Counting Feathers

by Suzume

A collection of short stories pertaining to the life of Princess Nina Maria Wyndia

Written originally for the bpal_challenge Livejournal Community

Note: The pieces have been arranged in chronological order.

-Birthday-

The king of Wyndia, though usually a mild and dignified fellow, could not manage to stay patient as he paced the halls of the royal palace. His daughter Elina tried to pace alongside him, but found her small steps insufficient for keeping up with him, so she was forced to skip and dash back and forth as he wore a track into the rug. The king stopped suddenly, trying to listen to the soft noise emanating from the birthing chamber. Could that be an infant's crying that he heard?

Elina didn't notice her father's pause and she bumped into the back of his legs. She stumbled backward, but managed to keep her balance. "Daddy?" she inquired after the cause of his stopping what had been coming to seem to her like a little game.

"I'm sorry, Elina," Wyndham said, "But I think I heard what we're waiting for."

"I didn't hear anything," Elina remarked as he scooped her up in his arms.

The king hurried to the place where his wife and second child awaited him, an eager, but still apprehensive grin creeping across his features. He spotted the door with a maid coming out carrying a basket of dirty linen. The woman smiled and nodded her head respectfully as she passed him.

"May I come in?" Wyndham whispered excitedly through the doorway.

"Yes, yes, of course," the hunched old physician greeted him, holding the door open. "We were just about to send someone after you."

Wyndham set Elina down and rushed to Alyssa's side. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his words kind but rushed with the intensity of the moment, "How is the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"I've felt better," the queen scoffed, giving him her hand. "We have another daughter- see for yourself."

The midwife who had supervised the birth waved the king to her side and Elina followed curiously. Wyndham sighed with pleasure at the sight of the pink-skinned infant, her damp wings folded against her back and her head completely bald but for the smallest touch of peach fuzz. The midwife lifted the warmly wrapped newborn and placed her into her father's arms. He gazed at her adoringly.

"Oooh, I've got a sister!" Elina declared happily.

-Impatience-

"Hold still, Nina, and let me pin these," her mother murmured, struggling to hold the pale pink ribbons onto the sleeves of the dress as he daughter shifted uncomfortably.

"Ouch!" Nina squeaked.

"Oh, did I poke you?" the queen sounded sympathetic. "I'm sorry."

"Is it going to take much longer?" the princess complained. When her mother had said they were going to alter a dress Alyssa had worn as a girl so it would fit Nina, Nina had been so excited, but as the task wore on, taking longer and longer, she had gradually lost interest. There was little she could do in assisting with the process other than be a reluctant living mannequin.

"I'm almost done, just a few more minutes," Queen Alyssa soothingly told her daughter.

Elina passed by the open door, but she did not notice them. Nina wondered how Elina could stand it. Her older sister was always able to stand up straight and endure just about anything around her. She even enjoyed being fitted for clothes! Their mother had mentioned before that Nina's inability to stand still for measurements was why her clothes didn't always fit right.

Alyssa finished tacking on the ribbons. She would sew them down more firmly later when she could work at her leisure. These stitches were probably good enough to hold them for now. "I'm done," she announced, sticking a few last pins into a red pincushion.

Nina hopped down from the short stool she had been standing on and spun around in front of the long mirror. The lacy skirt billowed out around her. She wanted to jump and dance just to see the garment move, but she held in the impulse. Her mother was unlikely to appreciate that response.

Queen Alyssa looked on approvingly, her hands folded over her stomach. Nina imagined that her mother must have been more like Elina than herself when she was young.

After they showed her father, the queen would be less focused on this project, leaving Nina free to run off and play and perhaps show her new dress to Elina as well.

-Lost in Ludia-

"Elina?" Nina called nervously, looking around in hopes of catching sight of her father or sister. Somehow she had become lost in Ludia's palace. It must have happened when she had slowed her pace to examine the jeweled crowns filling a glass case in the hall. If the royal family of Wyndia had such amazing treasures, they were clearly hidden away better than these Ludian gems. As beautiful as the sparkling goods were to the princess' eye, they didn't count for anything now that she was all alone and feeling nervous.

"Father?" she asked, her voice small and desperate.

Holding onto the light fabric of her long skirt, Nina began to scurry down the corridor in search of any familiar face she could find. The war, with its great demand for soldiers, had left the castle loosely guarded, lowering her chances of finding guidance from a palace employee.

Her skirt dragged in the back, sliding swish swish swosh along the tile floors as Nina's pace gradually increased along with her anxiety. She passed classical statues of the Endless and busts of famous Ludian kings in halls hung with sumptuous tapestries, displaying the wealth of the Ludian nation throughout the generations, but she was too fearful to pause and examined the treasures.

Most of the times in the past that Nina had managed to end up lost, it had been outdoors or somewhere she had never visited before, making it strange that she had never been so scared to find herself suddenly alone as on this day. Perhaps these feelings of hers made clear at last her subconscious feelings that there was something strange and scary about Ludia unlike any other place she had ever been. It was a feeling she would experience again when sneaking into the Empire, but at this point in her life, it was still unknown and shook her to the tips of her toes.

"Father!" she squeaked out again. Something about the staircase before her looked familiar.

"Nina! There you are!" Elina cried, leaping down the steps and fluttering to a halt. "You got left behind!"

"Elina!" the small girl sobbed, letting go of her skirt and then stumbling over it as she rushed to hug her sister. "I didn't mean to get lost! Honest! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, don't be upset," Elina soothed her.

"I see you've found her," came their father's calm voice from higher up the staircase. He descended slowly, his regal grace conveyed in each step.

"I saw lots of treasure. Things we don't have out in Wyndia," Nina told her father.

He scooped her up in his arms. "We don't have all the material treasures of Ludia, but we have spiritual treasures- and the blessing of our people's good will. Those are the gems that sparkle brightest."

-Her Magical Training-

"Practice makes perfect," her teacher had told her time and time again. "Hold your wand steady," the tall, thin instructor had corrected her, leaning over the girl to adjust her grip on the stem of the golden rod.

"Sever!" Nina squeaked, focusing the flow of the wind around her and fusing it with the welling of innate magic spreading through her body to gather in her wand like a lightning rod. She was blown back a few steps, light as a leaf, and her green-eyed tutor caught her, gently steadying the girl.

"Nice little dust-devil, Nina," Miss Daemia congratulated her as the whirling wind swirled away and dissipated.

"I'm gonna learn to cure too, right?" the princess piped up, "Daddy scraped his knee when he tripped on the carpet and he needs me to heal it for him."

"Well," Daemia tipped her head thoughtfully, "I didn't intend to teach you that today, but if your father is waiting, perhaps we can make an exception and skip ahead."

Nina smiled, "Great! Let's do it!"

Daemia knelt down beside her pupil and began to explain the process and theory of healing magic. "Think about the process of healing."

Nina closed her eyes. These lessons always began with the imagination. Focusing your mind was a major part of learning to cast new types of spells.

"Think about when you have a cut. The skin regenerates and comes together to cover the wound. Now, imagine this mending occurring at a greater speed. ...That's what you should think about."

Nina opened her big, wide eyes. "But what do I draw on? It's easy to draw on the wind, 'cause you can feel it, but..."

"Well," Daemia paused as she often did, choosing her words carefully. This was the thing that made explaining healing magic more difficult. "Think about praying. Focus your attention like you would when saying a prayer about something that means a lot to you, then say, "Heal," to realize that power."

Nina closed her eyes again and clasped her wand tightly. The feeling was welling up inside her. She let it fill almost to bursting before saying the word- "Heal!"

-Fishing Spot-

The lake moved slowly troubled by the tiniest ripples as a calm breeze stirred the cattails. Wyndham's hair was barely ruffled. Nina leaned gradually closer to the water, her blurry reflection covering the shadowy shapes of darting and drifting fish. She had set aside her fishing pole, leaning it haphazardly against a log. Her father looked on with growing unease as his daughter's head dipped further and further down. "Nina," he said firmly.

Startled out of her distant reverie, the princess slipped, but Wyndham moved even faster, snatching her to safety before she splashed into the lake. He breathed a sigh of relief. His hastily tossed aside rod slid into the murky water with a gentle splish. He sighed in mild frustration.

"Nina, be more careful," he admonished.

She gazed with a frown at the spot where his fishing rod had vanished. "Are you going to try and get it out? ...You can use my fishing rod if you want."

Wyndham rolled up his sleeves to just above his elbows. It couldn't possibly be that deep right at the water's edge. Gritting his teeth to mask his displeasure at having to feel about blindly in the mud, he plunged his arm into the cold water.

Nina watched wide-eyed as her usually quite dignified father groped about until he pulled his dripping fishing pole out of the lake. He reeled in the line, only to discover that his bait was gone.

"Papa, are you mad?" Nina asked cautiously.

Wyndham grinned wildly as he re-baited the hook. "Not at all! Though I don't care for the mud, getting wet and mussed up is part and parcel of most fishing trips."

She sat back down and picked up her own small fishing pole. "Papa, the chancellor says you should've had a son. ...Would you rather have boys?"

"Bah," the king scoffed, "I don't need any sons! At least not as long as I have a daughter who'll come fishing with me."

The wind swirled by once more, softly rattling the branches of the trees. "Mama doesn't think I should go fishing."

"That," Wyndham shrugged, "Is merely your mother's opinion."

-Poisoned Pie-

Several years before the truce was made with the Empire, there was an attempt made on the lives of Wyndia's royal family. It came in the seemingly innocuous form of a holiday gift to the princesses, purportedly from a noble in Ludia- a pie, still warm, delivered by courier. The fragrance of apples and cinnamon rising from inside the box was intoxicating. Nina squealed as she flipped open the lid before Elina had even opened the card. The tin was wrapped around with a red velvet ribbon.

"Ooh, Father, do we have to wait 'til after dinner? Can't we have a little bit now?" Nina asked, trying to cutely get her way.

"Who is it from?"

"Lord and Lady Bentley, according to the card," Elina announced. Did she know these people? They didn't sound familiar. Perhaps they were minor nobles hoping to use this opportunity to make a good impression.

"Let me look," Wyndham decided to delay his actual decision. As much as he enjoyed allowing Nina to have her way, this was still a kingdom at war and he would take every possible precaution to protect the well-being of his beloved daughters. Was that a whiff of almonds he caught amidst the other ingredients? He took the card Elina held out to him and frowned at its contents. The seal looked legitimate enough, and the cursive was stylishly baroque in that familiar Ludian kind of way, but the names were unidentifiable in even his vast memory of people and names.

"Someone," he waved over the nearest servant, "Bring the royal food taster here. I had something I need him to take a look at."

There had never been a post like "food taster" before the war- the king would never have feared for his life among his own subjects. He would rather have erred in favor of belief in his subjects, even if it cost him his life, but in war time, things were different. And there were also his daughters to think of. The Empire did not draw the line at conventional warfare. The Hex was more than proof enough of that.

The food tester arrived and picked up the pie, eyeing it suspiciously, "And so you don't know these Bentleys? It does seem rather suspect."

Elina waited patiently while Nina clutched at her skirt, fidgeting aimlessly. She really, really hoped nothing was wrong with that pie.

He sliced it open and scooped out a spoonful, casting a poison divination spell over it. They waited only an instant. The apple turned blue, a sure sign of cyanide.

Elina gasped and Nina let her skirt fall from her hands. That had been far too close for comfort.

-When Will the Rain Stop?-

"It's always wet and cold in Ludia," Nina complained, lifting her tiny boots high to avoid sloshing through the muddy puddles, thick with dark clouds of grit and grime. It would be a real tragedy if she splashed her new dress. That was probably why her mother had suggested that she wear something else, but Nina was so attached to the new white and yellow garment, a gift from Cray's mother, that she refused to change.

Elina had been wiser in choosing her clothes. Instead of one of her usual long, flowery skirts or dresses, she had opted for gray leggings and a soft, brown tunic. When water splashed against her, it left only darker spots on her clothing, looking more like an unusual pattern than a mess.

"I wish I'd brought a better umbrella," their father remarked, ignoring Nina's complaint as the stepped into the shelter of Ludia Castle. He shook his umbrella vigorously, spraying droplets across the steps, but the cover was far from dried. Nina watched the water run down the upside-down umbrella after Wyndham hooked it over his arm. The rain rushed to the center, hanging from the protruding point in the middle for a long time, stretching thinner and thinner until finally a big drop plopped onto the floor.

They did their best to wipe their boots on the scratchy rug in the entryway meant to help remove muck of this kind. "I wonder if Morley's nose is still all runny," Nina mused impishly.

"I hope not," Elina sighed, "He's sort of gross when he's got a cold like that. He can't blow his nose right and so it just drips and drips."

"Prince Runny-nose!" Nina laughed.

Wyndham coughed to cover his half-choked laugh. It really wasn't proper for a king to be chuckling over the less savory habits of his future son-in-law, especially when said prince was still just a young boy. The fact of the matter was, however, that Morley did have a chronically runny nose and his constant sniffling only added to his already somewhat unappetizing appearance. It was a shame really.

Ludia's current king, Morell, had always been a great friend of his. Morley hadn't inherited much of his father's charm. He seemed to have taken after his mother, a rather showy and frivolous member of the Ludian nobility. It was unfortunate that Morell's first son was killed during the war. Skiro had shown much more promise than Morley ever did. He had been, like his father, a bit on the plain side as far as looks were concerned, but valiant and responsible. Wyndham had to admit that he would've rather liked a son like Skiro- or at least a son-in-law. It had been his intention for Elina to be engaged to this more likable prince, but after he had died... Well, the Alliance still needed the strength a marriage could supply. The war had weakened Ludia most of all.

"Don't say that in front of Uncle Morell, though," Elina wisely cautioned her sister, "Morley may be a pain in the neck, but he's still the king's only son."

Wyndham felt a bit guilty about the engagement. It was clear that Elina and Morley had little in common and Elina was such a wonderful daughter... The notion that Elina could do better was not merely the heartfelt emotion of a doting father, but also the feeling of the chancellor and many others in Wyndia. Let Ludia keep their sub-par prince. Elina could find another husband.

But Wyndham had politics to consider, as well as his friendship with Morrell. The engagement would stand.

-Heights-

Elina stroked the branches of the tree lovingly. The bark was fairly smooth, but there were rough knots and gnarls where the smaller limbs branched off of the larger ones. The tree she was perched in was relatively small and delicate in comparison to its looming neighbors. She didn't climb trees very often. That was Nina's hobby. Cray and Nina had practically pushed and pulled her into her current spot just so she could be part of the fun.

Of course, a small fruit tree like this was no challenge to them. Elina looked up, shading her eyes, to see their silhouetted shapes moving through the branches of the bushy banyan tree. The trunk, at its thickest, was wide enough that a grown man couldn't wrap his arms around it. Cray and Elina managed it together, fingers touching gently as they spread their arms to embrace its girth.

Nina wasn't satisfied until she reached the top. The limbs were thin and light there, swaying loosely in the breeze. The wind ruffled her feathers and hair playfully and she responded in kind, spreading her wings and her arms and feeling like any second the air might lift her up like a kite and carry her away.

"You be careful up there!" Cray warned her, probably in part to look responsible in front of Elina.

"You're just jealous you're too heavy to go up this high!" Nina teased him. She recklessly shook the branch beneath her feet.

Cray tightened his grip on the thicker branches below. "I'd be a killjoy and say you were going to fall and break your neck, but knowing you and your wings, the one who'd break their neck is me!"

"He's right, you know, Nina," Elina added her feelings to the matter. She knew that her younger sister could climb about with the best of them and that she was also one of the best fliers in the castle because of all her practicing (something their mother had not approved of), but Cray was another matter entirely. He was strong and cautious, but as he gained muscle mass that very strength was making it harder for him to stand on the higher branches. Cray would have to realize his body could not always go as high as his love-filled heart. Elina was content on the ground anyway. Nina was the youngest, and it showed. She needed to get to those heights so she could look out over the forest and hills of Wyndia. Somewhere beyond the dark trees she might see her future.

-Jolt to the Heart-

It was on Elina's seventeenth birthday that Nina first learned the truth about her sister and Cray.

A scrawny twelve-year-old darting around the columns of the palace in Wyndia, Nina was constantly tiring her father as he sought to keep an eye on his rambunctious daughter. But he never said, "I wish she were more like her sister." Even at Nina's age, Elina had been calm and quiet, but the king accepted his younger daughter as she was and Nina loved him all the more for it.

"Princess Nina, you must be excited to stay up past your bedtime for this celebration," the captain of the guard laughed from behind a black feathered mask.

Nina leaned forward, clenching her tiny fists in frustration. "How did you know it was me?" Clearly her Woren mask was not serving as much of a disguise.

"You're the youngest one here," the armored man explained patiently. "But you do have a very nice outfit. Those furry ears and tail look quite convincing." He did not mention that the Woren had no wings. Most of the party guests were citizens of Wyndia and their wings clearly showed this.

Nina went to the refreshment table for a drink of pink punch. Prince Morley of Ludia, Elina's fiancee, stood by the table on tiptoe, looking rather agitated behind his peacock mask. Nina watched him glancing about as she sipped the punch, but did not immediately say anything to him. She didn't especially care for the prince. He was older, but not fun and interesting like Cray. Overall, he was really rather stuffy and boring. "What's wrong?" she finally inquired, feeling it was the polite thing to do.

"I'm looking for your sister," Morley said, a little surprised as he turned to face Nina.

"Oh, I haven't seen her for a while," the younger princess shrugged, "But if I do, I'll tell her you're looking for her." She skipped off among the mingling guests to finish her punch under the starlight, but as she neared the quiet balcony, a familiar voice came to her ears, though she could not make out the words. Nina peeked cautiously around a white pillar and her eyes widened as she saw Elina and Cray kissing.

-The Drums of Woren-

In Nina's eyes, there was no holiday, ceremony, or celebration in Wyndia that could rival the festivals of Woren. Her feet moved with speed and skill she had never before believed she could muster in time with the pounding of the drums.

There were so many drums. Outside of Woren, a drum was just a drum, but here there were tiny drums like tambourines, hand drums, two-man war drums, big drums that boomed with a deep, echoing sound, small higher pitched drums that called like singers, and holy drums that made mysterious sounds to call and praise the Endless.

Nina could not follow all of the most complex dance moves, but no one minded if she missed a step or simply danced in her own way, stomping her feet to the tune of the reedy flutes and ever-pounding drums. The Worens were friendly and free-wheeling, not at all suspicious of outside company at their festivals, and, anyway, she was a friend of Cray and a member of the Alliance. To the Woren, wartime allies were like your own cousins.

Voices called loudly over and through the din of merriment. There were singers adding verses to the song, praising the Grass Dragon for her blessings on their fertile fields, children squealing with excitement, mothers calling for their children to "get back here," "cut that out," or "stop pulling your brother's tail," and the chatter of various friends and family discussing all manner of pleasant topics.

Truly, Nina thought, there was nowhere she'd rather be at that moment. The heavy rhythm of percussion enveloped her and she moved quick and thankful, smiling at the blur of movement around her- swishing tails, swaying hips, laughing faces. There was nothing but joy to be found in Woren today. Gone were the stains of death and war, for the crops had been harvested and found to be more than sufficient. The winter would come and spring would follow: the season of rebirth. The Worens saw that the cycle of life went on and as they celebrated that simple truth, Nina, knowing it as well, rejoiced with them.

-Curse Power-

It was in bad taste to wish any ill on the emperor or generals leading the western army, but sometimes Nina did so anyway. It seemed no less productive than praying for these stubborn and cruel individuals to turn to peace. Maybe praying for both at once would have a greater effect. She squeezed her eyes closed tight and held up her folded hands to the image of the Wind Dragon decorating the wall. "Please let the emperor end the war, no matter what it takes. Please let General Yohm stop fighting- whether he retires or gets put out of commission," she thought, fervently willing it to be so. The only line she wouldn't cross was that of wishing out and out for a death. That would be too awful. And, anyway, if the emperor or any of his advisors or generals died, another man would certainly rise up to take his place. With all likelihood, he would be no better than the rest.

When Elina peeked in on her sister, she could tell that this was no run of the mill prayer she was engaging in. Nina's brow was furrowed as she put all of her energy into concentrating her will into reality. She imagined her thoughts condensing into a cloud which would blow across the sea of mud to strike the emperor into submission. Elina smiled at the way her heavy thoughts stirred the air to snap and spark around her with magical energy. When the strain of the magic held within became too much and she feared a headache would soon follow, she broke the silence, dispersing it all with a few words. "Nina, you look like you're cooking up an evil spell." She said it without a trace of malice in her dulcimer-like voice.

Nina opened her eyes and unclasped her hands. "Oh, I wouldn't want to do anything evil. But do you think that's how it is when someone invents an entirely new kind of spell?"

"How is how it is?" She didn't know exactly what her sister was getting at with this.

"I mean, someone feels an idea or emotion so strongly that they pour over it for days until it finally coalesces into an action outside of their mind- a manipulation of the elements or something else they can control."

"That's an interesting theory, but I'm not really the one to ask. You know so much more about magic than I do. Oh," a though occurred to her, "You could ask your tutor."

"I think I will."

-Incense Rising Like a Prayer-

The stick was too tall, so Nina snapped it in half. Having little expertise with fire spells, she struck a match and lit both pieces of incense. The fire caught and she blew the out, leaving trailing smoke rising gently from the end of each stick. She wedged them easily into the large, sand-filled gold vessel before her. It was ornamented with a swirling design meant to invoke the Wind Dragon flying amidst the clouds directing the winds. The incense, as it rose to the heavens, was meant to carry one's prayers with it. The particular scent of the incense in use at this shrine was said to be especially pleasing to P'ung Ryong, the Wind Dragon.

Nina wrinkled her nose. It smelled musty, like old books in a long-forgotten and dust-filled corner of the castle.

For a moment, she gazed at the tapestry hanging above the incense. The Wind Dragon was like a turquoise ribbons stretching across the pale blue sky. It was almost as if the dragon were swimming in the ocean. His body seemed long enough to wrap around the entire world. His tusks were like twin towers, spearing the clouds ahead of him.

She folded her hands and bowed her head, sincerely offering her prayer. She believed that her words would be heard, but she didn't know if they would be answered.

"Wind Dragon, hear my prayer. Please protect my sister. She hasn't been seen since she left Synesta. We're starting to get worried, but it still hasn't been that long yet. ...She could just be taking the long way around. Please let all the bad feelings be wrong. Let her be alright. Let her show up at the next town she's expected in. Please just let her be safe." She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and willed it to be so. "Please, please, please, please," she thought.

She opened her eyes and looked up. The incense floated on. The Wind Dragon sailed on in the shrine decorations. There was no epiphany. There was no revelation. There was no sign that anything had happened. But that was what she had really expected. Nina turned and left the shrine. Only time would tell.

-To Dream or Not to Dream-

"Elina! Wait for me!" Nina yelled, running as fast as her tiny legs could take her. Elina turned to look back over her shoulder and smiled at her younger sister, but did not stop for Nina to catch up. She didn't even seem to be moving any faster than her usual stately pace, but Nina wasn't gaining any ground. It was frustrating. "Elina! Elina!" she screamed frantically, her voice shrill and reedy. Elina disappeared into the darkness in the distance.

Nina awoke gasping. It was still dark and beads of sweat ran down her forehead. Fortunately Cray wasn't there to see her in such a frazzled state. He was above-deck sailing the sandflier. They were headed southwest to Synesta, where Elina had been last seen.

Nina wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. In her dream, Elina had been the beautiful young woman she was now, but Nina was only a chubby-cheeked little girl. ...Maybe it was because she was just feeling so helpless... Sure she had enlisted Cray to search for Elina with her, and Cray hadn't needed much convincing, but there was this awful feeling in the pit of her stomach that just looking wasn't going to be enough.

The sandflier whirred along the tops of the dunes, leaving a trail of blowing sand in its wake. Cray was at the helm, steering slowly and confidently. Nina had always liked riding a sandflier when Cray was the one flying it. Even in unfamiliar territory, he always seemed so sure of himself and made her feel safe.

For a few moments she just stood on the rocking deck looking at Cray's big, strong back. She remembered Elina laughing, holding her sun hat down, sliding along the seat and bumping against her. Cray would look back at them over his shoulder and laugh. Cray had always laughed then. He didn't laugh now that Elina was gone. ...Nina missed his smile.

"Cray, are you tired?" she spoke at last.

"Good morning," the Woren answered. He turned, slowing the sandflier slightly, "A little bit."

"You've been out here all night, haven't you?" Nina insisted, "You must be hungry. I'll take over. You need a break." She stepped forward and he reluctantly passed her the wheel.

Cray yawned and stretched. "Thought maybe if I was exhausted, I'd be able to sleep without any dreams..."

-Tortuous Encounter

Nina and Ryu has been walking up and down Sarai for hours, which was particularly ridiculous because the merchant's hub was not a very large town. The air was dry and Nina's feet hurt by the time their leads led to an eccentric- and hungry- old man in the tavern.

Ryu sat on the man's right while Nina perched on the stool to his left, effectively hemming him in. The winged girl was glad to be off her feet, even if it was in an establishment that smelled chiefly of sausage and cheap wine.

She was unsuccessful at ordering either a glass of milk or orange juice, and she was a bit nervous about drinking the rusty-hued liquid that passed for water in this joint, so she settled on cranberry juice while Ryu tried to squeeze some information out of the old man. As the questioning was seeming to go nowhere like this, Ryu took the man's hint and ordered him a meal and a drink. Lubricated by the nourishment, his lips began to flap and spoke noisily between swigs and bits, spit flipping from his smacking lips.

Nina cringed and resisted the urge to move another seat away from the gross display. One plate and one drink was not enough for the bald man either. Nina watched with some distress as Ryu spent more and more zenny on this gaping maw.

Ryu frowned at the few remaining coins as the man finally declared himself satisfied, loosened his belt, and leaned back in his chair. Now that he had milked them for almost all they had, he was easily spilling forth words, just like he had sucked in meat and wine.

When he finished, Nina was relieved to leave the dark tavern and gulp down mouthfuls of the fresh outdoor air. Ryu heaved a sigh of relief as well. "That disgusting pig," the girl shuddered, "It looks like we won't be able to make it back to Cray tonight. I hope we have enough money to stay at the inn." She looked eagerly at her companion, afraid that whatever was left would be too little.

He counted out the coins in his hands as Nina watched. It was only enough for one of them He gave her the coins and, grimacing, waved her toward the inn.

-Rasso Act-

"There's something about that guy I just don't like," Nina fussed, "And it's not just how he's trying to get his hands on Ryu either!" She slammed her fist into her palm in an odd mimicry of Cray's common expression of anger or frustration. Perhaps she had picked it up after spending so much time with him. Elina or her father would've laughed to see the gesture coming from you. "It's just...he creeps me out. Cray, you'd hate him too. He's a big magical suit of armor. And I think he wears eye makeup! He's got the darkest, longest eyelashes I've seen on a man!"

Cray shook his head. He looked stumped. "Sounds like a real wacko. As much as I hope I'll never have to meet him, I get the feeling that's not going to be the case."

"It was a pain, huh, Ryu?" Nina prompted her hunted companion.

Ryu groaned and put a hand on his head. He sighed, then, eyes lighting up with sudden inspiration, he crossed his arms, pulled himself up to stand very tall and erect, and frowned, making his jaw as wide and brow as severe as possible.

Nina giggled, "What a funny face! Who are you being, Ryu?"

Ryu brushed his hands over his tunic, smoothing it down in a sharp military fashion. He smiled slyly and winked.

Nina fell backward laughing, "Cray! He's Rasso! That's Captain Rasso!" She could barely breath her chest was so tight from the hysteria brought on by the silent mockery of Rasso.

"Next do Ershin!" the armored purifier suggested playfully.

Ryu shook his head slowly and grinned. He snapped his fingers as though summoning some unearthly beast to do battle with his enemies.

"If this is any indication, he's a real freak," Cray admitted, giving a low, cheery chuckle.

"N-now, blow a kiss!" Nina gasped as she gradually pulled herself together. Ryu complied, doing his utmost to exaggerate the action as much as possible. Nina burst into laughter again, clutching her aching sides.

-External and Internal Observations-

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'In for one zenny, in for a pound?'" Cray asked Ryu.

Nina smiled to herself as the mysterious boy shook his head, "no." Ryu seemed so spacey. It was exactly the response she expected from him.

Cray's thick, furry tail flipped irritably as he tried to explain the phrase. It wasn't that Ryu was particularly slow-witted, just that Cray was a man of action, not words, and especially not potentially tedious explanations of things he expected everyone should know. "It means that if you're willing to do something for just one zenny, you're also willing to do it for more, except the amounts of zenny usually stand for trouble."

Ryu nodded thoughtfully. He clearly understood the explanation, although he was not so sure he knew why Cray was asking him about it.

"It's obvious that you've got some troubles of your own to deal with, what with the amnesia and all," Cray acknowledged, "But your problems just keep piling up, one over another, so I guess I've got to thank you for your diligence. You're just sticking with it all."

Nina let out a long breath. She hadn't even realized right away that she had been holding it at first. Her initial amusement had evaporated into concern that Cray might be telling Ryu that he would be better off leaving them. Although that did not seem to have turned out to be correct, this passing anxiety left her feeling strange. The idea of Ryu leaving seriously bothered her.

"Well, of course," she told herself, "He'd be aimless without us, like a lost child! And he's so helpful to have along. He has great inner strength." One last reason, the most important of all, hung in her mind waiting to be considered, urging her to think of it... "I like him. He's such a good friend." She was not ready to admit yet that he might also be even more.

-Calling All Dragons-

The old woman's songs left something to be desired in Nina's opinion. They were so reedy and old-fashioned. They probably originated from far in the past of these lands. Certainly they had some effect on the dragons... Long ago, the unifier and founder of the Fou Empire had been summoned to the land by the suffering people, or so the tales said. Did they method they had used still exist? Or was it initiated by the dragon himself, a singular act of benevolence on the part of their god? The Manilo's song could very well be carrying some of that ancient magic.

Nina had been quite surprised to see the Mud Dragon, particularly because it had not been long ago that she had also seen the Sand Dragon. Based on the experiences of people she knew, it seemed highly unlikely that a person might encounter even one dragon unless they were specifically seeking them out. ...And even then, the dragons would not appear randomly to just anyone. They were strange, numinous beings.

The people of Wyndia respected the Wind Dragon most and others looked to the dragons closest to their affair. The only thing Nina could see that was possibly influencing her destiny, dragging her into the path of dragons was...Ryu. Ever since she had met Ryu, any number of mysterious things had been happening. And as much as these curious detours slowed her search for Elina, Nina could not help but find these mysteries wonderful.

"Let me help you," had become a magic spell. "Come with me," a summons for dragons. But the words had come after the events had begun. Did she believe in predestination? Ever optimistic, Nina had always felt that she acted on her own free will, though it was not exactly a topic she spent much time worrying about. She trusted that things would work out right.

"Let's go, Ryu," she said and he nodded. The words were an invocation, the response a ritual.

-Heat Race-

"There he goes again!" Cray screeched, his voice cracking from dryness and the strain of this ridiculous afternoon. Chino zipped by in a burst of hyperactive speed that only a small child could command. Unlike the thousand other times since they began, no one moved in response to Cray's shout.

Nina shook her head. "Cray, maybe you should head back to the orphanage. You could tell Sister Lita that we're still working on it. ...Besides, you look like you're going to have heat stroke if you stay out here much longer."

Cray gazed down at his sweaty hands and flicked his bushy tail irritably. He knew she was absolutely right, but he was a stubborn man and he hated to throw in the towel, particularly when a brat like Chino was concerned. "...Alright," he gave in. "Just be sure and wring his scrawny neck for me when you finally get him."

Nina was too tired to laugh at this last futile attempt at humor. She could feel her face reddening and burning. Hopefully the skin on her nose wouldn't be peeling tomorrow. The heat in these desert regions was overwhelming. The carcasses of dead monsters began to rot almost immediately. She wondered how Ereshin could handle staying in that armor all this time. How was she not boiled to a crisp in that riveted oven? Nina was tired of being sandy and sweaty. She was ready for a bath. ...Or a bucket of cold water over the head would do in a pinch.

"That's right...a bath..." she babbled mindlessly to herself. Ryu gave her a curious glance, but made no reply, keeping himself focused on the catwalk stretching above them. If they had gotten the right idea of Chino's route, he would be passing over soon.

The heat haze had dulled Nina's senses, but thoughts of a bath had sharpened her resolve. As Chino skipped along the catwalk, Nina leaped into the air and spread her wings. With a few quick beats she was aloft high enough to swiftly grab Chino by the leg. He flailed wildlly as she yanked him off the ledge and into her arms, landing sedately on the ground.

"Okay, fine, you got me," Chino wriggled out of her grasp and headed back toward the orphanage.

Ershin looked unperturbed, but Ryu stared at Nina open-mouthed.

-Blood Reaction-

"Once, a long time time, I cut my finger on a sharp point on my father's ceremonial armor. I always like to admire that silvery armor. It was so brightly polished that it reflected things like a mirror. I was running my finger along the shield that went with it and, well, like I said, I cut my finger on one of the wing designs on it. A big drop of blood welled up on my skin. It stung and I was bleeding, so I started to cry."

"Elina came running to see what was wrong. I showed her my bleeding finger and she took me to the washroom. I was still crying, but Elina was holding my other hand, so I wasn't bawling as hard as before. She had me wash off the cut with some soap and then she closed her eyes, focused, and cast a small spell to heal it up." Nina sighed nostalgically at the pleasant memory. "It's one of my earliest memories."

Ryu nodded encouragingly, urging her to continue and say all that she wanted to say. He had nothing to say about himself anyway, so he was happy to listen to the chatty princess talk on into the night.

"I love Elina. She's more than just a big sister to me. She's my role model, and sort of a second mom too."

Nina fell silent again, this time just staring absently beyond the tent into the night. Ershin and Cray were both sleeping. Cray's gentle snoring crept out from between the tent flaps that waved just slightly in the night breeze. Ryu poked at the dying embers of the campfire with a twig. Small flames flared to life from his stirring, only to fade away again a few moments later.

"The sight of blood made me sick and scared," Nina began again. "Elina seemed so brave to me. Hah, look at me now... I must see blood, even my own blood, practically everyday without so much as flinching. ...I wonder what Elina would think of that."

Ryu imagined the potential pride of this vanished sister for a moment, but didn't reply. The look on Nina's face showed that she already knew the answer to her own inquiry.

-Sizzling With Emotion-

It was humiliating for Cray to be sent back to the Alliance after the group had managed to slip into the Empire. Nina was embarrassed by the scolding she had received from Ludia's king, but it was nothing compared to Cray's feelings of shame and anger. Nina was afraid of what the Ludians would accuse him of and try to do to him. Cray had never led the Woren Nation in a way that pleased the Ludians.

But watching the way Cray strained against the manacles ("Merely a formality," Morley had noted smugly), Nina was also afraid of what Cray would do or say. "Think of Elina," she told him, imagining that thoughts of her sister would have a restraining effect on how he handled himself at the tribunal. He could not throw his life away in anger if he hoped to rescue her himself.

Unfortunately, her words did not comfort the emotional man in the way she had expected. "We were so close!" he gritted his teeth, "I just know it! That Yuna! If we had gotten just a bit further-!!"

Ryu nervously inched away from the thrashing Woren, not wanting Cray to hit him with his bristling tail or let his anger out on him in some other fashion.

"N-now Cray," Nina blustered, gently touching his arm, "I know how you feel, but getting all worked up about it won't help us any. You have to try and relax so you can stay in control of your emotions. If you have an outburst like this in front of Morley and his father, you know it'll make you look bad."

"I know, I know," Cray growled, "It's just- my head is swimming with all these emotions. And I've never been so much for talk. I'm best when I can just beat people down with my club without any questions asked." He let out a long tired sigh.

Ershin stood up as a guard approached the holding cell. The beanpole thin fellow unlocked the door. "Princess, you can go. Your two friends as well. Prince Morley has arranged a place for you to stay while Chief Cray awaits his trial."

Ershin moved silently out of the cell. Ryu got up off the ground, brushed himself off, and followed her. "Will you be alright?" Nina asked Cray. She would not leave him unless he gave her the go ahead.

"Ah, get out of here," he groaned, "Go enjoy a warm meal and a soft bed. I won't feel any better until I have time to sulk."

-Dreams of Dragons-

When Nina slept, there were dragons in her dreams. The dreams weren't like Ryu's, seen through the dragon's eye. They were just dreams, strange and often nonsensical. The only thing that made them worth noting was the dragons. She supposed that it showed what a deep impression seeing them in person had left on her.

And things in her waking life began to remind her of dragons as well- the gigantic snake they gingerly used as a walkway in the swamp, an especially large fish moving slowly in the depths of the lake, a strange shimmer of light on the ocean.

Of course, the dragons had always been there around them, it was just that crossing paths with Ryu and seeing all the things caught up in his stream had made her more aware than ever of the mysterious powers spread throughout the world. Crossing paths with so many of them had done little to bring them into the realm of the everyday and ordinary for her. They remained as strange and inaccessible as ever. Perhaps that was the expected response of a mortal being. The Endless and their experience were just too alien.

"Did you dream about dragons again?" Cray asked over breakfast, frying several eggs in a pan over their campfire.

"Yeah, I did," she answered, coming out of the tent barefoot and brushing her hair.

"You want to tell me about it?" He shook the pan and stirred the eggs with a fork. Dark semi-circles under his eyes betrayed his own anxiety and lack of sleep.

Although a bit reluctant to tell him the story of her dream, Nina could see that Cray would really appreciate having something to take his mind off his own concerns, so she sat down beside him and began to lay out the general idea of the dream. "I was walking in a forest and then there was a weird sound coming from behind me, so I started running. I ran faster and faster. For some reason- because it was a dream, I guess- I didn't think to use my magic to protect myself. Then, who knows why, I stopped. And I can't remember this part very well, but the next part that's clear to me there was a big, brown, slimy thing wrapped around me- it felt like I imagine the Mud Dragon would feel, I guess, and I...I started kissing it." She shuddered slightly as she revealed the end to the embarrassing tale.

"Someone's got a bit of a secret dragon fetish, huh?" Cray laughed, momentarily relieved by her story.

-The Storm and the Silence-

"I didn't realize how I felt about Cray until I saw that Elina felt the same way," Nina thought to herself. Ryu had ventured out across the plains on the whelk, leaving her in the strange company of Ershin and Scias. They were nice people, but not very good conversationalists. Ershin's thoughts drifted to the strangest things, and she always laughed at the wrong moments. Scias was merely there to observe anyway, but he rarely spoke- though perhaps his silence was also meant to cover his stuttering. So that left her alone with her thoughts.

Though Nina had never met her before, she trusted that Cray's mother would have a solution to their troubles- or at least a suggestion. Cray had always spoken of her as a wise and level-headed person.

The waves of grass rustled under a strong, brisk breeze. The sound was like water rushing over the sand on a beach or a sandflier making its way over the dunes. It seemed like there were waves everywhere she went- on the sea, the desert, or the rolling, green plains. The tides of fate were pushing her about as well.

She could imagine Cray now, pacing about the tower they'd locked him in, like a tiger in a cage, his mind racing and the tip of his tail flicking back and forth in irritation. She hoped he would stay optimistic and have faith in them, though by nature Cray was pessimistic than Nina.

"For Elina and Cray's sake..." she wondered, "Could I love someone else? Can't the happiness of the two people I love most come first?" Her heart and mind could give her no definite answer. Ershin's eyes- or were they just lights? -were dim as though she were sleepipng. Scias seemed to be watching idly, though his eyes were hidden, keeping his expression vague. ...It didn't matter. They wouldn't understand anyway. She laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes, awaiting the embrace of sleep. The storm inside continued to be met by silence.

-Braver Birds-

"Do they hire a lot of mercenaries in Ludia?" Nina inquired.

Scias seemed to come to his senses after a prolonged moment of silence, shaking his head slightly. "M-more than Wyndia," he said quietly.

"Why?" she immediately asked, then looked down in embarrassment, "Sorry! I mean, if you know, that is."

His long ears hung away from his head as the tall Grassrunner regarded her in some manner she could not decipher. The scraggly fur that hid his eyes made Scias' expressions hard for her to read. Nina though that by now the mercenary was her friend, but unlike her relationship with Ryu, or even with Ershin or Ursula, it was tough to be sure. Certainly he stuck by the group, even in some of their especially tight scrapes, but did he...like them?

"The k-king of Wyndia is p-p-popular," Scias answered, "Th-there are more v-volunteers in his army."

"Oh..." she had never known that. It was clear that her father was well-liked by the majority of the citizens, but no one had even mentioned it nor had it occurred to her that this would translate into readiness to serve in the military. Nina supposed this matter of mercenaries meant that Ludia's rulers were significantly less loyalty-inspiring.

Her lips curled into a sudden smile. "We're friends, aren't we, Scias?"

"I sc-scare off g-good fortune like a sc-scarecrow does birds," he replied. The gruff words sounded like a warning.

Nina was undeterred. She had seen some brave crows that saw through the threat of the scarecrow and went into the fields anyway, much to the farmers' annoyance. "I'm a brave bird," she beamed, white wings fluttering slightly with the excitement that stirred her heart. These were words that would reach him. She was sure of it.

"I like b-birds." A fragment of his somewhat jarring grin crept over his face. "Ershin is a f-funny birds though."

They both broke into laughter at the thought.

-Mother's Daffodils-

Her mother's grave was on the castle grounds. Though they had loved each other, Nina feared she had never truly pleased her mother. Elina had always been the proper princess in Queen Alyssa's eyes, and Nina an over-curious tomboy. She knew that her father felt differently, and that helped. Elina wasn't critical either. Her mother was part of an old, traditional branch of the royal family and she clung onto ways that were gradually falling away into the past.

Nina brushed her hand along her mother's gravestone, flicking away non-existent dust. It was unlikely there would ever be dirt or dust there. The graves of all the royal family, even their most ancient and little known progenitors, were well cared for.

"Mother, I'm home," she said. It was true, though soon she would be gone again. The search, and therefore this journey, was not over yet. Nina couldn't help but wonder how her mother would've felt about Elina's departure. ...Of course, it was probably not hard to guess. Queen Alyssa would've been worried, distraught, afraid Elina had been kidnapped or captured by the empire.

More difficult to know was if she would've approved of Nina's search for her sister. The queen would've wanted every resource available to Wyndia set to finding Elina even with the tense ceasefire situation. ...But she still would've wanted Nina to stay home, sitting beside her at the throne, quietly awaiting her older sister's return.

Nina's feelings about her mother were mixed. She missed her good qualities, but was so much happier without the cold claws of decorum and elegance digging into her shoulder like the late queen's long, carnation-colored nails. Even when Queen Alyssa died, she went beautifully. Illness had made her face white as porcelain and she clutched a bouquet of yellow daffodils. Their pollen exacerbated her breathing, already ravaged by disease. She was not unaware of their effect on her. She expired in a lovely haze from a combination of daffodil pollen and a lung disease, preferring to end beautifully rather than continue in agony. Nina hated it.

-Lesson Learned-

"I, um, I think if I just defend long enough to see how they do it, I can learn that spell," Nina predicted, dodging yet another gust of ripping winds.

"Sure, go ahead!" Cray suggested. He couldn't see much harm in making an attempt.

Nina squared her shoulders and spun her wand defensively in front of her. The beast drew back in a ready stance, preparing to cast the spell again. Nina watched as the wind gathered into a greenish eddy and streamed out towards them, lashing in strangely sharp snaps against their skin.

"I've got it!" she squeaked triumphantly, swinging her baton in the air in excitement.

Ryu yelled as he let loose a glowing fire spell on the monster.

"I'm going to try this out!" laughed Nina, letting free her own burst of wind. The flames heated the air and soared into the cyclone which crackled suddenly with lightning. The searing bolts snapped a branch from a nearby tree and struck the monster, who howled in pain and limped hurriedly into the depths of the woods.

"Well, that was unexpected," Cray murmured, his eyes wide in shock.

"Err, I didn't mean to," Nina was quick to apologize for the unintended result of her new spell.

Ershin and Scias edged closer to gaze intently on the accidental destruction. "C-cool," Scias announced simply.

"Ershin says," their armored companion spoked up, "'While it's good to see you learning new spells, be careful of the unexpected effects they might have when you try them out.'"

"Heh heh, thank you Ershin," Nina giggled softly. "I'll try to be more careful next time. ...At least it was nothing like that time I turned Cray into an egg."

"Hey, hey," Cray bristled a bit despite himself, "I thought we weren't going to talk about that anymore!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Nina apologized, growing increasingly flustered by this turns of events. She bowed deeply in Cray's direction. "How about I just close my mouth after saying, 'lesson learned - on all counts.'"

"That'd be fine," Cray agreed.

-Faerie Colony Capitalism-

The faerie village had grown significantly since their last visit. Of course, the faeries didn't look any busier than usual. They flitted playfully over the pond or hung lazily under the trees like dragonflies on a riverbank. Nina had mixed feelings concerning the faeries. They were certainly cute and interesting, but they were surprisingly bloodthirsty, as well as firm believers in the power of capitalism. Nina knew she wasn't the only one who found the idea of meat-eating faeries a little strange...

Scias had to stoop ridiculously to get through the doorways of their little houses and even Nina watched her head carefully. "Looking for anything in particular?" the blue-haired faerie behind the counter pressed them, "Panacea? A multi-vitamin?"

"Last time we visited you were practically selling leaves and twigs," Nina answered. "And now you're got nice items like that! How did you do it? Are you making them yourselves or do you have a supplier?"

"Well, we leave the village and meet with merchants in the forest to get them." The faerie giggled for reasons Nina did not understand. "So I suppose you could say we have a supplier."

Scias picked up a glimmering white blade and tested it on the straw he carried in his mouth. Nina stepped back, both to give the mercenary some more room and from an odd feeling that something about the faerie's response was not what it seemed. The little shop was packed with weapons and armor. None of it was of a size that could be of much use to the faeries, though they didn't wear clothes, so one was unlikely to suspect they used armor. In any case, it was clear that the colony's hop was stocked solely for the shopping pleasure of Ryu and his companions.

Nina would've been bothered to know, though probably not that surprised, that the good came from merchants the faeries ambushed in the witch wood. Scaring away the real owners and lugging the items home to sell, the tiny entrepreneurs were making pure profit.

-Kekak-

"I don't care what you say, Nina," Cray panted, "Kekak is nothing like that the drum dances of Woren. This- this game- it's so fast!"

"I- I'm t-tired," Scias slumped down, sitting on one of the faeries' tables like it was a chair.

"Oh, come on, you guys," Nina urged playfully, "I know you've got more in you than that! This isn't anything like all the time we spend running through caves and forests fighting our way through hordes of attacking monsters! You never get tired then!"

Cray shrugged, "Well, I'm usually not going all out when we're just traveling around. I try to conserve some energy. And I'm not on my own then either. Everyone else has my back."

"Ershin?" Nina asked hopefully, turning to one of her companions who had yet to declare themselves officially out of energy and unable to play anymore.

"She says 'Ershin has no more energy left to expend, and if you expect me to get up early tomorrow morning after all this, you had better quit while you are ahead.'"

"Ursula?" Nina tried another member of the group.

"First of all, it's humiliating to play this game with other people watching me, and second of all...my muscles ache so much I can barely sit down," Ursula groaned, "I'll never live it down if any of my men find out about this..."

"Ryu?" Nina pleaded with the last member of the time. She gave him her most winning smile and fluttered her eyelashes.

Ryu's shoulders slumped and his face fell slightly, but he then he forced himself to grin and approached the faeries for one more game. Until he was passed out on the floor from the strain, how could he say no to Nina?

-Myths in the Dark-

"Ryu, do you know about Yggdrasil?" Nina asked, rolling over from her back onto her stomach to face him. The tent was dim, lit only from the outside by the dying embers of the campfire and the white crescent of the moon.

Ryu shook his head. He was always quiet, but for a moment she had thought he was falling asleep or not listening.

"S-supposed to be a t-t-tree," Scias spoke up. Startled by the entry of third party into this conversation, both Nina and Ryu raised their heads to look at Scias. He sat up in the corner beside their supplies and weapons, leaning his chin onto the hilt of his katana.

"Oh, Scias, I didn't realize you were awake," the princess explained her widened eyes. Ursula was outside keeping watch, along with Ershin, who probably didn't need to sleep anyway, and Cray was busy snoring away to Ryu's left. While all his concerns made it hard for him to fall asleep many nights, once he was asleep, Cray slept like the log he bashed in heads with.

"I d-didn't mean t-to sc-scare you."

"No, no, you didn't scare me at all," Nina waved both hands toward him, hoping to reassure him. "I just couldn't tell you were awake. Anyway-"

"Yggdrasil," he began again, seeing she meant no offense, "Is the t-tree th-that support the world. Giant. My-mystical," he explained.

"That's right."

Ryu turned onto his back and crossed his arms behind his head trying to remember if he'd ever heard of something like that before. It seemed like a familiar concept, but he couldn't say why.

"It's sort of like the force that gives life to the world, don't you think?" Nina directed her query to Scias, looking for some clarification. It was a vague, esoteric concept to her as far as she could recall, so it wouldn't hurt to ask the mercenary and see if their stories matched up.

"Yeah," he agreed, in his usual succinct way.

His gruff voice sounded distant in Ryu's ears. He was already drifting off to sleep- to dream of branches supporting him like a hammock as he looked across the ocean to Fou-Lu.

-Reckless Regard-

Ursula was looking at her teeth in the mirror of a small makeup compact. The asparagus had been a bit on the stringy side, and she was self-conscious about the possibility of green flecks stuck between her pointed teeth.

"I couldn't believe you and Scias almost stole that sandflier!" Nina chattered, still reeling a little from the earlier event.

Ursula closed the top of the compact and slipped it into her pouch. "We would've gotten away with it too if you goody two shoes alliance members hadn't stopped us. It wasn't the first time I've had to commandeer a vehicle."

Her matter of fact attitude about the whole thing impressed Nina who was used to feeling guilty about breaking rules even for a good cause.

Ursula's military upbringing, as well as her experience as an officer, had given her a relatively Machiavellian manner of getting things done. Anticipating the Wyndian girl's next inquiry from the mischievous smile creeping across her face, Ursula spoke up again. "Yes, I can teach you how to do it, but it wouldn't be easy. You have an entire lifetime of being not only a law-abiding citizen, but as princess a national good example, to get away from. ...And you seem like an innately sweet girl." She softened with that last admission, her usually cooly calculating face filling with a friendly smile.

"Thanks," Nina replied, "But you're right. I probably shouldn't tax your patience with such a ludicrous request. ...And, well, you shouldn't do that kind of thing, but...the way you tried to do it...was pretty cool." Nina beamed with admiration for her friend and then burst into giggles.

Ursula placed a hand on her gun proudly, looking quite fearless and warlike despite the fluttering butterflies of laughs that floated around her.

-Patchwork Find-

"Ooh, treasure! What'd we find?" Nina smiled as she leaned over Ryu's shoulder to peer into the treasure chest.

"Wh-who leaves things lying around in ch-chests like th-that?" Scias wondered.

"Don't question it," Ursula said, "Some things in this world can't be explained simply."

Ryu reached into the chest and pulled out a patchwork quilt wrapped into a tight ball. For a quilt, it felt awfully heavy. A gold coin slipped out and hit the ground, shining amidst the dust.

"K-ka-ching," Scias grinned, always glad to get his hands on an easy payoff.

Ryu unwrapped the quilt, revealing a gleaming cache of coins. "That's a significant amount," Cray said and let out a long, low whistle.

"But why was it wrapped like that?" Nina asked, an air of sadness entering her sweet voice. "It seems so strange, like someone was hiding all their savings..."

"Nina, are you alright?" Ursula worried, her brow creasing slightly with concern.

"It's just...Elina always loved patchwork. She was always sewing things like this. Mother thought this kind of pattern was unbecoming for royalty and didn't like her to wear the patchwork in public..." She sniffed, holding back tears.

"Don't worry," Cray assured her fiercely, his words ringing with fiery passion, "We'll find her, Nina, and we'll bring her back safe!"

"Then maybe you'll get to see Elina's patchwork nightgown," Nina put her most into smiling at Cray and wiped a tear from her eye.

Ershin began laughing raucously, her voice echoing slightly around her armor.

"Not that Ershin really knows, but I'm getting the impression that this patchwork nightgown isn't as sexy as Cray would like it to be," Ursula laughed as well.

"It is nice to laugh at the correct time," Ershin noted happily.

Cray mumbled incoherently, visualizing the well-discussed garment. Nina patted him gently on the arm.

"L-let's f-f-forget our t-troubles and go b-buy some dr-drinks in town," Scias suggested, taking their pile of coins and rolling it back up in the quilt, which he slung haphazardly over his shoulder Ryu nodded his approval and lead the way back to town.

-A Pirate's Life-

"It's been fun spending time down here with you," Nina remarked to Ursula soon after she awoke.

The military woman was already up and sitting perched on one of the ribs of the ship. Her straight hair hung loose around her shoulders as though she was just about to put it back up in its customar bun. "Good morning," Ursula said blandly. She smoothed the top of her hair casually with her palm. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"Well, I haven't been up for long. I just remembered where I was and what happened last night." She smiled mischievously. "And don't worry. No one will hear a peep out of me about the sea lice."

"I had almost forgotten already," Ursula lied. She attempted to hide her disgust for the creatures as well as for the embarrassment she had suffered that night at their squirming legs and shaking feelers.

"It wasn't even that bad sleeping down on the floor of the hold," Nina reflected cheerily on her experience. "I like the gentle rolling motion of the waves below us."

"Perhaps you were destined to be a pirate," Ursula remarked, sounding far kinder than she had when speaking of sea lice. "You're getting the experience, now you just need an eyepatch or a peg leg."

"Or a parrot!" Nina exclaimed gleefully.

Her comrade regarded her curiously, unsure why a simple bird held such appeal.

"Sorry," Nina stopped to explain, "I practically forgot we didn't know you then. On the way to Synesta a few months ago we passed through this crazy town called Kyria. The mayor there had a talking parrot! It was really neat! If I were a pirate, I would definitely get a parrot."

"Never let it be said that the Eastern continent isn't an interesting place," Ursula thought, somehow less than surprised to learn of such a location. "You don't find much of that sort of thing in the empire proper. ...Now those loosely associated border regions are another sorty completely..."

"To tell the truth though," Nina added, "As fun as it sounds, I think you'd make a much better pirate than me. If you were a captain, I'd be your first mate."

Ursula smmiled bemusedly. "Thank you, I guess."

-Tropical-

Scias may have slept peacefully in a hammock, lazily awaiting the falling of the tide, but Nina was nowhere near as relaxed. Caught between her feelings for Cray and Ryu and forced to confront them because of the mysterious (or perhaps coincidental) forces of nature which left them stranded on the island, she was unable to really fully enjoy the calm, tropical environment they had stumbled onto. Clearly to Scias this was paradise on earth.

"I think I might be in love with Cray," Nina rehearsed what she wanted to say to Ryu. She had to tell someone and she wanted to see how he'd react. It seemed less risky than telling Cray, "I think I might be in love with Ryu." Whatever Cray's reaction, it was bound to be intense. And she was absolutely sure that he loved and would continue to love Elina. It was seeming like a longer and longer shot now that finding Elina would solve all their problems. At first that had been their only goal, but all the people they'd met and things they'd seen had increased the scope of their journey.

"Oh, Elina, I wish you'd never left," Nina sighed and placed her head on her knees.

The big blooming flowers that practically dripped from the curling vines and twisted trees lightened her mood just a little bit as she walked the meandering path back to their campsite. Maybe she wouldn't say anything at all. Maybe she could keep these feelings bottled up and not bother anyone.

The open beach was just a few steps away. The sun was beginning to set. "That's not the kind of person I am." She couldn't deny her true self. It just wasn't her nature. "It's just that everything feels so big and looming out here," she realized, "Like we're stripped down to nothing but raw emotion in this place."

"Nina, a-are you hu-hungry?" Scias' low, rumbling voice greeted her.

She had to stop herself from jumping back in surprise. "Ah, err, yes."

"Th-that's g-good," he grinned, "Ryu caught a b-big fish." They walked together to the crackling bonfire Cray was roasting the huge sunfish over.

"You tore your dress," Ursula observed.

"Oh! Oops!" Nina saw the long rip in the lower side of her dress.

"I'll fix it for you tomorrow when the light is better," the general replied.

-The Marlok Experience

"So what's the deal with you and Marlok?" Ursula inquired, leaning back against a conveniently smooth rock feature.

Nina's face did not flush like she feared it would, but she did feel a strange embarrassment while discussing the rich and overly forward merchant. She had almost finished sorting their recently acquired items, but she made a show of having more left to do with them so as not to look Ursula directly in the eye as they spoke. "We've worked together a few times to get him to give us transportation or information, but he's sort of difficult to deal with. And he drives a hard bargain."

"You know he's a freelancer who works with both sides, right?" Ursula raised a slanted eyebrow.

"Well, we know that now," Nina sighed. "Of course we had to find out the hard way..." She placed a handful of medicines in Ryu's pack, then left the rest of the others in her own bag. "And I kept getting stuck doing something like rubbing Marlok's shoulders," she grimaced.

"From what I hear around the strategy room, he's demanded much worse from customers," Ursula hinted at the less than savory activities Marlok was said to enjoy.

Nina shivered, "I could've guesses. I realized after I left the first time that he had been interested in something more, which really freaked me out. I was probably just lucky I didn't realize it, because I would've reacted badly and he might have not wanted to help us anymore. He just thought I was too naive to know what he meant. And it was almost true."

"Well, your naivete saved you that time," Ursula agreed. "It's probably one of the few times in your life you won't feel like a little experience would've been helpful!"

"Umm, I don't know about that kind of experience," the princess shuddered as a general feeling of weirdness passed over her skin.

"Hey!" the general snapped, realizing what her friend was getting at, "I didn't necessarily mean that kind of experience! All kinds of experience! General life experience!"

Nina giggled.

-Pre-Border Crossing Jitters-

The campfire crackled noisily. Little sparks jumped here and there to fizzle out on the dusty ground. Nina brushed her hair nervously, running the scratchy bristles through her pale blond hair over and over.

"R-R-Ryu n-needs it m-more than you," Scias spoke up, raising his head from where it had leaned on the arms over his knees for a long stretch of the evening.

Ryu felt his turquoise hair. It was somewhat mussed and tangled from falling loose during battles and rough travel and then being hastily pulled back again. He lowered his hand sheepishly and looked down.

"Don't be embarrassed," Nina said. Scias was right. Her hair had certainly been brushed more than enough for one night. It was only anxiety about what the morning would bring that kept her repeating the simple action over and over.

She handed the brush to Ryu, who examined the feather design carved into it, tracing its dips and curves with a finger, before untying his sloppy ponytail and putting it to his hair. He smiled at Nina in thanks.

Watching Ryu separated her mind from her concerns somewhat. Cray seemed equally nervous, poking at the fire constantly, continuing to add small twigs to the healthy blaze, snapping each in half before tossing it on. One tiny spark leaped out and landed on his tail. Cray jumped to his feet, brushing the ember away and holding the singed part of his tail.

"Fu fu fu fu fu," Ershin shook with laughter.

Cray glared indignantly at the being enclosed in the mysterious suit of armor, who ceased chuckling, but kept her eyes on him. "That right," Cray growled, "That was not an appropriate time to laugh."

This reference to one of Ershin's oft-used phrases caused Scias to flash a quick grin where all the earlier happenings of the night had failed.

Nina smiled as well and just as her thoughts roamed back to the matter of attempting a crossing into the Empire the next day, Ryu waved her back over to have her help with a particularly difficult knot.

-Diary Sharing-

"How often do you write in that journal?" Ursula asked, leaning over Nina's shoulder.

The Wyndian girl hurried to cover the page wit her folded arms, keeping Ursula from reading more than a tiny snippet of whatever she had written. "Hey! Don't read it! This is private!"

Ursula smiled, leaned away, and sat back down. "Sorry, but it looks so tempting. Do you write about me in there? Do you write about Ryu?"

"Well, yeah..." Nina shrugged, "I write about everything that happens to me. So I write about you. ...And Ryu too. I try to write everyday, but sometimes it doesn't really work out."

"That takes dedication," Ursula nodded appreciatively. As a military woman herself, she had a certain feeling for self discipline. It wasn't exactly something she had expected to see in Nina, who had struck her originally as only a silly, bubbly girl. There was clearly more to her than that. "So where'd you get this idea to write in a journal?"

"It was my magic tutor," Nina explained, "When I was young, I studied spells with a royal tutor, Miss Daemia, and she made me start writing in a journal. It was supposed to focus my thoughts and help me understand myself better. At first I didn't really like it very much. I thought it was a waste of time, but gradually, I started to like it, so I've kept on doing it." She paused, the noted cheerily, "Elina keeps a journal too. Maybe when we meet up with her again she'll let me read some of it. Maybe some interesting things happened to her."

"You won't let me read your diary, but you think your sister will let you read hers?" Ursula wondered skeptically.

"Oh, well, we started reading each other's journals a few years ago. It's not like when we were little and would write, "I hate Elina," or "I hate Nina," because we were mad." Nina laughed at the memory. Clearly she had both written and read such sentiments in the past.

"So if I start writing my own diary, you and I can trade and read each other's?" Ursula suggested.

"Well...It would be embarrassing, but okay. If you'd like to," Nina agreed.

-Bearer of Bad News-

Elina, in retrospect, was the best choice among all the women Nina had ever met to become a goddess. As a sister, she was not without her faults- a bit finicky, prudish- but as a princess she was a beacon of hope to her people and as a woman, a compassionate, nurturing soul. Had it come about in a holy rather than a worldly manner she would have been an entirely deserving and benevolent, lovely goddess of mercy.

Nina knew she couldn't impose on Cray to tell her father what had happened to Elina. It was cruel enough that the king would have to learn the truth at all. There was no reason to be so awful as to have Cray explain it just because it was hard for her. It had to be harder for Cray. Nina could not imagine the feelings he grappled with after ending the life of the woman he loved at her own request. She had to respect Cray's strength. It could have crushed a lesser man. She hoped it would not crush her father. She could only trust in the gentle power that radiated from the king. Elina had gotten that from their father, and her compassion for the people as well.

She would give him the hard truth because she loved him, but Nina was ready to give Prince Morley the same harsh reality because she disliked him. She had never liked him and she refused to spare his feelings the way Elina always had. After the way he had treated Elina and Cray, she saw no reason he didn't deserve it.

"Let's stop in Ludia first," Nina declared suddenly, standing on the deck of the sandflier alongside Cray and Ryu. As usual, Cray had the helm. "My father has surely already received the letter I sent through Marlok that saying that we're fine and on our way," the princess explained, "But I think I'll be able to hold myself together better with him if I spend all this coldness on Morley first. I have to be cold before I can be kind."

"Nina..." Ryu said quietly, his voice wavering with an unreadable emotion.

The girl shivered at her own iciness. "I can't believe I'd feel like this... I guess everything that's happened has just gotten to me so much."

"I understand," Cray sighed, "Believe me, Nina, I understand."

-Grave Visit-

Nina knelt down on the wet grass beside the empty grave. Well, she had to admit, the grave wasn't entirely empty. A small ceremonial coffin had been buried in this spot with a piece of folded prayer paper taking the place of the woman whose mutilated body they had been unable to bring home for a proper funeral.

On the way home from Chedo, they had made the attempt, fussing and fighting their way into the secret facilities at Astana, but all they found were the stinking, rotting organs that had filled the stairways and lower galleries on their first visit. The remains of their Elina had vanished. All in all, it had been a horrible excursion. Nina had grown so sick from the smell that she had thrown up all over Ryu. It had been agonizing and terribly embarrassing and in the end it had all been for nothing.

She ran her fingers over the cold stone of the gravestone, feeling the dips in gray rock where Elina's name was engraved along with the dates of her birth and death. "Beloved daughter, sister, and princess," the marker read.

"You're gonna make me go crazy," Cray sighed, the dew-speckled grass crunching under his feet. "Every time I go looking I seem to find you here. ...And I come to see you hoping that you'll take my mind off!"

"Maybe you should try visiting someone else for a change then. I don't think I'm finished being a downer quite yet, Cray. ...But, well, it can't last forever. One day I'll wake up, and all I'll think is, "Wow, I'd really like to eat some raspberry pancakes!" and I'll go and do it. I won't even think about Elina. Not for a few hours. Maybe not for a whole day. Sadness can't last forever. I'll move on, and you will too, Cray."

The big Woren knelt down and put his arms around his friend. "You're already doing a good job coping...And you've definitely helped cheer me up. ...So, how about breakfast? Are you hungry? How do raspberry pancakes sound?"

"They sound...surprisingly good!" she perked up, hugging Cray in return.

"Ah! Let's head on into the kitchen and I'll whip you up the best pancakes you've ever eaten!"

"Yay!" Nina squealed as they went inside.

-A Tense Peacetime-

How permanent this new treaty would be was yet to be seen. The Fou Empire was highly unstable, left, for the first time in centuries, without an emperor to lead it. At the moment, the military had taken charge of the tasks of rebuilding the capital and other southern regions ravaged by the hex and the mad rampage of Fou Lu. However, in the alliance, fears existed that General Ursula's hold over the more northern parts of the western continent was tenuous and they might break away. Morley and his father in Ludia were all for civil war in the west, clinging tight to the concept of a strict and hate-filled divide between the two lands. Whatever was bad for the west was good for the east in their eyes. Princess Nina and King Wyndham felt differently. Nina had personally seen the situation in the west and knew how bleak life must seem for the farmers and townsfolk who had lost their homes. Who would have the strength to rise against the government now while the people were still trying to merely get on with their lives? For now, she was sure that there would be peace. But as Ursula had little intention of carrying on as leader of the empire indefinitely, Nina could not be sure of later.

The Ludians may have acted tough, but the alliance had wounds to heal of their own. Chamba was not fully reclaimed, trading routes were severed, and a somber mood remained from all the destruction and death that had come before.

And though her long disappearance had prepared the people, softening the blow, breaking Elina's death to the nation had been hard. Nina was now the heir to the throne, bravely facing the large shoes she would one day have to fill.

"No one will try to keep the peace as hard as you will," her father noted positively.

"I'll help," Ryu supported her.

"I know," she replied, "And I will."

-Counting Scales-

"Tell you all the interesting things that have happened to me? Well, some would be more interesting than others, but just trying to tally them all up would be like trying to count my feathers- difficult for me to do alone and pointless to separate into single tales. It's all the feathers combined that make the wings useful. And all of them combined that make them beautiful too." Nina laughed, "The way you're looking at me isn't helping, Ryu!"

They were lying in the grass in the hills behind Castle Wyndia and he was staring at her through the emerald blades with his deep and piercing dragon's gaze. He had started out seriously enough, but now she could tell he meant to tease with his intensity.

"You were there for most of the most exciting parts, you know."

"They were exciting," he agreed, leaning up on his elbows, "But I wasn't sure I could say they were the most exciting without knowing what came before."

"Hey!" she suddenly realized, "Ryu! You're the one trying to woo me here- why don't you try and impress me with stories about yourself?"

"You were there for everything, Nina."

"Everything...I guess so..." It was strange to think that Ryu's earthly existence had begun that day she had first encountered him on the way to Sakai looking for sandflier parts. Ryu didn't have a childhood or parents or a normal life before that. "...Well, I didn't see absolutely everything," she decided. "There must've been some magnificent battles I missed with fish or the monsters that blocked our way. And I'm sure even if we both experienced something, it could've felt completely different to you. So, you can tell me how you felt, Ryu. I was always wondering what you were thinking those days... So many things happened..."

"You're sure I can't just count your feathers instead?"

"Ryu!"

"I'm joking, I'm joking," he patted her hand soothingly. "Some of it may be a little hard to explain...the, uh, esoteric dragon stuff, you know. I'll try and do the best that I can, but I think it might be hard for a regular person to understand. You know, my connection to Fou-Lu, and things like that."

"I know. But I want to understand. I want to know the true you, Ryu. I want to know so many things about you."

-Before the Vows Were Said-

Nina had to admit the veil was somewhat bothersome. Peering out from behind the filmy fabric gave everything the sheen of silvery snow. It would clearly separate her memories of her wedding day into two halves- with and without the veil.

"I'm glad you're finally going through with it," Cray smiled. He looked funny so dressed up, like a cat forced to wear dolls' clothes.

"As am I," her father agreed. Though there was a fleeting bittersweetness in his eyes, he beamed with pride. He looked dignified in his ceremonial robes, but Nina could not help but notice how the years hung on his sagging shoulders. He looked so old.

Maybe it was just a reflection of how young she was still. Neither man seemed to be able to tear their eyes from the petite bride-to-be. Her white, flowing wedding dress hung to her ankles in the front and dragged in the back as a long, silken train.

"Has Ursula arrived yet?" Nina asked. The king shook his head. Among all her close friends, only Ursula and Scias had yet to show up. They had the longest distance to travel. "They should have left earlier, like I suggested," Nina thought. Although they might be disinclined to say so, she knew they would be disappointed if they missed the ceremony.

"Well," Cray took a deep breath, "It's time for the best man to do his thing. See you in a couple of minutes." He held his breath as he went, afraid of the sob that might shake him were he to exhale. Dressed as she was, Nina looked more like Elina than she had ever before. The wedding that Elina could have had still remained in him. Instead, there had been a funeral without a body. But it was all foolish conjecture, after all, he reassured himself.

Wyndham held out a shaking arm and Nina grasped it gently. "I think you made a good choice," he told his daughter approvingly.

"It's important to me that you like Ryu," she agreed, but could not help but mention one small thing about the gathering that did not please her. "Why did we have to invite Morley?" Before her father could respond, she answered her own question, "I know- because he's a member of the Alliance and Ludia's prince. But that doesn't stop me from disliking him. And this is my wedding."

"Just ignore him," her father suggested.

-After the Vows Were Said-

Price Morley was clearly sulking, sitting at a table with gray-haired old father and staring into a glass of champagne that had long since lost all its bubbles and fizz. Nina considered the sight good enough to count as a present from the Ludians.

"Y-you look b-b-beautiful," trembled a familiar voice.

Nina whirled around to face Ursula and glance upward at Scias. With her tightly pulled back hair, tasseled epaulets, and several medals, Ursula looked dignified and elegant, the epitome of lawfulness and peace-mongering as a type of war. Scias' fur still seemed as shaggy as ever, obscuring his eyes, but he wore a new green robe and appeared quite clean and neat overall.

"I'm so glad you made it!" Nina gushed to her friends.

"Nice ceremony," Ursula added to her comrade's praise of the celebration.

"Yeah, when's yours scheduled?" laughed Ryu. "I'll be sure to arrive early!"

Flustered by his remark, Ursula glanced away in an attempt to obscure the fierce red blush that marked her cheeks.

"If y-you know, t-tell me," Scias shot back jokingly.

Ursula silenced any further teasing from her tall companion by pounding one dainty gloved fist against his sturdy chest.

"Ryu and I didn't rush," Nina shrugged, "You should go at your own pace."

Ursula's embarrassment had subside somewhat, though a general pinkness tinged her face. "I can't see myself..." she plucked lightly at Nina's flowing sleeve, "In something like this... I can't see myself in this kind of life..."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Scias asked. He sounded both curious and, once again, teasing. "W-we're already living th-that k-ki-kind of life."

Clearly having a different concept of a married life in her mind, Ursula gave Scias a biting look.

"Don't let fear stop you from being happy," Ryu said, cooly, and wiser than anticipated.

"That's right," Nina seconded this surprise wisdom. "Sometimes I was afraid too."

"Sometimes I think you're still afraid when it comes to one or two things," Ryu shrugged with a smile.

Scias held back his escalating good humor, keeping his laughter to a minimum while Ursula looked both a bit amused and a bit forgiving. Maybe she'd like to be married too.

-Corona-

Relations with Ludia were at a low point again. Things had never been ideal between Wyndia and its alliance neighbor since the disappearance and subsequent death of Princess Elina, but with Wyndham's health declining and Nina's ascension imminent it was a particularly tense moment for the two nations. Morley had been crowned king just six months earlier and the pre-existing feeling of mutual annoyance he and Nina invoked in each other was well known.

Wyndham did not overly fear for the fate of his nation. But the fate of the Alliance on the other hand... As he sat in bed, propped up by half a dozen pillows, he felt that nameless dread lapping at his mind once again. He asked the chancellor to call Nina to his side.

The first thing she observed upon entering her father's chambers was how pale he looked. When she touched his hand it felt cold. "Is there any special reason that you wanted to talk to me?"

"Nina, please hold the Alliance together," he bared his feelings without hesitation. "When you become queen, please put aside your feelings toward Morley."

"Of course!" Nina rushed to assure him. "My personal feelings are one thing, but the relationship between heads of state is another thing entirely! I'll do everything in my power to promote peace- both within the Alliance and with any other nation that we interact with."

"Good, that's good. I know I can trust you." When Wyndham sighed next, it was a sigh of relief. This felt like that last bit of business he needed to tie up before he could give up his throne to his daughter. He was fading and Nina was stepping up to fill more and more of his duties. It would not be long before his daughter had completely eclipsed him. She was clever and beautiful and loved by the people. She had friends to support her. The wars with the Empire seemed to be at an end at last and if Nina followed the path before her with the diligence and honor that she said she would, Wyndia would truly be on the path to a lasting peace.

Nina smiled at her father sort of slow and sort of sad.

To Wyndham, the light shining in through the windows behind her seemed to shimmer brightest around her head, like a crown, or like the aura of the Endless, a flaming halo.

-Words Lost in Time-

"When did you start to love me?" Nina asked Ryu.

The silken sheets rustled as the youth shifted across the top of the bed. Nina stayed as she was, lying on her back, her wings slightly spread and her arms lifted up to cushion her head. She stared idly at the swirling designs in the rough paint. Ryu leaned over her, blocking her view. Something about the curious action struck her as very Ryu. She smiled.

"I thought you were cute from the second moment I saw you."

"The second? What happened between that and the first?"

He chuckled. "Well, the first moment I didn't even know who I was- I guess I didn't really know that the second moment either- or where I was, or what was going on. It took that second moment for me to really notice you." He paused to allow that to sink in before he added the cherry to the sundae of his story. "The third moment I realized I was naked."

His timing had been exquisite. Nina burst into full-fledged laughter. The mattress shook along with her happy tremors.

Ryu relaxed into a looser position at her side and ran his forefinger across the top of Nina's wing- she shivered involuntarily from the pleasurable sensation. "I don't know exactly when I started to love you," he continued the more serious aspect of his story, "My feelings just grew and swelled over time. By the time we found Fou-Lu, my heart was about ready to burst. When he said all those things about mortals, I thought of everyone I'd met on that journey, but most of all, I thought about you. When I finally told you how I felt... I was so glad. It seemed like I had been waiting forever to say those words."

Nina could feel the warmth of his love washing over her like waves. "Then say them as many times as you need to to make up for all that lost time."

"I love you." He kissed her. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

-Ambitions-

"You grew up expecting that Elina and- or- her consort would rule Wyndia, didn't you?" Ryu asked his wife intently. He had been sorting his fishing lures while she wrote a letter to Ursula, but when she finished, he took the opportunity to pry into a subject that had only recently begun to truly interest him. His father-in-law was aging faster now. His proud wings lacked their past luster. Nina was growing more and more involved in matters of statecraft, both to support Wyndham and in preparation for her own future as queen.

"I did," she responded plainly.

In their sitting room, the grim and solemn portraits of her predecessors stared down from two of the fours walls. They were handsome men and lovely women, with their faces framed by their wings. They shared little of Nina's gentle softness. Ryu wondered if the exalted position had caused their sterner traits to be exaggerated or if it was just the style. "So what did you think would happen to you? What did you want to do?"

"Well," Nina smiled a particularly charming memory, "When I was really little, I wanted to be a Woren warrior, but I don't think that's exactly what you're asking." She was right- it wasn't, but he laughed at the silly story. He couldn't apply his own experience to the matter, but it seemed like lots of children entertained capricious thoughts such as these at one time or other. "Really what I thought I was going to do was be a minister in Elina's government. Preferably a diplomat. I didn't want to be a simple token, married off in exchange for a bond that might not last a decade. I liked the idea of being a diplomat since it would allow me some freedom of movement. And since I believe in Elina so much, well, supporting her seemed like the right thing to do."

"You would've been good at those things. Well, maybe not being a Woren warrior, even though I wouldn't mind seeing you dressing like Una... But you shouldn't undersell yourself, Nina. You're going to be a great queen. And as queen, you'll get to be a diplomat and a minister and all kinds of other things at once."

"Oh, don't put all that pressure on me, Ryu! I can already feel the weight of all my royal ancestors on my shoulders. They're all staring down at me like hawks waiting to strike or vultures circling a corpse."

"Or ravens waiting to peck out your eyes!"

"Ryu!" she exclaimed as she lapsed into laughter.

-Coronation-

"Long live the queen!" The air was filled with cheerful shouts and exclamations. Queen Nina Maria Wyndia was a monarch the people were already certain they would love. Her presence had increased during her father's final years, giving the nation a foretaste of how her sweetness and traveling experience would create a style of command.

Ryu beamed at the winged woman. He too was attired elaborately for the situation. He was the new royal consort and despite his origins, which were beyond the understanding of many of Wyndia's citizens, he too was loved and welcomed.

Nina smiled back at her husband. There had been a time when she was afraid to accept the mantle of queenship, but that time was gone. The blood of kings ran through her veins. And, after all, considering all these things she had been through up 'til this point, could there really possibly be anything out there she couldn't handle with a little support from Ryu, Cray, or some other companion?

"Long live the queen!" the raucous joy continued to echo in the air. Nina and Ryu processed along the petal-strewn red carpet from the city streets and up the steps to the castle. In the audience chamber various nobles and visiting royalty bowed as they passed by. There was Prince Morley and his aged father, Cray and the Woren Elders, Marlok smoking a gold-encrusted pipe, General Ursula with Scias, her second-in-command, several fairies, and Ershin and the abbess standing just before the throne to invoke a ceremonial blessing from the gods on the new queen.

In the past a physical manifestation of the Wind Dragon was expected to appear to confer his approval on the choice of ruler, but few awaited that during this coronation. Ryu's decision years ago had made sure of that. They could not rely on the gods for everything. The Endless had faded away. People would be the saviors of people.

The bent and wrinkled chancellor reached to wipe a tear from his eye as Nina knelt so the abbess could place the crown on her head.

"Long live the queen!"