I awoke with Izzy’s arms wrapped around me and her head nestled against my chest. I worried for a moment something had happened before I felt her slow even breaths. It was still early morning and I was content to enjoy the time before sunrise in her embrace. She was cold to the touch and I wondered if that was a result of her heritage or if she was still feeling unwell from the poison. Regardless, I wasn’t going to wake her yet.

  I watched as the morning light blossomed on the horizon and I was content to live in my thoughts as I thought about things. Mallak had confirmed that Xaranta had already chosen to offer me the chance to be one of his sons. I wasn’t sure if that had fully settled in yet but it did make me giddy every time I thought about it. He seemed like a kind person and the fact that he looked even remotely similar to me made things even better.

  I had been worried about my appearance since Ereneya had first breached the subject months ago. Siran and Naravie looked very different and while she seemed very happy with her changes, I rather liked my body. Admittedly I wouldn’t say no to a bit of extra height, being a bit broader in the shoulders and maybe a nice well kept beard but…. I didn’t want all of who I was to change.

  When I was a child I had imagined myself as the spitting image of my Father and I had been quite happy with that image. When he and Mother had thrown me out, I had still held onto that image in my mind as an ideal for what I could be, a better version of him. Which is part of what had thrown me into a rage when I had seen him again, after over a decade of not interacting. He had been trying to be better. He was still probably hopelessly struggling with it all but he was trying. Enough that he had separated from Mother because of it. I wanted to talk to him again, to ask him about things that I never got to ask before, before I changed. But that would take the better part of a year. And I doubted Xaranta would want to wait that long.

  I shook the thoughts from my head. No use worrying about an impossibility anyhow. I had a much more pressing concern in my arm, given that one was broken. Speaking of, it hurt quite a lot and that would be something I would love to have a healer look at once Izzy woke up. Which meant going into town. Where she hated. I wasn’t about to leave her by herself right now, and even worse I wasn’t going to leave her anywhere near Mallak. If I did she was liable to pick a fight, verbal or physical and I got the feeling that Mallak did not pull his punches. Brother he might be, but he had no right to tell someone how to live their life.

  There was also what Isdana had said last night just before she fell asleep. She wanted to leave the village and when I returned to Calanai, I could do just that… but I wasn’t sure Isker or Mallak would allow that without an argument. And I had no desire to start a fight with a forged or a dragon.

  But she had been so desperate with that Kiss. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to use her own body as bargaining chip, which broke my heart to think about given my own experience, or if she wanted to be with me. We had known each other for less than a week and we had both spent at least two days of that unconscious. I wasn’t going to lie and say she wasn’t beautiful. She didn’t have the same delicate beauty that most of the women in Calanai did, she was more rough and tumble, she was like Nire in that regard. If they ever met, I knew they would be fast friends. Nire had always made friends with the other girls who didn’t have much taste for the dainty things.

  I sighed as I pulled Isdana in closer, my eyes drifting closed as sleep claimed me again. We were going to have to talk about everything once we were awake.

  I awoke to find my face nestled against Tiran’s chest, the warmth from him seeping into me as I had my arms around him and one leg entwined with his. His scent was all over me and I smiled as I felt him pull me a bit closer. One thing I had inherited from my mother was a supernatural sense of smell. I wasn’t like a hound where I could track a scent or find people in the distance, but I could sense changes in people.

  When they were sick, I could smell it like fruit that had gone too ripe. I could tell whenever Isker had hurt himself because I could smell the blood from across the cottage. Tiran had smelled wonderful since I had first met him and even now with a broken arm, which made him have a bit of metallic scent like coin, he was just the best. I had never had Mother’s inclination towards the taste of blood but with Tiran, I could just…

  I stopped myself as I felt the fangs in my mouth extend ever so slightly.

  No, no I wasn’t going down that road. Especially with someone who thought I was so desperate. I had forced that Kiss last night and he probably hated me for it, I was just some strange outcast girl to him. One who had no skills except fighting and some cooking and now my body was weak like I was a village girl. I wanted to go back and tell myself to not even try that but it was too late now, I sighed as I nestled closer to him. Might as well enjoy it while he was right here. His scent. His warmth. All of it.

  I had never felt any kind of attraction to… well anyone. But since that first time he helped me in the kitchen and he was just so… kind. It had put some kind of warmth in my heart. Among other places. I had never known what it meant to “Want” someone but now I did. And I had probably ruined any chance of it. Stupid Izzy. I could almost hear Mallak growling it at me.

  That Old Wyrm would probably hate me clinging on to his brother to be. He had never liked me but since I had begun approaching marrying age and passed it he had become ever more grumbly about anything pertaining to me. My theory was that he was bitter about my Mother and Father’s fates and he wanted me to carry on their legacy.

  Fat chance of that you old scaled bastard. If Tiran did hate me now and he left without me, I was going to do my duty to the village and then strike out on my own. I had made up my mind. If there were people like Tiran in the world beyond, even if he was rare among them, then it was worth it. I could bear a child and then leave them with the Village. They would probably scorn my name like they always had but they would take care of an abandoned child. They could have a normal life, a happy life without me.

  Isker could barely muster the strength to care about me these days so if I just ran off then he wouldn’t care. He would stay here, anchored by duty. I could just leave it all behind and find somewhere to settle in. I could-

  “Hello Love…” Tiran’s voice trailed off as he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

  Oh.

  “H-Hello.” I stuttered as my mind tried to catch up to my mouth.

  “Was that too much?” He asked.

  “N-No! No that was….” I let out a nervous giggle.

  I never giggled. That was for the village girls to do around their arrogant men.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He said as he stretched his good arm and I heard his joints pop.

  “No no, I just thought… I didn’t think… Maybe I came across…” I was blabbering trying to find the right words.

  “You thought I would be upset about the Kiss?” He asked.

  “Mhmmm.” I hummed, my face flushing.

  “Well would you like another, just to prove that I’m not?” He asked, a sleepy smile spreading across his face.

  I nodded and he gently pressed his lips to mine. I leaned into it this time, savoring it, savoring him. I felt his tongue dance against mine and I couldn’t help but bite. Gently of course. I felt him chuckle as I returned the favor and pressed myself to him. Everything felt hot as I held onto him like he was a rock in a storm. There was a tightness in my chest that I had never felt before. A yearning.

  He pulled back from the kiss and smiled as I pouted. I had rather been enjoying that.

  “Well then, I suppose breakfast can wait. We can spare a few minutes right?” He asked.

  Was he….? Oh Gods he was. Yes. Yes. Yes!

  I nodded excitedly and a different expression came over him.

  “If… if you want to do this, please say it. Please.” He said softly, his eyes looking the same as Isker’s when he talked about Mother and Father.

  That doused the fire in me a little.

  “Are you alright?” I asked, running a hand along his face.

  “Yes, I just… I know what it's like to be forced into something. I want to know that I’m not doing that to you. For my own sake.” He said, running a gentle hand from my chin down my neck.

  My mind raced as he said it, who had done that to him? I would kill them. I knew that such things happened but in all my years, it hadn’t happened in the village. I calmed myself with a breath before I spoke.

  “If you want to, I would love to join you in this.” I said softly.

  He smiled and he gave me a gentle kiss before he broke away and placed one against my neck. It wasn’t just a kiss, it was the gentle bite that came with it that made my head spin. I loved this. He kept going, slowly working his way down further and further…

  We were both breathing heavily at the end, sweaty and smiling at each other.

  “Not… bad…” He said between breaths.

  “Thank… you… I try to be a quick study.” I said, finally managing to catch my own.

  “Full marks… no notes. Just a question.”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Do this again sometime? Preferably somewhere softer.” He said as he sat up and I heard his back pop.

  I let out a small laugh as I moved to let him rise on his own. He stretched and I could hear more pops as the muscles in his back flexed. I was still mildly distracted by the motion when he looked back at me with an amused expression.

  “As much as I enjoyed this, I think we should be getting back. If for no other reason than there is food back there.” He smiled as he said it and I almost wanted to pounce on him again but I restrained myself as my own stomach growled in protest.

  We both collected our clothes and I folded the blankets back up and placed them in the trunk once more. They would need cleaning but I could do that another day. I helped him down to avoid jostling his arm and we began the walk back to the cottage. I felt my heart skip a beat as he took my hand in his and he leaned over to place a kiss on my cheek.

  If he kept acting like this… I might not let him leave without me.

  We arrived back at the cottage hand in hand, and Mallak gave us a look as we arrived. Isker was floundering in the kitchen and the Dragon was pouring over his maps in the main room. Izzy slipped out of my grasp as she bounded off towards the Kitchen to assist and I took a seat across the table from Mallak. He glanced up as he traced a path with a clawed finger.

  “You should still be in bed recovering, not gallivanting around with her.” He growled.

  “I know better than most how to take care of myself in recovery, Brother.” I growled back.

  His gaze flicked up to me briefly before he returned his gaze to his maps.

  “Isker and I will be going out to investigate some sites we think may have some incursions. You and Isdana will stay here, You to focus on recovery and her….” He trailed off as he glanced towards the kitchen.

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  “Will begin training her body again to regain her lost strength.” I finished the thought for him.

  “Well aren’t you quite full of yourself today? I can smell her all over you. You are letting yourself be blinded by your affection.” He hissed.

  “And you are being an ass. I heard her reasons for doing what she does. Have you?” I asked.

  “I know she has no intention of fulfilling her duties to the village.” He growled and I saw his hand clench around his leg.

  “Is that so wrong?” I asked.

  “Its a defiance of tradition. The traditions that have kept the villages stable for nearly a millennium. She spits in the face of that with her choices.” He growled, keeping his voice low.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve also broken tradition. Or is it normal for people to become dragons?” I asked.

  He bared his teeth at me but he said nothing as he sunk back into his chair. He stewed over his maps as we waited. It was only a few minutes later that Isker and Isdana emerged from the kitchen with four plates. Isker handed one to Mallak and Izzy sat down next to me and handed me the other.

  “So Isker and I will be traversing this area over the next few days, to observe any progress the Southern Kingdoms have made on establishing footholds and seeing if any of them possess those same stone soldiers. We will not be engaging any enemy forces alone unless we are engaged first. And even then we will fall back at the first opportunity.” Mallak grumbled as he ate.

  “And what if there are more of those stone soldiers?” I asked, happily munching my way through a pair of eggs.

  “Then we hope to delay them long enough for your arm to heal or that one of our brothers returns to the Black Mountain before they attack. I feel no shame in admitting that I am the weakest of our brothers, and each of them possesses far more potent magical strength than I. Father may also be available, I am unsure of what he is working on and when it will be complete.” Mallak explained.

  “And if they aren’t?” Izzy asked.

  “Then we focus on evacuation. In a worst case scenario, we can have people flee to the Black Mountain. I may not be gifted with vast magical power but a Sandstorm behind fleeing humans will slow down any force, even golems.” Mallak growled, as he shoveled food into his mouth.

  “I’m going into town today, I want to see if anyone in the village might have something to help my arm set faster.” I said as I set my empty plate on the table.

  Mallak snorted.

  “Prepare to be disappointed. The people here do not make use of magic or alchemy. There is a reason I didn’t take you to them.” He said, disappointment in his voice.

  “I can at least try.” I growled.

  “Fine, do what you will.”

  Isker and Izzy watched us go back and forth in silence as they ate and when Mallak rose from his seat, Isker followed, grabbing his armor and weapons on the way out. I heard Mallak shift and the heavy beat of his wings a moment later before they faded into the distance. Izzy collected their plates and I followed her into the kitchen. It was difficult to wash dishes with only one hand but I wasn’t about to let her play the part of a maid. It took us a short while to get the kitchen cleaned fully and by the time we did the sun was approaching mid morning.

  Izzy went and dressed herself, opting to keep some of the more unassuming pieces of her armor mixed in with her clothes. She was bracing for trouble and I supposed that was to be expected with what she had told me of her experiences in the village. I couldn’t just walk about in my armor so I settled on plain clothes, a simple tunic and pants. I had a plan and I wanted to be as unthreatening as possible.

  When we were both dressed and ready we set off down the road toward the village. I was excited, I hadn’t really been in the village since Mallak and I had first arrived, we had gone around the outskirts when we had gone on patrol, and I wanted to see more of it.

  It only took a brief jog for us to arrive at the outskirts and as soon as we did, Izzy pulled up her hood and kept her head down. I reached over and took one of her hands in mine. It seemed to help, at the very least she took a step closer to me.

  We wove through the streets where people were going about their daily chores. I sam rugs being brought out and beaten to get the dust off of them, children were running through the streets with some manner of stick and a ball of some kind. People were coming and going with buckets and I saw a few of the men and one particularly bulky woman carrying barrels on their shoulders. She was likely a few years younger than I and I saw her smile at me with a wink before she disappeared around a corner.

  As we approached the main square, I saw Dirun, the village headman I had met that first night, and I gave him a wide berth. He wasn’t who I was looking for. I was looking for an old woman. Venturing past the main square we ended up on a wide street with stalls scattered about and a few wagons set up that were all loaded with various goods. Perfect.

  I could see a few people giving us looks as we wove through the crowd, and I did my best to ignore them but each time when Izzy tightened her grip on my hand it made me want to call them out on it. I was keeping my eyes on the stalls until I found what I was looking for. Thank you Gaty, for your insights.

  I found an old woman manning a stall with various odd containers and some a few bowls of various plants. She looked like a tough old crone, weathered skin, choppy hair and a yellow glow in her eyes as she smoked a pipe. Everyone was giving her stall a bit of a wide berth but there was a younger woman sitting across from her holding one of the strange bottles. We stood back but close enough I could hear their conversation.

  “- night, once per day. See to it that you are not partaking of drink until that bottle is drained.” The Old woman rasped, her voice was coarse like a rough cotton blanket.

  “Yes Grandmother, thank you.”

  “Worry not dear, and tell your aunt to come see me when she can.” The Old Woman said, a smile briefly breaking through her weathered features.

  The young woman gave her a nod and quickly rose from her seat and disappeared into the crowd. I waited a moment before the old woman locked eyes with me and jerked her head as her eyes bored holes into me. Yep, just like Gaty.

  I pulled Izzy with me as I approached and took a seat at her stall.

  “So what does Mallak’s protege want with an old woman like me?” She asked, taking a puff from her pipe.

  “I was hoping you might have a means for helping a broken arm. I met one of your sisters in my homeland who knew of such things.” I asked, using the words Gaty had told me so many years ago in the back of their bar.

  Recognition flashed in her eyes and she tilted her head.

  “I wasn’t aware that young men were so learned in our ways.” She mused.

  “I wasn’t always a man. And I have known the pain that too many of my sisters have known.” I replied.

  She nodded in understanding.

  “Did my sister teach you to wayfind?” The Old Woman asked.

  “They did, with a guiding stone.” I said, smiling as I remembered Gaty’s lessons and their amused expression as I struggled.

  “Ah, young magics. Follow this then and we shall talk later, Boy. I have those who need me here now. Arrive at twilight, I will see you then.” She said, as she handed me a small stone with runes etched across it.

  I nodded and rose from the seat and Izzy followed, looking utterly bewildered as I wandered off. I turned to look back and saw that another woman had already filled the seat. A busy day in the life of a Witch.

  We wandered away from the market and towards the western outskirts before Izzy spoke up.

  “What was all that about?” She asked quietly.

  “Something I guessed Mallak didn’t know about and I was right!” I responded, turning over the Guidestone in my hand.

  “And?”

  “Most villages or cities, outside of Church control at least, have at least one resident Witch who usually helps the woman of the village with the problems that men can’t understand. Back home we have Gattrel, a witch who runs a bar in the capital but in most places they appear as old women in the markets. Gaty is the one who helped me when I realized I didn’t like my body, they gave me medicines to help with my body and they were the one who operated on my chest. And they taught me how to find witches in other places if needed.” I explained.

  “So you have a womanly problem that she can help with? What does that have to do with your arm?” Izzy asked, looking at the Guidestone in my hand confused.

  “No, but she can likely help with the recovery of my arm. If not mend it outright, at least help me recover faster. Now then, she said twilight so we want to…” I traced a path of runes on the guidestone and began walking down the road out of town.

  I glanced back at Izzy every so often and she looked like she didn’t believe any of it but I continued on. Following the path on the stone eventually led us to a small grove of trees, one of which had a small rune carved into one of its branches. I traced the rune with my nail and I felt Izzy grab onto me as the world turned on its head.

  The sky shifted from blue to purple and the mid afternoon light of the sun gave way to the dark of twilight. The trees in front of us shifted and encircled us instead, bringing us into a clearing with an old brick and wood cottage, chimney pouring out a thin column of smoke as we stood there.

  Izzy was staring with her mouth agape at the sight. I was impressed, Gaty’s home had been a much simpler transition. No wonder Mallak didn’t know about this Witch. We approached the cottage and I rapped my knuckles against the door. It swung open with a gentle grace and we both took a step inside, Izzy clinging to my good arm as she cast a wary glance around the building.

  The inside was warmly lit and the perfect temperature for an evening’s rest. I could smell a wonderful mix of spices wafting through the air and I took a seat at an old worn table in the center of the main room. Izzy stood behind me and was casting wary glances around the cottage.

  There were roots hanging from planters, various dried plants, pastes, gels and all manner of bottled concoctions scattered about the shelves. It was much more homey than Gaty’s Sanctum and we waited at the table until there were footsteps upon a staircase at the far end of the room. Coming down the steps was the weathered old Witch from the market, hunched in her walk and carrying a large bag over one shoulder. I rose to offer help and she held up a hand as she smiled.

  “The kindness is appreciated young man, but I am not so feeble as to need help.” She chuckled as she swung the bag onto the countertop next to the stairs and stood up straight.

  It was like the years washed away, gone was the weathered old hag and in her place was a middle-aged woman with silver hair and purple eyes. She wore casual grey robes and she seemed to glide across the room before taking a seat. She waved a hand and a chair flew out from the table and caught Izzy before sliding her up to the table next to me. The witch waved her hand again and three cups of tea appeared on a plate with some pastries in the center of the table.

  “Now then… tell me how a Dragon Forged Knight was able to have his arm broken? I have seen many of your kind in my years and never have I seen them break a bone.” She said, her voice less raspy and more cheerful than it had been before.

  I took a cup of tea at the same time as she and took a sip before I spoke, it had a wonderful apple taste.

  “I was aiding Isker and Isdana on their daily patrol when we came across a group from one of the southern kingdoms attempting to carve out an area of the mountain pass. The soldiers were prepared, they brought a stone soldier animated with magic. It was strong, able to shrug off my attacks and one blow broke the bone in my arm.” I explained.

  “Ah, a construct. Old magic, back from the days of my youth. It is powerful aye but it bears a weakness, each construct has a crystal within that houses the magic that animates them. These crystals require constant attention and so it should be easy enough to locate where they are because their creators need to have access to it. And due to the energies within, it renders them quite fragile, making them as easy to shatter as glass. With that knowledge it should make any future encounters with a construct much easier to navigate without breaking your arm, aye boy?” She said with a mischievous smile.

  “Yes Ma’am.”

  “And he knows his manners! What a wonderful boy to add to that family, not since Vandril was just a newly hatched Wyrm has Xaranta had a son so polite! Good good, now then lets see it.” She said, gesturing to my arm.

  I removed my arm from its sling and gently rested it against the table. The motion made me grit my teeth but she seemed satisfied as she began gently tapping various places on my forearm each of which earned winces from me. Izzy was intently focused on her actions and I tried giving her a reassuring smile. I don’t think it worked. Eventually the Witch seemed satisfied and rose from her seat to retrieve something from the shelves.

  “It’s fine Izzy. She can help.”

  “Forgive me if I’m skeptical.” She said, not taking her eyes off of the Witch.

  I was about to respond when the Witch returned and began applying a salve to my forearm. It was icy cold and it crept well beneath the skin. I almost didn’t realize my teeth were chattering until I saw Izzy glance at me with concern in her eyes.

  The witch continued and eventually placed her hands around the broken parts of the bone before she whispered a very quick incantation. The pain and the cold both vanished immediatley and I glanced down to see my arm looked as it ever had.

  “There, no more breaks. But you need to give it time to recover, break it again before it has had time to properly set and mend itself and it will be much worse. Give it a few weeks before you begin using it for anything more strenuous than lifting dishes or the like. Now then, you will be waiting outside while I talk to the young Nightblood here. I have matters to speak of with her.” The Witch said, flicking her hand towards the door, which slowly crept open.

  “But-” Isdana and I both began to protest.

  “It is of womanly matters young man, and one her mother asked of me before she passed.” The Witch said, holding up a hand to silence our protests.

  We both stopped and Izzy looked shocked.

  “I promised your mother something before she passed, and I mean to see it through before you run off with your Dragon Prince.” She said with a friendly smile.

  We both blushed and I waited until Izzy nodded to make my way outside. As soon as I stepped through the door I was outside once more under blue sky and in the mid afternoon sun. I turned back to the rune marked tree and waited.

  And Waited.

  And Waited.

  I was starting to get worried when Izzy suddenly stepped out of the tree before me and I jumped to my feet. She had tear marks on her face and she simply embraced me without words as she buried her face in my shoulder.

  “Is everything alright? She didn’t hurt you did s-” I asked as I held her tightly.

  “No, I got to hear my Mother’s voice. And hear her talk to me… I… I want to go home.” She whispered.

  I nodded and, with my good arm, I scooped her up and began the walk back towards the cottage.