The day decided to be filled with rain when I woke up in the morning a few days later. Many would probably view this type of weather as dreary and bitter yet, the people of Phoenix Drop saw it as something different. The children played in the beaten cobblestone paths, the women and men laughed at every silly inconvenience it brought to the reconstruction process, and even the pets were enjoying the sprinkling that kissed their furs. Thorgi took this as an opportunity to prance around, licking up at the sky to try and get a taste. When I would stand still to talk with someone or just to take a breath, he would run underneath my skirt as a way to be funny. At least, I assumed it as much. I found the atmosphere that the rain brought as...refreshing. No one seemed to be stressed or overwhelmed. Something that we had all been struggling with as we tried to return to what was seen as normal. It was the first time I'd seen some of the people smile since I had returned from my journey. I even had to admit it was the first time I had felt absolute relief since that day as well.

And with the rain it seemed, brought in more and more...interesting happenings.

"Kiki! You're here!" Brendan shouted all of sudden, dropping the pale of nails that he was holding. Donna and I took a pause from repairing the fences around the scorched fields to see what he was on about. A woman, probably no older than me, with short,pixie-like hair the same shade as rubies stood not too far from us. She was almost tackled in a hug from Brendan as he almost seemed to be overcome with emotion with her presence. "I can't believe you came all this way—"

"Brendan, when I get a message from my brother that his home is practically destroyed, I had to come as soon as possible," She, or I guess, Kiki, said, a bright smile on her face as she playfully hit him. "Besides, I only live outside of Scaleswind. It wasn't a hassle to get here, I can assure you. And thank Irene I came, you all seem to be in a real pickle here."

I looked to Donna for a bit more of an explanation to only see that she had gone to greet Kiki herself. She let out her hand, a big smile on her face as well, as she said; "So you must be the sister I keep hearin' 'bout? No wonder Brendan never hosted ya! You're too cute to be in a place like this!"

Kiki took her hand and shook it shyly, blushing a bit from the compliment as she sweetly replied with; "And you must be Donna. Brendan has written to me about you before. You've got a nice grip there! No wonder you're the head farmer—"

"Co-head farmer," Brendan quickly corrected, Donna nodding in solidarity to only secretly wink at Kiki with a smirk moments later. I took this opportunity to come up myself, saying; "Good morning, my name is Aphmau. I'm glad to hear that your travels were well."

"Ah, another sweet girl! Brendan, I had no idea that you worked with such fine young women," Kiki giggled, her laughs sounding like her name. " Kee kee kee !"

She dressed like her soft personality. A rosey-pink tunic that matched her hair quite well and she wore almost purple ballerina flats. What made me smile was that over her mud-stricken and worn skirt was an apron with a small heart embroidered on. "I apologize for not warning you about my visit, Brendan. I thought though that you all could use my help as soon as possible."

"We could always use an extra set of hands," Donna said, wiping her own on her skirt to get rid of extra dirt on them. Brendan though went on to say; "Kiki, or formally known as Katherine, here is known to be a little bit of an animal whisperer, Donna. I believe she would be most helpful with the barn and those arrangements?"

"Oh, really? What type of animals do you...whisper to?" Donna asked, as politely as she could. In her defense, it was a strange thing to just pop into the conversation. Kiki though took it with grace and shrugged, saying; "Brendan is being dramatic. I just have a sense with them. Our parents raised us on a farm and I put most of my efforts into understanding and learning from animals. It's truly just how you approach them. That's all."

"Brendan does have that effect with things," Donna grumbled, side glancing the now embarrassed look man besides his sister. "I see no reason why you can't help me with designing a new barn for our livestock. I am no expert with them, that's for sure. Of course, there's some foundations that we'd still like to use, if that's okay."

"Of course, that would be no trouble," Kiki said, almost hopping excitedly on her toes.

"Aphmau, could you go inform Rowan that Kiki is here and will be staying with Brendan and I while she stays?" Donna asked me. "I'm going to show her around the farmlands so she can get a better idea of what we're dealing with here...Brendan, you can stay and keep up the repairs of the fence yourself until Aphmau returns."

"W-What? Why can't I—"

"You heard Kiki. I'm the head farmer," Donna replied smoothly. She smirked at his annoyed expression as he saw no way of convincing her otherwise. I even heard his sister giggle as well. "So, shall we, Kiki? Or do you like Katherine?"

"Kiki is perfect," The redhead assured Donna, taking her arm. She then turned to me and said; "We'll have to get to know each other sometime soon. I would love to hear about that wolf pup when I get back."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Oh...you know...your pet?" She said, pointing to Thorgi who was just as my feet. Wagging his tail, unaware of the conversation happening above him. "I actually worked with them before. Very loyal animals once you train them. I can help of course!"

"I-I would appreciate that...now that I actually have confirmation that he's actually a wolf."

She laughed again, nodding her head. "Well, I'll see you later. What would you like to show me first, Donna?"

"Do you want to see the ruins of our barn first or the piles of burnt wheat first?"

—

After asking around, I was told that Rowan was with Dale by the walls of the village. They had taken a break from the residential areas of the village to see if there could be anything done to improve on the wall. I immediately headed over there and as predicted, there the two were, having a discussion about it all.

"Rowan, I can assure you, I was born and raised here by my family. These walls have never been actually...completed. Ever. In thirty years. You don't need to put pressure on yourself to finish them now," Dale sighed, looking over the map of the village. Rowan though shook his head and said; "This is as good a time as ever to get them done, Dale. Of course, the village comes first but, if we have any remaining supplies, we could possibly just get a little more progress done."

"We barely have supplies to begin with," Dale mumbled, folding the map a bit angrily.

Rowan, seeing his friend look a bit frustrated, looked around to find a way to change the subject and his eyes fell on me. "Miss Aphmau! So good to see you! Is there something you need to tell us? How is the fence going?"

I tried my hardest not to laugh at the giant glare Dale was giving the blond, who looked more like a brunette with his rain-soaked hair. I pulled it together to say; "It's going just fine. I actually came here to tell you that Brendan's sister, Katherine, is here. Kiki, actually is her name. And she'll be staying in Brendan and Donna's tent while she stays here."

"Oh great! I remember Brendan saying that she's—"

"An animal whisperer?" I beat him to the punch. "A bit of a dramatic statement. She is good with animals though and knows how to care for them. Including how their shelter should look. Donna is showing her around the farm as we speak."

"Perfect," Rowan sighed, looking relieved. He then turned to Dale and asked; "Have we...found our livestock since the attack?"

"Uhhh," Dale stalled. "I'll get...back to you on that."

He then rushed off. Probably to go find out who was in charge of that task. Rowan though was left with now a stressed expression on his face. "I mean...cows and sheep couldn't have gone far. Right?"

"I at least know a guy we can go to about chickens," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He took a deep breath and when he exhaled, I saw just how deep the color of his eyebags had gotten the past couple of days. And how...sickly he looked. Again, it could have been due to the rain but, I doubt it did much. He took a seat on a stack of logs, adjusting his sling correctly before combing his hair back and looking up at me. "T-Thank you, Miss Aphmau. I appreciate you coming over here and telling me—"

"Have you been resting at all?" I asked, admittedly abruptly. "Zoey wouldn't be happy seeing you looking like this."

He pressed his lips together, before saying; "I'm fine, Aphmau. As head guard it's my job to look over these tasks."

"I could be wrong," I say, crossing my arms, raising a brow; "but I believe it's a Lord's job to overlook the construction of a village."

I took a seat besides him, Thorgi join us by sitting between the two of us. He licked happily at Rowan's crooked nose, him giving a small smile in return before petting him. "Unfortunately, until a new Lord decides to appear or until Levin becomes of speaking age, I have to take over most of those roles. And it's truly no issue by me. It's nice to have this responsibility. It distracts me from...well, my thoughts."

I frowned. "Your shoulder could get worse."

"It's wrapped and I'm not doing any strenuous labor," He told me. "Trust me, Zoey would have my head if she ever heard of me doing things like that."

"Oh, so Zoey scares you?" I asked, finding that statement intriguing.

"When she's angry, yes," He admitted quickly. "Trust me, Miss Aphmau. She scares a lot of people here when she's pissed off. You just haven't seen it yet."

I laughed quietly, petting Thorgi's back as I casually said; "So, I shouldn't tell her that I overheard from Molly that she saw you carrying some planks of wood down the street earlier today? Or that yesterday Donna saw you lifting two buckets of stone on your shoulders?"

He went wide eyed before peering at me with a teasing smirk; "You wouldn't."

"Never. But, just know that I have it logged in my mind. I'll use it if it comes to it," I say, teasing right back. The two of us shared a nice laugh but, I couldn't help but know deep down that he really shouldn't be pushing himself this hard. If he wanted to return to his role at full health before his injury, all this labor and work probably wasn't for the best. I feared that his shoulder might never be at what it was if he kept it up. "But, truly, Rowan...you should rest for the rest of the day. Go back to the guard station. I'm sure we can take it from here."

"Miss Aphmau, I do appreciate the sentiment but, if I don't regulate it as much as I have, we might go long into the summer and then we have to worry about the heat and worries that come along with it," He told me, looking worried once more. He looked off towards the town square where the children were playing, their parents building nearby and watching them. "I can't fail this village again. They've lost so much and I can't just sit by and not fix it."

"But you really should—"

"I said I'm fine," He snapped, turning his gaze towards me. His blue eyes looked almost desperate as he looked at me. It was strange, hearing that tone come from him. Since I had met him...hell, even when we had that discussion on the beach, he had never used such rigor before when talking. "It's my job, Aphmau. I can worry about my shoulder when it falls off."

He rolled his eyes and pressed his tongue to his cheek. It was so...wrong to see him this frustrated. A smart person would probably just let it go and let him ruin his life on his own. Unfortunately for him, I don't really consider myself that intelligent.

I couldn't help but respond with the same tone as I snipped back; "Well, I don't want your shoulder to come off. I don't think anyone here wants that. And I don't think it will help them. As much as you think you have failed this village, which we will get to at a later time , you'd fail them by not getting better and returning to your role as head guard at full health. So, please, for the rest of the day, go home and take some time to relax. Or at least just sit here with me in the rain where I can see you not get yourself in harm's way."

He seemed appalled by my response, fully turning to me as he stated; "I do not believe you have the authority to tell me what I can and cannot do. I am fully capable of understanding my condition and when to step away. I am certainly not going to get worse by any means."

"Are you a doctor, Rowan?"

"Are you?"

"No. I'm just a woman trying to not let another person she cares about get hurt again. Or worse. So please, just sit here with me if you hate your home so much. If anyone needs you, they can come here and get you," I say, standing my ground, ending it with a huff as I looked out in front of me instead of him. He sat there, jaw agape as he tried to find the words to say after that. I gave him a sideways glance, a little smile slowly creeping its way onto my lips as I said, cheekily; "Laurance did teach me one thing it seems. Look at you. You're speechless, admit it."

He shook his head in disbelief, letting out a huff of air as he said under his breath; "You're really something, Miss Aphmau."

I was about to add something else but was interrupted by the sound of horses trotting their way closer. The two of us turned our heads to see a small calvary of brown, white, and black stallions with green and gold banners make their way to the...what should be the gates of Phoenix Drop. Men sat proudly on their saddles as they rode in, the armor they wore still shined brightly, even in the damp weather. Carts of wood, stone, and barrels were being pulled behind them. Rowan and I stood there in shock, Thorgi going underneath my skirt yet again, his tail poking out by my feet. They stopped not too far from us and when they did, I got a good look at one of the banners and immediately recognized the sunflower that decorated it.

"What are the Zvhals doing here?" I asked Rowan, carefully.

"That is what I'm worried about," He whispered back, swallowing a bit before stepping forward. "G-Good morning, gentlemen. We w-weren't expecting your arrival. Is there something I should—"

"That won't be necessary," A voice spoke up.

Cadenza Zvhal came forward on a white stallion, looking almost regal as she pulled the hood of her dark green cloak off her head, showing off her flame-like hair. Seeing me, she smiled, giving me some relief. She said to me, kindly; "It's good to see you in fine health, Miss Aphmau."

"Thank you...but, I do have to ask, for Rowan's sake here, why have you come? And without warning?" I asked, hesitantly as I stepped forward myself. It didn't help that I tripped slightly over Thorgi as I did. "Do you and your father visit neighboring villages often?"

She only chuckled and for a moment, I could hear Laurance's. It made me wonder how much influence she had over him growing up. She took a moment to get off her horse, Rowan being polite and helping her. She looked at him afterwards and said, smirking; "I see you decided to get some sun. Sad to see that the weather didn't agree with those plans...It's nice to finally meet you, Ser Rowan Withers."

"And it's a pleasure to meet you again, Miss Zvhal. But, some clarity would be very much appreciated," The blond said and I could tell he was trying his best not to panic right there and then. Cadenza assured him by placing a soft hand on his, saying; "I believe my father received a message not too long ago from you and Miss Aphmau about Phoenix Drop and the attack you suffered. And based on what I heard from Lord Irving, these attackers don't seem too different from the very ones that took my brother away."

"And for that, I am very sorry—" I then erupted, thinking that I might have had to diffuse something. She raised her other hand to me though and said; "You have nothing to apologize for. It was truly an accident. Besides...my father and I weren't ignorant to the fact that Laurance's role was a dangerous one. I'm sure you understand that completely, Ser Rowan."

"Y-Yes, Miss Cadenza–uh, Zvhal," Rowan said, trying to find his wording and manners desperately. I could not tell if that remark from Cadenza was purposely placed onto Rowan or if it was just made up in my head. Either way, I admired her for it. At least she wasn't seeing red when she saw the two of us.

"Moving along," She spoke up, placing her hands in front of her, folded and over her matching dark green dress. "It is the duty of the Meteli high born, I believe, to help the villages in their land. Especially in times of need such as this. Am I correct?"

"I-I believe so but, this is no small task," Rowan told her. "It would truly be too much to ask of you and your father to—"

"Phoenix Drop is just as important as any of the other villages. So, we have come with supplies and extra hands to help with the reconstruction process. And I am here to oversee it as I am under the impression you are still without a Lord. Unless, you, Ser Rowan, have stepped up to the role," She explained, looking to the soaked blond. He awkwardly shook his head. She again just smiled, saying; "Well, you have at least drawn up some plans, have you not?"

"O-Of course, Miss–"

"Perfect. You can show them to me as we make our way to the campsite. You do have space for me, do you not?"

"You want to stay at the campsite? We have a guard station which is much warmer then—"

"I assume the guard station smells of sweat and dirt, correct? My tent supplies come with lavender and vanilla candles. I can assure you, I am quite fine with those arrangements." She then looked to me again, her hair whipping around with her as she did. Her face went soft as she said; "Remember, Miss Aphmau. Look towards the light. Just like our sunflowers. Brighter things are approaching."

Cadenza then gave me a wink before giving some direction to her men of where to take the supplies. Rowan of course helped her with that. She then gave her attention back to him, asking the question; "Shall we? I would like to see these plans of your's."

"Yes, r-right this way, Miss Zvhal," He said. There was a small mix up with formalities as he first gave her the arm that was in the sling. She couldn't help but laugh at his expense, quietly, before doing him a favor by joining him on his other side and taking his arm.

I joined the two close behind as he gave her a tour of our village and I saw the excitement on her face as she saw every new place. And all the people. It was then I realized we were in good hands. And maybe now, Rowan could have a break. Thank Irene.