The night air was crisp as the wind whipped through his hair in a harsh caress. Today marked one annual that the war had lasted between Labyrinthia and Midland, the kingdom of Jackson le Monté. no one was sorrier for the war than he was, for it kept him from his beloved and delayed their marriage.

"General," a voice said from the entryway, "The commander of Midland's army wishes to speak with you concerning a cease-fire."

He turned slightly toward the direction the messenger stood. "You may return and inform him that we will only accept a decree of complete surrender from the mouth of King Jackson himself. Complete surrender."

"Yes, sir, General Dugan."

"Dismissed." Dugan went back to watching the wind blow through the trees. Perhaps he'd be able to see his beloved sooner than he had though. Perhaps this war would be over and they could all just go home. Perhaps pigs knew how to fly Aboveground.

"If you want to go then just go," DG told him, her voice forceful and full of unspoken emotions.

"Not with you acting like this," Wyatt replied, moving toward her as she moved to stalk away. He followed her through the door to her sitting room, "What's wrong with me going to see them?"

DG opened her mouth to reply with the real reason she had a problem with him leaving her at Finaqua to go visit his parents. He hadn't even bothered to ask her if she wanted to go with him. Instead she said, "Nothing. I'm just stressed because it's my time of the month, Wyatt. Go. See your parents. Have a good time with Jeb."

With a swift move, Wyatt backed her up against the sofa, his hands grabbing her wrists so that she wouldn't fight back. He leaned in and breathed in her scent, "Liar."

Her eyes closed as she responded to pheromones he was exuding. The man was a walking aphrodisiac and didn't even seem to realize it. They had been arguing hadn't they? She frowned at the effect he had on her, not liking that she couldn't remember why they were fighting, "What?"

"You're not supposed to start your cycle until next week." He pulled back and gazed at her critically, "What's the matter, DG?"

She sighed and shook her head, "Nothing, Wyatt. Absolutely nothing."

He let go of her wrists and pointed a finger at her, "We're going to have to talk about this communication thing, sweetheart. But right now you need to go pack. They're expecting us by the first sunset tomorrow."

DG furrowed her brow, "What? Us?"

"My mother has been nagging me to bring you to meet her in every single letter she's sent since I told her the news." Wyatt shook his head, remembering some of the more colorful terms his mother had used to get her point across. "She'd probably disown me if I didn't bring you with me and Jeb."

She wasn't sure what to say to that statement. She hadn't been kidding when she'd said that her hormones were going all wacky, but part of her had been so sure. She didn't know what to say. "Oh."

He smiled at her, that mischievous smile that sent her insides all topsy-turvy. Leaning in again, he cupped her face in his hands, loving that she was his and his alone. Wyatt's lips brushed her, relishing the soft smoothness of them. "Gods, your beautiful," he whispered against her mouth.

DG chose to respond in a nonverbal fashion. She could pack later.

Jeb was so excited about going to see his grandparents that it made DG a little bit less nervous about going to meet her future in-laws. But only a little.

"Grandma's going to love you, Mom," Jeb maintained. Not-so-secretly, he was glad that Coriander wouldn't be coming on this little trip. He had started calling DG Mom about a month into their four-month stay at Finaqua. It had brought tears to DG's eyes and made her heart swell that he'd think of her like that even though there really weren't very many annuals difference in their ages.

"You keep saying that, but you never seem to mention how your grandfather will like me," DG teased, trying to smile and ease the foreboding in her stomach.

"Dad is going to love you, too," Wyatt said, walking past the two as he put the last trunk in the back of the truck they would be taking for the trip. Shock absorbers were such a wonderful invention.

"Are you sure?" DG asked again for the thousandth time that morning.

Wyatt gave her a peck on the lips. "As sure as I am that in a couple of hours your going to be regretting putting that waist cincher on so tightly."

DG humphed, "I didn't. The maids did. Something about me having to appear as thin as possible when going to meet your parents." She looked down, "I look like a twig."

"Hmph," Wyatt snorted noncommittally, motioning for her to turn around. Experience had taught him that with such comments silence was best. He whistled at how tightly strung the leather was, "What'd they do to get it on this tight? Pull with all their might and hope the leather didn't tear?"

"Something like that," DG said as she found herself able to breath again as her bonded loosened the ties to a more reasonable tightness. "Goblin leather is extremely durable. It doesn't tear."

"Thank you." A voice came from DG's cincher.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows, "Does Goblin leather talk?"

She snorted, "That's Ding. He attached himself to the inside pocket of the cincher - right next to my dagger, before the maids started pulling it tight. Must mean he can breath again."

"Yep," another voice said from her back. "Breath great now that guardian-man loosened the strings."

Wyatt's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "And that was ...?"

"Ring. Bling is hiding in my hair."

"Nope," a voice said from her boot. A little head popped up. "Maids made me move. Don't wanna mess up Princess's hair. Too pretty."

Wyatt shook his head as Bling disappeared again into DG's right boot. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to those three."

DG smiled, "They can hear you, you know."

"I know. That's what's so weird." He shook his head in attempt to get rid of the weirdness that was her three bodyguards. Never before meeting her had he known bodyguards to actually station themselves on the body.

DG smiled down at her shoe, "He must really want me to make a good impression. Normally I can't get him off my head unless I'm about to bathe." She shrugged, "But you've got to admit, it's better the little goblins than an army escort every day."

"Speaking of which, where is our escort?"

DG nodded behind him and Wyatt turned to see the ten guards that would be accompanying the three on their journey. Among them was one Adrian Zero.

The former Tin Man nodded at him as DG gave him a heartfelt smile. It wasn't easy to see why Az had decided to spurn him in favor of Duke Stuffy-Pants she didn't even remotely like. Granted, the Duke's fortune and lands would be a great alliance for the monarchy, but DG couldn't help thinking that Zero would have been a better choice for her sister. Probably not a better choice for the kingdom, but for her sister there was no one better than the man she loved.

"Perfecting the art of being late, are we?" Cain asked the group of men. Not waiting for a response he nodded once, "Let's move."

DG found Zero sitting in one of the trucks by himself come the mid-day meal. She had left Wyatt and Jeb with the rest of the men at the tavern while she went in search of the missing soldier.

"Hey," she said softly as she leaned against the vehicle.

He barely looked up from the flower he twirled in his fingers. "Hello, Princess."

"It's DG," she replied firmly. "Just because she said no doesn't change that."

He snorted softly, "Your parents are happy about that."

She rolled her eyes at him, "My parents want what's best for the O.Z. and they think that the money Duke What's-His-Name has in his coffers will be best for the O.Z. Me? My first concern is Azkadellia's happiness and wellbeing. He doesn't make her nearly as happy as I know you did."

He shook his head, crushing the fragile flower within his hand. He looked up at her with a hard gaze that held a great deal of heart-ache that left DG's own heart sore, "Still doesn't change anything. She refused me and she's going to marry him in a matter of months."

The princess didn't know what to say. She reached over and put her hand on top of the one still crushing the flower within its grasp.

"For what it's worth," she said slowly, her eyes never leaving his, "I was kind of looking forward to having you as my brother-in-law."

His hard veneer fell slightly as he read the truthfulness in her eyes. "I was kind of looking forward to being your brother-in-law," he whispered.

DG opened her mouth to say something more but felt something sweep by the top of her hair. Her very elaborately done-up hair. Zero watched as she scowled and started yelling seemingly at her clothing. "That's it! Out you three get. You will fix my hair the way it's supposed to be or so help me all three of you will be swimming in the Bog before you can blink."

Zero watched in fascination as three tiny blurs raced up DG's form and into her hair. He heard what sounded like whispering as her hair was taken down from its elaborate style. The goblins worked quickly to style the hair in a simple knot at the nape of the princess's neck.

The next thing he knew two of the blurs raced back down her frame to disappear into her clothing.

"Thank you," DG said. Three distinctive "you're welcome"s came from various parts of her body.

"Where those ...?" Zero asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

DG nodded, "Yep. Goblins. My trio of goblin body guards."

"Hm," he replied, unsure what to say to that.

Luckily for him, he was saved having to answer by the laughter that was uniquely Wyatt Cain's. The pair turned around to find DG's bonded grinning wildly at her. "I see your hair is back to normal."

She shrugged, her eyes dancing with Wyatt's infectious mirth, even if it was at her expense. "Nothing a threat of a dip in the Bog couldn't fix. You ready to hit the road again?"

Wyatt nodded, pulling her into a possessive embrace. "Almost. Jeb's just about ready."

"Good." She smiled brilliantly up at him, "I can hardly wait to meet your parents."

"Wyatt?" DG asked a short while later as he drove the truck with skill, Jeb playing with his cube in the back. DG glanced at the profile of her bond-mate, watching his reaction. "What are your parent's names?"

He smiled, "I haven't told you?"

"No, you haven't," she replied with a smile of her own.

"Are you sure? I could have sworn I told you." He was teasing her and she knew it. That was the only reason her glare was mocking.

"I'm sure I would remember if you'd told me before."

"Well, if your sure," he shrugged, "Their names are Jack and Millie."

"Thank you. Anyone else whose going to be there that I should know about?" DG asked with a smile. It wasn't that he never spoke of his family, but it was always so hard to get him to tell her people's names for some reason.

"I don't know," he glanced in the rear view mirror at Jeb, "You think we should tell her about Uncle Elliot?"

Jeb looked up at that name, "Uncle Elliot's gonna be there?"

"Yep."

"Whose Elliot?" DG asked, a clear whine in her voice.

"My younger brother."

"You mean the younger brother you told me took over your farm after you moved to Central City?" DG asked, trying to clarify things in her own mind.

Wyatt glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road. "I only have one brother, DG. It's my sisters you're going to have to watch out for."

This statement caused DG to pull up short. Sisters? He'd never mentioned any sisters. "Sisters?" she whispered with a squeak.

"Don't worry, Mom," Jeb said from the back seat, "Aunt Gwen is gonna love you, too."

DG gave the boy a wane smile, "Thanks, Jeb."

Wyatt grinned as she asked, "How many sisters?"

He responded as calmly as he could. Surprisingly well, considering she was giving him that look that said if she wasn't bound to him he'd be knee deep in the Bog of Eternal Stench. He'd smelt it once from a few hundred yards away. That was enough.

"Five."

A/N: What can I say? I like the idea of a big Cain clan. I hope you liked it. I would have prefered to wait a little bit longer to give you guys a longer chapter, but then I realized how long it's been since I last updated. My sincerest apologies. If you can remember a time when you were a college student wih seventeen units and a part-time job, then I'm sure you understand.