A/N: Hello! My apologies for going so fast-forward in time. But this was stuck in my head, and I was afeared that it would vanish if I didn't write it down. I told you this is a collection of one-shots – so, that means we can jump around in time…right? Okay. I'll shut up. Read on!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is – obviously – Tamora Pierce's. Much to my dismay.

Chapter 4: Sarralyn's In Love

14 years later

"Numair." Daine looked at her husband with a half worried, half amused expression on her face. "Are you okay?" Numair looked rather annoyed.

"I can't find Sarralyn."

Daine raised her eyebrows sceptically at him and reached out with her wild magic. She felt her daughter somewhere in the forest, but she was not alone. She was not with Rikash, her eight year old brother, either. She was with a boy.

The woman stifled a groan. How would she cover this up from Numair? He would be livid. Daine, of course, understood the fourteen year old mostly. Her husband, on the other hand, did not.

He was, after all, a man.

"She's just…in the forest," Daine said with a smile. "Playing." There. That wasn't lying. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Kitten grin all very dragonly. Over the last few years, she had learnt language deftly. It had been Tkaa, they supposed. His influence had been huge on the dragon, and the quickness of Kitten's learning was amazing. It was great, most of the time. Then there were those times where it wasn't…

This was one of those times.

– Funny – the dragonet whistled. – I think that " playing" is not entirely right –

Daine glared at Kitten. "Don't, you menace," she snapped in a whisper, too quiet for Numair to hear. But, damn him, he did, and frowned.

"What's wrong? Where is she? Sarralyn?" He sounded both worried and confused.

"Nowhere…she's…nowhere…" Daine hissed, clamping her hands over Kitten's muzzle. The dragon whistled in amusement and rose up on her hind paws, almost as if to get a better view of the scene. She snickered.

"So, Numair," Daine said conversationally, "why don't we go down and grab lunch? I'm sure Sarri will be back soon…"

Numair narrowed his eyes. "What is it, Daine?" Daine raised her eyebrows at him. Black fire gathered around his hands and then vanished as his expression turned distraught.

"No!" he gasped. "She is way too young. Don't even try to argue –"

"Any younger than I was, when I spent time with Perin, Numair?" Daine challenged. "And how about Aly? Before she met Nawat, she was always after the boys. And Alanna? Onua? I'm sure they all spent time with boys –"

"It's my job to make her love life hell, Daine," the mage whined. He honestly looked pitiful, all wide eyes and pouted lips. Daine rolled her blue-grey eyes at him.

"No."

"But –"

"No."

"Just –"

Daine crushed her lips to his, for the pure point of shutting him up as much as kissing him.

***

At dinner that night, Daine and Numair both learnt more about Sarralyn's lover – from Sarralyn herself. His name was Jaspa, he was Crián, and had some wild magic with horses. It was not much, Sarralyn said, but it was enough. He was a lovely boy. Her parents would love him.

Numair's opinion differed somewhat.

"Hello, Jaspa," Numair greeted evilly as Sarralyn and her boyfriend entered. He was the picture of pure malevolence, truly, with his narrowed eyes and tightened lips. He added, "Have you had sex with my daughter?"

Jaspa was tall, blonde, with honey-coloured eyes. He wore khaki breeches, a loose shirt, and black boots. He reminded Daine very much of herself at that age, looking confused and excited both.

"Ignore him," Daine advised coolly. "We all do." She said it as her daughter Sarralyn seemed pretty incapable of answering. This was a first, Daine had to admit. The girl was very stubborn, like her mother, and very strong-willed.

Jaspa smiled at Daine and then looked at Numair respectfully. "Nossir."

"Really?" Numair rocked back on his heels. "That's interesting." He looked interested, too. Daine rolled her eyes, as did Kitten. Jaspa eyed the dragon with interest, knelt down with no fear, and held out his hand. Kitten waddled up to him and jumped into his arms. He laughed and fell backwards, Kitten mauling him with licks.

"Get up, Kit," Sarralyn scolded, but she was grinning. "You're a dragon, not a hound!"

Jaspa laughed and got up, holding the dragonet still. She nuzzled into him. Sarralyn looked so green with envy it was hilarious.

"Well." Daine was smirking at her husband, who was scowling at Jaspa, who was smiling at Sarralyn, who was frowning down at Kitten. "Kit likes you. I like you. Numair doesn't like you, but that's his way. Plus, Sarri loves –" At Sarralyn's blush, Daine grinned once again. "– likes you. She's right, most of the time."

"Except that time she said the sky is blue because the gods have too much sewer water in the divine realms and they throw it out. But because they've such a cleansed world the water is pure blue, and when the sky turns other colours, its because the gods' water isn't…"

Jaspa let out a surprised laugh as Numair carried on. Daine grinned. Sarralyn rolled her eyes and scowled but her heart wasn't in it. She went and wrapped her arms around Jaspa as they settled around the fire to listen to Numair tell embarrassing stories at their daughter's expense.

Maybe this won't be so bad, Daine thought as she watched the family. She smiled. Poor Numair will get lonely, him being the only one without wild magic.

Kitten crawled into Daine's lap and they watched as Numair and Jaspa laughed wholeheartedly with curiosity.

She would never understand men.