The sun had begun to set on the busy town, and still Tomas had not found his ward. Since his encounter with Viola many hours earlier, he had wandered throughout the town, but to no avail. No one had seen her.

Now, watching people bustle to and fro in preparation for the night ahead, he wondered what to do next. He was alone and almost penniless; after buying lunch, his money was getting dangerously low. With his stomach beginning to growl, he was feeling worried about buying himself dinner. He wasn’t even sure if he had enough coins left.

Wheels clattered by on the uneven cobblestones, and Tomas took a step to the side, away from the thundering noise. He rubbed his forehead - the stress, combined with the noise, was giving him a headache. What he needed was some peace and quiet so he could think properly. The commotion was too much for him to handle.

He knew he had to make a decision, and soon. What was he going to do? Should he go home, and trust that Dove would be alright? Should he stick around longer in the hopes of finding some clue about where she had gone? Did he even have a third option?

None of his thoughts satisfied him. Leaving without knowing what had happened went against everything he knew and believed in. Staying meant spending more money, as well as time away from his family. He felt lost. Often, in situations like these, he would find his father’s words returning to him, offering advice on what to do. But not now. This time, his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings, tumbling around with no real direction.

What would his mother tell him to do? The thought jumped out at him from the midst of the confusion, and he stopped for a moment, thinking. What would his mother tell him to do? Would she say to leave and hope for the best? No, he decided quickly. She wouldn’t tell him to do that. But would she tell him to stay? Perhaps. That one he wasn’t so sure on. But did he have another option? If she wouldn’t tell him to leave, the only thing left would be to stay.

But stay where? The inn was gone, and his coins nearly depleted. He knew there was another inn, but it was more expensive. He couldn't stay there.

As he continued to walk, lost in thought, his foot caught on one of the cobblestones and he stumbled forward, knocking into an old woman carrying a basket.

“Oh, I-I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed. He bent down and retrieved the woman’s dropped basket, handing it back to her. “I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. Really, I’m sorry.”

The woman gave a small chuckle. “It’s fine, dear.” She patted his arm. “I’m not hurt in the slightest.” Unsure what to say, he smiled and gave a nod. She smiled back. “Take care.”

Tomas watched as she walked away, a thought tugging at him. The more he tried to chase the thought, however, the further it ran from him. With a sigh, he gave up trying and began walking again, unsure where he was going. He had nowhere to go, after all. No one to stay with, no money to pay for board-

The thought found him again. Viola. He wasn’t sure why she came to mind just then, but the more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed. She was a good friend of his mother’s. Surely she wouldn’t mind him staying with her for the night.

With the light fading from the sky, he turned and began to make his way towards her house. Perhaps she’d even spare him a meal, he thought as his stomach rumbled again. He had no idea of her cooking skills, but anything was better than nothing. And if her cooking was anything like his mother’s, it would be the best food he’d had in days.

====================

Viola’s house wasn’t far from the marketplace. Since she walked there often, sometimes selling eggs from her hens, it was a convenient placement. The house itself wasn’t very large; just a few rooms and a place at the back for her chickens. But it was cozy.

It wasn’t the first time Tomas had been to her place. When he was younger, his mother would often visit Viola on their excursions into town. But it had been a while, and he’d never been to her house without his mother. He knew it was silly, of course, but standing there on her doorstep with his hand raised to knock, he felt small again. A child without his mother. But he wasn’t a child, he told himself. Not anymore.

Shaking away the nervousness and the nostalgia, he rapped twice on the door in quick succession. Within a moment, it opened.

Viola’s eyes met his with slight surprise, but her lips soon formed a smile. “Tomas!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

He cleared his throat and offered a shy smile. “I was… hoping maybe you had an extra room I could stay in? What with the inn and all, I-”

“Of course, dear!” she said, cutting him off. “You don’t think I’d turn away Addy’s son, do you? I was worried what you’d do, you know. The inn gone, I half expected you to head home!” With that, she paused and gave him what seemed to be a knowing smile before continuing. “Oh! And here I am, rambling away while you’re stuck out there. Come in, come in!” She stepped back, holding the door wide for him to step through.

He entered with a smile. The room he’d stepped into was a bit of a mess, something he was sure Viola would begin to apologize for in a second or two. In the middle of the room sat a round table with a few chairs with knitting projects laying across many of them. He took a step forward and almost tripped as a chicken crossed his path, squawking loudly at him for almost stepping on it.

Viola closed the door. “So sorry for the mess, of course if I’d known you were coming I would have tidied up a bit,” she said, already beginning to clear off the chairs. “Usually it’s just me and the chickens, you know.” By this point her arms were full of her projects, her face just barely peeking over the top. She glanced around, clearly looking for somewhere else to set them.

Tomas chuckled, taking advantage of the pause. “It’s fine, really. I don’t mind at all. You should come ‘round our place sometime - it isn’t any better.”

She smiled over the top of the heap in her arms. “That’s as may be, but I still think you should at least have someplace to sit.” Walking across the small room, and somehow managing to avoid the chicken Tomas himself had nearly tripped over, she dropped the pile on another table in the corner. “There. That’s much better.” She turned to look at Tomas, hands on her hips. “Now, how about that room, eh?”

Tomas followed her to a small room towards the back corner of the house. A single window allowed in enough light yet to see by. A variety of chests filled a large portion of the room, containing who knew what, leaving just enough room for a small cot. The cot itself, however, had two chickens resting on it as well as a bag.

“Shoo!” Viola said, waving her hands at the fowls. Squawking, rather like their comrade in the other room, they flapped their wings and scurried off the small bed. “Tomas, be a dear and move that bag for me, would you?” Viola asked as the chickens darted around underfoot. “Just set it right on top of that chest over there.”

After he had moved the bag, setting on top of the indicated chest, he waited while Viola bustled around. She insisted on fetching new sheets, as well as a few pillows for him.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone stay in here. For living in the middle of town, I get very few visitors.” Done setting up the pillows, she straightened. Her head only just came to Tomas’s shoulder, and she looked up at him. “Last person to stay here more than one night was your mother, as a matter of fact.”

Tomas felt his face settle into a look of surprise. He’d never realized just how little company she had. No wonder every time she saw him she rambled on. She only had her chickens to talk to otherwise.

“Ah, yes. Your mother. She was my best friend, you know.” She smiled. “Then she met your father.” Her voice became nostalgic. “Once they got married, I didn’t see her as much. For obvious reasons, of course. Never had another friend like her.” She trailed off, her eyes gazing at the far wall of the room.

After a moment, she looked back up at him. “But you don’t really care about all that. I’ll bet my best buttons you haven’t even had dinner yet!” She headed for the door. “Come on, let’s get you some food.”

====================

Viola continued talking as she bustled about in her small kitchen. Telling Tomas about the time one of her chickens had gotten it’s head stuck, or about that one customer from the other day, or even about how the weather had been lately. It didn’t seem to matter if he even answered her, she would just continue on. But even though it was largely small talk, he still listened. How she hadn’t been looking where she was going, and had ended up breaking one of her favorite plates. How she was nearly finished making a new pair of warm stockings for the winter.

However, once the food was done cooking and she’d set it in front of him, she turned serious. The small talk over, she asked the one question Tomas had been hoping she wouldn’t.

“So, where is that girl you were with yesterday?” The look on her face was more than curiosity. It was something Tomas couldn’t quite place.

He finished chewing, taking his time. Viola said nothing, only waiting for him to reply. Finally, he swallowed and cleared his throat. What to tell her?

“I don’t know,” he said at last, the truth falling out. And it was the truth; he didn’t know. He’d asked everywhere. No one knew. “She’s just… gone.” When Viola remained silent, he continued. “When I woke up, she was gone. No one’s seen her, and I’m getting worried.” He looked up, meeting Viola’s eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

Viola offered a small smile. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“But I’m not,” he said, and he was surprised by his honesty. He realized he trusted her more than he thought he did. “I have no idea where she went, and I can’t just leave, either. It wouldn’t be right.”

Viola shifted in her seat and leaned forward a bit. “Now see, that moral sense of yours is what’s going to lead you right. Just you wait.” Seeing that her words weren’t helping, she sat back in her chair and looked at him. “You say you don’t know where she went.” When he nodded, she continued. “Well, where would be the most obvious place for her to go? Does she have family near here? Use your head, Tomas. What else do you think it’s there for?”

At her words, his mind began whirling. Does she have family near here? While the answer was no, he knew where she did have family. She was from Lucerne. Lucerne nobility, from what he’d discovered of her so far. Someone was looking for her. And if he found them, he’d be one step closer to finding her.

“Tomas?” His head jerked up, meeting Viola’s eyes. “You okay there?”

Slowly, a grin spread across his face. “I’m wonderful. Thank you. Thank you so much.” Viola looked confused, but she smiled anyway.

He knew what he had to do. Tomorrow he was leaving for Lucerne.

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A/N Hello hello! Have a somewhat longer chapter this time :D Perhaps it will make up for the last one. But hey, finally the big 3-0. 30 chapters. Wow.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Viola was surprisingly well recieved the last time she showed up, so for those of you who liked her, here's a bit more of her. If you guys did enjoy this chapter, you know the drill :3 Please vote or comment. I really appreciate it :) Have a good night, guys! (also, this chapter is entirely unedited - I may put up a new version at some point. For now, enjoy it as it is.) Love you all! xx