"Be a dear and stop sulking," the Purple Dragon said. The power, the connection between them, yanked Felix forward again. They had traversed half the clearing, toward the south, before he attempted once more to stop following her. The result was unchanged.

"I do not want this," Felix protested.

"Nonsense," she replied. She, thankfully, stopped walking and turned to face him once again. The face of the giantess, looking down from above, looked slightly amused. "You did not choose where you were born. You did not choose to be born the whelp-child of a Red Dragon. The moment you were born, you were yanked into service to that master. The free will of your oath is an illusion. Now, let us not speak of this again."

She continued on her way, dragging Felix with her.

Don't panic, Felix thought. Think this through. Whatever she has done can be undone. It must be some type of sorcery. The Lord Paladin will simply introduce me to one of the sorcerers in Flood's End.

"Do not bother," the woman said. "I can sense the direction of your thoughts, Felix of Quaria. Put such youthful rebelliousness out of your mind."

She even knows my name, Felix thought. "Who are you?"

"A sensible question for you perhaps, if not for the great distance in our stations. It would be unfashionable for me to answer. Brigid, please educate my new servant."

"It is done." The voice, feminine, originated just behind Felix. It shocked him from his thoughts. He glanced back at the source of the voice.

A shimmer, colorful and distorted, betrayed the shape of a woman's body. It was the effect of a simple invisibility potion, wearing off and revealing the drinker. A common sight in the military, typically paired with a potion of soft steps. The Lord Paladin had spies, after all. A cowardly profession.

But this woman was no coward. As the spell wore off, she strode up alongside Felix. He immediately recognized the sharp, punctual discipline of a trained soldier. Her purple hair was cropped above the shoulder, and she wore a black uniform that gave Felix the impression that she was some type of high-ranking officer. She wore an ebony longbow on her back and twin daggers at her hips.

"You have the pleasure of being in the exalted presence of the Crown Princess Astrid of House Anna-Rhea. In her great forbearance and mercy, Princess Astrid has invited you into her service, and has even extended a period of grace, for the benefit of your education."

"And who are you?" Felix asked.

"I am Brigid," the soldier replied. "The Queen has invited me to travel with her beloved daughters as bodyguard and witness. It is a great honor."

The invisible chains ripped Felix forward once again. He increased his pace to stay shoulder-to-shoulder with Brigid. She is tall for a woman, he thought, but a dwarf compared to the Dragon. They stepped into the shadow of the forest, continuing to follow the old cobblestone path.

"By your calendar," Brigid continued, "Princess Astrid is seven-hundred and fifty-three years old. She has seven children and fifty-nine grandchildren. She has traveled to this land upon the advice of her brother."

The path began to descend around a slight bend, following a gentle creek. The rock wall on one side was covered in waves of ferns, grasping for the golden light. Astrid stopped and reached out, caressing one frond with her fingers in contemplation.

"He told me that I needed to learn a lesson," Astrid said. "My brother bade me observe this conflict." Then she resumed walking.

"And you want my help?" Felix asked.

"Your help is guaranteed," Brigid corrected.

"Can I refuse?"

"She will consume your soul, and then raise your corpse using necromancy so that you might continue your service. If that is your wish, it can be done presently."

"This hardly seems like a good deal for me."

"As the Princess has already so eloquently communicated, this arrangement is not unknown to you. Your Red Dragon made decrees and you were bound to follow. Your ministers send tax collectors and threaten imprisonment. If you disobey the orders of your commander, you shall be put to death. The difference is that your government has enjoyed your entire lifetime to deliver their arguments. The Princess has had but a few moments."

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Felix grunted.

"Your skill at flying is not lost on us, Felix of Quaria. Princess Astrid invites you to carry her upon your back. Your duties will include providing flight services, navigating to nearby cities, explaining local customs, and recommending dining experiences that will satisfy the refined tastes of a Princess."

"That doesn't sound too bad," he muttered.

"Indeed. Your fates are intertwined. If the Princess succeeds in her mission, if she learns the lesson that her brother foresaw, then you shall be free of your bonds, and in the meantime, the Princess extends her protection to you. You need not fear for your life. Now let us turn to the battle in the sky... you will address me now and explain the nature of this battle."

The battle. Right, the battle. "It has been happening more often lately," Felix said. "It's those Draconic Paladins from Riln, the land to the south. They serve the Blue Dragon. These adventures across the border are a calculated insult. Me and my companions do battle with these intruders. And, on the topic of said battle, I believe that I am still needed."

"You are not," Brigid said flatly. "The enemy is unskilled. They are deliberately sending their worst soldiers, to cull the weak and make you underestimate them. A clever ruse. Your enemy has earned my respect."

The forest opened to reveal the rocky bank of a shallow river. On the near shore of the river, not too far from the edge of the forest, there rose a spire of purple crystal. It was slightly wider than a home, circular in shape, and it converged to a point high above the treetops. The shining surface was broken only by a few diamond windows and a door-like opening at the base.

"A dragonspire!" Felix gasped. Then, suddenly, the significance of Astrid's presence entered into his awareness. He had spent his childhood in the city of Quaria, on a hill by the sea, overlooking the Sorrow River, west of the Great Crystal Dam and Flood's End. All of the cities in the greater nation of Quaria were built near or inside forests of crystal dragonspires. Evidence of the power of the Red Dragon, nestled into every park, every street corner, every vista...

This spire was made from a similar material, with a similar structure. Felix involuntarily froze, trembling, as he looked at it.

Astrid looked down at him with a satisfied smile. "You are invited to tremble in my radiance."

Beyond a shimmering magical barrier, the doorway at the base of the dragonspire opened into a circular foyer. Dozens of suits of armor (no bodies inside, just empty suits) wandered around the interior of the structure, animated from within by glowing magenta light. One such animated construct approached the party with a platter of meats, cheeses, and crystal glasses filled with wind-dark liquid.

Welcome, Most Exalted Princess. It was a voice in his head, like that of a stuffy old man. Your sister awaits your arrival.

Felix was uncomfortable climbing the steps in the foyer, and he could tell that Brigid was also struggling silently. The steps were obviously designed for someone much, much taller. They continued to climb through the tower, traversing ring-like walkways, past a barracks-like room filled with empty beds, and up a curved staircase to the floor at the top of the structure.

In a well-furnished room with a single oversized bed, two giant armchairs, and massive bookshelves filled with leather-bound tomes, there awaited a second Purple Dragon. She wore no metal mask to cover her bright purple eyes, and her purple hair tumbled down her shoulders in elaborate curls. Her face lit up when she saw Felix.

"A whelp!" the second Purple Dragon exclaimed. "How adorable!"

For a moment Felix felt like a child in a room with two adults.

"Princess Elvira of House Anna-Rhea," Brigid announced. "You are invited to kneel."

Felix briefly considered defiance, but begrudgingly dropped one knee to the purple-rainbow crystal floor.

"You have shown wisdom, Felix of Quaria," Brigid said. Felix did not miss the condescension in her voice. "It was Princess Elvira who sacrificed Princess Astrid's eyes upon the altar to the Queen, as was her duty. They are bound together now, as life partners in the Dance of the Festival of Fate."

What a strange culture. Felix thought. Sacrificing eyes? Life partner with her own sister?

"The lifelong connection between me and my sister is nearly impossible to describe in your language," Astrid said, no doubt reading his thoughts. "It involves magic, and it involves a type of ritual dancing."

The second Purple Dragon, as tall as her sister, stepped forward and lovingly began to remove the steel mask from Astrid's face. Beneath, Felix saw completely empty eye sockets, surrounded by horrible red scars, as if the flesh had been ravaged. Felix averted his eyes instantly.

"I hear your words dear sister," Elvira said. "I know that you honor me in this language. Felix, is it? I empathize with your plight. This must be so strange and new to you! If you need anything, just ask the constructs below."

Astrid walked across the room, apparently not blind in spite of her lack of eyes, and, perhaps through sorcery, caused a few dozen books to leap off the shelves and circle playfully in the air about her. Princess Elvira turned away and plopped down into her massive armchair. A magical glass of wine floated nearby.

"The Princesses value their privacy," Brigid said. "We are invited to leave."

"What now?" Felix asked as they descended the curved stairs toward the barracks room. The light outside the windows had dimmed as if the sun had set.

"Ask the constructs. They will lead you to the hot springs to the east of the tower where you can bathe and prepare to retire. They can also provide food, drink, a new uniform, and a toothbrush if you so desire." She pointed into the barracks room as they passed. "The third bed from the left on the second row, that is where you will sleep. Do not wake me when you retire. Good night."