“You want to ride up to breakfast?” Astralux asks me.
“Actually, I already told Amon I’d walk with him,” I say.
Astralux tilts her head at me. And then she grins. “You like Amon.”
“What?! I haven’t even known the guy for two weeks!” I realize that Astralux is watching me tie a blue ribbon to the end of my braided black hair, and I sigh. “Okay, yes. I like him.” I finish tying the ribbon. “He’s been really nice to me.”
“I can understand that.” Astralux gives a yawn, rubbing her eyes with one of her paws. “Thorn and Volkan weren’t exactly receptive to you when you first came.”
“No. But you’re right, they are nicer now.” I glance at my hands before looking up at Astralux. “Is it permissible to date other Wards?”
Astralux laughs. “Of course! Honestly, most Wards tell me it would be ideal. Not having to worry about your mate growing old before you? That’s awesome. It just doesn’t typically work out.” She nods to me. “Partly because female Wards are less common.”
“Do you like any of the other dragons?” I ask curiously.
Giving a snort, Astralux turns and pads toward the opening on the far side of our room. “Not in the same way you like Amon.” She chuckles as I blush. “It’s probably for the better if I fly up by myself this morning. Feeling a little sluggish.”
“Do you need to rest?” I ask, suddenly worried.
“Nonsense, I just woke up! I’m sure I’ll feel better once I get some food in me. See you soon!” Astralux steps outside onto the balcony. I can hear the beat of her wings, and feel the pressure on my heart as her presence leaves.
Turning back to the mirror, I decide that my simple long-sleeved, flowy navy-blue shirt and light gray slacks are the best I’m going to do as far as looking nice while still being practical for classes. I don’t have combat training scheduled for today—thank goodness—but I also know Neil can change his mind at any time, so I want to be ready for anything.
There’s a knock on my door and I hurry over. Amon is standing outside, giving me a small, handsome smile. “Good morning, Estelle.” He takes my arm and leads me down the hall.
“Good morning! How did you sleep?” I ask. “You and Andeuten were out late again.”
Amon glances at me. I don’t know him well enough to guess what he’s thinking, but I do see his fair golden-hazel eyes observe me intently, as if trying to read me as much as I’m trying to read him. “Yes. With the recent attack from the trolls, and the Vladykars seeking to control Drakonia once more, I feel the need to be extra cautious.”
“Are you anticipating that the Vladykars will attack?”
“They could attack at any time,” Amon says. “That’s part of why Andeuten and I are often scouting the perimeter. But enough about that—I want to know how you are doing. How was your combat class with Neil yesterday?”
“Well, I passed one test,” I say, feeling a bit bashful.
Amon stares down at me. “You did? Which one?”
“The test that it isn’t about winning, or honoring ourselves.”
“Oh.” Amon gives a half-sigh, half-chuckle. “Ah, Estelle. You truly are too kind-hearted and gentle for this war.”
I’m surprised by this comment, given that he’s a Ward and he’s been incredibly nice to me, but Amon’s already opening the door to the Sunroom. Astralux grins at me, and I make a face at her before Amon and I turn to the table where all the Wards except Volkan are already seated.
After greeting Amon and myself, Veremund glances outside, where there’s a light drizzle of rain. “We’ll wait a few more minutes for Volkan and Tikokaftos.”
A couple of minutes pass by, the rest of us chatting while we sip cups of coffee, when I hear the heavy beat of wings. Tikokaftos arises from outside, landing on the edge of the Sunroom’s balcony and walking inside, his burnt-orange scales sleek from the sprinkle of rain. Volkan slides off the saddle and hurries to a seat between Mortimer and Thorn.
“Good morning, sorry about that.” Volkan sighs as he sits down. “I still hate the rain.”
Smiling, Veremund gestures for us to begin eating. Sore from all the exercising I’ve been doing, I help myself to an extra spoonful of scrambled eggs.
“One item I need to alert you all about,” Veremund says overtop the clatter of dishes and silverware, “is that Amon has now heard several reports that the Vladykars are indeed seeking to war against more than just Amenyl. The time has come to send diplomats out and renew our alliances with the countries.”
“So you mean to unite the countries under the Wards?” Volkan asks.
Veremund hesitates. “I’m not certain if it should be under the flag of the Wards. Neil, Mortimer, and I feel that the best option is for us to seek to encourage an alliance between the countries, and let them know that we will support any that stand against Klevor, and the Vladykars.”
“It might happen,” Neil adds, “but we’re not going to force the issue.”
Volkan frowns. “Are we even suggesting this as an option, though?”
“Well the first step is to renew our alliances with the other countries.” Veremund smiles a little. “It has been many years since the Wards even made such alliances.” He gestures to me. “Clearly, we have been gone long enough that even the memory of dragons has faded, at least from Amenyl, and perhaps elsewhere. Before we can even begin the discussion of leadership, we need to introduce the Wards and assure them that we are indeed allies.”
Thorn tilts his head, reminding me of Vitegadium a little. “But how do we go about proving ourselves to the other countries?”
“That will depend on each country and their rulers,” Mortimer says. “We’ll have to earn their trust. Some might trust us simply because we say we’re against the Vladykars. But others might want us to perform tasks for them.”
Grumbling, Volkan stabs one of the sausage links on his plate. “I don’t see why we need their help, and why we have to do whatever menial tasks they want us to do to prove ourselves. We’re Wards!”
“And we can’t take on all the Vladykars and the Klevor army,” Amon says easily. “Even with all the soldiers in Adytol and the Wards, it’s not enough.”
I flinch. “Then for everyone’s sake, we need to ally together.”
“Exactly.” Veremund looks from face to face around the table, his ice blue eyes intent on us. “This does mean, however, that some of you are going to have to leave Adytol. This is a huge risk to those that go, and to those that remain.”
“Will you be sending us out alone or in pairs?” Thorn asks.
“We’re not sure yet,” Mortimer says. “Especially since there are six countries on Drakonia. With the war already upon us, we’re not sure how to handle this. But we did have an idea to send Amon and Andeuten to deliver letters to the six countries, and see what the initial response we get is.”
Amon nods. “I would be glad to assist with this.”
“It would require stealth, to avoid being spotted by the Vladykars or Klevorian soldiers,” Veremund says, “but it also requires tact and diplomacy, since even delivering the letters could be a shock. The hope, however, is that the letters themselves cover much of the groundwork necessary to build up a relationship.”
“At the very least, if we could persuade the country leaders to meet in a common area,” Mortimer says. “That would save us the time of having to reexplain ourselves over again for each ruler. They can ask their questions together.”
“When would you like me to leave?” Amon asks.
“Soon,” Veremund says. “Within the next week or two. First, we need to decide where we want the rulers to meet, and craft the letters. Estelle.” He turns his gaze to me. “I would like your assistance with writing the letters.” The smallest smile forms at the corners of his lips. “Since you were an outsider to knowledge about the Wards, or the Vladykars for that matter, I feel that your perspective will be helpful.”
“Sure, I’d be happy to help out,” I say. This is definitely something I can do, my brain already formulating the topics to cover in the letters and how best to lay out the flow of the content.
“Mortimer will handle drafting the letters, so I’ll let you and Mortimer work together on this. Once you have a final draft ready for review, I can provide input.” Veremund looks to Neil. “Neil, I suspect that as soon as we begin our expeditions beyond the Wintersong Mountains, we’re going to face more trouble. I know we’ve talked about increased defenses, but now’s the time to start putting those into place. Especially if a number of us need to leave at any point, I don’t wish to leave Adytol without aid.”
“Right,” Neil says. “Thorn, Volkan, I’d like your help with this. We need to anticipate all the ways the Vladykars might attack Adytol, and test out a couple of theories with less defense than we currently have.”
“I can aid with this as well,” Amon says. “I’m not leaving yet.”
Neil smirks. “Hey, we can use all the help we can get.”
“Does this mean there won’t be any training today?” I ask, looking at Neil.
“Oh no, there’s still training. And better yet?” Neil glances outside. “I think today is a great day to try out some aerial combat maneuvers.”
“Yes!” Astralux says excitedly. I groan at the same time, and then give a sheepish smile at the chuckles around me.
“Thank you all for your assistance,” Veremund says. “Neil, Mortimer, I’d like a quick word with you.” He glances at Amon. “Amon, you as well.”
Amon blinks once, as if surprised. Then he gives a small bow of his head, smiling a little. “Of course.”
“Estelle, I’ll catch up with you this afternoon to start drafting the letters,” Mortimer says.
“That sounds good.” Finished with breakfast, I head over to where Astralux is wriggling. “Well. I have no idea what this entails.”
“What this means is we get to fly!” Astralux says.
I smile faintly and rub her scales. She feels a little warmer than usual, but I figure it’s just because the air is cooler with the misty rain. “I don’t mind flying. I just hate the word ‘combat.’”
Undabouclier chuckles with a low, throaty growl. “Don’t think of it as ‘combat.’ Think of it as strategically evading attacks from enemies.”
“But you do have to attack at some point,” Tikokaftos says. “We’re here to protect people. And sometimes that means attacking.”
“True,” Undabouclier says. “You can still attack in the nicest way possible.”
I peer up at Undabouclier. “How do you do that?”
“There’s two thoughts on this,” Undabouclier says. “One is to attack with blunt weapons in an attempt not to kill your opponent, simply subdue them. The other is to attack and kill as fast as possible so that they don’t feel pain.” The stout dragon shrugs his front shoulders. “I don’t know that one is right over the other—our preference would be to not fight at all. But if you must fight, do so in a way that makes you feel like you’re being as kind to the other person as you can. Whether that’s by mercy in not killing them or mercy in killing them quickly, that’s up to you.”
I shudder. I already know fighting is necessary. I’ve seen enough now to understand that there are some evil people out there that won’t just stop because of Ariadna’s laws, or even governance by country. But I still hate it.
“I go for the quickest kill,” Thorn says from nearby, surprising me a little. I hadn’t realized he was by Vitegadium. “I don’t like for people to suffer.”
“Same,” Volkan says.
“That makes sense.” Rubbing my arms, I sigh.
Undabouclier nudges my shoulder. “You’ll figure out your way that helps you to feel like you’re being the kindest while still protecting others.”
I smile and pat the dragon on the tip of his muzzle, rubbing his scales in-between his nostrils. “Thanks, Undabouclier.”
“In the meantime?” Astralux twirls. “Let’s get to practicing some aerial maneuvers!”
Shaking my head, I can’t help but smirk as I walk over to my overly-excited bonded dragon, trying to get her to stop moving for ten seconds so I can climb up onto the saddle on her back.
Tamara Rivers 
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