When Sera woke up, she noticed Nick's scent was more faint than normal. She frantically searched for a note, but there were none to be found. She grabbed her phone and called him.

Nick was walking down the hall to Gafael's room when his phone went off. He looked down at it and was about to answer when he heard Gafael's enraged voice.

"What are you doing here?"

Shit. Nick declined the call and ran towards the argument.

"I'm a guest," Ierin replied. "The same as you."

Gafael turned to Nick as soon as he arrived. "You never disclosed that you were wooing the Galens as well. Trying to set up some competition?"

"No," Nick said. "I forgot to tell you last night and intended to explain this morning before this could happen. Miss Galen is..." He paused and looked at her. "If you've been disowned, can you still go by your last name?"

Ierin thought a moment. "I suppose not."

Gafael narrowed his eyes and looked back at Ierin. "Disowned?"

Ierin nodded. "I walked away from my family."

He stared at her for a moment. "Why would you do that?"

"Because my ex-husband and my daughter are more important to me than anything my mother could offer," Ierin said. Gafael looked back at Nick.

"I've vetted her," he replied. "It's true. Oelya hasn't announced it because she's trying to find a replacement for her."

Gafael thought for a moment, then let out a breath. "I understand. I apologize for my outburst."

"No harm done," Ierin said. She smiled. "If anything, it helped wake me up. Now if you'll excuse me." She looked at Nick. "Nick."

She walked away, and Gafael looked to Nick. "That apology was to you as well."

"It's accepted," Nick said. "And it was on me for forgetting about that."

Gafael let out a breath. "So, what's on the schedule for today?"

Nick started to walk towards the dining hall, and Gafael fell into step with him. He typed up a quick text, then looked at Gafael. "Nothing in particular. For you, at least."

Gafael blinked. He's not even going to try to pretend to woo us?

"I have a variety of obligations I need to set to," Nick continued. "Namely preparing for Christmas Week."

Gafael blinked. "It’s that big?"

Nick nodded. "It's a large festival out here, akin to Hallowed Week. My grandfather decided to put me in charge of it this year, so I need to meet with the committee. Regardless, I thought you'd like to explore the valley yourself. It's a beautiful place." He fired off another text, and Gafael's phone went off. "If you get lost, ask anybody nearby. Same if you need help. If there are any other problems, you now have my number. Do recognize that though our people are a little rough around the edges, they just like to have fun, so don't take things too personally if they crack a joke or two."

Gafael slowly nodded. "I'll relay that to Penny and Wytny."

They reached the dining hall, and Nick found Sera and Ashley already there, as were the rest of the Brens, Isaac, and Penny and Wytny, and the rest of the House Staff.

Nick stood next to his seat beside Sera. "Good morning everybody. We have some new guests who'll be staying with us for a bit, the Jorhen Family." He gestured to Gafael's table. "Feel free to introduce yourselves to them as the opportunity arises." He cleared his throat. "Now, without further delay, let's eat."

He sat down, but when a plate was brought to him he waved it off.

"Already putting out fires?" Sera asked quietly.

He nodded. "I forgot to tell Gafael about your mother being here. I had hoped to catch him this morning before they'd meet, but instead they bumped into each other in the hallway."

"How did that go?"

He shrugged. "It's been resolved, for now. By the way, I'll have some time after the Christmas Committee to do some shooting with you."

She blinked. "Oh, you don't have to-"

"I do," he said.

She glanced at him.

"I said I'd teach you," Nick said. "And I'm going to leave the Jorhens alone for a couple days, so I've got time."

He looked down at his watch, then at Ashley. "Hey Ash, wanna play for a bit after breakfast?"

She nodded furiously as she chewed, then ate faster, and messier.

She was about to leave the table once she finished, but Sera cleaned her face. "You gotta remember to do this, no matter how excited you are."

"I know!" Ashley protested as she grabbed the napkin and did it herself. She looked up at her. "There. Clean."

Sera smiled. "Okay. Get going."

Nick kissed Sera on the cheek, then walked off with Ashley. They went out into the field behind the estate, and started to roll together a snowman.

"Hey Ash," Nick began. "Would it be alright if I slept in your room sometimes?"

Ashley stopped rolling her snowman head and looked back at him. "Are you and mom having a fight?"

"No," Nick said. "She's just been coming home real late, and I have a hard time sleeping alone."

"Okay," Ashley said as she resumed rolling her snowball.

"Have you been having fun here?" Nick asked.

"I've been lonely," Ashley said. "Last year, and before that, you'd play with me a lot. But you've been really busy this time."

"I know," Nick said. "Gg-pa asked me to take over as head of the family."

"You're going to replace gg-pa?" Ashley asked, her eyes wide.

"Not replace him," Nick said with a laugh. "I'm just going to start doing the jobs he used to do."

"Oh," Ashley said.

"But-" Nick's phone went off, and he picked up as he continued to roll his snowball with one hand. "Hello."

"Daddy, that's good!" Ashley said. He stopped rolling it.

"Hey, Nick," Frederick said. "Remember how I said I'd take a rain check on that dinner?"

"Yeah," Nick said as he helped Ashley pile together the snowman. She then started a new snowball, and Nick followed suit.

"Well, my family's free from now till the end of December. What would you say to us all going out sometime? My treat."

Nick opened his mouth, then paused. "Counter offer."

"What's that?" Frederick asked.

"Ashley could use a little company, and I'm sure you and Teresa wouldn't mind a little vacation."

Frederick paused. "What did you have in mind?"

You're juggling too much at once, Nick... he thought to himself.

"We're staying in Sunspeak for the month. Why don't you guys come out for a bit, and if you like it here stay for Christmas Week."

Frederick was quiet.

"Fred?"

"Oh, sorry, I just... I'll talk to Teresa about it."

"Okay," Nick replied. "If you decide to come by, let me know, and I'll send someone to pick you up."

"Will do," Frederick said.

He hung up.

"Will Colm be coming to play?" Ashley asked.

"Maybe," Nick said. "His mom and dad need to talk it over first."

Meanwhile Teresa saw her husband pacing in the living room.

"Honey?" He looked up at her, slight amounts of fire sparking at the corners of his eyes, and she almost took a step back. "You look... Excited."

"I am," Frederick said. "I'm really, really excited, but I also don't want to seem too excited, and-"

She walked up to him and placed her hands on either side of his head, and her eyes glowed with ice as cool air washed over him. He relaxed and let out a breath.

"Nick invited us all to come and stay in Sunspeak for the rest of the month."

Teresa blinked. "The month?"

He nodded. "So that would include the Sunspeak Christmas Week."

"What did you say?"

"That I'd have to talk with you," Frederick said.

"Are you..?" She shook her head. "Say yes."

"I know, I just didn't want to seem too eager, because that would be weird, and-"

She kissed him, then pulled back. "Calm down. You are Frederick Brakken; war hero, drill instructor, and my husband."

He let out a breath, and she smiled sweetly. "So be yourself."

He nodded and straightened, his demeanor changing. "Alright. I'll give him a call, you start packing with Colm, and I'll join you in a moment."

She kissed him again, then walked away. He watched her go, then took out his phone and called Nick. "Hey, we'll be there. I've got them packing now. I'll fire off a text when we're ready."

"Alright," Nick said. "There's no rush."

Nick hung up then looked at the three snowmen he and Ashley had made. It only now dawned on him that they were meant to represent himself, Sera, and her.

"Hey daddy?" Ashley asked.

"What's up?"

"Is Holly ever going to write back to me?"

Nick went still. Right.

Nick cleared his throat. "She..." He thought back into Larkin's memories and plucked out the memory of the letter. "She wrote you a letter. But... Remember the mean man that attacked us and hurt mom?"

Ashley nodded.

"He..." He cleared his throat. "He made her... Go away, like my parents."

Ashley stared up at him. "Why?"

Nick shook his head. "He was... Hurting, and at least a little crazy. He had wanted to protect us, and he hurt her because she'd hurt me."

"Did you ask him to?"

"No," Nick said firmly. "I didn't want Holly to get hurt."

"Then why did he hurt mom too?"

"He thought she was going to attack us," Nick said. "Which she would never do."

"Where is he?" Ashley asked.

Nick let out a breath. "Gone, forever."

Ashley tilted her head. "Can I have the letter?"

"The mean man destroyed it," Nick said. "But, I was able to get him to tell me what was written on it. Do you want me to write it again for you?"

She nodded. "Yes please."

"Okay," he said as he gently ruffled her hair. "I've got to get going now, but Colm and his parents should be here soon."

"Okay!" Ashley said. "I'm gonna go wait for them in the entry hall!"

"If that's what you want to do," Nick said. He gave her a hug and kissed her cheek, then walked off.

Ashley went into the house and marched to the entry hall, and she sat down out of the way and stared at the door. House staff walked past her, but Sandra stopped and followed her gaze. Soon others took note and stopped as well, until Ithan himself had joined them.

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"What's go-"

"Sh," one of the house staff silenced him.

He lowered his voice. "What's going on?"

He gestured to Ashley, who sat completely still.

Ithan blinked. "Is this some kind of focus training?"

Suddenly the Brakkens appeared in the hallway with Cyrus, and Cyrus then disappeared, and both groups stared at one another uneasily until Colm spoke.

"Hi Ashley!"

Ashley woke up, and stood up. "Hi Colm!"

Fred looked through the gathered house staff. "Nick said I should find and speak to an Ithan?"

Ithan stepped forward. "I am he. How may I help you, mister..?"

Fred held out his hand, and Ithan hesitated, but shook it.

"Frederick Brakken, but you can just call me Fred."

Ithan blinked. "Brakken. I see."

We're going to start running out of rooms at this rate. Ithan thought.

He turned. "Sandra, Dinlan, please see to it that the rooms are prepared." The two in question walked off, and Ithan looked to another two. "Ilya, Ray, please take their luggage and show them the way. The rest of you, there are plenty of preparations to set to."

The group dispersed, and Ithan waited until they'd all walked away before he went to go himself. "Nick texted me that you could show me to him when I got here."

Ithan turned back to him. "He is in a meeting at the moment."

"I'm aware," Fred said. "He said he wanted me to attend."

"Very well, then," Ithan said. "This way."

Fred followed Ithan through the house as Teresa and Colm followed Ashley to their rooms. They arrived at a door, and Ithan was about to reach for the door handle when shouting came from inside.

"We can't keep doing the same blasted thing every year!"

Ithan opened the door and smiled at Fred. "This is your stop, sir."

Fred walked in and Ithan closed the door behind him. Nick spotted him, and glanced at a chair in the corner. The people gathered around the table didn't take notice of him as he took the seat.

"It's tradition!" An old woman declared as she brought her fist down on the table to punctuate her point.

The man rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying we have to change everything all at once."

"We have been doing it this way since I was a child!" The woman exclaimed.

"And that was great when you were a child, but people and times are changing!"

Nick glanced at Fred and nodded. Fred blinked, then cleared his throat.

"Excuse me?"

Everyone in the room suddenly took notice of him.

"What exactly is the issue?"

The two leading the argument looked at Nick, who nodded, and they turned back to him.

"It surrounds the desserts to be served at the opening ceremony," the man said. "My mother wants to continue to enforce the fruitcake, but I think we should try something else, because they clearly don't enjoy it as much as she does."

"Hogwash!" She spat. "You just don't appreciate the work I put in to making it!"

"That's not true and you know it!" He shot back.

"You're an ungrateful-"

"Silence!" Nick raised his voice, and the two went eerily still. He looked to Fred and spoke normally. "Mr. Brakken, what are your thoughts on the matter?"

At the mention of his name, the people there began to whisper, but one look from Nick silenced them.

"Why do you think people don't enjoy it?" He asked the young man.

"Because there's more than half of a cake left over each time, and the way these are made, they take more effort to compost for the fields. It wastes time and resources."

"Then why not just make a variety of desserts?" Fred asked.

"But it's tradition!" The woman declared.

Fred tilted his head and held up a hand slightly. "Can you give me any solid reason for why everyone should be expected to eat something they don't want at what's supposed to be a joyous event?"

She fell silent.

"By all means, make some fruitcake," he continued. "But make less of it to accommodate those who actually want it, and let those who don't try something else."

"People will gravitate to the new things," the old woman said. "None of my fruitcake will be eaten."

"This year, maybe," Fred said. "But once they've tried something else, you will have the people who still want fruitcake ask where it was. All you have to do then is say we were trying something new, and it'll be there next year. Record the number of people who come up to you, and then make the appropriate number next year."

The old woman stared at Fred, until her gaze fell to the table, and she nodded.

"That concludes today's meeting," Nick said as he stood up. He leaned down and whispered to the young man, whose gaze fell. He then walked around the table to Fred and the pair left the room.

"What was that about?" Fred asked.

Nick shook his head. "They'd brought me to my snapping point with their incessant arguing. It's been like that every day since this started with those two."

"Then you told him to stop?"

"I told him to tell his mother the truth," Nick said.

"The truth?"

"She runs herself ragged for every holiday event," Nick explained. "She's hit her stress point each event for the last two years, and it's caused some serious problems. Her son, however, grew up with her being incredibly domineering when it comes to events. Outside of it she's incredibly sweet and easy to talk to and work with. But he grew up basically in fear of her whenever a holiday came around. He's grown more concerned for her, and wants to step up and alleviate the stress on her, but didn't know how to express it, and he reacted angrily today." Nick took in a breath. “Both of them have been reacting angrily the last few meetings. It’s wasted a lot of time.”

"So today wasn't about fruitcake?" Fred asked.

Nick shook his head. "It was about getting her to accept she can't do everything, and that other people have good ideas surrounding events as well."

"Why didn't you step in?"

Nick shook his head. "My word is law. If I said something, they'd have to just go with it, and neither would have the opportunity we just gave them. Not to mention he's going to be taking her place as the head of the Van Rochenberg family."

He motioned for Fred to follow him and they stopped at a corner. They peered around the side, and saw the young man and his mother hugging in the hallway, tears streaming down their faces as they held each other. Nick smiled, then continued on his way.

"I would have asked Sera to help; since we're not married yet she'd still be an outside perspective and they wouldn't consider her matriarch, but she's got other things occupying her lately." He looked up at Fred. "So your call came at a perfect time."

"So... This isn't a vacation?" Fred asked.

"It is," Nick said. "I just might call on you every now and again."

"Okay," Fred said. "So, where's the next fire?"

"Funny you should say..." Nick said as he took out his phone. "Hey Sera. Yeah, the meeting's over. By the way, Fred, Teresa and Colm are here. Yeah, I thought it'd be good. I was just about to ask. Alright. I'll pick you up in-" he paused. "Okay. I'll get the guns, and meet you there. Love you."

He hung up and disappeared, then reappeared with the two rifles over his shoulder, and a holstered handgun strapped to each thigh. He had a duffle bag in each hand, and held them out to Fred.

"Are those..?"

"Yep," Nick confirmed. He started to walk down the hallway, and Fred followed.

"Where did you get them?"

"A Solarian that shot Sera and I," Nick said. "In fact, the black rifle was used on Sera, and the hand cannon on my right was used on me."

"And you didn't get rid of them?" He asked.

"They're merely tools," Nick said. "I don't thank the plough for tilling the ground, but the people and animals that operated it. Why should I hate the gun, when it was the person behind it who committed the crime?"

"Fair enough," Fred said.

They made it outside and went up the mountain. Once they reached a clearing, Fred paused. "Hold up. You said your word was law back there, and that Sera isn't matriarch because she isn't married to you yet. Does that mean you're the Bren Patriarch now?"

"Heir apparent," Nick corrected. "Which means I have all the responsibilities, and my grandfather has all the veto power."

Fred whistled. "So you'll be Bren Patriarch and Harbinger. That'll be a bit to handle."

Nick raised an eyebrow as he started to set things up.

"My grandfather was a Sub-Harbinger," Fred explained. "I learnt to identify the signs, such as access to the Royal Teleportation Network, and considering Eterna was Harbinger..."

Nick slowly nodded. "I guess I'll have to be more careful about teleportation."

Frederick shrugged. "Most don't know how the Harbinger's get around. I'm sure you've teleported some people that have no idea."

Nick thought back on when he'd first teleported Ierin. "Fair enough..." He looked back at Fred as he walked to the other edge of the clearing with him, targets in hand. "By the way, there are two other Elatha noble family members here."

"Oh?"

"Ierin Galen," Nick said as they finished setting up the targets. "Sera's mother. She left her family and got disowned for it."

"That's a ballsy choice," Fred remarked. "And the other?"

"The Jorhens."

Fred raised an eyebrow as they walked back to the guns. "Didn't you cause the schism between them and the Galens?"

"It wasn't my intent, but yes," Nick said. "And now I'm trying to convince them to work with us in a similar capacity for our weather detection system."

Fred eyed him. "Another thing you want me to help with?"

Nick raised an eyebrow. "How would you help?"

"Using our friendship to show him your influence," Fred replied.

Nick furrowed his brow. "I had no intentions of that. I only told you so you weren't surprised when you bumped into them."

Fred blinked. "You..?"

Nick let out a breath. "I try to avoid using my friends without their knowledge and consent. If I want your help with something, I will usually tell you as much, and everything relevant to your part in it." He stood up. "I really did want you and your family to come out and have fun, and I wanted Ashley to have a solid friend. She has a hard time with most of the children here because they know about how bad Bren stress points can get."

"What do you mean?" Fred asked.

"When most people snap, they usually just turn mean," Nick said. "Maybe cruel. But they're usually pretty easy to stop just by having someone stronger around. Brens are born with a huge amount of energy in them, and it puts huge strain on their small bodies. They reach stress points much sooner, and more explosively, until they're bigger, usually puberty. Then it's a matter of fine control over their powers."

"I thought you were adopted?" Fred asked.

"She became a mantle bearer her first year here," Nick said. He shook his head. "She could cause a flaming thunder blizzard if she snapped, though, luckily, she's most proficient in ice. Your son got her started on fire, though."

"Hey guys," Sera said as she approached.

Nick looked back at her and smiled. "Hey. Have any trouble getting here?"

She shook her head. "I followed your scent." She looked up at Frederick. "Hello! It's been a bit."

"It has, miss Aala," Frederick said. "It is good to see you."

"Likewise," she replied. She then turned back to Nick. "So, how does this work?"

Nick gestured to the rifles and handguns on a blanket. "First, safety." He pulled out three pairs of earbuds and held them out. "These will deafen the sound of the gun so it doesn't hurt your ears."

Fred put them in and Nick put his in. He noticed Sera struggling to get them in right. "Let me."

She gave them to him and he carefully got them into her ears. "There. Now to test they work. Did you just hear what I said?"

"Test if they work?" Fred asked.

Nick nodded. "Good, they're letting conversational sound through." He shouted. "How about now?"

They blinked. "It was the same volume."

"Perfect," Nick said. "Now, next up, the guns themselves." He picked up one of the rifles. "This is a semi automatic rifle. It fires as fast as you pull the trigger." He showed the safety, the magazine and ammunition, the sights, and appropriate handling of the firearm. "This has a bit of kick, but out of everything here it'll be the easiest to hit something for your first time." He laid on the ground and took a shot, striking near the center of the target. He adjusted the scope slightly, then took another shot and it hit center. "Who's first?"

Fred gestured to Sera, who took Nick's spot. She took a shot, and missed the target. He placed a hand on her leg. "May I?"

She blinked, but nodded. He moved her legs a bit further apart, then adjusted how she held the firearm. "And you want to keep both eyes open when you actually shoot." He gently pat her shoulder and knelt beside her as he lifted his binoculars to his eyes and watched the target. "Fire when ready."

She let out a breath and aimed. After a moment, she shot. "You got midway to center," Nick said. "That'd be a center mass shot, which is great."

She stood up and let Fred have a turn, yielding similar results. Nick ran them through safety for the other firearms. Sera picked the larger of the two handguns, but her shots were all over the place.

"Probably try the other one," Nick said. "It has much less recoil. Once you've gotten used to it, try the big one again."

Frederick glanced up at them from the larger rifle as Nick handed her the smaller of the two handguns. He stood behind her and put his hands on hers. He used his feet to shuffle hers, and then held her as she took a couple of shots. Her tail started to thwack him, and he smiled as he let go. "Shoot some more, then try the other one and we'll know what's best for you to use."

She nodded and continued to fire. Fred tried the larger handgun, and had to use both hands to fire with any measure of accuracy.

"How does a human, even a Solarian, manage to handle such weapons?" Fred asked.

"The larger rifle and handgun were made specially for the Solarian," Nick said. "The other two I picked up for Sera."

"Even still, how would he be able to handle these when fighting against a Lunarian?"

"He was a Nightingale," Sera said.

Fred blinked. "You killed a Nightingale?"

Nick shrugged.

"Nick, that could have serious repercussions," Fred said. "The Solarian community could-"

"It's fine," Nick said. "He came to Lunaria illegally and assaulted two Nyxelene citizens. The situation has already been cleaned up and handled some time ago."

"But if they decide to retaliate-"

"They won't," Nick said as he held his hand out. Fred handed him the large handgun.

"Why not?"

Nick aimed with one hand and took a shot, the handgun barely moving in his grip. "Because it was a fight between family members. There's nothing to avenge."

Fred went still as Nick emptied the magazine into multiple targets, then handed the gun back to him. Fred looked down at the handgun, a frown on his face.

"Who was he?"

"My uncle," Nick said as he leaned against a tree. "Mother's brother."

"It can't have been easy," Fred said as he put more bullets into the magazine.

"It was, actually," Nick said. Sera's ear twitched. "He almost killed Sera."

"He was still family."

"Family looks out for one another," Nick said. "We care for each other, and support each other. We call each other out when we go too far, and we laugh and cry together. Larkin and I may have shared blood, but he was as much my family as any random person on the street. Less, considering..."

Fred watched him for a moment. "Alright."

They continued shooting, and after a while both had to stop.

"That really hits the joints," Fredrick said as he rolled his shoulder. "Especially the larger rifle and handgun."

Nick smiled. "I've got a bit of an advantage there."

Fred's phone went off and he looked down at it. "Looks like Ashley wants to take Colm and Teresa into town..."

"I'll teleport you to the house," Nick said. "Sera, I'll be right back and we can clean things up."

She nodded, and Nick disappeared with Fred. He soon reappeared and started collecting the brass casings on the blanket. Sera joined him, and they worked in silence until they collected them all.

"So, which gun do you prefer?"

She thought for a moment, and picked up the smaller handgun. "This one."

"Then it's yours," Nick said.

She looked up at him. "Are you sure?"

"Like I said before, I got that handgun and the one rifle for you," Nick said. "Both are yours, if you want them. If you'd wanted the bigger ones, I'd have gotten another set for you."

She looked down at them, then nodded. "I like this one, and the rifle's good too. We're going to want to teach Ashley about these." Nick paused, and Sera looked over at him. "Not necessarily get her into them, just... If they're going to be around, it'd be a good idea for her to have a good understanding of them, so she can be safe."

He nodded after a moment. "Yeah. We'll have to do that sometime soon." He cleared his throat. "By the way, have you spoken to your mother yet?"

Sera looked away. "No."

He took off the one pistol holster and held it out to her. She took it and put it on her leg and frowned. He flipped it for her so it'd face the right direction, and she holstered her handgun.

"What's stopping you?"

"I don't know where to start," Sera said as they walked to the other end of the clearing and collected the targets.

"Most conversations start with hello," Nick replied. She gave him a look, and he smiled. "Don't overthink it. Just treat her like any person you've never met."

"But I know she isn't," Sera said. "And... I still want to know what happened between her and dad, and why dad's even talking to her, let alone trying to restart their relationship."

Nick watched her, and she felt his gaze. "I know what I said before, and I still hold to that. I don't want you to tell me. I want her to say it herself."

"She can't," Nick said.

"Then what's the point if she won't tell me the one thing I need to know from her?" Sera asked.

Nick shook his head. "Not won't, can't."

Sera blinked.

"I tried talking to Sterling about it after I found out," Nick said. "He literally couldn't talk about it. Cyrus told me everybody involved took a vow of silence on the subject, and I'm guessing that entailed magic. Even if they wanted to tell you, they can't."

Sera watched him, then looked off to the side.

"I can still tell you, if you want," Nick said.

"I don't..." Sera trailed off.

Nick put the targets into one of the duffels and took her hands. "It's part of how we started, and I understand why you wanted me not to tell you before, but I'm not going anywhere." He smiled and tenderly lifted her chin. "Are you leaving if I tell you?"

She stared into his eyes, and felt her anxiety slowly melt away. "No. No matter what."

"Alright, then," Nick said. "Let's get this home, and then we'll talk about it."