“I want to go home.” Fialla whispered down to the sleeping Sheilah. “I can’t feel the Dragon in my heart properly anymore. I miss the Redstone, sister. I thought that- I thought that even if I were to be apart from my family, from my tribe, from everything, I would be fine as long as I had you with me, but...”

  She flopped down on the soft bed, and curled up around her sister’s warm body and closed her eyes. To stave off the empty feeling of loneliness, she wrapped her arms tighter around Sheilah.

  *****

  In Sheilah’s dream, she was an invisible spectre that could slip through walls and doors and go as she pleased.

  In her dream, she and Fialla were eight years old, and Fialla’s first spear, the first one she had ever made, had splintered into pieces and her intended dragonling had flown away, leaving the two girls shivering with fright. Fialla had cried then, and Sheilah had comforted her.

  In her dream, several women that Sheilah recognized as being part of the servants that prepared her food and arranged her dresses held down another woman as Andrea tattooed Sheilah’s personal mark on the inside of the woman’s forearm while they all swore an oath to protect Sheilah’s life with their own.

  In her dream, a great heavy growling boxlike thing of steel and glass bore down on Davian and drove him under with its strange, cruel wheels while a laughing being capered and danced at the prospect.

  “It’s time to wake up, dreamer.” An ancient voice pursued her through her dreams.

  *****

  Sheilah opened her eyes, and as she came back to herself, she realized that Fialla had tangled herself up around her again.

  Sheilah spent a little time returning Fialla’s embrace with a hug of her own.

  “I was dreaming.” Sheilah whispered to Fialla.

  “Of what?” her half-elven shadow asked.

  “You remember the time when your first spear broke and the dragonling got away?” Sheilah asked.

  Fialla nodded, her face buried in Sheilah’s hair.

  “You cried a little. I shouldn’t have done it, but I held you a little like this. Hugged you.” Sheilah murmured.

  “That was my first dragonling hunt.” Fialla complained. “I wanted to make my family proud. I wanted to make you proud.”

  “Nobody gets their first dragonling on their first hunt, on their first try.” Sheilah replied, but hugged Fialla closer.

  “I know.” Fialla agreed. “But everyone wants to try.”

  “Let’s just stay here, like this, until Andrea comes to get us.” Sheilah decided.

  Fialla nodded silently.

  “I don’t know... about being proud.” Sheilah remarked quietly. “I’ve always just felt... like you were there. A part of me. If I pointed, you knew what I meant, and was there, already. You’ve always been there at my back, pushing me forward; always there by my side, supporting me; always in front of me, daring me to go further.”

  She adjusted her position in the bed so she faced Fialla. “I need you as much as I need my heart to beat. You’re my best friend and my sister.”

  “It’s the same for me, you know. You’re always in the front, leading me forward, always next to me, making sure I don’t do anything stupid, always pushing me from behind... even when I don’t want you to.” Fialla replied quietly.

  After a long pause, Sheilah sighed. “We really need to find a man, don’t we?”

  Fialla giggled. “Like Whitestone?” She asked.

  “Someone strong and competent. Capable.” Sheilah replied, a touch defensive.

  “And principled.” Fialla added.

  Sheilah nodded. “Andrea is coming.”

  “Milady, it’s time to wake.” Andrea called.

  Sheilah reluctantly disengaged from Fialla’s embrace and sat up as Andrea came into the room.

  “Bath first.” Sheilah announced.

  Andrea nodded. “Of course. Since it’s something you usually do, I’ve already sent one of the servants to arrange it.”

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  “Breakfast?” Fialla asked curiously.

  “A breakfast casserole of sausage, oven-roasted potatoes, eggs, cheese and onions. To drink there is a selection: a refreshing apple wine, His Majesty’s cliff, and your usual favorite, cold tea.”

  “Cold tea. My schedule?” She asked Andrea.

  “Mathematics and penmanship, followed with a light lunch of cured meat and cheese alongside a cold beef broth. Afterwords, you are to attend a fencing lesson with Sir Angelo Dardi.”

  “Not too cold.” Sheilah warned. “The last time I had cold broth before fencing I had to fight while struggling with stomach cramps.” She shuddered, slipping into her new green silk robe on her way to the bathing room.

  “Milady Fialla, you have the same schedule, except your fencing appointment will be with Dame Antonia Dardi.” Andrea added, as she watched Sheilah head into the next room.

  Fialla nodded, and after she doffed her nightgown and slipped into her new blue silk robe, she approached Andrea.

  “After my appointment with Antonia, I would like a lesson with you.”

  Andrea blinked a few times. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”

  “I am certain you do.” Fialla insisted in a low voice. “I need as many skills as possible in order to protect her.” She murmured.

  Andrea pressed her lips together. “I will state clearly that I do not trust you enough.” She replied, turning away from Fialla slightly. “Perhaps later.”

  Fialla sighed, but nodded and headed to the bathing room. After Fialla moved into the other room, Andrea pushed up her sleeve and checked the bandage on her forearm to make certain that it was snug and would not come loose accidentally, and then she followed after the two girls.

  As the two girls wiped each other down with hot water, they argued in a good-natured way about trivial things, Fialla explained to Sheilah some things she had read in books, Sheilah surprised Fialla by regaling her with a story where she hunted a dragonling in a canyon, standing up as she demonstrated shooting downward at it.

  “I missed the shot completely. I had to jump down and stab it with my knife to finish it off.” She finished. “Ladria-mother gave me a thrashing, too.”

  “Sheilah...” Fialla warned, her eyes going to Andrea, who wiped herself down, except for the bandage on her arm.

  “It’s fine.” Sheilah replied.

  “Milady, why were you hunting something so dangerous?” Andrea asked as she finished.

  Fialla and Sheilah exchanged looks.

  “What a strange question.” Fialla replied wonderingly. Sheilah nodded.

  “The very first thing I thought when you asked was, ‘why do you breathe?’” Sheilah replied. “It’s what you do. It doesn’t require explanation.” She reached for some toweling and rubbed herself down briskly, the conversation forgotten.

  As they dressed, Sheilah struggled into her dress.

  “Huh.” She mused, prodding her waist and chest with an experimental finger. “I think I’m going to need a different dress.” She struggled out of it, and gave it a disappointing look. “I’m growing again.”

  Andrea nodded. “There is a similar dress that was already prepared.” She advised. “A girl growing up is hardly something that can’t be prepared for.” She selected a similarly colored dress and helped Sheilah into it.

  “Ugh. I need to do some running.” Sheilah complained. “I haven’t run in so long, my legs are getting mushy.”

  She turned towards Andrea. “Starting tomorrow, I will be running for at least two hours every day.”

  Andrea jolted, alarmed. “I- what?”

  Sheilah nodded. “Please help me make it happen.”

  After a heartbeat, Fialla nodded. “I’m in. I haven’t run since...” She shook her head. “I want to run, and feel the wind in my hair and the sun on my face.”

  “Milady Sheilah, Fialla... Ladies don’t run. It’s simply not done.”

  “Please.” Sheilah repeated, but Andrea gave her a frustrated look. “But- but how will you manage it with your schedule as full as it is?” she asked as if seizing on the idea.

  “A trip outside the city takes thirty to fourty-five minutes, followed by two hours, and then the trip back...” She muttered to herself.

  “Got it. I’ll wake up earlier.” She nodded to herself.

  Andrea offered a pleading look. “Please, milady, rethink this.”

  Sheilah shook her head. “I refuse. I need to run, to exercise.”

  Andrea fretted as they left the dressing area and moved briskly to the dining hall, where they ate quickly enough for Andrea to complain about their haste.

  As Sheilah was getting her slippers laced, she stiffened suddenly.

  “Andrea, what happened?” She asked curiously.

  “Milady?” Andrea asked, suddenly wary.

  “Since I’ve woken this morning, I have noticed seven people wearing bandages, yourself included.” Sheilah replied. The woman that was typing the laces of her slippers froze.

  “Ah.” Andrea stumbled on her words, unable to speak.

  “Milady, there was a frightful spill of hot grease in the kitchen.” The woman that was at Sheilah’s feet spoke up, her head bowed. “No one was seriously hurt, but there were some burns.”

  Sheilah bit her lip, but nodded. “Please be careful in the future.” She encouraged.

  “If it’s running you’re interested in, you don’t need to leave the city.” Andrea offered thoughtfully. “There is the Knight’s Garrison, which has an area that is large enough to run in. Plus there will be plenty of guards to protect you.”

  Sheilah raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure. Fetch the implements for torture and let’s begin in the study.”

  One of the maids gasped, but Andrea raised a placating hand. “She means the books on mathematics, Listel.”

  The maid let out a sigh, and put her hand over her heart, her sleeve barely concealing a bandage.