"I want my fox sweater," Nod demanded, "and my bell shoes."

Ronin was absolutely ecstatic that Nod was talking in full sentences again, even if most of what he said lately seemed to be in direct disagreement with Ronin.

"Do you know where your fox sweater is?" Ronin asked.

"No," the boy huffed.

"So what about your striped sweater and your shoes with the buckles?" Ronin suggested.

"But my fox sweater is better," Nod pouted.

His fox sweater was in the laundry, but he probably didn't realize that, and Ronin wasn't going to tell him. All the grumpiness was really just because he was nervous.

"Do you remember Queen Tara?" Ronin asked, "we used to visit her in her garden."

Nod wrinkled his nose, his brow furrowing as he tried to remember.

"You found a lot of your buttons and buckles and shiny rocks in her garden," Ronin prompted.

Nod continued to look perplexed for a moment longer, then his face brightened, "oh! She smells nice, and her dress is really soft, and she feels nice and warm like my necklace."

Nod held out his lotus lock for Ronin to see.

"That's right," Ronin nodded.

He would have to suggest to which ever family ended up eventually adopting Nod that they have him tested for an aptitude for magic someday. The boy seemed to have some level of sensitivity to it.

"She invited us to come have tea with her," Ronin said, although he had already told Nod this, "and she won't mind if you wear your striped sweater instead of your fox one."

"But we have tea here," Nod pointed out, "she should come here for tea."

"She has lots of different kinds of sweets too," Ronin said, "she wants us to have lunch with her, and you can play in her garden while we're there."

"That's okay, I guess," the boy agreed, twisting the hem of his shirt in his hands, "can I bring Cheep-Cheep?"

"You can bring Cheep-Cheep," Ronin assured him.

"I want to wear my bell shoes," Nod frowned.

"Those aren't really outside shoes buddy," Ronin shook his head, "what about the gray ones with the leaves?"

"You like those," Nod sulked.

"I do like those," Ronin rumpled his hair, "they're soft, and they keep your feet warm."

"Then you should wear them," Nod grumbled.

"They don't fit me kiddo," Ronin said in amusement, "go get your sweater and Cheep-Cheep, and decide if you want the leaf shoes or the ones with the buckles."

"Buckles!" Nod yelled and ran off down the hall.

Ronin shook his head, laughing softly. He was sure Nod would be alright once they got there, but for now, he was nervous and grumpy that he had to go meet someone who wasn't Ronin or Eben. Once he saw Tara and remember her better, he would be happy again.

Nod returned with Cheep-Cheep and a green sweater with a tassel on the hood, which had not been listed among the things he was willing to wear, but looking much more willing to go without a fuss.

"Maybe I don't need shoes," Nod suggested.

"Nope, you need to wear them," Ronin held his shoes out to him, "get your shoes on, and we'll go."

"Chickadees don't need shoes," Nod grumbled as he plopped down on the ground to put them on.

"It's a good thing you're not really a chickadee then," Ronin said mildly.

"I'm your chickadee," Nod huffed as he did the buckles.

"Yes, you are," Ronin pulled him to his feet and leaned over to kiss his head, "ready to go?"

"Yes," Nod tucked Cheep-Cheep under his arm and took Ronin's hand, "I want honey in my tea."

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Ronin grinned as he led the boy out the door.


"What's this one?" Nod pointed eagerly to another delicate confection on the table, coming up onto his knees in his excitement.

Tara had had a table laid in her garden, underneath the blooms of the spring flowers. It was covered in sweets arranged on tiered platters and bite sized snacks on trays. Tara had even found a tea pot and mugs that were shaped like owls.

Nod was so happy he was practically vibrating. He couldn't decide what to try next and seemed to be determined to try at least one of everything.

"That's another petite four," Tara smiled, "it will be a different flavor than the last one you tried, but you'll have to try it to find out what flavor."

Nod took it eagerly, sitting back down on the pile of cushions on his chair. He bit the petite four in half so he could see the inside, chewing happily as he held it up for Tara and Ronin to see.

"It's honey cake!" he said with his mouth full, "and there's blueberry jam at the center."

"That sounds delicious," Tara grinned and picked up the tea pot to refill Ronin's cup.

It had been a very long time since Ronin had sat down to a meal this informal with Tara, not since before she became queen. He had attended public banquets and functions with her, sometimes as her escort, and sometimes because his presence as general was expected, but it was a rare treat to simply sit down with her.

The invitation had really been for Nod though. Children who were orphaned and had no relatives or guardians to take immediate custody of them automatically became wards of the crown. The Child Advocacy Commission tried to place children in permanent homes as quickly as possible, but occasionally circumstances would keep a child in an in-between state for an extended amount of time.

Tara always took the time to give these children her personal attention. She took seriously that she was their guardian until a permanent home could be found for them. Nod certainly fell into that category at the moment.

"Do you want to try a sandwich buddy?" Ronin asked, sliding the plate of triangle cut sandwiches towards him, "I think these have dried cranberries in them."

"I like cranberries," Nod took one, putting it on his plate next to the bird-shaped wagashi that he had decided he was going to wait to eat because he wanted to play with it first.

Ronin's mother had been a strict enforcer when it came to etiquette at meals, and playing with food before eating it was definitely not allowed, even if the food did look like a toy. All Ronin really cared about though was that Nod was happy and having fun. If he wanted to make his wagashi fly around his plate and pretend it was helping him eat, Ronin was just fine with that.

Nod chattered happily about playing with Eben, and the luminescent living stone Ronin had gotten him to keep in his nest. Tara smiled and asked him questions and nodded in all the right spots while subtly shifting trays of sandwiches and bit sized vegetable snacks closer to him than the trays of sweets.

Ronin was caught off guard by the ache seeing her with Nod caused. The thought came unbidden and unwanted that if things had been different, if someone else had been chosen to be queen, this could have been his every day.

"Queen Tara?" Nod interrupted himself suddenly.

"Yes sweetie?" Tara asked.

"When I used to come here with Ronin and he would talk to you about boring things, I would go find pretty stuff, like rocks and buckles and buttons, that were hiding in your garden. Maybe I could go and see if there's still pretty stuff here for you?" Nod gave her a hopefully look.

"That would be lovely," Tara laughed softly, "in fact, I even have a basket for you to put them in if you find anything."

Tara offered him a basket woven of colorfully dyed grass, and Nod took it eagerly, hopping down from his chair and running off in-between the tall blades of grass.

"How much did you hide?" Ronin asked, refilling Tara's cup.

"Enough to make him very happy, I hope," Tara smiled, "he seems to be doing better."

"Today has been a good day," Ronin leaned back in his chair, "he still gets mad at me for leaving for work though."

"So you think you're going to be on half days for a while still?" Tara grinned at the sound of Nod shouting that he had found a buckle.

"I think so," Ronin nodded, "I worked a full day last week so Finn could get a day off, and Nod didn't come out from under his blanket until dinner time the next day."

"So you had a little ghost following you around for a day," Tara concluded.

"A growling red and brown spotted ghost," Ronin affirmed.

"I think I want one of those to keep," Tara laughed.

Ronin snorted, "he's much cuter when he's not under the blanket."

"Queen Tara!" Nod yelled from somewhere in a patch of pink maidens, "I found a whole string of sparkly beads!"

"That's wonderful sweetie," Tara called back.

She looked wistfully in the direct of the rustling underbrush.

"I just wish…," Tara trailed off, fingers curling slightly where they rested on the table, "if things had been different…"

Ronin hesitated, then reached out, just barely brushing her hand.

"You won't be queen forever," he said softly.

"I…" Tara turned to look at him.

"Queen Tara!"

Nod came racing out of the underbrush, basket in hand.

"I found a lot of pretty things!" the boy ran up to her, "do you want to see?"

"Show me everything you found," Tara scooped him up into her lap, scattering kisses across his face.

Nod giggled and sprawled against her, reaching for another petite four as he dug through his basket, holding up each treasure to show her, and telling her in exacting detail where he had found it and why it was so special and important.

Ronin watched Tara praise and cuddle the boy, swapping out the tray of sugared flower petals for mushroom tarts when Nod wasn't looking and stopping him from spilling tea all over himself when he tried to drink it one handed, his other hand occupied with a highly polished and carved stone pendant.

If she hadn't been queen…

But she wouldn't be queen forever.