Liz pulled Jon up in front of a large table of food.

“We’ve arrived,” she said. “Please help yourself.”

Jon was glad that hors d'oeuvre was just another word for snack. He wished people had said snacks, though.

“Thank God,” she said, wiping her brow. “I must apologize for that. I just need some space from my brother for once.”

She grabbed several snacks for herself on a plate and held said plate in front of her. She took a seat at the table, facing in Jon’s direction.

“Would you like to speak about your experience here, in our land?” Liz asked. “I’m sure our mission was unopportunistic for such a talk, but I imagine you made quite a journey.”

Jon nodded. It was definitely unopportunistic, with all of the magic and angry men on horses.

He also reached across the table to pick up what snacks he could.

Soon, they both had plates full of snacks that he could barely make out what they were. He was glad to see that her plate was full as well.

Jon talked to her about staying in the castle. He let her ask most of the questions.

“It’s big, isn’t it?” Liz asked. “I can’t imagine you having as many large structures back at home.”

Jon shook his head. There were definitely less.

Eventually, Liz brought up his wheelchair.

“I’m sorry to see that our mission has left you in shambles,” Liz said. “I didn’t do enough to make sure you were safe after.”

Jon thought that Liz did everything in her power to do so.

“I’m fine,” Jon said. “I got hurt.”

“May I?” she asked.

Jon nodded.

Her hand glowed momentarily as she waved her hand over his body.

“Definitely mana exhaustion,” she noted. “Mallory has diagnosed you already, hasn’t he?”

Jon nodded.

“You do seem to be very capable,” Liz continued. “So, I’m sure you will recover quickly. By the end of this week if I’m not mistaken. You can still use your gun, right?”

Jon nodded. He remembered Liz wanting to examine it after their mission.

Jon took it off his chair and held it out to her.

“Why, Jon, thank you for being considerate,” Liz said. “I remember asking you to observe it, but seeing as we’re in a large crowd, I have to be concerned about the probable effects if I was to test a magical weapon in the presence of… aw screw it.”

She took it from Jon. “Ooh…”

Jon was happy to see Liz’s intrigue when holding the gun. She seemed to burden herself with all of Jon’s issues like his friends seemed to be doing recently. Here, he could distract her and hopefully give her some happier thoughts.

Liz’s curiosity in observing the gun had reminded Jon of Mallory’s, which in turn, reminded him of his Susan’s.

Susan isn’t a spellcaster… the thought seemed more and more odd to Jon. She had a lot of the characteristics of others that he knew.

Liz’s observational habits were a lot more drastic than Mallory’s, though. She quickly flipped the gun between her hands, scaling her fingers across the barrel of the gun and all of its parts and displaying a clear weapon mastery that was hinted at by her intense movements.

It made Jon shiver.

“Let me see…” She held the barrel up to her face and looked inside. “Can I open it?”

As soon as Jon nodded, the blunderbuss opened at the chamber.

“Whoa…” she examined the chamber. “What’s the largest object you can shove in here?”

“I don’t know,” Jon said. “A book.”

“A book?” Liz turned the gun around. “Like a normal book? What spells can you cast?”

Jon was afraid to disappoint her, but he still answered.

“Just… one... at a time.”

“Right.” Liz put the gun down. “I apologize. It’s just, the number of magical objects I get to hold-”

“There you are!” Jon turned to see Lester with food stuffed in his mouth.

“Oh, hi Jon!” He waved.

“Yeah, Jon, you remember Lester,” Liz said. “He’s accompanied me here, both as a favor to me and Lana.”

“I figured I’d see the matches and give Lana a play-by-play.” Lester shrugged.

Jon was happy to see that Lester was wearing his usual clothes as well. He was the only one who bared his toned arms in the entire room.

“He’s just here to hit on all the princesses,” Liz responded. “Don’t mind him.

“Not just the princesses,” Lester added, flexing. “There’s the maids, the nurses, the lady-in-waitings-”

He smiled. “I’m joking.”

“You’ve hit on all of them before anyway.” Liz waved him away. “He couldn’t even bother to get dressed up.

Jon was happy to see that Liz and Lester seemed on good terms. Last time, things didn’t seem very great between them.

“Have you seen Hector?” Liz asked.

“Oh, he’s being chewed out by his dad,” Lester explained. He pointed towards the middle of the room.

“Oh no.” Liz turned to see the scene. Jon looked as well. Hector, who had resorted to just wearing the jacket form of his armor, was making some loud and pointed remarks with his father that Jon couldn’t quite make out. Tallow stops to the side, helpless watching the two argue. It was definitely getting heated.

“Who’s the first person you think they’re gonna set on fire that’s not each other,” Lester asked.

“Lester!” Liz cried. “Stop them! Ugh! Jon!”

Jon nodded and grabbed a small plate before throwing a whole bunch of crackers and cheese on it, adding it to the rest of the hors d'oeuvres.

Now he was ready and stocked with ammo.

Liz took Jon, and the three of them went towards the developing scene.

As they got closer, Luther’s and Hector’s remarks were becoming clearer.

“She should be here,” Luther said. “Not running around the castle!”

“We’re not married yet!” Hector responded. “She can do whatever she wants!”

“She can’t!” Luther rose his voice.

“Mr. Luther, sir!” Liz called, increasing her pace and getting his attention.

“Liz!” Jon saw a softening of Luther’s expression that was more shocking than the yelling. “You’re here. My girl!”

“Of course,” Liz nodded, crossing her arm over her chest and bowing. “My service is to my family first, and then my guild.”

“Which I heard you’ve been doing dang swell on!” Luther said with a smile. “Look at my girl!”

He turned to Hector. “You see, Hector! That’s how you do it! You divide your attention between your family and your guild!”

“It’s not a guild, Dad,” Hector muttered. “You know that.”

“Don’t you get smart with me!” Luther yelled.

“Hector splits his time well!” Liz exclaimed in an effort to grab their attention. “Just a few days ago, Hector was on a mission, and he performed incredibly-”

“A what?” Luther looked at Hector in disbelief. “A mission?”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Did I…” Liz shared a glance with Hector. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… what I meant to say-”

“You’ve said enough, Lizbeth,” Luther said, his tone sharpening again. “I’ll deal with it.”

“Sir!” Lester said, stepping up to the conversation. “It’s been-”

“Lester, I love ya!” Luther said. “But if you say anything else, I’m gonna have to beat the tar out of you.”

Lester straightened up and saluted. “Yes, sir.”

“Dad-”

“Get your girlfriend, now,” Luther yelled.

“Dad-”

“Now!” The shout was loud enough for most people to turn around. Even some of the people closest to them started to step away.

Hector was visibly taking very huge breaths. Jon thought that he was gonna swing at Luther.

Uh-oh. Jon didn’t know how to stop Hector. He tried to think of a plan.

He held his plate up to Liz, who took it absentmindedly, then he rolled himself to Hector’s side.

Jon grabbed Hector’s hand.

“What the hell?” Hector looked down in shock.

“What in…” Luther also gave Jon a glare.

Jon hadn’t thought this far ahead.

“...Are Hector and Jon in love?” Lester asked.

“No, you dummy…” Liz responded.

“Let’s go,” Jon said. “Let’s find Mercy.”

Hector looked up at Luther. They shared glares for a while.

Jon clapped.

A small flicker of fire appeared between them, getting their attention.

“Let’s go,” Jon said again.

“You… when did…” Hector got rid of his shock. “Fine.”

“Fine,” Luther muttered.

“Sister! There you are!” Liston ran over. “I have to-”

“Not now, Liston!” Both Luther and Liz responded.

“Oh, Lord Luther…” Liston stopped talking immediately.

“...Come with me,” Luther said after some thought.

“But you just said-”

“Out. Now.” Luther pointed towards the hallways and waited for Hector to leave.

Hector sighed and began to walk away.

“Sir, we can come,” Liz said. “As moderators, I-”

“Stay!” Luthor said. “Both of you!” He made sure Lester knew the message was for him as well.

Luther looked at Tallow, who hadn’t spoken at all, pretending her attention was elsewhere. “You stay too.”

Tallow crossed her arms but didn’t respond.

He pointed at Jon. “You! Come!”

Jon nodded. He held his hand out to Liz for his plate, which she handed back to him.

All three of the men then walked, or in Jon’s case, rolled back out into the hallway, drawing curious glances from those who saw them pass.

Both Luther and Hector ignored the glances. Jon took almost any opportunity to look back.

The guards scrambled to move out of the way for Luther when came by the entrance of the hallway with Hector and Jon.

The three of them walked until they ended up in the room where Hector had written his letter to Mercy’s father.

Luther took a heavy sigh as he walked around the room. “Where did I go wrong, son?”

“I...” Hector was lost for words. Jon was beginning to see shades of him and his own father.

“No excuses!” Luther sighed again. “Where did I go wrong?”

“I…” Hector sighed. “I don’t know. “I’m not a dad.”

“...Smartass.”

“Angry midget.”

Luther’s eyes waged.

“That’s why I hate you,” Hector said. “You… throw all these things on me… and you expect me to succeed.”

“Of course I do,” Luther said. “You’re capable enough.”

“You traveled with Lana,” Hector said. “You trained Charlotte. When Majorie outgrew her magic training, you found her new teachers! And you brought Lana around with you when you traveled everywhere, and even then she had Lester and Liz with her.”

“Your sisters all had just the same amount of resources you did,” Luther said. “They just applied it in the best possible way. You just give me the most crap.”

Luther cut Hector off Hector’s would-be response. “So do me a favor now. Give me a hundred percent in bringing your girlfriend in, or I’ll have the guards bring her in.”

“You wouldn’t…” Hector said with a quiet intensity.

“Don’t test me,” Luther replied. He didn’t see the need to make his voice gruffer than it already was. “You’re just lucky enough I brought you somewhere quiet enough to not make any more of a scene. For your sake and hers.”

Hector growled. “Fine. Jon-”

“Leave the farm boy!” Luther said. “And just bring your girlfriend. And just her. No more of your kooky pals. No Mallory. No uncle. Just her.”

“...Fine.” Hector acquiesced. As long as you promise to-”

“Boy! I’ve had several daughters before this! You don’t need to tell me how to talk to her!”

“No wonder you’re so shitty at raising a boy,” Hector muttered as he walked away.

If Luther heard it, Jon didn’t see him respond.

Hector sucked his teeth as left through the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Now, it was just Luther and Jon.

Jon expected to hear more yelling about what he did wrong, but instead, he heard the clink of glass.

“You ain’t got nothing to say to me, boy?” Luther asked as he picked up a large dark bottle and some glass cups at the end of the room. “No, ‘stop yelling at my friend.’ Nothing about me being a bad father?”

Jon shook his head. He didn’t think it was his place to say.

“...I think I’m starting to get you…” Luther managed to grab a round table with his fully equipped hands and dragged it to the side of the room Luther put the bottle and glasses on the table, before going back and dragging a chair over.

Get me? Jon didn’t think there was much to get.

Jon decided to try to put the plate of food on the table since he didn’t think he would feel comfortable eating in front of Luther.

“Give it here…” Luther muttered. He grabbed the plate Jon was holding out and put it on the table.

Before Jon could thank him, Luther had tapped Jon’s chair with his foot before sitting on his own, beginning to talk.

“You got some real balls for someone who can’t even feel them,” Luther noted.

Jon felt flustered, but he didn't know what to say. He felt so… exposed.

“You sparked that flame in front of me,” Luther continued as part of his explanation.”. “You threw yourself in the belly of the beast. No hesitation. But you weren't trying to prove you were better than me. Heck, I think you were just scared for your friend. In fact-”

Luther raised his finger and wagged it in the air. “I think you’re behind this whole damn thing.”

Behind? Jon didn’t know what to say. He shook his head quickly.

“Not on purpose, mind you.” Luther pulled open the bottle with one hand and poured it into the glass. Dark red liquid filled the cup to the brim.

“I…” He was lost for words.

“That is if you’re as stupid as you look,” Luther said. “Granted, maybe you are a little mastermind hiding in that chair of yours, but while my son Hector might have fallen for that, Mallory would have seen you a mile away.”

He took a sip of drink. “Then again, my son always did have a knack for finding strong warriors, much like his sister.”

Jon resisted asking which one, and just assumed it was Lana.

“...You risked yourself to stop my son from getting hurt,” Luther said, nodding slowly. “I can tell that’s why he respects you so much. He likes to charge into battle, think first, ask questions later. So I imagine you’ve gotten his ass out of the fire a ton of times before. And I’ll thank you in advance for that.”

Jon didn’t think Hector leaped into battle. He was quick to act, but sometimes that act involved planning as well. Jon still couldn’t put this into words.

“You’ve done nearly the impossible,” Luther continued. “You’ve gotten my son to listen to you on command. But not just that. You have the Highlander, a family who are known for causing havoc and destruction wherever they go, who’s also part of the ninja clan, who keep to themselves, a Vindhazi, who are also known for keeping to themselves and having a low profile while abstaining from and actual interactions with intercontinental politics, and Mallory, one of the most gifted yakkers, scholars, and mages in the land. Nowhere near as strong or gifted as my daughter, mind you…”

Jon figured he could bring up any achievement and Luther could have mentioned one of his daughters. He actually found it kind of endearing.

“Too bad she and Mallory are too close to even think of marrying, but I can understand why I couldn’t force that.”

Jon agreed. Even though he didn’t understand marriage as well as he thought he should’ve, he could only ever imagine Mallory being married with a book.

Luther pointed to the other glass. “Want one?”

Jon shook his head. After his experience with Graves, he was gonna be wary of any strong-colored drinks.

“More for me then…” Luther muttered, draining his glass then refilling it. “You’ve managed nearly the impossible in assembling your motley crew. Lana’s the only one I can imagine doing such a thing. Her leadership qualities enable her to be able to deal with all sorts of characters, even ones like Hector.

“I…” Jon didn’t think he assembled the group of people. Lana actually did that. Jon would have spoken more about her leadership qualities, but Luther obviously had more to say, and Jon wasn’t gonna dream of interrupting him. Not without working legs, anyway.

“I think skills like those are real valuable,” Luther said. “You thinking of joining King’s Guard with my daughter, correct?”

Jon nodded.

“Of course. That’s a good place for you.” Luther himself gave a slow nod. “They do good work around her. Other places… not so much… thanks to my daughter…”

He took another swig of drink and wiped his mouth. Jon was begging to get thirsty. He wondered if he could get some water.

“But less about me,” Luther added. ““Like I said. I think you’d do some real good work in the King’s Guard. You get a lot of knuckleheads under the same banner, and you need a way to control ‘em. Or else, you’ll get what happens to the other charters. But we don’t need to talk about that now. The important thing…”

Luther put down his glass. “The important thing… is knowing when to make the hard decisions.”

Hmmm… What did Luther mean by hard decisions?

“Hector…” Luther explained his voice becoming dark and serious again, “and this Mercy chick… they think they’re doing all well in the name of love… but they’re gonna cause a whole lot more damage than they think.”

Jon grimaced.

“Your land was attacked, right?” Luther asked. “Giant monster, and wizards and everything?”

Jon nodded.

“Imagine that,” Luther said, “but everywhere. Not just your farm, but any of those other small, rustic villages you passed by on your way here. That wouldn’t be good, would it?”

Jon shook his head.

“That’s what I’m trying to stop, Jon.” Luther put his hands together. “I’m trying to stop it. I really am. And if it were up to me, I wouldn’t have even let those sons of bitches on that farm. But…”

He tossed back his drink in one go. “I can’t be in more places like once. And yeah, the King’s Guard is cute and all. But I need change. Lasting change. And that’s what I’m trying to do here. What you’re doing. Getting all of these damn knuckleheads-”

Luther gestured up to the entire roof. “Under one roof and control them. Unify them. Under one banner and some crap. I have to get them to ignore state lines and work together for a single goal so that we don’t need political bypasses like the King’s Guard to get stuff done. But it feels like I have to tear apart my family to do that… I have to put them in places… all over the realm just to get this done. But… I’m trying to do it for them. I..”

Luther wiped what might have been a tear, but Jon couldn't tell because his gloves were so large. “I need Hector here. He’s the only one I can trust to be in charge of the castle. Lana, she’s great… but she cracks under this type of pressure. She’s more of a people person. Charlotte is way too hard-headed, like her brother. She also lacks ambition, so while she’s a good fighter, and maybe the best out of the bunch, she doesn't have much else under her belt. Majorie is too busy with the school.”

Luther’s eyes widened in thought. “And my god, I can’t let Macy have that type of power. I need Hector here. To make this all work.”

Jon didn’t know what to say. It all felt beyond him. Who should do what? He didn’t even know what he should do.

“I can’t tell you how to live your life,” Luther said. “But you got a couple of powerful people in your pack there. They want to stay together with you. But you gotta keep ‘em under control. People like that. People like my son…”

He poured another cup. “You have to stop them before they end up hurting themselves… doing what’s right… or they don’t just hurt themselves. They hurt everyone around them.

The door opened. Mercy stepped in quickly.

“What do you want?” Mercy asked.

“Can you step out, for one more movement,” Luther asked her.

Mercy looked at Jon.

He nodded.

Mercy sighed and closed the door behind her.

“You were living a normal life before this, right?” Luther asked. "You just started this gunslinging business recently?”

Jon nodded. With the attack on his farm.

“...Yes.” Jon then answered. Something told him to be vocal this time.

“Well… the greatest illusion you give them,” Luther explained, “is that any of them can have a life like yours. But that’s not your fault. They’ll have to learn that the hard way.”

He gestured to the door. “You can go get your Ninja friend now.”