"Afternoon"

Before Lileina knew it, the cleansing ceremony was upon them once again, and she was pleased that Sorian had been chosen to be the one who led the ceremony. Not caring a bit that she hadn't been picked, Lileina was thrilled for her friend. It had been more than a month since she had met Valtier, and as the days passed it seemed as if everything else was beginning to matter less and less.

Of course, this preoccupation with outside matters hadn't stopped the elders from choosing Lileina to be the second in line, and choosing Rinoa to be the next to last as always. This annoyed her terribly, and she glared at Lileina and Sorian as they stood near the sacred fountain, giggling about something. Rinoa tried to make it look as if she wasn't really staring at the girls, and as she leaned on the wall their happiness began to irritate her to no end.

Lileina and Sorian, however, were too busy talking to notice her. Smiling secretively, Lileina pulled a small brooch from the deep pockets of her robe and showed it to Sorian, who cocked her head and seemed to ask something of her friend. Suddenly, Rinoa was very curious.

The gong sounded as usual, and Sorian bowed her head as the girls got into line. Lileina quickly slipped the brooch back into her pocket and followed her friend's lead. They passed the sacred fountain and filled their dippers as they had every month since entering the sanctuary, and as Lileina poured her water over the statue and knelt beside Sorian to pray, she couldn't help thinking that although she had been a part of this ceremony many times, this was the first time something was truly different. Something inside her had changed.

This moon she was thanking the Fire Dragon Lord for sending her Valtier, and thereby assuring her that he did exist. Although she had been taught that what she was doing was wrong, that Gold Dragons and Ancient Dragons were never supposed to associate with one another, especially now with the tension that was growing between them, she didn't feel that she was doing anything wrong. Even though she knew that the penalty would be severe if she was found out, she believed that the Fire Dragon Lord wouldn't have brought them together if it wasn't meant to be. Perhaps he never meant for the Ancient Dragons and the Gold Dragons to be separated, perhaps it was just years of misunderstandings that had brought them to this stage.

So involved in thinking about the great plan of the Fire Dragon Lord and about the ever-deepening relationship between herself and Valtier that she didn't realize that Sorian was already standing up to lead the mikos out of the sanctuary. Gently, Sorian poked her friend in the leg with the toe of her slipper to get her attention, and Lileina jumped up, startled. Blushing brightly, she stood up and followed Sorian out of the sanctuary with her head bowed almost onto her chest. The other mikos tittered at her sudden clumsiness, and Sorian grinned as they stood outside.

"That must have been some prayer. You looked awfully intense," she teased, knowing exactly what Lileina had been thinking about. Very little escaped Sorian, and Lileina ducked her head.

"Quiet, Sorian."

"Keep praying like that and maybe they'll put a little statue of you up in the sanctuary." Being the true friend that she was, Sorian refused to cease her teasing of Lileina, and as the other mikos walked past them into the dining hall, Rinoa made a face behind their backs.

"Saint Lileina, just what we need," she grumbled to herself, forever annoyed by the sight of Lileina's face. But as she passed closer to the pair, she heard Sorian whispering to her friend.

"And how fares Master Valtier today?"

"Sorian, hush!" Her eyes wide, Lileina hustled Sorian off to someplace private so they could talk, and Rinoa leaned on a nearby wall, almost unable to believe what she was hearing. Miss Perfect Miko, having a secret lover? This was suddenly very interesting to Rinoa as she walked slowly to the dining hall, wondering how she could find out more about this new development. Just who was this Valtier, anyhow?

* * *

In the record hall of the City of the Ancients, Artemis was flipping through stacks of dust-covered books, searching for something that the elders has asked him to find about the ancient weapon. Aside from the chief elder and a few of the higher level elders, Artemis was the only one who knew anything about the current situation with the demands of the Gold Dragons. They had asked him to keep it secret from the other Ancients, and while he felt rather proud at finally having something important to do, it was making him a little nervous. Behind him, the door creaked open, and Artemis turned around to see Valtier leaning in the doorway.

"Good evening, Valtier. What brings you in here?" Standing up, Artemis dusted off his hands and smiled knowingly at his friend. "I hear from Raen that you've been trading shifts with the other sentinels to go meet some woman. Could this be love?"

"No, this could be the reason I never tell you anything." Turning his face away from Artemis, Valtier brushed his hair from his face. His armor made a little clatter on the door sill and Artemis shook his head.

"How can you stand being so touchy all the time?"

"What are you talking about?" Going over to the book where the ancient books lay open, Valtier turned his head to get a better look at what was in them. "The five ancient weapons?" Straightening up, he gave Artemis a look. "I was looking for you. We were going to get dinner after my shift, remember?"

"Sorry. Something came up." Shutting the book hurriedly, Artemis sent a cloud of dust swirling through the room. Valtier raised an eyebrow at him querulously as Artemis laughed nervously. "You still hungry?"

"Of course."

"Let's go, then. I can't work any more tonight. The dust is making my eyes hurt." Stacking the books on the table, Artemis led Valtier through the door and locked it before heading down the stairs and to the tavern that was near the hall of records.

The tavern was crowded and noisy as always, filled with what appeared to be men and women who were eating and drinking as they talked. Most of the dragons in the City of Ancients were at such high levels that they simply kept their human forms at all time, and so to a stranger who might accidentally wander into the city, it seemed like any other in the world.

Valtier and Artemis wound their way through the crowded tavern and sat at a table by the wall, while Artemis continued to rub his eye. There was a bit of dust trapped under his lid and it was bothering him. Still, he smiled over at Valtier.

"So, who is she?"

"We aren't talking about me." Suddenly acting as if he was very interested in a spot of dust the books of the record hall had left on his armor, Valtier rubbed at it as Artemis leaned over the table and spoke in a very low voice.

"It is very unhealthy for one to keep one's emotions bottled up. One might even go a little insane one day, although I doubt anyone would notice it in you." Artemis narrowed his eyes and Valtier held up a hand in resignation. It annoyed him to no end when his friend started talking like this, but he had learned that the only way to make him stop was to do whatever he wanted.

"All right, all right. But you have to swear on all your precious record books that you will not repeat what I tell you to anyone, not even your weird little bird." Leaning over the table himself until he was eye to eye with Artemis, Valtier made it clear that he was not joking. "Do you?"

"Come on, Valtier, we've known each other since we were hatchlings. You know you can trust me."

"Do you swear?"

"All right… I swear on the sacred library that I won't tell anyone whatever you tell me, not even Morpheus. Happy?" Artemis' eyes were exactly the same shade of gold as Valtier's, and they stared at one another for a long moment before Valtier settled back into his chair and nodded as the beer was brought to their table.

"Very well." Folding his arms, Valtier smiled and picked up his beer. "Her name is Lileina, and she is without a doubt the most wonderful creature I have ever met. It's true, I've been switching shifts so I can go see her every day in the Wakeful forest." Taking a drink, he looked over at Artemis, who was frowning a little.

"That all? What's so secret about that?" Artemis sipped his own beer and looked over at Valtier. "She's not a human, is she?" His words surprised Valtier, who swallowed a huge gulp of beer the wrong way and started coughing. Sitting up straight, Artemis sat his drink down on the table and gave his friend an intense, wide-eyed look. "Valtier… You're not saying that she…"

"She's not a human," Valtier managed between coughs as he pounded on his chest. "Lileina is a dragon."

"Then why…"

"Because," Valtier said, lowering his voice and leaning a little closer to Artemis. "…she's a Gold Dragon."

"A WHAT?" Artemis sat up so quickly that he nearly toppled backwards in his chair. No one seemed to notice, since it was getting late and most of the tavern's patrons were at the point of no pain. As he righted himself, Artemis stared at Valtier, who was calmly drinking his beer.

"You heard me."

"B-but, Valtier…how could you…you know they hate us! It's…"

"It's fine, Artemis. Lileina is different from the other Gold Dragons. I don't believe that she has the capacity to hate anyone, or anything for that matter. She's so gentle and most of the time she's fairly shy…but she's always happy. And she makes me happy. Isn't that really all that matters?" There was a silence as Artemis looked blankly at his friend, who to his knowledge had never talked about a woman like this. Trying to lighten Artemis' mood, Valtier smiled. "She's a miko in the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary. I thought you'd have a good laugh over that."

"Huh?" Snapping out of his daze, Artemis tried to force a little bit of a laugh. "Yes…I thought you didn't like mikos…" He tried to think of some way to tease Valtier, and by the time the food was brought to them, the conversation had turned to the usual things and Valtier's startling admission had taken a place at the back of Artemis' mind.

Still, he couldn't help thinking about the elders and how they had asked him to look up the information on the ancient weapons because of the Gold Dragons' demands that they turn the weapon they possessed over to them.

If Hellmaster was gathering power to start a war of some kind, it could not bode well for the future of the Dragon races. Artemis supposed that this was why the Gold Dragons were so nervous, and there was no telling what they might do. The Ancients had no particular dislike for the Gold Dragons, the elders were only interested in keeping the weapon safe. But the Gold Dragons saw it as a threat, and their feelings about the Ancients were less than charitable.

It wasn't hard to believe that this Lileina that Valtier was so enamored of was a gentle person, and Artemis did believe that it was possible for one Gold Dragon out of an entire race to be able to see past decades of jealousy and pride, but still he worried. Though Valtier couldn't understand his fear because he didn't have all the information that the elders had given him, Artemis was afraid that Lileina might actually be in danger if their relationship was found out.

Trying his best not to think about this, Artemis laughed and joked with his friend as if nothing was wrong while they finished their beer and dinner. But he couldn't shake the gnawing feeling at the back of his mind that something very bad was going to happen.

* * *

Humming lightly, Lileina tied a rope around the branch of the sturdiest tree she could find, then stood back to admire her handiwork. Using a little wooden pole and some rope she had scavenged from Karal, she had managed to construct a nice little swing and hang it from one of her favorite trees. Now that her experiment had been successful, Lileina was rather proud of herself as she sat down on the seat to test it out. Once she was sure it would hold up, she began weaving a little of the ivy that hung down from the trees into the rope to make it into a pretty little swing.

Behind the trees, Valtier was watching her carefully decorate and test her new toy. He didn't want to interrupt her, she looked so happy at that moment. The more he watched her, though, the more he had to smile. She really was cute.

A very small blue bird came along to examine the ivy and flowers that Lileina had made a part of her swing, then landed right near her tree. Noticing it as soon as it landed, Lileina turned towards it pleasantly. Smiling brightly at the bird, she reached one hand out to it, still holding on to the rope. The tiny bird looked up at her with its bright black eyes, and she giggled a little.

"Hello, little dear," she said softly, motioning to the bird with her fingertips. "Come on, I won't hurt you." Obliging, the bird hopped over and perched on her palm peacefully. "Isn't it a nice day?"

"Peep," the bird replied, nuzzling her thumb gently with its head, and Lileina looked up into the sky.

"Yes, I think so too." They regarded each other for a moment before Lileina sighed gently. "Do you have someone you love, little one?" Gently pushing off the ground with her toes, Lileina swung very slowly back and forth as the bird nodded.

"Peep."

"Isn't it lovely?" Her eyes were a little dreamy now, and Valtier suddenly felt himself blushing. Was she somehow telling the bird that she was in love? With him? Stepping out from behind the trees, Valtier moved closer to her and smiled as if nothing was different.

"Hello…Lileina?" He spoke softly, hoping not to frighten the bird in her hand. Both she and the tiny creature looked over to him, and the bird blinked at Lileina.

"Peep?" In response, Lileina nodded with a tiny laugh, and the bird flew away with a sort of smile on its face as Lileina turned to Valtier.

"Hello, Valtier! Look at my swing!" She was grinning brightly, and Valtier laughed a little as he came closer to her.

"It is a wonderful swing." Leaning over, he gave her a casual kiss on the forehead, then walked around behind her. "Here, I'll give you a push." He pressed his hands lightly against her back and smiled at her. "Ready?" Lileina gripped the rope tightly and nodded, and Valtier gave her a gentle push that sent her into the air. Laughing, Lileina stuck out her legs and looked back at Valtier, who was smiling at her gently.

"Higher, Valtier, higher!" She laughed a little more as he pushed her a little harder, sending her soaring ever higher into the air. Her blue and white dress fluttered against her boots as she kicked out her legs to make her go higher, and Lileina threw her head back so that her braids were flying out like a flag with the rest of her hair. This moment, this perfect flying moment was like no other as she heard Valtier laughing behind her and felt the brief warmth of his hands on her back. More than anything, she wanted it never to end.

Once Lileina had tired of swinging, Valtier had suggested that it might be nice to walk back to Karal and get some box lunches and take them to the field of flowers to have a sort of picnic, since it was such a pretty day. Lileina thought this was a great idea, and they took the path that cut through the forest in a kind of shortcut. It led them through a rather dense part of the forest that Lileina was unused to traversing, and she held Valtier's arm tightly. Deciding that there was no time like the present, she looked up at him, her voice a little nervous.

"So…um, Valtier…" Pulling on her braid, Lileina tried to smile without her pink cheeks giving away her feelings completely.

"What is it, Lileina dear?" As calmly as ever, he looked over into her eyes with a smile. This only made her more nervous than she already was, and she tugged at her braid over and over.

"How would you say you feel…in regards to um…ah, me…?" Blushing to the tips of her ears, Lileina kept her eyes on his face, determined not to look away. It was a relief to her that his cheeks were turning a few shades of pink as well, and he cleared his throat loudly.

"I…would say…I, uh…I like you a great deal…" The words tumbled out rather unevenly, and Lileina shook her head slowly.

"N-no…I mean…"

"Lileina…I think I know…what you mean…" Stopping in the middle of the path, Valtier took her hands in his and held them to his chest as he gazed at her face. "And… I have been thinking a great deal…"

"So…do you?" Now unable to take her eyes away from his face, Lileina bit her lip a little harder than she had intended. Looking considerably more nervous than she had ever seen him, Valtier cleared his throat again as he looked at her.

"As I said…I have been thinking about it a great deal…and I…" Suddenly, he stopped and looked around the forest, his eyes flashing from tree to tree with the speed of a deer. Knowing that something was wrong, Lileina frowned as she squeezed his hands.

"What is it?"

"Someone…" Valtier said, releasing her hands gently, and turning around to look past the trees. "Is watching us." Cursing softly to himself, Valtier wished he had a sword or some sort of weapon. Though he couldn't tell exactly what it was, there was a threat somewhere nearby. In response to his fears, Lileina shivered.

"I…I feel it."

"What?" Moving closer to Lileina, Valtier kept his eyes on the trees.

"Evil…" she whispered, reaching out to take his arm. Just as she did, a pair of large men stepped out of the bushes and moved towards them. Both men had swords, and neither looked like they wanted to talk. Suddenly terrified by the wave of evil that she felt emanating from the men, Lileina squeezed his arm harder. "Valtier!"

"Don't worry," he said softly, not even realizing that he was talking to her in the Dragon language. He pulled her to his chest with one arm as he spoke softly to her with words that somehow comforted her very soul. "I won't let them near you."

"Well, what have we got here…" The larger of the two men advanced on them, and looked them over. "A couple of foreigners, sounds like. And a very pretty little lady."

"Stay the hell away from her," Valtier growled, his voice low and angry as he returned to speaking the human language. "Or I will tear your head off."

"Oh, will you now?" The man seemed surprised that Valtier spoke their language, and he motioned to a third member of their group who came up behind Valtier and hit him across the back of the neck before he could see it coming.

"…nngh…" The force of the blow sent Valtier falling to his knees, and although the man didn't know it, he had managed to strike his target in the worst possible place; a nerve bundle that Dragons possessed at the base of their neck. Stars danced before his eyes as he fell onto his face and blanked out for a few moments.

"Valtier!" Horrified by this sudden display of violence, Lileina started to fall to her knees beside Valtier. Before she could, however, one of the men grabbed her by the arms and yanked her upwards, twisting her around so they could keep her arms pinned behind her back.

"Oh yeah, she is a pretty one. And look at the pretty jewels she's wearing…this brooch will no doubt bring us some gold pieces." Grabbing the precious brooch Valtier had given her, the man yanked it sharply, ripping her dress in the process. It was at the very moment that he tore her dress that Valtier regained consciousness, and looked up to see Lileina completely helpless in the hands of the bandits.

"No!" Struggling, she shrieked at the men, who laughed as they held her arms harder. She knew that if she moved too hard, her arms would break, and she began to cry softly as she dropped her head onto her chest. "No…" From his place on the ground, Valtier felt a rage building in his chest, but for some reason he couldn't move. His entire body was tingling, and he continued to struggle against it to stand up.

"Maybe we should see if she's any good," one of the men was saying, lifting her chin with one grubby hand as he laughed. Tears streamed from Lileina's dazed eyes as she looked away from them, and with her head raised, Valtier could see that the front of her white dress was completely ruined, exposing her pure white skin to the curves of her breasts. Outraged, he fought against the numbness that was threatening his senses. How dare they touch her? How dare they even look at her…?

"Leave her alone!!" Somehow finding the strength to pull himself off the ground, Valtier lunged at the man who was touching Lileina's face. Catching them by surprise, he managed to knock his shoulder into the one holding her brooch. He released the piece of jewelry, and Valtier snatched it from the air before turning on the other two.

Immediately, they threw Lileina aside and she fell to the ground, holding her hands over her exposed chest. Still crying, she stared into her lap as her blonde hair fell into her face, having long since fallen out of its braids. How could they touch her like that? She had wanted Valtier to be…the only one…

Fire blazing in his eyes, Valtier rushed at one of the men and received the blade of a sword through his shoulder as he did. The pain barely registered as he turned on the man and punched him hard enough to demolish his nose. The man fell down, releasing his sword, and Valtier scooped it up without missing a beat. He was using his full strength now, and though he hadn't been in a battle in over a year, he still managed to remember everything he needed to repay the bandits for their treatment of Lileina. As angry as he was, he could hardly concentrate on the actual fighting because he was so worried about her, and his distraction resulted in more than one slice of the enemy's dagger on his skin. Still, he seemed not to feel the pain as he continued to swing the weapon at the two conscious bandits.

Finally, he was able to do enough damage to knock the second man down, and headed for the leader of the group. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the resilience of the man whose nose he had smashed, and this same man came back up to slice Valtier across the side with his fallen comrade's sword. In an instant, he noticed the white hot burst of pain as the blade sank deep into his side, and he turned to face the noseless man with gleaming eyes. This pain was too much to ignore, but Valtier could only hope that nothing too vital was cut as he advanced on the man. No matter how hard he tried to keep his mind on the fight, however, the burning sensation traveling up his side was more than he could bear.

Something inside him snapped as Valtier gave a cry that was somewhere between a roar and a scream, and a pair of midnight colored wings burst from his back, ripping the fabric of his clothes to pieces as it did. His eyes glowed golden as he turned on the men, what was left of his shirt and vest falling to the ground with the sword as he threw it down. Blood ran down his injured side, but he seemed not to notice it as his partial transformation into dragon form caused a certain amount of instinct to take over. Needless to say, the bandits were intimidated.

"Holy shit!" The leader was backing away from the half-transformed Valtier, and his sudden exclamation snapped Lileina from her daze. She looked up, unable to completely comprehend what she was seeing.

What…Valtier? What's going on…wings? Blood? No…he's hurt…

In a flash, the rest of the battle was over. Valtier turned to Lileina, his eyes seeming blank as he stumbled towards her. Half-walking, half-dragging himself, he made it to where she was sitting and fell to his knees before her, holding a hand to his bleeding side as he seemed to come back to himself.

"Valtier!" Forgetting her ruined dress, Lileina leaned down to cradle his face in her hands. "Oh, no…what did they…"

"Lil…eina…?" His voice was hoarse as he tried his best to smile at her. "You're…crying…" Gently, Lileina reached down and wiped away a trickle of blood that ran down his chin. "F-forgive me. I…let them hurt you…"

"It's okay, Valtier…please, just be okay…I'll take care of you, just…oh…" Kissing his forehead lightly, she shook her head and wracked her brain for a place she could take him. There wasn't much time, she knew she had to heal him quickly, but she couldn't do it there…more bandits could be around. While she was trying to think straight, Valtier reached one shaking hand up to touch Lileina's face.

"Don't…don't cry, Lileina…" Managing a smile, he looked up at her as his eyes began to close. "I…I love…" His words trailed away as his head dropped heavily onto her lap, and Lileina shook her head in horror as she watched his magnificent wings melt back into his skin, leaving only a few feathers as a memory.

"VALTIER!!!"

* * *

Darkness surrounded Valtier as he slowly began to regain consciousness, and no matter where he looked, it seemed like another wall of darkness was erected before his eyes. It was then that he realized that he was unable to open his eyes. This in itself was frightening, but more curious was the fact that somewhere in the darkness, something hurt. Everything hurt. But beyond the pain he could hear voices, dragon voices, speaking softly nearby.

"He looks pretty bad off."

"Yes…I'm very worried about him. It's okay that I brought him here, isn't it?" This voice sounded like Lileina's, and the knowledge that she was somewhere near him was comforting.

"Of course, dear. My wife is doing her best to repair your lovely dress, and I'm sure that one of my sons has something that will fit him." But who did this voice belong to? Wife? Sons? Valtier decided it must be a human, but a human who could speak dragon language?

"Thank you. I really appreciate…" Lileina's voice was fading as Valtier felt himself falling back into darkness. He tried to catch one last whisper of her voice in case he never heard it again, but was unable to do so as he parted once more with consciousness.

When he awoke again, Valtier immediately looked around for Lileina. The very fact that he was alive seemed not to matter as much as seeing her face, and as always she was by his side. Only now she was asleep in the chair that sat beside his bed, resting her head on her folded arms at the edge of the bed. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a thick braid, and she was dressed in a thin nightdress that looked too big for her. Lileina looked so peaceful and lovely at that moment that Valtier couldn't control the sudden urge to reach over and touch her. He had to make sure she was real.

No sooner had his fingertips brushed her face than Lileina's eyes fluttered open and gazed up at him. Realizing that he was okay, her eyes lit up for a moment before overflowing with tears.

"Oh, Valtier…you're awake…" Her smile shone even through her tears, and Valtier rubbed them away from her cheeks as he gave her a weak smile. "I'm so glad."

"I wouldn't die quite that easily," he said, looking around at the room he had been placed in. "You brought me here?"

"Yes. I didn't know where else to go." Placing a hand on the side of his face, she shook her head. "You were so hurt…"

"Where exactly is here?" Looking around the room gave him no more clues to their whereabouts, and a draft came through the room, giving him pause. Frowning, Valtier lifted up the covers, then looked back at Lileina. "And where are my pants?"

"We're in Karal, in the village elder's house. His wife undressed you so she could clean the blood from your pants." Blushing suddenly, Lileina shifted her eyes away from him. "I…I promise I didn't look."

"I'm not concerned," he said, almost laughing at how shy she could suddenly become. Raising an arm, Valtier nodded at the swarm of bandages that had seemingly attacked his arms and torso. "Did you put all these bandages on me?"

"Actually, yes. You were…bleeding so much. And I didn't really know what to do, and I was so scared…" Dropping her head so he wouldn't see her crying, Lileina tried rather unsuccessfully to hold back her tears. One shoulder of the nightgown that had been lent to her slipped off her shoulder, and she tried as best she could to pull it up and wipe the tears away before Valtier saw them, but nothing escaped his watchful eyes. Concerned, he leaned closer to her.

"Lileina…don't cry…I'm just fine. Just as long as you're near me, I'm fine."

"But it's my fault that you were hurt," she said, her head still bowed to the covers. "Because I always want to walk in the forest…if something had happened to you, I…" Her words were cut off sharply as Valtier reached over and pulled her, quite suddenly, onto the bed and held her to his chest in an embrace that caught her completely off guard. There were no words between them for several moments, only the warmth of his skin against hers as his arms encircled her slender form in an attempt to tell her what he didn't quite know how to say. A few strands of his long, bluish-green hair fell loose on his shoulders and over her body as he held her tightly, and Lileina curled up in his arms as close to his warmth as she could without sitting on his lap. The sudden fear of losing one another that they had realized in the forest seemed to fall away as time froze in the bedroom. Lileina couldn't hear anything but his heart beating, or feel anything but the dragon's strength hidden deep within the arms of his human form as she closed her eyes and tried to melt into him. "Valtier…"

"My precious Lileina…I could never just stand by and watch anyone hurt you. I would give my life to protect you. You do know that, don't you?" His voice was no more than a whisper against her hair, and she nodded a little against his bandaged chest. "Don't ever go away from me…"

"Well, I see you've regained consciousness at last!" A man's voice from the doorway started both of them, and Lileina leapt back into her chair as Valtier slid back under the covers. Both were blushing crimson, and the old man laughed so hard he had to hold the door frame for support. "Please, don't stop on my account!" Shaking his head, he took a pair of pants over to the dresser and lay them down. "I remember being young…and meeting Elaine for the first time…"

"Elder? Y-you're back so soon from the council?" Still blushing, Lileina straightened the nightgown, which had fallen again from her shoulders.

"We hadn't left yet." Looking to Valtier, he smiled. "There's a special meeting tonight to discuss those bandits you two ran afoul of. We had received warning of a group wandering this area, but don't know if there are more than you came across." Raising an eyebrow, he smiled. "You certainly took care of them, son."

"Forgive me," Valtier said, straightening up. He was fairly certain that humans didn't just go around dispatching bandits with their bare hands, and wasn't sure what the elder was going to make of it. "But the way they were treating Lileina…" Catching himself, he shook his head. "Lady Lily, I mean…"

"Lileina told me all about it already," the elder said, still smiling. "I suppose it is a sort of protective instinct for you. But still, I never thought the day would come when I would be host to an Ancient Dragon and a Gold Dragon in the same day." Something clicked in Valtier's mind, and he looked up at the elder.

"So you were the one I heard talking to Lileina before! You speak the dragon language?" This seemed beyond Valtier's comprehension, and Lileina nodded.

"Yes, he's the only one in Karal who knows I'm a dragon…and now that you're one as well, I suppose." She smiled up at the elder, who nodded pleasantly back at her. "It's okay if we stay the night, isn't it? It has already begun to grow dark, and I don't know if I have the strength to fly right now."

"Of course you may stay. You know you're always welcome here, and so is Valtier." Coming further into the room and placing a hand on Lileina's head, he smiled down at her before addressing Valtier. "We were never lucky enough to have a daughter of our own, so both Elaine and I think of her as one of our own. She's such a good, thoughtful girl, anyone would be glad to have her." This made Lileina blush, and she went over to the dresser to pick up the pants for Valtier.

"Those pants belonged to Michael, our youngest son. They should be a good enough fit for now, or at least until Elaine finishes cleaning your pants," he said, smiling at Valtier. Turning to Lileina, he smiled gently. "I'm sorry we couldn't find you something better to wear, dear, but I don't think Elaine was ever quite your size."

"Oh, I don't mind. And I really appreciate her trying to fix my dress." Yawning a little, Lileina blushed. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize, dear. I'm sure that spell must have worn you out." Crossing back over to the door, he shook his head. "It's lucky you were studying it."

"Yes," she said softly, hugging the pants to her chest as she tried not to think of what would have happened if she had been any more lax in studying her magic. "But I think I'll be fine after I rest. Do you have a room for me to sleep in?"

"Do you not want to sleep here? I thought for sure you'd want to be near him, that's why I had you bring him into the room with the larger bed." The elder looked back and forth between Lileina and Valtier, who both seemed to be blushing and trying to look away from one another. "Is something wrong?"

"Elder…we've…I mean, we haven't ever…" Turning redder as she spoke, Lileina tugged at the shoulder of the oversized nightgown.

"I wasn't suggesting you had. But after what you went through in the forest, I was almost certain that you both would want to be near each other. However, I can ask Elaine to fix Michael's bed for you if you would prefer." The elder watched Lileina carefully as she wandered back towards the bed where Valtier lay.

"W-well…" Looking over at him, she remembered how Valtier had asked her not to leave him just before the elder walked in. The memory of his warmth surrounding her raced back into her body as she looked at the pants in her arms, and Lileina nodded. "You're right…I want to be here."

"Very well. Elaine and I are going to be at the Great Hall if you need anything. We may be gone a long while, especially if the men want to search the forest, so please make yourself at home, Lileina dear. Will you two be okay?" A small smile came over his face, and Lileina nodded as she followed him to the hall.

"Yes, thank you. I don't know how we can repay your kindness." She smiled brightly, and the elder shook his head.

"There's no need for that. You just rest, and take good care of him. We'll see you when we return, if it's not too late." The elder patter Lileina's shoulder, then walked off down the hall as she shut the door and turned slowly back to Valtier.

"So…um…"

"Could I have those pants?" Pointing at the gray-colored pair of trousers in Lileina's arms, Valtier tried to get a smile out of her. Lileina looked terribly nervous as she walked over and handed them over, then sat in the chair. "Thanks. It's a little drafty in here."

"Mm-hm." Turning her face away from him while he changed, Lileina bit her lip and tried not to think of what was under the covers. She couldn't figure out why she was so embarrassed about this. It wasn't the first time they had been alone together…in the woods, they were always alone. Just…

"Lileina?"

…not like this…

"Yes?" She couldn't help wanting to crawl back up onto the bed with him so he could put his arms around her again and be close to her…so close… She wanted to hear his voice asking her to stay with him and telling her…

"Come sit by me." It was more like a question than a request, and Lileina crawled up onto the bed, trying not to step on the edge of her nightgown. Her bare feet were cold, and she pulled them up under the white fabric of the gown as she sat near him and inspected the bandage on his shoulder. "So it was your magic that saved me…"

"It was the first time I ever tried that spell," Lileina said, patting the bandage gently. "The elder was right, it did make me a little tired. But you were so badly hurt…I really thought that if I didn't do something you might die."

"To tell you the truth, I don't know too much about magic." Valtier shrugged as he looked over at her. "What kind of spell was it?"

"A white magic spell called Resurrection that requires a pretty high level. To learn it, you have to be a priest or priestess to one of the gods. Most dragons…well, Gold Dragons I mean, can do white magic, but usually only really high level white mages and dragons can perform Resurrection. I didn't know if it would work…but you were too weak to try a Recovery spell and I had to try…" Lileina brushed the back of her hand over his cheek. "…I had to try something…"

"No wonder you're tired." Valtier took her hand and kissed its palm gently. "Sometimes I wonder how a creature like you can exist."

"What make you say that?" Curling her fingers around his hand, Lileina cocked her head slightly at Valtier. "I'm just like any other Gold Dragon."

"No. You're different, Lileina. No other Gold Dragon would give all her energy to save an Ancient. But you…not only would you give everything to save me, you would do the same for anyone in need of help." Leaning his head onto hers, Valtier smiled. "That's what makes you so special." Blushing, Lileina looked into her lap.

"But…I'm not so special."

"You are. Of course you can't see it…truly good people never can see just how special they really are. But I can. And I do," Valtier said, gently turning her face towards his with a smile. "Back in the woods, you asked me how I felt about you. What happened didn't change how I feel, only made it stronger…"

"Valtier…" Closing her eyes, Lileina felt her face turning pink as he lightly brushed his thumb over her lips.

"You're so lovely," he said softly, gazing at her face. Her hair was pulled away from her shoulders in the braid, and her jewelry, including her circlet, lay on the dresser. "No decorations, no gems…" Tilting her face upwards, Valtier moved closer until their faces were less than an inch apart, almost touching, close enough for Lileina to feel his breath on her lips as he whispered to her. "…only you…" Touching his lips softly to hers, Valtier closed his eyes and hoped that Lileina wouldn't pull away. Much to his relief, she replied by pressing her body closer to his as she tried to make the kiss last as long as possible. As they parted, Valtier put his arms around her and held her to his chest as he sighed softly. "Lileina…I love you."

"You…you do?" Lileina's voice was sleepy, and he looked down at her.

"Of course I do. You are the most precious thing in my world, and I want you to be near me forever." Kissing her forehead, he smiled tenderly at her. "It doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks…if you want me to, I'll protect you for all time."

"Valtier…" Putting her arms around his chest, Lileina pressed her cheek to the warmth of the flesh that the bandages left exposed. "All I have ever wanted was someone like you, who was able to see everything about me and still care for me. Now, I don't ever want to let you go." Closing her eyes, Lileina began to feel ever more drowsy as she breathed in the scent of Valtier's skin, surrounded by his warmth from all angles. The effects of using such a strong spell on her magic energy were taking their toll, and Valtier noticed that she was beginning to fall asleep right in his arms. "I think that I have always loved you, even before I met you. Does that make sense?"

"It does now," he said softly, pulling the covers over her body as he blew out the candle that was on the night table. Holding her gently in his arms, Valtier watched Lileina's face grow ever softer as she fell asleep against his chest. "It does now."