Looking back, I've made a lot of mistakes in my short twenty years on this earth.

Ding!

There was that one time where I nearly died by the vines of a raspberry bush.

Ding!

There was also that one winter when an old friend and I thought swimming bareback in a frosty river was a good idea. And, of course, I can never forget the day the skies decided to haunt me for the rest of my days. Though, I have to admit that meeting Cassian Calloway was amongst the worst of them.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding-

The little bell by the register strangled in my tight grasp. My palm smothered its song while I tried to soothe the anger rumbling in my chest.

Glancing up, I found Cassian holding a guilty hand midair. A sly smile twisted his lazy expression while the early noon mist raged into heavy rain outside. Thunder grumbled its grievances as Granny Bett's number one customer bellowed, "Fetch me three slices of Bett's famous pie, Win!"

My brow twitched. Still, my sickeningly sweet smile stayed. It was partly so the old croon in the kitchen wouldn't sniff out my poor attitude. Though, the truth behind my smile was to soothe the knight looming in the corner.

The copper knight looked awkward hunched over the dainty wooden table. The metal chair he chose to crouch in creaked with every breath he seized. Meanwhile, his gaze - those needlessly beautiful eyes - fluttered back and forth between me and his new admirer.

I admit, Rat's new infatuation was my fault. Sending her to scare off my unwanted guests will be added to the long lists of reasons why I'm not a hero. I should have handled it on my own by doing what I do best - hiding until they grew bored. 

But, never in my wildest of dreams, did I think the little rodent would fall for the knight over one measly compliment...

"I said Winnie isn't here so go away, Shorty!"

"And I said, you didn't, Brat!"

Cassian had been arguing with the little mouse much longer than any grown man should. His already red face grew deeper with every word. And, just like Rat, he refused to back down.

Honestly, if I wasn't scared Granny Bett was going to come bumbling out the kitchen any minute, I would have laughed.

"That's it! Either you move out of my way," Cassian ordered, "or I kick you out the way, myself."

"I'd like to see you try, fat-foot!"

"Why you little-"

"O-Okay," a familiar voice tapped in. 

Curious, I leaned forward to find that the copper knight had stepped between the two children. He looked much better than he had the other day. Well-rested and a lot cleaner. A pair of friendly hands rose high in the formidable air. A noble act that made my eyes roll.

Looking down at Cassian, the knight spoke with a careful tone that held a weight to it. "I'm growing tired. We should be heading back."

Cassian bristled but, before he could argue, the knight turned to Rat. The little girl's brows narrowed on him as he took a step closer. She even spread her arms out wide to block the remainder of the doorway - as if she could actually stop the giant from entering.

The knight didn't seem bothered by it, though. In fact, a smile peeked through the groomed beard while he crouched down to speak to her puckered face. "Sorry we bothered you, miss..."

It took Rat a moment to realize his silence stood with an iron-clad patience. "Rat," she finished proudly. "Miss Rat!"

Cassian raised a brow. "What kind of stupid na- oof!"

I couldn't tell what happened to Cassian at that moment. One second, he was staring down at the pair with impatient disdain and, the next, he was kneeling with them - his head hanging painfully low.

"Miss Rat," the knight nodded,"what a unique name."

Rat blinked, her large ears perking up at the new word. "Yoo-nek?"

"Unique. It means to be unlike any other - one of a kind."

"And, that's good? To be yoo-nek?"

The knight chuckled, then. The sound was deep, yet caressed my ears softly. It reminded me of footsteps treading on soft ground. "Very. It's very good."

I didn't really know what to think. 

To be honest, I've only had one encounter with a Witch Hunter and, let's just say, that he wasn't very kind. Compared to him, the Pie-Junkie before me didn't act like a Man of the Hunt. Instead, he seemed sort of...loving.

Alas, I shouldn't get ahead of myself. Even I was foolish enough once to fall for Rat's bittersweet innocence and look where that got me. For all I knew, the man was simply waiting for the proper time to strike.

My hand found its way over my foolish heart when Cassian took that moment to attack me in my weakest state.

"Well," he sang - his voice was a siren compared to his copper companion - "guess we'll head home now! Yep! Just two PAYING CUSTOMERS being TURNED AWAY! Sure wish I could have had a slice of GRANNY BETT'S famous pie! Too bad they were CL-"

"Welcome!" I bellowed, my voice aching to cover the sound of rattling plates, stomping tables, and raging candlelights. 

Rat jumped at the gust of wind that threw the heavy curtains into the air. Meanwhile, Cassian grinned knowingly. 

The copper knight was the first to look inside. I waved a frantic hand at him in hopes to distract him from the stream of magic seeping out of the kitchen. Thankfully, his pretty eyes caught my wide gaze and bright smile as the door flew further open to let him in. 

"T-Table for two, I'm guessing..."

Now, Rat sat (or, rather, stood) in the chair closest to the Witch Hunter. Golden eyes glistened at her own, copper-coated reflection as sticky hands tugged the red braid she'd tied together in a knot. Her smile was sickeningly sweet and so was her voice as she spoke a mile per second.

What a little traitor.

"Aye," Cassian snapped, "you deaf or somethin'?"

"I wish," I muttered absently. As much as I hated to, I slinked my gaze away from the odd pair and back to the horse-faced man.  

His dull eyes narrowed. "You're joking, right? That was a joke."

I raised my heavy brow. "Hm?" I hummed, my voice a delicious treat for prying ears. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you, sir."

Cassian pulled away then, seeming less than pleased with the sarcasm amongst my words. I could practically see the rusty wheels in his head turning before he gave up on conjuring a wicked comeback. 

"Make that four slices of pie," he huffed, albeit flustered and annoyed. "Two raspberry, one blueberry, and-"

"A slice of gooseberry for Mary." I nodded, reaching below the counter for three plates, three forks, and a parchment bag. "Did I guess right, Romeo?"

Cassian didn't answer. Instead, he smiled at the name of his brilliant wife. It was soft and made his long features almost bearable. Still, I was kind of surprised to find that even after two whole years into their marriage, Cassian still struggled with the worst case of love sickness I'd ever seen. 

Scared I may catch it, I made my way to the display case. I bent down to retrieve the pies, trying hard to ignore the ocean-like breeze that ran down my spine. I reached for the raspberry first when I decided to peek at my admirer. 

The copper knight's not-so sneaky gaze widened. His beard bristled in surprise while Rat tugged his sunburnt expression back to her. 

"Did you hear me?" she whined, tugging harder the messy braid. "I was talking to you!"

The knight swallowed, "N-No, my apologies, Miss Rat."

I couldn't help but notice Rat's cheeks bloom at the title she was given. She smiled shyly and, I admit, my lips, too, twitched into a small grin of sorts. 

"T-That's alright," Rat huffed finally. She straightened, failing to hide the mousy squeak that sometimes laced her bossy tone. "I'll start over just for you. But, you've got to listen this time!"

The knight tensed a bit at the order but smiled anyway. "Ah, as you wish, Miss Rat."

My heart skipped a beat at the tender tone he used when speaking to the girl. I tried my best to overlook it but something about the way he spoke to her made me recall an old friend of mine.

Like the knight, my childhood friend often had his words stolen by the winds and tended to have a soft spot for small things. Our friendship lasted a year, at best, but I often recall the days we were together. 

I wonder where fate had taken him after all these years. Has the blubbering boy travelled the world by now? Had he settled down somewhere quaint and quiet or did he prefer to ramble through large cities? After all these years, did my friend ever think about me?

I shook my head at my own foolishness. I nearly laughed! And, as a result, I gained another pesky onlooker. 

Cassian's dull eyes bore into mine as I slid his slice of Raspberry Pie across the counter. Typically, the slice would be sitting neatly on the porcelain plate. However, due to his vicious stunt earlier, I made sure his slice was top-side down. Bloody raspberry filling spilled out the sides of the innocent pie while its crust shattered to pieces. 

He didn't seem to care, though. His eyes were too focused on me to even notice that I had murdered his dessert. I tossed his fork over to him while gathering the rest of his order. Cassian merely smiled.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," he sang, his eyes still trained on me. "Thought I caught a bit of sunshine peeping through the window, is all."

My brows pinched together. "Ha-ha, very funny."

Out of everyone in Bloomsbury, Cassian was the only one brave enough to tease me. Or, perhaps it was stupidity that kept him coming here. Either way, he knows what I am and so does everyone else in Bloomsbury, for that matter. 

I've never tried to hide what I am from the kind townsfolk here. They didn't deserve that. However, they definitely didn't deserve to be punished by the unruly magic that tied the never-ending skies to my swaying heart.

Granny Bett refers to my magic as a blessing. Though, I'm pretty sure the neighbors would agree to call it a curse. 

It's been years since that fateful day in the fields. Since I lost a dear friend. Since I learned what a witch could truly become. Fifteen insufferable years since the days became filled with nothing but cruel winds and relentless rain.

Lightning flashed outside as if to prove my point to Cassian. To which, the grinning horse replied smoothly, "A guy can dream, can't he?"

"Sure," I shrugged, neatly placing the copper knight's pie onto his plate. "If his dreams are within reason, that is."

"Is that so?" Cassian hummed while shoveling a bite of filling into his mouth. "Then, is that what's got you grinning over there? Your reasonable dreams?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nope, afraid not."

Rat's slice of blueberry pie slid onto her pretty pink plate perfectly as Cassian whined. "Boo, you're no fun today."

"Well, sorry to disappoint."

"I thought for sure you'd be in a better mood. Mary was right, though. Like always, my little vixen!"

My stomach twisted with disgust. Cassian, on the other hand, seemed proud of the sickening nickname he'd given his wife. While he was busy beaming from ear to ear, I shoved the pastry bag with Mary's name on it over with caution.

"Please do yourself a favor," I sneered, "and never call Mary that to her face."

"That bad, huh?"

"Worse."

Cassian nodded firmly, taking my advice to heart. He began digging into his dessert. However, as I walked to the end of the counter with both pies in hand, I couldn't help but notice him studying me. 

I paused, raising one brow high in the air. "What?"

Cassian raised a brow in return. "You seriously don't know?"

"Hm?"

"Really?" His brow rose higher. "You don't recognize him?"

"Huh?" 

"Him!" he hissed, aiming his silver fork at the chest of the copper knight. "You really don't know who he is?"

Following the prongs of his fork, I saw that Rat had moved from her seat to the man's lap just so she could begin braiding the long curls of his beard. The knight didn't seem bothered by this, though, and instead listened intently to one of the child's tall tales. It was only when my gaze began to linger that I drew him astray. 

Those puddles of deep blue caught my gaze without warning. We both stiffened in surprise. Shame filled my chest and to hide it, I put on my best smile. I raised his slice of pie slightly as if to say, "I'll be there soon!"

The knight nodded shyly at the gesture but this only seemed to anger his new admirer. 

"Were you listening?" Rat tugged on the man's beard so hard that tears pricked his eyes. "You weren't, were you? You're such a pain! Now, I'm gonna have to start from the beginning."

"Sorry," the knight sighed, his broad shoulders pinching towards his chest. Rat loosened her grip only slightly, her gaze patient. "Ah, I-I mean, I'm sorry, Miss Rat."

Again, my lips twitched upward at the prideful grin taking over Rat's round face. I did my best to hide it as I turned to Cassian with a whisper. "You're talking about the Copper Knight, right?"

Cassian's brows became a straight line, his head tilting slightly to hear me better. "You don't recognize him."

It wasn't a question. Still, I answered his worried brow with a shrug. "Look, Granny Bett already told me people were talking. But, there's no need to worry. All I did was give the man a few pies. What's wrong with that?"

Silence sat between us. It was short-lived and only broke when Cassian stood from his seat. "Nothing," he huffed, "just thought you of all people would know that Cal hates pie."

Cal?

Cassian looked a bit disappointed as he took the two plates from my hands. "He'll eat this, though. So, don't worry."

Cal...Where have I heard that before? 

"You know, I knew it was a long shot," he sighed wistfully, "but, I was really hoping you'd remember."

Come on, Winnie, think!

"Guess that's just wishful thinking, huh, Win?"

 Cal...Cal-eb? No, that's not it...

"Win?"

Cal...Cal...Cal-

"What? No comment? No sly remark? No-"

"Oh! You mean, Crybaby Callan Calloway!"