“Finlay my boy… I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Lord Fuks began slowly.

The redhead looked over to the elder expectantly. The other Lords had been excused and the inner council had been requested to stay behind along with Annika.

“What is it?” the redhead asked patiently while noting that mage Lee and Mr. Howard were sharing similar looks of uncertainty.

“Are you… not… going to be the Royal Cook anymore?” the mage jumped in, saving the Earl from the question that felt a little ridiculous to be asking in light of more serious events.

The witch’s eyebrows jumped upwards as his gaze moved over to the King who also looked a little stricken by the notion.

“I...er... Don’t know? I can’t really do other duties and be the cook, but I know it’ll be hard to get another person capable of taking over here so last minute. I know everyone is getting really tired of stew, but at least there hasn’t been another poisoning incident…”

The memory did not help the morale of the men around the table.

“I think we can discuss this another time, for now there is the matter of testing out your abilities, Viscount, and seeing how the Knights can best support your magic when defending the castle,” Norman announced seriously.

Fin nodded, and glanced over at Annika who was frowning and staring at the table, deep in thought.

‘Gods… is she feeling unwell? I wish she’d just tell me so I could ask her…’ the redhead found himself thinking fretfully.

“Lady Jen- Lady Ashowan?” The King noticed what had distracted the witch.

The Viscountess’ head snapped up, her expression clearing immediately. “My apologies, Your Majesty, I think I should return to my estate and make sure that everything is in order. There was a slight disturbance before we left.”

Fin stood with his wife, intending to escort her out, when the King called out again.

“Lady Ashowan, I… I know you and the Viscount have only just been reunited; however… do you not think it wise to join the families that are evacuating?”

Annika’s gaze sharpened. “Your Majesty, I intend to stay right here. Thank you for your concern.”

Giving a hasty curtsy and not waiting to hear any follow up queries that could easily turn to demands, she then hurried from the room, leaving the men behind her to exchange knowing glances, save for Fin who was staring after her worriedly.

When the Viscount did turn his attention back to the inner council, he noticed Mr. Howard and mage Lee sharing such expressions and immediately narrowed his gaze.

“How has the Viscountess been feeling?” Lord Fuks asked in a light tone, which made Fin turn ever so slowly from staring at the mage and assistant to the Earl.

Without answering, he then glanced over to the Captain, then to the King who was also staring at him sympathetically.

“Did she tell all of you already?! She hasn’t said a word to me!” the redhead suddenly burst incredulously while sitting back down gracelessly.

The council let out a collective sigh. “No, she didn’t tell us. We found out rather by accident, but… then how is it you learned of it if she didn’t say anything?” the King replied, equally confused.

“The Gods told me.” Fin’s flat reply was met with stony silence.

“The… the Gods told you?” Mr. Howard repeated dumbly.

“Yes. Before the Goddess shoved me back into my body.” The witch didn’t seem to care at all that he was stunning the group of men around him as his thoughts remained fixated on the dilemma pertaining to his wife.

“Were… were they nice?” Lord Fuks asked pleasantly.

“He meets the literal creators of everything, and you ask if they were nice?!” Mr. Howard’s deranged face when he exploded from his seat somehow didn’t seem to bother the Earl in the least.

“They were pleasant. The Green Man seems a quiet sort…” Fin replied casually, while also ignoring Mr. Howard.

“Well, that’s lovely,” Lord Fuks grinned and leaned back in his chair. “I’d hate to die and then find out I’m stuck for eternity in the woods with nasty folk.”

“No, no, perfectly fine. Green Man seemed to like showing off his chest a bit much for my taste, but, the Goddess was… well… a Goddess.”

The men were unable to move for several long minutes.

“And the deities told you that the Viscountess was expecting… huh.” The Captain’s face was blank as he blinked once while in profound thought.

Fin nodded then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Pardon me, Your Highness, I think I need to demand my wife tell me, I’ll be right back. This is all just too absurd.” The redhead stood and bowed sloppily before darting to the door and taking his leave.

Each man present glanced at each other, then immediately bolted to the door in the witch’s wake.

They did not want to miss a moment of the conversation.

When Fin caught up with Annika, she was already on the stairs, and looked incredibly surprised at her husband’s frantic appearance.

“Is everything alright? I thought the meeting would go on a little bit-”

“I know you’re pregnant,” Fin gasped while reaching out and lifting her off her feet into a tight embrace.

Annika was so surprised by the sudden announcement she didn’t have time to reply or respond.

When her husband finally placed her down, there was a bit of pink in his cheeks and… the entire inner council was standing a little ways behind him watching.

Was the blasted mage weeping again?

“Did you tell him?” she demanded of them, color rising in her cheeks.

“No, Viscountess! The-the Gods told him!” Mr. Howard called out gleefully… he seemed excited about something.

“Annika, I know why you didn’t tell me sooner. I know you didn’t want to burden me after I returned and my mother was dead, and part of the reason I didn’t want to see you was I knew I wanted to be completely happy with you about the child and-”

“The child?” Annika asked faintly, before she suddenly winced as though bracing herself. “About that… well…”

“Is everything alright? Did something happen?!” Fin's face shifted to morbid worry and immediately began looking around them for a private room to talk in.

“Viscountess, can I tell him? I really want to tell him!” Mr. Howard called out again. The man seemed to have gone a bit mad recently…

The witch cast a very disturbed look at the assistant before focusing once again on his wife.

“Fin, there isn’t a child…” Annika explained while lowering her voice to a near whisper.

The redhead’s look of anguish nearly broke her heart.“What? But I-”

The Lady blushed brightly under the many eyes watching her. “It’s… It’s twins.”

Fin’s expression froze.

“What’d she say? I couldn’t hear over this blubbering mess here?” Lord Fuks called over to Mr. Howard who was basking in the radiance of the redhead’s immediate catatonic state.

“Twins. The Viscountess is expecting two little redheaded hellions!” Mr. Howard announced loudly.

In that moment, it was impressive how the King, the Captain, and Fin, all wore identical expressions of severe stupefaction. Leaving mage Lee to cry even harder, Lord Fuks to look impressed, and Mr. Howard to declare it in years to come as one of the best moments of his life.

*

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Annika asked again as Fin sat on the chair in the emptied council room.

“I should be asking you that, don’t you think?” the redhead pointed out with a small smile before reaching out and taking her hand. “I wondered how you could already be so bi-”

Annika’s narrowed gaze had him clamping his mouth shut. He cleared his throat.

“So my… my mother told you that it was twins, and that one or both were most likely going to be a fire witch?”

The Lady nodded.

“I see… Well… I love you.” Fin stood up then, and pulled her into another embrace, startling the poor woman for the second time that day.

“I love you, too,” she murmured into his tunic.

“Excellent, now I need you to promise me if the fighting reaches Austice, that you will leave.”

Annika stepped back, glaring openly up at her husband.

“No. I will stay here. I fully intend to kill the King of Troivack. I was not making that vow lightly.”

“I know you weren’t, but you have to-”

“If you say ‘protect the children’ I will kick you. Everyone is saying that to me, and that is not the only thing I can do just because you got carried away the night of the masquerade!”

“I- wait, the masquer- that’s when? Gods, you’ll be giving birth in early spring…”

“Finlay! Focus! Stop treating me like a bloody mare that is only used to breed!” she snapped angrily. “I know everyone means well, but just because I am having children doesn’t mean I’m not a person anymore, and so help me Gods if you try to send me away without any regard for my opinion, I will imprison you where no one can find you for the rest of your days!”

The Viscount stared at his wife who looked quite sincere in her threats, and after a moment let out a long weary sigh.“I won’t insist you leave, but please… please don’t actively engage in combat either.”

Annika folded her arms over her chest. “Fine.”

“Good. Now, I need to go attack the Knights with magic, but I will be back at the estate later this evening.”

The Viscountess nodded. It was clear she was not happy with the turn of the discussion.

Leaning down and planting a quick kiss on her cheek the witch left the room, and sent a quick prayer to the Goddess that his wife would calm down by the time he saw her again…

*

Fin stood in the centre of the circle of Knights who all joked around with each other, and would occasionally glance cockily in his direction. These men appeared to be hand picked by the Captain… meaning they probably were some of the best fighters under Antonio’s guidance.

The Viscount had changed into a plain tunic and trousers, and while many of the men present would have seen Fin at his mother’s funeral, and would have therefore heard he was ennobled, it didn’t necessarily mean they would immediately respect him.

The Captain then strode over to them and handed the Knights their real swords instead of the wooden training ones used for when they taught their Squires, effectively silencing them.

“Captain, what is the meaning of this? You know we could injure the Lord there-” one Knight pointed out, his tone mocking as he gestured to the man they had all been astounded to learn was married to the former Lady Jenoure.

“That ‘Lord’ is a Viscount. You will treat him with the deference he deserves, understood?” The inherent threat in Antonio’s words was not ignored.

Everyone present once again fell silent and turned their attention to Fin, who was already mildly embarrassed by the exchange.

“Then… why the swords, Captain?” one of the Knights asked, confused.

“I’m sure you all remember that it was also announced that Lord Ashowan is a witch. He will be one of our key figures defending the castle when the Troivackians arrive in a few days, so we will need to see how we can best work together to be the most effective.”

The men shifted quietly then, their previous confident attitudes things of the past.

“Err… what kind of magic do you do… my Lord?” one of the younger Knights asked nervously.

“I’m a House Witch,” Fin answered tonelessly. “Usually I am more effective with cooking, but in this case… any help is good in a war, wouldn’t you say?.”

“We'll see about that,” Fin heard a Knight close to his left mutter under his breath, but when the redhead’s gaze cut over to him, saw the man recoil under the strange gleam in his eyes.

“Now men, we are going to try and train as much as possible over the next day and a half to help increase our odds, but on the morning the Troivackians are due, I want you all to rest. You know we will need to conserve our strengths,” Antonio announced while striding out of the training area to watch from the tall chair that was positioned near one of the borders so that he could get a better view on group maneuvers.

The men all turned their attention to Fin then, and slowly lifted their weapons.

“I want you all to attack me at once,” the redhead instructed calmly.

The Knights broke out laughing.

“You take us so lightly, Lord Ashowan? Remember you were fighting against Knights less skilled than us the last time you were in this ring,” the same Knight that had taunted Fin before jeered.

This time, the witch didn’t let the comment slide as he turned and faced the man with his eyes already beginning to glow even more brightly. “While that is true, I have no intention of holding back, or fighting fairly.”

The Knight’s smug expression morphed into a frown. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

Fin smiled coldly. “Likewise.”

With a roar, the soldier called out to his comrades. “Alright men, attack!”

They each lunged a single precise step, and then proceeded to be blasted two feet backwards onto their backs by a sudden explosion of blue lightning in front of each of them.

The ring was silent as the Knights all slowly stood up with new wariness.

Glancing up at the Captain, whose blue eye was slightly widened, the redhead called out breaking into a slightly friendlier grin, “I don’t even have my frying pan, yet!”