Lukk instantly reached for his weapon, but immediately realized that he was without.
Cornelia froze in place, as she realized the severity of their situation.
Her thoughts went to her old mentor, and panic filled her being as she feared for the worst.
‘Calm down.
We’ve been waiting for your arrival, and we’re all starving,’ the young woman said as she casually walked inside, her back turned towards them.
Cornelia wanted to head inside, but a quick gesture of Lukk stopped her as he went in himself first.
He turned to her, and whispered, ‘Wait here, and at the slightest hint of something bad happening, run to the forest and warn Dieter.
Richter will find you.’
She waited for at most half a minute before Lukk yelled at her to come in, so she did.
Nervous as hell, she searched the rooms looking for hints and traces of her mentor.
As she finally walked into the living room, he calmly sat in a rocking chair with a blanket around his lower half, quietly reading one of his beloved books.
Julia was playing with a miniature wooden horse as the swordmaiden and Lukk stood there awkwardly waiting for her.
‘Ah, Cornelia, welcome back,’ Fernand calmly stated.
‘I’m sorry about the surprise, but I was sitting so comfortably and Annie was so kind as to offer to open the door for you.’
Lukk grew very angry at the old man.
‘Has your old age finally caught up with you?
Why did you disobey Dieter’s explicit instructions and wake her?
And worse yet, why did you let her open the door?
You know what my first thought was?
This is very unlike you, old man.’ Fernand chuckled in amusement, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
‘Because little Julia asked me to, and she used her puppy eyes to do so.
How could I refuse?’ He laughed.
‘No, but really.
She told me it would be all right, and that she’d talk to her big sister on our behalf.
And I believed her.’
‘You risked our lives, and our whole operation on the words of a seven year old?’ Lukk slowly asked, the unbelieving confusion in his voice palpable.
‘When you have experienced as much as I have, young Lukk, you tend to see the truth of things.
We are still alive, what more proof of my correctness do you require?’ Lukk, now properly irritated, retorted, ‘We are barely more than twenty years apart, don’t talk to me like you would to one of your students.’ ‘A lifetime then,’ Fernand lightly mocked.
‘You almost gave me a heart attack, you know that?’ Lukk angrily said, now visibly more relieved.
‘And you,’ he pointed accusingly at the female warrior apparently named Annie, ‘I swear to God almighty, if you ruin my cooking session with your nonsense we are going to have a real problem.
I will not have it, not today.’ Annie crudely half-smiled and responded, ‘No Ser, not today.
But don’t think I will forget how you put your blade against my sister’s throat.
I will have you die screaming as my flames lick away your skin and bones, but not today.’ Frustrated, Cornelia interjected herself into the conversation.
‘Only because you blatantly attacked us without fair reason.
We approached you through diplomacy despite the many burned bodies we found that you had left in your wake.
You have no right to blame him, or any of us for defending ourselves against your own unearned aggression.’
‘But I do,’ she replied.
‘I do blame you.’ And with that she silently left the room.
Fernand shrugged, ‘It can’t be helped.
Tempers are still high from yesterday.
Nothing that a good meal by an even better cook can’t solve, I’m sure.’ As Lukk turned around to unpack the groceries, Julia spoke.
‘I don’t blame you.’
Fernand laughed wholeheartedly.
‘Well, that is a surprise.
What a kind young lady you are, so easy to forgive.
I can see why your big sister likes you so much.
I hope in time your sister can forgive us too, as we have already forgiven her.’ Cornelia noticed Lukk silently raising an eyebrow, the scar of her weapon still very visible on his face.
‘Anyway..’ Fernand continued, ‘..we are all starving, especially kindly Julia here.
She hasn’t eaten since this morning, and had been looking forward to this her whole day.’ Lukk smiled at the young lady.
‘Is that so?
Sounds like we need to get to cooking quickly then.
You’ll get to taste it first.’
As Julia cheered excitedly, they all started unpacking the groceries in the kitchen.
Everyone except Annie and Fernand, the latter silently picking up his book again as he slowly rocked his chair while humming some western song.
She looked at the cover of his book.
The subject seemed to be gardening this time.
As Julia happily handed Lukk one of the fresh tomatoes they’d bought earlier, Sascha felt satisfied.
With that, she thought, the ice was finally broken.