M:   Luckily for Wolfgang, he didn't have to go outside to look for Esha, she and Ivor were slowly leading Sleipnir back to his family, the latter believing that he was healed enough to finish his recovery with them. 

"That's it bud, you can do it, just a little bit further," Esha encouraged her steed, "I've let Edel know you're coming, he's really excited, and he promised that the cubs won't jump on you either."

N:   Ivor smiled, "it's nice to see that he's looking forward to seeing somebody, and that the feeling is mutual." 

Suddenly Wolfgang came through the door, his hands on his knees as he slowly caught his breath. "Vater. Egg. Born," was all he said before pointing in the direction of the guest wing, "help."

M:   Esha was very confused about Wolfie's interjection, it took quite a while for her to put the pieces together, but when she did she nearly jumped in excitement.

"Oh my gosh, it's hatching now, ok ok I'm coming," she said, "Ivor, Edel's room is the second to last one on the right side of the hallway, it has a sign that says "guests keep out", just let Sleipnir inside, I got to go welcome a phoenix into the world." 

She ran off with Wolfgang, nearly crashing into a few servants on accident, and when they arrived at Alaric's room the eternal said, "I'm here, I'm here, did we miss the hatching?"

N:   "Nein, you did not," Alaric answered as he tentatively touched the phoenix egg, "but I do need your help. You have taught me quite a bit about what to do, but I realized I have no idea how to prepare for the hatching when it actually happens." 

The Saxon looked at her with plea, "hilf mir, bitte (help me, please)."

M:   "Of course I'll help," Esha reassured him, "it's not too much different than raising any other bird." 

She reached for Alaric's hand and had him rest it near where the egg was cracking, it vibrated faintly and the chick seemed to quicken its pace. After another minute or so, a little head poked through the shell, it was fuzzy like a chicken chick, looked like a crane chick, and was about as big as a full-grown sparrow. 

"Welcome to the world, little one," Esha smiled, helping to remove some of the egg, "meet your new family, they're going to take good care of you." 

She motioned for the Saxon to hold his hands out, and then she gently poured the chick out of the egg and into his palms.

N:   Alaric looked with awe at the chick in his hands, and he gently stroked it as it curled up in his palms.

 Wolfgang soon walked in and looked at the chick over his father's shoulder. "It's adorable," he smiled. 

"Ja, it is," the father smiled as he carefully set the chick down into a small nest he made, and it was small enough that it could be set on a single cushion.

M:   "It's surely a beauty," Esha agreed, "we won't really know its gender until it gains its adult plumage, which is about 5 to 8 months.  Until then it will get cold very quickly, it won't hurt it, it just won't grow very fast, so we got to make sure it gets all the heat it can." 

She reached into her bag and took out a bag full of dried bugs, "Fireflies, they may not be related to fire other than name, yet the bioluminescence that allows them to light up does help a phoenix chick to retain their body heat. For the first week you'll need to feed it once every three hours, then until the three-week mark it's every 5-6 hours, and after that, you can feed it three times a day like a normal pet. I know it sounds like a lot, but I'd be more than happy to help you if you become overwhelmed."

N:   "I think I'll be fine," Alaric replied as he retrieved the bag of fireflies, "besides, I did take care of a younger Wolfe, and trust me, this is easy." 

After a small 'hey' from Wolfgang, the older Saxon thanked them both for their help, so the son waved goodbye.

"You better not lose sleep over the phoenix, Vater," Wolfgang warned, to which the other just shrugged before placing a few fireflies near the phoenix, resting his head on his crossed arms.

M:   Since the Phoenix just hatched, its eyes were still closed and couldn't see the food, so it just kept crying out for food. Esha realized that she needed to help out Alaric a bit more than she thought, she kept forgetting that this seemingly independent and competent man was really going through life without a clue on what to do, she wouldn't say that out loud.

 She took a moment to show him how to properly feed the chick, by picking up the fireflies with tweezers and placing them in the bird's mouth, then carefully explained how to bathe and groom it, what to do if it starts getting too cold, and basic things to look out for that might be abnormal. 

"You should always remember, this little guy is connected to you deeper than just an ownership, it will respond to your love and care like it's nutrients for it, the more you truly love it, the healthier and stronger it will become, but if your love for it faulters, it will become weaker, and in return it will protect you and your family for generations, bringing you good fortune and happiness for as long as it lives."

N:   Alaric nodded as he returned to his 'head resting in crossed arms' self. "It would be nice to have some good fortune and happiness once in a while," he muttered, gently petting the phoenix, "and I'll give it all the love it wants."

M:   The chick chirped and rubbed against his hand in affection, Esha couldn't help but smile at this, she was a little confused about Alaric's behavior and how he seemed tired, but she didn't talk to him that much so thought nothing of it. 

"Well, congratulations then, with everything that's happened, I think a coping buddy is just what you needed," She said, patting his shoulder, "but remember, I'm here if you ever need help, and so is Wolfie, definitely don't forget to give you're son just as much love as the phoenix, trust me, I know how it feels to not have that." 

She patted him once more, then bid him ado and headed off to check on Sleipnir.

N:   Ivor was making sure that the eight-legged horse was comfortable in the room, looking over his injuries one more time before taking a step back so that the steed could properly reunite with his family. 

Meanwhile, Johann was making sure that the cubs weren't crushing Sleipnir, laughing as he carried Mira and placed her beside Edel. "I know you miss him," he spoke softly as he gave her chin scratches, "but give him some space to breathe." 

The blacksmith just smiled at the family, and when Esha, he greeted her. "You didn't tell me how cute the cubs were," he chuckled, "now I wish I could stay here all day."

M:   "Sorry about that, it kind of slipped my mind," she chuckled, "I'm sure no one would mind if you wanted to visit from time to time, right Edel." 

Edel rumbled in confirmation, after the help Ivor had given to his mate, he would be more than happy to let him hang around with the cubs. Sleipnir was so happy to be with his family again, he was doing his best to playfully nuzzle the children and give Edel kisses. 

Prudoria was watching from the couch with a smile, now back to his normal form, he was still feeling under the weather, but was doing well enough to watch the happy reunion.

"So, we've got a family added to and a family reunited, what else do you want to do today," Esha asked the blacksmith.

N:   Before the blacksmith could answer, there was a knock on the door, and soon stepped in Royal. Her demeanor serious, she turned to Johann, "You have to come with me." 

"Did something happen," the Mandorian asked, worried about the way the Brit spoke, "is it about my Father?" 

"No, it's about you," the hybrid corrected, "I just got news that charges have been pressed against you for assault by a Ms. Adeyrn Lloyd. Although you are protected by BE, you are not above the law, so you will have to face the consequences." 

The Mandorian's face was in utter shock by the news but then it quickly soured at the thought of Adeyrn, "So what now?" 

"You have to be supervised by either myself or Wilfred; BE was able to keep you out of jail but that's all he could do. Both your fathers have been informed and it's best to talk to them about what's in store for you." She paused for a moment, feeling bad that she had to treat Johann this way but sadly it was her duty. 

"Ms Lloyd has agreed to negotiate, but right now you're looking at a hefty fine for damages to property and self, and she has insisted that Johann should pay, and him alone," she quickly added as she glanced at Esha, "so no diamonds and rubies."

M:   "That bitch, Neflen and Odrus told me what happened, they said she wouldn't press charges," Esha snapped, "she can't get away with this, he attacked her in defense of Gwyn!" 

"What could you even do," Prudoria asked, "BE's been watching you ever since the 'head on a pike' incident, it's not like you can do that again." 

"BE can't stop me and he knows it, we have established many times before that I am more than capable of bringing down his entire empire by myself if I felt like it," the eternal growled, "besides, head on a pike is too quick for that banshee, I got something much more slow and agonizing in mind for her."

Again, before anyone could respond to her, the door opened and this time Derogan popped his head in. 

"Hey guys, has anyone seen Mandara, we were told about the issue with Johann and he just ran off, saying something like, "I gotta help him", I've been looking everywhere but I can't find him."

N:   Royal grumbled underneath her breath before answering, "No, I have no idea where Mandara is, and he better not be doing anything, or at least I should know what he's doing." 

The Brit then turned to Esha and blocked her exit, "I understand that you want to help Johann, and BE is fully aware that he can't stop you, but if you lay a finger on Ms. Lloyd, you will only create more problems. The only correct way to solve this is through legal methods." 

"What if, hypothetically, Esha met with Adeyrn before she met us and something just 'happened'," Johann suggested. 

"You would be setting a precedent that would be different to reverse," the Brit simply answered, "since I know your intentions, it would only strengthen her claim and I no longer can be viewed as the unbiased officer. If something happens to her, the people would wonder if the people under BE's protection are above the law, making the people question if he's a good king. This would only escalate, and we want to keep this as small as possible."

"Who cares about the people's opinion?" 

"You should. Ms Lloyd isn't particularly loved by the town, but if they hear that an Eternal has attacked her, they will turn against you," she turned to Esha, "both of you. You will also bring yourself into the legal system.  Countryhumans tend to be let off the hook but if you attack a British national, the best-case scenario for you would be banishment. Don't turn the people against us; you'll only make our job harder."

M:   "Woah wait, let's back up a bit," Esha interrupted, "Derogan, your brother said what?" 

"He said 'I got to help him'," the Mandorian repeated, "I'm worried that Mandara ran off to talk with the lady to try to change her mind. Johann and I were always the ones getting in the most trouble, and we tended to make a lot of the citizens angry when we were kids. Mandara was the peacekeeper, he had the cuteness and the kindness that convinced people to let us off. The thing is, the Mandorians saw countryhumans as demigods, so were more likely to listen to us, but from what Gwyn has told me, I'm worried our brother is going to get himself slapped or punched."

N:   "At least he isn't going to do something outlandish," Royal muttered as she stormed out of the room, "but seriously, why does everyone in this damn building want to put matters into their own hands?" 

Further away, Adeyrn was making her way to the compound with Wilfred as the Brit invited her so that they could make a deal about the 'Johann situation'.

M:   Mandara had asked around to see where Adeyrn lived and was just about to head out to her house when someone said she would be coming anyway, so he waited. 

When he saw her he walked over and bowed in respect, "Hello there Mis. Adeyrn, my name is Mandara, I'm brothers with Johann, I was wondering if I could talk to you about him?"

N:   "Johann's brother," Adeyrn raised a brow at Mandara, "well, if he really is your brother, he clearly doesn't have your manners." 

"But he is a kind man," Wilfred interjected, forcing a smile as he turned to the Mandorian, "Mandara, it's nice to see you. Maybe you can talk to Ms Lloyd later?" 

"No, no, I am open to talk about that Prussian," the Welshwoman said, making her own way indoors, "let's discuss inside so you don't kill us all in the cold." 

The Brit grumbled as he followed her in, leading them into the nearest common room and closed the door behind them. Once he had offered the Welshwoman some tea, which she swiftly declined, he made himself comfortable in one of the many armchairs. 

"You will officially discuss terms with Mr. Kress after your discussion with Mandara," he informed Adeyrn, then he turned to the Mandorian, "Don't screw this up."

M:   Mandara had to let out a breath of pressure, she was so much worse than any Mandorian he had encountered, so he weakly smiled at Wilfred and cleared his throat. 

"So, um, I heard about what Jo was being charged for, and I heard a little bit about what happened from Gwyn," he started nervously, "I admit that I think Jo went a little too far, but he really didn't mean to hurt anyone, he's always been protective of us. He's had a rough life, I know that's cliche but hear me out. He used to live in Saxon, but when Prussia invaded they took his parents away and killed them, he had no choice but to run away, but he always wished he could have done more to help them. Now when anyone he cares about is being hurt, he does whatever he can to help them, and sometimes doesn't realize how much force is being used."

The young country signed, he had gotten terrible at this, "what I'm trying to say is that he really didn't mean to hurt you or anyone else, he's so scared of losing the people he cares about, especially after the hell our family went to after Prussia. Please don't take it out on him, he means well but he just doesn't always know how to do well."

N:   Adeyrn only hummed along as Mandara spoke, and after he was done she took a moment to process what he said. 

"So," Wilfred spoke, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees, "what's your verdict, Ms Lloyd?" 

The Welshwoman faced the Brit, "I would still like to talk to Johann, and I'm not going to drop the charges." 

The Brit sighed as he quickly stepped outside to call a servant, asking them to bring Johann along with whoever he wishes.

M:   "Come on ma'am, work with me a little bit," Mandara pleaded, "my brothers have been getting into trouble their whole lives and I've been getting them out of trouble for just as long. There's got to be something I can do to get you to drop the charges ... um ... I heard you have a business, let me work for you, I can pay off any debt Jo has."

N:   Adeyrn was intrigued by the offer, after all now she's on her own since her daughter left, but before she could answer, Johann walked in along with Esha and Derogan. 

"When I said that you could bring anyone," Wilfred spoke cautiously, eyeing Esha, "I didn't literally mean anyone.""Don't worry about them," the Mandorian reassured before sitting opposite Adeyrn. He didn't bother hiding his disgust, "so what do you want?" 

"Is that how you address the person who literally has your life in their hands," the Welshwoman tutted, "anyway, new information about you has been brought to my attention, so I've decided. Leave my daughter alone and I will drop the charges." 

"Was?" Johann snapped, "It's not fair to bring Gwyn into this." 

"I can see that you're unstable, and what your brother said only supports this, and I don't want my daughter to be with an unstable man," she gestured at Mandara, "and your brother had volunteered to work for me in my shop, so the only thing you have to do is to leave Gwyneth and this will all be resolved."

M:   "Hey now, that wasn't part of the deal," Mandara said, standing up, "don't take Gwyn away from Jo, they care so much about each other, they would be heartbroken."

 "Besides, you have no right to dictate the relationships of others, from what I understand of British law Gwyn is not a dependent so you can't restrict her from seeing people," Derogan grunted. 

Mandara shushed his brother, saying that he had it under control, then stepped forward, "Even if Jo couldn't see Gwyn again, do you really think she's just going to go back with you like nothing happened, she said you made it clear that she wouldn't live with you anymore, not to mention you struck her first, Jo only defended her."

N:   "Sure, Johann defended her, but what he did completely outweighed what I did," Adeyrn defended herself, "and even if I can't do anything about who my daughter is with, I can still inhibit her on a lot of things, such as marrying you." 

Johann stood up in outrage, "There is no way you can do that. Leave Gwyn out of this. Stop controlling her life when she's finally free." 

"Calm down, Johann," Wilfred ordered as he got up from his seat, standing between them, "yes, Ms Lloyd can stop you from marrying Gwyneth. Since her father died, the responsibility of blessing your marriage lies on Ms Lloyd, and as long as she doesn't, the Church will not officiate the ceremony." 

He then turned to the Welshwoman, "However, I agree and see that there is no need to bring your daughter into this. You accused Johann of assaulting you, and that's it. So, what do you want?" 

Adeyrn stared at the Mandorian, then a smirk graced her lips, "Mandara made a good point earlier; it's quite the offer and I would take it but I think there should be a slight change. I want Johann to work for me, slowly paying off his debt to me from the sales he can make. That's my final offer." 

"Nein," Johann spat, "I would never work for a bitch like you," and with that he stormed off. The woman only shrugged in response, chuckling a bit at the sight of the Mandorian leaving the room.

M:   "Can I kill her now," Esha asked, to which was a unanimous and loud "no", so the eternal and Derogan left to go after Johann. 

"You're killing me here Mis, there's got to be something we can work out," Mandara said in exasperation, "my brother was a slave of Prussia for three years, doing god knows what to him and our fathers, I don't want him to suffer like that again. I especially don't want him to lose another lover, he had a girl named Elisabeth back home, she was a cadet so was surely killed by Prussia. He's been through so much suffering, please don't bring him more." 

He got down on his knees and put his hands together as if he was praying, "Please, if you had even a resemblance of a heart, let me do what I can to protect my brother, please don't be like Prussia, don't hurt him just for fun."

N:   Adeyrn only smiled at the country, not a single ounce of warmth behind her eyes, "If you so insist, you will do. But I warn you, you will be working for a long time." 

Wilfred frowned at the statement but couldn't do anything, "so it is decided, Johann will not pay the fine and Mandara will work for you until the debt has been paid off, and not a penny more. Is that understood?" 

"Nice doing business with you, gentlemen," the Welshwoman smirked as she got up and made her leave, and before she left, she turned around one more time, "work starts at 9 am sharp. I dislike slackers." 

Once she was gone, the Brit sighed, happy that the stubborn woman was finally out. "You ok there, Mandara," he asked as he patted the other's shoulder.

M:   Mandara slumped down and sighed, both in relief that Johann was no longer in trouble, but it was also a "what have I done" sigh. 

"I don't know Wil," he murmured, staring at the ground, "I never encountered someone like that back home, normally the worst punishment I had to pay for my brothers was catching a bunch of pigs that they let loose into the wild from a farm." 

The young country rested his head in his hands, "Not even three days and I have to leave my family again, I'm sure she's going to make me work as long as possible, I probably won't have much time to spend with everyone. Why do my brothers have to be like this, why do I always have to clean up their messes, it's just not fair."

N:   "You never had to, you know that, right," Wilfred replied, "but it's because you care for them that you would go out of your way to help them; you know that they're going through things and you want to alleviate their pain. But remember, you don't have to be their parent, that's where Mandoria and Rowen step in and you can live out your own life." 

The Brit sighed as he sat back down, "but you did agree to work for Ms Lloyd and there is nothing I can do about that. I'm sorry."

M:   "Yeah, only problem is that I forgot that RoV is going to be taking us back to Greece by the end of the week," he chuckled weakly, "he said he would give us time to spend with our family, then he would take us and Deutsche and A-H back so we could pack our stuff there and come back here." 

Rubbing his face in exasperation, then stood up, "well, I guess I should go get ready for work now, I'll see you later Wil."

N:   Wilfred was about to say something, but figured that the situation was hopeless, so he just sighed, "see you around, Mandara."

M:   While Mandara did that, he didn't have time to tell anyone about the deal, so most of the people went along as normal. 

Prudoria finally left Edel's room and headed to the infirmary to see how everyone was doing. There were certainly less people there, it was mostly just those who were being treated for the collar venom, and Askad was still there as well, still asleep. He went to his fathers first to check on Mandoria, then he went over to Anglo and Saxon to see how they were holding up.

N:   Anglo was still resting up from the ball, and Saxon was sat close by, keeping an eye on the insurgents while holding onto the Englishman's hand. 

They were in the middle of a conversation when Anglo noticed Prudoria approaching, so he smiled at the Prussian, stretching out his hand as he laid there. 

"It's nice to see you, Pruds," he smiled, "also, could you tell this man that it wasn't his fault that I was captured." 

"I shouldn't have left you alone," the entity sighed, looking away from the pair, "and I should have dealt with the Alastair problem but I didn't. It's my fault you were hurt."

M:   "It wasn't you're fault, Saxon, BE had the whole place guarded, but they caught us off guard," Prudoria said, "it was crazy really, Alastair and his gang popped out of portals and started blasting the guards with the energy ball that I hit Prussia with. The guy went on to boast that Prussia had "gifted" them with magic, later on, the goons left to guard us said that their magic would be taken away once the mission was complete." 

Prudoria glanced at Anglo, "If it's anyone's fault it's mine, I had magic that was equal if not more powerful than their temporary energy, but I was too afraid to use it, only gathering the courage when the goons switched sides and gave me their magic." 

The young country hugged Anglo and began to cry, "I'm sorry Vater, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, I'm such a coward, I'm so sorry."

N:   Anglo embraced the hug, giving Prudoria a slight squeeze, "it's ok, mein Sohn (my son), it wasn't your fault and neither were you a coward. Things happened and we weren't prepared for it, but look at me now, I'm fine." 

The Englishman placed a small kiss on the Prussian's forehead before resting his chin on his head. "You're such a brave boy, you hear me," he reiterated, "you did everything you could and Prussia is gone. You are not a coward, nein, you're courageous."

M:   Prudoria sniffled a little, Anglo's words helping immensely to calm him down. 

Mandoria and Rowen watched as the two embraced, did they feel jealous that Prudoria was more affectionate to Anglo than them, perhaps, it did sting a little bit, but if that's what it took for their son to be happy then they would be happy. It wasn't like the young country was choosing Anglo over them, he still referred to them as his fathers, and he was definitely closer to the Mandorian brothers than he was to England and Saxon, it just was going to take a bit to get used to. 

Their thoughts were interrupted when Johann, Derogan, and Esha walked in, the older brother trying to convince his younger one to reconsider Adeyrn's terms. 

"- You know good and well that Mandara is going to offer himself in your place, you can't keep letting him take the fall for your screw-ups," he told the other, "I know I got no room to speak here, I was just as bad as you, but I learned that eventually I needed to grow up and take responsibility for my actions, especially when we were living on the road like a bunch of Gypsies. Are you gonna man up and pay your depts, or are you going to let our little brother slave away for something he didn't do?"

N:   "Look, I feel bad about Mandara cleaning up my mistakes, but there is no way I'm going to work for Adeyrn," Johann replied as he made his way towards his fathers. 

When Derogan tried to convince him to reconsider, a small grumble emanated from the Mandorian's throat until he snapped. "NEIN," he yelled, "I will never work for her." 

When he had realised what he had done, he took a deep breath to calm himself down before quietly apologising. "Es tut mir leid," he spoke quietly, "it's just that ... I can't work for her with a clear conscious. Adeyrn abused Gwyn her whole life. She was a twin but her brother died shortly after birth, so her father made her brother's name her middle name, Erin." 

"But her mother make her live up to the impossible standards that she imagined Erin would reach, and whenever she screwed up, she would wish that Gwyn was the twin who died." Johann sighed as he recounted the story, "when her father died, Adeyrn had free reign on what she could do to Gwyn, and she made sure to make every day of her life wish that she was the one who died, whether it be verbally or physically." 

Glancing at his older brother he added, "don't tell anyone else this; Gwyn really doesn't want people to know and pity her, but you can see why I despise the woman."

M:   "Johann, just because you detest someone, does not give you an excuse, to not atone for your sins," Mandoria stated, "yes, you make excellent points, I couldn't agree more with them, but you still did something bad and you still need to atone for it. Violence should never be used as a punishment for violence." 

"You guys can yap all you want but we all know how aggravatingly stubborn Johann is," Esha grumbled, "we're just wasting time trying to convince him to do what that bitch demands, what we need to do is find a way to nullify the charges, like claiming self-defence, Gwyn can help us out with that." 

----- 

Meanwhile, down in the nearby town, Deutshe and A-H were taking a walk with Wolfgang, Erna, and Heinrich. The german prince had invited them to take a stroll and try to dispell the negativity between them all, and he was actually trying hard to be friendly and understanding. 

"I got to say, you all are lucky to live here, it's so beautiful," he said with a genuine smile, "do you guys work anywhere or do you do business at the castle?"

N:   Heinrich avoided any form of communication with the German while Erna and Wolfgang glanced between them. Even if Deutsche was trying to help out, they couldn't help but feel the tension between them. 

"Umm, Erna and I had decided to join BE's army," Wolfgang answered, "being knights is all we've really done so we might as well put our skills to use in this kingdom." 

"Although it does mean BE would have to do a background check on us," Erna grumbled, "since we did technically commit treason." 

----- 

"We could, but we got to see if Gwyn is fine with it," Johann replied, "she only wanted her mother out of her life. Anyways, let's go and find her." 

Mandoria was still being treated, and Rowen stayed behind, so the trio went to find the Welshwoman, and after several minutes of searching, they eventually found her in the dining hall. 

Wearing her cadet uniform, she looked like she was in a serious conversation with Wilfred, and when she saw the group approaching, her eyes filled with worry. 

"My mother pressed charges against you," Gwyn asked, as if asking what she heard was true, "why can she just leave us alone?" 

"I don't know," Johann sighed as walked up to her and crouched, placing a hand on her knee, " but we were thinking about how you should claim self defence so that your mother's claim could be nullified." 

Before Gwyn could say anything, Wilfred interrupted with a cough. "Yeah, but it seems like we got a tiny issue about that," the Brit uneasily smiled, "Mandara had already agreed to work for Ms Lloyd."

M:   "Well yeah, he said that like three different times, but Adeyrn already made it clear that she wanted Johann, not Mandara," Derogan stated, not quite understanding what Wil meant. 

"He's saying that Adeyrn agreed to it, numbnuts," Esha reiterated, "good lord, Johann always said you were think-headed." 

"Excuse you, that was extremely unnecessary," the Mandorian spat. 

"Maybe next time you shouldn't be so dumb," she grumbled, "But that's beside the point, can I please kill that succubus now, just a snap of my finger and boom, instant heart attack, then all our problems are solved and she doesn't have to hurt anyone anymore." 

---- 

"Well, considering who you betrayed, I feel like BE would consider that a heroic deed," A-H commented, "you helped rescue the Mandorian's, you did a service to everyone."

 "I agree, I don't think you have to worry about treason," Deutshe said, "besides, I heard that General Royal has an act of treason on her resume and look where she is." 

They continued walking until they happened upon an antique shop, and when Deutshe mentioned it to A-H his eyes lit up. 

"Oh I do enjoy antique shops, can we stop inside for a moment, I want to bring something home to my Apu (Father)," he requested.

N:   Heinrich rolled his eyes at the comment, "stupid Austrio-Hungarians with their stupid antiques," he muttered before opening the door and was surprised to see who was inside. 

"Mandara, what are you doing here," Erna spoke up, voicing Heinz's thoughts, and she walked up to the till, reaching for the bandages on his face, "and what happened to you? Were you hurt?" 

-----

 There was a clear 'no' for everyone, although some more forced than others. 

"It wouldn't hurt to claim self defence," Wilfred spoke, "if anything, it would reduce the compensation Johann owes to Ms Lloyd, but self defence is a fickle thing. It depends on the amount of force Johann used." 

The two glanced at each other, the Mandorian trying to smile despite knowing that he definitely went over the board, but he held Gwyn's hand. 

"Do you want to do this," Johann asked, "you said that you didn't want things to escalate and this would only do just that." 

"Listen, Jo, as long as you're the one who is in trouble, I can put my issues with my mother aside," the Welshman replied confidently, then she sighed, "but let's get this over and done with." 

Wilfred nodded, "I'll get BE onto this since he has the power to nullify Ms Lloyd's allegations, especially since the repayment is already underway. I'll get him now," and with that the Brit quickly rushed out of the room.

M:   "Ah, it's just a scratch, I ... cut myself on a price tag, it's nothing really," Mandara reassured them, though his eyes did look a little red as if he was crying, "as to why I'm here, it's a long story. Apparently, Johann got into a bit of trouble with the store owner and she pressed charges against him. My brothers were always getting in trouble back home and I was always the one who bailed them out of it. So long story short, I'm here to work off the knucklehead's fines." 

"But why, shouldn't your brother atone for his crimes himself," Deutche asked. 

"Well, yeah, but Johann suffered far worse than we did, Deutche, you know how your father is with prisoners," Mandara pointed out, "I don't want him to be burdened any more than he already is." 

With that, he forced a smile and walked back to the register, "anyway, let me know if you need help finding anything, we just got a new donation of clothing and some beautiful pieces of jewelry. The wedding rings are on table number five, Wolfie."

N:   "A- wait what? Wedding rings," Wolfgang stuttered, suddenly becoming flustered while Erna's face also turned red, "seriously Mandara?" 

"You've been together for so long. Get married already," Heinrich chuckled as he inspected some of the jewellery, and when he turned to see his friend, he laughed even louder at the sight of Wolfe discreetly glancing at the wedding rings.

While the boys were messing around, Erna leaned closer to the Mandorian, "you can tell us what happened. I have seen many wounds in my life, and a simple scratch doesn't need bandages. What really happened to you?"

M:   "It's nothing, Erna, really, I'm fine," Mandara tried to reassure her, "you don't have to worry about me, everything's fine." 

"Mandara, you know you're a terrible liar," Deutsche stated, walking up to Mandara and hugging him, letting him rest his head on his chest, much to the annoyance of A-H, "let it out, we're here for you." 

Once Mandara was in the comfort of the German's arms, he finally broke down and began to cry, doing his best to explain what happened.

"I-I got here at 9 j-just like she asked, but she said it was 9:10," he sobbed, "s-she hit me, she hit me hard and I-I knocked over a glass case, she m-made me clean it with my bare hands." 

When he heard this Deutsche looked at Mandara's hands, he was wearing gloves but under them they were wrapped in bandages too. 

"T-there's nothing I can do," the young country cried, "I have to work for her now, for a long time, I can't go back to Greece to pack, I'm trapped here."

N:   "Nein, I won't let that happen," Erna frowned, "we're getting you out of here and taking you back to Greece, besides, there is no way Adeyrn can do that." 

"Ernie, she can," Wolfgang sighed as she walked over to them, "there isn't any laws that protect workers in the workplace, and since Mandara is her employee, she can do whatever she wants. If he were to press charges against her, there is nothing in place to support him." 

The woman stared at him in horror, and soon Adeyrn herself appeared at the bottom of the stairwell behind the register, a smirk on her face. 

"The Prussian is correct," the Welshwoman spoke, "now, if you want to buy something, please, go ahead, otherwise I ask you to leave my shop."

M:   Deutsche stared at Adeyrn with an incomprehensible amount of hatred in his eyes, and if it weren't for Mandara begging him not to do anything rash, he certainly would have murdered her where she stood. 

"Oh we'll buy something alright, but only to get my dear friend out of this hellhole, right A-H." 

"Yes," the Austrian agreed, even if he didn't like Mandara much, he wouldn't accept a countryhuman being tortured like this, "now Ma'am if you would kindly point me to the most expensive item in this store, I belive that would be a good place to start."

N:   Adeyrn narrowed her eyes at A-H and Deutsche but shrugged, as long as she was able to get a sale, it was fine by her. 

Walking through them, she directed them to a case, placed right at the back and barracked off with stanchions and red ropes. In the mantle piece was a wooden structure of a hand, and on each wooden finger was a golden ring, each holding a decently sized jewel except one. 

"What's so special about them," Wolfgang scoffed, "they're just rings." 

"Sure, they're rings," Adeyrn rolled her eyes, "but they're value is due to the person who wore them. These five rings are the Lesser Rings of Normandy, worn by the Dukedom of Normandy himself. His ceremonial ones are held in London, and although these were his everyday rings, they are just as valuable." 

"How did you even get those," Erna asked, sceptical about their authenticity, "it's not everyday that a commoner gets the king's rings." 

"They were gifted by Sir England himself. It was a reminder of when he was defeated, so naturally he wanted it out of his sight. You can ask him yourself." 

Grabbing a key from her pouch, she carefully opened the case and removed one of the rings, the only one which didn't bear a precious jewel but instead had three golden lions embossed on it. 

"This one cannot be sold as it bears the royal insignia, and we don't want it going around, do we," Adeyrn smirked before returning the right and picking up another one. This time it was gold with intricate designs of lions engraved into it, and topped of with a ruby. 

"You can buy this one," she said, then she turned to the Austro-Hungarian, "it will be 100,000 guineas." 

All the Saxons started at her as if she was crazy, unable to imagine the unfathomably large price. 

"Can that pay off Johann's fines," Heinrich asked. 

The Welshwoman ignored him as she focused her attention on A-H. "It's the most expensive item I have; worn by the Bastard himself. So, will you buy it?"

M:   "Done," A-H said simply, which shocked even Deutsche."Really A-H, I know that I said we should help, but that's a lot," the German stated. 

"No, not really, not for me at least," the other shrugged, "it's only a mere 128.99 krone, and since Mandara is close to BE he can get that converted into guineas easily." 

"Sometimes, I forget how vain my friend is," Deutsche whispered to Heinrich, "he could give Spanish Empire a hard time."

N:   "He sure can," Erna agreed as she watched Adeyrn carefully close the case and lock it, and making her way to Mandara. While the Mandorian made the transaction, she packaged the ring, having it held in a slick black box no more than the palm of her hand and handed it over to A-H. 

"Well," Heinrich raised a brow, "has that paid off Johann's fines? Is Mandara free?" 

"Yes and yes," the Welshwoman grinned, glancing at the coins in the register, "the value of the ring was ten times greater than the fines, so I guess I should thank you for supporting my business." 

Wolfgang clicked his tongue, swiftly making his way to the door, "now let's get out of here before I burn this place to the ground."