As Lauren and Freida traveled the road towards Castilgard, the snow began to pile up around them pretty heavily. Thankfully, the horses weren’t disturbed by the weather because Lauren was able to protect them from the conditions as well, but they knew it was going to be difficult to find a place to rest for the night.

“How long is the trip between Castilgard and Primevera?” Lauren asked.

“About a day and a half by horse,” Freida answered.

“Alright. We need to find a clearing for the night.”

“I know where one is, but we’re already beyond ankle deep. I don’t think it’ll be the best idea to bed down unless we can find a cave,” Freida said.

Lauren winked at her. “Trust in the Princess,” she said but groaned. “Oh, gawd. What have I done?”

“What?”

Lauren looked at Freida with tears in her eyes. “I admitted to being a Princess. How could I do that to myself!” she wailed as if she was suffering through tremendous mental and emotional turmoil.

“Oh, stop it,” Freida muttered.

Giggling, Lauren shrugged. “You’re no fun.”

“Never said I was,” Freida grinned, causing Lauren to cackle with laughter.

“Yes! I have chosen wisely!” she called out, still giggling

Quite a few hours later, the two found the snow-covered field that Frieda had been speaking about. Without a word, Lauren dismounted and strolled into the direct center of the meadow and looked around, plotting her plan.

Lauren turned to Freida, leaning forward on her horse. “Do you remember when I said that I would show you something you’d like?”

The woman nodded furiously. “Yes.”

Nodding, Lauren jumped down from her horse. “Alright, let’s try this out.”

Using Ice, Lauren lifted a fifty-foot wide circumference of snow into the air to form a semicircle with a hallowed shell, but she was sure to leave a wide opening in the front. The plan she had in mind was to start by ensuring that they had a roof while not taking the chance of being snowed in. While she held that in the air, she used Earth to create flooring of stone, and used a bit of Fire to dry the floor while also causing the snow in the air to begin to melt.

Turning her attention to the snow inside of her hut, she used Wind and Ice to quickly cool the running water, thereby increasing the strength of the substance several times over. After she placed Temperature Control upon the icy roof to maintain a constant freezing temperature upon the snow, she stepped outside and carefully used a combination of Fire, Ice, and Wind to melt and freeze the snow on top, thereby creating a strong cohesion.

“There,” she said, dusting her hands off.

“What did you do?”

“I made a Lauren Hut,” she said, stepping into the dry room.

“Come on in, the stone is fine?” she asked hesitantly, not sure where she was going with that one.

“Woah. This is huge.”

Lauren nodded and pointed toward the right. “I made enough room to let the horses and all of our supplies out of the weather too,” she said but grimaced. “I’m not exactly too keen on their mess. So, I'm not cleaning it up.”

Freida laughed out loud, shaking her head. “So, this is what it’s like to travel with a mage?”

Lauren grinned. “You’ve not seen anything yet,” she said as she proceeded to pull a few logs out of her storage. “Let’s place the fireplace near to the front of the hut,” she said, using Earth to create a literal stone fireplace, smoke stack, and all.

“You don’t happen to have a bed in there, do you?”

Lauren lifted a hand and pointed at Freida to make fun of her for such a silly suggestion but went still. “Moment.”

“Hey, James. Can you transport one of the beds from our spare bedrooms to me?”

Without a word, a queen-sized bed popped into the room next to Lauren. “Oh, goody!”

“Done,” James projected back.

Freida’s mouth fell open. “How? When? Where?”

“Magic, now, here,” Lauren replied with a grin.

Grabbing the hilt of her sword, Freida looked up as she heard a group of people that were heavily bundled up walking past them on the path. She took a step forward to see if they were going to cause them a problem, but they continued as if they hadn’t seen them.

“Huh,” she said, letting go of her blade. “I would have stopped at a place like that.”

Lauren giggled, glancing away from Frieda. “Go out to the road.”

Curious, the woman stepped out and looked around.

She tossed her hands up when she found nothing of interest but gasped when she turned around to find the entire field was empty. “Princess!” she screamed worriedly, and Lauren had to poke her head out of the structure for Frieda to be able to see that she was there. “What is this?”

“Invisibility.”

“How?” Freida asked, stepping back into the building.

“In short, I’ve got my Light sphere bending the light outside to twist around the building, thereby making it invisible, cloaked, or unseeable if you like.”

Freida sat on the bed. “I’ve sworn my life to a magical genius.”

Lauren blushed. “I’m not sure I’d go that far. I’ve just spent my entire life learning how to use and manipulate magic in ways that many have not. It’s not that I am smarter, rather I am more apt at pushing magic beyond the so-called limitations of the day.”

“Please, teach me?”

“What affinities do you have?”

Freida was immediately deflated. “None.”

Remembering their conversation about the stones, Lauren nodded and produced a nearly geometric perfect crystalline orb. Then she held it up between her thumb and index finger so that Freida could see the inch-wide ball. “Now, this is a Fire Stone, Freida,” she said and held the orb out between them.

In truth, this wasn’t just a normal stone, but Freida didn’t need to know that, yet.

“When you look directly at any of the magic stones, you will find that they radiate an internal light that happens to be identical to the sphere of magic that they are attuned to,” she instructed and motioned at the ball that she held. “As you can see, this Fire Stone has an internal radiance of crimson, and it could be seen as a vague image of a campfire,” she finished her explanation.

“It’s beautiful.”

Lauren nodded. “Very much so.”

“Can I?”

Nodding, Lauren walked over and handed the small stone over to Freida, and she watched as the woman stared into the ball with excitement that nearly matched her own whenever she was working with magic.

“It’s so amazing,” she said and looked up at Lauren. “I can’t wait to get one of my own,” she said, and reached the stone back out, but Lauren wasn’t having any of it. “No, Freida. That is your stone to keep. If I am going to teach you, we need a type of magic that you can access.”

“But… It's so tiny. I don’t want to lose it,” she said, averting her eyes, but Lauren knew the real reason for her shyness. These stones, especially a perfect glow, were worth a small kingdom to the right person. To Lauren, it was a perfect gift for someone that had sworn her life and had been willing to sacrifice it all for her.

Lauren nodded to Freida. “That is true,” she said as a sly smile spread across her face.

“Let’s fix that,” she announced, causing her friend to jump out of fright.

“Wha… What?”

“Let me see your sword and the stone.”

Using Gravity, Lauren suspended the blade horizontally four feet in the air. Then she closely examined the hilt of the sword and found that it was wooden with an outward layer of metal applied to give it an additional bit of strength. Then it was further wrapped in leather to make for a more comfortable swing.

Using her index finger, Lauren released a jet of white fire from the very tip of her nail and began to cut a small hole just deep enough for the Firestone to sit flush inside of the hilt. Hollowing out the wood was incredibly easy but ensuring enough of the steel remained to make sure there was a good seal required more Gravity to keep the molten metal from running off of the hilt.

Once the gem was in place, Lauren ensured the steel encircled the stone perfectly.

“Alright,” she said, after cooling the metal with a bit of Water and Wind.

Turning towards Freida, Lauren half bowed, holding the blade out. “You’re sword, My Knight commander.”

Freida blushed and giggled at the action, causing Lauren to smile. “Go ahead, Freida.”

She took the blade with a trembling hand and examined the hilt with a look of shock and pure elation. “I can’t believe it. You can’t even tell that it wasn’t made originally like this,” she said in disbelief and looked up at Lauren. “I won’t ever be able to repay you for this.”

“You don’t need to. I didn’t put that together to make you owe me, Freida. If anything, I just want someone that I can work on magic together with.”

“Count me in!”

Lauren smiled. “Good. It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“So… Umm… how does this work?”

“As long as that gem is on your person, you can infuse Essence into it. Even if you don’t have an affinity, you probably have a small amount of that. The first step is to learn how to access the gem by channeling your Essence into it.”

“You mentioned it, but what if I don’t have much?”

Lauren shrugged. “It’ll be fine. My mother had hardly any, but she was still able to use the stone my father gave her. This step isn’t about how much you can put in; it’s about being able to feel your connection with the stone.”

Freida nodded.

“For the time being, as you can, visualize that the gem is in your hand. Imagine that you can feel the warmth from the stone spreading across your fingers. In time, you will start to see a different color kind of in the back of your mind when you try to connect with it. When that happens, we can move on to the next step.”

“What is that?”

Lauren shook her head. “I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it can take some time depending upon a bunch of different factors. Just take your time and know that I am on your side.”

Freida looked down at the sword and hugged it against her chest. “Thank you, Princess. Thank you so much,” she said, and Lauren smiled at her. “I am more than happy to help, but I’ve got another stone or two once you get that mastered.”

In shock, Freida sat down on the bed. “More?”

“Yes, I told you that I wanted someone to work on magic with me. You’ve been voted my number one student.”

“But, wait. What about your daughters?”

Lauren smiled warmly. “They’re lovely girls, but they don’t need their Mama for that.”

Freida blinked. “Maybe I should have you adopt me.”

“Don’t you think for a moment that I hadn’t considered it,” Lauren grinned at her.

That made Frieda laugh. “You’re something else, Princess.”

Lauren smiled softly at her. “I am always looking for more friends or family,” she said with a contented shrug. “The way my parents raised me left a large impression upon me, and I kind of like being able to share that level of love with anyone that I can,” she said.

Freida glanced down at her sword and nodded in agreement. “I can tell,” she replied.

15th of Erinth – 1231 AF – Late-Fall

The next morning, Lauren found Freida sitting cross-legged beside the fireplace while the embers continued to provide just a bit of warmth. She sat in her basic shirt and pants with the blade across her lap.

Sitting up in bed, Lauren watched as the woman quietly focused on the stone.

The fact that Freida had gone so head-first into the training made Lauren quite a bit happy to see. She was reacting in much the same way that Lauren had as a child. It was what she had later in life decided to dub her Wrath Mentality, and it was nice to see someone else like her.

“Already at it?” Lauren asked.

“Yes, Princess,” Freida replied, remaining in position with her back straight and shoulders squared. “I never allowed myself to dream that I could have a chance to touch magic, even if only barely. I won’t waste this chance,” she replied with conviction.

Lauren smiled at her. “You are a perfect fit to be my guard.”

Suddenly, Freida bowed her head as she trembled while Lauren watched worriedly.

After a few minutes of it, Lauren shifted to the end of the bed. “Freida?” she asked softly.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” she said forlornly.

The quick change made Lauren feel like she was about to get whiplash, but she shook her head to clear her mind. “Why so?” she tried to ask as lightly as she could while she stepped out of the bed.

“I… I lied to you,” she said, turning around to gaze at Lauren.

“Oh? What about?”

Freida stood up to face Lauren. “I was honest when I called you my hero, and I want to protect you because I think you’re going to help a lot of people,” she said but sighed softly as she stepped closer to the bed. “But, I also saw a chance to help my family, and I took advantage of your kindness to better them,” she admitted.

Lauren folded her arms, eyeing Freida. “So, at what point did you lie to me?”

“A lie of omission, especially to one you’ve sworn your life to, is in some ways worse than boldface deceit,” she said, placing her sword on the bed. “At least a straightforward lie isn’t in some ways planned out.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Lauren asked and motioned at the blade. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t deserve such a wonderful gift, Princess.”

“So, is this where I am supposed to admonish you, kick you to the curb, and curse your existence for the rest of my life?” Lauren asked.

Freida averted her eyes and nodded.

“Oh, stop with the melodrama,” Lauren snapped and stomped over to pick up Freida’s sword from the bed. “You said it yourself; you swore to be my guard because you wanted to protect me, Freida. That’s what a guard’s job is,” she said, holding out the blade. “We all have families; we all want to better them to the best of our abilities. As long as you do what I expect from my guardian, I can find no fault in you.”

Freida looked at the sword and then into Lauren’s eye. “But…”

Lauren shoved the blade against her stomach. “Take the present that I worked pretty hard on for you and stop overreacting,” she said and rolled her eyes. “That’s my job, Freida. I can’t very well go overboard if you’re already doing it. Now, can I?” Lauren asked with a small, self-admonishing smile.

Freida chuckled, shaking her head. “No, Princess. I guess not,” she said, taking the sword from Lauren’s hands and hugging it close to her chest. “Your gift just meant so much to me…” she said and looked to be working up her courage. “Lauren,” she said in a tiny voice. “That I started to feel ill that I’d failed to be a bit more forthwith.”

Lauren gasped, pointing a shaky finger at Freida while covering her mouth. “You said it! You said it! Oh, my! You’re going to explode now!” she teased, causing Freida to go near purple from embarrassment. “Princess!”

Giggling, Lauren placed a hand on Freida’s shoulder. “We’re in this together, Freida. Always know that you can talk to me whenever you need. I may get mad, I may laugh at you, or I may blast you, but I’ll always listen,” she said with a wicked grin.

Freida blanched. “Wait. Blast?”

Lauren shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No, wait. Princess. What was that about?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Lauren said with a shrug as she turned to get ready for the day.

Freida gripped her blade tightly. “Oh, boy…”

After breakfast, Lauren stored the bed in her inventory and returned the field to the same shape that it had been in the night before. Then the two ladies headed off towards Castilgard as the sun was rising.

Almost immediately, Lauren heard Freida grunting.

She ignored it for about an hour, but her curiosity got the better of her. “What are you doing?”

“Focusing,” she said and grunted again.

Lauren laughed. “Yep. That makes sense.”

“Hey, don’t laugh at me,” Freida said, red in the face.

The snow was falling beautifully, and Lauren was reminded for the first time of how much she had loved this time of year when she had been a little girl. The years that she had spent in Ara’lyso had changed how she had seen winter but being back near to where she had grown up was an eye-opening experience.

The weather, the trees, everything was vastly different between this part of the continent and Versanth. Even the cold here was much more tolerable than the blistering conditions that she had had to endure back before the little changes in the weather patterns that had happened since her rise as Lady Wrath.

Even her new name and title felt like it had been lifetimes ago, but Lauren had only been in Ara’lyso for two years. It was surreal to realize that she’d only been there for a small fraction of her life since she was kidnapped. Yet, she felt as though decades had passed. Following further on that line of thought helped Lauren to realize that when looking upon all that time logically, she had aged nearly fifteen years physically. That alone needed to be considered, even if it wasn’t changing her actual age.

“Are you alright, Princess?” Freida asked.

Pulled from her contemplations, Lauren shook her head. “What was that?”

“I’m just checking on you, you’ve been quietly staring into the distance with a vacant expression for several hours,” Freida pointed out.

“Yeah, I was just remembering my life in Bryth and Castilgard.”

“Do you miss it?”

Lauren gazed up at the sky while she considered the question. The sights and smells of this part of the world reminded her of her childhood, but it wasn’t the time that she had grown to love so much.

No, she knew the truth.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“At times,” Lauren said and looked at Freida. “It’s mostly my parents that I miss, but I can’t deny a certain appeal to the simpler life that I led back then,” she admitted.

“How is your practice?” Lauren asked to change the subject.

Freida sighed. “Still nothing.”

“Patience, Freida. It can take time.”

“I know,” she said and grinned at Lauren. “I’m just so excited.”

“Oh, believe me. I get it,” she replied and winced. “I almost burnt my family home down when I accidentally cast a spell.”

Freida gasped. “My goodness. How old were you?”

Lauren glanced at her. “Three,” she said, causing Freida to nearly fall off of her horse.

“You were three?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yep. My poor parents,” Lauren sighed softly. “I thought they were going to send me away or something, but they did what they always did.”

“What’s that?”

“Love and support me.”

“Lord Henry does seem like such a good guy.”

“He is,” Lauren said and glanced towards the south. “I hope he’s alright.”

Freida sucked her breath in. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that.”

“It’s alright. I’m sure they’re all okay.”

“Me too.”

Several more hours passed before the duo found their way to the edge of the Vy’ruthian kingdom nearing the end of the day. They came to a stop in front of a wooden bridge. On the other side, they could see the wooden walls of the wild city, Eryth.

“Should we try to sneak past?” Freida asked.

Lauren glanced across the river and noticed that they would need to take the horses across the water if they were going to bypass the town. The walls had been constructed in such a way that they funneled any that crossed the bridge right through their guarded gates.

“Who goes there?” a voice called out from the bridge.

The ladies looked to see two guards walking towards them but with weapons sheathed.

“Damn, they do pay attention to the bridge,” Lauren said.

“What are we going to do?” Freida asked.

“No point trying to skirt them now,” Lauren said, kicking her horse into motion.

When the ladies stopped near the guards, Frieda purposefully placed herself and her steed between Lauren and the guards. “We are travelers from Primevera. We are only trying to pass through,” she said.

One of the guards looked at Lauren. “You look familiar.”

“I get that,” she replied simply.

Freida kicked her horse forward, nearly knocking the man off the bridge. “You speak to me, not to milady,” Freida snarled.

The second guard glared up at her but went pale when he saw the badge on her shoulder.

“You’re a Royal Crown?” he asked in disbelief and immediately drug the other guard back a few steps. “I apologize for the rude behavior,” the second guard said politely, but the first elbowed his friend. “What the hell are you doing?”

The second guard leaned forward and whispered something.

Right then the first guard’s eyes snapped directly onto Lauren, and he bowed slightly. “I apologize for the rudeness,” he said and motioned towards the town. “If you would allow us to help you reach Eryth to ensure this doesn’t happen again, I would be most grateful.”

Lauren nodded.

Once the guards began to walk, Lauren urged her horse to match step with Freida’s, and she reached over to grip her hand. “Thank you, Freida. That was wholly unexpected but very much appreciated.”

Freida glanced at her. “It’s my job, but you’re also my friend.”

Lauren patted her hand. “I’m glad for that.”

As they moved, the first guard picked up speed and ran way ahead of the others.

The second guard did exactly what had been offered, and the ladies weren’t bothered by any more of the guards as they were let straight through the gate. Then they were guided directly to a two-story oval building in the direct center of the town with an older man dressed in incredibly fine clothing waiting for them atop a balcony.

When they arrived, they also found the guard that had dashed ahead.

“Allow me to introduce Marquis Thomas.”

Freida urged her horse forward a few steps. “Allow me to introduce Princess Lauren.”

All eyes fell on the building when a shriek rang out. “My baby!”

Suddenly, a woman in a plain white dress came barreling out of the building and appeared at the edge of the balcony directly beside Marquis Thomas. Her brown hair was rusting in the wind, and tears were in her green eyes.  “Mama!” Lauren shouted and was off the horse and flying directly towards her mother instantly.

There were panicked voices from guards all around the area as it looked like she was going for Thomas, but Lauren totally ignored him and instead focused entirely on Cynthia by clamping onto her as tightly as she could.

“My baby!” Cynthia cried out.

“Mama!” Lauren cried out.

A moment later, Freida made it to the top of the stairs, nearly breathless.

“Princess?”

Cynthia looked at the woman. “What?” she asked and looked back at her daughter. “What’s going on?”

“Eh, I’m kind of a Princess now?”

“Seriously? How do you keep finding ways to climb further up the ranks of nobility?”

“Just lucky, Mama?”

Marquis Thomas cleared her throat. “So, hello?”

Lauren blinked and turned around to curtsey. “I apologize for my rudeness.”

The man chuckled. “I’m well aware of how long you two have been apart, my dear. I was mainly pointing out that we could go back inside where it is warm,” he said.

Freida cleared her throat, and everyone turned to see that a whole gaggle of guards had formed up ranks around the group. “Sire? Is everything alright?” one of the guards asked, and Thomas motioned at Lauren. “This is Lady Cynthia’s daughter. Are you sure you want to keep aiming weapons at her?”

As one, the guards looked toward Lauren, then towards Cynthia, and abruptly put their blades away. The action made Lauren laugh out loud. “My goodness, Mama. I see you can still scare anyone.”

“Damn right,” Cynthia said proudly but looked towards Freida. “Who is this, Lauren?”

“This is Knight Commander Freida. She’s my guard.”

Freida bowed to Cynthia. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Cynthia. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

Cynthia smiled at Freida. “So polite, and my baby’s protector,” she said and turned towards Lauren. “I approve!”

Lauren laughed and nodded. “Yes, she’s a good friend.”

Then Cynthia shivered, wrapping her arms tightly around her body.

“Alright, it’s freezing out here. So, let’s go inside,” Cynthia said

Lauren followed her mother into an office jam-packed with military materials, a full set of armor on a rack, and a large desk filled with maps and correspondence.  She was then led through a small door kind of hidden at the back of the room. A few more hallways later, the group stepped out into a large circular room with a huge table in the center.

Lauren sat down in a chair next to her mother, Freida took up a protective position directly behind her chair. Thomas sat at the opposite end of the table, and Vestra stepped into the room to sit down a few seats to Cynthia’s right.

“I see you’re still doing okay,” Vestra told Lauren, eyeing Cynthia hatefully.

“Keep it up, and I’ll claw your eyes out,” Cynthia snapped.

Vestra waved her away. “I’m already dead, Elise. Your empty threats don’t scare me.”

“Ladies,” Thomas boomed and tossed a pleading look at Lauren. “I’ve been trying to ride herd on these two for days,” he said, nearly defeated.

“What’s going on?” Lauren asked.

Cynthia sighed and took Lauren’s hand in hers. “They have Eriana, love. We’re trying to plan a way to get her out of the castle, but Elizabeth is now working with Aaron and Meghan in the capital.”

Lauren stood up, alarmed to the core. “They have Eriana?”

“I’m so sorry, but they somehow got her while we were fighting Elizabeth’s army,” Cynthia explained, completely unable to even look at her daughter for what she had allowed right under her nose.

“How? They shouldn’t have been able to find her,” Lauren said in disbelief as she sat down in her chair and began to shake her head. “It was my fault. It had to have been my fault,” she said as despair washed over her. “I was supposed to protect her. Eriana was to become one of my children.”

In the middle of Lauren’s despair, she felt a pulse of energy course through her body.

She felt the now familiar silver and pinkish, iridescent energy as it began to course through her Essence. Yet, the pain that she had come to expect did not come. Instead, she felt an unfamiliar change in her body that grew more powerful with each second she desperately wanted to protect her best friend.

“Madam! It’s happening!” James’ projected into her head.

“Javi’s here,” Freida whispered.

Lauren nearly freaked out at the thought of Javi seeing her in the same way that James’ had shown her the night before. She jumped out of her chair, looking around for him so that she could hide while she tried to get this under control.

“Where?”

Freida cleared her throat, bringing Lauren’s eyes to her. “Are you okay, Princess?” she asked.

Confused, Lauren glanced around the room to find her mother gazing at her worriedly, Vestra essentially ignoring her existence, and Thomas watching all of them with an heir of worry that spoke volumes as to how many times he’s had to break those two up.

“Y… yes,” she squeaked and abruptly sat down, eyeing Freida suspiciously.

Clearing her throat, Lauren turned back toward her mother. “What happened?” she asked, keeping her mind as far away from how much she wanted to help Eriana or hurt those that had taken her.

“It was me,” Cynthia said in barely more than a whisper.

Lauren tilted her head in confusion. “How Mama? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Cynthia leaned forward to take both of Lauren’s hands in hers. “Do you remember that night I got to meet you?”

Confusion slowly gave way to understanding and Lauren gasped. “That night that Eriana brought us together?”

Cynthia nodded and turned away as tears pooled in her eyes. “I didn’t know that they would be able to track her because of that, Lauren,” she said and turned back to her daughter looking devastated. “I swear, Lauren. I didn’t know.”

“Likely story!” Vestra said snidely.

Lauren glanced at her Aunt. “Shut it,” she snarled at Vestra and hugged her mother. “Of course, you wouldn’t know. Hell, I wouldn’t have known that they would be able to track her like that.”

Vestra snorted and turned away, folding her arms. “It’s because none of you think before you act.”

“Auntie, your venom isn’t helping anyone,” Lauren said while hugging her mother.

“It’s helping me.”

Movement at the back of the room brought Lauren’s eyes to Freida.

“We will get your friend back,” she said.

Lauren watched Freida for a few seconds before she turned her attention back to her mother, but she wanted to know what had happened. How had Freida been able to essentially pull her back from the brink of that transformation before it had ever really started?

It was clear that no one else in the room had noticed, but Freida had been able to realize what was happening and intervened. Yeah, Lauren most definitely would get some answers from her guard.

Shaking her head, Lauren held a hand up to her mother. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been partially distracted. Would you start over?” she asked and turned to face her mother in such a way that she could watch Freida.

“Yes, we are making plans right now,” Cynthia said as she looked directly into Lauren’s eyes. “We are going to get her back. I promise you,” she said, and they all turned towards Vestra when she stood up to face them. “Of that, I agree,” she said.

“I can’t believe that I didn’t know that my best friend was in trouble,” Lauren said.

At that moment, Cynthia and Vestra shared a look. “Wait. You weren’t coming to help her?” they asked in unison.

Lauren shook her head. “We were on our way to the south. I am pretty sure that Sylvia has woken, and we’re going to find Javi and Papa,” she said and sighed softly. “They went south to the Heverian Forest, and the beast woke on the same day that they left,” she explained.

Cynthia paled. “Henry is heading into that nightmare-infested jungle?”

“Nightmare?” Freida asked.

“I don’t know what this Sylvia is, but that country is filled with incredibly powerful creatures,” Cynthia explained.

Lauren and Freida shared a glance as they’d both forgotten the fact that the dragon's existence was a closely guarded secret. Then Lauren turned back towards her mother. “If I'd known, I would have tried to stop them,” she said but rolled her eyes. “They’d probably have ignored me anyway,” she grumbled.

“Yeah. Your Papa has his own way of doing things.”

“Kind of like you,” Thomas chuckled from the head of the table.

“Oh, shut up,” Cynthia told the man.

“So, it sounds like we have two destinations that we need to get to as soon as possible,” Freida said.

Cynthia looked at the woman before she turned towards Lauren. “Shouldn’t we work together?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lauren saw a concerned expression on Freida’s face.

Being curious, she looked at her friend. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well… It’s just… with what I’ve seen so far over the past couple of days, I think it would be for the best if we went to find Prince Javi and Lord Henry while your mother and aunt worked to free your friend,” she said but looked incredibly nervous.

“What makes you an expert?” Vestra snapped.

Freida appeared to think quickly. “Well, both tasks are time sensitive with the travel time…” she said and seemed to be struggling to find something else, and she finally tossed her hands up. “The rest I’d need to speak with my Princess about in privacy.”

Cynthia watched Freida for a few seconds before she leaned into her chair. “I can respect the need for privacy,” she said and turned towards Thomas. “I know that Anna has offered to help us in any way that she can. Eriana is more or less their mother, and they would want her back safe and sound as much as we do.”

“I’ve got some of my troops that are willing to go with you, but we’ve got a good portion of their army still based around the capital. It’s pretty clear that they are trying to keep Eriana as guarded as possible,” Thomas said and shook his head. “I still can’t believe that the Duchess has sided with her brother and mother after everything that they did.”

“She didn’t,” Lauren said, leaning forward to look between those sitting at the table. “I don’t believe that my Auntie would ever do that,” she said.

“I’m sorry, love, but they all saw her. Elizabeth was helping to fight against us,” Cynthia said.

Lauren shook her head. “I’m not saying that she’s not fighting us,” she said and looked at her mother to see total confusion.

“What do you mean?” Cynthia asked.

“Erios,” Lauren said, motioning at her head. “He has a way of getting into your mind. That corruption makes you his pawn. It doesn’t matter what you think or believe, you’re his property after that,” she explained.

Cynthia gasped in shock.

“She’s right,” Vestra said, staring at the floor. “It’s horrible.”

“What?” Cynthia asked.

Lauren looked at her aunt. “Been through it?”

She nodded and glanced at Lauren. “You?”

“Yes,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “I got lucky though. When he nearly got me, I was able to push him out of my mind.”

“Not me,” Vestra whispered. “It took Eriana to save me.”

“Is that why you’re here to help her?” Lauren asked.

Vestra nodded. “If not for her, I’d still be a pawn for that bastard. My freedom is because of her, and she’s now being held,” she said and bounced her hand off the table. “That fact is an irony that I cannot allow to remain unchallenged.”

Lauren desperately wanted to help her friend, but she knew that Freida was correct with her estimation of the time limits they were each under. As much as she wanted to go for Eriana, she couldn’t be in two places at once. Yet, in some way, she could exactly do just that.

Believing in the conviction of her beloved mother, Lauren turned toward her. “Mama, can you free Eriana? Will you make sure that my best friend is brought back from wherever they have her?” she asked.

Cynthia squared her jaw. “She is in this mess because she helped me to see you, Lauren. I am not going to stop until she is free of whatever this stuff is that has everyone acting like they’ve lost their damn minds.”

Lauren nodded and looked at Freida. “Then the two of us will need to make sure that my father and fiancée are both back in Vy’ruth safe and sound,” she said and took a long breath before she stood up. “I am going to leave at first light,” she said and looked at her mother. “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Cynthia’s face brightened up a tad. “I’d hoped you’d ask.”

Lauren nodded. “Let me speak with Freida, and I’ll meet you on the deck?”

“Okay, love,” Cynthia said and gave Lauren a tight hug. “I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too, Mama,” she said, hugging her back.

Once they were out of earshot, Lauren turned to face Freida. “What was that with Javi?”

Freida paled and stared at the floor. “I… I saw you, Princess.”

Lauren arched an eyebrow. “That’s not exactly that hard to do.”

After groaning to herself, Freida peered up at Lauren. “I mean that I saw you when you were fighting that guy named Jarod,” she said, causing a wave of nausea to wash across Lauren as she tried to absorb the statement.

“I saw your Draconic form,” Freida spelled out.

Lauren fell back several steps, holding her mouth. “W… why didn’t you tell me?”

“You looked like you wanted to keep it a secret, and I was more than happy to support you in whatever way that you needed, Princess,” she explained, and her words helped to alleviate a great deal of the concern that had been growing in Lauren’s mind.

“You’re not scared?”

Freida shrugged. “I am more worried about you,” she said and took a breath. “The reason I had to come was to make sure that you didn’t end up doing something that you would regret, Princess. I know you’re a battle maiden when you need to be, but you don’t go out of your way to hurt innocents,” she explained.

Lauren gasped and pointed at her. “You did that?” she asked, pointing at the room. “You stopped it?”

Freida nodded. “It’s a trick that was passed down in my family. I knew that you’d be afraid of Prince Javi seeing you like that. You can think of it as a kind of stop-gap with your transformation,” she said and motioned at herself. “You see, We have legends about those that are half-dragon, but we’ve not seen one in living memory,” she explained.

A bit of hope appeared in Lauren’s heart and mind. “I might not be alone?”

Freida nodded. “It’s possible, but you are rare, Princess.”

“But, how do you know all of this?”

Freida pulled her shield around and pointed at the symbol. “Greyscale, remember?”

Lauren examined the shield but shook her head. “That doesn’t tell me much, Freida.”

“My family have been around for a very long time, Princess. We have legends from times long past that speak of people that were able to take on Draconic forms. As I said, they were rare, I mean exceedingly rare, but they existed,” she said and shrugged. “If the stories are true, I’m descended from one.”

“Why have I never heard of these stories?”

Freida slung the shield across her back. “My family is from an adjacent continent, Princess. We moved here many generations ago to escape the persecution led by those that were jealous of us, and we settled down in Vy’ruth when we found that the kingdom was filled not only with lovely people but tied with another that was responsible for a true dragon,” she explained.

“So, how do I get control of this?”

“Well, that’s the hard part and is the sole reason that I brought up that we should go south alone. If what I was told is correct, you’ll need to find a kind of surrogate parent to essentially imprint onto. By doing that, they would be able to help guide you to the point that you’ll be able to focus on that side of yourself,” she explained.

Lauren laughed mirthlessly. “One of those is about as easy to find as a class on were-dragons,” she said sarcastically.

“Well… Actually…”

“What?”

“Sylvia is a dragon,” Freida pointed out.

Lauren was not amused. “You’re an idiot,” she snapped and stomped off but immediately came back to point a finger at Freida. “This is freaking insane, but I swear I’m already partially connected to that damn beast.”

Freida blinked at her. “That’s impossible. You should have needed some type of close contact for that to happen. That link is something that is formed by touch. I’ve never heard of it being done over any type of distance before.”

Lauren shrugged. “I don’t know, Freida. Ever since we fought at that keep at the edge of the Heverian Forest, it’s like I could feel that there is a connection within me,” she said and looked at the floor thoughtfully. “It… It’s…” she started as she tried to reason out this last piece. “At times, it feels like I am being called. It’s very faint, but I can feel it once in a while,” she explained.

“Huh. That’s unexpected.”

Lauren scoffed. “All of this is.”

“True, Princess.”

Lauren turned to leave, but she stopped to bow her head in shame and turned back towards her friend. “Listen, Freida,” she said.

“Yes, Princess?”

“I’m so sorry for calling you an idiot. You’re anything but that.’

Freida smiled a little and nodded. “It’s fine. I forgive you.”

Lauren pulled her into a hug. “I’m still glad you’re with me.”

“Me too,” Freida replied.

A short while later, Lauren leaned against the banister outside of the commander's office while the snow blew wildly around her. She was lost in thought while she tried to figure out how her life continued to spin totally out of control.

Though, she had to admit that it sounded kind of cool to be a dragon.

It also sounded like she was going through a midlife crisis already, and she fully expected to buy a little red horse at some point. She fully expected to decide that she’d need to marry half of Vy’ruth just to prove that she was virile or whatever normally happened at that point.

It was the last thought that finally broke Lauren out of her daydream and caused her to laugh at the fact that she was thinking of a male’s midlife crisis. At least in part, she could almost understand falling into that mindset. After all, she’d still spent more time as John back on Earth than Lauren here.

Earth? When did she hear that?

Wait. Jarod had mentioned Earth, and he’d said that Erios was going there.

What the hell was this? How the hell was this?

GAH.

“Baby?”

Lauren spun around, nearly falling from the slick snow at her feet, to find her mother bashfully approaching her. “Are you alright?”

“I don’t know, Mama. I know that everything could be so much worse, but it just keeps piling up on me.”

Cynthia nodded. “I know, love. It’s why I am so worried about you,” she said, shivering in the cold.

“Incoming spell, Mama,” Lauren said as she placed Temperature Control on her.

Cynthia gasped. “Red!”

That reaction made Lauren giggle. “That’s about normal, Mama.”

“What was that?” she asked but immediately stopped shivering. “Oh, that’s lovely.”

Lauren stepped up to her mother. “I was afraid that I’d never see you again.”

Cynthia hugged her. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry. I am so, so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Lauren said, snuggling into her mother’s arms.

“I wish I was as strong as you, love,” Cynthia said, trembling against Lauren, owning nothing to the cold. “I’ve tried so many times to find you, but I’ve been unable to do the things that you can do.”

“I’m a monster, Mama. In some ways, I wish I was more like you.”

“I guess the grass is greener,” Cynthia whispered.

“Until I blow it all up,” Lauren snorted.

“Oh, stop it. That was like what twice?”

“Probably more like six or seven?”

“Well, you were always a precocious child.”

“That’s one way of saying ‘Dangerous: do not feed the animals.”

Cynthia snorted in laughter. “Oh, stop it. You’re just a nutty little girl.”

“I’m two inches taller than you,” Lauren pointed out.

“So? You’re still my little girl.”

Lauren smiled a little. “Always will be.”

“I bet your Papa is still jealous?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Cynthia wrapped an arm around Lauren’s shoulders. “Come on, love. Let’s go inside,” she said and led her towards a small room off to the back side of the camp, where they sat down at a table to catch up.

The two chatted for several hours, but Lauren did most of the talking. Cynthia simply listened to what her daughter had been doing and tried to absorb everything that Lauren had been through while she had been unable to do anything about it. The two sat across the small table from each other with their hands tightly entwined together while they enjoyed their first interaction with each other in over four years.

Then they curled up together on the bed while Cynthia soothing ran her fingers through Lauren’s hair in the same way she had done back before her daughter had been taken to an unreachable land. The sound of slumbering didn’t come until well into the middle of the night, as the two had simply rested their eyes while they enjoyed finally being together again.

16th of Erinth – 1231 AF – Late-Fall

Early the next morning,

Lauren and Cynthia stood beside each other, leaning against the banister outside of the commander’s office. They watched as Freida prepared the steeds for their trip to recommence shortly, but Lauren decided to use the time she still had to lean against her mother.

“I love you,” she said.

Cynthia wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “I love you too, Baby.”

“I’m a Princess Baby,” Lauren giggled lightly.

“Damn right,” Cynthia said, squeezing Lauren lovingly. “I am proud of you.”

Lauren pushed her body against her mother just a little. “You say that now but wait till you see all the devastation I’ve left in my wake,” she replied teasingly.

“Bah. They would have deserved it.”

“Oh, yes. Most definitely,” Lauren grinned.

“Listen,” Cynthia said, turning to place her hands on Lauren’s shoulders. “I want you to do me a favor, Lauren.”

“Of course, Mama.”

“He’s a pain at times. Annoying at others, but your father is the only man that I’ve ever loved, sweetheart. I’ve missed him, and I would very much like to have my husband after all of this is done.”

“I am going to make sure that our husbands come home, Mama. You’re right, they can be annoying at times, but they’re our hearts,” Lauren said, and Cynthia hugged her. “Your husband, eh?”

Lauren blushed a tad while she hugged her mother. “It’s not official yet, but I’m not about to let him escape my clutches now.”

Cynthia laughed. “Now that’s my girl. Know what you want and make it happen.”

Lauren squeezed her mother. “You get my girl. I’ll get those pesky guys.”

“Deal, love,” Cynthia said and kissed the side of her head. “I still am in shock at how big you’ve grown,” she said, shaking her head. “I remember when you fit into the palm of my hand,” she said fondly.

“Me too,” Lauren grinned.

Cynthia laughed and kissed Lauren’s cheek. “That’s true.”

“We’re ready, Princess,” Freida called up.

Glancing over the banister, Lauren saw her friend watching them with a soft smile on her face. “I’ll be right there, Freida,” she said and hugged her mother once more. “You’re going to hate this, but I really wish you’d stop pushing Auntie so hard, Mama.”

“How can you ask that of me?”

Lauren pulled back to look into her mother’s eyes. “She’s your sister, Mama. I know what she did wasn’t right. I know because I was the one taken. Still, I believe that she did it only to protect me, and I don’t want you to lose your twin because of me.”

Cynthia sighed deeply. “I’ll think about it, Lauren,” she said quietly and glanced towards the commander’s office. “Only because you asked me to.”

“I love you, Mama.”

Cynthia turned back to Lauren with a smile. “I love you, Baby.”

After one last embrace, the two broke apart. Lauren headed towards her horse while Cynthia headed back inside to finish their preparations for getting Eriana out of the capital.

“Are you good, Princess?”

Lauren mounted her horse before she turned the steed to face Freida. “Honestly, I am not at all good, Freida,” she said and glanced at the building. “I am leaving my mother to save my best friend while we go to quite possibly save my husband and father,” she said and turned back towards the woman. “What part of any of that would make me good?”

Freida nodded. “If it helps, you’re not going alone.”

Lauren moved the horse forward and pressed her hand against Freida’s. “It does,” she said gratefully before she urged the steed into a full gallop. “Let’s get to my guys as quickly as we can,” Lauren called out as she headed for the east gate.

“Aye, Aye, Princess.”

A couple of miles south of Eryth, Freida caught up with Lauren.

“Can I ask a question?” Freida asked, matching speeds.

Lauren glanced at her. “You know more about me than just about anyone else on this planet. At this point, you might as well figure it’s perfectly fine to do so when it’s just the two of us, Freida,” she replied.

“I saw you fly last night. Why aren’t we just using that?”

“That was considered, but I don’t know what kind of defenses they have in place that could knock us out of the sky. Javi made it pretty clear that his sister values her privacy a great deal,” Lauren answered.

“Oh, yeah. That would suck.”

“Quite.”

After they rode for a short while, Freida decided to poke the bear.

“Your friend, Eriana. It sounded like you were close?”

Lauren glanced at her. “Why do you ask?”

“Well… since you found out what happened, you’ve been like a bear with a sore tooth.”

Snickering softly, Lauren shook her head. “I guess that’s a good approximation,” she admitted and looked up at the snowy sky. “She’s been in my life since I was a little girl. In a lot of ways, you could think of her as my teacher. A lot of what I know came from her,” Lauren said and smiled softly. “Want to know a secret?” she asked and looked at Freida.

“Absolutely.”

“Have you heard of the Sylvan Queen?”

Freida nodded.

Lauren winked at her. “That’s my Eriana.”

“What? Your friend is a goddess?”

“Yep,” she grinned. “Hard to believe?”

“Well… you’re a dragon, Princess. Not sure anything is going to surprise me.”

Lauren laughed. “Well, I guess that is a fair point,” she said and began to examine her body from different angles. “I just can’t believe it, Freida. I don’t see myself as any different than before.”

“Oh, but you looked so amazing, Princess. I never thought that I would get the chance to see a Draconic, but I am beyond happy that it turned out to be you,” she said with a massive smile.

“Why me?”

“I told you before that you were my hero. This just makes you that much more awesome,” Freida practically cheered.

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop fangirling,” she chuckled.

Freida blushed and cleared her throat. “So, about this stone…” she said to change the subject.

“Any change yet?”

“No,” she pouted.

“It’s fine, Freida. You’ve been trying for like half a day. Patience.”

“I don’t want patience,” she mumbled.

“If you don’t finish your dinner of that stone, you won’t get your dessert of the next,” Lauren said with a laugh.

“Fine.”