Mir̃alai watched Narinder enter the cabin and clasped her hands over her lap, she let out the breath she had been holding for what seemed like ages. Her heart was racing, for a moment the tension she felt was almost too much, and she wondered if he had felt it too. The Lamb stepped off the porch and walked along the cult grounds. She gazed upon the fireflies floating among the tall weeds and patches of flowers. The Lamb felt almost at peace, finally Narinder had put his vicious guard down. She didn't know how long she could listen to his venomous words. The way he had treated her up until that night had hurt deeply. Her heart had nearly shattered when he attacked her, she had believed he would take the crown, but not her life. She had been under the impression she'd become one of his most devoted Followers, along with Aym and Baal. To find that he expected her to sacrifice herself was a deep cut indeed. And yet, she refused to believe Narinder was a monster. Whether it was naivety, or plain stubbornness, who is to say. But, she spared him. She knew there had to be good inside him, and she finally found it. All that was left to do was cling to it.

The Following morning, Mir̃alai prepared the temple for the sermon with a big smile resting on her face. She was so thrilled with Narinder's progress the night prior, there could be nothing to dull her spirits. The Lamb hummed happily to herself as she lit the last of the torches. With a wave of her hand, the temple's bell rang out, the chime echoing throughout the grounds. She stood at her lectern, summoning the Doctrine to lay open before her, and she watched the Followers began to flow into the temple. Caxton was first to enter as always. He rushed up to the front row, straightening his robes out as he moved. The rabbit beamed up at her, and she smiled in return.

"Good morning, Caxton."

"Good morning, Leader!" He greeted Mir̃alai with a happy bounce. She looked on as others began to join inside. All chatting happily away with each other as they filled the room. She stood on her toes, watching the doors closely. Just as she began to worry, Narinder and his servants walked in. The three looked tired, and a bit grumpy, but they were there. That's all she was concerned with for today. The Lamb looked out upon her followers, there were over fifty of them now thanks to her crusades over the days prior. It was nearly time to update the temple to accustom the large group. Once she was sure everyone had arrived she raised a hand and silence fell upon the room instantly. Her Doctrine turned a few pages on its own accord, and she began the sermon. As she began to speak, she felt the energy flow through the room. In no time at all, the surge had swelled enough to cause her body to lift off the ground. Translucent, white wisps of devotion poured from the body's of her Followers, zipping across the room and entering her chest. Once her sermon drew to an end, the devotion collection slowed until it trickled down to nothing. She gracefully dropped to her feet, feeling wonderful. Mir̃alai smiled brightly.

"Thank you, everyone. In addition to my sermon today, I would also like to perform a ritual. I feel that we have come very far since my first weeks as your Leader. Our flock has grown over fifty, and I believe that is cause for celebration. Today, we shall perform the Feasting Ritual." She spoke with a grin. The Followers seemed to love the idea as they cheered in excitement. Mir̃alai raised a hand to silence them again. "Clear the way." They did not hesitate to follow her direction. Everyone swept to either side of the room, leaving an eight foot wide clearing that spanned the entire center of the temple, from door to lectern. She raised her hands and they began to chant ancient words in unison. The surge of power she felt was far beyond anything a sermon could provide. It was not warm, nor comfortable. On the contrary it had come so suddenly that it felt more like a blast. She let out a scream as it overwhelmed her, her vision blurring as blood dripped from her eyes. When the chanting finally ceased, she dropped to the floor again, having to steady herself on the lectern. The Followers began cheering as they looked upon what had appeared before them. A long table spanning the length of the temple had manifested from thin air. With enough chairs for all the Followers, and a throne at the head for herself. The throne was crafted out of carved mahogany to match the dining table, with deep berry red leather upholstered to the seat. The back was high, a carving of the red crown pointing from the top. Three of the chairs were larger than the rest, two of which were clearly meant for Aym and Baal who were much taller most of the other followers, between these two chairs was a much smaller chair reserved for Narinder. They were meant to sit to Mir̃alai's left. The remaining oversized chair was awaiting a Follower known as Ishanti. The brown bear was massive, standing over seven feet tall with muscular bulk to match. He was the only creature in the cult larger than Narinder's servants. The table was set with fine silver plates, bowls, cutlery, and ruby encrusted, silver goblets. Spanning the length of the table was a red running cloth, topped with a black lace cloth set over it. The omnivorous menu was fitting for a large cult with so many varying dietary needs. A vast array of meats, vegetable dishes, deserts, and drinks were laid out neatly. At the center, a massive pre-carved boar. Mir̃alai stepped down from the lectern and stood beside her throne at the head of the table, then motioned for everyone to take their seats. Caxton was first to sit, he practically ran to sit in the chair directly to her right. He had a triumphant grin on his face as if every Follower in the temple had been fighting for the place. Narinder approached and his ears lowered at the sight of his small chair between Aym and Baal's seats. He rolled his eyes and sat down with a grumble. After he had sat, his servants sat beside him. Aym to his left and Baal to his right. Once everyone had taken their seats, Mir̃alai lifted her goblet, looking down the length of the table to her Followers with a smile. The temple became silent once more, and all heads turned to watch her. "I would like to propose a toast. To the new Followers, welcome. It is an honor to guide you, to protect you, and to help you thrive. To the Followers who have been here for months, and for some of you, years. Thank you. Thank you for placing your faith in me." She smiled warmly, then glanced at Narinder. "And to Narinder. Who gave me the Red Crown so that I may give you all the love and safety you deserve. Thank you." She gave a pointed smile at Narinder who rolled his eyes, though it seemed more in embarrassment than anger. She raised her glass, and everyone followed her lead. "To our cult. Long live the Red Crown!"

"Long live the Red Crown!" The Followers toasted in unison before taking a drink from their goblets.

"Enjoy!" She took her seat and everyone began excitedly filling their plates.

"That was wonderful, Leader." Caxton grinned at her as he popped up to grab a few large, roasted beets.

"Thank you, Caxton." She smiled and gestured with a hand. Her plate was instantly filled with a mushroom, basil risotto. Narinder sipped from his goblet, waiting as Baal grabbed a large salmon for him.

"What's wrong, Narinder, can't reach?" Caxton teased. He glared at the rabbit.

"Why should I bother? I have servants for such menial tasks."

"Come now, boys. Do not argue." Mir̃alai chuckled.

"Apologies, Leader." Caxton frowned and ate his beats. Narinder laughed at his obedience.

"How pathetic..." He chuckled and set his goblet aside once Baal had placed his plate down before him.

"Narinder..." Mir̃alai warned, "Do not tease him."

"You ask the impossible, Mir̃alai." He smirked and began eating his fish. Caxton looked up and gasped.

"Leader, he speaks your name...! That is disrespectful, surely you'll reprimand him."

"I gave him permission to do so, Caxton. There is no need for you to concern yourself with it." The rabbit glared at Narinder who had a very pleased smirk on his face. Mir̃alai sighed, shaking her head.

After the feast, Mir̃alai allowed her Followers to rest for the remainder of the day. The mood of the cult seemed to have lifted with this. The next few weeks had gone by pleasantly, there had hardly been any incidents. Caxton, of course, voiced his complaints of Narinder almost daily. Though, it usually boiled down to the cat picking on him. As far as his work ethic was concerned, Narinder had been diligent. More so than Mir̃alai had been expecting. She hadn't had to remind him to focus on his prayers once.

Cool breeze, and fresh pine scented air signaled the end of Summer. The trees surrounding the cult grounds had begun to shift to a sea of orange and gold, their leaves falling to the ground and crunching under foot. Harvest season was upon them, which meant it was time for Mir̃alai to reassign Followers as she did every year. The Lamb was accompanied by Caxton who held a book and pencil in his hand. The rabbit was keeping a log of every Follower, and their current designated tasks along with the tasks they were being reassigned to. The pair approached the shrine where Narinder and his servants sat as they always did.

"Good morning, Narinder." She greeted him with a smile. He looked up at her, and glanced at Caxton.

"Hello... You are reassigning tasks?"

"Yes." Mir̃alai confirmed. Caxton looked over his list and had a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Leader, we still need to assign a janitor. I believe Narinder would fit the role well." He offered, tapping his pencil to his book in eagerness. Narinder glared at the suggestion.

"Now, now, Caxton..." She laughed a bit, "No. I believe we should assign Narinder to the fields."

"The fields?" Narinder asked, seeming displeased.

"The Harvest is upon us, we need extra field hands."

"Surely there are others..."

"Yes, and they have also been assigned to the Field. As for Aym and Baal..." She looked to Caxton who glanced over his book.

"Construction." Caxton nodded and penciled it in.

"What? You said they'd only be serving me."

"Construction is a secondary position, but I've had to reassign a few from construction to the mines and mills full-time to fill gaps. They'll be your servants most of the time... I just have a few projects that will require building."

"Oh, very well." Narinder grumbled.

"Speaking of secondary positions... Do you have any medical knowledge?"

"Yes..." He answered warily.

"How much do you know? I have realized I don't have anyone who specializes in medicine. I worry that a Follower will be seriously injured and we won't have the proper help for them. We have had a few close calls."

"Ah, well..." Narinder stood and brushed off his robes. "I am not a specialist, but Shamura taught me from their books. I am familiar with basic surgeries, closing wounds, and mending breaks." Mir̃alai seemed relieved by this and motioned for Caxton to write into his book.

"Good, that is surely better than nothing. Your secondary position will be in the medical tent then. Only when we need your assistance, of course. I request that you take inventory of our supplies, and create a list of anything else you feel we should have on hand."

"Very well." He motioned for Aym and Baal to follow him as he made his way to the medical tents.

Narinder had eventually returned with a lengthy list for Mir̃alai. She was surprised to see exactly how many basic materials she was missing. It was lucky indeed that there had yet to be an incident requiring anything from the list. She made it her mission over the next two weeks to gather these materials. She went on a total of nine crusades to gather everything necessary. By the last crusade, she was exhausted. She had hardly taken a break between the outings, her power felt weak as she hadn't been holding regular sermons or rituals. Normally, she healed quickly, but now she had scratches and bruises that were insistent upon staying around. She had just returned from the last crusade and approached Narinder in the field to give him the box of supplies.

"Here, this should be everything..." She said with an exhausted smile. Narinder took the box and looked through it.

"Nearly, yes." He nodded, latching the box closed.

"'Nearly'? I've gathered everything." The Lamb frowned.

"You have... However, we've run low on camellia blossoms. There has been an increase in ill Followers as of late."

"Very well..." She sighed, "I suppose I will go on another crusade after I eat."

"I can go in your place..." Narinder offered, eyeing the bruises on her face.

"You needn't, Narinder. I am perfectly capable of collecting camellia. I have done so a hundred times over."

"I did not say you weren't capable." He rolled his eyes. "You are injured, and clearly exhausted. You need rest, I will go."

"I am fine." She insisted.

"I will go." He repeated sternly, "Aym and Baal shall accompany me. We will be fine, you have nothing to fear. It is only Dark Wood..."

"Very well, if you are so determined, I will not stop you. Please be careful though, Narinder..."

"We will be fine, Mir̃alai. You act as if we've never been in a fight." He chuckled.

"I know, I cannot help but worry though. I do not like sending Followers away... I have lost one in the past."

"We are not like the rest of these creatures. You know this."

"Yes, yes..." She sighed, "You have until nightfall to return. If you have not returned by then, I will go in after you."

"Very well." He handed the box back to Mir̃alai. "Do not worry." Narinder assured her a final time before walking off, motioning for his servants to follow him. She watched as they walked off towards the missionary to gear up and released a heavy sigh of worry.