The next morning Daine awoke when a small streak of sunlight came to rest upon her eyes. She yawned and rolled over, coming face to face with a sleeping Numair. She smiled, recounting the nights events. It had been a magical night, but although she should probably be exhausted she couldn't help but want to go for a walk.

She shrugged her coverings off, and made sure that Numair was still sleeping soundly. She shooed the cats of the bed, so that when Numair awoke he would not be in for an unusual surprise. Whilst she was used to having animals surrounding her as she slept, she knew that Numair wasn't, and besides, she didn't want the five or so cats waking him up and making him angry.

She gathered her dress from the night before and slipped it on, tucking her new necklace into it. It had a symbol attached to it which seemed to radiate magic. Numair had given it to last night. She sighed with happiness at the thought that he loved her. But then turned her mind to her present situation. She would somehow have to find her way back to her own room without being seen. She had no desire to be the topic between the noble ladies' gossip. She looked in the mirror and tried in vain to comb her hair with her fingers. It was usually in a mess, but seemed to be in a worse state than usual. Yawning again, she set off down the castle corridors and prayed to the gods that she would not be discovered.

Once, she could have sworn that she saw curtain move, but she ignored it and reached her rooms without further delay. Getting into some breeches and a shirt, she wandered down to the stables to find Cloud.

Cloud and the other horses greeted her by nuzzling her hands. She smiled, still in high spirits after last night. She saddled Cloud and they set off for a run. She told Cloud about the ball, but conveniently left out what had occurred in Numair's quarters last night.

Something is troubling you, trust me, I have known you longer that anything. Cloud told her in mind speech. Daine smiled, it was true that no one could compete with Cloud's knowledge of her. She sighed, and told Cloud about Numair's proposal, it had seemed like a joke last night, but she knew he had been serious. He wanted to marry her! Her! Sarra's bastard! But even so, she wasn't sure that she wanted to marry him, as much as she loved him and wanted to be with him, she wasn't sure that she could marry anyone, and become trapped by the holy bond of matrimony. Once you were married, you were married for ever. She sighed, her life had once been so simple! Now it was full of emotions!

Was he not one of the reasons you became mortal? Don't you want to spend the rest of your life with him? That's all human marriage is Daine. And anyway, everyone needs a mate, you especially. The people will always be willing to help you because you are people, but you are human too, and you need a human mate. The long-legged man will be a good mate for you. You should marry him, if that is the proper thing to do.

Daine sighed. Cloud was right. "But what if we suddenly don't get on? What if he decides he doesn't love me one day because I'm so young? What if someone like Yolene comes again and he falls in love with her?" Daine asked the horse exasperatedly, voicing all her opinions. "Back in Snowsdale I saw thousands of marriages end, and the people involved all started off as lovesick too. They all thought they would last forever, but then it didn't."

"But then, their love hadn't been tested as yours has." A voice said from behind. Daine jumped in the saddle and turned to see Alanna and Darkness catching up from behind. They fell into step side by side. Alanna grinned, "I saw you wandering the castle halls this morning. Did you have a good night?" she said cheekily.

Daine went crimson, and pouted. "Very nice thankyou. The ball was lovely, all the noble people were very polite." She said, avoiding the grinning knights look.

Alanna chuckled but said nothing. Then, after a short silence she looked at Daine. "I heard you babbling on about love, and thought that I would come and be another ear to talk to."

Daine looked at her, Alanna was married, surely she knew what to do.

"Numair asked me to marry him." She said, then held her breath waiting for Alanna to laugh.

Alanna simply nodded. "I thought that he was going to."

Daine gaped at Alanna, how had she guessed that? Daine had had no idea that he was that serious about her. Alanna grinned at the startled girl.

"Believe me, I know what you're going through. I had to think about a fair few proposals in my youth. But I think you'll come up with the right decision."

Daine was silent for a moment before looking at Alanna curiously. "What do you mean 'a fair few proposals? Who else proposed to you?"

Alanna chuckled. She looked down at Daine. "Well, George proposed to me first when I was…I think I was a bit younger than you. I said no though. Then again when I was a bit older, but still I said no. Then Jonathon proposed to me, but I had no intentions of being queen. Then George again, but once again I rejected him, poor George, now that I look back I can see he must have had his heart broken a fair few times! What is it?"

Daine was staring at Alanna open mouthed. "The king proposed to you! You could have been queen?!"

Alanna laughed quietly. "Yes, I suppose that it does seem rather insane to not want to be queen, and to say no to someone as handsome as Jon, but then I think at that stage I knew I was in love with George as well. But then things got more complicated you see. Because I left George in the city to travel to the end of the world. On the way I got lonely and met a shang dragon named Liam. He was fairly eager to wed me too, but we didn't last. He was afraid of the gift." Daine took a side look at Alanna. Alanna's eyes were misty, and a smile played on her lips as she recounted her past. "So then I returned to Tortall, and gave Jon the dominion jewel, but George had heard of my canoodling with Liam and had cooled down. So I was left by myself."

Daine stared at Alanna, her love life seemed so simple compared to the knights. "Then how did you end up marrying the baron?"

Alanna looked at her and smiled, "Well, then Jon proposed again, but that was only to make sure the road was clear for Thayat. Then Liam died, and I left Tortall to stay with the Bloody Hawk tribe in the desert. George came out to find me and proposed, and by then I had sorted out my feelings and agreed. It was the best decision I ever made for sure."

Daine looked back down at Cloud's mane. "Yes, but how did you know that you should marry?"

Alanna looked thoughtful before answering. "I guess that I realized that there was no one who made me feel completely happy like George did. He is the only person to ever really make me feel completely myself. I can be with him, and he can make me forget any problem that I have, he can make me laugh and feel useful. He can make me feel better even if he does nothing but sit beside me. That is what I think love is, when someone makes you the best version of you, and that's why I think I ended up with him."

Alanna trotted off on her horse, leaving Daine and Cloud in silence. Daine pondered what she had just been told. All those things Alanna had said were true for her and Numair. Maybe she was truly in love with him. Maybe they were meant to be together.

She knew she could never live without him, after all, isn't that the main reason that she came back to mortal realms? She could have been a goddess but she chose Numair. She shook her head, she knew there was only one choice. If she didn't marry him, perhaps she would lose him and that would be unbearable. But still she couldn't push the nagging thoughts which advised her against it. She turned Cloud around and headed back to the stables.


She arrived at the stables to find a filthy, shining metal stormwing sitting on the paddock fence. He had hair that was as red as carrots, and he seemed to have a freckled face. Yet for all that, he radiated a sort of beauty and majesty that was in the least peculiar. She rode up to him, and was surprised to find the Stormwing greet her by name.

"Lady Veralidaine, I bid thee good day." He said in a quiet but controlling voice. Daine raised her eyebrows quizzically.

"Why are you here, whoever you are? I thought that I was done with you're kind."

Suddenly the Stormwing laughed, tossing his unusual coloured hair behind him, it was tied in a long ponytail and settled along his back quite comfortably. Daine smiled, amused that a stormwing was conscious of its looks, as they smelt quite rotten. But this stormwing tossed its hair like the ladies at noble balls.

"Forgive me your ladyship. My name is Prince Hizear. I am the son of the queen Barzha and the late lord Rikash. I do not mean to disturb you but I have come to give my gratitude to you. I am told by the dragon Diamondflame that had it not been for you're kind heart, most of me and my kind would have been banished from this earth."

Daine felt her ears turn red, she hadn't expected the stormwings to be kind like Rikash. But then again this was Rikash's son! She hadn't ever known Rikash was a father!

"Well highness, I felt I owed a great deal to you're kind, and to Lord Rikash. But surely you didn't travel all this way, and that's a long way, just to say thankyou?"

The prince chuckled at this, and Daine thought she could see traces of his father in his face.

"Pardon, highness, but are you really Rikash's son?"

The prince's face hardened. "Yes, I truly am. However I did not know of that until he died, my mother, Barzha, informed me of my father's true identity soon after his death. I wish now that I had tried to know him better, however mother tells great stories of his bravery, and I myself saw him die on the rocks." Hizear looked distanced as he told Daine these things. She let him continue, knowing that he obviously felt regretful because he had never known Rikash as a father.

"I knew your father Hizear. He is the reason why I said good things about the Stormwings in the Divine Realms. But I didn't really ever consider Stormwing's having young, let alone Rikash having a relationship with Barzha, I would have never guessed.

Hizear chuckled and tossed his blond hair out of his face once again. "Yes, Stormwing's have young, but very rarely. It is a tough process for a stormwing to mate, and even harder for a female to give birth to a youngling. More often than not, the mother's insides are ripped to shreds."

Daine winced at the thought of carrying a stormwing inside her. She couldn't even imagine the agony that would bring with it. "Now, tell me, what else are you here for apart from coming to grace me with you're presence?"

The stormwing looked smiled. "Yes lady. I came here for more than to give you my thanks. I also have come to inform your king of happenings in the west. We stormwings really have no desire to help you mortals, but I feel I owe it to your king to inform him of certain…details. After all, if it were not for him, and for you, the war you call the 'immortals war' may have ended with the traitor stormwings in control. Me and my kind thank you for that."

Daine looked at him, he seemed to be telling the truth, and any information she knew the king would welcome. She nodded, "very well then, follow me and I'll lead you to my king".


Daine walked silently as the stormwing hopped behind her. She smiled, recalling the time that she had been sharing an eagle's body and had had the pleasure of witnessing a group of stormwings trying to walk. She said nothing, but reached the room where she was certain that the king would be having his morning meal. She knocked and a servant opened it bowing. She nodded and showed Prince Hizear the table where King Jonathon, Queen Thayat, Lady Alanna, Baron George and Numair were seated. They looked at the pair in surprise as they entered, and the king stood to greet the guest.

"My king, this is Prince of the stormwings, Prince Hizear. Prince Hizear, this is King Jonathon, ruler of Tortall." Jonathon bowed politely to Hizear and nodded to Daine. Daine recognized her cue and took her seat next to Numair, blushing as he brushed her arm with his.

"What pleasure do we owe this pleasure to Prince Hizear?" The king asked, his teeth shining through a beaming smile. Hizear returned the bow and stood straight.

"I have news from the south" he said simply. "I thought I would pay a visit to Lady Veralidaine and while I was here I would tell you some information that may interest you." The stormwing said, eyes searching the kings. The king stood for a while and then nodded. "Would you like to join us for breakfast? I can arrange for a perch to be set up." Jonathon said smiling, Daine glanced at to others at the table. Lady Alanna was tense, as was Numair. Daine smiled, she knew that stormwings made people uncomfortable but then she also knew that she herself made people uncomfortable.

The stormwing laughed. "I think I will skip the pleasure, that is unless you have any battle corpses to share. I will return to the palace tonight to discuss my southern gossip. Eat well friends, though I can see no pleasure in eating fresh fruit. I prefer the rot of war." And with that, Hizear turned and flew out the far window.

Daine put down the mouthful she was about to eat. She could no longer feel her appetite due to that the stormwing's sense of humour and taste had planted some fairly vivid images in her mind. She looked around. Queen Thayat had also pushed her bowl away, and the baron George was looking at his bowl of fruit like it was indeed the rot of war.

The king returned to the table and took one look at everyone. "Such a pleasant fellow, knows just the thing to make a man feel good," he remarked, a smile playing around his mouth. Daine smiled, and looked at her Numair who was apparently unaffected by the stormwing's comments and was finishing yet another buttered role. He glanced up to see her watching him and blushed a deep red. She smiled, she knew what he was thinking about.