The next six months passed quickly and quietly. Haven continued to grow healthy and the family lived happily together. Alexis and Gareth had to learn and adjust to life with a baby, but with help from Sean, the small village and even Hanna, they were able to do so quite well.

Having never been around babies, the silver-eyed young man was the most changed by the experience. He never knew that something so small could make him care so much. Even though Sean lived outside of the main house, he visited often as he could. His efforts were rewarded the first time Haven smiled at him. Then and there, Sean knew that he would die to protect this little one.

Fall having come, the harvest was brought in and sold or stored. Since Haven was sleeping and nothing else needed to be done, Sean went out hunting in the tall grass for some early evening game.

Stalking like a cat along the ground, Sean was certain that no one could see him. The sun was poised to set along the horizon soon, which was the perfect time to catch the crepuscular creatures that made the twilight their home. Without warning a flash of light caught his eye.

A flash like that could only come from a human, and he did not want to accidentally be shot by a fellow hunter. As no one else came out to this part of the country, the young man assumed that it must be one of the other men from the village. Sean stood and called a friendly greeting, "Hullo! Don't shoot." The smile on Sean's face quickly faded.

Not a hunter, but a soldier on horseback was watching him. The soldier was far off, but something in his manner was oddly familiar. A chill ran down the young man's spine as he locked eyes with the man's icy glare. Instinctively, Sean dropped into the dense vegetation and disappeared from sight. The soldier was caught off guard, and the lieutenant quickly rode to the spot where the man had fallen.

The soldier scanned the golden stalks. 'Don't move and he won't see you,' Sean thought to himself. Nearly able to reach out and touch the horse's hoof, Sean knew better than to shy away from the muscular. Any movement could prove deadly.

The silver-eyed man flicked his eyes up to the rider. His heart sank into his stomach as he observed the fierce brown eyes and determined mouth of the lieutenant. His initial feeling had unfortunately been correct. Sean held his breath, unwilling to let his muscles flinch.

The scent of wood smoke hung lazily in the air. The mounted man sniffed experimentally trying to decide if it was worth investigation. With the sun dipping below the horizon, the soldier at last decided that it was not worth his time to explore. Instead, he clicked his heels and cantered off in the other direction.

Sean waited until the man was long out of sight. Then like a mountain cat, he sprang and ran toward home. Bursting through the door of the main house, he fell breathlessly into a chair. Alexis looked at him with shock as she held the spoon from the pot over the fire in mid-stir. Haven played happily in a small fenced in area on the floor that Gareth had constructed for her. She was beginning to be mobile and the protective father wisely wanted to keep her penned in.

"Everything ok?" Alexis asked. Her tone implied she knew something was amiss, but wasn't sure how panicked she should be.

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Gareth entered from the larger bedroom. "What's going on?" He was only half-shaven and the sight would have been comical if not for Sean's grave news. Why the man was shaving in the evening, one could only guess. With one look at his son's disheveled appearance, he closed the hinged razor and sat down next to him to listen.

"I saw someone in the forest. And he saw me." Sean explained breathlessly.

"That does happen sometimes, even for a shadow like yourself," his mother smirked. She resumed her pot stirring.

The young man realized he had not explained himself well. "You do not understand. This was a bad man. He...he tried to kill me once."

Alexis dropped her spoon in the pot and gasped while Gareth's eyes widened as he balled his fist on the table. A silence fell over the room.

Sean's mother's eyes narrowed and her face darkened. "Let me get my hands on the brute! Why don't we call the soldiers? If he has committed this heinous crime, he has likely committed others as well. We will get him put away for good!" The fire in her belly for justice was ignited.

Sean swallowed and shook his head slowly. "We cannot report him to the soldiers, because he IS a soldier."

The room went silent again. Alexis went and wrapped her arms around her son. He was taller and bulkier next to her thin frame, but that did not stop the fierce hug she gave him. "Do not panic. You are safe now. We will keep you safe."

Gareth laid his hand on the boy's shoulder and nodded firmly. "We will be vigilant, boy. Don't worry."

But Sean did worry, and just a week later, his fears were justified.

It was a cool afternoon, and Gareth and he were returning from surveying an early winter crop. The weather had been mild and they had decided to risk it to sow some radishes before the snow set in. Heading home, they heard many voices raised in the village. As they neared, they could see the whole village gathered outside their cabin around six soldiers. One of them was on horseback. It was Borit.

Sean swallowed hard and wet his lips as he approached the group. Every fiber of his being told him to run, but he knew that would only make things worse. The young man realized that wouldn't get far on foot against a horse anyway. 'Why delay the inevitable?' Borit's eyes met his with a glare of utter hatred. Sean held his gaze evenly. 'Whatever happens, I will face it bravely.'

"There he is!" Borit pointed. Two of the soldiers broke free of the group and grabbed Sean by either arm. He did not resist. "Bring him here." Borit ordered. The young man was half-ecorted, half-dragged toward the lieutenant's horse. The sharp-nosed man kicked Sean roughly on the chest as he neared. "You're under arrest."

"On what charge?" Gareth asked with more than a hint of defiance. The other villagers made room for the bulky famer and rallied around behind him.

Borit leveled his gaze at the newcomer and answered him with venom. "This man you want to protect set my family's farm on fire and murdered my poor mother."

A gasp ran through the crowd. No one was more shocked than Sean. 'What?! His mother is dead? I can only guess the culprit in this crime…and it was not me.'

He turned frantically to Gareth and Alexis. "Please! I did not do any of it. You have to believe me." He clasped his hands. He did not care what anyone else thought, but he did not want his adoptive parents to believe he was a murderer.

Alexis stepped forward with all the grace and dignity of a noblewoman. The baby on her hip somehow only added to the command of her presence. "When did this happen?"

"Just over two years ago, ma'am, but it feels as if it were yesterday." Borit played to the crowd by holding his hand to his chest. His eyes shone with pain, but Sean could see it was all an act. This man was an expert manipulator.

With a dip of her head, Alexis paid him the due respect. "You have my sympathies," she said with compassion, "but how can you be sure it was this man? Surely the culprit has changed his looks in that amount of time."

Borit could see doubt on the villagers' faces. He gave a small shrug. "I do not know what to tell you. He looks no different than the day I last saw him."

'Except I'm alive, have silver eyes, and am not floating down the river. But yes, exactly the same…' Sean thought sarcastically. Wisely, he chose to keep his mouth shut for fear of another kick or worse.

Alexis nodded slowly. She held out her hand, "I want to see the warrant."

"With all due respect, ma'am, you could not read it if I handed it to you. Perhaps I could read it to you instead."

"I appreciate your kindness, but I am able to read." Alexis smiled demurely. She knew how rare a talent it was among peasants, and she was happy to be able to use it now.

The confidence of the woman angered the lieutenant, but he did not want to appear out of control. He must acquiesce.

"Get the warrant." Borit ordered through gritted teeth.