"Well Liaison Yelena, we simply have to stop meeting like this." Maren said in deadpan. "Do Sitians have a thing against documentation or are you just absent-minded by virtue of being you?"

"The Sandseeds actually record everything in their heads. And you know just how I am about the good old times!" I smirked.

The Captain who had seized me for most of the morning shifted his feet nervously but saluted, "I am ready to take full responsibility for my actions."

Maren eyed him levelly, "Are you sure about that? Fortunately, you didn't kill the liaison, an act that could have easily triggered a war with Sitia. But you did capture and detain her without due process, which would make peace talks unnecessarily difficult right now. I hear General Rasmussen has always favored good Sitian relations. So he won't be happy. And to add insult to injury, I doubt Valek would be too happy about this fiasco either."

Upon hearing Valek's name, he blanched and the salute wavered, "I am sure."

After a few moments, during which I made every effort to stifle my smile, Maren said, "But…you were doing what you believed was right to keep Ixia secure. You took a chance and risked treason for your loyalty. That in it of itself should merit a good report."

The Captain was ready to keel over, "Tha…Thank you ma'am!"

"Welcome back to Ixia, Yelena." The Commander said, his amber eyes gazing at me intently. "The Brandy Meeting is scheduled two nights from now. In the meantime, the guest suite has been prepared for your stay. I trust you will find it to your liking."

I smiled, "I will. Thank you, sir."

"My Chief of Security is on a mission right now but I'm sure he will make every effort to return in time for delegations." He added before I could ask. A rare, knowing smile softened his features.

For the next hour, we sat in his office companionably making small talk.

I was accosted by Ari and Janco in the most affectionate of bear hugs when I met them. We laughed and excitedly divulged in the details of our recent lives. I hadn't seen any of them in over two seasons.

"Training field later?" Janco asked with a grin.

"I would, but I have other plans."

At that moment, Maren came up behind us. She threw an arm around me and we grinned. "She'll be going to the District Meet tomorrow. We've preparations to make."

Janco gaped comically, "Um, Yelena? I'd hate to break this to you…but you're not single."

Maren rolled her eyes, "People do go there to find friends you know. Only you would reduce it to a complete scheme to hook up…or in your case, another excuse to get wasted."

Janco stuck his tongue out at her peevishly, "I don't tell you how to live your life!"

"You're hopeless."

I laughed as I explained, "We're all going to support Dilana."

Maren nodded, "It's about time she got back out there."

The District Meet was a means to facilitate intermarriage and communication between the different military districts since strict borders made it imaginably difficult to meet people outside one's jurisdiction. It was held once each season for an entire day at Castletown. But to keep operations productive otherwise, those who opted to stay behind at their jobs were given extra wages.

When people met potential mates and friends, they would stay in communication (as best as they could) and if they were fortunate enough, be given permission to visit. If a couple wished to marry, someone had to move and the greatest district need usually trumped. That meant if one General complained of a lack of seamstresses or decent cooks; and their citizen managed to pair up with someone who fit those job descriptions, the latter would be obligated to move. Personal preferences came second and were granted case by case only.

It was no surprise that people tended to pair up for practical reasons here. And why people from MD-1 can be rather unpopular.

The greatest exception to this rule was that of the Commander's persons. Few Generals would try to take his people away. If anyone met and married one of Castletown's, chances are they'll be the ones doing the moving.

When I was food taster, I was not allowed to go. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. I was not allowed to marry and few would have opted to be friends with a convicted murderer. This will be an interesting experience.

Janco crossed his arms and grumbled, "Fine. But you do owe me a match!"

Ari stepped forward, "And me too. You need to stay prepared."

Maren threw her hands up, "Well I might as well make it a party."

I laughed, "Agreed!"

While uniforms were still required during District Meets, it never stopped people from doing what they could to render themselves a bit more attractive or stylish. And from ribbons to jewelry to alternate fabrics, Dilana always knew how to improvise. We watched as she experimented with her hair and chose earrings that were sure to sparkle in the sunlight and to shine underneath the stars when she threw her head back to laugh.

"Remember Dilana," Maren was saying, "Go for the soldiers." She reclined on her side on the bed, her head propped up lazily with one hand.

"Soldiers?" She laughed. "We have plenty of those don't we?"

"Decent ones who won't harass the female recruits? Not particularly. These laws never mean anything unless we change the entire culture."

Dilana undid the braid in her soft, brown hair and said thoughtfully, "I don't know. Soldiers might be a bit too serious for me."

"Have you met Janco?"

She conceded in touché.

"Find a decent, trustworthy housekeeper." I suggested, "Maybe then I can finally convince Valek to get rid of Margg."

"Maybe I'll find a cook." She was looking at her mirror. I could still see the pain that lurked behind the twinkling, kind eyes. "Sammy is decent, but most of us are still losing weight after all! It'd be nice to get someone creative who could come up with a few new recipes once in a while."

Maren and I exchanged looks. I sunk a bit into my chair next to Dilana, remembering I was mostly responsible for taking away her happiness. But I shook my head internally and made myself smile.

Maren went to her side and placed both hands on her shoulders, "Well it won't matter who you end up with. All that matters is that they make you happy."

She took both our hands, "I have you two for friends. I'm already happy."

Without music, the District Meet was large, chattering mass clustered into different cliques and couples throughout the courtyard. The laughter, however, lightened the atmosphere and reduced the severity the Code of Behavior had a tendency to endorse. That coupled with the tables set up with food and drink. There were already several individuals drunk in corners and under tables. With reunions and new friendships being made it all made for a happy sight. I spied Maren talking to several friends she had made in MD-7 in a corner. My status as a magician made many wary of me. But there few who I was able to make small talk with – most came from the Southern Military Districts, where a move toward enhanced Sitian ties was desired.

Being in Sitia, however, had made me accustomed to music and dancing, with few breaks in between. I laughed as I sipped my wine. I really was turning into my friend Dax Greenblade.

"Yelena!" I turned to see a woman bounding up to me. Without a word, she hugged me.

I pulled away but grappled my mind for a name, "I'm sorry…you do look familiar but…"

"Oh, no worries!" She laughed, "You probably don't want to remember me anyways. It's Kanna. General Tesso's daughter! We met briefly back in MD-5, remember?"

Kanna…the one Reyad was so smitten with the night of the Fire Festival. She was the reason I was able to sneak away.

"…so glad they managed to clear up your name at last. I never believed it for one moment. I just knew there had to be a good reason."

Did it matter? It wasn't as if she would have ever been able to do anything for me.

I smiled politely and sipped my wine. "It's good to see you again."

Kanna sobered and took my hands, "I'm so sorry for what you've been through. It absolutely wasn't your fault."

"Thanks." I meant it. While many Ixians wouldn't dare challenge the Commander's judgment, there was still enough who didn't believe me. It felt good to be validated.

"You simply must visit some time. But of course you will. I mean look at you! You're liaison after all! And don't worry about daddy. He never liked Reyad or Brazell to begin with. If anything you'll have to be listening to him badmouth them all night long!"

"I will." I smiled.

She beamed and we continued to make companionable small talk. Even when I found no malicious intent behind the magnanimity in her soul, I still held back. Did I still have such bad trust issues? Was I justified in assuming she could have an ulterior motive? Or was it all more the fact that I couldn't help but connect her to Reyad and pain?

Several hours later, I found Maren propped against a column. "Did she find anyone?"

Maren snorted in amusement, "Several." Her gaze lingered as she looked to her left, "Looks like everyone's dying to come here. But I think that one's the keeper."

Several feet away, Dilana flirted with someone from MD-1.

"Captain Annie." Maren informed me, sipping her wine, "Rumor has it she's one of the few who regularly volunteers to keep the snow cats at bay…and to keep the criminals from running off when they're there. That among other things made her a special favorite of the general."

"Sounds like you approve."

She waved her hand dismissively, but the grin never faded, "She's only a captain."

I raised an eyebrow, "Ah yes, Adviser Maren. You're quite right. Our Dilana surely deserves a major at the very least!"

Maren sighed dramatically, "I suppose I can make do. You just watch me get her all the way up to General."

"They're not married yet, you do realize that right?"

"You sure about that?"

I watched as Annie flipped her long black hair back and leaned closer to Dilana, who giggled and met her halfway. They really didn't waste time.

Dilana caught our eyes and said something to Annie. Then we saw them approach, hand in hand.

"Yelena, Maren, this is Annie." Dilana was giddy with happiness.

She waited for us to extend our hands and smiled broadly when we happily did. As it was the cooling season, most of us were bundled in our cloaks. But Annie was content in a thin linen shirt and skirt ensemble. Beneath the easy amicability I sensed a strong, unyielding resolute in her soul to protect those she loved. The image of the captain in her snow mask and fur-lined cloak against the harsh winter wind, covered against the elements save for her eyes; eyes that scanned the horizon for threat while her homeland crouched behind her came to mind. She clutched a spear, fully prepared to strike. And her charges stayed behind, content and grateful to feel safe and secure in their beds at night.

A whistle sounded, prompting complete and total silence. The District Meet was at its end.

Back in the guest suite, I prepared for bed but my glass bat glowed brightly with magic.

"There you are." Leif's face was in a perpetual frown, "I've been trying to get in contact with you all day!"

"I've been busy." It wasn't a total lie.

He eyed me skeptically but continued on with his news, "There's trouble. I've been on this case since last week and we need your help."

"What's going on?"

"Well, for some time there's been a string of kidnappings. Young girls, mostly. But then we started to do some investigating. And we found some… disturbing information."

He was stalling now.

"Get on with it."

He hesitated. Then made himself say, "Do you still remember our good friend Kangom?"

My heart wrenched with familiar pain. "Yes."

"Well those victims aren't all unrelated. Every single one of them had been kidnapped in childhood by him. But the strangest thing is…they return them."

"Return them?"

"Yes. They're kidnapped, held hostage somewhere for a few days, and they always give them back."

"Is there anything different about them?"

Another hesitation. "You could say that."

"Leif, stop stalling and tell me what's happening."

Unable to keep the horror off his face, he said, "They're… re-traumatized. We don't know what kind of torture they put them through but they come back as if they've…as if they've had to live everything again."

I nearly dropped the bat. To re-live everything…all the abuse…all the torture…Reyad…I felt sick as beads of cold sweat began to form.

"Yelena?!" Leif looked at me in concern.

I willed myself to look back at him.

"And the latest victim…was May."

A/N: The oddest thing. I found myself inspired to write fanfiction again. But it really was excruciatingly difficult to get back to stories I started when I was 16 (I blame my pre-feminist days)... I do want to finish Soul Study and A Pledge of Commitment someday though, however bad they are! xD In the meantime this is a story I started while procrastinating and going through a rough patch in my life. I've actually written quite a bit of it already. Hope you'll enjoy it!

And of course. Please review/favorite/all that nice stuff. 3