As soon as Tsule was out of sight, Caden clamped his hand over his mouth to hold back his chuckles. He had lied a little when he told Tsule his reasons for waking him up. It was true; Tsule had been muttering and rolling in his sleep. But he had been muttering Caden's name. Caden still remembered Tsule's flushed face made blue and pale in the moonlight. He had been sorely tempted to "help out" a little. But he knew better and had woken Tsule up instead, although he did wonder if he should have stolen a kiss and copped it to the dream.

" Bad thoughts, bad thoughts." Caden muttered to himself, scratching the back of his head. He liked the kid; he really did. But this kid was completely shut off, and Caden had reason to believe that he was the only other man Tsule had ever met. And considering that the only other people the young boy knew was his aunts and Juniper, whom the boys obviously regarded as a sister, it made sense that he would decided to swoon over him.

'You've never felt this way.' injected a little voice in his head. 'You get warm looking at him. You never get warm.'

"Yeah, well- shut up." Caden shot back. It didn't matter what he felt. He wasn't about to make advances on the kid and then run back to his ship the second spring hit.

'You could always bring him with you.'

"On my ship? Innocent kid like that? You must be joking."

'Well considering I'm you- you're joking.'

"Great. Not only am I talking to myself, I'm also pointing out my own stupidity."Caden sighed and rolled over. "I really miss wine and rum."

The following week passed without further incident. It soon faded from the minds of both Caden and Tsule, as the winter wore on. Finally the Winter Solstice arrived and they were all busy so they could have a celebration. Tsule and Caden began daily hunts, trapping rabbits and even one unlucky turkey. Claret turned her attention to ice fishing, no doubt using a hint of magic to lure even the bigger fish to the surface. Juniper made colorful candles, and went out to bring several small boughs of pine branches and even one big pine tree into the cottage. Violet had cleared various bits of furniture out of the way, and soon the pine tree stood majestically in the middle of the great room, far across from the giant fireplace and the oven, but surrounded by a few chairs and benches. Violet covered the rest of the house in dark red and green cloths on all the beds and tablecloths. Scarlet was often holed up in the aunt's bedroom, as she was in control of everyone's presents.

"Only two more days until Solstice." Juniper declared enthusiastically one morning as they all sat around the tree getting warmed up for the day.

"I'm so glad." Tsule said.

"I love this holiday. Everyone's so happy, and the house smells so good."

"That's only because of Violet." Claret replied, sending a smile at her sister.

"Believe me, if I was cooking it wouldn't smell so nice."

"Her cooking is even worse then mine." Scarlet told Caden.

"You should have been here a few years ago when Violet was sick and we had to fend for ourselves"

"We had to fend for ourselves?" Juniper interrupted. "You mean I cooked for everyone."

"I cooked, too!" Tsule added, popping his head out from underneath the mass of blankets on top of him.

"That's true. You weren't too bad, for your first time." Claret admitted
"Well if you got sick this winter, I could cook for everyone." Caden said with a laugh.
"Really? You know how to cook?" Juniper asked.
"Oh, sure. When I lived with my brother, I had to cook for him and our younger siblings. Course, my sister's better then I'll ever be, so I just let her have run of the kitchen when she became interested" Caden told them.

"How old is your sister?" Violet asked, settling down on the bench next to her sisters with a mug of mint tea.
"She's sixteen."

"So she's Tsule's age!" Claret replied with a laugh."If you come back to visit us after you leave, bring her with you. Maybe you could set them up!" The aunts and Juniper laughed and Caden chuckled, but Tsule was once again buried beneath the blankets so no one could tell he wasn't laughing.

"Alright, Tsule. We should go and see if we can bag a deer to eat during Solstice." Caden decided, standing up so he could get their arrows. Tsule reluctantly emerged from underneath Blanket Mountain, putting on his fur lined boot, coats, and gloves as fast as he could to stay warm. He was still pouting when Caden held open the door and they walked out onto the cold white clearing. "You really don't like hunting, do you?" Caden asked with a chuckle, seeing the look on Tsule's face when he looked back longingly at the cottage.
"Hunting isn't horrible; it kills them faster then freezing, starvation, or the wolves would. I just don't like the cold that much."

"Don't worry; I brought the tent and the charms. We'll be warm in no time."

The stand was a twenty minute walk from the cottage, because the dear didn't travel near the cottage. Once there, Caden climbed up the tree onto the platform and shook out the tent the aunts gave them for hunting. It was actually quite big, for it had enough room for three people and some game. Once the tent was on the platform, Tsule came up and set up the two charms; one heated the tent for them, the other alerted them when a dear came into the area so the y could be quiet, and then changed color when it was in shooting range.
"You may not realize this," Caden remarked as they got settled, "But you have it pretty easy out here with all your aunt's magic."

"What do you mean?" Tsule asked, propped up on his elbows using his discarded coat as a pillow.
"When people go hunting in winter, they don't have tents with heating charms or hunting charms. They usually sit in their coats until something happens to come along." Caden explained. Tsule sighed.
"I'm sheltered." Tsule muttered, causing Caden to laugh.

"Maybe, but it's not necessarily a bad thing." He replied.
"Caden-" Tsule quietly said after a small silence.
"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about that night a few weeks ago." Tsule murmured, but Caden still heard it.
"It's okay, it happens to everyone." Caden replied kindly, knowing it must have been bothering poor Tsule for a while.
"You knew then?" Tsule asked, jerking his head up.

"Well-yeah." Caden admitted a bit sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Wait a minute-since when did he get sheepish?
"How do you usually celebrate the Solstice?" Tsule asked him suddenly, jarring the red head out of his thoughts.
"Me? Well-" Caden trailed off, thinking. "We're usually on the ship, so we try to get the morning chores over as fast as possible. Then we all head down to the galley to eat, but we eat on the deck if it's a good day. We save up all the good food for the Winter Solstice, so Berle brings out all exotic spices and all the foreign food. It's all very good. Then we usually gather together, leaving the center of either the belly of the ship or the deck clear, then the ones who have instruments they can play bring them out, and we dance and sing and laugh until evening chores. No business on Solstice days." He explained.
"Sounds like fun." Tsule replied with a laugh.
"Oh, it is. And our lookout, Rya, is from across the desert, so her people's dancing is very different. She taught it to some of the crew, and watching them dance around to some of the music is amazing. Truly. And the rum!" Caden perked up a little as he remembered his drinking habits. "We have rum and wine, and that certainly lifts spirits!" "You truly like your alcohol, don't you?" Tsule asked with amusement.

"Well," Caden chuckled, not thinking. "I am a pirate after all."

"You're probably- a what?" Tsule said, realizing what the man had said midsentence. Caden inwardly cursed at his slipup. This little mismatched family was growing on them, and he didn't want them to think he was a criminal. And he really didn't want Tsule thinking he was some sort of monster.

"A- pilot... for a ship. Have you heard of them?" Caden replied cheerfully, hoping Tsule wouldn't catch his slip up or buy his excuse.
"You said pirate. You've also told me that you were a captain, so you can't have magically changed ranks." Tsule said, suspicion clear on his face. Ah well, Caden had known that Tsule wasn't stupid enough to fall for the lie, and he would have been disappointed if he had.
"...Tsule, if I tell you the truth, will you promise not to tell Juniper or your aunts?" Caden asked the boy, praying that he'd agree. Tsule gave him a long, measuring glance, deciding whether or not to trust him.
"Alright." Tsule agreed expression still wary but thankfully a little forgiving.
"I'm the captain of the pirate ship Black Sprite. We do rob ships, yes, but we do have rules."Caden added, hopeful that Tsule would trust him, but Tsule only nodded his head so Caden could continue.
"All of my siblings except my older brother are on the ship with me. We're still a family, even at sea. And we never attack a ship that can't defend itself or one that doesn't have a ship mage. Once we take over a ship, we don't kill anyone. After we take their cargo, we always leave enough supplies for the crew to get to shore. Always."

"I believe you." Tsule finally said after an excruciatingly never long silence. "One question, though. How did you end up in the middle of our woods?"

"Ah." Caden's faced darkened at Tsule's question. "A rival captain decided he'd take me away from my crew and my ship. He stabbed me, but I won the fight. He's actually probably why the wolves didn't chase me that far. They already had a meal."

"You'll go back to the ship in spring, then." Tsule asked the pirate, relaxing back onto his stomach.
"Most likely." Caden replied, leaning against the tree trunk through the fabric of the tent. "You really haven't left these woods before, have you?"

"No. The aunts would never let me." Tsule said with a shake of his head.

"Then would you like to go with me when I leave in spring?" Caden asked, not thinking. Tsule turned to look at him, his blue bangs falling across his eyes.
"On a pirate ship?"

"No, actually." Caden corrected with a chuckle."It'd be out of season for my crew to be in the nearest port in the spring. I'd spend the summer in the city."

"All summer? Just- seeing the sights?" Tsule asked, interested perked.
"Well, I know the owner of a tavern in the Borra, the nearest city, so I'd probably do a little bartending to pay keep for a room, but yes. There'd be plenty of time to look around."

"I'd love to go!" Tsule sat up again, excitement shining in his hazel eyes. Caden chuckled, reminded at once why he was so endeared with the boy.
"Alright, then. Just so-" They were interrupted by the gentle hum of the hunting charm.

"Guess I better get into position." Caden whispered, picking up his bow and quietly pointing out the weapon from in between the tent flaps.

"I wish it were still Solstice." Tsule grumbled. It had been three months since the wonderful holiday and the aunts and Juniper were busy with collecting sap and making syrup. They had their own building a mile away for their preparation, and Tsule and Caden weren't allowed near because of all the magic they put into boiling the sap into syrup. So instead, just like every year, Tsule stayed behind and kept the house cleaned and tried his hand at cooking while they were off working. Only this year he had someone with him for company.

Tsule glanced at the man who had so recently confessed to being a pirate. He was on his hands and knees with a brush in his hands and a bucket of soapy water at his side, trying to wash off a dark spot on the wooden floor and cursing as it wouldn't come up. He couldn't really be such a seasoned criminal as he claimed to be. But then again, all Tsule had to do was think of the night they had found him. He had traveled through the forest with stab wounds, fighting off wolves and whoever attacked him. Juniper had said that his aura had a dark shadow, but she had also said that he wasn't a threat to them unless they tried to hurt them. And he hadn't hurt them, even after Tsule had learned his secret, so that must be a good thing. Still-

Tsule sighed and banged his head on the table where he had been cutting up potatoes.

"Careful. You might hit the knife." Caden commented, standing up and stretching out of his scrunched up position.

"I won't." Tsule replied tiredly, staring at the masses of potatoes before him. Caden chuckled and pulled up a chair beside him and began to skin potatoes with an extra knife. "I'm glad." The red head replied as he began so slice of the skins.
"I hate this time of year." Tsule said. "This is the first year I haven't been stuck here alone for a month."

"A month!? How long does this take?" Caden asked, surprised. Tsule shrugged.
"Anywhere from two to six weeks. And we're only three days in."

"But think of the bright side! With me to help you, the chores are done by noon!" Caden said, determined to cheer the blue haired one up. Tsule allowed a small smile at that.
"True.." he conceded, and started doing the potatoes again.
"Plus, seeing as this is the last chore to do before we are free for the day, I have a plan."

"Plan?" Tsule asked, interest perked.
"Ah, ah ah." Caden chided with a smirk. "It's a secret plan."

"You're no fun." Tsule pouted, but Caden noticed he worked on the potatoes faster then he had before. It wasn't long before the potatoes were done and put in cold water to soak and the peels were thrown to the compost corner of the garden.

"I'm done!" Tsule chirped as he came inside after lugging the skins into the yard. Caden spun around from where he was at the table, grinning.

"...What?" Tsule asked.
"Look at what I have!" Caden said, standing aside and gesturing at the table. All Tsule could see was two chairs and a stack of small pieces of paper.
"What is it?" he asked, poking at the stack and raising an eyebrow as it tipped over.
"Don't tip over the deck! Fifty two pick up is NOT my idea of fun!" Caden protested, scooping up the deck and turning it into a stack again.
"What is it?" Tsule repeated as he gazed at the deck with an unimpressed expression.
"This is a deck of Fate Cards. I happen to be excellent at reading them." Caden told him and gestured for Tsule to sit at the table.
"Fate Cards? What are Fate Cards?"

"Special cards made by magic that can tell your future. Of course, you have to have a talent at using them, and you have to take them with a grain of salt" Caden explained as he grinned at Tsule expectantly.
"And you want to do what with them?" Tsule asked as he hesitantly.
"Use them. Could be fun." Caden grinned at him, and sighed when he saw Tsule's face. "And I'll cook dinner tonight."

"Cards win!" Tsule replied with a smirk and sat down at the table.

'At least this won't be boring' he thought.
Caden inwardly hyperventilated. He didn't know what the cards would reveal.
Neither saw the figure lingering by the window, watching them.

A/N: OooO cliff hanger! A... horrible cliff hanger. But I've had you guys waiting for a chapter long enough so here ya go. Hope ya like it. Reviews feed the . but I don't review much cause I'm bad so I don't expect any -- And sorry for the slow updates, but I don't have much time. So hard to balance school and saving the world lol.