Winter 4987, 27 Ginmoth

Everything had changed.

Shon couldn’t sleep and doubted he would ever sleep again. He closed his eyes and saw only Lily. Her smile as she danced. Her hair tumbling about her shoulders as shook it free. Her serene face as she cupped his hand to her cheek. Her eyes as she pulled him closer.

Shon screamed his frustration into his pillow, then threw it from the bed, making Ryuuko hiss in surprise at the uncharacteristic outburst. Of course, he'd thought about kissing Lily before. Who wouldn’t? But he'd never once expected her to want to kiss him. Sure she touched him more than anyone else ever did, but she touched everyone…

Refreshing. She'd said his cold was refreshing…

He dragged himself to his desk and flipped open his journal, past pages, and pages of nightly writing and drawings. And of Lily. Shon had drawn her again and again over the year since they'd met. Even while she was gone, he'd found himself drawing what he thought she must look like. Bent over a desk similar to his, writing her letters or tapping her pen against her lips as she thought. There were plenty in the pages that weren’t of Lily, but they seemed dull scribbles by comparison to him now.

Reaching a blank page, he lifted his pencil, then let it fall back to the desk, dropping his head to bang on the wood. Ryuuko whistled in sympathy, but Shon ignored it. He wasn’t supposed to be kissing anyone. He was supposed to be training. Communing with Hengist and building his relationship with his god… But his lips still tingled, and he could taste a hint of cinnamon on his tongue. He'd wanted more. Had even squeezed her as if to pull her closer, to press her body against his.

Shon squeezed his eyes shut but couldn’t bring himself to try and banish the images that swam in the darkness of his memories. Why had she wanted to kiss him? What if she didn’t want to do it again? Had he messed up? Pushed too hard? Gods, he'd pulled her hair! What had he been thinking?! Sure he had fantasies that weren't necessarily the most... honorable, and anything but gentle... but they were only teenage fantasies. He never actually planned to do anything rough like that, and yet in his first kiss he pulled her hair?

Shon leaned back, hiding his face in his hands. Hands that had dared to pull her hair, dared to squeeze her hip. Ryuuko landed on his upright chest and tried to force its head between his fingers.

He wasn’t supposed to feel like this. He wasn’t allowed to kiss or court. He let his hands fall limply to his sides and stared unseeing at the ceiling while Ryuuko licked his cheek. She was leaving in the next day or two, and he had no idea where they would send him when he took his Oath…

What if he never saw her again?

***

Shon still hadn’t found sleep when they fetched him for watch.

Dawn watch went from midnight to sixth-morning bell. The celebrations, just out of sight, would continue until well past fourth bell. They stationed him in the northeast parapet, patrolling to the southeast parapet. Placing the fortress proper between him and the party. It may have been meant as an extra bit of punishment, but Shon found himself grateful. He didn’t want to look down at the crowd and see Lily sitting alone on the sidelines, too embarrassed to dance without a dress.

Or dancing with someone else.

Rerves was the best dancer of them. Being from a noble family, he was trained since he could walk in courtly etiquette and dance. Shon knew his fellow Squire liked Lily -hells most of them liked Lily- and they were all better for her. Shon rubbed his gloved hands across his face and over his helm, his blasted armor clanking with every move. He was supposed to be focused on watch, but a thousand draken could've rushed the wall screaming for blood, and he probably wouldn't have noticed.

The stars still hadn't faded, and the sun wouldn't rise for a few more hours when sixth bell sounded and the Paladin on duty came to relieve Shon of his watch. The knight yawned loudly as Shon gave him a sharp salute, returning it with a lazy one by comparison. With Ryuuko hanging onto his sword hilt Shon trudged down the steps to the now quiet courtyard, still distracted and now exhausted. What would he say to her? She made a point of mentioning breakfast but would she even be awake? The villagers were all camping in the riding ring on the other side of the fortress and wouldn’t wake until closer to noon. Was he ready to see her again? Would he ever be?

As he took the last step and removed his helm, Shon heard a familiar laugh from the gate, “Better late than not at all, though, right?” Shon froze, and Ryuuko whistled. He knew that voice and turned at once for the gate, feeling a rush of new energy.

Veon-Zih waved at the Paladin on duty as he strode, smiling, into the courtyard. “Master!” Shon called, breaking into a jog to meet the Monk while Ryuuko flew ahead to land on his bald head, “I thought you weren’t going to make it.” Shon stopped short and bowed to his Master, left fist in right hand. He'd never wanted to speak to the man so much in his entire life.

Veon-Zih chuckled and returned the bow, “Well, technically, I didn’t.” he looked Shon over and arched an eyebrow at his student’s armor. Shon blushed, looking away, “Extra practice? During solstice?”

“Watch…” Shon admitted. Veon-Zih would know it was a punishment, and considering how everyone else reacted, he didn’t want to admit to the Monk how he'd earned it.

Humming in understanding, Veon-Zih looked his student over again then shook his head, “Shon, I would like you to meet a friend of mine. Master Velona, this is my student, Shon. Shon, this is Master Velona. She's a Master Monk of the Kensai Monastery in Halakon.”

He was so focused on Veon-Zih, Shon hadn’t even noticed the woman. She was a few inches shorter than Shon, with a shaved head and darkly bronzed skin of the desert region. She had both a quarterstaff leaning in the crook of her shoulder and a small curved sword strapped across her lower back. Master Velona reached up to let Ryuuko sniff her hand, and only after meeting the pseudodragon's approval, did she step forward and bow in the Monk fashion to Shon.

Shon returned the bow, and Master Velona smiled warmly at him, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Student Shon,” she said it like a title, “Master Veon-Zih has told me a lot about you.”

“Squire!” the Paladin at the gate shouted at them, “Why don’t you show our guests inside? It's freezing out here.”

Shon flinched. He hadn’t even thought that they might be uncomfortable, further evidence of his foggy brain. “Yes, Sir!” Shon called to the Paladin with a salute. Veon-Zih chuckled and started for the fortress before Shon had even dropped his arm and Shon turned to walk beside him, staring at the ground.

“You seem upset.” Veon-Zih observed, “What were you put on watch for?”

Shon sighed, they would talk about it eventually, and it was a good way to lead into what he was really upset about, “A sparring match with Lily. I didn’t hold back, and…” 

“She’s here?” Velona interrupted, stopping in her tracks.

Shon furrowed his brow at the lady Monk.

Velona looked to Veon-Zih and sighed, “Well, that makes things a lot easier.” Shon looked between the two of them as they exchanged a meaningful look. Why would they be looking for Lily?

When Veon-Zih turned back to him, Shon arched an eyebrow and Veon-Zih shook his head, Ryuuko losing purchase and fluttering over to take its place on Shon's shoulder. Veon-Zih explained, “She didn’t tell anyone where she was going. She just disappeared, so Rasnah sent us to see if you might have an idea where she went.”

She what?! Shon covered his face and ran his fingers through his hair yet again.

“Is she hurt?” Veon-Zih asked calmly. When Shon looked up, he elaborated, “From the sparring?” 

“Just a few bruises. She’s been practicing with the staff for a year, and she’s really good, but…” Shon tried to explain. For some reason, he felt the need to defend himself more with Master Veon-Zih than he had with the Weaponmaster and Major General.

Veon-Zih shook his head in disappointment, and Shon’s excuses stuttered to a stop. Looking up at the sky, the Monk sighed, “Paladins…” then grinned at Shon, “And I bet they wanted you to go easy on her? Or not fight at all?” Shon nodded, and Veon-Zih clapped him on the shoulder, “At least it was only watch. Try not to let it bother you, Shon. If the girl isn’t hurt or upset then I, at least, don’t think you did anything wrong.”

Shon felt his whole body relax under his Master's strong hand. Of course, Master Veon-Zih would understand. But that wasn’t why Shon was upset, and his shoulders tensed again a moment later.

Before he could open his mouth to continue, Velona asked, “She’s studying the quarterstaff?”

Shon nodded, and Veon-Zih looked at the woman, “You think you can use that to get her to go back?”

“Perhaps,” Velona shrugged, “Though it will mean putting off my pilgrimage a little longer.”

Shon looked between the two once more but the guard at the gate shouted again, “Squire! It’s cold. Get those two inside before their heads freeze!” Shon jumped again and saluted once more while Masters Veon-Zih and Velona threw their shaved heads back in unison and laughed.

Rushing for the door, Shon held it open for the Monks, letting them in before following and freezing as he stared down the hall toward the mess. Through the open door, he could see Lily. Sitting alone at the Squire's table across from his usual spot.

She was waiting for him. Why else would she be sitting there when everyone else was taking advantage of their freedom to sit at the Paladins' tables? He swallowed.

“Why don’t you take care of that armor, Shon.” Master Veon-Zih suggested, “We can talk after I meet with Daunas and Sir Selibra.” Shon blinked, then nodded, barely remembering to bow again before retreating up the stairs to his room.

She was waiting for him…

***

Veon-Zih watched Shon climb the stairs. Beside him, Velona hummed and started towards the mess hall, smiling as she entered. A girl, who could only be the girl, looked up sharply at their entrance, craning her neck as if trying to see past them, then sighed and started stabbing at her food again.

“He’s doomed…” Velona whispered.

Veon-Zih arched an eyebrow at her, but she just shook her head. They retrieved their own breakfast and made for the officer's table, where Major General Selibra already sat.

“Major General,” Veon-Zih called, “I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine, this is Master Velona of the Kensei Monks.”

Selibra stood politely, pulling out the empty chair beside him for Velona, “It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Velona. General Rasnah told me you would be coming.”

Velona set down her plate and bowed to the Major General before taking her seat. “And did the General tell you why we’re here?” she asked.

Selibra nodded, “She did, and I wish you better luck than we’ve had. The girl is pretty adamant about not going back to the Guild…”

“Well, can you really blame her?” Daunas spoke from behind, setting his plate down on Veon-Zih’s other side as the Monk took his spot beside Velona, “She spent her entire life imprisoned by Warlocks, and apparently, the Mages poke and prod her just like they did. Though at least nicer.” he sat heavily, tearing into his meal as though it might run away from him if he didn’t eat as quickly as possible.

Selibra pursed his lips and didn’t resume his seat. Instead, he grabbed his empty plate and said, “I have some paperwork that needs to be done before training resumes tomorrow. Masters,” he bowed at the waist to Velona then nodded to Veon-Zih, “We can talk more about this… issue... after you’ve had your breakfast and a chance to warm up.”

As he walked away, Veon-Zih focused on the girl, alone at the largest table in the room, “Is she always so glum?” he asked Daunas.

The Weaponmaster didn’t have a chance to answer before Velona leaned over and whispered loudly, “Just wait.”

“Wha-” Veon-Zih started, but Daunas waved a half-eaten roll in his face.

Shoving the other half into the side of his mouth, he said, “She’s right, just watch.” his eyes twinkled mischievously, and Veon-Zih furrowed his brow at the man.

The girl perked up again, just as she had when the Monks entered, though this time her face split into a beaming smile. She stood, waving someone down. Glancing at the door, Veon-Zih saw Shon running his hand through his hair, returning the wave and moving towards the food table as his familiar flew to the girl. He was smiling, and not the usual small smile many hardly noticed.

“He’s doomed,” Velona repeated.

On Veon-Zih’s other side, Daunas let out a bark of a laugh, “Oh yeah. She actually got him to dance last night.” Veon-Zih’s mouth fell open and Shon took his place across from Lily, still smiling as she spoke animatedly with her hands. “I actually felt a little guilty putting him on watch last night.” Daunas shrugged, returning to his food.

“What can you tell us about her?” Velona asked.

The Weaponmaster looked up, still chewing, and swallowed before looking from the woman to Veon-Zih. “Daunas, this is Master Velona. Velona, this is Weaponmaster Daunas Mung.” Veon-Zih made the introductions again.

Velona smiled at the Weaponmaster and gave him a half bow from her seat as Veon-Zih leaned back in his chair so the two could see each other more clearly, “I knew your father, Master Daunas. Mung was an outstanding fighter. I was sad to hear of his passing.”

Daunas grinned at her and nodded his appreciation of her grief over his late father. To answer her question, he set down his fork and leaned forward on the table, watching Lily and Shon. “She’s a good girl. Incredibly knowledgeable and perceptive in some things but painfully naive in others,” he laughed and leaned over, elbowing Veon-Zih in the arm, “You should've seen Selibra try and give her a sex talk. Though I doubt you would do much better!” he laughed loudly and Veon-Zih shook his head. On his other side, Velona snorted, looking down at her plate and not meeting his eyes.

“She loves the Squires, all of them, but Shon is definitely her favorite.” he gestured at the two again, who were now rising with empty plates and heading for the door, “She likes to learn new things and has a way of making the boys feel special each in their own way.” Lily and Shon left the mess, and Daunas picked up his fork again, filling it with food, “She’s strong and has a bit of a temper.” he lifted the overfilled utensil but just looked at it, “You should've seen her fight the wyvern… I didn’t believe the theory that she'd actually melted that tower herself until I saw that.”

Veon-Zih and Velona exchanged looks while Daunas finished, “I don’t think you’re going to convince her to go back to the Mages. The Squires couldn’t even convince her to go into the fortress while we were under attack. She’s stubborn, and in this case, I don’t blame her. No one deserves to be locked up like she was, and for her specifically? She’s like fire incarnate. You try and cover it, and she'll either be smothered or burn the container.”

*** 

Major General Selibra told a very similar story after breakfast. Veon-Zih listened in silence, looking out the office window and watching Shon and Lily go through drills in the courtyard. His ordinarily stoic student spoke freely and didn't flinched when Lily reached out to touch him.

“The Temple worries about the Warlocks in addition to the girl's personal safety. They managed to tame a wyvern and attacked a fortress of Paladins to get her back. What will they do if they find out she's traveling alone?” Selibra was saying behind Veon-Zih.

“And yet she helped fight that wyvern,” Velona mused, “And she made it all the way here, on foot, without telling anyone.”

Veon-Zih glanced back just enough to see Selibra pinching the bridge of his nose, “Foolish girl. It won’t matter how much fire magic she has if she'd broken her leg in the wilderness…”

“We'll talk to her.” Veon-Zih turned his back on the window to pat Selibra on the shoulder, “The Temple wants to keep her safe above all else. Perhaps we can come up with a compromise that lets her keep her freedom.”

Selibra shook his head, “She says she wants to travel. But she has no clearance to leave Clearhelm. We don’t know what she’ll do if they try and stop her at the docks.”

“We'll talk to her,” Velona repeated Veon-Zih’s reassurance, standing and tapping her staff pointedly.

The two Monks left the warm fortress for the freezing courtyard. The snow had been cleared from the walking paths, and villagers huddled in their heaviest winter cloaks as they packed the pavilion and leftover supplies away in their wagons. In contrast, Shon and Lily both stood at the edge of one of the larger sparring rings with only thin summer shirts, the sleeves rolled up, heedless of the icy chill.

As Veon-Zih and Velona approached, Lily arched into a graceful backbend, placing both hands on the ground before kicking up and over in a slow and measured back handstand. “She’s flexible…” Velona whispered to Veon-Zih.

“And strong,” he added, her arms haveing held her bodyweight easily through the slow motion, her muscles hardly seeming to strain.

He saw the massive bruise on her bicep and shook his head. There was no way it wouldn't hurt to put that much weight on an injured arm. As if to prove his point, Lily rubbed the bruise when she stood straight again but continued to smile, gesturing to the ring.

Shon shook his head but turned and did his own backflip. He was much faster and went completely airborne before his hands touched the ground and he was standing straight again.

The Monks could finally hear Lily as they moved closer, “Well yeah, it’s a lot easier faster, but you should be able to do it slow. You’re stronger than I am.”

 “Ah! But Shon isn’t nearly as flexible as you are,” Veon-Zih called, smiling and waving when he had the teens' attention. Ryuuko flew down from the roof of the weapons racks and landed on his shoulder as Veon-Zih continued, “Not anymore anyway. When he was younger, I would've agreed with you, but he'll need to stretch a lot more to get some of that flexibility back.” Ryuuko whistled its agreement, and Veon-Zih reached up to stroke the helpful dragon.

Shon nodded as though that had been an order he should follow, and Lily just shrugged.

“Maybe…” she conceded, then hopped in place with a turn to fully face them, “My name is Lily!" she held out her hand to Veon-Zih, “You must be Master Veon-Zih! Shon’s told me so much about you.” She rushed through the introductions, and Veon-Zih finally got a good look at her face. She had three scaled stripes that glittered like rubies across her right cheek, and her dark blue eyes were narrow slits in the late morning sun.

Chuckling, Veon-Zih took her proffered hand. She was hot, like metal left out in the noon sun, but he held on anyway, shaking her hand before letting go and gesturing to Velona. 

Velona bowed to Lily, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lily. My name is Master Velona. My niece, Mage Vevi, spoke highly of you…” she studied Lily’s face, testing her reaction to the mention of the Mages.

To both their surprise, Lily beamed at her, “You’re related to Vevi? She’s one of my favorites.”

“She’s worried about you. She said you didn’t tell anyone you were leaving or where you were going.”

Lily furrowed her brow, "I left a note... I didn’t think they would like it and didn’t want to start a fight, so I wasn't going to tell them in person.”

Behind her, Shon ran his hand through his hair and groaned, “Lily… you should've told them…”

But Lily just shrugged, “Yeah, and they would've asked for just one more sample then drained me of all my bodily fluids and locked me in my room. Been there done that.” she shook her head, “It's better this way. Now I can travel. I really like camping, and there’s so much I haven’t seen!”

Velona’s brow furrowed in concern at Lily’s nonchalance at being drained and confined and Shon looked downright horrified. But Lily didn’t seem to notice either reaction and instead tilted her head at Velona, “Is that your staff? I thought Monks didn’t use weapons.”

Velona forced a smile and spun her staff from her side to her front, “Not all Monks are the same. I heard you were training with the quarterstaff...” Lily nodded enthusiastically, and Shon ran his hand through his hair again. He was going to end up as bald as Veon-Zih if he kept that up. “Would you like to see a few of my kata?” Velona asked Lily and the girl jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

She sprinted to the middle of the ring, digging through her bag and pulling out her own staff. Velona laughed, following her and leaving Shon and Veon-Zih alone. Shon watched Lily go, and Veon-Zih rested a hand on his shoulder. Once he had Shon’s attention, Veon-Zih nodded towards a bench, and the two retreated into the shade of the fortress wall.

Shon sat heavily and covered his face with his hands, leaning back against the wall. Veon-Zih took the spot next to him and Ryuuko walked from Veon-Zih's shoulder to Shon's upturned chest, nuzzling the back of his hands. Leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees, Veon-Zih prompted, “I take it she’s what you wanted to talk about this morning?”

Shon dropped his hands and stared at the sky, “I kissed her…”

Ah, yes… he was doomed.

Veon-Zih leaned back, crossing his arms, prompting, “And?” He'd hoped never to have this conversation with Shon. It was about as far from his expertise as it was possible to be. But Shon’s distress pulled at Veon-Zih’s heart, and though the old Master didn’t know if he could comfort the young man, he knew he had to try. 

“I don’t know…” Shon very nearly whined. Leaning forward, he took up Veon-Zih’s abandoned position, leaning on his knees and covering his face again. Ryuuko crawled over his shoulder to drape over his head, as Shon tried to explain, “She asked me, and I… I just did it." his next words were a muffled whisper, "I know nothing can happen. I don’t even know where I’m going after, and she’s leaving.” Shon spread his fingers to watch Lily and Velona, who were now going through Lily’s kata. Every once in a while, Velona would stop her and adjust something, giving some kind of instruction to a serious nodding Lily.

“I can't ask her to wait for me...” Shon whispered, then turned enough to speak to Veon-Zih directly, "She could have anyone..."

“But she asked you.” Veon-Zih stated to his anguished student, “You don’t have to ask her to wait. All you can do is wait yourself and see.” Shon scrunched his face in question, and Veon-Zih resumed his leaning position, bringing himself closer to Shon, “You're oath-bound to the Temple of Hengist, and that does make things a little more difficult. But not impossible. If she asked you and is as adventurous as she seems, there's a good chance she'll find you wherever you go.”

Veon-Zih rested a hand on Shon’s back. His sword pommel swirled quickly in shades of white and midnight blue, reflecting both his anxiety and exhaustion. The Monk managed a strained chuckle, “It could always be worse, Shon. You could've taken the Monk vow.”

Shon looked up at Veon-Zih, and the Monk stood to avoid his gaze. “Master?” Shon asked, climbing to his feet and brushing the pseudodragon from his head. 

Veon-Zih sighed, watching as Velona demonstrated one of her flowing staff forms. She'd dedicated her life to the mastery of her art, and she was a true artist with her weapons. They moved as extensions of her being, her entire body transformed into a living masterpiece. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

“Master?” Shon asked again, stepping in front of Veon-Zih and blocking his view of the ladies.

Veon-Zih shook his head and did his best to smile, clapping Shon on the shoulder again, “Some Grandmasters require their apprentices to take certain vows to advance to the higher level teachings." the Master explained, "In my Monastery, they require a vow of celibacy.” Shon gaped at Veon-Zih, who just shook him a little, saying again, “It could always be worse.”

*** 

Velona had meant to use the staff as a segue into talking to Lily more about the Mages. But the girl’s passion was contagious, and Velona found herself giving more and more advice, advancing the impromptu lesson without interruption. Lily only became distracted once. When Shon left the courtyard for the fortress. 

“You like him, don’t you?” Velona asked.

To her surprise, Lily didn’t deny it, defend herself, or even blush. Instead, she smiled broadly and nodded, “He’s my favorite.” then she sighed, momentarily melancholy, “He’s probably really tired. They made him stand dawn watch, and he said he didn’t sleep well, even after they made him leave the party early.” Lily slammed the butt of her staff down, a little ring of fire expanding from it, “He didn’t even do anything wrong! It was just a sparring match!”

Velona hummed and tapped Lily’s bruise with her own staff, making her flinch, “Is that where you got this?”

Lily smiled sheepishly and rubbed her arm, “Yeah… I call him Gerry. And this one...” she lifted her shirt, showing that her scaled stripes continued under the fabric in a twisting line, and that she had another bruise on her ribs, “...is Jim. They remind me what I need to work on when I practice.” she dropped her shirt and didn’t seem to care that she'd nearly flashed half the villagers and Veon-Zih, who was heading their way, “But I almost won! You should see the knot on Shon’s leg. He says it's almost as dark as his hair.”

“So that’s why he was moving stiffly,” Veon-Zih commented as he joined them. Lily tilted her head at the Monk, the expression making her look like a curious kitten, especially with the strangely slitted eyes. Veon-Zih chuckled, “I’ve known him for a long time. He hides it well but not perfectly.”

Lily looked to the fortress and tilted her head to the other side, then asked, “Did he go to take a nap? He said he didn’t sleep last night.”

Veon-Zih shook his head, “He went to the chapel,”

Lily puffed out her cheeks but then sighed, “As long as he sleeps after. They start training again tomorrow.”

“I’ll let him know,” Veon-Zih assured her. Patting Velona on the arm, he asked, “Do you want me to stay with you?”

Velona looked from Veon-Zih to Lily, then shook her head, “I’ve got a few more things I’d like to talk to Lily about.”

Lily looked from Veon-Zih to Velona and back again as he retreated to the fortress. “You’re going to try and get me to go back to the Guild, aren't you?” she asked Velona bluntly once they were alone.

“Vevi is worried about you. It isn’t safe to go wandering the land on your own.”

“I can take care of myself,” Lily said, showing the first real signs of frustration Velona had seen.

The Monk shook her head but tried to make her smile reassuring, “I’ve heard, and seen,” she tapped Lily’s staff with her own, “but accidents still happen.”

Lily huffed, turning her back on the fortress, “I don’t care. I would rather die in the open than live forever locked away in yet another tower.”

“It wouldn’t be forever-” Velona started.

“And when would it end?" Lily snapped, "Just one more month, then a year, then ten.” she spun her staff in frustration then brought it down to a ready position and started trying to work through the kata Velona had demonstrated, the tips of the wood burning, “They always want more samples, more blood, more hair, more scales. It doesn’t matter where they keep me. It's always the same.”

Velona knocked her staff against Lily’s, throwing off her kata, and took up a position across from her. She swung then stopped, waiting for Lily to mimic the motion, starting a double kata they taught the youngest students at her Monastery. She spoke as they worked slowly, “So you run away? Decide it's better to die on some nameless road where no one knows where you are?”

Stubbornly, Lily nodded. Velona picked up the pace, smacking Lily’s staff hard, making the wood shake in her hand, “And what do you think Shon would do if you disappeared completely? If you never came back to see him again? He would have no idea if you were safe or not or where to even look for you.”

“He would know,” Lily tried to argue, “I’ll never stop writing to him.” she met Velona’s speed with her own, struggling through the unfamiliar form but not giving up.

“And how would you pay to send those letters? You got to send them free of charge because you were a ward of the Guild. How will you get food? Hunting? Have you ever caught wild game before?” she smacked Lily’s knuckles, and the girl almost dropped her staff. Almost.

Lily gritted her teeth and came back in with a vengeance, “I’ll work, I’ll do anything, but I’m not going back there to be an experiment.”

Master Velona dodged Lily’s attacks easily, twisting her staff behind her back and bringing it forward again to stop just before striking Lily against the side of the head. Lily flinched, closing her eyes tight, then opened them again to stare at Master Velona. She was breathing hard but didn’t blink.

Velona sighed, returning her staff to her side. “Is it really that bad?”

Lily nodded, still not breaking eye contact, “What's the point in being free if that's my life?”

Velona knelt, right there in the middle of the ring. She rested her staff across her lap and gestured for Lily to join her on the ground. Lily sat heavily, crossing her legs and leaning over her staff. “How old are you, Lily?”

“Shon's seventeen, I think, and I’m at least as old as he is,” she answered. She didn’t even know her own age.

“And your name? Do you know what it means?” Velona asked.

Lily tilted her head, “It's just a pretty flower. Shon gave it to me. I picked it.” Velona sucked in a breath. She didn’t even have a name before meeting Shon?

Velona shook her head, looking at the ground and drawing a rudimentary sketch of a lily in the mud, “In the language of flowers, the lily means humility and devotion.” she laughed softly, “Though I suppose it's also just a pretty flower. I was going to try and convince you that humility is a virtue for knowing your own limits…” she looked up at Lily, who stared down at the crude drawing of the flower, “But you’re not being arrogant, or even naive.” Lily looked at Velona with eyes full of determination, “You just want to be free…” Lily nodded.

“Well,” Velona said, wiping her hand across the flower, smearing the image, “If there's nothing we can say to convince you to keep yourself safe, I suppose you leave me with little choice.” Lily’s fingers clutched her staff tight, her knuckles turning white. The remaining snow around them quickly began to melt. She was making ready to fight, and her fire was far more powerful than her staff.

Velona sighed. She would have to teach the girl to control that too, “Come with me. I’m going on a pilgrimage across the kingdom, and it isn’t safe to go alone, even for a Master Monk.”

The heat disappeared in a blink, and Velona shivered as the winter wind hit her again. “What?” Lily asked in a whisper.

Velona held her hand out to the girl, palm up, “My niece is worried about you, and the Temple wants you to be safe but also can’t force you to stay confined with the Mages Guild. Come with me on pilgrimage. I can sponsor you across the borders, and we'll be safer together.”

Lily blinked in confusion, searching Velona’s face for a lie. Then she lunged past the woman's offered hand and wrapped her arms around the Monk’s neck. Her skin was like the desert sun, and Velona couldn’t help but flinch at the shock of it, but didn’t pull away.

She patted Lily on the back gingerly, “I can teach you more about the quarterstaff on the road.” 

Lily leaned away, bringing her hands to her chest as though just realizing she might be hurting the Monk. “I’m sorry,” she said. Velona just smiled, but Lily continued, “I would love to learn more from you and to travel with you… but… do I have to shave my head?” Lily asked.

Velona just laughed.