Tianna waited another day before going to Ruena with her decision. Well, half decision. “I need to speak with Jerath,” she told her.

“Are you certain?” Ruena checked, “Meeting with a fiance candidate will send the message that you are interested. If you ultimately refuse you are sure to get many other offers.”

“I can deal with that if and when the time comes,” Tianna replied, “I think I made a decision but I need to talk to Jerath to be sure.”

Ruena studied her for a moment. “Very well. I will call him. The Saorsa is not going to be happy about this, but neither of us are part of the Saorsa.”

“My father trusted them, but I trust Jerath more than some group hiding in the shadows. Besides, Soral said that the Black Wolf was pulling the strings in the Saorsa too,” Tianna said, “How long do you think it will take Jerath to get here.”

“It depends on a lot of things. It shouldn’t take too long, though,” Ruena answered, “I intend to send an escort because of your special situation. I can’t just start letting people waltz in here unattended while you are under my protection.”

“That makes sense,” Tianna agreed.

“It will be good for him to, in case someone tries something while he in transit,” Ruena continued, “How are things going on your end? If you intend to accept his proposal you will have to get ready to debut as Crown Princess, and fiance.”

Tianna hesitate and glanced back in the direction of the forest. “I am sure I still have much more to learn, but I need to keep moving before it is too late,” she decided, “I doubt Velcorna is holding still.”

“A wise choice,” Ruena approved, “I will send for Jerath. You take this time to make sure you have everything ready for his arrival.”

“Thank you,” Tianna told her. She felt nervous about Jerath’s imminent arrival, but also somehow relieved.

Jerath arrived in two days, which was incredibly fast if you considered the distance between the places and the two way trip for the warriors who went to pick him up. When Jerath, in his human form, came into the room where Tianna was waiting she was hit by a wave of emotions she had not been expecting.

“Jerath!” Tianna called and pulled him into a hug. He made her feel safe, so for a moment she forgot about the reason why he was there.

Jerath cleared his throat slightly and looked away. “Umm… Tianna? I appreciate the welcome, but don’t we have something to talk about first?”

Tianna quickly released him and felt the heat rising in her face. “Sorry,” she told him quickly, “It just feels like it has been forever.”

“A lot has changed since Belleas,” Jerath agreed, “I heard you wanted to speak with me before giving an answer to my proposal.”

“I did,” Tianna replied, “I wanted to make sure of some things. My own feelings about you, and if you have any feelings for me.”

“Have you figured anything out yet?” Jerath asked, his gaze suddenly very intent.

Tianna took a deep breath and met his gaze. “I definitely have feelings for you,” she managed, “but I still don’t know if they are romantic or not. I can’t really tell about yours yet.”

Jerath studied her and seemed to figure out something. “You think I just proposed to you out of duty and to help you gain the throne,” he realized, “I admit, those were definitely factors in my decision, but I wouldn’t decide my life partner based on that. We are both young, and I doubt you have the short lifespan of a human.”

“You thought everything through carefully,” Tianna noted, “Then can you tell me why you decided to propose?”

There was a pause before Jerath answered. “It is a little hard to put into words but I suppose the base reason is because I missed you. I am not as familiar with human courtship as I am with other human customs.”

“To be honest, neither am I. I was mostly raised by my father,” Tianna reminded him, “Though I suppose fairies might be closer than dragons.”

“Hard to say,” Jerath mused, “Either way, I imagine that if you do accept my proposal, we are going to have to follow the traditions of the Queens more than anything else.”

Tianna frowned for a moment. “I still don’t feel quite ready for any of that, but it isn’t going to wait for me,” she decided, “Let’s speak to Densooth. He should know what to do from here.”

“Densooth?” Jerath asked, “The Queen’s advisor has been giving you advice?”

“Like you said, he is an advisor,” Tianna answered, “It’s not like I can just ask the Queen herself, and he is the only one in the palace who I know isn’t under Velcorna’s thumb.”

“What about the Black Wolf’s thumb?” Jerath reminded.

Tianna flinched slightly. “I can worry about that later. For now we should worry about the preparations for our engagement announcement.”

______________

Velcorna paced up and down her bedroom floor, fuming with anger. She had been so close! Her revenge against the man who had taken everything from her was right at her fingertips, but now everything was slipping away.

The mysterious heir no one had heard a peep about until just a few months ago had suddenly appeared. All of Velcorna’s attempts to contain and control her had failed. Even worse, she was receiving the help of that man, himself. Was she even aware that she was dancing to his tune?

That’s it. She should warn her. After all, whatever he might call himself, that man did leave her with one advantage. She was the only one who could tell the Queen or her descendants the identity of the Black Wolf. Velcorna had no intention to step down in her fight for the throne, but no one should be hanging from the puppet strings of that foul being.

As she plotted, she heard a knock at her door. “Duchess, there are rumors that the lost princess has found herself a fiance.”

Velcorna flung the door open with a twisted smile. “Then there will be a public event of some sort to announce it,” she deduced, “Make sure I am invited.”