Sapphire felt Pt’this’s dizziness too. She grew concerned and helped him to a chair. “Are you alright? Should I get help?” He nodded. “That might be best.” He was getting worse. She left the room but returned a moment later with the bottle of Erulian wine he kept for company. The elven wine contained magical properties and would help him until she could get someone. She helped him drink some and then hurried off. She went across the hall and out a balcony door that was just above Ann’s room. She checked to see if the door was open. It wasn’t, but the room was lit. They were there. Since she was on the third floor, there were no steps leading down. She climbed over the rail. She had done something similar once. She was Menthanla’s best thief, or so it was reported. She lowered herself as far as she could and swung down to Ann’s balcony. The door was locked, but she could see them on the bed, and they weren’t sleeping. She wondered where their chaperone was. She knocked on the door, and they jumped. At least they were dressed. They hurried and let her in. “What’s wrong?” Ann asked. “Pt’this needs your help,” she told Andy. Andy started towards the balcony. “He’s upstairs.” Ann looked surprised. “Did you jump?” Sapphire nodded. “It was faster.” They headed for the hall passing the chaperone on her way in. “We’ll be up with Uncle Pt’this and will probably be late,” Ann told the woman who nodded. “What happened?” Ann asked. “We were at the beach in Baj-tisk. He transported us back. I don’t think he had enough energy.” “He transported you?” Ann was shocked. “It was a surprise to me too.” Sapphire nodded. When they reached the room, they found Pt’this still conscious, barely. He had drunk half a bottle of wine. Andy knelt by the chair. “Can you help him?” Sapphire asked. He nodded. He took Pt’this’s hand. Sapphire wasn’t a mage so she couldn’t see the energy transfer but assumed it was taking place. Soon Pt’this started to look and feel better. Sapphire breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he said. “No problem. You’ve helped us out often enough.” Andy brushed it off. “Pt’this! What in the shades of night do you think you were doing casting that spell?” Ann practically shouted. “It was getting late. Sapphire doesn’t like flying after dark.” “Except for a few scrying spells you haven’t used any magic in five hundred years.” “And a levitation spell.” He reminded her. “Big deal. That’s a first-year spell. Shades, Andy could cast that. A transportation spell is one of the hardest spells there is.” Pt’this sighed. How many times had he had this conversation with her only now the roles were reversed? “You’re right. I’m sorry. I got carried away. We were having a good time. I’ll be more careful if I cast any more spells.” “Please do,” Ann said. “You said you had a good time?” Andy asked changing the subject. “Let’s go into our receiving room. It has more places to sit,” Pt’this suggested. He had little furniture here. A bed, a wardrobe, and a single chair were it. He didn’t even have a table. He liked the empty feel. It gave him more space when he was in true form. He’d have to get more things now. He’d let Sapphire pick them out. His other rooms had been furnished by the palace decorators. They were what the guests saw, so they needed to be more respectable. They went into his receiving room. He poured drinks for everyone. The servants kept a bottle of whiskey there for Ann. He’d had them add brandy for Sapphire, knowing that’s what she preferred. The juices Andy liked kept fermenting, so he poured him a glass of wine from the bottle he’d been carrying. Andy usually didn’t drink, but sometimes he did make an exception for the elven wine since you couldn’t actually get drunk enough to cause problems. Pt’this preferred ale, but he stayed with the wine too. He was acting stupid tonight, and he didn’t need anything else helping. “Pt’this went swimming,” Sapphire said. “He what?” Ann was surprised. He hadn’t exaggerated when he said dragons didn’t swim. Any dragons she had ever met hated water. Most days, Kithmar’s idea of a bath was dumping a bucket of water over his head. Sapphire usually had to make him bathe. “My feet got wet,” Pt’this said. “But you survived,” Sapphire said with a smile. “I survived.” Pt’this nodded. “We also saw dolphins,” Sapphire said. Pt’this was surprised she hadn’t mentioned the pledge. “You’re not going to tell them?” He whispered. “Of course, just saving the best for last.” She smiled. “Tell us what?” Andy asked. “We’re getting married,” she said. “Congratulations,” Andy said raising his glass. Ann hugged them. “Congratulations.” “You knew, didn’t you? You told them?” She turned to Pt’this. “He asked me for advice, that’s all. He wanted to know if a picnic on the beach was a good idea,” Ann assured her. “And you?” She turned to Andy. “He didn’t say anything to me. I just figured that there are only a few reasons for a guy to go to all that effort for a romantic day.” Andy whispered something to Ann. She nodded. “Sapphire has been helping a lot with our wedding plans. We thought it would be a shame for her to have to start all over. We were wondering if you two would like to join us on our wedding day and make it a double wedding.” Pt’this was speechless. He had thought they’d have a small ceremony in town. It wasn’t that he objected to something bigger. He just didn’t think there would be time for it and he didn’t want to wait very long. Sapphire, he could tell, was happy with the idea of joining her friends. She was just waiting for an indication from him. “We would be honored,” he said. Sapphire’s joy made him smile. “Do you think Tylan would go along with it?” “Mother’s having so much fun she’d probably invite half the kingdom to join us if we asked.” Ann nodded. “I’ve missed all the plans so far. What’s going on?” “We’ve got the menu planned. Steaks and Torries.” “Torries? Birds are bait. Your parents are importing bait?” Pt’this joked, but truly he was surprised. Dragons as a general rule didn’t eat birds, but among humans, Torries were considered a delicacy. The birds preferred a colder climate so they would have to be imported. He couldn’t imagine the expense Tylan was going through for this wedding. He wondered if Emeton knew. “It was Mom’s idea. Dad agreed to it.” Ann shrugged. “And there’s going to be a huge cake,” Sapphire said. “A cake?” “It’s something they do on Andy’s world,” Sapphire explained. “What other things are we doing from Andy’s world?” He asked warily. He didn’t care. He was doing this for Sapphire, mostly. But there would be nobles who would balk at too many changes. Some wouldn’t recognize the wedding as being valid. Which would mean Ann would break the law when they consummated the marriage. “We’re not changing the ceremony,” Andy assured him. “Just the reception.” “The what?” Pt’this asked. Some of the things Andy said made it hard to believe they spoke the same language. “The the banquet,” he said. “So what else have you changed?” “We’re still working on that. There are several dances they do, but we would need music for that,” Ann said. “There is the throwing of the bouquet. There’s the dollar dance. What else did I forget?” “It doesn’t matter,” Andy said. “I’m just glad we’re getting married.” “How does your wedding ceremony vary from ours?” Pt’this asked. “It wouldn’t be right for you to go through a ceremony so different from your own that it wouldn’t feel like you’re actually married. Maybe we can talk with Elos and see what we can work in if not during our ceremony perhaps the banquet.” Andy explained each portion of the wedding ceremony he could remember. Pt’this asked a few questions, and they found a few parts they would talk to Elos about adding at some point. Ann had fallen asleep while he was talking. With as little as she normally slept, that surprised them all.