Eventually, Aelwen came down from upstairs. She wore a veil of composure over the undercurrent of emotion still rocking her. She and Erno agreed upon sending him into the spirit world to warn Delku of Gerel's possession, and to beware whatever attacks could befall the Koanan tribe on their journey to the fire Kana. Aelwen hadn't felt up to the task.

When Erno returned, his face betrayed his agitation. Delku had not taken the news well. According to Erno, he'd been completely devastated. Both of his children were now under the control of malevolent entities. Delku's spirit had howled in anger even as he wept for his family. Despite this, Erno was able to instill into the grieving father the urgency of this news and what it meant for the safety of the Koana. Indeed, Delku confirmed that the tribe had packed up their tents and left home, the convoy hurriedly on their way to the assumed safety of the Kana. What was a rather fortunate piece of intel was that, since they were traveling, neither Liriel nor Cainen likely knew exactly where they were located, since all Kera and Gerel's memories contained was the location of their old hideout and where the Fire Kana resided. The long distance in-between these places would need to be searched thoroughly by Cainen or Liriel in order for the Koana to be found. At least they could keep hope knowing this.

Another piece of news from Delku was particularly intriguing. Before the Koana had left their encampment, they'd received a podling message (Aelwen asked what a 'podling' was, and Erno said he'd explain later) from Lord Riche Cheval. According to the aristocratic pegasus, he had begun constructing a plan to rip his city from the control of Liriel's army and rule under his own jurisdiction. He would have to find a way to either convince his Capital-loyal peers to his side or have the tide of public opinion wash them away and out of Clovendale. Seizing direct control of the Night Gales in order to use them for Auria's cause would have its own difficulty as well, not to mention swaying the Cainen-sworn people. Revealing Riche's true loyalties may have to come much later, he wrote. Even then, soldiers were continually being lost to attacking dragons, and finding space for incoming refugees was proving exceptionally difficult. Fighting against both Liriel's remaining rule as well as the legions of beasts would be a large struggle for the lord. Even so, he had hope, and he looked forward to the day when the rest of the leaders were brought back to themselves and could lead armies to make a final stand for freedom from both Liriel and Kaleign.

It will be a long journey before such an event takes place, Aelwen thought as Erno relayed his final bits of news.

After a half hearted conversation about the intelligence, silence settled among the members of the room. Information was being chewed and digested just like the food they were eating. Dawn had just passed, and soon everyone began to head upstairs to their quarters for rest after a long night's exploits. Aelwen was the last to go. She stood quietly, her slitted eyes staring deep within the fire pit's flames as if searching for something.

"Princess Aelwen." An authoritative voice broke Aelwen from her stupor. It was Qianru, who had just entered. "I need to speak with you."

"What is it?" Aelwen asked, blinking.

The tigress stepped closer, her muscular frame flickering with flame. "It's about Queen Kaleign. Please, follow me." She promptly exited the building. Head tilted in curiosity, Aelwen followed closely behind.

The glow from the lava snaking through the village lit Aelwen from below just as beams of dawn light struck through the volcano's choking black clouds. A reddish-orange haze fell over the land.

Qianru carried herself regally as she guided Aelwen toward a house near the large paper sculpture-filled pagoda at the center of the village. She padded up painted black steps and slid open a paper door for her guest. Aelwen nodded in thanks and stepped into the tigress' home. She raised her brows at what she saw.

Prince Devin sat squatly at a low table along with the cubs Jiao and Huan. Together, they were creating tiny origami animals and playing with them. Jiao used her paws to parade a little horse around the table. Huan roared and attacked the horse with his papyrus minotaur. Devin joined in, though the creature he wielded was an unrecognizable ball of crumpled paper, likely a failed attempt at folding something coherent. He slammed the ball against the horse and minotaur, sending stacks of patterned square paper all over the reed-lined floor.

Qianru cleared her throat, and the guilty wide eyed-stares of the three children met hers. Jiao and Huan began picking up the paper. As soon as Devin saw Aelwen, he narrowed his eyes and lowered his ears, tail wrapped protectively around his paws.

Is he ashamed for me to see him playing? Still wants to keep up the tough boy act, huh? Aelwen thought with a hint of a smile. She and Qianru moved on to a side hallway and entered a room all the way at the back of the abode. It was a dimly lit storage area, neatly stacked and labeled boxes placed along three of the walls. A full length mirror was hung on the remaining one. Qianru stood before the biggest of the bunch. She shuffled her wings, agitated.

"As your father mentioned, I was indeed Queen Kaleign's guardian Kana. I knew her for many years, ever since we were children. It was traditional back in the days of Auria for many people to have Kana as guardians. However, Kana were normally invisible to those they protected and would defend their spirit trees from demons without their knowledge. There were always exceptions of course. Sometimes we would reveal ourselves to your people, usually if they were warriors fighting for Auria's will. Queen Kaleign was one of those warriors. As such, It was important for us to know one another and fight together. At the final battle against Liriel, however, something went very wrong. Liriel was stronger than any enemy she had faced before. Kaleign grew desperate." Qianru's ember eyes betrayed how deep into memory she now waded. "When Liriel took over the castle she used her magic to create tricks of light. She faked the sacrificial killing of you and your father. Queen Kaleign watched helplessly with her wrists in chains and spears at her back as she thought she saw her family stabbed through with Liriel's twisted golden scythe. In reality Liriel had put you both under a wickedly powerful sleeping stasis spell."

Aelwen didn't want to interrupt, but she couldn't help the question bubbling to the surface. "Why...?" She gulped when Qianru turned her head to face her. "Why didn't she just kill us?"

Qianru flicked her tail back and forth. "Trophies. She wanted to use you both as symbols of her utter dominance over Eveanor."

Aelwen's ears pressed back against her head. "That is... revolting." She could barely put her disgust into words.

"Even after breaking your stasis she kept you and your father's names and faces. This way Kaleign would likely think that Liriel had somehow transformed her husband and daughter to look like those of the enemy she had killed years ago. It was a taunt. A supreme form of disrespect."

"I don't think Kaleign knows about that. She has never seen my father nor me in my human form. It's not like she could have spied easily on the kingdom either. She bans all of her dragons from becoming human, so it would be impossible for them to see us either. If we were somehow to reveal ourselves to her in person, perhaps she would think it really was us and not some form of transformed doppelganger." Aelwen's brows furrowed.

Qianru's nose twitched. "It is possible she did not know Liriel's 'family' looks suspiciously like hers. Even then, risking her finding you is dangerous. As soon as she saw you 'perish', she severed her connection to Auria. Her fury consumed her, and she was no longer able to see me. She refused to. I could not reveal the truth to her."

Aelwen was silent, ruminating over the images Qianru's story brought to her mind. It was hard to imagine herself dying before her mother.

Qianru gave a quiet sigh, small trails of smoke rising from her nostrils. She put a paw on the box in front of her. "And now to why I brought you here. Kaleign's dragon armor had been torn from her before she was forced to become human and kneel before Liriel during the sacrificial ceremony. When it all was over and the battlefield was empty, I gathered this armor and brought it with me. I knew that someday I would see Kaleign's daughter again." She opened the crate from the side, the wooden panel hinging open to reveal a wooden mannequin of a dragon decked in perhaps the most magnificent armor Aelwen had ever seen.

It was constructed of polished white enamel with silver borders with turquoise stones embedded as accents. Intricately carved images of bounding deer and soaring phoenixes decorated it in various places. A crown of silver and sapphires in the shape of a pair of antlers was designed to fit perfectly around the mannequin dragon's horns. The armor would have looked perfectly immaculate if not for the scars left by weapons from ancient battles.

"You're... giving this to me?" Aelwen asked.

Qianru nodded. "It is yours by birthright. And really, I have no need of it."

Aelwen gazed in awe at the set. It wouldn't fit the dragon Empress anymore, since she had grown much too big for it over the past two hundred years. Even then, it still looked too large for Aelwen to properly wear. She wondered how her mother must have looked in it, especially when she had fought Liriel.

"Here, try it on," Qianru said, her tail flicking toward the mannequin.

Over the next few minutes, Qianru gently took pieces of armor off of the mannequin and strapped them onto Aelwen. For the princess, it was fascinating to see dragon armor up close and how all of the precisely designed pieces fit together. From specially made lightweight chainmail that draped so as to leave plenty of room for her flapping wings to gauntlets with long metal claws to enhance her own, it was incredible (and also much lighter than she had expected).

At long last, the crowned helmet was placed atop her head. Aelwen gazed at herself in the mirror, scarcely believing it was her. In fact, she could start to see the resemblance to Kaleign in her features. Their snout shapes, their scale patterns, their eyes... Aelwen shook her head, the loose-fitting helmet tilting heavily over to one side. She promptly adjusted it back.

Qianru watched, her eyes aglow. Was that a small smile on the stern tigress' face? "You'll grow into it eventually. I can keep it here for now, if you'd like."

Aelwen nodded. "Thank you so much." She glanced back at herself, an intense feeling growing within her. While she felt powerful and capable when clad in the enamel-like armor, there was something missing. Something that would have made her feel complete. Unstoppable.

It was the raven-haired boy who had always been beside her.

Aelwen's eyes narrowed.

"I cannot stay here. I need to find Gerel."

"Yes, you do."

Aelwen looked at Qianru, her gaze betraying her fear and concern for her friend.

A gentle chuff from Qianru gave a bit of comfort. The tigress brushed her wings against Aelwen's.

"You have come incredibly far, Princess Aelwen. All the trials you have faced thus far have prepared you for what is to come. Being forged into a great woman takes time." Qianru smiled gently. "Saving the man you love is a pure intention."

Aelwen's heart skipped a beat. "Can you help me? Come with me? I have no idea what I'm going to do," she whispered.

"I am not your guardian spirit, but I do know that there is one out there for you. However, you have not met him quite yet. When you go to recruit the other Kana, you will find him. He will protect you just as I did for your mother."

"My-my own Kana?"

Qianru sniffed. "I can sense it on you. He is waiting." She raised her head and glanced at the doorway behind her. "I can also sense a little eavesdropper nearby."

The sound of a young dragon gasping in surprise was followed by a growl and padded footsteps. Devin poked his head around the corner of the doorway, a small pout on his face.

"You shouldn't be wearing that," he said quietly with his nostrils flared. "It's not yours."

Despite his language, his tone was far less angry than normal. He sounded a bit resigned... defeated, almost.

"Devin," Aelwen began, softening her voice. "Kaleign is my mother just as much as she is yours. I know that right now you must be feeling--"

"That's not true," Devin said flatly. "She might be your mother, but she's not your mom. Did she raise you ever since you were born? Did she take care of you every day and tell you stories and teach you how to fight and protect you from bad guys?" His voice rose. "Do you even remember anything about her? Did you give her hugs on her birthday or hunted boar with her or flew with her and papa over the mountain pass for the first time? I did! I-I'm much more of a child, an-an heir to her than you'll EVER be!"

Aelwen's face blanched. It was as if her very scales turned white in shock. Devin stormed away, tail thrashing from side to side.

In the distance, crows cawed loudly. An howling breeze ripped through the grasses beyond the town.

Aelwen's mouth went dry. Her stare was blank. "He's right," she whispered. "I don't know Kaleign. And I refuse to be Liriel's heir. I barely even have a mother at this point." Her wings dropped, scales scratching the floor.

"Just because you don't remember those days doesn't meant they never happened." Qianru said. "And even if she was only with you for a little more than a few years, she still loved you very, very much."

Aelwen's brows knitted.

"Besides. We all have a mother." Qianru used her wing to bring Aelwen's head up to face her. "Auira has always been there. Even now she protects you with her wings. I can sense it. I'm a mother. I know these things." She winked. "Besides, your father is as good as they come. He's been with you your whole life, hasn't he?"

The thought of her father's warm smile comforted Aelwen greatly. She really was so incredibly thankful for him and his safety.

"Thank you, Qianru," Aelwen said. "For everything."

The tigress smiled again. Aelwen could tell that this was a rare sight, and she thankfully had the privilege to see it.