Finally, it was time. The couples took their positions in the audience hall. Andy and Pt’this, along with Carla, Steve, and Tolin were at the head of the hall while Ann, Sapphire, Emeton, Tylan, and Ria were at the rear. The way they were all positioned, Ann could see Pt’this but not Andy while Sapphire was able to see Andy but not Pt’this. Thorgrey waited in the middle while surrounded on all sides by chairs filled with people. Most of the people Ann barely knew, nobles, members of the court, distant family, those required by propriety to be invited. She scanned the crowd, instead, for friends. First, she found Fists sitting with his arm around a woman. Ann was pretty sure she was a cousin of her Aunt Nambi. She lived with her dad in Thager. Could she be the one he’d been a bodyguard for? Her dad was overprotective enough since his wife had died. But hadn’t she gotten married? That’s what Rejenn had said. Next to them was Darkham, the dwarf, and his two women. Ann didn’t know if they were married or not. They had been together a long time though. Rejenn was next, sitting alone. Ann was surprised. Usually, he had no trouble finding a woman. Not far from them, she found Shunati sitting with his cousin, Voramini, and Voramini’s pledged, Deyama, the Queen of the elves. Ann noticed, happily, they were holding hands. Further around the circle were some of the young dragons. Ann couldn’t see their faces from where she stood. Guessing by their hair, it looked like Kav and Ru. She assumed it was Ghin sitting next. He and Lar had shaved their heads, but Lar was a dwarf in alternate form. This person was too big. He turned to talk with Bria and Ann saw it was Ghin. Next, a redheaded elf was sitting next to a man with close-cut hair and very pink skin. Could that be? ‘Pt’this is that Dae and Ti?’ She saw Pt’this looking. ‘It is,’ was the reply. Ann pointed them out to Sapphire. She wanted to greet them, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to single them out now. ‘Who is that sitting with Nim? He seems to know her, but I’ve never seen her before,’ Pt’this sent a moment later. Ann followed Pt’this’s gaze to find her old mentor and couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘Shades, that’s Joanne.’ ‘Who?’ ‘Joanne. A friend and roommate of Andy and mine. She’s the first person I met on Andy’s world. Nim met her when we picked up Andy’s parents. I had asked her to come, but she couldn’t make it. Tell Andy she’s here, please.’ Ann pointed her out to Sapphire. “She and Nim seem to be getting along,” Sapphire observed. Ann was about to agree when her father turned and glared at them for them to be quiet. The effort was wasted as Tylan leaned over to ask him if the pink man was the dragon that had been burned. Andy looked around the room hoping to find a friendly face. He had just found the young dragons when Pt’this pointed out that Dae and Ti had made it. Andy smiled and nodded. “Are Bria and Ghin a couple?” He asked Pt’this. “They seem to be trying to keep a low profile, but there seems to be something between them.” “Do you mean chosen? Not that I heard of officially, but they do seem like maybe they are.” After a brief mental conversation with Ann, Pt’this whispered, “look who’s sitting with Nimitinas.” He gestured, and Andy found the dragon and the woman sitting next to him. “Is that who I think it is?” Andy couldn’t believe his eyes. “Ann says her name is Joan,” Pt’this said. “Joanne,” Andy corrected. “How did she get here? With my parents?” Tolin turned and shush them. Carla looked over her shoulder and shook her head pointing to her and Steve. Andy understood Joanne hadn’t come with them. *** Pt’this looked over the crowd, smiling. In his younger days, Emeton had called him a peacock. He liked to dress up. His once knee length hair had been a thing of pride. He loved to brag and to be the center of attention. Emeton hadn’t been the only one to call him that and they were right. He was a peacock. He saw many faces he recognized. Many he didn’t care if they were there or not. He saw Shunati, Voramini, and Queen Deyama. He found Kith’s friends, now his friends too, from Thager. Then Ann asked about Dae and Ti. He found them. Sure enough, they’d come. He was surprised that Ti was there. His skin needed at least another week or two of development. Most dragons wouldn’t be seen in public at this stage. Andy asked about Bria and Ghin. Pt’this had been wondering the same thing but hadn’t pressed it. Sometimes young dragons wouldn’t announce they were chosen in order to avoid the required chaperone. Mating before adulthood was dangerous. The fertility cycle was erratic which increased the chance of pregnancy. Young females were at much higher risk of a miscarriage, which they often didn’t survive. So, for their own protection, young dragons were closely watched. Pt’this looked for Nim. He should have been watching them. He found the other dragon sitting with a young woman in an unusual looking dress. Who was she? He had never seen her before, although Nim seemed to know her. Watching the dragon, he asked Ann about his companion. Nim and the woman seemed very friendly. Then, as requested, he pointed her out to Andy and got a stern look from his escort for his trouble. He fell silent. He knew better. Ann must’ve pointed her out to Sapphire too because he felt her recognition and surprise. He wished he could talk telepathically with her. He’d be happy if he could see her. She was unhappy with the crowd. He never realized how much she disliked large groups of people. Living in the palace definitely was not going to work for her. Soon, they would have to find a place in town. If she wanted to keep Kith’s place too, he didn’t care. They could use it to get away, rent it out, or it could stand empty. Perhaps they would keep it and move there when Remtani became king. He tried to soothe her through the bond, but it didn’t feel as though he was successful. *** Sapphire stood as still as a statue staring at Ria’s back. She had never seen so many people in one place in her life. She wondered why she had agreed to this. All these people were there to look at them. She didn’t want to see them. She didn’t want to know they were there. Ann pointed out Dae and Ti. She smiled. At least some were friends. She went back to staring at Ria’s back. A little later, Ann pointed out Nim and the woman with him, Joanne. They seem to be getting along quite well. It almost looked like they were a couple. She whispered that to Ann and received a glare from King Emeton for it. She would have felt mortified if Queen Tylan had chosen that moment to whisper to her husband. She risked a peek over Ria’s shoulder and saw Prince Tolin turned and shush the guys. Then, she caught a glimpse of the crowds and her eyes locked back onto Ria’s back. She could feel protectiveness coming from Pt’this. He was trying to calm her. She tried to focus on that.