The next morning Toki found Skwigelf sitting at the dining room table, a steaming plate of eggs and pastries before him. He was dressed in Toki's clothes- the old ones in homespun material, true, but still his. They fit him poorly- with his long limbs, the cuffs of his jacket crept halfway up his forearms and the woolen vest barely covered his stomach. He glanced up at Toki, and actually had the grace to show embarrassment.

"Your housekeeper- she gaves these clothings to me," he said, flushing.

Toki battled a sense of irritation- this was his house, those were his clothes- even the food on the table was his. He was tempted to say something sharp. But Skwigelf was now a guest in his house, and looking down at him, Toki felt the fire within him dull to a certain warmth- the morning light was shone through the windows, illuminating the gilded edges of the china and Skwigelf's yellow hair. His long hands cupped a mug of steaming coffee. He looked healthy, and very much alive, as though the chill of the night before had been a mere dream. If only Skwigelf had been a friend of his, he felt he would have thrown his arms around him in relief. But he wasn't, and Toki remained stiff.

"They probably ams not what are you ams used to."

"Well," said Skwigelf, frowning and stretching out his arm so that the cuff of his jacket nearly reached his elbow. "Not reallys."

"You likely expects something fancys. Something betters from a wealthy counts?"

Skwigelf ran his hands down the front of his rough woolen coat with a certain pride.

"I likes it," he said, lifting his nose. "Perhaps I buys one just likes it."

Toki smiled in spite of himself at the Swede's stubbornness, and Skwigelf smiled back with a warmth that Toki had never seen. It did suit him- the coarse material brought out the sharper, darker, more masculine elements of his features. But Skwigelf, lucky fool that he was, would have made a sack cloth look stylish.

"Here, haves some food," said Skwigelf, patting the seat next to him.

Toki hesitated. He was hungry. "Where ams Marinette?"

"I sends her to towns for some white breads. I hates this coarse browns stuff," said Skwigelf, taking a big bite of the same hated brown bread.

"You can'ts sends my servant on errands!" cried Toki, his eyebrows pulling together.

Skwigelf shrugged. "I did. And she seems happy enough to dos it. But if you wants to eat, you has to share with me." He looked up towards Toki with a half smile.

Toki pulled cautiously towards him and Skwigelf placed the plate halfway between them. Toki raised his fork. He realized he had had nothing since the midday meal the day before, and he had barely picked at that. He shoveled the eggs into his mouth, and then grabbed a fistful of bread.

"Tsk, tsk, they does not teach the tables manners in Norway, does they?" Skwigelf wagged his finger and laughed. Toki's face went red and he swallowed, before taking a cautious bite of bread.

Toki ate his fill, fully aware that Skwigelf was watching him the entire time, and then rose from the table. He was burning with curiosity to know why Skwigelf had come, but he also felt ill at ease with this man in his house, this man who had destroyed him. It would be an unheard of breach of etiquette to kick him out. Perhaps a good hint would do the trick.

"I hope you enjoys your breakfast," he said. "I think I will takes my walk."

Skwigelf leaned back in his chair and smiled. "A walks- that sounds nice. I wants to see the forest."

Toki's face stiffened. "I usually goes alone."

"Poor Count." Skwigelf frowned. "That must be so dulls for you. So we goes now?" He stood up, stretching out his back so that the short vest went high over his ribs.

"You will haves to walk in the mud," said Toki, looking him up and down.

"Pffft! I don't cares!" Skwigelf shook out his head, and two loose pieces of hair fell over his cheeks. "Let's go!"

So Toki took his usual path over the broad sloping hill to the periphery of the forest, looking over his shoulder from time to time to see if Skwigelf was really following him. He stopped when they reached the edge of the woods.

"It ams dark in here," he warned, pulling aside a heavy branch.

Skwigelf's pupils contracted as he peered into the forest. His eyes took on a deeper, heavier blue and various green shadows appeared over his face.

They walked for several minutes in silence. There was something about the woods that heightened the senses, and Toki was keenly aware of Skwigelf's footsteps behind him and the gentle pattern of his breath.

They made their way into a clearing where streaks of sunlight burst through the heavy canopy of the trees. The forest was teeming with color and light after the heavy rain. The moss fronds of the ferns underfoot were a brilliant green, and wild blossoms in violet and orange sprouted from the heavy logs. Toki didn't expect Skwigelf to like it- he was too cultivated, spoiled almost, by his love for finery. But to his surprise, Skwigelf leaned down and plucked a flower.

"It reminds me of homes," he said, placing the flower in his buttonhole. "In Sweden, whether winters and summetimes, I always runs to the forests to play."

"Mes too!" cried Toki, letting his pale eyes grow wide. "I woulds pretends I was a giant trolls and stomp on everything." He pushed his toe into a soggy branch and crunched it underfoot.

Skwisgaar laughed. "Such a child! I means play the guitar. You do nots practice all that much, does you?"

Toki bared his teeth.

"It ams okay, Count Wartooth. I can tells you have potential. You does not apply yourself, but you ams good." He looked Toki in the eye, and his face was serious, almost stern. "You ams very good."

Toki flushed, but whether from pleasure or discomfort, he couldn't say, and marched onwards.

"Comes on," he said, and Skwisgaar followed, craning his head about. They came to a small brook and Toki hopped quickly over a series of stones. He turned towards Skwigelf, challenging him. He had a wicked desire to see him fall in, but Skwigelf disappointed him by grabbing an overhead branch and swinging to the other side. "I likes it here," he said. " In all these courts there ams pretty gardens, but nothing truly darks or wilds."

Toki started. He had often felt the same way.

"You know why they calls it Normandy?" he asked Skwigelf.

Skwigelf shrugged.

"Because the Normans cames here, the Norsemen, Scandinavians likes us."

Skwigelf's eyebrows rose. "You lies!"

"It ams true. And they brings their stories too- all the elves and creatures from our country."

"Elves? Pffft."

"Yes elves and creatures like the red dwarf with red skins and bright red eyes and sharp teeths that drinks your blood!" Toki held up his fingers like claws.

"Red dwarves and unicorns and baby's tales," said Skwigelf, waving his hand dismissively. Toki glowered. Then Skwigelf's jaw clenched and he darted behind Toki.

"What. Ams. That?" breathed Skwigelf. He was shuddering.

"Perhaps it ams unicorn," said Toki, tossing his head.

Then he turned and his skin crawled.

The figure was huddled behind a rock, its dull red flesh nearly lost in the shadows. It wore a broad red hat and two shining red eyes flashed in the darkness.

Skwigelf's hands were on his shoulders and Toki could feel them trembling.

The creature popped from behind a rock, and rose, doubling in size. Skwigelf uttered a small cry, and it took Toki several moments to register that it was no dwarf, but a man, fully dressed in red from his red-brown boots to his scarlet tri-corner hat

"Sees?" said Skwigelf, still shaking. "Just a baby's tale."

"And hads you crying like a babys a minutes ago," Toki retorted.

Then the man lifted up his arms revealing two pistols. "Stand and deliver!" he called, the traditional cry of the highwayman.

Skwigelf turned to Toki. "Goes home. Now."

Toki was prepared to speak, to say ' I won't go withouts you," but Skwigelf's next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

"You ams just a kids. I takes care of this."

And Toki cried out, more like a small child than he would have wished "No! I stays here with you!"

There was a twinkle in Skwigelf's eye. "Suits yourself."

Skwigelf turned to the highwayman, and looked him up and down. Toki recognized that glance, from back in the salon, when he had first met Skwigelf, and almost pitied the man.

"Why the hells ams you wearing reds?" asked Skwigelf. "You ams in a green forest. It makes no sense."

"I-" the man started, and his eyes wandered to and fro. There seemed to be glass over his eyes. "Your money or your life," he said in monotone. His accent was foreign.

Skwigelf burst into laughter. "This jackets ams too small for me anyway. But takes it." He struggled it out of the jacket and threw it at the highwayman's feet. "And shouldn't a highwayman be on the highways? This ams a good place if you wants to steals squirrels."

The highwayman stepped closer, his pistol nearly touching Skwigelf's chest. "Don't toy with me! I'll shoot!"

Toki sighed. "The kid haves got a pocket watch. Hands it over, Wartooth."

Toki flushed red. The kid! It then occurred to him it wouldn't be a good idea to have the thief know he was a count. But he wasn't giving up his pocket watch- it had been a gift from Marie.

"No," he said, holding the watch close in his fist.

"Don't bes stupids," said Skwigelf, rolling his eyes. Strangely, he was much less afraid of the highwayman than he had been of the potential dwarf. "Maybe he ams a lames excuse for a highwayman but still he gots the guns." He tapped the pistol, and stared into the man's face.

"Waits," he said. "I knows you!"

"No, ah, you don't." the man retorted, stepping back.

"I does!" With a daring motion, one that could have cost him his life, Skwigelf ripped the mask off the highwayman.

"I knews it!" Shouted Skwigelf, his face bright with triumph. "I would knows that cranky mouths anywheres!"

The man had been wearing spectacles under his mask, and he knelt down to pick them up. So those had been the flashing red eyes, though Toki.

"Who ams he?" he whispered to Skwigelf."

Skwigelf grinned. "Just an old friends of mine from England- apparently downs on his lucks too."

He turned to the highwayman, who was brushing off his coat. "Tsk tsk," he said, wagging his finger. "For shames, Ofdensen. You, turnings to stealing?"

Ofdensen breathed on his spectacles and rubbed them against his shirt. He had a strong jaw, small grey green eyes, and brown hair tied back with a simple black band. His hard face betrayed little emotion, but he was clearly flustered.

"It, ah, hasn't been easy back home." Said Ofdensen.

Skwigelf folded his arms. "Na, I wouldn't think it would bes."

"Can someone tells me what is happening?" yelled Toki.

"Ofdensen ams my manager back when I has a groups in England. But let's just says…he has no talent fors the jobs."

Ofdensen frowned. "If I recall, you, ah, refused to play outside of a royal court."

"Pfft," said Skwigelf tossing his head. "Getting into a court ams not so hard!"

"Actually, Skwisgaar, it was quite difficult considering nobody had heard of you."

"It's Baron Skwigelf!" Skwigelf nearly shouted. "But it turns out ok," he said, patting Ofdensen's shoulder. "I meets Lady Harcourt and we haves the sex, and then poof! I play for King George." He grimaced. "Not that he appreciate goods guitar. But the rest of the courts goes wild." He leaned back against a tree, seeming to relish the memory.

"And I could have been very helpful to you then. From what I hear you're in debt. You, ah, haven't been managing your money wisely."

Skwigelf burst into deep laughter, and even wiped a tear from his eye. "And this froms the mans that steals rabbits in the woods."

Ofdensen went red. "I'm no highwayman. It's just been very difficult to meet you after your rise to fame. If I remember you, ah, dropped me entirely after you made it to court."

"You misses me? Comes all this ways to sees me. How touching."

The manager frowned. "I think I could be of use to you."

"Ha! But we dids have good times together," said Skwisgaar. " Joins us for a drink?" He put his arm around Toki, who wriggled out of it.

"Baron Skwigelf," he whispered, almost hissing. "He holds a gun to us. You thinks I wants him in my house?"

"Pffts," said Skwigelf,"Don't bes such a branches in the mud. He ams great fun! This way, Ofdensen!" He cleared the way for the manager, and they made their way back to the house, with Toki fuming behind them.

They had broken their way into Toki's wine cellar and were on their third bottle. Marinette flitted around them, filling their glasses clearly enjoying the company. Toki started by taking short sips, and finally by downed his glass. He thought with longing about his sweet liquor, stashed away in the cupboard. But he didn't want to show weakness in front of these two, idiots though they were.

"Remember when you saves me from the policemans?" laughed Skwisgaar. "And then- then you spend the night in jails?"

"Ahem, I remember that well Skwisgaar," said Ofdensen, swirling his glass. "I also remember that I caught pneumonia after that."

Skwisgaar smiled at Toki with such infectious mirth, that Toki couldn't help smiling back. So it seemed the poor highwayman was as hapless as he was. Not that he trusted him.

"I'll have you knows," said Toki, turning his glass. "That I haves all my valuables locked aways in a safe in Paris."

"And I'll have you know, " Ofdensen gritted his teeth. "That I'm a professional manager, not a thief."

"Hmmm." Toki took a gulp of wine and held out his glass towards Skwisgaar. "Well if you can manages this one, counts me forever gratefuls."

Skwigelf pursed his lips together and smiled. He touched Toki's shoulder, just a gentle graze with his fingertips. "You knows I'm not so bad." Toki looked at Skwisgaar, at his deep blue eyes with their eternal irony, and the wine sputtered from his lips. He broke out into laughter, and the other two joined him.

Marinette clucked as she wiped the wine off the table, and dabbed at Skwigelf's shirt.

"It's a good things this is your shirt," laughed Skwigelf. "Or I'd put Ofdensen's pistols to good use."

Ofdensen cleared his throat. "It would be no use."

"And why ams that?" asked Skwigelf.

The manager hung his head. "They're not loaded."

Skwisgaar and Toki burst into loud laughter and Ofdensen buried his face in his hands.

"Well," said Skwisgaar, patting Ofdensen on the shoulder. "You really ams a man with no luck. Perhaps you can comes with me on my tours and reads all the boring contracts and letters-" Skwisgaar groaned. "And that means the loves letters too. If I get ones more I swears I'll find a real highwaymans with a loaded guns to shoots my heads off."

Toki rolled his eyes, but Ofdensen, in his stiff way, looked very, very pleased. "I don't, ah, think you'll regret this," he said, taking Skwigelf's hand. "Now I think I'll be on my way- I have a room at the inn."

"No, you could not possiblys!" cried Skwigelf. "You must stays with us."

Ofdensen opened his mouth, but caught Toki's warning glance, and closed it. "No, my inn is very very…comfortable," he said, backing up.

"Very wells! Come visits me at Versailles."

"I certainly will." And soon Ofdensen was blessedly out the door, leaving Skwigelf and Toki at the table.