’m worried about leaving Maeve alone,” Brigit said that morning as they met around the Gaenor table for a breakfast of buckwheat cakes and preserves made from the summer’s gathering of huckleberries. Cousin Hilda was frying sausages over the fire as Anluan emerged sleepily through the doorway. Yawning, he dropped heavily into his chair at the head of the worn out old table to wrap his calloused hands around a steaming mug of yak butter tea.

“Yes, she did seem out of sorts. But it’s understandable after what she’s been through. Poor thing must have been scared witless tied up in that cave and you saw the bites," said Neave as she leaned over to kiss her husband on his grizzled brow.

Brigit shrugged, relieved when Armand finally arrived. She heard him shucking off his boots by the door and he soon came to sit down beside her and offer his usual chaste peck. His eyes were heavily shadowed and betrayed his lack of sleep. Of course, none of them were getting much rest. Winter was normally a quiet time in no small part because of the biting cold. However, from the moment they had arrived home, they had been confronted with the ruins of the barn and the north wall of the stockade. Both had to be fixed immediately. The surviving animals would die of exposure otherwise and they could not keep them penned so tightly in what little remained of the barn. Brigit pitied Zhou’s guild members having to share the longhouse with the goats and chickens.

“I just think Maeve should come stay here with us. It seems wrong for her to be alone while she’s so sad,” Brigit continued.

“Aye, she don’ say much and she oft don’ come to our gatherings, but she’s been an asset from day one,” Anluan rumbled.

“Where would we put her?” said Neave, “Those big lads, Kazuma and Mashiro are sharing Sean’s old bedroom and I imagine they are feeling cramped. Good of them to share such a small space. I expect they are used to better.”

Armand snerked then fell silent and busied himself with his breakfast. Brigit suppressed a blush and she saw Anluan glance thoughtfully at Armand.

“I expect they aren’t too put out,” Anluan said pointedly and Brigit had to suppress a giggle when her mother continued to be clueless about the nice boys from Cantha who arrived to join them for breakfast a moment later. Despite all the hard work and cold, the two men were beaming happily as they sat down together.

“Still, I doubt Maeve would like to sleep in the parlor, not when she has a fine little cottage to herself,” Neave said as she sat down beside Anluan, clearly enjoying the companionship of all the people squeezed around the table.

“She could have my room,” Brigit blurted quickly before the topic changed.

“But where would you stay, darling? It wouldn’t be right for you to sleep in the parlor.”

Anluan had stopped eating and was gazing upon her now while Neave seemed oblivious.

“Armand is alone and you keep saying the boys need someone to look after them. Well, Mog’s gone and… well, he’s alone,” she blurted, “and well, we’ll get married when Mog is back because Armie wanted him to give the vows at our wedding but who knows when that will be? And it’s not as if me and Armie never… did things together before now.”

There, she had said it. She nearly laughed when a strange choking sound erupted from Armand followed by a big foolish smile.

“Brigit!” Neave cried, horrified.

“Eh, she’s got a point, n’ it’s not as if she’s going anywhere,” Anluan sighed, “Let 'em be.”

“But what would the others say…”

“They’d probably say Mog should give us our vows, too,” Anluan chuckled, “Let ‘em be. Armand has proven his worth and Brigit leads him around like a puppy in any event. The two of yeh conniving gals should convince Maeve to come stay with us until things settle down.”

Neave turned a deep shade of red and nodded. Brigit was stunned.

“We are going to Yak’s Bend to deliver a message to Master Bei,” said Mashiro in the silence that followed, “but we will be back to enjoy our room tomorrow.”

Brigit blushed when Armand and Anluan chuckled. The two Canthans smiled surreptitiously but acted as if their stilted Tyrian had been misunderstood and contrived to look confused. Her heart swelled with joy and she got up and kissed her father and mother on the cheek.