"A monster bringing in a monster," someone behind them said with a laugh.

Sir Linden came to a stop before the Baron, Sir Lawrence, and the three sisters. Silently, he dismounted. He was still taller than everyone there. 

"My lord," he knelt.

The Baron stared at him, mouth agape. 

After a long silence, Sir Linden finally added, "I have slain a cockatrice."

Related to dragons, the cockatrice had a rooster's head, feathered wings, and a long serpentine tail. And if the legends are true, looking into its eyes could kill you instantly.

Anise couldn't help but peek at its dead eyes, a chill going down her back.

"That's impossible!" One of the other knights burst out. "A creature of that size... Our scouts would have seen it."

They can't fly, thought Anise. They aren't like a dragon you'd see for miles flying through the air... 

"I found this one in a cave to the north. It had just laid its eggs recently." His rough voice was quiet, and his head was still bowed. "I ensured they would not hatch."

Murmurs through the crowd. "A whole brood of them... Would the knights even have been enough to protect us then?"

"The shells are in the cart, my lord," the enormous man added. "I don't expect them to count towards my total, but... they may have some value to the mages and alchemists in the city."

Those shells might be worth a small fortune... An offering, presented humbly. It would help smooth things over with the Baron and make him more willing to accept.

Baron Melliere stared at the large man with gritted teeth, his hands clenching into fists. 

"Very well." He turned on his heel and stalked off. 

"But, Father--" 

"Kalina," the Baron said in a tight voice. "We will speak of this in private." 

As the Baron stomped towards the house, Kalina and Sir Lawrence followed after him. Violet, ever nosey, quickly chased after her sister. 

Anise stood awkwardly as the gossip milled around her.

"Can you believe this?" 

"He should know his place!"

"This is what Melliere gets for harboring a Northerner in his ranks..."

As if he didn't hear them, Sir Linden rose from his kneeling position and tended to the cart in silence, face serious and jaw set.

After a long moment, his eyes flicked to Anise as if he could feel her staring.

Ack!

Anise bobbed a quick curtsy and turned to make her way back into the main house.

The moment she pressed the door shut behind her, Anise could hear her father yelling. 

"Then perhaps he should have slain something worthwhile!" 

Anise flinched instinctively at the sound of her father's anger. She could hear Kalina pleading with him, her voice muffled by the walls around them, but could not make out the words. 

Moving as silently as she could, she went to the upstairs hall. 

Violet was kneeling outside her father's study, a cup pressed between her ear and the door. When she saw Anise, she waved her over eagerly.

Anise stood over her sister, unable to kneel as easily. 

"Father's angry," Violet said with a small frown, as if that wasn't obvious from all the yelling. "Kalina is pleading for Sir Lawrence, but..."

"You assured me you had a plan," the Baron's voice was clear to Anise even without a cup to the door.

"I did have a plan," Sir Lawrence argued. "I scouted the area and located the golem--"

"A golem. Bah! It's hardly a danger or a threat. A coward's choice." 

The young knight was silent in response to that.

"But golems are predictable, and large enough to win," insisted Kalina. 

"Clearly they are not," her father snapped back, then sighed. "We can hold another hunt when autumn comes, or next spring. People will talk... Today was a failure. Everyone knows it was. But we can try again." 

Footsteps moved towards the door and Violet scrambled back, pretending to be very busy admiring a painting on the wall. Anise stood still, knowing there was no use in pretending. 

"I have to arrange some sort of prize for the winning knight," her father said with a sneer. "So if you'll excuse me..." 

The door flew open and the Baron stomped through the doorway. He cast a glare at Violet as he passed, but luckily didn't even acknowledge Asha. She had chosen her position carefully... The door would open, blocking his view of her. 

She breathed a sigh of relief as he passed, then made her way back down the hall, leaving Violet to comfort Kalina. 

The festive atmosphere of earlier was dead and gone. The crowd gossiped in hushed whispers, but none dared speak their thoughts out loud. 

The Baron stood on the pavilion, flanked on his right by his highest-ranking knights, and his daughters on his left. Each knight was armed and armored, as if waiting for trouble. 

Anise peeked down the row. Violet was looking around, worried and nervous. Kalina and her father grit their teeth in nearly the exact same way. 

Please let this be over soon... Anise wrung her hands in her skirts. 

The fading sun made the Melliere family glow with rosy sunlight. Long shadows cut across the lawn.

Sir Linden's shadow reached the pavilion long before he did. 

He knelt before the Baron who glared down at him. 

"Well? You won. What is it you want? Gold? Land?" 

"My lord... The prize was for 'whatever I desire most,' yes?" 

Where the Barron's voice was harsh and demanding, Sir Linden's was quiet and calm. The members of the crowd stuck in the back leaned in to hear him better. 

The Baron waved his hand. "Yes, I know. So? What do you want?"

"Anise."

He lifted his head, looking not at the Baron but... 

Anise stared, frozen. 

"What did he say?" Violet whispered. "It sounded like--" 

The Baron leaned forward as well. "I beg your pardon. Speak up. What did you say?"

Sir Linden raised his voice, rumbling like the thunder of an oncoming storm. 

"Anise. What I most desire is Anise Melliere, my lord. I would have her hand in marriage as my prize."

Every single gaze turned to Anise. She held up her hands on instinct, as if to fend them off. 

He... What?!