When it was over, the lead soldier person insisted on escorting her home. He had come in near the end and asked her to repeat the tale on their walk. She begrudgingly said goodbye to Mitch and gave her report to the man in charge.
At home, the Galanis family slept peacefully. Tasia had seen glimpses of them during the dance but had chosen to focus on the overall problem. The routine of getting ready for bed helped soothe her. It took over an hour to fall asleep, though.
The next morning, cleanup began. The villagers accepted the explanations of the soldiers because they recognized the royal colors and apparently considered the army village-adjacent. As the effects of the filemu wore off, more and more of Boschivo’s adult citizens signed on to help the squadron guard the villains being held in the dance hall.
Mitch, Prince Frank, and Tasia stayed out of the way for the most part. They did show some of the soldiers where to find the fire-starter spots so evidence could be gathered against Grandmother and her crew.
The reinforcements arrived a mere ten days later, proving that the army could march with speed when it wanted to. After the soldiers finally took the bad guys away from Boschivo, Frank pulled Tasia aside to talk with her in private.
“If you want, I can take you back to Diomland with me.” When she bit her lip, he added, “Away from your family. Mr. Arany can accompany you, too.”
As tempting as it was to say yes, Tasia only wanted to go back if Mitch came along. But she was very aware of how hard that many people would be for him.
“I’m sorry, Prince Frank. I can’t accept your offer at this time.”
He stared at her for a moment, and she got the feeling he saw more than he let on. “No matter what, I have a purse for you. It would make a good dowry, like I said.”
She blushed at his wink.
“Have you two had that discussion yet?”
Her cheeks would match her cloak soon. “No!”
“You should.” With that, the prince left her alone with her thoughts.
The walk back to the Galanis home was accomplished in something of a daze. Tasia had already decided that she was going to stick with Mitch for as long as he would allow it. She had trusted him with her safety for months, and she was ready to trust him with her heart, if he’d have it.
Her abstraction had the unfortunate side effect of forgetting that the Galanises were not particularly thrilled with her at present. She walked through the front door without checking to see who was home. All four family members were there, and only Chara was happy to see her.
Despite being made aware of Tasia’s part in the affair, her relatives weren’t inclined to give her any real credit. In fact, they were rather put out that some of the other villagers no longer shunned her directly.
“Why areyouback?” Pagona sniffed. She had taken Bunny’s betrayal hard. That hurt was expressed in verbal digs whenever Tasia wasn’t needed by the soldiers.
But the soldiers had left. Nothing prevented Tasia from leaving, as well.
She stopped inside the front door, letting the wind slam it shut. Everyone but Chara flinched.
Anthi ignored her elder daughter. “Oh good, Tasia dear. Can you get dinner started? It’s getting late,” she said, oblivious to Tasia’s mood.
Tasia looked at the woman who demanded the respect of being called “mother” but didn’t fulfill the role.
“You know what? I’m not going to make dinner anymore.”
Anthi and the other adults gaped at her.
“I’m not your servant, and I’m not going to act like it.”
Anger painted frown lines on Stavros’ face. “Now listen here, young lady. As long as you live under this roof, you will contribute—”
“You mean like the rest of you ‘contribute’?” she interrupted without remorse. “Don’t worry. I have a simple fix: I’m moving out.”
“You can’t do that,” Stavros blustered.
A suspicion tickled her mind. “Why not? Is Cindy paying you a monthly stipend?”
The husband and wife pair exchanged a guilty look.
“Un-be-lievable.” Tasia shook her head. “Well! I really have no reason to stay.”
