When Ravven followed Lady Vienna into the kitchen, he didn't even look back at the room they had passed. He was far too used to empty dining rooms and waiting.

The young girl had seemed surprised that he was willing to be seen in the humble kitchen. She was quick to kneel before the cold hearth and start a small fire.

As the warmth began to permeate the room, he felt her gaze upon his pale hands, still grasping his gloves tightly.

She gestured to the bench in front of the blaze. "This is the warmest seat, Your Highness."

He nodded his thanks. He pulled the bench out to sit, his long legs having enough room beneath the large wooden table.
"You may address me by my name, Lady Vienna."

She seemed to freeze on the other side of the table as she laid out utensils beside him.
"Your..." She started moving again after she breathed, "Ravven, you may drop the formalities with me as well."

A breath he didn't know he was holding passed in a rush from his lips. Ravven reminded himself to smile.

She wasn't looking though, her focus on setting the table before him.

Ravven's gaze wandered around the room. Herbs hung drying, shelves carried flowering pots with bright blossoms of violet, delicate pinks, and even some yellows framed the room lifting the darkness. It felt as if the air was alive and breathing.

The fire behind him crackled softly. The comforting smell of wood smoke reminded him of going on small expeditions with his father to oversee the kingdom and the campfires as his father leaned forward, telling him stories of the past.

His back felt warm. His fingertips tingle as the feeling comes back into them.
A movement to his side showed Lady Vienna setting a kettle above the fire to boil.
"Don't you have someone to do that for you?" His lips twitched as he saw her give a slight eye roll while warming some biscuits.

As she finished, her hands dropped to her apron. He watched them tighten and his lips became a thin line as he saw how they shook.

Ravven's heart tightened and swallowed before turning to face the table, his hands clenched in his lap.

Her voice was soft and lilting. "We only have Ezzie. She recently had two little ones, so she doesn't come as often. She taught me how to care for myself and the basics of home care. Pop and I do fine."
Ravven watched from the corner of his eye as Vienna made her way to the window. She leaned forward to open it and peered outside.

"Is your shadow knight available for tea and biscuits?"

Ravven stood and walked to her side. "I would call her in, but I doubt she'd agree."

At the sound of his voice, a small, mus-like squeak was heard by his side as the girl startled before scampering away.

The teapot whistled and her features relaxed in relief as she scurried to grab it.

He watched, guilt running through his veins, "You were scared of me then too. I suppose it hasn't changed." His voice had become a whisper. He waited for her to leave the hearth and set the food down.

His black boots clicked against the cobblestone of the kitchen floor before he set his hands and leaned forward. His head dipped low to catch the look in her eyes, "Why are you still afraid of me? I promise I will never hurt you again."

The girl kept his gaze for a short time before looking back down. She shifted in her seat across from him as she shook her head. A small, self-deprecating laugh came from beneath her breath.
"It doesn't take much to change a person."

Ravven knew this to be true. In only a few brief moments, everything had changed for him when I first met this Vienna Thorne.