They reached Corsa five days later. Karigan had tried to protest the stop, feeling that others might find it suspicious. Zachary assured her that it was not unusual for him to stop at some of the larger cities during a journey. And speaking with some of the most influential men in those cities would, of course, be expected as well. Thus assured, they had made their plan. They agreed that Karigan should approach her father first and try to break the news to him gently before Zachary arrived as well. And so he had stayed back with the small guard they had brought as she rode Condor up the familiar driveway to her childhood home. As she dismounted outside the house, Karigan glanced back, wondering what Zachary was doing. Maybe she should have insisted he come with her. It certainly would have made her much less nervous.

Before she could contemplate returning to bring him with her, she heard a familiar voice exclaim, "Kari? Is that you?" Looking up, she saw her aunt standing in front of the door, a look of shock on her face. "It is! Stevic, get out here and look who's here!" She started forward, and Karigan summoned her courage and met her halfway, accepting Gretta's hug with as much grace as she could manage.

"Karigan! This is a nice surprise!" Karigan looked up when she heard her father's voice, a smile breaking out over her face. When Gretta released her, Stevic pulled her into the next hug. "What are you doing here?" he questioned.

"I. . . had some business in the area, so I thought I would stop by for a visit," Karigan answered half-truthfully. Her father pulled back, examining her with a critical eye.

"You look dead on your feet, Lass. That messenger service is working you much too hard."

"I'm fine, Da. Just a bit tired. It's good to be home."

He smiled at that, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to lead her inside. "Well, it is certainly nice to have you home. Come on, let's get you a warm drink and some food." Karigan allowed him to lead her inside where her other three aunts immediately accosted her, exclaiming over how skinny she was and how tired she looked. Aunt Stace even commented on the state of her uniform, remarking over the sorry state of the beautiful fabric her father used. Karigan let them push her into a seat at the table, but she only nibbled at the food they offered, her nerves starting to take over. She and Zachary had agreed that he would give her two hours before following her to the house which meant she needed to tell her news soon.

"Something wrong, Lass?" Stevic asked once her aunts had finally settled down around the table, leaving a veritable feast in front of her "just in case she got hungry".

"No. Well, something we should talk about." Karigan wet her lips. She had known it would be hard, but she did not think it would be this hard. She considered waiting for Zachary, but she quickly dismissed the idea. They had agreed she would tell her family, and she refused to back out of that agreement.

"Something, eh? Come on, Lass, spit it out."

Karigan closed her eyes, gathering her courage. After everything she faced as a Green Rider, this should have been easy. But Karigan was suddenly thinking she would rather face the shadow mage than her father. "I've. . . met someone," she finally said. That was a good start—it was even the words she had rehearsed in her head. "A man."

"I see." Karigan was pretty sure she saw a smile form on his face, but it did not linger long. Her aunts, however, began to titter excitedly. Karigan kept her eyes fixed on her father. "I imagined we would one day be having this conversation though I guessed it would be a few years yet."

"It's still. . . fairly new," Karigan said cautiously. "But we've known each other since I first arrived in Sacor City." Her father nodded encouragingly. "He wishes to court me."

"And you want him to court you as well?"

"Yes," she said, perhaps too quickly. Stevic's eyebrows rose, and this time the smile remained on his face. "I mean, I feel a certain. . . affection for him."

"You're in love, Kari," Stace said. Karigan turned and met her eyes and nodded slowly. All four aunts let out a sigh, beaming, but Stevic simply drew a long breath.

"A father half-hopes this day would never come and then rejoices when it does. It's hard to see a daughter grow up, but if you're happy, I will be happy for you. I do want to meet this man, however, and ensure that he is at least capable of being worthy of you."

"I. . . uh. . . you will."

"Oh? We have a couple months yet before we would normally go to Sacor City to reapply for trade permits, but perhaps I can travel early this year."

"You won't have to."

"Why?"

"Because. . . he's coming." Stevic raised his eyebrows.

"When?"

"In the next hour, most likely."

"I see."

"We just thought. . . he was travelling with me, so we thought it would be best if you meet him now rather than waiting until you came to Sacor City."

"Oh, is he a Green Rider, too?" Brini questioned, excitement coloring her tone.

"No."

"A merchant?" Stace asked.

"No."

"A lord?"

"Not. . . exactly."

"Not exactly? What does that mean? Is he an heir?"

"Ladies, perhaps if you let Karigan speak, she will give us more information," Stevic broke in. In some ways, Karigan was grateful for the interruption, for it stopped the interrogation, but it also meant that all five members of her family were now staring at her expectantly, waiting for her to tell them more about her suitor. Karigan wet her lips, trying to remember the speech she had rehearsed on the ride to Corsa. Unfortunately, the words seemed to stick in her throat.

Before she could say anything else, the front door burst open, and a man rushed in. Karigan tensed for a moment, reaching for her saber, but she stilled her hand when she recognized the figure. "Fastion?" she questioned, wondering what the Weapon was doing in her family home.

"Hide!" he commanded.

"What?"

"There was a ship that just landed in the harbor carrying dozens of soldiers. They're headed this way, and I have strict orders to make sure you aren't hurt."

"But what about-"

"He will be fine," Fastion said, his tone firm. "Now, hide!" Fastion began to herd her aunts toward the back of the house, and they followed, meeker than Karigan had ever seen them. Karigan, however, refused to let Fastion intimidate her. If soldiers were attacking her hometown, she intended to help stop them. Drawing her saber, she stepped toward the door.

"Karigan!" her father called, pushing past Fastion so he could reach her side. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to help?"

"Help?" He looked askance at the saber she held. She nodded, stepping outside before he could stop her. As she turned, however, she stopped. Her father's house sat on the outskirts of Corsa at the top of a hill overlooking the coastline. The forest lined two sides of the property, blocking the view of most of the town, but the other two sides had a beautiful view of the coastline and harbor. A harbor which Karigan now realized was swarming with men, more than she had ever seen there at one time, even during the height of trading season. Though still a few hundred paces away, she could hear the clang of metal and the grunts of the fighting men. Worse than that, however, was the fact that some of the men had broken off from the rest of the group and were climbing the hill, advancing toward the spot where Karigan stood. She relaxed into a fighting stance, her saber drawn. Beside her, she sensed Fastion draw his sword as well.

The first invaders reached them only a couple minutes later. Fortunately, they were still alive and none were very skilled with the sword. Karigan managed to slay two without much trouble, and as she swung toward a third, a wave of relief washed over her when she saw the black and silver Sacordian uniforms joining the fray. "You were supposed to still be inside," a familiar voice remarked, the words slightly breathless. Karigan glanced to the side to see Zachary a few paces to her left, his sword swinging in a practiced arc. His opponent met the blow, but Zachary parried with ease, his sword sliding into the soft flesh of the other man's stomach. The onslaught seemed to have slowed, and when Karigan looked out, she noted far more Sacordians standing than enemies. She glanced at Zachary who was also surveying the battle, his eyes alert for any attack. He glanced in her direction, and his eyes went wide. "Karigan, behind!" he shouted, moving toward her. She spun, saber extended, and felt a searing pain across her abdomen as her opponent's sword sliced through her stomach. She faltered for a moment, her body protesting any movement, but Zachary was suddenly in front of her, his sword meeting that of her opponent with ease. They dueled for a few seconds, but Zachary's strength and training quickly overpowered the other man, and he collapsed to the ground. Zachary looked back at her, concern in his eyes, but she shook her head.

"I'm fine," she told him, ignoring the searing pain in her stomach. His eyes narrowed slightly in disbelief, but he did shift his focus to the rest of the men around them.

"Captain, report!" he called.

"No enemy remains standing here, Sire," the captain said. "Should we begin an assessment of our own force?"

"Send units 4 and 8 down to ensure that none of the invaders made it into the city," Zachary commanded. "Units 5 and 7 should stay here to assess and ensure no more invaders come this way. Also, have Colonel Torrance report to me immediately."

"Yes, Sire!" The man saluted and then turned back to the other soldiers, quickly organizing them and sending them to follow Zachary's commands. Two of the soldiers broke off and moved to where Fastion still stood a few feet away. Karigan realized them as Donal and Phillipe, but it was hard to focus on them. Her vision swam like she had too much to drink.

Satisfied that his troops were following his commands, Zachary turned back to Karigan, his eyes immediately focusing on her abdomen. "Captain, send Mender Brigand up here as well!" he called.

"I'm fine," Karigan insisted though she was beginning to doubt herself. Spots danced in front of her vision, and she felt warm blood sliding down her legs.

"You're bleeding and can barely stand," Zachary countered. "You are not fine." Karigan opened her mouth to object again, but a wave of dizziness passed over her, and she teetered dangerously. Quickly, Zachary reached out and steadied her. "Come on, let's get you inside and sitting." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her into the house. She wanted to protest, but nausea had succeeded the dizziness, and she was afraid she would be sick if she opened her mouth.

As soon as they walked into the house, all five members of her family accosted them with questions of what had happened. Though Karigan knew they meant well, the relentlessness just made her head pound harder, and she was grateful when Zachary took command. "I know you're concerned, ladies, but I've already sent for a mender. What Rider G'ladheon needs right now is to sit somewhere calm until he arrives." Fortunately, that quieted her aunts, and they stepped away enough for Zachary to lead her to a chair in the kitchen. Once he seated her there, he knelt in front of her. "Karigan, look at me," he insisted. She blinked, trying to clear the wooziness from her head. Her eyes focused a bit more, and she saw his worried face hovering just in front of her own. "That's it. Stay with me. The mender will be here soon."

"I. . . I can't. . ."

"That wound looks bad, Sire. She's lost a lot of blood." Karigan thought it was Fastion's voice, but she couldn't be sure. She tried to swallow, but her tongue suddenly seemed too thick for her mouth. Bile rose in her throat, and she couldn't force it back. Her stomach heaved, sending the little that she had eaten pouring out of her mouth as she started to slip sideways. She heard shouts of alarm, but she could no longer focus. Her eyes slid shut, and she welcomed the blackness.