RPOV

My mother had left this morning. She had wanted to stay a few days to try and spend some time with me. Honestly, it was an excuse to see if I would go to Dimitri and Dimka. I had ignored her the entire few days she had been here. She kept trying to start a conversation. I would answer in the shortest answer possible, limiting myself to either yes or no, if the question allowed. After a while, she had given up. I wondered if I was too hard on her. For years, I wanted my mother to pay attention to me, and now she finally was, and I was turning my back on her. But I couldn't help shake the feeling she wasn't here to see me but to simply keep an eye on me.

I hadn't been able to swallow my pride and ask her about the markings. She had reiterated her plea to stop me from talking about the markings to anyone. So far I hadn't told anyone, not even Lissa.

After my mother left, I had spent all my free time in the palace library to search any reference to my markings, but so far no luck.

"What are you doing, Rose?"

I looked up to see a confused Lissa with her hands on her hips looking down on me. I was sitting on the floor of the library with my legs to the side and books all around me.

I sighed. I didn't want to lie to Lissa. She was my best friend. But I wondered if she would want a freak to protect her after she learns fire brings out these weird markings on my skin.

But Lissa had resources I did not. Maybe I didn't have to tell her the whole truth.

I picked up the sketch that had landed in a heap of books and handed it to her. She sat down gracefully across from me with her legs to the side and her skirt perfectly draped across her legs. She even took the time to brush the imaginary dust from her dress.

"I saw these markings in Dimitri's cave. I was wondering what they were."

Okay, so not a complete lie. I had seen these markings when I was in Dimitri's cave. They just weren't on the cave walls.

She raised her eyebrows, no doubt because I was spending an awful amount of time researching something from somebody else's house.

"Why not just ask him?"

I smirked at her.

"Now where is the fun in that?"

"Honestly, Rose, snooping around your boyfriend's home."

She shook her head and tsked me. I had to giggle at her use of the word boyfriend. Then a large smile came across her face, and I saw her eyes twinkle.

"I am in."

I giggled. Lissa was such a sucker for snooping and gossip.

But her enthusiasm lasted until about an hour later when her legs started to cramp, and her back was starting to hurt.

"There has to be a better way to do this. This is getting us nowhere."

I knew she was right. I needed a place to start, I needed a hint, an inkling, anything because otherwise, we would have to go through every single book in here with no guarantee that we would find anything.

I groaned but didn´t argue with her.

"I hear there was this merchant in town that specialized in rare objects and such. Maybe we can ask him?"

I wasn't too keen on that. If somebody knew about these markings, they probably knew they would appear on somebody's skin and not on a wall. But maybe he had some rare books which would mention the markings without knowing something about them.

"Sure Liss, we can try."

She practically jumped up and down and clapped her hands together. This would mean a trip to town, and that also meant shopping. This was always fun for Lissa, but not so fun for those that were sworn to protect her.

Our town wasn't small, but couldn't be called a city either. It had a reasonable shopping district, and Lissa came there often. Her money kept half the place going, so they were always eager to accommodate her for any of her needs. It also meant they all kept an eye out. If Lissa were harmed while there, she wouldn't be able to go there again.

It didn't take long to organize a shopping party. Alberta and I would be close by Lissa for her protection, and several other handmaidens came to carry bags or to bring refreshments for Lissa on the way. Also, and Alberta and I never discussed this but we both knew it was the truth, several handmaidens were arranged around Lissa in such a way that they would be hit first if it came to that. They didn't know, and officially neither did we, but we knew enough to know that Lissa's uncle, Prince Viktor, had arranged it like that. He had even included a handmaiden that looked like Lissa as a distraction.

Viktor had taken over Lissa's care and political responsibilities when her parents and brother died a few years ago. She was heir to this state. Viktor was grooming her as best as he could to take over when she was of age, but I don't think Lissa really wanted that kind of responsibility. And to be honest, I don't think Viktor was very keen to give his power up. He wasn't unreasonable, and most of the time he was even kind. But there was something behind his eyes; I couldn't quite place that made me dislike him.

After we had arranged the horde of girls, which was no easy feat, we headed to the town center. Lissa was bombarded with merchants trying to sell her their best items, of course for their best price. Lissa being the kind gentle person she was took time with each merchant to inspect their goods and decide on what she wanted. She never haggled for the lowest price, but she would never overpay either. She said she deserved to pay what an item was worth. The funny things was that after they had agreed on a price which was reasonable, she would always throw in a little extra. She didn't want to pay more because she could afford it. She said it made her feel taken advantage of, but she also wanted to give where she could.

After three new scarfs, a dress, and a bracelet, we finally made it to the stand of the new merchant. The guy who was supposedly an expert in rare objects and information.

When the man looked up from the book he had been reading his eyes landed on me. I found it strange they wouldn't have lingered on Lissa first. She was the one he wanted to convince to buy his stuff. But he never even noticed her, or any of the other girls. He only seemed to have eyes for me.

Now I was used to men ogling me, but this wasn't like that. The man was older, maybe in his forties and had a little salt and pepper going on. But he definitely took me in, head to toe. His expression was hard to read. He seemed shocked, overwhelmed and maybe wishful?

I wondered what kind of information the guy would have. He looked like a pirate. He wore gaudy jewelry way too big for his hands, and his outfit was brightly colored. The colors were a stark contrast to his black hair and beard and his equally dark eyes.

It took him a moment to compose himself before he introduced himself to Lissa and me.

"My name is Abe Mazur; please let me know if I can be of any assistance."

He had directed those words to Lissa, realizing it must have been rude to ignore her, but it felt like he was offering his help to me. I felt strangely at ease around the man even though I recognized this was a man not to be trifled with. I could practically feel the power radiating off of him. I could feel Alberta tense behind me and noticed the other girls weren't really comfortable around him, but I was the opposite. I felt completely at ease around him.

"Hello, Mister Mazur. My friend and I wondered if you might be able to help solve a mystery?"

He seemed intrigued by Lissa's words, but his eyes never left mine.

"A mystery. Can't be much of a mystery if it is shared amongst so many ladies. Three can keep a secret when two of them are dead. I think that number goes down when the female fraction goes up."

I smiled. He wasn't wrong. Girls gossiped about everything, and I didn't trust these girls with the markings anyway. He seemed to have accurately detected the sensitivity of the information.

"Please, Lady Dragomir, let's discuss this in private. Of course, your most trusted handmaiden may accompany you."

Alberta looked positively green about leaving Lissa alone with me and a shady merchant but Lissa waived her off, too excited about the prospect of juicy information.

We walked inside his tent, which offered us a little privacy. He had dismissed his guards, all but one. The fact he even had guards told me I was right to judge him as a powerful man.

"So, what can I do for you?"

Lissa looked over to me, and I hesitated for a moment. My mother had specifically said not to trust anyone with information about these markings, and I doubt she would have been okay with me telling a shady stranger who lived off of information. But when I looked at him, I did trust him. I couldn't explain it, but I handed him the piece of paper with the sketch. Sink or swim. I needed to know why I had those and I wasn't getting far on my own. So I had to ask for help from somewhere. And yes, asking help from a complete stranger seemed like a much better idea than asking my mother.

He took the sketch from me and let his eyes wander over the paper.

What I found strange was that he didn't seem to be looking very hard or thinking where he might have seen such markings. He didn't even seem surprised that these markings were on this paper. Had he known we would come to see him about this?

He handed the paper back to me.

"What is it you want to know?"

He wasn't talking to Lissa. As a matter of fact, he seemed to be ignoring her all together again. Most people would have assumed it was Lissa who asked the question and I, as a handmaiden, had simply carried the paper around. But Abe seemed to realize I was the one asking.

"What are those?"

"It is a binding spell. The spell binds Dragon magic."

There seemed to be a hidden message in his words, but I couldn't decipher it. It was like I was still missing a piece of the puzzle. Like I could almost hear his voice telling me who I was but all I could see was his lips moving and no sound coming out.

Why would a spell that binds dragon magic be on me? Did Dimka place it there? Some sort of protection spell or something? But why would my mother know about this? This just didn't make any sense. But maybe this wasn't about Dimka. After all, Dimka wasn't the first Dragon that saved me. Maybe the black Dragon had cast this spell on me. But I was human? Why use a spell that binds Dragon magic? Maybe Dragon magic leaves a trace on a human. And it was his way of covering his tracks.

"Oh, that made sense. Dimitri must have placed it to keep Dimka from burning the place down," Lissa said very cheerfully.

I saw Abe's eyes narrow at the mention of Dimitri.

"You have a Dragon friend, now do you?"

Lissa started to giggle.

"She was saved by a Dragon, and he took her to a human friend of his, Dimitri."

Now, the words in and of themselves weren't at all incriminating. It was her tone and how she dragged out Dimitri that gave a hint to what Dimitri meant to me.

Abe narrowed his eyes further, and I wondered what had triggered the response. Maybe he wasn't a fan of Dragons? But I had a feeling he reacted more to Lissa's suggestion of Dimitri and me being more than just friends.

He seemed to compose himself as he straightened up and plastered a pleasant but fake smile on his face.

"This Dimitri fellow seems to know his spells. I would like to meet him someday."

The way he said it made me believe he meant that he would like to string him up and beat him bloody someday.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Mazur, I appreciate it."

I picked up a few coins from Lissa's purse and stretched him my hand out to him. But he refused.

"No. No, I couldn't possibly. It would be a crime to take money from two beautiful ladies such as yourselves. You have already paid me with your presence."

I rolled my eyes, and Lissa giggled. He surely was a smooth talker; I would give him that.

His charming façade made way for a serious look again although the smile stayed on his face.

"If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will be in town for a while."

I nodded my head in understanding and let Lissa out of his tent. Relief washed over Alberta's face, and we made it safely back to the palace.

On the way back to the palace, Lissa was dragging her feet as she looked around all the faces of the people she would eventually rule. It wasn't until we were back in the safe confines of the palace she voiced her thoughts.

"Rose, can I ask you something?"

She had stopped walking, and I turned around to look at her.

"Of course, Liss, you can ask me anything."

"And you will be completely honest with me, even if I won't like the answer?"

She crossed her arms defiantly, daring me to say no. Lissa was sweet and kind, but she didn't handle criticism well. So I was dreading the question, knowing she expected an honest answer.

"Of course, now what is on your mind?"

"Do you think I will make a good ruler?"

I was a little shocked at the question. There seemed to be hope in her eyes that I would answer she was, but there was also self-knowledge and with that self-doubt. Lissa wasn't like other Royals. She generally cared for her subjects and couldn't care less about the power she wielded. But she understood her responsibility and the weight that came with it. She was asking if I thought she could carry it. Lissa had a tendency towards depression and melancholy when things didn't go her way, and I knew taking on her responsibility in a few months' time as the leader of this region was weighing heavilly on her. She asked me to be honest, and I would be.

"I think you have the heart to make the right decisions for your people and have their best interest at heart… I also think you are one of the few ruling heads of state that does, and other people will take advantage of that. You are naïve when it comes to political games, and I fear you will be overrun."

She nodded. I imagine she had come to the same conclusion.

"But that is okay, Liss, you don't need to know everything. Viktor can help you with the political stuff, and I'll be there to give every Royal a piece of my mind for taking liberties with your kindness. You don't have to do that alone."

She bit her bottom lip and looked down to the ground.

"Well, that is just the thing. I am not sure I want Viktor to help me. He deserves some rest and to spend time with his daughter Natalie. He has already done so much. Besides, he has been doing this for years. There are changes I want to make, and I am afraid he will stop me from making them."

She was starting to swirl her foot on the stone floors of the palace halls. I wondered if she was waiting for my reaction or wanted to get her own thoughts in order first.

"I was kind of thinking of forming a council to help me. Some Royals would have to be included, but I also wanted to have some people from the town and some of the farmlands surrounding us. I want everyone to be represented. I know I don't know much about what farmers or merchants need, but they do. They can tell me, and together we can make it better for everyone."

I just stared at her. It was brilliant and revolutionary and thoughtful and would be met with major resistance from Royals. They would lose their monopoly on interfering with governing affairs, and I doubted that would go over well.

It also meant that Dimitri's and my time now came with a deadline. Lissa being in this town, mostly behind the walls of the palace with no real voice, made her less of a target. If she went through with this, it would mean that she would need around the clock protection. But I couldn't be anything but supportive of this idea. This could improve the lives of everyone.

A large smile came across my face in a show of support for her idea.

"That is brilliant Lissa. I am sure that will make a huge difference. But I must warn you; not everyone would like this new development. So you need to know what you are getting yourself into. I will be there every step of the way to protect you with my life, but you will be putting yourself at more risk."

She nodded.

"I know. But this idea is worth fighting for."

I couldn't do anything else but hug her. I wondered how Viktor was going to take this. He wasn't a bad ruler per se. He cared about the people he governed. But I also knew he wanted the power that came with it. If Lissa sent him home to his daughter, I wondered how he would take it. I assumed that he wouldn't go without a fight.