Shana, Lavitz, and Rose sat awkwardly on a bench outside the great tent. People milled about, eager to snag the last ticket before the ticketing booth closed at noon. Sandwiched between Lavitz and Rose, Shana found herself fiddling with the frayed ends of her shorts, trying to will Dart to come back sooner. Although she never really minded being around Lavitz, being this close to Rose was unnerving. She'd been astounded when Rose had decided to sit by her on the bench instead of leaning against a wall next to them, as was her common stance. In this case, Shana thought it was because of the hordes of people milling about. If Rose hated her own companions as much as she seemed to, it made sense that she would avoid other people with even more determination.

When they had met on the third-floor landing of the inn, over two hours ago, Lavitz had suggested that the three of them wait outside the tent's entrance while Dart went to his meeting, and Shana hadn't had the gall to request otherwise. She had known that it would be this crowded the day before the big event, and that it would make her supremely uncomfortable to sit amidst the chaotic bustle, but she had deferred to Lavitz instead. Rose had been silent as ever when it came to making decisions.

Rose shifted next to her, bumping Shana's elbow as she tried to find a more comfortable position. The sensation sent tiny prickles up Shana's arm, and she fought the urge to recoil. While Shana knew that Rose was one of her friends now, she was still intensely wary around her. She felt that Rose was her opposite - rude, cruel, impatient, and generally unkind. Such things were exactly what Shana despised in the world, and she fought every day to remember that Rose was more than a conglomeration of evil. It had become easier the more they traveled together as small snippets of her personality had come into light, but her frequent harsh words to Dart were almost more than Shana could bear sometimes.

She lost people, Shana told herself. She's not evil; she's mean. There's a difference. If she were truly evil, then she wouldn't have accompanied Dart and Lavitz to the shrine just to save Shana's life. She wouldn't have fought with them against a dragon. Her words from the night before that battle rang clear in her mind: If we do not kill this dragon tomorrow, thousands of innocent souls will die. She cared about the innocents.

Shana risked a glance to her left and saw Rose glowering at the wall on the other side of the street. As people passed before her, her eyes did not drift or even refocus; she was miles away, even as she sat so uncomfortably close to Shana.

Yet another hour dragged by uneventfully. Lavitz tried several times to strike up a conversation, but Shana failed to keep anything going for more than a few sentences. Her discomfort made it difficult to focus on proper communication, and her words fell out jumbled and messy. And so she returned to fidgeting - with her fingers, her shorts, her nails. Anything was a welcome distraction.

Finally, a horde of men - and a couple women - filed out of the tent and down the street. Every one of them was armed, and most wore heavy armor. The sun glinted off all the metal, and Shana thought she noticed Rose flinch several times as the glare crossed her eyes. Shana, however, didn't mind. Instead, she watched the troupe avidly, trying to discern what kind of competition Dart was going to have in the arena.

Some men were thick and muscled, others more taut and limber. One woman was wearing simple leather armor, and another heavy steel armor that covered all but her head. Further down the procession, Shana noted one woman who wore very little indeed, exposing her thighs, arms, belly, and most of her chest to the world. Shana rolled her eyes; such "armor" would do nothing to protect her from a sharp blade. The woman winked at Lavitz as she passed by, and Shana fancied seeing color rush into his cheeks just after.

Two men were completely unadorned by weapon or armor. One - a little old to be in a fighting competition, Shana thought - stood just at her height and was decorated with several grisly scars; his toned muscles were exposed on his tanned arms, and his tunic was slightly open, showing a dark and hairy chest. Graying hairs were tied back in a neat pony tail, and a magnificent mustache sat on his upper lip. Shana chuckled; most men in Serdio went either clean-shaven or with a full beard. This man was an oddity. As he walked past, she saw a purple crest on the back of his gray shirt, but she did not recognize it.

The other man was much different. He wore black, starkly contrasting his pale skin. Shana thought he may even be paler than she was, but most noticeable about him was his hair. Despite his youthful complexion, his hair shone a bright shade of silver. She eyed him as he walked past; he was quite attractive, but she could tell that he was a deadly fighter - spry, light on his feet, and strong. Though he carried no weapon, his eyes were filled with confidence and determination. He turned to meet her gaze for a moment as he walked past, sending a shudder down her spine. Did she just imagine that vile intention in his eyes? Or was that just a fear held over from her time in Hellena? She shrunk from it as fear gripped her, and a smirk graced his lips as he passed.

"Hey," murmured Lavitz, just loud enough for her to hear. Turning toward him, she saw a deep concern, and she grabbed hold of it, pulling herself out of the pit of terror that the man had shoved her into. "You okay?"

Shaking her head to dispel the dark thoughts, she smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

That did not seem to ease his worries, but just then they heard Dart call to them from a distance.

"Guys!"

Shana's head snapped up, and she saw him coming to them from near the end of the line of contestants. His white tunic draped lazily over his torso, his trousers clinging tightly to him. His eyes shone with excitement. As he approached, they all stood, and Shana breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Rose quickly moved away from her.

"How was it?" asked Lavitz eagerly.

"This is going to be great," said Dart, grinning widely. "My first match is tomorrow afternoon. I'll be the fifth one."

"Do you know who you'll be up against?"

"Yeah, some guy named Gorgaga. Big, stocky build, with an axe. Seems like an idiot. Shouldn't be too difficult."

That smile... thought Shana. She hated how her heart pounded each time she saw it.

"So what did you talk about for so long?" she asked. "The meeting lasted two hours."

"Just general rule stuff. Like you said-" he gestured to Lavitz "-don't try to kill anyone, don't let yourself be killed, yield before you're critically injured, no fighting outside the arena, keep it clean in the arena..." He counted them off on his fingers.

"Are there any stipulations on weapons you can use?" asked Lavitz.

"No, I don't think so," replied Dart. "I saw all sorts of them in there. I think there's even one guy who's going to use a bow and arrow."

Laughing, Lavitz said, "Well, that'll be an interesting match. Come on. Let's go grab something to eat. I may be able to afford somewhere besides the inn for once."

Rose muttered something under her breath. Shana couldn't quite catch it, but she was pretty sure that Rose had grown tired of the same food for each meal, just as she had, and Shana was excited to try something a little more exotic.

"If I do well enough in this tournament," said Dart, clapping Lavitz on the shoulder, "I may actually be able to pay you back for all this stuff."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... the prize for first place is one thousand gold."

"Are you serious?"

Dart nodded excitedly.

"That could set us up for a month! You have to win."

"I'll do my best." Laughing, the two of them started down the street, leaving Shana and Rose trying to catch up through the throng of people.

That night, with bellies and hearts full, the group returned to the inn and sat down at one of the few empty tables. It was clear that the Hero Competition brought in vast numbers of tourists; every lodging had been rented out, the common room full of people from all across Serdio. With the first match tomorrow morning, several people filed in and asked for service, but were denied. Eventually, the exasperated innkeeper nailed a sign to the front door indicating that there was no vacancy.

As soon as Lavitz asked if anyone wanted a drink, Rose abruptly declined and headed up the stairs.

"That woman does not know how to relax," said Dart. "But either way, you know I'm in. Shana?"

He had sat next to her at the small table, and as he turned to face her, she felt his knee brush hers. Blushing slightly, she quickly nodded and said, "Sure."

Lavitz grinned at her from across the table, and she glowered at him as Dart turned away to summon the drinks.

A few moments later, they arrived, and Dart and Lavitz started into a lively conversation about the possible outcomes of the tournament. This soon swayed into different battle tactics that Dart could use against various enemies, and Shana quickly felt excluded from the group. Normally, she could count on Lavitz to invite her back in, but his ability to notice her discomfort always seemed to falter whenever he and Dart got started on strategy. She turned her gaze to the great mug before her.

She had not, in fact, ever tried ale before, or any fermented drink. There had never been much of it in Seles, and it was considered a luxury that her family could never afford. She had also heard tales of the horrible things some people had done under its influence, causing her to shy away from it instinctively. But if Dart could drink it and still be Dart, maybe it wasn't so bad. Now, as she watched the two guzzle it down, she decided to try a sip, but the smell was horrid. She could barely lift the mug to her lips without feeling nauseated. Finally, she forced a drink down, almost losing it on the floor immediately after.

How are they enjoying this? she wondered. As she watched them, she flitted between being awed and disgusted.

For several minutes, she tried to come up with ways to leave without seeming rude. But as time progressed, and the men asked for seconds, she began to imagine that she could leave without even being noticed. As their merriment became more boisterous, she decided that she should bow out quietly.

She stood.

"Whoa, are you leaving?" asked Dart suddenly. His words did not yet slur, but the clarity of pronunciation was gone.

"Yeah..." said Shana, glancing between him and Lavitz. "I'm... tired."

"Okay." He sounded legitimately disappointed, and a wave of guilt wracked her. Should she stay after all?

No, she scolded herself. They haven't talked to you yet, and they won't. Just leave.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said, placing her hand on Dart's shoulder as she stepped past him.

Just then, his hand flew up and landed on hers, grounding her in place. The shock that radiated through her was more than she had expected. Had she not grown accustomed to his touch? But something about this was different, kinder, more trusting. His eyes connected with hers. Those beautiful, blue eyes. Right now they were oceans of emotion, something she had never seen there before. She was grateful for the boisterous tourists to drown out the pounding of her heart.

What was he going to say? The anticipation was almost too much for her.

A soft smile traced over his features as he said, "Sleep well."

She forcibly removed her hand from his shoulder and nodded, marching around the table toward the stairs. Lavitz reached out for her arm and stopped her, pulling her into a surprising and tight hug, before holding her at arm's length and saying, "I'm glad you're back with us."

"Thanks," she murmured, before bounding up the stairs.

As she stepped onto the third floor, she paused in the relative silence. Her heart still pounded, but this time, it was a different emotion. Was it anger?

She burst into her room, a mirror image of the men's, except for the window on the right. Rose had claimed the bed farther from the window, where she now read by the light of a nearby candle. Ignoring the fact that Rose had taken the time to visit a library sometime in the past couple days, Shana sighed heavily and fell onto her bed.

"Rough night?" asked Rose, eyes barely leaving the pages in front of her.

Did Rose just make a... joke?

"They were ignoring me, so I came up here."

"Sounds about right."

Shana sighed again. In this moment, she wished that Rose was a normal girl who would talk to her about all of her deep emotions and her problems with Dart. She wished that Rose was her friend instead of this mysterious, deadly, aloof warrior. She thought of her friends in Seles. Most of them were selfish, anything but sacrificial, but one thing she could always count on was being able to talk about things with them. For whatever reason, a strange barrier prevented her from talking to her own mother about anything serious, and she had turned to those girls. Where were they now, she wondered? Were they even alive?

"Rose..." she said tentatively.

"Yes?"

"Can I...talk to you... about something?"

"I suppose."

Shana sat up and crossed her legs, eyeing Rose. She hadn't moved, and appeared to still be reading. But she didn't seem irritated. Yet.

"I just get really frustrated," she began cautiously. "... At Dart."

At this, Rose's gaze lifted from her book and met Shana's. Taking it as encouragement, Shana continued. Rose knew about her feelings anyway, right? What could it hurt to talk about it?

"One minute, I think there might be something there, and then the next... nothing."

She couldn't meet Rose's stare, and instead dropped her eyes to the sheet beneath her and began folding it between her fingers.

"It's like..." she continued, "he's so afraid to open up that he ignores that anything is there. And now I wonder if he's ever going to come around, and if anything will ever happen. Maybe... maybe I should just move on... But I tried that for five years and it didn't work. I just..." She paused as she mustered up enough courage for the confession. "I love him."

It was a truth she had known for a long time, but one she had never spoken aloud before. Even as she did so, she realized how much it had become a part of her, shaping her path up until this moment. It was love that had driven her to Hoax, and then into the dragon's nest. Love had put her near death's door, and yet love had brought her back. Even if Dart did not share the same feelings, she knew that he loved her. If only as a sister. She had seen his face mere moments after she had been revived: the joy, the excitement, and yes... even the love.

"I know you do," said Rose, void of all emotion as usual. It frustrated Shana.

She glanced up at Rose and quickly back down. She had Rose's attention, that much was sure, but she was entirely unsure if she held her sympathy. Perhaps Rose truly didn't care about any of them, and saying anything was just a mistake. But then Rose spoke again, this time with the slightest hint of compassion behind her words.

"Dart loves you. This much is certain. But men are fools. They struggle to see what prizes lay before them, even when they're lavishly decorated and labeled with their own names. This is Dart's problem. He has yet to realize what he would lose if he lost you, and what he could gain if he loved you as you desire. Even your brush with death was not enough. His own personal instability kept him from seeing what might happen if you had actually died. He has a lot of growth to go through before he is truly worthy of you."

Shana stared. Had Rose really said such things? Her short speech was more words than Shana had heard from her in the past week, and they had been aimed at encouragement rather than Rose's usual constructive criticism. Maybe Shana had gotten Rose all wrong. Maybe she did really care about them.

"I'm not really... anything special," said Shana, blushing.

"Never let anyone belittle your worth." The force behind those words sounded personal, but Shana knew better than to pry. And yet, for the first time, Shana met Rose's eyes and did not shrink away. Something fierce had lit behind them, and she wanted to know what it was. Although her heart pounded in fear, she searched them intently and saw a kind woman, beaten and battered until she was almost nothing, and rising again in spite of it all.

Suddenly, Rose turned abruptly away, setting her book down on the table by her bed, a little too hard, before blowing out the candle. Then sinking into the sheets, she turned away from Shana and said, "Good night."

The sudden darkness caught Shana in her chest, and all the air left her lungs. What's happening? she asked herself. She had never been afraid of the dark before, but now it seemed to press into her, oozing into every cavity and trying to force its way into her soul. Her breathing became labored, and she thought of any possibility for light.

The window.

Frantically, she lurched off her bed and pulled back the heavy curtain. Moonlight swathed into the room, enveloping her in its comfort. Her heartbeat calmed, and she relaxed her vice grip on the curtain.

What is this? she thought. This hadn't happened last night. What was different? She wracked her memory for several minutes before she realized that last night, the candle had been left burning all night long, and she was fairly certain they had left the curtain open. All at once the realization hit her: this was a side-effect of being the white silver dragoon.

They hadn't talked about it at all. In fact, the light mention of her healing capabilities before Dart had registered for the competition was the only time anyone had said anything since they had left the clinic. She had almost forgotten about it altogether. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the little gem, warm to the touch and no more than an inch in diameter, and held it in her palm. It didn't shine brightly, like it had after healing her, but it still gave off a dull shine.

She turned to look at Rose, who had all but vanished. As Shana had seen on occasions before, it was as if she were fading in and out of reality as the darkness swarmed around her. While it was fascinating to watch, Shana had something else on her mind.

If darkness affected Shana this much, did that mean that light affected Rose in the same way? She recalled her recoiling from the metal glare off the plates of armor this morning; it seemed likely. But if that were the case, did that mean that Rose felt in bright sun the way that Shana felt in complete darkness? It was no wonder Rose had closed the curtain while she was by herself, and why she blew out the candle before going to sleep. The darkness made her comfortable.

Turning back to the window, she pondered whether she should leave the curtain pulled open. Certainly, it made her feel more at ease, but something inside her said that Rose deserved a night of comfort, especially after sacrificing hers for Shana's the night before. She felt guilty for not even realizing it until now. Reluctantly, she lifted her hand and pushed the heavy curtain back in place, blocking out the moonlight. She drew in a sharp breath, and her grip on the dragoon spirit tightened. Almost as if in defiance of the darkness, it began to shine more brightly, and she opened her hand to watch the light flicker. She wasn't comfortable, but she was more at ease than before. Leaving it out, she tucked herself back in her bed, pulling the sheets over her head. Maybe this way the light from her dragoon spirit could keep her content without sacrificing Rose's calm.

Eventually, Shana drifted off to sleep, being roused only once when Dart and Lavitz, laughing and stomping loudly, came clambering up the stairs and shuffled into their room. Her unconscious mind scorned their raucous behavior as dreams flitted across her slumber.