Zachary was in a chipper mood when he woke up the next morning. The sun shined in through the single window and the sound of birds chirping both excited and calmed him. 'I didn't even think that that was possible; to be both excited and calm,' he thought as he watched the birds flitting around from his bed. He supposed that it was very different compared to his typical mornings living at the castle. Where the first thing to wake him up in the morning was the heavy footsteps of guards and the shuffling of maids.

A knock on the door made him peek up from out of his warm cocoon, "Zachary, are you up?" Karigan's voice made him smile slightly; oh yes, he could get used to that.

"I'm up love," he replied through the door.

He heard her chuckle, "I could get used to that," she said. "Breakfast is ready downstairs," she added.

Zachary flipped off his blanket and threw his legs over the side, sitting up, "Thank you, love." It was after he heard her footsteps faded away that he stood from the bed. He gathered up some clothes and went to the bathroom to freshen up and change for the day ahead. He planned on going out today and exploring the area for land to buy. And if it was needed, he would help with the clean up and recovery from the storm as well. Thankfully, he felt better this morning, to which he was grateful for. Zachary didn't think that he would enjoy being cooped up in the manse for another day. He would still have some honey in his tea downstairs, but he still felt better.

A hum of conversation drifted toward Zachary from the dining room as he descended the stairs. And when he entered the room, all the G'ladheon family was seated around the table engaged in conversation. He assumed that Laren was the last to get up.

"Good morning, Zachary," Stace greeted.

Smiling and sitting down in the open chair next to Karigan, Zachary responded, "Good morning Stace. How did everyone sleep?" There was a chorus of 'good' in response. As Zachary poured himself a cup of tea, he felt someone lean their foot on top of his. He felt himself smile and dished out a bowl of scrambled eggs. He glanced over covertly to find Karigan grinning beside him. Zachary took a bite of his eggs to hide his grin.

Stomping made many of the group look up at the new arrival. "Karigan G'ladheon!" Zachary looked over curiously at Laren whose eyes were stormy.

"Laren, what-?" Stevic began, watching his betrothed concerned.

"Karigan, there are eight people living in this house and you decide to leave your damp towel in the bathroom for someone else to take care of! We are not your maids. You take your towel with you to put away with your other dirty laundry. Is it really that hard to do? Do you need someone to hold your hand and show you how to do it?"

"Laren!" Stevic shouted, rising from his chair and approaching the volatile woman.

Laren stopped instantly and watched him as he approached.

This was one of the few times that it occurred, but Zachary did not know what to do. His brows furrowed and he said, "Laren, I-"

Laren turned on him, "No Zachary. Do not get in the middle of this."

Zachary opened his mouth to respond, but a hand on his arm stopped him. Turning, Karigan looked back at him. She nodded and whispered, "It's okay."

Sighing, Zachary quickly finished his breakfast and he too rose from his chair, "I'm just gonna leave." He walked out of the room as fast as he could without running. As he shrugged on his greatcoat, he passed another man as they entered the manse.

The other man looked at Zachary oddly and asked him, "Have we met, sir?"

Zachary cocked his head to the side, "I don't believe so. I'm Zachary Hillander."

The other man's eyebrows went to his hairline, quickly going into a bow, "I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, milord."

Zachary went into action immediately, stopping the man from bowing even further, "There's no need for that, please."

The other man straightened, "I'm Sevano, Stevic's cargo master."

"Oh!" Zachary said, holding his hand out to Sevano, "It's nice to finally meet you sir." They shook hands, "Are you here for your meeting with Stevic and Karigan?"

"Yes, are they ready?" Sevano asked, peeking over Zachary's shoulder.

"Ummmmm-" Zachary glanced over his shoulder and heard the arguing coming from the dining room. The G'ladheon sisters got the same idea as Zachary as they too made an escape for the living room. "You might want to give them a few minutes," he finished.

Sevano's face scrunched, "I've known them long enough, I'll take my chances and see if a mediator is needed."

Zachary nodded, responding, "Good luck."

Sevano smiled at him, "Thank you." And then, taking a deep breath, Sevano left Zachary. Zachary watched him go and had to stifle a laugh when the other man asked the room, "What in the hells is going on in here?"

Zachary left the manse and headed for the stable. He wondered what he would find outside of the manse's walls. And yet, at this time, he knew that it would be slightly better than what was currently going on inside the home.

Stevic watched Zachary quickly finish his meal and exit the room out of the corner of his eye. His main focus was on Laren. He had been concerned for her for some time as her behavior seemed to change since they returned from Sacor City. One moment, she would be the caring woman that he had come to love. And then the next, she would turn volatile. He noticed it happening even more in the last few days since Zachary's arrival. At this moment, while his two girls screamed at each other, he decided that he needed to get to the bottom of it.

"I don't know what your problem is, Laren, but you're overstepping your bounds!" Karigan shouted.

"Enough!" Stevic shouted, "Both of you!" They both looked at him. Stevic turned first to Karigan, "Kari, please take the towel and put it where it belongs." This time, Karigan's eyes turned stormy, she opened her mouth to retort when he stopped her with a single finger, "Just this once, don't argue with me. Just do it."

Her mouth clacked shut and she angrily stomped to snap the towel out of Laren's hands. As Stevic watched Karigan leave, he spotted Sevano enter at the same time. The other man asked them, "What in the hells is going on in here?"

Stevic put his hands on his hips, "We're trying to find that out." Laren turned away from them, her hands coming up to cover her face. "Laren," he said, reaching out to her. "What is going on with you? I've seen you snap at people before, but never hostile," he asked. He turned her to face him, and for once, Laren kept her head stubbornly down. The room was quiet for some minutes. Long enough for Karigan to enter the room again and watch them both with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm scared, Stevic," she said, uncharacteristically quiet.

Stevic's brows furrowed, what could she possibly be scared of? "What?" he asked.

Laren finally looked up at him and his heart broke when he saw tears swimming in them. She explained louder, for the other two people in the room to hear, "I served in the Green Rider Corps for 27 years. The Green Riders were all that I knew. My mother barely taught me how to run a house before I was called. And now we're betrothed, and I will be expected to run this entire mansion." She turned to Karigan. "I don't know how to raise children. I took care of Mel, yes. But I had the help from the whole corps, and then she went off to Selium. And Zachary would say that I helped raise him, but at the end of the day, he had his father, grandmother, governesses, professors, and counselors."

Stevic saw Karigan open her mouth to say something, but Sevano's hand shot up to tightly squeeze her elbow in warning. Karigan shut her mouth again.

"I'm scared of failing you, Stevic. And Karigan," Laren spoke to her this time, "I feel like I must protect you because I feel pressured to be a mother figure for you since Zachary arrived. I'm scared that I will have to teach you how to run your own house for when you and Zachary marry. How can I teach you to run a house, when I don't even know how to myself?!"

Karigan went to speak again, but Sevano cleared his throat threateningly. This time, Karigan shrugged him off and flashed him a dirty look. She said, "Laren, you're not my mother, nor will you ever be. You are, though, one of my best friends and you're marrying my father. You are family to me Laren, but no one will ever be my mother. And with Zachary, I am a grown woman and can make the right decisions. We have proven that for long enough. And as far as running a house, I think that even if you wanted to teach me something, then my aunts will beat you to it. I'm not expecting much out of you, Laren. All that I'm expecting, is that you be the woman and wife that my da needs you to be. And all that entails is being yourself. The gods know that's what made him fall for you in the first place."

For the first time that Stevic had known Laren, she left him and went to Karigan and wrapped her arms around his daughter. And she wept into Karigan's shoulder. Stevic felt like it was a first for Karigan as well, as her eyes widened before she hesitantly wrapped her arms around Laren's back. Stevic stepped toward the pair and laid a hand on Laren's back soothingly. Laren shook her head and tearfully said, "I'm so sorry. I never do this. I don't like to let people see me cry."

"It's okay love," Stevic said, "You're with family."

After a little while, Laren separated herself from Karigan's arms and wiped at her eyes. "I know you three need to have a meeting. I'll let you get to it," she looked to Karigan and took her hand and squeezed it, "Thank you," she said to her.

Karigan smiled, squeezing her hand back, "Anytime. You're family Laren, we all love you. Please feel free to speak to one of us when you need to."

Giving her a smile, Laren turned to give Stevic a kiss on the lips before she left the room. There was a minute of silence as the three all watched each other in stunned silence. Then Stevic watched as a smile grew on Karigan's face. She said to Stevic, "What have you done with Laren Mapstone?" Stevic laughed and shrugged. Karigan continued, "Really da, I have never before seen her act like this!"

He sighed; he knew that she was right. Laren had rarely ever spoken so candidly and so open about what she was feeling. And to see her cry was a whole different level. He had never known her to break down like that before. He finally answered his daughter truthfully, "Kari, being kidnapped and sold as a slave has changed her."

He watched in sad wonderment as Karigan's face changed immediately and her eyes seemed to glass over. She nodded, then she said simply, "It does."

Those few words brought a wave of grief over Stevic at the degree to which his Kari understood. And, on impulse, Stevic caught her up in his arms and held her tight to him. There was another moment of quiet as Stevic blinked away tears and he heard Kari sniffle.

Eventually, they parted, and the trio finally sat themselves down around the table. Each either poured or refreshed their drinks, and then Stevic started the meeting.

Zachary had to admit that it was nice to see Duke again. It was nice being able to bond with another horse and get to know them. He always enjoyed finding out the horse's quirks and characteristics. In his opinion, that was half the fun.

Duke seemed much more content on this ride compared to their entrance. He was much more responsive and calmer compared to when they had arrived at the G'ladheon manse. Which Zachary expected that he would be. Who wouldn't be? The driving rain alone would put anyone in a sour mood. But that evening added the fierce wind and all the dangers that came with it.

Zachary spend the quiet time examining the area around them. They were headed down the road into Corsa, but they were still riding through a relatively flat and clear plain. A tree here and there was stripped of leaves and an innumerable amount of large tree limbs dotted the field.

Eventually, Zachary came upon a small farm where he espied a group of men working to bring down what remained of a barn. Zachary stopped on the road and examined it from afar. It appeared that the storm had completely taken off the roof and bits and pieces of the wood and thatch lay strewn about the farmers crops. Not only that, but most of the west wall had also been peeled away to such a degree that the entire contents of the barn lay open to the elements. Zachary saw many bales of hay stored in the barn and he was saddened at the realization that it was most likely useless. Rain would have penetrated through the thick bales and mold would begin to grow, making it unhealthy for the animals to eat.

Zachary reined Duke down the farm's entrance courtyard, intending on asking the men if they needed any more assistance. They had ropes around the east posts and were attempting to pull the rest of the destroyed building down by sheer brute force. Zachary called out as he pulled Duke to a stop, "Do you need assistance?"

The men turned to look at him and seemed to assess him for a moment. Then one replied, "If you like, we could use extra muscle!"

Zachary nodded and quickly dismounted from Duke's saddle. He tied him loosely to a hitching post and then jogged to join the men. He asked them when he reached them, "What seems to be the problem?"

The lead one who had spoken before, a weathered man with his raven hair tied back, explained, "As you can see, the storm took out my west barn wall and the roof." He led Zachary closer to the barn and showed him the posts they were trying to bring down, "I don't see much that we can salvage so we tryin' to bring it down by the corner beams. We just need more muscle to do it." He looked back at Zachary, "You seem to be a fit lad and might be the muscle we need."

Zachary looked over at the man (he was assuming to be the owner of the farm) and then back at the barn. He examined the beams that they were trying to break down. The beams themselves appeared to be in very good condition, despite the ruin around them. He glanced at the owner and asked, "May I have a closer look?"

The man's brows rose, then he waved an offering hand to the barn, "I sup'ose you can have a gander."

Zachary gave him a reassuring smile before advancing upon the posts. He looked down at the base of the beams, and he saw that they were bolted into the mortar and stone of the barn's foundation. He looked above him at one of the beams. The beam itself appeared to be at least one and a half hands thick on each side. It would surely be decades, or even centuries before the wood would show any real wear. He glanced around at the rest of the beams that stood. They were all the same. And even the beams of the wall that had been torn off was still in good condition.

"These beams are strong and are bolted into the stone foundation. You wouldn't be able to bring them down even with a team to do it," he told the farmer. "Is it not feasible for you to salvage the beams and foundation and to simply rebuild the barn with these?"

The farmer came to stand next to Zachary. He too looked down at the base of the beams, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. "My father and grandfather built this farm. I only recently came home to take it over after my da passed three months ago. I had no idea that the beams were still in good condition. I assumed that the whole thing 'ad to come down," he explained.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Zachary responded.

The man waved him off, "Ach, don't worry 'bout it lad. I'm simply saying that I was not privy to the details of how to run a farm. I'm learning as I go. I do see that your right though. It would be cheaper to simply build upon the old foundation rather than putting down a whole new one somewhere else," he finished.

Zachary nodded, adding, "It might do you well to put some further stabilization in the foundation, just to be safe."

The owner nodded as well, "Aye. I'll track ol' Thomas down after he returns to have 'im look at it."

Zachary looked at the other man, "Thomas? As in Thomas Gillian?"

The owner looked back at him, "Aye. Are ya new around here lad?"

"Yes. I arrived just as the storm was making landfall," Zachary answered. "I met Thomas in Rivertown, that's how I know him."

"Thomas is Corsa's finest foundation mason. He helped my father and grandfather build this one, I believe," the owner said.

Zachary stored that in the back of his mind and gave the other man a smile, "He did not tell me that when I met him. That's wonderful that he's done that for so long."

"Aye," the other man nodded, "He's made quite the name for himself." Zachary nodded and sighed, looking around as the rest of the gathered man from before began to wander around the farm.

Zachary asked the owner, "Do you need any more help here? You seem to have things well in hand with your friends."

The other man waved him off, "Na, I'm alright here. Thank you for your help though, I appreciate yeh stoppin'."

He smiled at the other man, "It's no trouble . . ."

"Ach! I forgot, forgive me sir. Ma name's Gregory Locklear," Gregory said. Gregory held his hand out for Zachary and Zachary took it heartedly, shaking.

"It's a pleasure Gregory. I'm Zachary Hillander," he responded.

Gregory sputtered, his eyes growing, "I-I . . ."

Zachary held up a hand to Gregory, "There's no need. I'm glad I could help you today."

"Thank you milord," Gregory said, "I suppose I'll see ya 'round town."

"See you again," Zachary replied. This time, he turned and went back to Duke. He mounted and walked him back out on to the road. He glanced back behind him briefly and saw that the group had gathered back. Gregory was speaking and they all kept glancing in his direction. Zachary sighed and turned back around; he supposed that was something that he was going to have to get used to. 'At least they're not crowding around me anymore,' he thought, clicking Duke to a trot.

Zachary was staying on the outskirts of Corsa, looking for any vacant land and homes. He wasn't finding anything and by the time that the sun was past its zenith, he was considering heading back to the manse. And he did just that, and then a sound made him stop. Zachary's brows furrowed when a wining reached his ears. It appeared to be coming from the tall grasses to his right. He looked that way and spotted a pair of black pointed ears peeking out from the grass. He dismounted and let Duke idly graze at the grass while he took a couple steps toward the ears. He knelt and whistled, still unsure what the animal could be.

As he whistled, a medium to large sized dog slinked out of the tall grasses. It had longer hair and was darker gray to black in color. The dog was visibly nervous as it slowly approached him with its body low to the ground. "Hey there. It's okay," he said, his voice low. The dog continued to whine and creeped forward further toward him. Zachary was stunned to see, now that it was closer to him, that it had one brown eye and one blue eye. He whistled again and the dog straightened and walked the rest of the way toward him. Zachary held his hand out for it to sniff him before it seemed to sink into his arms, whining the entire time. Zachary laughed and petted the dog's soft fur along its back and stomach. He glanced down, asking, "Are you a boy or a girl?" He didn't see anything, so he determined that it was a girl. He said, "It's okay sweetheart. Where's your owner?" Zachary looked up and around them, hoping to find someone looking for their dog.

Finding no one around, he refocused, laughing as the dog licked at his neck and chin excitedly, leaning into Zachary's arms. It's long, fluffy tail wagged rapidly. He looked down at the dog and stroked its face and neck, and said, "I don't know if Stevic and Laren will let me bring you in the house. But you are too cute, so I'll try."

Zachary stood back up, finding that whoever owned her last, trained her well. She looked up at him and stayed right by his right leg as he approached Duke again. He reached down to her and scratched behind her ear, "What a good girl."

As Zachary rode back to the G'ladheon manse, he constantly looked around him to see if he came across someone. The area that he was in was sparsely populated, despite being close to the major port-side city. Additionally, any homes that they came across, Zachary would stop and ask the owner if the dog was theirs. Nothing.

As Zachary walked Duke into the courtyard of the manse, Karigan and Stevic were just walking out of the stable themselves. They looked over and Zachary saw two separate reactions. Karigan's face lit up and she bent down with her arms out, the dog trotted toward her, and started licking at her neck. Stevic's brows rose, and he looked on with a smile as his daughter knelt, hugging the dog. Zachary dismounted and approached them, saying, "I found her while I was looking for any homes. I couldn't find an owner." He looked at Stevic, who looked back at him. Zachary added, "She seems to be highly trained. Stayed right beside me and takes commands very well."

Stevic looked back down and nodded, "Well, she can stay. But she'll be sleeping with you." The trio all chuckled. Zachary wrapped an arm around Karigan and kissed her on the temple. And as they were all headed inside, Stevic added, "Oh, and by the way Zachary, you have the job."

Zachary smiled at the other man and reached out to shake his hand, "Thank you Stevic. I appreciate it."

I wanted to give Zachary a dog, so I did. And for reference, the new baby is based off of a German shepherd/Australian shepherd mix.

As usual, review/follow/favorite. Thank you all so much!