Thayle looked up at the tent as she lay trapped between her lovers. Lilly nestled to her stomach with arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Sarah was to her right, pressed to her shoulder, while Gersius was to her left laying on his side, watching while stroking Lilly’s head.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Thayle asked, desperate to break the silence. Ever since the fight in the remote keep, Gersius had been teetering on a strange emotion of anger and relief. She caught visions of his pain as he imagined losing her, or worse, what they could have done to her while in their care. He thought of the pain of having two wives but no way to have children and how important Thayle was to them all. In the middle of those dark thoughts, she saw something else that made her breathless. She was special to him in so many ways. Being the one who could have children was important, but hardly his sole motivation. He saw her as a sort of guiding light, sent by the divines to bring him the happiness of a family. Over the weeks, she had become aware of his desire for a family, but this need bordered on obsession. It was all he wanted, the war on the Doan and all the troubles he had to face to get there was nothing more than duty. What he really wanted was a home and a family with wives and children.

“There is nothing to talk about,” he replied softly so as not to wake Lilly and Sarah.

“Gersius, you are changing,” Thayle said. “You are hardening your heart to deal with the pain of this war while at the same time dreaming of a family. I see your thoughts and feel the pain of your longing. You want children, and you want them now.”

He looked down at Lilly as Thayle read his mind seeing how he wished he could have children with them all. Thayle nearly kicked Lilly awake to force her to tell him her secret, but she pushed the thought away before he saw it and reached up to caress his face.

“I will have all the children you need,” she said, gently turning his face back to her.

He looked into her eyes, and she read another thought, one that pained her so profoundly she wanted to cry. He was worried that the Father Abbot knew of his desire for family. The price Duncan paid was more than likely because of his close ties to the man. Duncan's daughter wasn't in the camps, and they had no idea where she was taken. Now he worried that the Father Abbot was targeting women that Gersius once had ties to, and more importantly, targeting Thayle to prevent her from bearing him a child.

“If you persist on this dark thought, I will take a blessing of fertility right this moment, and you will give me a child,” Thayle insisted.

“You have an army to lead,” he said as she cupped the side of his face.

“I have a duty to you as your wife,” she said. “Ulustrah appointed me to your side to help you carry your burdens. If this burden is crushing you, then I will take it from you. You will march ahead knowing your child is on the way.” His thoughts became even darker as he imagined them killing her and his unborn child. “Gersius, stop!” Thayle said so loudly both Lilly and Sarah woke.

“What is the matter?” Sarah asked as Lilly looked up in confusion.

Thayle took a moment to calm then explained the deep pain he was feeling. Her kidnapping had stirred in him a sense of dread that his wives were being targeted.

“Nonsense,” Sarah said. “She was the bait; you were the target,” Sarah said as she ran a hand down his arm.

“My desire for a family is a weakness,” he said at last. “I can't bear the thought of our enemies targeting my wives to prevent it.”

“Why would they do that?” Lilly asked softly. “It’s the prophecy they want to stop.”

Sarah let out a sigh and took over as the one stroking Lilly's head. “Child, he is worried they know they can't stop the prophecy, but they can steal all the happiness out of his victory. He might win the war but lose everything he was fighting for.”

“Oh,” Lilly said and sat up. “Like how you are upset about killing the people you started all this to save.”

Gersius nodded, and Lilly leaned over him, Laying her head on his arm.

“I don't know why all this became such a trial for you. I know you set out to do a great thing and not for yourself, but the good of the people. I know because, in Eastgate, you told me you didn't want to be the dragon knight. You only wanted me as a symbol to unite the land so you could win the war. I was hurt when you admitted that if ordered, you would give me to another. I didn't understand duty or the chain of command back then, but I do now. And it has shown me that all you wanted to do was save the lives of people. I think the Father Abbot is turning those people into a weapon to hurt you. I think the pain he started under Whiteford hasn't stopped, only changed to a new method. He wants to break you so that when you finally take your place on the throne, you will be like him.”

“I agree,” Thayle said. “He is after your character and using every weapon at his disposal to break down who you are.”

Gersius nodded and let out a deep sigh. “I should not have killed the raven captain in the chapel. I should have had him arrested and taken to Jessivel. We might have learned valuable information about their plans or Calathen.”

“Why did you kill him?” Thayle asked as she touched his cheek.

Gersius was silent as he considered the moment and the anger that drove him on. He wasn’t sure what drove him to rage like that. All he knew was a consuming sense of hate for the man and a deep desire for his words to end.

“This is because of me,” Sarah said as they all read his thoughts. “This was my doing. My hatred for the raven guard is poisoning your bind, and now it has caused you to be reckless.”

“It isn't you,” Gersius tried to reply, but Sarah threw herself back and laid an arm over her eyes.

“No, it is me,” she insisted. “I have never known you to hate as I do. Never seen you give in to the burning anger that consumes me when I think about those abominations. Now you confront one and have a golden opportunity to question him, and instead, you lose control and kill him, brutally, as I would have.”

“I was overcome with stress about Duncan,” Gersius tried to argue, but Sarah wouldn't let him take the blame.

“This is my doing, and nothing you say will change that fact. Now I have to wonder if I am a hindrance to you. I might be doing more harm than good. Perhaps Astikar kept me from you to protect you and your family.”

“Now you need to stop,” Thayle said as Sarah began to think about leaving the bind. “Gersius and I have both been changing since this awful war began. You may have contributed your anger to the bind, but our dislike of the raven guard was well established before you. Even if you are somehow to blame, it doesn't mean you are a danger. You have done far more good than you give yourself credit for. You saved Lilly from her calling and Gams and his army at the meeting point. You have resurrected the falcons, brought women back to Astikar, and become a symbol of strength and nobility.

“All of which I could have done from outside the bind,” Sarah stressed. “The divines must have known what a disturbance I would be. They kept me away to save you.”

Gersius moved as Lilly started to sniffle. He sat up and leaned over Thayle, reaching an arm around Sarah and pulling her up.

“I need you,” he said in a firm voice. “I need you here, in my arms, in my bed. I need your strength, your fire, and your love. If that means I also get the burning hatred you carry for the men who have turned the faith you cherish into a tainted mockery, then so be it.”

“But I can’t bring myself to see you learn to hate,” Sarah said.

“I learned to hate when they started breaking my ribs,” Gersius said firmly. “When they used Astikars blessings to keep me alive so they could extend the pain and make me suffer. When I learned, they had cruelly hacked off Lilly's wings and then beaten her as she lay sobbing and begging for mercy. When they used the trust people had in their name to cowardly use them as shields to stop our advance. No, Sarah, I didn't need you to learn how to hate. All you did was make it easier for it to come to the surface. You see the ravens as a personal insult to your beloved falcons, and facing him alone allowed my hatred to come pouring out.”

“I am the only one of your wives who doesn’t bring love to your binding,” Sarah said. “Lilly is a fountain of love, and Thayle, a master artist who shapes it. What do I bring besides my anger and pride?”

“Sarah,” Thayle interrupted. “Are you worried we don’t love you?”

Sarah looked away as she began to curl up and close her eyes. “I don’t know what I think.”

Thayle growled and threw her head back as she tried to clear her thoughts. “What is with you two? First, Gersius is filled with worry about his enemies killing one of us, and now you're worried you are damaging our bind and that we don't need your love.”

“I need you,” Lilly said and crawled over Thayle to lay into Sarah’s side. “I love you.”

“You can say that so easily,” Sarah said. “Does it truly mean anything to you?”

Lilly blinked in confusion and looked to Thayle for support.

“Alright, everyone, stop!” Thayle commanded. “What is happening here is doubt and worry being shared over the bind. If anything, we need to take a moment to understand this and learn how to control it.”

“I am causing this,” Sarah said.

“And Gersius thinks he is causing his wives pain and suffering,” Thayle pointed out. “He is worried that our enemies will strike at us to wound him. You think you are causing all of us to suffer because your nature is so focused on anger. You two are feeding each other's fears over the bind and making it worse.”

“How do we stop it?” Lilly asked as she began to look inward. “I worry that I am not a strong enough dragon for what he needs.”

“See!” Thayle said. “I was worrying that I wasn’t going to be a good wife or mother before all this started. We are sharing one unified belief that we are somehow not right for the others.”

Gersius closed his eyes and let out a strained sigh. “How do we get control?”

“We go to sleep,” Thayle said. “And Sarah takes us to the valley.”

“Why the valley?” Sarah asked.

Thayle looked at her firmly and explained how it was the one dream they all shared. The life that came after, where they could be a family sharing their love.

Sarah closed her eyes and relented as Gersius and Lilly curled tightly to one another.

“You promised you would bring me back to the valley,” Lilly whispered. “Please, keep your promise.”

“I will bring you back,” he said as he stroked her head. He laid down and held her to his chest as he admitted he wanted to see it again.

Together they closed their eyes and, using practiced techniques, went to sleep. In minutes they were in another place as Sarah gathered them together on a little hill. Thayle smiled as she looked over a sunny landscape of rolling emptiness. Lilly's valley was barren except for the hardy scrub grass that clung to a harsh life in the gravel and stones.

Lilly was immediately emotional as she looked around her distant home. Gersius took her hand as they walked down the slope, talking about that fateful day that seemed years ago.

“It was only weeks ago, wasn't it?” Sarah asked as she looked at Thayle.

“Yes, but to them, it was a lifetime,” Thayle replied and reached out to take Sarah's hand.

“You don’t need me to hold your hand,” Sarah pointed out.

“No, but I want you to,” Thayle said. “We all need somebody to hold our hand once in a while, even you.”

“I see,” Sarah replied. “I do rather enjoy having you to hand. You need a good firm grasp to guide you sometimes.”

Thayle laughed as they came closer to the stream, and Gersius stopped on a raised portion of land.

“This is where we will build it,” he said while looking over the landscape. “Our home will sit right here.”

Lilly sighed and walked into the open space looking around as if trying to see it.

“I wish we could be here now,” she said. “Why do we have to fight this awful war? Why can’t we be happy now?”

Gersius stepped closer and took her hands as he explained.

“Sometimes, you are called to a purpose that you cannot run from. Sometimes that purpose tests who you are and what you believe, but no matter what, you have to go forward even when all you want is to turn away.”

“But why?” Lilly asked. “Don’t we deserve some time to be happy?”

He nodded and pulled her closer so he could look into her eyes.

“We do, but we have to finish what we started. None of us would have this love if not for our path. No matter how hard the road ahead may become, we have to keep walking it. The divines chose us for a purpose, and we have to fulfill that purpose, or we might very well lose the happiness we are seeking.”

She lowered her head and nodded as he pulled her into a hug.

“This is why he was called to do this,” Thayle whispered to Sarah. “He won't turn away from the task even if it causes him terrible pain.”

“From what you told me, he nearly turned away when it caused Lilly pain,” Sarah said.

Thayle nodded and realized that was indeed Gersius's weakness. He was willing to suffer to achieve his goals, but he wasn't ready to let his wives suffer in his place.

“He may not wish us to suffer for him, but we will suffer none the less before this task is complete,” Sarah said, reading her mind.

Thayle chose to put the dark thought away and focus on why they were here. The bind allowed them to share in their worries and fears, and now it was clouding their judgment. She approached Lilly and Gersius and asked him to describe the house he wanted to build so they could envision it. Her goal was to focus their thoughts on the happiness of the future and remind them what they were fighting for, giving them a good reason to press on in hope. Sarah took her idea farther and told him to envision the house, then used the bind to see his thoughts and, with her power over the dream, caused it to appear.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“This is amazing!” Thayle said in shock as the modest two-story house suddenly materialized before them. It had a lower floor of fieldstones holding up the second floor of oaken beams and white plaster. Windows adorned every wall, and flowers and shrugs grew all around it.

“Well, let’s go inside and see our future home,” Sarah said and gestured to the door.

Gersius led the way into a large sitting room with a great hearth and soaring high ceilings. To the right was a little hall that led to a dining room and kitchen. Sarah immediately paced around the space of the kitchen, looking about as if displeased by the layout.

“I want a good sturdy table here,” she said and pointed to the center of the room just before one appeared. “And I want a larder on that wall,” she added as one of those also appeared.

“Why are you planning the kitchen?” Thayle asked as Sarah added dishes and bowls to a cupboard.

“If I am going to be working here, I want it just right,” she replied.

Thayle and Lilly looked confused as Gersius stepped up and tried to explain it to Sarah.

“You are not expected to cook for us,” he said. “We will all share in making meals, and I will cook as much as needed.”

“Nonsense,” Sarah insisted. “I am the oldest and wisest of your wives. I will provide the meals and manage the house so my daughters can run and play.”

“Run and play?” Thayle repeated as a smile came to her face. “Are you saying you want us to act like little girls?”

“You do that already,” Sarah quipped. “I am simply saying that I wish to provide a space where you can do it without embarrassment.”

“I’m alright with that,” Lilly teased.

“So am I,” Thayle added as Sarah went back to planning her kitchen. She watched as Sarah carefully went over every detail, pointing out all her desires. Thayle hadn't realized how strong Sarah's motherly nature was and began to understand why dragons organized themselves as they did. Sarah saw everyone not close to her age as a child in need of mothering and had a overwhelming desire to do so. Thayle realized this was the key to abating her anger by feeding her nature and helping Sarah find joy in what she desired. If they could give her this joy, her effect on the bind might change, and they would all be free of her rage. She whispered into Lilly's ear as Sarah caused a hearth and cast iron stove to appear, laying out the kitchen for Gersius to build later.

“Lilly, do you want to have some fun?” Thayle asked.

“What kind of fun?” Lilly teased as she began to dream of kisses and love.

“Not that kind of fun,” Thayle laughed and took her hand. “I mean, let's be what Sarah want's for a bit. Ask her if we can go outside and play while she organizes the house.”

Lilly had to cover a laugh as she shook her head. “Thayle, I am over five hundred years old. I don’t run around like a little human girl. I didn’t even do that when I was five years old.”

“Lilly, look at her and feel her over the bind. She is embracing this like I never imagined she would. Sarah needs this to help her get over the anger and pain she carries. She wants to mother us and wants us to respond to that mothering in a positive way. All we have to do is let Sarah be in charge and take good care of us. Trust me; you won't regret it.”

Lilly played with her lip as she struggled to see a reason why not. Thayle could see how Lilly already went to Sarah for all her dragon-related questions anyway. She even called her mother more often than Sarah and loved to be called daughter in return.

“Alright, but this is silly,” Lilly said with a smile before turning to Sarah as she explained how she wanted a door out to a back patio. “Mother, may Thayle and I go outside and play while you organize the house?”

Sarah and Gersius went silent and turned to regard Lilly as she twisted with her hands clasped behind her back. Gersius looked confused, but Sarah put on a gentle smile and nodded.

“Of course you can, my daughters. But don’t go far, or it will become very difficult to keep you in the dream. I am already straining to keep this house here while we plan.”

The warmth and happiness Sarah radiated over the bind was all the confirmation Thayle needed to know she was right. Lilly took her hand and went out the back door Sarah had caused to appear just moments ago. Once outside, they began to giggle as they walked across the stony yard to the mountain stream.

“That was fun,” Lilly said. “Did you feel how happy she was?”

“That's because this means a lot to her. Just like you want to be here for real, Sarah wants her place in the dragon hierarchy, but there are no dragons for her to lead. I know you, and she have told me a dozen times how you organize by age, but I didn't realize how much it meant to her until moments ago.”

“I guess I didn’t either,” Lilly admitted. “So much of what we dragons do is part of our nature, and I am not old enough to feel as she does. It probably works like the calling does, a terrible need to satiate the desire when the appropriate age is reached. I wonder if I will want to be called mother at her age?”

“Lilly, you are going to be called mother in a year or two when you have that daughter,” Thayle pointed out.

Lilly sighed and looked up to the sky, grateful it was always sunny in the dream.

“I worry if I tell him now, it will make his path harder. Look at how difficult it has already become,” she began and started to pace the water's edge. “I want more than anything to be here so I can wrap my arms around him and make love. Then at the very moment he consumes me, I whisper in his ear and tell him I can have his child.”

Thayle smiled at how beautiful Lilly made her desire sound. She wanted the moment to be special and free from the stain of bloodshed. She understood Lilly’s desire and once again let Lilly have her way and keep the secret, for now.

Lilly looked down the long stream as Thayle came up behind her, a new appreciation for the little dragon. Lilly had developed a passionate soul that craved beautiful moments. She wanted things like her secret to be special and delivered in such a way as to move his heart.

“You are beautiful, Lilly,” Thayle said. “Inside and out, you are a beautiful woman.”

Lilly turned and smiled, her cheeks slightly red in a blush. Thayle saw the innocent little dragon that stole her heart those few weeks ago and wanted to sweep her up in a warm embrace.

“So, what do human girls do when they play?” Lilly asked as her blush deepened.

Thayle laughed and took her hand, walking along the stream as the house kept changing behind them. She described all manner of games as Lilly asked questions about them. The game that appealed to her the most was tag. The idea of running down her prey felt very natural to her.

“Always from a dragon’s point of view,” Thayle said with a smirk.

“I can't help it,” Lilly replied with a smile. “So, how do we start?”

Thayle shrugged and lightly slapped her arm, declaring her to be it, and then ran away laughing as Lilly ran after her.

“You can’t escape me,” Lilly cried from behind.

Thayle smiled and ran for the house, screaming as Lilly rushed after her. She ran past a new patio with a fire pit in the middle and raced for the corner of the house as Lilly yelled a promise to tag her rear.

“What in the world are those two doing?” Sarah said as she went over the layout of the bedrooms from upstairs. She went to the window and threw the shudders wide to lean out just as a silver dragon's claw slapped Thayle on the rear.

“Hey!” Thayle cried as she jumped on her toes. “Lilly, that’s cheating.”

“How is it cheating?” Lilly asked. “I tagged you just like you said.”

“You used a blessing,” Thayle argued. “You have to play the game fairly.”

“Why?”

“What are you two doing?” Sarah called from above.

Thayle and Lilly smiled and looked up as Thayle explained the rules of the game. Lilly argued that the rules should include her dragon's claw blessing, but Thayle insisted it wasn't fair.

“I don’t have a blessing I can tag you with,” Thayle argued.

“Then I will always win,” Lilly said smugly.

“That is enough of that, child. Your sister has explained the rules, now play the game properly or not at all,” Sarah called from the window, trying hard to hide a smile.

“What if I don’t want to?” Lilly sassed as Sarah’s smile widened.

“If you make me come down there, I will tag your rear until it's as red as my hair,” Sarah threatened as Lilly suddenly jumped with a scandalous face.

“You wouldn’t!” she gasped.

“Don’t test me,” Sarah replied and went back into the room.

Thayle started to laugh profusely as Lilly guarded her tush in panic.

“She would!” Lilly gasped. “I saw it in her thoughts.”

“Then you had better play fairly,” Thayle said and pried one of Lilly's hands free from its firm defense. “Let's give her a few more minutes to plan the house, then go inside and see what she did.”

“Why is Sarah doing all the planning?” Lilly asked as Thayle led her around the side.

“She's the matron of the house, and this is her new lair.”

“But she has a lair,” Lilly insisted.

“Lilly,” Thayle began with a shake of her head. “Sarah sees her existing lair as a prison. She was trapped inside it for thousands of years, waiting to be called out. I think this is all part of her anger and why she is embracing this so wholeheartedly. She needed to come here to see a beautiful future like you do. One free of war and death, but full of love and happiness. I wish I had realized it sooner. I know what matters most to you and Gersius, but I hadn't given Sarah the same consideration. She needs to be in charge of things. Her dragon nature says that a dragon of her age should be leading the younger ones as a sort of mother. She can't lead Gersius because of the nature of the relationship, but she can lead us if we let her.”

“And she can have this house as a lair to rule from,” Lilly said as she looked over the building. “Are we dragons complicated?”

“Actually, I admire the way you organize yourselves,” Thayle said. “A society where all are equal and leadership is defined by age and wisdom. Your leaders were all like Sarah, deeply caring for the ones they look after and applying their years of experience to better them. It also sounds to me that until the war, you dragons never fought or killed one another.”

“My mother said it never happened, but something awakened in us, and we changed,” Lilly replied and began to think. “I wonder why my mother never told me I was cursed?”

“Would you have believed her if she had?” Thayle asked.

Lilly wasn't sure, and Thayle could see the conflict of thoughts in her mind. She wanted to believe she would have but thought back to her days as a broodling and realized the answer was no.

“Maybe she didn't tell you because it wouldn't have mattered,” Thayle suggested. “Besides, the divines had plans for you, and your mother may have known it.”

“I guess,” Lilly replied and looked to the house again. “It just feels funny to think of how often I dreamed of this, but now it feels like Sarah’s dream.”

“It is both your dreams,” Thayle insisted and led the way to the front door. They returned to the sitting room and immediately went to the kitchen to see Sarah's changes. Thayle was amazed Sarah knew so much about kitchens to understand what a cast iron stove was or what use a cupboard served. They wandered the lower floor finding the hall off the sitting room, went into a small library, then a bedroom with a massive bed.

“I know where we will be sleeping,” Thayle said with a smirk as they followed the hall to room with stone walls and a large wooden tub.

“Ooh, I wish we could take a bath,” Lilly sighed. “Sarah hasn't had one yet.”

“I am looking forward to the day when we can show her,” Thayle said with a smile before going upstairs. Here they found three more rooms, each a bedroom with a double bed and basic furniture. Sarah and Gersius were in the last one debating how she wanted more rooms.

“They each need a space,” Sarah insisted.

“They will be In the room with us,” Gersius argued.

“What are you two fighting about?” Lilly asked as they arrived and interrupted the conversation.

Gersius sighed and turned to the girls before explaining that Sarah wanted them to have their own bedrooms. She and Gersius would be in the large room downstairs, but Thayle and Lilly would have rooms upstairs.

Lilly suddenly felt very tense, and Thayle didn't blame her. She turned to Sarah with hands-on-hips to confront this before it got out of hand.

“I don’t mind calling you mother and letting you lead, but I am not letting you separate Lilly or I from our husband.”

Sarah shook her head and stepped forward as she wrung her hands. “I don’t mean it like that,” she said. “You and Lilly will sleep downstairs in the bed with us every night. It’s where I want and expect you to be.”

Thayle felt confused and asked why they needed separate bedrooms then. Sarah explained that she only wanted them to have a space they could call their own. A room in the house that was uniquely theirs where they could keep things that were important to them. It would also serve as a place they could go to be alone. Gersius wouldn't bother them if they were in their rooms, and Sarah would come in with their permission. It was another facet of her dragon nature coming to the surface. She had a need for private space and wanted to ensure Thayle and Lilly had one as well.

“I like it,” Lilly said once it was explained. “A space I can hang all my dresses and put out my things.”

“Exactly,” Sarah said with a nod. “But always remember the room downstairs is ours, not mine.”

Lilly smiled and walked up to Sarah and took her hands before leaning into her for a hug. “Thank you for planning this for me,” Lilly said. “I love you.”

Sarah returned the hug and looked to Thayle, who felt silly for getting so upset.

“I’m sorry,” Thayle said. “I jumped to a conclusion.”

“Child, I should have explained the idea and not let our husband do it,” Sarah said.

“What was wrong with how I did it?” he asked.

Thayle laughed as Sarah held open an arm and welcomed her into the hug with Lilly.

“You put all the wrong inflection on the words and made it sound like I was banishing them from our bed,” Sarah said to him. “Of course, they got upset when it sounded like that.”

“I should have known you were only thinking of us,” Thayle said. “You really are a good mother.”

“It comes with age,” Sarah sighed and turned them loose. “Incidentally, I loved hearing you two play.”

Thayle gave her a wink and suggested she could listen to all the playing in the world once there were some actual children to watch over.

“And when are you going to start providing them?” Sarah asked as Thayle started to squirm.

“As soon as it's safe,” Thayle protested but glanced at Lilly. “Hopefully, we will have a lot of children.”

“I would not put such a burden on you,” Gersius insisted, but Thayle smiled and took Lilly's hand.

“Oh, I have a feeling you won't have to. Sooner or later, you will find another wife who can have children with us. She is probably closer than you think.”

Lilly coughed as Sarah hid a smile under a hand. Gersius didn’t seem to notice as he lectured them about how he needed no more wives, and the prophecy predicted they were all he would have.

“Men can be so oblivious,” Thayle sighed and continued. “Even if the prophecy is right, it ends when you become emperor, remember? Who's to say the kings of the world won't offer you princesses as wives to secure favors?”

“I am not selling my favor in exchange for women,” he said.

“Will, you at least consider it?” Thayle pleaded. “What about what your wives want?”

Gersius looked at Sarah for support, but she smiled and replied.

“I don't mind taking care of more brats. I mean wives,” she said as Lilly smiled.

“We only have three spare bedrooms, and Lilly and Thayle will be taking two of them,” he insisted, but Sarah concentrated as the house changed around them, growing longer and spreading out.

“And now we have seven,” Sarah corrected.

“Yum, seven wives,” Thayle said with a smile as she began to imagine it.

“Keep those thoughts to yourself, you little harlot,” Sarah said as Lilly started to blush from reading Thayle’s mind.

“I can’t,” Thayle said. “I am hopelessly stuck in the bind with all my lovers.”

“Maybe we can trade her for favor with another king,” Sarah suggested as Lilly started to giggle.

“We are not taking seven wives,” Gersius insisted as all three women turned on him and made him step back.

“Husband, I have been told you will take any woman we feel was led to us by the divines, or who is special and unique of character,” Sarah said. “I expect you to hold to that promise.”

“I never promised it,” he corrected. “I said I would consider it.”

Sarah gave him a firm glare as she took a hand from Lilly and Thayle. “I want more wives to take care of,” she insisted. “I will not be denied them.”

“Sounds like we get our wish after all,” Thayle said to a smiling Lilly.

“What has come over you three?” Gersius asked as his brows rose. “A few minutes ago, I was brooding over my fear of losing one of you.”

“This has come over us,” Thayle said and waved with her free hand. “We needed this as a reminder of what we were struggling for. Until now, Lilly was the only one who truly understood it, but now Sarah and I have embraced it and the happiness it brings.”

“I want more,” Sarah said as she gripped their hands tightly. “I need them to take care of.”

“I don’t understand,” Gersius said as he looked between them.

“Gersius,” Thayle began. “Sarah is a dragon who feels the need of her blood calling her to lead the younger ones. Just like the calling drives them to mate, this need is driving her to seek out women to care for and lead. But her order is destroyed, and the younger ones aren't coming to the dream to seek her counsel. She has the burning desire and nobody to express it with except Lilly and I.”

He let out a slow breath as he worked on the idea before finally looking up. “Is this why you are calling her mother?”

“It's part of it,” Thayle said with a nod. “Sarah has a natural instinct to care for younger dragons, and Lilly and I are her charges. All she is asking is you don’t deny her more if we find them.”

“Worthy girls,” Sarah insisted. “I expect them to be every bit as special as our two here.”

Gersius put a hand to his face and let out a laugh. “I see why you said we needed to come here. You knew we needed a happy moment to remind us of what we are trying to achieve.”

“I knew this place meant so much to you and Lilly it would likely affect Sarah. What I didn’t realize was how much Sarah needs this life,” she added and looked to the tall red-haired woman holding her hand.

“What am I supposed to say?” Sarah said. “You're right. I have grown old and reached the rank of mother in our order. I do feel a desire to care for the younger dragons, but they don’t even know how to enter the dream, let alone seek me out. If not for you, Lilly, and Shadros, I would be going out of my mind with remorse. Coming here, I see I could have that life another way, one where I could dedicate myself to caring for my younger wives as if they were my daughters of the scale.”

“And the more wives to care for, the better,” Thayle added.

“There is a limit,” Sarah said and squeezed Thayle's hand. “I saw that vision that went through your mind. We are not taking a hundred wives, and you,” Sarah quipped as she turned to Lilly. “I saw you wondering about some of the women in the camp that you like. Our husband is right, you are attracted to physical beauty like a moth to a flame, but you lack a good sense of judgment. You are not allowed to bring women home just because they are pretty. A woman's beauty is marked by her character, not the skin that makes up her face.”

“I can’t bring any of them home?” Lilly asked in a defeated tone.

“Not a one,” Sarah said firmly. “We will find more when the time is right, and they shine before us.”

Lilly frowned and stamped a foot as Sarah tugged at her hand. “Child, I will not have you behaving like that. You are a noble and beautiful wife of this family, and you will act accordingly.”

Thayle smiled and pulled free to take Lilly aside and sit on the bed. She took a deep breath and prepared them for what was next.

“Now that we have seen this, we have to face the reality that this is the dream, and we have to return to the war,” she said.

“I regret that we will have to return soon,” Sarah added. “The bind makes it easier, but keeping you three and this house here is straining me.”

“So, we all remember what it is we are fighting for?” Thayle asked. “This home and the family we will build here.”

“And the children you will give us,” Gersius added.

Thayle smiled and nodded. “Trust me, Gersius, you're going to be glad you added seven bedrooms.”

“Do we have to go back?” Lilly asked sadly as she looked around. “I want to stay here forever.”

“We have to go back so we can achieve this,” Gersius said as he walked up to Lilly and Thayle. He knelt before them and smiled as the two smiled back. “Thank you for thinking of this. It has helped clear my head.”

“It helped because it made Sarah realize what she had waiting for her,” Thayle said. “Now she has a hope for a future and no need to hold on to her rage. I can feel it. Her anger is withering away.”

“So is my strength,” Sarah added. “I could keep you three in an empty valley all night, but this house requires an immense amount of concentration. I am afraid we are leaving whether we like it or not.”

“Take us out,” Gersius said. “I think we have learned a great deal here today.”

Sarah nodded, and the dream faded around them. Slowly Thayle opened her eyes to their bedroom in the tent and was immediately swallowed up in Sarah’s arms.

“Thank you, child,” Sarah whispered. “Thank you for showing me what I needed.”

Thayle relaxed into that embrace and settled her head to Sarah’s chest.

“My only regret is I am not a dragon for you to care for,” Thayle whispered back.

“You are a dragon to me,” Sarah said and kissed the top of her head. “And I intend to mother you every bit as much as I do the little blue sweetheart.”

Thayle curled into Sarah’s arms with a big smile, relishing the warmth of her skin. “She is a sweetheart, isn’t she?”

“You and her are the most valuables jewels in my crown,” Sarah replied. “I can’t wait for that home, so I can listen to you two play all day long.”

“Sarah,” Thayle said with a broad smile. “We can’t play like that all day. We're grown women.”

“You can play, and you will,” Sarah insisted. “Because I am going to take all of life's burdens away from you, so all you have to fill your days will be love and laughter.”

“Hmm,” Thayle replied as she tried to imagine it. “Don't tempt me. I might take you up on your offer.”

“Child,” Sarah said as she rubbed her back. “Do you want me to be happy?”

“Of course,” Thayle replied.

“Then forget what the world says you must be. Go back to being free of heart and innocent of soul, and play for me,” Sarah whispered.

“You really want this?” Thayle asked as Sarah embraced her more firmly.

“It’s all I want,” Sarah replied. “When we get to that valley, I want you to leave all of your burdens outside and come into it renewed. Run wild and free, laughing and playing, so I know you are happy.”

Thayle let out a deep contented sigh. “Now I want into the valley as much as Lilly does.”

“Trust me, now we all do,” Sarah cried.