Henry's face curled into a grin as he steps out of his tent and stretches. "I can feel today's gonna be a great day! I can feel it in my spleen!" he says gleefully skipping to the mess tent.
The breakfast is served, but it isn't the usual mystery meat and bread Henry likes. It's crumpets and butter, nice and fluffy, Maribelle had insisted on a different menu. Everyone else was chowing down happily on their breaded treats, Henry just pokes at them with a stick. "Awww, I don't like prissy food like this. How about something with some chewing needed? Something with blood." "You'd like Feroxi food then." a timid voice eeks out, "It's all meats spiced with root vegetables and beer." Olivia fiddles with her tiny hands and stares down at her toes. Henry giggles and spins in his chair to face her "That sounds awesome! Can you teach me? Please? pleasepleasepleasepleeeeeease?" He jumps in his chair, making Olivia very nervous. "I... I suppose I could teach you. It'd take all day though, you're okay with that?" "Nya ha yeah! I'd love to spend the day with you!" Henry smiles and chuckles more. Olivia blushes and shrinks down. She always did like how cheerful he is, that nothing could ever phase him. She usually is not one for crushes but, Henry really was hers.
The Market was an excursion this time of day. Every merchant who was able to make it stood on street corners advertising their wares. Olivia hated such busy centers, it made her very nervous. A sudden salesman yelled when she approached, the sudden noise startled her and she clutched on to Henry's arm. Having someone so close she could trust made the ordeal easier. "Let's see, we'll need... a whole duck, light mead, rosemary, and ginger for taste." "No problem, we can get those right away." "No, we can't." Olivia says, "Look at that line, it stretches out the door. Can we come back another time?" Henry giggles, "Nyahahaha don't worry, we won't have a line here soon.." Henry shrugged her off of his arm and held them both in the air, mumbling an incantation as people began to suddenly drop to the floor. "Henry no!" Olivia tells him, worried that he killed them. "Oh it's okay Olivia, they just need to take a niiice little nap." She was relieved that he didn't kill them all, but still frightened at how mercilessly he did the deed. "It's because he cares about me, right? Or he's anxious to try to cook?" She tried rationalizing as such, her warm emotions towards him too strong to question it further. As Olivia walks away with the needed ingredients as Henry stays behind. He claims: "I'll pay the butcher, be just a sec!" He hops over sleeping bodies, some begin to wake. Henry stands where we was when he first cursed them, and raises his hands again. Under his breath he utters a different spell. They all sit up, some still asleep, and put their own hands on their throats. The ones who are awake cough and try to plead for mercy, but by then, their own hands sealed their dooms.
"Alright, we've got the duck, the ginger, the mead. Now we can start, right?" Henry asks as he lines the produce up on an oaken table. "No, we have to fillet the bird, but I've never been good with a knife before." Olivia says, looking down again embarrassed. "Nyahaha I was hoping you'd say that! I love cutting birds!" Henry says joyfully. He picks up a very small knife off of the table and runs his fingers on it. He laughs like a schoolchild and tears into the raw duck, slitting it's stomach open first, proceeding to gut it with his hands, blood streams from the meat and puddles on the floor below "Nyaha... nyahhahahahaha I just love cutting birds!" He says. Olivia turns away, unnerved by how much pleasure he takes in defiling the flesh of his victim. She closes her eyes, "Oh let this be over!" She yells in her mind, just as she does, she feels cold but kind hands on her shoulders. "I'm all done now, let's get started on the actual cooking." Henry whispers. Olivia stands up and thanks him for doing the hard part for her. She showed him how to boil it in a light mead until it's a pale beige, then carefully shred the ginger on top of it. The leftover mead was served on the side as much of the alcohol was boiled away, and some was mixed with thickeners for a gravy. All complimented with a sprig of fragrant rosemary. Henry could not wait to dig into their creation, Olivia was simply proud it wasn't a disaster. "Oh I can't wait to try this!" Henry says, pulling out the knife again and stabs into the meat. He slashes and tears off a piece, Olivia winces and shuts her eyes. "It's awful isn't it? I'm so sorry, I'm a terrible cook." Henry grabs her by the shoulders and pulls her up to his face "Are you... kidding me?" she shrieks quietly and prepares for the worst, "I love this Olivia!" Henry says, smacking his lips. "You're so good at cooking, what else are you good at? I gotta know!" She sighs and avoids eye contact. "Well.. you know I'm a dancer, but just as bad at that as I am cooking." "Listen, if you dance as well as you cook, I bet you're the best dancer in the whole world." her cheeks flush red and she clasps her own soft hands timidly. Henry puts a hand on her cheek causing her to shudder, he turns her head to lock eyes. "I'd love to dance with you."
The moon is bright and the sky is clear under the spreading chestnut tree. Henry lights the way from camp to the grass-less underside of the tree, Olivia is touched that he thought this far ahead, and held his hand as they walked to their destination. Henry bowed like a gentleman and kissed her hand, causing Olivia to blush more, he held her by the waist and let her lead, following her steps perfectly. She lets out a happy sigh and holds the object of her affections closer, they dance elegantly by moonlight. Her toes feel weightless as he spins her and dips her low to the earth. She had never felt so special, so beautiful than in that moment. "Henry, this is amazing. I've never danced with someone this close." She finally meets his gaze herself, seeing his curled smile in the white light. "I feel like my stomach is full of butterfli-" she reaches down to her stomach and grimaces. That was not a butterfly in her stomach, nor was it a knot. It was the knife, the knife Henry had filleted fresh duck with, it was dripping fresh blood once again. He let go of the knife and of her, she fell to the dirt gasping for last breaths. Tears flow down her face and blood drips from her lips, "Wh-why?" she asked? Henry stood silent, still smiling like a Cheshire Cat. He watched as the last ounce of life left her eyes and answered too late for her to hear it: "Nyahaha, because! I just love cutting birds, and you're my special dove." He kneels besides her and runs a pale hand on her cheek, "But don't cry, you had an awesome last dance. Sorry though, I have other birds that need filleting soon." He kisses her forehead and respectfully pulls her eyes shut. "I'll come back for you soon. Bye bye Olivia."