A/N: The reason I had Haar stay behind for four years is because I think that's probably the only way he could make the transition from viewing Jill as a little girl, practically his little sister, to a woman in her own right. If he missed those vital years between 12 and 16, then it fits in with the timeline and makes their romantic relationship much more plausible.


Every night, for four long years, Jill looked at the starry sky before she went to sleep. Sometimes she didn't really think about why, just glanced at it anyway, for it had become such a pattern that it felt wrong not to do so. But most times she knew very well why. She wanted to see something there, someone, a man riding a wyvern through the night. When her father had returned, she had been overjoyed, but her delight was so dampened by the lack of Haar's presence that she couldn't help but stare at the sky in every spare moment.

Four years, her father had said. Then he'd be back.

The days inched by, and Jill moved on with her life, keeping up with her training and her schooling and her friends in the village. Their favorite game to play was to find long sticks and dash through the woods, pretending to be on a sub-human hunt. Jill loved it; it took her mind from things, filling her with the simply joy of running and fighting and chasing. She and her friends would dart around, laughing and hitting each other with their sticks, shouting and imagining they saw beasts around every corner.

On her fourteenth birthday, her father presented her with her first real lance, and introduced her to a small but beautiful wyvern, her first mount. Haar had taught her how to ride – he had taken her for many flights on his black-skinned wyvern – but she had never flown alone. The animal's green scales glimmered like seawater in the sunlight, and it gazed at her with sharp, intelligent eyes, filled with a natural kind of warmth that captivated Jill at the very first glance. She glanced from the beautiful creature to her father, thrilled, gripping the lance firmly in her hand and nearly bouncing off her feet from excitement.

"Go ahead," Shiharam nodded. "It's about time you went on your first solo flight."

Jill squealed like a little child and scrambled onto the saddle. The wyvern craned its head to turn around and sniff her, and Jill offered it her hand, patting the animal's smooth skin gently.

"Be careful," Shiharam said. "Don't forget what Haar taught you. Don't go too fast – or too far - "

"I haven't forgotten! Don't worry!"

She tapped the wyvern into flight and let out a whoop of laughter once she was in the air. Fresh breezes whipped her long hair all about her face, but she didn't care. She felt free, so free, and the feeling returned every other time she flew. She couldn't wait for Haar to return, now. She wanted to fly with him, not as a child sharing his saddle, but as a dracoknight in her own right, keeping pace at his side.


His heart pounded a little faster the closer he got to Talrega. He'd flown nearly nonstop since his palace officer had told him he was to be released, sent back to Talrega as a captain attached to Commander Shiharam's battalion. His good eye felt dry and his vision was blurry, but for once, he refused to sleep, taking in every inch of the landscape that he hadn't seen in so long. He landed in the back lawns of Talrega keep, where he and Jill used to train.

"Thanks, mate," he murmured to his mount, patting its head in thanks and producing an apple from his pocket. The wyvern snapped it up happily and curled up for a nap. But Haar couldn't sleep quite yet – there were people he had to see. The back door to Talrega keep was open, so he walked in, wondering whether or not to call out. Perhaps he should have written before he came back?

"Haar?"

He whipped around. It was Shiharam, staring at him as if he had seen a ghost, a dumbfounded look on his face that changed ever so slowly into a broad grin. He rushed over to Haar, clasping his soldier, his eyes shining.

"It really is you," he said. "You didn't break your promise after all."

"I never would," Haar said, smiling too. "You'd kill me if I died, after all. How're things? How's Jill?"

"As fine as can be. We all know our king's a bloodthirsty madman, but there's nothing we can do about that," Shiharam said, his voice cautiously low when he spoke ill of the king. "And Jill's just fine too. I just gave her first lance and her first wyvern two years ago. She'd be thrilled to have you teach her."

"She'll be a soldier in no time," said Haar. "Where is she?"

"Out flying, most likely. She'll be back soon, probably back in the courtyard - "

Haar yawned loudly, missing the rest of Shiharam's words. "I'll take a nap there then. Do you mind? I'm completely bushed. Sorry, Commander - "

"Not at all," said Shiharam. "But, Haar, I should tell you… I didn't – I didn't tell her about our time in Daein."

With a raised eyebrow, Haar considered him. "Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," Haar said wearily, rubbing his face. "Commander, I'll see you soon."

Before he left, Shiharam caught his arm. "Thank you," he said quietly, earnestly. Haar realized that even in just four years, there were new lines on his mentor's skin, more gray hairs on his head. "Thank you for keeping your promises."

"Always," replied Haar, just as softly and sincerely.

When he reached the courtyard, he realized at once that all was not as he had left it. His timing was incredible. Just as he opened the door, a green wyvern landed lightly on the ground, and a young woman leapt off its back, looking curiously at the black animal sharing her space. She had long, straight red hair that was pulled away from her face and neck in a long ponytail, and her posture was tall and confident. Haar's breath caught in his throat as she began to turn around.

Her face was no longer warm and round like it had been when she was a child; it was sharper now, more mature. She wore a woman's body with pride and confidence. Her eyes – her mother's eyes – held a look of dawning comprehension that he could recognize even from a few sword-lengths away. She whipped around to face him fully, eyes wide.

"Haar?" she said, staring at him, open-mouthed. Even her voice sounded a little different - smoother, gentler. "You're – you're here – and - "

Her gaze fell on the right side of his face, as Haar knew it would. He smiled and tried to shrug it off, but he was still so surprised at her appearance that it was a halfhearted effort. He'd forgotten – when he left, she was twelve, still a girl. But now, sixteen, she was without doubt a young woman, and more than in her body, he could see it in the cool knowledge of the world behind her gaze and the way she held herself, straight and sure, like her father. He hoped that she would be too distracted to notice that he was staring her in a sort of shock.

"What – what happened?" she breathed, still standing frozen where she had dismounted.

"Training accident," Haar said. He would tell her the truth, someday, but now was not the time. "I think it looks rather fetching, don't you?"

She bit her lip, and for some reason, Haar couldn't tell if she was trying not to laugh or trying not to cry.

But his question was soon answered when she shook her head and grinned, laughing, running to him. Haar hugged her heartily, spinning her in the air like he used to, matching her laugh when he set her back on her feet. Her arms still rested around his shoulders. She began talking so fast that he could barely understand her through her excitement.

"Did Father tell you? I'm to be a real soldier soon! Look, meet my wyvern. She's wonderful. And my lance – can I show you? Can I fight you? I'll show you how much I've improved! What about you? What was the capital like? Did you fight any sub-humans? Did you travel? Oh, I so want to travel – I'm so excited to be a soldier. You'll help me keep training, right?"

"Slow down, slow down," said Haar, as she took him by the hand and led him to her mount. "You'll have to say all that again, at a pace normal people can comprehend."

She took a few long, deep breaths, closing her eyes, only opening them again once she seemed to have calmed down a little bit. Even at sixteen - a new sixteen, he realized, as her birthday was only weeks ago - she was still very much herself in her determination and vivacity. She smiled up at him, looking a little abashed, then finally noticed his odd stare. "What?" she asked, a laugh behind her voice.

"Nothing," Haar said quickly. "Just – you look – different. You look a lot like your mother, you know."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise – they rarely talked about her mother. Apart from a few mentions, apart from a few questions when she was young, no one talked much about her mother. "Thank you," Jill said sincerely. She tilted her head as she studied him, her cheeks a little pink."You look different, too. Not just your eye, I mean. You seem… I don't know the word."

"I'll just hope it's a compliment then," said Haar, smiling. She nodded fervently. Ruffling her hair like he always did, he yawned widely, his exhaustion catching up with him. "Well, I'd better find a bed soon, or I'll start snoring where I stand. Where's the closest place to sleep?"

Jill merely rolled her eyes, elbowing him in the side. Haar grinned. Some things would never change.