Grosh could barely wait for noon. He was at the meadow well in advance of the scheduled meeting time. Finally he saw horses approaching. The twins came with their escort. As soon as they dismounted, they looked off into the distance. Grosh followed their gaze, and before long he saw a speck in the sky which grew ever larger. The speck became a dragon. Iceheart landed in the meadow, and the twins ran up to him, hugging his long neck. Arianda then approached Grosh.
“Firestorm would not come as he does not approve of what we will attempt, but Iceheart has agreed to help. Our powers are still immature, so we need to take some magic from a dragon. We shall attempt to help you, but we are not sure it will work.”
Grosh bowed to her. “I am grateful for your help whether it works or not. I must know if I can be healed so I can be with my wife again. I do not wish to ever harm her again.”
Arianda took Grosh’s hand and walked closer to Iceheart. She could feel Grosh’s fear of the great beast and knew he really wanted this to work. She knew he would not come near the dragon elsewise. The twins stood on either side of Iceheart’s head, placing one hand upon his neck. Their other hands they placed on Grosh’s head. Grosh closed his eyes and felt their presence in his mind. At first he tried to block them, to push them out, but then he made himself relax so the twins could freely walk in his mind.
After what felt like a lifetime, the twins let go of Grosh and stepped away from Iceheart. “Did it work?” asked Grosh.
Jasson spoke up. “We are sorry. We do not think we were able to help you. The troll in you is very strong and demands to be given its due. We cannot assure you this will not happen again. It is a battle only you can control. You will have to fight the troll when you feel him trying to come out.”
Grosh nodded and thanked them. He walked slowly back to his horse knowing he could not be with his wife until he could control the beast within him. He thought of his brother and knew Unser would be laughing at him if he knew of this. Grosh went back to his estate and penned a missive to Kaya, saying he was going to the trumans village and he did not know when he would return. He told her how much he loved her, but he needed to learn to control the troll before he could be near her again. He hoped she would understand and that her love remained true, but he also said he would understand if she never wished to see him again. He then sent a missive to Jareth to let his king know as well. He assured Jareth he would still act as emissary, making sure all went well in the village. He let Jareth know he would send him weekly reports from his place of exile—an exile of his choosing.
He gave the missives to one of his guards then packed up his few belongings. He told the guards to return to the castle, as he would no longer have need of them while he was in the village. Taking one last look at his estate, he rode off toward the village. Each step of his horse broke his heart a little more until it was shattered to pieces.
Conser welcomed him at the village, and gave him the cottage that had once been Cormack’s. Others were using it, but Conser had them move out so Grosh had a place to stay. Grosh was as close to nobility as the village had, so Conser wanted him to have a decent place to live, even if it was only for a short while. Grosh wasn’t sure if the time would be short, or if this move would be permanent. He feared the latter would prove to be true.
*****
Jareth was relieved when he received the missive from Grosh. Grosh had taken the decision from him by moving to the village. He called the twins down to the great hall and they explained how they had tried to help Grosh but were unable. Jareth asked them if they thought Grosh was dangerous to the kingdom. They thought not, the troll would only come out during mating; thereby, he would only be a danger to Kaya if he could not learn to control it. Jareth thanked the twins for their opinions and sent them back to their lessons.
Ariyona was standing in the doorway of the hall and heard the whole exchange. Jareth turned as saw her standing there with a horrified look upon her face. He motioned for her to approach and took her into his lap upon the throne.
“My love, I know this is upsetting, but Grosh living in the village is best for now. Only time will tell if they can be together again. We must let the fates decide this.”
Kaya read her missive and cried. She knew what Grosh was doing was for the best, yet her heart broke as well. She spent a third day in bed, not wanting to move or eat. Tia implored her to eat, saying she needed to keep her strength up for the babe within her. This was the only reason that Kaya let food and drink pass her lips. If it were not for this babe, she would have let herself starve. Her world became dark.
*****
Four months passed and life returned more toward normalcy. Kaya opened up again, spending time with Ariyona, Mari, and Ygraine. Those three made sure to be near her and to keep her occupied, so she would not grieve the absence of her husband. A few times Kaya and Ariyona had ridden to the trumans village, but Grosh would not come out to see his wife, fearing he would lose control again.
Both Kaya’s and Ariyona’s bellies swelled from the babes growing within. Mari moaned she was not yet with child and vowed to speak to her husband regarding that matter. She said they would need to mate like bunnies and try to make a babe. Ygraine began to wish there was another babe growing within her as well, and sought out Cormack often to try to remedy that.
A few nobles came from Carillon to meet with Jareth as prospective husbands for Joranne, but she rejected them all and Jareth was becoming exasperated. He told her she must choose soon, or he would choose for her. Joranne claimed none of them could compare to the husband she was denied.
Grosh sent weekly reports from the village, stating they were learning to farm and things were going well. He asked Jareth about Kaya, but would not communicate directly with his wife. Jareth hoped Grosh had made the right decision to stay away; nonetheless, he saw the sadness and longing in Kaya’s eyes as her heart broke a little more with each passing day.
The twins continued their lessons in the castle. Once or twice each fortnight, they spent time with the dragons, continuing whatever training they received from the great beasts. It disturbed Jareth that he knew not what they were learning or what passed between the dragons and his children. He did not like having mysteries in his kingdom—things that were not in his control. The twins would not share this information with him saying they were not allowed. At times, Jareth’s frustration at this would cause him to throw things or storm through the castle. Everyone knew to stay out of his way when he was in a rage.
Things on the whole seemed to be going well and that worried Ariyona. She knew this peaceful time would not last as it was not her fate to have a quiet life. Everything had been in turmoil since the day Merrick had first kidnapped her more than two years before.
*****
Firestorm summoned Ariyona and the twins to the meadow. They rode out, with Jareth and an escort reaching the meadow as quickly as they could. Firestorm was accompanied by his own entourage. Ariyona counted five dragons on the ground and another seven circling in the skies. This did not bode well and Jareth knew trouble was brewing even though he could not hear he dragons. His senses were on high alert. All the guards were uneasy as well, seeing the number of dragons present in the clearing.
The royals dismounted and Firestorm approached Ariyona, looking directly at her. ‘There is trouble on the horizon,’ the dragon’s voice boomed in her head. ‘I must take the children with me.’
Jasson was speaking the dragon’s words aloud so the others could hear. Jareth came forward and approached Firestorm. “I will not allow this without knowing what trouble awaits. You cannot have my children if I know not what to expect.”
Firestorm’s eyes glowed with anger. ‘I told you once before that I would take them if need be. You cannot stop me. Do you think you and your six men could fight against my brothers and me? They will come with us now,’ the dragon demanded.
Ariyona finally found her voice. Rubbing her swollen belly as the babe was kicking up a storm within her, she took a few steps closer to Firestorm. “Please, can we not have at least a day to spend with them before they go? Surely one day will not make a difference. You must understand how we feel about our babes. You have taken so much of their lives from us as yet and this is hard for us. Can you not tell us of the trouble so we might prepare?”
The dragon let out some steam, bathing Ariyona in his mist, yet she did not flinch. ‘So be it. I will tell what I can. You will remember that Ustan told of other creatures that used to dwell upon these lands? It seems that after the troll war, they have decided it is time for them to come and reclaim these lands as well. Some have magic, others just brute strength. Many of them do not like my kind, and for sure, they do not like your kind who forced them to flee in the past. They feel that you are a weakened race after the recent battles with the trolls, and see the time as ripe to reclaim their lands. There is more, but we cannot foresee all that will come to pass. We just know it will not be a war easily won. The twins are key and we must protect them. If the others can lay claim to them, they will be used against us. Whosoever controls the twins will have the advantage.’
Arianda came forward. ‘Firestorm, we would never help others against the dragons or our people. Can we not stay here with our parents?’
‘My dear little one,’ Firestorm began, ‘I know you and your brother would never willingly help the others, but they have dark magic and can compel you. Only the dragons can protect you. You must come with us. I will abide by your mother’s wishes and give you one day but no more. You will come to the meadow at sunset tomorrow, prepared to leave with us.’ Firestorm looked at Jareth and Jasson spoke aloud for him. ‘You will not try and stop us from taking the twins. They will come with us.’
Jareth glared at Firestorm; nonetheless, he stiffly nodded his head in agreement. They rode back to the castle and prepared for the leaving of the children. The twins were allowed to stay up past their normal bedtime, as Jareth and Ariyona wanted to have as much time with them as possible. Ariyona could not bear the thought of losing them again and sobbed silently. Arianda tried to console her mother as much as possible as neither twin was worried about what was to come. Jareth was very concerned about this and he had sent out missives to ready his armies. Messengers were also dispatched to Carillon to warn them what the dragon foretold.
The following evening, just as the sun was setting, a huge procession headed out to the meadow to see the twins off. Nina wanted to go with them, and Cormack had to promise her gifts to stay behind. He was glad his daughter did not have to leave, as he would have missed her dearly; nonetheless, he wondered if she would be safe in the war to come.
Firestorm and several other dragons were already in the meadow. Ariyona hugged her children tightly and Jareth had to pull her away. He watched Firestorm warily, anger showing upon his face. Yet he knew he could not stop the beast from taking his children. Firestorm had been correct in this—Jareth was no match for him. This irked Jareth greatly. Ariyona began crying even before the twins mounted the dragons’ necks, their possessions tied to the backs of two other dragons.
Then they were off. The dragons moved as one, flying into the distance. Arianda looked back at her parents, but Jasson only looked to the horizon. It was not long before they were just distant specks heading into the darkening skies. Once the specks had disappeared, the procession headed back to the castle.