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Location: Caras Galadhon, Caras Galadhon, Arkandia
Year: 28 105 (2605 T.A.)
Status: Summer

Thirty three years had passed since Kyrie had married Ahkshi, and it was beyond certain now that she was immortal. Sixty six years old, she looked the same as she had at twenty, and she had none of the infirmities that came with being human, other than the odd winter cold. She had spent quite a bit of time with her husband, but she had made herself continue to travel as well, knowing that there were people who needed her help. In the thirty two years since she had realized that she would never be able to stay in one place, no matter how much she liked it, she had saved people from wolves, bears, dragons, and from other people. She had rescued widows, orphans, children who had been kidnapped, young women, and even a few men. Each time she saved someone, she was reminded anew why she couldn’t spend her life with the one man she loved.

But she had gotten used to it, more or less. It had almost become a routine for her: spend the winter (if she could) in Makshim with Ahkshi, and during spring, summer and autumn, travel and help people. Of course, she got some visiting in there, too: Dolerum was one of her most frequent stops, though she did, at least every few years, visit Caras Galadhon.

This was one of those years where she had headed east for her travels instead of west. She didn’t go as often simply because it was so much further away than Dolerum from Shiezin. But it had been nearly a decade this time, and that, she told herself, was too long. She owed her sister and brother-in-law a visit.

The city’s population had grown since Kyrie had first returned to Caras Galadhon. The city itself had expanded a great deal as well. Even the outer walls had been pushed back to increase the perimeter. Still, Kyrie had been there often enough that she could find her way through the changes, and she made her way quickly to Lara and Cantor’s house. As she waited for someone to answer the door, she noted with curiosity that there were strangers coming and going freely from the house next door, which to her knowledge had belonged to Luk and his mother. She frowned curiously, but before she could wonder too much about it, her knock was answered.

“Aunt Kyrie!” exclaimed a lovely young woman with long auburn hair.

Kyrie laughed and embraced the young woman. “Hello, Lily. By the Valar, how you’ve grown!”

Lily giggled. “Well that’s what happens when you take so long to visit!” she accused her aunt. She held her at an arm’s length and examined her closely. “I don’t see any new scars: that’s a good sign.”

“No, no new scars,” Kyrie grinned. “Thank your uncle for that.”

“I would if I could ever meet him.” Lily rolled her eyes. “It’s driving me crazy!”

“Don’t let it,” Kyrie warned her. “I’m sure you’ll have the chance to meet him someday. Now, are you going to invite me in? Or am I going to stand here on the porch with my bags all day?”

Lily blushed. “Sorry, Aunt Kyrie. Come on in. Here, let me take one of your bags for you.” She knew by now that there was always one bag that Kyrie wouldn’t allow anyone else to carry, and she hadn’t bothered offering since she had been five years old.

Kyrie smiled and held one bag out to her. “Thanks. How are your parents?”

Lily closed the door behind them and started towards the stairs to bring Kyrie’s bags to the room which was kept for her. “Doing very well, thanks. Mama’s at the market at the moment, and Papa’s in a session. Corazin is off at work, so it’s just me in the house for now.”

“A session?” Kyrie asked, curious. “What kind of session?”

“Oh, didn’t you get the letter?” Lily smiled as they reached the top of the stairs and turned down the corridor. “About five years ago he was elected one of the senators of the country.”

So he had entered politics. The thought made Kyrie smile. She personally had no use for politics, but if Cantor could do some good, then she was proud of him. “And Corazin?”

“Still working at the gear smith’s,” Lily assured her. “His employer says he has a natural talent for working with things so small, and he loves making the tiny mechanical pieces.”

“And you?”

Lily opened the door to Kyrie’s room and led the way inside. “What about me?”

Kyrie watched as she opened the window to air out the room. “How have you been doing? It’s been ten years, I haven’t seen you since you were … what, fourteen? Fifteen?”

“Fifteen,” Lily replied softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m fine. I don’t really do anything much. A lot of reading, I suppose. Some sketching, though it doesn’t compare to Mama’s work.”

Kyrie frowned and sat next to her niece. “You sound like something’s troubling you.”

Lily hesitated a moment, then looked into her aunt’s face. “I’m … worried,” she said softly. “About our old neighbour, Luk.”

A cold chill washed over Kyrie. “What happened to him?” she asked quietly. “I noticed there are different people living there now …”

Lily sighed and folded her hands in her lap. “His parents. They disappeared.”

There was a silent pause as Kyrie tried to understand what she meant. “Parents … plural?” she asked, blinking. “I don’t … his father died a while ago …”

“Elysia remarried six years ago,” Lily explained. “A man half human, half Earth Elf. Luk was happy for them, because his mother was finally happy again, and since Leontis was immortal, it meant he wouldn’t grow old and die and leave her alone again. But less than a year after they were married, they vanished. They went out fishing and never came back.”

Kyrie frowned. “Just like that?”

Lily shook her head. “No … a storm swept up while they were out in their boat. There was no warning. It almost didn’t seem natural.”

Kyrie stood up and moved to the window and gazed out at the ocean, which lay just beyond the city. She had always thought the ocean was beautiful, but could she now look at it the same way, knowing it had taken the parents of her friend?

“That’s not all,” Lily added quietly from behind her.

Kyrie turned and looked at her niece. How could there possibly be more?

Lily kept her gaze even, but she had to take a breath to calm herself before she could add, “Elysia was pregnant.”

Kyrie felt herself growing cold, and she sat down slowly on the windowsill. “How is Luk?” she asked quietly. She knew he had held up after his father’s death only because his mother had needed him to, but with her gone, with his whole family gone now …

“He spent all day every day looking over the ocean for signs of them,” Lily told her softly. “He lost his job. He lost the house. He became obsessed with finding them, and he spent all the money he had left on hiring people to take him out to sea. After a year of no sign of them, he gave up … but he’s left society as well. Left the city. No one knows where he went. He shows up once in a while and trades for supplies, so we know he’s alive and safe, but … that’s it.”

“How often does he come?” Kyrie asked, thinking back to her weapons teacher in Jielam.

“Usually once a week, maybe every two,” Lily answered. “But he vanishes without a trace.”

“When is the last time he showed up?”

Lily had to think about it. “A week and a half ago?”

Kyrie rose again. “I’m going to head out to the city,” she told her niece. “If your parents are back before I am, let them know I’ll be back in time for dinner.” She hugged Lily again. “Thanks.”

“For what?” Lily asked, watching as Kyrie ran out the door. She was gone before she could get any kind of answer.

Location: Caras Galadhon, Caras Galadhon, Arkandia
Year: 28 105 (2605 T.A.)
Status: Summer

By the time Kyrie returned to Lara and Cantor’s house, night had long since fallen. She tried to slip in quietly, but the entire family was still up anyways, which made it pointless.

“Kyrie,” Lara called her from the living room. “In here.”

Kyrie let her bag fall carefully to the floor at the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the living room. Lily was in the living room with her mother, and both of them were standing in front of easels, bottles of paints laid out between them.

Lily smiled with relief when she saw her aunt. “You’re back,” she sighed happily. “I was getting worried.”

Lara laughed. “By now, if nothing’s happened to Kyrie, nothing ever will.”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Kyrie said dryly, lowering herself onto the couch and leaning back. “I may be immortal, but no one is truly immortal.”

“I have confidence in you,” her sister grinned.

“Aunt Kyrie, where’s your tattoo?” Lily spoke up, noticing for the first time that Kyrie’s abdomen, usually covered with a snaking red dragon, was bare. She had never seen her aunt without it before, and had no idea that Uruloki was a real dragon, not just some ink on Kyrie’s skin.

Instead of answering, Kyrie changed the subject. She preferred people not know that Uruloki was a real dragon. People feared dragons too much, and they would not be willing to accept him.

“I found Luk,” she said with a smile. “North of the city, like I thought. I haven’t found exactly where he’s staying, but he’s fine, physically.”

“Then why are you here?” Lily asked, confused. She noticed the way Kyrie had dodged her question, but she was old enough to realize that she had probably touched on a forbidden subject. “I would have thought that you would stay with him for a while and get more information.”

“Well, I had to let all of you know that I’m fine,” Kyrie replied, still smiling. “I promised I’d return every third day, didn’t I?”

“You also promised you would visit every few years at the least,” Lara replied dryly, “not every decade. We’ve grown used to you not following up on those sorts of promises.” She set her paintbrush in a cup of water and turned to face Kyrie. “But you said he’s fine physically. What about emotionally?”

Kyrie pursed her lips and thought about how to reply. Truth be told, she hadn’t really been able to talk to Luk very long, and she hadn’t gotten much information from him.

“He claims that all he wants is to be left alone,” she said quietly. “He doesn’t want to be around people. I understand what he’s going through, in a way. Of course, my situation was very different … but even so. When I was finally free, the last thing I wanted was to be around people.”

“Free?” Lily asked, turning and looking at her aunt curiously.

Kyrie smiled at her. “I was a captive for a long time.”

Lily’s brow furrowed. She had never heard about Kyrie’s past before. All she knew was that Kyrie had been adopted into the family because she had lost her parents. She knew that Khetal had also been adopted into the family, but she hadn’t had a chance to meet him yet, either, nor her grandparents or her aunt Gwen. Just as she hadn’t been able to meet Ahkshi.

“Mother changed your mind, though,” Lara grinned at Kyrie.

“So did the rest of you,” Kyrie laughed. “I know. That’s what Luk needs, a new family. But whether he’ll let someone take him in … that’s another question.”

A thoughtful look crossed Lily’s face, and she turned back to her painting while her mother and aunt continued their chat.

“He’s a lot like you that way, too,” Lara told Kyrie, setting her brush down and moving to sit next to her on the couch. “But you at least had the strength of heart to give it a try.”

Kyrie smiled faintly and folded her hands in her lap. “Yeah …”

Lara put one hand on Kyrie’s and smiled at her reassuringly. “You’ll see. He’ll open up. He just needs time. People aren’t meant to be alone. Eventually, he’ll get lonely. He’ll come back to civilization. He’s only been out there a little over a year. Give him some time.”

“I just want to know that he’s doing all right,” Kyrie admitted. “We used to be best friends. We grew up together. We did everything together. But he’s a city person. He’s not a forest person.”

“He’s been doing all right so far,” Lara pointed out. “Over a year on his own, winter included, and from the reports that we get in the city, it seems he’s doing all right. He’s healthy. Not losing weight or strength.”

“His colour is good,” Kyrie added softly. “He does look like he’s been eating well … and I suppose he’s not so far away from the city as he would have to worry too much about wild animals …”

“At least not the dangerous ones,” Lara agreed. “See? Nothing to worry about. And I’m sure that you’ll know more soon enough, right?” She eyed Kyrie’s stomach pointedly.

Kyrie smiled. “Yes. Hopefully within a few days. At the most. I’m not sure how it’s going to go, though. It’s the first time we’ve been apart since I found him.”

“You’re remarkably calm.”

“No, I’m remarkably exhausted,” she said dryly. “Truth be told, I’m amazed I made it this far.” She yawned. “On that note, I would really like to go to bed. I don’t know why all of you are still up.”

Lara smiled at her. “Lily wanted to wait up for you and make sure you were all right.”

The comment made Kyrie laugh. “See? It’s a good thing I kept my word this time.”

Lara giggled. “Yes. Now, go say goodnight to Cantor and Corazin before you go to bed. They were worried about you, too.”

“Will do,” Kyrie promised, pushing herself to her feet again. “Night.”

“Good night,” Lara told her warmly.

“Good night,” Lily called over her shoulder as Kyrie left the room.

Location: Makshim, Shiezin, Arkandia
Year: 28 106 (2606 T.A.)
Status: Early Spring

Kyrie had spent much of the winter in Caras Galadhon with Lara and her family, and though usually she would have waited for spring to arrive before setting out on her travels again, this time she found herself too troubled to stay there and wait for the good weather. It wasn’t worry for Luk that made her anxious. She knew that he would be fine. She hadn’t gone to look for him again, but Uruloki had reassured her, and she had believed him.

In fact, it was Uruloki that was giving her such disquieted thoughts. Not that he had done anything worrying: their bond was as strong as ever; but because she couldn’t stop thinking about Lily’s comment the night Kyrie had come back home without Uruloki with her. Her first comment, after her relief at Kyrie’s return, had been to inquire after Kyrie’s lack of a ‘tattoo’. Not only that, but she had even known enough to recognize that when Uruloki had returned, the ‘tattoo’ had taken a different position.

Lily might have an artist’s eye, Kyrie reflected, but it had been ten years since she had seen the tattoo, and if she had noticed those two things so quickly, then others certainly would as well. That wasn’t something that she wanted. But that meant that one of three things would have to happen: either he would have to remain bonded to her (a restriction she didn’t care for, as she wanted him to be free); or they would have to remain separate from each other (which she also didn’t care for, as she liked the fact that they could bond); or she would have to find a way to make it hard for others to tell whether or not they were bonded.

Still, she didn’t want to do anything without first speaking with Ahkshi. Aside from being her husband, he was also a physician, and quite knowledgeable in matters of dragons.

It was the middle of the night when she arrived in Makshim, and she made her way quickly to Ahkshi’s house and let herself inside. When she closed the door, she heard him stir in his sleep, and when she pulled her boots off and set them on the mat next to the door, she heard him moving.

“H’lo?” he mumbled sleepily. “Who’z’air?

“It’s me, darling,” Kyrie murmured, smiling softly.

“K-Kyrie?”

Kyrie shed her cloak and hung it on a hook to dry. It was a good winter cloak, nice and thick, and it did as good a job at keeping the rain off her as the snow. Then she peeled off her outer garments and stuffed them into her bag.

“Don’t get up,” she said softly, the cold air not bothering her one bit as she tiptoed over to the bed. It was one of the better side effects of bonding with Uruloki: as a Volcano Dragon, and thus a subspecies of Fire Dragon, he produced his own heat rather than requiring an external heat source like most reptiles, and when they were bonded he kept Kyrie warm as well.

She pulled back a corner of the blanket and leaned down to greet her husband with a warm kiss as she slid into bed with him. He returned the kiss and as she settled in next to him, he put his arms around her and held her close.

“Mm,” he sighed contentedly. “You’re early.”

Kyrie closed her eyes and laid her head against his shoulder. “I know. I just wanted to get back to you.”

She could feel the chuckle that rumbled through his chest. “It’s good to know,” he murmured, “that I’m not the only impatient one.”

That made Kyrie laugh. “No, you’re not.” She opened her eyes and gazed at him tenderly, and ran one finger lightly along his brow line.

He cracked one eye open and looked at her sleepily. “S-something tells me there’s something bothering you,” he murmured.

Kyrie bit her lower lip, considering how to reply. She couldn’t deny it: that would be a lie; but he was half asleep, and how fair would it be to wake him up just to talk? He had responsibilities in the morning, after all, responsibilities that required him to be at his best.

She smiled at him and kissed him softly. “In the morning,” she told him quietly, putting one finger to his lips. “Sleep now.”

Instead of obeying, he raised one arm and lit a candle by summoning his fire magic. Kyrie squinted in the sudden light and raised one hand to protect her eyes from it. “What …”

“Something is bothering you,” Ahkshi told her, sitting up. “I can’t s-sleep if I know something is bothering you.”

“Ahkshi, please, you need to sleep,” Kyrie said anxiously, sitting up as well and putting a hand to his cheek. “Come, we can talk in the morning.”

He shook his head firmly. “N-no. I have no patients at the moment. S-sleep won’t come anyways.”

Kyrie was tired, but she didn’t want to make her husband more anxious than she apparently already had. She sighed and lay down again, tugging him down as well so that she could pull the blanket above her shoulders. “It’s nothing huge,” she told him softly as he settled in next to her again. “It’s just something that happened while I was in Caras Galadhon.”

It didn’t take her long to tell him about how quickly Lily had noticed Uruloki’s absence or the fact that he had returned to a different position on her body, but she had missed talking with Ahkshi so much that she didn’t just stop there: she went on to tell him about Luk and her worries about him living alone in the forest; she told him about Cantor and Lara and the children (who weren’t children anymore); and then she came back to the subject of Uruloki and how she didn’t like that it was so obvious whether or not the two were bonded at any given moment.

Ahkshi listened in silence for the most part, interrupting only with questions for clarification or to make comments of agreement or understanding. By the time she finished pouring out her worries to him, he was wide awake. He was silent, thoughtful, for a few minutes afterwards, but Kyrie didn’t mind: she was just enjoying being back in his arms again.

“I can s-see why it might worry you,” he murmured finally. “The only way for you and him to keep your r-relationship the way it is would be to do something to your own b-b-body to hide him, whether he’s there or not.”

“But I don’t want to do more than I need,” she sighed. “And yet how much is enough, and how much is too much?”

He ran one finger along her collarbone. “You could keep it s-simple. Instead of getting enough t-tattoos to help him blend, just get one … of him.”

“Of Uruloki?” Kyrie blinked in surprise.

Ahkshi smiled at her. “Yes. Then when he’s gone, it looks like he’s still here, and when he c-comes back, then he knows how to get back in the r-right position.”

There was a thought. She wouldn’t have to deface herself with marks that meant nothing to her, that would really make her feel ashamed of herself, as she had once felt such a long time ago.

She smiled back at him and brushed her fingers against his cheek. “Then that’s what I’ll do,” she murmured. “Now come on, let’s get at least some sleep tonight. You might not have any patients at the moment, but traveling in the winter is exhausting.”

That, and she wanted to be well rested for what lay ahead. She didn’t know when she would get the massive tattoo, but she wanted to make sure that she was prepared for it when the time came.

Ahkshi chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. “As you wish,” he murmured. With a wave of his hand, the candle was extinguished and before long the two were able to drift off to sleep.

Location: Garnelia, Arkandia
Year: 28 854 (3354 T.A.)
Status: Late Spring

For hundreds of years now, life had been routine for Kyrie. Winters with her husband, other seasons traveling, visiting … yet despite the fact that it was indeed a routine by now, it had never stopped Kyrie from enjoying what she did.

Over the years, she had passed many times through the country of Garnelia, to the west of Shiezin, and even spent some days in the capital city, Dekra. She had always been relatively well received, considering her mixed blood, but she had never had any problems there. A few times she had glimpsed the royal family, especially in the last decade, when their youngest was old enough to leave the castle now and again. Even they had treated her with kindness.

She was passing through the city now. She didn’t have to, she could easily have gone around; but she wanted to have a pastry from the bakery (they were especially good here, she found). The first thing she noticed when she entered the city was the silence. Usually a hub of activity, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Instantly, Kyrie was alert. What was going on?

Keeping to the shadows, she moved silently through the city, searching for any hint of what it could be. It was as if the city had become a ghost town: none of the shops were open; there weren’t even any scents in the air. No sounds. No animals. No people. Nothing.

At last, she made it to the center of the city, where the palace was located, and there, she saw people. There were soldiers standing guard at the palace gates, as well as a few places along the outer walls. But even they were different now: instead of wearing the red and white of the ruling family, they were wearing black and gold, colours that Kyrie had never seen in any of the countries she visited.

Something was very wrong indeed.

She glanced up at the palace flags. Gone were the white dragons on the red field, and in their place were black ravens against a field of gold. Clearly the ruling family had been replaced, presumably because of their deaths. But there were six of them, and for all of them to have died within the space of a year? At this same time last year, things had been fine in the city. It stank to Kyrie. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t natural.

She made her way back to the outskirts of the city, her thoughts preoccupied with what might have happened. It wasn’t her business: after all, she wasn’t a citizen of this country, let alone this particular city; and yet, she had a growing urge to somehow try to make things right, if she could. Still, what could she do? She didn’t even know what had happened.

Hungry, she tried the door of the bakery, and was very surprised when it opened beneath her touch. The only light inside was from the large front window, and she could smell nothing at all.

“Hello?” she called out hesitantly, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. She could feel that Uruloki was also anxious, and she fought to keep his instincts at bay.

I don’t like this, she heard in her mind. Silently, she agreed.

“Hello?” she called again, more loudly this time, fingertips resting lightly on the pommel of a small dagger.

She heard a shuffling sound from the back of the shop, and she waited, tense, to see what was causing it.

“Who’s there?” a nervous voice came from the open doorway.

“A hungry customer, if you’re the baker,” Kyrie replied, though she didn’t relax.

The shuffling continued, and suddenly a boy, perhaps ten years old, appeared in the doorway. His eyes were wide with fear, and he was gripping a rolling pin so tightly that his knuckles were white. Kyrie blinked at him and stood up straight, lowering her hands so that she wouldn’t appear threatening to him.

“I’ve … seen you before,” the boy squeaked, staring at her through wide eyes. “You … you’re not from … here …”

Kyrie shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’m a traveler. Tell me, what’s happened here? The city looks like it’s died since the last time I was here.”

The boy whimpered and lowered the rolling pin, hugging himself rather than brandishing the tool as a weapon. “They- they’re gone. All of them … gone.”

“Who?” Kyrie asked apprehensively.

“All the men! The- the soldiers came and took my father and- and all the men in the city!” He was starting to cry now. “The king and queen are gone and all the family, and then the General took over, and they took all the men!”

Coup.

Yes, I can figure that out for myself, thanks. Kyrie didn’t mean to be angry with Uruloki. She was redirecting her anger to keep from lashing out at the boy. After a moment, she added a quick but sincere, Sorry.

No problem.

“What of your mother?” she asked the boy. The entire exchange between herself and Uruloki had taken less than a second, and the boy noticed nothing amiss.

“She’s upstairs,” he told her, his shoulders shaking.

He was rubbing his arms as if he were cold, and Kyrie looked around for a fire. There didn’t seem to be one. She of course didn’t feel cold – when she was bonded with Uruloki, she was incapable of feeling any temperature but comfortable.

“Shades, has this place not been taken care of since it happened?” she cursed, moving towards the fireplace with the intent of starting a fire. “How long has it been?”

“Two weeks.” He sniffled and shuffled closer. Kyrie got Uruloki to light the fire before the boy could see that the dragon was anything more than a tattoo, and as she moved to stand up again, she saw that the boy’s bare feet were very dirty. When was the last time he’d been able to wash?

“And things have been like this since?” she asked, her anger growing again.

The boy nodded and squatted next to the fire, shuffling close. “The soldiers … they hurt anyone they find in the streets. They-”

He was cut off by the sound of hurried, anxious footsteps, and a young-looking woman rushed into the room. “Perci!” she exclaimed, darting forward and grabbing the boy by the arm, yanking him away from Kyrie. She turned to Kyrie, fire in her eyes. “Stay away from my son!”

Kyrie had to physically put both hands to her abdomen to keep Uruloki from springing to her defense.

“But Mama!” the boy protested as the woman suffocated the fire to put it out. “I’ve been cold for so long now …”

“No,” the woman said firmly. “The soldiers are looking for such things. They’ve taken your father, they won’t have you.”

“Just what is going on here?” Kyrie burst out, unable to hold it in any longer. “What happened to Their Majesties? And their children, all four of them?”

The woman clutched her son close. “No one knows,” she said in a hushed tone, her eyes darting constantly towards the front window, as if she were afraid of being overheard. “One day there were soldiers in the street. They were wearing different colours, and the flags had changed … now there are always soldiers in the streets, and they take everyone they see. Dead, enslaved, imprisoned … no one knows anything.”

Kyrie’s eyes grew dark as she listened. “I will get to the bottom of this,” she promised. She headed to the window and looked out, then turned back to the woman and her son. “Lock your door behind me.”

And with that, she headed out into the streets to see what she could find out.

Location: Makshim, Shiezin, Arkandia
Year: 28 854 (3354 T.A.)
Status: Late Spring

The flight to Makshim lasted about three hours, and during that time, Kyrie got more of the story from the man who had found her – Chesnet, his name was. He had been friends with the princess’s brothers, and so had known the princess all his life. He had been out hunting with another of the princes’ friends and the two of them had come across the bodies of the royal family. How Mari had survived was beyond him – but then, he wasn’t even certain yet that she would survive.

When the red-rock city of Makshim came into view, Kyrie urged Uruloki lower so that they would not be as easily spotted. They landed about a five minutes’ walk from the city, and from that point, Chesnet carried the princess in his arms. He just about dropped her in surprise when he saw Uruloki shrink and disappear into the tattoo that curled around Kyrie’s torso, but Kyrie snapped her fingers at him.

“Forget it,” she told him flatly. “Come on, the princess needs attention. Follow me. Quickly, now!”

She let him set the pace as she led him through the city towards Ahkshi’s clinic, hoping beyond hope that he would be at the clinic. If he wasn’t, she would have to send someone to find him.

“Akoreyl!” she cried, spotting Ahkshi’s mother in the crowded market. The woman didn’t hear her, and Kyrie motioned for Chesnet to wait for a moment. Then she hurried forward and touched the woman on the arm.

“Kyrie!” the woman blinked at her, her green eyes filled with surprise. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out traveling?”

“I’ll explain later,” Kyrie replied quickly. “Do you know where Ahkshi is? I need him at the clinic this very minute. It’s an emergency!”

Akoreyl’s brow furrowed anxiously. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Kyrie assured her, “but I need Ahkshi at the clinic right now. Where is he?”

“I … think … still at home …”

“Then fetch him!” Kyrie just about shouted. She was impatient now. Couldn’t her mother-in-law see that she was in a hurry? “Tell him I’m waiting for him at the clinic, and it’s an emergency – life or death! Already it may be too late!”

Without waiting for an answer, she hurried back to Chesnet and Mari. She would have been quite content to fetch Ahkshi herself, but the supplies they would need were only at the clinic, not their house, and it would only waste what precious time they had left.

The clinic was empty when they arrived, and so Kyrie told Chesnet to lay Mari on the bed in the largest of the rooms – the room that had the most supplies.

“Undress her,” she ordered him, moving swiftly to collect bandages and rags.

He only stared at her. “What?”

Kyrie glared at him. “This is no time to be modest,” she told him flatly. “Take her shirt off. We can’t treat what we can’t see.”

Suddenly the front door slammed and Ahkshi’s voice rang out: “Kyrie!”

“In here,” she called, pushing Chesnet aside to remove the princess’s clothes herself.

Her husband appeared in the doorway, his face pale, out of breath. “Kyrie,” he gasped. “You-you’re n-not hurt, are you?”

“No,” she replied, too busy to be grateful to see him for any reason other than medical. “Hurry, she’s at death’s door.”

In a heartbeat, Ahkshi was ready to work. He stood next to Kyrie and helped her to disrobe the princess.

“Rags,” he said, his eyes on the patient.

Once the wound was exposed, Kyrie began to mop up the blood. It was difficult: there was so much dried blood from the eight days that it had been bleeding that the rags kept getting caught and pulling at the flesh.

“Spreader,” Ahkshi ordered, holding one hand out, his eyes fixed on the wound.

Kyrie handed him the tool, nudging Chesnet out of the way when she saw that he would be of absolutely no help at all. Finally, after two hours of surgery, they were able to bandage the woman up and let her rest.

“Now only time will tell,” Ahkshi sighed softly, looking down at the woman. Then he looked over at Kyrie and smiled. “You always d-did know how to make an entrance.”

Kyrie grinned right back up at him. It always amazed her that his stutter was completely gone when he was working, and returned the moment he finished. “At least it wasn’t me,” she pointed out.

He chuckled. “Yes. At l-least it w-wasn’t you.” He took her into his arms and kissed her warmly, ignoring the fact that they were both covered in blood. After a moment, however, Chesnet – whom they had forgotten, and who was standing in one corner of the room – cleared his throat, and the two released each other.

“Ahkshi,” Kyrie said, gesturing towards the dark elf, “this is Chesnet. He asked me if I knew a healer who could help him. The woman is the princess of Garnelia, Princess Mari. Someone tried to kill her.”

Ahkshi smiled at Chesnet. “I’m g-glad to have b-been of service,” he said, bowing slightly.

Chesnet smiled back weakly.

“And Chesnet,” Kyrie went on, “this is my husband, Ahkshi. The most skilled healer I know.”

Confusion lifted from Chesnet’s face, and he nodded. “That explains …” He nodded at the two of them and blushed lightly.

Kyrie laughed. “Ah, yes. Shy, we aren’t, and we make no apologies for it. But come, you should rest. There’s nothing more you can do for the princess now except make sure that you’re rested so that you can help her as she recovers. You’re going to have a lot of work to do to help her, after all.”

“Me?” Chesnet paled. “But I-I know nothing of healing! What could I possibly do?”

“You’re g-going to have to ch-change her b-bandages every s-single d-day,” Ahkshi told him, trying to sound firm despite his stutter. “B-bathe the wound. Check her s-stitches. M-m-monitor her t-t-temperature.”

“But I know nothing of such things,” Chesnet protested again.

Kyrie smiled and put one hand on the man’s shoulder. “Then we shall teach you,” she told him calmly.

Location: Dekra Outskirts, Garnelia, Arkandia
Year: 28 861 (3361 T.A.)
Status: Summer

Seven years after Kyrie agreed to help the princess, Mari decided that she was ready to go back home. Kyrie had to agree that she was her equal in weaponry, and by far her superior in climbing and stealth. She had a brilliant mind, and was a natural at thinking of strategies and such things. Chesnet had stayed with Mari the entire time, and he had learned more of fighting as well. Now Chesnet and Kyrie were both going back to Dekra with Mari: Kyrie to help her get started; Chesnet permanently.

Rather than flying back on Uruloki, which would have attracted unwanted attention, they walked.

“Remember,” Kyrie cautioned Mari as they approached the very cabin from which she’d taken her so many years before, “your best weapon is secrecy. Once the General knows that you are alive, he will be after you with a vengeance.”

“Vengeance will be mine,” Mari replied evenly. “Have no fear of that.”

Kyrie smiled. “I know. But don’t get your people caught in the crossfire.”

Mari couldn’t help but laugh. “You sound like you’ve done this before.”

“No, no,” Kyrie laughed back. “I admit, there are a good many things I’ve done, but this is the first rebellion I’ve instigated.” She paused, then amended, “Well, the first official rebellion.”

Looking back, destroying the facility in Poleria, revenge though it was, had been a bit of fun. Not at the time, but now.

“At any rate, I’ll help you get the lay of the land, see how things are, find a way to do some good … then I’m off,” she went on. “I think I know of something that could help you.”

“Truly?”

Kyrie smiled. “Possibly. I shall do my best, at any rate.”

She and Mari held back as Chesnet checked out the cabin to make sure it was still safe. When he signaled them that it was, they headed towards it.

“How do you feel?” Kyrie asked the princess.

“Nervous,” Mari admitted, “but determined.”

“A good way to be,” Kyrie grinned. “Now come, let’s go see your friends.”

The man who had stayed in the cabin over the years that Mari had been gone was another young man, a little older than Chesnet. He also had been a friend of Mari’s older brothers, and only the thought of keeping the cabin as a safe place for the three of them had prevented him from going to Shiezin after Chesnet and Mari.

“Your Highness,” he greeted Mari with a deep bow when she entered the cabin ahead of Kyrie.

“Rise,” Mari told him immediately. “And let that be the last time you ever refer to me in such fashion.”

The man stood up again, his face flushed. “As you wish. But by the Valar, it’s good to see you again. You are well?”

She smiled. “Yes, Mathias, I am as well as can be expected. I have been preparing to return. I plan to retake my kingdom, soul by soul, until the General can be completely overthrown. I am counting on your support for this.”

“And you have it,” he replied solemnly. “Always.” He started to bow, but checked himself and blushed again.

Mari laughed, then introduced Kyrie to him. “And Kyrie, this is my eldest brother’s dearest friend, Mathias,” she smiled. “A person more loyal than he or Chesnet, I shall never meet.”

“And yet, you will need more allies,” Kyrie warned her. “But be careful. Some may be tempted to betray you out of fear. Remember what the kind of man the General is.”

Mari nodded. “I know. I remember. I will always remember. I have a scar that reminds me daily of just what kind of man he is.”

Actually, she had a number of scars, but the message was the same.

Kyrie put one hand on her shoulder. She would stay a while and make sure things had a good start.

Location: Dekra Outskirts, Garnelia, Arkandia
Year: 28 862 (3362 T.A.)
Status: Summer

Knowing how cautious the trio leading the resistance were going to be, Kyrie was careful in how she approached the cabin in which the three of them were living. There was smoke coming from the chimney, so at least one of them would be home, possibly more of them.

She knocked at the door and waited for someone to answer. If she were to open the door, she would be dead, she was sure, before ever saying hello.

It was Mathias who opened the door, and Kyrie was surprised to see that he was sporting a black eye.

“Kyrie!” He blinked at her in surprise. He recovered quickly and stepped to one side. “Come in, come in …”

She did as she was told, though she couldn’t take her gaze from his swollen eye.

“Ah, accident with a tree,” he explained with a grin, closing the door. “When being chased through the forest by the General’s men, watch where you’re going. More closely than I was watching, at any rate.”

Kyrie laughed aloud at that. “And here I was afraid one of you had been caught.” She grinned at him. “So. Is Mari here?”

“Below.” He gestured towards a rug that had been pulled back from in front of the fireplace, revealing a closed trapdoor. “Hidden cellar. Our place has been searched three times already, but she’s never been found.”

“Clearly,” Kyrie remarked dryly. She set her bags on the floor carefully, then knelt and looked through one of them. She pulled out a rather large item, wrapped in soft cloth, and rose again. “Please give us a few moments alone,” she requested.

Mathias nodded. “Of course.” He opened the trapdoor and called down, “Mari, Kyrie’s returned.”

“Send her down,” the princess’s voice came up from the candlelit depths below.

Mathias stepped aside and motioned toward the square in the floor. Kyrie smiled and, holding the package carefully, stepped down into the cellar.

It would have been quite dark down there if not for her special vision, but at a table that had enough candles to light an entire room, Mari was sitting and writing. When she heard Kyrie’s footsteps behind her, she turned away from her writing and rose, smiling widely.

“Kyrie,” she said warmly, greeting her friend and mentor with a kiss to both cheeks. “Welcome back.”

“Thank you, Mari,” Kyrie grinned back. “I’m glad to see you’re well. What are you working on, if I may ask?”

Mari took Kyrie’s arm and led her over to the desk. “Look,” she said excitedly. “I’m compiling a list of those whom I believe we can count as allies. So far it is mostly the women whose husbands and sons had been taken by the General’s soldiers, but there are one or two others. Now, you’ll remember that the noble families were left alone if they pledged their allegiance to the General, yes? But I daresay that in a few cases at least, that was only lip service, and …”

Kyrie smiled to herself as she listened to the princess. It seemed that things were going well indeed. When it seemed that Mari had come to a stop, or at least a pause, Kyrie spoke up.

“I’ve brought you something,” she told her. “It is a great gift, but also a great responsibility; and I feel it only fair that you know what it entails in advance before I give it to you.”

“That sounds mysterious,” Mari said, sitting down again. “Call me intrigued.”

“Tell me if you can’t see very well,” Kyrie instructed her. “And don’t be alarmed by what you see.”

She urged Uruloki to reveal himself, but remain small, and she felt the by-now familiar warmth that meant he was un-bonding. At the same time, her vision went dark, and it took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the candlelight.

Mari gasped as she took in the sight of the dragon that materialized in front of her. His scales shimmered a bright red in the candlelight, and Mari found herself mesmerized by him.

“What …”

“My name is Uruloki,” the dragon introduced himself, spreading his wings to show them off before folding them against his back. “I am a volcano dragon.”

“He’s bonded to me,” Kyrie explained. “He becomes a part of me. When we’re bonded, as we usually are, I have all the abilities that he has: I am impervious to heat, to fire, to cold. I can see in the dark, smell things from far away, and my hearing is better than usual.”

“It all sounds wonderful, I think,” Mari said cautiously. “But the way you talk … there’s a catch.”

“If you care to call it such, yes,” Kyrie nodded. She took the rags from the item she was holding, showing Mari the translucent white egg she was holding. In the candlelight, a faint shadow could be seen inside the sphere.

Mari stepped closer and held her hands out to take the egg from Kyrie.

“If you choose to hatch this egg, the dragon inside, male or female, will be your closest friend for as long as you both will live,” Kyrie explained. “If it is male, it will eventually bond with you, as Uruloki has bonded with me. But for the first several years – more than a decade, in fact – it will have no scales, only a thick hide, and you will have to provide for it and protect it.”

She set the egg into the princess’s hands, and Mari held it up to the candles to see it better. As the egg warmed, the dragon inside began to twitch.

“Careful,” Kyrie warned her. “Fire – extreme heat – is what causes the egg to hatch.”

The princess lowered the egg and looked at Kyrie. “How can I tell if it’s a male or female?” she asked curiously.

Kyrie shrugged. “Uruloki told me himself. Aside from that, I’ve no idea. But he told me within a few months of being born.”

Mari nodded.

“One more thing,” Kyrie added, remembering suddenly. “When the egg hatches, no matter who it is who hatches it, the dragon will take the first person it sees as its mother. You should make sure you’re alone when you hatch it.”

After a moment, Mari nodded again. “I’ll do it tonight, after Chesnet and Mathias are asleep,” she decided.

Kyrie smiled at her. “Then you’re going to keep it?”

The remark earned her a smile from the princess. “Of course,” she said simply. “And I think you’ll agree … while it will take some time and a lot of work, I believe it will be worth it. And I think even you would say that this way I will have at least one someone whom I can trust implicitly, and never worry about betraying me.”

Kyrie chuckled softly, nodding. “Yes, I would say that,” she agreed. “And I’m glad to hear you say that.” It meant that she was even a bit wary of her friends, which was a good thing. There was that old saying, after all: one must watch ones enemies closely, but one must watch ones friends even more closely. It wasn’t safe to keep anyone above suspicion.

“Come,” Mari smiled, wrapping the egg back in the cloths that Kyrie had kept it in. “Let me offer you some refreshment. We both of us could use the rest, I think.” She led Kyrie back towards the trapdoor.

Kyrie waited until Uruloki had bonded with her again before following after her.