both hands to his face and rubbed aggressively.

“You’ve always been terrible about hiding your nonsense.” Jiho muttered to himself.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying!” Hannah chimed in shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest.

“We have no idea why you want to hide the fact that you’re a witch, or why you won’t pursue Lady Je-”

“Young lady I’m going to have to stop you right there.” Katelyn Ashowan rounded on the group, her face a mix of several strong emotions. There were still traces of her anger, but there was also now sadness and anxiousness.

“You do not know what witches face. There is still a large group of people that have hung onto anger and hate for our kind out of fear. Fin once saved his best friend from drowning, but because he didn’t use his magic to do so, everyone scorned him. They assumed Fin thought he was better than them and wouldn’t waste magic on a normal human. They stoned my boy, and called him horrible names for years, and he has been alone-”

“That’s enough.” Fin cut his mother off stepping forward and shooting her firm glance.

“Very well. However, pursuing a noble is out of the question. That Lady will only be damned if she happens to return your feelings.” Katelyn shook her head morosely as she stared at her son with understanding and severity.

Fin shook his head ignoring her pity and addressed the group in front of him again.

"I'm sorry to have worried you all. I will try to keep a better lid on my juvenile impulses and-"

“Oh good Gods!” Jiho snapped as he stepped forward and fixed the two Ashowans with a look of exasperated anger.

“I managed to become ennobled, Fin you can too! Besides, the Lady herself is quite intelligent. I have no doubt that she will have some kind of plan if she truly wants to be with you- If you would just take a damn chance!”

Hannah stepped forward next glaring at Fin with her arms still firmly crossed.

“We don’t expect you to use magic for anything other than what you’ve already agreed to. Like starting lunch for example.”

Fin straightened at the thinly veiled reminder, and gave a quick nod over his shoulder that summoned several ingredients over to his table from around the room. The various food items immediately began preparing themselves.

“Wonderful, now that that’s dealt with,” Sir Harris stepped forward and placed a hand on Hannah’s shoulder- only to have her slap it off her immediately.

“Look, it seems kind of crazy to all of us that you have all of this magic and have already been helping the King only to-”

“Helping the King?!” Katelyn exclaimed turning wide-eyed to Fin.

“Err… yes. How does it make sense that it’s impossible for you and Lady Jenoure to be together when the impossible has already happened more times than anyone can count?” Sir Harris tried to awkwardly ignore Fin’s pained expression as his mother began staring intensely at him once again.

“We’ve all been rooting for you.” Hannah added with a firm nod.

“Yeah. Honestly cook, even as Knights, I can say that it seems like there has to be some way it can happen.” Sir Taylor moved forward again while Sir Lewis and Andrews nodded behind him.

Fin felt his throat constrict when he saw all of their earnest faces offering support and encouragement. His gaze fell to Jiho then who, at long last, no longer looked ready to throttle him.

“You’re not alone anymore Fin, you have an honest to Gods shot. With all of us and Lady Jenoure herself already thinking it's a possibility? I’m serious. You aren't wrong for wanting more for yourself, or wanting to try and be happy.” The Zinferan then addressed the healer. “Kate, when has Fin ever tried to be closer to someone? When has being alone ever bothered him before? You always say the Goddess has a plan, isn’t it worth taking a chance to see if this is it?”

Fin’s right hand twitched and a muscle in his jaw worked resiliently to fight back the overwhelming surge of gratitude he was feeling.

“You’re limited on your own, we can all see that now- you seem to have the emotional maturity of a chicken,” The Zinferan started glibly “-But you’re a good person. You deserve this. So what if your path isn’t straight-forward? When has anything in your life been obvious? You’re usually pretty good at turning a bad situation around, and now when it seems like there isn’t any other way, all of a sudden you have all of us here wanting to help. Seems a bit too much of a coincidence, don’t you think? Why not go where the water’s pulling you?” A corner of Jiho’s mouth lifted and his brilliant white teeth flashed.

Fin still wasn’t able to talk, he didn’t know what to say.

Kate’s cool hand slipped into his own and drew his suspiciously shining eyes downwards.

“I… I don’t know exactly what you’ve been doing here since arriving but… if loving this woman brought you all of these people? Then maybe...” She whispered the words. “Fin, I think you need to play your hand now. I trust that they will make it possible. I'll do anything I can to help you as well.” She nodded to the group of friendly people staring at her son with collective determination and care.

Fin swallowed with great difficulty and raised his gaze to the expectant faces around the room.

“She,” The word came out choked. He cleared his throat and tried again. “She said goodbye already. She won’t offer a chance to me again.” He licked his lips that suddenly felt dry.

Hannah snorted.

“Please. Women say that knowing men’s propensity to be slow as snails. Us females have a separate deadline than the one we say. Whether we realize it or not.”

“The costume ball!” Peter jumped in, smiling brightly as he looked pleased to have reached the answer so quickly.

Hannah nodded.

“That’s probably it.” Jiho agreed intently. “So Fin, what are you going to do?”

The smile grew slowly, but by the time it had finished spreading, it was blinding. The redhead felt his heart skip several beats as he gazed around the room, for a moment unable to process the overwhelming support. He felt the freedom and terror of leaping into an unknown future, but as he stared at each face before him he knew his determination and courage had hardened.

“I think I’m going to start taking my dance lessons a bit more seriously.”