"Not again," Alaric muttered, dodging the snapping beak.
"Corner them!" Marianne shouted. "Don't let them get to the kitchen!"
What followed was perhaps the most ridiculous twenty minutes of Alaric's life, and considering the last two days, that was saying something. The geese, displaying tactical brilliance that would have impressed military strategists, split into groups and executed what could only be described as guerrilla warfare.
Marianne and Alaric ended up cornering the last three geese, including Admiral Feathers, in the kitchen. The birds stood their ground, honking defiance.
"Now what?" Alaric asked, brandishing his broom like a weapon.
"Now we negotiate."
"Negotiate? With geese?"
"Watch and learn." Marianne reached into a bin and pulled out a handful of day-old bread. "Admiral Feathers, I propose a truce."
The large gander tilted his head, apparently considering.
"You take this bread and leave peacefully, or we call in Mr. Thompson with his net."
Admiral Feathers honked, but it sounded more contemplative than aggressive.
"That's right, the net. You remember the net from last year."
There was a moment of tense negotiation conducted entirely through honks and bread-waving, and then Admiral Feathers waddled forward, took the bread surprisingly gently from Marianne's hand, and led his troops out of the bakery with dignity intact.
Alaric stared after them. "Did you just successfully negotiate with waterfowl?"
"It's all about mutual respect."
"Mutual respect with geese."
"Don't jest. It works."
They stood in the destroyed bakery, covered in flour (again), feathers, and pine needles from their earlier adventure. Marianne surveyed the damage with a sigh.
"This will take hours to clean."
"I shall help."
She looked at him in surprise. "You don't have to. You've already done your list duties for the day."
"Actually, I haven't. There are seventeen more items, including the bronze turnip."
"You don't have to do all of them today."
"No, but I should help clean this. The geese were partly my fault."
"How were they your fault?"
"I challenged Admiral Feathers's authority in the forest. This was clearly retaliation."
"You think the geese followed us here for revenge?"
"Would it be the strangest thing that's happened today?"
Marianne considered this. "Not even top three."
They spent the next hour cleaning the bakery, sweeping up flour and feathers, salvaging what bread they could, and tryingto restore order to the chaos. They worked well together, falling into an easy rhythm that felt oddly domestic.
