CHAPTER 41: AEGIS CHICKEN RICE

"When you told me you weren’t a chef, Marron, I thought you were being humble. Now I uh...I see what you mean." Balen shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a towel from the back. "But it really is refreshing, after hearing you described as ’That chef who brought two clans together with a feast.’"

Marron joined him with wiping up her previous failed attempts. "Thanks. At least you see the real me now."

Balen wagged a finger at her. "None of that now. I just meant it’s nice to see someone completely new after being in the Guild so long. When you’re surrounded by high-rank people, you kind of forget everyone started somewhere."

+

The bakery smelled of flour and smoke, though most of it came from Marron’s failed attempts. Balen stood tall at the counter, his golden eyes gleaming with challenge. "All right, lass. Let’s try again. Defensive food needs to stick, to stay with you. We’ll work through a few ideas."

[Attempt One: Fried Shield Cakes]

The first test was fried dough discs packed with beans and salted greens—meant to mimic small edible shields. Balen’s turned out golden, crisp, and hearty, with a chew that seemed to strengthen the jaw itself. Marron’s... sagged like old slippers. The beans leaked through the seams, dripping across the table.

When Mokko took a bite, the filling exploded outward, splattering an unlucky carpenter apprentice in the chest.

"Defensive in the sense you could bean someone in the face with it," Balen muttered, shaking his head while Marron groaned and clutched her apron.

[Attempt Two: Emberpockets]

Next, Balen pulled cornmeal from his satchel and patted it between his scarred hands. "These are called Emberpockets—portable stuffed breads. Sturdy, filling, and easy to hand out to anyone in a rush. Great for defense in the field."

His were flawless—thick rounds stuffed with spiced cheese and herbs, pan-seared until crisp, the filling molten but contained. He cut one open, steam rising like dragon’s breath.

Marron’s version oozed disaster. The dough cracked in the pan, the filling ran out, and smoke filled the bakery. She coughed into her sleeve, lifting one half-burnt mess with the edge of a spatula.

Lucy squeaked. "It looks like... molten swamp mud!"

Balen grimaced but tried to hide his amusement. "Don’t worry. Took me three months before mine stopped exploding."

[Attempt Three: Fortification Dumplings]

Finally came dumplings packed with mushrooms and roots. Balen’s were plump, neat, each a tidy little parcel of nutrition. Marron’s collapsed in the steamer, clinging to each other in a sad, soggy pile. When Mokko tried lifting one with his thick fingers, the dumpling burst, spraying hot broth across his knuckles.

He frowned down at the mess. "...Camouflage food? Maybe raiders won’t notice it if it’s this ugly."

That broke even Balen’s composure—he laughed so hard he nearly dropped his knife. Marron hid her burning cheeks behind her notebook.

+

Balen leaned on the counter, catching his breath. His smile softened, but his voice was curious. "Tell me, lass. How do you know you follow recipes? Do you write anything down?"

Marron blinked. "No. Most of the things I make are from... different times in my life. The rose meringues I made when I wanted something sweet. The bread rolls I made when I was homesick. They’re... heart recipes, I guess. If I had a cookbook, I’d probably just make recipes from that, honestly. Makes me feel good knowing it’s tried and tested."

Balen chuckled, low and warm. "Around here, recipes are always a work in progress. There’s no ’finished’ dish. Just the next meal you get to improve."

Marron glanced at him and noticed for the first time the old burns across his knuckles, pale scars that disappeared beneath his sleeves.

He caught her staring and smirked. "Yeah, I had a ’splashed oil all over myself’ phase. Don’t think too hard about it, lass. Just cross that bridge when you get there. Customers don’t care what it cost you—they only want to taste something that’ll keep them standing."

Marron lowered her gaze, his words needling at her.

+

She thought of the failures before her—shield cakes, emberpockets, dumplings. They weren’t hers. They were Balen’s.

But then... she remembered something that was hers.

A quiet night, long ago. She had padded into the kitchen as a child, sleepless and restless. Her mother had been there, humming, gently stirring chicken and onions until the broth filled the air with warmth. She’d poured in eggs that floated soft and fluffy, then ladled it over steaming rice. "A bowl to soothe the heart," her mother had said, setting it before her.

It had made her safe. It had made her rest.

Marron’s throat tightened. "...I know what to make."

Balen tilted his head. "Do you now?"

Her hands trembled, but she picked up the pan. "It’s called... Aegis Chicken Rice. Or at least, that’s what it’ll be here."

+

She simmered sliced onion until it softened, golden and sweet. Added chicken thigh cut small enough to melt with the broth. Then she cracked fresh eggs into the bubbling liquid, stirring carefully so they folded into clouds. At the end, she poured it over bowls of rice, the steam rising like a gentle shield around each dish.

When she set the first bowl down, the apprentices leaned in, their expressions softening at the smell.

Borin the dwarf was the first to taste, his beard damp with steam. He chewed, swallowed, and let out a long sigh. "By the Stone. I’ve not felt this... comforted in years."

Harvey’s apprentices devoured theirs in silence, their tired shoulders relaxing. Mokko leaned over his bowl, fists unclenching. Even Lucy hummed happily, ribbon bouncing with warmth.

Balen ate last. He didn’t speak at first. He just stared at Marron, his golden eyes unreadable. Then he smirked, licking broth from his thumb. "There it is. Not my food. Not anyone else’s. Yours. A dish that shields."

Marron’s chest swelled with something she couldn’t name—pride, fear, hope all tangled together.

That night, as the bakery quieted, the System chimed:

[Bonus Mission Complete.]New Recipe Acquired: Aegis Chicken RiceEffect: +Defense, +Mental Resilience.

[Warning Lifted: Raiding party will not be alerted.]

Marron pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes stinging. "We’re safe. For now."

And for the first time, she truly believed it was food—not walls—that might protect Meadowbrook.