The following day, Agadart kept to the medical cabin, reading by the light of the sun slanting through the porthole. Dr. Worthan came in late in the morning looking leathery and unbalanced, and it was all Agadart had in her not to tease him about his hangover. As if she was one to talk, in any case.

Instead she let him sit in peace until he had finished his coffee and toast, then asked a few questions she had marked down about dragon anatomy.

He tapped at the paper with her questions, pursing his lips. “There is not significant size dimorphism between male and females in general, as you know.”

“Except for queens?”

“Oh, well, yes, they are often noticeably larger.”

“But why? If dimorphism isn’t a constant, and isn’t significant for mating, why?”

“There is a point where science ends, and legends and magic take over. I do believe that someday we will come to understand the magic of dragons as well as we do the nature of electricity, but for now, the common theory is that size is linked to the magic of the land they rule. It explains the smaller queens of the empire of Iskaryyva. Truly, if the emperor ever found a queen who would take him, she would be probably be one of the fabled giants of Khrzv.” He chuckled at his own joke.

“Queen Theaedra’s flying form is not so large, despite the size of Kaaltendt.”

“Ah, you bring up a contradictory theory, which is that size is matched to the number and health of the dragons the queen rules. That argument, of course, falls short when it comes to Akanata, which is twice the size of the Isle of Watt but has three times the dragons, and yet the queen is on par with your own Queen Theaedra.”

She frowned at her book. “I have read about none of those theories.”

“Because few true scientists or draconic philosophers would be caught dead making such speculations about magic.” He shrugged.

“Sounds like a major oversight based on pride,” she grumbled.

He smiled at her. “You have the mind of a scientist, Maid Aegirine. I suspect your true worth was never acknowledged in Kaaltendt.”

She nodded politely. “Our cultures are significantly different in that regard.”

“You mean in every regard,” he chuckled. “I do think Matrica Roki has a point, that the cultural influence of dragons carries significant impact on social structure and codification of gender roles. Hard to parse, really, but it’s obvious. As radically different as Watt and Akanata are, they share far more in common with each other than either does with Kaaltendt.”

Agadart thought of the triamonds the admiral had talked about the evening before, then fought down her blush as she remembered how the evening ended. “Triamonds,” she said awkwardly, trying to join the conversation again and distract herself.

“Indeed. Formalized in Watt, informal in Akanata, and non-existent in Kaaltendt. Mistresses and bastards you have in abundance, but not dragons. And therein lies much of the reason.”

She quickly managed to steer the conversation back to more medically-related questions, and spent the next couple of days going over diagrams of dragon anatomy and wound care. She was not looking forward to the cause of her education, but it remained a fascinating topic. Moreover, it kept her out of the way of the admiral and his consort, which she felt was prudent for the time being. If her father had taught one thing well, it was that resisting temptation was a far better plan than cleaning up the mess it created. Her thoughts wandered to her dead husband for a moment, realizing that if he had been able to resist the temptation of power and money, he would have avoided the Iskaryyvan spies and they would likely still be married. Suppressing a shudder, she gave thanks that he, at least, had possessed a weak moral character.

By the afternoon of the third day, though, Mani had clearly reached his limit on avoiding the situation and knocked on the door to the cabin. His rapping was impatient and loud, so Agadart let him in quickly. Dr. Worthan looked up from his notebook with a frown. “Matrica Roki?”

“I’m here for my lesson with Maid Aegirine, if it isn’t inconvenient.” Mani spoke formally and stood rigid, his back straight.

Worthan frowned. “Oh, I thought those were suspended for the duration of the crossing? Well, never mind, I find myself in need of fresh air and a stretch of the legs. One hour, Maid Aegirine,” he added, pointing at her. She nodded meekly and he left them alone.

Mani didn’t move.

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“You genuinely wish to resume etiquette studies?” Agadart asked, careful of her tone.

He shook his head and removed his hat, bowing deeply as he did so. “Did we offend you? If so, please accept our apologies.”

Agadart blushed again, helpless against reaction. “I…I wasn’t offended. It was a flattering offer,” she choked out, her skin hot and flushed from embarrassment.

Mani’s face pinched up in confusion. “We were sincere, it was not base flattery. We had no cause to simply lead you on at that point.”

At the point where they had all already fallen into bed, Agadart amended mentally. She forced a smile. “No. It was a very unconventional invitation, for Kaaltendt. But I was not upset. That is, I was not angry or offended.”

“But you were upset?” Mani asked, his voice and his posture softening.

“I was flattered. But we are going to war, and such a…ah, such an alliance would be…complicated. And difficult. It was not an easy decision, to walk away after…after. But I had to. I hope you can understand.” She got out the words, staring out the porthole.

“Oh.” Mani stood still for another moment, then crossed the small space to sit on a trunk near Agadart, only barely within arm’s reach of her — a careful, circumspect distance. “But upset, nonetheless.”

She took a deep breath, deciding on how honest to be, but then realized that she cared too much for Mani to lie. “Most dragon maids serve for a limited time. Five or ten years, usually. They then leave service and only then settle down, marry, find a trade.”

Mani nodded. “You are still young.”

“Not by Kaaltendt standards. Anyway, when they do leave the corps, they are given a lifetime retirement pay. Such work is so disdained in Kaaltendt that they have to bribe young women to do it.” She took a deep breath. “I am indeed not so young, nor was I bribed. I was ordered to join for a period of no less than ten years, by the queen herself, without any promise of a retirement stipend or any other recognition by the crown.”

Mani frowned deeply, obviously wracking his brain for any hint of her identity. “So you are here under duress? As punishment?”

She had pondered that question herself for a long time, which was why she shook her head. “No. Not as punishment, except perhaps incidentally. I believe the queen mostly just wanted to make me disappear for a few years. Whether that was as a grace to me or for some purpose she has not shared, I couldn’t say. But even once I’m separated from service, even then, I’ll be, ah, used property.”

“Because you were married? Or…are currently so?” He narrowed his eyes, inspecting her for the first time with a hint of suspicion.

Agadart chuckled, but it was a weak, bitter laugh. “Oh no, my husband is well and truly dead. A traitor who met a traitor’s end. If I had not been a key witness against him, I would have joined him on the chopping block.”

Mani looked pale, his eyes wide. “Baron Stewardt.”

She nodded. There was nothing else to say.

He looked out the porthole for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. “You are indeed lucky, I suppose.” He finally looked over at her again, his head dipping in respect.

“Mmn…some say that. I assure you, I put my life on the line to earn that pardon. And after all, the queen has stated that she will allow me to remarry in order to retain my father’s lands and title, which I can only do if I have an heir to give it to.”

“That’s absurd.” Mani sighed, but didn’t argue, at least knowing enough about the arcane Kaaltendt inheritance laws not to fuss at her about it.

“Such as it is, I agree. Furthermore, I will have to marry simply whomever will have me, whomever wants the political alliance and lands my father can offer. That on top of having to acknowledge being a dragon maid as well, which will further hinder any suit of my hand. All that will prove difficult enough, but to also put into that any kind of dalliance, especially with foreigners, and worse! With a dragon? No. I cannot risk it.” She twisted her hands together, still keeping her gaze out to sea.

“And a triamond, no less,” Mani said softly. “I understand. I will explain to my Dearest, and he will listen, and we will talk of this no more. We had a lovely moment together, but we would not want it to tarnish or hinder your future.”

At that, Agadart turned to give him a grateful smile. They sat for a moment in silence, but then Mani straightened up. “I do not believe you will have such troubles with finding a husband, when the time comes.”

“If we live that long,” she sighed, before covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh, I’m sorry. That was…that was bleak, wasn’t it?”

It was his turn to chuckle. “It is also the truth, I fear.”

After a short moment of introspection between the two of them, she shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll find an acceptable match, eventually. My father’s estate is attractive enough to some, no matter my own lack of appeal,” she added with a small smile.

Mani ground his teeth, seeming at war with himself, then scooted forward in the chair and leaned across to kiss her gently, softly on the lips before smoothly returning to his original position. Agadart knew she looked stunned, and she was at a loss for words. Mani’s expression turned fond, and he smiled. “Your appeal is far greater than you know, Maid Aegirine, or should I say, Agadart ver Kleelan, Baroness Stewardt of Hiltinbarg.” He ran his tongue over his lips, and Agadart shuddered, feeling herself flush from ear to ear with memories of his mouth on her. “You taste of dragon,” he added in a whisper.

Before Agadart could embarrass herself again, Mani stood up and briskly straightened out his jacket. “I am glad we cleared the air. We will press no further, but please know that we will also miss what we could have had, the three of us.” He looked at her keenly, staring for a long moment at her lips. “I will inform my lord of our discussion.”

“All of it?” she snapped before she could rein it in.

Mani, though, did not seem bothered by her indignation or his forthrightness. “Yes, all of it.” He turned and walked out, leaving Agadart to stew in both her cultured hostility and her primal desires. Growling at herself, she slapped open the book she had been studying, although it was a long time before she could bring herself to pay attention to it again.