Knight-Master Lei's country residence was relatively humble for a man of his standing, especially after his recent elevation to oversee the district stretching across the middle of the country. Still, with a full village within its low stone walls, the estate was far more extensive than any other family residence the boys had previously visited.

Song-hee could not hide his amazement at the buzz of activity surrounding their arrival. Junseo managed to bluff it out but started re-calibrating his estimation of his mentor's status. Manager Doak pointed the boys to the east-wing and told them to let the grooms take the horses.

"Even Rufus?" Junseo asked knowing how particular the retired war horse was about his handlers.

"Don't worry, they are used to him here. You can take over his care once you are properly settled." Manager Doak left the boys to sort themselves out as he went over rescue his friend from the siege of senior staff members who wanted their Lord's attention.

The boys wandered around their assigned apartment block, opening, and closing the beautifully painted screens that allowed one room to flow into another.

"We should probably stick together," Junseo suggested.

Song-hee nodded but did not make a move. He just stood hugging his travel bag to his chest and looking around. A housekeeper came by and slid open the linen storage to show them where the mats and blankets were kept, and then gave them keys to the trunks for personal items.

"You are still trainees, Yes?" She said, "Good. Then you take care of yourselves, keep things neat here and we will do the linen changes. Make it hard for us to find things and you will be on your own. Understood?"

"Thank you," Junseo answered for the both of them, as he tried to keep up with the rest of her brisk string of instructions. After she had left, he turned to Song-hee and asked, "Did you get all of that?"

"Ummm. I think so. Or the more important parts, like we should make our way over to the kitchens soon if we want supper."

The boys got turned around on their way to the kitchens running up against the line of petitioners waiting for the chance to meet Knight-Master Lei.

"Not good," Junseo muttered and pushed his way through to where his mentor stood by his overwhelmed manager. One glance told him the day had caught up and it was time to interrupt the demanding welcome. Junseo stepped forward and with his most formal accent declared, "Our Lord thanks you all for your welcome, and the news you bring. It is our honor to serve but Manager Doak will help arrange further appointments." He gestured for Song-hee to clear the path, gave Knight-Master Lei an arm to lean on and whispered, "Do you have a healer here or am I going to try to work some of those knots out for you?"

"Please, just you," he answered and gave brief directions. A servant waited at the Knight-Master's chambers so Junseo sent her to fetch warmed towels. The heavy-set man settled onto a low platform, sighed of relief, ruefully admitting, "I didn't want to disappoint."

Junseo answered with a quick nod then went to work trying to make his patient more comfortable. The servant had brought an assortment of herbal creams as well as the warm towels. Junseo tested the different unguents on the back of his hand, settling on a mild, mint scented one to massage into the balled up right calf. Once the spasm subsided Junseo worked further up the leg encouraging some gentle stretches before sending a feather touch of healing energy along the meridians.

Knight-Master Lei sighed. "I don't know what you did just now but thank you. It feels much better than when we first set out today."

"Good but you are still going to pay for having overdone it. Rest here, have something light to eat then call it a day. I will fetch Manager Doak for you."

If the servant thought it odd the Lord of Gonlong meekly took instructions from a teenager they knew better than to show their surprise. Song-hee just shook his head at what the trainees called Junseo's "healer-commander" kind but firm instructions. Manager Doak's gratitude for the intervention was expressed through a warm arm clasp and the promise of an afternoon off.

When the boys finally slid onto the low benches beside the long table in the back of the kitchen, Junseo let some of his tiredness show.

"I guess Knight-Master Lei wasn't the only one who over did it today." Song-hee teased as an older woman set bowls of soup down in front of them.

Junseo shrugged. He glanced at the servant then jumped to his feet, blurting, "Nana Jee is that you?"

"Jun Sun Rae?" Her voice quivered as she reached over to lightly brush his cheek. Her sleeve slipped back while she reached out revealing a distinctive tattoo on the inside of her forearm. When she noticed Song-hee's glance she hurried pulled her on her cuffs.

"I thought you were living up North with your daughters." Junseo looked around the room for other familiar faces.

"My granddaughter has grown and is off to school, and I was tired of short days and long winters in the mountains." She smiled warmly and explained, "I'm an assistant cook here so if there anything special you and your friend might like on the menu let me know." She reached over and patted Junseo one more time before heading back to her station across the room.

"Wow, last time I saw her, I think I must have been six or seven. She was our nanny for years. My family will be thrilled she is here. Just imagine running into her like that." Junseo smiled.

"Strange coincidence," Song-hee observed with a slight shake of his head. He wasn't sure what had put him on edge but knew to trust his instincts.  He processed these concerns by keeping an eye out for the staff members he labeled 'the watchers' and shared his worries with Chenhui and Hae-sung the morning after they arrived.

"Junseo just wanders around like nothing might touch him here. He is so wrapped up in nostalgia over his old nanny he won't even look at her strange tattoo," he complained to Chenhui when they went out bow hunting with the estate's trackers.

"She doesn't try to hide being from the north," Chenhui answered quietly but the hunters with them still frowned. Chenhui nodded in the man's direction then pointed to a likely roost. The man nodded so Chenhui signaled for Song-hee to ready a bow. He tossed a stone at the trunk of the tree and got off a couple of solid shots. Song-hee managed to bring down the large bird Chenhui had winged so they could call this practice session a success. Back at the estate Chenhui promised to take a closer look at the cook's assistant but warned Song-hee against borrowing trouble.

"What sort of trouble?" Hae-sung asked.

"I just don't think we should let our guard down. Not even with someone who might look familiar," Song-hee said with his voice pitched loud enough for a passing servant to hear.

"You mean like someone using a pet name from the past?" Hae-sung nodded his head in the direction of the kitchens. Song-hee's relieved smile faded quickly as Hae-sung went on. "I'm not worried about Junseo's old nursemaid, except that she has him singing those annoying nursery rhymes."

Chenhui glanced around the courtyard, "So where is the warrior's son? I thought you guys were working together in the forge."

"Warrior's son?" Hae-sung scratched his head. "If you mean Junseo he got all bossy on me, making me take a break, since we have been on the road this past week."

"You are in good company. You should have seen him bossing around Knight-Master Lei the day we got here," Song-hee chuckled over how disconcerted the estate's steward still was around the teenage-healer.

"Right. So, let's just leave Junseo to his nostalgia," Hae-sung said.

"Fine but at least try to get a look at the assistant cook's tattoo, it's on the inside of her wrist. It seems very familiar but I just can't place it," Song-hee begged.

Chenhui nodded his agreement but rolled his eyes when Song-hee turned away. Hae-sung shook his head before sending the younger boy along to the stables while he accompanied Song-hee back to the workshop.

It was a couple of days before Chenhui managed to confirm what Song-hee suspected about the Assistant Cook and another day before the boys decided to talk with Junseo about it. Song-hee started out by once again stating how strange it seemed to find the northern woman working at the estate.

"I know it seems wild to you. Guess it just goes to prove how you never know how things might work out in life." Junseo scratched his head as he grinned.

Chenhui shifted on his seat before asking, "So any idea how did she come to work with your family in the first place? No offense but Ilidan is a long way from the northern courts."

"Never really thought about it. I know she moved with us so she probably met my dad when he was still a court physician." Junseo's answer prompted Hae-sung to ask his own question.

"What's the nickname she keeps using with you. It's in the northern dialect, isn't it?"

"Jun-Sei Rae," Junseo blushed.

"So great warrior's son?" Chenhui confirmed before continuing. "You know she has the mark high born northern families give their daughters when they are sent to serve their prince or princesses?"

"Makes you wonder why a court lady would play nanny for your family," Hae-sung added before Junseo had a chance to answer.

"Or why she would turn up here," Song-hee piled on his own worries.

"Maybe my family was just a convenient way to get away from the court after the princess died. Nothing very strange in that," Junseo responded crossing his arms and frowning.

"Fair enough," Hae-sung tried to defuse some of the tensions. "I guess we are all still a bit jumpy, especially with how strange In-Yeon's last message seemed."

Chenhui pulled out the scroll and uncovered the section for the current week. "We don't always see people they way they truly are. Look beyond memories, hopes and fears," he read the passage over twice before complaining, "Our boy is getting as vague as any other Shaman."

"Still not bad advice," Hae-sung smiled. "We all have habits of mind, whether being overly suspicious," he said glancing at Song-hee but turned to Junseo and added, "Or all too trusting."

"Okay, I get it," Junseo said. "I mean it's not like getting the songs transcribed for the music box should take that much longer."

"A music box?" Song-hee asked and the proto-type soon produced, only to be disassembled and adjustments made to make it run longer on each wind.

"You know you could make an alarm for a lock box like that," Chenhui said as he watched the pair reassemble the pieces.

"You mean like something like this?" Junseo paged through his design book.

Song-hee listened closely then asked if he could flip through the book. "I didn't know you did these sketches of the detonators," he whispered. He stared at the page knowing it was important. Then he remembered adapting the lock picking rhymes to help guide them through disarming the test pieces.

Chenhui looked over his shoulder at the sketches, "How did you know what these were? I mean they could be any sort of timer."

"Your right. Unless you already worked on one of those devices this sketch wouldn't tell you much," Song-hee handed back the notebook.

"Yeah, well I'm liking the notion of a musical lock-box more and more," Junseo said and started roughing out some plans.

"Manager Doak wanted us to find something saleable out of our practice pieces." Song-hee conceded before going to survey some of the workshop supplies but was soon distracted by San Jin's arrival with Scout Jia. They brought a string of new horses to settle before the field exercises Knight-Master Lei had planned for the group.

The Go family guard who had accompanied San Jin settled in beside the older candidates. He quickly established his standing as the most senior member of the group, directing the preparations for their excursion.

"Why do you let your man boss you around?" The heavy set senior asked San Jin.

"He takes my safety seriously," San Jin answered with a shrug not wanting to admit to the times he had chaffed against the restrictions the man imposed.

"But by rank," the other senior started to probe.

"Social standing doesn't outrank training and experience when we are travelling through unsettled lands," San Jin quoted Scout Jia's instructions and excused himself.