"I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt Dhiren, I swear. I had no idea that stopping the courtship would harm him. I still don't understand how even now."

"When Dhiren was engaged to Iliana, he loved her, but not deeply. More like the love of friendship. Yet, evenso, he mourned her greatly when she died. Even after all the betrayal she gave him.

"Losing you, someone that he was deeply in love with was killing him." Ureuk tried to explain to Jessa, but couldn't find the right words.

"Jessa, you know how Kallen and Sorid are able to hear my music?" Zira decides to try to explain it to her.

"Of course, they dance to your music every chance they get, not just the celebrations." Jessa says smiling at her parents. They are more than a little blown away by the new information that was given about Jessa and her parentage.

"Well, when two people hear my music and dance to it like they do, like you and Dhiren do, their souls unite. They are no longer whole with out the other. They will die, at least my children, but from what Jethro said it's likely you will as well."

"So you are saying that I have to allow Dhiren to court me once more?"

"You don't have to of course, but he will almost assuredly die and you probably will." Zira tells her plainly.

"I see. So what happens once I turn to my dragon form?" Jessa demands. There is so much information that it is hard for her to keep it straight.

"He will need to be with you when it happens or you won't likely survive the turning. And that, Ancient One is the problem and you know it!" Zira turns her anger to the gold dragon. 

"He will be needing to hold her and comfort her when she changes. You know damn well what will happen then."

The dragon deity looks at the two even now unconsciously holding hands.

"What will happen when he holds me?" Jessa asks more than a little afraid.

"Dragon scales are sharp and although your skin will be rather soft at first, the scales will still be sharp. He'll be cut by them. You being so connected to him as you are, you'll be compelled to help him. 

"Dragon saliva has healing properties, you will be unable to stop yourself from licking him. Once your saliva hits his blood, it will stop the bleeding but will cause him to be in agony."

The Ancient One looks to Zira and Jethro.

"With the work Jessa does, it is almost inevitable that she will be needing to turn. She fights dragon kin nearly every time she fights bandits. She will get some of the blood in her and that will start the turn.

"I'm sorry, Jethro, she will need to become full dragon at that time or she will die."

"Yet, it is in neither the best interest of the elves nor of the dragons for one of them to be a dragon and the other an elf. If he survives the pain of the saliva he will be able to survive the turning to dragon. But in order for it to happen you, as a third party must be willing to allow it.

"I know how much it will hurt you for Jessa to turn, so I will give you the honor to name her once she turns.

"Lady Zira, if Jethro will allow this to happen, and Dhiren is agreeable, are you willing to allow your child to become one of mine?"

Zira looks at the two lovers and smiles sadly as she nods, "It is in neither of our best interest to keep them apart at this time as you said. If he turns then he will be able to fly Jessa and she will be able to give the golds more dragons. In her human form she will be able to give the elves their heir to the throne as well."

"It's all very well for you, you will gain a full female gold dragon and a full male gold dragon that will be able to have more dragon children.

"But Zira and my self will lose a child. What have you sacrificed or what will you sacrifice, Ancient One?" Jethro demands, tears in his eyes. He doesn't want his Jessa to die, of course he doesn't, but he doesn't see the other deity sacrificing anything and gaining everything.

The Ancient One nods his head, "You are right, it won't be equitable for me to not sacrifice as well."

Zira remembers something and although the question is out of context she thinks that it is important. "Jessa, you and the prince came in late, why was that?"

"I had to wash rather thoroughly, I cleaned out a small nest of bandits last night. That reminds me," Jessa says frowning at how forgetful she was being. She turns to the elven monarchs, "The bandits have sounded out a call to have bandits from other territories and countries to congregate and attack the caravans that go through the pass."

"Just how reliable is the information?" The elven king frowns as well. He doesn't like the idea that bandits will be amassing that close to his border.

"I heard it from the nest before I killed them. I verified it by another bandit that tried to kill me.

"That reminds me, there has been a bounty set on me."

That gets all their attention. "What do you mean a bounty?" Frosnak is the one to demand that.

"Well it seems that your oh, so lovely son, has set a price on one Jessa Brightblade, human female caravan guard that works between Castlerock and Kyron." Jessa can't help the shiver of disgust she gets when she thinks of Selnik.

Zira frowns at Jessa, "Why did you shiver like that when you mentioned Frosnak's child?"

"He makes me ill. Whenever he comes into the room at the counting house, just the sight of him. Not even the sight, if I scent him or if I can tell that he is coming towards me."

Zira looks at the gold dragons before she looks at Jessa. "What you are describing is what happens when a naturally good aligned being turns from their natural alignment to evil. It sounds like that gold dragon has turned bad, Ancient One."

"Very well, Jethro, I have my sacrifice. This Selnik will be killed. Will that satisfy you?" Jethro nods sadly.

"Jethro, she will turn to a full gold, but she will still have your blood in her. Any children she has they too will have your blood. Your line will not end with her." Zira says soothingly to the morose god.

With those words Jethro perks up. 

"That is true. Very well, I will offer to your child what I'll be giving mine at their turn. They will need time to get used to their new bodies. They will be awkward and clumsy until they figure out how to properly use them once more. That will make them vulnerable to enemies. I will gift them both with assistance to be able to use their new bodies just as they use the bodies they now have.

"But be warned," Jethro states to the two before him, "You will have a limited time to have this assistance. You will need to work out and spar against one another daily or near daily to get your new bodies to learn what these bodies already do."

"Thank you, Lord Jethro," Jessa says and letting go of Dhiren's hand runs over to the astonished human god and gives him a hug. Slowly Jethro lifts his hands up and hugs his great, many times great granddaughter.

"Very nice, Jethro. As  you will be gifting my child a gift, so will I to yours," Zira turns smiling to Jessa. "When the time comes, you will be able to not just sense elven magic, but you will be able to learn and do it as well as the gold dragon magic. It will make it easier to hide what you are from those seeking gold dragons."

"When the time comes, Dhiren Silverblade, you will be gifted with the ability to do dragon magic as well as your elven magic." The Ancient One says very satisfied with the way this meeting went. Much had been discussed and resolved and in time he will receive two full dragons where he currently only has half. One that he will be killing. Traitors can't be allowed to live.

"Jessa, when will you think that you will have the marriage rites?" Zira asks the overwhelmed female.

"What?"

"When do you think that you and Dhiren will get married?"

"Whoa, wait, hold up there. We just found out that there won't be a problem with us courting once more. I do love him, but I don't know him all that well. I need time to get to know him. Before, he had expected to take years for the courting, now you are talking about the wedding already?"

"No reason to not to have it, Jessa. You can get married now and give up your job."

Kallen, Sorid and Dhiren watch Jessa closely, they all know that those were the wrong words to say to the young girl.

"I won't be making any marriage plans until I am asked and I won't give a positive answer until I get to know Dhiren better. So, if you really want this marriage to happen then you will not push things. Let them happen as they will."

Zira hadn't expected such an angry retort from the young girl that she had watched over and cared for, for so long.

"Jessa, is correct. It hasn't been very long since I didn't like humans, we need time together. That will be little and far between with her job and my duties."

Jethro smirks a bit at the sulking look Zira takes on as her child agrees with Jessa. He is very proud of the woman Jessa has become. She reminds him greatly of his long lost wife.