"I am only concerned for your safety, Little One. He may insist that you are taking part in a grand performance, but how are we to know what this ritual of his really entails?"

The vessel takes a moment to think and shrugs.

"And what of this suspicious creature? I've seen how it follows you around without question, but I cannot overlook its dubious origins. Just because it is young does not make it completely innocent."

The 'child', as the troupe master called it, hisses and spits a small flame in my direction. I easily sidestep the attack and glare at the flying pest. I have a feeling that we will not be getting along very well…

My sibling looks toward its new companion and opens its arms wide. With a screech of joy, the child swoops into vessels arms.

"…Obviously, you already have your mind made up. Just…be careful. I am aware that I may be needlessly fretting over you. You are more than capable of defending yourself, of course. Still, it's clear that Grimm hides a great deal of power. You can never be too cautious around one like him."

The knight nods with confidence and leaves home with the child hovering closely behind.

With a long sigh, I take a seat and collect my thoughts. I know that I worry too much, but I cannot help it! First, those ominous, circus tents appeared without warning. I figured they were just travelling entertainers. After the knight paid them a visit, however, it returned home with that winged beast by its side. Once I had seen this, I couldn't keep myself from investigating. I met with Grimm, the troupe master, and he assured me that there was nothing to fear.

According to him, the knight is to take part in the troupe's ritual. It will travel throughout the kingdom and "harvest the burning essence". Once the child "carries the ritual's promise within it", Grimm's work will be finished, and the troupe will leave. To be honest, I am not sure what to make of such cryptic words. All I know is that I cannot take the talk of such a being at face value.

It puts me a bit on edge, but the child now lives with the vessel and I. The way it hangs from the ceiling and stares at me while I attempt to sleep does nothing to ease my concerns. It looks like it belongs in a world of monsters and nightmares. Even so, I have come to accept this arrangement. No harm has befallen the little knight, so I have no reason to protest. For now, at least.

The following days proceed with little commotion. The elderbug is constantly wrought with fear over the arrival of the troupe. Try as I might to calm him down, nothing gets through to him. The rest of the townsfolk go about their day, as usual. The menderbugs and I have been making great progress on fixing up Dirtmouth. When I have spare time, I sit at home and practice painting. The knight decided to bring home the portrait I made for it. I felt that I'd done a poor job of capturing its likeness, so I was shocked to see how much my sibling liked it. All I have to do now is gaze upon that painting hanging on the wall and I am inspired to do even better on my next project.

Speaking of my sibling, it has spent little time up here in Dirtmouth as of late. I feared that it must be completing its part in Grimm's ritual, scouring the underground for the "Essence". Sure enough, my fears are confirmed when it returns home one night with the child. It was impossible to miss that the body and wings of the knight's companion had grown in size; a sure sign that Grimm's plans were proceeding as intended. Tonight, I run into the pair while on an evening stroll through town.

"Good to see you, Little Sibling…You as well, Child."

The creature backs away and I can hear it growling, faintly.

"Oh, quit this nonsense. I will not hurt you and I am certainly no danger to the one you follow around."

Finally, the child lets its guard down around me.

"Tell me, Little One. What do you hope to gain from participating in this errand for the troupe? You've been travelling throughout Hallownest for most of the last few days. I cannot help but feel they are… using you."

In response, the vessel jumps up and down while pointing at Grimm's child that flies nearby. Suddenly, everything makes much more sense.

"Ah…You just like having another friend, don't you? That alone is reason enough for you."

It nods.

"In that case, I will leave you to your task. I wouldn't want to stop you from helping a friend, after all. However, make sure you come home before it gets too late. I don't want you running yourself ragged in the caverns all night, understood?"

Before we can part ways, the knight gently tugs on my dress and I look down.

"Hmm? You need something?"

It points to the needle that I carry on my back and proceeds to draw imaginary lines in the air.

"…I don't understand…Silk? You want silk for something?"

Successful in its game of charades, the vessel nods with glee.

"I have no idea what you need silk for, but I know that I won't be getting an answer out of you."

So, with my ability to create silk from the soul stored within me, I provide the knight with a long strand of weaver's silk.

"Will that do?"

It nods and grabs the shining strand from me. With wonder in its movements, the vessel reaches up and ties one end of the silk around the child's body. It points up into the night sky and the child, seemingly, already knows what is being asked of it. With a few flaps of its wings, Grimm's child takes flight, but, before it can get too far, the vessel takes hold of the rope's other end. Just like that, the duo is soaring through the air and flying further from Dirtmouth with every second.

"…..What have I done?"

Several days later, I met with the troublesome pair again. Even in just a short time, the child had grown much stronger. Its wings, once thin tendrils, now resembled a gray cloak, and its eyes were colored with a fiery crimson. With its new changes, the child had definitely taken the appearance of its father. Hopefully, it wouldn't gain the power and strength of the father, though I wasn't optimistic.

The day after that, I returned home from a painting session with Master Sheo and I encountered the pair of hooligans once more.

"Good evening, Little Knight…What is going on?"

The vessel was trying to get the attention of the child who was hanging from the ceiling, out of reach.

"Little One, do not disturb the child. You must remember that it has grown rapidly in the last week. With such major changes, it needs more sleep than usual, I imagine."

At this, the knight settles down and its head droops a little.

"If you really wish to get into mischief that badly, then I will play with you. How does that sound?"

In no time at all, the knight has regained its enthusiasm. It beckons me to follow as it leaves the house.

"This scenario is becoming tiresome…"

Thankfully, it doesn't trek too far this time. But for whatever reason, it leads me to the Grimm Troupe's main tent. Does the vessel intend to involve Grimm in its antics as well? Once Inside, I notice the lack of fanciful music coming from the accordion player. In fact, the accordion player, Brumm, is nowhere to be seen at all. The knight and I reach the middle of the tent but, despite the torches being lit, Grimm is not here to greet us. How odd.

"Little One, did you complete your business with Grimm? The ritual, I mean."

It nods.

"Hmm, so the troupe has left Dirtmouth then. I suppose, in the end, they truly meant no harm."

I shake myself from my thoughts and turn to look at the knight. It is flailing it arms and jumping around.

"…More importantly, what are you doing?

It spreads its arms wide and slowly turns, gesturing to the open space in the troupe's tent.

"…You are putting on a performance? Is that what this is?"

It nods and resumes its wild swinging and swaying.

"Sibling, if you are trying to dance, that is not the proper way to do it. You move like a shrumal ogre that is banging its head against the floor."

If it hears my words, it does not heed them.

"…Right, you do not care. I suppose I forgot who I was talking to. Excuse me, Little Knight, I have a question."

Thankfully, it stops flopping about and looks to me.

"You brought me here to play with you, yes? You want me to dance, I assume?"

It nods very quickly. Goodness, I seldom see it this excited.

"I…do not enjoy dancing, but I can teach you if you'd like. When I was very young and I spent time in the White Palace, I sometimes saw the aristocrats dancing in the ballroom. I don't remember much, but I recall the manner in which they moved."

And with that, I had an arduous road ahead of me. I took the vessels hands in mine and started the lesson.

"First of all, you need to stop jumping around like a crazed beast. If you want me to teach you, you need to calm down and learn how to dance gracefully."

That was a request that would be hard for the knight to fulfill, I soon found out. Despite its occasional erratic movements, we were able to maintain some semblance of rhythm. Here and there, at least…

"Ouch! …Be more attentive, Vessel! My feet will be aching all day tomorrow if this keeps up."

It took time and a fair amount of scolding, but we were able to keep our momentum for a decent stretch of time. No flailing aimlessly, no stepping on feet, just a silent calmness as we spun and swayed.

"Well, that is about all I can teach you. I wish I knew more of the advanced steps and maneuvers, but I was simply too little to remember much. You will have to refine your skills on your own from here."

The knight shook its head and took my hands again, attempting to drag me into the middle of the tent.

"Little One…I said I didn't mind teaching, but I do not enjoy dancing. I would rather go home and continue on my latest piece of art."

The vessel has other plans, apparently. Holding onto my hands, it tries its best to build some momentum, just as I taught it. It appears that I will be dancing tonight whether I cooperate or not.

"Fine, you win…Though I must admit, it doesn't take much for you to win me over. I must have a weakness to annoying, little siblings who try to rope me into their schemes."

Though the idea of dancing made me nervous at first, I had more fun tonight then I'd had in a long time. Even without any music to help it, the knight did a fine job of keeping composed and letting the repetitions guide it. Occasionally, the reserved dance that I taught proved not to be liberating enough. The knight would break free from my grasp and let its energy out in a barbaric display. It got a chuckle out of me once or twice.

Far past our normal bedtime, I attempted once more to return home, but the vessel wouldn't allow it. We danced the night away and, for a time, I had barely a care in the world. Eventually, the Knight became so tired that it had to rest against me in a pitiful embrace to even stay awake. It was not much of a dance at that point, more just gently rocking back and forth, but I was enjoying it and couldn't bring myself to call it quits. Once the little one lost itself to exhaustion, however, I quietly carried it back home with me. You truly are a character, Little Knight. How foolish must you be to dance yourself unconscious?

- Author's Note -

Thanks to anyone who's read this far. I've gotten a bigger response than expected. And thank you especially to those who left encouraging reviews or sent pms my way. They really make my day when I read them.

This is the last chapter I had mapped out in my original plans for this story, so there is a chance that it'll end here. However, I enjoy writing it and some kind readers have sent me ideas of what they'd like to see covered in the story. I'm not promising anything, but feel free to leave a review or pm me with ideas for characters or scenarios that you'd like to see me write about, and there's a slight chance that I may make a chapter out of it. I'm open to ideas, at the very least.