"Hello, Foxhands, what took you so long?"

There he was, dumbfoundedly gaping at me like always. Foxglove shook his head, still taking account of how weak I'd become. He hadn't changed a bit, still wearing that black scarf from three winters ago with his uniform- the same silver and grey as my family's royal colors. Three buttons down at the bottom of the jacket were unbuttoned, exposing his undershirt, and his pants had a rip in one of the knees. Typical Foxglove, always remaining out of fashion rather than show a lot of skin. His hair was longer, too, kept in a small ponytail instead of the shaggy mess that used to curl around his pointed ears.

"Is that a new piercing I see?" I teased, noting the gold earring contrasting the umber tone of his skin.

"I've had that for three years. In case you've forgotten, Bri Bri, you're the one who put it there."

"Oh! Of course! Curse my addled brain- first time being in sunlight, you know. How long has it been? Three days."

"More like six months,"Foxglove sighed. "Let's just get you home, okay?"My response was a half-hearted thumbs up. "Dante! Can you help me with these chains?"He called, gently pulling me out of the carriage.

Dante Driscoll wiped his bloody hands on a scrap of cloth, heading over to us. Dante was quite tall, with blue scales on his face and hands. His skin, a slight bit lighter than Foxglove's, was like a painter's unfinished masterpiece. Splotches of skin were colored a light peach- under his eye, on his chin, a patch on his cheeks. Spiraling horns sprung out on his forehead, and his blue and silver hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall. If he wasn't already with Vivienne- and if my father approved of me courting a dragon- then you bet I would've gone for him in a heartbeat.

Speaking of Vivienne, out of the corner of my eye I saw her lurking around. Vivi had hair that was a mix of turquoise and dark blue, with a red streak. Her eyes were a goldenrod blossom color, and instead of armor or the uniform she wore the same white clothes with orange beads.

While Vivienne was spunky, and Foxglove was practically my second in command, Dante was the silent one. Or, in some cases, the dad friend of the group. If we got too drunk (which happened too often) he'd drag us out of the pub in an attempt to keep us from causing a scene. Ineffective half the time.

"Hey now, luscious locks." I greeted Dante, lifting my hand up in a salute. "Letting the garden grow?"

"Don't waste your breath, Briar." He snorted, quickly snapping all the cuffs on my wrists off. "Just rest, we're getting you back home."

I shook my head, rubbing my wrists. "No. I'm free now. Let's do something fun."

Foxglove sighed, lifting me up. "We're not going out drinking. Alcohol is the last thing you need- just listen to yourself, you sound drunk already!"

"Good, good." Nodding along, I promptly rolled out of his arms. "On our merry way we go." With that last statement, faster than a flash of lighting, I began rolling down the road. Sadly, I didn't get very far at all before Dante caught me again. He turned to the others.

"Strap her down, we're detouring to Clover and Ambrose's."

"Vacation!" I announced, grinning.

Vivienne, who had been keeping so silent the whole time that I'd forgotten she was there, shook her head. "I say we should just slap some sense into her and run."

Dante shook his head, then brought one of his hands to his lips and whistled. Almost immediately afterward an overly excited Igroc burst through the bushes, tripping over its own large paws. A large basketlike saddle sat on its back, strapped on. "Lie down, boy." With that order, it plopped down onto the ground, tongue lolling out of its mouth.

He was the first to climb into the saddle, setting me down carefully and attempting to make sure I don't fall out. As if I would. Foxglove hopped in next, and, after rolling her eyes, Vivienne soon followed suit. "The gang's all here." I announced, before sinking into blissful darkness.

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Murmuring voices and a warm sensation were the first to greet me when my consciousness returned. I assumed I was swaddled in furs, or wrapped up in blankets near a fire. As I slowly began to open my eyes, the first thing I saw was the flickering flames in the fireplace, twisting and swirling as if the fire and the smoke were in a delicate dance. I had assumed correctly about the furs, as they practically cocooned me.

"Mama, mama, she's awake!" A small voice chirped excitedly. Before I could react, a small, blonde kitsune child popped up right in front of my face, silky blonde ears practically poking my right eye out. "Briar! Briar! Do you remember me? I was super tiny the last time you saw me! Barely bigger than a pillow!" The child hardly took a breath as she spoke, enthusiastic and excited. Wonder shone in her pale blue eyes as she watched for my reaction.

The child was plucked up and out of my face within a few minutes. I recognized Clover, mother of the little annoyance and one of my oldest friends, as she sighed. "Destiny, what have I told you about annoying our guests?"

"...Not to do it..."

"Exactly. Now scamper along. I'm sure your father would like your help baking that apple pie." As soon as the word pie was mentioned, the child ran off faster than a bolt of lightning could strike- without so much as a goodbye. An enthusiastic little baker in the making, that was obvious.

"Sorry about her." Clo chuckled, turning to me. "She gets a little inquisitive, and this is the first time she's seen you in quite some time. Which reminds me, whatever happened to those monthly visits you promised?"

"I- uh- sorry, I got really busy and then I got captured-"She cut me off with a wave of her hand.

"Kidding, Briar. I'm just kidding you. Stop taking everything so defensively."

Silence erupted between us for the longest time. Could've been minutes, could've been hours before I broke it. "She looks a lot like Ambrose, but she's got your personality." I remarked, glancing at the door where Clover's daughter had ran out of. The best of both worlds.

"Destiny? I've started to notice that after a while. She may have his hair and eye color, but she also inherited my mighty lion's mane." To emphasize, she shook her hair out, letting it settle around her face and shoulders. Sure enough, wild curls and snarls ran through her hair, similar to that of her daughter.

"I definitely see the resemblance," I nodded my head. "How's Beau? Still trying to throw his sister out of windows? The last time I was here he seemed pretty keen on that."

My friend snorted. "No, thankfully. Otherwise, Destiny would no longer be with us. Beau does what any normal ten year old does, stab things with sticks."

"A true soldier in the making."

Just then, someone knocked at the door. "I'm decent, don't worry!" I called, causing Clover to snort.

"Briar, I wasn't knocking to see if you were dressed." Foxglove waltzed in, rolling his eyes.

"So you wouldn't mind if I was naked?"

"I didn't say that."

"No, you did." Turning to Clover, who was clearly trying to conceal her laughter at his embarrassment, I asked, "Didn't he?"

She just shook her head, standing up to leave. "I'm not getting involved with this, you'll have to settle this issue on your own."

With Clover gone, silence fell between us. It seemed the quiet was on a raid today, claiming all the victims it could and dragging them under its depressing cloud of dreadful silence. Being in the mines, I'd gotten used to the silence. We'd be whipped if the guards heard us even whisper, and sometimes, if they were having a terrible day, someone would be punished for even coughing. It didn't help that my asking 'Who pissed in your gruel?' would earn me some punishment points.

After a few minutes of silence, Foxglove spoke. "What all did they do to you back there?"

I turned away from him, choosing not to respond. Dwelling on it, speaking of it- wouldn't do me any good. Painful memories would come spilling out, along with tears. Tears that I was not allowed to be shed. Tears that I absolutely could not and would not shed.

I was a Rosenfall, and Rosenfalls did not cry.

"Briar," He begged, "Speak to me." But I didn't. Remaining silent, I looked him dead in the eye."I know that they branded you- Ambrose saw it when he was dressing your wounds."

The gaping maw of a dragon, a large B lodged behind its teeth. The honorable house of Blackwell. Oh, I remembered quite well what had happened. And I knew for a fact that Foxglove did not really want to know. Unspoken horrors had happened back in those mines. Before the mines, even. "War is brutal," I told him through clenched teeth. "War is a monster. And do you know what monsters do, Foxglove?"

Grabbing his hand, I pulled it to mine, dragging him close. Forcing him to look into my eyes.

"War makes monsters."