Sorid had kept Jessa well entertained to keep her from thinking about the upcoming ceremony that will be taking place. More than once Jessa would break out in laughter. Jessa sat patiently still talking to Sorid as Sorid got ready then when Kallen brought her little sister, Sunny, she helped to keep her entertained while she was getting dressed for the wedding.

It helped that Sunny was entranced with the gold cloth and was filled with questions about it. Jessa patiently explained that the gold was real and that the makers of the thread would take normal thread and wrap thin fibers of gold around it. It was a long and painstaking process and the thread was very costly. It was the reason that it took three years to make her wedding cloth. 

Jessa is pleased that she didn't have to dig into her savings or have help from her grandfather to buy the material. It makes her feel good to know that she was able to provide the material on her own. It makes the wedding all the more special for her.

"Why are you sad, Jessa?" Sunny asks. Only then did Jessa realize that she had tears falling down her cheek.

"You know that I love mother more than any thing? Her and father?" Jessa says to Sunny.

Sorid is listening even as she continues working on the elaborate braid for Jessa's hair that will have the moonstone headdress that Dhiren had given her more than three years ago.

Sunny nods, about the only time Jessa shows emotions are with her family and with Dhiren and then she gives them lots of love.

"Well, mother isn't the one that gave birth to me. I just wish that my birth mother could have been to my wedding as well. I wish that I could have met her even just once and my birth father that died before I was even born."

"Oh, I don't know what I would do if I never met mommy. I love her so much."

Jessa smiles warmly at her sister, "As do I. Her and daddy both. They've given me so much love and taught me so well, but I would just liked to have met my birth parents to see if they would be proud of who I am."

Sorid stops working on Jessa's hair and pulls her into a hug, "Oh, honey, I'm sure that they are more than proud of the woman you've become. You've made Kallen and I so proud. You've overcome some pretty hard obstacles and accomplished so much. There isn't any reason why they shouldn't be proud. I know it's hard for you, but I am thankful that your mother saved your life and entrusted Kallen and I to raise you right."

"I know I couldn't ask for better parents than you and Kallen. I know that I'm being so selfish right now, Mom, but I can't help but wonder. They've left a legacy that I'm still learning about and I'm not sure that I'm living up to it." Jessa says her heart heavy with her thoughts.

Sunny hugs Jessa as Sorid holds her tighter.

"Of course they love you, sissy. How could they not love you? You are the bestest big sister ever. You have the bestest fighting of all. Daddy says that you even saved the elves by taking care of most of the bad guys by yourself so only five elves die." Sunny says but then gets a confused look on her face. "But he never says how you saved all but five of us."

So Jessa wipes her eyes and has Sunny sit down as she tells the story of how the elves came to control the pass. The fight that lost her, her best friend.

"You mean Casey and Nathan's father was in that fight?" The two sets of twins are very close and play together often.

"Yes. Nathan is named after his father. During the fight he saw that one of the bandits was going to stab me in the back and he took the wound instead. He died before he even knew that he was going to be a father. But because he died, I was able to fight the leader of the bandits who was an evil dragon in human form. It was the same one that killed my birth father."

"So you killed the one that killed your birth father? And the one that caused Casey and Nathan to lose their father?"

"Yes, but I almost died from the wound he gave me before he died. Then I almost died again from an infection in the wound. It took me a long time before I was healed enough to be out of bed for more than just minutes." Jessa tells her little sister. Sunny looks suitably horrified at those words. To Sunny the worst punishment there is, is to be stuck in bed and not able to get up.

"You couldn't even go outside?" Sunny asks disgusted.

Jessa shakes her head.

"Remember when you were sick with the fever last winter?" Sorid says to her younger child.

Sunny nods remembering that she couldn't stay awake for long and had to stay in bed. "Well, Jessa was like that for a long time. She wasn't getting better so we had to send her to her grandfather, Alaric, in Castlerock. She almost died before she got there. It took her a long time to get strong enough to be up and about again. That was three years ago."

Sunny nods still slightly confused. Then realization hits her. "Is that the wound on your side from that fight?"

"Yeah, that's the one that almost killed me twice." Jessa says softly remembering that fight. She closes her eyes in pain. 

"So how come there were some elves that died?"

"They were there to watch the bandits. They saw Jessa fighting and knew that she would need help and so they stopped just watching and started fighting. By the time the prince showed up they were killed. Every one except Jessa and three other human guards were dead. Well, there were a few other guards that were too close to death for the healers to save."

"Dhiren saved my life. If he hadn't come when he did then I would have died that day as well." Jessa tells her sister.

Sunny smiles and claps her hands in delight. She loves Dhiren and spends as much time with him as she can. He spends a great deal of time at the house and with Kallen. He has improved on his fighting ability. He doesn't want Jessa to be disappointed in him so he strives to strengthen his weaknesses in his fighting style.

Now he can fight her to a draw almost half the time.

"It's time Jessa. Are you ready?" Sorid asks smiling gently at the daughter she's loved as her own from the first she set eyes on her.

Jessa stands up smiling she takes Sunny's hand and Sorid's as they move to the clearing. Sorid takes Sunny and heads into the clearing giving Jessa a reassuring smile before disappearing around a curve.

Jessa takes a breath before moving forward to her chosen fate.