While Mother was very reluctant to send us off, with Rosa’s help I eventually convinced her to let us take a carriage to the main garrison, where Selene was currently overseeing the hunt. The reports she’d sent back since her arrival indicated that the situation with the beasts had greatly improved, so with any luck, by the time we arrived she would be preparing to return home.

  “You have to promise to stay out of trouble, okay? You’re still not fully healed. Imagine how Helian would react if she woke up to see you badly injured because you got carried away!”

  I nodded. “I promise. We’ll head straight back once we’re done speaking with the dragon.”

  She sighed. “I should have known better than to send you to the border without warning you about her… that dragon tends to convince people to make promises they’ll regret. You didn’t make any promises you’ll regret, did you, little bird?”

  “I don’t think so, Mother. I said I’d bring Helian to meet her, but I don’t regret that.” It was possible I had made another promise I couldn’t remember, of course… but I figured there was no point in telling her that.

  “Well, at the very least, make sure to pass my cautions on to Helian, will you? And tell Gold I said hello and thank her for watching over the kingdom all this time. My job would have been more difficult without her assistance.”

  “Her assistance? Has she been helping us this whole time?”

  My mother smiled brightly. “Of course! But I can’t tell you about that until you’re the new head of the house, so for now you’ll just have to focus on the present. Oh, and one more thing – tell her that it’s been too long since she last took a vacation.”

  The idea of a dragon taking a vacation was hard to comprehend, but I suppose if she had been watching over the kingdom, that would certainly be hard work. Perhaps Gold would soar off to a beach somewhere and lie on the sand, relaxing in the warm sun.

  Something was missing. “What about Selene? Don’t you want me to tell her anything on your behalf?”

  She laughed. “Nothing fit for your ears to hear. I’ll be sending a letter along, don’t you worry. But if you insist, you can tell her I said she’s free to scold you as much as she likes on my behalf.”

  I was certain I had a lot of scolding to look forward to when I next met the dame, regardless of whether I chose to pass this message on.

  ------

  The carriage ride to the border would take multiple days, since we had to move slowly and carefully for the sake of Helian’s safety. I learned from my past mistake and brought some books to read, and ensured there were enough for Helian to read on our return trip once she woke up.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  As I reached the 3rd chapter of If This Caged Wolf Could Dance, I felt a sudden onset of drowsiness. Perhaps reading in a moving carriage was not for me, or perhaps the book was just too boring. I still couldn’t understand why she liked it so much.

  As I drifted off to sleep, I held her hand tightly in mine, and our hearts beat in unison.

  ------

  Once we arrived at the garrison, Rufus ran out to meet me and embraced me in a hug. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

  I nodded. “You too, Rufus. I hope nothing unpleasant happened while I was gone?”

  He shook his head. “The dame kept everything in good order while you were gone. Please promise not to ruin any of her hard work.”

  “I’d punish you for disrespecting your commanding officer if you didn’t have such a good point.”

  He laughed. “I guess you’ve really been getting scolded a lot lately, haven’t you.”

  “Speaking of the dame, where is she? I have a letter to deliver.”

  “Busy, I think. But she told me earlier that she would come visit you and Helian in your room once you’re settled. Do you need any help carrying her inside?”

  I smiled. “I’ll be fine, but if you’re eager to help, you could grab our bags?”

  “Okay, Lady Frost. But you owe me a drink once we return to the estate.”

  ------

  Once I had finished bathing and was preparing to tuck Helian into bed, I heard a gentle knock on the door.

  “Come in, Selene.”

  She entered, quietly closing the door behind her. “Good to see you again. I hope the trip was uneventful?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, everything was fine. I have a letter for you from Mother, let me get it.”

  As I walked over to my bags, she stood in my way and embraced me in a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad to see you and the rest of the knights are in good health as well. I had a feeling you would have sorted everything out by the time I got back.”

  She smiled, and then flicked me in the forehead so hard I saw stars. “I hear you beheaded a priestess?”

  I braced myself on the desk and waited for the dizziness to clear. “She… was possessed, so I didn’t have much of a choice.”

  “You were possessed too, not long ago.”

  That was a good point. I was glad Helian and I had not been in opposite roles.

  “What was her name?”

  “Her name was Delilah, I think.”

  “You’d best remember it. By the time you lose track of all the names, there’s no hope left for you.”

  “How do you do it? I was certain I had a handle on things, but before I knew it, I’d screwed up again.”

  She took my mother’s letter from my extended hand and turned it over, examining the seal carefully to see if I had opened it to take a peek. “I’ve already lectured you on most of the important parts. But to be honest, some of it is just luck. In our line of work, eventually you’re going to screw up. You can never know everything you need to know, and you can never have enough time to make the right decision. But it’s always worth trying harder, if only to keep the list of names short and easy to remember.”

  “If it’s not too much for me to ask… how long is your list?”

  She smiled. “I’ve lost track. But the first one was a deserter from our unit during the war. His name was Roland. He had a great singing voice, a strong sword arm, and two young sons. His wife spit in my face when we notified her of his death, after the armistice.” She saw me grimace and patted me on the shoulder.

  I cleared my throat. “As always, thanks for your consideration and wisdom, Dame Selene.”

  “I’ve told you before, you can drop the formalities with me...”

  “I just think at least one Solana should show you the respect you deserve.”

  She laughed.