A/N: *eats popcorn while watching Vlogbrothers still upset about the John Green thing*

Though to be fair, I do have cool friends. The coolest ones just have busy lives. It's not fun to miss out on a cool event due to lack of available travel partners but when the replies are things like "I need to call in sick later this week to go to the philharmonic" and "I got bored and went abroad for the week"...those are pretty cool people. Guess I need more uncool friends.

Raider: Glad you're catching up on reviews :) Shigeru...honestly not sure. It's been so long I keep stumbling across things whilst editing that make me think "Oh, right...that happened...". On Gilan giving Daniel his assignment: Rangers are very observant and look out for one another :P Gabby dreaming: Gabby's lost all memory of sight and in her dreams she's still blind.

Saberin: Tell me how that goes. To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite classic novel and after hearing the rumors about Atticus...I canceled my pre-order. I'm worried she's gone and pulled a Royal Ranger on us. My obsession with John Green started on YouTube and slowly worked over to his books. I've got to be in the mood for romance novels or else I can't stand them. And yeah...I get the feeling you 'old readers' are rereading these at this point in the story thinking about skipping over certain parts like I used to skip over the spider scenes in Harry Potter and LOTR movies as a kid (okay, still skip it in LOTR).

Disclaimer: I'm not John Flanagan. And still not Australian.

"Thanks Gabby," Scout whispered as the girls walked away quickly from Daniel and Ace. The boys were still deeply confused at the fast exchange but they'd gotten away with it. Scout had, by some miracle, made only one mistake and the instincts that made Daniel a good Ranger helped him adjust quickly for Gabby's inability to see what she was doing. William and Anamaria were now going around thanking people. Daniel and Ace cornered off with Caitlyn and Quinlan while Rosalina quickly found Carissa and the two went to giggling and gossiping.

David and Dalby were chasing each other in a near-empty balcony nearby. Their mother and the Royal Chef busied themselves putting the final touches on their dishes. They'd set up makeshift kitchens on the far end of the hall so that there could be a bit of flare to the formal event. Gabby squeezed Scout's arm.

"Glad to help," she replied.

A throat cleared behind them. Scout turned and found Warden. She faced him squarely with Gabby at her side. "Warden," she said politely. "You remember Gabby?"

Warden nodded. "Hello."

"Hello," Gabby replied.

"You danced with the prince?" Warden questioned. Scout shrugged.

"It was decided more appropriate for a princess to dance with a prince."

"I suppose."

Great, Warden thought to himself. Now I have to compete with both a prince and a Ranger.

Kineta met Kane outside the room Talia was in. He set Elizabet down, remembering one of the things the queen had to refrain from was carrying too much weight. Elizabet wasn't heavy but he was sure the child was over what the midwife recommended. Kineta leaned down and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"You get to see the baby later," she told her before looking up at Kane. "She's been waiting for you."

Kane nodded and slid the door open. He ignored the lip Elizabet stuck out as he closed it behind him. He walked over to Talia to better see the tightly swaddled bundle in her arms and couldn't help smiling. The sleeping baby's skin was flaky new and the child stuck its tiny tongue between its pursed lips as it napped. Kane noticed Talia had been crying recently. Her eyes were puffy red.

"So?" he asked after a long silent moment.

Talia smiled wider. "His name is Russ," she told him.

Kane stared at the baby. Russ…his little brother…well, half-brother. "Good name," was all he could think of to say.

"Want to hold him?"

Being the oldest of children in his family's circle, Kane had held plenty of babies before. But this time was different. Russ stirred hardly at all as he was transferred from Talia to Kane. "Russ," Kane repeated. "He's so small."

"I know. They said he'd probably grow quickly. He's perfectly healthy despite all we went through."

Kane smiled down at Russ. The baby yawned widely in his sleep. Kane rocked until the baby settled back down.

"Are you going to be his big brother?" Talia asked. Kane nodded.

"I am…if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind. You'll protect him, won't you?"

"Yes."

Kane rocked Russ again. His baby half-brother stirred. Somehow he got his tiny fist out of the tight blankets. Kane touched it gingerly and Russ gripped Kane's smallest finger. Russ's fingers didn't even wrap all the way around. "I think I'm going to end up in Hibernia, Kane," Talia told him with a hint of regret in her voice. "I'd love to be near you but…you're grown. I need to give Russ his best chance."

"Agreed," Kane said firmly.

"We have to wait until he's four weeks old to travel," she went on. "After that it's all up to Kineta."

Kane shrugged. He didn't care they left at this point. He just wanted Russ to have the best life possible. After several moments the door slid open again. Elizabet ran in and climbed onto the bed with Kineta right behind her.

"She wanted to see Russ badly," Kineta said with apology in her voice.

"It's alright," Talia assured her though she winced at Elizabet's sudden weight on her bed. "You should go lie down before you pass out from the malnourishment."

Kane glanced up at Kineta. Of course, now they knew malnourishment wasn't the problem but if Elizabet was in hearing range they'd blame Kineta's health problems on anything that wasn't the truth. Kineta nodded.

"Elizabet, stay with Kane alright?"

Elizabet nodded. 'Stay with Kane' had become a common order the past few days. She peered around his arm and stared at Russ. She pointed to the baby and then cradled her arms.

"You want to hold him?" Kane asked with a glance to Talia. She nodded.

"Alright but be very careful. Let Kane help you."

Elizabet grinned. Kane gently passed his baby brother over to her. The smile on her face spread so wide Kane thought it'd crack. He couldn't help laughing as she kissed Russ's cheek. He knew it'd be awhile before he and Gabby had children but he desperately wished she were there to share the moment with him.