Gersius awoke to the sound of Lilly searching the room on hands and knees for coins. She glared at him with narrow eyes when he finally moved, anger still apparent on her face. He did his best to avoid that gaze, instead, focusing on getting ready for the day. He strapped his armor to his pack in the hopes he would not need it today. Most of the morning would be spent in the village after all, and he would enjoy having it off for a bit.

Lilly was his next task. It took some convincing to get her to put the coins in a bag in his pack. It made her crazy not to be allowed to carry them and watched with a shattered look in her eyes as if he was taking them away forever. He made a promise to return them that very day if she would let him carry them now. She relented but was upset about the whole thing, reminding him that she needed a new hoard.

He decided to try and cheer her up with food and stopped to have breakfast. He tipped the innkeeper to get Lilly a little extra, and her plate arrived piled high with fat sausages and fried eggs. She devoured the eggs and sausages with a pleased hum, her gaze finally softening. When a drink arrived, she went to blow on it but caught Gersius's gaze, telling her no. She set it down and looked away as if disinterested and never touched it again. He hated to take such a simple pleasure from her, but it wasn’t safe to use such gifts. If word reached the wrong ears, the road could grow significantly more dangerous.

After breakfast, he took her down the street into the merchant square. The morning air was cool, and the streets relatively quiet. Lilly watched a man driving a herd of pigs with curiosity, then jumped back from a barking dog. It wasn't until they were well down the street that she looked around and turned to him.

“I thought we needed to go south,” she said, finally breaking the long silence between them.

“We do, but we have a few stops to make first,” he responded, not looking at her.

“So, this is going to take even longer?” she said, coming to a halt with a stomp of her foot.

He turned to see her face wearing a frown that made her look like a pouting child. With a hand through his hair, he stepped closer and spoke in a soft voice.

“This is to help you on the journey,” he insisted.

“Help me?” she replied in confusion.

He waved her forward and took the lead, taking her to a building with an open doorway and sign that looked like a foot. Inside were shoes, and boots, and leather objects of all kinds. Lilly poked at the things while Gersius talked to the two men behind the counter. He tried his best to watch her as she explored the shop full of new experiences. Lilly played with some of the objects on display, running her hand over leather's various textures. She smelled many of them, lifting items to her nose to get a good taste of their scent. She went to chew on a belt, but he snapped his fingers, shaking his head when she looked over. When he returned to her side, she was full of questions.

“What are we doing here?” she asked while playing with a long strap of leather.

“We are both getting a good pair of boots, and I am getting you your own pack.”

“A pack?” she asked.

“Like mine but a little smaller,” he said, turning his shoulder so she could see it. “You do not need to carry a full suit of armor.”

“Does that mean I can carry my coins?” she asked with bright eyes.

Gersius knew that question was coming and nodded. “Yes, you can carry your coins.” She smiled and went back to playing with the leather, and he let her be.

The men returned with rulers, paper, bags, boots, belts, buckles, and all manner of things Lilly had no concept of. She tried on dozens of boots, swatting at hands when they tried to help her get them on. Gersius had to teach her how they worked and then had to teach her left from right. She asked strange questions as the two men from the shop exchanged glances of concern.

Eventually, he narrowed the selection down to three pairs, the only three in the shop that fit her. He decided to let her choose the one she liked most and saw the surprise in her eyes. She picked a black pair of soft boots that ran up her legs practically to her knees. They laced up the side, and the tops could be folded, making them shorter.

Her pack was also a soft leather, but brown with two firm straps to wear over the shoulder. It was smaller than his but had pouches and pockets all over. She took a few minutes to open them all, looking inside as if to find hidden treasure. To all this was added two belts, a pair of black gloves to match her boots, and a couple of small bags.

Gersius bought a pair of stout looking brown boots that went up to just above the middle of his calf and had secure metal buckles. These too could be rolled down, and he wore them rolled a few turns.

Lilly beamed with joy when he handed back the bag of coins. She quickly emptied it into her pack, tossing the other items on top. When at last they left the shop, she was smiling wide, walking in the comfort of proper boots.

“I really like them,” she said, her mood much improved.

“I knew you would, but we are not done yet.”

“Were not?”

Gersius smiled and shook his head. “Come on. You are not going to like this next stop until you see the final product.” He led further down the street into another shop that had lacy things in the window.

Three women in flowing dresses made of lace and billowing cloth in vibrant colors turned to greet them. Each woman wore a painted face with hair set in curls, braids, and twists, held in place with pins and combs. Lilly froze in the doorway as if startled and latched on to his arm to whisper.

“Gersius, what is wrong with their heads?”

He held in a chuckle and whispered back. “I will explain it to you later.” She nodded but took his hand, squeezing it for reassurance.

The walls of the dressmakers was full of shelves overflowing with spools of cloth. There was a rough wooden mannequin in the corner, vaguely shaped like a woman. Lilly was drawn to the bright colors and went to play with the material as he moved to greet the ladies.

“How can we help the fine sir and his lovely lady?” one of them said. She had jet black hair, pulled to one said, and turned into a tight curl in the center of which was a single red flower. She wore a white lace top with a soft green skirt that just barely missed the floor.

“This young lady needs a new outfit,” he said, gesturing to Lilly. “She has a long journey to make, so it must be rugged and cut high to not drag in the road.”

The woman nodded, and all three turned on Lilly, who looked up in confusion. Gersius took her pack as she was swept away by the ladies. Measurements were taken, fabrics chosen, and Lilly was made to stand for over an hour while they fussed over the design. She gave him a hateful glare as they worked, but he only smiled and waved.

“Will, the lovely lady, need any personal items?” they asked as Lilly stewed in her anger.

“Personal items?” Lilly questioned, but Gersius stepped in.

“Please, she will need several changes. Whatever you think will do her justice, and be sure to get her several pairs of stockings.”

“Oh, such a sweet one you are,” the shortest of the three ladies said as she ran off to dig through some shelves in the back. “We have just the thing for such a lucky woman.”

“Lucky?” Lilly said questioningly. “How am I lucky?”

Gersius saw what the woman was fussing about and smiled, turning his back to Lilly. The ladies began to unlace the front of Lilly's dress, and she swatted at their hands.

“What are you doing?” she asked them as they pulled the material loose.

“Oh, don't be shy, my lady, we will have you wrapped up in your new outfit in just a minute.”

He heard Lilly’s farm dress hit the floor and caught a reflection of her red face in a mirror. He could feel her anger and frustration over the bind as she thought hateful things about him. He smiled wider as she suffered through being dressed a second time since they met.

Lilly suddenly felt exposed as her farm dress fell to the floor. With a red face, she thought hateful things about Gersius for putting her through this a second time. The farmer's wife was bad enough, but now these strange women were all around her. She froze like before, unsure what to do as her anger boiled.

“Will you look at that?” one of them exclaimed, followed by gasps. “It runs all down her back.” Lilly felt uncomfortable as a finger slid down the length of her blue markings. She looked to Gersius with panic in her eyes as he glanced back and cleared his throat.

“Ladies,” he said in a firm voice. “We are in a hurry.”

They rushed into motion and went to work, scurrying off on various tasks. One of the women reached around from behind, and a leather band wrapped around Lilly’s chest. The woman pulled from behind on straps that went over her shoulders and around her back.

“She's certainly carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders,” the woman said as she tightened the cords.

Lilly's eyes went wide with shock as her chest suddenly compressed and then lifted. The material wrapped around her form, sliding under her chest and pulling them skyward. She looked down, uncertain what to do, and noticed they now firmly touched, pressed together by the leather harness. She leaned over a little to be sure she could still see her toes as the woman hurried off. She endured a dozen other indignities before the women were done with her. She was allowed to dress again, only to sit for hours while the three women cut and sowed, pausing to take additional measurements.

“I am going to kill you someday,” she said when she finally sat down beside him.

“I still have the better part of a year,” he said. “I will make the most of it.”

“You do that,” she muttered with a face locked in a menacing scowl, arms folded over her chest.

After what seemed to Lilly to be an eternity, the women returned to scoop her back up. Lilly had to stand in the center of the room again as they pulled her old dress open. Her eyes glanced at him as he looked away, giving her a modicum of privacy. The fire of her anger flared up, and she was about to bite one of the women when she saw it.

Lilly was wrapped in a garment with a soft leather top of dark green. Inside was a delicate white material that glided gently on her skin. The arms were longer and ran down to her elbows. It had shoulders this time, but the neckline dipped just a little lower. Her skirt was also green, trimmed with brown around the edges, and split slightly in the front. It ended a foot from the ground exposing her new boots and giving her plenty of room to walk.

She was belted with a wide leather strap that pulled her stomach in while the harness lifted her breasts. When the women finally parted, she looked up to see Gersius was staring at her.

“Lilly, you are beautiful.”

His words struck her as she considered how he used the word beautiful in the past. The sudden change in his demeanor made her uncomfortable, so she focused on her anger and stared back with thoughts of tearing him limb from limb. The tall woman with the dark hair spun her around, and Lilly found herself looking in a tall mirror.

“There now, doesn’t feel better?” the woman asked.

Lilly put her arms down, slowly turning to watch the outfit go by. She felt a strange sense of happiness at what she saw in the reflection. Her hands went across the material as she watched in the mirror, repeatedly turning to see more.

“I think the lady likes it,” the woman said with a pleased smile.

Lilly heard him respond, saying the dress was lovely, truly a masterpiece. She wasn't sure what that meant, but something in her stomach churned when he looked at her.

“We have a few personal things for you to take on your journey,” the woman said, handing some delicate items of clothing to Lilly.

“What are these?” she asked, stretching at a short pair of ruffled pants. When nobody replied, she looked up to see all three women looking at Gersius in confusion.

“I will explain it to her,” he said with a smile that did little to settle the women. He went to the counter to pay for the items, so Lilly returned to the mirror, turning to the side to admire the dress.

“Still want to kill me?” he asked as he approached.

“I might let you live,” she said with a low growl determined to be angry at him. Try as she might, she was too happy with the new dress and the fire was gone. He took the items the dressmakers gave her and put them in her pack, before helping slip it back on. His eyes met hers as she pulled the straps tight, and her stomach twisted with strange tingles.

With a smile, he gestured with his head to the door. “Come, we have more to do.” His smile only made the tingles worse, and she looked away, hoping it would help. She followed him into the street but was surprised he went further into town.

“Where are we going now?” she asked, confident it would lead to more humiliation.

“We have one last stop to make,” he said.

They walked to a large two-story building with the largest window she’d ever seen. She used it as another mirror, twisting to admire her outfit as he went inside. Gersius spoke to a man behind the counter, looking back regularly to make sure she was there. Lilly paused to squint and see the walls layered with swords. Weapons of every kind stood on racks and pegs on the wall. There were other items as well, small things that glinted and glittered. They hung from stands on the counter along the back wall. Gersius pointed to a couple of things and looked them over, but handed them back and pointed to something else.

She lost interest in what he was doing and went back to admiring her reflection in the window. He finally came out while she was turned entirely around, trying to see her backside.

“I see you found another mirror.”

“I wanted to see the other side,” she replied, stopping her inspection. “Why do you need another sword?” she asked, noticing the new one he was carrying.

“I do not need another sword,” he replied.

“Then why did you get one?” she asked as he stepped closer.

“This one is for you,” he said, holding it out. It had a black leather sheath and a handle wrapped in black cords. It was shorter and thinner than his, looking relatively small by comparison.

“What do I need a sword for?” she asked, looking up with her head tilted to the side.

“To defend yourself, of course,” he replied, still holding it out.

“To defend myself? With a sword?” She was genuinely puzzled by the strange gift and looked it over as if it would explain itself.

“That was the idea. Would you prefer a dagger?”

“I am a dragon. No dragon would use a sword,” she said in a mocking tone to point out his foolishness.

“I know a dragon that used a sword,” Gersius said with a serious tone.

Lilly wrinkled up her nose in disbelief and put her hands on her hips.

“What dragon do you know besides me, and why would they use a sword?”

“Here,” Gersius said, wrapping the sword's belt around her waist. “You wear it like this.” He strapped the buckle on her right hip, so the sword hung at her left. With a curious expression, she looked down, swinging her hips to make it sway.

“You do realize I am never going to use this, except maybe to throw at you,” she said mockingly.

“Well, if the sword does not impress you, maybe this will,” he said, pulling something out of a pouch at his waist.

Lilly's eyes went wide, fixating on the object that now dangled from Gersius's hand. It was a delicate silver chain in a long loop. At the bottom of the loop was a small blue stone wrapped in silver that sparkled in the sunlight. She could smell the sweet scent of the metal and felt a sudden need to have it.

“What is that?” she asked, reaching up as if to touch it.

“It is called a necklace,” he said.

“Necklace,” she repeated. “I know it is silver, but what is the blue thing?”

“That is a gemstone. It is a rare and precious thing. This particular stone is a sapphire.”

“Sapphire,” she repeated just like before.

“And it is yours,” he said. “You wear it like this.”

Lilly stood stunned as Gersius suddenly reached up over her head and wrapped the silver chain around her neck. She felt the cool touch of the metal on her skin, and the blue stone of the sapphire dangled in the bare space below her neckline.

“There,” he said. “Now, you are complete.”

Lilly looked down and then spun around to gaze in the window. She looked on in wonder and excitement, staring at the chain around her neck.

“I had no idea you could wear your treasures,” she whispered in happiness.

“You didn’t?” he asked.

Lilly shook her head. “My mother had things like this in her hoard, but I didn't know what they were. She has lots of these pretty rocks,” Lilly said as she touched the gem. “But, they were different colors.”

“This is just one of the ways a lady can wear her treasure,” Gersius said.

Lilly turned around in excitement and looked to his eyes. “There are more ways?”

“There are many more, but come, we need to get going,” he said, leading the way down the street.

“How many ways are there?” she implored while running to catch up.

He chuckled at her as she fell in beside him, making her feel silly. Despite his reaction, she asked again, desperate to know more about wearing treasures.

“Well, you can wear some on your fingers. That is called a ring.”

“A ring,” she said while looking at hand to help imagine it.

“You can wear some around your wrists. That is called a bracelet.”

“Bracelet,” she repeated.

“And if you are brave, you can wear them in your ears.”

Lilly paused in confusion, wrinkling her face. “In your ears?”

“Yes, in your ears,” he said, smiling.

“How will you hear anything?” she asked, trying to figure out how stuffing colored rocks in your ears would work.

She frowned as Gersius laughed, but he quickly quieted and began to look about. She could see he was looking at the people as they passed by. He smiled and took her hand, steering her toward a woman arguing with a man by a wagon full of small cages. Lilly was lost in the display of little birds inside them until Gersius whispered.

“Look at her ears.”

Lilly turned her head and stared at the woman's ears as they passed. She could only see one, but there were two small golden loops firmly embedded in the skin of her earlobe. She looked back at Gersius, her confusion complete.

“How did she get them in there?”

“She poked a hole through,” he said.

“Through her ear?” Lilly asked loudly, causing him to glance around and see if anyone heard.

“Yes, through her ear,” he said in a hushed tone. “It does not hurt much, or so I am told.”

Lilly looked at the woman for a moment and then turned back, lost in thought.

“I don't think I could do that,” she said and rubbed at an earlobe. “I don’t want it to hurt.”

Gersius smiled with a nod and looked at her with a soothing expression. “I believe every woman has said that at one time or another about something, and yet they always find the strength to do it.”

Lilly pondered that as they walked on, her stomach twisting at his words.

He was done with his little errands, and finally, they began their journey. She was surprised when they left the town going west. Gersius said it would take them to a straighter road that cut through the forest and make their journey easier. She could only take his word for it as they walked, the day slipping away.

They spoke little during the journey as the day grew long. She remembered she was mad at him but found it increasingly difficult to stay angry. He had bought her the new outfit, and the necklace after all. She found herself looking at it often, sometimes tapping it with a finger to make it sway. What a marvelous thing it was to wear your treasure, and she couldn't help but smile. Her eyes looked to him, and her stomach churned to see he was focused on other thoughts. Lilly felt a sort of rift between them, but was confused about why she even cared. All she wanted was to be free of the binding and yet feared it. She supposed it was the truth of her condition. Once free, she would limp back to the valley, a crippled dragon unable to fly or hunt. How long would she go on without a proper meal? Maybe she could find a sick deer unable to run away, or a freshly killed one, left by another predator? Without her wings, going into the cave was out of the question. The image of laying at the foot of the mountain as she slowly starved to death haunted her.

As the sun began to set, they made a camp beside the road in a bundle of trees. He handed her a rolled bundle and showed her how to unwrap it into a sort of bed. She smiled and quickly poured her coins on it before sweeping them into a small pile to sleep. A fire was made, and he settled in across from her, resting against a tree his eyes closed.

She watched him that night, silently sitting opposite the fire from her. He always seemed so stern and quiet as if his mind was thinking. She wondered if he’d told her the truth, or perhaps all the truth. How did she know for sure he needed to get to Calathen? How did she know for sure this man he met told him to go to Whiteford first? She knew so little of men, and prophecy was something dragons often ignored. What use is a prophecy to a dragon who will outlive ten generations of humans? Still, she felt deep down that he was honest, and that he really did want to get her safely to Calathen.

Looking at him made her wonder about the things she felt. Today had been full of surprises, not the least of which was the necklace. She looked down at the necklace, a blue teardrop encased in silver, worked to have a rough texture. She held it in her palm to study it closer, then looked across to him. The twisting in her stomach was back, and something was pushing at her. Perhaps it wasn't right to punish him for his little mistakes. After all, what did men know about dragons? Maybe she should make an effort to teach him about dragons like he did to teach her about humans. That thought carried her off to sleep, an image of Gersius tied to her by red light filling her dreams.

When morning came, he was gone. She sat up and looked around, startled for a moment before she heard the chanting. Carefully Lilly crept through the forest until she found him, kneeling in an early morning sunbeam. His arms were out, and his face thrown skyward, lost in his prayer. This position always made the muscles in his back bulge and showed the power of his frame. His voice was very different when he sang to his god. It was strong and clear, and it had a deep melodic power. She felt a sadness stirring in its tones as if he were singing for some tragic event.

Lilly wished she knew the language he was singing in so she could appreciate the words that sounded so powerful in his voice. She decided to sneak back to camp before he finished and sat on her pile of coins until he returned. When he finally did, he approached quietly, glancing at her to acknowledge that he had seen her.

“I heard you singing,” she said, looking at him for a moment. “The song you sing, it sounds beautiful, if that is the right word.” He walked to his pack to retrieve the shirt laying on top, a smile on his face.

“It is the right word,” he said as he began to dress.

“What do you sing about?” she asked him.

He cast his face down as he flapped his shirt, saying nothing until he straightened it.

“I sing words of praise and peace to Astikar God of Mercy,” he said, glancing at her. “I sing for blessing, for protection, for the courage to do what must be done.”

“Does your God answer you? Does he answer your songs?”

“Sometimes he does,” Gersius said, picking up his sword and belting it around his waist.

“What does he say?” she asked him.

“It is not so much what he says. If I pray for guidance, and I plan to make a poor decision, I will feel a sense of unease. If the path I choose to walk is a good one, I feel a sense of calm.”

“Did you pray for our trip to Whiteford?

“I did,” he said, still not looking at her.

“What did he say?”

Gersius straightened the sword and ran his hand across the hilt. There was a sudden heaviness to his brow, and his mouth curled ever so slightly down. He looked up as if casting his vision far away, the worry evident on his face.

“We need to get going.”

Gersius didn't know what to say. He prayed about the trip to Whiteford, and never before had he felt such a sense of foreboding and dread. It was like a voice screaming in his head to flee as a million wolves howled in the distance. He prayed about turning around and going to Calathen, but a sense of doom was there as well. Both choices were bad and would be full of danger, but the road to Whiteford led to the Father Abbot. If he could brave the danger getting there, surely his brothers could keep them safe.

They got back on the road and walked for the better part of the morning, pressing on into noon before she felt the courage to speak to him again.

“Why are your people at war?” she asked, casting him a sideways glance.

“We did not have a choice in the matter,” he answered. “We were attacked without warning.”

“Well, why are you being attacked then?”

“I wish I knew. The people we fight against live further west of the region we call Delvarium. To the west is a great expanse of plains and hills until you hit the serpentine river. They come from the region just beyond the river. It is a barren land with hardly any trees. The land is stony, and living there is hard. A sturdy, nomadic people live there. They cut a tough life out of the harsh land. They are strong and fierce, with deep traditions and family loyalties.”

She noted he seemed to be praising them for their ruggedness and strength. Taking great care to extol their virtues as if he admired them.

“These people we call the Doan, it is an old word for wild.”

“That’s not an old word,” Lilly interjected. “It’s a dragon word.”

“It is?” he asked, turning to look her in the eyes.

Lilly nodded with a gentle smile. “It means wild one or something wild, depending on how you use it.”

“I did not know that,” he said with a faraway look before continuing with a sigh. “They have raided the lands along the serpentine for years. There have been a dozen minor wars in the past hundred years. Several times they have come east of the serpentine, and each time they have been thrown back. Occasionally a warlord will arise among them and unite several tribes into a more significant force. These would drive deep into our lands, raiding, and pillaging, but they too were always thrown back.”

“So this has happened again? A warlord has led some of the tribes into your land?” she asked, feeling she understood.

“No,” he said, looking forlorn. “This is no warlord we face. It is as if the whole of the Doan lands have emptied. They march in numbers unheard of in a thousand years. They are divided into at least three main armies with two or three smaller forces harassing our sides.” Gersius seemed to pale as he continued, his voice sounding strained. “They use tactics like never before enhanced with siege engines and new weapons. They somehow control and drive Bandersooks into battles, using them as shock troops and terror weapons. Even their women fight, many using the power of weaves to twist magic into deadly attacks. Those that do not practice the weave throw spears instead, eager to shed our blood.”

“To what end do these people attack you?” she asked, confused as to why such a war was started.

“We do not know. Somebody is behind them, driving them forward.” He shook his head as if trying to work out the puzzle. “They are smarter, stronger, more organized, better equipped, and trained than ever before. Not since the war of the dragon empire has such an army been raised.”

She cast him a sideways glance at the name and made a mental note to ask about that later.

“So, why don't your twelve kingdoms combine like they did before, and march out to crush them?”

“It is not that simple. Because the opening attacks were so savage and swift, the kings of the provinces have panicked. They hold the best of their armies inside their lands to protect their holdings. All we get is a token force of their least useful troops. Not enough to go on the offensive when the enemy has so many formations. Unless they unite and free up the bulk of their armies, we cannot hope to win.”

Lilly could see the strain in his face as he recounted the circumstances of the war. He was deeply affected by what was going on and desperate to change the outcome.

“We battle priests have thrown everything we have into the fight to help support the local armies, lending our hand in combat, and healing. But for all our skill, we have only delayed the inevitable. Two armies have stopped advancing at the border keeps. The third is broken but reforming and will soon be ready to march again. One of the smaller groups has swung far to the south and is raiding border villages. We are not sure where the other ones are. They eluded our scouts and vanished into the north.”

“So, somebody has managed to unite the whole of the Doan, turn them into organized armies, and marched them on your people,” she summarized again.

“That is correct,” he replied.

“But your people won't do the same? They won't unify into a single army and fight back?”

“That is also correct.”

“That's why you need me. You're hoping to be the one who does it. You want to fulfill this prophecy, and be the one who unites them, and throws the combined might of all the kingdoms against the Doan.”

“Yes,” he said.

“To do this, you need me to go to Calathen, and you need to present me as your dragon to the people there.”

“I do,” he said, looking at her strangely. “I did explain all this to you just three days ago.”

“You told me you wanted to fulfill this prophecy and unite your people, but I still wasn't sure why it was so important. Yes, you told me about the war, that your people were dying, but I had no appreciation for the scale.” She paused in her words to think it out. “I suppose in a way I have trouble appreciating it as you do.”

“What do you mean?” he asked her.

“Your human lives don't matter to me as they do you. Even dragon lives wouldn't matter to me. If you were to tell me that a hundred dragons had already died in your war and that a hundred more might die soon, I wouldn't care.”

“Is it so difficult for you to feel empathy, to feel pity?”

“Gersius, just six days ago, I would have killed and eaten you if I found you in my valley. We would not be having this conversation.

Gersius thought about her words and became angry. He didn't blame her for being who she was, but he could not believe she felt nothing for others.

“Tell me something,” he said, his voice hard. “If I were to release you from the binding right now, would you kill me?” He watched her eyes flash suddenly, and she staggered a bit in her step before straightening out and walking normally. She didn't answer right away, looking around as if searching for the right thing to say.

“I don't know,” she said at last.

Now Gersius was mad, and he stopped to confront her.

“What about that little girl?” he asked. “The one with the dragon toy who said dragons were brave and your eyes were pretty. Could you eat her?”

“That isn't a fair question,” she argued.

“How is it not fair?” he retorted. “You are a dragon. What do you care for little girls?”

Her hands clenched into fists as she turned to meet his challenge. She lifted a single hand to point a finger in his face, her eyes trembling in rage. “Just a moment ago, you told me that you had explained this need for me three days ago. I seem to recall explaining to you how hard it was to be a dragon, and mingle with your kind!” she shouted back. “I told you I had misgiving about what I thought about your kind and wasn't sure how I felt about it anymore. I can also tell you this, if that little girl had walked into my valley six days ago, I would have ignored her unless I was hungry, or she tried to enter my cave. If she tried to enter it, I would have killed her without a second thought, and complained about how unsatisfying a meal she was.”

Gersius felt shocked at the pure emotionless void Lilly seemed to be, but then she continued her voice suddenly different and soft.

“But, if I was back in my valley a month from now, and I found her wandering in it. I would wonder how she had gotten there, and I would probably take her home.”

It was then he realized his mistake. He had lost his temper again just because she was a dragon and did not see the world as he did.

“I am sorry, Lilly. I lost my temper again,” he said to her lowering his head.

“I am sorry, too,” she said. “I am sorry I am a dragon when what you need is a pet.”

Gersius felt ashamed at her words as they dug deep into his heart.

“I suppose I am to blame for this,” he said at last.

“I agree,” she said, not bothering to look at him.

“Lilly, when I see you as you are now, I can't help but see a human woman and expect you to feel the way they would. Sometimes, when you make mistakes understanding our ways, they almost seem playful, innocent. It causes me to forget that you are a dragon. I forget that you do not see yourself as I see you.” He looked at her to study her reaction. “You would not kill me if I released you,” he said, smiling.

“How can you be so sure?” she asked.

“Because of that night in the farmer's barn. Despite being a dragon, and being fresh from the pain of your ordeal, you came to me, your captor, and put your arms around me. You tried to comfort me and show me pity,” he said. He saw her blush as she remembered that night. “You are not as heartless as you seem. There is a spark of genuine compassion there.”

He saw her fidget with her hands squeezing one hand with the other as she worked on his words. Before she could reply, a scream filled the air and drew them both out of their contemplation.

“What is that?” Lilly asked, looking to him for answers.

“Somebody needs help,” he said, eyes scanning the countryside. He spied a farm off the road hidden away in a stand of trees and pointed. “There!” he said. “We must see if we can help.” He ran for the house, leaving her in confusion on the road.

“We?” she said to herself before running after him.

Gersius dropped his pack leaving his armor behind. There were two more screams, sounding of desperation, proving he didn't have time to don it. He broke through the trees into a yard bordering a barn and house. There were gruff voices from around the corner as two men walked from behind the house into the barn. As Gersius moved closer, he heard a woman's voice.

“Please, don't hurt me!” she pleaded.

Gersius crept slowly along the wall of the house until he could see around the corner. A man in simple clothes lay face down in a pool of blood. Three others in ragged leathers and dirty clothes stood around a woman sitting on the ground. She clutched at the hem of a torn dress, desperate to cover herself as tears poured down her face. The three men smiled and laughed, enjoying her tears as she trembled at their feet.

“I don't think she likes the idea of being hospitable,” one of them said.

“It's bad manners it is,” said the one closest to Gersius.

Gersius watched as the man in the center squatted down to look the woman in the face. He had a large black beard, and his eyes glowed with murder.

“You know what happens to a woman who doesn't want to share?” he said, glowering at her.

“Usually, she gets rescued by a knight,” Gersius answered. The man looked confused for a moment as Gersius charged in.

“We got ourselves a hero,” the man closest to Gersius said. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a dagger at Gersius, while drawing a second.

Gersius saw the motion and read the attack even before the blade was free. His arm came up as he sang a word of power, orange light flowing around his hand. A ghostly circle appeared over his arm, highlighted by a red star as the knife harmlessly struck the barrier.

“It's a bloody priest!” the furthest man shouted as Gersius reached the first. The first man drew a second knife to meet his charge, but Gersius didn't even slow down. A sword flashed, and the man toppled to the ground. The second and third man met his charge together, one with a sword, the other a small ax. Gersius danced with them for only a few moments before the axman was dead.

The swordsman put up a better fight, catching the first two of Gersius swings, but also a kick to the stomach. He stumbled back, failing to block the next attack as Gersius pressed in and made him pay.

Lilly broke through the tree line to see Gersius running in. She still had no idea what they were doing, but Gersius was attacking three humans by the house. She took a step toward him when a voice called out, turning her gaze.

“Well, what have we here?”

Lilly turned and saw a man coming around the front of the house. He was tall and broad, wearing a brown, heavily stained coat. His face was covered in hair, and his eyes looked hungry and violent. In his hand was a long stick with a metal wedge at one end.

“I didn't know these fools had a daughter,” he said while approaching her. “I guess the old woman won't have to do all the work herself,” he added as he reached Lilly.

Lilly stood there, unsure what this man was saying. He had a strange glare in his eyes that looked down to fixate on her chest, smiling with a grin of haphazard teeth.

“A good healthy daughter, you’re going to work tonight,” he muttered into her face.

“Get away from me, human!” she said, waving her hand as she smelled his breath.

He reached up and caught her arm. “Is that any way to talk to your new lover?” he said, jerking her arm away. “Oh, what's this?” he said when he saw the blue gemstone over her chest. “Must be my lucky day.” He dropped the ax and reached to grab hold of the necklace, but Lilly wrapped her other hand around it first.

“This is mine!” she said in a deep voice.

“Not anymore, it isn't,” he said, moving right up to her face. “The necklace is mine, and so are you!”

He was threatening, but nobody was taking Gersius's gift from her. She smiled back and took a deep breath as he reached for the necklace again.

Gersius heard a cry of alarm from behind and quickly reached out a hand, a prayer on his lips. Orange light gathered in his palm, forming into a glowing hammer as he turned about. The two men from the barn were running to aid their comrades as Gersius threw his arm in an arc, loosing the hammer. It caught one of the men in the chest, cracking ribs with a sickening impact that threw him back. He glanced to the right when a howl of pain caught his ear. He saw a man fall at Lilly's feet, twitching hands clutching at a frozen face. She looked down on him with a smile and casually stepped over his body as he died.

The last man lunged at Gersius with a tarnished sword. Gersius twirled away from the attack, his focus tempering the anger he had for these men. As the man tried to recover from the wild swing Gersius punched him square in the face with his sword hand, shattering the man's nose. He staggered back, the sword dropping from his hand as he clutched his bloody face.

Gersius followed in, grabbing the man with one hand around the throat. A prayer of power and his muscles surged with divine power. He hoisted the man from the ground with holy strength and looked him in the eyes.

“Please, mercy!” the man cried, terror in his eyes.

“Oh, you want mercy?” Gersius said, never breaking eye contact. “How fortunate for you, I worship the God of Mercy.” The man tried to smile with blood-soaked teeth as Gersius twisted his hand and broke his neck. Another sound turned him to the right to look into Lilly’s confused eyes.

“Why are we killing these rodents?” she asked as Gersius dropped the lifeless man.

“Jacob, my poor Jacob,” came a sobbing voice reminding him that there were more important matters.

Gersius turned to the woman who crawled across the ground to the man lying in a pool of blood. He rushed to the woman's side and quickly turned the man over, revealing the terrible wound. His chest was deeply punctured, the blood flow ebbing as he bled out, but his hand still twitched with life.

“Jacob!” the woman screamed to see his pale, lifeless face.

Gersius dropped his sword and put both hands on the man's chest. His voice came out clear and strong as he chanted, channeling the healing energies of Astikar. Golden light shone from under his hands, and the man twitched as healing energies flowed. Gersius looked as if he was straining until the man gasped loudly and let out a low moan. Slowly he took his hands away, the skin still bloody, but the wound was gone.

“Jacob!” the woman cried again, cradling his head in her arms, “Bless the divines!” she called as she rocked him in her arms.

Gersius knelt beside her as the man began to stir. “He was very near death. He will be weak for a day or two, but will recover fully.”

The woman looked up, her eyes red with tears. “Thank you!” she cried.

“Come, let me help you get him inside,” Gersius said, before gently lifting the groggy man and carrying him away.

Lilly followed, watching as he helped the woman get the bloody man into a bed. She didn't understand why he was doing this, or why those men had to die. She watched as Gersius carefully laid the man down as the woman hurriedly began to wipe the blood off his chest with a cloth.

“Thank you, please, thank you,” the woman said over and over again.

Gersius comforted the woman and left her to hold her husband's hand. He turned to Lilly, who was watching from the doorway a strange expression on her face. He passed her in the doorway and motioned for her to follow.

“We need to drag the bodies away from the house. They can bury them when the man is stronger, hopefully before they start to rot,” he told her as they walked into the yard.

“Why were these men attacking other humans?” she asked, looking down at one of them.

“These men are bandits,” Gersius said. “They prey on the weak, and steal what they want.”

“They are thieves?” she said, squatting down to look at one more closely. “But I was a thief?”

“You mean with the coins from the farmhouse?” he asked, coming to stand before her.

“Yes, you didn't kill me.”

“There is a huge difference between what you did and what these men were trying to do. You took those coins because you did not understand. When I explained it, not only did you give them back, but you were concerned they would be mad. You are not at all like these men.”

Lilly looked down in though his words. “Maybe they didn’t understand?”

“These men knew exactly what they are doing and did not care. They came here with the same motive that the red dragon that came to your valley had. They came here to take what they wanted and were going to do to that woman what he did to you.”

Lilly's face darkened at the comparison turning her expression sour. “I am glad they are dead,” she said.

“Do not let such things harden your heart, Lilly. We were here to help, thank the divines.”

“Why did we help?” she asked as she stood up.

“Because these people needed help, and we could help them.”

“But you need to follow your orders and get to Whiteford,” she pointed out.

“Sometimes, to do the right and honorable thing, you must disobey an order.” He paused to make sure she had understood. “Now, I want to drag these men away. I do not want them rotting and causing disease in that poor woman's yard.”

Lilly looked down at all the bodies and tilted her head.

“If you want to get rid of them, I could always eat them,” she said, kicking one of the dead men.

“Lilly!” Gersius said, truly shocked.

“What?” she looked up at him with innocent eyes. “You do want to get rid of them, don’t you?”

Gersius looked down at the bodies and back at Lilly. “Are you serious?”

************

Gersius waited by the road sitting on his pack while Lilly dressed, not at all sure he had done the right thing. They had removed the bodies down the hill, and she ate through them with terrible speed. Now she was done and happy as could be.

“Thank you for reminding me to get undressed first,” she said while struggled with her top.

“You are welcome,” Gersius replied, trying not to look.

“Why did we have to drag them so far away if I was going to eat them?” she asked while fighting to tie the laces behind her back.

“I did not want the poor woman to look out her window and see a dragon devouring a pile of dead men in her yard,” he said, looking over as she flailed with the straps. “Do you need help with that?”

“How do you humans tie these behind your backs?” she groaned, turning the straps to him.

“Here, let me do it,” he said, walking to the tree she was standing behind. He pulled the straps tight getting an “oof!” out of Lilly and tied them firmly.

“Thank you,” she said sweetly and reached for her dress. He walked back to his pack as she straightened her skirt and went for her boots. She walked to him to lace them for her as she held up her hands. “Some of those men had more coins on them,” she said, poking at a pile in her hand. “My horde gets bigger every day!”

“I am glad you are finding eating people to be so profitable,” Gersius said, trying not to think about it.

“How do you think I got my original horde?” she said as if it was obvious.

“I told you, I do not want to know how you got your hoard. It is bad enough I know how you are collecting this one.” He heard the coins clatter into her pack, and she lifted it to her shoulder.

“I am ready to continue,” she said, a smile on her face.

“I hope you do not need to sleep for a few months now,” he joked, getting to his feet and picking up his pack.

“Nope, but I might not be hungry for a few days.”

“By the divines!” he groaned as they started down the road.