Chapter 4: It's always darkest before dawn

* * *

Beth skipped down the corridor, which was no small feat considering she was carrying an armful of books. She hummed a joyous tune as she went; she was engaged to a good man! Finally! In the months since she'd become eligible, her suitors had been of increasingly questionable character.

It was ironic. She had always dreamed of being rescued from an evil dragon by a gallant knight. Instead, she had been rescued from an evil knight by a gallant dragon. And despite being a dragon, Ethan seemed as wonderful as any man.

And -- if the stories were true -- she was in for quite a treat on their wedding night. She felt a familiar sensation in her loins at the thought. Her fingers were nice, but her maids were clear that fingers were no match for a man who knew what he was doing. She hoped Ethan knew, but she was more than willing to let him practice on her after they were married.

She imagined lying in bed as her gallant dragon lay on top of her, kissing her and telling her how much he adored her and how beautiful she was. She wasn't quite sure what the kiss would feel like, but she imagined it would be wonderful. Then he would remove her dress and make sweet love to her in the candlelight.

Beth stopped at the door to her room and juggled the books around so she could open it. Two near book drops later, she was inside and nestled in her favorite reading corner. The sun had just come up, and she could barely believe that only a few hours before she had been riding Ethan as he soared through the sky. She grabbed the top book on the pile -- entitled "A Complete History of Dragons" -- and started to read.

She was nearly halfway through the book when a knock at the door broke her concentration.

"Who is it?" Beth called.

"Alana Staff-Maker to see you my lady." The butler called

"Let her in."

The door opened and Alana walked in and the door closed behind her. She looked... odd. She was wearing the same knee-length green dress and her hair looked brushed. However, her face looked decidedly the worse for wear. Her eyes were slightly red and oddly sad.

"Hi." Beth jumped up, ran to her, and held out her arms. "You look like you could use a hug."

Alana gave her a half smile before accepting Beth's hug. Beth wasn't sure what else to do, so she gave Alana the best hug she could manage. After almost a minute, Alana pulled back.

"Thanks." Alana said. "I needed that."

"Any time. But what's wrong? You look like your favorite pet just died."

Alana tried to laugh but failed miserably, which made Beth clap her hands over her mouth. "It didn't... did it? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"No one died." Alana said, and this time she managed a small but genuine smile. "I just came to say something and then I'm off to your father's enchanting shop, which enchants things for the bank. He offered me a job since I helped rescue your brother." She added at Beth's quizzical expression.

"I just wanted to ask you to be the best wife you can possibly be to Ethan. He's a wonderful person and deserves..." She stopped and seemed to get choked up. "I'm sorry, I'm not... I have a scratchy throat."

"Did you want some tea with honey?" Beth asked, unsure as to what was really going on.

"No, I'm fine. Just... Just take care of him for me, would you?"

"It would be my honor, but why..." Beth started to say, and then it clicked in her mind. "Wait, you two aren't... I mean you're not... Are you?"

"It's complicated." Alana replied.

"You're in love with him." Beth covered her mouth with her hand.

"No I'm not." Alana said flatly, but there was no conviction behind her voice. "I mean, of course he's a good man and I like him as a friend. And he saved my life a few times, but that doesn't mean I'm... you know... interested."

"I won't tell a soul." Beth promised.

"Thank you."

"So, why are you asking me to take care of him if you..." Beth started to say, and then it dawned on her. "Oh. Because I'm going to marry... and you want to... I'm so sorry Alana." Her face fell as she realized the position that the wonderful wood elf was in.

"It's not your fault." Alana said. "Ironically, I have only myself to blame. I was the one who suggested we try and rescue you and your brother in the first place."

"But still."

"Playing the 'what if' game won't help." Alana said. "What's done is done. While we can learn from it and do better in the future, we still have to live with it."

"I'll be the best wife to Ethan I possibly can." Beth said. "I promise."

Alana's eyes grew watery again. "Thank you. I... I have to go."

She gave the blonde a half-hearted smile and then left the room.

Beth returned to her reading corner but -- for the first time in her life -- she didn't have the heart to pick up a book. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her fantasies of a romantic wedding and passionate wedding night. Alana had saved her life, and here she was stealing her man-- err, dragon.

It didn't seem right to Beth, but she didn't see a way around it. She briefly considered refusing to marry Ethan, but then remembered her promise to Alana. She couldn't keep her promise without marrying Ethan, which would make the wood elf miserable.

When did life get so complicated?

* * *

Rachel Delmar was in a truly foul mood, or at least she thought she was. It was getting hard to tell these days.

She was saddle-sore from riding non-stop for way too long. She had stopped only to switch between the several horses she'd taken from Wurven's men. Changing mounts and riding hard had allowed her to travel from the forest to Gralden in less than a day.

She was glad that the dragon and his companions had escaped. She also hated them for escaping. They needed to be tortured for daring to fight against Lord Delmar because... because...

She didn't know why.

Rachel shook her head trying to clear it. She needed to find and kill them. Slowly. She needed to make an example out of them for anyone who would challenge her father.

But what had they done that was so bad?

Despite her best efforts, thoughts of revenge and gruesome death flitted through her mind.

She rode into the city and sold all but one of the horses, which she boarded at a stable for a few days. She was almost positive that the dragon would have returned here. The town gossip about the banker's daughter and son returning the previous night confirmed it. The town crier let everyone know Lord Borden was planning an announcement for late that afternoon.

Rachel hoped the dragon would be there so she could kill him, but there would be guards -- some of whom might be mages -- and she wasn't very good with a bow. She figured she'd wait until the announcement and plan from there.

Noon couldn't come soon enough.

Several hours of conflicted brooding later, Rachel was in the town square with hundreds of other people. Lord Borden stood on a raised platform, flanked by his wife, children, guards, and a man Rachel didn't recognize.

"Thank you all for coming." Lord Borden said. "As you all probably know by now, we have a hero in our midst."

Lord Borden waved the man forward. The man looked ordinary in every way; almost too ordinary. He was the average height, average build, and was wearing the most average clothing, with the average hair color, length, and style. Rachel would've bet her right arm it was the dragon using a disguise gem. She used a drop of mana to look deeper and could indeed see that his current form was magically generated.

Lord Borden continued. "This man saved my children from the bandits that have plagued our city for many months. Furthermore, he slaughtered them to a man. You no longer need to fear them thanks to this man!"

At this pronouncement, the entire town square erupted into wild cheers and applause.

The applause died down when Lord Borden raised his hand. "True to my word, he shall receive an honorable position at The Bank for his services. Further, he has captured the heart and hand of my daughter Elizabeth. They shall be married within a fortnight."

Rachel swore under her breath as the whole square erupted into wild cheers and applause again.

Two weeks.

She had only had two weeks before the wedding -- when security would be strained because of extra guests -- to plan an infiltration. Worse, the dragon would have two weeks of access to a massive pile of gold, which could make him harder to kill. She mulled this over as the applause died down.

Lord Borden motioned the disguised dragon and Beth forward so they were standing in front of him facing each other, and then he turned to the disguised dragon. "Will you promise to marry my daughter and treat her with honor until your marriage?"

The dragon took a deep breath and then spoke. "I will."

Rachel couldn't help noticing he didn't look very excited for a man about to marry a beautiful and extremely wealthy woman with powerful family connections.

Lord Borden turned to Beth. "Will you promise to marry this man and treat him with honor until your marriage?"

"I will." Beth replied. There was a wide smile on her face, though she too didn't look perfectly contented.

"According to our ancient customs, betrothal binds two souls to be married by sacred contract." Lord Borden continued. "A contract so sacred only divorce may break their betrothal. Therefore, to make the betrothal complete, it will be sealed with a proclamation of love."

Lord Borden nodded to the dragon. Ethan took a deep breath and then leaned forward to kiss Beth on the lips. Rachel had been expecting a typical betrothal kiss where the couple usually dragged it out, as they wouldn't be allowed another kiss until the wedding ceremony.

But this was subtly different.

The dragon kissed her tenderly, but very briefly. It was long enough to be a proper sealing of the betrothal, but stopped short of a couple in love. Rachel could see a flicker of disappointment on Beth's face, though she had worn a look of bliss while their lips had been joined.

"The betrothal is complete." Lord Borden announced. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause again. He waited until they died down before continuing.

"Please join me in wishing them the best. May Illuminar watch over you both and bless your marriage with wealth, health, and many children."

After that, everyone on the platform bowed and left, while the crowd slowly dispersed to go about their day.

Rachel was conflicted. Her heart went out to Beth for that kiss. It was clear to her that although the dragon liked her, he wasn't in love with her. However, she was clearly smitten with the man she would marry.

Then something inside of her clicked.

The dragon would marry Beth.

Instantly, Rachel felt an overwhelming urge to maim and kill her. She fought the urge harder than any impulse she had felt before. Her mind went back and forth, as the skin under her ring began to itch.

She fought silently with herself for an hour before the compulsion began to gain ground. Lord Delmar would want her to kill Beth. She knew that. She'd seen him do the same to countless enemies over the years. Killing someone intimately close made a rival sloppy, which Lord Delmar always exploited.

But to hurt Beth...

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it though. It was like something in her head diverted her attention every time she tried to figure it out. A few years ago, she had found it hard to kill spiders because she didn't want to hurt them. Now she was planning murder...

Something was definitely wrong.

* * *

Anthiel found herself getting lost in the flow of the music. She let her fingers flit over the harp's strings and allowed the tune to take her wherever it willed. She had lost track of the time she'd been playing when some thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the town square outside.

Anthiel sighed. Lord Borden must be announcing Beth's engagement. She waited until the noise subsided and began to play again.

Not long after, she stopped because of a less deafening, but equally intrusive sound, and perked up her pointy ears to listen. It sounded like someone was crying. She stepped away from her harp and followed the sound. It took her several minutes to find the source.

It was a wood elf dressed in a knee-length green dress in fabric that resembled leaves. She was short but pretty with rich, chocolate-brown hair. She was seated on the floor of an out-of-the-way closet with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were puffy and red, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. There was a large wet spot on her dress, and she had clearly been crying for some time.

"Hello dear." Anthiel said.

The wood elf looked up and tried to hide her face, but instead burst into another round of sobs. Anthiel squeezed into the closet and sat down beside her.

"Let it out." She said comfortingly as she put her arm around the wood elf. "Anything that feels so bad shouldn't be kept inside."

The wood elf cried into her shoulder for a whole minute before she composed herself.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? You've done nothing wrong." Anthiel replied kindly. "What's your name?"

"Alana." The wood elf said between sobs.

"Alana. That's a pretty name. Now what could be so wrong?"

"It's nothing. It's stupid."

"Anything that would make a woman cry like this while hiding in a closet is hardly stupid."

"It's just..." Alana said through the tears. "There's a... I haven't known him a whole fortnight, but he just... he saved my life and I thought that I-- I mean that we... and he loves me but he got betrothed today and... It wasn't his fault and I'm just... I don't know what to do. It's just so stupid. We just met."

Anthiel pulled her closer. "At least you're not bonded with him. That would be..." she trailed off at the sudden look of fresh pain on Alana's face.

"Oh no. You are bonded to him, aren't you?"

Alana nodded again. Her tears, which had stopped flowing, began to trickle down her cheek again.

"Wine." Anthiel said. "You need wine, lots of strong wine. Fortunately, ship-masters get a huge discount at Lord Borden's pub."

"You're a ship master?" Alana asked.

"Yes, Anthiel Cloud-Song at your service. I captain Lord Borden's personal airship, or I will when it finally launches. Now, what do you say to that drink?"

After some gentle coaxing, the heartbroken elf consented to leave the closet and join her at the nearest tavern. She pushed around her mulled mead while they talked, barely drinking any of it. Anthiel was on her fourth tankard of mead before she managed to draw a genuine smile from the distraught wood elf, mostly by telling stories about her children when they were little.

"Your family sounds lovely." Alana said after taking another sip of the mead.

"They are." She eyed Alana's still mostly full mug. "You know, drinking to drown your sorrows only works if you actually drink?"

"So you keep telling me."

"It's been true every time."

The little wood elf took another sip of her mead. "I wish I could find a family like that." She shook her head.

"Maybe you're not looking in the right place?"

"I didn't mean starting a family, I meant the way you talk about your family. I never had siblings and I always wanted some sisters. I always thought being one of seven sisters would be neat."

"Oh?" Anthiel said, hoping to keep her talking.

"My parents didn't have any other children at home when they raised me, but I always wanted..." she got a faraway look in her eye. "It's funny, the day I met Ethan I was wishing for a few sisters and a good man. I guess you don't always get what you want."

"One of my daughters is about your age; I can introduce you the next time she visits me."

Alana appeared to get very choked up and her eyes became watery. "Thank you. That would be... that would be great."

They talked long into the night. The more they talked, the more Anthiel was impressed by the young elf. She was very mature for her age, had a sharp mind and a very big heart. She was truly one of the most delightful women the airship captain had met in her long life.

If both her sons weren't already married, she might have tried to set one of them up with the wood elf. She almost wanted to anyway since they lived outside Lord Borden's lands where polygyny was more accepted by the lords. Lord Borden had a particular disliking of it, but no other lord did. She knew the wood elf would never be happy with anyone but Ethan though.

By the time Alana wanted to turn in, Anthiel was ready to find this dragon who had broken her heart and deck him; hard. Sadly, that wouldn't help anything and she wasn't given to needless violence anyway. She did resolve to put the fear of Illuminar in him if he ever set foot on her airship. Not that she'd hurt him, but a little intimidation and a few threats might serve the idiot whelp good, and hopefully teach him a lesson in the process.

* * *

Ethan thought there was something surreal in having dinner with Beth's family. She was a wonderful woman and he liked her a lot. But he missed Alana. How he'd fallen for her so completely in the short time they had known each other, he'd never know. When he thought about life without her, it was just...

He couldn't believe it.

Seriously.

Some part of him refused to believe she would be out of his life forever. Something about the idea sounded so completely impossible. It felt blatantly and categorically untrue, like someone saying the sky was red, the grass was blue, and rocks were made of cheese. He had this certainty that she wouldn't be gone from his life forever. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he just couldn't believe they wouldn't end up together.

It just didn't feel true, even though it looked true right now.

After the betrothal ceremony, he spent the evening with Beth and her parents. She had been cautiously cheerful the whole time and did her best to keep his spirits up. He really appreciated it and genuinely enjoyed her company. She was a lovely girl, but he wasn't feeling very cheerful.

Her parents had peppered him with questions as to where he came from, but Ethan answered half-heartedly and with few details. They were very nice and welcoming, her mother especially, but her father was more reserved and eyed Ethan occasionally in a manner that was a bit unsettling.

They showed him around their impressive mansion before setting out a lavish feast before him at dinner, served by some of their many servants. The food was exquisite but just felt 'blah' in his mouth. He would've preferred dry bread and water with Alana to a feast without her. Though, having Beth at this imaginary feast would be nice too.

He missed the wood elf so much already and she hadn't been gone a whole day. He knew it was strange, but assumed it was partially because of their bond. Quite beside his own pain, he could feel sadness and grief coming from Alana. He hadn't looked at their bond -- he had respected her request -- but the emotions were so strong they were hard to miss.

Oddly, she seemed more upset about his absence than his marriage to Beth.

"Ethan." Beth touched his arm.

"Huh, what?" he looked around the table to see everyone staring at him. "Sorry, my mind wandered."

"Do try to keep your mind on what's in front of you." Lord Borden said significantly with a glance toward Beth.

"I will sir."

"Daddy was just asking when you wanted to start at The Bank." Beth said.

"Is there any chance I could start tonight?" he asked, thinking gold would be a welcome distraction from missing Alana.

Lord Borden nodded. "Absolutely. I have great plans for you in The Bank, assuming your nature stays under control. I can hardly think of anyone who would guard the gold more diligently; can you?"

"No, I don't think anyone would."

"Good. As requested, you'll start as a night guard in the vault. Eventually, you'll need to learn the other positions if you are to manage The Bank effectively. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, then follow me." Lord Borden stood. Ethan and Beth followed the older man out of the dining room through the house and into the night air. The town was mostly silent apart from the sounds of drinking and singing coming from the pubs.

To his left, Ethan saw the mast of a sailing ship poking up in the distance. He thought that was strange as there weren't any large bodies of water nearby.

"What's that?"

"That's daddy's new airship." Beth replied. "I can show you in the morning, if you'd like."

"An airship? Yes please."

Lord Borden led the way up the long flight of steps to The Bank. The stairs had no railings and were only six feet across. They were wide enough to be comfortable but narrow enough to prevent a lot of men from attacking at once. The stairs ended and leveled out to a wooden drawbridge.

Up close, the defenses were quite impressive.

Spread atop the impressive wall were several sets of small ballistae that could probably mow down half a dozen people on the narrow walk at once. The drawbridge -- when raised -- would form part of the wall, which was crenelated for archers. If attackers managed to survive all that, there would be a few dozen pike men ready to skewer any invaders.

Behind the outer fortifications was a solid steel door set into the side of the mountain. The door was open and Ethan could see a long stone hallway beyond it. Lord Borden walked past the impressive defenses with barely a glance. The guards nodded respectfully as he and Beth passed. They mostly just gave Ethan a curious look.

Beyond the massive steel door was a long corridor six feet wide and seven feet tall. Lining the wall were torch sconces cut out of the stone itself. Once they were through the massive steel door, Lord Borden turned into a small office hollowed out of the rock.

Inside was a young man who seemed quite surly despite his obvious high position, or perhaps because of it.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties, although he was sporting a full beard. A sword was fastened at his side and he wore chainmail from head to toe, partially concealed by a surcoat which carried the emblem of a gold coin. He was also huge at over six feet and -- even taking into account the extra bulk added by the chainmail -- it looked like he could wrestle an ox and win.

"Heinrich." Lord Borden said with a respectful nod.

"Lord Borden." The armored man stood and gave a bow. There was obviously a great deal of trust between the two men.

"This is the dragon then?" Heinrich asked. Ethan noticed he glanced at Beth and then clenched his fists.

"He is. I put his equipping and training in your hands." Lord Borden turned to Ethan. "Heinrich is true as dragon steel and the best man I know. Trust him. He won't let you down."

"I will."

"One more thing." Lord Borden said. "Pay very close attention while in the vault. Because of thieves, it's rigged with several lethal traps. There are none on the main pathway, so that is safe. Please, don't venture off that pathway if you value your life. I spared no expense on them, so pay attention when Heinrich shows them to you."

"I definitely will."

"Then good evening." And with that, Lord Borden strode out of the room leaving Beth, Ethan, and Heinrich standing there.

"Come with me." Heinrich said without preamble.

He led Ethan and Beth down the hall a short way and then turned into what was clearly an armory. In one half of the room, weapons were neatly arranged on racks. On the other half, there was a large collection of various kinds of armor. Ethan noticed there was plenty of chainmail, but almost no plate armor.

"Use the gem to make it appear you're wearing armor." Heinrich ordered none-too-politely.

"Do you have a problem with me?" Ethan asked.

"Yes." Heinrich replied curtly. "Now do as you're told or I'll find another job for you that won't be as pleasant."

Ethan briefly considered arguing, but a look from Beth dissuaded him of that notion. He pushed a little mana into the disguise gem and the transparent outline around him changed. It now looked like he was dressed like the other guards.

"What weapon are you most proficient with?" Heinrich asked.

"Glock 19." Ethan replied without thinking.

The guard captain was not amused.

"A spear, I guess."

Heinrich grabbed a seven-foot short spear and handed it to him. "Come with me."

Heinrich started walking down the stone hall and that's when the feeling truly hit Ethan.

Gold

Lots of gold.

He opened up his dragon senses and his jaw dropped. He could feel the power of the gold. It was lifeless now, but it had potential... so much potential. He could actually feel his mouth watering at the thought of being near all of it.

They walked for about a minute before they came to what looked like a primitive elevator. There was a stone counterweight next to the elevator cage and a large spoked wheel -- like on an old sailing ship -- connected to a crank.

Heinrich led the way into the elevator cage. It seemed stable when he and Ethan stepped in, but the moment Beth stepped in the cage began to slowly sink. The guard at the crank spun the ship's wheel hastening their descent. The elevator cage dropped for twenty feet before bottoming out.

At the bottom, a short hallway ended at yet another large steel door. Ethan could feel the gold beyond. It was dead -- lifeless -- but he could feel it. As he got closer it started responding to his presence, as if to its master. Very slowly, it was starting to come alive. Well, not really alive, but Ethan couldn't think of another way to describe it.

Strangely, it reminded him of how it felt to be near Alana.

Heinrich produced a key and unlocked the large steel door. When it swung open, the contents within took Ethan's breath away.

It was the vault and it was filled with gold.

Straight ahead were large stacks of gold bars and mountains of gold coins all neatly arranged. To one side was a large collection of silver and to the other side more precious gems than Ethan had ever seen. A steel chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling provided flickering light to the entire room. The ceiling was also almost twenty feet; much higher than the adjoining passages and rooms. The vault was perhaps fifty feet square, though most of that was taken up with gold, silver, and precious stones.

"I think I'm in love." He murmured aloud.

Beth sighed and Heinrich scowled. It occurred to Ethan that saying that in front of his betrothed and the man who was in love with her was probably a bad idea.

"I just mean..." Ethan started to say, and then realized there was no way he could pull his foot out of his mouth.

"I know exactly what you meant, dragon." The other man snapped. "Now, notice the floor."

Ethan looked down. There was a clearly defined, ten-foot-wide central walkway down the center of the vault. It was decorated with a mosaic of tiles while the rest of the floor was completely unadorned.

"Stay on the pathway if you value your life." Heinrich indicated the walls

Ethan could see what looked like small cutouts -- about the size of a man's hand -- opening into blackness. His dragon eyes could just see the tip of a crossbow bolt in the darkness.

"They are activated by stepping off the main walkway, unless you know how to avoid them." Heinrich explained gruffly.

"But why traps in here with all the security outside?" Ethan asked.

Heinrich gestured to the ceiling. There were several round holes in the ceiling that looked just barely large enough for someone of Alana's size to fit through. Or at least, she could've fit if they weren't blocked by iron bars. He could feel a very slight breeze coming from them, and realized they must be how they changed the air in the vault.

"Every year someone gets the idea to go through the damn vents." Heinrich said. "They use magic or acid to cut through the bars and try to rob the vault. They don't live long so watch your step; I'm tired of ordering the cleaners down here to wipe blood off the gold."

"I'll be careful."

Heinrich muttered something before saying "Your shift ends at dawn. I would leave when asked, or I might get in some dragon hunting practice."

"Hermy!" Beth exclaimed. It was funny to see a 300lb plus man rebuked by a woman perhaps a third of his size. Heinrich grunted, virtually ignoring her rebuke, and then left the vault.

The blonde girl turned to Ethan. "Sorry about him, He's very protective of The Bank because of my father, but he's a good man when you get to know him."

"I'm sure." Ethan replied, realizing that she must be ignorant of Heinrich's obvious attraction to her. Then he turned his eyes back to the gold. The sight was captivating in a way he had never felt before. Nothing had ever captured his attention like this before.

Well, not quite nothing.

There was a wood elf with rich chocolate brown hair and the world's greatest smile that not only compared, but handily beat the sight before him.

"Lady Borden." Heinrich called from the elevator.

"I'm coming, give me a minute." Beth replied, then turned to Ethan. "We didn't get a chance to talk earlier, but Alana came to my chambers and talked to me earlier today."

"She did?" Ethan tore his eyes from the gold to look at her.

"Yes. I know you two are... I mean you both..."

Beth seemed to struggle for a moment to find the right words. "I know how much you both gave up for me and my family. I realize I'm probably not your first choice for a wife."

"Well, I wasn't exactly looking to get married."

She took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say that she made me promise to be the best wife I possibly could be for your sake. I just wanted to let you know I intend to make good on that promise. I know you don't love me now, but I hope one day you'll learn to."

He smiled at her. "I could definitely learn to love you Beth. I'm sorry if I've been a little distant. I do really appreciate you doing so much and trying to cheer me up. You've been really great and it means a lot."

Beth's face could've illuminated all of New York City the way it shone. "Enjoy your night and may Illuminar keep watch over you."

She left the vault and took the elevator up with Heinrich, who shouted for the elevator to rise. Beth gave him a hopeful smile as they ascended out of sight

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He hadn't considered what Beth must be going through, knowing that he was attracted to someone else but marrying her anyway. She seemed to take it well though, and her enthusiasm was just short of infectious.

He was glad she was happy.

He turned to look at the gold around him and the sight cheered him up immensely, though not completely. His dragon body might be responding to the gold with bliss but his mind was still mostly human. He missed Alana and he wanted to make Beth happy.

She was a wonderful girl. She was smart, inquisitive, and a joy to be around. She had an infectious exuberance that was almost like a balm to his dark mood. He could learn to love her; to be happy with her. In fact, he could only think of one true mark against her: she wasn't Alana.

Wonderful yes, but not Alana.

As he looked around the room, something welled up inside of him. He could feel a connection to the gold beginning to form. He could feel it start to resonate in his presence. Already he could feel a tiny trickle of mana begin to dribble toward him from the gold. Somehow, he knew that he would make the gold come fully alive over the next few days and when it did, a veritable floodgate of mana would open.

As he looked around the room, he thought only one thing was missing.

Alana's smile.

* * *

Alana couldn't decide whether she was having the saddest or happiest dream of her life. She was in bed, covered by blankets, and snuggled up against Ethan. His arms were around her and he was holding her like he never wanted to let her go. There was a fire crackling merrily somewhere in the room and the flames were casting a soft romantic glow.

She sighed contentedly as Ethan stroked her hair and told her all about the vault. He described the gold, silver, and precious stones in detail. She knew it was a dragon's love of gold talking, but she loved the longing in his voice when he wished she could to join him in the vault. That sounded more like her Ethan.

That's when she remembered he wasn't 'her Ethan' anymore.

Alana felt tears well up in her eyes and she forcibly yanked herself out of the dream, waking up in her new bed and covered in a cold sweat. She pulled the covers closer but there was no Ethan in bed with her to keep her warm and cozy.

She mentally kicked herself.

There was absolutely no reason at all that she should be this besotted with someone she had known for less than two weeks. She peeked at their bond and saw he was feeling disoriented and surprised. She could only guess that he had just woken up in the vault. The vault he had so lovingly described in her dream.

She finally decided that she needed to move on, not that she knew how. It was nearly dawn and she needed to get ready for her first day as an enchanter for Lord Borden.

She sighed.

She had just finished dressing when a massive tsunami of anger and rage flooded over her bond with Ethan. Fury didn't even begin to describe the ferocity of the wrath Ethan was currently experiencing. Every positive emotion she associated with their bond was instantly gone, completely replaced by this blind rage.

Moments later, Alana heard the unmistakable sound of a dragon's roar echoing from the direction of The Bank's vault. It was scary the first time she heard it, but Ethan had roared because she had been hurt. The second time was because Rachel attacked her. That time she had felt the rage, but it had been motivated by a protective urge for her, so she found it almost endearing rather than scary.

This time it was different.

Despite being quite far away, the sound plus the emotions surging over their bond made it truly terrifying. For the first time, Alana actually felt a little scared of Ethan.

Outside the window, the usual sounds of conversation and merriment had abruptly ceased. It seemed the whole town had stopped at the terrifying -- though distant -- sound of Ethan's roar. Moments later, the alarm bell began ringing. Alana looked out the window and saw dozens of bank guards rushing to the ballistae set around The Bank's vault entrance.

Alana was halfway to the door before she remembered that Ethan was probably in The Bank's vault and therefore she didn't have a prayer of reaching him. She took a deep breath and went back to getting ready for the day.

A couple minutes later there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Alana said.

The door opened and Lord Borden walked through. "We seem to be having some trouble with our young dragon."

"What's wrong?" Alana asked.

"He won't leave the vault and won't let anyone near it either." He replied. "I suspected this might happen, and believe you are the only one who can convince him to leave peacefully."

"Why me?"

"Your bond." He said. "Unless I'm much mistaken, he will treat you as he would treat the gold, so you should be safe."

Alana hovered indecisively for a few moments, not sure of how to respond. "What makes you think I can do anything?"

Lord Borden continued. "I know of your parentage Lady Alana; your true parentage."

She covered her mouth. "How could you possibly...?"

"I own The Bank." He said simply. "One does not achieve such a position by being uninformed. I assume your birth parents ensured you were trained for diplomacy?"

She nodded.

"Then please use that training to help Ethan. If he can't be convinced to leave the vault, I will have to send guards in to force him out. I would prefer to avoid harm coming to either side, and I think you are the best chance to avoid bloodshed."

She wanted to see Ethan so much and he needed her help. How could she say no?

"Okay, lead on."

On the way, Lord Borden told her of the traps in the vault. He also impressed upon her the importance of staying in the main walkway to avoid them. She promised she would be careful.

Five minutes later, she found herself descending the elevator into the vault. As the cage bottomed out, she saw Ethan. His disguise gem was still activated, but she could see right through it. He was in a low crouch in the vault holding a spear with murder in his eyes. Gone were the kind and friendly eyes of her Ethan--

No, he wasn't 'her Ethan' anymore she reminded herself.

When he saw her he relaxed, smiled, and lowered his spear. "Alana. You're here."

"You needed help, so..." Alana trailed off as she noticed the vault. Its resemblance to his description was uncanny. After a second look, she realized it looked exactly as Ethan described it in her dream. Exactly, without even a single discrepancy.

"Help?" Ethan said. "What kind of help?"

Alana took a step out of the elevator and Ethan tensed up again and half raised his spear.

"Ethan, I'm not going to hurt you." She sighed. "So, would you please lower the spear?"

Ethan considered for a moment before lowering the spear. There was definitely something wrong with him. His eyes -- so full of kindness and caring before -- had become pools of jealousy and anger. She took a few steps closer. With every step, she saw Ethan grip his spear tighter. However, he didn't raise it again, which was a good sign.

"Ethan, what's made you so tense?" she asked. She had reached the entrance to the vault but didn't think going further was wise just yet.

"They wanted to take my gold." Ethan said it as if that was the worst crime imaginable... except it didn't sound like Ethan at all. It sounded more like Drousin -- more like a dragon.

His eyes gleamed like a madman. "Just look at it. Can you feel the power? Can you feel the magic flowing off it? It's mine. It belongs to me and I'll slaughter every godless son of a bitch who tries to take it from me!"

He looked at her as if in accusation, then raised his spear slightly to emphasize that she was included in those he might slaughter if she tried to take the gold away. The primal gleam in his eyes was as far from his usual kindness as possible.

"May I come closer?"

Then the dragon took over again and his face was very suspicious. "Why?"

"Please?" Alana asked.

It was a simple request without deception or ulterior motive. She missed him and wanted to be near him again. Even him marrying Beth bothered her less than him leaving. He seemed taken aback for a moment. For one brief second, her Ethan was back. He narrowed his eyes. Alana smiled at him and his suspicion faltered for a moment.

"Do you remember that ride you gave me on your back? The one where we stopped and looked at the stars?"

He nodded.

Alana took a step forward. "I told you how I felt, but do you know why I felt that way?"

Ethan shook his head.

She took another step. "It's because you help people Ethan. It's what you do. You risked your life to save me several times. You rescued Beth and Charles because you wanted to help them. I liked that guy-- I like that guy."

Ethan opened his mouth to respond and then closed it. He seemed to be fighting an internal war with himself.

Alana took another step forward. She was only a few feet from him now. "Remember that person Ethan. That's who you really are."

"I..." Ethan started to say, but didn't seem to be able to form coherent words.

"I know you Ethan." Alana said. "You took this job to save me just as much as to save yourself, if not more. You just wanted to be near Lord Borden's gold and--"

The moment Alana suggested that the gold belonged to someone else, a mask of pure rage and hate covered Ethan's face. She saw too late that Ethan's dragon nature had fully taken over.

"HOW DARE YOU!" he shouted as his face twisted into a mask of rage.

This wasn't Ethan.

This was the dragon.

He raised his spear and lunged forward, the tip pointed straight at her heart... but the spear's tip stopped just short of her breast. She could feel the tip just brushing her dress.

She stood her ground.

He was breathing heavily, which came out as a series of noises that were halfway between a grunt and a snarl. He seemed to be fighting with himself, and the turmoil coming over their bond was proof.

Just two weeks ago, if someone had told her a dragon could restrain itself around gold like this, she wouldn't have believed him. After all her conversations with Drousin, she didn't think one could. Yet Ethan was doing it.

She smiled.

When she did, the dragon blinked several times as if to clear its head.

"Alana?" Ethan looked at the spear pointing at her, and then dropped it like it was a poisonous snake. "What's... what's wrong with me?"

"Gold Ethan; it's the gold."

"My gold." The dragon hissed.

"It's not your gold."

Ethan disappeared, replaced by the dragon as it raised a clawed hand as if to maul her. She locked eyes with him and stood her ground. His hand faltered, still raised high for a strike. Slowly, he lowered his hand and began stalking around her, circling like the seagoing sharks she'd often heard of.

"Ethan, you can't stay here forever."

"Why not!" the dragon snapped.

"It's not your gold."

The dragon was clearly irate, yet didn't seem able to hurt her. He stepped right into her personal space, which was rather intimidating considering he was nearly twice her size. Cold fury was written in his eyes, but he made no move to hurt her. She took a step back and he continued to advance, so she took another couple steps back.

It wasn't until she felt a tiny bit of pressure -- that felt like a thin cord or wire -- on the back of her leg that she realized her mistake.

She had stepped off the main walkway.

THWANG!!!

Her shoulder exploded in pain.

The dragon's eyes bulged, clearly as shocked as she was. She looked down to see a crossbow bolt sticking through her shoulder. If she wasn't so short, it would've gone through her heart. She started to feel a little lightheaded as blood ran from the wound.

She collapsed forward and Ethan -- not the dragon, but Ethan -- caught her.

"Are you okay!?"

She felt a little loopy, dreamy, and sleepy. "I'm better now." She said as he held her in his arms. He was holding her; her Ethan was holding her. Well, not quite 'her Ethan', but at the moment, she wasn't too concerned. In fact, she wasn't concerned about anything.

That was her last thought before the world faded to black.

* * *

Beth had been up and reading for almost an hour when she had heard Ethan roar. She had dressed as fast as possible and ran out the door towards the vault. She got to the steps just in time to see her father escort Alana inside, but the guards hadn't let her go any further than the bottom of the stairs. Denied access, she had paced outside for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, her father came down the steps.

"What's going on Daddy?" Beth asked. "Is Ethan okay?"

Lord Borden glanced around to make sure no one was near before answering. "He was reluctant to leave the vault. I believe Alana should be able to persuade him otherwise."

"But why Alana and not me." Beth asked. "I'm his betrothed."

"They have... history." Lord Borden replied, though she got the impression he wasn't telling her something.

"Now, I have business to attend to." He said, then he swept past her toward The Bank's main building in town.

Beth paced for another few minutes before she heard a commotion at the bank entrance. Ethan came running down the steps carrying Alana in his arms. The left side of her dress was streaked with blood, and a crossbow bolt was sticking out of her shoulder. She was also white as a sheet and clearly unconscious.

"Where's the nearest doctor?" Ethan shouted as he took the steps two at a time.

"Follow me." Beth yelled and turned towards the local healer's building. Two minutes later they burst through its door. The entryway wasn't large, but it led into a large two-story courtyard. Lining the courtyard on both levels were numbered doors for patients and in the center of the courtyard was a large stone fountain

"Madam Hygea, we need help!" Beth shouted.

Moments later, an elderly elf glided into the entryway. Her hair was white with age and her skin wrinkled, but despite that she still maintained a youthful air. Her eyes shone bright and she wore simple white robes adorned with Illuminar's emblem of a sun. Her gaze locked onto Alana the moment she entered the room.

"Bring her in here, boy." The elderly elf said and led the way into a long rectangular room with evenly spaced beds lining both sides.

"Put her here." She ordered, indicating a bed, and Ethan set her down tenderly.

"Balsom, get in here and bring the cutters!" She yelled.

Moment later, a strapping young man came in with a tool that looked like crude bolt cutters. Madam Hygea, pulled Alana up while Balsom deftly cut the bolt's wooden shaft.

"Three, two, one, now." Madam Hygea said.

Balsom pulled the bolt out just as Madam Hygea started quickly but calmly pouring magic into the wound. There was a tense few seconds while the elderly elf worked. Beth waited with bated breath and could feel Ethan doing the same beside her.

What if something happened to her?

She didn't even want to entertain the thought, but the wood elf looked so pale. Her normally tanned face was white as a sheet and there was so much blood on her dress.

She looked at Ethan, but he only had eyes for the injured wood elf. He was staring unblinking at her and seemed to be muttering under his breath. She wasn't sure, but it sounded like he was praying for her. Finally, Madam Hygea removed her hands from the wound and sat up.

"She's lost a lot of blood, but she will recover."

"Can't you do something about the blood?" Ethan asked.

"I'm afraid not." Madam Hygea replied. "I can mend flesh, bone, and sinew easily enough; but you can't create something out of nothing. The most powerful mage alive couldn't conjure a single drop of blood."

"What about a transfusion? You must have donors."

"Transfusion? What nonsense are you talking, boy?"

"I just meant... nevermind. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not now." Madam Hygea said. "A blind mage could see you two are bonded, though how your bond is so strong at your age is beyond me. She may wish to speak with you when she wakes."

"You and Alana are bonded?" Beth felt her jaw drop; her betrothed was bonded to another woman!?

"Yeah." Ethan replied, but he went silent for several seconds at the look on Beth's face. "I thought you knew."

"I most certainly did not know!" Beth said, a little louder than she intended. "When my father finds out he's going to... to..." She didn't know what, but she knew he would be furious.

"He already knows." He replied.

"What!" Beth almost shouted.

"Enough." Madam Hygea said. She didn't raise her voice and she didn't sound mad or upset. However, her voice suddenly radiated a power that allowed no disagreement or argument. Beth suspected it was magic, but whatever it was, it burned her anger out almost instantly.

"This is a place of healing, Lady Borden." Madam Hygea said. "The boy can stay because he's bonded, but if you cause a commotion or disruption in any way, I will send you home. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Beth replied, feeling a little sheepish at her outburst.

"Now, I'm going to get some rest." Madam Hygea stood up and turned to Beth and Ethan before she left. "I suggest you two talk this out like civilized adults."

Beth took a deep breath -- ignoring the fact that her father betrothed her to a man who was already bonded -- and then turned to Ethan. "How did this happen?"

Ethan gave her the whole, unabridged story of how he and Alana had bonded.

"I'm sorry for my outburst." Beth said when he finished. She could feel her cheeks getting a little warm as her embarrassment burned them.

"It's okay." Ethan said. "Considering what I just did, I have no room to judge anyone."

"What happened?" Beth asked, and he told her what happened in the vault.

"It wasn't your fault." She said when he finished.

"I'm the reason she was there in the first place, and I backed her off the walkway so the arrows triggered, so yeah I'm the reason she got shot."

"It still isn't your fault." She said because she couldn't think of something else to say.

He didn't respond.

She couldn't come up with anything else to say, so she sat down next to Ethan and laid her head on his shoulder. He seemed startled at first but didn't make any attempt to move her. After a moment, he relaxed slightly at her touch and put his arm around her.

"I need to respect her wishes." He said after a few minutes.

"What do you mean?"

"She asked me to leave her alone." He replied. "To give her some space and distance so our bond could weaken."

"I don't think bonds work like that Ethan. Bonds might stop getting stronger, but they don't go away."

"She thought if I bonded with you it might break the bond." Ethan said.

"Maybe, but I doubt it." Beth replied. "I've never heard of a bond being broken that way. I suppose it might, but it just seems more likely to create a second bond.

"I suppose two bonds would be better than not bonding with my wife, right?"

She nodded. "I'd rather it break your bond with her, but..." Beth trailed off.

She really didn't want her husband bonded to another woman, even if it was someone as nice as Alana. The wood elf was one of the nicest people Beth had ever met. Though, if he had to be bonded to someone else, she couldn't think of anyone better.

Not that she was thrilled with the idea.

* * *

Ethan shook his head. When did life get so complicated? Still, he knew Alana would be fine and he would try to honor her wishes.

"We should go." He stood up and Beth followed suit.

They headed for the door but he stopped for a moment to glance back at the wood elf. Despite her pale skin and shallow breath, she looked serene and peaceful lying there. She was arguably the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

He was at a complete loss to explain how deeply he cared for her, and even more so to explain how she felt about him. His heart swelled as he looked at her face, then returned to his chest when he realized this might be the last time he'd see her.

Something in him refused to accept that though. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, somewhere deep down he felt certain they would be drawn together again soon. He opened his mouth to say 'goodbye', but that's not what came out.

"I'll see you later Alana." He whispered so Beth couldn't hear him, and then they went outside.

It was a beautiful morning.

The weather was perfect.

The sky was cloudless blue, the air still had a touch of early morning briskness, and there was a light breeze wafting through the city from the mountain. In that direction, he again saw sails poking up from near Lord Borden's estate.

"You said you could show me your father's airship this morning. Can we go now?" It seemed like as good a distraction as any.

"Absolutely, and Alana's going to be okay. You know that right?"

"I know." He nodded and they set off. They talked as they walked and he was again reminded that Beth was very pleasant company. Ahead of them, he could see the mast that stuck up from the wealthiest section of town.

"So how do they work?" he asked pointing at the airship mast.

"The wood is enchanted to be almost weightless." She replied. "Then in the center of the ship, there is a stack of logs which have an enchantment you can activate -- like your disguise necklace -- to make them lighter than air. The pilot turns the logs' enchantment on and off to control the rise and fall."

"Wow, that's pretty cool." Ethan replied. "What about the wind? I mean, wouldn't the wind blow that thing all over the place?"

"Normally yes." Beth said. "I don't really understand it very well, but there's some kind of enchantment on the wood that makes the air harder to move."

"Come again?"

"It makes the air on the ship's sides behave more like water so you can't just push the ship through the air sideways. It's like turning the entire side of the ship into a keel from what I understand."

"Okay, that makes sense." Ethan said. "Except -- you know -- the magic part. How does it do that?"

"I have no idea." Beth replied. "I've spent a little time learning the basics of magic but nothing more."

"You studied magic?" Ethan asked.

"A little." She replied. "I never got much beyond manipulating my own mana."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the airship dock. It looked as if it had been built for two ships, but there was only one currently docked. The airship was floating high enough over a long, deep trench that he could see the underside.

The airship looked exactly like the sailing ships of old except there was a second mast pointing downwards out of the bottom of the hull. It was a hundred feet long from stem to stern and sixteen feet wide. Judging from the height, there was only one deck below the weather deck. It didn't look large for a sailing ship. However, it did look sleek, fast, and just plain beautiful.

Currently, all of the sails were rolled up against the yards. Ethan also noticed it didn't have any cannons. Instead, it had half a dozen small ballistae split between port and starboard.

"Wow."

"Indeed." Beth replied. "Would you like to go aboard?"

"Absolutely." He smiled in spite of himself. If she wanted to distract him from what was going on with Alana, she was doing a good job. Despite himself, he felt a small smile creep onto his face. She really was good company, and not too hard on the eyes either.

She led him over to the ship and past the guards, who nodded to her as they walked across the gangplank to arrive on the main weather deck.

It looked exactly like all the pictures of a sailing vessel he had ever seen. At the airship's stern was a raised quarterdeck with a typical ship's spoked wheel. Below the quarterdeck, there was a door that looked like it led to a small cabin. Sitting on the quarterdeck behind the wheel was a woman quietly playing an instrument similar to a violin.

Judging from her pointy ears, she was an elf. However, unlike Alana, she was tall; very tall. She was seated, so he couldn't be sure, but he reckoned that upright she would be at least six feet. Her hair was silver, her skin was incredibly fair, and her features delicate and extremely feminine.

She wore a long yellow and red dress that looked like autumn leaves as they turned colors. The dress came to around mid-calf, but it was fitted enough on top and loose enough below that Ethan didn't think it would hinder her movement at all. Under the dress was a pair of tight breeches that clashed magnificently with her dress.

There was something about her that oozed innocence, wisdom, and confidence all at the same time. The moment they stepped onto the deck, the elf woman put down her violin and shot a look their way.

"What the hell are you doing on my ship?" she demanded, rising to her feet.

"Anthiel, it's me. Beth."

"I was talking to your new betrothed." Anthiel glared at Ethan. "I assume that's him."

"Yes."

"Take him somewhere else." Anthiel spat. "I've got no room for heart-breakers on my ship."

Ethan opened his mouth to respond, but Anthiel produced a sword seemingly out of nowhere and glided smoothly down the stairs with it pointed at him.

"Get the hell off my ship before I part your soul from your body." Anthiel said.

Ethan took a step back, but Beth stepped in between them. "Anthiel come on. It's me."

"I won't touch one hair on your head, because you aren't to blame." Anthiel said, and then pointed her sword at Ethan. "However, get that beast off my."

'Why?" Ethan stood his ground.

Anthiel had almost reached him at her sword was less than a foot from him. "Why don't you ask that little wood elf you've got torn up in knots. I've never seen anyone cry that much in my life. Get. Off. My. Ship."

"I'm going." Ethan said before hastily retreating down the long ramp back to the safety of the ground. Anthiel stood at the top of the ramp glaring at him.

"She talks a big game, but really wouldn't hurt a fly." Beth said dismissively as she came down the gangplank. "I'm sorry you met her like that."

"She seems like a delightful person." He rolled his eyes. "She's not remotely psychotic at all."

"It's not that. She's just..." Beth thought for a second. "She's always had this 'mama bear' personality. Evidently she met Alana, got the story and now thinks of her like one of her cubs. You hurt one of her cubs, so..."

"I didn't mean to; I certainly didn't want to."

"I know." Beth replied. "She'll come around. She's always protective, but give her some time to see that Alana's okay and she'll be fine."

"Okay." He sighed and reminded himself that -- despite the wound -- she would be fine.

One thing was sure; he didn't like not knowing what to do when someone came at him with a sword. After his fight with Wurven, his lack of fighting skills was painfully obvious. And if Lord Delmar was still after him...

"I assume your father trains the guards right?" he asked.

"Not personally, Heinrich oversees the training. Why?"

"Because I need to know how to fight if I'm going to be of any use to anyone."

Beth grimaced. "After what happened in the vault this morning..." she pursed her lips, thinking. "Maybe they would let you be an outer guard?"

"You think so?"

"It's worth a try. I can usually convince Heinrich to see things my way. If not, I can always go to my father."

"Please lead on."

Beth turned and started walking. Not long after, they arrived at what looked like a large training room in one of the buildings close to The Bank. The walls of the room were covered with both training weapons and real weapons. There were also several types of padded armor for training. Outside a nearby door, he could see a courtyard with a large training circle in it.

She asked Ethan to wait a moment and then she went and talked to Heinrich. After a minute or two, he glanced in Ethan's direction with a surly look on his face. Beth talked to him for another minute, and then the guard captain grabbed two training spears and a training sword and walked over to Ethan.

"You understand you're never going near the vault again." Heinrich said. It wasn't a question.

He nodded glumly.

"Beth convinced me you'd make a reasonable outer guard." He continued, though his tone made it clear he seriously doubted it. "It's my job to bring your fighting abilities up to snuff."

He tossed a training spear to Ethan. It was a seven-foot-long shaft with a bundle of cloth tied to one end for padding.

"Listen up." Heinrich said. "The spear has three main advantages. They are reach, speed, and leverage."

"Reach, speed, and leverage." Ethan repeated.

Heinrich took his spear and demonstrated a forward thrust. With a single step combined with the thrust, his spear point moved forward almost ten feet. Without the step, he could still move the tip at least five feet with a thrust.

"The second advantage is leverage." He said, then tossed Ethan a training sword.

"I will attack slowly; try to block the spear tip without moving your feet or body." He said, and then slowly thrust the blunt training spear toward Ethan. He tried to block it with the blade of the sword, but Heinrich had more leverage due to the longer spear. Ethan couldn't prevent the thrust from touching his chest even though he applied all his strength to the sword; the spear just had too much of a leverage advantage.

"The third advantage is speed." Heinrich said. He then demonstrated a blindingly fast combination of thrusts that left Ethan very glad he wasn't trying to block a real spear.

"Now, I will show you how to use a spear."

For the entire rest of the day, Heinrich drilled Ethan on the proper use of a spear. His only breaks were for water and food, both of which he gulped down like a man stuck in a desert for too long. At the end of the day, he started sparring with some of the other soldiers and promptly got his ass kicked. He lost every single match and none was close.

Later that night, Ethan crawled into the bed at the guard's barracks. Every inch of his draconic body ached from bruises and sore muscles. Beth had wanted to keep his mind off of Alana, and it had worked. He had barely had time to think of her since training began. However, lying there in bed, both of them came into his mind.

He had two women in his head, one he loved and the other he was going to marry. Right then Ethan resolved to be the best possible husband he could be to Beth. She was kind, great company, and he thought she would make a great wife. He would try to make her happy in every possible way...

But he missed Alana.

His brain was screaming there was no way to make them both happy.

His heart however...

From somewhere deep in his soul, he had this certainty welling up. He didn't know where it came from, but he had this instinctive certainty that eventually it would all work out. He didn't know how or when, but his dragon instincts told him it was a forgone conclusion; that they would both be blissfully happy at his hand.

He had no idea how it could happen, he just hoped he was right.

*

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began on day 10 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms and ended on day 11.

STORY TAGS: dragon, fantasy, elf, teen, romantic, virgin, harem, brunette, blonde