The birdsong was particularly beautiful that morning, as if trying to extinguish the events of the previous night. After she woke, Tianna lay in bed for a while, half wishing that everything had been a dream. It felt out of place enough to be one, but this wasn’t the time to be denying reality.

She took her time getting dressed, stalling the moment she would have to talk to her father about the events of the previous night as long as possible. Eventually her stomach won over her trepidation and she wandered out of her room to the kitchen, only to freeze.

There was a strange man standing there. He was tall with a deep shade of bronze hair that looked particularly metallic. It was hard to tell much more because his back was facing her. There was a thunk as he took a large jar of milk and set it on the counter.

Groceries? Had he wandered into the wrong house by accident? “Excuse me?” Tianna called out.

The man turned to face her and smiled. “Good morning.”

Now she was more confused. “Who are you?” she asked.

“Your father must not have explained yet,” he said and set the rest of the groceries on the counter without taking them out of the basket, “My name is Jerath. I will be your guard and guide on your journey to the capital. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh,” Tianna replied, unsure of what else to say, “Why can’t father come?”

Jerath hesitated for a moment. “It might not show much here, but there has recently been quite a bit of hostility towards storm fairies. He didn’t want to endanger you with his troubles.”

“Did he already leave?” Tianna asked with a sudden pang of fear.

“I’m still here,” her father said with a yawn as he walked into the room, “I barely got any sleep last night. That is no condition to travel in.”

Tianna breathed out a sigh of relief. “So, he says he is going to be my guard?” she asked, gesturing to Jerath.

“Yes. He is someone I trust completely. While he might not be the most qualified in other aspects, he will never betray you,” her father explained.

“Where did he come from?” Tianna asked.

“I came from Ariz,” Jerath answered instead.

Ariz… That was the name of the land of the dragons. “Are you perhaps…?”

“A dragon,” Jerath finished, “Yes.”

That explained his peculiar hair, but Tianna still felt like she was a few steps behind. “Why will you be accompanying me to the capital?”

“It is too dangerous for you to travel alone,” Jerath answered, “I was the one who was selected based on trustworthiness and Silvax’s personal preferences.”

“Father’s preferences?” Tianna asked.

“I wanted to be sure they didn’t stick someone strange by your side,” her father explained, “After breakfast the two of you should head out to town to buy supplies. Don’t worry about the cost, but be careful not to buy anything that would stand out too much.”

“Of course,” Jerath promised.

“I’ll get started on breakfast, then,” Tianna broke in and headed past Jerath to the counter.

Jerath was a bit surprised. “What?” he asked, “Isn’t there someone else that cooks breakfast?”

“Unless you want to eat exploded potato or can cook yourself, I am what we’ve got,” Tianna told him, “Dad isn’t a bad cook, he just has a weird obsession.”

“Exploded… I… Go ahead,” Jerath gave in, extremely confused.

Silvax chuckled. “The potatoes don’t always explode,” he defended halfheartedly, “Back when I was-”

“Yes, go tell Jerath all about your potato glory days in the other room,” Tianna interrupted and shoved her father and Jerath out of the kitchen before preparing a quick meal. After everything that had happened last night, he still had room to go on about his special potato cooking method. Somehow Tianna felt better.

Breakfast was spent discussing the supplies they would need and which path they would take to the capital. Jerath recommended the sea route because he could easily take Tianna across the sea to Ariz in case of emergency. Tianna’s father agreed and recommended they stop in Belleas along the way. It was a safe haven they could rest at if the Black Wolf was right on their heels.

Tianna only recognized a few of the names they were shooting back and forth. They mentioned something about Rayfeild being the only town between Vale and Belleas even though Belleas was several days’ travel from there. Then the discussion went into the various possible camping supplies and what would be the most convenient without standing out too much.

For that, her father offered a magic powered covered wagon with two built in cots that slid under the floor when not in use. Tianna had never heard of her father owning anything like that, much less seen it, but when they stepped outside, her father pulled it out of their storehouse as if it were the most natural thing.

“Why don’t Jerath and I go shopping separately?” Tianna suggested, “If we buy duplicates that will mean we have spares, and it is likely we would think of completely different things.”

“That’s a good idea,” her father agreed.

“Shouldn’t I stick with her?” Jerath asked.

“Vale is safe,” her father assured him, “You can wait to put up that guard of yours until you set out tomorrow.”

Jerath reluctantly backed down and Tianna grabbed her things before heading out into town. As promised, she had a nice sum of money for her birthday and she intended to buy a treat for herself without some guard hovering over her and accusing her of wasting money.

She wandered through town, first buying travel supplies she thought Jerath might forget as she browsed again for something worth the trouble this birthday had given her. As she finished purchasing some outdoor cookware Tianna spotted Matt and impulsively approached him.

“Matt!” she called out.

He jumped a bit and turned to face her. “Where did you come from?” he complained, “I am late coming back from my break and I thought you were the manager coming to drag me back.”

“No… Hey, Matt, is that Necklace still there?” Tianna asked.

Matt paused. “You mean the rainbow crystal one with the protection enchantment? It is. Most people don’t go for items like that despite their value. Too hard to use.”

“Can I buy it?”

“Even if no one is interested in it, it isn’t cheap. Are you sure you have enough?” Matt asked cautiously.

“I saw the price when I visited last time,” Tianna assured him.

“Just making sure. Hey, maybe the manager won’t be mad at me since I am bringing back a customer,” Matt chuckled.

“Maybe,” Tianna agreed with a smile.

Matt took her right to the counter when they arrived at the shop and pulled out the necklace in question. “Everything seems to be working perfectly. The crystillium is still brimming with magic and there are no holes in the magic. I would have you test it now but we don’t have the tools to refill it.”

“Thanks, but I trust you when it comes to enchantments,” Tianna told Matt, “We have known each other for a long time.”

“Hey, Tianna,” Matt began, seeming suddenly hesitant, “Are you going somewhere?”

“Yes. It is a bit sudden, but I will travelling to the capital tomorrow to move in with my mother.”

“That’s a shame,” Matt said with a bitter smile, “So your first purchase here will be your last, huh.”

“Don’t worry, I am sure you will get plenty more customers,” Tianna told him, “I should going. Good luck with your manager.”

Tianna quickly paid the set price and headed back home. Jerath was already there, loading various things into the cart. Tianna took off her pack with all her purchases and handed it over, keeping the necklace hidden under clothes. For some reason, she didn’t want Jerath to know about it.

The rest of the day passed by with remarkable speed, and the next morning was too busy to think too much about anything. Before she knew it, Tianna was riding in the magic wagon with their things and staring at the slowly shrinking house she had spent all of her life in.

Nothing felt real yet, but it was too late to turn back.