Happy Monday, friends... I've been doing a lot of writing over this three-day weekend, and I couldn't resist the temptation to post something for you. Five more reviews... come on, you know you wanna find out what happens. ;)

One night, a few hours after sunset, Aeri sat with Maara on the steps of the town hall, a long, high-ceilinged structure near the town square.

They were watching the stars, twinkling between the stray lines of smoke rising from the torches. Earlier in the day, Aeri and Maara had trained for four hours without halt. Finally they had simply stopped, breathing hard and looking at each other, before grinning tiredly.

"Good work," Aeri had said between breaths, rolling her right arm. Vahna had taken out the stitches a while back, so she only felt some occasional soreness beneath the pink scar.

"Thanks," Maara replied, leaning on her wooden sword.

"I think this is probably a good stopping point, don't you?"

"Definitely."

They wandered over to where Shade and Mika were lounging in the shade, clearly communicating about something amusing.

"What are you two laughing about?"

Shade just shrugged, and Aeri could only smile, wishing once again she could speak to her dragon.

The two women sat down, each leaning against a dragon, sipping out of their water pouches and discussing their progress.

"Maybe we could get your measurements for a real sword tomorrow," Aeri said casually, watching the younger woman's face light up.

"And then we could practice in real armor!"

"Precisely."

Suddenly, the two dragons stiffened, eyes alert.

"What is—"

Haku pushed his way into the clearing, looking pleased. "I bet you didn't hear me coming until just now."

"True. You've gotten a lot quieter," Aeri commented.

"I like to think so," he puffed out his chest, feigning pride, making Maara giggle.

"Come sit down, Haku," Maara said, and nodding, he walked over to sit next to Aeri, as their weapons were piled next to Maara at Mika's side.

Aeri ignored the odd feeling that rose in her chest when he sank down inches away from her. "I was just saying that it might be time for Maara to get a real sword," she said quickly, taking a gulp of her water.

"Oh really? Well, you've been practicing hard. I guess you've earned it," Haku grinned at his little sister, who beamed back at him.

For a while they sat and chatted, before Haku mentioned that the reason he had come out to them was that the village was having a feast later, and that they ought to get back to get cleaned up.

"What, we aren't clean enough for your feast?" Aeri had asked, pretending to be outraged, and Haku snorted as he got to his feet.

"You're so dusty and sweaty that I didn't even recognize you when I got here," he laughed, dodging the empty water pouch Aeri chucked at his head.

Bidding Mika farewell, Haku and Maara headed back to the village, while Aeri and Shade flew back to their camp. Once there, she yanked off her boots, tossed aside her sticky tunic and pants, and sank into the small pool at the edge of the forest. The cool water felt excellent after being in the sun for so long, and she took her time cleaning herself off.

Afterwards, she debated whether or not to put on her armor, and decided against it, opting for a clean short-sleeved shirt, small skirt, and leggings. After all, what were the chances of her being attacked while in the village?

As the sun started to set, she and Shade walked down to the edge of the forest behind Haku's house and waited patiently for Maara and Haku to come out.

Inside, Haku was laughing as his sister asked him for the fifth time what she should wear. "How am I supposed to know?" he asked.

"I don't know! You don't have any opinion? You can't tell me you don't have a preference between blue and green," she said.

An image of sparkling green eyes flashed in his mind and quickly he shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image.

"What?" Maara asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. You're right. Green is better."

"See? How hard was that?" she asked over her shoulder as she ran back up the stairs.

Too hard. "Vasara would never take this long!" he yelled up after her.

"Too bad!"

Smiling, he walked over to the front door and pulled it open. Outside, silhouetted against the setting sun, he could see Rádgatá leaning against the railing of the deck, facing outwards toward the village.

For a moment he watched her there, her hair shifting in the breeze.

"Is Maara almost ready?"

"She needed help choosing an outfit."

Rádgatá turned, smiling with one eyebrow raised. "And you helped her?"

"I chose the color."

"Oh?"

"My favorite color," he said, approaching her. "Green."

Her smile seemed to fade as a strange expression crossed her face, and Haku wondered if he had crossed a line. But before he could apologize, Maara burst out the door.

"Ready!" Seemingly oblivious to the tension between them, his sister jumped down the stairs. "Dreki?" A rumble sounded from the side of the house, before the black dragon bounded around to happily meet Maara, who laughed as he spun in a circle.

Haku glanced back to Rádgatá, but she was already following his sister down the stairs, not looking at him, and his heart sank a little. No, he thought. Focus.

The village had all gathered in the hall for the feast, and the merriment was well underway by the time the four of them arrived.

Numerous cries of "Haku!" "Maara!" and "Missti Einn!" echoed throughout the large space, and immediately a group of children materialized from the crowd to greet Dreki, who looked pleased to see them.

Rádgatá and Maara were quickly swept away by a group of eager young men, while Haku was absorbed into the crowd, catching up with various people, and when the music started up, he was pulled onto the floor by a smiling young woman. As the song progressed and they circled the room, switching partners, Haku caught sight of both of his sisters, faces lit with laughter as they danced with some of the young men of the village. His heart was warmed by the sight. It had been a long time since he had seen them look so carefree, and he truly regretted that. Their father was now permanently with Elama, who had generously offered to care for him with her mother and her aunts in their home, which was a huge relief for Haku and his sisters, who had been slowly wearing down from the strain of having to constantly watch over and care for their invalid parent. Especially when that parent had only ever had time and affection for their oldest sister, who was gone. It meant they were free to pursue their interests as they wished, without always leaving one behind to care for their non-responsive father.

Speaking of interests… Haku's gaze swept over the crowded room, seeking what he knew he should not be looking for. Finally, a glimpse of auburn hair flashed within the throng of dancers, but before he could take a better look, something grabbed onto his arm. Startled, he looked down. Great. His newest dance partner was Ajaa, and she looked far more pleased to see him than he was to see her.

"Hello, Haku," she cooed as they followed the steps of the dance.

"Hello, Ajaa," he said politely, before glancing out of the corner of his eye to where he had been looking before. Where was she?

"I'm down here, Haku," Ajaa's pouty tone brought him back.

"Sorry, Ajaa." She was much closer than was appropriate, and Haku kept inching backwards, until he accidentally stumbled into another man, causing a bit of a disturbance.

"Sorry!" he called out as the unperturbed dancers reorganized themselves. Then he looked up, straight across the room, and there she was, looking right back at him with a joyous expression on her face. Was she laughing at him?

Almost as if she read his mind, Rádgatá nodded slightly, before being swept back into the dance.

"Haku! Look at—" Ajaa was cut off as everyone switched partners again, and relieved, Haku continued the circuit, traveling the room.

He ended up next with a rosy-cheeked Vasara, who was wearing her nicest dress. "Haku! This is so much fun!" she called out over the music and noise of the crowd.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he grinned at her, but she seemed to see something over his shoulder, and with a sly smile she spun away to her next partner, leaving Haku with—

"Rádgatá."

"Hello, Haku," she smiled, and their hands and forearms came together as they turned in time with the music. She was tall enough to be a fitting dance partner for him, and it didn't escape his notice.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Finally, Haku said, "I'm sorry I—"

"Don't be sorry," she cut him off, that strange expression in her eyes again, before a small smile crossed her lips and she spun away to the man next to him, who looked delighted to be dancing with her.

Haku suppressed the odd clenching in his gut at the sight of her laughing at another man's jokes, dancing with someone else. Stop now, before you get too close. But he didn't want to stop. He didn't want to stay away.

After the dance he looked for her, seeking her out, but try as he might, she had vanished into the crowd.

Aeri snaked her way through the throng, making her way back to the entrance, passing by Shade, who was laying on his back with three children seated on his exposed belly, eating sweets and tossing entire pastries into his open mouth.

His blue gaze followed her, and she could tell he was going to get up, so she held up a hand. "I'm just going outside for some air!"

She ducked through the large doors at the entrance, coming out on the wide outer level of the hall, and walked forward a few steps, when she caught sight of a figure seated on the top of the stairs.

"Maara," she said softly, and the younger woman glanced up at her, looking unhappy.

"What's the matter?" Aeri sat down next to her, leaning back with one hand against the wooden floor.

For a few minutes they sat in silence, gazing up at the stars, twinkling between the stray trails of smoke rising from the torches.

"It's just that… things like this are so much fun, and I enjoy them, but I just don't like the attention. I know that someday I'm going to have to marry one of these boys, I just… don't want to. They're nice and all, but I can't imagine being stuck with a farmer's son, having his children and spending the rest of my life looking after him and them. That's not who I am. I want to be like you, Rádgatá, free to fight and fly and choose my own path."

For a moment, Aeri let Maara's words sink in. "You know, I'm not so free as you think. Where I am from, there were expectations of me as well, just maybe not the same ones that are on you."

"But were you destined to marry someone you barely even like, because women are supposedly not as capable as men?"

"No… Back home it was an honor to become a shield maiden, to be a warrior and never marry…"

"See? That's what I want."

"But there was something different in store for me," Aeri said slowly, not sure of how much to share.

"It couldn't have been so important, if you could just leave. Unless…" Maara turned, wide-eyed to look at Aeri. "You ran away."

Aeri couldn't stop the grimace that crossed her face. "I felt that I had to."

"What could be so bad that you'd leave everything you knew behind?"

Before Aeri could respond, a distant sound echoed through the village, and she sat upright, listening hard over the din of the feast inside.

"What is it?" Maara was looking around at the sky, and for the first time she realized that the wind had died down.

ROAR!

Hearts sinking, both women leapt to their feet, sprinting for the doors to the hall. Flinging them wide, Maara screamed over the noise of the crowd.

"Dragon attack!"

Oh no! Stay tuned...

PS: If you have any pressing questions, ask me! I'm full of fun secrets that I might be willing to share!