Happy New Year, my friends!

I'll be honest. Not a lot goes on in this chapter, which is why I posted two this time instead of one. Even so, I hope you are at least mildly entertained.

Cheers!

Aeri awoke in darkness, and was momentarily disoriented.

"Shade?"

A deep groan reverberated around her, and she remembered where she was. Smiling, she sat up, pushing Shade's wing off her and blinking at the sudden brightness.

Wow, they had really slept in. It had to be at least midmorning. Looking over at her dragon's face, she saw that his eyes were tightly shut. "Come on, sleepyhead, time to get up."

He groaned again, lifting his wing until it covered his face. Aeri laughed out loud as she got to her feet, stretching, careful not to raise her right arm too high. Walking over to the pile of bags, she picked up her armor and placed it over her shoulders, quickly doing all the buckles and tightening the straps. After that, she wandered over to the small pond and looked at her reflection, noting her ridiculous bed head. Maybe they could go hang out and swim at the beach later, or the next day. In the mean time, she got her hands wet and smoothed down her hair, untangling the number of small braids woven through her locks.

Feeling presentable, she made her way back to Shade, who still hadn't moved. Gently she prodded at his exposed ribs with her boot. "Are you still alive?"

Another groan, and his legs shifted a bit. "Come on!" she laughed. "I need to get to the village. Maybe later or tomorrow we can go to the beach and swim and go fishing again. What do you say?"

The wing lowered just enough to reveal a wide blue eye, followed by a deep rumble from the dragon's chest.

"Yes, I promise. Now get up, so we can eat."

A while later, when the sun was almost to its apex in the sky, Aeri popped the last piece of her fruit into her mouth, licking the juice off the pad of her thumb. Shade got up and started sniffing at the bag, but Aeri pulled it closer, tying it shut. "No, we have to conserve our supplies!"

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she couldn't help but smile. "I know, I know, you can't survive off a few pieces of fruit. Like I said, we will go fishing soon. Maybe while I'm gone today you can find something more filling to eat."

Rolling his eyes, Shade wandered back to the rock wall and pile of bags, waiting for Aeri to follow and put his saddle on. Once she was up on his shoulders, helmet in place, they made their way down the mountain. When they had reached the small clearing near Haku's house, Aeri slid out of the saddle, grabbed her helmet, and leaned in to hug her dragon's neck.

"If I'm not back before sunset, come back here before night falls and I will find you."

Shade nodded. With one last pat on the side of his face, Aeri turned and trotted through the brush, quietly hopping over small obstacles, reaching the area behind Haku's house in no time. Walking up the stairs to the deck, she followed it as it wrapped around the structure to the front of the door, which, after a brief pause, she knocked on.

After a few moments, Aeri heard footsteps, before the door swung open, revealing Maara, who looked pleasantly surprised.

"Rádgatá!" the girl exclaimed.

"Hello, Maara," Aeri smiled.

"Haku isn't here, someone came and got him a while ago, but I could take you to him, if you want."

"That would be great, but what about your father?"

Maara looked slightly shocked that Aeri knew about him. "Father? Um… well, Elama is here, the other woman who cares for him when I need a break. So I can leave," she added brightly.

"Maara?" a voice called from inside, and Maara's smile dimmed.

"Yes, Elama?"

"Who's there?" A plump blonde woman appeared, stepping back at the sight of Aeri. "Oh. Missti Einn! What a pleasant surprise. Are you going to finish your story?"

Before Aeri could answer, Maara spoke. "I'm going to take her to find Haku."

"But what about the story? I want to hear the end!"

"I'll tell you about it later, okay?" Maara tried to convince her to stay.

"But-"

"How about this," Aeri interrupted. "I'll come back and tell you the end myself, if you really want to hear it so badly."

Both Maara and Elama looked shocked. "Really?" Haku's sister asked.

"Really."

"Well, I don't think that will be necessary, I don't want you to be stuck telling the same story twice in one day," Elama said, before turning to Maara. "You better remember every last detail, understand? I want a full recount later."

Haku's sister grinned. "You got it."

As Maara led Aeri down into the village, she kept up a steady stream of chatter. "Haku told me the first part of your story last night. That's the most amazing story I've ever heard, but I told him it was cruel of you to stop where you did, well, because it was," her grey eyes peered up through her dark eyelashes, and Aeri glanced down at her with a smile.

"How tall were you when you were sixteen?"

The question caught Aeri off guard. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, Haku is very tall, but Vasara isn't, and Lyse wasn't very much taller than Vasara, but I was hoping that maybe I would grow, because I wish I was taller. I wish I was as tall as you!" Maara finally blurted, seeming a little embarrassed.

Aeri laughed, catching the attention of a few of the villagers as they passed the first few houses. "Well, by the time I was fifteen, I was taller than my mother, and when I was seventeen, I was as tall as I am now. So you have a little more time. Who knows? Maybe you will be as tall as me, and you're just a late bloomer? Who can say?"

Maara appeared to consider her words, biting her lower lip. "That would be pretty nice. I'm tired of being tiny!" She was pretty small, almost nine inches shorter than Aeri's six feet.

"Then we will hope for your bones to stretch! Growing pains really do suck, though. I remember them clearly," Aeri said, before she finally noticed that once again, everyone they passed was following them.

"Hi, everyone!" Maara called back cheerfully, and a few people responded, waving or smiling. "There he is!" she pointed, and Aeri followed her line of sight to see Haku conversing with a short blonde woman, who seemed to be attached to his arm.

Haku was barely listening to anything Ajaa was saying. He wasn't sure why she was holding onto his arm, or how to escape her. His mind was elsewhere, on the side of the mountain in the light of the setting sun, and he nodded absently, pretending to listen.

"Are you even hearing anything I'm saying, Haku?" Ajaa's pouty voice penetrated his musing.

"What? Of course," he evaded.

"Liar," she said, pouting but not seeming angry as she blinked her large eyes at him.

"Do you have something in your eye?" he asked her, and something akin to frustration flashed in her gaze. What in the world-

"There he is!" Haku looked up to see his sister down the street, followed by a growing crowd of villagers. But his gaze was fixed on the person walking next to Maara, her auburn hair shifting in the breeze. Even from this distance he swore he could see the twinkle in her eye, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Something tightened on his arm, and distracted, he looked down to see Ajaa still clinging to him, staring in the crowd's direction with an almost venomous look on her face.

"Um, Ajaa?"

The expression vanished, replaced by a bright smile. "Yes, Haku?"

Hmm… Haku wasn't sure what Ajaa wanted, and he wasn't sure that he cared all that much, but he couldn't just shake her off and ignore her. Rádgatá's words last night had strengthened his resolve. Maybe he wasn't a natural leader like Lyse, but he could do his best, and he would make sure that his best was enough for the people of Heimme.

"Haku!" he looked away from Ajaa to see Maara skipping towards him. "I brought Missti Einn with me, she came to the house. She's going to finish her story, and I convinced Elama to stay behind with Father so I could come listen!" A little ways behind his sister, still walking calmly, Rádgatá was smiling at a young boy who had come up next to her. As if sensing his gaze, she turned her head and met his eyes, still smiling. Haku's breath caught in his throat. There was something about her… something that made him feel immensely stupid. In a good way. Sometimes. You're in trouble, a voice taunted him from the back of his mind.

Maara glanced from her brother to Missti Einn, noting their mutual smiles, a suspicion forming in her mind. Then she caught a glimpse of Ajaa, who did not look pleased at all. In fact, she looked downright livid. What… Oh. Maara figured it out in a second. Ajaa was jealous of Missti Einn. As if that… woman… somehow had a chance with Haku if Rádgatá weren't around. Maara almost snorted out loud. She had never really liked Ajaa, and now she had a real reason for it. Glancing back up at Missti Einn, she allowed herself a small smile. Even though she wasn't completely sure of how sane the strange woman was, she liked her, and if she made Haku happier, than Maara liked her even more. Dragon or no dragon. A little shiver raced down her spine at the thought of Missti Einn's black dragon. That was a completely different reason to be interested in Rádgatá. Maara supposed she would just have to wait and see what happened with that.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aeri caught Haku's sister eyeing her appraisingly, and looked down at the girl questioningly. Maara's small smile only grew at her notice, making Aeri more confused than she had been in a while. Shaking her head, she looked back up at Haku, who wore a strange expression on his face.

"Hello, Haku," she gave him an easy smile. Last night's events wouldn't change her promise to these people.

"Hello, Rádgatá," he replied, his odd expression fading into an answering smile, though his eyes still betrayed something… else.

"Haku, would you introduce me to this… stranger?" Somewhat surprised, Aeri followed the falsely sweet tone to the diminutive blonde woman clinging to Haku's arm. She was very pretty, with a pouty face and undeniably voluptuous figure she obviously did nothing to conceal. Who in the world was that? Haku hadn't mentioned having a significant other, or another sister. Aeri decided she didn't like the woman's tone, regardless of who she was, so she gave her a sweet smile and figured she'd have a little fun.

The crowd had caught up and was watching the interaction with growing interest. What Aeri and Haku did not know was that most of the village was aware of Ajaa's transparent interest in Haku. Most of them ignored her, not considering her to be worth their future Chief's time. A few supported her, others actively opposed the notion, and her numerous suitors had simply accepted the challenge and either moved on or tried harder. In any event, the arrival of Missti Einn posed an interesting development in their social lives, and here was the proof.

Aeri didn't break eye contact with the woman as Haku haltingly introduced them. "Ajaa, this is Missti Einn. Rádgatá, this is Ajaa."

Allowing her smile to widen, Aeri spoke up. "The pleasure is entirely mine."

It took her a second, but Aeri noted with satisfaction when the blonde's eyes narrowed. The rest of the village, overhearing her words, had to resist looking to one another. Missti Einn seemed to have a sense of humor. Either that or she was really quite oblivious, but they all sincerely doubted that was the case.

But Aeri wasn't finished. "You're obviously close… Haku never told me he had another sister." Someone snorted behind her, and Aeri had to resist the urge to laugh hysterically at the apoplectic rage building on Ajaa's face. Aeri had no clue why the blonde hated her, but she wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Well… upon reflection, that tendency sometimes got her in a little bit of trouble.

"Listen, you-" Ajaa hissed, but Maara interrupted her.

"So, how about the rest of that story, Rádgatá?" Aeri's smile became genuine as her gaze shifted to Haku's actual sister.

"I think that can be arranged, Maara."

Haku wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but judging from how tightly Ajaa was gripping his arm, he suspected that she did not like Rádgatá. At all. Which bothered him, maybe more than it should have.

He stepped away from Ajaa, pulling his arm away from her. She was holding on so tightly that her fingernails left light marks on his forearm, and he looked at her incredulously once he was free. "Is… everything alright, Ajaa?"

For a moment the blonde seemed speechless, then recovered herself. "Of course, Haku." She glanced dismissively at Rádgatá, which sent another wave of irritation through him. "I'll see you later," and she blinked hard a few times. Did she still have something in her eye?

Aeri nearly had to cover her mouth to hide her amusement at Haku's obvious confusion. Ajaa was making her intentions crystal clear, and now Aeri understood the other woman's disdain. She saw Aeri as a threat, which was laughable. She had only just arrived on the island, and she barely knew Haku. You know him better than most, it would seem, the small voice in her mind pointed out, and she stopped herself from frowning as she watched Ajaa arch her back subtly, pushing out her chest and rear end. That really is a tight dress. Haku is… quite oblivious. What did it matter to her who Haku chose to consort with? Or, rather, who chose to consort with Haku? He belonged to them, not to her. But Haku was the closest thing Aeri had to a friend on this island, besides Vahna and perhaps Maara as well. Asti and Alkaa didn't seem to mind her, either. Well, that's a start.

Shaking her head, Aeri sighed, and looked up to see Haku watching her. She gave him a small smile, and put her hand on his shoulder, turning him around. "I suppose we should head to the forge now." Glancing behind her, she gave a little wave to the crowd behind her, motioning for them to follow.

They arrived at the forge, where Vasara met Aeri with a genuine smile. Greeting her, Aeri turned to look out at the village, leaning back against the counter as she had done yesterday. Some people had dragged out stools and had already set up their seats close to the front. Others seemed to have pouches of food that they were snacking from. Was she really that entertaining?

Smiling, Aeri held up her hands, and the conversations between villagers quieted immediately. "It's good to see you all again. Now, where was I?"