I truly love Fernand's small nods to his little siblings, especially his love for his sister. While I don't know if his soft spot would extend to any small children, I assume it would. This takes place pre-Echoes.

A knight must always be at the ready, but it was hard to be ready when a knight found himself in a dim, homely tavern for a quick midday meal. Men who were often on guard and ready to fight found themselves at ease, relaxed by the comfort and companionship of a warm fire and friendly young women. A half dozen of Zofia's finest revealed themselves to be just men, same as any man, as they joked and laughed.

It was hard to do, but Fernand gave the order for them to get ready to leave. They needed to return to Zofia Castle by nightfall.

"The castle is right on the horizon," a young knight named Petyr argued. "We'll be there in no time."

"The longer we stay, the less likely we will be to leave," Fernand reminded them. "Come."

The complaining and grumbling came as it always did, along with the youngest and freshest recruits promising to return. It did no good to point out that these women were just being charming and attentive because it was a quick way to part a knight, especially a new one, with his coin. He led the way outside, though even he had to stop for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the bright light of the midday sun. As the group headed to the stables, Fernand thought he heard something.

He shook his head, a tiny smile at his lips. He missed his little sister, that was all.

A moment later, he heard it again. This time he stopped in his tracks and listened. Sure enough, it was the now all-too-familiar sound of a small child crying. He looked around them, at first unable to locate the source of the sound. "Sir?" Petyr called.

"Saddle up and prepare to leave. I'll just be a moment."

He heard Petyr call for him again, but he ignored him. Fernand retraced his steps and followed the path back to the tavern. He spotted her on an overturned bucket near the building. At first, he was mad at himself for not spotting her previously, but he could not stay angry for long. Her chestnut brown hair nearly blended in well with the building behind her. Though her dress was white, it was splattered with mud. Most importantly, however, he could not be mad because she was clearly distressed. She sat whimpering, large tears streaming down her cheeks, her fingers twisting her skirt in her lap.

Fernand approached her slowly and quietly. He knelt down before her and asked if she needed any help.

She looked at him, startled. Her eyes were the same shade of brown as her hair. Her mouth trembled as she looked around. No one had noticed her, and she had not expected anyone to see her. She let out a tiny sob and sniffled. "Ma - mama," she whimpered, 'I can't find mama."

"How long has it been since you've seen her?" She looked at him as though he had just given her a beginner's spell book and asked her to do complex magic. He tried not to smile, but it would probably be the same look on his sister's face if he had asked her how much time had passed.

"M'lord." His fellow knights had saddled up and joined him. "We need to depart."

Fernand stayed where he was. "Go ahead without me. I'll catch up as soon as I can."

He heard one grumble to another that it was Fernand who had rushed them in the first place. He ignored it for the time. "Sir, we do need to return to the castle," Petyr said softly.

"This girl is lost. It is our duty as knights to help those who need us, no matter how small they may be," he reminded them. "I will not leave her here alone. As soon as I can find her mother, I will head immediately to the castle."

The mounted knights exchanged looks and words between themselves. They had been removed from the comfort of the tavern and told to return to the castle, but now Fernand chose to stay to help a little girl. He did make a good point; as knights, they were duty bound to help those in need. Of his five companions, two decided to ride to Zofia Castle ahead of them and explain to the king why the others were late. The other three would separate in opposite directions, each of them to search for the girl's mother. The ones going to the castle would also be on the lookout as they rode.

"I'll stay here with her," Fernand told the others.

"Sir - "

"It is best to have someone stay with her instead of all of us running around with nowhere to report once we find her mother. I assure you we will not leave this spot, unless her mother comes by herself. Return within an hour, whether you've found her mother or not."

The other men agreed and departed. The girl's crying had faded into hiccups. There was still fear in her eyes, but a hint of curiosity had taken over. "You're a knight." Her voice wavered but the statement was matter-of-fact.

"Yes, a knight of Zofia. My name is Fernand. What's yours?"

The girl started to wipe her face with the back of her hand before she realized how muddy it was. "Lia."

"Lia," Fernand said softly. "What a lovely name." He reached into his pocket and removed a handkerchief. "Will you sit right here?" When the girl began to panic, he soothed her softly. "I will go right there," he pointed to a pump near the stables, "for just a moment. I'll be right back." He walked to the pump and cast a quick glance over his shoulder. She had resumed wringing her skirt around her fingers. He wet the handkerchief just a little and returned to her.

"See?" he told her. "I did not go far." He knelt again and began to wipe her face clean. She sat and allowed it, something his own little sister would not. Of course, his own sister would not have gotten muddy in the first place. She was not the type to get dirty. He wondered if Lia was more likely. "What happened?"

Lia began to sniffle again. Her mother had come to the village to find some food if she could, and had brought Lia with her. "She didn't want to leave me at home," Lia said. She was excited. It was her first trip to the village.

"There were lots of people," she said. Her voice began to quiver.

"You were separated," Fernand finished for her. She nodded as tears began to spill down her cheeks again. "You don't know the village... so you had nowhere to meet up with her in case you did become lost." It was clear to him what had happened. There was one thing, however, he did not know. "How did you become so muddy?"

Lia swiped the back of her hands across her face. "I fell in the mud," she sniffed. She explained that she had gotten tired and slipped in some mud. When she had fallen, she started to cry and could not stop, so she decided to stay put. Her feet were tired and she was messy. She had hoped her mother would find her.

"If you ever get lost again, it is best to stay put," Fernand advised. "By running around, chances are you and your mother passed by the same spot at least once." Lia whimpered. "I'm not scolding you," he said, even though his tone was stern. "Just remember that if you ever get lost again." She nodded. "Hopefully, that will not happen."

She nodded again, her small face solemn.

Fernand decided to change the subject. Something lighter would calm her down, if not cheer her up completely. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he asked. Lia shook her head. "Do you have a pet, then?"

"A kitty. Her name is Spotsy." Her fingers began entangled in her skirt again as she went on. "She's white with black spots. One of her ears is all black."

"She sounds very pretty."

The sound of hoofbeats reached his ears. He turned away from the girl for a moment to look behind him. It was not one of his knights. A young man trotted past them and into the stable without a second glance. Fernand scowled for a second before returning his attention to Lia.

"She catches mice." The young girl's tone sounded disgusted.

"That's what cats do," Fernand told her. "Cats, birds fish, even frogs if they can get them."

"Eww!"

Fernand chuckled. "That's how my little sister feels about it, too."

Lia's eyes grew wider. All fear had vanished as she leaned forward. "You have a sister?" she asked.

With a nod, Fernand said, "A little sister, and a little brother as well. She prefers to stay inside, away from dirt, mud, and insects. She would rather wear pretty dresses and listen to stories." He smiled to himself, not only because he thought of his sister, but he had managed to distract Lia from her current predicament. "She has this plush rabbit that she carries with her everywhere." Lia giggled and admitted she could not sleep without one specific blanket.

'I suppose all little girls must be like that,' Fernand thought to himself.

Lia continued to speak about her blanket. Her mother wanted to throw it out because it was falling apart, but she could not sleep without it. "She says I had it since I was born."

Fernand nodded in agreement. His sister was the same way about her rabbit. She had also had it since birth, and it had gone through multiple repairs. Even though he and their father had tried to replace it, she would not allow it. "Has your mother repaired your blanket?"

Lia shook her head. "She can't sew good."

"Do you know someone who can?"

Lia pondered his question. Her mother knew many women in the village, and there was one who sewed dresses for money. There was another woman who would visit, and she would bring clothing to mend while she talked with Lia's mother. "Yes," she said softly, "but - "

Another horse was coming their way, and quickly. Lia looked up, her expression one of glee. "Mama!" she cried. Fernand picked her up to keep her from running in front of the horse. She squirmed in his arms, reminding him of just how strong little girls could be. A young woman peered around Petyr's shoulders, her arms tightly around his waist.

"Lia!" Her eyes lit up when she saw her daughter. Before the horse had completely stopped, she had slid from the back, stumbled in the dirt, but caught herself before she could fall. She raced to Fernand and Lia, tears of happiness sparkling in her own dark brown eyes. Lia half jumped, half stumbled from Fernand's grip and into her mother's embrace. Her mother pressed her face against Lia's hair. It was hard to understand what was being said, as both of them wept and talked over the other.

Fernand left them and walked over to Petyr feeling almost like an intruder in that tender moment between them. "Where did you find her?" he whispered.

"Near the gates. She assumed the girl might have tried to go home and was asking if anyone had seen her." His smile was wide and proud. "We did something good, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did," Fernand agreed. He folded his hands behind his back and sighed. Spending time with Lia, and seeing her happy after being reunited with her mother, made his miss his own sister even more than he did before. As they waited for their fellow knights to arrive, he wondered if there was a way he could ask to go home for a few days to see her.