Now I wish I had saved a little of the silver and gems, but I used the last of them on the robe. Luckily, drake leather is high quality and has a decent mana capacity. The first enchant I do is comfort, both for anyone riding me and for me so the saddle doesn't chafe.

Then I do the normal strengthening, self-repair, and size changing enchantments. That way it can shrink for easy storage and grow as I seem to still be growing. With all the practice I have been getting recently, my skill has improved and the enchants take less space.

That leaves me more room to play with, so I add some defensive enchants to protect anyone riding me. It will also reduce the wind that hits them, which is important when I am flying. After all, I don't want to find out if I am good enough to catch a kid that gets blown off.

With the last little bit of room that is left, I add command words so I can put it on and take it off without help. As soon as it is done I put the saddle back on and Lin helps the kids onto the saddle. The pad is big enough for the four of them, but they don't stay on it.

Lin says "Um, I think we need something more."

"Yeah. I can already see them falling off as they try to see what's going on."

Digging through my pouch I manage to find some leather scraps that I turn into harnesses. Lin puts them on the kids and attaches them to the saddle to secure them. They have enough length to move around a bit, but not enough to fall off.

Lin says "That's much better. Alright, I think we are ready."

"You still need to test out your seat."

With a laugh Lin climbs up and takes her seat, once she is in position I head out to the balcony. After telling everyone to hold on tight, I throw myself into the air and start flapping my wings. The kids are all yelling in excitement and Lin is laughing as she watches them.

They are really enjoying this, I should have thought of this a long time ago. After I gain some altitude, I yell at everyone to hold on and then I do some acrobatics. As I do flips and barrel rolls, the kids are screaming in fear and excitement.

Lin says "Unless you added a cleaning enchant, you better stop now!"

With a laugh I level out and turn my head to look back, Lin is looking a little green. The kids on the other hand, look disappointed that the fun ride is over. Later, I think I will take them up again, without Lin, and give them a wild ride.

For now, I fly nice and level so Lin can recover and head towards the coast. When I reach the coast I continue heading inland while looking for a nice flat spot. I spot several that would fit the castle, but I keep looking for one with decent scenery.

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It isn't quite flat, but I find a nice hilltop that should have some great views. The sudden drop as I move to land causes some screams, I forgot to warn everyone. I can't help but laugh until Lin leans forward to smack the back of my head.

As I land I am still chuckling quietly, which earns me another smack, but it was worth it. Once I am on the ground I send out a small pulse of mana to check the hill. I am fairly sure the castle would survive if the hill collapsed, but I don't want to test it if I don't have to.

While Lin helps the kids down I take out the castle and let it set itself up. The enchantments work, despite the hill not being level, the castle is perfectly level. As soon as they are released from their harnesses, the kids run inside to start exploring.

Lin steps on my tail, making me yelp, then she follows the kids, but I can see her smiling. Laughing, I put away the saddle and then follow her into the castle. Of course, the kids have already found their room and are playing tag on the cat trees.

Lin says "Are we just testing this place out or are we staying a while?"

"I figured we would stay the night and return to the ship tomorrow. Maybe let the kids explore outside a little and get some fresh air."

Lin says "Sounds good. It is nice to be back on solid ground. I don't mind being on the ship, but everything always moving gets old."

"In that case, maybe we can stay for another day or so."

Lin says "Aren't you worried something might happen on the ship?"

"If something happens they can contact me and I can gate back to handle it. Besides, I don't want them to rely on me too much."

Lin says "Why not?"

"Because once we reach the peninsula I won't always be around. I have a lot of other people that I am responsible for."

Lin says "Do the elves know that?"

"Yes, I have told them. I actually think that is why they have been trying so hard to get one of them in my bed. They are afraid that once my promise is complete they have no ties to me."

Lin says "I guess that would make sense. Is that why you have been avoiding the subject of Brightfire sleeping with you?"

"Yes. I don't think that she loves me. I feel like she only wants to be with me for the sake of her people."

Lin says "Have you asked her about it?"

"No. It isn't exactly an easy question to ask. Actually, I was hoping that you would talk to her about it."

Lin says "Me? Why me?"

"Because I know that you have been plotting with her and Myria."

Lin says "I wouldn't call it plotting. More like reluctantly agreeing to share you. They also agreed to back off for now to give me a better shot at getting you to take the first step."

"That still means you should have an easier time talking to her about it than I would."

Lin says "Maybe, but it is still embarrassing. What do I get out of it?"

"What do you want?"

Lin says "If I talk to her for you, then I want you to tell me why you got so quiet when I joked about you dressing me up."

"Um, alright. I just didn't want you to think I was weird."

Lin says "Too late! I have thought you were weird since I met you! Luckily for you, I happen to like your kind of weirdness."

"Yeah, lucky me."

Lin says "You!"

Then she jumps on me and starts tickling me, apparently she didn't like my sarcasm. Luckily, the kids are too busy enjoying the new playroom and don't help her. In the end, being in my normal form is too much of a disadvantage so I shapeshift into human form.