Tylan wanted to stay in her room after she told Emeton about Ceebo. She hated the looks of pity she usually got when people found out she was an orphan. Those looks were always worse if they found out about Ceebo. But, if she hid, Kith would notice and take her back to Thager. He and Pt’this were getting along, currently, and Kith was staying sober. For that, she would be willing to stay longer if he wanted. But, he could only bring so much work home. She’d spend more time with the kids, maybe help the nurse learn to be a proper nurse, since no one seemed to want to replace her and the kids all liked her. She went to the classroom she’d seen when she and Emeton had taken Remmy to play with the other kids. There, she found Elos. She guessed he was the palace tutor. “Master Elos, can I ask a favor?” She asked. “You may always ask. But I may not be able to grant.” “How do you teach someone to read? Or how can someone teach herself?” He raised eyebrow. “You want to teach yourself to read?” Tylan shook her head. “I know how. I was thinking about the nurse for Emeton’s kids.” He frowned. “She’s no nurse.” “No, she’s not. But it seems no one wants to replace her. If we can’t hire proper nurse, train one. It’s the kids that are losing out right now.” Elos smiled. “I like the way you think.” “Thank you. Now, how can I help her to read?” “How long are you say?” “Until the end of the week. That’s why I wanted her to be able to teach herself.” “So you’re not marrying Emeton?” “No. I’m no noble.” “No, you’re not but we don’t always need nobles.” “How can I teach her?” “How well can you read?” “Fairly well, I think. But I don’t get much practice.” “You probably won’t be able to teach her, not in a week. But I’ll be here. I’ll teach her. Remmy won’t be starting school for another year but he’s close to reading. I’ll teach them together.” “Might I suggest letting Bacna sat in on those lessons? He loves books and hearing people talk might help him learn to talk also.” Elos nodded. “He’s not ready for lessons himself but if he’s willing to sit with the nurse, he might pick up on a bit.” Tylan smiled. “Thank you.” **** Emeton was still eating breakfast with the kids when Tylan came in. He smiled when he saw her. “Good morning.” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said and started to leave. “Please, stay.” Emeton told her. He wouldn’t push her but he also wasn’t going to avoid her. “Eat wif us.” Remmy insisted. “Sorry, I already ate with Kith and the others.” Tylan told him. “At least have some coffee, or tea.” Emeton suggested. She smiled and sat down across from them. Remmy was sitting on one side of Emeton while Irkali sat on the other. Emeton held Bacna on his lap. Remmy passed her both the coffee and tea pots without being asked. Emeton put a bite of food in Bacna’s right hand and guided it to his mouth. “He seems to forget his arms and legs bend while he’s wearing the braces the splints.” Emeton explained. “Food seems to be the best way to help him remember.” “Is he done then? With the surgeries, I mean?” Emeton shook his head. “No. Unfortunately, there will be more, though not many. He may have to have more when he gets older, as he grows though.” While he was grateful Bacna survived, and for any chance of a normal life, he hated what it took. He hated the pain the boy had to endure. Because of his age, they were limited in what they could do to help relieve that pain. The boy was miserable after surgeries. “Will they be able to help her shoulder?” “It’s not looking like it.” It was something Emeton worried about. If the brain damage was severe, would he be able to learn to use the arm without injuring the shoulder. “He’ll learn to be careful of it.” Tylan assured him, as if reading his mind. “I hope. I hope he has enough mind to learn it.” “Bacna has a mind.” Remmy insisted crossly. “He learns.” He handed Bacna a bite of food. The boy took it with his left hand, transferred it to his right and then grasped his right wrist with left and lifted it to his mouth. Tylan laughed. “He definitely does. He might learn slower, but he does learn.” “He does, but how much?” Emeton frowned “I’d say at least enough that you should watch what you say around him. You don’t want to discourage him.” Tylan warned. Emeton frowned again. She was right. If the boy did have the ability to learn to talk, he’d be starting to understand what they said. He’ll have enough people looking down on him. He didn’t need his dad to be one of them. “I’m sorry, buddy. Tylan’s right. Forgive me.” Bacna grabbed a bite of food with his left hand, transferred it to his right and raised it to Emeton’s mouth. Emeton ate the food, wondering if it was Bacna’s way of saying he was forgiven. If it was, the boy understood much more than anybody expected. “It’s getting late,” Tylan said. “Do you need me to finish feeding him?” Emeton shook his head. “It’s become a routine. Breakfast always takes longer the day after he gets the splints off. The stewards always make sure I have time for a long breakfast.” It had only taken him skipping three meetings and leaving the Governors waiting forty-five minutes for the stewards to learn. “Good.” “Are you going to play with us today?” Remtani asked Tylan. Tylan nodded. “I planned on it. Is that okay?” “Yes.” Remmy smiled. Bacna mimicked it, or perhaps he was showing his own appreciation of her staying. He did seem to like Tylan. “Kith said he might come later too, if he can.” Tylan told them. “Does he smell funny?” Remmy asked. “What?” Tylan frowned. “Does he smell funny? Daddy said he can’t play wif us if he smells funny or if he’s talks funny.” Remmy explained. “He needs to be sober.” Emeton explained. “Oh. He doesn’t smell funny. He’s working. If he gets done, he’ll come up, okay?” Remmy nodded. “Okay.” He looked to his dad. “Can we go flying?” “Flying?” Tylan’s eyes grew big. She obviously didn’t fly with Kith. But, growing up at the palace, the dragons indulged the kids. “The kids don’t ride astride them. The dragons hold them in their arms. It’s safe.” Emeton assured her. “You can fly wif us.” Remmy offered. “Remmy, it’s raining.” Emeton told him. “Aw man. We never fly.” Remmy frowned. “No pouting. Kith took you flying last time he was here.” He didn’t want Remmy, or any of his kids, to feel entitled because they were royalty. There was a lot of responsibility to go along with the rank and part of that responsibility was not to abuse it. “Yes, Sir.” Remmy nodded. “I’m sure you, Tylan and Kith will have fun.” “Of course we well.” Tylan assured the boy. Bacna tried to take food from Remmy’s plate. “Hey!” Remmy cried. “You ask first. Den I say ‘no’ and you don’t get any.” Emeton frowned but didn’t say anything. It was Remmy’s choice to share. “Or, I say ‘yes’ and give you some.” Remmy added seeing his father’s expression. “But you have to ask. Dat’s de rules.” Bacna had paused in the process of eating the stolen bite and for a minute Emeton thought he might return it. Instead, he kept eating. Brain damage or no, Remmy’s words were beyond him. Remmy moved his plate out of the boy’s reach. Bacna tried to take some of Irkali’s food. Emeton grabbed his hand. “No.” “Are still you hungry?” Tylan asked. She put a little more food on the boy’s plate. He grabbed a handful and stuffed it in his mouth. “Dad, can we talk court business?” Remmy asked, suddenly very serious. Tylan looked surprised. “Talking ‘court business’ means he wants to talk privately. There are times when the business of court needs to be kept private and I can’t tell him about it.” Emeton explained. “Now, he includes all confidential things.” “I could take Bacna.” Tylan offered. Emeton handed her the boy and wiped his hands. He followed Remmy to the opposite side of the nursery, where the two sat together, Remmy on his lap. “Daddy, can Tylan be our mommy?” Remmy asked. Emeton sighed. Losing two mothers in a year’s time was hard on the boy. “Buddy, I’m sorry. She’s going back to Thager in a few days.” “Nadal was from far away too. She stayed.” “Nadal wanted to stay.” “Can you make a law?” Emeton could tell by Remmy’s face he knew he was pushing it with the request. “Not about this.” The treaty laws forbid forced marriages. “Besides, we don’t want to make her sad by making her stay. She did promise to visit though and maybe we can go visit her in Thager.” “But I miss mommy and Nadal. I don’t want to miss her too.” Remmy leaned against his father’s chest. “You’ll see her again. She’s just not ready to be a mommy. There are a lot of kids here. It’s a lot of work.” Thinking about it, it was a lot of work. Maybe he should talk to Kortu about hiring a second nurse. He knew this girl was inexperienced, but Tylan was training her well. A second nurse could continue that and allow the kids more attention. “We’ll be good.” Remmy said. “I promise. I’ll make sure de oders are good too.” “Rem, it’s not just about being good or bad. There’s feeding and bathing and changing and playing with you and all sorts of things.” He’d have to spend more time with them too. He’d tell Kortu to shorten his day some. And maybe he could use the morning he signed paperwork to spend with them and do the signing after they went to bed. If the kids were only going to have one parent, they needed more time with him. Remmy sighed. He was running out of arguments. “It’ll be okay, buddy.” Emeton assured him. They’d get by. He hugged the boy and they went back to the table. “Everything all right?” Tylan asked as she gave Bacna another helping of food. Emeton nodded. “You’re a hungry boy today, aren’t you?” Bacna responded by shoving more food into his mouth. But it least he did it one-handed. Emeton stayed until the kids were done eating. Bacna was making progress. He hadn’t regressed as much this time. Irkali was doing well too. She’d managed to get through the meal without needing help. He took Janta with him when he left. It had been a while since he’d kept one of the kids with him in court, since before the twins were born. A few people frowned on it but the only one to ever protest was Kortu. Pt’this nearly roasted him. Dragons are quite protective of their children and since Pt’this and Miramar never had any of their own, they treated the children of the royal family as theirs. Today, however, there should be no problems. **** Kith sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Well, he sort of ran his hand through his hair. He’d shaved most of it off a few years ago and kept it about a finger’s width in length. It was easy to care for. He really wanted a drink. It had been days since he had one. But he knew he had to stay sober. If he got drunk, he’d fight with his uncle and he’d have to leave and he’d have to take Tylan with. She and Emeton were perfect for each other. They needed to stay long enough for the two to realize it. He had the idea that might help. He just didn’t want to do it sober. He thought Star might help. He’d been avoiding her since he’d seen her with that man. He was in love with Star but she didn’t share his feelings. They were still friends and so were she and Tylan. Scrying her might help Tylan sort her feelings. “You okay?” Tylan asked, dosing his agitation. “I want a drink.” He didn’t bother hiding it. Everyone knew he had a problem and everyone could tell when he was drinking. Tylan frowned. “They won’t give you anything.” He smiled. “I know where they hide it. But I’m not going to drink. I was thinking we never told anyone we were staying longer. We should probably scry Star and let her know so she doesn’t worry. I need to be sober for that spell.” Tylan nodded. “Good idea. Are you okay with it?” She knew his feelings. He nodded. “I can’t avoid her forever. I may not become her mate but I still want to be friends. I don’t want her to worry.” “Okay.” Tylan agreed. He cast the spell. Star appeared in the scrying mirror. “Darina.” Kith called, using her real name. She looked up and smiled when she saw them. “Kith, Sli... Tylan, how’s Sen-gan?” “Pretty good. How is your mom doing?” “She has good days and bad days. The bad days are starting to outnumber the good ones again. I’m looking into hiring a nurse to watch her. It’s getting too much for the neighbor lady who helps me with her.” “Sorry to hear that. We wanted to let you know were saying a few days longer. Then we’ll be there to help.” Tylan told her. “You didn’t get arrested, did you?” “No,” Tylan frowned. “I don’t get caught. But I’ve been good too. The only stealing I’ve done was as a test for Prince Tolin.” “So you are having a good time?” Star smiled. “Tylan is. I’m working. She’s been playing in the nursery.” Kith grinned. “You’ve been in the nursery too.” Tylan insisted. “And how many guys have you slept with?” Star asked. “None.” Kith insisted, jokingly. “I told you, dragons don’t do that.” “I was talking to Tylan.” Star frowned. “Just one.” Tylan told her. “One? The men there more reserved?” Star teased. “They are now.” Kith grinned. “I don’t think any other guy in Sen-gan is going to sleep with her.” “Why? What happened?” Star reminded Kith of his aunt indulging in the latest gossip. “Perhaps I’ll let Tylan tell you, but don’t take too long. I can’t hold the spell forever,” Kith said and left. **** “Tylan, what happened? Who did you sleep with?” Star asked once he was gone. “King Emeton.” “You slept with the king?” Tylan nodded. “I didn’t know he was the king at the time. And now, he wants to marry me.” “Congratulations.” Star smiled. “I’m not marrying him. Are you crazy?” “Why not?” “I’m a worthless, broken down tramp. He doesn’t love me. He already he married one woman he didn’t love. The next is not going to be me.” “Did he say he didn’t love you?” “No. He said he does.” “But you don’t believe him?” Tylan shook her head. “Why?” “Who’s going to love me?” “Did you tell him about Ceebo?” Tylan nodded. “And what did he say?” “He wants to have him arrested. I said there was no point. After all, it’s not like he made me do anything.” “No, he just conned you.” “No. It was my choice, my stupid choice.” “But King Emeton knows and he still wants to marry you?” Tylan shook her head. “He proposed first. Once I told about Ceebo, he changed. He hasn’t said he no longer wants to marry me but before, he was always holding my hand or trying to kiss me and proposing. Since I told him, he stopped all that.” “Give him a chance. Maybe he just needs to adjust.” “We’re staying until the end of the week. Then he can forget about me.” “Tylan, do you love him?” “It doesn’t matter.” “I didn’t ask if it mattered. Do you love him?” “Yes.” “Then give him a chance.” “I loved Ceebo and I gave him a chance and look what happened.” “King Emeton is not Ceebo.” “No, but he still doesn’t love me.” Kith returned. “Sorry, ladies, I need to end the spell now.” “Give him a chance.” Star encouraged. “We’re only here for the week. I’ll see you when we get back,” Tylan said. “We’ll talk later,” Kith told Star. “You look tired. Get some rest.” Star nodded. “You too.” Kith ended the spell. “She’s right,” Tylan said. “You do look tired, drained. You should’ve cast that spell.” “I’m fine.” Kith told her. “When I’m sober, I’m aware of my limits. I’ll lay down for a bit, but I’m not too drained.” “I’ll ask your uncle to check on you.” Tylan offered. Kith rolled his eyes. “I’m fine.” “We want to keep you that way.” Tylan insisted. “Fine.” Kith sighed and left. **** Kith headed to his room. His magical energy was a little drained but nothing to worry about. The only reason he was laying down was he wanted to be able to scry Star again. Talking later and getting rest was one of their codes. They’d developed a few code phrases when they were trying to help Tylan with Ceebo. He hoped she remembered it. He did what was needed to raise his energy enough to cast the spell again. Then, he scried Star again. She was waiting for him. “I thought you were telling me scry again.” She told him. “Did she really sleep with the king?” Kith nodded. “She did.” “That was your goal, wasn’t it? I doubted that story of her helping the prince general.” Kith grinned. “She has been helping Tolin but I did want them to meet. I wanted to them to marry, not just sleep together. But he’s as bad as she is. The only reason why he hasn’t slept with more women is because there’s a law that states the royal family is supposed only sleep with their spouse. Between my drinking and my bout with makalito and all the potions they had me on for that, I forgot how we couldn’t leave him and Trilla alone for more than five minutes and before he met her…” He shook his head. “Let’s just say, it wasn’t for that law, he’d have more than five kids.” Star frowned. “He would not. Even Tylan’s not that bad.” Kith shrugged. “It’s just one more way they’re similar.” “But he no longer wants to marry her.” Star pointed out. Kith frowned. “She told you that?” Star nodded. “She said since she told him about Ceebo, he’s been different.” “He’s just slow down. He’d really been pushing to get married. When he realized how much she’d been hurt, he decided she needed more time to trust him. He does love her and is still planning on courting her. He’s already been looking for an excuse to go to Thager.” “And she’d love to be a mom to all those kids.” Star smiled. Kith nodded. “She loves them too. She has been spending a lot of time in the nursery and the kids love her. Remmy’s asked her to stay several times. Bacna even smiled at her.” “He’s the one with all the problems?” Kith nodded. “But he’s making progress now, even in just these few days. And Irkali lets her hold her and she doesn’t let anyone but Emeton and the nurse hold her.” “Maybe tomorrow you should scry your aunt and see if she could help.” Star suggested. “My aunt’s here. She has been advising them.” “Okay, well, we can’t force them. Don’t let her avoid him but let them move at their own pace.” Kith nodded. “And stay sober so you can make sure she doesn’t sleep with someone else and ruined it.” “She already tried that, with Tolin. He didn’t agree of course.” “Good. Keep an eye on her.” “I will, but I’m going to have to go. I don’t have much energy left.” “Did you have to work today?” Kith nodded. “Most of it.” “I’ll let you go then. I see when you get back. And I let the others know you’ll be late getting back.” “Thanks. See you later.”