Chapter 4
The Harvest Festival with a plate of news
She looked herself over in her large full length mirror. Her pale violet, satin, sleeveless under gown trailed slightly behind her. Her transparent 'over lay' was deep purple withgolden yellow, dark orange and green oak leaves embroidered skillfully on, and multiplied towards the train and the wide, long, belled sleeves and trimmed the hem of the neck that was even with the low cut front of the satin under gown. The front of the overlay was cut down the middle, midway between her navel and the base of her breasts and gently sloped back to join the train of her satin under gown. She had powdered her arms, neck and face with honey powder that shone almost faintly like gold, and had the aroma of sweet honey. Her long wavy red hair was curled back with tiny braids here and there with thin orange, green, violet and yellow ribbons braided in and tiny hair pins that were decorated with little leaves that were the same color as the embroidered ones on her gown. Her pointed ears were the showcase for her dangling amethyst and diamond earrings. Her fingers now had to carry the weight of rings of amethysts, diamonds and fire opals. Around her neck she wore a multi stringed gold necklace with small, widely spaced, gems that matched the colors of her embroidered leaves.
"Not too bad," she told herself.
She grabbed her jeweled mask covered with silken oak leaves off of her large wooden dressing table and went for the door to the stairwell to leave. She would go down to the nursery and see how her siblings were making out with their clothing. She opened the large wooden door with a very faint squeak and stepped into the magically lit stair well. It was monstrous, the stair well, she always though so. Who ever resided in this castle before her mother and her adventuring party, must have been thinking on a grand scale. The staircase and the walls surrounding were made of white marble with gray swirls. The banister was heavyset iron, but was pounded into thick ivy vines and leaves. The light for the stair well was iron ivy leaves set into the wall with a continual light spell cast on them, these were spaced every ten feet threw the entire length of the tower, and the same for the other towers. The width of the stairs was twenty feet, why it was so wide she could only imagine it was so it could be used to bring furniture and equipment up easily. Even the doors to the stairs were enormous, they were twelve feet tall and eight feet wide, and they were very solid and sturdy with iron hinges and door rings.
She heard the door above her close, and the bouncing foot falls of her brother. She waited patiently for him.
"OH!! I must advert mine eyes due to the radiant creature that stands before me!" Kaydell was obviously impressed.
"Thank you, you look dazzling as well, I might say." Her brother was wore a long dark violet velvet tunic, with short sleeves. The sash around his waist was medium green with the same embroidered leaves as her dress. His breeches were the same green as his sash with the embroidered leaves up the outsides of his legs on the hem. He wore doeskin boots that came to his mid calf.
"Why thank you," he extended his arm, she accepted and the two proceeded down 3 doors to the nursery, where they could hear talking, laughing and some crying. "Dare we go in?"
She shrugged, "Now or never," she responded.
They opened the door and the intensity of the noise almost made them want to close the door. The nanny's were helping the younger children get ready and chasing the little ones around to get them into bed. She found Ambren sitting on her bed, looking miserable and bored.
"She doesn't look happy, does she?" Remarked Kaydell.
"No, she doesn't. She's sick of being in the nursery, you remember how we were at her age, wanting to have our own floors. I should talk to mother, I could help her buy stuff for her floor and help arrange it."
"It wouldn't hurt."
They walked to their sulking little sister; she perked up a little when she saw them. Ambren's dress was a satiny material that, at the throat of her dress, was a golden orange and faded into a deep crimson red. The sleeves were belled but only came to her elbow. Some of her hair was braided and pulled atop her head; to keep her mass of braids in place she wore a golden circlet with fire opals set threw it. Ambren wore no rings but around her delicate neck she wore a gold chain with dangling fire opals.
"Excuse me, madam," Kaydell bowed deeply to his younger sister, "but have you seen our little sister? She's about this height," he gestured with his hand, "with long light brown hair and lovely blue eyes?" Kaydell was really playing up this whole masquerade thing.
His sister giggled, covering her mouth with her hand and she shook her head no.
Kaydell frowned, "Tis a shame, I was hoping to have a few dances with her," then he smiled, looking around suddenly, "Ah, but if you would not mind, could I have a few dances with you, madam? Do not tell her if you see her, she will be mightily angry with me."
Ambren laughed and shook her head in approval.
"Good, good…now, all we have to do is wait for mother and father and we shall be off to dance the night away!"
The nursery was enormous. There were cribs, and beds and large fluffy carpets for tumbling and jumping, dressers, tapestries of cute things, wooden toys loitered the floors, that sort of thing. The windows of the nursery were open and a warm autumn breeze flowed threw with the lovely sent of the river. Everything in the nursery was brightly colored, vibrant reds, blues purples and more. It was a vibrant room for vibrant children.
Kaydell and Willow joined Ambren on her bed. They watched as the nurses chased the little ones around trying to get them to pick up and get ready for bed.
The other nurses helped Betten, Corrette and Elcrim with their final touches with their formal wear. Betten wore dark purple; he looked rather proud of himself this evening, probably practicing for the daughter of the councilman from Farnor. Correttte and Elcrim both wore pale blue; they looked like little ice ghosts, Willow thought.
The door of the nursery opened. The first to enter was the eldest, Damesun, wearing a honey colored gown with all of her curly dark blond hair swept up and pinned with tiny gold colored gems. She also glittered with honey powder.
Next was Lord Daiwen, their father, he wore a blue tunic trimmed with silver. Under his tunic he wore decorative chain mail. He now wore special decorations; only his silver circlet with sapphire set the whole length of the circlet showed his rank. Although hidden, the children knew that their father wore his holy symbol under his tunic.
Last, maybe for a grand finale effect was Lady Kailya. Her gown was also blue, but like Willows overly, she wore one of decorative chain mail. It fit snugly to her wrists and belled out slightly, each chain mail sleeve link ended in a tiny blue sapphire. The end of her chain mail coat hung around her ribs and curved back to her lower back-and there they were, the tiny sapphires trimmed the whole way around. She also wore a silver circlet with little spikes that increased in size as they went towards the back of her head. At the end of each spike was a sapphire. Her hair was pulled up so that the circlet almost held her hair in place.
"I guess this would be our signal?" Kaydell asked his two sisters.
They shrugged.
The three rose from the bed and walked towards their elders. The other three, Betten, Corrette and Elcrim shortly followed.
In almost a circle they formed around the parents.
"Good evening my children," she smiled as she looked proudly over each of them, "you all look so wonderful!"
They all thanked her and told her how goddess like she looked and how their father looked like her god-like protector.
"Come now, everyone is probably waiting for us." Daiwen said, he stood aside to usher his children threw the door. Then he took the arm of his wife and followed their offspring down the stairwell.
"I'd have to say that we have some very attractive children, my love," Daiwen whispered.
"I'd have to agree, they've grown up so fast, especially Damesun, Kaydell and Willow." She sighed, "Damesun will be ruling over Sarralmin once it's finished, and the twins will be leaving to West Fall…"she sighed again.
"You still have all the others to raise." He pulled her in next to him with his one arm and squeezed her, "We can always have more?"
She quickly glanced at him, with a playful smile on her face, "I don't know."
"We could just practice…"
"Put your masks on my children."
The each tied on their masks with ribbon, and all entered the room.
The scene of all sorts of masked peoples in lavish gowns and jewelry was one out of a dream.
The musicians played on a raised platform; so as no drunkards were to knock them over later in the evening. What a wonderful sound it was to hear their music fill the castle. In the sparkling ball room people spun and danced and laughed, hugged and shook hands and everyone was talking. There must have been close to 300 people in just this room the twin guessed. The dining room was yet to be opened; their parents would announce the opening with a toast.Willow and Kaydell soon lost Ambren to a slur of blond, girls from Farnor and Ren. "There goes my only dance partner." Kaydell said sadly, clutching at his heart.
"Kaydell! Willow!" The twins turned to see Beldovin, in a red outfit trimmed with gold and a gold colored mask that looked like a birds face, long red and gold feathers trimmed the outside. Accompanied by F'vell and Klayn, Beldovin and his party approached.
F'vell wore a long chain mail loincloth and silver armbands. His mask was also silver, almost mirror like. His silver hair was pulled atop of his head in a silver band. His bear chest had been adorned with silver markings, swirling together and spinning all around him to his back.
Klayn wore solid black, highlighted with satiny black trim, not unusual for him. His mask was wonderfully odd. It had a long nose with bumps and its bumpily forehead was all wrinkled. His long dark hair hung loose to his shoulders.
"If you two aren't twins then I don't know who is." Klayn noted, "I have to say though, that, Willow, you've got leaps and mounds-I mean bounds, BOUNDS of beauty above your brother." Klayn, although not seen threw his mask, blushed furiously at his slip of tongue. "No offence Kaydell."
"None taken." Kaydell chuckled to himself, observing all of his party staring at his twin like a pack of starving wolves. He knew she was enjoying all of the attention, but he also knew that she was blushing also underneath her elaborate mask of fall colored fall leaves.
"You do indeed grace these halls with your beauty Lady, you would make the fairer sex in my home land green with envy."
"Thank you, F'vell, I'm overwhelmed by that complement." Her blush had run down her neck now. She'd never heard of such a complement like that directed at her like that one.
"Enough of this gawking, if none of you will ask this jewel then I shall! Lady Willow, may I have the honor of your first dance?" Beldovin bowed deeply to her.
"But of course Lord Beldovin." She curtsied to him, taking his arm and scoffing at the others as if to say, 'Ha ha, you were to busy staring to ask for a dance, he got me first.'
Off they went, to twirl blissfully around the room, no doubt commenting on everyone.
"Have you heard anything about your mothers announcement yet?" The dark Klayn asked.
"No, I have not. But…" Kaydell frowned, wondering if it was a good idea to say anything.
"But what?" Klayn prodded.
"Oh, nothing, just some stupid gossip, I highly doubt that's what mother was going to announce." He tried to cover up his blunder with this lie.
"Ah-well, we'll know soon enough."
The three observed the rest of the room and it's guests. Tall, short, skinny and plump, light, dark and other colors...the room was a rainbow of diversity.
Lady Kailya and Lord Daiwen greeted many and they were smiling and laughing behind their silver chain mail masks, the two looked like a queen and king greeting their friends from old, and in some cases, they were.
Standing only a few yards away stood the eldest of the children, Damesun in her honey colored gown and silky mask, but she was not alone. Standing with her was a tall handsome Torin with short wavy light blond hair. This was Lord Mahkei, whom she has known since her childhood, living with the Queen, her grandmother. He could only visit during certain times of the year, and this was one of them. He was facing her, dressed in midnight blue with silver stars scattered about on his shirt, holding her hands to his chest, looking deep into her eyes. They've been in love for years, as long as the twins could remember, and knew that they would be married some day.
"Look, there is your brother." Beldovin nodded in the direction of Derrit, standing next to a very lovely Torin girl with tresses so blond they were practically white, in a lovely sea green gown, she looked to be his age, "Isn't that the daughter of the councilman from Farnor?"
Willow laughed, "Indeed it is, her name is Sellena."
"Way to go my young friend!! HA-HA!!" Beldovin hollered to the young Derrit.
The two young ones looked at the screaming valley elf and blushed horribly.
Willow and Beldovin laughed, Willow blew her young brother a kiss.
"Ah young love!! How I wish I was that young again to be free to make eyes at every beautiful girl!"
" I don't think age has anything to do with it, and it doesn't stop you now, does it?" Willow accused laughing at him.
"Quite right, quite right, I stand corrected." Beldovin seemed to be peeking over Willows shoulder at someone.
"Who are you looking at?" She asked.
He turned his attention back to her, "No one."
"Liar."
She turned her head to see, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Retten.
"Oh the river take me!" She cursed.
"I told you tis no one, I tried to keep you from looking, but you didn't get the hint."
"You were being so obvious about looking, how could I not look?"
"I am an obvious type of person, it is not my fault."
"I have to stay busy tonight, or he's going to ask me to dance and start gushing his undying love for me."
Beldovin laughed, "Oh you poor thing! 'Willow, your hair is the color of the newest copper coins. Your eyes are emeralds that shine only in my treasury, your skin is as soft as the most expensive silk ever woven.'" Beldovin was mocking the situation quite lavishly.
Willow couldn't help but laugh, " I know! Isn't it horrible? 'Oh, Willow, you are the rarest of roses that grows in the castle gardens…" she couldn't help but laugh.
As they made a turn with the dance she got a good look at Retten, he was talking to a rather large man, looking up briefly and he caught Willow looking at him and she quickly adverted her eyes.
She got a good look at Retten before she turned her gaze; he wore his uniform at this gathering, a long purple tunic with the Paramin symbol, no doubt with chain mail underneath, silver bracers, probably mithral, black leather breaches with a silver runner on the left leg and black calf length boots with the hilt of a long dagger protruding from the tops. By code of the Knight hood, when on duty one must carry a sword, and that is what he wore at his left side, hooked to his broad black leather belt; a broad sword.
The symbol of Paramin consisted of a bronze star with a silver broad sword threw it, in the center of the star there was a golden mug with water spilling out. On the mug was blue gems, on the sword was red gems-each color and shape of this symbol represented something. Bronze: the Bronze Dragon Order; founded by Kaymen Brockwick, Beldovin's father. Blue: the Water Druid Temple. Red: the mage schools. The Star: the Priesthoods. The Sword: the symbol of power, it represented several things. Kailya, who had founded and restored Paramin, the Knights and Army of Paramin and lastly the symbol of strength, because Paramin was strong and powerful.
"You have to admit though, he looks rather dashing in his uniform." Beldovin was now looking at Retten over her shoulder.
Willow sighed, "He's not bad looking at all, he's actually very handsome...it's just that he's so...he's just so…" she sighed again with a slumping of her shoulders, "…so not what I want in a suitor."
Beldovins eyebrows shot up, "And what is it you want in a suitor."
She shrugged, "I don't know, but I just know that it's not him!"
A few more times around the ballroom was all they could really handle before they collapsed from laughing, making sure to pass Retten a few more times just to rub it in. They ended up back where they started with the others.
"What was so funny, you two?" Questioned Kaydell.
"Just a bit of jesting, tis all." Beldovin laughed.
Kaydell grumbled, "I bet."
"Grandmother should be here, have you seen her Kaydell?" Willow asked her twin.
"I haven't seen her, but I know that Mother and Damesun went out onto the terrace to talk to her I think. They should be in shortly, I think we should expect the dinner speech soon, that's when I think mother will make her announcement."
"One never knows."
"I believe you may want to make a hasty exit Willow, Retten it approaching us." Klayn pointed out with a nod in Rettens general direction.
She turned to see him walking towards the small group, trying to casually get threw the dancing couples, "Pardon me, I think I'll go visit with Grandmother." She winked at her friends and departed their circle.
Ducking behind some dancers and hastily evading Retten she managed to make it to the other end of the ballroom with out him spotting her.
"Good evening Retten, how are you this fine evening?" Beldovin greeted the Torin knight with a nod of his head.Retten looked slightly confused as he eyed the group over, "I was just coming over to see if Lady Willow was here, but…"
"She went to see our grandmother." Kaydell explained cutting him off.
"The Queen is here?" Retten's eyes bulged for a moment, looking very stunned for a brief moment with that piece of information.
"Yes, she usually tries to make it up for the week of the harvest festival." Kaydell tried to make it sound very casual, to him it was, she was his grandmother after all, not the almighty queen of the Torin elf race.
"I was not aware that our queen traveled up here for the festival."
"She usually tries to keep it low key, if every Torin in the country knew she was here, we'd be swamped. It gives her a chance to break away from her duties at her own castle and to visit us. Would you want everyone and their uncles coming to visit you when you were visiting your family?"
"No, I suppose not."
"Grandmother!" Willow couldn't resist the urge to charge her grandmother.
"Willow, dear!" Her grandmother willingly accepted her granddaughters stampede with loving arms.
Her grandmother smelled like tart apples, sweet but tart at the same time, it almost made her mouth water. Her gown was oh, so soft, and the color pink that rose every morning with the sun. Her grandmother was a handsome woman, she was slightly smaller that her mother but they resemble each other quite a bit. Her pale blond hair was swept up in braids, elaborately woven on the top of her head, and she wore a small golden crown with rose colored gems dotted across the top. Her gray eyes twinkled like stars as she smiled down at her granddaughter.
"Grandmother, you smell wonderful!!" Willow inhaled her grandmother scent again.
"Thank you dear, it was a gift from one of the herbalist in my city. I've sent him a rather large crowd of noblemen to him, he's a rather wealthy man now."
"I might make a trip to see him Grandmother because you smell delicious!"
Her grandmother chuckled, "Willow, I'm not sure you need to smell so good, you've already got good looks working for you, you don't need to smell like a desert!"
Willow laughed at her grandmothers remark, "Grandmother!"
"Where is your brother, Willow?" Her Grandmother asked.
"He's inside stalling Retten," Willow giggled.
Her mother frowned, but then resided into a small chuckle, "Oh, Willow, that's not very nice, you should at least just tell him that you don't want to dance so he doesn't spend the entire night chasing you around un-rewarded."
She lowered her head, knowing that her mother was right, "I'm sorry, mother, I don't think he understands, even when I do tell him."
"Men are like that, dear." Her grandmother explained.
"He's just so," she paused, trying to find the proper terminology for him, "Thick headed and deaf."
Her mother, grandmother and sister laughed at this, "Welcome to the world of courtship, my darling sister!" Her sister laughed.
Willow sighed, this didn't sound good.
She glanced around the terrace briefly, looking at small parties of people seated around several round tables talking and laughing. Paper lanterns of red, orange and yellow were hanging from the vine covered open ceiling, the polished gray stone of the floor reflected some of the coloring from the lanterns. Light shining threw the windows from the festivities inside brought more light outside than the lanterns did. Surprisingly, the pillars and ceiling still held the vines of the summer, the cooler nights not stunting their growth yet. Overall, the terrace was still green with life.
"Willow, we should go inside, I should make the dinner speech soon and I want you to gather up you're brother and friends so I can make the announcement."
"Alright Mother, I'll go get them." Willow kissed her grandmother on the cheek and left the terrace to find her brother and friends.
"They don't have the slightest idea yet, do they?" The queen asked her daughter.
"No, I didn't want to tell them until today."
"How do you think they'll react?" Damesun asked.
"I'm not sure, that's part of the reason I wanted to do it in such a big crowd, so that they wouldn't over react."
"I see." The queen sighed, Damesun nodding her head.
"Welcome family, friends, comrades and nobles," Lady Kailya began her speech, "The Country of Paramin has had a bountiful year, thanks to the gods, our hard work and the work of our fellow country men. Our crops have produced well and the weather has been cooperative. No catastrophes or wars either I'd like to mention. The work on Sorralmin is almost done and my daughter Damesun will start her rule there, but she will not start her rule there alone." Kailya motioned for daughter and Mahkei to step forward, hand and hand they did so, "Lord Mahkei Gathrell of Kerin and Damesun Theodin, our daughter, are to be wedded this winter, the day after Solstice." The crowd cheered loudly and the two smiled. The twins smiled at each other, clapping with the crowd, knowing that this was a long time in coming, and happy for their sister and Mahkei. The two stepped back, still hand and hand smiling at each other. "Now," their mother boomed, "something a little less joyful, but something that is also very important and the turning point for other young lives." The twins and the other four huddled in close to each other, sensing that this is what they've been waiting for, "Almost two months ago I received a letter from a Lady Ray Mylon from the Falastinian Islands, far south from where we are. She is in need of heroes, heroes that she could not summon from her country. She has heard of Paramin and our great adventures and deeds and has asked that I send her a party worth sending to her to help with her crisis." She paused, probably for dramatic effect, as well it worked, "It did not take me long to come to my decision of hero's." She looked directly at her children and their little party of friends. "I have chosen my own two children, Willow and Kaydell; the son of Lord Kaymen of the Bronze Dragon Order; Klayn, son of Sorrow, the mage that travel with me during my adventures and F'vell, a highly gifted student at the Mage School chosen by the head Mage Leena. My choices were easy to make, they are smart, courageous and talented. They shall be trained throughout the remainder of fall and winter and will leave the beginning of spring for the Falistinian Islands. But they will not go empty handed, I have already made arrangements for a ship to be brought from Erin and a crew to accompany our children of Paramin." She motioned for them to come present, the five hesitantly approached and faced the peering faces, "I present to you our future heroes." A great cheer went up, adventures were a big deal in Paramin, that was what they were known for, and now here was their next batch. "Now, let us all celebrate in our wealth, our friendships and future!" The crowd cheered once more.
Lady Kailya finished her speech and the guests headed for the dining room where the grand feast awaited them. The party of five stood, in silence, as everyone passed them by, some clapping them on the arm wishing them luck and a good adventure, some saying that their god will bless them on their journey, a lot saying that Lady Kailya could not have picked a finer group to complete such a journey. After the crowd dispersed the five huddled momentarily.
"So, it seems that we are to follow in our parents foot steps my friends." Beldovin muttered.
"Yes, it looks that way, doesn't it." Klayn replied.
"I may not have come from a family that lived in this city, my parents were none the less wanders in search of the unknown and treasures, it seems that I should also be a wanderer, following in their wake."
The twins only nodded, only a little too stunned to speak.
Beldovin sighed, "Well my fellow adventures, let us off and feast our hero's meal. I know that I shall not skip out on the drink tonight. Come let us be merry with our family and friends and discuss escape later." He chuckled.
The others smiled, knowing that he was right, there was time to work out details later, that it was now time to immerse in friends, family, food and drink...more drink than the others.
The rest of the Ball festivities was filled with much drinking, singing dancing, talking laughing and, in Willows instance, avoiding. Overall the rest of the evening went splendidly.
Willow danced with her brother several times, Klayn finally got up enough nerve ask her to dance and Beldovin had managed to shove Kaydell to the side and finish the dance with Willow. Willow, had finally decided that she would ask F'vel to dance, he, very surprised, agreed and danced with her.
They had gotten some looks, but nothing terrible, "I must say F'vel, for someone who is air borne, you are wonderfully nimble on your feet."
"I've been around, Lady Willow, but not all of my kind is as graceful on land."
A high elven girl with dark brown hair approached F'vel after the dance with Willow, asking if he would be so kind as to dance with her. He eyed her momentarily then guided the slender girl in a dark silky brown gown to the floor. They did pass some words, but not much, when he bowed to her at the end and returned he only smiled to himself, not saying anything to the others.
Managing to steal his sister Ambren from her ladies in waiting, Kaydell spun his sibling round and round the dance floor. She giggled of course and watched as her friends giggled back, giving starry glances to her oldest brother. He bowed to her deeply, kissed her hand and walked away, but not before he could wink at the other girls, who all blushed and laughed behind their hands.
Needing no help, Beldovin got every available female to the floor, from old to young, he had them blushing and laughing in no time. He made a sport of this, the girls knew it, but they didn't mind. Attention was attention after all.
Between dances the five had mustered up a plan to escape the formality of the castle and sneak off to the real party. Willow was to 'get some fresh air' out in the hedge maze, Kaydell was to follow shortly after to 'see if she was alright'. Beldovin and Klayn were to take F'vel on a tour of the castle and it's grounds, and simply just disappear, in common tongue, that meant, meet Willow and Kaydell by the front gate to the castle and make haste to Heresh's.
They set the first part of the plan in action about an hour before midnight, Willow walking casually towards the garden exit, explaining that she had a slight headache and needed some fresh air. She had made it to the beginnings of the maze when she heard her name called.
She turned to see none other than Retten following her. She rolled her eyes to the stars, cursing under her breath.
"Good evening, Retten," she said quietly, to make it sound as if she were tired.
"Good evening, Willow, are you feeling ill?" he asked, with a concerned look on his young elven face.
"A headache, that is all, probably all the dancing and noise, nothing a good bit of air wouldn't cure, so if you'll excuse me...." She turned to head for the center of the maze like planned, but, once again, he grabbed her hand.
"I shall accompany you. It would not be gentlemanly of me to leave you unattended in your condition."
You big Dolt, her brain yelled at him, what part of 'I want to be alone' didn't you get from that?
"That isn't necessary, Retten, really, I shall be fine," she tried to pull away, but he held tight.
"Willow, I would really just like to have conversation with you, I know that you've been dancing and visiting with your Grandmother," he added hastily, "but, I was hoping for some time alone with you."
By the ruins of the Kria, "Retten, I'm not so sure..."
"Willow!" Her brother called, "There you are, I need you in here, you've got to see this! Oh, hello there Retten, I hope I'm not interrupting, but I need to steal my sister back."
Willow saw the cloud of annoyance pass over his face, but it was replaced with a simple frown, "Of course Kaydell..."
Without any further hesitation Kaydell grabbed Willows free hand and yanked her away and almost ran for the door.
"Thank the stars, I thought I'd never get out of that one, " she whispered.
"You just can't seem to get rid of that guy he's like a leach spell," he replied, "Beldovin came up with another plan when he way Retten follow you, we're going to escape threw the cellar's, head out the back way, it'll be a little trickier, but with as busy as it is in the kitchen, we don't think they'd really notice."
"Remind me to kiss him," Willow sighed.