Disclaimer: A Tale of Two Castles is the property of Gail Carson Levine. No copyright infringement is intended.

"And Lodie—"

"Yes, Masteress?"

"Do not dawdle."

I darted my tongue out at IT as I left the lair, in the split second before the door closed. I knew IT had seen, of course. Just as IT knew that all ITs rushing couldn't prevent me from exploring Two Castles to see how the town had changed in the four years we'd been gone. Nor, in fact, did IT want me not to explore. IT encouraged curiosity.

I set off at a brisk clip down Owe Street, purposely not dawdling here so as to have more time to dawdle where it really mattered. Owe Street was pretty much as we had left it. Honestly, the lair was what had changed the most: there had actually been dust and even roaches inside. Not surprising, since it had been empty for four years, but still strange because of ITs obsession with cleanliness. Scouring the lair had been the first item of business on our return.

Four years. It had started as a journey to Tair—me, the dragon known as Masteress Meenore, and Count Jonty Um, a kind and sweet and… well, handsome ogre. His Lordship had gone for the pleasure of travel and sightseeing, and my masteress and I had gone with him for pay. And to find more mysteries to solve, I think; IT was a detective dragon. Anyway, mysteries we had certainly found, whether IT had been looking for them or not. We'd stopped first at my home island of Lahnt, where His Lordship had decided to stay behind for a while, and then my masteress and I had gone on to Tair, Kyrria, Ayortha—we'd been everywhere.

Four years. It was a long time. Long enough to turn a girl of twelve into a woman—all right, young woman—of sixteen. Two Castles had certainly changed; I could see that now as I headed down Daycart Way in the twilight. Many of the peddlers preparing to close up shop were not the ones I had known before. This house had been spruced up and added onto, and that one looked rundown. But if the town had changed, I myself had changed more.

It wasn't just that I'd grown in my skills, although that was part of it. I was continually getting better at inducing, deducing, and using my common sense. Masteress Meenore had even let me take charge of a couple cases recently and had smiled in satisfaction when I'd done, according to IT, nearly as well as IT would have done. And our stay in Ayortha, the land of singers, had added greatly to my skill in acting (or mansioning, as we say here).

But I think the change in my relationship with my masteress may have been the biggest of all—and yet, IT always seemed to remain the same. I guess four years isn't much when you've lived for hundreds. But I'd grown, from fear, when IT first offered me the position of dragon's assistant and I wondered if IT would eat me when I reached ITs den, to admiring intimidation, to affection, to love. IT had become like a mother or a father to me (which, I cannot say, of course), and then, within the last year or so, I'd come to feel that we were friends, too. Not equals, but definitely friends. And that was when I had started to feel that I was growing up.

I reached Goodman Onree's stand just as he was covering the last of his goods—the bread and the cheese. I grinned. "Good evening, Goodman Onree."

The plump peddler spun around like a top. "Mistress Elodie!"

"Yes, sir," I said.

"I declare," the goodman exclaimed, pulling off his cap, "I've been listening for your voice at the end of every shop day for… it must be nigh on four years now! You see I still haven't managed to break the habit of putting away the bread and cheese last."

"That was what I'd hoped," I replied. "We just got back today, but Masteress Meenore wastes no time."

"IT certainly doesn't," Goodman Onree agreed. "How much does IT want?"

"Five loaves and two wheels."

The peddler nodded and set to packaging up the order. "And IT expects ITs usual discount for your coming at the end of the day, I suppose?" He put on a mournful expression.

"Of course." I grinned.

"Ah, yes," he moaned. "A dragon never changes."

The peddler put the groceries into my bag, and I passed him the coins in exchange. Besides ITs detecting, IT had made ITs living in Two Castles by peddling bread and cheese on skewers, toasted in ITs flame. Since IT had sent me for the bread and cheese tonight, I deduced that we would begin selling again tomorrow. That meant a long night of cubing and skewering, which was probably why IT had not wanted me to dawdle, and also the other reason, besides exploring, I wanted to do just that.

Goodman Onree and I exchanged pleasant goodbyes, and I turned back up Daycart Way. I was slightly disappointed that he hadn't commented on how I'd grown.

Oddly enough, one thing that hadn't changed about Two Castles—the one thing I had been certain would have changed—was the cats. They were everywhere. I had still seen cat trainers at every corner on the way to Goodman Onree's stand, and now that night was falling, cats were prowling freely wherever I turned my eyes. The people of Two Castles had kept cats to protect them from Count Jonty Um—As if he ever would have hurt them!—because cats, if there are enough of them, can force an ogre to shapeshift into a mouse. But surely, silly superstition though it was, people had figured out by now that it wasn't necessary anymore, because His Lordship had left?

"Make way! Ogre coming through! Dog coming through!"

The shout thundered down the street behind me. It was my turn to whirl about in surprise. I had heard that shout my very first day in Two Castles so long ago. The few people traveling along Daycart Way this late were pressing against the buildings on either side, just as they had then. Could it be?

"Your Lordship!" I cried. It was him. It was Count Jonty Um. I felt a bubble of joy spring up in my stomach and rise up in my throat till it burst in elated laughter, and I dropped my basket and ran towards him.

"Mistress Elodie!" he answered in a voice the entire street could hear. He knelt down and scooped me up as I careened into him, lifting me high above the ground. I prepared myself for a crushing hug, but his arms were gentle, and I was probably rougher on him as I threw my arms around his neck that he ever was to me. Tears were streaming down both our faces. In my ecstasy, I leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Suddenly, in the street below, I heard gasps and a choked-off scream. I watched the blood rush into Count Jonty Um's face and was not sure whether it was because of the gasps or because of the kiss. My own face was burning. I hadn't planned to do that; it must have been some unconscious working of the… liking for him I had never really acknowledged. I had certainly acknowledged it now.

The stunned silence that had followed the scream was broken by frantic whispers of "She kissed the ogre! The dragon's assistant kissed the ogre!"

The tips of His Lordship's ears were bright red. "Don't mind them, Mistress Elodie," he mumbled. He wasn't looking at me, but he didn't put me down. I didn't know what to say.

"Nesspa!" said His Lordship. His enormous hound leapt up, oblivious to the tension around him. "Fetch!" I turned to look and saw that His Lordship was pointing to my basket. Nesspa picked it up, and we started off down the street amid a torrent of whispers, both of us still blushing red as flame.

Count Jonty Um put me down when we reached Roo Street, which was relatively empty. He still wasn't meeting my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Your Lordship," I said miserably. "I don't know what came over me."

"You shouldn't have done that, Mistress Elodie," he said. I nodded heavily. "Now they'll all hate you."

I looked up at him. He was hanging his head, and his shoulders were slumped. "Your Lordship…" I said slowly. "I don't care what they think. They're horrible to you anyway, so what does it matter if they're horrible to me, too?"

"It does matter," he said. "You're nice. They should be nice to you."

I flushed again. "Well, you're nicer, so if they should be nice to me, they should be nicer to you," I babbled. "But they're not. Your Lordship—" I reached up tentatively and touched his hand. "I'm not upset about what they think. I'm just afraid that I embarrassed you."

He finally looked at me. I could see tears trembling at the edges of his huge eyes. "Embarrassed me?" he asked with a hesitant smile. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's done for me in a long time. Since my servants begged me to come back to them here a couple years ago, maybe."

I laughed, like a silly child. The sweetest thing anyone's done for me in a long time, my mind repeated. That also explained why he was back here. His servants did adore him; it wasn't surprising that they had wanted him to come back. "Then I guess we're both worried for nothing," I said. He looked about to argue, but I stopped him by calling to Nesspa. I took back my basket, saying, "I need to get back. Masteress Meenore will want these."

Count Jonty Um smiled. "Then Meenore is back, too?"

"Oh, yes. Wherever IT goes, I go," I replied.

"Then…" His Lordship glanced up and down the street. It was still fairly empty. "Can I walk you home?"

I grinned and nodded up at him. I might have been just a little happier about it than I properly should have been. And I was definitely blushing.