The cell door squeaked open as honeyed sunshine spilled through the narrow window opening high on the cell wall a certain redheaded witch was leaning against.
Cracking open his eyes that felt as though they were weighted down with sandbags, Fin glanced up to see instead of the captain, a knight he didn’t recognize accompanied by Mr. Howard.
The assistant looked smugly down at Fin’s disheveled self and watched as the witch stood with a grunt.
“Have a pleasant evening?” Mr. Howard asked, looking a little too delighted.
“I heard from one of the knights the queen awoke,” Fin commented instead with a small smile.
The assistant’s pleased expression faded to one of sincere relief. “Yes … alive and well thankfully.”
“Where’s the captain?” Fin asked while rotating his shoulder to try and ease some of the stiffness from it.
At this, Mr. Howard froze.
“It would seem … your mother didn’t take kindly to you being incarcerated. He has overslept as a result.”
Fin grinned wryly and the assistant waved him forward while rolling his eyes.
“Come on. We are to meet with His Majesty and the others this morning.”
Fin raised a quizzical eyebrow but didn’t receive any more of an explanation as they made the long journey up to the council room.
“Any chance I could get some food at this meeting?” the redhead asked while attempting to rub the kinks out from the back of his neck.
“There is food, but your assistants made it.”
Wincing visibly, Fin didn’t say anything in response.
At long last they reached the council room, and upon entering Fin noticed immediately that the king looked like his regular self again, and everyone else in the room looked jubilant. There were mysterious baked goods that were strange in color in the middle of the table, but Fin still grabbed one nonetheless as his stomach rumbled loudly.
Captain Antonio pointedly looked away from Fin, while Lord Fuks raised a chalice to him, and Mage Lee smirked. Trying to busy himself, Fin attempted to bite into the food in his hand and nearly chipped a tooth. He opted to carefully set the item back down on the table with the utmost care.
“Welcome back, Mr. Ashowan. I apologize for your time spent in the cell,” Norman began as he also raised his goblet to the witch.
“I understand, Your Majesty. Did my incarceration rack up support like we’d hoped?” Fin’s eyes were fixed on Captain Antonio’s profile as the man continued to avoid meeting his gaze.
“Well, the women nobility are certainly in an uproar on your behalf. As are the maids … Their husbands are intimidated into agreeing … is how we’re interpreting it,” Mr. Howard explained in a businesslike tone as he finished dipping his quill in ink to begin his note-taking.
“On that note, I am sorry to hear that your courtship with Lady Jenoure’s maid suffered,” the king added sincerely.
Fin’s cheeks turned crimson, but before he had a chance to say anything Mage Lee was upon him.
“What?! You two were such a lovely couple! A wedding between the two of you would have been such fun … perhaps she reacted to your arrest hastily. If you go now and—”
“No, no. It’s alright. I’m not sure we were well suited,” Fin interjected desperately while Norman tried to hide his smile.
“Ah, I am sorry to rub salt in the wound, Fin. Mage Lee has a deep love of weddings …” the king explained with a bemused glance toward Lee.
“Don’t worry about it, Your Majesty. If we could carry on with the meeting, though, I wouldn’t mind seeking out a bath soon.” Fin bowed his head to the king, hoping that he didn’t sound too demanding.
“Ah, yes. We have much to discuss in light of recent events …” Norman straightened in his chair, the twinkle in his eye dimming slightly as more serious matters entered his mind.
“Mr. Ashowan, your father’s vessel experienced some poor weather, and so he is expected to arrive even later than originally planned.”
Fin’s expression remained blank, and so the monarch plunged on, not wanting to dwell on the unpleasantness.
“We have negotiated with Sorlia merchants to have the Troivackian soldiers that have been discovered boarded in secret onto their boats and set out to sea. We will keep them as far from shore for as long as possible while the war carries on in hopes that this helps our cause. As of now, we have discovered just over two thousand men in total thanks to a handful cracking under our interrogations; however, that is not quite half of our estimated numbers.”
Everyone nodded while frowning.
“I received word during my search that there are Troivackian allies amongst the merchants and … brothels of Austice that should be investigated more closely.” Fin announced this while tactfully omitting that Kraken was his informant …
Mage Lee straightened in his seat. “So that’s what you were doing in Madam Mathilda’s! Looking for the Troivackians!”
All eyes turned to the mage.
“How is it you knew Fin was inside a brothel, Lee?” Mr. Howard asked, a wild smile on his face.
“I had to offer him assistance when he was drugged and about to have his legs broken!” the mage burst out despite his cheeks reddening.
“Why was it they did these things, Mr. Ashowan? I was aware of an impromptu festival you started but this comes as news to me.” Norman steepled his fingers while leaning forward with a small frown.
“I was asking to speak with the head of the brothel. Apparently that was grounds to have me treated as Mage Lee described. Which is all the more suspicious,” Fin muttered, not liking the demonically happy assistant who was scribbling things down furiously.
“No shame in a healthy young man dabbling with the ladies!” Lord Fuks interjected loudly. “Though that might also have something to do with your sweetheart deciding she didn’t want to marry you …”
Fin groaned; the morning was proving to be one long headache …
“Do you think you might be able to find out more about what this brothel madam was doing? I have already begun having merchant and noble ships searched, and their captains interrogated. However, we have yet to find anything here in Austice aside from those in the winter market, and not much luck from what I’ve heard in our other fair cities,” Norman addressed Fin seriously.
“I can return to the city and try.” Immediately the redhead wondered how quickly he might be able to return to Annika’s estate and whether or not she’d be home …
“Alright, well that settles those matters regarding Mr. Ashowan. Lord Fuks, you have the expense estimates for the war sorted now with the food ration plans? Wonderful. Now—” Norman began addressing his council but was cut off suddenly.
“Captain Antonio! Did you not wish to have a discussion with Fin?” Mage Lee interjected suddenly, his features a little too lively for the witch’s liking.
Antonio looked as though he were going to punch the mage. Lee at least had the decency and good sense to tone down his obvious excitement after seeing the captain’s blue eye turn sharp.
Fin faced the captain expectantly. He guessed that his mother had demanded that the military leader apologize for having her son locked up, and so he wanted to get the whole unpleasant ordeal dealt with.
Instead, the captain awkwardly cleared his throat and slowly turned to face the youngest member of the meeting.
“Mr. Ashowan … Finlay … Your mother and I had a lengthy discussion last evening. One that has made it a necessity for us to … broach more sensitive topics.” Antonio didn’t risk taking his eyes off Fin, whose expression was flatter than the crepes he occasionally made for breakfast.
“I … wanted a more private word; however, I was concerned about what your reaction could be. I hoped that having more people here for support might prove beneficial to—”
“Captain, please get on with it.” Fin’s tone was hollow. He really hated drawn-out apologies.
“Well, it seems I … that is, your mother and … I …”
The fearsome warrior looked to Norman for help, only the king appeared to be all too happy to wait for him to figure out what to say.
“Well, your father is coming, and while he is here … there has been mention of … proceedings that might—”
“Antonio, are you really that scared of him?!” Mr. Howard burst out impatiently.
“I must agree with His Majesty’s assistant. Gods, man, this is more torturous than the kitchen aides’ recent attempts at cooking,” Lord Fuks added exasperatedly.
The captain cleared his throat awkwardly and an uncharacteristic amount of red began to climb up his neck.
“No need to apologize about last night, Captain, if it’s this difficult for you; think nothing of it.” Fin sighed. It really wasn’t worth drawing the meeting on. “I’ve had worse nights than last night in the cell, and—”
“Finlay, I proposed marriage to your mother. She, er … She agreed.”
The room fell silent.
All eyes were on Fin who went still as a statue. His eyes transfixed on the captain who didn’t dare move, as though he were a fat mouse caught in front of a hungry and disgruntled ginger cat …
“You’ve only been courting for a few weeks.” The voice that left the witch’s mouth was hoarse.
“Aye, but … when you know you know. Especially at our age we don’t like to squander what little time we have,” the captain managed with difficulty.
“So … you mentioned my father … because you want my mother to file for an official dissolvement of their union,” Fin started slowly.
“Yes.”
“I plan on consenting when your mother formally submits the plea,” Norman offered casually. “Then she is free to marry whenever and whomever she chooses.”
Fin’s eyes met with the king’s, and for once the monarch decided to instead closely inspect his marvelous ceiling.
“Isn’t it wonderful, Finlay? You were already probably going to be knighted sometime soon, and once you’re officially related to the captain that will help with your standing amongst the other knights. His Majesty did offer Captain Antonio the title of baron and some land some years ago for his retirement, but given his background, he respectfully declined so as to not rock the boat with the other nobility,” Mage Lee explained brightly.
“His background?” the witch asked faintly.
“Ah, yes … my mother is Daxarian, but my father was Troivackian. A nobleman. It is one of the reasons I go by my first name instead of my last name, which sounds distinctly Troivackian. My full name is Antonio Faucher. You cannot tell now that my hair is mostly white, but it used to be quite dark. I am also larger than most Daxarians you may have noticed … I am not titled currently, which is why I am free to choose myself a wife of any ranking. Though once we marry and perhaps win the war, I may consider His Majesty’s offer again … if to offer a more comfortable life to the both of you …”
Fin slowly stood, silencing the captain who looked ready to end the awkward encounter by any means necessary. Bracing his hands on the table in front of him with his head bowed, Fin took a moment to quiet his thoughts.
“I will be going back to Austice for the next few days to see what I can learn from Madam Mathilda. Please inform my mother. Good day, Your Majesty, Lord Fuks, Mage Lee, Mr. Howard … Captain.” Fin stood and bowed without meeting anyone’s stare.
As he turned and marched to the door, Lord Fuks called out to him.
“Perhaps consider calling the captain ‘father’ in the near future! It could be a wonderful chance to bond and—”
Mr. Howard lunged for the elderly man and clamped his hand over his mouth hastily.
“No need to have us all killed,” the assistant hissed under his breath.
Fin hesitated only for a moment after Lord Fuks’s outburst, before continuing to exit the chamber and embarking on his new mission of fleeing the castle grounds as quickly as possible.
Norman turned toward the captain, his expression pleasantly mild. “Well … he didn’t burn down the castle or blast you into the Alcide Sea.”
“Nor did he curse you out or refuse to accept the marriage!” Mage Lee added optimistically.
“Honestly, I think you two will get along famously once the shock wears off.” Lord Fuks waved his hand dismissively while taking a mouthful of water from his goblet.
“In hindsight, perhaps you should’ve waited until he’d had a bath and an ale following his time in his cell,” Mr. Howard thought aloud, making everyone but the captain shoot him incredulous looks.
“Shall we discuss the budget report for the war, Lord Fuks?” the captain addressed the nobility quietly, his face and posture somehow both tense and relaxed at the same time.
After one last exchange of worried glances, the men delved into further details pertaining to the war with no further mention of the betrothal. The group wordlessly agreed to spare the captain from any more helpful advice for the rest of the morning.
Fin crossed the threshold of Annika’s estate by midafternoon and was greeted with a flurry of maids insisting on drawing him a bath and setting out fresh clothes.
He didn’t deny their hospitality but asked where their mistress could be found before answering the dozens of questions they put to him.
“Oh, she’s in the solar with her maid!” Delores informed him hastily while trailing behind his labored steps. “You should rest, Mr. Wit! It has been a long day for you from the look of it, and you smell … er … look like you could use a washing before seeing her!”
Ignoring the poor woman’s pleas, Fin continued on his path toward the solar, but he only made it halfway up the grand stairs. Annika suddenly appeared breathless at the top, her dark hair floating wildly about her, and the cream-colored muslin dress she wore fluttering in the great wind she had made from dashing down the corridor.
Fin looked up at her and felt as though he were seeing the sun for the very first time.
Breaking into a smile, Annika rushed down the steps and into his arms.
The moment Fin had her in his embrace, he felt everything bad that had happened over the past few days disappear, and instead he melted into the warmth of his lover. He breathed in the spicy smell of her hair that he had come to love so dearly and relished in how she melded to him as though she belonged there.
“Do you think you could stop worrying me to an early grave?” her muffled voice asked after a moment.
“I’ll do what I can.”
The rest of the staff around them were completely forgotten as the couple continued their embrace, though none of them minded. They were all more than a little happy to see their mistress and, hopefully, their future master perfectly healthy and safe together once more.