Toril appraised the two girls as they reappeared in Sheilah’s foyer.

“Bows, quivers, a spear; you two look ready to hunt!” He cheered. “I’m looking forward to this already!”

Sheilah and Fialla traded wan looks, but nodded and gestured at Toril to lead the way. He looked startled for a moment, and then laughed.

The girls looked at him confusedly, but he merely waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I’ll explain later. It’s not important. Come, come. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us.”

He led them through the castle and to a side entrance, there was a carriage that was more sturdy-looking than the ones Magdalene had used, there were six guardsmen that Sheilah appraised carefully, cautiously, and there were a pair of larger carts that seemed filled with mounded boxes and barrels.

The sky was clear, but barely visible in this part of the castle.

“I didn’t realize it before, how much I missed the sun.” Fialla muttered when they took a breath of the outside air.

They stowed their gear into one of the carts, and climbed into the carriage with Toril, and after a moment, they set off.

“Magdalene, you know, she’s been telling me about how hard you’ve both been working.” Toril began. “You know, when I was a child, I struggled with so much.” He shook his head. “I hated reading. History was the worst.”

Fialla nodded at that. Toril grinned. “She gets it.”

“Whenever I thought my head was going to explode from all the reading and memorizing and the numbers, my uncle would come and get me and would take me hunting.” He continued. “I figured you’d be the same, so I gathered up a couple of tents, some supplies, ...some guards, obviously... and off we go.”

“We’ve been to the royal hunting lodge.” Sheilah offered, and Fialla kept silent, but rolled her eyes.

“Ha!” Toril cracked, causing both girls to jump. “I knew it!” He slapped his knee for emphasis, and then leaned forward.

“When at all did I say we’re going to the royal hunting grounds?” He asked in a low, conspiratory voice. “There’s an abandoned farmstead a few days out from here that we’ll use as a rest stop, and then from there we’ll set up a camp near the eastern edge of Thorheim Forest. I don’t think I’ll be able to hunt anything,” he shrugged, “but you two can go nuts for three days.”

Sheilah elbowed Fialla, who elbowed her back.

“See? I told you to bring your spear.” Sheilah pointed out.

Fialla nodded. “I think it was a good choice, too.”

“Why don’t you think you’ll be able to hunt?” Sheilah asked.

Toril gave her a skeptical look. “You really think they’ll let me go chasing after beasts and monsters if there’s a chance that I could die?” He asked. “I’m the king. Those guards out there would scare away any prey that came within reach of my spear anyway. I’ll stay at camp with the guards, and wish you two good hunting.”

Sheilah nodded thoughtfully. “In the Redstone,-” She began, but Toril cut her off, “‘You live and die by your own strength’, right?” He asked. Sheilah nodded.

“Davian told me as such. I’ve envied him his freedom. In Stormheim, I have to be kept safe and protected, so that I can be king.” He let out a sigh.

“Mag- your mother, I mean- she was raised to be a lady, by women who were ladies and had been raised as ladies. She can’t really understand what it’s like to need to get out and hunt things. To feel the earth between your toes, to look up and see the sun and the sky and the stars at night.” Toril explained. “But you also need to understand that when you turn sixteen, you will be considered an adult by Stormheim standards. That means you will be required to attend functions, host socials, and behave in every way as the Princess of Stormheim. It’ll likely mean an end to all the hunting, fishing, fighting, sailing, and the like.” He shrugged. “So you’ll have to enjoy every little bit that you can, while at the same time prepare for its end in every way-” He gestured, “- and that means learning reading, math, writing, and all ... that boring crap.”

Sheilah nodded, but Toril had it wrong: She was already an adult. She’d hunted and killed a dragon. She’d walked the path of her Redstone ancestors, and had returned.

*****

When Magdalene arrived at Sheilah’s apartments, She had to wait longer than she was used to. Normally Andrea was quite prompt in opening the door, almost as if she had been anticipating the queen’s arrival, but today, she was surprisingly slow.

After she’d been let inside, she glanced around. “Well? Where are they?”

Andrea bowed respectfully. “They... went out with the King, my lady. As scheduled.”

Magdalene immediately frowned. “This was not something I scheduled. And? When will they be back?”

Andrea shook her head. “He told them to bring their bows, and they left wearing those leather outfits of theirs. They didn’t discuss anything about when they would return- or at least I didn’t hear anything about it.”

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Magdalene pressed her lips together. The nerve of that man.

“Then now is a good a time as any. Your thoughts on Sheilah?” Magdalene pressed.

Andrea shook her head. “I can’t get a read on her. She’s surprisingly close-mouthed,, and acts as if she’d distracted... or not paying attention at all, but she’s uncannily perceptive.” She paused. “Both of them, actually.”

“To the study. I’ll have a full report on them from you.”

Andrea bowed respectfully and went to fetch tea.

After Magdalene had a hot cup in front of her, she gestured at Andrea to continue.

“She struggles with everything you’re having me teach, but she’s no idiot.” Andrea paused. “She tries to do what’s asked of her, but...” She shook her head. “If you’re asking me my opinion, I think we should move to matters of manners and etiquette.”

“As long as she makes it by her debut, I think it’s fine.” Magdalene agreed. “And? What else?”

“It seems as if she truly treats Fialla like a little sister- Fialla certainly behaves like one to her.”

“I don’t particularly care about the elf.” Magdalene replied simply. “Stormheim would never countenance an elf as part of the royal family. They can call each other ‘sister’ as much as they like, but reality is reality.” Magdalene replied, and picked up her teacup and took a drink. After she had a long drink, she set the cup down.

“And what else?”

“She’s judging us, I think.” Andrea replied.

“The elf?” Magdalene replied, unsurprised.

Andrea shook her head. “Sheilah. I can see it sometimes. There’s at least a part of her that is ...” Andrea paused for a moment, “...cold. Calculating. As if she’s deciding whether or not she needs us.”

Magdalene raised an eyebrow. “You think she could be thinking of heading back to that dreadful place we picked her from?”

Andrea shook her head. “I have no idea. As I said, she’s tight lipped.”

“Anything else?” Magdalene asked.

“She always knows where I am. Always.” Andrea replied. “Somehow she knows where everyone is.”

Magdalene raised an eyebrow at this, but let it slide. Sheilah was strange and in some ways incomprehensible, but in the end she was Magdalene’s daughter, and Magdalene refused to have a daughter that didn’t do exactly as she wanted.

*****

Fialla threw herself down her bedroll and rolled over on her back, gasping and sweating. “I... never thought... there would be something... like that.” She panted. After she caught her breath, she looked over at Sheilah, who dragged her sweat-soaked hair away from her face with a bloody hand.

“Ugh.” Sheilah complained. “I never thought...” Sheilah began, but realized she was about to repeat her sister.

“That was a hunt.” Sheilah agreed. “That was...” She let out a breath. “I should have had a spear.” She complained. “With the both of us it would have gone much better.”

Fialla shook her head. “No way.” she disputed, struggling with the laces on her dragonhide leather armor. “A second spear wouldn’t have worked.”

“My bow didn’t do much.” Sheilah accused, carefully working with her own lacings. “In the end it was your spear that finished it off.”

Fialla took a long and shaky breath, held it, and let it out.

“An armored grizzly.” She mused. “All that bone plating.” She shook her head. “And those claws!”

Sheilah nodded, and stripped out of leathers and began wiping herself down, using a small bucket of water and some bits of cloth, cleaning the blood off of herself.

“Not as dangerous as a Tyrant Dragon, but... unbelievably fierce.” Sheilah judged.

Fialla laughed weakly as she sat up and began to strip out of her own leathers. “My own dragon fight was easy because I caught it by surprise, but...” She began thoughtfully, “but I think that bear was just as fierce, in some ways.”

“Careful.” Sheilah warned in a mock-serious voice. “Dragons are the apex.”

“A dragonling would have been obliterated by that bear and you know it.” Fialla replied smartly, taking the rag Sheilah was using and wiping herself down.

“I’m worried, sister.” Fialla began in a low voice. “Your mother says that elves are not welcome in Stormheim.” She passed the rag back and examined her knee, probling it with her fingers. The bear had swiped at her and gave her a powerful blow. Her dragonhide armor had repelled the claws, but the crushing impact had broken her leg at the knee and it was only thanks to the dragon’s Immortality that she’d been able to regenerate. She was ferociously hungry and felt overwhelmingly weak and exhausted, but she felt like it was necessary to say what needed to be said before eating.

“Will we truly be able to find a man willing to accept the both of us?” She asked. “I have been listening very carefully to Magdalene and Andrea, as well as the other servants.” She paused. “What will happen when you have to make the choice?”

Sheilah stiffened a little. “You mean, you or him.” She answered. Fialla nodded.

Sheilah finished wiping herself off and twirled her finger; Fialla presented her back, and Sheilah began wiping her down.

“I’ve been thinking about a lot of things since before we met Magdalene. I’ve never stopped thinking about things.” She slipped her arms around the slimmer elven girl. “In the Redstone, they called you ‘Sheilah’s Shadow’. You’ve helped me out so much, I don’t even know where and how to begin paying you back.” She kissed the back of Fialla’s head. “But here, we are the Daughters of the Redstone, the Daughters of the Dragon Clan, with the shared blood of the Tyrant in our veins. I say that makes us sisters, Fialla.” She squeezed the smaller girl tightly and laid her cheek against Fialla’s shoulder.

“I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I do know one- no, two things for certain.” Sheilah murmured. “No, three. Well, a lot, but let’s say three.”

Fialla chuckled at that. “Let’s hear them.” She urged.

“I’ll never let you be alone.” Sheilah replied. “We’re together.”

After a long moment of silence, Fialla asked, “And the other two?”

“I’m unbearably hungry and I’m wondering how long it will take for you to finish wiping my back down.” Sheilah replied, ending with a laugh.

“Well, let me go and turn around, so I can wipe you down, sister.” Fialla replied. “And then we can eat ‘till our guts explode.”

*****

A small ship with delicate, wing-like sails rode the seas easily, slicing through the waves as if propelled by magic, its destination the harbor of Stormheim.