"Thank you for coming, Frosnak. I found the perfect way to launch the program. I sent one of the poor merchants to you, she'll be at your door in the morning. Be nice to her, she was terrified at the thought of going to see you." Dhiren tells the money lender when they got through the courtesies.

"I see, did you at least get her name?" Frosnak replies a bit testily. She still isn't very happy about this whole program, she sees the need for it, she isn't blind or stupid, she just isn't happy that she's helping to launch it.

Dhiren looks down as he turns red, "Actually no. I didn't get her name nor did I give her mine."

Frosnak looks at him incredulously. "You have to be kidding me? Any one can come to me tomorrow and claim that some elf sent them to me."

"I am sending you the poor merchant woman and I'm also wanting you to help the human food vendor that sells elven food. I want her to get the help in starting up a full food stall or perhaps an inn or tavern. Although, if things remain iffy you might want to hold off on starting the tavern/inn."

"Does she at least know your name?" Frosnak asks more than a little icily.

"She has always known who Dhiren is. She recognized him the first time he bought food there." Jessa decides it's time to interject and deflect the conversation between those two.

Frosnak turns her sight to Jessa and she deflates. "How are you doing Jessa? Your grandfather just humphed and would leave rather grumpily when he's asked."

Jessa gives her grandfather a rather impish look before answering Frosnak, "Better, much better but my grandfather doesn't seem to mind coming into my room without knocking. I think he's trying to catch Dhiren and I in a rather intimate position."

Alaric refuses to rise to her words and just humphs once more. Dhiren, though does turn red and looks away. Frosnak smirks at the embarrassed elf prince, now more mollified towards him.

"Enough Frosnak." Alaric decides to end that conversation.

Frosnak settles back in her seat with a pout at his words.

"Jessa, how are you feeling? I think all here would like an update." Alaric says, his voice kindly but there is a warning look in his eyes.

"Much better, I feel like life is starting to flow into me instead of out of me now." The elves and Frosnak all give sighs of relief at her words, especially Kallen.

"You will remain on bed rest for now. It will take some time for you to regain your strength." Alaric tells her, but it's more like a warning.

"I am aware. I figured that you and Frosnak would load me up on studies to keep me from going too crazy." Jessa does her best to keep from sounding pouty.

She sees the sly smile on her grandfather's face and knows that she had hit the nail on the head with those words. She rolls her eyes and returns to her food. She finds that she can't get enough of the meat. Something that she normally wouldn't eat much of. She makes sure that she takes portions of the other food but takes several servings of the meat.

The elves do their best to keep from gawking at her taking so much meat but find it difficult.

Alaric sighs and sets down his silverware. "I guess it's time for them to know, Jessa, Prince. Just how well do you trust them?"

Jessa shrugs, she still is having a hard time with them. She's getting closer to Sorsha but the others, especially Kristoff, she's having a hard time with.

Alaric turns his attention to Dhiren, "They are sworn to me and so will keep what they learn to themselves." Dhiren gives Alaric the answer he is looking for.

Alaric looks at Dhiren, "If you are wrong it could cost Jessa her life. Are you willing to trust them with her life?"

Dhiren looks intently at each of his guards, his gaze lingering the longest on Kristoff before Kristoff finally looks down in shame. Dhiren turns to Alaric, "I do."

"Humph, very well, what is heard in this room is not to be repeated outside it and will be sealed to  you." The elves other than Dhiren and Kallen look at Alaric wide eyed but nod. "I am a gold dragon and Jessa is half dragon. This injury nearly killed her and if she hadn't been half dragon it would have killed her. But it did awaken her dragon abilities. No, she has beat the elves on her own, the strength and speed of her being human. You will find that once she is healed that she will be stronger and possibly faster although that won't be as much as if she has turned."

"Does this mean that she will turn into a dragon?" Sorsha is the first one to speak and question the intimidating male.

Alaric shakes his head, "Not as of now. It will take the help of the gold dragon deity to help her turn and has just as much chance of killing her as her making the turn."

"You're a gold dragon, you seem to have a great deal of power." Sorsha is enthralled at what she is learning.

Alaric smiles at her enthusiasm, "Yes, I am the gold king."

Alaric is more than a little amused at the elves response. Kristoff especially takes the news hard. "Shit." His word is clearly heard in the stunned silence.

"Shit? Would you like to elaborate young elf?" Alaric asks more than a little amused.

"She truly is a princess, it's not just a courtesy title given to her for being Prince Dhiren's chosen bride. She out ranks him even."

Alaric is flat out smiling at this time. "Yes, she does. Is that going to be a problem with you or any of you?" Alaric drops his smile as he looks around the table at the elves seated there.

Most of them are too shocked to do more than just shake their head. Sorsha looks about her in excitement as she shakes her head a bright smile on her face.

Jessa speaks, "You will still support me as your crown princess?"

Most of them look at her blankly but Sorsha, "Even more than before. Having dragon blood added to the royal line will just make them stronger."

Kristoff isn't so thrilled, "Dragon's aren't mated to just one, they fly whoever."

Jessa looks down.

"That is why Jessa broke up with me. She wouldn't do that to me, nor would she string me along." Dhiren speaks up and gives Jessa's hand a loving squeeze and looks at her with a smile. "When she found out that she wouldn't be required to do so she then allowed me to court her once more. She does still have duties she has to fulfill as the crown princess of the gold dragons. One of the duties is to destroy dragon kin of the evil dragons."

"Wait, you mean that nasty fight...that's why you allowed her to fight it." Sorsha looks at her prince in horror.

"I couldn't and wouldn't stop her from doing her duty. She will come to me when it is time for her duties to change and be with me, until then she will continue to serve her people even as she works as a lowly guard."

The elves were looking at Jessa in disbelief. "You took them all on because it was your duty?" Kristoff manages to get out.

"I didn't want any of the elves to be killed, I didn't want any more of the guards or masters killed. I did my best to keep Nathan..." Jessa breaks down and this time it isn't Dhiren that comforts her, but Sorsha. Sorsha pulls her into her arms.

Alaric speaks for her. "She did it for several reasons, the first being she didn't want Nathan to die. He rather foiled that when he insisted on accompanying her into the battle. She also did it for her love of Silva and those that live there. She didn't want any of the elves to fight. She also didn't want the elves to do the fight because it could bring on political problems with the human king that is supposed to take care of the borders of his kingdom. When he gave Dhiren permission she could just think of saving the lives of her adopted people. She was well aware that keeping the elves from the fight could cost her, her life, but she counted the cost well worth it if it meant none of you died."

"But Prince Dhiren would die," Sorsha says pale faced at the realization.

"I knew what the possible cost was and gave her the go ahead." Dhiren tells the astounded elves. "To her and to me, the death of one to save the lives of many was worth it. If my death saved the lives of my people then it was well worth it, but I wasn't happy about her refusing to accept any of my help. The spies were volunteers, I didn't order them to help Jessa, they chose to help her knowing that they wouldn't live, or likely wouldn't live."

"Lady Zira was aware and supported Jessa's decision." Kallen says in the silence that fell after Dhiren's words. 

"She was aware that there was a good chance that neither Jessa nor her friend Nathan would survive. That, Sorsha, is the reason you were allowed to get pregnant with his children." Kallen's words just cause more astonishment to those sitting there.

"You are pregnant?" Kristoff chokes out. The information given at this dinner is almost more than any of them can process.

"I found out the day he was killed." Sorsha says in a small voice.

"Shit." Kristoff says again. If his father finds out that she is pregnant by a human her child would be in danger.

He looks at Dhiren with fear written on his face, "Prince, if my father finds out that her child is half human it will be in danger from him. She doesn't have high enough social prestige to protect it."

Dhiren, Jessa, Kallen and Sorsha all narrow their eyes at his words. "That task is given to you, Dhiren. You need to take care of things before those children are in danger." Jessa says coldly.

Dhiren looks at and studies Kristoff coldly, "Yes, and I think that I now know where to start."

"My father has a group of those that hate humans. They hide their identities so I don't know who it is, but I do know that they meet regularly. You can, I don't know, maybe follow him or have him watched to find out the identities of the others."

"Why?" Jessa looks at Kristoff curiously.

"He's wrong, has been wrong. He was wrong to have me treat you the way I did and I was wrong to do it. I messed up on knowing you and having you as a friend because of it and he's heading for treason. I have no desire to have the same fate for me."

Dhiren looks to Kallen who gives him a minute nod. He'll take care of it when he returns to Silva. It has been a long time coming but finally the strong anti human hate that prevails in parts of Silva will be taken care off, finally.