Namaari could feel the warm afternoon breeze against her face, but her mind was elsewhere as she sat in the garden outside the palace of Fang. She was alone with her thoughts, and whenever she was alone, her mind inevitably went back to where it had been these past few weeks... since the end of the Druun, and since the reunification of Kumandra.

She and Raya were together now... a couple, though few yet knew the truth about their relationship. Yes, they'd had many visits, they'd been out in public together, but most people saw them as little more than friends reconciling after the years of bitter conflict. Only those the two princesses were closest to knew the truth, and even then, there were things they kept only between the two of them... and things they still hid even from each other.

It was mostly peaceful outside the palace walls. Though people were allowed in and around the palace, most of Fang's residents were too busy to go sightseeing. There was plenty to do now that the Druun were gone: rebuilding, establishing new trade routes and businesses... Namaari had the garden to herself, and began to twirl her twin blades around, getting in a bit of exercise to keep her mind and body sharp.

"Lookin' impressive, Namaari!"

Namaari gasped, and looked up to see an all-too familiar figure descending nearby.

"Sisu?"

"Yeah, got bored, so I decided to fly around and see what was going on. Good thing I did, huh? Otherwise I would've missed you!"

Sisu's presence was surprising, though not entirely unwelcome. Namaari was, after all, a self-proclaimed dragon nerd, and even after everything she and Sisu had been through, the two still liked to see each other... even if Namaari still felt some residual guilt being around her.

I know she forgives me, and I know Raya and I talked about this, but... I still killed her, thought Namaari, trying not to look uneasy.

"You okay?" asked Sisu, picking up on Namaari's discomfort immediately. "Is this a bad time? Should I come back?"

"No!" shouted Namaari, quickly bowing and making a sign of reverence with her hands.

"Whoa, put that away, you know it makes me feel weird seeing you doing that."

"I know, it's just... it's to show respect and-"

"Yeah, but we're friends, you don't have to do that for a friend! C'mon, what's bugging you?"

Sisu began twirling around Namaari, who tried her best to follow the dragon, spinning around in a circle when she could no longer turn her head enough to do so. Sisu laughed, walking up in front of Namaari and giving her a big smile.

"Is it Raya? Can't figure out what gift to buy her?"

"...!" Namaari immediately began to blush, and her eyes went wide for a moment before narrowing fiercely. "Who told you Raya and I were together? We've only told our parents! Did Raya tell you?"

"Nah, but word gets around the dragons, I mean, we do see an awful lot of human stuff, one dragon sees something and tells all the others, y'know how it is."

Namaari blushed again, and looked a bit nervous. The dragons were watching? Had they been watching some of the intimate things she and Raya had been doing? Before the Fang princess could vocalize her worries, Sisu just laughed.

"It's okay, we respect you guys' privacy, it's not like we're looking in on you when you're, y'know, doing that sorta thing. Well, I mean, there was one dragon who liked to watch humans do that, and we all had to have this big intervention with him where we told him that's rude, and-"

"Sisu, it's fine," groaned Namaari, putting her hand to her forehead. She sighed and sat down on a small stone bench, and Sisu curled up nearby. "It's just... since Raya and I became... close, I've been thinking back on some things, and seeing you here brought back some unfortunate... memories."

Sisu blinked with recognition, and her expression softened. She could tell that Namaari was feeling upset, and scooted a bit closer. Namaari reached out, but as her hand neared Sisu's head, it began to tremble, and she pulled back. She sighed again and gave Sisu another sad look. She then looked behind her, at the palace, and thought about her mother and everything that had happened in the last six years. She'd stopped blaming herself for all of those things, but she still blamed herself for some of them, and whenever she saw Sisu, she couldn't help but think back to one particular moment, a moment she was too ashamed of to mention.

"Well, hey, you know what I think," said Sisu, leaning up and rubbing the top of her head against Namaari's hand. "You didn't mean for any of it to happen. Raya knows that and I definitely know that. The way I see it, it never even happened at all!"

"But it did happen, Sisu," said Namaari, who began softly stroking her hand across Sisu's head. The fur was soft against her skin, a calming sensation that kept Namaari from raising her voice again, or even from shedding a tear. Sisu was warm, and comforting, and as difficult as it was for Namaari in her guilt to talk to her, she felt herself opening up anyway. "And I'm sorry."

"I know," Sisu replied, continuing to rub her head against Namaari's hand. "Did anyone ever tell you you have big hands?"

Namaari giggled a bit, managing to crack a smile.

"I mean, compared to Raya's, your hands are like huge! When you're holding hands, do you ever worry you're going to squish them?"

"They're not that much bigger than hers! Besides, you're way bigger than both of us."

"I'm a dragon, dragons are supposed to be big! I'd have thought a dragon nerd would've known that!"

Sisu laughed and began twirling around again. Namaari sighed and watched, her smile lessening but not fading entirely. She felt better, but that guilt still lingered, and Sisu still picked up on it as she kept her eyes focused on Namaari.

"Namaari? I'm curious about something," Sisu suddenly said, sitting back down.

"Hmm?"

"Now, you don't have to answer if it's uncomfortable, but... when you went out to talk to Raya, and you pulled out that bow... what changed exactly?"

Namaari's smile disappeared, and she shuddered. Almost immediately, Sisu looked apologetic.

"Sorry...! I shouldn't have brought it up, I just wanted to know something but it's still super raw for you, my bad, sorry, sorry-"

"No, it's fine," Namaari replied. "I shot you with an arrow, you deserve to know why."

Namaari took a deep breath.

"I was trying to help Fang, and I saw the perfect opportunity to get the Dragon Gem. I knew Raya would be forced to surrender it if I threatened you."

Namaari spoke quickly, and looked guilty, rushing through her explanation as if she had given it many times before. Sisu listened, but something seemed off about Namaari's explanation. She raised an eyebrow and scooted closer. Namaari backed off, keeping her head bowed.

"I don't believe you."

"But... that's the truth, Sisu!"

"Nah... you didn't look like you were seizing an opportunity," said Sisu, walking around behind Namaari. "You looked like you wanted to be pretty much anywhere else... like I looked whenever my brothers and sisters used to give me meditation exercises. You looked scared, and super guilty!"

"Well... yeah, of course I was guilty, I didn't want to hurt you, Sisu... you're the last dragon... were the last dragon, and I really like you. I felt awful having to threaten you, and I was worried that mother might hurt you."

"You were worried about your mom all right," replied Sisu, scooting just a bit closer, so close she was almost wrapping herself around Namaari. "Namaari, what really happened that made you threaten us like that, when it looked like you were ready to help us? Were you really trying to betray us the whole time, or was it something else?"

Namaari's face scrunched up, and she began walking away from Sisu. Her shoulders, her entire body looked tense. She had an intense scowl on her face, and looked to be fighting back tears as Sisu watched her but didn't approach. She grimaced, and sighed again.

I can't tell Sisu, because if I tell Sisu, Sisu will tell Raya.

Raya can't know what happened. She can't know why.

But... Sisu already mentioned mother. She already knows, doesn't she?

Taking a deep breath, Namaari turned back toward Sisu. Her eyes were a mixture of seriousness and sadness. She didn't want to tell Sisu what she was about to tell her, but at the same time, she felt like she had to tell someone... the problem was that the only people who could comfort her were the people she could never tell.

She felt like she could never tell Sisu... but she had to tell someone, and Sisu was there. Sisu would always be there.

"When I went back," said Namaari grimly, her voice quivering, "after getting Raya's message... I was determined to take the Dragon Gem piece and go see her. I hadn't decided whether or not I wanted to give it to her, but I felt like I owed it to her to hear her out."

Sisu sat quietly and listened. She had a pretty good idea what Namaari was going to say next, but she didn't want to interrupt her. She wanted to let Namaari tell the story, and whatever happened next, she hoped Namaari trusted her with the tuth.

"Before I left, I talked with my mother. She wanted me to get Raya's Gem pieces and bring back Sisu at all costs. I... I tried to convince her not to immediately try and take the Gem pieces, but she wouldn't listen."

Namaari could barely look at Sisu after starting to talk about her mother, and the look on her face was one of bitterness and anger... not toward her mother, but toward herself. Even now, telling this story made Namaari sick. It felt like she was making excuses, blaming others for her own mistakes, even if it was the truth. She had to take a second to regain her composure before she continued.

"She told me that Raya would give up the Gem pieces. When I told her that Raya would never do that, mother said that she wouldn't have a choice. A few seconds later, she told me what she meant."

Namaari's fists clenched tightly.

"Mother said... that she would send Fang's entire army. Not after Raya, but... after her allies," said Namaari, finally working up the courage to look back into Sisu's eyes. "The warrior from Spine... and... and..."

Namaari gritted her teeth and grunted in anger, finally conjuring up enough righteous fury to condemn someone other than herself, even though she hated herself for it.

"The boy and the baby," said Namaari. Sisu could start to see a tear forming in the Fang princess' eye. "Mother was going to send the entire Fang army to capture Raya's friends and ransom them for the Gem pieces, and when I asked mother what would happen if Raya still didn't give them up, mother said... that she'd have no choice but to do what was necessary. She didn't come out and say it, but..."

Namaari trailed off, and Sisu could see that Namaari's fists were clenched tightly enough to turn her knuckles several shades lighter.

"Hey, in your mom's defense, it was a pretty smart boy and a pretty tough baby," said Sisu, even giving a nervous chuckle. "...yeah, okay, no way to sugarcoat threatening to kill kids."

"So... I did what I had to do," said Namaari. "I went out alone, with my crossbow, and tried to intimidate you and Raya into giving yourselves up so mother wouldn't come after the others. That's why I attacked... she wasn't going to give you a choice, so she didn't give me one either."

"I figured that had something to do with it," replied Sisu. "I always believed in you, Namaari, even when you and your squad attacked back in Spine. I knew you weren't a bad person, I knew you just wanted to do the right thing. Even when you pointed that crossbow at me, I could see the fear in your eyes... I knew you didn't want to hurt me or Raya. And as soon as I came back to life, the first thing I wanted to do was to find you and tell you it was okay. ...okay, well, actually, the first thing I wanted to do was see my brothers and sisters again because I really missed them, but after that, I just wanted to find you."

"I know, Sisu," said Namaari, sighing. She already knew that Sisu forgave her and didn't blame her for what happened, but it didn't stop her from feeling guilty... the image of Sisu with that arrow in her chest would stay with Namaari for the rest of her life. "Just because I was trying to do the right thing doesn't make any of it right."

"...why didn't you tell Raya?" asked Sisu. She didn't want to make Namaari feel any worse about what happened, but she knew Raya would've been able to do something even if Virana had threatened her friends, and wanted to know if Namaari felt the same way. "Tell her that your mom was planning to send her army and that everyone should hide or something."

"Because Raya wouldn't have hid," said Namaari. "Sisu, we both know what Raya would've done if I'd told her what mom was planning. She would've tried to fight, and she would've gotten herself killed. Mom's not like me... mom's practical, I'm... not, not always. When Fang is concerned, she's not worried about honor or anything like that, she would have shown no mercy. Not even Raya can take down the entire Fang army."

"You sure? It's a pretty small army, more like a squad really-"

Namaari glared at Sisu.

"No, no, you're right... Raya would've fought all of them to protect her friends."

"If it had even gotten that far," said Namaari. "More than likely they'd have all had arrows at their heads and if Raya had even blinked..."

Namaari trailed off, shivering, not wanting to think about the depths to which her mother would've sunk to ensure Fang's prosperity and safety. Even as she was telling her story, Sisu could hear the pain and guilt in her voice. Even as Namaari was speaking about her mother's harsh actions, she was blaming herself for all of it. Namaari hated to even speak about her mother with such condemnation.

"So... why not tell Raya all this now? I mean, she already suspects there was more to that encounter than what happened, and she'd believe anything you say."

"Two reasons," said Namaari. "Reason number one... I have to protect my mother. I love her with all my heart, even after everything she's done. I might disagree with some of her methods, but everything she did, she did to protect Fang and its people. She's not an evil person, even if she was willing to kill Raya's friends. She knows about her hand in all of this, and she knows she has a lot to atone for... if anyone found out what she was going to do, it might... Raya might..."

Sisu leaned in and gave Namaari a comforting look.

"Your mother isn't a bad person, Namaari. It's okay, and Raya wouldn't blame her either. I told you, Raya already has an idea that your mom was the one who put you up to everything that happened. She doesn't know your mom was willing to go that far, but she'd never hold that against her, not now. I mean, they're practically family at this point, right?!"

Namaari blushed, and Sisu laughed, even gently brushing against Namaari. Namaari gave her a glare, crossing her arms over her chest... then she slumped her shoulders and bowed her head again.

"The second reason... if I told Raya the truth, that I was trying to protect her, she'd... she'd love me more than I deserve."

Namaari walked away from Sisu, pacing and looking at the stone pillars and the plants around her. She shivered, even as the sun beat down on her skin, and once again she could see herself firing that arrow into Sisu. She turned back toward Sisu, who tried to walk toward her, only for Namaari to shake her head and extend her arm.

"Whatever the reason that I pointed that crossbow, that was my decision. I made that decision because I was too cowardly to tell Raya the truth back then and I was too cowardly to stand up to my mother! I put my finger on the trigger of that crossbow because I was too cowardly not to think that you wouldn't hurt me, even if it was the last thing you ever would have done!"

Now the tears were flowing, one and then another, down the sides of Namaari's face. Sisu looked at her, but whenever she tried to speak, Namaari turned away.

"You got killed because I was a coward, and that's all Raya needs to know about that day."

"But she loves you, Namaari! She already thinks the world of you, why would you want her to think any less?"

"If I tell her what happened, she'll blame herself, she'll blame mother, she'll blame everyone else but me for you getting killed, and I can't let her do that. I already told her it was her fault that you died... I can't let her ever think that again. I want her to love me in spite of what happened, not because it didn't."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, Namaari! You owe her the truth, especially since it involves the two of you! She already thinks you're a good person, she deserves to know just how good you are!"

"The truth doesn't change anything, Sisu! I pointed that crossbow at you and I put my finger on the trigger, that's all she needs to know, and you have to promise me that you won't ever tell her the truth!"

"Namaari, you want me to just lie to Raya?"

"PROMISE ME!"

Namaari's face was covered with tears at this point, and Sisu could see the same scared, hurt person who'd confronted her and Raya all those weeks ago. Namaari was weeping, and Sisu kept walking toward her until the two were right next to each other... then, Namaari fell against Sisu, who leaned up and caught her, letting Namaari cry against her and lifting one of her front legs to hold her close.

"Promise me..." whispered Namaari. "Promise me you won't ever tell Raya."

Sisu didn't say anything... she couldn't lie to Raya, she couldn't agree to Namaari's promise... but at the same time, she didn't feel like she could say no to Namaari. How could she, after the princess had just opened up to her like that, had trusted her with such a deeply held secret? Sisu remained silent, and just held Namaari close, as Namaari kept begging her not to tell Raya the truth.

"Tell me what?"

Namaari gasped softly, and she turned to see Raya walking up to her from behind a nearby stone pillar. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was hanging open.

"Raya...?" Namaari stammered, as Sisu continued to allow her to lean against her chest. "How long have you been there?"

"Namaari, I heard everything," said Raya, continuing to walk over. "At least everything you said in the last minute or two... about your mom planning to attack my friends and you rushing to get the Dragon Gems before she-"

"Raya, no...!" said Namaari, finally parting from Sisu. She remained standing there and let Raya come most of the rest of the way, though the princess of Heart stopped a few feet away to give her girlfriend some space. "Raya-"

"Your mother already told me everything," replied Raya, pointing back at the palace. "I was just in there talking with her."

"Yeah, that's kinda how she got here," said Sisu, shrugging. "I meant to tell you she was here in the palace, but I figured the meeting was gonna go pretty long, and Raya wanted to surprise you, so... yeah."

"And you almost ruined the surprise by coming out here!" scolded Raya.

"Hey, she looks pretty surprised to me!" Sisu replied, pointing at Namaari.

"Sisu, I think maybe you should give us some privacy," said Raya, smiling at the dragon. "We'll meet up with you in a bit, okay?"

"Raya..."

"Shhh," said Raya, raising a finger to Namaari's lips before giving Sisu another look. Sisu nodded, and finally left to give the two princesses the time alone that they needed. Once Raya was sure Sisu was gone, she looked back at Namaari, who seemed to be on the verge of crying again. "Hey, Namaari, listen... I know you're still feeling bad about what happened with Sisu... but I stopped blaming you for that the moment we met eyes in that cave. What happened to Sisu wasn't your fault, or my fault, or even your mom's fault... it was everyone's fault, because we didn't trust each other."

"I know, Raya, and I've tried so hard not to beat myself up for all of it, but every time I look at Sisu, I remember what happened and it comes back again. I thought... maybe if I knew that you still sorta blamed me, I could forgive myself... like it was okay to live my life again as long as someone was punishing me for what I did."

"...guess the tickling wasn't enough, huh?"

"...I still see that arrow in Sisu's chest every day, Raya."

Raya reached over and took Namaari's hand, guiding her back to the stone bench and sitting with her. As Namaari sat with her, Raya caressed Namaari's hand with hers, leaning on her and rubbing her face gently against Namaari's shoulder.

"You're not the only one who still sees messed up stuff whenever they close their eyes," said Raya. "There's... a lot I'm hiding from you too, Namaari. Not on purpose, I guess... just stuff I don't like talking about. Stuff I did, people I hurt... six years of being the realm's most infamous thief... you do a lot of things you're not proud of."

"I saw some of it," said Namaari. "I spent years tracking you."

"I know," Raya replied, smiling faintly and interlocking her fingers with Namaari's. "You must've thought I was a monster."

"No," said Namaari. "On some level, I always knew you were just trying to do what you thought was best. Stopping you was for the good of Fang... it was never personal."

"Really?"

"...I liked you, Raya. I always did. If I let it get personal, I might've started hating you. I didn't want to hate you, I just wanted to stop you."

Raya sighed, clutching Namaari's hand tighter.

"There were some nights I hated you," Raya said, now more of a confession than a casual statement. "I'm sorry."

Namaari started to speak, but could only give a tiny laugh. Raya looked at her, and Namaari shook her head softly.

"How stupid were we?" asked Namaari, looking at Raya. "I should've been your friend from the start."

"And I should've forgiven you from the start."

"No," replied Namaari, shaking her head. "I didn't deserve it then."

"...I don't think I deserved your friendship back then either," said Raya. "I would've let dad poison all of you back then... at least until I saw you, and well... you know the rest."

Namaari laughed again, and she and Raya just sat there leaning on each other, holding hands and looking up into the beautiful sunny sky.

"I'll tell you everything," said Raya, turning to look at Namaari's face. A second later, Namaari looked back at her, and their eyes met and didn't look away. "I promise, no more secrets. I'm sure I have a lot more of them than you do."

"No more secrets," promised Namaari. "I promise."

The two leaned in, and their lips met, and they kissed softly on that bench underneath the midday sun. For the first time, Namaari didn't have to worry about Raya loving her too much... there wasn't anything she could do to stop her.