A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.



Setting the bowls and spoons down in front of them, (f/n) took a seat and glanced over to Tarhuinn. His face rested against his right knuckles. He peered down to the food before him before he sat more upright. "Did he teach you how to make this?" he questioned as he swirled the spoon around in the soup.



"Yes, but it tastes good." Despite her answer, he continued to seemingly stare at it. "I know that this place isn't exactly a relaxing retreat, but it's keeping us warm for the night. And, I understand that you don't want to eat something that he had made in the past, but a warm meal will serve you well."



"I know," he responded, leaving the spoon in the bowl. He leaned forward on his elbows and rested his chin on his intertwined hands. "It's just that I see this place, and I see you with him here. It's frustrating to know that I couldn't get to you. I was so worried that I would never see you again, yet I was restrained by the pixies. If I had just run faster when I had escaped the other night, you would've been spared last night's nightmarish happenings."



Shaking her head, she set down her own spoon. "If your escape had been successful, what would've occurred? You would've tried to deal with Will but would've had a high chance of dying. You coming here any earlier would've exposed me, and I might've failed to think of a solution while you might've died. If that had happened, I would've been dragged down to his storage and probably would never see the light of day again.



"Everything worked out in the end. We got past the pixies, and we can now go confront these authors. We're back on our original course. Stop dwelling on the past events; it's not worth it. You're sacrificing your health with your worry."



A small smile touched his lips before he sat back up on the chair. "Easier said than done, but I'll take your advice for tonight." He turned to the soup and proceeded to eat with her. Dinner passed by quietly before she took the dishes and went to go wash them. When she had gone to fill the pot full of water for the soup, Tarhuinn had given her another dagger to protect herself with. Thankfully, she didn't have to use it on her trip outside.



Coming back in through the open door since he had ordered to leave it open while she was out, she closed it behind her and put the dishes away. Once she faced him again, she glanced between him and the bedroom. If she removed his feet from the bucket, she could hurry it into the other room. Given the distance that he had crossed earlier that evening, he should be alright with the move.



"Can you remove your feet for a moment?" she asked as she bent over to pick the bucket back up. "I'm going to move the water into the bedroom for you." Nodding, he took his feet out while she hurried to set the bucket by the bed. As soon as it was placed on the ground, Tarhuinn had slipped his feet into the water. He seated himself by the headboard of the bed and leaned against it.



"You didn't share this bed with him, did you?"



Seating herself beside him, she shook her head. "No, of course not. I would never sleep beside that monster. I made sure to stay away from the pixies' idea of persuasion."



Wrapping an arm around her waist, he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her left cheek. A light dose of heat flooded her cheeks, and she could feel him smile against her skin. "Good. I can't have you cuddling up to another man." He pulled back from her and lifted her legs onto the bed before he draped the sheets over her. "I still intend to kill him on our way back, though."



She figured that he would be set upon that. Allowing her head to rest on his lap, she tightened her fingers around his right pant leg. "Just be careful and don't attack him directly."



"I know." He drew his right hand across her (h/c) locks. "I intend to strike him by surprise. That's the only way that'll probably work against the mage. My ability to throw daggers will come in handy for that moment. I'll make sure to kill him before he can attack me. I can't let him take you away from me again."



(F/n) reached over with her hands and wrapped them around his left hand. She wasn't tired yet, given her long sleep from earlier. So, she massaged his hand to relieve any remaining stress. His right hand stopped its movement across her hair several moments later. Looking up to him, she saw that he had fallen asleep. Her hold on his hand remained, however, while she moved her gaze back to how it was. Relaxed, she continued to massage his hand lightly until she drifted off into sleep herself.



~~~~~~~~~~



Bored, Will stood at the entrance to the pixies' home. He tapped his right foot against the snow. There was the future prospect of his bluebell to consume, but until then, he had to watch over these creatures. As if to make matters worse, the king and queen refused to let him eat one of the female pixies. Normally, he would've ignored them, but he had a bargain in place.



Combing his fingers through his golden locks roughly, he groaned in annoyance. His vexation grew until his eyes caught something in the distance. There were a multitude of pixies surrounding someone. All of their weapons were pointed at the individual. They kept crying out that they worked for Tergii and Bimaa and that they should be allowed simple passage.



Will didn't know who those individuals were, but he didn't care. He had a possible snack coming towards him. Grinning, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for them to get closer. The person had a hood over their head, and the rest of their cloak covered the rest of them. Judging by their voice, however, it sounded like they were female.



When they finally reached the pixies' home, Will stepped aside and smiled to the hidden figure. They visibly stepped away from him, but the pixies' weapons kept them from going too far. Once the group headed inside, he followed after them. He placed his hands in his pockets and stayed close to the newcomer.



All of them standing before the pixie royals, the guards shoved the individual forward. Some of the pixies pulled their hood back as they fell to the ground on their knees. To Will's delight, they were a female. Now, his boredom could end for awhile. Matters only became more interesting in that they were a kelremm.



Her short and untidy ink-black locks covered her all light blue eyes partially. A scowl coated her lips while the royals looked down upon her like she was nothing. "You're to let me go! You all must obey Tergii and Bimaa. I work for them. I have their stamp upon my right wrist if you want proof. Now, treat me with the respect that I deserve and let me through. I need to deal with those two."



"By those two, do you mean a human woman and her kelremm husband?" Will asked before the pixies could get in a word.



"Yes, but how do you know about them? And, who are you?" she asked harshly, going to get to her feet, but the pixies forced her to stay on her knees.



"He's the reason why we no longer have to follow your masters' commands. The only reason that we went along with their requests was because of the mage with them. Now that we have our own mage, we no longer need to abide by their orders," the king spoke to which the kelremm widened her eyes.



"That's preposterous. You do understand that you're stopping one of their spies; don't you?! There'll learn of my absence, and they'll come to wipe all of you out. One mage can't harm them."



Chuckling, Will stepped closer to her. "I'm afraid that you don't know of the damage that I can create. I'm someone whose powers you don't want to insult. A kelremm like you is nothing against a mage like me. With one flick of my wrist, I can blow you out of the water and kill you." He crouched in front of her and bopped her on the nose. "In fact, I'm going to show you a few of my tricks."



Instantly, she unsheathed a sword from her back and went to strike. She was blown onto her back just as quickly. Will stood over her and smirked. He knocked the blade from her. "That was a foolish move. Now, I may not be able to hold back for tonight. You nearly ruined my charming face." Turning to face the pixies, he asked, "May I take this one as my snack for awhile?"



"We see no issue with that. We'd rather you eat her than risk you eventually turning on us and eating one of our own," the king responded. His gaze looked past Will to the female kelremm. "Your threats don't scare us. We now are able to fight back, and the other spies of theirs should learn to stay away from our territory."



About to reach for her sword, Will snatched it up and swiped it across her. Her cloak fell from her shoulders before he advanced towards her. "You should last me a good few days. Maybe more if I like you." When she went to turn and run, he knocked her to her feet once more. Grabbing her by her hair, he ignored her trying to bite him with her sharp teeth before he proceeded to drag her a short distance from the pixies' home. He finally had some entertainment again.